The Darkest Lost Media [Vol. 3]

Who speaks in this episode?

• Mark Walberg (Host)

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Melanie Williams, FLDS, Warren Jeffs
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Melanie Williams, Mark Walberg
3. 15:00 – 20:00: Life After People
4. 20:00 – 25:00: Ryan Jenkins, Jasmine Fiore
5. 25:00 – 30:00: Ryan Jenkins, Jasmine Fiore
6. 30:00 – 35:00: To Catch a Predator
7. 35:00 – 40:00: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, To Catch a Predator
8. 40:00 – 45:00: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard

Notable quotes from "The Darkest Lost Media [Vol. 3]"

• (thunder rumbling) (foreboding music) The story of the FLDS is one of the darkest I know, and they, too, have troves of media both destroyed and sealed away.

  about FLDS · at 3:00

• In August of 2010, a contestant named Melanie Williams took the stage for the show's 9th episode of its second season.

  about Melanie Williams · at 4:30

• In the beginning, host Mark Walberg warns her of what she's about to be faced with, giving her an opportunity to opt out.

  about Mark Walberg · at 5:55

• Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans.

  about Saily · at 11:29

• (phone ringing) (thunder rumbling) 12 hours later, authorities receive a phone call.

  about Ryan Jenkins · at 23:20

• (gentle spirited music) November 11th, 2004, Dateline NBC airs a show that you just might have heard of.

  about To Catch a Predator · at 31:11

• And over on CBS Channel 11, a bear enthusiast named Timothy Treadwell appears on Letterman.

  about Timothy Treadwell · at 38:05

• (ominous music) In October of 2003, Timothy Treadwell had convinced his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, to venture out with him to Katmai National Park.

  about Amie Huguenard · at 39:39

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Ryan Jenkins — Person · Referenced perpetrator / reality TV contestant · 8 mentions · first at 20:36
  Central figure in the 'Megan Wants a Millionaire' segment; described as a contestant whose wife Jasmine Fiore was murdered, leading to the show being pulled and episodes becoming unaired/lost.
• Melanie Williams — Person · Referenced participant / whistleblower figure · 5 mentions · first at 4:32
  A contestant on Fox’s game show 'The Moment of Truth' whose episode(s) are described as partially lost media; she disclosed abuse tied to the FLDS and her family.
• Jasmine Fiore — Person · Referenced victim · 4 mentions · first at 23:42
  Victim in the Ryan Jenkins case; her murder is presented as the reason 'Megan Wants a Millionaire' was halted and became a notable lost-media/unaired-episodes case.
  His wife, an LA model named Jasmine Fiore, had reportedly up and vanished.
• Timothy Treadwell — Person · Referenced subject of case study · 3 mentions · first at 38:09
  Bear enthusiast/filmmaker whose fatal 2003 bear attack (and the unreleased audio recording) is discussed as a notorious piece of sealed/lost media.
• Amie Huguenard — Person · Referenced victim / companion · 2 mentions · first at 39:51
  Treadwell’s girlfriend who died with him during the 2003 bear attack; her involvement is key to the description of the unreleased audio tape.
• Mark Walberg — Person · Referenced TV host/interviewer · 1 mention · first at 5:55
  Host of 'The Moment of Truth' who asks Melanie Williams the pivotal on-air questions; his presence anchors the broadcast segment described as lost/controversial media.
• Warren Jeffs — Person · Referenced cult leader · 1 mention · first at 1:33
  Identified as the most recent leader of the FLDS in the episode’s setup; provides context for Melanie Williams’ upbringing and allegations about underage/forced marriages.
  Most recently run under the grasp of a man named Warren Jeffs, they operated completely under the radar for the better part of the past century.

Concepts & topics

• FLDS — Concept · 1 mention · first at 3:12

Media & podcasts

• To Catch a Predator — Media · 2 mentions · first at 31:25
• Life After People — Media · 1 mention · first at 17:22
  All of the footage you've seen so far has been taken from a 2010 History Channel documentary called Life After People.

Sponsors

• Saily — Product · sponsor · 1 mention
  Saily provides eSIM services to travelers, helping them avoid high roaming fees.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 (peculiar music) (speaker faintly speaking) (suspenseful music) (foreboding music) - [Announcer] March 21st, 1997, history of the Prophet Joseph Smith in fifth through eighth grade class. How anxious I am for Heavenly Father's spirit to touch your minds and hearts. What the Prophet Joseph Smith did was right. - [Nexpo] Hailing from a tiny Utah town called Short Creek was a cult. The Fundamentalist Church of of Latter-Day Saints or FLDS for short. Most recently run under the grasp of a man named Warren Jeffs, they operated completely under the radar for the better part of the past century.

1:40 For years, Jeffs and his predecessors maintained strict control over their members, preaching the central idea that plural marriages were not only a God-given right, but were the only way for members to access the kingdom of heaven. He was known to call himself "The Prophet," the only member of the church who could talk to God. And if God told him that you should marry someone, you wouldn't go against his will, would you? Wife after wife after wife, the prophet would arrange to wed not only for the adult men inside the church, but most prominently for himself.

2:20 Tens, hundreds of women were used as pawns, tickets that they believed would grant them eternal salvation. And as you'd expect, their ages were never considered. Inside the FLDS, hundreds of children were born through underaged mothers, forced into arranged marriages with men upwards of 85 years of age, and all of them wholeheartedly believed that they were carrying out... (brooding music) The will of God.

2:56 (rain pattering) (thunder rumbling) (foreboding music) The story of the FLDS is one of the darkest I know, and they, too, have troves of media both destroyed and sealed away. We will be diving into the full story of the FLDS very soon. However, they're not fully the reason we're here tonight.

3:33 (ominous music) In 2008, a game show premiered on Fox called "The Moment of Truth." It involved contestants answering highly controversial and often abrasive questions in front of a live studio audience in exchange for an ever-growing grand prize. Prior to each episode, contestants would take a polygraph test to ensure the accuracy of their responses on stage. And I'm sure you can see how this could go downhill very quickly. Answer a highly personal, highly secret question correctly in front of the world and the bag of cash dangling over your hand growns evermore.

4:20 Answer it wrong, however, and your affairs are exposed in front of thousands and are for ever etched into broadcast history. In August of 2010, a contestant named Melanie Williams took the stage for the show's 9th episode of its second season. Unlike those that competed before her, however, Melanie carried with her a dark, disturbing past. - Yeah. Yeah. - [Mark] While living in a polygamous community, did you know of any underage girls who were married to adult men? - [Audience] Oh! - Yeah. - [Announcer] That answer is...

5:02 True. - Wow. (audience applauding) - [Speaker] But nothing could stop her dramatic climb to the top. (Melanie faintly speaking) (pensive music) - [Nexpo] As it turns out, Melanie Williams grew up inside the FLDS and witnessed firsthand the atrocities committed against the women and children within. To this day, season two, episode nine, her debut, is completely scrum from existence, leaving us with only an archive trailer hinting at the inner details she revealed. Interestingly, even though episode nine is considered lost, Melanie actually returned for episode 10, one that has been found in full.

5:42 Within it, she takes the stage for a final $500,000 question, the grand prize of this show, and something no contestant before her has ever been able to win. In the beginning, host Mark Walberg warns her of what she's about to be faced with, giving her an opportunity to opt out. However, after reading it and taking a moment to really let it sink in, she designs apprehensively that she's gonna do it. - I'm gonna do it for my dad. I'm gonna go for it. (audience cheering and applauding) - We're going for it. Holy moly!

6:24 (suspenseful music) - (sobs) It's a dumb (beeps) question. Excuse me. But it's a tough question for me. It's a tough (beeps) question. But I can do it. - [Nexpo] Tearful and aware of what she's about to reveal, her father questions what could possibly be causing a reaction like this? She has, up to this point, aired down so much already. How much more really is there? - [Mark] Yes? - [Melanie] Yes, (indistinct), Mark. - Okay. For $500,000, Melanie Williams. Question 21: "Do you believe your father, as an adult, has ever had sexual relations with a minor?"

7:17 - [Audience] Oh! (crowd applauding and laughing) (tense music) - Yes. - [Audience] Oh! - [Announcer] That answer is... (tense music) True. (audience cheering and applauding) - [Nexpo] The audience erupts as Melanie sits, shocked at what she just unveiled to the world. Her father, equally stunned, and it all culminates in one of the strangest, most dystopian moments that I have ever seen on broadcast television. As the family embraces, Walberg questions her father about this illegal relationship, to which he completely downplays in.

8:23 - It happens all the time. - As part of that cult? - Yeah, it happens all the time. - Let's hear what John feels about it. - Gosh. I'm not sure when I did this, I knew what a minor was. That was a long time ago. - [Mark] Okay. - Wife number two was 17. She had just gotten out of high school. (film reel whirring)

8:49 (ominous music) - [Nexpo] In January of 2011, over four months after this episode aired, Melanie Williams took to her personal blog to clear up any speculation about her time on the show. Within a post made on January 7th, she claims that her father had actually lied that night, that the girl wasn't 17 like he claimed. In reality, she was 14, and her name was Joy. (brooding music) As far as it's known, her father has neither been investigated nor charged since this aired, and there's been no further updates from Melanie herself.

9:41 Even so, this broadcast is one of the strangest that I have ever watched, and I wouldn't be surprised if it contributed to "The Moment of Truth's" cancellation. Regardless of whether season two, episode nine is ever found, Melanie Williams successfully exposed the illegal atrocities committed by one of the world's darkest cults in front of thousands. A cult that has done everything in its power to keep its depraved history a secret. And a cult, the FLDS, who manipulated and abused women and children for over a century, all veiled under the will of God.

10:22 (brooding music) - [Announcer] We'll return after these messages. - All right, guys, before we continue, I'd like to tell you about tonight's video sponsor, Saily. So, a couple months ago, I went to a place on my bucket list, Ireland. And while it was an amazing time, I was slapped with the biggest cell phone bill I have ever seen when I got home. So, unfortunately, I didn't realize that international fees are a thing. Like an idiot. Enter Saily, a service that allows you to purchase eSIMs in hundreds of countries around the world, saving you tons of money you'd otherwise have to pay in egregious roaming fees.

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11:42 Thank you so much to Saily for sponsoring tonight's video. Now let's get back to it. (foreboding music) (machine whirring) (electronic beeping) ♪ When you're at (indistinct) Number 1 ♪ (lively music) (mysterious music) It's October, 1999. Residents on the south end of Fort Worth, Texas notice a certain smell lingering in the air. It's repugnant, nauseating, a pungent, pervasive odor of rot. The stench is an escapable, rapidly enveloping parks, homes, and businesses. Something in the area is festering and it's carrying an inescapable wave of what can only be described as the smell of deteriorating flesh.

12:49 Disgusted and worried, residents in the area contact authorities in the hopes that someone, anyone can figure out what the hell is going on. This odor has come up so quickly. So where in the world is it coming from?

13:10 ♪ A&P ♪ ♪ Just look for this green P ♪ - [Announcer] Check out this week's Green Prize specials on all flavors of Jell-O frozen pudding pops. - [Narrator] The sweetness of the grapes. At Ralphs, you expect this kind of quantity. - It's like my mother always told me, "Get what you want, but get it at Waldbaum's." - I know how good my quality meats taste, but you have to see how good Waldbaum's prices look.

13:43 (peculiar music) - [Nexpo] Resting at the corner of Hemphill and West Fogg Street in Fort Worth, Texas sits an abandoned building. A grocery store called the Mexia Supermarket. Known to have been owned by a family from Laos, it served the surrounding neighborhood for years. But here, they were nowhere to be found. Their store is rotting. Their home, vacant. And it's slightly up and left, leaving the only remnants of their existence, a neighborhood suffering from an inescapable smell and a grocery store that's festering right under its own weight.

14:36 (switch clicks) (ominous music) Inside, rotting deli and meat discolored as bacteria consumed it. Produce began to wither and emit hazardous gas. Frozen goods and milk exploded due to an uncontrolled fermentation inside them. And the air inside, unbreathable, as the oxygen was completely depleted. As you'd expect, the building, by the time it was found, was in a state of complete disrepair as maggots, roaches, rats, and thousands of flies had nest in within its crevices. The scene, unreal. And all of this was the product of a building left to decay for nearly three months.

15:34 (brooding music) (melancholic music) In the following days, the Fort Worth Health Department officially declared the site as a health hazard, sparking a massive cleanup operation. But as they assessed the building, they realized that it would prove far more complicated than initially imagined. Because of the live rodents, millions of insects, and the buildup of hazardous gas, demolishing or burning the building down wasn't possible as everything within it would simply migrate to the neighboring homes. And so, instead, a crew was hired to clean it by hand.

16:24 Decked down to hazmat suits and oxygen tanks, they were tasked with bagging and removing the rotten food, disinfecting every surface inside, and fumigating the premises, all while navigating through the millions of insects surrounding them. Reportedly, the initial scene was so infested with flies that cleanup crews couldn't even see more than a few feet in front of them. The cleanup efforts took nearly a month to complete. And by December, the building stood completely empty, yet still carrying a lingering odor of rot.

17:00 Years later, it was eventually bought out and rebranded as a store called Terry's. However, according to a review left on Google, nearly 14 years after Mexia, the place, even still, reportedly smelled like death. All of the footage you've seen so far has been taken from a 2010 History Channel documentary called "Life After People." And while it gives us an inside look at the conditions there, it's merely a small piece of the story. As it turns out, tons of news coverage was taken, showcasing both the interior and exterior of the building before the cleanup operation begin.

17:39 However, as of now, it stands completely inaccessible. According to an online user named The_Hook_Up, the news coverage of Mexia depicted a scene so repulsive that the windows appeared blackened due to the millions of roaches and flies covering them. "I did have dreams about this one neighborhood in Fort Worth that was due to a news story at the time. A supermarket in this one low income area of town just closed one day. The images on the news are what gave me bad dreams. Windows blackened by millions of roaches, rats in swarms.

18:21 The smell had to be apocalyptic. Two-month old fish? Two-month old carrots? Pork? Thousands upon thousands of rat droppings? I was obsessed with the story. Hence why I dreamt about it, being in there. It still freaks me out." (ominous music) (static crackling) To this day, this one minute of video is the only known footage in existence depicting the absolute nightmare left behind inside Mexia Supermarket. And as we've seen, while evidence of other archives are out there, they have seemingly been buried in the void of broadcast history.

19:10 With attention to it growing day by day, perhaps someday more footage about this will emerge. However, as of now, this is all we have, and it just might stay that way for years to come. (ominous music)

19:38 (suspenseful music) (lively music) - [Announcer] This is VH1. Video Hits One. (lively jazz music) - [Narrator] After waiting some considerable time to find a well set up gentleman, Megan was prepared to meet a man she could wind up spending the rest of her life with. - I'm nervous, I'm excited. But most of all, I'm ready. - [Nexpo] August 2nd, 2009. A reality show airs on VH1 starring a woman named Megan Hauserman. It's called "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and it involves 18 suitors vying for her love by competing in challenges and trying to impress her with high dollar dates.

20:34 Out of every contestant on the show, a man named Ryan Jenkins had stood out to her. He was charming and witty, a trait so prevalent that the production team granted him the nickname "Smooth Operator." Now, drama was, and still is, no stranger to reality TV, and "Megan Wants a Millionaire" was no different. With such a bombastic cast of rich men vying for a woman by primarily flaunting their wealth, I'm sure you can see how this fell into the Junk food category of shows out there. Now, that's all completely fine and nothing about "Megan Wants a Millionaire" was even that big of a deal.

21:12 In fact, we wouldn't even be talking about this show today if it weren't for the fact that... By the time this show was set to air, its fourth episode, Ryan Jenkins' wife was dead. (ominous music) August 15th. Police are investigating a dumpster in Buena Park, California. Reportedly, a foul smell is emanating from it, yet it isn't the kind you'd expect. This isn't the smell of trash. It's not an animal. It's something else. A few moments later, they dig out a densely packed suitcase. And upon opening it... (suitcase lock clicks) (ominous music) Staring skyward is the mutilated, mangled body of a blonde female.

22:28 Her teeth are gone, her fingers severed. And her clothing, nowhere to be found. Immediately, the police open a case. They realized that whoever did this went out of their way to sever any identifying feature from her body. However, curiously, one still remained. You see, this woman had breast implants. And given that these carry their own serial numbers, it gave authorities a potential lien for identification. Even still, however, this woman was unrecognizable, ultimately leaving three pivotal questions to linger.

23:07 Who was this? Who did this? And how in the world did she end up here? (tense music) (phone ringing) (thunder rumbling) 12 hours later, authorities receive a phone call. It is from Ryan Jenkins and he's pleading. His wife, an LA model named Jasmine Fiore, had reportedly up and vanished. He claims that the previous night, the two arrived back at their home in Los Angeles before she left to run errands. However, since then, nothing. Over the next 48 hours, the breast implants were verified to belong to Jasmine Fiore.

24:04 And as a result, her husband, Ryan Jenkins, had become a person of interest in her murder. Yet, once they began looking into his movements over the few days prior, they realized that Jasmine Fiore, contrary to Ryan's testimony, had never arrived home. As it turns out, on the night of her death, the pair had gone to the L'Auberge Hotel in Del Mar, California for a poker tournament. And on CCTV, the pair can be seen arriving, getting settled in, and leaving. Oddly, however, at 4:30 in the morning on August 15th, just hours before Jasmine's body was uncovered, they discover a panicked Ryan Jenkins.

24:47 Yep, he's completely alone. Jasmine, wherever they went, never returned with him. She was never seen alive again. (pensive music) Immediately, Jenkins becomes their lead suspect. However, tracking him down proved to be difficult. He went on the run from their home in LA to Nevada, Nevada to Utah, Utah to Canada, and all of this was done in the span of just two days. Because of this, he was officially charged with the murder of Jasmine Fiore on August 20th. Yet, because he was evading arrest, he always seemed to be one step ahead.

25:36 It wasn't until the morning of August 23rd when authorities would locate him at a motel called Thunderbird in Hope, Canada. However, their encounter wouldn't go at all as planned. That morning, Ryan Jenkins had never checked out. In fact, for the three days he was staying there, not a sound ever came from his room and no one ever left. (brooding music) In reality, he had taken his own life. And inside his room, he awaited, hanging from the motel coat rack. (foreboding music) - Search for a reality show contestant charged with the first degree killing of his ex-wife is finally over.

26:31 Ryan Jenkins was found dead in a motel room in Canada yesterday in apparent suicide. But officials say the investigation is far from over. (pensive music) - [Nexpo] Following his capture, VH1 had placed "Megan Wants a Millionaire" on an indefinite hiatus, leaving episodes four to six, the remainder of the season, never to air. After an internal investigation, it was found that Jenkins was charged with assaults over two years prior to filming. Something that should have restricted him from ever being allowed on TV.

27:06 Even further, there were reportedly countless other contestants with charges as well, opening up the door to accusations that VH1 perhaps overlooked these in hopes of sewing drama and driving up ratings. For years, episodes four through six of "Megan Wants a Millionaire" was unseen by anyone outside of the studio. However, in 2020, Megan herself released episodes four and five on her personal YouTube channel. Even still though, the finale eludes the public. And given the controversy that took place, it's unlikely to ever be released.

27:46 To this day, VH1 and the entire landscape of reality TV has felt the effects of this tragedy, yet nothing could ever compare to the grief the family of Jasmine Fiore underwent as they lost their loved one. According to Jasmine Fiore's mother, their relationship was never healthy. They were always fighting, always arguing about something, but never did she think that Ryan Jenkins would take the life of her daughter. Never did she think that he would leave her in the condition he did and felt like a complete nightmare, yet it was painfully, agonizingly real.

28:28 "Megan Wants a Millionaire" to this day remains as an eerie look at the faces people put on for cameras. Yet, once they're off and everyone inevitably returns home, we truly don't know any of them. Reality TV, they call it, even when it isn't reality at all.

29:02 (pensive music) (machine whirring) (machine beeping) (siren wailing) - [Announcer] And last week's number one down to number two, Underworld. (indistinct) (foreboding music) (computer beeps) - [Nexpo] It's late at night and a conversation is playing out between two online users, INXS00 and NoOneZero93 It's charged, inappropriate, a glance into the most depraved desires of the human psyche. This correspondence carries on for days. However, there's just one problem. (phone ringing) - [INXS00] Hello? - [NoOneZero93] Hey.

30:03 - [INXS00] Hey, what are you doing? - [NoOneZero93] Nothing. What are you doing? - [INXS00] Nothing at the moment. What are you doing? - [NoOneZero93] Oh, nothing. - [INXS00] Did you go get your other money? - [NoOneZero93] Yes, I did. - Okay, good. - Did you leave yet? - [INXS00] No. - [NoOneZero93] You didn't leave yet? - [INXS00] No. - [NoOneZero93] Are you gonna come or not? - [INXS00] Yes, I shall. - [NoOneZero93] Well, when are you gonna come over? - [INXS00] Well, a little later. - [NoOneZero93] A little later?

30:32 - [INXS00] Yeah, is that all right? - [NoOneZero93] Yeah, I guess. - [INXS00] (beeps) boy. - [NoOneZero93] (laughs) You're silly. - [INXS00] You're the silly one. (suspenseful music) - [Nexpo] INXS00 in the real world is a 56-year-old man named Louis Conradt. And all throughout his chats and phone calls, he fully believes that he's conversing with a 13-year-old boy. (foreboding music) (gentle spirited music) November 11th, 2004, "Dateline" NBC airs a show that you just might have heard of. It's called "To Catch a Predator."

31:27 And in collaboration with police and a watchdog group named Perverted Justice, they performed sting operations around the country, luring in and exposing predators on national television. In July of 2006, the production team commenced a multi-month sting operation in the town of Murphy, Texas for a proposed two-part special in the show's second season. Among those caught were a 54-year-old math teacher named Stanley Kendall, a 52-year-old oil drilling consultant named Randall Wolford, and a 56-year-old district attorney for Kaufman County, Texas named Louis Conradt.

32:05 Aside from the surprising number of high profile individuals all living a secret life, Conradt starkly stood out among the others. For years, he climbed the ranks of the Texas legal system, contributing to the prosecution of countless criminals. Because of this, he carried an extensive knowledge of Texas law, something that the police in production team knew they'd have to carefully navigate if they were successfully to convict this guy. For his entire career, Conradt was well-liked and respected, they thought. So why in the world is he doing this?

32:42 (suspenseful music) (foreboding music) (door creaking) (computer beeps) As the months carried on, the conversations between Louis Conradt and NoOneZero93 would only become more depraved. Louis would share explicit images, express a strong desire to meet, and would consistently bring up subjects that a 13-year-old has no business talking about online. But throughout all of this, little did he know that NoOneZero93 wasn't who he said he was. The entire persona was a setup, and the predator, Louis Conradt, had fallen straight into his trap.

33:40 (pensive music) According to Texas law, engaging in explicit conversation with a minor is a third degree felony, a crime that Louis Conradt, had, without a doubt, heavily partook in. Because of this, on November 5th, 2006, Tarrant County PD had obtained a search warrant and set out to his home to finally arrest him. (brooding music) When they arrived, the police had hoped that Conradt would recognize them and come out to talk. However, his behavior wasn't so straightforward. Through his window, they could see a TV playing and a computer running, yet Louis was nowhere to be seen.

34:30 And so they break in. Clear out room after room. Yet, once they make into his main hallway, they discover him standing eerily still, seemingly awaiting them. (foreboding music) Frozen in place, Louis begins pleading, explaining that he's not gonna hurt anyone. However, before the police can react, he, out of nowhere, pulls out a handgun from behind his back, turns in on himself, and takes his own life. (foreboding music)

35:21 (somber music) As the camera crew stood outside, the sound of a loud crack had broken the stillness in the air. And for a brief moment, they were unaware of the scene awaiting them inside. No one expected Louis Conradt to do this. No one expected him to prey on an underaged kin. No one expected any amiss. - [Reporter] A man who has prosecuted criminals for more than two decades shot himself. We watched as an emergency medical team arrived and hoped they could somehow save him. But as Conradt is brought out on a stretcher, it's clear his condition is grave.

36:10 - [Nexpo] To this day, this incident is regarded as one of the darkest in "To Catch a Predator's" history. And because of litigation and their dwindling relationship with advertisers, the show was canceled the following year. While most aspects of this case, like the chat logs, the phone calls, and the aftermath, are readily accessible online there is one piece of medium that has, to this day, never been released. Reportedly, there's an audio tape of Conradt's final words taken from police body cameras. However, for obvious reasons, its remained sealed away.

36:49 The Louis Conradt story is one of the most depraved situations that never should have happened. He was a man who knew better, a man whom should have done better, a man who preyed on the most vulnerable subset of humanity. While the recording of his final moments may never see the light of day, his vile actions will forever be known, and his name immortalized as a monster that once lived among us. (suspenseful music)

37:33 (foreboding music) (electronic beeping) (lively music) (suspenseful music) It is the early 2000s and "Silent Hill 2" haunts the world. Circuit City runs a special on camcorders. And over on CBS Channel 11, a bear enthusiast named Timothy Treadwell appears on Letterman. By every measure, Timothy Treadwell is a lifelong wildlife admirer. For the past 11 years, he's gone out of his way to live with bears native to Katmai National Park in Alaska, documenting his experiences wherever he can. Anytime this man was out in the wild, he had a camera on him and seemed to carry a remarkable lack of fear as he interacted with animals that could quite literally end his life at any moment.

38:42 Throughout the 1990s, Treadwell was known to travel across the US, educating aspiring young adults on the intricacies of bears and their relationship with their natural environment. With this, he would share videos of his excursions, catalyzing an appreciation for the natural world to a new generation of young minds. These efforts would cause Treadwell to skyrocket in popularity. And by the early 2000s, he had effectively become a household name. From what it seemed, Treadwell's way of life was inherently dangerous, yet entirely rewarding.

39:18 A dance with the devil at every turn, yet it was something he was massively enamored by. He felt this sense of oneness, a connection to a species that humans, for as long as we've lived, have inherently feared. (pensive music) (ominous music)

39:47 In October of 2003, Timothy Treadwell had convinced his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, to venture out with him to Katmai National Park. Contrary to his other excursions, however, this one was markedly late in the year. (pensive music) You see, October's on the brink of hibernation season, a time in which bears are aggressively scavenging for food to get them through the winter. On top of this, there was a drought that plagued the area that year, drying up the food supply and causing an extra layer of aggression with the native wildlife.

40:22 Effectively, the environment was incredibly tense. Competition ran high. Yet even still, Timothy convinced Amie to trust him as he was eager to continue his study of a species that he's carrying a lifelong fascination with. (melancholic music) (rain pattering)

40:53 It is been noted that Amie never wanted to go on this trip. In fact, she feared bears painfully so. (rain pattering) (birds chirping) It's the next day and the forest is quiet. (ominous music) An air taxi pilot named Willy Fulton lands his plane near the couple's campsite to pick them up for their trip back home. Upon jumping out and looking around, however, Fulton quickly realizes that something isn't right. Timothy and Amie are nowhere to be seen, and all that greets him is a torn up campsite and a bear. A very disgruntled bear.

41:50 Confused by what he's witnessing and fearing for his safety, Fulton jumps back into his aircraft and calls in a report to the area's park rangers. And once they arrive, they shoot the bear dead, scour the surrounding area, and shockingly uncover a scene completely unexpected. (foreboding music) Throughout their campsite, the mutilated half-eaten remains of Timothy and Amie are scattered across the ground. Their bodies have been violently torn apart. Timothy's hand and arms are littered around the camp, and Amie is haphazardly buried in a pile of dirt next to their tent.

42:40 That night, Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard lost their lives at the hand of a wild bear. And in the 85-year history of Katmai National Park, the two of them were the first to ever die this way. (pensive music) While investigating the campsite, the park rangers surprisingly came across a camera that recorded the attack. Reportedly, the lens cap was left on, leaving just six minutes of audio at the very end of their tape, depicting their final moments. To this day, this audio has never been released. However, writeups from those who had heard it firsthand paint a picture straight out of a nightmare.

43:28 (thunder rumbling) (rain pattering) It supposedly went something like this. (brooding music) The tape begins with the sound of Timothy outside of their tent during a storm. A bear has wandered into their camp. However, before he can react, he's violently attacked. In immense distress, he begins to scream, pleading for Amie to come to his aid. And so she unzips the tent, heads outside, and commands for Timothy to play dead. A few moments later, in believing Timothy to be deceased, the bear retreats into the dark, to which Amie, in complete shock, rushes to Timothy's aid.

44:16 Understandably, she's screaming and crying. Her boyfriend, a man who spent his entire life devoted to nature, has just been brutally attacked by the very thing he loved. But as it sinks in, the bear out of nowhere, returns to Timothy, grabs his body, and drags him into the dark. (raindrops pattering) (thunder rumbling)

44:50 (somber music) Since this incident, the one and only copy on this tape has been left in the possession of Treadwell's longtime friend, Jewel Palovak, whom, to this day, has never listened to it. And aside from the authorities, the only other person who's known to have heard it is documentarian Werner Herzog. Just a few seconds in however, he pulled his headphones off, instructed Jewel never to listen to it, and strongly urged her to destroy it. As far as it's known, Jewel Palovak remains in possession of this fabled tape and has vowed to both keep it sealed away and to never listen to it in her lifetime.

45:42 With this, the final moments of Treadwell and Huguenard's lives are shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty, leaving the world around them to eternally speculate about it. This tape, much like with Christine Chubbuck, is one of the darkest, most haunting cases of lost media that I truly believe we will never get our hands on. It's a tragedy that never should have happened. A freak incident deep in the woods. Six minutes of audio depicting one of the most gruesome ways to die that we may never hear in our lifetime. (switch clicks) (peculiar music)

47:01 (peculiar music continues) So I am inside Mexia, former Mexia, and (sniffs) I don't smell it. (Nexpo sniffs) Well sort of. (sniffs) (thunder rumbling) Whew! Okay, so update. I didn't really smell anything. They cleaned it up pretty well. Maybe my smell just sucks, I don't know. But it smells like a normal store to me. I had to do it, had to do a smell test. Anyway, I'm gonna go home now and finish this video. 'Cause, dude, I've been teasing this for way too long. But anyway. (peculiar music music) Okay, so I have summoned you here today because I wanna fill you in on something that I've been building in complete secret.

48:22 It's a type of project that I've literally wanted to do since I started this channel. I can't say exactly what it is just yet, but I will be uploading a brand new type of video on March 5th that you will not want to miss. For the past couple years now, my upload schedule slowed down quite a bit. And paradoxically, I've been wanting to bring you guys more mysteries to chew on. I've been doing a lot of building and restructuring behind the scenes. And finally, on March 5th, we'll be able to kick this plan into motion and bring my vision to life.

48:50 Again, I can't share exactly what it is just yet, but if you do some digging, you just might find it early. Seriously, thank you all so much for being here all these years. We're coming up on eight years of Nexpo now, and it still blows my mind every day that so many of you watch my content. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. When it comes to this new project, so much love, passion, stress, nerves, literally everything has gone into this. I am equal parts nervous and excited for you to see it. I truly hope you like it as much as I've enjoyed building it.

49:22 A new chapter of Nexpo is upon us. And so with that, I'll see you on the fifth. Thank you all so much again for watching. I love you all. And goodnight. (mystifying music)

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Darkest Lost Media [Vol. 3]"?

Mark Walberg (Host).

What is discussed in "The Darkest Lost Media [Vol. 3]"?

In order: 0:00 Melanie Williams, FLDS, Warren Jeffs; 5:00 Melanie Williams, Mark Walberg; 15:00 Life After People; 20:00 Ryan Jenkins, Jasmine Fiore; 25:00 Ryan Jenkins, Jasmine Fiore; 30:00 To Catch a Predator; 35:00 Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, To Catch a Predator; 40:00 Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard.

What is mentioned in this Nexpo episode?

11 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Ryan Jenkins, Melanie Williams, Jasmine Fiore, Timothy Treadwell, FLDS, To Catch a Predator. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Darkest Lost Media [Vol. 3]"?

The episode runs 50 min; the transcript is about 5,730 words in 65 timestamped sections.

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