THE BOY WHO WASN'T WALTER: The LAPD Locked Up Christine Collins For Saying So
THE BOY WHO WASN'T WALTER: The LAPD Locked Up Christine Collins For Saying So  
Podcast: Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Published On: Sun Oct 25 2026
Description: Nine-year-old Walter Collins headed out to the movies in Los Angeles on March 10th, 1928, and didn't come home. Five months later the LAPD handed his mother a boy who'd turned up in Illinois and said it was Walter, and Christine Collins told them he wasn't her son, but Captain J.J. Jones sent her home with him anyway to try him out. About three weeks later she came back with Walter's dental records, and Jones had her locked in the psychiatric ward of Los Angeles County General Hospital.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/walter-collins-changeling-true-storyREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/492vzeb9FEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: A woman begins receiving strange text messages shortly after her husband dies. Could they be from him? (“My Husband Wanted Me To Find Love Again From The Other Side”) *** The Coast Guard sees something completely unexpected when on the lookout for seafaring drug smugglers. (“Underwater UFOs”) *** A group of friends see a shadow in the backyard – but there is no one there to cast it. (“The Haunting Experience of Cedar Hill, Texas”) *** Could a young, sick little girl’s birth defect actually have been caused by a dark, supernatural entity? (“Melissa’s Darkness Follows Me”) *** Judging a stranger’s appearance creates torment for the rest of a girl’s life. (“The Curse of the Magic Dreamcatcher”) *** Footsteps in the dark, things moved without explanation, pets acting strange, and now it’s invading her dreams – and nightmares. It’s all happening to one girl and it won’t stop. (“I Wish It Would Stop!”) *** Black-Eyed Kid encounters typically happen with the child trying to gain entry into the home and begging for you to let them in. But what happens if you discover there is already one in your home? (“Struggles With Sleep Paralysis”) *** A family experiences scary creatures in the dark, and strange lights in the sky. (“Arizona Night Creatures”) *** A series of strange and terrifying events haunt a family over several years. (“The Ghost That Didn’t Like Her Husband”) *** On March 9, 1929, the perfect murder occurred in New York City. To this day, it has never been solved, despite literally dozens of theories – not about the identity of the killer, but as to how the victim was actually killed. (The Locked Room Murder: The Unsolved Case of Isidor Fink) *** Our whole world and our universe, might be a virtual reality matrix , programmed by the super-computer of a civilization of beings more advanced than we can possibly imagine. (“Do We Live In A Computer Simulation Created By An Advanced Alien Civilization?”) *** A colorful clown nicknack terrorizes a young girl. (“Fear of a Clown”) *** “One of the most bizarre incidents in the history of L.A. law enforcement uncovers a link to one of the most heinous crimes in history.” (“The Disappearance of Walter Collins: The Real-Life Story of ‘Changeling’”) *** PLUS: “The Cursed Skull” *** “These Shoes Were Made For Walking” *** “Divorce Precognition” *** “Boy In The Sailor Suit” *** “A Demon of a Party” *** “Window Watcher”CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS: (Sorry, this information has been lost over the years.)*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/pz8bmxcb“Do We Live In A Computer Simulation Created By An Advanced Alien Civilization?” by A. Sutherland for MessageToEagle.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/hn5ftdw2“Fear of a Clown” was submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Chamille“The Locked Room Murder: The Unsolved Case of Isidor Fink” by Troy Taylor: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2p2p8hv8“My Husband Wanted Me To Find Love Again From The Other Side”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2y6uekm5“Underwater UFOs”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/ykvy87cm“The Haunting Experience of Cedar Hill, Texas”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3hbncjch“Melissa’s Darkness Follows Me”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3685h9c7“The Curse of the Magic Dreamcatcher”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4hpbvd9a“I Wish It Would Stop!”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/s3tm3fas“Struggles With Sleep Paralysis”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/h9jkjhm“Arizona Night Creatures”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/3baehpax“The 3AM Albino In My Yard”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/u867xnky“The Ghost That Didn’t Like Her Husband”: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/davmhtja“The Cursed Skull” submitted anonymously“These Shoes Were Made For Walking” by G. Michael Vasey from the book “My Haunted Life 3”: https://amzn.to/2T8rdRs“Divorce Precognition” submitted anonymously“Boy In The Sailor Suit” by Alan“A Demon of a Party” submitted by Kate“Window Watcher” submitted anonymously(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: January 27, 2019More episodes, additional podcasts, books, original music, in-depth paranormal and true-crime articles, and much more at https://weirddarkness.com.