Episode Details
Back to Episodes
The Godfather of Our Collective True Crime Obsession: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Description
Edgar Allan Poe spent his career writing about murder, madness, mysterious deaths, and detectives searching for answers. Then, in 1849, Poe himself became the subject of a mystery no detective has ever solved.
He disappeared during a trip to Baltimore and resurfaced days later in a state of severe distress. He was taken to a hospital, where his condition deteriorated. His doctors couldn't establish a clear cause of death, and Poe never provided a coherent explanation of what happened to him.
One of the most intriguing theories is cooping, a form of 19th-century election fraud in which people could be kidnapped, intoxicated, beaten, disguised, and forced to vote repeatedly. Poe was found on Election Day near a polling place—a coincidence that has fueled the theory for generations.
Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Allan Poe death, Edgar Allan Poe murder, who killed Edgar Allan Poe, Poe death mystery, Edgar Allan Poe mystery, Edgar Allan Poe theories, Poe was murdered, Edgar Allan Poe Baltimore, Edgar Allan Poe 1849, Poe final days, Edgar Allan Poe cooping, cooping theory Poe, Poe Election Day, Edgar Allan Poe cause of death, Poe unsolved mystery, Edgar Allan Poe true crime, Edgar Allan Poe conspiracy, mysterious death of Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Allan Poe missing days, Poe Baltimore mystery, Edgar Allan Poe hospital, John Moran Poe, Gunner's Hall Poe, Edgar Allan Poe death theories, Poe murder theory, Edgar Allan Poe cold case, famous unsolved mysteries, literary mysteries, true crime podcast