Voices for Voices®

Beyond the Surface: Mermaids, Myths, and Hidden Dangers (Ep 304)

• Founder of Voices for Voices®, Justin Alan Hayes • Season 4 • Episode 304

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Beyond the Surface: Mermaids, Myths, and Hidden Dangers (Ep 304)

What if the mythical creatures from our folklore aren't just stories? What if some of these sightings serve a more sinister purpose? In this riveting exploration, we connect seemingly unrelated events – a Russian earthquake, viral TikTok videos of alleged mermaid sightings off Chile's coast, and the disguises of Comic-Con – to reveal a disturbing possibility about the nature of folklore.

The episode begins with breaking down viral TikTok posts showing what users claim to be pods of mermaids in Chilean waters. As partners with the "Mythical Creatures Around the World" Facebook community (95,000+ followers strong), we're particularly interested in these alleged sightings. But rather than simply debating whether mermaids exist, we examine a more troubling theory: could some folklore about mysterious creatures be deliberately spread to keep people away from certain areas?

We delve into how secluded beaches and private properties surrounded by legends of disappearances create perfect environments for potential criminal activities. The "no trespassing" signs, coupled with local myths about dangerous creatures or vanishing visitors, effectively keep most people at bay. Meanwhile, someone in disguise – perhaps resembling the very creatures from local legends – could operate without fear of discovery or identification.

This theory gains credibility when we consider how costumes completely transform identities at events like Comic-Con. Just as a convention-goer becomes unrecognizable in full costume, criminals have historically used disguises (like the referenced "clown killer" case) to commit crimes while avoiding identification. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan's insights about human trafficking operations at Comic-Con further illustrate how public events with costumed attendees can become hunting grounds for predators.

This isn't about discouraging costume events or dismissing folklore – it's about recognizing potential dangers hidden in plain sight. By connecting these dots, we hope to encourage critical thinking and awareness that might help keep communities safer worldwide.

The next time you hear a local legend about mysterious creatures in secluded areas, ask yourself: what might this story be keeping people away from? And who benefits from that isolation?

Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome to Episode 304

1:39 Mental Health and Writing as Voice

5:11 The Russian Earthquake and Mythical Creatures

9:51 Viral Mermaid Sightings on TikTok

17:41 Folklore, Private Properties, and Hidden Dangers

29:01 Comic-Con, Disguises, and Human Trafficking

43:42 Connecting the Dots and Final Thoughts

#Mermaids #MythicalCreatures #RussiaEarthquake #ChileMermaids #UnderwaterMysteries #FolkloreLegends #OceanMyths #HiddenDangers #FantasyExploration #MarineLegends #AquaticAdventure #CulturalMyths #MermaidLore #SurfacingTruths #DeepSeaTales #LegendaryBeings #MysteriousOceans #CostumeCrime #DisguiseCrime #justiceforsurvivors #justice4survivors #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion #TikTok #Instagram #truth #factoverfictionmatters #transparency #VoiceForChange #HealingTogether #VoicesForVoices304

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Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Hey everyone. It's Justin here, Voices for Voices. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode of our show. We are over the milestone of 300 episodes, this being episode number 304. So we are moving right along and thank you for being with us. If this is your first show or if you've been with us from the beginning, we're grateful to have you here. If you can give us a thumbs up like follow, share, subscribe, we would greatly appreciate that. Those are all free things to do and they greatly help us in our mission towards the goal of helping 3 billion people.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Over the course of my lifetime and beyond, and throughout all the episodes that we have dropped thus far, we've had such a wide variety of guests, of topics, of stories of healings, of stories of healings of negative events happening, trauma, recovery, and all this ties back to mental health, which is one of the key pillar voices for Voices, why we got started as an event several years ago and why we are an organization to this day. It's something that's hard to talk about. It's very personal in nature and so it's hard. It's hard to talk, to share, to remember or recant different times in our lives where we've just had a hard time getting through moments, and so thank you for all you do, for helping others, for telling your story story, for sharing your voice, and one of the ways that we kind of subconsciously mentioned as far as a voice, and that is writing, and so individuals a voice, and that is writing, and so individuals maybe good writers are able to tell stories and maybe that's how they outlet and share their voices through writing, whether that's books, whether those are screenplays for movies, tv shows, novels, plays, what have you among others, what have you among others, and so we don't want to ever lose sight of that, that writing is sharing your voice and sharing the voices of others, depending on the writing that you do. I know with one of my pamphlets, the mental health one that I have it's called Prescription for a Living. That's what actually occurred. The individual that helped me write that particular piece that was something that they were and they are good at and they excel at is the writing, and, and so she was able to take interviews with me and discussions and put that into written form. That flows, and so she was telling my story, so she was sharing my voice, and that is 100% a way of sharing the voice, whether it's yours or somebody else's.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Okay, so let's hop in to this episode. A lot of us are aware that there was an earthquake I believe it was in a part of Russia that occurred and so that's one of those let's see like an act of God, it's like a natural disaster when there's people being injured and property being damaged, while they may be rare, that when they do happen, they can be devastating to whoever that event occurred. So how does that have anything to do with Voices for Voices? Well, as we announced in our Blockbuster episode number 300, we're working together with mythical creatures around the world, and so what that is? It's a Facebook group, facebook page that you can join, so I invite you to join it if you haven't and that's where myth or folklore is shared. So these are I'm saying short, short stories. They're called folklores, their myths. So we start to say, okay, well, this isn't 100% real. Now, in another episode we're going to talk about that because it's an important topic to think about, where we have different events that have been told to us by people who have experienced these events and these folklores, these myths, into that and say and question are we sure they're not real or are we not Because it's been our belief up until now that while they, these myths, these folklores, while there may be some truth to it, that while these myths, these folklores, while there may be some truth to them, could they have more than just a little truth to them? For instance, if an individual sees something and they document it or they share it with us, or both, then the question is, was what they saw, was that real or wasn't that real? And we just finished up.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Comic-con is dressing up like your favorite superhero, your favorite character, and so when we start to look at, okay, somebody can hide behind a mask, literally, you know, being dressed up, and so is everybody who is dressed up. Are they? Are they nice people or are they less than nice? And what do I mean by that? I guess we're going to jump into this episode as well, which is good because it needs to be talked about, it needs to be shared, and we're going to obviously get back to talking about this earthquake around Russia and what TikTok has been on fire with some posts, and so why don't we just get back to that first, and then we'll jump into the Comic-Con, the costumes, folklore and this what we're talking about now, referring back to the earthquake that happened in Russia recently, tiktok has been blowing up, with other people posting some information. This isn't me, this isn't anybody from our team. These are other people, right? So you, if you don't know, you open up TikTok and then you have the option of creating something yourself and posting it, or you can look what others have posted and, and so what we found are the one, two, three, three instances that I don't know if it's able to be.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

No, it's not Okay, mr MR. Period 42 after this earthquake in Russia, chile is also another country Putting the waters off of Chile after this earthquake. There is a post by Mr 42 titled Mermaids in Chile hashtag mermaid, hashtag mermaids, and the caption reads could this be a group of mermaids in the water? A group of mermaids in the water. So this isn't my post, this isn't anybody else on our team's post. Let me see how we can, because I think it's important for y'all to see if you're watching what I'm talking about. So let's go to here and we're going to change the background a little bit. And, yes, those are two ponies, my daughter's, but remember, okay.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

So what I'm going to show you is this TikTok. It's just a screenshot. It says could this be a group of mermaids in the water? And the person who posted it is under the MR, which is MR, period 42. It says could this be a group of mermaids in the water Trying to get the camera? Okay, let me try this. Okay, let me try. Try that. I think we need a little bit of light, right? Okay? So that's the first post.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

The second one is posted, also on TikTok, under the screen name G-A-N-G-I-O-Y. This is another photo. And then at the top it says OMFP we're not going to say the words on here or the VTF that comes after that, so that's at the top. And then at the bottom it says Pod of Mermaids Recorded by a drone. I'm hoping you're able to. So, again, this is somebody else, not us, that's posting about this, and the caption is again, we're not going to say the words, but O-M-S-G-W-T-O. Hot of Mermaids recorded by drone. Hashtag mermaid, and TikTok is blowing up on this one.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And the third one we're going to show is the screen name News, which is N-E-W-S, then the number 65478, and at the top it says Breaking News earthquake in Russia stirs up mermaids in Chile. I know, like with the screen it's a little. Hoping you're able to see it. But even if you're not, I don't think it really I don't think it matters if you're able to see it or not. I mean it's helpful to see it. But you can do that, you know, on your own, so you can check all that out and and see, and there's many more of these. You know TikTok videos that are out there and again, they're just, they're just blowing up.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

I mean, people are liking, sharing, reposting, setting as their favorite, all those things, and so they're talking about mermaids and so it comes back to us Voices for Voices, to us Voices for Voices in conjunction with mythical creatures around the world. Facebook group Facebook page Please join. It's free to join. There's over 95,000 people that are following and friends, so there's quite a following that we have.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And one of the areas that we do delve into from time to time on our posts are mermaids and sightings that have been seen or shared or have been passed down through the ages. And so when we think about this kind of at current state state, we think that mermaids aren't quite 100% real. And so, yeah, there's, you know, the famous mermaid from movies and that that are out there, but from you know a practical. You know, we want to believe right, especially when we have children and and a mermaid is a character on a show or in a book, we want to believe a little bit more and that that's real. So, moreover, we're at this point now where this earthquake hits Russia and there are sightings, alleged sightings, alleged sightings of a pod, which is a group, a group of mermaids that are swimming in the ocean off the coast of Chile, which is the H-I-L-E so not Chile that you eat Chile the country. And then the one so not chili that you eat chili the country.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And then the one that we saw that was posted, and again the three that I tried to show, whether successfully or unsuccessfully. You can see on TikTok for yourself how many different posts are out there on this topic. And since it connects so closely with mythical creatures around the world who Voices for Voices is proud to partner with, it kind of really leads us into that Comic-Con, roleplay, cosplay, where you bring together either a group of people or individuals but at Comic-Con there's a lot of people, so it's a lot of people and having shared interests of liking different characters from different stories, different myths, and one of those is a mermaid and can't be a mermaid. And so the thought is well, okay, well, are they real or are they not real?

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

What we've seen, again with blown up TikTok, now again with blown up TikTok, now here in August, early August of 2025, are these, these photos, these videos of what, by accounts, look like again a group of mermaids, a pod of mermaids, swimming in the ocean off the coast of Chile that looks like one may be washed up on the shore on a beach in Chile. And so we started to wonder go, oh well, are they real? Are they not real? Is there a little bit of truth to it? Is there none?

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

But as we transition into the Comic Con and the costume, the dressing up as a favorite character, favorite superhero, we think of okay, so what we're seeing on TikTok off the coast of Chile or on the beach of Chile, could mermaids be real? And so it really gives a little bit of food for thought to anybody, whether you're in the business of, like we are and part of what we're doing mythical creatures around the world and sharing folklore from all corners of the globe, all areas, and the mermaid part. It makes us wonder are these myths, these folklores, are they real or are they not. Could it actually be somebody that's dressed up as one of these characters with fin-like ears and green or blue skin, and could it be somebody that's dressed up in a costume? That's where we're just bringing this delight, because a lot of times what our friend David Solomon says is he studied into this specialty, into this specialty and he mentioned that there are around some of these sightings.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

A lot of times it's maybe a secluded beach, private property you know the sign on the chain of private property, keep out. Or the stories and the myths and the legends get passed down. You don't want to go to this area at night or at a certain time because, allegedly, people may disappear Maybe they have in the past and so it keeps most, if not all, the general public away. Because if we hear that, you know what, I don't want to be anywhere near this. It's a private property, or I've heard folklore and myths about this area where people disappear, or we have this sighting of this particular person, mermaid.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Whatever the sighting, is that these sightings are happening and again, these kind of sometimes secluded areas, these private property, you don't want to go because you don't want to be one of the people that disappears, and I wouldn't want to be one of the ones that disappeared either. So what that does and what we're setting up is again, this is speculation, but take it for what it's worth. See if it makes any sense to you. It makes some sense to me, which is why, why we're covering it, why I didn't. As we started the episode, I got into it, so I don't want to wait to talk about it. We'll talk more in depth with David Solomon on a future episode, because he's able to share a lot more detail than I am. I'm looking at it from the periphery, from how I can process the information, from how I can process the information.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

So okay, so we have these beaches, these secluded areas, these private properties with these signs you know, keep out and we have these sightings in one location or another location, and we hear these stories and myths about people disappear potentially if you go to this area or this beach, either any time of day or a certain time of day, and so people, for the most part, they're like you know what I'm again, I don't want to be anywhere near it. If there's a chance of any disappearance, I don't want that. So I'm not going to go there, and so that's the thought and the feeling of a lot of people. So let's look at things on the other side for a moment, that the sightings of these mermaids, of these individuals with the green skin or blue skin and fin-like ears, and let's just for a moment think, well, what if somebody's dressing up like that? And maybe again, maybe allegedly, maybe there are different crimes that are occurring.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And if you just think for a moment again we're just thinking through this that if a criminal or a person wants to do some harm, that they're going to do something would number one would being dressed up like and having the makeup as one of these figures. Would that be helpful or hurtful to what they're doing? I would argue it would be helpful because if they're dressed up, they have the makeup and they have these different features. It it uh takes what they look like normally and turns it into oh why this? Something different. And secondly, a criminal person. That's up to no good. They want I don't want to say peace and quiet, but they don't want people to find out.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Signs, these chains with the signs of no trespassing, private property, private beach, these folklores come out about people disappearing if you go to this area. And so what better way for a criminal or person that's up to no good to again number one being in some kind of disguised costume and I'll just throw in the clown killer that I was actually a thing. Somebody dressed like a clown knocked on the door, door opened up at the house and somebody is not alive now. So that happened a number of years ago, but that person was in a disguise and it was outside of a residence. So is it really too far-fetched to think that somebody could dress up as one of these characters?

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And they do these, you know, despicable criminal acts and actions in these private areas, a private beach, a private property, because it would be a little bit tougher for people to find out what's actually going on if it's private property, a secluded beach, and there's stories and myths and legends that are told about these areas. So that's how we tie in the earthquake in Russia, the potential sightings of real mermaids off the coast of Chile and on the beach of Chile to other areas that are secluded. Have no trespassing private property. Keep off, keep off. And people may have seen something in the past of.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Well, I saw this figure and this is what it looked like, and was there any sound? What were the features of that? And so you put all that together, you put the disguise, the costume, you put given the room, which means you're given the space, the private property, the you know, do not trespass sign, and 99 percent of people, I'm just guessing aren't to go past there and go. Well, okay, this is as far as I can go. So I'm going to turn around and go the opposite direction, same thing being, if I've heard story after story or myth after myth, folklore after folklore about a certain area where people disappear, where different sightings and different figures with different characteristics are seen, that's also going to turn people away. That's too spooky for me. Again, I'm not going there. But when we again, as I did, we looked at it from the opposite side of a criminal. They're no good, they don't want people to find out. So what better way is to have private space, private area, to spread different folklore and myths about certain areas and people disappearing, folklore than this about certain areas and people disappearing in in their dress stuff and like some of these, these, these characters. And so it's really something to think about and it really ties it together with this.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

It just sort of created off of in Russia, off the coast of Chile with what I mean TikTok. It's just gone nuts with these potential't our posts. These aren't our pictures or video. These are users from around the world that posted. That's why I thought it was important to share not only the picture screen shots but also the screen names, just to show that it's not ours, that it's others, show that it's not ours, that it's others. And so, while we show three, there's a lot more than three that come up. If you haven't seen already, if you haven't been on TikTok, I think you can browse publicly without having a profile, and so you can browse publicly without having a profile, and so you can check that out, or you can just type it into your search engine. You know, alleged mermaid sightings and waters off of Chile after Russia earthquake, something like that, russia Earthquake, something like that, and you'll find some of these posts. You'll find a lot of them actually, and that's why we're doing this. And it's tied again directly to what we've been sharing, and so we're just going to finish out this episode looking at Comic-Con, san Diego and really any Comic-Con we've been sharing, and so we're just going to finish out this episode looking at Comic-Con San Diego, really any Comic-Con, really any conference, really any type of party.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

You know Halloween here in the United States, dressing up, and you know the adults sometimes get into the dressing up and the costumes maybe the same or a little more than what the kids do. Well, we're looking at it from the, we're taking an appearance, right? So let's say, look me in the eye if you're watching, if you're listening, just imagine. So you've seen me, you've seen pictures of me, you've seen videos of me, voices for voices, again, over 300 episodes. So we're rocking and rolling and other speaking engagements and other events like that.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

So take what you remember or what you see right now on the screen and then put different disguises. We can do this usually by putting different filters. We can put like I don't have for the life of me, I can't grow facial hair a whole lot and when I do it just looks all scraggly. But you can put a filter that looks like you have a beard, you have lipstick on if you don't, and all these different things. And while they're, you know they're cute, funny, yeah, as we do them, they mask what the person really does look like. And so at an event like Comic-Con in San Diego and there's many other events quite like it, very much the same. This just happens to be one of the most recent ones, and so that's why I'm mentioning that.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And we had the district attorney from San Diego County, which includes the city of San Diego, summer Steffen, on our show, which, again, that episode I think it was 296. I really highly recommend watching, or listening or both, to that episode. I learned so much. And she is again. She's trying to help people. She's trying to go after people that are abusing trafficking, human trafficking, labor trafficking, sexual trafficking, whatever, whatever she's using. She used Comic-Con in San Diego in her backyard as a spot to say you know, this activity of trafficking is happening. And she went over some of the stats of last year and that there was a sting operation and what had occurred. And I'm not sure if there was something similar this year. I mean, we'll find out, I guess when we find out. We didn't talk about that, it wasn't appropriate, it wasn't really any of my business to ask. And again, these types of operations they're secret for a reason.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And so you have all these people. They're dressed up, you know, with masks, with um, you know, just think of like you're the mascot of your favorite college, university school sports team, uh, and have that person in that outfit let's say it's a bear suit, right? So you can't see their face, you can't see their arms or legs, you can't. You just feel like, oh, there's a brown bear, there's a black bear, a grizzly bear, a polar bear, and so you don't know who it really is, and you know, until they take that off. And so if somebody wants to do that thing that's, that's a potential way is to be dressed up like somebody. They're not. So they say, oh, it was, was Superman that took me, yeah, and it's not until you know the disguise, the costumes off, the makeup off, till you see who that person actually really is.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

So all this really ties together nicely in this episode. And so we just want to number one we want to be aware that costumes mask the appearance of anybody and they could be up to no good to their benefit. Because again, people are going to be like, well, I don't know, there was someone dressed up like Superman, superwoman, a polar bear, and then all of a sudden, like magic, somebody disappears. And then you think about what I just said, about these myths and these folklores about secluded beaches, secluded areas, private areas, private properties and people stay away and they hear stories and so people stay away, and then you have these myths, these folklores that have been seen, been handed down through the years. And could any of these people who are up to no good, who aren't very nice, could they be the ones that are dressed up like these characters that have been reported in these folklores?

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Again, what better way to get away, to not be caught, not to have anybody on your trail, is to have again that open space where you know nobody's going to be there because of private property, because, again, there's myths and folklores that people disappear if they go here at a certain time. And you add all that together and you put, okay, a person could be in costume, they're given room and space because people get general public amount usually going to go past that, that sign, that chain sometimes, if it's a road, private property, keep off, keep away. It could be a chain blocking the road and then a sign that says keep all property. And you put all that together and we think about what I just said earlier about how there was a murderer that was dressed up like a clown and I believe it was broad daylight either, knocked on the door rang, the doorbell door opens and either the person that opened the door or somebody within that residence, their life was taken by this individual who was dressed up in costume like a clown. So all this, from the earthquake and in Russia, the mermaids, all the coast of Chile to secluded areas, miss folklore, people seeing figure these people be dressing up and could they be on this private property and doing some not nice thing to people? And then we think about Comic Con and people are dressed up like their favorite character and voila. You have a few things. You have some kind of circumstantial evidence, you know, kind of coming together that at the very least shows that if these occur, then, yeah, this could really be happening in one way or another, one extreme or another, or I don't know. All I know is we're bringing information. This deals with the public, so it's definitely a public safety concern. When people are disappearing and people are using things to their advantage, like a private property sign, and they have so much space where nobody's going to look, nobody's going to go forward, people see characters with the thin ears and blue skin and what have you? Could those be people up to no good? And then we take it to Comic-Con in San Diego, anything that doesn't even have to be Comic-Con, because, as an individual, to dress like a clown was not at Comic-Con. They were not there. There wasn't a Comic-Con, this was a house and it was not Comic-Con.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

And we talk about October here in the United States with Halloween and dressing up, where I remember growing up and it was a time where and it still can be I just haven't dressed up over the last several years, but it's a time where you can be that person or that character for that night and people may know it's you and people may not know it's you. So a lot to think about Mermaid costume, private property, secluded beaches, poverty, secluded beaches, sightings, comic-con costumes, human trafficking, other nefarious activity. We're just sharing information and we think it's in the best interest of not just our community but your community as well, and not only here in the United States but across the world, because there's folklore across the world and so that's something that doesn't change from country to country. Just about everywhere has some folklore tied to it. So thank you for joining us on this action information show, informational show, public safety.

Voices for VoicesⓇ, Justin Alan Hayes:

Again, we're not against dressing up for Halloween, against going to Comic-Con, san Diego or anywhere else. That's not what this is about. This isn't about that. What we're trying to do is we're trying to see the information and we don't have that food for thought to think, and we want to be right. If we see something, we say something. We want to be alert and so that's why we're. You know, we tie these things together. We tie this event, this earthquake act of God, and then we link it all the way up to Comic-Con and the clown, the person dressed up as a clown that murdered somebody. So, thank you very much. We love you, thank you for being with us. We'll see you on the next episode and until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need and please, please, please, give us the thumbs up. Hit that like button, hit that subscribe button, follow, share, comment, help us out and may God bless you. May God bless America and may God bless you no matter where you're at across the world. Thank you.

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