MFM Minisode 461

Summary

My Favorite Murder Minisode 461

Hosts: Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Date: November 10, 2025
Podcast Network: Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this Halloween-tinged minisode, Karen and Georgia read a new batch of listener-submitted "hometown" stories—ranging from the truly bizarre to the historically significant to the just plain hilarious. Dark true crime meets family lore and personal near-misses, with the hosts’ signature wit and empathy guiding the way. Listeners send tales of buried skeletons, predatory teachers, generational witch trial trauma, near-abductions, childhood misunderstandings, and unexpected second-chance love stories.

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Key Discussion Points & Listener Stories

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1. Unearthed Skeletons and Sacred Ground

• Story Recap:

  • Marissa writes about growing up in South San Jose in a 70s tract home. When her dad tries to transplant a bush, he unearths a finger bone—and then a human skull (02:27).
  • Police and a coroner arrive; the skeleton is found curled in a fetal position, a foot and a half deep in the front yard.
  • It’s eventually determined the remains belong to a Muwekma Ohlone man from hundreds of years prior—the house was built atop a Native burial ground.
  • Archaeology students comb the yard for artifacts; the family is advised not to dig deep. The remains are reburied in the yard per the tribal descendants’ wishes.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “There, peeking out from under the damn bush, was a human skull.” – Georgia reads (03:43)
  • “That’s wild.” – Karen (05:28)
  • “And what a beautiful thing they did. That’s where that person belongs…Oh my God.” – Karen (05:30)

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2. Predatory Teachers and Hidden Cameras

• Story Recap:

  • Sarah from Millbrae writes about her “cool” high school leadership teacher, Mr. L, who disappears often from class (06:39).
  • It turns out he was crawling through ceiling tiles to install cameras above the stalls in the girls’ bathrooms, and hiding a camera under his desk.
  • The holes in the ceiling and the entryway in the closet were visible long after the story broke.
  • After arrest, Mr. L’s meth-fueled YouTube ramblings are found by students.
  • Sarah hints she has more wild stories, including one about a cult attempting resurrection.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Turns out he was crawling around in the ceilings of the school, installing cameras above the stalls in the girls bathrooms.” – Karen reads (07:15)
  • “He was a child predator whose energy was in fact fueled by meth.” – Karen (08:03)
  • “Wow, that’s just so fucked up. …And it’s like, nope, that’s from recently.” – Georgia (09:04)
  • “We should definitely do some meth-fueled ramblings.” – Karen, joking about YouTube cringe (08:33)

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3. Salem Witch Trials—Living Legacy

• Story Recap:

  • Ally tells the story of her ancestor, Marytown Esty, accused of witchcraft at the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 (11:27).
  • Mary petitions the governor to stop the madness, is nonetheless hanged, but her petition helps save her youngest sister, Sarah Cloyce.
  • The sisters are historical inspiration for the Sanderson Sisters from “Hocus Pocus.”
  • Reparations for the survivors decades later amounted to a pittance.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “My ancestors served as the real life inspiration for the Sanderson Sisters from the legendary Hocus Pocus.” – Georgia reads (13:31)
  • “What a legacy. …That’s a great one.” – Karen (13:58)

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4. Don’t Storm Off While Drunk—A Near Abduction (San Francisco)

• Story Recap:

  • Jess recounts a foolish night out at 16—her first time drinking in San Francisco (14:20).
  • After a fight with a friend, Jess storms off alone and is nearly abducted by a man who tries to carry her off to a parking garage (15:00).
  • Her friends intervene, and a kindly taxi driver takes the girls back to their hotel, free of charge.
  • Jess now works night shifts as a nurse and is a self-described “helicopter parent.”

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Luckily, I had enough sense to begin kicking and screaming. Even luckier though, my friends…forced him to flee.” – Karen reads (16:04)
  • “All caps: Lucky…that my friends were nearby.” – Karen (16:41)
  • “Stay sexy and don’t IN ALL CAPS walk off by yourself like ever.” – Jess (17:27)
  • “I can’t even blame mine on being a teen—I was in my twenties, and guess where I walked off alone at night drunk? New Orleans…” – Georgia (17:35)

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5. Kids Say the Darnedest Things: My Toddler Sees ‘Kevin’

• Story Recap:

  • Corrine writes about her toddler talking about “grandma with Kevin,” after the grandma’s passing (20:28).
  • Nobody in the family is named Kevin, leading to wild speculation.
  • After another death in the family, her son says “grandma and Bubba are at Kevin’s” and she realizes he meant “heaven.”
  • Cute mispronunciation, not a supernatural revelation!

• Notable Quotes:

  • “He was just a little off with his pronunciation. Love the pod and all you do. Stay sexy and…duke Heaven’s mission.” – Corrine (22:25)
  • “My guess was that…did he mean Jesus? But that’s kind of a crazy one because it doesn’t sound like Kevin.” – Karen (22:30)
  • “He’s with Kevin.” – Karen (22:41)

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6. Parent Trap: Divorced Parents Rekindling Love

• Story Recap:

  • Listener tells of divorcing parents who reconnect years later after therapy and a health scare (23:12).
  • When her mom inquires after her dad and receives a recent photo, they start texting and soon reunite.
  • Complications: Dad is divorced, but mom is still married. Mom’s second husband dies unexpectedly soon after.
  • Within a year, her parents are remarried.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “He grabbed my phone and looked like a teenager who was just told his crush liked him back.” – Karen (24:21)
  • “So messy. The messier, the better.” – Karen (26:46)
  • “I parent trapped my parents.” – Subject line (25:24)
  • “I love reuniting stories, but I don’t like that this poor stepdad…” – Georgia (26:23)
  • “That mother must have…been overwhelmed with the synchronicity where it’s just the thing that’s happening…” – Karen (26:29)

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Memorable Moments & Running Themes

• Hosts’ Relatability & Reactiveness

  • Karen and Georgia regularly interject with personal stories and reactions that echo listeners’ experiences.
  • The tone vacillates between comic relief and heartfelt empathy.

• Historical Intersections

  • Several stories bump up against larger histories—Native burial grounds, the Salem Witch Trials—bringing wider context to the “hometown murder” genre.
  • “That’s the plot of Poltergeist!” – Karen, referencing the unearthed skeleton (04:26)

• Importance of Community (and Friendship)

  • Multiple stories underscore the importance of friends intervening, parents protecting kids, and family legacy.
  • “Send us your messy family stories…the messier, the better.” – Karen (26:47)

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Notable Quotes by Timestamps

• “There, peeking out from under the damn bush, was a human skull.” (03:43) – Georgia
• “Turns out he was crawling around in the ceilings of the school, installing cameras above the stalls in the girls bathrooms.” (07:15) – Karen
• “That’s from recently. That’s a real problem.” (09:12) – Karen & Georgia
• “My ancestors served as the real life inspiration for the Sanderson Sisters from the legendary Hocus Pocus.” (13:31) – Georgia
• “You never know what people are going to do.” (27:34) – Karen, quoting her dad

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Episode Structure/Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |---------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 02:12–05:28 | South San Jose buried skeleton/native burial ground | | 05:39–09:03 | Millbrae hidden camera teacher story | | 11:27–13:58 | Ancestors at Salem witch trials | | 14:02–18:21 | Near abduction in San Francisco | | 20:04–22:39 | Toddler mispronounces “Heaven” as “Kevin” | | 23:13–26:47 | Divorced parents rekindle relationship |

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Takeaways for Listeners

• The episode showcases the incredible variety of “hometown” crime and near-miss stories—spanning true crime, legend, and family history.
• Karen and Georgia maintain their trademark mixture of humor, empathy, and advocacy for wisdom learned the hard way.
• The episode leans into the idea that “the messier, the better”—with authenticity and a touch of dark humor, reminding listeners not to repeat past mistakes and to appreciate both the darkness and levity of shared history.

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Final Words

As always, Karen and Georgia encourage listeners to send in their stories—“the messier the better”—making clear that this podcast is for everyone with a wild family history, close call, or local legend.
“Stay sexy and don’t get murdered.”

Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is exactly right. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, let's talk about holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your money, head to the PayPal app before you check out.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Save the offer in the PayPal app expires 1231. See paypal.com promoterms Subject to approval.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Learn more at paypal.com payinfor PayPal Inc. NMLS 910457 Goodbye. Hey guys. Did you know that you can order from the Home Depot on Uber Eats?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that Home Depot, really? And here's the kicker. Right now, you can get $30 off $70 or more when you order from the Home Depot on Uber eats. Use code DEPOT30.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Order from the Home Depot on Uber eats. Use code DEPOT30.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye. No one brings out your inner monster like a bad neighbor.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys find that out for themselves in the Beast in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Me, a new eight episode drama from the team that brought you Homeland.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a grieving writer. Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, her new neighbor and possible murderer.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But who's the monster and who's the bad neighbor? That's another story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a game of cat and mouse that sets them on a collision course with fatal consequences.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The Beast in Me now playing only on Netflix.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You will not want to miss this. Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Old Navy Announcer]

Foreign.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder, the Minisode.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Do you know what we do here? Well, we're about to show you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We're gonna show you and tell you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We're gonna tell you. But first, show you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, those things. I'm first, right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

You're first.

[Listener or Guest Contributor]

Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm not reading you the subject line. Okay, this email has been sitting in my drafts folder for forever. But you guys just asked for fucked up bone stories. Basically calling me out. This sounds fake. I promise it isn't. Let's get into it, shall we? I grew up in South San Jose. Hey, norcal. Hey. In a suburban neighborhood of tract homes that were built in the early 70s. I was in second grade at the time of this incident, making it about 19912 ish 1991 or 2. It was a Sunday, and my dad was setting about to transplant a bush from the front yard to the backyard. I scampered off down the street to play with friends before I could be roped into any sort of forced labor. Apparently, the proper procedure for transplanting a bush involves digging around the roots and attempting to leave the plant with enough root material that it's able to survive in its new home. Got it. Sure. The first shovelful or two passed uneventfully, but something small and white came up with the third. My dad picked up the object to examine it more closely and found himself holding a bone. Maybe a previous owner of our home had buried a beloved family pet in the front yard. In true dad fashion, he set the bone aside and went back to the task at hand. The next shovel full of dirt, however, cleared up any pet cemetery questions. There, peeking out from under the damn bush, was a human skull.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Holy shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

There was a whole dead person in our front yard. Gets worse. I looked up from playing down the street to find a cop car in my driveway. Lots of police came. A coroner came. They dug up the rest of the skeleton, which was about a foot and a half below the surface and curled in a fetal position around the roots of the bush. The first bone that had been set aside was a finger bone. After much examination, it was determined that this was no recently buried body. In fact, it had been there for a very, very long time. But none to us or anyone else in our neighborhood. Our unassuming tract homes had been built unceremoniously upon a traditional native burial ground. No, this is the plot of Poltergeist.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, it is.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Is this person lying?

[Karen Kilgariff]

They just moved the headstones. Yeah, that's why they said it sounds like a lie, but it's not.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. The skeleton that had been unearthed in our yard was that of a Muwekma Ohlone man in his 30s who had passed hundreds of years before. Wow. As a second grader, I was thrilled that ours was the most interesting house on the street. For a while, we even made it into the newspaper. A group of archaeology students from San Jose State spent the summer combing through the rest of our yard looking for other artifacts I'm not sure if they ever found anything. We were informed that it was very probable that there were other bodies buried within our property lines and advised not to dig too deep once it had been thoroughly examined. The fate of the skeleton had to be determined. His descendants, current tribal members, informed my parents that the remains could be moved to the graveyard at Mission San Jose or be reburied in our front yard. Since it was his place before it was ours, the remains were returned to where they had been found. He remains there to this day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nice.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Stay sexy. And maybe don't build houses on someone else's sacred ground. Marissa, she. Her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's wild.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And then what a beautiful thing that they did. Yes. That's where that person belongs. Like, oh my God. Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So wild.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, I won't read you the subject line, but it does say Bay Area hometown. Okay, this is the effects of. We were just in Oakland, right? It just says, what's up, MFM fam. I grew up in a small suburb of the Bay Area named Millbrae. I tried to think of something cool to rep about our town, but sadly, nothing comes to mind. Anyways, onto the story. Well, let me just stop you there because here's what reps Millbrae. Almost all of my cousins grew up in Millbury. Millbury was where like three or four of my uncles and aunts settled after they moved out of San Francisco. We spent lots of time in Millbrae growing up. So I think your town is cool. Okay, so at some point you've asked for stories about people hiding in houses slash ceilings, and boy, do I have one for you. Okay, at my high school, once you hit your senior year, you get to elect for all the cool classes like cooking, leadership, yearbook, you know, the classes with no homework. The leadership class was the coveted class to get into and was taught by Mr. L, who was always full of energy and fun. Everybody wanted to be in his class because he was always thinking of insane things to create for rallies or murals to paint around the school. You had to apply and get accepted into the class. That's how many seniors wanted to be there. As the school year came to its halfway point, we noticed Mr. L disappearing a lot from class at random times until that fateful week that we all became aware of what he was doing when we couldn't find him. Turns out he was crawling around in the ceilings of the school, installing cameras above the stalls in the girls bathrooms.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Ew, what a creep.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He first convinced the yearbook teacher to switch storage closets with him, which Was conveniently located next to the bathrooms, cut an entry point into the ceiling and would crawl in there during class, passing periods, and at lunch. He also installed a camera on the underside of his desk to film girls unknowingly in class.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Ew.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I remember all week girls getting pulled into the principal's office to be made aware that they were on the table.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You could see the small holes above the stalls for months after. That's so.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But they didn't fill them in.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They didn't. Cuz. Don't you just have to replace that one tile?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Just leave them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Fuck. And we even saw the entry into the ceiling in the storage closet.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Whoa.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It turns out Mr. L wasn't the energetic, cool teacher. He was a child predator whose energy was in fact fueled by meth. Fuck.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Second shoe drop. After he was arrested, his YouTube account got leaked.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, this is recent. Then I was picturing like the 70s. So he was posting this shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, he wasn't posting that. It doesn't look like after he was arrested his YouTube account got leaked. To which we found videos of meth fueled rambling.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh dear. Those are the worst kind of ramblings.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I thought our content was cringe. So we should definitely do some meth fueled ramblings. Absolutely.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Fan call. Hey, fan call. This one's just for you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's us in the 90s fan cult exclusive.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Meth fueled rambling.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I have some more insane stories from my wife who grew up in a religious cult that tried to resurrect a teenage girl for three days after she had passed. But I'll save that for another time. Stay sexy and hug the nurses in your life because they probably need it these days.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Days.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Sarah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow, that's just so fucked up. I was like, that's from the 70s or 80s. Like that shit doesn't happen anymore. And it's like, nope, that's from recently.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's a recent one. And it's a real problem. And now that they have those weird Google glasses that can record you and they just look like glasses, but they. They're video recorders. Have you heard of those?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, but I don't want to know too much about them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, well, just know that if somebody's like, what did you just say with glasses on?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Don't say anything stupid.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Then you just start singing any Disney song.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, right, because you can't. So smart.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, let's talk about holiday shopping. When you want to make the most of your money, head to the PayPal app. Before you check out, they give you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You can get 5% cash back when you pay later with PayPal. PayPal helps you make the most of your money this holiday.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Save the offer in the PayPal app expires 1231. See paypal.com promoter subject to approval.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Learn more at paypal.com payinfor paypal inc.nmls91.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Every holiday season, it's the same. You've got one person who's impossible to shop for and another who, quote, doesn't need anything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Great. Then they're gonna get my macaroni art.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Or go to Quint's. They have timeless pieces that make perfect gifts. Soft sweaters, silk tops and outerwear that's built to last.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Quince has all the elevated essentials you need. Think mongolian cashmere from $50. Premium denim that fits like a dream and silk tops and skirts that add polish. I just got my key piece for the season, which Plain black Mongolian sweater.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You love those Quint sweaters, right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

It just came out of the bag. I think I put it on and walked directly to a record with you. There's just nothing like a beautiful cashmere sweater when the weather turns cold and it's $50.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, I got some underwear from them, but I also got a second pair. My second pair of their Italian leather bow ballet flats. I have one in black now and one in almond because I'm obsessed with them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished. And last from Quint's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Perfect for gift searching or keeping for yourself.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Go to quince.com mfm to get free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com mfm to get free Shipping and 365 day returns.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Quince.com mfm Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay, here's my next one. Like I'm not going to read you the title. Hey besties. I'm here today to tell you a story from my family history. This is all about fucking the witch trials. Yeah. In the year of our Lord 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. My great, great, great, great. And then it says, that's 11 greats. I'm not gonna read them all. Grandmother Marytown Esty was accused by a neighbor girl of witchcraft. She was likely accused in the first place, of course, actually by this poor little girl's father or uncle who had a real problem with ladies owning land due to how Hard. She was fighting back against the witch trials happening around her. Yeah, she actually wrote an incredible petition directly to the governor of Massachusetts begging him to come and end the. Unfortunately hanged on September 22, 1692, after being convicted of witchcraft. And the governor returned to Salem only weeks after to put a stop to all this madness. Isn't that crazy? Like, there were people in the state who, like, could have done something and didn't believe in what was happening.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right. Also, just. It's so sad that he didn't come in time. But then what she did actually saved a bunch of other women.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, here you go.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I have known about Mary and my connection to her for several years, but what I recently learned on a trip to Salem is that she had two sisters also accused of witchcraft. Rebecca Nurse, the oldest sister, was hanged the same day as Mary, and the younger sister, Sarah Cloyce, was saved from execution, likely partly in thanks to Mary's petition. Several years after the Salem trials, Sarah Cloyce was given three sovereign coins in reparations, which would be about US$4 then in 1700s money.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So today, $4 in the 1700s would be around $80,000.

[Georgia Hardstark]

$3,000. Oh, says so. Yes. Sorry the state murdered your sisters, but here's 3K about it, which I love. Anywho, three sisters, witches in Salem. Sound familiar? That's right. My ancestors served as the real life inspiration for the Sanderson Sisters from the legendary Hocus Pocus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Holy shit. I know, girl.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. Then it says, fuck the patriarchy. For real. I love you ladies and all you stand for. And I'm happy to continue my family legacy of being a loudmouth bitch who has to be hung to shut up and submit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, Ally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

She. Her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. Ally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. What a. Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What a legacy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, dang, Ally. Incredible. That's a great one.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Y.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, the subject line of this email, stop storming off when you're drunk.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Ooh, I've done that. You just brought some bad fucking memories up real quick. I mean, you brought some bad, like, I'm so lucky I'm not dead memories up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, here we go.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let's hear it all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And away we go. This says ladies and Steven in parentheses.

[Listener or Guest Contributor]

Steven.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Look, listen, I was not a well behaved teen. You know how it is. My sister and I are less than two years apart from very close and got up to all kinds of trouble in our youth. More on that another time. When I was 16, my sister, a few friends, and myself Decided we should go to San Francisco for my birthday and get into trouble. And then in parentheses it says, why were we so dumb? And it's like, I'll tell you. Because wherever you lived around San Francisco had nothing going on.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Absolutely nothing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The only place to go San Francisco was about a three hour drive. Oh no, where did she live? Monterey or some shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's like Sacramento too, isn't it?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Sacramento would be like two. Maybe they lived in like Yukai or something. San Francisco was about a three hour drive from where we lived and it was doable. So we did it. Wanting to go out and drink, but only being 16 years old, we came up with a plan. We hypothesized that if we were to stroll into a busy bar all dressed up and cute and just take a seat, eventually some drinking age type gentlemen would buy us ladies a drink. I'd love to tell you we were wrong. Unfortunately, we were all caps. Exactly right. I don't remember a lot of what happened that night, but I do remember my sister throwing up in the bathroom. I also remember getting into an argument with one of my girlfriends and storming off down the street by myself. Parentheses. I know, I know, but live and learn, right? I didn't even make it to the next street light when I was approached by a man. He asked me if I wanted a ride or something to that effect. I declined, but he didn't like that. He swiftly swooped me up, threw me over his shoulder and hastily began to walk towards a nearby parking garage. She's a drunk teenager.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

A drunk teenager Alone?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. In a big city.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Luckily I had enough sense to begin kicking and screaming. Even luckier though, my friends were not that far and heard the commotion. They ran up to the man and screamed at him to put me down with so much force and veracity that they drew the attention of other people nearby. Then he set me down and ran to the parking garage. Broke, scared and completely wasted. We flagged down a taxi that was passing by and explained the situation to the driver. This kind man picked up four drunk as teenage girls and dropped us back off at hotel and didn't charge us for the ride.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I was lucky. All caps. Lucky that my friends were nearby and lucky that they had the courage to verbally assault my would be kidnapper, forcing him to flee. I'm a grownup now with an adult nursing job and adult bills as well as two children of my own at home. I'm also a helicopter parent because I know the kind of shenanigans kids get up to when they leave the house without supervision. And I also know what kind of predators lie in wait. Thank you both so much for what you do. Listening to your dynamic makes me feel like I'm talking to my little sister. She is still my best friend to this day. Recently I convinced her to listen to the pod as we were both enamored with true crime. And then parentheses it says she loves. Of course I love you both dearly and listen to the podcast while my 12 hour night shifts drag on and on at the hospital.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hope to meet you both someday. Stay sexy and don't all caps walk off by yourself like ever. Love always Jess.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I can't even blame mine on being a teen. I was in my 20s and guess where I walked off alone at night? Drunk New Orleans. Oh and lucky the person who came after me was a friend. This dude who saw me leave and he was like oh no. And walked me back to my hotel room. Thanks fucking thanks dude.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean also, in towns like that where the tourism is based on tourists getting drunk, there is a whole sub business of like picking off drunk tourists.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In all different kinds of ways.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God. Fucked up. Tell us your stories so we can feel so bad.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I know. Yes, exactly. We can all collectively shudder about the stupid things we did when we were drunk. And 16. And then.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And 29.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Really? Oh, and 29. Well, we're always 16.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, in our hearts we're 16.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

They give you the flexibility to pay in four no fees, no interest.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

There are no long term contracts or hidden fees. And SimpliSafe was named best home security system by US News and World Report for five years running.

[Karen Kilgariff]

There's a 60 day money back guarantee, so you can try it and see the difference for yourself.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

What I like is that there's also a team standing by, so if you see anything when you're checking that video, there are people there to take care of it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Exactly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

That's simplisafe.com fav.

[Georgia Hardstark]

There's no safe like Simplisafe. Goodbye. Okay, this is called My Toddler Sees Dead People. Greetings, accolades and whatnot. This is the story about the time my son outed Grandma's secret lover. And then it says or so I thought. And then Molly reminded us that we asked for or so we thought theme stories. Yes, that's we still want them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. Or so we thought.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I loved my grandma's secret lover. Or so I thought. In 2018, my husband tragically lost his mother to cancer. Even though she passed before our son was born, we always talk fondly about Grandma Sheila to our now 3 year old to keep her memory alive. Our son adores looking at pictures of his grandma and hearing stories about her life. One day, while digging in his sandbox, my toddler, unprompted, announced, grandma's with Kevin. Kevin? I asked. Yeah, he replied. Who is Kevin, you ask? We have no idea. I asked my husband if he knew who our son could be talking about, but nothing rang a bell. He has never met anyone named Kevin in his short life, the son, not the husband, and is only familiar with Kevin McAllister from Home Alone. Is this who he meant? Or did Grandma have a secret companion she was reunited with in the afterlife? I tried to think back to her funeral. Were there any mysterious figures standing inconspicuously in the back of the cemetery secretly mourning her death? I don't think so.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Can I just make a guess?

[Georgia Hardstark]

No. No, you can't. Okay, don't Our son continued to bring Grandma and Kevin every so often, but the mystery of Kevin endured. Don't say anything.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I won't.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Fast forward a few months when we lost my beloved grandpa, who we affectionately called Bubba. We explained to our son that Bubba had passed away and was now with Jesus. Shortly after this, while driving to daycare, my son announced from his car seat that Grandma and Bubba are at Kevin's again. I thought, who the heck is Kevin? And then it hit me, buddy. I asked, do you mean Grandma and Bubba are in heaven? To which he raised both his hands into the air and replied, yeah, up in the sky. He thought it was Kevin. I have never felt more dumb. Of course, my son was not channeling Grandma's secret lover or referencing Macaulay Culkin's iconic character. He was just a little off with his pronunciation. Love the pod and all you do. Stay sexy and duke Heaven's mission. Corrine rhymes with chlorine.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My guess was that did he mean Jesus? But that's kind of a crazy one because it doesn't sound like Kevin.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And no, you could. Yeah, I see it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, I don't know. That's so good.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He's with Kevin.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He's with Kevin. I told you that when Nora was really little and for some reason this memory really embarrasses her. But now that she's an adult, I can embarrass her. One time they were driving down this little street in Petaluma, like where Copperfield's Books is Kentucky. It's just like a little main drag with all the businesses on it. And there was a couple walking, an old couple, like, walking hand in hand. And Nora looked at them and goes, oh, they're walking in Jesus love. And my sister's like, what the fuck?

[Listener or Guest Contributor]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Where did she get that from?

[Karen Kilgariff]

From her Catholic grammar school that she went to, right? Uh huh. They're walking and she's. And every time I say it, I think she's gonna laugh with me. And she's like, yeah, that's embarrassing. You're super Christian when you were four. Okay, I'm not gonna read you the subject line. It just starts. My parents were high school sweethearts and married young after my dad joined the military, moving us to Florida 13 years later. The marriage ended bitterly when I was nine. And a few years later, they married other people. Fast forward to my senior year of college. My dad, now living in Corpus Christi, got the much needed therapy he needed to begin the journey of overcoming his PTSD from serving in the military and Began to address his demons. One day in September, he had a panic attack at work so bad he thought he had a heart attack and I rushed a corpus from San Antonio in record time. He was fine, but shaken up. The next morning my mom texted me and asked how he was doing. I texted back, he's great. Take a look. And sent her a photo. She replied, wow, he looks really good. Good. I told my dad about this exchange and her comment. He grabbed my phone and looking at the text, looked like a teenager who was just told his crush liked him back.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Shut the up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

They began texting and a few months later, in December, reunited to watch me walk the stage with my bachelor's degree. Turns out they had been reconnecting via text for months and went out on their first date. Just dinner the weekend I graduated.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

End of story, right? Wrong. My dad had divorced his second wife, but my mom was still married. Two months later, my stepdad's cancer, with which we thought had gone into remission four years earlier, had come back with a vengeance. I was on the first flight back to Florida and was able to have one conversation with him before he passed a week later.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My mom was wracked with guilt because she had intended to leave my stepdad to go back to my dad a few months. Messy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So messy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So messy. A few months later, my dad flew to Florida and helped her pack up and moved to Texas. A year later, they had a small apartment together, and less than a year after that, they were remarried in a small courthouse ceremony a few miles from where they met.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And just so you know, the subject line of this email is, I parent trapped my parents. I found your podcast in 2022, shortly after I gave birth to my daughter, and postpartum depression and anxiety had me in a chokehold. I went all the way back to the first episode, and your voices got me through one of the worst periods of my life as I cared for my newborn. It took me two years to catch up and I now listen religiously. My husband and I just went to see your live show in Austin a few weeks ago.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like many others have said, thank you so much for speaking so vehemently about mental health.

[Georgia Hardstark]

A what I've always thought, that's such a trip. Like, as someone whose parents divorced when I was five, there's one they didn't like each other. They never talked. There was one moment in time in high school where they suddenly got along and I'd see them together and it was just so fucking weird. Like.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

To see your parents together and that. Be weird is a weird feeling. You know what I mean?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right? Cause it just wasn't the norm for you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But, yeah, that's a trip. Aw. I love reuniting stories, but I don't like that this poor stepdad.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, it's the kind of thing where, like, that mother must have. It's not just guilt. I bet she was overwhelmed with the synchronicity where it's like. It's just the thing that's happening, and it's almost like you didn't want that to happen. No, you just. God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Messy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So messy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Send us your messy family stories at My Favorite murdermail. The messier the better.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The messier the better. I remember seeing a woman who was. There was a boy in my class who I liked, and so I paid way too much attention to what he was doing. And his parents got divorced, and then his dad started dating a woman who looked literally exactly like the mother. And that woman was the, like, worker in the place where me and my dad just were. So when we got into the car, I go, that's so and so's dad's new girlfriend. And the girlfriend looks exactly like the ex wife. And I was like, isn't that weird? My dad goes, karen, you never know what people are gonna do. Like, he gave this thing as if he had been waiting to talk about it forever, but it was just this super general thing of, like, people are.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Nuts or everybody has a type and they stick, Even adults.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You never know what people are gonna do. I was like, oh, that's very true.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, we know what you're gonna do, and that's having listened to this turn off. We appreciate you having listened. Thank you so much.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And send us your stories if you have anything related to anything you just heard and you would like to add to the conversation.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, anything at all.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My favorite murdermail.com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Stay sexy and don't get murdered. 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 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 Goodbye.

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[Listener or Guest Contributor]

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