The Cinder Lady:

The Cinder Lady:

From Crime at Bedtime by Jack Laurence

May 2, 2026 · 27 min · Season 2 · Episode 50

About this episode

The episode explores the mysterious death of Mary Reeser, who was found incinerated in her armchair, leading to debates over spontaneous human combustion.

In the summer of 1951, 67-year-old Mary Reeser was found almost entirely incinerated in her armchair in St. Petersburg, Florida — in a fire so strange, the FBI was called in. The walls were untouched. The clock had frozen at 4:20 a.m. And all that remained of Mary was a slippered foot, part of her spine, and a shrunken skull. Her death would become one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in modern forensic history, sparking decades of debate over spontaneous human combustion, the wick effect, and whether science has ever truly explained what happened that night. Become a Patreon or Apple + subscriber now for ealry and ad free access from as little as $1.69 a week. All the details here Subscribe to Crime at Bedtimes Youtube channel HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Jack Laurence

Topics covered

  • spontaneous human combustion
  • forensic mystery
  • unsolved cases
  • crime history
  • fire investigation

Keywords

  • Mary Reeser
  • spontaneous human combustion
  • forensic history
  • unsolved mystery
  • FBI investigation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI

Places: St. Petersburg, Florida

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