Unsolved Mysteries of Floriana

There's this idea that if you just get far enough away from people Life It's easier. Fer opinions, fewer problems.'s I sing fantasy every time St over. Some were clean Quiet, untouched. Paradise That's not really how it works Isolation doesn't make conflict go away. turnurns the volume Tus When you're stuck The same small group of people. Everything gets personal and nothing ever really blows over That's exactly what happened I'm Florana a remote island where a few people tried to live in perfect isolation quickly learned What happens can't Get away. from each other I'm Harveyan. This. his Killer stories What comes to mind when I say the word galapagos? Maybe Charles Darwin and his fininches, or possibly some really old tortoises, or a bunch of iguana sun bathing on the rocks Waves crashing down around them whatever it is I'm assuming it's not half baked utopian societies or Murder mysteries I'm here to change that Let's begin The Galapagos are off the coast of Ecuador, which is famously on the equator. So all of the islands have a really tropical climate and there are a lot of them. well over a hundred, actually, in fact. But for the most part, today's story takes place on one of them. This one Floriana It's not one of the biggest islands, but as you can see, it's in the top ten and has a cool name that sounds like a Pokemon. So you know, I choose you, Floreetta And you know who else chose Forianna Dr. Friedrich Ritter He's at the center of today's case I'm to call him Fred I don't think he'll mind In june nineteen twenty nine, Fred hasn't made it to Floriana He's a doctor. wororking in Germany Unconventional woo woo doctor, you know, the kind that believes you can cure illness with your mind You know the type Fred is also married which is inconvenient for him because Fred is having a serious affair. with one of his patients A younger woman named Dor Stroke. As in when one door closes, another door opens Because yes, Fred's not the only married one, Dor is two Ever since they've fallen in love, they've dreamt of leaving their respective partners and doing something really crazy running away from all of the world's problems and starting a new life on a deserted island which maybe sounds like a fantasy that you shared with someone in your life that you love How romantic But the difference here is Fred and door make it happen They say goodbye to their families their careers, their homes, most of their belongings, and on the fourth of July, they set sail. for Floriana. A deserted island halfway ross It's a long journe with a layover in Ecuador before they take a tiny ferry to their destination And once that fairy disappears alone That's the point Their vision is rooted in naturalist ideals. They want to live in tranquil isolation in paradise, to peacefully coexist, to survive off the land, grow their own food, build their own shelter, and say goodbye to the problems. the modern world which to be fair, isn't doing so hot The stock market is about to crash in America and kick off the G deepression. The women's warar is about to break out in Nigeria, Africa. Conflicts are escalating in Asia between Japan, China, and the Soviet Union. In Europe, Hitler's gaining more power by the day and another World warar Seems almost. inevitable So yeah I understand Fred and Dor wanting to get away We all do right now Ustand The beginning is exactly what you'd expect Lots of exploring, getting the lay of the land, they build a shelter, gardens, plant the seeds they brought with them from Germany Fred andndor are vegetariian so meat. literally isn't on the table They do bring a donkey with them And they catch some chickens for eggs And they bask in what I call The honeymoon period Spoiler It's short Now, every once in a while, other people will show up to Floriana, like passassing fishermen or scientists conducting research. so there are opportunities for Fred and Dor to communicate with the outside world They drop letters in a wooden barrel On the shore, hoping visitors will take and deliver them. It's a very old and slow system It was developed by whalers. but It works and the letters Fred and Dorf sent back to their families in Germany are how we know about early days in Floridiana Like how Fred and Dor end up at each other's Most of their relationship problems stem from one simple fact Surviving on an otherwise deserted island is backbreaking work. Fred is forty three years old and Dor is in her late twenties, but Dor has multiple sclerosis a chronic autoimmune disease that causes weakness. figue Balance issues, among other things MS is the reason she went to Dror Fred in the first place. So they wouldn't have met it without it O Floridiana, it means door struggles to keep up with the physical labor and Fred's expectations around it See, Fred has this mantra Paradise cannot be found It has to be Create it door. It feels like he's really just saying there are no breaks in Paradise, babe. And their inability to see eye to eye leads to a whole lot of tension made worse by the fact that There's no one around to crrack a joke or act as a mediator whichich would be totally fine if it ended there. but It doesn't One of the recipients or one of the sailors delivering the letters lives for drama, honey, because the letters get leaked. I don't know if it's a slow news cycle or what, but yeah, Fred and Dor's little adventure on Floriana makes a big splash in Europe The stories are outrageous and salacious. all about how an eccentric German doctor and his young hut mistress moved to an exotic faraway island to become Nudus Cavement And I'm quoting that last part Others call them the Adam and Eve of Floriana All in all, the headlines go out of their way to make things sound as strange as possible which shouldn't affect Fred and Dor at all. I mean h, why would they care? They're so far away from it all. except There's one big problem The tabloids reveal There secret location. Everyone thinks Fred and Dor are crazy for what they're doing Some people think It's pretty cool. Enter. someome people a small nuclear family named The Whitmers By august nineteen thirty two, Fred and Dor have been toughing it out on Florianna for more than three years And one day They see a boat But it doesn't look like the ones they're used to. because it's not It's carrying a German family of three Hines and Margaret Whit forer thirirteen year old son Yes, there are now children on this island and yes, They are here to stay I forgot to mention Margaret is pregnant Now, given ongoing tension, you might think the Whitmers would be a sight first sore eyes for Fredendor You know, finally a little company, someone who can take a side during a fight, but That's not the case Fite the opposite Life in Floriana has been hard enough as it is The last thing they want is three new mouths to feed, washing ashore with another one on the way So no The Whitmurers don't receive a big warm welcome There is no celebration Fred and Dor are basically like, yeah, I guess you can have some seeds if you want. but we're thinking you should probably live in that really great, great, great, great cave we found. It's like a two hour hike away from here. so we'll be neighbors, but we'll just be very, very, very. istant neighbors So yeah The tabloids jumped the gun a little on the whole cape thing The Whitmers actually do become And even though they both claim their own respective spaces, Fred andors still end up Renting the Whitlmers because the family seems to have a lot of needs They ask for a lot, like Like Fred's help delivering their newborn baby when it eventually comes. So to Fred, it becomes increasingly clear that the Whitmers came to the island expecting Guested Wh is and not the vibe Fred wants for his paradise But Fred and Dor are still committed to their dream anyway. new guest Be dead. Two months after the Whitmers arrive, Fred and Dor look up and see a woman riding a donkey in their direction with Two men walking beside her The woman looks like she's in her forties and the men look like they work for her She looks completely out of place in the wild When she reaches Fred and Door, she introduces herself as Baroness Elouise Van Wagner Bosquette Perry. She extends her hand out to door it to be kissed which understandably makes stors blood boil I mean, I get it, but who does this woman think she is? But wait. Then baroness Elloise says she came to Floriana hotel. 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For more information on APY rates, my pay, Sot me and travel perks go to chime. com slash disclosures This episode is brought you by WSS There's something about soccer fandom that feels inherited One generation passes it down to the next, the rivalries, the rituals, the jerseys that mean everything And when it's finally time to gear up for match D, WSS has the whole squad covered From official soccer jerseys and gear to sportswear, sneakers and more, WSS has the best value on everything your family needs Shop now at your local WSS or online at allyourmagic. com Let's talk about Pe Ron's disease, or PD It's not widely talked about. and some men may feel reluctant to bring it up But it's more common than you'd think PD can happen when scar tissue builds up under the skin of the penis, causing a curve or the bump during an erection that for some men, may lead to pain during intimacy and impact mental health A trusted urology specialist can help diagnose PD and walk you through your options, including non surgical treatment Visit talkaboutpD. com This episode is brought to you by WSS Every soccer fan has a moment when the obsession begins Maybe it starts with a big match on TV. Maybe it's seeing someone pull on their teams jersey for the first time Passion gets passed down And WSS is where families can gear over it together From official soccer jerseys and gear to sportswear, sneakers and more, WSS has the best value on everything your family needs Shop now at your local WSS or online at allyourmagic. com In october, nineteen thirty two, the island of Floriana and its strange experimental society. gets a whole lot more crowded. There are now three camps of people One Idalistic nature people Fred and door to the wholesome family, the Whitmers Three, the eccentric heiress, Baroness Eloise and her two male sidekicks In total There are seven adults thirirteen year old and a newborn baby on the way Which should be manageable, right? I mean, they have an entire island to themselves. There's no shortage of space problem is Eoouise She has a personality that makes sixty six square miles feel smmell And what's worse is, she embodies everything Fred and Dor intentionally left behind when they came to Floriana in the first place Ego privilege wealth Fernity It's like fate is playing a cruel joke on them The only silver lighting is that the external drama kindind of deflates some of the tension in their relationship. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy in their very first conversation. Eloise tells Fred and Dor to run and fetch her tea And she does this as she takes a load off in their chairs that they brought themselves When it comes to setting up camp, she chooses a spot right next to the Whitmers In an area the family had specifically carved out as their own Then, then she goes and bathes in the spring they use for drinking The list of complaints goes on and on She demands that Fred and Dor share the limited supplies. She steals rice. That's meant for the Whitmers AKA to feed a pregnant woman in her third trimester And she doesn't seem to care She feels entitled E Then there's the two men Eloise brought with her No one really knows their story. Elloie says they're her business partners They're there to help her build the hotel One's an engineer, the other's an architect, but they don't act like partners or equals carry her things for her and generally attend to her needs and There's a weird sexual undercurrent going on between them Three of them Fred and Dor assume there's something physical romantic going on, but They could also just be reading into things out of frustration and Delirium, after all Their dreams are coming apart at the seams. They came to Floridiana to build a utopia and now they're entertaining a real housewife reality TV comparison, is more accurate then you might think Remember how Fred and Dor's letters attracted lots of press back home That might be a part of what attracted the Baroness At some point, LlloE starts writing her own letters back home using a psenonym And it's almost like she's impersonating her own Hollywood agent The letters basically say the same thing newew starlit lands on Floriana Everyone pay attention Which feels super weird, super desperate and also super confusing Like, is she there to build a hotel or launch a career? B No one knows for sure. But they quickly find out she's more than just a walking magnet for drama She's unstable And maybe even Dangerous. One day, two outside hunters arrive on the island. Like I said, it's totally normal for ships to sometimes stop. It's never caused any problem before, but this time Eloise is around and she row is an absolute After the two hunters shoot an animal, she starts screaming Everything on this island belongs to her She then takes one of her so called business partners and chases the men down with loaded rifles They end up catching the hunters, tearing their clothes off and threatening to shoot them on the spot Luckily, the hunters escape with their lives It's scary to witness Fred and Dor are so disturbed after the encounter that they tell the goovernor O the galapagos, what happened And there's an investigation into the matter, but That somehow ends up with Eloise officially securing Four square miles to build her hotel, plus open access to the Whitmore's freshwater sppring and to add insult to injury Baroness then starts calling herself Chris of Floriana. with a straight face Now how does she manage to do all of this? I don't know But LoE seems to have a lot of sway when it comes to men She knows how to use and abuse them literally Now, what do I mean by that? Well, it's time to formally introduce you to one of Floriana's residents. His name is Rudolph. And he is one of Elouise's Business partners Rudolph has been pretty quiet so far O day He shows up at Fred and Dor's doorstep oping to talk He looks completely ragged Exhausted, hopeless It's bad It's been about four months since he first arrived on the island and he spills the tea about everything that's been happening at the Baroness's camp Plus. He drops a bombshell Rudolph tells Fred and Dor that the Baroness Eloise Isn't a baroness at all They first met in Paris, and at the time, she told him all kinds of wild stories about her past, about her life as a dancer, her time as a spy. None of it really made sense or added up, Rudph didn't mind because He was in love with her And importantly, his love had nothing to do with her wealth or connections As far as he could tell She didn't have much. of either. She did, however, have a husband Rudolph and Eloise opened a small boutique in Paris behind her husband's back They hired someone to work as a salesman person. Was Robert A KA Elloise's other so called business partner Rudolph says that the three of them really did arrive in the Galapagos hoping to start a business. Things quickly spiled out of control Eloise pushed Rudolph away. Now she treats him her shoe. threatens him She forces him to perform all the manual labor to wait on her hand and foot Pour her water, remove her shoes like he's a servant All while Robert And this goes on day and night without rest. He can't take it anymore. His hands are bruised and sccapped. He's a shell of the man he once was But he doesn't know what to do Heloise and Robert He's scared of what they'll do if he tries to leave So, he tells Fred and Dor he plans to endure the abuse ill the next ship Man. his escape Un Fortunately for Rudolph, Mother Nature has other plans After his confession, a terrible drought hits the Galapagos In march nineteen thirty four, temperatures skyrocketed to one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit in the shade Freshw springs dry up Animals drop dead. I'm talking rotting corpses littering the island, the smell of decay festering in the sun It's bad. Things shift from Gilligan's Island to the back half of Lord of the Flies It's a new level of survival mode for everyone And they're more isolated than ever because ships aren't sailing by the island anymore. whichich means there's no chances of getting extra supplies. and There's no opportunity for escape poor Rudolph At some point Fred and Dor start hearing cries come from Eloise's camp in the middle of the night And they don't know for sure, but they assume It's Rudolph getting beaten. They just don't do anything about it because they're afraid of getting hurt themselves The good news is Fred and Dor aren't the only camp on the island There's also that wholesome German family living in a cave The Whitmers. Wh, by the way, are now four, because their baby arrived last January So the total count on the island is nine The Whitmers are brave enough to stick their necks out for Rudolph. They're like, we won't stand for the abuse anymore. We don't care how Eloise reacts Rudolph. Cing to live with us And Rudolph does live with them just doesn't last long Eloise finds Rudolph and begs him, begs him to come back and Rudolph eventually caves which becomes a pattern. Rudolph always returns to the Whitmers, sometimes hours, sometimes days later. and exhaust and Eloise always wins him back It's a violent cycle that lasts all the way up until They particularly memorable Fred and door Wake up to a screen Coing across the It's different from the cries they've heard before Hurly It's so unnerving that Dor questions if it's real She thinks she could be delirious from the heat, except Fred says He heard it too Once again. they decide to keep to themselves invvestigate. Don't ask questions. A week passes before Fred and Dor see anyone else from the island isn't unusual, but They're a little surprised when their' first visitors are Rudolph and M Whitmer AK Margaret Margaret almost never comes to Fred and Dors Camp, so it's strange that she showed up, but Not nearly as strange as the story she tells outut of the blue, she's like, Ohh and by the way, thought you should know that Eloise and Robert left Floriana Yeah, they sell to Tahiti Yeah, they changed their minds and they're probably gonna to build a hotel there instead. Some of their friends picked them up in a yacht. Really A yacht. We're just gonna ignore the blood curdling scream Fred and Dor don't buy it Something shady is clearly going on with Margaret and Rudolph They're not convinced Eloouise is still alive, but let's put a pin on the fig Baroness for a second and talk about the population of Floriana It's gone from two B Eight to nine And now It's down to seven for reasons that feel unbelievably suspicious And We're still not done Before the years up It'll drop Again Let's talk about a condition many people haven't heard of And it turns out, it's more common than you'd think Heyrony's disisease, or PD for short PD can happen when scar tissue builds up under the skin of the penis This can cause a curve or a bump during an erection and for some men, lead to pain during intimacy may impact mental health It may also lead to anger and frustration, depression, lower self esteem, and even withdraw from sexual activity and physical intimacy Because of this, some men could feel embarrassed or reluctant to talk about PD The actual cause of PD isn't always known In some cases, it may be linked to a minor injury or repeated injuries during sex or other physical activity The good news is PD is treatable. If you notice a curve with a bump A trusted urology specialist can help diagnose it and walk you through your options, including non surgical treatment To learn more about Pyroni's disease, visit talkboutpD d. comot Hey parents How do you make smarter choices for your kids college today That's where Sally can help. With Sally, you can find scholarships, funding options, tools, and guidance all in one place And if you need a loan, Sally has options for different families and different situations College is only worth it if you do it right So don't just help your kid go Help them go smarter Sally d. com slash go parents Evening by his remorse Buy a new car. people Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no No, no buyer's remorse. More like buyers rejoice? I guuess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on Carbana. Limitations exlusions may apply. See here Sevenay return policy Carana d com It's march nineteen thirty four. Eloise the abusive fake baroness who nobody likes, and Robert, her former employee, turned conspirator and probably lover are gone They left Loriana. They sailed to Tahiti on a friend's yacht after they decided they wanted to build a hotel somewhere else Sure their homestead and all their things are still there exactly as they left it. That's because they left in a hurry They'll be back for it They put Rudolph in charge of the camp until then. That's all, according to Margaret Whitmer If you have a hard time believing that story, you're not alone Fred and Dor are listening to all this and their minds immediately jumped to that blood Hurling scream They're thinking Something bad must have happened to Eloise and Robert First of all, Margaret's story sounds really rehearsed Second of all What do you mean a yacht? There hasn't been a ship in weeks and they somehow didn't see a yacht roll up to the island Third of all Why wouldn't LOise and Robert bring anything with them? And if Rudolph is supposed to be protecting their stuff until they return Why Is he peddalling it Yeah. Rudolph is suddenly much happier basically host a yard sale with Eloise's things. And when Dor is like, U What happens when Eloise comes back You want to know what Rudolph said Don't worry There's no danger of that notot anymore Do that sound like a man who believes Llloise is with friends in Tahiti? Or does that sound like a man who thinks Llloise is six feet underground I'm Mark Gade Fred and Dor think the latter is more like But Fred and Dor also never liked Lloise And they're still dealing with that drought Food and water are hard to come by. They need the extra supplies so They decide to ask questions. they don't want answers to It's Lord of the Flies. The conk shell is broken. Village. Weeks pass before rain finally falls again on Floriana It returns in April and life It's a little easier to arrive on the island doesn't come until July. By that point, Eloise and Robert have been gone Which poses a problem because the boat is carrying a reporter who came all the way from Sweden to meet Empress of Floriana. Dun, dun done. Can you imagine being that reporter? It's a shame they didn't have cell phones Texts would have saved him a lot of trouble Lllo's not here. Don't get on that boat. so hot. By the way, do I look good with things? ask smiley face, tongue out. Anyways, don't book your trip. Cory gets the same far fetched story Margaret told Fred and Dor. which he thinks is weird he can't really do anything about it. so he and his ship's captain prepare to leave. And when Rudolph asks if he can come with The capaptain agrees. He says he'll take Rudolph as far as Santa Cruz He can hop on a different ship from there. So Rudolph We'll finally get to escape. Now as happy as they are for Rudolph, Fred and Dor are Kind of sad about him leaving He's one of the few people they formed a connection with. so They decide to have one final lunch together before he sets sail This is where things go from murder mystery suspicious to eerie, almost otherworldly suspicious. At some point, Rudolph apparently stops eating and tells Dor He's afraid He doesn't know why, but He's worried about his trip back home gettingetting on board the ship with that reporter door says she feels that too. There's something weird in the air Both their feelings aside Say their goodbyes And pretty soon There's just six residents left in Floriana Fred door. The Whitmers By November, that number turnurns to five After that terrible drought, fredred andorse crops never really recover properly. So their hunger gets to the point where they sacrifice their vegetarian values Chickens and Is it an ironic Fred eats meat once. and he dies from a violent case of food poisoning One day later Yes. Fred ies. And it apparently happened really fast. But wait I'm not done Around the same time, two decomposing bodies wash ashore. on an island sixty miles north of Floriana And I know what you're thinking It's Eoise and Robert Well, I thought the same thing, but nope It's not It's Rudolph who was taking him to Santa Cruz So I guess when Rudolph said he was afraid to get on the ship He was right to be concerned Did he know he was going to die? Did he hold back from telling Dor everything he knew? Maybe Maybe not But the reporter who left with them made it back to Sweden So whatever happened, happened after he got dropped off It's just one more mystery that brings our final character to Floriana His name is Captain Hancock and he wants to get to the bottom of what's really going on On the island Kancock is a sea captain, who's been to Florana before He stopped there on his travels, takaking an interest in the residents and a few months ago, He got a strange letter from Fred Fred had written it after Eloise and Robert went missing. he alluded to there being a lot of mystery and intrigue on the island Fred didn't mention any specifics Frgis said he'd fill in next time hed come to visit Then Hancock got a call about two bodies washing ashore So he arrives to Floriana A lot of questions He can't ask Fred Can ask Rudolph. Canas Elouise or Robert. And there lies the biggest obstacle to actually solving any part of this bizarre mystery Aside from personal letters written while they were on the island, we only have the accounts of the survivors Meaning Door and the Whitmers. The vast majority of the story I just told comes almost exclusively their accounts which means you have to question Everything. aboutout Eloise Robert Rudolph and the Whitmers And about Fred. Did he really die from food poisoning And if he did Why didn't Dor get sick They ate the same chicken Maybe when Fred wrote that letter to Captain Hancock about mystery and intrigue on Floriana, he was talking about more than two people disappearing You know how Dor suspected that the Whitmores might have had a hand in Eloise's and Robert's disappearance? AK murdered them Well That's suspicion both ways. The Whitmore's don't trustor when it comes to Fred's death. Dor claims she shared a heartfill moment with Fred on his deathbed But Margaret Whitmore's account says the complete opposite She remembers Fred using his last drops of energy to write a message to Dor That red I curse you with my last Hmm. Yeah H he thinks that Fred and Dorge's relationship problems never went away. And maybe food poisoning was just a case of Good old regular poisoning I wish I had the answers. Unfortunately for us, the detective on the case, Captain Hancock, isn't really a detective at all. He's just an eccentric rich guy Wh made it bigig in the oil business He liked to sail and thought the hippies living in Floriana were kind of interesting, but It doesn't solve anything He assumes Rudolph, and the captain who washed ashore died in a storm at sea He takes Door's word that Fred died of food poisoning He doesn't really weigh in on the others and no official investigations ever So We're left with a bunch of loose ends Eloise and Robert never reappear in Tahiti or elsewhere And the Whitms never changed their story about the yacht. in a way But shortly after Hancock's visit, Stor moves back to Germany The Whitmores become the only residents of the island never leave Instead, no joke They start a hotel onn the island Like the baroness was planning And it's still There to this day Youan't make this stuff up, folks. You can't make it up A the beginning of the story, we talked about the fantasy Paradise idea that if you just get far enough away from people, Everything gets quieter easier Floriana was supposed to be that place Can slate. Garden of Eden Paradise doesn't fall because of snakes or forbidden fruits Ples becausecause people Don't stop being people For a moment, paradise really did exist on Floriana