MFM Minisode 450

Summary

My Favorite Murder Minisode 450 (August 25, 2025) – Summary

Overview

In this classic Minisode, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark read and react to listener-submitted "hometown" stories, ranging from criminal encounters to bizarre childhood moments and celebrity run-ins. The tone remains lighthearted and humorous as the hosts riff on the emails, relate with personal anecdotes, and sprinkle in memorable banter about adolescence, rural drama, and the perils of trusting adults. True crime chills mix with cringe-inducing memories for another hilarious ride.

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Key Discussion Points & Listener Stories

1. The Lithuanian Village Drug Run [02:17 – 06:14]

• Story: Laura from Lithuania tells of being a 6-year-old unwitting sidekick to the village “spiritual healer,” who was actually a drug dealer. After disappearing for hours, a frantic village search party (but not the police) assembles, grandma nearly has a heart attack, and Laura returns home to dessert, unfazed and ready for round two weeks later.
• Hosts’ Reaction: Both hosts delight in the vivid rural imagery, reflect on unsupervised childhoods, and the randomness of parental concern.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "She tells me she's heading to the far side of the village to do some business and asks if I want to come with her... and I said yes, hell yeah." – Laura [03:20]
  • "Turns out I had been gone long enough for my grandma to declare a full blown code red. But did anyone call the police? Of course not. That would have been too logical." – Laura [04:04]
  • "What a perfect picture of a time and place. Laura, you did. That was excellent." – Georgia [06:14]

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2. My Trash Uncle, the Bank Robber [06:56 – 10:19]

• Story: Hailey shares the family trauma of her uncle using her as a human shield when security spotted him at Walmart (he was wanted for a bank robbery). A tense encounter with armed police ensues, leaving 5-year-old Hailey terrified she is the target.
• Hosts’ Reaction: Karen and Georgia joke about the futility of bank robberies and emphasize the absurdity of turning in a felon relative with a child in tow.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "My uncle used me as a shield when I was, all caps, 5." – Hailey [08:07]
  • "You're going to drop someone off at prison – maybe get a babysitter." – Karen [10:36]

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3. The Lauder: A High School "Alcohol Delivery" Predator [12:41 – 15:39]

• Story: Lily recalls a shady adult known as “The Lauder” who sold alcohol, vapes, and fast food to Texas high schoolers via Snapchat, but is later arrested for sexual exploitation crimes.
• Hosts’ Reaction: Shock and horror dominate as the hosts lament their own risky teen behavior, reflect on stranger danger, and the dangers of ignoring “obvious” red flags.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Sorry mom. That's stranger danger 101. I mean you couldn't get more on the nose." – Lily [15:20]
  • "Every time we hear those stories... my adolescence just flashes through my mind. And I just can't believe I'm here." – Georgia [15:50]

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4. Dad’s Army Whistleblower Story & "Buried Bones" Connection [16:50 – 21:07]

• Story: Hava recounts her father's role in Army intelligence during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, his disillusionment with illegal wiretapping, escape to Canada, and his buried whistleblower interview discovered through "Buried Bones."
• Hosts’ Reaction: Karen and Georgia praise Hava’s dad’s backbone and marvel at the generational persistence of government secrecy.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Your dad has like a backbone yeah, that's nice." – Georgia [21:04]
  • "Stay sexy and always try to do what's right, even if the story gets killed." – Hava [20:52]

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5. Colin Farrell Sighting in Intercourse, Pennsylvania [22:41 – 26:07]

• Story: Listener Jackie recalls spotting Colin Farrell in an Amish country gift shop, with family hijinks and the pressing question: was he wearing jeans?
• Hosts’ Reaction: The hosts riff on celebrity encounters, regional town names, and the hilarity of random uncle questions.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Was he wearing jeans? Why? I don't know. That was just my uncle being my uncle." – Jackie [25:31]

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6. Prank Call Gone Wrong: "Megan is Dead" [26:42 – 30:32]

• Story: Megan, at age 12, tells her orthodontist office she’s dead, thinking it’s her friend prank calling. The mortified office, and her mother, must be reassured she’s alive.
• Hosts’ Reaction: Laughter and disbelief, as Karen analyzes the easier “fix” and both hosts remember phone etiquette and the drama of teen lies.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Naturally, I assumed it was Brooke... so I leaned into it and said in my most serious tone, Megan is dead." – Megan [27:53]
  • "Megan, you’re a horrible person and we love you and we couldn’t be happier that you listened to our pod." – Karen [30:27]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Parental Rules:
  • "This is what my anxiety is based on, is that I'm going to get in trouble for doing something I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do." – Georgia [06:49]
• On Sharing Trauma:
  • "Don't share your, like, uppercase T trauma until it's lowercase T trauma." – Georgia [10:15]
• On Dodgy Teen Decisions:
  • "The amount that I trusted men in, like, their late twenties with no questions is astounding." – Georgia [16:11]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Lithuanian Drug Run | [02:17–06:14] | | Trash Uncle & Bank Robbery | [06:56–10:19] | | The Lauder – Alcohol Predator | [12:41–15:39] | | Army Dad’s Whistleblower Revelation | [16:50–21:07] | | Colin Farrell in Amish Country | [22:41–26:07] | | Orthodontist Prank Call ("Megan is dead") | [26:42–30:32] |

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Tone & Final Thoughts

Keeping with MFM tradition, Karen and Georgia blend listener drama with banter, incredulity, and empathy. Hometown stories become launch pads for digressions on anxiety, sibling rivalry, and 90s nostalgia. The comedic rapport ensures even the most jaw-dropping stories end with warmth and catharsis.

"Stay sexy and don't get murdered." – The signature sign-off

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Quick Reference

• Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
• Theme: Listener-submitted “hometown” stories – crime, mischief, dark comedy
• Best Quote:
  "Stay sexy and don't take someone else's kid on your rural drug errands." – Karen [06:01]

For New Listeners

This Minisode is a perfect introduction to My Favorite Murder’s unique blend of true crime, catharsis, and wicked humor. You’ll find relatable moments, sincere empathy, and plenty of laughs amid the outrageous stories—always with the reminder to “stay sexy and don’t get murdered.”

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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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Candice Rivera has it all. In just three years, she went from.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay at home mom to traveling the.

[Georgia Hardstark]

World, saving lives and making millions. Anyone would think Candice's charmed life is about as real as unicorns.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But sometimes the truth is even harder.

[Georgia Hardstark]

To believe than the lies. Not true. There's so many things not true. You gotta believe me. I'm Charlie Webster and this is Unicorn Girl, an Apple original podcast produced by Seven Hills. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder the Minisode.

[Georgia Hardstark]

There you go.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Emails for you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Bye you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Bye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Bye. You go first. I demand you go first. I shall, with all your paperwork.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, the subject line of this email is hometown, the trash adult who took me on a drug run. Okay, you know I'm gonna pick one of those.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Of course.

[Karen Kilgariff]

These are my people. Hi, Karen and Georgia. I'm Lithuanian, so I don't know how to say all these sweet things people usually write at the beginning of these email, but just know I love you both load. And now let's get into it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Lithuanian.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know right? Because I've got a prime trash adult story for you. So period picture six year old me, six, bored out of my tiny mind in the dead heat of a small Lithuanian village summer. You've been there a thousand times before.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Picturing it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No friends around, no tv, no entertainment. Except for the occasional chicken.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's Great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's tough. I'm just chilling in the dust on the side of the road like a little feral villager, when along comes her. Our neighborhood's very own spiritual healer, slash drug dealer, slash disaster on two legs. Yes, she was known for selling, quote unquote, natural medicine, which is adorable, because in hindsight, I'm 99% sure she was slinging low grade narcotics. She tells me she's heading to the far side of the village to do some business and asks if I want to come with her, all caps. And I said yes, hell yeah. Because of course I did. What else was I doing? I had no sense of danger and way too much free time. So off I go. Six year old assistant to a probable drug mule, skipping through the village like we're in a whimsical Eastern European comedy. Hours pass, she does her house calls and I assist her. As the unpaid intern, I provide, I don't know, vibes, maybe an alibi. And then, just as we're finally heading back, I hear it. My name screamed from every direction.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, no.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like a haunted megaphone. And that's when I knew I had fucked up. Turns out I had been gone long enough for my grandma to declare a full blown code red. But did anyone call the police? Of course not. That would have been too logical.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Snitching. No one snitches.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No way. Instead, the entire able bodied male population of the village was mobilized. Forests were scoured, lakes were dove into. Holy shit, men. And this is on all caps, men actually dove into the water looking for my tiny drowned body. Then it says, fun side note, I was the kind of six year old who was allowed to go swimming alone. So, like, fair. It says, by the time I casually strolled home, my grandma was halfway through a heart attack. They called an ambulance, but still not the police. So she literally was halfway through a heart attack.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Literally. They called an ambulance for the grandma.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For the grandma. But they didn't call the police. My mom was on the verge of an emotional implosion and the lake divers returned looking like war survivors. I fully expected to be grounded until I turned 30. My mother. Oh, she handled it with grace. Which is to say she tried to rip out the trash adult's hair with her bare hands while screaming so loudly. I'm pretty sure the storks migrated early that year. Honestly, iconic.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Meanwhile, I plopped myself on the couch and was handed dessert. Yes, because they thought she was gone. Yeah, because apparently when a child disappears for hours with a stranger, the appropriate reward is pudding. And the best part? I didn't learn my lesson. Not even a little. Two weeks later, all caps. Same woman, same scenario. Same kid. Me. And this time, she didn't even bother pretending to ask permission. She just took me under her arm and off we went on another totally illegal adventure. Oh, she had the perfect cover. A six year old. Yeah, she just looks like a kindly aunt.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, I'm an auntie.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Not a drug mule.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay sexy. And seriously, don't take someone else's kid on your rural drug errands. Laura. From Lithuania, where the police don't get called when a child vanishes for hours, but a mob of men will absolutely dive into freezing lakes without hesitation.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What a perfect picture of a time and place. Laura, you did. That was excellent.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's everything we need to know about Lithuania.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Everything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that was amazing. You don't call the cops. Men will do what it takes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And it reminds me like when you were little and you did something all the time, and then one time you did it and it wasn't okay. Yes. And then you got in trouble for it, but it had never not been okay for you to stay out late or to do any like to play with this or that. And then suddenly your mom decides that you're not supposed to do that and you're in trouble.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, there's a rule that you were not told that somehow comes up and it's like, oh, we weren't paying attention before that You've been doing this the whole time.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is what my anxiety is based on, is that I'm going to get in trouble for doing something I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that sticks. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. My trash uncle story.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Great.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Two to three minute read.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thank you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Thank you. Hey, friends. Longtime listener and have wanted to send this story in for a long while now and finally got the guts to do it. So let's get started. Long story short, my uncle ended up being a part of a bank robbery. Hey, that's a. Long story short, he and a few other guys robbed a CCU bank and thought they could get away with it. Spoiler alert. They ended up getting caught. But let me tell you how my uncle got caught. So me, five years old at the time, my mom, dad and uncle were actually on the way to turn him in. A decision he made.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But ended up stopping at Walmart to get him some clothes for whenever he got out of prison.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know. That seems like you're doing it on purpose. Can I just get A couple things really quick.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You have a few years to pick something probably.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You know, now this was years ago when Walmart still had banks in them. The security guard at the bank recognized my uncle immediately because his picture got sent to every bank in the area. And before the guard could tackle him or confront him, my uncle grabbed me and held me as we walked out so the guard wouldn't touch him. Yes, my uncle used me as a shield when I was all caps 5.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Human shield, 5 year old.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is the aunt and uncle episode. Once we got in the car, we were heading to turn my uncle in, but since the security guard saw him, he notified the police and next thing I know, we're getting pulled over by at least 10 cops.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Now, me being 5 years old, you know, that security guard was like so stoked to be the hero of the day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So boring. His job. And that Walmart, suddenly he's like, fucking.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Bank robber, I have this to give. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Now, me being five years old, I thought that any of the times I would misbehave or would hit my older sister meant I was in big trouble. Because when the cop came up and stuck a gun into the front passenger side window, yelling, everyone put your hands in the air. My hands immediately went up, terrified that I was going to jail.

[Karen Kilgariff]

These little hands in the back kind of sliding up, tiny little o.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is it. I knew it was coming.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, I shouldn't have been to Human shield that way.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I shouldn't have hit my sister. She deserved it. I immediately started crying while watching my uncle get yanked out of the car and onto the ground. And for some reason they did the same to my dad. Yeah, that makes sense.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I was just sitting in the back with my hands up, regretting all the times I didn't listen to my mom and scared that the cops were there to take me to jail.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The idea that they're just like, gun in the car, scream, whatever.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. I don't remember much after that, but I do remember my mom getting me into the back of a police car, trying to calm me down, and then the cop coming up and apologizing to me, you better. My uncle did go to jail and has served 16 years. Wow, that Walmart run. Could have waited.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, also, just the bank. The idea of a bank robbery, it never works out.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's never going to work.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Almost never.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Scheduled to be released any day now. Wish me luck. Smiley face. Also, fun fact, this bank robbery is known as the first to occur in my hometown. Wow. Hope you all enjoyed this and got a good laugh at some of my trauma. Stay sexy and maybe don't use a five year old as protection.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Hailey, Hailey, we respect your trauma.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's like TV movie of the week trauma.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And the fact that you shared it with us means I think that it might be a lowercase T trauma for you at this point maybe.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cause being able to process it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Don't share your, like, uppercase T trauma until it's lowercase T trauma.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, just that it feels like as awful as that would be, it's a great story. Maybe she can laugh at it now. Yeah, we definitely can, but we don't want to if we shouldn't. So insane. Also, just if you're gonna go drop someone off at prison, maybe get a babysitter.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Get a babysitter.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Get a babysitter.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's a great idea. We're siblings.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like, you fight, you disagree. It's really hard to be in a partnership.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You judge each other, you lead differently.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And we've got to that edge.

[Simone Boyce]

Hey, I'm Symone Boyce, host of the Bright side. And this week I'm joined by Hollywood power sisters Erin and Sarah Foster. They open up about navigating the judginess of Hollywood, dealing with rejection and the pressure of running a business with your sibling. And yeah, they're spilling the tea on season two of their hit Netflix series. Nobody wants this.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I feel like the overall consensus was like, people were just obsessed with this. Will they, won't they? Like, that's the thing, right? It's just intoxicating. You want to be able to sustain that for as many seasons, but you also have to, like, marry them off eventually. I don't know what you're listening for. You'll marry them off, Erin.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, I don't even know if they're staying together. Sarah.

[Simone Boyce]

Y', all, this conversation is honest, hilarious, and everything you didn't know you needed this week. Listen to the Bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So what happened at Chappaquiddick? Well, it really depends on who you talk to. There are many versions of what happened.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In 1969 when a young Ted Kennedy drove a car into a pond and left a woman behind to drown. Chappaquiddick is a story of a tragic death and how the Kennedy machine took control. Every week we go behind the headlines and beyond the drama of America's royal family. Listen to United States of Kennedy on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. I'm not gonna read you the subject line of this. It says, hi, Karen in Georgia. I've been listening to you guys since 2018. I was 16. Oh my God. Welcome, sophomores. Welcome. Always. When my sister introduced me to you as a repayment, I got her tickets to the MFM Live tour in Austin this September. Yes. You guys are great and can always keep me entertained when driving or folding laundry.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hey, hey, that's us, baby. Hey.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Anyway, let's get into my hometown's pedophile story. I attended Lake Travis High School, which is about a 30 minute drive from downtown Austin, Texas. This meant our school was very large. I'm talking about each graduating class of 8 to 9, 900 people per year. Wow, that's wild.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

When I was a freshman, around 15 years old, my friends and I would sneak out and get into the normal teenage trouble. Drinking, smoking, vaping. Alcohol is hard to get as a 15 year old, obviously. So when a man who was around 30 years old started adding us kids on Snapchat under the name the Lauder and selling bottles of alcohol to be delivered, we were ecstatic.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my. This is what every parent warns every kid and they don't listen.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, because as a teen who's like, I just want to party and I'm invincible and I don't know what the fuck is going on in the world or what the possibilities are.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's like the Lauder wants to help us.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The Lauder would charge outrageous prices for handles of alcohol. Of course, the cheapest stuff he could find and jewels the vape pens. But like name checking a vape pen. But us kids didn't care. We would all sneak out to a friend's house whose parents were chill and text the lotter what we wanted for the night.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He would then drive to our address, which we gave him without a second thought, of course, and trade the cash for the goods. He got to know my friend group so well. He would even give us free fast food regularly.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This man would drive around at night and give alcohol and vapes to hundreds of high schoolers.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And since everyone used him, we didn't see the harm. That was until one afternoon when my friends and I were in school like normal and we got a text that the Lauder L O T E R, I guess, like parking lot, I don't know.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The Lauder was arrested. Everyone who used him freaked out and deleted his contact, hoping the cops didn't see any of our information on his phone. We all thought he'd been caught for selling illegal products to underage minors. Nope. A few weeks later, we see a news article about the Lauder's arrest, and it turns out that he was exchanging alcohol and vapes for sexual favors from 15 year old boys and sending, slash, asking for sexual pictures. His case ended up being investigated by the FBI, and in 2021, he received 60 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, followed by 10 years of supervised release. And he was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims. I am now 22, and my friends and I occasionally recall how stupid we were to trust a random man who sells things to kids. Sorry, mom. That's stranger danger 101. I mean, you couldn't get more on the nose.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm so relieved she hadn't started listening to my favorite murder yet, because we weren't doing our job. If she was doing that, I mean. Yeah, that's routine.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We let her down. If she thought that that was okay. Yeah, yeah, hopefully when she logged on and then was like, oh, they're yelling at me. What's this? What's this? I shouldn't follow a strange man around a parking lot.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And then it just says, can't wait to see you guys in September. Stay sexy and don't buy alcohol from strangers. Lily. Hey, Lily. That's how bars work. So you better figure something else out.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Every time we hear those stories, just my youth, my adolescence just flashes through my mind. And I just can't believe I'm here.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm so happy about it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I've told you this story. But, like, we found a guy in the Golden Eagle shopping center parking lot, and kids from the other high school, like, were walking away, and they're like, hey, those guys will buy up for you. And we walk up to the. It was a station wagon that was like. It looked like all the tires were flat, so it was way close to the ground.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And it was two guys that looked like they were from scumbag central casting. Yeah, yeah, what do you want? And we're like, can we get a strawberry wine cooler? It was like we were doing very specific orders, and they just drove away with our money.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, that same thing happened. He was like, okay, we're gonna put the bag next to the car and we're gonna drive away. So don't go to the bag until we drive away. So, like, in case anyone's watching, puts the bag down, drives away, and then I Watched my friend walk up and kick the empty bag in anger. Stole, like, beer funds. We had all gotten beer funds together.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hundreds of dollars.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, okay, yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Buried Bones helped me find proof of my dad's lore. Oh, Buried Bones, A podcast on the exactly Right network.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. Coral Holes and Kate Winkler Dawson.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right. Oh, hey. All of our dads have told us when we were little that if they told us something, they would have to kill us. Right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Sure.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That old joke. No, just me and my sisters. Well, from a young age, we all knew. My dad, Ronald, had been in the army, but definitely was not anymore. When we would ask what he did in the army, he would always tell us, if I told you, I would have to kill you. Of course, as little kids, we thought it was hilarious. When we got older, he finally told us what really happened. Picture it. It's Chicago, 1968, and the Democratic Party convention is causing a lot of chaos in the city. There were rallies and riots and a lot happening outside the convention that had been well documented over the years. Yes, it's a famous event. My dad, though, he was involved with monitoring what was happening inside the convention and the like. You may be asking yourself why that's a big deal. Well, the Army Security Agency was tapping the phones of delegates and others in the streets, listening in for any information they could about plans for rioting, clandestine connections with communist affiliated groups, et cetera. They would have vans driving around the city a lot of times in areas that was pretty much off limits to the military, that were decked out with radio receivers that monitored police radio telephone communications and shortwave radio transmissions.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, it kind of sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory, but it's like we are being monitored at all times.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, it's true. They were operating without the knowledge or assistance of the Chicago police, FBI or other law enforcement intelligence agencies. Just the army going solo, rogue, finding.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Out some stuff they need to find out, I guess.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So all of this information came in but never went back out. If it had, they would have needed to answer questions on how they got that information. And what they were doing was definitely bordering on going against the Constitution.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Sounds familiar.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You could border going against the Constitution.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goes right up against it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My dad voiced his concerns about this and other things he was privy to while working in Army Intelligence to his superiors and was basically told to sit down and shut up. That didn't sit right with my dad. So he went AWOL to Canada. Oh, Toronto specifically. That's where he gave a series of Interviews to the Toronto Star. It was supposed to be four different installments, but only one ever got printed. Over the years, it's been brought up here and there, but two years ago, I really started looking in earnest for this article that I knew would be hard to find. It also didn't help that my dad couldn't remember the exact year it came out. It says 1970, or even the exact newspaper it was in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Dads Dads.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is where buried Bones enters the chat. Back in June, on my way to work, I was listening to an episode and I heard Kate talking about how she loved to use Newspapers.com to help with her historical research. Cut to me signing up for the seven day free trial and searching my father's name and newspapers in Canada. And it popped right up. I took a screenshot of it and sent it to my dad. This was his response. The ghosts of the past come back. What happened next killed the series. The government contacted the owners of the Toronto Star and threatened them if they didn't kill the stories. By the third edition of the Sunday paper, it was off the front page and disappeared. Your dad really tried to do something, but it wasn't until Edward Snowden, many years later, that got the job done.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The only good thing that came out of it all was when I did return, they were afraid to make a big deal of it and I ended up with a relatively easy sentence, end quote.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Whoa.

[Georgia Hardstark]

For Father's Day this year, I had the images of the article blown up to poster size and framed for him. And now they hang in the only place in the house where they would fit. The rumpus type room in the basement where he spends a good amount of his time. This thing holds a lot of meaning to him because he felt like he was doing something good and he was just erased from history. This is just one part of my dad's lore that would make a really interesting autobiography. We keep telling him he has to write. I know this was long, but thanks to whoever over there that took the time to read it. Even if it doesn't make it to the podcast, stay sexy and always try to do what's right, even if the story gets killed. Hava. Yes, pronounced like the song. Hava Nagila and one of the daughters from Fiddler on the Roof. No, I was not named after either. Hava.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What an incredible thing to have a dad as a whistleblower who's trying to be like, hey, the government might be doing the wrong thing for the people.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, your dad has like a backbone yeah, that's nice.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's tough.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We're siblings.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like, you fight, you disagree. It's really hard to be in a relationship. You judge each other. You. You lead differently, and we've gotten to that edge.

[Simone Boyce]

Hey, I'm Simone Boyce, host to the Bright side, and this week, I'm joined by Hollywood power sisters Erin and Sarah Foster. They open up about navigating the judginess of Hollywood, dealing with rejection and the pressure of running a business with your sibling. And, yeah, they're spilling the tea on season two of their hit Netflix series. Nobody wants this.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I feel like the overall consensus was, like, people were just obsessed with this. Will they, won't they? Like, that's the thing, right? It's just intoxicating. You want to be able to sustain that for as many seasons, but you also have to, like, marry them off eventually. I don't know what you're season for. You'll marry them off, Aaron.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, I don't even know if they're staying together.

[Simone Boyce]

Sarah, y', all, this conversation is honest, hilarious, and everything you didn't know you needed. This week. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime on the new podcast America's Crime Lab. Every case has a story to tell, and the DNA holds the truth. He never thought he was going to get caught, and I just looked at my computer screen, I was just like, ah, gotcha. This technology is already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Let's take a real left turn right now. The subject line of this email is Colin Farrell spotting in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Hello, MFM crew. Love you lots, longtime listener. Thanks to my two older sisters who saw you live in Philly, and then it says without me, but that's beside the point. Let's get into it. I live just outside of Philadelphia, and every summer when my cousins would fly into town, my nan would take us all out to Amish country, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to see some horse and buggies, gawk at the Amish families, and buy tons of homemade goods. Our favorite place to visit was called Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. I shit you not, that's the name of the town.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's so weird.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I had a T shirt in the 90s, and it was all the weird Pennsylvania towns. There's like Blue ball. And it's a horny state. It just is. It seems wrong to name a town whose population consists mostly of Amish something vulgar, but who am I to say? Anywho, Kitchen Kettle has a ton of little shops with various goods like jams, quilts and pottery. On this particular visit, I remember it being extremely hot and most of us kids were pretty done with the visit. After the first two stores, my nan, who has always been stubborn and persistent, refused to leave without going into her favorite store at the very end of the village. Me being the youngest and never really God. Isn't that the truth? Had to go into the store with her while everyone else waited outside. As we're walking around the store, I'm begging my nan to hurry up in any way I can, when all of a sudden I see a tall dark haired man with bushy eyebrows and the most chiseled jawline. At this point in my life, I'm not sure I'd seen a Colin Farrell movie, but just by his look, I knew he was famous. I mean, talk about it factor. Totally that guy telling you, I just, I felt him coming when I was at the movie theater at the same time as him, I quickly ran out the door and screamed at my and screamed at my sister. There's a celebrity in here, but I.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Don'T know his name.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I have to give it to my sister for actually believing me and running in to check it out. Believe women and children. My sister has always been a pop culture whiz, so she pinned it down right away. She knew it was Colin Farrell. We're trying to keep our cool, but we're also young, so we probably were doing the exact opposite. And we've taken a full 180 and are trying to get my to stay as long as possible in the store. Her being totally clueless to Colin Farrell's existence mentions that she wants to go upstairs to see the music boxes. As we're climbing up the stairs, we can hear the girl with Colin Farrell say I'm ready to leave. To which Colin Farrell says, I think I want to check out those music boxes upstairs. My sister and I could have died and I don't even really remember what happened after that. Eventually we went to tell our family the news. My uncle's first reaction being, was he wearing jeans? Why? I don't know. That was just my uncle being my uncle.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Was he wearing. That is such an uncle question.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh wait, was he wearing jeans? Yeah, he was that one guy wearing jeans. Among all the rest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Pennsylvania of all places.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I Think we eventually learned that he was filming nearby for a movie and that's why he was in the area till this day. Whenever Colin Farrell is brought up in conversation, it is always quickly followed up with, was he wearing jeans? Anyway, thank you so much for all you guys do.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's cute.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You've made countless road trips and days in the office more enjoyable. Stay sexy and don't forget to keep an eye out for Colin Farrell, even in the middle of nowhere.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jackie, that's so exciting.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm so excited. All these lately.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We have to get a photo with him now.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Colin Farrell.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. If we see him in la, here.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Would be my approach.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I try to get physically lower and just be like, my grandparents are from Iowa.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I play on that kind of like hometown thing.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. My podcast is a fan of yours.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. There you go. You can come with the thing that's very effective on people where you say, I'm not a fan.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But my friend Karen.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Someone else will be jealous.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. So could you please.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. My last one is Hometown prank calls. Orthodontists. I'm not gonna read you the whole thing. The end. Okay. Georgia.

[Karen Kilgariff]

A half subject line. Okay. That's new.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Karen, Georgia et al. I'm not sure what hometown category this story fits. Prank calls, awkward adolescence, whatever it is, it's got everything. And you've asked for literally anything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Very true.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So I was 12. It was summertime. And my friends and I spent every moment together or on the phone for hours, days, maybe weeks. My parents were at work. MTV was playing Jeremy by Pearl Jam. I remember that summer, you know, the feel good hit of the summer. And I was deep in a three hour phone call with my best friend Brooke. At some point, I started complaining about my upcoming orthodontist appointment. I was about to get braces and the dramatics were high. Eventually we decided to hang up, eat lunch and call each other back in a bit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fuck.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I remember that. It's so fun. I remember being on the phone with friends for hours. And just earlier, my like favorite person, my best friend Kate, called me and I didn't answer the phone.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Cause I'm just like, it's a different thing now. Yeah. And also you'd be on the phone for hours. And then like at our house, my dad would just be like, get off the phone. You just hear get off the phone. Yelled randomly.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Always.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Seconds after I hung up, the phone rang. I picked up and a woman's voice said, orthodontist office calling to confirm Megan's appointment. Naturally, I assumed it was Brooke using her extremely convincing adult voice to prank me. So I leaned into it and said in my most serious tone, megan is dead. Oh. There was a pause, but not the ha, ha, you got me kind of pause. It was very long, very awkward, very adult. Then the woman whispered, oh, I'm so sorry, and hung up immediately. I called Brooke to confirm it was her, but she swore it wasn't. That's when it hit me. I had just told a real medical professional that I was dead. I knew I was in deep trouble, but I also knew the only way out was to deny everything and hope for the best. What?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Why? Just call that poor woman. Let her off the hook.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That evening, the orthodontist himself called the house. Cause she was, like, crying, right? And she's, like, crying. Well, one of your patients. Horrible child. He asked to speak with my mom. I listened from the next room, and she assured him I was, in fact, very much alive and standing right there. After she hung up, she asked if anyone had called to confirm my appointment earlier in the day. I lied like a pro. Nope. I was on the phone with Brooke all day. She believed me? No idea. But she dropped it and we never spoke of it again. Oh, I would have gotten in so much trouble.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nothing like that ever happened at our house. It'd be like, ask three more questions and you're busted and it's over.

[Georgia Hardstark]

When we showed up for my braces fitting later that week, I was very aware of the side eyes and whispers from the front desk. My mom let out some nervous laughter while checking me in, and I just tried to disappear into my seat. To be fair, Dr. Goldstein and his team were incredibly kind throughout my orthodontic journey. And honestly, I've always felt guilty about giving them a heart attack. That day. As an adult, I realized how brutal that phone call must have been. Preparing to offer condolences to the grieving mother of a 12 year old girl who was just watching MTV and eating a lunchable. Is she me? So, yeah. Sorry, Dr. Goldstein. Stay sexy and don't fake your own death. Megan. She. Her?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Megan. That's so epic. But also, it's just the funniest thing of, like, the shortest distance between the end of that mistake is just going immediately call that lady back. And I'm like, I'm so sorry. I thought without you and my friend Frankie, like, there's no minus to that. That lady, like, oh, thank God. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But like, she gave her the whole day to. And then the doctor called to offer his condolences.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What a horrible phone call at that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Megan, you're a horrible person and we love you and we couldn't be happier that you listened to our pod.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You're right where you belong.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Welcome. Welcome to the pod.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Way to go, everyone. Thanks for sending us your emails. Send them to my favorite Murder at Gmail and stay sexy and don't get murdered. Goodbye, Elvis. Do you want a cookie?

[Karen Kilgariff]

This has been an Exactly Right production.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Our senior producers are Alejandra Keck and Molly Smith.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Leon Escalachi.

[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. Buying a car in Carvana was so easy. I was able to finance it through them. I just. Whoa, wait, you mean finance? Yeah, finance. Got pre qualified for a Carvana auto.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Loan, entered my terms and shot from.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thousands of great car options, all within my budget.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's cool.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But financing through Carvana was so easy. Financ financed.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Done.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And I get to pick up my car from their Carvana vending machine tomorrow. Financed.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right. That's what I said. You can spend time trying to pronounce financing, or you can actually finance and.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Buy your car today on Carvana financing.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Subject to credit approval. Additional terms and conditions may apply. I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result.

[Simone Boyce]

That's comedian Phoebe Robinson. And yeah, those are the kinds of gems you'll only hear on my podcast, the Bright side. I'm your host, Simone Boyce. I'm talking to the brightest minds in entertainment, health, wellness and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers, and ourselves. So join me every Monday and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime on the new podcast, America's Crime Lab. Every case has a story to tell, and the DNA holds the truth. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen, I was just like, ah, gotcha. This technology's already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.