November 19, 1990. Downtown Minneapolis, MN.

John "Jack" Grundhofer, a powerful banking executive, professional cost-cutter, and pillar of the community, drives into work in his brand new Mercedes Benz much like any other day. What he doesn’t know is that lurking in the shadows of the underground parking garage is a man with a gun, an ill-thought-out plan, and a step-by-step list of handwritten kidnapping instructions.

What follows is one of the most bizarre, incompetently executed kidnapping attempts in modern American history, complete with imaginary activist groups, questionable ransom demands, a makeshift bomb, and a criminal mastermind who had no idea what he was doing.

Was this the work of a disgruntled former employee? A desperate amateur criminal? Or something even stranger?

Join Kyle and Nate as they attempt to get to the bottom of the legendary kidnapping of John Grundhofer, a story about hubris, the importance of planning, and how the ruthless pursuit of comically huge sums of money can only lead to one's own downfall.

SOURCES:

https://web.archive.org/web/20150710210656/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/23/us/several-theories-on-an-abduction.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bixLNESECoc

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/John_Grundhofer

https://horatioalger.org/members/detail/john-f-grundhofer

https://www.deseret.com/1990/11/20/18892094/chairman-of-minneapolis-bank-escapes-after-being-abducted/

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/11/19/Banker-escapes-kidnapper/5921658990800/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-20-mn-4993-story.html

https://www.startribune.com/jack-grundhofer-who-built-u-s-bancorp-in-the-1990s-dies-at-82/600015712

EPISODE CREDITS:

Written & Researched by Nate

Hosted by Kyle & Nate

Produced by: Darnell Brown Jr. IV

Instagram: @supermysterybros

YouTube: @SuperMysteryBrosPodcast

Email: supermysterybrospodcast@gmail.com

Planet Mars.

Throughout much of human history, it was thought to be just some weird orange star that moves... or something. But as it turns out, Earth and Mars share more in common than humanity ever suspected; including conditions favorable to life during different, yet overlapping periods of time.

So where did life actually begin?

Can life on Earth trace its ancestry back to the Red Planet? Or could any life we might someday find on Mars trace its origins to ancient microbial life from Earth?

Join Ivan and Nate as they board a spaceship to Mars, a planet that might not have always been the frozen, dead ball of rust we see today, as they seek to answer the question:

Could YOU be a Martian and not even know it?

Tune in to find out.

SOURCES

https://science.nasa.gov/mars/facts/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/graphics/exploring-mars-map-panorama-pictures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Schiaparelli

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)

https://sci.esa.int/web/mars-express/-/55481-the-ages-of-mars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earliest_known_life_forms

https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/in-search-of-panspermia

http://www.manyworlds.space/index.php/2017/01/05/in-search-of-panspermia/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2845199/

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-finds-ancient-organic-material-mysterious-methane-on-mars/

https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/nasa-funded-study-extends-period-when-mars-could-have-supported-life/

https://science.nasa.gov/resource/perseverance-finds-a-rock-with-leopard-spots/

EPISODE CREDITS:

Written & Researched by Nate

Hosted by Ivan & Nate

Produced by: Darnell Brown Jr. IV

Instagram: @supermysterybros

YouTube: @SuperMysteryBrosPodcast

Email: supermysterybrospodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to the 2025 Super Mystery Bros Halloween MONSTER MASH.

In 1995, something sinister stalked the hills of Puerto Rico, leaving hundreds of animals dead in its wake, most of them completely drained of blood. Rumors swirled of a cryptid creature with glowing red eyes, dinosaur-like skin, and straw-like fangs with the power to suck a goat dry like it's a Capri Sun.

In the small town of Canóvanas, a Vietnam War veteran mayor rallied an angry mob of residents to hunt the beast, with surprising results. Was it an alien? A government experiment gone wrong? Or just mass hysteria fueled by a bad 1990s B-movie?

Join Ivan and Nate for a Halloween deep dive into the legend of El Chupacabra, the half-reptile, half-kangaroo, half-alien creature that turned heaven on Earth into a living hell. Featuring eyewitness testimony, wild theories, and Ivan’s glorious return after a year-long hiatus.

Most important of all, hear the terrifying true story of Ivan’s neighbor’s encounter with the Chupacabra. You will be SHOCKED and HORRIFIED by what you hear.

If this episode isn’t on your bucket list... it should be.

Topics Include:

• ​ The 1995 Canóvanas livestock killings
• ​ Mayor José “Chemo” Soto’s legendary Chupacabra safari
• ​ Eyewitness accounts from Misael Negron and Madelyne Tolentino
• ​ Alien, mutant, and O.J. Simpson theories
• ​ Ivan’s neighbor’s terrifying encounter story

SOURCES

https://skepticalinquirer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/01/SI-JF-16-50.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/12/26/mystery-creature-ravages-puerto-rican-livestock/b7704250-dae0-4fa3-a886-561db637b463

https://pome-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/MadelyneTolentinoInterview.pdf

https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/unveiling-the-chupacabra-legend-creature-of-the-night/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemo_Soto

https://www.livescience.com/13356-el-chupacabra-mystery-solved.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/06/12/vieques-puerto-rico-navy-bombing-cancer-rates/70227463007/

EPISODE CREDITS:

Written & Researched by Nate

Hosted by Ivan & Nate

Produced by: Darnell Brown Jr. IV

Instagram: @supermysterybros

YouTube: @SuperMysteryBrosPodcast

Email: supermysterybrospodcast@gmail.com

Special Thanks to @TheWashbrookShow (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok)