The Dating Detectives: "What Happened to Grandpa?"

Release Date: January 19, 2026
Hosts: Mackenzie Fultz (A), Hanna Anderson (B)
Guest: Taylor (C), Randy Davis, Genetic Genealogist (D)

Overview

In this unusually spanning and emotionally fraught episode, private investigator Mackenzie and comedian Hanna interview listener Taylor, whose decades-long family mystery is finally solved. It’s a story that begins in 1952 with the unexplained disappearance of Taylor’s grandfather and ends in the present, unraveling secrets through classic sleuthing, family tenacity, and—most crucially—modern genetic genealogy. The episode is less about infidelity and scamming in dating apps, and more about the devastating ripples one person can leave through years of deliberate deception and abandonment, with real-time investigation insights from geneticist Randy.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Disappearance (00:43 – 08:43)

• The Call to Taylor: The story launches when Taylor receives a shocking call from a police station, suggesting there’s finally a lead on her grandfather who vanished over 70 years ago.
  • "I believe I know what happened to your grandfather." – Police caller (04:03)
• Family Taboo and Trauma: Growing up, Taylor’s family never discussed what happened to Grandpa, and it was strictly off-limits to ask—pain and secrets fester for decades.
• Mysterious Details: The last anyone saw of Grandpa, he was moving cattle for breakfast, promised to return in 20 mins, and then utterly vanished. The family, police, and neighbors found no sign. Theories included accident, foul play over gambling debts, or personal drama.

2. Generational Impact & Dead Ends (08:43 – 30:58)

• Taboo Sustained: The secrecy becomes a defining feature for generations, with children and grandchildren only whispering speculation.
• Institutional Failure: When Taylor and her cousin finally approach the police, they’re stonewalled:
  • “New sheriff comes in town, they just get rid of all the old stuff. So we don't have anything.” – Police (14:18)
• Persistent Obstacles: The family’s efforts with police, the FBI, and journalists result in rudeness, patronizing comments, and more dead ends.
  • “I even heard that he was picked up by aliens.” – Detective dismissively, about theories (22:32)
• Strained Family: The absence scars the family: Taylor’s grandmother struggles as a single mother of 13, the children are distributed to survive, and multigenerational wounds form.

3. An Unexpected Breakthrough (30:58 – 34:31)

• A New Detective Appears: Years after the initial renewed search, Taylor receives a call out of the blue from a new detective, who offers to meet the whole family and finally share “what happened to Grandpa.”
  • “I just received a call from a detective at the county, and they know what happened to our grandfather.” – Taylor (30:58)

Genealogy and the DNA Investigation

(with Randy Davis, Genetic Genealogist: 34:31–63:26)

4. Enter Randy – Breaking the Case with DNA (34:31 – 41:32)

• Amateur Sleuthing: Randy, a hobbyist yet highly skilled genealogist, lays out the basics of modern DNA-based family sleuthing. He’s pulled into the case by Clarissa, who’s seeking her biological parents.
  • “It’s not a job. It's not a hobby. It's just what I do.” – Randy (34:45)
• DNA Webs: He explains the intricacies of family DNA matching, centimorgans, and how 1 in 10 or 1 in 7 people discover ‘dad is not dad’.
  • “Hundreds of people…every day say, 'I just got my DNA results back, and I don't know who these people are.'” – Randy (35:44)

5. The Genealogical Discovery (41:32 – 62:01)

• Clarissa Mystery: Randy reconstructs a family tree for Clarissa and finds her closest DNA match, Robin (in Florida, age 60s), who appears as a half-great-aunt. This is peculiar, given family names.
• A Pile of Clues: By comparing DNA matches, using tools like the "Shared Centimorgan Project," and cross-referencing minimal public records, Randy deciphers that Clarissa’s mother, Bernice, was adopted—and her birth name was Stoltz, just like Taylor’s family.
• The Clifford-Ralph Revelation: Clifford (Robin’s father in Florida) appeared out of nowhere in 1952—the same year Grandpa Stoltz vanished up north. No records exist for Clifford pre-1952:
  • “He disappeared from Indiana. No draft card, no census records, no birth certificate. Just nothing.” – Randy (56:44)

6. Confirming the Truth—One Man, Two Families (62:01–63:26)

• Direct DNA Test: The detective coordinates a DNA test between Ralph Stoltz’s Indiana kids and Robin in Florida. The result: half-siblings.
• Public Announcement: With proof, the two families—and the broader region—learn the unimaginable truth: Grandpa didn’t die, he ran, created a new identity, and started a second family.
  • “What ultimately we found out was that Clifford had also walked out and abandoned his wife and six kids.” – Randy (60:33)

Aftermath and Reflections

7. Family Fallout & Meeting the “Other” Family (64:17–73:11)

• Shock & Grieving: Taylor describes the family’s simultaneous relief and devastation at learning the truth:
  • “I felt pain for my dad…nobody wants to hear that your dad just took off. And didn’t care anymore about you.” – Taylor (65:24)
• Bizarre Parallels: The runaway grandpa reused children’s names, gave a son his original (pre-fake) name, and mimicked family structure in his “new life.”
• Contact Across States: Both families—now linked by truth—begin tentative communication over Facebook, but want to let Florida’s family process the painful revelation.
  • “They only knew him as one person. They only knew him as…this was a huge shock to them.” – Taylor (67:27)
• Additional Ironies: The second wife also had a previous family she left behind, amplifying the themes of generational trauma, secrecy, and abandonment.

8. The System’s Failures and Complicity (73:11–78:58)

• Institutional Barriers: Taylor remains frustrated with the police/FBI: they seem to possess old records but refuse to release them.
  • “They had a report…they’re not able to give us a copy… I think they might be trying to protect the FBI.” – Taylor (75:31)
• Ease of Disappearance (1950s): The hosts reflect on how shockingly easy it was, prior to digitization, to vanish and create a new identity.
  • “It’s not that hard back then…if you had a strong enough birth record document…you could just walk in and say, 'I lost my card'...” – Mackenzie (89:04)

9. Emotional Resolution and Broader Lessons (78:11–end)

• The Weight of Deception: Taylor says the family would have preferred a tragic death to decades of deliberate deception.
  • “I think the deception is worse. The fact that he took off…he intentionally and purposefully hurt all these people and left my grandmother to work like a slave.” – Taylor (79:05)
• Impact Across Generations: The trauma and lore defined family bonds in unexpected ways—sometimes even keeping them close in search of truth.
• Power of Genetic Genealogy: The hosts marvel at the potential of DNA and online tools, both to heal wounds and to “out” the dogfish of the past.
  • “I like to think it makes it harder to dogfish…they still gonna dog fish harder.” – Hanna (86:48)
• Taylor’s Hope: She encourages others in similar situations to keep searching and not to hide from the facts: “You can’t run from DNA.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Taylor on the pain of not knowing:
  • "For most of my life, I did not know anything about what happened to my grandfather. My grandmother did not have a husband with her...it was very mysterious." (03:57)
• On the detective’s dismissal:
  • "I even heard that he was picked up by aliens." – Detective (22:32)
• Randy on DNA family surprises:
  • "My rough guess is somewhere between 1 in 10 and 1 in 7 people are not calling dad the right person." (35:40)
• Discovering the double life:
  • "Turns out...my suspicion was that his father's name, Clifford, was used to be Ralph and that he had left his family in Indiana and gone to Florida." (55:45)
• Taylor’s emotional assessment:
  • "I think the deception is worse because if he would have been murdered...we could have accepted that. But the fact that he took off..." (79:05)
• Generational wounds:
  • “They had, like, a press release…my dad, I just want to tell you they’re going to do a press release about Grandpa, and I just want you to know ahead.” (82:25)
• Summing up the dogfish theme:
  • "I think my grandpa was one of the first dogfish to ever..." – Taylor (67:19)
  • "OG Dogfish. Like to the point you have more than one name on your epitaph." – Hanna (87:44)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:43–08:43: Taylor shares her family's initial trauma and the taboo around Grandpa's disappearance.
• 14:18: Run-ins with unhelpful/hostile law enforcement.
• 22:32: The dismissive detective’s “alien” comment.
• 34:31–63:26: Genealogist Randy's walkthrough of the DNA investigation.
• 64:17–73:11: Family learns the truth; emotional aftermath.
• 75:31: Taylor’s theory on police/FBI secrecy.
• 79:05: Taylor on whether closure was worth the pain.

Themes and Reflections

• Dogfishing Is Not New: The episode reframes dogfishing as a historic phenomenon, showing that the emotional devastation is multigenerational and only now more easily unraveled through technology.
• Impact of Secrets: Taylor and her family's experience demonstrates the destructive legacy left by forced secrecy, institutional neglect, and generational trauma.
• Power & Danger of DNA: The hosts and guests ponder the promise and ethical dilemmas of genetic genealogy, recognizing its power to heal family mysteries — and expose the dogfish who thought they'd escaped forever.
• Advocacy for the Silenced: The episode respectfully spotlights the era’s women, especially single mothers trapped by social mores, who bore the brunt of such betrayals in silence.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a deeply personal and expansive look at familial lies, loss, and the slow, messy journey to both closure and justice. It’s both a cautionary tale—dogfish can shake generations—and a testament to the healing power of relentless curiosity and scientific innovation. The Dating Detectives, while usually versed in modern romance and deceit, deliver a powerful historical true-crime investigation that resonates far beyond one family.

To Share Your Own DNA/Family Discovery Story:
Email the hosts at investigate@thedatingdetectivespodcast.com — anonymization and empathy guaranteed.