Murder & Mayhem in Missouri Caves

Discover the hidden world beneath Missouri's surface with Mindy & Megan where limestone caves hold stories of disappearances, legends, and dark histories. Join us as we explore seven chilling tales from the depths of these subterranean sites, revealing the secrets and mysteries that still shroud Missouri's underground.

Research, Databases & Mapping Sites

• Missouri Speleological Survey (MSS): The leading authority for scientific cave data in the state. They manage the highly comprehensive Missouri Cave Database, which houses extensive records of maps, trip reports, and faunal observations.
• GeoSTRAT (via MO DNR): A powerful, free ArcGIS-powered mapping tool hosted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. It allows researchers and cavers to visually track regional karst features and spatial terrain data.
• Cave Research Foundation (CRF): A national private non-profit that facilitates dedicated research ventures, cartography projects, and resource management operations inside Missouri's federally and state-protected lands.

Conservation & Landowner Guides

• Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC): Focuss heavily on the structural preservation of delicate wild cave networks. Their Helpful Links Portal acts as a massive jumping-off point for multi-organizational cave initiatives.
• Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC): Provides excellent informational field materials, such as the widely used reference booklet A Guide to Missouri Cave Life, designed to help identify delicate underground organisms.
• Caring for Your Karst Guide: A specialized informational package explicitly created for rural landowners to safely manage surface-to-groundwater entryways like sinkholes and losing streams.
• Community Exploration Clubs (Grottos)

Public Tourism & Show Caves

• Missouri State Parks: Manages pristine, publicly accessible cavern systems offering guided natural history tours, including Onondaga Cave, Cathedral Cave, and Fisher Cave.
• Missouri Caves Association (MCA): The trade network representing privately owned commercial "show caves" throughout the state, mapping out major historic destinations like Meramec Caverns and Fantastic Caverns.