A man checks into the President Hotel under a false name — and Room 1046 becomes a locked-door nightmare.
The death of the man known as Roland T. Owen remains one of the strangest true crime stories of 1930s Kansas City. Behind the name was a deeper mystery: Artemis Ogletree, a false identity, a hotel room filled with unanswered questions, and a cast of names that still feel like pieces from a puzzle no one has ever fully solved.
This historical true crime episode follows the eerie Room 1046 case through the President Hotel, the Kansas City murder investigation, the mystery letters, and the people connected to the story, including Eugene K. Scott, Mary Soptic, Don Kelso and the elusive “Louise”. Was Room 1046 the scene of a planned hotel murder, a meeting gone wrong, or something even stranger?
For listeners drawn to unsolved mysteries, real life mysteries, cold case podcast stories and dark history, this is a chilling look at how one hotel room became a lasting legend. Room 1046 is not just a murder case. It is a strange history of aliases, silence, fear and unanswered questions that still refuses to stay buried.
Topics Include
- The President Hotel in Kansas City in January 1935
- Roland T. Owen and the false identity trail
- The note to Don and the name Louise
- The attack inside room 1046
- Artemis Ogletree and the letters sent after death
- Why the Room 1046 case remains unsolved
Resources and Further Reading
- Murder of Artemus Ogletree - Wikipedia
- The Creepy Murder In Room 1046 - Youtube
- The Man Who Locked Himself In - Criminal
- The Owens Case - Kansas City Mag
Host & Show Info
- Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
- Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland
Community & Calls to Action
- Review & follow on: Spotify & Apple Podcasts
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- Website: thecompendiumpodcast.com
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