Skip to content
Owen Parfitt's Vanishing: England's Oldest Unsolved Mystery
The Haunted Bunker: Paranormal Mysteries & the Unexplained

Mystery, paranormal, and the unexplained.Hosted by Shane Waters, Josh Waters and Kim Morrow27 min episode

Owen Parfitt's Vanishing: England's Oldest Unsolved Mystery

December 19, 202526mEpisode 148

Transcript

312 segments

Show Notes

The Case of the Vanishing Paralyzed Dude

Like, this one's gonna give you the creeps—and there's not even a guy in a rubber mask at the end!

Picture it: June 1763, a spooky little English town called Shepton Mallet. There's this old timer named Owen Parfitt just chillin' in a chair outside his sister's cottage. And here's the thing—the dude couldn't walk. Like, at all. Hadn't moved those legs in years!

Farm workers were right there in the field, practically close enough to wave. Travelers on the road. Witnesses everywhere!

His sister Mary goes upstairs to change some sheets. Fifteen minutes, tops.

She comes back down and—the chair's still there. His coat's still there. But Owen?

Poof. Gone, baby, gone.

No footprints. No screaming. No nothing!

The whole town searched through a gnarly thunderstorm—woods, ditches, ponds, wells. Everywhere.

They found absolutely zilch.

Now here's where it gets really weird. Mary—his own sister—went to her grave saying Owen got "carried off by the Devil." And the neighbors agreed! See, rumor had it old Owen spent his wild years as a soldier, sailor, pirate, and maybe even dabbled in black magic down in the West Indies.

Fifty years later, some lawyer tried to crack the case. Interviewed witnesses. Nobody could get their stories straight, and the last person to see Owen alive gave super suspicious testimony.

Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle called it "one of the most piquant mysteries" in British history.

So what happened? Murder? Kidnapping? Actual demons?

Like... we may never know, man.

📬 Send us a postcard!

The Haunted Bunker

PO Box 690

Wabash, IN 46992

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Owen Parfitt's vanishing—or share your own mysterious encounter with The Bunker.



Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Share:X / TwitterFacebook

Credits

Shane Waters, Founder & Host

Josh Waters, Co-Host

Kim Morrow, Co-Host & Lead Editor

Produced by Myths & Malice

Listen to The Haunted Bunker: Paranormal Mysteries & the Unexplained

Get More from The Haunted Bunker: Paranormal Mysteries & the Unexplained

Unlock exclusive content and support the show.

  • Ad-free listening
  • Early access to episodes
  • Bonus episodes
  • Support independent podcasting

the M&M Dispatch

Get new The Haunted Bunker: Paranormal Mysteries & the Unexplained episodes and new investigations from across the network.

Enjoying The Haunted Bunker: Paranormal Mysteries & the Unexplained ?

Leave a rating on Apple Podcasts. It takes a few seconds and helps new listeners find the show.