My Favorite Murder Minisode 465 – Summary

Podcast: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Episode: MFM Minisode 465
Date: December 8, 2025
Duration (content only): ~26 minutes

Episode Overview

In this Minisode, Karen and Georgia read and discuss a series of listener-submitted "hometown" stories—a hallmark of MFM Minisodes. True to their comedic, conversational style, they mix heartfelt empathy and personal anecdotes with laughter as they navigate tales involving risky childhood decisions, chilling local crimes, quirky animal interludes, haunted cabins, and cult-adjacent childhoods. As always, the friendship between the hosts shines through their banter, weaving humor through the sometimes-dark stories shared.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Listener Stories: Themes of Danger, Survival, and Kindness

Hitchhiking & Childhood Agency

• Vanessa's story (01:56–06:57) kicks off the episode: As a sixth grader left to get herself to school due to her mother's early shifts, she experiences anxiety after thinking she missed the bus. A stranger offers her a ride—she accepts, he sternly warns her never to do this again, and she arrives safely. But the twist: she hadn’t missed the bus—it was a late start day. Vanessa reflects on the unnecessary risk and pressure of managing adult responsibilities as a child.

  • Memorable Quotes:
    • Georgia: "Why do we make children wake up so fucking early?" (02:36)
    • Karen (on tired kids): "Get them ready for factory work. That's what it's all about." (02:58)
    • Vanessa: "I risked being abducted for what? Middle school? Insane. SSDGM. And don't risk your life for middle school." (06:56)
    • Karen: "The pressure of doing the bus correctly." (06:57)

• Hosts empathize, sharing their own stories about exhaustion and parental expectations, critiquing the pressures of early school times (03:01–04:18).

• Karen recounts a reverse stranger danger story: she and her ex once saved two young teens stranded late at night, all while warning them about the risks. (05:30–06:04)

Small Town Crime & Trust Betrayed

• Chilling murder case from a listener whose dad grew up in a Pennsylvania coal town (07:52–09:20): A childhood acquaintance, Joe Alessio, killed two young siblings, participated in the search party, and buried their bodies in a mine shaft.

  • Notable Quotes:
    • Karen: "Guess who was part of the search party. That's right, Joe." (08:38)
    • Georgia: "Man, those are the stories that, like, your town just never gets over. No, it stays with everyone." (09:20)
    • Karen: "The idea that the guy that did it is in the search party is beyond comprehension until what, the last 15 years?" (09:43)
    • Georgia: "You don't understand what evil looks like. It looks like everyone else. It looks like you and me." (09:53)

• The hosts discuss the recurring theme in true crime of perpetrators blending into the search effort and the community’s shock (09:20–09:53).

The Trickster Dog of West Virginia

• Axel the dog (11:32–15:33): A couple, Catherine and her then-new husband David, encounter a scrappy dog near their Airbnb. Locals call him Axel, the "street dog gang leader." Catherine and David bathe and care for him, consider keeping him, but as they leave, Axel chases their car—only to be retrieved by his true owner in a passing pickup truck.

  • Hosts’ Reactions:
    • Georgia: "She [the cashier] called him a street dog gang leader." (12:44)
    • Karen (on Axel's cuteness): "That's the most stealable dog of all time." (15:17)

• The story blends warmth and humor, highlighting the bond between people and stray animals and the quirky personalities found in small towns.

Haunted Cabins and Pushy Ghosts

• Ghost stories from a student who stayed in cabins near Ashland, OR (15:37–19:02):

  • Strange phenomena: missing silverware, unplugged clocks, unexplained lights.

  • A later student was physically pushed back by an unseen force, and another reported seeing a lumberjack ghost with a chainsaw.

  • The tales are darkly comedic and spooky, sparking a debate about what counts as a "good" ghost story.

  • Quotes:

    • Karen (on ghost stories): "It's like straight out of a Blumhouse horror movie." (18:12)
    • Georgia: "I'm a college dropout now. Goodbye." (18:31)

Parenting, Kindness, and the "Hot Dog" MFM Lore

• Lighthearted closer: A parent relates how her toddler, upon seeing a sibling in meltdown, suggests, "maybe a hot dog would help"—despite never having eaten one, only hearing about them from the podcast (20:14–21:21).

  • Memorable Quotes:
    • Georgia: "Maybe a hot dog would help." (21:18)
    • Karen: "Maybe I should have a hot dog and figure out what they are." (21:19)
    • Georgia: "I love that. That's our legacy." (21:24)

Cults, Clothing, and Coming Out

• Final story by Beth (22:01–25:24): Growing up in Oregon during the Rajneesh movement, Beth experiences the fear and suspicion community members had for the cult—especially around wearing "sunset" colors. Her mom refused to let her go on a Girl Scout trip to visit the Rajneesh commune, citing, “because there were lesbians there.” Years later, Beth comes out, her mother is loving and accepting, but the irony is not lost.

  • Key Moments:
    • Karen: "You don't need a permission slip to be a lesbian. Stay sexy and wear what feels good." (25:24)
    • Georgia: "Why didn't you want me to go? Because you will become the thing you are. Well, guess what? I'm the thing that you didn't want." (25:32)
    • Karen: "The lesbians with machine guns are like the least of your fucking worries. I promise you." (25:45)

Additional Notable Quotes and Banter

• On early school times:

  • Karen: "Why am I so tired? Could you figure it out? You work at a goddamn hospital." (03:44)
  • Georgia: "I would fall asleep in class every fucking day in like fourth grade and no one said shit about it. That's not okay." (03:48)

• On true crime and appearances:

  • Georgia: "Why would this happen? Yeah, let's blame Satanists." (09:39)

• On haunted cabins:

  • Georgia: "I want the push stories more than the light flickering stories." (19:02)
  • Karen: "It's those old electrical cords wrapped in cloth... going to start a fire. A haunted fire." (19:19)

• On bullying in the '80s:

  • Karen: "Ah, the 80s. The golden age of bullying." (22:09)
  • Georgia: "It's like you either bullied or you got bullied. And those were the only two modes of existence in the 80s..." (22:19)

• On Rajneesh Puram field trip:

  • Karen: "Why won't you let me go visit a cult? Her answer... Because there were lesbians there." (24:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:38 – Intro and host banter
• 01:56 – Vanessa's hitchhiking/bus story
• 05:30 – Karen's own reverse-hitchhiking anecdote
• 07:52 – Small town murder story (Joe Alessio)
• 11:32 – Axel the street dog and Airbnb adventure
• 15:37 – Haunted cabin at college
• 20:14 – Parenting, toddlers, and "maybe a hot dog would help"
• 22:01 – Beth's Rajneesh cult/community story

Tone and Style

The episode is trademark MFM: conversational, comedic, raw, and at times irreverent. Karen and Georgia shift fluidly from light to dark subjects, using humor as a balm for the grim or unsettling stories, and create camaraderie through relatable confessions and honest reactions.

Conclusion

Minisode 465 delivers the classic blend of humor and heart that defines My Favorite Murder. Drawing on the wild tapestry of listener experiences—ranging from childhood dangers and small-town horror to endearing animal tales, ghostly intrusions, and the complexities of growing up outside the "norm"—Karen and Georgia make space for both laughter and reflection. Their commentary not only entertains but also connects listeners through shared anxieties, oddities, and defiant kindness.

Stay sexy, and don’t get murdered.