BETH'S DEAD – EP4: Were You Her Therapist (November 12, 2025)

Podcast: BETH'S DEAD
Host: Monica Padman
Guests: Elizabeth Laime, Andy Rosen
Theme: Exploring the dark side of parasocial relationships and the unraveling of a podcast community mystery, culminating in the revelation that a cherished, deeply-engaged listener was, in fact, a catfishing persona—one of many—created by a single individual.

Episode Overview

In this tense and emotional fourth episode, Monica Padman continues her investigation into the events that led Elizabeth Laime and Andy Rosen to abruptly shut down their podcasting operation years prior. Building on earlier revelations, the episode focuses on the moment Elizabeth and Andy learned of the supposed suicide of a prolific listener, "Beth," and how it quickly unraveled into a chilling case of multi-character catfishing. The hosts detail the psychological toll, their frantic detective work with IPs and correspondences, and the ultimate horrifying discovery of the catfisher’s true identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Initial Shock: The "Beth" Email

• Elizabeth receives an email announcing Beth’s death, sparking devastation and confusion.
• Andy’s reaction: He recalls being jarred not only by the news but also by the intensity of Elizabeth’s response, indicating there were emotional layers he didn’t understand since he wasn’t fully aware of Elizabeth’s ongoing private conversations with Beth.
  • Elizabeth Laime: “The last few that I had heard from her seemed like she was doing well. And then I hadn’t heard from her in a few days, and to get that, it just felt like a gut punch.” (02:58)

2. Seeds of Suspicion: Something Feels Off

• Elizabeth’s colleague, Tammy Sager, suggests the situation feels “weird”—particularly the odd behavior attributed to “Beth’s brother” in accessing emails as a first response.

  • Elizabeth Laime: “Tammy pointed out that it was a little bit odd for a brother’s first instinct to be, I’m gonna go get into my sister’s email.” (04:29)

• PayPal and IP investigations begin: Elizabeth notices inconsistencies in Beth’s PayPal info, leading Andy and their tech team to dig into website IP data.

3. The Horror Unfolds: Unmasking the Catfish (06:36–08:04)

• Revelation: By cross-referencing IP addresses, the team discovers that several “different” prominent listeners—Beth, Natasha, Anders, Frank, and a handful of others—are all the same person behind the screen.

  • Elizabeth Laime: “And to our total fucking horror and disbelief, that same IP address also brought up comments from Natasha, from Anders, from Frank, and from a few other characters. I mean, it was a true, like horror film moment.” (06:49)

• Emotional impact: Elizabeth describes the deep sense of betrayal and fear, especially realizing the depth of the emotional investment she’d made in these (now fictionalized) relationships.

  • Andy Rosen: “The thing that stands out to me is you saying to me, you have no idea how much time I’ve put into these people..." (07:38)

4. Safety and Panic: The Fallout

• Personal security adjustments: Elizabeth removes her kids’ photos from social media, changes home locks, and enters a state of hypervigilance.

  • Elizabeth Laime: “My first instinct was just fear because this person seemed very obsessed with us and me.” (11:24)

• Radio silence: Elizabeth ceases communication, and “Beth’s brother” (the catfisher) becomes increasingly aggressive and erratic in their emails, pressing for contact and even bringing up a large ($1,000) donation Beth had made.

5. Creeping Realization and Escalation

• Hostage-like emotional manipulation: The emails from the “brother” grow more emotionally intense, trying to guilt Elizabeth and bait her into responding or calling.

  • Monica Padman (reading an email): “Even if she purchased something illegal from you, I swear to God, I don’t care I just want to know. Please contact me. Please. All caps. Contact me within the next 24 hours.” (22:01)

• Andy and Elizabeth’s response: No direct contact is initiated; instead, anxiety builds as the tone of the emails escalates.

6. Paranoia and the Impact on Podcasting

• Podcasting continues—but with paranoia: Despite their distress, Elizabeth and Andy continue to release episodes. However, every listener question is now suspect, and the sense of trust with the audience is shattered.
  • Elizabeth Laime: “Anytime we got a question that seemed remotely interesting...we were worried it was this person.” (15:19)
  • Andy Rosen: “Yeah. I’m so paranoid. I think. Yeah. My alarm goes off way too easily. It’s not calibrated right. Because of this. But to answer your question, we did eventually have to stop.” (16:23)

7. Catfishing in Podcast Early Days

• Contextualizing the naiveté: Monica notes that catfishing on this scale was relatively unheard of in podcasting circles at the time, and the idea of one person creating a network of personas was unimaginable.
  • Elizabeth Laime: “Catfishing, I think, like, that documentary had come out within a year or two before this...but it was a relatively new thing...and I just lived in a naive podcast bubble.” (18:45)

8. Who Was Behind It All?

• Investigative breakthroughs: IP address tracing eventually points to a “professor at a prominent east coast school, in his 60s, living a full life with a family and a full-time job.” The sense of shock is compounded by the perpetrator’s apparent status and normalcy.
  • Elizabeth Laime: “He’s a man living a full life, is a family, a full time job.” (30:20)
  • Andy Rosen: “He’s older, in his 60s. Professor…East coast style. Professor.” (30:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Elizabeth Laime: “To our total fucking horror and disbelief, that same IP address also brought up comments from Natasha, from Anders, from Frank, and from a few other characters. I mean, it was a true, like horror film moment.” (06:49)
• Andy Rosen: “I quickly jumped to bullshit. I’m on team. This is fucked up. And there’s no one that tried to commit suicide. I’m that voice in the conversation…” (11:42)
• Monica Padman: “At that time, because, you know, you’re worried that people are thinking, how could she not know this? This is so obvious...But no one was thinking like that at the time.” (18:32)
• Elizabeth Laime: “My first instinct was just fear because this person seemed very obsessed with us and me...” (11:24)
• Andy Rosen: “There is like an awe that I have that I would have never expected to feel. But zero compassion.” (25:58)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Summary | |-----------|------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:35 | Episode proper starts | Monica introduces the topic & picks up from last week | | 02:44 | Andy on confusion | Admits not having known the depth of Elizabeth’s relationship with Beth | | 04:29 | Tammy Sager’s suspicion | The “brother in the emails” seems fishy | | 06:36 | IP sleuthing | Discovery that all these personas are one person | | 07:38 | Emotional toll of discovery | Elizabeth realizes how deeply invested she was in “Beth” and others | | 11:24 | Security panic | Elizabeth reacts by shoring up her family’s privacy and safety | | 15:19 | Podcasting through fear | Elizabeth: “Anytime we got a question…we were worried it was this person” | | 18:45 | Contextual naivete | They discuss the novelty of such catfishing in early podcast culture | | 22:01 | Manipulative emails escalate | “Beth’s brother” accuses, pleads, and tries to provoke Elizabeth | | 30:20 | Identity revealed | Catfisher is a male, 60s, professor, family, east coast, known figure |

Tone & Language

• Language is candid, natural, and laced with incredulity, vulnerability, and flashes of dark humor.
• There’s palpable frustration and emotional rawness, especially from Elizabeth and Andy as they recount being manipulated and violated.
• Monica provides empathetic, sometimes philosophical commentary, but also probes for hard details and emotional truth.

Summary

This pivotal episode of BETH'S DEAD pulls back the curtain on the emotional and investigative journey as Monica, Elizabeth, and Andy piece together how a trusted listener faked their death—and, in fact, had never existed as a real person at all. The scope and sophistication of the catfishing scheme left psychological scars and temporarily destroyed the sense of intimacy and safety that had built their podcast community. Using a mix of digital sleuthing, emotional storytelling, and honest reflection, the trio exposes how parasocial relationships can warp reality and why creators must stay vigilant—even when everything seems safe and earnest.

The episode concludes on a cliffhanger: the man behind the operation is not only real, but a respected academic and family man—forcing everyone to grapple with the unsettling duality of public and private personas in the digital age.