MFM Minisode 470

Summary

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My Favorite Murder Minisode 470 Summary

Podcast: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Date: January 12, 2026
Episode Theme:
Celebrating 10 Years of MFM – Listeners’ Hometown Updates on Stories Covered Before

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Overview

In this 10-year anniversary minisode, Karen and Georgia mark a decade of My Favorite Murder by sharing hometown stories from listeners that tie directly back to cases and tales previously covered on the show. It's a self-referential, celebratory look at how MFM has built community, shaped culture, and given space to personal stories that intersect with infamous crimes, bizarre events, and even cryptids. The episode flows with equal doses of nostalgia, humor, heartfelt reflection, and chilling true crime.

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Key Discussion Points & Stories

[00:43] 10-Year Anniversary Reflections

• Karen and Georgia open with jokes about treating their anniversary like a month-long birthday, expressing amazement at reaching 10 years in podcasting.
  • Karen: “We got to 10 years in podcasting, dude, that’s a lifetime. It’s like we’re a 15-year-old dog.” [00:43]
• The minisode format is dedicated to stories that connect back to cases covered over the show’s decade.

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[01:11] Story #1: Cindy's Encounter with the Visalia Ransacker (Golden State Killer)

Listener: Sheri

• Setting: Visalia, CA, 1975
• Incident: Sheri’s sister Cindy, age 18, was stalked by a man with steely blue eyes in a Kmart. He tailed her through the aisles and then tried to follow her home. Cindy evaded him by going to her boyfriend’s aunt’s house and later filed a police report.
• Aftermath: 43 years later, police confirmed Cindy’s description matched the Visalia Ransacker, later known as the Golden State Killer.
  • Karen: “Apparently, her description matched that of a man they were looking for, who they were calling the Visalia Ransacker.” [04:17]
  • Georgia: “So she fucking fingered him then. Way back then, when they had no idea who he was. But he was a cop.” [05:19]
• They discuss the chilling idea of the killer being a police officer, capable of accessing her info.
• Reflection: Cindy’s instinct to avoid going straight home possibly saved her life.

Notable Quotes:

• “She could feel the hairs on her arms and neck. Stand up. She carefully set the book back on the shelf...” — Karen [02:19]
• “Stay sexy. And if you have a bad feeling about someone, always trust your gut.” — Sheri [06:16]
• Georgia: “The bright blue eyes thing is, like, such a creepy tidbit. ...so specific.” [06:44]

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[07:31] Story #2: A Journalist Dad and Heaven’s Gate

Listener: Genevieve

• Genevieve’s dad interviewed Heaven's Gate members in Santa Fe, NM, in 1994, years before the cult’s infamous mass suicide.
  • Heaven’s Gate was operating under the name “The Total Overcomers” at the time.
• After the events in California became national news, he was interviewed as an expert for major outlets—“while holding a baby, me, who you can hear crying in the background...” [08:36]
• Reflection on how cult members can seem “friendly and funny”—classic cult behavior.
  • Georgia: “They didn’t seem crazy or woo woo. They seemed very friendly and funny.” [08:56]

Notable Quote:

• Karen: “Having a parent as a journalist must be really incredible, because they spend all their time having unbelievable experiences like that.” [09:43]

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[11:21] Story #3: Surviving the Sun Valley Mall Plane Crash

Listener: Bitsy

• Bitsy’s dad survived the 1985 plane crash inside Sun Valley Mall (previously covered in episode 447).
  • He was at the Macy’s jewelry counter when the plane crashed, dove for cover behind the counter, then emerged to chaos and destruction.
• The incident became an annual “dad story,” and only later did Bitsy realize the true magnitude of the event.
• Their dad felt compelled to help but ultimately fled to Mervyn’s and called home.
  • Karen: “Running back and forth with indecision and good intentions, likely with his hands resting on his head between short panic sprints.” [13:09]
• The story humorously highlights late Christmas shopping and the way trauma can become family legend.

Notable Quote:

• Georgia: “How terrifying just to walk out and see how awful it actually was and you’re fine.” [14:14]

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[14:35] Story #4: The Checkered Travels of Cocaine Bear

Listener: Sarah

• Recounts the wild journey of the taxidermied Cocaine Bear: from its discovery (following a drug smuggler’s mishap), to public display, theft, a pawn shop, celebrity ownership (Waylon Jennings), a Las Vegas mansion, a Chinese medicine shop, and finally to Kentucky for Kentucky, where it’s now a local mascot (see episode 268).
  • Sarah: “After the bear died, the animal medical examiner… sent it to a friend to be stuffed, because I guess you don’t want to waste a perfectly good bear carcass.” [15:28]
• The bear is now celebrated with t-shirts, stickers, and even a snow globe.
• Closing advice: “Don’t do drugs, or you’ll end up dead and maybe stuffed like poor Cocaine Bear.” [17:57]

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[18:32] Story #5: Mothman at Build-A-Bear & the Power of Podcasting

Listener: MC

• MC shares a heartfelt reflection about seeing the Mothman plush at Build-A-Bear, and how MFM’s culture has helped normalize curiosity, empathy, humor, and storytelling—making women’s voices and even cryptids part of mainstream conversation.
  • MC: “This isn’t just about a cryptid in plush form. It’s about what you’ve helped build. A space where curiosity, empathy, and humor can coexist with darkness. Where storytelling becomes a kind of activism.” [19:45]
  • Karen gets emotional at the note’s significance for the 10th anniversary.
    • Karen: “I’m totally crying.” [20:07]

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[21:04] Story #6: Growing Up on an Emu Farm (Emu Bubble Burst)

Listener: Cindy

• Cindy’s parents received emus as a wedding present in 1993, part of a speculative “emu boom” (emu meat, oil were trendy and pricey).
• The value plummeted within a year, leaving the family with emus they later gave away.
• Includes honest family reflections on living with these giant—and sometimes mean—birds.
  • Cindy’s Mom (via text): “I wasn’t scared of them, but I didn’t fuck with them.” [23:48]
• Karen and Georgia reflect on the oddity and hilarity of animal fads, and how some gifts are better left un-given.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Cindy & the Golden State Killer:
  • “She had goosebumps just retelling it”—emphasizing the lifelong impact of narrow escapes. [06:16]
• On seeing the aftermath of a disaster:
  • Georgia: “That’s why there’s, like, trained professionals to do that.” [14:31]
• On Emus as Wedding Gifts:
  • Karen: “Congratulations, I guess. Give what you want as that’s a gift-giving strategy.” [21:38]
  • Cindy’s Mom: “I wasn’t scared of them, but I didn’t fuck with them.” [23:48]
• Listener MC’s Mothman Reflection:
  • “Where storytelling becomes a kind of activism.” [19:45]
  • Karen: “I’m totally crying.” [20:07]
• Encouragement to Listeners:
  • Georgia: “Are you a Cindy? Send us your email. It doesn’t matter what it is. Send us your story.” [24:07]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 10-Year Anniversary Reflections: 00:26 – 01:10
• Cindy & the Golden State Killer: 01:11 – 07:26
• Heaven’s Gate Journalist Dad: 07:31 – 10:12
• Sun Valley Mall Plane Crash: 11:21 – 14:31
• Cocaine Bear’s Travels: 14:35 – 18:32
• Mothman Plush & Cultural Impact: 18:32 – 21:04
• Growing Up on an Emu Farm: 21:04 – 24:15

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Tone & Style

The episode is characterized by the hosts’ signature blend of humor, heart, and macabre curiosity, effortlessly moving between light banter and the sobering reality of true crime. Georgia and Karen are both self-deprecating and deeply empathetic, especially as moments of reflection on a decade of storytelling surface.

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Closing Thoughts

This celebratory minisode is a testament to the My Favorite Murder community—its longevity, deep listener engagement, and the unique trust it builds. Listeners’ stories serve as both harrowing reminders and humorous asides, all tied back to the central MFM ethos: Stay sexy and don’t get murdered!

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Transcript

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is exactly right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hello and welcome to my favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The minisode 10 year anniversary edition.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right. If you're listening to this on Monday, as you should be as it comes out, this week is our ten year anniversary week.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We are going to be like those people who have their birthday all month long where we're gonna talk about it every single day. We're gonna bring it up over and over.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean we got to 10 years in podcasting, dude, that's a lifetime. It's like we're a 15 year old dog.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, we're basically. That's right, you're first. Oh, and oh, and because of that, Molly had the great idea of doing hometowns that are stories we've done in the past. So it's either follow ups or it's your hometown, but we've covered it, so it's kind of fun. Yeah, I like it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Here's what we love. Self referential stuff.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Exactly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Here we go. Okay, this is my first story. I won't read you the subject line. It says, hi, Karen, hi Georgia, and hi to Steven. I wanna share a story about my older sister with you. She's 10 years older than me and when I was little, I always looked up to her. I thought she was so beautif and so talented. Back in 1975, my sister Cindy was 18 years old.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Cindy is such an 80s name. Cindy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

When's the last time you've heard of Cindy?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I have not seen a Cindy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Come back. Cindy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Cindy's. We need to hear from you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In 1975, my sister Cindy, of course, I love that sitcom. Was 18 years old, living in Visalia, California. She had just moved there from San Jose, California. One day she was shopping at kmart. This is 1975. She was in the book aisle, thumbing through a book and she had this. She was being watched. She could feel the presence of something evil, dark and cold. Taking her gaze off the book, she looked up and made eye contact with a man who was staring at her through the book aisle shelving only about three to five feet from her face.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Ah, like on the other side of the aisle.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just like every horror movie where the book gets pulled away and a weird face is sitting there. He was that close to her, he was staring at her and through her soul. His cold, steel blue eyes were studying her. You know how they say the eyes are the window to the soul? Well, she didn't see or feel the presence of the presence of any soul, only evil. She could feel the hairs on her arms and neck. Stand up. She carefully set the book back on the shelf.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What book do you think it was? Oh, I bet it was BC Andrews. My sweet Adrina.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Not reading this today.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, that's okay. And decided to move away from him to another part of the store. She tried to look unafraid, but inside she was terrified. Just when she thought he was gone, he'd appear in the same fashion, staring at her from opposite side of the aisle through the shelves, just like a lion stalking his prey through the tall grass. She was hoping he would grow tired of following her and leave. She kept moving around the store and he kept repeating the same creepy predatory behavior. There at the popcorn. Remember the popcorn thing in the middle of Kmart?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Favorite. Some time had passed, about an hour or so, and she didn't see him anymore. She hurried to the checkout to pay and get the hell out of there. Making sure the coast was clear. She quickly exited the store. As she crossed the parking lot, he entered, intercepted her with his truck.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Undeterred, she walked around it and kept walking as fast as she could to get to her car. She jumped in her car, locked the doors, and anxiously fled the parking lot. She gunned it, but he followed in pursuit of her. No doubt he was trying to follow her home. She kept thinking to herself, I can't drive home. He'll see where I live. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she tried to lose him. At some point, she was pretty sure she'd lost him. She drove to her boyfriend's aunt's house, jumped out of the car, banged on their door for them to let her in. The door opened. She ran inside. She told him to lock the doors and explained what was happening. A couple hours later, they went with her to the police station.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. Oh. Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

She filled out a report and went home. Shortly thereafter, she received a phone call from the police station asking her to come back in and do a photo id. They wanted her to look through a book of photos and sketchings to see if any of these men was the man who was stalking her. Apparently, her description matched that of a man they were looking for, who they were calling the visalia ransacker.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Holy shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

43. Three years later, in 2018, my sister received a phone call from the police department. They were asking her questions about that terrifying day so long ago. They told her that they believed that they had found the man that had stalked her. They asked her if she would be willing to testify against him if they needed her to. And they told her to be prepared for that. She still had no idea who he was. 2018, breaking news. They found him. His face was plastered all over the news, and it was him. The soulless, cold, evil man that had stalked her 43 years ago. And Cindy had correctly identified him from a photo ID sketch. He was the Visalia ransacker, the Night Stalker, AKA the Golden State Killer.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So she fucking fingered him then. Way back then, when they were like, we had no idea who he was. But he was a cop.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He was a cop, but not in Visalia. Right. That was in Rose. It's above Sacramento. He was up there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

But the thing, too, is that if he was a cop there, he would have gotten her. He could have been like, oh, this girl was stalked. That's her address. Like, I can find her through there.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep. I'll go question her about the man that was stalking her. Okay, here we go. This is the next paragraph. What I keep thinking is that he was a police officer.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Okay, great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I should have looked down. I'm so sorry. To the person that wrote this. He could have gotten her information from her license plate. He could have gotten a copy of her police report. Who knows? I love that we just had that whole conversation. She's like, I'm saying, no, it's good. Even to this day, as she recalls this story and tells it to me, she gets chills and goosebumps. So stay sexy. And if you have a bad feeling about someone, always trust your gut. Sheri, I bet. Sheri and Cindy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Sheri and Cindy. I wonder, though, too, like, getting her address from the license from her car. Maybe he would have done it if she hadn't. Cause, like, someone stalking you. Not everyone, especially back then, would have been like, call the police. File a report. Right. So maybe he was like, oh, this is. He did have her address, but he was. She's too. Like, she's got this all on paper, so I'm not gonna go after her.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, they'll be able to track me.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Exactly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes, totally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And the bright blue eyes thing is, like, such a creepy tidbit. Cause not everyone besides you has that. And it's, like, so specific.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Did she say that?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, she said his bright blue eyes when he kept looking at her through the. His bright, creepy, bright blue eyes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But I don't. Well, we'd have to look at the chronology. But I thought when he was in Visalia, he was younger. Cause, remember, he was kind of heavy, and that's when he was breaking into people's.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, but he still had bright blue eyes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But not a cop. That's all I'm saying.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Right, right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So he's a little cop.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Did it clear that that's the Golden State Killer? Did we say Golden State Killer? Okay.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The Visaly Ransacker. Basically the Night Stalker, which is what they called him. A little bit crazy. I mean, that's like.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, and that's actually funny because that was your first case that you ever covered on this podcast, right?

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right.

[Georgia Hardstark]

All right, so this one, I'm not gonna read it to you. The subject line. Hi, I love you both. While listening to a news story about the recent doomsday cult in Kenya where 400 people died by mass suicide, my dad casually said, I interviewed a cult once. Then a few years later, I found out they all died by mass suicide in California. Friends, my pure hearted, non true crime dad was talking about the Heaven's Gate cult.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes. The one obsessed with UFOs and Nikes. In 1994, my dad was working as a reporter at the local newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when a small group of people dressed in baggy clothes and cropped haircuts showed up at his office. Hoping to publicize an upcoming meeting they were holding in town. My dad interviewed the members of Heaven's Gate. At the time, they were called the Total Overcomers. I don't remember that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't either.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And published a story about their movement and their upcoming meetings in Santa Fe and Taos. He didn't think much of it until almost three years later when someone sent him an article about the Heaven's Gate cult. Mass suicide of 39 members in a San Diego mansion. Next thing he knew, he was getting calls from national news outlets to give interviews as an expert on the cult. He did all of these interviews while holding a baby, me, who you can hear crying in the background of his NBC News interview.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh my God, that's crazy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He recalled that when photos came out of the cult and its victims, he recognized the four members that he had in interviewed. He said when he interviewed them, they didn't seem crazy or woo woo. They seemed very friendly and funny. And then it says classic cult behavior, am I right? And seemed pretty rooted in the real world. They acknowledged that their movement was not for everyone and that there would be other opportunities to advance for those who didn't choose to join them at the time. Thirty years later, my dad is a renowned journalist, but spends most of his time reporting on the cult of politics, stay sexy and support local Journalism. Xoxo Genevieve. She sent the article, the link along.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, that's cool.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's called Strangers Come to tell a Tale. And that is from episode 103 where I cover the Heaven's Gate cult live in San Diego.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow. Yes. That's just such an interesting thing. Cause having a parent as a journalist must be really incredible because they spend all their time having unbelievable experiences like that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And then I didn't think anything of that interview. They were actually really friendly and yeah, normal.

[Karen Kilgariff]

There were just like some computer nerds that were like, yeah, we just like to live this way. I thought the same thing in that documentary.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That the actual people and when they spoke and stuff, they just seemed like, yeah, this is, this is what I prefer.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. It's a new year and a new you.

[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]

They really are premium. I got a cashmere throw blanket from Quince. It is so soft, so cozy. I have to like beg my cats to let me use it because they so obsessed with it and so am I.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The cashmere sweaters, they're now piling up in my room. I have so many. I love them so much.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Quint.com mfm Goodbye. Here's my next story. This one's intense because subject line, My dad survived the Sun Valley Mall disaster. Holy shit. Okay, so it says, hi diddly ho, murderinos. Let's get into it. When I heard that Karen was covering the Sun Valley Mall plane crash in episode 447, I was beyond ecstatic. The Sun Valley Mall, only 10 minutes away from my hometown, was my dad's favorite place to do last minute Christmas shopping for my mom every year, including 1985. I must have been in second grade, when my dad was walking with me in that very mall and he said, you know what, sweetie? One time I was here when a plane crashed through the ceiling. Thanks to a perfect concoction of forgetfulness, bad luck, and adhd, I grew up hearing all about the fires he accidentally started and near death experiences he had while working at the local refinery. A random plane crash just seemed on brand. It wasn't until later that I grasped the magnitude of this event. I started scraping the Internet for more details and asking my dad about what happened. And here goes his tail. It started with this inadvertent annual tradition. After dedicating way too much time on meticulous Christmas decorating, he snuck away to the mall to get some gifts. And where would a desperate dad with five kids in less than 24 hours left to shop and no Internet go to get a slam dunk of a present? The Macy's jewelry counter, of course. AKA the epicenter of destruction.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My sweet, terrified pops tossed his shopping bags behind the counter and braced himself for impact. As usual, he narrowly escaped death. When it seemed like he was in the clear, he walked out and saw the horrors. So he basically. The plane crashed, he jumped over a counter.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And like, waited it out and then walked out. And that's when he saw.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Walked out.

[Karen Kilgariff]

He saw the horrors. Screaming fire and injury. His reaction to this storm of chaos perfectly encapsulates his truest self as a former nerdy boy scout and fire team member at work, he felt like he should do something. And what was that heroic act of bravery, you might be wondering? Running back and forth with indecision and good intentions, likely with his hands resting on his head between short panic sprints. Finally, he knew where he needed to go. Mervyn's. It was here that my dad called my mom, who surely had seen the news and was filled with worry. I'm not sure if my dad ever got back to the Macy's jewelry counter that year. It's possible that relief was gift enough. This horrifying and surely traumatizing event was no hindrance to my dad's procrastination. He shopped at the same mall the same day every year until lockdown started and he discovered online shopping. Love you both. Immeasurably. Stay sexy and shop early, Bitsy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, he was there. He's a witness.

[Georgia Hardstark]

He was in it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

How terrifying just to walk out and see how awful it actually was and you're fine.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. You know, and also that idea that I think everybody is like, Oh, I would do this. Or here's how I would help. And it's like you're one of the victims, too.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally. And you're in shock.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's happening to you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. That's why there's, like, trained professionals to do that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is from the episode 268 where I covered Cocaine Bear. The episode's called all stars of seventh grade. Came out on April 1, 2021. Hello, beautiful murder ladies. Stephen and pets. I've been binging your show for months now, and I just recently listened to the episode where you talked about Cocaine Bear. Short recap if it's way back in the memory banks. Oh, we remember. It was the 1980s. Andrew Thornton was a former narcotics officer who was on the run. He was smuggling drugs and weapons, and eventually he jumped out of a plan. Then three months later, a dead black bear was found in the Chattahoochee National Forest, and he had overdosed on cocaine supposedly dropped from Thornton's plane. Okay. So he now lives in taxidermied glory as the mascot of Kentucky for Kentucky, who are friends of ours. I still wear my cocaine Bear shirt that they sent us.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I still have my y' all shirt, and I wear that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Love them.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Then there's a super rad clothing and goods store based in my hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. Andrew Thornton was from Kentucky, and his story is pretty well known. So several years ago, the people at Kentucky for Kentucky fell down a rabbit hole trying to find out whatever happened to Cocaine Bear. The full story of how he became their mascot is on their website, but I've condensed it for you here. I'll try to make the long story as short as possible. So after the bear died, RIP the animal medical examiner that checked him out and confirmed that he died from a cocaine overdose, thought to himself, well, the inside of this bear is all kinds of fucked, but the outside is fine. So we sent it to a friend to be stuffed, because I guess you don't want to waste a perfectly good bear carcass. For several years, the bear was displayed in the national park's visitor center with a plaque that told all about his exciting party animal life and death. Then, in the 90s, an approaching wildfire caused the staff at the national park to evacuate, and the bear was put in a storage unit with many of the park's other belongings. Many of those things, Cocaine bear included, somehow disappeared from the storage unit, only to be sold at a local pawn shop. Oh, shit. And as it turns out, the owner of the pawn shop sold the bear to none other than country music legend Waylon Jennings. Does that ring a bear? Does that ring a bear? Jennings thought the story was hilarious and he sent the bear to a Kentucky born friend of his in Las Vegas. So then for a while, Cocaine Bear lived in a very nice Las Vegas mansion. When that man died, his possessions were auctioned off and Cocaine Bear was bought by a man who ran a traditional Chinese medicine. I guess he thought a giant taxidermy black bear was the perfect decor. Question marker. It doesn't make much sense. So when the people at Kentucky for Kentucky decided that they needed to find out what happened to Cocaine Bear, they tracked him all the way down from Georgia to this Chinese medicine shop. The owner had unfortunately passed away, but the wife still had Cocaine Bear in her possession. She had absolutely no idea that this bear had lived such a checkered and well traveled life. And thankfully for them, she hated the bear and wanted it gone. So she offered to give it to them for just cost of shipping.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's amazing. I love that that goddamn bear's been in this front room.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes. So now he lives at the physical Kentucky for Kentucky shop in Lexington and people can come and pay their respects to possibly the coolest bear to ever exist. Don't do drugs, everyone. There's also a line of Cocaine Bear shirts, hats, stickers, and even a snow globe that you can purchase on their website. Stay sexy and don't do drugs or you'll end up dead and maybe stuffed like poor Cocaine Bear. Sarah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It really is epic though. A stuffed be. They're such unbelievable creatures. There's a bar in downtown Petaluma called Gale's that's had a stuffed bear in the front window our whole lives. And we used to just walk by it so we could look at the bear.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Is it like molting or anything like that?

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, I. Yeah, it was really old. I'm sure if you went up and tried to brush it, it would be a negative experience, but it was just in a bar. Nobody in there cared. But just like that, kind of like, look, somebody did this.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a fucking bear.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's a bear. All right, it's my last story. I'm not going to read you the subject line. It says, I was in the middle of my daily ritual deleting the mountain of marketing emails I subscribed to in moments of financial optimism. 10% off feels worth it. Until it doesn't. Then I almost missed it. Something familiar and unexpectedly magical. It was from Bill Debear. A quick backstory. I was just there with my one year old for his birthday, we got the $1 birthday bear, which somehow became $25 in tiny clothes and denim pants I wish came in my size. The email featured the one, the only Mothman. Oh yes, really. A Mothman bear. Glowing eyes and little wings. The softest harbinger of doom you've ever seen. And not in a Halloween promo, just calmly existing in the general catalog as if he's always been there. Limit two per guest, of course. And I couldn't. Couldn't stop smiling because somehow, without really noticing it happen. True crime, folklore and women's voices in these stories have worked their way into the culture so deeply that now even Build a Bear is on it.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I love that. This isn't just about a cryptid and plush form. It's about what you've helped build. A space where curiosity, empathy, and humor can coexist with darkness. Where storytelling becomes a kind of activism. Where people who were once dismissed as weird, morbid, or too sensitive are now a part of a smarter, sharper cultural conversation. I'm totally crying.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And occasionally that conversation shows up in your inbox disguised as spam. Thank you for what you do. Truly stay sexy and keep telling stories that matter. Mc. Oh my God. Okay, I have to say, and I've said this to you before, but a lot of times I don't read the emails all the way through so that they're fun when I read them to you. So I did not know that I was about to compliment us in this.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No, but it's really sweet. Cause it's our 10 year anniversary and that was like a perfect kind of like thing. Molly, I wouldn't have.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's a lovely compliment. Yeah. I mean, it's very sweet.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Do you think we're the reason there's Mothman plushies in the world?

[Georgia Hardstark]

A bear?

[Karen Kilgariff]

No. That's a bit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I wish we could take credit for.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Mothman, but I wish we could take credit for the Mothman statue with his big cakes. Have you seen that thing?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, we talked about it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So good.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let's end on a positive note. Okay. Okay. This is based on me covering the Great Emu war.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Episode 477 called the Greatest Depression. Released on April 24, 2025. Okay. Hi. Day one. Listener, third time writer. So when I say I grew up on an emu farm, I don't mean like I remember growing up on an emu farm. I mean I was a newborn surrounded by six foot tall prehistoric birds. Here's the backstory. My parents got married in 1993, and as a wedding gift, my grandparents, who were already deep in the emu, like hundreds of birds deep.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Gifted my parents a pair of emus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean, congratulations, I guess. Give what you want as that's a gift giving strategy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Do you think that they didn't have, like, the online registry yet, so they couldn't have known that it wasn't on their registry.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What could they want for their wedding? I guess, what would we want? Emus. Of course.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Four months later, I was born. So technically, my parents started their marriage and their family with me and two emus. A power trio, right? Really? At the time, emus were supposed to be the next big thing. Their meat was considered a delicacy. Their oil was trendy and people were investing. Like, this was emu. Bitcoin. I don't.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In the 90s.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

In America.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I don't think so. Let's see. Is there a you in the. Could be Australia also, Anyone who's from Australia, we say it emu here. Okay, I know it's emu in Australia.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Ew.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I got so many.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Emu would give me the ick so bad if you just kept saying that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's emu. Okay. My dad was Once a offered $13,500 for the pair before they were even a year old. Wow. But he held out because at the time, yearlings were going for 20 grand. What? Which in today's money is probably fucking 50 something.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I had no idea.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I didn't either. Spoiler. He made $0. When the emus hit their first birthday, the emu bubble burst. My parents ended up just giving them away. Ugh. It's like beanie babies but alive.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, that's right. Terrible. It's. Well, it's so valuable. Nothing naturally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I asked about their personalities because Georgia mentioned that emus could be loving and kind. I don't remember that. And I wanted to believe I spent my babyhood with gentle giants. My dad said, eh, most are pretty docile. But then casually added though, a lot of them can get really aggressive. He told me once he had to give medication to one of my grandparents emus, and it straight up sliced his arm open with its talons. Emergency room stitches, the whole thing. So, yeah, kind of a toss up. Then I asked my mom if she was ever scared of them. She texted back and I quote, I wasn't scared of them, but I didn't fuck with them. End quote. Which, honestly, is probably the most honest way anyone has ever described coexisting. With emus. Yeah. So, yeah, some people get china sets or blenders for their wedding. My parents got angry warbirds and a baby. Cindy. Cindy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No, another Cindy.

[Georgia Hardstark]

C, Y, N, D, I, E. Still, it's like, fancy. Oh, are you European? Cindy, Cindy, Cindy.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Where are all these Cindys coming from?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Are you a Cindy? Send us your email. It doesn't matter what it is. Send us your story.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hey, Cindy, you've lived a life. We know it. We want to hear any kind of story you've got to tell us.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And if you have any updates to any of the stories we've covered before or, like it was your hometown and, you know, like, personal information about it, let us know. My favorite murdermail.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We love that and thank you for being with us for 10 years and going down this little memory lane. It's very exciting.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We are just thrilled.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We are 10 years old.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yay. 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 producer is Molly Smith and our associate producer is Tessa Hughes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This episode was mixed by Liana Squillacci.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail.com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Follow the show on Instagram at My favorite murder.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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

[Georgia Hardstark]

Or watch us on YouTube, search for my favorite murder and then like and subscribe.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Goodbye.