20/20 Podcast: Bad Romance – Tangled Web (Revisited)

Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Debra Roberts (ABC News)
Featured: Dave Krupa, Leslie Rule, Detectives, Digital Forensic Experts, and others

Episode Overview

This gripping episode from 20/20’s "Bad Romance" series revisits one of the most astonishing and chilling true crime stories: the disappearance of Carrie Farver and the terrifying campaign of stalking, impersonation, and murder orchestrated by Shanna "Liz" Golyar. The episode unfurls how a seemingly ordinary romantic triangle evolves into an almost unbelievable web of deceit and violence, ultimately solved by determined detectives and digital forensic breakthroughs.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Lover Becomes Stalker

• Premise: The story opens with the shocking account of an Iowa woman who escalates from sending thousands of harassing texts to committing arson and even attempted murder.

  “An Iowa woman goes from lover to stalker. She sends 15,000 harassing emails and texts. But it goes so much further. Arson, a gunshot…”
  (Narrator, 00:49)

2. The Love Triangle Forms

• Dave Krupa’s Return to Dating:
  Recently separated and new to online dating, Dave meets Liz Golyar (Shanna Elizabeth Golyar), a fellow single parent, and soon after, meets Carrie Farver by happenstance at his work.
  • Dave describes his first dates and openness about avoiding commitment.
  • Notably, Dave and Carrie share a mutual understanding of their casual relationship.

    “If we’re gonna do this…that’s all it is. You're not my boyfriend, I’m not your girlfriend. I felt like I hit the jackpot with that.”
    (Dave Krupa, 05:40)

3. Carrie’s Sudden Disappearance and Bizarre Behavior

• An Abrupt Shift:
  Shortly after spending the night together, Dave receives strange texts from Carrie, abruptly ending their relationship.

  “She just changed very quickly…fun and happy…to ‘I hate you, you ruined my life. You're a terrible person.’”
  (Dave Krupa, 07:28)

• Carrie Goes Missing:
  Carrie vanishes, misses significant family events, and her family becomes increasingly concerned.

  “She was absent for her own birthday...She even missed her father's funeral. And when she didn’t come home for that, her mother knew that something was very, very wrong.”
  (Debra Roberts, 13:43)

4. Descent into Harassment and Escalating Threats

• Flood of Messages:
  Dave and Liz are both bombarded with hundreds of messages daily, allegedly from Carrie. The attacks include personal insults, threats, and disturbing content.

  “I would regularly receive 60 plus texts a day. 100 emails a day was not uncommon.”
  (Dave Krupa, 14:07) “She is nothing. She’s a fat cow…Maybe she’ll do us all a favor and kill herself. LOL.”
  (Leslie Rule, reciting a message, 14:18)

• Escalation to Crimes:
  • Vandalism of Liz’s property and Dave’s auto shop.
  • Arson at Liz’s house resulting in the death of pets.

    “My house is on fire. Somebody's burned my house down.”
    (Liz/Golyar phone call, 17:10)

  • Gunshot incident, with Liz herself later found shot and blaming others.

5. Police Investigation – Two Tracks

• Unraveling the Mystery:
  Detectives Ryan Avis and Jim Doty take a fresh look. One investigates as if Carrie is alive; the other, as if she's dead.

  “Jim's gonna work it like she’s dead, and I'm gonna work it like she’s alive.”
  (Detective, 20:29)

• Digital Breakthroughs:
  • Discovery: Many harassing messages originated from Liz’s devices and home.
  • Physical evidence: A fingerprint on a mint case in Carrie's car matches Liz.
  • Photographs: Forensic analysis of Liz’s phone uncovers photos showing Liz staged kidnapping images and had access to Carrie's vehicle before police did.

6. Liz’s Deceptions and Techniques

• Impersonation and Alibis:
  Liz used apps to send messages that made it seem as if she couldn’t have been the sender, even sitting next to Dave as “Carrie” messages arrived.

  “She was able to send messages pretending to be Carrie, and they would arrive while she was sitting on the couch next to Dave. It gave a perfect alibi to Liz.”
  (Digital Forensic Expert, 30:50)

• Attempts to Shift Blame:
  Liz tries to convince police that Dave’s ex, Amy, is the culprit.

7. Building the Case – No Body, No Murder Weapon

• Forensic Evidence Grows:
  • Police retrieve deleted images from an SD card, including a decomposing foot with a distinctive tattoo matching Carrie’s.
  • Blood found in Carrie’s vehicle matches her DNA.
• Confronting Liz:
  • Detectives use tactical interviews, feigning ignorance or playing along with Liz’s narratives to collect more evidence.

    “I knew most likely she was a murderer. And I knew in order for us to solve this, she was gonna have to believe that I genuinely thought Amy was responsible for all of it.”
    (Detective, 32:04)

• Emotional Deception:
  Liz, impersonating Carrie, cruelly continued to message Carrie’s family and son to create the illusion she was alive.

8. Trial and Conviction

• Rare Circumstantial Conviction:
  Even with no body, no weapon, and mostly digital evidence, Liz is convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

  “This is one of the few cases that went to trial with no body, no murder weapon, no witnesses. It's a hard case to prove… and it’s even harder to get a conviction.”
  (Leslie Rule, 41:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the horror of the ongoing impersonation:

  "It's almost like murdering the victim twice, because first she actually murders her as a human being. And then she's murdering her reputation and her memory. It's so fundamentally evil to me."
  (Police Officer/Investigator, 43:53)

• On the victim, Carrie Farver:

  "I just want people to remember her as the fun loving, talented, smart woman that she was. If I could talk to Carrie right now, I'd say, I love you. I'm so glad you were in my life, and I miss you terribly."
  (Debra Roberts, 44:34)

• On justice and technology:

  "It was important for us to clear Carrie's name because she was accused of stalking, she was accused of harassment, and she didn't do any of those things. And that's not who she was."
  (Digital Forensic Expert, 44:24)

Key Timestamps

• 00:49 – Introduction to the case and initial crime summary
• 03:35 – Dave meets Liz and Carrie
• 06:49 – Carrie’s abrupt disappearance
• 13:43 – Carrie’s absence from all major life events alarms her family
• 14:07 – Dave describes constant digital harassment
• 16:52 – Bizarre escalation: fake kidnapping photo
• 17:10 – Arson at Liz's home
• 20:29 – Two-pronged detective investigation begins
• 22:46 – Digital forensic analysis begins to crack the case
• 25:41 – Crucial discovery: fingerprint match
• 26:08 – Liz tries to shift suspicion; detectives obtain more digital evidence
• 30:50 – Explanation of Liz’s impersonation tactics with technology
• 35:27 – Discovery of murder evidence in Carrie’s car
• 40:07 – Final big evidence: decomposing foot photo with tattoo
• 42:43 – Liz convicted, sentenced to life
• 44:14 – Memorial scholarship for Carrie established

Conclusion

"Bad Romance: Tangled Web" masterfully traces a haunting story where digital crimes blend with physical violence. The episode stands out for its careful dissection of a case solved against steep odds—no witness, no weapon, no body—thanks to meticulous detective work and digital forensics. It is both a tragic remembrance of Carrie Farver and a striking example of modern investigative triumph.

For further reflection:
The story is not just about unraveling an incredible crime, but about justice, technology, and the resilience of victims’ families. As Leslie Rule concludes:

"Instead of being the spider, [Liz] became the insect."
(Leslie Rule, 42:34)