Dateline NBC: The Thing About Helen & Olga

Ep. 1: Nothing to Lose. Everything to Gain

Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Keith Morrison

Overview

The first episode of “The Thing About Helen & Olga” introduces listeners to a riveting true crime saga centering on two elderly women, Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt, and their seemingly selfless mission to help Los Angeles’s homeless. As the episode unfolds, it becomes apparent that their work hides dark motives. Using atmospheric narration and firsthand accounts, the story explores how kindness can mask evil—and how greed can lead to gruesome murder.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Portraits of Helen & Olga – Appearances vs. Reality

• Helen Golay: Wealthy, impeccably dressed, Santa Monica resident, orphaned young, real estate investor.

  “Helen, the rich one, the one with the big bouffant hairdo… emerged from her Santa Monica apartment each morning dressed to kill.” — Keith Morrison (00:59)

• Olga Rutterschmidt: Hungarian immigrant, athletic and energetic, survived WWII, divorced, coffee shop owner.

  “Olga, an outdoorsy Hungarian immigrant with a Zsa Zsa Gabor accent and energy… her motor consistently purred at a pretty high rpm.” — Keith Morrison (01:15)

• The two meet at a gym in the 1980s, become close, and together start volunteering to help the homeless.

2. Their ‘Mission’ to Help the Homeless

• They work at local Hollywood churches offering meals, shelter, and support to people in need.

  "Two grandmothers wanting to volunteer and serve food. That’s pretty normal. That’s what grandmothers do." — Pastor Charles Suheda (03:00)

• Their kindness stands out in LA, but Dateline teases that appearances are deceiving.

3. Introduction of Paul Vados (07:00–12:45)

• Paul Vados: Elderly Hungarian immigrant, regular at the church’s meal program, spiraling after his wife’s death.
• Helen & Olga offer him full support: pay his rent, buy his food for two years.
• Paul then suddenly vanishes in 1999.
• Police find his body in an alley, cause of death: apparent hit and run—case quietly closed.

  “A man’s body lying spread eagle across the middle of the alley, rainwater puddling beneath it…” — Keith Morrison (10:32) "This was a slow, deliberate bulldozing over, over this man." — Detective Dennis Kilcoyne (14:28)

• Dark undertones emerge: The women report him missing, claim the body, but raise no further inquiry.

4. Suspicions and Patterns – Repeat Offers, Repeat Tragedies (17:37–29:36)

• 2002: Helen and Olga approach another homeless man, Jimmy Covington, offering housing and cash incentives—but the process quickly turns odd, with incessant probing for personal/family information (especially Social Security numbers).

  “She was kind of fast talking and seemed to be really, really anxious… in a hurry to get the answers that she needed.” — Jimmy Covington (19:35)

• Jimmy gets wary, leaves, and avoids becoming a victim.
• Kenneth McDavid: Their next “project”—another homeless man, whose life they support for two years under similar conditions.

5. The Death of Kenneth McDavid and Life Insurance Motives

• June 21, 2005: McDavid is found dead in an alley, also an alleged hit and run.
• Curveball: A life insurance investigator starts digging when Helen and Olga file claims totaling $1 million as McDavid’s “business partners.”

  "It was a violent death, an unattended death." — Ed Webster (30:08) "The bulk of the man’s injuries, the fatal injuries, were from the waist up…not like a normal hit and run." — Ed Webster (33:25)

6. The Investigators Step In

• Detective Dennis Kilcoyne (12:58, 13:26, 14:28): Reopens Vados case years later, recognizing signs of foul play.
• Ed Webster, Insurance Investigator: Senses something is off—notations don’t match typical accidental deaths, discovers the women’s financial ties, and flies to LA to dig deeper.

  “You just have to keep trying. And if you keep trying and you apply your intelligence, you will ultimately come to the truth.” — Ed Webster (31:12) “There were two [insurance claims]…totaled up to a million bucks…Helen Golay and Olga Rudderschmidt.” — Keith Morrison (35:28)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "This is a horror story ... for what it reveals about the darkness that dwells within anyone who dares give their worst instincts free reign." — Keith Morrison (03:55)
• "But this was someone’s father, someone’s brother, a human being, not a piece of garbage.” — Ed Webster (04:16)
• "Helen was just a hardcore business person. Olga was known … as the muscle in the partnership.” — Paul Pringle (06:45)
• "It was a slow, deliberate bulldozing over… this man.” — Detective Dennis Kilcoyne (14:28)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Helen & Olga’s daily routines: (00:59–02:44)
• Volunteer origins and character background: (02:45–06:55)
• Paul Vados’s story & tragic end: (07:00–15:30)
• Jimmy Covington encounter: (17:36–22:54)
• Kenneth McDavid’s support story and eerie demise: (24:32–29:36)
• PI Ed Webster investigates insurance claims: (29:38–36:28)
• Detective Kilcoyne’s analysis of the scene: (12:58–14:28, 13:26)

Tone and Style

Keith Morrison’s narration swings between warmth and chill, capturing both the apparent benevolence of Helen and Olga and the insidious undertones of their deeds. Testimonies from investigators and survivors build an atmosphere of mounting tension and complex psychological intrigue.

Key Takeaways

• Helen and Olga use the cover of charitable work to gain proximity to vulnerable men, but their intentions may not be as charitable as they seem.
• Patterns of targeting, support, sudden death, and large insurance payouts suggest calculated, repeated crimes.
• The path to justice begins as insurance and police investigators connect the women's “good works” to a grave series of crimes.
• The story is a potent reminder that evil often wears a friendly face—and that the desire to help can sometimes hide the darkest motives.

This richly reported episode sets the stage for a chilling journey into deception, greed, and the true cost of misplaced trust.