MFM Minisode 386

[0] This is exactly right.

[1] And welcome to my favorite murder.

[2] The minisode.

[3] Oh my God.

[4] Here it is.

[5] It's so different.

[6] It's so cute.

[7] You want to go first?

[8] Yeah.

[9] Okay, I have a classic hometown for you.

[10] Okay.

[11] Great.

[12] It's called My Mom's I -70 Killer Connection.

[13] Dear Karen, Georgia, an MFM crew.

[14] Long -time listener, first -time writer.

[15] You told us to ask about stories during Thanksgiving, and my God, the one I got from my mom was an absolute chilling one.

[16] and I didn't even technically ask for it.

[17] I live in Kansas, and we surprisingly have a handful of notorious murders that took place here.

[18] The most well -known of which is probably BTK, but there's also Richard Eugene Hitchcock in cold blood, and of course the bloody benders.

[19] There's also the unsolved murders perpetrated by the I -70 killer, which is what my story is about.

[20] In 1992, my mom, two years before she was my mother, was working at a bridal store in Wichita, Kansas.

[21] her store had two others in town that were part of a small franchise, one of which was known as La Bride, which is such a classic small town bride store.

[22] Yeah.

[23] It's like you're getting married in France.

[24] Oh my God.

[25] But in Wichita, my mom loved this job and she appreciated all that she learned from the two women in charge.

[26] On a Friday night in April, a little while after closing, my mom was at La Bride helping the owner dye shoes.

[27] The next night, April 11th, the owner Patricia Magers, and an employee, Patricia St. Smith had to stay late once more because a customer was coming by to pick up his cumberbund.

[28] A man approached the store and, assuming it was his customer, he was let in.

[29] Unfortunately, this was not the man they had been expecting, but instead, the I -70 killer.

[30] He took both women to the back of the store and shot them execution style.

[31] Shortly after this, the actual customer did arrive and had a brief interaction with the killer, but was able to leave and provide police with a physical description.

[32] wonder how they figured out it was the same killer.

[33] It must be the description, right?

[34] And security footage or something like that?

[35] Maybe it was the 90s, yeah.

[36] Both of these women and the killer's other victims had long, curly, dark hair, as did my mom.

[37] The possibility that it could have been her if she had decided to help out on Saturday instead of Friday, or if he had entered the store just 24 hours earlier, chills me to the bone.

[38] Even still, the story is devastating and the deaths are senseless.

[39] It's been 31 years since the crimes of the I -70 killer, and though the case is cold, it's not closed.

[40] Police departments in Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana are still hoping it may be solved one day, possibly with the help of new DNA technology.

[41] If this does get run on your podcast, I urge anyone that might have seen or heard anything related to these crimes to call crime stoppers in any of these three states.

[42] Thank you for everything you do.

[43] I could gush about you two forever, but this is long enough as it is.

[44] Just know that I'm a huge fan, And if I ever get the chance to meet you, I will cry, tears of joy.

[45] Stay sexy and seek justice, Hannah.

[46] Hannah.

[47] How is that not solved?

[48] Well, do you think it's because it's along a highway the way that it happens where it's like inner state, the crimes don't get reported from state to state?

[49] But also like DNA, I'm always like, use the DNA.

[50] But like I never think about the path.

[51] It's like maybe there isn't DNA left, you know, or isn't usable DNA, but it sucks.

[52] And it's just early enough.

[53] if it's the 90s before there's real process set up for that.

[54] Totally.

[55] Yeah.

[56] So crazy.

[57] So awful.

[58] All right.

[59] The subject line of this email is anecdotes about Jan Baselrud from a local.

[60] So I told the story of that he was the Norwegian soldier who basically survived the Nazis chasing him.

[61] Yes.

[62] And it's that amazing story.

[63] So hi at Georgian, Karen.

[64] Longtime listener.

[65] Thank you all for every episode.

[66] I love listening to Karen's telling of the Jan Balzrud survival.

[67] That's how you're supposed to pronounce it.

[68] My family lives in one of the villages described.

[69] And last summer, we hiked to the hole where Jan was hidden by Norwegians from the Nazis.

[70] It said that local sheep herders and reindeer herders knew about this cave from their grazing and movement of animals.

[71] During the war, my family's town was occupied by Germans.

[72] And my grandpa, then a teenager and his large family were kicked out of their home so that the Nazi occupiers could use their home as a holding place for animals.

[73] Removed from the only home they ever knew, my grandpa and his brother took a boat to a nearby island where my grandpa entered the island's only town store to ask to use the phone so that he could attempt to contact and reconnect with dispersed family.

[74] The young girl behind the counter at the store was my grandma, who ignored her boss, rudely whispering loudly, just make sure he pays, and shared the phone with my grandpa.

[75] That was how they met and fell in love.

[76] Oh, my God.

[77] Come on.

[78] My grandma used to tell me stories about local Norwegians who would hide and protect German deserters who had fled the military and were attempting to remove themselves from the war.

[79] One neighbor hid a German deserting soldier in her barn from the German troops and gave him warm wall socks for his journey on.

[80] Only after he left, she realized that the initials of her husband had been sewn into the socks, leading to much fear of retribution.

[81] Another Norwegian neighbor I grew up with, my grandmother's age, had a love affair with a German occupying soldier, a Nazi, during the war.

[82] And after the occupation, her head was shaved to shame her for her dalliance with a Nazi.

[83] I hope you found these anecdotes interesting.

[84] Thanks for all that you do.

[85] Ingrid.

[86] Ingrid.

[87] Oh, my God.

[88] From Norway.

[89] What a fascinating little snapshot of time.

[90] And basically survivor's stories of a situation like just the idea that everyone in that time had to go into that survival mode and do what they needed to do.

[91] So crazy.

[92] There's a lot of talk these days about how the right daily routine can help you think clearer or sleep better.

[93] But what about a simple routine that makes you feel safer?

[94] That's where Simply Safe comes in.

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[102] been named the best customer service in home security by Newsweek.

[103] Simply safe as home security that puts you first.

[104] So when Vince goes out of town like he did last weekend, my dad, who's so sweet, comes over and spends the night.

[105] But he's in sleeping on my office couch with the door closed.

[106] If something happens, he's not waking up to like fight off an intruder, you know, even if he does hear it.

[107] He's not.

[108] So the fact that I can double arm myself, one with my dad, of course, but also with my security system.

[109] I mean, that is peace of mind.

[110] And it's protection for both me and my dad.

[111] Let's be honest.

[112] Yeah.

[113] And also, if you hear something, you're like, that's not an intruder.

[114] Marty just got up and went outside to see the sunrise.

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[118] That's simplysafe .com slash fave.

[119] There's no safe like Simply safe.

[120] Goodbye.

[121] These days, you can find almost anything online.

[122] from adoptable pets to photos of your ex.

[123] So you should be able to find a good doctor online, too.

[124] And with Zoc Doc, you can.

[125] Zoc Doc is a free app and website where you can search and compare highly rated in -network doctors who are close by and that you can instantly book online.

[126] And because Zoc Doc lets you filter by insurance provider, you won't waste your time looking at doctors who aren't covered.

[127] Every provider has reviews from real patients so you can get a sense of what they're like.

[128] You check reviews before going to a restaurant.

[129] Why wouldn't you do the same for your doctor?

[130] Plus, once you find a doctor you like, the average wait time for an appointment booked on ZocDoc is between 24 and 72 hours.

[131] Sometimes you can get one on the same day.

[132] Find the right doc for you and book your appointment today.

[133] I have to say that this service is so helpful in the real world when you don't have time.

[134] Like, how are you picking doctors at all?

[135] It's such an important job.

[136] And the thing that you're going to the doctor for obviously is something that you're concerned about and it's important to you.

[137] so you're just supposed to pick based on their doctor headshot that they have on a website.

[138] Like, it makes so much sense and it is such a useful, helpful tool to have Zock Doc.

[139] So go to ZockDoc .com slash murder and download the ZockDoc app for free.

[140] Then find and book a top -rated doctor today.

[141] That's Z -O -C -D -O -C dot com slash murder.

[142] Zock .com slash murder.

[143] Goodbye.

[144] Okay.

[145] This one is a PSA big -time bank scam.

[146] Oh.

[147] Dearest MFM family, long -time listener, first -time mailier, after listening to the PSA about scammers in Minnesota 383, I had to write in and share my experience of being scammed in March 2024.

[148] So this just happened.

[149] I like this.

[150] Yeah.

[151] First, let me say, I never answered the phone for an unknown number ever.

[152] Well, on this fateful day, I broke with tradition.

[153] I googled the number that was calling and saw that it was my bank.

[154] So I answered to see what was up.

[155] So, like, due diligence.

[156] Yeah, done.

[157] It says it's your right.

[158] Not enough.

[159] The woman on the phone asked if I had been making purchases in Atlanta, Georgia, and I assured her I did not.

[160] I was currently at a conference in Utah.

[161] She said these purchases must have been fraudulent, and she was going to close my card and issue a new one.

[162] It seemed like a normal procedure for when fraud happens.

[163] In order to confirm my identity, she sent me a passcode that I had to read back to her.

[164] I gave her the code, and she let me know she would take care of the situation right away.

[165] little did I know.

[166] There were no fraudulent purchases in Atlanta.

[167] Several hours later, I received another call from my bank.

[168] This time, it was my real bank, and they were calling to let me know that I had been scammed.

[169] The scammers from the morning had to use that magic passcode to reset the password on my account.

[170] You know when you have to reset a password, and it's like, okay, we're going to send the phone number that we know is associated to your account.

[171] This code, I think that's just what they did.

[172] Yeah, they were like, they middleman to that code process.

[173] Oh, God.

[174] Then they broke in and placed two wire transfers totaling $9 ,948 to their bank account in Florida.

[175] And it says, in today's money, that's $9 ,948.

[176] In today's money, that is a shit ton of cash.

[177] Yeah.

[178] My bank tried their darndest and says, he says sarcastically, to get the money back, but the scammers had already moved it to yet another account.

[179] So my bank simply shrugged their shoulders and said there's nothing they could do.

[180] To add insult to injury, I requested that the bank.

[181] insure the money that was stolen and they said no they claimed that I gave the scammers permission to access my account and so the transaction was authorized wow it says the audacity this is a major national bank by the way needless to say I was livid I'm a true crime fiend and I thought I would always see this kind of con coming from miles away yet here we are almost 10 fucking grand is just like gone the banks that go fuck yourself it's gone well of course they're because they're the ones that would have to pay it back.

[182] Right.

[183] So that's when you close your account and you go to your city bank that's funded in your city or a credit union.

[184] Yeah.

[185] Take it elsewhere.

[186] I hope this cautionary tale keeps listeners on the lookout for bank fraud.

[187] If you ever get a suspicious call, hang up and call the company back.

[188] I learned that I should have done that after the fact.

[189] Stay sexy and never answer the phone.

[190] Brett, he, him.

[191] Brett, you're so right.

[192] It's so true.

[193] Don't answer the phone.

[194] There's no what's the benefit?

[195] When's the last time you've answered the phone?

[196] And it's like this, this is exactly what I wanted to happen and more.

[197] In today's day and age, it's just, there's no reason to answer the phone.

[198] Also, these scams like, people are, it's so goddamn sophisticated.

[199] But that's not.

[200] That's the least sophisticated scam, how, except for the fact that the phone, you could Google it back to the phone number, but how many people actually Googled it?

[201] Like, do that, you know?

[202] And I think what you just said is so smart, which is if you are on the phone with somebody that's like you have to do five things right now.

[203] Yeah.

[204] Oh, you have to go, I have to get off the phone with you.

[205] I'm going to call you back and see what they do.

[206] Yeah.

[207] Yeah.

[208] Because they don't want you to do that.

[209] They're going to start telling you that it's an emergency and try to keep you on and like, boom.

[210] It shouldn't matter.

[211] If you're going to hang up and call back the number on your card, they shouldn't care.

[212] No, because any person helping you is just another person at the like customer service call center, right?

[213] They don't have anything invested in how quickly you get it done.

[214] It's your problem not theirs totally fuck i'm yelling at everyone and that no one is around to hear it okay this is this satisfying answer email to that email okay it says my mom mugged her mugger and then it says lighthearted in parentheses hi karen georgia and mfm team i started listening to you guys a few years ago and have desperately wanted to write in but could never think of a story we're sharing until I remembered one of my all -time favorite stories about my mom.

[215] I've sent this in a couple times before, but last week you asked for mom lore, so I thought I would try my luck again.

[216] See, that's the attitude we're looking for.

[217] Please, just try again.

[218] So my family moved from Brooklyn to Florida when I was really little.

[219] When I was about nine years old, my mom took a trip back to New York to visit some family.

[220] We lived in Florida for a few years at this point, and my brother and I asked her mom if she would get us some new CBGB shirts because ours were pretty worn out.

[221] And for those who don't know, CBGB was a historic rock club in NYC, a bit of a tourist trap at that time, but cool nonetheless.

[222] Evidently, my mom was wearing a Key West shirt while she was shopping there, so she didn't necessarily give the immediate impression of someone who was born and raised in Brooklyn.

[223] As soon as she walked out of the store, she was mugged, well, almost mugged.

[224] Her attacker knocked her to the ground from behind, took her purse and shopping bags, and took off.

[225] immediately my mother with her knees and palms bleeding got up and chased him down i'm going to stop here and say do not do this don't do it don't do not do this not do not do this meanwhile here's a hilarious story of someone who did it yeah when she caught up to him she knocked him to the ground gave him a decent beating took her ship back and then stole his cell phone oh my god oh my god then she proceeded in all caps to call his mom and tell her everything her son had just attempted to do after that she took the time to call all of our english and irish relatives long distance charges were still a thing at that time and continued to make phone calls until the phone eventually died she kept that quote unquote trophy in her sock drawer forever um i'm obsessed with your mom yeah this is a woman who grew up in brooklyn yes she's not fucking around no there's no she fucking mugged her mugger.

[226] She mugged her mugger.

[227] And fucking got one up on him.

[228] Yeah.

[229] She's probably what the one percentile of stories that it would go like this.

[230] Again, do not do this.

[231] Don't do it.

[232] My mom unfortunately passed away very suddenly five years ago.

[233] I'd never listened to podcasts until then.

[234] And you ladies provided much needed humor and company during the darkest time in my life.

[235] For that, I can't thank you enough.

[236] My mom wasn't much into podcasts or technology of any kind, really, besides that guy's phone, but she was an old school murderer, and I know she would have loved you guys.

[237] She was a total badass and an amazing woman, and I miss her every day.

[238] If you're reading this story, know that I'm stuck in traffic somewhere freaking out to be hearing this.

[239] Hey, hi.

[240] Thanks for your time.

[241] Stay sexy and don't get mugged.

[242] But if you do, tattle to their mom, Noreen, she her.

[243] Oh my God, Noreen.

[244] Thank you for that incredible story.

[245] I just hope you always know when, Noreen, whenever you get into like a hard place in life or things are rough, that's your mom.

[246] So you're going to be fine.

[247] You know what I mean?

[248] You have the DNA of a Brooklyn warrior in deep embedded in you.

[249] It doesn't have to be on all the time.

[250] You don't need it to be on all the time.

[251] She didn't just take her shit back.

[252] I just, I can't get over it.

[253] She called his mom.

[254] She called his mom.

[255] Oh my God, I'm going to cry.

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[283] Murder.

[284] Goodbye.

[285] Here's my last one.

[286] This one's called The Clown is Down.

[287] And then it says too early for spooky Halloween stories?

[288] Never.

[289] No, not in May. It's also not spooky.

[290] It's funny.

[291] It just starts, hey, picture it.

[292] It's Halloween 1991.

[293] I had just turned eight years.

[294] years old and was dressed in my sister's hand -me -down clown costume.

[295] So it's not complaining, that shit was legit.

[296] I'm sure it was homemade and amazing, right?

[297] Yes.

[298] My mom was taking my sister and I trick -or -treating around the neighborhood with some other kids and their parents, as happens in, and then it's NEPA that it says Scranton represent.

[299] So I think it's Northeast Pennsylvania, which I didn't know how to fucking NEPA.

[300] Yeah, no one's heard of that that isn't from there.

[301] And then, but those will be the most aggressive people being like, I can't believe you pronounced it NEPA.

[302] Scranton represent.

[303] So as it happens in fall in Scranton, the sun was rapidly setting and it was dark not long after we started.

[304] All of us kids were racing each other house to house and I had decided to run through a yard because it was a more direct route to the next front door.

[305] Cut to me being closed lined flat onto my back, wind knocked out of me and someone yelling all caps, clown down, the clown is down.

[306] Clown down.

[307] Turns out the owner.

[308] of that home had put a wire up around his yard, which was invisible in the dark, at an eight -year -old's neck height.

[309] He said he did it, quote, so the kids don't run through my yard.

[310] You fucking psycho.

[311] Yeah.

[312] I ran full force into that wire neck first.

[313] While my mom laid into the guy, I laid on the ground gasping trying to catch my breath.

[314] Yeah.

[315] I was subsequently dumped at a neighbor's house to recover while the rest of the kids loaded up on candy.

[316] Stay sexy and don't put a fucking booby trap up for children, Kate Elizabeth.

[317] Jesus Christ.

[318] Can you, what the fuck?

[319] Also, what's in your yard that's so goddamn precious that you don't want some kids on Halloween running through it?

[320] Closlining is the worst.

[321] There's a similar story that my cousin tells all the time where they were going to as what they believed to be a prank when he was like 13.

[322] They ran a wire across Bodega Avenue, which is essentially the highway between Petaluma, the city, and now where we lived and toward the ocean, people go 90 miles an hour.

[323] And they hung it out there and then saw that a motorcyclist, they just thought somebody would like snap it with their truck and it would be like loud.

[324] Guys.

[325] Whatever they were thinking, they see this motorcycle coming and they had to run to get it down before they killed a person.

[326] Oh my God.

[327] Like they didn't think it all the way through until they put it together and this guy was come.

[328] Oh my God.

[329] Thank God they got there in time.

[330] Tell us your, the worst you ever got heard as a kid's stories.

[331] I don't know.

[332] It's that something we want.

[333] What about your almost really fucked up bad stories?

[334] Yeah, it could be that or could be psycho neighbor stories.

[335] I don't think we've gotten a lot of those.

[336] We've never done psycho neighbors.

[337] Let's do psycho neighbors.

[338] Yeah.

[339] Okay, here's my last one.

[340] It's very enjoyable.

[341] It's kind of similar in terms of stupid hijinks.

[342] Okay, and it starts Dear Podcast Royalty.

[343] Oh, my God.

[344] Thank you.

[345] In episode minisode 383, you combined two conversations I knew I had a story for.

[346] It happened long before my son was born, so I may get a factor too off, but this is how I remember it.

[347] At a pub one night, my friend's girlfriend will call her Jane, drank too much.

[348] Before last call, Jane got what she was sure was the best idea ever.

[349] She made a plan to climb up into the vogue.

[350] vent diehard style to hide until all the staff were gone and then she would right and then she would come out let us all back into the bar and we would continue the night oh my god just that's a brain that's been stewed in alcohol for like five hours i'm just imagining having to talk i'm i'm the not drunk friend trying to talk that friend out of it right but their eyes are like gone from their brain and you can't connect.

[351] And they just keep explaining to you why it's such a good idea.

[352] She went into the woman's bathroom and saw the perfect vent jackpot.

[353] Jane began to hoist herself up.

[354] However, unlike John McLean's character, this silver vent was being held up by a wire.

[355] Oh, my God.

[356] As she lifted herself up into the vent, the entire roof around the vent collapsed and the jig was up.

[357] Yeah.

[358] Yeah.

[359] Yeah.

[360] The bouncer ran in to see the fuss.

[361] And Jane yelled, that woman just tried to climb into the roof.

[362] She ran that way and pointed out the door.

[363] The bouncer turned around to follow the said other woman and Jane bolted.

[364] Needless to say, our night ended there.

[365] Okay, she's so drunk, she's going to climb into a vent, but she's sober enough to think of that brilliant out.

[366] So smart.

[367] So smart.

[368] Just careful of Jane.

[369] Yeah.

[370] And then it just goes, I've been a listener since the beginning when I was postpartum with my first.

[371] You got me through postpartum depression and daycare drop -off.

[372] Thank you for normalizing storebought serotonin.

[373] Also note, I used to daydream about coming to a live show and hope one day that you'll head back up north to Western Canada, Edmonton specifically, so I can attend and share all the Canadian candies.

[374] Stay sexy and don't trust the drunk girl, Asha, she, her.

[375] Oh, conniving drunk girl.

[376] That's like the scariest.

[377] Yeah.

[378] Yeah, someone that's got a little, a little bit of a scheme in her brain.

[379] Mischief, mischievous.

[380] I think when you drink Goldschlager, I think that's what it does to you.

[381] It brings out the evil plans.

[382] Yeah, which could be fun.

[383] Tell us about your evil plans.

[384] I don't know.

[385] Tell us about your bathroom, mind you.

[386] No, no. Cancel that.

[387] Just stay sexy.

[388] And don't get murdered.

[389] Goodbye.

[390] Elvis, do you want a cookie?

[391] This has been an exactly right production.

[392] Our senior producer is Alejandra Keck.

[393] Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo.

[394] This episode was mixed by Leanna Squalachie.

[395] Email your hometowns to My Favorite Murder at gmail .com.

[396] And follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at My Favorite Murder and on Twitter at My Fave Murder.

[397] Goodbye.