About this episode

Derek J. Sherwood discusses the Nittany Nightmare murders that occurred between 1938 and 1940 near Penn State College.

Between November 1938 and May 1940, Margaret Martin, Rachel Taylor and Faye Gates were abducted and sexually assaulted, their bodies dumped within 50 miles of Penn State College. My guest is Derek J. Sherwood, author of Nittany Nightmare: The Sex Murders of 1938–1940 and the Panic at Penn State. He discusses the murders and investigators' attempts to determine whether a serial killer was responsible, all set against the backdrop of the college. The author's publisher page: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/nittany-nightmare/ The author's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@truth_revealed2k Free shipping and 365-day returns with Quince! Refresh your wardrobe here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quince.com/notorious⁠

People in this episode

Guest: Derek J. Sherwood

Topics covered

• true crime
• serial killers
• historical murders
• abduction
• sexual assault
• investigation
• Penn State

Keywords

• Nittany Nightmare
• murders
• Penn State
• abduction
• sexual assault
• Derek J. Sherwood
• true crime
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Nittany Nightmare: The Sex Murders of 1938–1940 and the Panic at Penn State

Places: Penn State College

More episodes of Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

• 454: The Murder of Tina Andrews w/ Trent Brown · September 11, 2026 · 1h 8m
• 453: Jane Doe #59: The Murder of Reet Jurvetson w/ Catherine Fogarty · September 4, 2026 · 1h 16m
• 452: The Nittany Nightmare Murders Part 2 w/ Derek Sherwood · August 27, 2026 · 1h 5m
• MoNo Encore: The Mysterious Death of Dorothy Kilgallen w/ Mark Shaw · August 17, 2026 · 1h 6m
• 450: The Brutal Harp Brothers Revisited w/ Katherine Grandjean · August 10, 2026 · 1h 8m
• American Criminal: Boss Tweed · August 7, 2026 · 42 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast podcast page.