Podcast Summary: Something About Cari – Episode 2: “Bait and Switch”

Host: Keith Morrison (NBC News)
Date: December 2, 2025

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode dives deep into the baffling and menacing case of Cari Farver, a single mom who vanished from America’s heartland after a new romance with Dave Krupa. In a gripping narrative led by Keith Morrison, listeners are taken through an escalating pattern of harassment — bizarre texts, stalking, vandalism, and suspected arson — that spirals into psychological torment for Cari’s family, friends, and boyfriend. All leads appear to point to Cari herself as the perpetrator, but investigators and loved ones can’t shake the feeling that something is desperately "off."
The episode builds steadily towards the “mind-bending twist” that will challenge everyone's assumptions about what really happened to Cari.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disappearance and the First Signs of Trouble

• Dave Krupa’s Perspective on Cari ([01:26])
  • Dave, once averse to commitment, finds himself surprisingly smitten with Cari after a whirlwind romance.
  • Suddenly, just hours after a seemingly great night, Cari sends Dave a text proposing they move in together. When Dave declines, an avalanche of angry messages follows.

  "As soon as I text her back, I get a text back that says, fine, I don't ever want to see you again... Go away. I’m dating somebody else. I hate you. On and on and on and on and on." — Dave Krupa [02:15]

• Dave’s Relief Turns into Nightmare
  • Initially, he believes he has "dodged a bullet," but the harassment only intensifies: angry texts, refusal to answer calls, erratic behavior.

  "It sounded like Dave's personal horror show. So this is the woman from hell." — Keith Morrison [02:59]

2. Victim or Villain? The Stalking Intensifies

• Unrelenting Harassment ([03:54–07:26])
  • Dave shows police the increasing barrage of texts and emails from 'Cari'.
  • A surreal moment: a detective receives a text from Cari during their interview.
  • Police and Dave become convinced Cari is stalking not only him but his ex, Liz Goliar, too. Liz’s possessions are vandalized, and graffiti appears ("whore from Dave"), intensifying suspicion against Cari.
• Cari Becomes a Suspect
  • Police reports in multiple jurisdictions label Cari a stalker, even as her family reports her missing.

3. Harassment Expands to Friends and Family

• Impact on Dave’s Life ([07:58–12:39])

  • Ramped-up harassment: windows smashed, cars vandalized, Dave’s workplace under siege.
  • Threatening, obsessive texts refer to Liz, Carrie’s perceived romantic rival.

  "It was very common for me to get messages... that say, 'Oh, I see you through your window. You're doing this.' And I'd go, I am doing this. Okay, great. And I'd haul ass outside..." — Dave Krupa [12:39]

  • Disturbing escalation: a message says Cari has kidnapped Liz, with a photo of a bound woman (mostly unrecognizable).

• Carrie’s Mother, Nancy’s, Perspective ([09:16–09:37])

  • Nancy is skeptical authorities are doing enough as harassment stories mount. Her desperation is palpable.

  "I got a little callous towards the authorities thinking that I didn't think they were doing quite as what they should have been doing." — Nancy Farber [09:16]

4. Family Despair—Cari’s Absence and “Presence”

• Painful Holidays ([16:19–18:51])
  • Emotional interviews with Nancy and Max, Cari’s son, about the pain of holidays and life events passing without Cari’s presence.
  • Nancy and Max describe the emotional toll: “I was really worried... He did a lot of crying at their house. That bothered me, of course.” — Nancy Farber [17:44]
  • Dave shares how the ordeal changed him, including drinking heavily and significant weight gain ([31:41–32:23]).

5. The Search for Answers — False Hope and Cold Leads

• The Shelter Hoax ([20:12–22:38])

  • Months after the disappearance, a message to Dave claims Cari is homeless and at a local shelter. Nancy rushes there, only to find Cari was never present—yet another heartbreaking dead end.

  "Well, then, you know. Then your hopes are dashed again. You just think, where can she be?" — Nancy Farber [21:49]

• Social Media Manipulation

  • 'Cari' posts defensive and erratic messages online, sometimes sounding rational, other times lashing out at Liz.
  • Nancy agonizes over every digital trace — is Cari alive, in crisis, kidnapped, or has someone stolen her identity?

  "There was this hope that maybe she's still out there... and maybe one day soon she'd walk back in the door and explain everything." — Keith Morrison [23:25–23:35]

6. Testing Identity: Max’s Heartbreaking Message ([26:34–29:00])

- Cari’s son Max receives messages from ‘her’ on Facebook but becomes suspicious when the nickname differs (“Little Man” instead of “Short Round”).
- Max tests ‘Cari’ with personal questions. He gets no reply—deepening his heartbreak and suspicions.

7. Friends Fear the Worst and The Harassment Reaches New Victims

• Friend Amy Long’s Account ([29:31–30:39])
  • Amy speaks of their close bond, but her messages rarely get answered or, when they do, are brushed off by someone who is uncharacteristically cold and secretive.
  • Amy fears untraceable dangers from dating websites where Cari met Dave.
• Harassment Moves On ([32:28–33:53])
  • Dave is subject to threatening vandalism (“Dave loves fat whores” carved into his car) and receives chilling threats (“I should cut your heart out like you did to me”).
  • Others, like Angela Manor—a woman who never even met Dave—are harassed, and her children threatened, just for connecting with Dave online.

8. The Episode’s Cliffhanger

• Dave and Liz Cope Together ([33:53–34:01])
  • Dave and Liz, both targets, bond over the shared torment, showing each other harassing messages and seeking solidarity—unsure of who could ever understand.
• Preview of Escalation
  • The episode ends with hints that the psychological terror soon turns to violence—arson and possible murder—setting up the jaw-dropping twist to come.

  "The first time I was briefed on this case, my first impression was this is the story for a made for TV movie..." — Dave Krupa [34:16]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dave Krupa on the onset of harassment:

  “As soon as I text her back, I get a text back that says, fine, I don't ever want to see you again... Go away. I’m dating somebody else. I hate you. On and on and on and on and on.” ([02:15])

• Keith Morrison’s wry comparison of Cari to a horror villain:

  "Carrie. Now that name. Just like the old movie about the possessed prom Queen from the 1970s. It sounded like Dave's personal horror show. So this is the woman from hell." ([02:59])

• Nancy Farber on her despair with the authorities:

  "I got a little callous towards the authorities thinking that I didn't think they were doing quite as what they should have been doing." ([09:16])

• Max tries to prove the Facebook account isn’t his mother:

  "Max asked his mom to name his best friend when he was a little kid... I never got a response to that one." ([28:45]–[29:03])

• Psychological disintegration and paranoia:

  "I was looking around every corner, you know, Drinking more. Yeah, for a while there I was drinking heavily, which is not me. There's never been a time in my life where I was a real drinker..." — Dave Krupa ([31:41])

• The foreshadowing of greater violence:

  "The first time I was briefed on this case, my first impression was this is the story for a made for TV movie..." — Dave Krupa ([34:16])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:26 – Introduction of Dave Krupa’s relationship with Cari and first signs of trouble.
• 02:15 – Dave describes the abrupt turn in Cari’s texts.
• 03:54–07:26 – The intensity of harassment and escalation to vandalism.
• 09:16–09:37 – Nancy's growing frustration and helplessness.
• 16:19–18:51 – Holiday hardships for Max and Nancy.
• 20:12–22:38 – False hope at the shelter.
• 26:34–29:00 – Max’s Facebook test and resulting heartbreak.
• 29:31–30:39 – Amy Long’s friend perspective and online silence.
• 31:09–32:28 – Dave details the impact on his life.
• 33:01 – Angela Manor’s experience with harassment.
• 33:53–34:16 – Dave and Liz bond over shared victimization; episode cliffhanger.

Conclusion & Takeaway

Episode 2 of Something About Cari is a chilling examination of how digital identities, obsession, and manipulation can unravel lives and confound reason. Through a blend of firsthand interviews and harrowing digital evidence, Morrison and his guests paint a portrait of escalating terror and uncertainty, all building towards a twist that promises to upend every assumption.

For anyone fascinated by true crime and the dark side of digital communication, this is essential, edge-of-your-seat listening.