MFM Minisode 489

Summary

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My Favorite Murder Minisode 489 – Listener Stories, Lost Rings, Goat Riders & More

Podcast: My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Release Date: May 25, 2026
Episode: MFM Minisode 489

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Episode Theme Overview

This classic MFM Minisode features lighthearted, funny, and poignant listener-submitted stories read by hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. This episode covers a wide range of “hometown” tales, including creative underage schemes, tornado survival, family folklore, a real-life train crash (and lottery luck!), and emotional closure for a WWII MIA soldier's family. The hosts' signature banter, empathy, and comic timing give each story heart and hilarity.

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Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. “My Younger Sister Did the Illegal Part” – The Grandma Alcohol Heist

[02:47–08:16]

• Summary: Listener Maggie recounts how, as teenagers in Chicago, she convinced her brash younger sister Bridget to dress as a grandmother to buy alcohol. The sisters pull off an elaborate “Mrs. Doubtfire” style makeover, using wigs, makeup, and their mom’s clothes. Bridget nails the old lady shuffle, enters the liquor store, and successfully buys Twisted Teas without being carded. The sisters then prank their own grandfather at a bar, leading to confused hilarity.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Georgia: “If this works, then I’ll believe in God.” (04:47)
  • Karen: “Old people love Twisted Teas. She later said she panicked and could not decide what a grandmother would be buying at noon on a Tuesday.” (05:23)
  • Karen: “Never more grateful for this geriatric monstrosity of a car than in that moment.” (04:58)
• Host Reactions: The hosts are delighted. Georgia wants Bridget to become an actress and Maggie a makeup artist. They promise to post the photos on Instagram and riff on “Bridget Gyllenhaal.”
• Karen: “That second picture is absolutely joy. Also, I think the Grand Marquis was 50% of that journey right there.” (07:45)

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2. “Tornado, Lost (and Found) Class Rings, and a Love Story”

[08:16–12:47]

• Summary: Molly writes about her mom Vicki’s survival of the 1979 Wichita Falls “Terrible Tuesday” tornado. The house is destroyed and class rings (her mom’s, her grandmother’s, and her ex’s) are lost. Years later, Vicki marries her high school ex, Mark. Remarkably, in 2003, the current homeowners’ dog digs up Mark’s lost class ring. The emotional family reunion with the ring is recounted.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Karen: “He ended up describing it all wrong. Classic.” (12:11)
  • Georgia: “That is when you start... like when it started going that direction I was like, they found the ring again. Like, how is that possible?” (12:49)
• Host Connections: The tornado story prompts the hosts to discuss disaster survival (fires in LA, tornado protocol), the randomness of destruction, and the fun of using a metal detector.

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3. “Papa Pete Fakes His Own Death”

[16:43–19:54]

• Summary: JS tells the family legend of Papa Pete, a “Frank Gallagher from Shameless”-like great-grandfather, who disappeared on alcoholic binges. One day in the late 1960s, Pete is arrested in Texas. Instead of simply calling home, he convinces the sheriff to tell his wife he’s dead so she’ll drive across states to collect his body – only to find him alive, drunk, and unrepentant.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Karen: “If you have nowhere to sleep, sleep on a grave because no one will bother you.” (17:02)
  • Georgia: “The sheriff is so complicit, and it’s so not okay … This is a real bros before hoes situation.” (18:57)
• Host Reflections: They discuss the gendered power dynamics and old-fashioned ‘boys club’ enabling bad male behavior.

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4. “WWII Soldier Finally Returns Home”

[20:17–22:22]

• Summary: K’s family searched for decades for their relative Bartholomew, MIA in WWII. Thanks to persistent research and new tech (Facebook groups, DNA), his remains are identified in a Luxembourg cemetery and brought home for a proper military burial on what would be his 104th birthday.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Karen: “That’s a powerful story.” (22:22)
• Host Response: They acknowledge the emotional weight and significance for Memorial Day and thank veterans.

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5. “A Train, a Near-Miss, and a Lottery Ticket”

[26:21–29:40]

• Summary: A listener recalls being given a diamond ring and laptop by their grandfather. The reason? Earlier that day, while buying a lottery ticket at a convenience store, a train literally crashed through the building. Grandfather survives with a minor cut and wins $100,000 from the lottery ticket he purchased moments before the crash.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Georgia: “What the fuck?” (28:56)
  • Karen: “Not only did he survive a freak train derailment, but he won more than my salary from the ticket he bought immediately before it happened.” (28:46)
• Host Remarks: Kate, their producer, confirms the veracity of the story from local news. The hosts marvel at the cosmic luck and suggest the listener’s grandfather is “blessed.”

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6. “The Goat Riders – Medieval Belgian Family Folklore”

[29:40–32:20]

• Summary: Em from Belgium shares tales of their ancestors—the notorious Dubakkenriders (“goatriders”), a medieval protection racket gang. Stories include blackmail via “burn letters” and ancestor executions. Em also hints at family links to WWII resistance fighters, promising a future love story.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • Karen: “Like early mafia or Brussels mafia.” (31:04)
  • Georgia: “Stay sexy and maybe don’t trust anyone who rides goats.” (32:12)
• Host Response: They encourage Em to send in more stories, especially resistance love stories.
  • Karen: “We need all resistance stories.” (32:18)

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Notable Moments & Quotes

• Georgia on Old Lady Disguise: “Oh, my. Like that would have never crossed my mind. Cause I can’t act too. I would have been laughing or crying the whole time.” (04:23)
• Karen on Disasters: “That’s so scary… when the LA fires were happening… I can’t get out while everyone else is trying to get out.” (09:54)
• Karen on Bad Behavior: “That’s why the Girls Club must, must… we must get serious about the Girls Club. Because the boys have been boys clubbing for far too long.” (19:17)
• Georgia on Ancestral Racketeering: “No crime, just creative thinking.” (31:22)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:47–08:16] – The Grandma Liquor Store Heist
• [08:16–12:47] – Tornado, Lost Rings, & Reunion
• [16:43–19:54] – Papa Pete Fakes His Own Death
• [20:17–22:22] – WWII MIA Soldier’s Homecoming
• [26:21–29:40] – Train Crash & Lottery Miracles
• [29:40–32:20] – Medieval Goat Riders & Family Resistance

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Tone, Style, and Energy

The episode moves from slapstick nostalgia (old-lady liquor runs) to heartwarming closure (WWII repatriation), with the hosts’ comedic commentary grounding each tale. Listeners are encouraged to continue submitting stories, whether heartwarming, bonkers, criminal, or touching—no shame allowed:

“If you have a story where you feel like you’re supposed to feel shame or that somebody’s bad, they’re not right, write it in. Let us decide.” (19:59, Karen)

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Wrap-up

My Favorite Murder Minisode 489 is a quintessential example of the series’ blend of dark comedy, heartfelt empathy, and genuine curiosity for listeners’ real-life mysteries and mayhem. The hosts’ laughter and compassion create a safe space for the bizarre and the brave. For anyone who loves a wild family legend, a lost artifact, or serendipity in the face of disaster, this episode delivers—and makes you want to write in your own story.

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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]

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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]

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My favorite.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Hello and welcome to my favorite Murder

[Karen Kilgariff]

the Minisode where we read you your

[Georgia Hardstark]

emails, your stories, your stories and emails,

[Karen Kilgariff]

emails and stories and anything in between friends and neighbors.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I think you're first. Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah. Okay. The subject line of this email is My younger sister did the illegal part. Hello Karen and Georgia. You guys are the best. And seeing you in Chicago was a highlight of 2025. Awesome. You absolutely crushed it. My story firmly falls into the oldest sister puppeteering younger sister category. We love those. The year was 2009 and it was a summer afternoon in the south side of Chicago. I am the eldest of five kids. At the time I was 19, my twin sisters were 18 and my twin brothers were 13.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This lineup has probably tipped Karen off to our Irish Catholicness and Georgia. Growing up, I had the ideas and my sister Bridget did the doing. She is deeply funny and gave little fucks making her the perfect puppet. On this particular afternoon we found ourselves sitting around plotting how we could get alcohol for later that night. We had exhausted our Rolodex of older cousins and we were not feeling brave enough to get a run. Did everyone call it this when you sit outside a liquor store and ask a cool looking adult to buy you beer?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Done it so many times.

[Karen Kilgariff]

My cousin Eileen, I remember she called it tap.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's so good.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I think they made that up. Anyways, we had no options left when an idea occurred to me. Old people don't get carded. My plan took little convincing. Bridget was immediately in. I spent the next hour Mrs. Doubtfire style transforming her from sunburned teenager into the most convincing grandmother our resources could manage.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my. Like that would have never crossed my mind. Cause I can't act too. I would have been laughing or crying the whole time.

[Karen Kilgariff]

You're just being like scared always.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We used an old Halloween wig, an obscene amount of makeup. We relate. And the oldest looking clothes we could find in my mom's closet. Bridget practiced her old lady walk and satisfied with the results, we were off.

[Georgia Hardstark]

If this works, then I'll believe in God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Here we go. We loaded into our hand me down 1999 silver Grand Marquis.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Amazing.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's an old lady car.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Never more grateful for this geriatric monstrosity of a car than in that moment. Surely any liquor store employee seeing someone exit this vehicle would assume she's at least 65. We parked and Bridget shuffled in. We held our breath and watched from the car as she made her way to the back of the store. She paused in front of the beer, then grabbed a case of twisted teas.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So Grandma, you know? Yeah. What?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Grandma's drink.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Old people love twisted teas. She later said that she panicked and could not decide what a grandmother would be buying at noon on a Tuesday. As she hobbled up to the counter, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten about her chipped black nail polish.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Jesus.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The attendant did not seem to notice. He smiled and asked aw, fun party night. She put on her best fake granny voice and replied er yesh. He handed her the Change. Completely unaware that she was a high school senior and told her to have a good day. We started cheering as she walked out. She look jumped straight into the air. And I shit knew you not clicked her heels together before sprinting back to the car.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It worked.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It fucking worked. The afternoon ended. There's a picture. Okay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Uh huh. The afternoon ended with us driving to the bar where we knew my grandpa Charlie and his brother Jimmy were at. Bridget cruised in and sat down next to them, still fully in character.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No.

[Karen Kilgariff]

She tried to talk to them for five minutes, but they wanted absolutely nothing to do with this random old woman. Finally, she ripped off the wig and yelled, papa, it's me. The entire bar erupted. My grandpa was a little horrified, but mostly amused. We decided not to push our luck and never dusted off that old lady wig again. Despite none of us liking twisted tees. You better believe that we forced our way through them that night.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm attaching pictures of Grandma Bridget for your viewing and sharing pleasure, as I believe the statue of limitations has expired on this. Stay sexy and don't underestimate a bad wig. Maggie.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I can't wait to see this. Yep. I totally buy it. 100%. Look at that outfit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's fucking brilliant.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's so good. It's like, not too over the top, it's not. But it's enough. The teeth give it away because she's got perfect teeth.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right? She should have yellowed those up a little bit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The glasses are perfect. The blush is perfect.

[Georgia Hardstark]

The fucking blazer.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I think the scarf around the head tied under the chin is an overplay.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

But it's still. Nobody gives a shit. Yeah, it gives. And as long as she was kind of crouched over and talking in the old lady voice coin purse.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. Like, I. I hate that we just gave a bunch of teenagers a fucking. There's a great photo of her. There's one on her across the top of the fucking Grand Marquis posing like a pinup girl. We'll put them on our Instagram.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That second picture is absolutely joy. Also, I think the Grand Marquis was 50% of that journey right there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

It's a giant silver light cop car.

[Karen Kilgariff]

It's a total grandma car.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I want it. Okay. I want Bridget to have become an actress, and I want her sister, who wrote it in, to be a makeup artist.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's what happened in the end.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What if it's Maggie Gyllenhaal and her sister Bridget?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Bridget Gyllenhaal.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Bridget Gyllenhaal. You know, the infamous Bridget Gyllenhaal.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow. That was a. That was one for the ages.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So epic.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So good. All right. Wow. Okay, we'll have to follow that one with tornado story. Oh, yes. Dear Karen and Georgia, let's jump right in. In April of 1979, my mom Vicki was 16, a junior in high school in her Wichita Falls, Texas, and dealing with a breakup. On the dresser in her bedroom, she had her class ring, her mom's class ring, and her recent ex's class ring. The ex Mark, had come by asking for the ring back, but my mom refused and simply told that she'd give it back later.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Sure she wasn't ready. No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Nobody could have known how much later that would be. On April 10, 1979, a massive tornado ripped through town in an event now known as Terrible Tuesday. Oh, you love tornadoes. I do. The tornado touched down at 5:55pm, traveled eight miles through the city, killing 42 people and destroying more than 100 commercial businesses, two schools, and more than 3,000 homes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

On that evening, my mom, her parents and her brother who had come by the for dinner, were getting ready to eat when the tornado warning hit. My granddad ordered everyone into the car to drive out of town. My mom argued, because even at 16, she knew that being in a car during a tornado is a famously bad idea. But dad said, get in. And when the Texas dad says that you get in. The only one not required to leave was her brother, who stayed behind. I guess he was over 18, so he was like, fuck you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I'm just gonna hang out here in the tornado house.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They drove out of town a bit, but then couldn't go anymore as there was too much traffic with cars pulled over as everyone was trying to leave.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's so scary.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's like why you don't get in your car and try to drive somewhere.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Also, that's when the LA fires were happening. And I had fires literally in a ring around my neighborhood. Yeah, I left my house because I was like, same. I can't get out while everyone else is trying to get out.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Exactly. That's exactly why I left, like before I needed to. Yeah, that's. And my. My cousin was one of the ones who got stuck in the Palisades, like driving out and her car got fucking burned.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For real.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Did she have to get out and run? Yeah. So later that day I was like, I'm not doing this.

[Karen Kilgariff]

No.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. Terrifying.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

So my mom watched the tornado as it barreled through town. It Was over a mile wide and looked like a massive black wall. When it passed, they drove back toward their house and realized at the end of their block that all of the houses were leveled. It went from a normal neighborhood and houses to her brother, who had stayed behind, survived by sheltering in a closet under the stairway. And when he emerged, the entire second story of their house was gone. So I can show you a photo of the houses, the before and after of the house. Beautiful 70s looking normal house. And then that, like if her brother had been there, he would have died.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Right?

[Georgia Hardstark]

He was hiding like somewhere there.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah, somewhere there.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Isn't that like that's an uninhabitable tear down?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes. And so random.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, we'll show it on our Instagram. Okay. And so the entire second story was gone, which meant my mom's room and the class rings were gone as well. Remember that?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

My mom really only cared about the class rings and even searched in the ditch behind the house. She never found them. In the end, my grandparents decided to sell the lot rather than rebuild. And the rings were presumed lost. Fast forward 10 years to 1987. Vicki and Mark exchanged different rings.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What?

[Georgia Hardstark]

So they get back together and get married and then. Emoji with the hearts in its eyes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

What?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Fast forward 16 more years to 2003. I'm 13 years old, the middle of Mark and Vicki's three daughters. The family who rebuilt the old lot is still living there. Their 19 year old son is in the backyard when their dogs dig something up and what do they find? A Ryder High school class of 1979 ring with the initials M.L. oh, the photo of it too.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

This is from Molly. You fucking killed this email.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Molly.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Look at that. Vintage class ring.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Unbelievable.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They borrow a yearbook, realize the former resident is now married to a guy named Mark, and call my mom. My mom brought my sisters and me in on the news. And one night we played a game of asking my dad if he could remember what his class ring looked like. He ended up describing it all wrong. Classic. And then my mom said, did it look like this? And held out the ring to him. He was shocked and amazed. Of course. Stay sexy and give your ex his class ring back so it's not lost in a tornado. Or maybe don't. Molly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh my God.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That is when you start. Like when it started going that direction, I was like, they found the ring again. Like, how is that possible?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Just in the backyard, sitting there. That's why you need to always bring

[Karen Kilgariff]

a own a metal detector.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Exactly. And bring it with you everywhere you go. That's literally what I was trying to say.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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Goodbye.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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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]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, I'm not gonna read you the subject line. It says, hey, folks. My maternal great grandfather, or Papa Pete, as my family called him, was a character. He was a raging alcoholic who to me sounds like a total piece of shit, but at his core, cared for his children, my grandmother and her siblings. The closest fictional character I can compare him to is Frank Gallagher from Shame. Oh, fuck, that's rough. He frequently went on drinking and gambling binges where his family wouldn't hear from him for weeks. He gave classic drunk advice, my favorite of which being, if you have nowhere to sleep, sleep on a grave because no one will bother you. And then it says, classy, but that's really true. I kept thinking about that where I'm like, that's really true. You go into a graveyard at night.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You're alone. Pretty much, yeah, Kind of.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Well, some drinking teenagers. But they're scared of you.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And ghosts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And ghosts. But they're also scared of you. So without further ado, it's the late 60s in the small town of Wetumpka, Alabama, population of about 4,000 people at the time. My Great grandmother, Big Mama. No, I'm not kidding. Gets a phone call from a sheriff in Texas. Ma', Am, are you the wife of Pete Rooks? Yes. Ma', am. Your husband is dead. He drunk himself to death. You're gonna have to come to Texas to collect his body. Big Mama, who's only about 30 at the time, while holding this charming nickname, by the way, is devastated. She takes her two young teenage daughters on a road trip to Texas to bring the body of their father home to Alabama to be buried. They enter the police station. They explain that they are there to collect Mr. Rooks remains. The young mother and her daughters are brought around the corner to the cells, only to find Pete Rooks drunk off his ass and slurring his hellos to his wife and daughters.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Pete had gone on a bender so grandiose that it carried him three states away. Upon being arrested for God knows what, the sheriff must have asked him who he could call to come pick him up from the station. Pete knew no one would come pick him up in Texas. All the way from Alabama.

[Georgia Hardstark]

No way.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And he was out of money. So being the genius he was, he told the sheriff to call his wife and tell her that he had died.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Okay. The sheriff is so complicit, and it's so not okay. And it was just your job to not do that.

[Karen Kilgariff]

This is. This is a real bros before hoes situation.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Seriously.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That is like.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And that's the devastation that they went through the whole time before knowing that just because you were like, come pick me up.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yep.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And the sheriff was like, let's do it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Boys Club.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Wow.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's why the Girls Club must, must. We must get serious about the Girls Club.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Because the boys have been boys clubbing for far too long.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Rose, you've had your fucking day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Can you imagine how furious you would be? Okay. He knew that the only way his wife would come pick his dumb ass up in a whole other state after no contact, no apology, and no money to fund the trip, was over his dead body. I can't Even imagine that 12 hour car ride of shame home. And that's my crazy great grandparents story. JS Shit.

[Georgia Hardstark]

You got one of those stories, email them to us, please. What's the most fucked up thing someone's ever done to you?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Also, if you feel shame, maybe not that, but if you have a story where you feel like you're supposed to feel shame or that somebody's bad, they're not right, Write it in. Let us decide.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, we'll tell you the truth.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay. We'll tell you the truth.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let's see. Okay. Oh, and this is. It's Memorial Day when this comes out. So this is kind of a Memorial Day story. Hello, ladies. And emotional support animals. I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. My family traveled from Italy sometime around 1890 and decided to make the city of Good Neighbors their home. In 1996, my grandfather embarked on a dedicated search to locate his missing uncle Bartholomew, who had served in World War II. Initially, the family had been informed that he was missing in action. But later, the military communicated that he had been killed in battle. With no remains discovered due to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, my grandfather's pursuit was tragically interrupted. However, in 2019, my father took it upon himself to continue the search. He began reaching out to distant relatives he had never met and joining Facebook groups dedicated to the families of missing veterans. After years of tireless research, my father discovered a cemetery in Luxembourg that still contained approximately 100 unmarked graves. Given that Bartholomew's last known location was in this area and he had been missing for 75 years, it seemed to be the most likely place to find him. In a remarkable turn of events, several family members submitted DNA samples, which ultimately allowed us to confirm Bartholomew's identity among the unmarked graves.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Whoa.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I know. After all that time.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So I wonder if the army or whatever it was, has some sort of procedure to keep something so they can test totally.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And then his remains were repatriated to Buffalo for a proper military burial, just in time for what would have been his 104th birthday on Memorial Day.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Georgia Hardstark]

On Saturday, June 1, 2024, Bartholomew received full military honors and was laid to rest with his family, bringing closure to a story that has resonated in our family. For Gener, it is a profound and moving moment to know that after so many years, he will finally rest with those who loved him. My papa, who passed away on October 14, 2024, has now been reunited with his beloved uncle, SSDGM K. Wow.

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's a powerful story.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah.

[Karen Kilgariff]

For Memorial Day.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Totally.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow. Well, if you're enlisted, if you're in any part of the military in this country, thank you for your service.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yes, thank.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thank you. To World War II veterans for fighting Nazis.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Literal Nazis.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Very important to fight Nazis.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let's do it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Make everyday epic with the Hyundai Palisade hybrid.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

the 2.5T hybrid engine with up to an EPA estimate 619 miles of range on select trims. It's built for long hauls, quick errands and everything in between no matter where you're headed.

[Karen Kilgariff]

The available 14 speaker Bose sound system makes for an immersive ride and the

[Georgia Hardstark]

Palisade Hybrid comes with an available class exclusive dash camera feature and available Class exclusive blind spot view monitor for extra

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

to eight passengers and with available H track all wheel drive, you're ready to go anywhere in style.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Need more? You've got standard 100 watt USB C ports to keep every dev and a

[Georgia Hardstark]

standard passenger talk intercom so you can threaten to turn this SUV around if you kids don't knock it off without taking your eyes off the road, the

[Karen Kilgariff]

all new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is more than just another suv. It's still the Palisade, but with so much more.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Learn more about the Hyundai palisade@hyundai USA.com

[Karen Kilgariff]

Call 562-314-4603 for complete details.

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye. The perfect self care routine is a nice long soak in the tub and

[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]

I am obsessed with baths, you know that. And Dr. Teals has been in my bath for decades. Like this stuff is the best to be honest.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And this sounds fake, but I just got out of the bathtub because I wanted to try this and my skin feels crazy soft like I have lotion all over my skin.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I don't think I've taken a bath without Dr. Teals in over a decade and I take a bath pretty much every couple days.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Find Dr. Teals all dressed in blue in your local bath aisle.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Dr. Teals. Yep, you needed that. Goodbye.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Okay, my last email the subject line is a fun train derailment question mark. Hello murder pals. I know you're awesome. You know you're awesome. We don't need to discuss it Some random Wednesday in 2007, my grandfather picked me up from school just like any other day. We made some small talk on the way home and when we walked in the door, he told me that he had a gift for me. While I waited, my grandmother showed me a brand new diamond ring he had just given her. This was weird since my grandparents weren't exactly well off. My gift was a brand new laptop. Since our household computer was of the 90s and it was on its last leg, I was eager to get on my space in less than a 15 minute wait time. So I stopped wondering if my grandfather had pulled a bank job and I went on to my room. That's right, ask questions, just log on. Fast forward to a few hours when the nightly news came on. Being a teenager, I didn't watch the news, but I happened to walk through the living room at just the right time to see my grandfather on the screen talking about how something felt like an earthquake. Super confused, I stopped to listen. That afternoon he had stopped at a convenience store. It was one of those stores you wouldn't know was a store if unless you were a local, just a boring tiny building on the side of the road. There's nothing unusual about him stopping there, but what he conveniently didn't mention at all that day was that while he was there, a fucking train ran through the store.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Well, I forgot about the train completely. Right.

[Karen Kilgariff]

According to the news, a train engineer ignored a stop signal when he was backing up on an offloading track, which caused three train cars to roll through a dirt barrier and hit the store 30ft from where the track ends. The owner managed to get everyone out safely, including having to pull out a customer who went into shock and had to be sent to the hospital. My grandfather had only a tiny cut on his nose, probably from his glasses being pushed into his face from the impact.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Dude.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Of a train.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Of a train.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't remember the store ever reopening, and eventually it was demolished. But as far as I know, trains have run without incident in my hometown ever since. Oh, yeah, and the gifts. He stopped there to buy a lottery ticket. The ticket won him $100,000.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm sorry, what the fuck? I was like, how he stole the money when, like, everyone had evacuated.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Nope. He says, yeah. Not only did he survive a freak train derailment, but he won more than my salary from the ticket he bought immediately before it happened.

[Georgia Hardstark]

What the fuck?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Stay sexy and avoid stores near train tracks.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Or don't.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And then our producer, Kate Schallenbach, looked the incident up, and she says there was indeed a train derailment near. In Lancaster, South Carolina, in 2007. The train ran into a Buy Right convenience store, and Kate found a print interview quoting a witness who had stopped in to get a lottery ticket when the train crashed into the store. No one died in this incident.

[Georgia Hardstark]

I mean, the timeline that you're on in this life, if that's it after that, that's pretty fucking great.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Constant whistling, constant chill attitude.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, someone likes you.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Just, just. I am blessed.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Oh, my God. Wow. Okay, my last one is just about medieval family folklore.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, just that?

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. Okay. Hi, Karen and Georgia. Greetings from Brussels. Ooh, I'll get straight into. I'm from the rural part of Belgium. Limburg. I've been to Belgium. Isn't that weird?

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Back in the late medieval times, this area was mostly farms. Tiny wooden houses with thatched roofs and local pubs. Take me there.

[Karen Kilgariff]

So fun.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Life was fine if you were hardworking. Unfortunately, I come from a long line of, quote, enthusiastic enjoyers of life not exactly aligned with the whole reap what you sow lifestyle. So my ancestors found a solution. A gang. Not just any gang. The biggest and most notorious one in the region. Their name. Okay, here I go. Dubackenriders. Dubaken riders. Dubrachenriders Dubrakken riders. Literally the goat riders. Oh, and then it says, I know goatriders. Folklore says they rode goats through the night. Some stories even mention flying goats. In reality, they were more into leaving threatening burn letters on people's doors. Not to be confused with the mean girl burn book. And since everything was made of wood and straw, very flammable vibes. The letters basically said, nice home you got there. It would be a shame if it burned down. People had to pay to avoid that. Oh shit.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Like early mafia or Brussels mafia.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah. My family name shows up in multiple court documents connected to this gang. I find that both cool and slightly concerning. And honestly a bit explanatory for how my family still operates today. No crime, just creative thinking. It doesn't end well though. Two of my ancestors were hanged in a nearby town after being tortured for a confession when I was about 8. My dad took me there. The original gallows were still standing in front of the town hall. Whoa. My dad somehow arranged a meeting with the mayor to discuss our family history. I vividly remember us walking into the office and my dad immediately joking. So who here hanged my family? It remains one of my favorite childhood memories to this day. Now that I've uncovered my dad's side, I'm looking into my mom's. Apparently my grandparents were heavily involved in resistance efforts during the Nazi occupation.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Hell yes.

[Georgia Hardstark]

They rarely talked about it because of the trauma, even though that's where their love story began. Wow. Maybe a story for another day. Anyway, thank you for being you heart emoji. Stay sexy and maybe don't trust anyone who rides goats. Em.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Em, please write in the love story where your grandparents met during the resistance.

[Georgia Hardstark]

We need resistance love stories.

[Karen Kilgariff]

We need all resistance stories.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Any like today. Are there any resistance left?

[Karen Kilgariff]

That's right, Minneapolis. Come on.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Let us write us at G. What is it? My favorite murder. Gmail.com.

[Karen Kilgariff]

thank you. Goat riders in the sky.

[Georgia Hardstark]

That's right, 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 Squillace.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Email your hometowns to my favorite murdermail dot com.

[Georgia Hardstark]

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 My favorite Murder on Netflix.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And when you're there, hit the double thumbs up. And the remind me buttons. That's the best way you can support our show. Goodbye.

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[Karen Kilgariff]

kind of self care usually involves laying down.

[Georgia Hardstark]

And if you're in the bathtub, even better.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And now you can relax in the bath and hydrate your skin with Dr. Teal's skin renewal Deep hydration line.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Karen, you know I'm a bath influencer. Like that's part of my like weekly self care is baths. And I got excited when I opened the box they sent us of bath products.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I mean and it works so well. Like truly your skin will feel great. I have dry skin all the time, especially the hotter the weather gets outside. And just getting it all taken care of at once and relaxing in the bathtub, it's amazing.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Find Dr. Teals all dressed in blue in your local bath aisle.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Dr. Teals. Yep, you needed that.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Goodbye. Getting a new home security system shouldn't make you feel trapped.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Feeling safe is good. Feeling locked into a contract that you can't get out of is not get

[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

There's nothing I hate more than that idea that I'm signing a document that basically means that I've just signed my life away. And the idea that it's something as important as home security with SimpliSafe. So now you don't have to worry about signing a contract and you don't have to worry about what's going on at your house. It's all peace of mind.

[Georgia Hardstark]

From my experience though, I know you're going to want to stay with them forever. So you don't even need a contract. They're that confident.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Our listeners will get up to 50% off a new system when you sign up for professional monitoring and your first month is free by visiting simplisafe.com mfm

[Georgia Hardstark]

that's half [e-mail] mfm Goodbye, Mexico is calling, and the savings are waiting.

[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Georgia Hardstark]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

For that, don't wait. Book your Mexico vacation [e-mail] Goodbye.