Murder, Mystery & Makeup: She Used Flypaper to Kill Her Husbands (And It Actually Worked)

Host: Bailey Sarian
Podcast: Murder, Mystery & Makeup, Audioboom Studios
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this riveting episode, Bailey Sarian unravels the chilling true story of Lydia Trueblood, also known as "Idaho's Lady Bluebeard." With her signature blend of humor and dark curiosity, Bailey explores how Lydia, an outwardly ordinary farm girl turned housewife, became one of America’s earliest and most prolific “black widow” killers—allegedly poisoning multiple husbands with arsenic (including via flypaper), all in pursuit of money and a better life. The episode traverses Lydia’s dramatic life: her series of suspicious marriages, troubled family history, mounting body count, her trial and prison escape, and ultimately the legacy she left behind.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing Lydia Trueblood: The "Black Widow" (01:22)

• Bailey sets the mood: "Today's story has everything: suspicious deaths, arsenic-laced flypaper, a bad dye job, two gold front teeth, and one woman at the center who just could not be stopped. Meet Lydia Trueblood."
• Origin of the "Black Widow" term: Not about the spider, but about women who leave a "trail of deceased husbands" often for financial gain. Lydia's case is a classic example, with at least five husbands—four dead, one disappeared.

Lydia’s Background & Early Life (04:00)

• Born in 1892 in Catesville, Missouri, second of eleven children.
• Family moved west to Twin Falls, Idaho, in search of better opportunities where Lydia longed for a life of luxury and escape from hardship:
  • “She was like the little mermaid, dreaming of the finer things in life... but dreams felt so far away and impossible.”
• Married Robert Dooley, a family friend, at age 19—mainly for opportunity, not love.

Suspicious Deaths Begin: The Dooley Family Tragedies (16:30)

• The insurance obsession: Lydia fixated on life insurance “just in case.” Both her husband Robert and brother-in-law Edward take out policies.
• Rapid succession of deaths:
  • Edward Dooley dies (Aug 1915), cause: "acute food poisoning."
    Payout: $2,000 (about $63,000 today)
  • Lydia’s infant daughter Lorraine dies next month; Lydia blames “contaminated well water.”
  • Robert Dooley (her husband) dies soon after, cause: "typhoid fever."
    Another $2,000 payout.
• Bailey on the pattern:

  “On October 12, precisely three months after Edward's death, Robert... dies. The cause—typhoid fever. Oh yes, poor Lydia, huh?" (26:15)

Marriages #2 and #3: Pattern Repeats (29:00)

• Husband #2: William (Local car salesman)
  • Takes out a $5,000 insurance policy with Lydia as beneficiary.
  • Dies within a year (1918), official cause: "flu and diphtheria" during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
  • But: No payout—the premium wasn’t paid.
• Husband #3: Harlan (Another car salesman)
  • Lydia marries him six months after William's death; moves to Billings, Montana.
  • Harlan dies within four months (1919), cause: "gastroenteritis," which strikes Bailey as suspicious given the pattern.
• Lydia uses newfound wealth to buy a mink coat and fancy car—local gossip intensifies.

Marriage #4: Edward Meyer and the Flypaper Plot (37:30)

• New identity: Lydia moves to another town, starts going by “Anna.”
• Marriage and bold insurance attempts: Applies for $10,000 policy the day after the wedding; application denied.
• The deadly dinner: Shortly after, Edward Meyer falls gravely ill after a meal; only he fails to recover.
  • Arsenic is found in his system after death; whispers turn into public outrage.
• Lydia’s chilling demeanor:

  "At his funeral, she didn't shed a tear. She seemed bored. ‘How much longer do I gotta go? Need to get my hair done.’" (43:30)

The Move West and Fifth Marriage (45:00)

• Lydia flees to Los Angeles, swiftly marries Paul Southard, a Navy man, in Nov 1920.
  • Tries, but fails, to secure a military insurance payout.
  • Moves with Paul to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Investigation: The Chemistry of Arsenic (49:00)

• Earl Dooley, a chemist and cousin to two victims, takes initiative:
  • Scrapes sand where Edward Meyer last stood; detects arsenic.
  • Bodies are exhumed; multiple show signs of arsenic poisoning and preservation—classic for arsenic.
  • Arsenic also found in Lydia’s cookware.
• About arsenic:
  • Bailey explains its historical use as a poison and preservative, its tasteless/odorless nature, and its misuse for murder—“the weapon of choice for countless poisoners.”

Arrest, Trial, and Conviction (54:00)

• Lydia arrested in Hawaii and extradited.
• Husband Paul remains loyally by her side, claiming:

  “She had been ‘a mighty good wife.’ He didn’t care if she’d married ten men before him and they all died, that still wouldn’t make her a murderess in his eyes.” (56:30)

• On trial in Idaho: Only prosecuted for the murder of Edward Meyer, as that case is strongest.
• Key evidence: Shopkeeper testifies Lydia purchased excessive amounts of arsenic-laced flypaper—commonly soaked to extract poison.

  “This really did it for her.” (01:02:20)

• Convicted of second-degree murder; sentenced to 10 years-to-life.

Prison Life and The Great Escape (01:06:00)

• Lydia becomes a model inmate, charming guards and inmates.
• Convinces a guard to supply bed sheets and a saw; inmates collaborate to cover noise as she saws through her window bars.
• On May 4, 1931, just months before early parole, Lydia escapes using knotted bedsheets, flees to Denver, and immediately finds a job and marries Harry (as "Fern").
• Bailey’s incredulity at her powers of seduction:

  “Say what you will about Lydia, but her ability to find and marry men—even while on the run from prison—astounding. A-plus.” (01:12:00)

More Murders, More Marriages—The Saga Continues (01:13:30)

• Harry’s mom suspects Lydia; soon dies under suspicious circumstances.
• Harry marries Lydia.
• Lydia, feeling hunted, flees again (after a betrayal by her former prison helper/lover David).
• In Topeka, Lydia adopts yet another disguise—dyed hair, gold teeth—before being recaptured.
  • Returned to prison; an expose details her extraordinary privileges in prison (unsupervised outings, movie trips, etc.).

Final Fate: Pardon, Last Marriage, and Mysterious End (01:24:00)

• Massive public sympathy for Lydia; strangers write for her release, arguing media bias.
• 1943: Granted a full pardon—Bailey’s shock palpable:

  “My jaw was on the floor, okay? I was like, what? What? What? Huh? I still feel that way, obviously.”

• Marries a wealthy seventh husband, Hal Shaw, whose family protests.
  • Hal disappears—vanished without a trace; suspected victim.
• After Hal’s disappearance, Lydia is shunned in Twin Falls and moves to Salt Lake City.
• Dies of a heart attack in 1958; rumors swirl that she was completely hairless—a possible side-effect of long-term arsenic exposure.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lydia’s motives:

  “For Ms. Lydia, who grew up in poverty with big dreams for the finer things in life, that amount [the insurance payouts]—obviously life changing... The pattern was very clear. Marriage, life insurance, death. Cha-ching.” (53:30)

• On small-town gossip and Lydia’s demeanor:

  “People also noticed that she showed no emotion after [Edward's] death. At his funeral she didn't even shed a tear. She seemed bored.” (43:30)

• On Lydia’s mysterious allure:

  “She must have been sucking some good dick, right? That's my theory. Or she had that gorilla grip pussy. Either way, it must have been good... What else is it? Her winning personality?" (56:47)

• Reflecting on her legacy:

  “She should have written a book—how to influence and charm anyone for anything you want. Leave out the murder part, but I would read it.” (01:20:00)

• Bailey’s verdict:

  “I think she killed all those people, 100%. But I also think it was a time when women couldn’t do squattily damn shit and that was like… her only option. Am I excusing her behavior? No. She should have been locked away. Throw the key away... but you get it.” (01:34:33)

Key Timestamps

• 01:22 — Introduction to Lydia Trueblood & Black Widow motif
• 04:00 — Lydia's early life and family background
• 16:30-26:15 — Dooley family tragedies & life insurance pattern
• 29:00-37:30 — Subsequent marriages & suspicious deaths
• 43:30 — Lydia’s overt lack of emotion at funerals, arousing suspicion
• 49:00-54:00 — Chemistry of arsenic, exhumations, and investigation
• 56:30 — Paul Southard’s loyalty (+ Lydia’s charm)
• 01:02:20 — Flypaper evidence & trial turning point
• 01:06:00 — Prison charm, the escape, and Denver adventure
• 01:12:00-01:24:00 — Marriages #6 and #7, Harry’s disappearance, and exposure of prison privileges
• 01:34:33 — Bailey’s personal analysis: Was Lydia a villain or a product of her time?

Tone and Style Notes

• Dark Humor & Sarcasm: Bailey’s irreverent, self-deprecating humor (“Bye, bitch.” “She must have been sucking some good dick, right?”)
• Empathy for Victims: Despite the jokes, Bailey regularly expresses sadness and incredulity at the harm Lydia caused.
• Feminist Reflection: Consistently aware of societal limitations on women at the time—though never excusing Lydia’s crimes.

Final Thoughts

Bailey ends with her signature invitation for listener reflection: Was Lydia a calculating serial killer, a desperate woman, both, or something else entirely? While her methods were chilling, Lydia’s distinctly strange combination of charm, manipulation, and tenacity remains a mystery as gripping as the murders themselves.

For listeners:
This episode is a wild, engaging, and at times jaw-dropping ride through one of America’s most cunning (and overlooked) female serial killers and a true testament to Bailey’s storytelling prowess. If you haven’t listened, you’re in for a ride—no matter how much true crime you’ve heard before.