Podcast Summary: The Burden – "Introducing Killer Story | 1. A Rose for Mom"

Podcast: The Burden
Host: Orbit Media (Steve Fishman)
Episode Air Date: February 17, 2026

Overview

The debut episode of "Killer Story," introduced by Steve Fishman of Orbit Media, launches a new investigative series blending personal storytelling and classic true crime. The episode centers on the 1987 disappearance and murder of 17-year-old Sabrina Kidd, a naive, hopeful teenager who vanished without a trace in Las Vegas. Years later, through the relentless efforts of reporter Lyndall Marks, Sabrina’s story resurfaces, exposing systemic apathy in missing persons cases and shining a light on the heroism and heartbreak of those who refuse to forget.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Discovery on the Colorado River

Timestamps: 03:28–05:30

• Tom Percival recounts finding what appeared to be a mannequin while boating with his wife on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, only to realize it was a young woman's body.

• His description is vivid, recalling the floating hair and a "bloody tear" on the girl's face—a haunting and memorable image that sets the emotional tone for the case.

  “I remember looking at her hair, beautiful hair floating in the water, just floating out like a...like a rainbow...And that’s when I noticed the teardrop right in the corner of her eye. I saw a bloody tear. I about lost it right there.”
  – Tom Percival (04:04–05:30)

• At the time, no one knew the girl's name. It would take years to identify her as Sabrina Kidd.

2. Who Was Sabrina Kidd?

Timestamps: 07:53–13:43

• Sabrina is painted as a sweet, trusting teenager (“just a really nice, good-hearted person”—Jennifer, 10:09).

• Raised in Texas by her emotionally distant mother, a former Playboy model, Sabrina yearned for unconditional love and struggled to find connection at home.

• After the family moved to Vegas, Sabrina bounced between relatives and friends’ homes, always searching for stability and affection.

• Her cousin Dewana recalls Sabrina’s simple, heartfelt wish:

  “I just want someone to love me, someone to care about me unconditionally and not judge me.”
  – Sabrina (as quoted by Dewana, 09:32–09:46)

• Sabrina’s move to Vegas at 17 wasn’t driven by ambition—it was an escape from loneliness.

3. Bright Spots and New Beginnings

Timestamps: 11:08–14:29

• Sabrina’s romantic relationship with Jim Bixel, a local with a thrill for motorcycles, brings fleeting happiness. She finds moments of freedom riding through the Nevada mountains at breakneck speeds (“She would say, you know, riding on the bike really makes me feel free.” – Jim, 12:11–12:32).
• Through Jim, Sabrina finds stable housing and lands a retail job, seeming, for the first time, to have a network and hope for the future. She aspires to be a model and receives encouragement from a fatherly landlord.

4. The Disappearance

Timestamps: 14:29–22:31

• On September 17, 1987, Sabrina’s last day unfolds: attending a high school football game and a sleepover at Jennifer’s. The next morning, her friends try to coordinate getting to work.
• She’s last seen being dropped off at her apartment without keys. The landlord lets her in.
• An hour later, coworker Crystal finds the landlord curt and Sabrina missing. Despite their frequent contact, no one hears from Sabrina that day, and she never appears for work or contacts friends.

5. Initial Police Apathy and Family Anguish

Timestamps: 22:17–24:01

• Sabrina’s friends report her missing, but police dismiss the case—treating her as a runaway, brushing aside her friends, even accusing them of prostitution.

  “We said she’s missing. Something happened and they just didn’t believe us. At one point they said she was classed as a runaway and there’s nothing they could do.”
  – Jennifer (22:17–22:31)

• Her mother and aunt become tireless advocates, searching four painful years through missing persons’ records and media outreach, desperate to keep Sabrina’s case alive.

6. A Reporter’s Relentless Drive: Lyndall Marks Enters

Timestamps: 26:20–32:42

• In 1991, Lyndall Marks—a young, tough reporter at "A Current Affair"—receives a call from Sabrina’s family and feels an inexplicable connection.

  “I felt a connection with that family. I felt their pain. And I just...felt something was wrong. People don’t just disappear into thin air.”
  – Lyndall Marks (30:18–30:35)

• Despite skepticism and resistance from her editor (Dan Meanan: “We don’t do missing persons. There’s no conclusion to the story.” 31:17–31:38), Lyndall’s idealism and stubbornness keep her on the case.

  “When I feel something, and my instinct is telling me this is right, I have to follow this. I will go down every rabbit hole. If I feel like a victim hasn’t been given a voice, I won’t stop until I have found a way to tell that story.”
  – Lyndall Marks (32:42–33:03)

7. Personal Stakes and Foreshadowing

Timestamps: 33:03–34:08

• The episode hints at a personal connection between Lyndall’s past and her compulsion to pursue justice for Sabrina, building anticipation for future episodes.

  “A friend of mine came to visit me, and she just walked in, and I remember the shock on her face. I felt an incredible sadness because I could feel that it was going to have an impact on her for the rest of her life. Not in a good way. I completely connect it to what happened to me.”
  – Lyndall Marks (33:33–33:58)

Notable Quotes

• On finding Sabrina’s body:

  “I saw a bloody tear. I about lost it right there. I said, who would do this to this poor girl?”
  – Tom Percival (05:08–05:30)

• On Sabrina’s longing for love:

  “She was over in the one bed and I was in the other bed. And I asked her…I just want someone to love me, someone to care about me unconditionally and not judge me.”
  – Dewana, quoting Sabrina (09:32–09:46)

• On police dismissal:

  “We said she’s missing…they said she was classed as a runaway and there’s nothing they could do.”
  – Jennifer (22:17–22:31)

• Lyndall’s drive:

  “If I feel like there’s a big man kicking a little guy in the guts, I will go after that story…I will go after that with aggression and passion.”
  – Lyndall Marks (29:13–29:24)

• Reporter skepticism:

  “We don’t do missing persons. There’s no conclusion to the story.”
  – Dan Meanan (31:17–31:38)

Memorable Moments

• The haunting description of finding Sabrina’s body, especially the detail of the “bloody tear” (05:08).
• Sabrina’s heartfelt wish for unconditional love, voiced in her cousin’s bedroom (09:32–09:46).
• The anger and frustration of Sabrina’s friends as their worries are dismissed and they are accused instead (22:43–23:01).
• Lyndall’s personal and professional resolve to fight for those denied a voice, even against her boss’s orders (32:42–33:03).
• The mysterious allusion to Lyndall’s concealed connection and trauma, a hook for the listener (33:33–33:58).

Key Timestamps

• 03:28: Tom Percival describes the discovery on the river
• 09:32: Sabrina’s longing for unconditional love
• 12:11: Motorcycle rides and moments of freedom with Jim
• 14:29: Sabrina’s last day and disappearance
• 22:17: Friends’ frustration with police apathy
• 26:20: Lyndall Marks receives the family’s call
• 31:17: Lyndall’s boss refuses the story, she persists
• 33:33: Lyndall hints at her personal stake in the case

Tone and Style

The episode is immersive, cinematic, and empathetic—balancing journalistic rigor with compassion for its subjects. Interviews and narration are intimate, combining emotional recollection with suspenseful pacing, and foreshadowing deeper revelations still to come.

Conclusion

"A Rose for Mom" sets the stage for a multi-layered investigation into a long-cold case, entwining the search for truth with the deeply personal stakes of all involved—from bereaved family members to the relentless reporter determined to give them a voice. The episode foreshadows a series as much about the seekers of justice as the missed opportunities and small cruelties that quietly derail it.