Podcast Summary: Something About Cari

Episode 5: Mother
Host: Keith Morrison (NBC News / Dateline)
Release Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this riveting installment, Keith Morrison delves into the haunting aftermath of Cari Farver’s disappearance from Iowa in 2012. As single mom Cari vanishes just weeks into a new romance, her loved ones and the police confront a tangled web of deception: menacing texts, stalking, arson—and eventually, murder. This episode traces the persistent and convoluted investigation, culminating in a trial without a body, and spotlights the shocking revelations that ensnare those closest to the case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Theories and Stagnation

• Community Assumptions:
  After Cari’s disappearance, many—including police—attribute her vanishing to mental illness (bipolar disorder). Her mother, Nancy, feels isolated and unsupported.

  • “In the small community where she's from, they all kind of believe that, too. And Nancy never could stand up and argue.” – Detective Ryan Avis (01:58)

• First Break in Years:
  Detective Jim Doty reopens the case, revealing to Nancy he doesn’t believe Cari left voluntarily. This spurs a renewed, in-depth investigation.

  • “Well, I want you to know that I don't think she left on her own. And I tell you, my attitude just changed.” – Liz Gollier, relaying Nancy’s reaction (02:21)

2. The Web of Deception and the Prime Suspect

• Liz Collaborates—But Becomes the Focus:
  Liz Gollier (who had been dating Dave Krupa, as had Cari) eagerly tries to help police by forwarding emails she claims are incriminating—emails allegedly from Amy Flora (Dave’s ex). Police, knowing Amy's innocence, essentially play along to draw Liz out.

  • “She made anything, real threatening statements or inferred that she ever did anything to Carrie. Because that's like gold to me.” – Detective Jim Doty, briefing Liz (03:47)
  • Liz soon produces graphic ‘confessions’ received via email, filled with details only the perpetrator would know.
    • “I shot you, Liz, to make sure Dave stayed away from you… I stabbed her three to four times in the chest and stomach area. I then took her out and burned her.” – Email read by voice actor (05:24)

• Police Scent the Truth:
  Detectives know Liz forged the emails. As she attempts to pin the crime on Amy, Liz allows police into her email account, which becomes a trove of self-incriminating material.

3. Breakthroughs in Physical Evidence

• Finding Carrie’s Evidence:
  By tracking down and forensically examining Cari’s long-sold Ford Explorer, detectives discover a large stain—later confirmed as Carrie’s blood—under the passenger seat.

  • “We high fived, but we didn't really know what to do next for sure.” – Detective Ryan Avis (09:22)

• Escalating Danger—Moving on Liz:
  Monitored via a vehicle tracker, Liz appears to be stalking Amy Flora as a potential new target. Detectives coordinate with Omaha PD to arrest her on an unrelated warrant, hoping to find more evidence before violence escalates.

4. Arrest and Aftermath

• Tense Interviews and Denials:
  Liz maintains her innocence during interrogation but is confronted about her fingerprints in Carrie’s car and explicit knowledge of the crime. She asks for a lawyer and is released on bond while prosecutors build the case.

• Bringing the Case Forward:
  Months pass, with Carrie’s family in anguished limbo. On December 22, 2016, Liz Goliar is arrested and charged with murder.

  • “The best part of it was being able to go to Nancy and tell her, we've arrested somebody for the murder of your daughter.” – Detective Jim Doty (12:30)

• Dave Krupa’s Relief:

  • “It was the first time I could go outside and take a breath of fresh air and say, I don't have to look over my shoulder today.” – Dave Krupa (13:01)

5. Trial Challenges: A ‘No-Body’ Case

• Circumstantial Evidence:
  Prosecutors Brenda Beadle and James Masteller, aided by detectives, prepare for a complex trial—even without a body. The pressure escalates as Liz demands a speedy trial (within 90 days).

• Digital Forensics—Crucial Discovery:
  A key piece emerges when Dave Krupa, reminded repeatedly by investigators, hands over a forgotten tablet from his storage unit. Tech guru Tony Kava recovers thousands of deleted photos from its memory card—including selfies by Liz and, chillingly, a photo of a foot with a tattoo: the Chinese symbol for ‘mother.’ This detail matches a tattoo Carrie had for her son.

  • “It was like finding the Rosetta Stone. The key they didn't know they'd been looking for all along.” – Keith Morrison (25:51)
  • “This, I think, was about as close as we got to having a smoking gun in this case.” – Tony Kava (26:08)

6. Trial and Testimony

• Opening Statement (29:02):

  • “This is a bizarre and twisted case of a fatal attraction. It's about an obsessive woman that would stop at nothing to get what she wanted...” – Prosecutor Brenda Beadle (29:02)

• Key Evidence Presented:

  • Carrie’s blood found in her car.
  • Liz's fingerprint on a mint container in the vehicle.
  • Digital patterns tracing thousands of messages to Liz.
  • Purchases made on Carrie’s card after her death traced to Liz, including a shower curtain found in Liz’s apartment.
  • Photos of Carrie’s tattooed foot—taken post-mortem.

• Timeline Established:
  Evidence and digital forensics reconstructed that Carrie was alive the morning of Nov 13, 2012, at Dave’s, but her accounts and identity were used shortly thereafter by Liz to convincingly mimic Carrie for years to come. All to draw suspicion away from herself and to torment Dave and others.

• Motive—Jealousy:

  • “It was really all about Dave Krupa. She did it because she wanted this man.” – Brenda Beadle (33:15)

• Emotional Impact:

  • “When I heard all of this, what this person was doing in her name, it just made me so angry. Because Carrie, she didn't deserve that at all.” – Nancy, Cari’s mother (32:51)
  • “...but the Tarantino movie always makes sense at the end...” – Dave Krupa (33:44)

• Defense Counterpoint:
  Liz’s high-profile defense attorney, James Martin Davis, argues the case is mere fiction without a body. He challenges the logic of a ‘no-body’ murder prosecution.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Finding Carrie's Evidence:

  • “There were dark lines in the picture… Those lines were veins on what looked like someone's foot. Someone's deceased foot.” – Detective Ryan Avis (25:23)
  • “Sure enough, Carrie has that same tattoo on her left foot... Identical.” – Detective Ryan Avis (25:41)

• On Breaking the Case:

  • “One look at that picture was all it took. Here was the key to the murder case against Liz Goliar.” – Keith Morrison (25:51)

• On the Length and Complexity:

  • “I say, do you have an hour? Because I think this is one of those cases that if you just have a piece of the story, it's not enough.” – Prosecutor Brenda Beadle (18:20)
  • “The first time I was briefed on this case, my first impression was this is the story for a made-for-TV movie.” - James Masteller (18:53)

Important Timestamps

• 01:33 — Opening narration: Cari’s disappearance and initial theories
• 02:21 — Detectives re-engage Nancy, shifting investigation focus
• 03:47–05:54 — Liz forwards fake email ‘confessions’; detectives detail email ruse
• 09:00 — Discovery of blood in Carrie’s Explorer
• 10:26–11:09 — Liz's interrogation and denial
• 12:30 — Liz arrested for murder; detectives inform Nancy
• 13:01 — Dave Krupa describes first moments of relief
• 20:07–23:18 — Rush to trial; forensic breakthrough with Dave’s old tablet
• 25:08–26:08 — Discovery of the crucial tattoo photo
• 29:02–33:38 — Trial: evidence, digital breadcrumbs, motive, and courtroom emotions

Episode Tone and Style

True-to-form for Dateline and Keith Morrison, this episode blends methodical investigation with empathy, painting the procedural and emotional landscape in detail. The language is vivid, often dramatic, underlining the tragic consequences and the relentless tenacity of both loved ones and investigators.

Conclusion

This episode lays bare the tortuously orchestrated and tragic disappearance of Cari Farver, exposing an almost surreal cycle of obsession, digital manipulation, and heartbreak. The “Rosetta Stone” discovery of the tattoo photo brings clarity, but the episode ends on a sobering note: With no body, the challenge of securing a conviction looms—a chilling reminder of the gaps that justice must sometimes leap.

End of Summary