Snapped: Women Who Murder

Episode: Kimmi Hardy
Original Airdate: October 19, 2025
Podcast Host: Oxygen True Crime

Brief Overview

This gripping episode of Snapped: Women Who Murder recounts the tragic and bizarre case of Kimmi Hardy, a woman from small-town Keokuk, Iowa, whose obsession with motherhood and domestic bliss spiraled into manipulation, murder, and an elaborate web of lies. The disappearance of Teresa Lund and her infant son Paul triggers an investigation that peels back layers of small-town secrets, ending with the exposure of a chilling scheme: Kimmi’s attempt to “grant” her new husband a son by stealing a newborn and murdering the child’s mother.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Disappearance of Teresa Lund and Baby Paul

• On August 29, 1996, Charlene Hiskey reports Teresa Lund and her six-week-old baby Paul as missing when Teresa fails to pick up her other children from school.
• An immediate sense of worry pervades the community, with Teresa described as “dependable” and “always there for her kids.”
• Teresa’s car is found abandoned, containing her pocketbook and checkbook. The baby seat is missing (04:32–04:56).

2. Family & Background Context

• Teresa is remembered as a loving mother of four who looked forward to moving to Indiana to unite her family (06:07–08:50).
• Husband Terry Bell is quickly ruled out as a suspect; he was verified to be out of town by both work records and colleagues at the time of disappearance (16:26–16:47).

3. Early Investigation & Community Impact

• Despite extensive searches and local media attention, the case stagnates, and fear ripples through Keokuk’s tight-knit community (14:40–14:47).
• Investigators comment on the rarity and gravity of both mother and infant vanishing:

  “You got a mother and infant that's gone, just vanished. It's a small town. Everyone's talking.” — Investigator (15:13–15:22)

4. The Anonymous Tip: The Hardys and a “Newborn”

• Weeks into the investigation, a tip reaches police: Kimmi and Bob Hardy have been showing off a “newborn” that seems older than a few days, with no birth certificate (19:40–20:08).
• Detectives notice the “newborn” with Kimmi is much larger than expected:

  “That baby's just as big as my daughter and my daughter is four months old.” — Detective Church (22:18)

5. Piecing Together Kimmi’s Fraudulent Pregnancy & Timeline

• Kimmi faked a pregnancy to please her husband Bob, buying baby clothes and holding a baby shower (21:10–21:20).
• Reports emerge that she solicited a witness (her sister-in-law) to lie about being present for the birth (23:27–23:37).
• When confronted, Kimmi abruptly confesses:

  “She just looked at us and said, ‘I'll just tell you straight up, the baby's not mine.’” — Investigator (26:27–26:35)

6. Kimmi’s Outlandish Story & Shifting Narratives

• Kimmi claims a former drug boss, Anthony Matrona, arranged for her to buy a baby in exchange for money and resuming her role as a drug mule (26:49–27:43).
• Her story includes shadowy figures arriving from out of state and handing her the baby, with no evidence or plausible leads (27:59–28:32).

7. Crucial Evidence & Break in the Case

• Footprint analysis confirms the “Hardy baby” is indeed missing Paul Lund (28:46–28:59).
• Kimmi is arrested and charged as the search for Teresa intensifies, to the relief of the bereft Bell family.

8. Investigation into Kimmi's Motives and Methods

• Neighbors and friends reveal Kimmi’s history of faking pregnancies, including a “burial” for a non-existent stillborn child (37:30–38:27).
• Kimmi’s history revealed she underwent sterilization in 1984, making her pregnancy impossible (39:02–43:34):

  “She underwent sterilization procedures back in 1984... So she had a tubal ligation.” — Narrator (43:19–43:34)

9. Uncovering the Murder & Involving Bob Hardy

• Bob, facing legal pressure, admits he helped Kimmi move Teresa’s body after she confessed there was “a body downstairs” (36:04–36:21).
• Police recover the murder weapon, a handgun Kimmi had bought just weeks before, and ballistics match it to the shooting (36:56–37:12).

10. Trial, Lies, and Verdict

• Kimmi spins further unbelievable stories at her trial, persisting in her claim that she was pregnant and that Anthony Matrona was involved.
• Prosecutors introduce Anthony by phone, who refutes Kimmi’s claims, stating:

  “He says, well, that's some bull there. He told us he'd never been to Iowa, never seen those people.” — Narrator (42:29–42:54)

• Evidence establishes Kimmi killed Teresa to obtain her baby; she is convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and child theft, and sentenced to life without parole.

11. Aftermath

• Bob Hardy serves three years for related charges and is released in 2002.
• Paul Bell and Teresa’s other children are raised by family members; the family reflects poignantly on the impact and lingering grief.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Teresa’s Character:

  “She’s left those kids and that’s not like her. You get a dependable person and they disappear. You know something’s wrong.”
  — Family Member (05:11)

• On the Investigation’s Frustrations:

  “We had no idea where she was. We had no evidence. We’d run out of leads.”
  — Narrator (16:53)

• On Kimmi’s Deception:

  “Who thinks of faking a pregnancy? She was willing to lie, to toy with people's feelings, to create all kinds of scenarios.”
  — Psychologist/Expert (38:40)

• On Motivation:

  “It really is much more about a relationship with Bob than the baby. The baby is almost a means to an end.”
  — Psychologist/Expert (40:41)

• On Kimmi’s Conviction:

  “She was convicted of murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, and child stealing, and she was sentenced to life in prison.”
  — Narrator (43:58)

• On the Family’s Enduring Loss:

  “At the end of the day, there’s nothing that anybody can do to her on this earth that’s really gonna make up for what she did. My dad loved my mom very, very, very, very much. And when he lost her, it changed a piece of him forever.”
  — Teresa’s Daughter (44:11)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Discovery of Teresa’s Car: 04:32–04:56
• Background and Family Life: 05:23–08:50
• Ruling Out Terry Bell: 16:26–16:47
• Anonymous Tip About the Hardys: 19:40–20:08
• Detective Realizes Baby’s Age: 22:18
• Confrontation & Kimmi’s Confession: 26:27–26:35
• Kimmi’s Far-fetched Story About Anthony: 26:49–28:32
• Gun Purchase & Evidence: 31:21–32:12
• Bob Hardy’s Involvement and Disposal of Body: 36:04–36:21
• History of Fake Pregnancies: 37:30–38:40
• Sterilization Evidence: 43:19–43:34
• Trial and Anthony’s Testimony: 42:00–42:54
• Conviction and Aftermath: 43:58–end

Conclusion

The episode meticulously traces Kimmi Hardy’s calculated deception and descent into murder, driven by a desperate quest for domestic fulfillment. The story stands as a chilling reminder of the darkness that can lurk in the search for love and family, and the devastation left behind for those closest to the victims. The community, investigators, and surviving family members all bear witness to the extraordinary manipulations—and the irrevocable heartbreak—perpetrated in the pursuit of a lie.