Real People. Real Crimes | Introducing CRIMES OF REDDIT, a new Crime House podcast!

Summary

---

Scams, Money, & Murder: “Real People. Real Crimes”

Introducing CRIMES OF REDDIT (Aug 12, 2026)

Episode Theme & Purpose

This special episode of Scams, Money, & Murder introduces listeners to the brand-new true crime podcast Crimes of Reddit, hosted by Sabrina Diana Roga and Alexis Linklater. The show’s unique format features one host presenting real-life, disturbing, and often jaw-dropping crime stories sourced from Reddit, while the other host listens and reacts live with zero prep. In this episode, the pair explores three deeply unsettling family-related true crime stories found on Reddit—each more shocking than the last. Their real-time reactions, empathy, and dark humor guide listeners through thorny ethical dilemmas, emotional shocks, and the often untold underbelly of online confessions.

---

Hosts

• Sabrina Diana Roga: Writer, storyteller, co-host of Two Girls, One Ghost.
• Alexis Linklater: Host of The First Degree and I, Unraveled; true crime investigator (notably of the Long Island Serial Killer case).

---

Key Discussion Points & Episode Structure

[05:29] — Opening and Show Format

• Family Crime Theme: All stories this week revolve around family secrets, betrayals, and unsettling discoveries.
  • Alexis: “The stories we’re covering today—pretty mind-blowing, deeply uncomfortable. And I’m excited to hear...what you would do in some of these situations.” (05:43)

[07:33] — Story #1: “My Estranged Family Revealed My Loving Dad Was A Monster”

Reddit Post Summary

• Poster’s childhood: Idolized her parents, especially her “cool” dad.
• Disconnection from extended family: Immigrant parents; not close to either’s family until recently.
• Family avoidance: Maternal family refuses to talk about her dad.
• Shocking revelation: Dad kidnapped a university student when he was young—a secret kept from the poster.
  • Alexis: “Turns out when my dad was young, he kidnapped a university student and kept her for a bit.” (09:32)
  • Sabrina: “A bit? How long is a bit?” (09:44)
• Impact: Poster can no longer see her parents the same way, especially her mother, who knew but still married him.

Hosts’ Reactions & Insights

• Personal Connection: Sabrina shares she has found dark secrets about her own father, offering empathy for the poster.
  • Sabrina: “I wasn’t all that surprised given what I know about my dad, because he is a very complicated figure.” (11:16)
• Commenter wisdom: Suggest confronting the father directly to let him explain, perhaps with sibling support.

Story Gets Darker

• Update: The mother was the actual kidnapping victim.
  • Alexis: “So apparently...it was actually the mom who was kidnapped by her now-husband.” (15:02)
  • Sabrina: “So, like, at least overnight, she didn’t say, oh my gosh.” (15:55)
• Trauma & Resignation: The mother seems to have reframed or rationalized the trauma; possibly due to cultural stigma or Stockholm syndrome.
  • Alexis: “She admitted she was terrified...So he definitely did bad things even if he regrets it. Kidnapping is a horrible crime.” (19:44)

Ethical Dilemmas & Observations

• Sabrina: “Is the mom actually willingly...or has she been manipulated so much over the years that she doesn’t even know?” (18:16)
• Alexis: “Anyone who’s capable of this, who’s willing to let, like, someone be afraid...Now, the way she’s describing her life now— the mom being essentially removed from her family because they all hate him.” (18:05)

---

[21:53] — Story #2: “Hundreds of Pictures of My Brother on My Boyfriend’s Laptop”

Reddit Post Summary

• Discovery: A woman finds hundreds of pics (some candid, some secret, including sleep and undressing shots) of her younger brother on her boyfriend’s laptop.
• Initial confusion: Many images are from social media/team websites, but others are clear evidence of stalking.
  • Sabrina: “It could be a physique situation, body envy.” (23:54)
  • Alexis: “There was an album that only consisted of creep shots and videos. Pics of him sleeping and even videos of him getting changed...” (24:08)
• Violation: Realization her boyfriend’s obsession is predatory, possibly dangerous.
  • Sabrina: “It’s not like, oh, maybe they’re having a secret affair...He’s being stalked and all of his privacy is being invaded by someone he trusts.” (25:09)

Host Analysis & Advice

• Danger assessment: Both hosts agree confronting the boyfriend could be unsafe; recommend breaking up and warning the brother.
  • Alexis: “I would not...because there are so many true crime cases where somebody’s busted and the guy freaks out and kills his whole family.” (25:54)
• Concern for escalation: Violent online fantasies and camera surveillance found—implied criminal intent.
  • Sabrina: “If someone were to fck with my family...I think I would become more protective than if someone was trying to fck with me.” (38:58)
  • Alexis: “It’s the kind of stuff you see in evidence against serial killers...” (30:50)
• Brother’s refusal: The brother refuses to go to the police, in denial about danger.
  • Sabrina: “It also doesn’t even have to be a gay thing. It could be, like, a murder thing. Truly could be fantasizing about killing someone.” (31:38)
• Aftermath: The boyfriend tries to gaslight OP, harasses her after breakup, and stalks her at work.
  • Alexis: “A day later, he came to me at work...Did that every day for one week at different locations until I seriously threatened him.” (35:04)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Alexis: “He said that he would...take down the cameras too.” (33:36)
• Sabrina: “Shut up.” (33:36)
• Alexis: “Turns out there was a camera in the shower as well. It was nauseating.” (33:48)
• Sabrina: “I feel like that’s going to escalate...if something like that does happen, it’s going to be one of those cases where you look back and this is one of the stories that you hear about, and it’s like, oh, all the signs were there.” (37:21)

---

[40:42] — Story #3: “My Mother In Law Suddenly Passed Away The Same Time My Stalker Disappeared”

Reddit Post Summary

• Antagonistic relationship: Poster’s mother-in-law always hated her, tried to sabotage the relationship.
• Stalker (Pax): For years, the poster received anonymous, relentless, and threatening messages; could never trace or stop “Pax.”
• Mother-in-law’s death: Emails/texts from “Pax” stop the day of the car accident. Poster realizes MIL must have been her tormentor.

Host Commentary & Takeaways

• Sympathy for husband: Husband is devastated, dealing with his mother’s loss and the complicated realization she was tormenting both him and his wife.
  • Sabrina: “It would be one thing to find out your mom was this like Pax person while she’s still alive. But to be dealing with the grief of losing your mom...it’s primal.” (44:17)
  • Alexis: “It’s impossible to let go.” (44:29)
• Deciding what to reveal: Poster debates whether to tell her husband about his mother’s betrayal during his grief.
  • Sabrina: “I would wait because I would empathize so much with their processing the grief...” (45:34)

UPDATE (47:02):

• Freedom returns: Poster gradually regains independence; husband notices absence of fear.
• Husband’s reckoning: Realizes truth, breaks down, admits he always suspected his mother, but she manipulated him to feel guilty.
  • Alexis: “If you look at it at its surface, it’s like, okay, the mother-in-law is tormenting the daughter-in-law, but she’s also tormenting her own son 100%.” (48:04)
  • Sabrina: “And then she’s, like, victimizing herself when he brings it to her and then makes him almost coddle her more...” (48:34)
• Aftermath and Recovery: Couple begins therapy, husband tells his family the truth, declines to attend his mother’s headstone setting.
  • Alexis: “My husband has also decided to not attend the headstone setting on his mother’s grave.” (49:44)
• Reddit’s rare positivity: A highly upvoted comment commends their mutual support and grace in facing the trauma.

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On family secrets:
  • Sabrina: “There’s secrets in every family. There’s just different, like, varying levels of horrific secrets. Some are not terrible and some are that you kidnapped your mother.” (52:26)
• On red flags:
  • Sabrina: “I think it's always a red flag if your family doesn't like a partner.” (20:24)
  • Alexis: “A hundred percent.” (20:27)
• On victim reluctance:
  • Alexis: “It’s the same reason victims of sexual assault who are boys and men don’t want to go to the police...they immediately will say, like, the police will suspect I’m gay when I’m not.” (32:10)
• On dark humor and trust issues:
  • Sabrina: “Tell us everything. Show us your toes. I don’t know—whatever you want.” (06:30)
  • Alexis: “Maybe don’t do that.” (06:36)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:29] - Family crime theme introduction
• [07:33] - Story 1 (“Estranged Dad Revealed as Monster”)
• [15:02] - Story twist: Mom was the kidnapping victim
• [21:53] - Story 2 (Photos of Brother on Boyfriend’s Laptop)
• [30:41] - Discovering violent fantasies and escalation
• [35:00] - Boyfriend’s stalking/harassment of ex after breakup
• [40:42] - Story 3 (Mother-in-law stalker revelation)
• [46:52] - Comments/discussion on stalking and family betrayal
• [47:02] - Update: Husband realizes mother’s guilt, couple’s healing
• [52:26] - Hosts reflect on the universality of family secrets

---

Episode Tone & Style

• Candid, empathetic, and darkly humorous.
• Supportive, trauma-aware commentary paired with honest ethical debate.
• Conversational, self-revealing: Both Sabrina and Alexis share personal stories paralleling the podcast content.

---

Conclusion

This episode of Crimes of Reddit traverses shocking family trauma—from dark secrets and generational betrayals to disturbing obsessions and gaslighting. The hosts’ willingness to engage deeply, react authentically, and process the psychological fallout makes this not just a chilling true crime session, but an exploration of how we face the demons within our own families and ourselves. It leaves listeners rattled, reflective, and, in rare moments, laughing through the darkness.

---

For more stories and to suggest Reddit threads, follow Crimes of Reddit on all podcast platforms and their subreddit at r/CrimesOfPod.

Transcript

[Vanessa]

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Are you the type to fall down an Internet rabbit hole and not come up for hours? You'll love Crimes of Reddit, a new crime house original with Sabrina Diana Roga and Alexis Linklater. Every week, one host brings real true crime stories from Reddit while the other reacts completely blind. No prep, no spoilers. Then they swap. It's the feeling of sending your group chat a thread at 2am that starts with, you have to see this. Except Sabrina and Alexis are in the chat with you. Follow Crimes of Reddit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify or subscribe@c Crimesofreddit pod on YouTube. Hi everyone, it's Vanessa. I'm bringing you something extra this week that I think you'll enjoy. It's an episode of the brand new crime house original Crimes of Reddit, hosted by Sabrina Deanna Roga and Alexis Linkletter. Every Tuesday on Crimes of Reddit, Sabrina and Alexis dig through Reddit's most disturbing true crime threads. One host brings the stories and the other hears it for the first time. And then they swap. They pull at every thread until the full twisted picture comes into view. If you like digging into Internet rabbit holes, then I know you'll love this. This show is the feeling of sending your group chat a thread at 2am that starts with, you have to see this. Except Sabrina and Alexis are in the chat with you. Take a listen to this episode of Crimes of Reddit. If you love what you hear and want more, follow Crimes of Reddit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or subscribe on YouTube CrimesOfRedditPod for video episodes.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

This is crime house.

[Alexis Linklater]

I, 24, female, found hundreds of pictures of my brother, 20, male, on my boyfriend's 24, male, laptop. Can anyone please explain to me what's going on?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Have you ever dealt with anything like this?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

No. Thank goodness. Have you?

[Alexis Linklater]

No.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I'm Sabrina Diana Roga, writer, storyteller, and co host of Two Girls, One Ghost.

[Alexis Linklater]

My name is Alexis Linklater. I am the host of the First Degree and I Unraveled, and I've been investigating cases like the Long island serial killer case for the better part of 10 years.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Between us, we've spent years telling true crime stories.

[Alexis Linklater]

The haunted, the unsolved, and the ones that stay with you. But now we're teaming up for Crimes of Reddit, a crime house original powered by Pave Studios. Each week, one of us brings the most unhinged stories that the Internet has

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

to offer, and the other goes in completely blind.

[Alexis Linklater]

No prep, no spoilers. And reacts in real time, same as

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

you, and we pull every thread until the whole twisted picture comes into view.

[Alexis Linklater]

It's dark, it's messy, it's so much fun. Make sure to tune into Crimes of Reddit every Tuesday and go down the rabbit hole with us wherever you get your podcasts and to share your own stories or flag a post you want us to cover. Follow us on social media, rimesofpod on Instagram and join our subreddit.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Ready to level up? Chumba Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of online social games like blackjack, Slots and Solitaire anytime, anywhere with fresh releases every week. Whether you are at home or on the go. Let Chumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Plate Ciampa Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group VOIP where prohibited by law 21 TNCs apply.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

I've always dreamed of being able to order my coffee in Italian like a local instead of just pointing at the menu and hoping for the best. There's something about speaking another language with real confidence that opens up a whole new world of experiences. That's why I'm so excited about Rosetta Stone Sapphire. It's their biggest launch in over a decade. It takes that research backed method we all know and trust and adds fre cutting edge features that make it easier than ever to go from knowing a few phrases to speaking naturally about the topics you actually care about. What I love is that you aren't just memorizing vocabulary lists, you learn entirely in your new language through visuals and audio, just like you did as a kid. One of my favorite new features is chat missions. It turns conversation practice into a game, putting you in real world scenarios like ordering at a restaurant or asking for directions and giving you missions to complete lead. You get real time feedback along the way so you build that confidence before you ever have to use your skills in the real world. If you want to take your language skills to the next level, don't wait to try Rosetta Stone Sapphire. Listeners of this podcast can get 20% off their Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription when they sign up today. This gets you access to Rosetta stone Sapphire in 25 languages. Visit rosettastone.com Rs10 to redeem your 20% off. That's RosettaStone do.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

What's the theme for this week?

[Alexis Linklater]

We've got family stories.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Ooh, I feel like and we Were talking in our lunch break today about our own families and I feel like this is going to bring up some, some fun conversations about our own lives.

[Alexis Linklater]

Everyone at least at one point had a family or started with a family, or built their own family. The idea of someone being extremely close to you, I think we can all relate to that to some degree. So the stories we're covering today, pretty mind blowing, deeply uncomfortable, and I'm excited to hear your perspectives on just what you would do in some of these situations.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, I'm excited.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, me too.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I'm so excited. We also want to hear from all of you what you would do in these situations or if you have your own crimes of family situations that you want to share with us, which you can do in the comments or on the crimes of Reddit subreddit, which is r backslash CrimesOfPod. And we'll probably read some of your stories if you put them on there. So we want to do that.

[Alexis Linklater]

Bring them on.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Share your secrets. Tell us everything. Show us your toes. I don't know, whatever you want.

[Alexis Linklater]

Maybe don't do that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I don't think I. Yeah, that's a different subreddit. Not ours.

[Alexis Linklater]

Totally.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Have you ever had someone ask for feet pics?

[Alexis Linklater]

No.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, not yet.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, I really wear sandals. Like I feel like that happens. Like it happens to friends of mine who wear a lot of sandals and once they see the feet on Instagram or something, then people get it.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

But they're getting it for free.

[Alexis Linklater]

I know, but they want a more high def look.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Interesting. Yeah, I've had a lot of people, but it's also because I've joked about starting a business because I think I

[Alexis Linklater]

could make a lot of money probably.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And so I've had people DM me. I've yet to give in because I was told by my manager that it's a slippery slope. You start with your toes and then you go to your vulva.

[Alexis Linklater]

It could happen fast.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

It could happen fast. Anyway, we're not here for feet, we're here for Reddit.

[Alexis Linklater]

That's right. Should we dig in to the first story?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yes. I'm going to close my laptop because

[Alexis Linklater]

you want to lock in.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I'm going to hold onto it like my emotional support security laptop. Great, Got it.

[Alexis Linklater]

So here's where we're starting. My estranged family revealed that my loving family oriented dad was actually a monster.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

So growing up, my friends would always say that my brother and I had the coolest parents. They were the laid back but still involved mom and dad. Parents I was especially close to my dad and thought he was the best dad ever. He made a Hot Wheels dollhouse by hand for my birthday to give you an example.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Wait, like a dollhouse made out of Hot Wheels? I have. I want pictures.

[Alexis Linklater]

We can only imagine. Then she goes on, when I wanted to be Supergirl, my mom hand sewed me a costume for Halloween. My parents are a physically affectionate couple too, and my brother and I thought it was gross when we were kids. But now I realize that being in your 40s and still in love is a miracle.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Mm.

[Alexis Linklater]

Kind of depressing, but sure.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So she continues. My parents are immigrants and because of that we were never really close to their families who lived in their home country. But recently my brother and I got in touch with some cousins on my mom's side on our own, and got to know them. They were awesome and really chill. My aunts and uncles and grandparents were a little stiff, but they were nice. They only wanted to hear about what us and our mom were up to and not my dad. So I got kind of frustrated and kept mentioning my dad. Anyway, finally my cousin said if we didn't stop talking about our dad, their parents wouldn't let them talk to us anymore.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Like knowing the subject line of this post, I like my mind is going to all crazy facets. I can't wait to hear what.

[Alexis Linklater]

Actually, brace yourself.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay?

[Alexis Linklater]

None of our cousins knew what was going on either, or why they hated our dad so much. So they all started asking around and dating, digging into family stuff. I thought it was going to be something stupid like class differences or my grandparents not approving of my dad for some reason. But we found out the truth and it was a lot worse than we imagined.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh no.

[Alexis Linklater]

My cousins found a single short newspaper article from a digital archive about it. Turns out when my dad was young, he kidnapped a university student and kept her for a bit.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

A bit? How long is a bit?

[Alexis Linklater]

I had questions about a bit too,

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

because a bit could be a couple minutes, a couple hours, a week, a month.

[Alexis Linklater]

I mean, a bit in a life could be a year. Yeah, so who's to say? But not elaborating yet. Okay, we'll see if we get to it. So, she continues. He was a minor at the time this happened, so he didn't get named or get a real punishment or anything like that on his record. Okay, so I can't look at my dad the same way again. Or my mom. Why would my mom marry someone who literally kidnapped and hurt a person? My parents have noticed Something off with us. But I don't even know how to bring it up. So the question here is, what would you do if you found out this information about your own dad or mom? Would you confront your parents?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I have found out information like this about my dad.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Like this.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Worse.

[Alexis Linklater]

I'm listening.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I don't know if I should talk about it on here, but I was told so my, my dad might have been involved in a like, deadly crime when growing up.

[Alexis Linklater]

This is fascinating. So it can be so destabilizing to learn something about your parents. And there's no age for the Redditor here who posted this. But it's like, especially when you're young, you have like adults on a pedestal and think that like they're different than how you feel.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Right. And that they're perfect.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And they have it all figured out.

[Alexis Linklater]

Right.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And that they didn't have a life before you.

[Alexis Linklater]

Right. And they have tangled secrets just like.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Anyone else.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And like, because I, from my own experience, when I learned that, I wasn't all that surprised given what I know about my dad, because he is a very complicated figure. And I'm like, oh, this lore actually makes me understand him a little bit better. Or. But it sounds like in this situation it was so disorienting and didn't align at all with the man that she knows.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And I think, you know, that's in her setup. Just her dad was the best. This was a huge shock. So some of the comments here, one of them says this. I'm sorry, that's a terrible thing to find out about someone you love. But since you do love your dad and he has loved you all these years, tell him what you found and give him a chance to tell you what happened. Maybe he had a mental illness that's under control now or he was under the influence of drugs or bad people or voices in his head. Maybe he was just a bad person. I don't know. And neither would he you until you find the courage to ask him. Good luck. I'll be hoping things work out for you and your family.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Good advice. Would you ask?

[Alexis Linklater]

Yes.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

I have no self control. And those people who can, like, harbor no. I'm like heart on sleeve, no control.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And the second I have one drink, it's over.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, it's over. So the original poster replied to this comment and said, thanks for the advice. It's hard. I don't know how I'll even ask him about this. This isn't the dad I know at all. Now, whatever you're think this is? It's about to get so much crazier.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Was it the mom?

[Alexis Linklater]

We'll see.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh my God.

[Alexis Linklater]

Okay, so another commenter said this. Maybe you and your brother can ask together to be there to support each other. It won't be easy, but it might help save your relationship with your father and mother, depending on what you find out. So at this point, per what we're reading, the original posters, disgusted with her mom for knowing this about the dad. So very interesting. So later in this thread, the original poster provides more additional context. Here's what they say.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

It's okay if you don't believe me. It's kind of an unbelievable, horrible thing to happen. So my cousins know more about this stuff than me or my brother since they actually speak the language and talk to my aunts and uncles about all this. One of my aunts made a few kind of vague statements about what happened, like about him being bad as a teen. And my cousin searched for what she talked about and they found the article and asked her about it. And she basically confirmed it because she said that's why they don't talk about my dad. I don't know if it's why he did what he did. I don't. Their article was really short, only a few lines in their native language. Just saying he kidnapped a university student and kept her basically. And that he was a minor and went to the equivalent of juvie for a few months. I don't know how to explain it, but their country has conservative values. But not that conservative. Like they're pretty modern. The victim was a student at a university, so she had to be at least 19 or 20 from what my cousin said. So she was a woman, not like a girl. I don't know what to think. My cousins don't know much more than me since the older generation have kept it hush hush. So original poster has more updates.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

So I tried to bring it up to my dad, but I couldn't. I would really hurt to accuse him of being a monster if he had literally done nothing wrong, because it meant that I actually thought he could be capable of doing something horrible like this. So I decided to talk to my mom. I told my mom everything. And she kind of started to justify it, saying that my dad was young, stupid, in love, and mentally all over the place place. Then she slipped up and said he didn't hurt me. Okay. So I dug deeper into the thread. Yeah, and the original poster added more that at the time. So apparently she clocked based on this Mom's admission that it was actually the

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

mom who was kidnapped by her.

[Alexis Linklater]

Abducted by the dad. Okay. So the mom added more context, said this. They didn't know each other before the abduction. My mom thought it was safe to

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

accept they didn't know each other before.

[Alexis Linklater]

No. So it was a stranger abduction.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

So my mom thought it was safe to accept a ride from my dad because he was young and harmless and he was wearing a school uniform. She said my mom was 20 and my dad was 16, but I think she's mixing that up. And then another question from a user was, was your dad's family aware of the kidnapping? Was he living with anyone? Did he have any family? And apparently he lived with my grandpa and my great grandpa, who was always out of the country. My dad said that the family was pretty well off. No one was home at the time of the kidnapping because of the holidays. The maid came in in the morning to either pick stuff up or drop it off. And that's when my mom crawled out of the window, twisted her ankle, and ran to the maid and asked to go to the police.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

So, like, at least overnight, she didn't say, oh, my gosh.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. So something happened here where the mom was abducted in a stranger abduction and somehow ended up marrying.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And we don't know, like, how their relationship progressed after that.

[Alexis Linklater]

No. But another commenter said this, that they had heard something similar in their native country, which was the Philippines.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

And said it was in the 70s, and said that a family member of theirs got abducted in the 70s in the Philippines and. By the chauffeur. By a driver.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

And apparently the scandal of disappearing with this man for days was so scandalous and like, reputation ruining that she decided to just marry the guy because of that. Because culturally that was basically like, you're damaged good now goods now. You're damaged goods now. So if you don't marry this guy, no one's going to marry you in,

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

like, the way this society, which is devastating.

[Alexis Linklater]

I know.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So people in the comments in this post were asking if that could be the case.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Right. You know, it's kind of a little bit like Stockholm syndrome, too.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And so, you know, the original poster is here and saying, I kept asking my dad, you know, they obviously have this confrontation eventually with both of them, the mom and the dad. And she kept ask. I kept asking my dad why he would do this. And he was just being stupid and selfish and didn't realize that it was scary to her. And my mom said, what's done is Done. And they got over it. And now my mom and dad are in love and happy and that we could go to individual therapy to deal with it further if we needed to.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I do appreciate that as a response.

[Alexis Linklater]

I guess my brother said it didn't matter anymore and he wishes we didn't know it all. And original poster says I can't look at my parents the same way again. And honestly, I agree with my brother. I regret talking with my cousins, and I think my estranged family has a right to avoid my family for what my dad did.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I feel really sad for the original poster.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Because it's like that is life shattering a little bit.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And I think for me, what I would be most worried about. I don't know about her age, but looking at this now, at my age, I'm like, growing up in a family system that dysfunctional is terrifying. And I wonder what the other implications are.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Well, and also, is the mom actually willingly and. Or has she convinced herself that she's in this relationship willingly on her own terms, or has she been manipulated so much over the years that she doesn't even know?

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. I mean, you mentioned the Stockholm syndrome. It's like, well, how long was a bit. I need to know that because it was like, what happened Exactly. Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Also out of curiosity, I know we don't have this answer, but, like, you know, growing up, I would ask my parents all the time, like, how did you guys meet? I want to know your love story. What did the poster's parents say?

[Alexis Linklater]

They probably said university school, but what

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

they really meant is, oh, I kidnapped your mom from school for a bit. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

And some of the people in the comments are like, there's more to this. There must be something missing between your mom forgiving him for the abducting her and her family hating him. And people want to know again which country this is. And another commenter said, well, if you did nothing, why run away to the U.S. like, there's gotta be more to this story. But I don't think I'd want to find out if I was. If this was my parents.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I guess here's the one thing that I. That doesn't make it better necessarily, but at least it's not an unknown woman that he kidnapped that, like, we don't know where she is or how she's doing. Like, it's horrible. Don't kidnap anyone.

[Alexis Linklater]

But the mom survives.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

She's okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Physically.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Physically. And seems to be a good moment.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. An original poster leaves us with this. My dad did kidnap her, even though My mom insists that he didn't hurt her and she was fine. But she admitted she was terrified when she was in his house because she had no idea what he would do to her. So he definitely did bad things. Even if he regrets it. Kidnapping is a horrible crime.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

My first thought would be, like, did he do this to anyone else?

[Alexis Linklater]

Anyone who's capable of this, who's willing to let, like, someone be afraid, you know? And then further, like, now, the way she's describing her life now, the mom being essentially, like, removed from her family

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

because they all hate him.

[Alexis Linklater]

The abductor husband. Yeah, I mean, it sounds pretty bad.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I think it's always a red flag if your family doesn't like a partner.

[Alexis Linklater]

A hundred percent.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. Damn.

[Alexis Linklater]

And it only gets worse from here.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, great. Fantastic.

[Alexis Linklater]

You ready for number two?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. Let's do it.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word.

[Alexis Linklater]

My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. Twas a lovely suv, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply now at McDonald's.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Everyone can get more of what they want when they want it. With McVowey, you can choose your wake up call, you can choose your study meal, or even your drive through dinner.

[Alexis Linklater]

Jump from craving to saving with McDonald's under $3 menu, including a McChicken for only $2, limited time only. Price and participation may vary. Cannot be combined with any other offer. I, 24, female, found hundreds of pictures of my brother, 20, male, on my boyfriend's 24, male laptop. Can anyone please explain to me what's going on?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Have you ever dealt with anything like this?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

No. Thank goodness. Have you?

[Alexis Linklater]

No.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I did in high school. When I first went to my high school, everyone was like, oh, my God, your Lex. My sister's name is also Alexis. So it was like, oh, you're Lexi's sister. Like, she's so hot. So I dealt with all the boys wanting my sister, right? But I've never had to deal with finding photos of her on a boyfriend's phone.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. So, okay, I've been with my boyfriend for a year. Our relationship is. Was great. And we honestly never had any serious problems. We both have full time jobs and live together. He's good friends with my younger brother as well. Mainly because of their shared interest in fitness, workouts, et cetera. They hang out a good amount and go to the gym together. In hindsight, the fact that they're good friends makes it all the more creepier. Yesterday, I was home alone and my boyfriend was at work. I needed to print something out, but my laptop wasn't working at all. My boyfriend has several laptops, and there's one in particular he never uses. At least I've never seen him use it.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

That's weird. That in itself is an odd thing.

[Alexis Linklater]

Unless you have a production company. Do you need laptops?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

No. Like, I have a bunch of, like, broken laptops that I haven't done anything with.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, because what do you do with it? Yeah, so I. I get that. But, like, having a bunch around, like, functioning ones. Yeah, maybe.

[Vanessa]

No.

[Alexis Linklater]

So anyways, I thought this laptop was some dusty old thing. I grabbed it and it was not shut down properly. When I opened it, it took me straight to the photo albums, and there were hundreds of pictures of my brother saved.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Also, if it took her right to it, that means that that's what that computer is for.

[Alexis Linklater]

It's the last thing he was doing before he closed it. Okay, so most of these pictures were pulled from his social media accounts, but there were also pics of him from his rugby team's website. Wtf question mark.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, so they're not nudes.

[Alexis Linklater]

No.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

It could be a physique situation, body envy.

[Alexis Linklater]

I don't know, get subscription to Men's Journal or something.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I'm trying to make it less worse.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, this isn't even the worst.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, great.

[Alexis Linklater]

There was an album that only consisted of creep shots and videos. Pics of him sleeping and even videos of him getting changed. You could clearly see in the vids that he wasn't aware of being recorded. What the fucking fuck? She says.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Agreed. What the fucking fuck?

[Alexis Linklater]

Do you have any thoughts yet?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, I hate it.

[Alexis Linklater]

So the last pic he uploaded was literally last week. This is so creepy. I don't even know what to say. There were also pics of someone's gym clothes, and I'm assuming they're also my brother's. I'm confused, disgusted, and shocked. What the hell is going on? When he came back from work, I just went straight to sleep. I couldn't even face him. I honestly can't think of a good reason he would do this. I mean, straight guys don't usually do this, right? I don't know if I should even confront him about it. Should I ask what this whole thing is about?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Well, also, how violating for her brother, because it's not like, oh, maybe they're having A secret affair. And he's sending her boyfriend photos. No. He's being stalked.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yes.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And all of his privacy is being invaded by someone he trusts.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

Mm.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So why do you think the boyfriend's doing this to the brother?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Either romantic interest or obsession. I mean, whatever it is, it's. It's not. Not great.

[Alexis Linklater]

Would you confront your boyfriend?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

This is a really tough situation because it feels a little bit more nuanced where it's someone you know. Like, I almost immediate jumped into concern for the brother. How do I protect my brother? Because it's so violating. But then. Yeah, like. Like as that's your partner. I don't know. I don't know. Would you.

[Alexis Linklater]

I would not.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Because he feels unsafe.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yes. I would not. Because there are so many true crime cases.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Where somebody's busted. Like, there's been situations. It's different than this. But we're like, the husband's faking that he got into medical school, and they're, like, moving to the city to go to medical school. And then the wife finds out he's not even. He never got in, and the guy freaks out and kills his whole family. Like, once the veneer. Like, we've seen this in cases like, you know, like the Scott Peterson case. There's, like, elements of this, like, if you catch someone in a lie sometimes, like, they freak out and burn everything to. Yeah. So I think something like this with how sensitive the situation is. Because if you confront the brother, if you confront the boyfriend, he's gonna be afraid that you're gonna tell the brother the second, you know, you're a liability to whatever this obsession is.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

I would not. I would end the relationship and tell the brother.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. But then it's like, it's such a hard one, because the not knowing what the reasoning, I think would also bother me. But I agree. I wouldn't want to confront him directly.

[Alexis Linklater]

No. So some of the comments weigh in on this. So one user says, he's clearly got a thing for your brother. It's not a healthy way of expressing it. Creepy, if anything. But it's quite obvious. Confront him. Tell him how uncomfortable it makes you feel. Be prepared to break it off with him. Sorry you're having to deal with this. The original poster replies, it's weird because I've never even suspected that he had a thing for my brother. I would have noticed something like that. I honestly can't believe it. Another user says, it's not just that your boyfriend is sexually attracted to your brother, but that he's clearly Obsessive.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

I'm a single guy, and I will look at Facebook pictures of my crush, but I don't save them in my computer. That's super creepy.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And then go out of your way to take surveillance footage, basically.

[Alexis Linklater]

Sleep stuff.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. The sleep stuff is really creepy.

[Alexis Linklater]

And one user says this. You know, it's a lot worse than your boyfriend being secretly gay. Because I agree. Being secretly gay has nothing to do with violating people.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

You know, I would take the laptop and show my brother, then go to the police and report it in another.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

What can police do?

[Alexis Linklater]

You know, I hoped you said that. I hoped you'd ask that because, like, you're welcome. They have a lot of con. Like, a lot of users say this. Like, don't confront them alone. Go to the police. And it's like, the police. There's no crime committed until your brother complains.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Or until your brother pieces together that these were taken with secret cameras. Like, you going to the computer police with a computer isn't. They're just pictures. They're just pictures without context, you know?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. Oh, that's so tricky. Cause then also, I mean, I feel like the right move is break up with him. Tell your brother. But then it's this awkward. Like, is he so obsessed with your brother now that your brother's in danger physically?

[Alexis Linklater]

Right. And, you know, one user said, I don't recommend confronting him alone. This is some very unhealthy stuff. And I feel like if you corner someone with this sort of thing, he may react in a way that puts you in danger. Don't do that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Which is what you said. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Even if you crave the dramatic airing, which I would.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Are you one for a dramatic airing?

[Alexis Linklater]

I think there's something really cathartic about confronting someone, because I think what you said, like, I'd always be afraid. Like, what if there was an explanation? Like, I think that's a valid fear.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

But I think your gut would know there's something so wrong about this. But a lot of people would be like, I can't just end a relationship without talking about this.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

But, yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

A younger version of myself might not be able to hold it in if this happened now. I'd realize how dangerous this is.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

You know.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. Because I've confronted men in my past who have, like, been looking at other women and stuff, but it's not someone I know. And it's not taken to the level of obsession and stalking.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. This dangerous stuff.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So there's an update.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Sorry to disappoint but this isn't a positive update.

[Vanessa]

Oh, no.

[Alexis Linklater]

I'm still trying to mentally process it all, hence the delayed post. So I grabbed my laptop to take pics of the photo albums. I found way more stuff than I originally stumbled upon. A lot of commenters in the original post said that he probably used me to get closer to my brother. I didn't quite believe it at first, but they were right.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Like, it predates their relationship situation. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So while I was taking pics of the photo albums, I found more folders. He began saving these pictures for four or five months before we even started dating. And my brother didn't even know him at that time.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay. So, yeah, this is a very dangerous man.

[Alexis Linklater]

That realization sent chills down my spine. You're not alone in that system. I also went on the Internet, the bookmarks, his browsing history. It was all horrific. I'm not going to elaborate because it's honestly sickening. It's clear that he has an obsession with my brother and extremely violent and disturbing fantasies about him.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Him? Oh, like she found, like, searches.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And when you say violent and disturbing fantasies, that's like, really just.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

That's scary. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. I mean, it's the kind of stuff you see in evidence against serial killers. I mean, that's literally in, like, Rex Hewerman, the Long island serial killer. They presented that kind of evidence of his digital searches. Like violent, disgusting, predatory fantasizing.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

And it's like. Like, clearly that's what she's inferring here about her brother, which is so scary.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

So scary.

[Alexis Linklater]

So she continues. This was absolutely messed up. Scary stuff. I cannot believe that I was so clueless about everything. I went over to my brother's place and explained everything, showing him proof on the actual laptop. He was shocked and creeped out, of course, but didn't believe that my ex was behind this for different reasons. But he's not gay. He wouldn't do something like this, et cetera. I wanted to go to the police, but he completely refused.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

It also doesn't even have to be a gay thing. It could be, like, a murder thing. It truly could be fantasizing about killing someone.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. You hear this about. You know, there are a few cases that I've seen about, like, female friendships that escalate to some. One of them has some fixation, and it's like, there's obviously something really strange here. But you can see why he doesn't want to go to the police. It's the same reason victims of sexual assault who are boys and men don't want to go to the police because they immediately will say, like, the police will suspect I'm. I'm gay when I'm not.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Right.

[Alexis Linklater]

Not that there's obviously anything wrong with that, but, like, they don't even want to go there.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Which is sad.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

It's so sad.

[Alexis Linklater]

And why so many male victims, like, keep it buried inside and end up victimizing other people, frankly, because they don't deal with any of it.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So brother didn't want to go to the police. She continues. My plan was actually to confront my ex in public, but my brother just straight away texted him to come over. When my ex came, I showed him the laptop and asked him to explain. The entire situation was so bizarre. While I was talking, he seemed incredibly angry. I've never seen such a look on his face before.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

My, that's so scary.

[Alexis Linklater]

But when he calmed down, he casually confessed to everything. When he calmed down, he said that it was just a bad habit he got into and that he's truly sorry.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah, just like, you know, picking your nails.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, it's like, so chilling. And at that point, my brother said that this probably is a prank, it just wasn't funny, etc. I started crying a little, and he rolled his eyes and told me to stop crying. He was so nonchalant and cold. I didn't even recognize him anymore. Then he said that he would immediately stop doing this if we kept this to ourselves. I think my brother finally believed him then because he was absolutely dumbstruck. It's worse. My ex then said he take down the cameras too.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Shut up.

[Alexis Linklater]

And that we shouldn't make a big deal out of it. I asked him where the cameras were, and he proceeded to show us. He probably thought he was a good guy for cooperating with us and that it would make the situation less creepy.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Also, like, why would you trust that he shows you all the cameras?

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, and you know what I mean. That's a manipulation tactic. People who are liars and manipulators will admit to one thing and be like, look, I'm being a total open book. I'm not lying. See, I'm. I'm confessing to everything. And then the worst thing is still buried. So this isn't even the worst thing. So then he says, turns out there was a camera in the shower as well. It was nauseating. The conversation that followed was extremely uncomfortable. And my ex said some very provocative, inappropriate things.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

This is way worse than I ever would have imagined.

[Alexis Linklater]

No, it's Dev. It's Traumatizing for.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

For everyone.

[Alexis Linklater]

The brother and sister.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

And, like, pinning a wedge between them. Like, there's so much wrong with this. They ended up having a huge argument about the stolen clothes, amongst other topics, and the rest was pretty awful. I eventually went to stay at a friend's place. I'd already packed my stuff. Anyway, there's another paragraph.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I was gonna say. I need. I. I hope there's more, because I need to know more.

[Alexis Linklater]

Later that night, my ex texted me that I. I'm a bad person for invading his privacy and that I'm selfish, narcissistic, a bad human being, etc. He said that he's willing to forgive me, though. Yeah, he really said that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Great guy.

[Alexis Linklater]

Great guy with the gaslighting. Yeah, The Darvo.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah, right.

[Alexis Linklater]

I blocked his number on everything. A day later, he came to me at work and I told him to stay away from me. He did that every day for one week at different locations until I seriously threatened him. He said that he never cared about me anyway and wished me luck for my future relationships.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

What a horrible, horrible man.

[Alexis Linklater]

So there's another ending with how the brother, how that played out. A couple of days ago, my brother texted me. We haven't spoken at all since that day. And he apologized, but he still refuses to address the elephant in the room. He's just pretending it never happened. I told him that my ex is clearly not stable. Why would you not notify the police? And I honestly don't know what to do. By the way, it was his 21st birthday yesterday, and I called him in the morning. He told me that he got a present from an unknown sender.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

What was it? Do we know?

[Alexis Linklater]

No, but the poster, the original poster said this. I said that the sender is probably not unknown to us. Like, this is 100% my psycho ex. I just know it. And as I said, this isn't a positive update. A lot of people seem to be concerned, and that's the only reason I posted this. I just hope things don't get worse.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

How long ago is this posted?

[Alexis Linklater]

Like, this post was in 2018.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I mean, I'm sure there have been updates since then. Like, this guy was obsessive and clearly a bad person. But I'm also concerned of how many other people he has in the past done this to and will continue to do this too. Because when there are no punishments for someone like this, they have no reason to stop.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, and he's. I mean, he's only 24. Like, think about all the time left in Life. He has to, like, terrorize and torment people and invade people's crimes.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Hate people.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, I do.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

They're the worst.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, and, like, again, it's just like, the entitled. The entitlement of feeling entitled to someone's privacy and stealing his clothes. Like, there's so much of that in, like, criminal minds. Like, you see it in killers. That's how they start. They start by, like, burglarizing and stealing people's underwear. Like violence.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yes. Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So. And especially so sad.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

In the searches she was talking about, like, no good can come from this.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. I feel like that that's going to escalate, and then it's going to be one of those situations where it escalates to an extreme, like, knock on wood. Hopefully no one gets murdered. But, like, if something like that does happen, it's going to be one of those cases where you look back and this is one of the stories that you hear about, and it's like, oh, all the signs were there.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And sending the gift after, you know, supposedly everything was gonna be cut off.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

But I also understand from the brother's perspective why you wouldn't want to go to the police. Like, that's his decision to make. I guess, in a way. But you were even pointing out, like. I don't know. I feel like it makes it more real.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. You'd want to downplay it and make it, like, not a bigger thing. And it's. Maybe it's a, you know, a defense mechanism, too. Like, if there's worse on his computer, I don't want to know. You know, it's already messing with his life. Psyche. Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Reality.

[Alexis Linklater]

Totally.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Geez. Well, that. That's a grim.

[Alexis Linklater]

I know.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Well, is it gonna get worse?

[Alexis Linklater]

It's gonna get different. And I think this will be. I mean, you have a brother, so this is not. That last story was not relatable to me in any way. I don't have brothers. I always wondered what it would be like, because I think that's such an interesting dynamic.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I technically have three brothers, but I only have one that, like, I'm really close with.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

That's. Many brothers.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I've. I feel like I've dabbled in how complicated my dad is, but he's a complicated man. Has lots of kids.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Many.

[Alexis Linklater]

Okay.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So you really understand the brother of it all?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I. Yeah. Especially with my younger brother, who's. Well, they're all younger, but of my, like, core family. He's 28, and I feel like I helped raise him, too, so. I feel so protective of him.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

That if someone were to with him, I think I would become more protective of someone trying to fuck with my family or my brother or my sister than I would if someone was trying to fuck with me. Oh yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

I've just let people walk all over the place.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh yeah. For sure.

[Alexis Linklater]

Unintentionally, but yeah. No. 100%.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Are we ready for the next one?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Let's do it.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

With Squarespace, you can do more than just build a website. You can build a business. Squarespace helps restaurants and hotels showcase signature offerings and experiences. And with Squarespace, consultants and photographers can create invoices to collect well earned payments. You can even send email newsletters to keep in touch with your loyal customers. Done. So grow your [e-mail]. get started with offer code. Make it real for 10% off your website or domain.

[Sponsor Voice 3]

Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download Today. I'm Josh Mankiewicz and I hope you'll join us for season five of Dateline Missing in America. In each episode of Dateline's award winning series we will focus on on one missing persons case and hear from the families, the friends and the investigators all desperate to find them. Maybe you could help solve a mystery. Search Dateline Missing in America to listen completely free or subscribe to Dateline Premium to unlock new episodes early.

[Alexis Linklater]

My mother in law suddenly passed away in a car accident last month at the same time my stalker disappeared.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Marriage coincidence? Probably not.

[Alexis Linklater]

Probably not.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

So that's so sad.

[Alexis Linklater]

Messed up. So my mother in law and I have never had a good relationship. She has tried to sabotage my relationship with my husband since the day she met me. I wasn't good enough for her Handsome and successful boy.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Which is a crime on its own of like women protecting their sons like this and being obsessive with their children.

[Alexis Linklater]

Some successful boy giving breakfast anyways.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

So you can think your child is successful without being obsessed with them and

[Alexis Linklater]

you can think they're handsome without babying an adult man. Yeah, I contemplated ending. I contemplated ending my relationship several times. But my husband always showed that he is on my side and I love him.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, that's good.

[Alexis Linklater]

A few years ago, I started getting very threatening and scary emails and texts from a Pax. So Pax is the name of the texter. Emailer. This Pax knew everything about me. It didn't matter how many emails and phone numbers I changed. They or he always found me. I made several reports, but nothing happened. My husband tried everything to trace these emails. Nothing came out of it.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, so this is going in the direction of. What's that documentary where like the mom was that documentary?

[Alexis Linklater]

Unknown number. Yeah.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay, so this is the direction it's going in because I went. When you read that like subreddit or the title of the post, I thought it was me. Like the stalker accidentally killed the mother in law. But now we're like, oh, okay, okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, yeah. And to torment your own high school daughter is so deranged. It's like that is a dangerous, dangerous woman. And we'll talk about how tangled relationships are when you even find out your parent is doing something like this, how hard it would be to accept. Yeah, but the husband in this situation was really helpful in trying to get

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

to the bottom, which I appreciate. Great, great husband. Green flag there.

[Alexis Linklater]

Totally. So no matter what, Pax always found her. And she was under the impression that Pax was a guy based on the language that was being used. And the original poster says, I made several reports but nothing happened. And this past year I basically never left the apartment alone, so. Saying that she got so scared of this that it was she was afraid

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

to leave the house to be alone.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, so she says. I haven't received a single threatening text or email from Pax in a month. After a few days, I wasn't surprised. I felt like I always knew it was my mother in law. Deep down, my husband hasn't reacted yet. He's consumed with his grief and I don't want to bother him. Especially when he bitterly told me, you must be very pleased. Now when we heard the news and I tried to comfort him, he apologized later and said he was just feeling guilty that he loved and chose me more than he loved her.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, that's so complicated. Yeah, that's so complicated. And also it would be one thing to find out your mom was this like Pax person while she's still alive. But to be dealing with the grief of losing your mom, regardless of how complicated your relationship is, like you could hate your parent and if they die, people still have so much grief. And that like feeling of loss, it's primal.

[Alexis Linklater]

I mean, they're the most foundational relationships Human beings can have. I mean, they mold who we are and we feel totally intertwined with them. So it makes total sense. Like it's impossible to let go.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, so sad.

[Alexis Linklater]

So she continues. Okay, now I'm waiting for my husband to connect the dots. Will he get it? If he does, will he talk to me about it? I don't know if I will ever bring it up to him. Also, I won't relax and go back to my normal life just yet. But I know in my heart that it's over and I can't be happier about my life.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Well, you. Yeah, you're. And she's entitled to feel that relief because she was being tormented by this woman. Also, I'm curious if, and maybe this will be in updates, but when like you lose someone and you like start to go through their things, do they find anything that proves.

[Alexis Linklater]

I've actually heard a lot of stories like that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Where, you know, one story I heard was this woman was dealing with like constant people stealing her identity constantly. And like, basically her financial life was in ruins. And when her mom died, she found all the documents that it was her mom. And then it's like you can't do anything with the anger.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Because they're gone.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

Crazy. So do you think you'd tell the husband or do you think you'd wait?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I would wait because I, I would empathize so much with their processing the grief. And then like, I would be able to like sit with my relief of it being over. But I wouldn't want to throw that on them.

[Alexis Linklater]

Right.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

What about you?

[Alexis Linklater]

I think I would have started accusing the mother in law the second I suspected it. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of like. Yeah, I'm not. I can't be calculating like that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So my husband, at the time of her death would have already known that I thought it was her.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I do agree with that, but I think if you didn't put it together until after, I wouldn't. Yes.

[Alexis Linklater]

Choose.

[Vanessa]

Then.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah, I wouldn't bring it up for the first time.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, totally. So some comments here. You know, there are a lot of cases where people had tons of threatening letters and phone calls and many, they never found out who did it. And most people assumed it was some random psycho, but I wonder how many were close to them. Instead, there was an episode of this American Life about a woman who was continuously the victim of identity theft. And bank accounts. No, I heard of a different story, but bank accounts kept getting hit. Despite changing cards, banks, everything. Turns out she was Living with the thief. Another comment. My stalker was a high school classmate. I think most people know or assume their stalker is someone they know because it's far more rare to be stalked by someone you've never interacted before. People agree. You should let him connect the dots on his own. I wouldn't even drop hints.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I would be like, we should go look through your mom's phone.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, like, where?

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Where?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Lead him to water.

[Alexis Linklater]

Totally. So, are we ready for the update?

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yes.

[Alexis Linklater]

I was here maybe a month ago talking about me. Suspecting that my mother in law was my stalker who tormented me for years. I was trying to get advice about whether or not to tell my husband who was mourning her. I decided to wait a little. But after venting here, I was sure she was my stalker. I started living like I never had before, with 10 minute walks alone, then 15, then a half hour, and then so on. At first, my husband didn't notice my freedom. Or maybe he did, but he was processing it himself. Last Friday, I told him that I was going out with the girls. Alone? Yes. Want me to drive you there? No need. Aren't you. Are you not afraid anymore? No. My stalker won't bother me again. He kissed me and wished me a nice evening. When I came home around midnight, he was still up and he said he wanted to talk. He asked me, was my mother your stalker? Yes. He broke down crying. He said he has always suspected her and even talked to her a couple times about it. And she made him so guilty by accusing her that she accused him of being whipped by me.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, this poor man.

[Alexis Linklater]

You know why it's so messed up? Because if you look at it at its surface, it's like, okay, the mother in law is tormenting the daughter in law, but she's also tormenting her own son 100%. Because now there's a frantic, upset woman in his life who he's having to spend time and energy trying to get to the bottom of who's doing this. It's creating chaos in their nuclear family.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

So she's also tormenting her own son in a weird way.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And then she's like victimizing herself when he brings it to her and then makes him almost coddle her more and be like, oh, how dare. Like, I'm so sorry. You're right. How could I accuse you? Like, you love me. You wouldn't do that to me.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, like you're choosing your wife over your mother and accusing me. That's deranged. And he's like, oh my God, I'm so terrible. And she's manipulating him and messing with his emotions.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I mean, listen, I have very low standards for men based on my track record.

[Sponsor Voice 1]

The bar is low.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

But like. And I don't know much more about this man, but I gotta give praise for him turning out into like the type of man that he is given the situation that we're hearing about with his mom.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, absolutely. And the original poster said he apologized for never discussing it with me and never protected me from his family, even though he had suspicions. Honestly, I'm not even mad or disappointed if the police couldn't help me. I don't know how much my husband could have done and I just want to move on and leave this behind. We're going to start couples therapy and my husband's planning to tell his family that my mother in law was my stalker. He's adamant about it and honestly, I think it's a good idea. My husband has also decided to not attend the headstone setting on his mother's grave.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh man, that's tough.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, I think he has the insight to be like, oh my God, the lies, the betrayal.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

She wasn't who she said she was or who I thought she was.

[Alexis Linklater]

100%.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Gosh.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah. And there are a couple other comments. The love and mutual respect you two share show so clearly through your story. You had the grace to give him time to come to the realization on his own. He had the grace to recognize how your struggling coincided with his mother's presence in your lives. It's a beautiful outcome to a deeply troubling experience.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Also, what a beautiful comment on Reddit.

[Alexis Linklater]

The most insightful, articulate comment maybe that's ever been on Reddit.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I appreciate it.

[Alexis Linklater]

Y' all must be two very strong people who have found each other and made the decision to navigate this world as partners. Here's to a lifetime of love and understanding. And the original poster replied to this. I wanted so many times to leave the relationship because I couldn't take the stocking any longer, but he has been nothing but supportive and kind to me and I love him so much. I'm glad we stuck together. A happy ending.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Wow. Do I believe in love again?

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Maybe.

[Alexis Linklater]

And like happy endings on Reddit.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I know.

[Alexis Linklater]

Unexpected.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Wow.

[Alexis Linklater]

The plot twist I didn't see coming.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And to not have let the mother in law win.

[Alexis Linklater]

Right. And you know, confronting people when they're alive like that could have blown up the entire extended family. Like really, it could have been an all out war and she could have gaslit a million other people to take her side. It's almost better that they found out when she was already gone.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And I do agree like that he was given the time and space to come to it on his own. I think makes the situation. That's why they were able to have such a healthy.

[Alexis Linklater]

Oh, imagine dealing with it. Imagine he confronted her. How manipulative and crazy making she would have been. It would have been a disaster. So damn happy ending for a Reddit couple.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Have you ever found any secrets about your family?

[Sponsor Voice 1]

Yes.

[Alexis Linklater]

So many secrets.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh my gosh.

[Alexis Linklater]

Well, I do have a funny story about. So my dad, I got him like 23andMe for like a Father's Day a long time ago, and he told me he signed up for it and he opted in to like let family find you. And he got a hit for having a son.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And then so you do have a brother.

[Alexis Linklater]

So he found a hit for a son. And it turns out my dad is an identical twin and no way. So my cousins are technically my genetically half siblings. So my male cousin had joined 23andMe and it was him.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Oh, okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

It was a fake surprise. But no, there's a lot of secrets in my family. I don't even know how to start airing them out.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Well, I think also I think that could be said about all families. Right. There's secrets in every family. There's just different, like varying levels of horrific secrets. Some are not terrible and some are that you kidnapped your mother.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yeah, kidnapped your mother or.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Or maybe was involved in a crime in Pakistan or have many kids. I don't know. I feel like the kids one is. Is a very commonly spoken about one. And especially with 23andMe, I feel like, well, people didn't. The amount of people who found out

[Alexis Linklater]

they had other kids the privilege of not even knowing whether they do, which is insane. Also terrifying.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah.

[Alexis Linklater]

For men. But yeah, crazy.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

So crazy. Well, now offline, we'll have to unpack all your family secrets.

[Alexis Linklater]

Yes, we will.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

There's more to learn in future episodes of Crimes of Reddit, but if you have family secrets that you want to share with us, you can add them in the comments or you can go over to our subreddit crimesofredd pod anonymously. Reveal those secrets or not. Yeah, you don't have to be anonymous.

[Alexis Linklater]

Make your Reddit handle your real name. Don't be a coward.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Don't be a coward. Mine is definitely not my real name.

[Alexis Linklater]

No,

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

is it? How many. How many do you have?

[Alexis Linklater]

I had one and now I have that.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I don't use Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

I have one at a time.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

I think now it's my real name.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Okay.

[Alexis Linklater]

Because I'm not a coward.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

You don't hide behind a fake.

[Alexis Linklater]

I don't really participate. I lurk.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I'm such a lurker.

[Alexis Linklater]

I don't ever. May maybe like in the Bachelor subreddit once or twice, but I really don't like. I'm not in the weeds.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Yeah. No. Oh. So Corinne, this. Because I. I feel like most of my friends I thought were lurkers. And then all of a sudden there was like a post that came up and I saw Corinne had commented and I was like, excuse you, since when are you a commenter? Because it was like on like a random post and I was very concerned. So I, I appreciate that you're a lurker.

[Alexis Linklater]

I've definitely, like, popped in when there's misinformation about me on there.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

That's fair.

[Alexis Linklater]

But I also, I'm like, after I do it, I'm so mad. I'm like, you're supposed to be above all this. You're not even supposed to bother with defending. Like, don't see that's allowed. Validated.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

I feel like if I found out someone I knew was adding to, like, the negativity online, that would change how I view them. But if you're just like correcting misinformation or being like, oh, this is pretty.

[Alexis Linklater]

I just should really stay away when I've like, had a margarita and feeling spicy because then I do insane things.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

And after this, we should go get a margarita.

[Sponsor Voice 2]

We will.

[Alexis Linklater]

We'll unpack all of it. Thanks for joining us for Crimes of Reddit, a Crime House original.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on all social media rimehouse. And don't forget to rate, review and follow CRIMESOFReddit wherever you get your podcast. Your feedback truly makes a difference.

[Alexis Linklater]

And if you find a Reddit story that you want us to COVID leave a comment and maybe we'll feature it in a future episode.

[Sabrina Diana Roga]

We'll see you next week. Bye.

[Alexis Linklater]

Bye.

[Vanessa]

Thanks for listening to Crimes of Reddit. For more, follow Crimes of Reddit on Apple podcasts, Spotify or subscribe on YouTube at Crimes of Reddit pod for video episodes. New episodes drop every Tuesday

[Sponsor Voice 3]

now at McDonald's. Everyone can get more of what they want when they want it. With McVowey, you can choose your wake up call, you can choose your study meal or even your drive through dinner

[Alexis Linklater]

jump from craving to saving with McDonald's under three dollar menu including a McChicken for only two dollars limited time only. Price and participation may vary and end at the be combined with any other offer.

[Vanessa]

Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Are you the type to fall down an Internet rabbit hole and not come up for hours? You'll love Crimes of Reddit, a new crime house original with Sabrina, Deanna Roga and Alexis Linklater. Every week, one host brings real, true crime stories from Reddit while the other reacts completely blind. No prep, no spoilers. Then they swap. It's the feeling of sending your group chat a thread at 2am that starts with you have to see this, except Sabrina and Alexis are in the chat with you. Follow Crimes of Reddit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or subscribe at Crimes of Reddit pod on YouTube.