True Crime Garage — Missing Sodder Children /// Part 2 /// 893

Release Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Nic and the Captain

Episode Overview

In this episode, Nic and the Captain continue their deep dive into the infamous disappearance of the Sodder children following the family’s house fire on Christmas Eve, 1945, in Fayetteville, West Virginia. As Part 2 of the series, the hosts focus on the aftermath: conflicting witness statements, possible evidence, the reliability of the fire’s official account, and theories about what really happened to the five missing Sodder children. Through forensic facts, local rumors, and bizarre twists, Nic and the Captain explore why this case has endured as one of America's most mystifying unsolved crimes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap: The Night of the Fire & Immediate Aftermath

• Timeline Revisited: Family celebrates Christmas Eve. Some Sodder children go to bed late; others stay up. At 12:30am, mother Jenny receives a strange phone call, hears a loud noise on the roof, then detects the fire.
• Host Quote:
  “On Christmas Day, firefighters search the wreckage but find no human remains, not even a single bone fragment. The fire chief suggests that the children were completely incinerated.” (Nick, 04:51)

2. The Two Great Factions: Did the Sodder Children Die in the Fire?

• The hosts describe a split in public opinion:
  • Some believe the five children perished in the fire (no evidence of remains due to intense heat).
  • Others are suspicious—where are the remains, why are there none found at all?
    “Where are the remains?” (Nick, 07:05)

3. Analyzing the House and Fire Origin (10:30–15:00)

• House Layout: Nic gives a detailed floorplan walkthrough, emphasizing escape routes and where family members were found or supposed to be sleeping.
• Origin Theories:
  • Official reports claim the fire started from defective wiring or spontaneous combustion in the basement.
  • Family disputes the “combustible materials” theory; say only engine parts (no gasoline) were in basement.
    “The family is stating… there was an engine, maybe two… but no gasoline.” (Nick, 14:28)

4. The Ladder, the Trucks, and Other Suspicions (18:36–23:28)

• The Missing Ladder:
  • Regularly stored outside but found 70ft away over an embankment after the fire. Possible implications for arson or accidental movement.
• Non-Starting Trucks:
  • There’s speculation on sabotage; a family member later admits, “we probably choked them too hard as we were panicked”. “I find that interesting that the… family members… are openly saying years later we think the truck part… was just us rushing to rescue and we… failed.” (Nick, 21:12)
• Insurance Intrigue:
  • Family’s ex-business partner, Forenzo Gianutello, had raised the insurance payout on the house, was paid after the fire. Possible motive speculated.
    “That could be a motive.” (the Captain, 23:01)

5. Ethnic Bias & Theories of Organized Crime (24:00–25:40)

• Hints that community prejudice and the Sodder family’s Italian origin spurred rumors of Mafia involvement, though hosts doubt organized crime would target children:
  “They normally stay away from children and wives and stuff… but that gets brought up often in this case.” (the Captain, 24:46)

6. Testimony & Forensic Oddities (42:00–47:58)

• Bones & Remains:
  • Multiple small bones recovered in 1949; most were animal, four lumbar vertebrae were human, but showed no sign of burning and belonged to a teen or young adult too old to be any Sodder child.
  • Quote/Timestamp:
    “These vertebrae show no evidence of being burned… It is possible but not probable that these bones would belong to a 14½-year-old boy.” (Nick, 43:50)
• The “Heart”:
  • A supposed human heart found at the scene, later tested to be fresh beef liver, apparently planted by someone to convince the Sodderson their children died.
    “Later this person admitted that… I was hoping to help them… so stupid.” (Nick, 47:58; The Captain, 48:05)

7. The Cut Phone Line & How the Ladder Ties In (31:14–36:07)

• After the new house was built, phone company workers revealed the original phone line had not melted in the fire; it was cut 14 feet off the ground, likely with a ladder.
  • Theory:
    The arsonist may have used the ladder both to cut the phone line and (perhaps) to access the house.
  • Crime Complication:
    Local men (Lonnie Johnson, Jeff Adkins), later confessed to stealing a chain hoist and cutting a wire—claiming they thought it was the power, not phone line.
    “Lonnie Johnson also admitted to cutting the telephone lines because ‘he thought it was the power line and thought cutting the power line would stop the fire.’” (Nick, 38:48)

8. Community Connections and Small-Town Politics (48:08–49:06)

• Overlapping relationships between fire department, coroner, insurance agent, and former business partners lead to speculation about cover-ups, but hosts stress this could just be a side effect of small-town dynamics.

9. Theories: Kidnapping to Cover Up Arson? (48:39–54:35)

• Arson as Distraction:
  • Theory: fire set to disguise kidnapping; maybe the ex-business partner took the children for revenge or “protection”.
• Organized Crime?
  • Hosts doubt this would target a man's children for debts.
• Mysterious Photo Sent to Family (50:50–54:35):
  • Years later, a photo of a man resembling grown-up Lewis Sodder was mailed anonymously; handwriting referenced “Lewis Sodder.” The tip led nowhere.

10. Science, Cremation, and the Missing Remains (54:35–59:10)

• Technical Breakdown:
  • Nickel and copper coins survived the fire, yet there were no bone fragments found.
  • Cremation facts: crematoriums burn over 1800°F for hours and still don’t fully turn bone to ash; the Sodder house fire was shorter and cooler. “Bone turns to ash through a process where extreme heat removes water and burns organic material... requiring temperatures generally from 1,200-1,800°F.” (Nick, 56:46)
• Key Quote:
  “That temperature... falls within the range of nickels that may have melted. But we have things… that burn and melt at a much lower temperature than bone.” (Nick, 56:54)

11. A Modern Parallel Case (59:20–61:50)

• Philadelphia, 1997: another case where a baby was assumed incinerated in a house fire but was actually kidnapped and found alive 6 years later.
  “If they got it wrong in 97… then it’s very conceivable they may have gotten it wrong back in 1945.” (Nick, 61:39)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “If you shake us, we jingle. That’s right. We’re still sipping on some holiday cheer from Shiner. Some say it’s too peachy. I think it’s absolutely delicious…” (Nick, 02:01)
• “You would have... what I would expect, a grieving family... They never move. They never change their phone number.” (Nick, 34:02)
• “Makes you wonder if George, the father, is telling the whole truth and nothing but… or again, it’s a very chaotic scene.” (The Captain, 40:17)
• “Slim to none. And where I’m going when this is all said and done, I’m going to burn for a lot longer than that, my friend.” (The Captain, 59:10)
• “If you can explain the cutting of the phone line... explain the ladder, you can explain the cars… Okay, that’s great. And maybe it was just an accident, but where are the children?” (The Captain, 40:17)

Important Timestamps

| Segment/Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening & Summary of the Sodder Fire | 03:44–07:00 | | Factions Split: Died in Fire vs. Abducted | 07:07–08:08 | | House Layout & Fire Investigation | 10:30–15:01 | | The Ladder & Truck Mystery | 18:36–23:28 | | Insurance Motives Discussed | 23:01–23:28 | | Community Prejudice & Mafia Theories | 24:00–25:40 | | Forensic Bones Analysis | 43:07–47:58 | | The “Heart” Hoax & Community Cover-up | 46:09–48:08 | | The Cut Phone Line Discovery | 31:08–36:07 | | Chain Hoist & Small-Town Connections | 36:22–39:36 | | Mysterious Photo & Other Miscellaneous Leads | 50:50–54:35 | | Cremation Science & Forensic Skepticism | 54:35–59:10 | | 1997 Philly Kidnapping-by-Fire Parallel | 59:20–61:50 | | Closing Holiday Cheers | 61:50–62:25 |

Tone & Style

• Conversational, analytical, and appropriately irreverent: The hosts use humor and banter (“If you shake us, we jingle”), but remain sensitive when addressing the facts and tragic nature of the case.
• Both hosts alternate between skeptical inquiry and open-mindedness, questioning official accounts and providing historical, scientific, and psychological context.
• Frequent callbacks to their audience as “the garage family,” maintaining an inclusive, informal atmosphere.

Final Thoughts

The Sodder children case, as dissected by Nic and the Captain, remains fraught with contradictions: missed evidence, possible arson, community intrigue, and forensic gaps. The hosts lean slightly toward the theory that the children may not have died in the fire, supported by the absence of remains, conflicting witness reports, technical analysis of the fire’s heat, and the tantalizing lead of a photo suggesting one of the missing boys could have survived.

If you’re fascinated by unsolved mysteries that never stop raising questions, True Crime Garage’s holiday investigation into the Sodder case is a rich, haunting listen perfect for fans of cold cases and thoughtful true crime conversation.

“Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody… and cheers to everybody out there listening to my voice right now.”
— Nick (62:05)