MFM Minisode 446

Summary

My Favorite Murder Minisode 446 Summary

Release Date: July 28, 2025
Podcast: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Network: Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction to the Minisode

In Minisode 446, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark delve into captivating cult stories, aligning with the premiere of their new podcast, Trust Me. The hosts announce the upcoming release and set the stage for an engaging discussion centered around the dynamics of cults, their impact on individuals, and personal anecdotes related to cult involvement.

Story 1: The Alamo Christian Foundation

Timestamp: [02:26] - [06:48]

Georgia shares a deeply personal narrative about her sister, Jane, who was involved with the Alamo Christian Foundation, a notorious cult. The story unfolds as Georgia recounts her sister's recruitment into the cult in the early 1970s and the subsequent isolation from the family.

• Key Points:

  • Recruitment and Isolation: Jane was 19 when she joined, influenced by personal loss and vulnerability. The cult isolated her from the family, cutting off communication except for sporadic, censored letters filled with religious jargon.

    "She was living near Los Angeles and at the age of 19, struggling with the death of a close friend... she must have been easy prey." ([03:06])

  • Weekend Reunion: In 1985, Georgia, then 19, visited Jane and her cult husband with her one-year-old nephew. The visit included a church service with intense religious rituals aimed at conversion.

    "The pastor gave a dramatic fire and brimstone sermon... I politely went up to the stage... and as we were leaving, everyone came up to me to ask how I was feeling now that I was saved." ([04:48])

  • Aftermath and Family Reconciliation: Post-cult, Jane relocated to Texas, allowing the family to reconnect and rebuild relationships. Georgia emphasizes the resilience of her brother, who resisted the cult's influence.

    "I'm so grateful we are now in touch... I'm careful never to ask anything about their experiences and nothing is ever mentioned." ([06:15])

Story 2: The Family Cult and Baby Abductions

Timestamp: [07:02] - [10:33]

Karen introduces a chilling account from her grandmother, Joan, regarding a cult known as The Family, which was infamous for abducting babies from hospitals in Victoria during the 1950s and 60s.

• Key Points:

  • Abduction Incident: Joan recounts the traumatic experience of giving birth to twins, only to have hospital staff confiscate one baby under suspicious circumstances.

    "She says, 'No, I gave birth twice. I had two babies.'... They relented and said, 'Okay, here it is.'" ([08:38])

  • Impact on the Family: The stolen child was never seen again, leading to long-term emotional scars and a lasting distrust towards the cult.

    "The suspicion is that... the staff who were probably connected to the family, had attempted to abduct the second baby." ([09:08])

  • Personal Reflection: Karen expresses frustration over the cult's manipulation and the difficulty in reclaiming family ties once ensnared.

    "It's such a bad way to try to get somebody to join your cult." ([05:49])

Story 3: Quirky Childhood Memories in a Cult Environment

Timestamp: [17:02] - [28:37]

Karen and Georgia share a humorous yet harrowing tale from Karen's childhood, involving her uncle's involvement with the Unification Church (Moonies) and her grandmother's unconventional methods to support him.

• Key Points:

  • Elaborate Fruitcake Scheme: To counteract the cult's control over food intake, Karen's grandmother baked an enormous fruitcake laden with whiskey, which became a beloved treat among the protein-starved cult members.

    "The way my mum describes it, when Grant prepared a cake for my uncle... she would mix in the fruit, which had been soaked in more whiskey." ([27:04])

  • Cult Dynamics: The story highlights the cult's restrictive practices and the ingenuity of Karen's grandmother in infiltrating the cult's routines.

    "Gran's fruitcake was the size of someone's head and loaded with enough nuts to break a window." ([27:05])

  • Resolution: The alcohol-infused fruitcake helped break the cult members' control, allowing Karen's uncle to regain his clarity and leave the cult.

    "The magic ingredient was not the macadamias. It was the whiskey... They got a little protein as well. And they're like, 'Fuck this shit.'" ([28:26])

Story 4: Cult Influence on Family Members

Timestamp: [22:29] - [25:35]

Georgia recounts her personal experience with her father, who was involved with a cult led by Franklin Jones, also known as Adi Da. She discusses the complexities of familial relationships strained by cult affiliations.

• Key Points:

  • Late Discovery: Georgia learns about her father's cult involvement through her mother's frantic Googling and subsequent family dynamics change.

    "After I met my father, I found out that it was true he was indeed in a cult." ([14:19])

  • Cult Leadership: The cult leader claimed divinity and immortality, maintaining control over his followers despite his death.

    "The guru claims he is God and immortal and his devotees worship him." ([15:00])

  • Emotional Struggle: Georgia grapples with reconciling her perception of her father as a decent person with his entanglement in the cult.

    "In truth, my dad is a decent guy and my grandparents and uncle are the sweetest people and they love me very much." ([16:12])

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Karen and Georgia wrap up the minisode by reflecting on the resilience required to escape cults and the importance of family support in such endeavors. They encourage listeners to stay vigilant and prioritize personal well-being over manipulative affiliations.

• Final Reflections:

  "Stay sexy and escape cults with alcoholic cake, Hannah." ([28:26])
  "Stay sexy and don't join a cult. Even if there are mouthwatering cult cookies involved." ([25:21])

• Promotion of New Podcast: The hosts invite listeners to follow their new venture, Trust Me, which delves deeper into cult stories and survivor experiences.

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Notable Quotes

1. Georgia Hardstark on Cult Recruitment:

   "She must have been easy prey." ([03:06])

2. Karen Kilgariff on Family Isolation:

   "It's tough, though. It's like they get ripped out of the family and they cut people off." ([03:10])

3. Georgia Reflecting on the Alamo Christian Foundation Visit:

   "I don't know what would happen if I refused." ([04:41])

4. Karen on the Abduction Incident:

   "You just passed an extra large football through my body." ([16:26])

5. Georgia on Overcoming Cult Influence:

   "I can't call my dad because he is in a cult." ([16:16])

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Production Credits

• Senior Producers: Molly Smith and Heck
• Editor: Aristotle Acevedo
• Mixing: Liana Squillace

Connect with My Favorite Murder

• Email: [e-mail]
• Instagram: @MyFavoriteMurder
• YouTube: Exactly Right's YouTube page
• Listen On: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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This minisode of My Favorite Murder offers a poignant exploration of cult dynamics through personal narratives, blending horror with humor to shed light on the resilience of survivors and the enduring bonds of family.

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Lola Blanc]

My.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Favorite.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello and welcome to my favorite Murder the Minisode. And this week we have a minisode for you because our newest podcast, Trust Me is gonna premiere on Wednesday, July 30th right here on exactly right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

If you love cult stories, you're going to love this. Podcast host Lola Blanc and Megan Elizabeth are badass cult survivors themselves and they unpack how cults work, how people get pulled in and how to get out.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And so in honor of the new podcast, Trust Me, this week's episode is themed We Will Be Doing Some Cult Stories.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hell yeah. Turns out we have enough to do a whole minisode about cults.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It turns out you all need to call your dad do you want to go first?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Sure. All right. Alamo Christian foundation tried to recruit me.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Is that the airbrushed jean jacket?

[Georgia Hardstark]

It is the airbrush jean jacket cult I covered.

[Karen Kilgariff]

First person.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right. Hi, y'. All. Longtime listener, first time writer. Let's get into it. In episode 482, Georgia told us the shocking story of the Alamo Christian Foundation. I know about this cult. My sister was a member and they tried to recruit me. In about 1973, we sadly lost my older sister, let's call her Jane, to this cult. It sounds like she's dead, but she's not. Just spoiler alert.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's tough, though. It's like they get ripped out of the family and they cut people off.

[Georgia Hardstark]

She was living near Los Angeles and at the age of 19, struggling with the death of a close friend, possibly her boyfriend, who was killed in the Vietnam War. She must have been easy prey. For years, the only contact we had were occasional letters. I remember the envelopes were thick with pages handwritten by Jane and others in the cult. My secular parents were pretty angry, and these pages were quickly thrown out once I managed to peek at them. I'm 12 years younger than Jane, so at about age 10, I couldn't really understand what was written. But I remember thinking it was a lot of religious gobbledygook. Even at 12. Fast forward to 1985. I was spending the summer near San Francisco and had managed to get in touch with Jane, who was still in Los Angeles. By this time, she was married to a fellow cult member and had a one year old son. I arranged to visit them for the weekend. Initially, the reunion was awkward, but her husband seemed kind and I enjoyed playing with my Nephew. I was 19 at the time, the same age my sister was when she was recruited into the cult. During the visit, I stayed in a small hotel and we all ate out together in cafes. So I never actually saw where they were living. Remember, they were living. They got kicked out because there were 300 of them in one house. The apartment in one apartment.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I pictured it. Those apartments that are on Crescent Heights, like right past.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, exactly what it is.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

When I asked about their home, Jane brushed off my questions and said something about how there wasn't enough room for me to stay at theirs. Yeah, literally on the Saturday, there was a big get together where I was introduced to lots of people and everyone was very friendly. It's a one mark sign, right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'd love to meet a rude cult member. Just someone that's like a withholder.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No thank you. Like they don't want you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's my cult.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Then on the Sunday we went to a church service where the pastor gave a dramatic fire and brimstone sermon. He then invited my sister to the stage and she began to telling a story of how she was brought up in a godless family who had not found Jesus. I remember feeling annoyed. Our parents had instilled in us good family values even though we did not attend church. When she finished, she asked me to join her on the stage so that the Lord could be brought into my heart. Everyone was cheering and I didn't know what would happen if I refused. So I politely went up to the stage. The pastor held my hand and said some prayers. Then the congregation began singing and chanting. Finally, with a lot of Amens and praise the Lord. The service finished and as we were leaving, everyone came up to me to ask how I was feeling now that I was saved. I nodded and smiled, playing along as best as I could. I don't remember much else, but you can bet I was on my flight back to San Francisco that evening.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean it's already like your older sister making you do something where you're like what? She just called my name. She's making me go up there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's such a bad way to try to get somebody to join your cult.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, right. I heard almost nothing from my sister for several more years. But once the cult was disbanded, the family moved to Texas and began lead relatively normal lives. I'm so grateful we are now in touch. And though we live quite far apart, we have regular video calls and I visit them all at least once a year. I'm careful never to ask anything about their experiences and nothing is ever mentioned. Fucking family.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, shut it down.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Secrets.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nope, never. Memory hole that shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. The one year old is now 41 and a loving father.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm so glad because those stories of like the abuse and that cult, absolutely horrifying.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I have no idea if he was involved in making the famous jean jackets. Remember it was all made by kids child labor. But on a recent visit to my sister's I spotted one hanging in the closet.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

For some money.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, it is.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I see. Stay safe and if anyone tries to save you, make sure you get the hell out of there. Yours E. She her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Damn. That is a true first person witness account.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. And like a badass 19 year old who said nope because you know. Yeah. You're susceptible at that age.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Also really smart where it's like you get forced into being saved and everyone's like, don't you love it? And you're like, bye. Just keep it real blank.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, well, you might remember this cult. We talked about it when we did shows in Australia tour.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, so this says, hello, MFM pals. I wanted to share a story I've been told by my nana, Joan. And then a parenthesis, it says, I know you guys love Nana names. That has a creepy personal connection. My nana had seven kids in the 50s and 60s. The youngest were my two aunts who are twins. Born sometime in the late 60s. They lived in Victoria, near where the cult called the Family operated. And if you didn't know, the family is known to have stolen babies from hospitals. What? So remember they were the ones where the kids hair was bleached blonde and it was super eerie.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So apparently they did that. Maybe I talked about it when I covered it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Seven years ago. Can't remember. Says they got away with this because of staff who worked in the hospitals that were connected to the family. And from my understanding, they were stolen from unwed mothers.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So probably went to the people they knew, couldn't fight them. While ultrasounds had been recently invented and available in Australia, I guess my nana hadn't received one because she had no idea she was pregnant with twins. The story goes that on the day of her labor, she gave birth to a baby. And while the medical staff were doing what they do with a newborn, bustling about the room, she felt herself give birth to another baby. After a short while, the doctor brought her baby over to her and she said, where's the other one? You only had one baby. They reply, I mean, you gotta be fucking kidding me.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What?

[Karen Kilgariff]

You only had one baby? You didn't. That experience that you just had of having a baby.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I get it now, okay?

[Karen Kilgariff]

She says, no, I gave birth twice. I had two babies. One thing you. You wouldn't be mistaken about having a baby.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No. What happened?

[Karen Kilgariff]

They denied this again. It wasn't until she started screaming down the hospital walls, where is my other baby? That they relented and said, okay, here it is.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Shut the fuck. Fuck up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The suspicion is that since no one was expecting a second baby, the staff who were probably connected to the family, had attempted to abduct the second baby.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I bet they knew she was having twins. So you could tell just by feel if you're a good doctor. Probably, right? Yes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Size and size.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You may be thinking, but probably not. Maybe she felt herself giving birth to the placenta, right?

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's what I was thinking. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, I thought the same. But surely they would have been able to prove that that's what it was. They did bring a second baby back to her and I do have adult twin aunts and they they both belong in our family, so I think her suspicions about the event are probably correct.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Also, again, I just have to say the idea that anybody is gonna doubt a woman who says I had two.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I just gave birth twice. Totally. No you didn't.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I just passed an extra large football through my body.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My nana passed in 2018 so I'm not able to ask her to repeat the story. Toward the end. She had dementia and may not have been able to recall it correctly anyways, though she did spend many of her last days being at my uncle who she lived with for withholding her daily square of chocolate. He always gave her her square, but she would forget and think that he hadn't and be real mad about it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Aw.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay sexy and always demand to receive your babies and your chocolate.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Lara don't say no to Grandma Joan.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nana Joan, Nana Joan, Nana Joan.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's a good so fucked up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I think that's the ultimate. I mean, not the ultimate because the cult stories are so crazy, but like a baby stealing cult is wild.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

That's squarespace.com murder code murder. Goodbye. Goodbye. This one's called I can't call my dad, he's in a cult. Aw. And then they write in pig Latin and luckily I'm fluent. Ear Day. Aaron K. Ann Orja J. What is ear day? Dear. Dear. Thank you. Ear day. Yes. Dear.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I thought you were flipping.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I thought I was too.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Then the first word throws you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm like, I don't know that word.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, also, who starts any of our emails? Dear.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right? That's true. That's true. Hey, makes more sense. Okay, to keep a long story short. Yeah, right. I am 27 years old. I grew up with a single mom. And as a child, I had never met my father. Never even seen a picture. The first and only thing I remember my mom telling me about him was that he was in a culture. I'm pretty sure I didn't even know what a cult was when she told me this. So I grew up wondering what my father was like. Was he a good man? Did he think about me? What did he look like? Would I meet him one day? Was he actually in a cult? Or was my mom being dramatic? You know, the usual childhood questions. Jesus. When I was 15, I had some random light colored spots on my stomach. Apparently, even though this was probably before WebMD was a thing, my mom Google diagnosed me and freaked the fuck out, thinking I had some incurable terminal disease. But she needed to Know if my father's side of the family had it, as it was hereditary. Whatever she found on Google. So she then googled my father's name, found his brother's contact information online, and contacted him to ask about this medical situation. Says she really needs to calm down with the googling.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It says that there. That's your opinion.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It says that there. Turns out nobody in my father's family had any idea I existed and they were all shocked and furious that they had missed out on my childhood and wanted to meet me immediately. However, it was agreed upon by everyone that I should meet my father first. Meanwhile, I had no idea any of this was going on. I was an awkward and pimply high school freshman who just wanted boys to pay attention to me. One day my mom calls me out of the blue from work and tells me I have to meet my father the next day. Of course, I freaked out and eventually had to go to therapy. I did meet him the next day and met his family soon after. I think I have dissociative amnesia for some of these events as I'm missing their content in my memory. Makes sense. Fun stuff. The point is, after I met my father, I found out that it was true he was indeed in a culture. He lives near the cult complex in Lake county and follows a guru named Franklin Jones who later in life was called Adi Da. Have you heard of this? As a teenager, I was super creeped out by this and the most I could bear to do was to look at the cult's website and wait for my head to swim when I read the nonsense bullshit this guy was teaching. Slash brainwashing. The bottom line is that this guru claims he is God and immortal and his devotees worship him. I never really talked to my father about it directly, even though it's been 13 years that I've known him. In 2008, however, Adi Da slash Franklin Jones died. I thought it was funny that this dude was claiming to be immortal. Just saying. I thought that surely my dad would snap out of it. Then nope, he and his wife are still followers to this day. There haven't been any murders associated with Adi Dom, but Franklin Jones has been accused of sexual assault and false imprisonment. Now that I have so much more insight into what this cult actually is, I finally felt I had to tell you ladies that I can't call my dad because he is in a cult. In truth, my dad is a decent guy and my grandparents and uncle are the sweetest people and they love me very much.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nice.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I guess you could call that A happy ending. Stay sexy and don't call your dad if he's in a cult. Hillary. P.S. it turns out that the spots on my stomach were harmless and my mom's life altering googling actions were for nothing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Those spots were meant to be. That's why you got those spots.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I like the idea that there was a family like so excited waiting to meet her.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's lovely.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay. The subject line of this is sibling story. It says, hiya, MFM team. Love you all so much. You have been a massive part of my life for a very long time. You bring so much joy to my life. I have no words. Let me take you back to the late 80s when Evel Knievel was still making waves and everyone wanted to replicate him. There's a hard left turn into the story just for context. I was born in New Zealand but raised in Australia in a cult called the Science of Identity Foundation.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It was run out of Hawaii. And yes, it's the same one Tulsi Gabbard is still involved with. I've attached a letter from the great swami himself complaining about not getting his daily mango allotment flown in, especially from Hawaii. So you can see what we're dealing with here. In the late 80s, the founder Chris Butler decided that we children, I was 11, my siblings who were twins, were 8, should no longer attend public school. Commence chaos. There is nothing like a bunch of bored preteens sitting around a five acre former farm with nothing to fill their time. Our sense of fun was jumping on our horses without a saddle or a bridle, just holding onto their manes and hoping not to fall off. Or putting a massive blue antifreeze barrel at the top of a 45 degree slope, wearing a horse helmet and hoping we didn't d just rolling down a hill. So cut to the story. We lived on my aunt and uncle's property in a caravan because they were donating every cent to Chris Butler's mangoes. So one day my brother and my cousin decided to mimic Evel Knievel and had a can of petrol that they poured over a log of wood. Then they set the log on fire and proceeded to jump the log and flames on their BMX bikes. In their eight year old wisdom, they decided the flames weren't high enough, so they poured the can of petrol directly on the flames, causing the can to ignite. I wasn't much older than 12 and I was running around frantically trying to find a way to put out the flames, fearing the can would eventually explode. My brother and Cousin had the same fear. So again, in their eight year old wisdom, decided the best course of action was to kick the can away, which resulted in it rolling, still on fire, underneath the gas tank of my aunt and uncle's car, which was parked in the carport next to their house's kitchen.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, no.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It all starts like fun and games. Cue utter panic mode. I ran to the garden hose. It's important to note that we were not connected to city water, so water pressure was not a thing. Our garden water ran on gravity and the pressure was flaccid at best, like barely a trickle. I was 12 with minimal outside experience, so I fed that flaccid hose water into the can and managed to put out the flames before they exploded the car's petrol tank and blew up half the house. The relief when the danger was over was immense. My brothers were not allowed to play Evel Knievel again. Not that that stopped any of our antics. But just a short note. I got out when I was 19 and I've been living my best life since. I do chuckle every time you say, call my dad. I'm in a cult because I can't call my dad because he's in a cult. That's like two in a row. Love you all so much. Keeping you. I appreciate you so much, Elle.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That definitely sounds like something my brother did or would have done as a kid.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fire.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Fire.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It starts as jumping and then it's like, well, everyone can do the jumping after 20 minutes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What starts as negligence and then it ends in fire and chaos.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

So I get that ping on my phone, on my app that tells me when there's someone like on my lawn, I'm such an old lady or like, you know, walking up my driveway because I live up off the street and you shouldn't be there if you're not meant to be there. So like, if I get the ping that someone's on my lawn and I'm like, I know something's up and I can check it before they even get to the door or break in in the window. It's great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So visit simplisafe.com fave to claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's simplisafe.com fav. There's no safe like Simplisafe. Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, my last one. The time I cock blocked a cult despite delicious cult cookies. Hey, friends, Year one listener, third time writer. Gonna keep shooting my shot. As a very young girl, I was in awe of my older girl cousins. In my eyes, they were beautiful, accomplished and sophisticated. Especially my eldest cousin, Lucy. Lucy was a gorgeous, witty brunette, easy to laugh with a great personality. She was my cousin from my mother's side and hailed from a large family of 10 kids. Lucy was also in a cult. Lucy and her family lived in Southern California. However, when I was a kid, think 10 years old, I learned that she had relocated to the Bay Area where my family resided. I was so excited at the prospect of having Lucy so nearby. However, overhearing phone conversations not meant for me, I came to Learn that her family was desperate to bring her home. They even hired an investigator to track down her whereabouts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Can I just paint a picture really quick? It's like a little kid in the front room watching tv. But then that certain tone in their mother's voice on the phone is like wait a second, I need to listen to what she's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Turn the TV down. Oh my God. What I did not know as a kid was that Lucy had joined a cult commonly known as the Moonies. Oh huge. She left home and was now living in a co ed commune in Berkeley with other young people. The one time my sister visited, she dragged me along. My memory is somewhat hazy, but I recall arriving at the house my cousin shared with her friends and noting that they seemed very cheery and smiley. Too much so again we ate, played games, they held sing alongs as we spent the afternoon with Lucy and her friends. As the evening set in, my sister said we had to get back home. They insisted we stay. But my sister lamented that she needed to get me, the snotty younger sibling, back home. After persisting, they relented, but not before urging us to come back soon and packing us a goodie bag for the road. We made our way back to the BART station. There I tucked into the thick, soft and gooey still warm chocolate chip cookies they had gifted us. My favorite. I could have easily devoured all of the cookies as we waited for a train. We made it home, never to return. I tried to bribe them with cookies, never to return. Sometime later, Lucy left or was quote taken back to her family. Today Lucy is long married with a family of her own. Her ordeal is never talked about. This is like a theme you guys. That's all I would talk about that. Family gatherings.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Do you think the main person is like so either embarrassed or feels like bad and othered in a way.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Cousin Nancy, tell us again about how you fucking got. I want to know everything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. Were you on drugs and they offered you a spaghetti dinner? The way I know the Moonies used to do it in San Francisco is like oh that's right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, tell us.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Spaghetti dinner.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Tell us Cousin whatever, Cousin Lucy. And no mention of those delicious cult cookies.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Can we get the recipe anyway?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Stay sexy and don't join a cult. Even if there are mouthwatering cult cookies involved. Mc she her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know if I'm strong enough. I know cause a good chocolate chip cookie is rare.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's still warm.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Can you imagine? You're just like well wait a second.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, don't eat the cookies.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, this is my last one. It says hometown story. You're in a cult. Call my gran.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello, lovely people. I have a two for one, badass grandma and cult story for you today. My gran's name was Anne. That was my grandma's name. Well, actually her name was Elizabeth, but she did the old folks thing of insisting on being called anything but her legal name. Anne was an absolute badass. My mom recalls her walking outside in the middle of the night to stop thieves on her property in her dressing gown with a lit smoke and a softball bat.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hell yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. She lived with us most of my childhood, and every time I hear a new wild story about her, I wish I had even longer to hear them from her directly. I wanted to write in to share a particular story about my gran's cult busting fruitcake. Long before I was born, my uncle was in a cult. Well, technically, two of my uncles were in two different cults, but this story is just about one of them. This uncle, let's call him John, was a member of the Moonies. Oh, that cult was gigantic, huge, and I think in the 70s.

[Georgia Hardstark]

70S, 80s. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's also known as the Unification Church. While my gran was still able to send letters and the odd gift, she had to be really careful about not criticizing the cult or calling the cult a cult. Something we know about cults now is that they often control and limit the amount and types of food that members can eat. Limiting overall food and protein makes it hard for our brain to do stuff. Much harder to come to terms with the fact you're in a cult when you're running on almost empty.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's so creepy how they know that. It's like torture. Wake him up in the middle of the night, feed him Kool Aid, run him in a circle. Okay, so this is where the fruitcake comes in. From my childhood memory, Gran's fruitcake was the size of someone's head and loaded with enough nuts to break a window. Gran used to send this cake to my uncle in the cult, and he said it became a bit infamous. Whenever a parcel from Gran arrived, all the protein starved cultists would gather around to enjoy a fat slice of her cake. I always used to joke that the protein from the nuts was what gave my uncle the brain power to eventually get himself out of the cold and reunite with my gran, my mom, and the rest of the family. It turns out, however, that the magic ingredient was not the macadamias. It was the whiskey. The way my mum describes it, when Grant prepared A cake for my uncle. She would, with a glint in her eye, hold the whiskey bottle upside down into the cake mix. After adding approximately three solid cups of whiskey.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

She would mix in the fruit, which of course had been soaked in more whiskey, and bake the cake fresh from the oven. She would then poke holes all over the cake and, you guessed it, pour more alcohol in.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It seems the magic allure of Grant's fruitcake was not the dawning realization that you're in a cult, but the clarity that comes from a slice of cake that hits like a straight shot. Stay sexy and escape cults with alcoholic cake, Hannah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. They got that dopamine hit real quick and they're like, oh, yeah, yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They're like, maybe they got some sleep that night.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yep, sleep. And they got a little protein as well. And they're like, fuck this shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What are we doing? It's not that bad out there. We can get our own spaghetti and alcohol and whatever.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow, that was fun. Yay. Thank you guys for listening to our cult stories. One more thing before we go. Follow the show on Instagram, ustmepodcast and on TikTok Trust Me Cult podcast. Please, please, please.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And if you missed it, you can go back and listen to Trust Me hosts Lola Blanc and Megan Elizabeth, because they joined us on MFM episode 490. So get to know them and then listen to the podcast when it comes out.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And also, stay sexy and don't get murdered.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an exactly right production.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our senior producers are all 100 Heck and Molly Smith.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And follow the show on Instagram at My favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And now you can watch us On Exactly Right's YouTube page. And while you're there, please like and subscribe.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[D]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Now.

[D]

I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bill, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra siementmobile.com Let.

[Lola Blanc]

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