The Confessionals

Members Preview | 817: The White Beast of the Ozark

Dec 11, 2025
Josh Smith, creator of the Mysteries Unknown Podcast, shares hair-raising tales of his encounters with cryptids and paranormal phenomena in the Ozarks. He vividly recounts a chilling experience with a towering black silhouette at age fourteen and the moment a massive white beast leaped over his car, leaving no trace. Drawing parallels to local legends, he reveals a network of entities defying the laws of physics while reflecting on his time as a police officer dealing with the supernatural. The Ozarks, it seems, harbor secrets that time can’t erase.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ADVICE

Volunteer To Take The Weird Calls

  • Tony Merkel suggests intentionally joining law enforcement and accepting being an outcast to take weird calls alone.
  • He frames this as a strategy to investigate unusual phenomena without peer pressure.
INSIGHT

Police Culture Suppresses Paranormal Talk

  • Josh explains police culture discourages talking about paranormal experiences to avoid being labeled 'the crazy cop.'
  • He links that secrecy to reputation management and camaraderie within departments.
ANECDOTE

Black Silhouette On The Back Deck

  • Josh Smith describes a childhood encounter where a 9-foot, jet-black, hairy silhouette glided onto his back deck and radiated palpable hatred.
  • He retrieved his dad's .410 shotgun after a thought pushed him to and the creature glided away into the treeline.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app