Podcast Summary: "And That's Why We Drink" – E465

Non-Parallel Traumas and Neighborhood App Ghosts

Hosts: Christine Schiefer & Em Schulz
Release Date: January 11, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Christine and Em kick off the new year with relatable tales of personal chaos, trauma, and illness before diving into two chilling paranormal stories involving women named Mary E. Hart. The hosts bring their signature banter, candid vulnerability, and wit to both the personal catch-up segment and the ghost stories, culminating in the beginning of a gripping two-part true crime tale centered on the infamous 1974 Fort Worth Trio disappearance.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. New Year's Reflections and Recent Struggles

Time: 03:00–14:45

• Christine and Em open with a candid chat about their New Year’s experiences—both less than festive due to illness, personal trauma, and exhaustion from caring for their families.
• Christine discusses her resolution for 2026: “Embrace change,” driven by a tumultuous 2025 both globally and personally.
  • “I wrote it down…In 2026, I will embrace change. So, I’m trying to just be less resistant to change, because...the world likes to pull the rug out from underneath us a lot of times.” (Christine, 04:12)
• Both reflect on how illnesses (neurovirus, superflu, etc.), family obligations, and operating while depleted led them to spend New Year’s at home—each with just their dog.
• Christine shares details of an exceptionally hard few weeks: Blaze (her husband) was extremely ill, she underwent emergency surgery, and she was left to solo-parent through the holidays.
  • Memorable quote: "It's been a traumatic couple weeks. Like, very traumatic...Last night I started just shaking. I was having that trauma release, like after adrenaline." (Christine, 11:14)

2. "Why We Drink" – Coping and Comparisons

Time: 14:45–18:21

• Em details her struggles with neurovirus, being stranded sick during a layover in Miami (“the city you defiled,” jokes Christine), and her “scream trick” for throwing up without nasal aftermath.
• The friends joke about how traumas cannot always be parallel, i.e., everyone's challenges are valid and different.
  • Christine: “Some weeks I’m throwing up, some weeks you’re throwing up. Life is a roller coaster. Our traumas can’t be parallel.” (13:25)
• The conversation turns to dark humor about sickness, mutual support, and how family, pets, and the ability to embrace chaos are getting them through.

3. Paranormal Double Feature: The Two Mary E. Harts

Time: 18:21–43:02

3a. Mary E. Hart of Nome, Alaska

• Em tells the story of Mary E. Hart: an early-1900s Alaskan suffragist, journalist, miner, and expo commissioner who became the (willing/unwilling) focus of a ghost’s attention after covering Alaska’s first execution by hanging.
• Fred Watkins/Hardy, the condemned, tells Mary:
  • “Do you think the dead can make themselves manifest to the living? I do. And I shall return to you and tell you about death...if I’m welcome.” (Fred, paraphrased by Em, 22:19)
• Mary agrees, and subsequently experiences terrifying hauntings and catatonic episodes reliving Fred's execution. A spectral figure appears in a photographic plate Mary takes, lending credence to her experiences.
  • Em discusses how a touch from a colleague seems to transfer the haunting, and how Mary's eventual escape from Nome by ship is confirmed by a clairvoyant on board: "I see a man following you around..." (28:48)
• Fred leaves Mary a significant inheritance—$18,000 and 2,000 acres—but Mary forever avoids Nome, and inexplicably, is still dogged by haunted objects from other locales.

3b. Mary E. Hart, aka "Midnight Mary" of New Haven, CT

• The second legend revolves around a Connecticut grave, where Mary collapsed at noon and died at midnight in 1872. Her grave's lengthy and ominous epitaph inspires legends of premature burial.
• Local lore claims her family, spurred by an aunt’s nightmare, exhumed Mary and found signs she tried to escape her coffin—a classic “buried alive” tale.
• The grave’s epitaph seals the story’s status: “The people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away.”
• Sightings of her ghost, stories of fatal curses for disturbing her grave at midnight, and weird happenings in the surrounding neighborhood perpetuate the myth.
  • Christine: “That’s...final destination.” (37:54)
• Local maps even mark "Midnight Mary's" grave for visiting ghost hunters.

4. Neighborhood Lore and Paranormal Encounters

Time: 39:48–42:59

• Christine and Em riff on neighbors’ apps (Nextdoor, Ring) and how local rumors and modern technology fuel ghost stories (i.e., neighbors seeing “strange women” in cemeteries thought to be Midnight Mary).
• Doppelgangers, mimic voices, and the dread of living near haunted locations seep into local collective memory.

5. True Crime: The Fort Worth Trio Disappearance, Part 1

Time: 47:25–88:22

Christine begins the detailed telling of the 1974 disappearance of three girls from a Texas shopping mall:

The Victims

• Rachel Trelisa (17): Recently married, with a complicated family life, wanted to shop for her stepson.
• Renee Wilson (14): Accompanies Rachel, has a boyfriend, receives a promise ring that day.
• Julie Ann Moseley (9): Renee’s boyfriend’s little sister, tags along despite their doubts.

The Day of Disappearance

• Three girls go Christmas shopping; deadlines abound, all promise to return before evening.
• Parents become alarmed quickly; find Rachel’s Oldsmobile untouched in the parking lot—no sign of the girls or mall purchases.
• Rumors swirl online about clues (spare jeans, changed outfits) that are ultimately not significant; Christine pushes back:
  • “Most people assume they were hoping the mom would say no...it's just the idea of two BFFs... and then the little sister wants to tag along.” (54:03)

The Chilling Letter

• On Christmas Eve, Rachel’s husband receives a letter, allegedly from the girls:
  • “I know I’m going to catch it but we just had to get away. We’re going to Houston... the car is in Sears upper lot. Love, Rachel.” (68:20)
• Family and experts suspect it’s not Rachel’s handwriting; oddities abound (wrong envelope size, pencil & pen mix, strange use of “Thomas” not “Tommy”).
  • Christine: “The families were like, nope, Rachel did... this is not from Rachel. We do not think this.” (68:51)

Failed Leads and Cruel Pranks

• Numerous hoaxes and prank calls torment the families.
• A reported sighting by a friend claims he saw the group with a mysterious fourth person.
• Hints of abduction (elderly woman possibly witnessing girls being forced into a yellow pickup), but the witness is never found.
• Police error: Authorities initially treat the case as a runaway situation despite clear evidence otherwise.

Sinister Developments

• The family home is burglarized after a false tip draws everyone to the Greyhound station.
• Calls come in, including a harrowing one to Julie’s mother where a voice cries “Mama…” but it turns out many were cruel tricks by other teenagers. Julie’s mother insists it was her daughter’s voice.

Dead Ends & Lost Evidence

• PI John Swaim’s mysterious suicide and the burning of all his records compounds the tragedy.
• Part 1 concludes with the stage set for further revelations about suspects, family theories, and the mysterious role of Rachel’s sister Deborah.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Em (on trauma and illness): “Life is a roller coaster. Our traumas can’t be parallel.” (13:25)
• Christine (on the supernatural): “He’s like, I know I’m in handcuffs now, but by tonight, I’ll be in your bedroom. That feels like bad vibes on every front.” (24:00)
• Em (on the Midnight Mary epitaph): “...the people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away. Yuck.” (41:44)
• Christine (true crime frustration): “It’s the 70s and also that happens. I don’t know, I don’t know what to tell you, but she was married...” (50:57)
• Em (upon reading the fake letter): “That feels very curt. Very, very...A little too on, on, like to the point. There’s no feeling to it.” (68:36)
• Christine (on the case's cruelty): “I’m like, there’s one thing about being like a child...But...what’s going on with you, my dear? Like something’s up for you to be making decisions like this.” (83:19)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:00 — New Year’s personal stories, resolutions
• 11:14 — Christine’s trauma, Blaze's illness, single parenting
• 14:45 — “Why We Drink"—coping mechanisms
• 18:21 — Start of Paranormal: The story of Mary E. Hart (Alaska)
• 32:29 — Second Mary: Midnight Mary (Connecticut)
• 39:48 — Neighborhood lore & ghostly neighbor stories
• 47:25 — Part 1 of the Fort Worth Trio disappearance begins
• 65:22 — Christmas Eve letter revelation
• 81:33 — Prank calls & their toll on the families
• 85:07 — Potential abduction witness; lost private investigator files
• 88:22 — Teaser for Part 2 and closing thoughts

Overall Tone & Style

• Conversational, darkly humorous, at times vulnerable
• Em and Christine maintain a balance of empathy (especially in true crime and trauma discussions) and light-heartedness
• Clear, accessible storytelling with tangents that enhance mood and context

Episode Utility

This episode is rich in both paranormal folklore and true crime detail, anchored by the hosts’ willingness to share their personal difficulties and support each other (and their listeners) through tough times. Listeners unfamiliar with the Fort Worth Trio case will find the setup and evidence deeply engaging—setting the stage for Part 2.

Recommended For: Fans of ghost stories, unsolved mysteries, and those who appreciate hosts who bring honesty and vulnerability to heavy topics.