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MFM Minisode 211

January 25, 2021 /

This episode of My Favorite Murder features stories about true crime, personal experiences, and the upcoming season of Tenfold More Wicked with Kate Winkler Dawson. Key discussions include a father's heroic act during a kidnapping attempt, a chilling hitchhiking experience, and a traumatic encounter with a clown mask.

Listeners hear a gripping tale from a woman whose truck driver father saved her from a kidnapping when he woke up from a heat stroke just in time. This story highlights the bond between them and the father's dedication despite his demanding job.

Another personal account involves a young woman who picked up a hitchhiker, only to feel threatened when he made a disturbing comment. Her quick thinking and assertiveness helped her escape a potentially dangerous situation.

The episode also features a teaser for the new season of Tenfold More Wicked, titled The Body Snatcher, where Kate Winkler Dawson discusses historical grave robbers and their impact on modern medicine.

Overall, the episode blends humor with serious themes, showcasing the hosts' dynamic and the importance of sharing personal stories in the true crime genre.

TLDR

This episode shares true crime stories, including a father's heroism and a hitchhiker's threat, plus a teaser for Tenfold More Wicked's new season.

Episode

35:09
00:00:00
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My favorite murder Hello and welcome to my favorite murder, the mini soda 2021. That's right. Here it is. And fucking deal with it.
00:02:19
How are you? I'm good. I'm good. I'm rested. We're out of the darkness. and into mass confusion and just kind of general pandemic disorganization.
00:02:32
Yeah. But things feel definitely lighter and better. They do. They really do. They do.
00:02:38
They do. Feels less dire, like less dire straits, you know. Oh, we should tell everybody.
00:02:44
Yes. We have a little bit of exciting information because we know that you've all been tuning
00:02:49
in and listening to the great true crime author Kate Winkler Dawson, who has her podcast Tenfold
00:02:55
more wicked on the Exactly Right Network. Well, guess what? Season two is about to drop.
00:03:02
That's fucking drop. It's dropping as we speak as we speak right now. And there's a new season,
00:03:09
season two. It's called The Body Snatcher. It's a really awesome season about it's a historical
00:03:16
true crime story about the world's most famous grave robbers who've never actually robbed a grave.
00:03:23
They just murdered people to get the cadavers and they're called Birkin hair. It's an incredible story.
00:03:31
And of course, Kate Winkler Dawson tells it so well because she is such a good storyteller and such an incredible historic mind.
00:03:41
So it's really fucking cool. So stick around to the end of this episode and you will hear the trailer for the brand new season of Tenfold More Wicked.
00:03:50
the body snatchers. And now we're going to do the mini. So do you want to go first?
00:03:55
Hey, sure. Let me go first. So this story is called My Trucker Dad Thwarted My Kidnapping.
00:04:04
Oh, and it starts. Well, you asked for creepy trucker stories and have I got one for you?
00:04:10
And that's how you fucking start a letter. My dad was a cross country truck driver
00:04:15
for most of my life, traveling all over the country as a guy who delighted in swapping
00:04:20
various diesel engine information with good old boys over cheap, greasy food, he loved his job,
00:04:28
but missed being at home as well. My sisters and I saw him on an average of once a month for our
00:04:33
whole lives, but he always made sure that we knew we were his whole world. He loves telling stories
00:04:39
about his time on the road, and I have countless to choose from, but I'll pick just one. So if this
00:04:45
is too long, and then there's a bunch of emojis that I don't understand that I'm guessing mean
00:04:50
sorry. I don't know. Square box, square box, female sign, square box. This story happens when
00:04:59
I was about four or five years old. During the summers, my sisters and I would take turns going
00:05:03
with our dad in the truck for a week or two and as a way to spend more quality time together.
00:05:08
It was my favorite part of the year, honestly. I got to travel all over the country,
00:05:12
eat at every truck stop you could imagine, and most of all, have fun with my dad.
00:05:17
When I was about four years old, I was with my dad one summer and he had some minor engine repairs to do on the truck.
00:05:24
He pulled over a small mom and pop type gas station, set me under a nearby tree with my doll and crawled out of the truck to get to work.
00:05:33
As you can imagine, laying on the hot asphalt underneath a boiling hot engine, my dad suffered a heat stroke and passed out.
00:05:41
out who knows how long he was out but he came to suddenly with a blinding headache and looked over
00:05:48
to where i sat under the tree only to see a man creeping up behind me arms outstretched getting ready to snatch me up it sounds like the swamp Man kind of right The creature from the Black Goose That what I meant Thank you very much Karen
00:06:07
who is into TMC classic movies on Friday nights, and I appreciate that. And your brain, apparently. That's right. My dad quickly scrambled out from under the truck,
00:06:18
red-faced and sweaty, brandishing whatever tool was nearest, and started screaming like a madman.
00:06:24
The guy ran off and my dad collapsed onto the ground. The little old lady working at the gas station heard the commotion and ran out to help.
00:06:31
She took us inside and watched over me while my dad got some much needed medical attention.
00:06:38
I can't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't woken up when he did. And I'm always grateful that he was able to muster up the last bit of energy he had to save my life.
00:06:48
For real. I have countless other creepy trucking stories that my dad has told me over the years.
00:06:53
Like the time he witnessed a murder in the middle of the night to one of his buddies while they were driving down the road.
00:07:00
But that's another email for another day. Wow. Love you guys. Thanks for helping keep my spirits up during this batshit crazy year.
00:07:09
Stay sexy and stay hydrated. Heat strokes are no joke. Kathleen. Very true, Kathleen.
00:07:16
Kathleen. Great job. Kathleen's dad. Great job. That's right. Because the idea that he passed out from a heat stroke, but had like parent ESP to knowing his child was in danger.
00:07:29
That's like proof there's ESP. That and like and like only seeing your kids once a month, which is, I think, a necessity in a lot of careers.
00:07:38
But making sure that your kids have special memories of you and like special moments in their childhood, despite really not living with you that much, I think is a lovely thing.
00:07:50
Don't you think? Oh, you're saying because the dad as a long haul trucker wasn't around that much?
00:07:54
Well, she said he came around once a month, but always made sure that he knew he was, you know, pivotal.
00:08:00
I didn't really focus on that point. And I was like, what is this specific thing she's trying to give props to?
00:08:07
I have real problems. She goes, Marty, every other weekend was not enough for me.
00:08:12
no it's like oh maybe it's even a stronger bond because they they look forward to being around you
00:08:20
and they have all their maybe the mom is pissed the fuck off that she has to discipline them every
00:08:25
fucking day and the dad gets to come around once a month and have fun that's definitely true that's
00:08:30
that's more marty and janet than than this is that's i think all divorced parents where the mom
00:08:37
had, I mean, the moms do all the work, they're the bad guy, and then dad comes and buys you
00:08:42
your favorite toy. Absolutely. I know nothing of it. My parents were happily married
00:08:50
for about 50 years. Sorry, but in your face. Oh my god, don't make me spit this fucking wine out. This is good wine.
00:09:01
Right on the microphone. Did you just in my face about my childhood? I just in your face about perhaps one of the more painful things in your life.
00:09:10
Why would I do that? That's fucked up. I'm sorry. I apologize to you. No, this is why we're friends.
00:09:16
Are you crying? No, I'm laughing my fucking ass off. That's fucked up. Okay. No, sorry.
00:09:26
No, I love it. Sorry. Keeping us on our toes. Okay. Here's my first email. Georgia and Karen, you asked for stories about picking up hitchhikers and instantly regretting it.
00:09:37
Do you remember doing that? No, but that sounds like a theme. But I mean, sure. Do it always.
00:09:44
I have never told this story to anyone. When I was a very young, very naive teenager in the suburbs of Massachusetts,
00:09:51
I was driving home in the middle of the day when a young kid came flying out of the wealthiest neighborhood and flagged me down.
00:09:58
He was about my age and looked genuinely distressed. so I assumed he was from my high school.
00:10:03
He got in and he asked for a ride to the nearby train station. Since it was only about a 10-minute drive, I said sure.
00:10:09
As we exchanged small talk, it dawned on me that I had never seen this person in my life.
00:10:14
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I was suddenly so aware that I was alone in an enclosed space with a total stranger.
00:10:21
He sensed my nervousness and laughed, Don't worry, if I was going to rape you, I would have done it already.
00:10:28
That did it. I stopped the car and said, get out of here. He started to protest.
00:10:33
I don't remember what came out of my mouth next, but I've never spoken that way to anyone ever.
00:10:38
And luckily, I hadn't had to since. The only thing I do remember is my hand reaching for the CD holder above my head, prepared to shatter one to use as a weapon if necessary.
00:10:47
Yes, do it. Luckily, my cursing and yelling scared him off and he finally got out of my car.
00:10:52
I drove away shakily and never told a soul because that one was on me. Thanks for reading.
00:10:57
And just so you know that as and just know that as an adult who spent almost a decade in New York City and listened to five years of this podcast, I know better now.
00:11:06
Oh, dude, we all do. We all we all do. We all did it. Don't be embarrassed. Tell your friends laugh about it and they'll have similar stories.
00:11:16
And also, here's what I love. She said, get out now. And that's it wasn't a question.
00:11:22
It wasn't just see what his response was. Yeah, she said it and she backed it up.
00:11:26
And yeah, he knew he knew there was no arguing. He knew there was no chill and you know, chill out.
00:11:33
You know, you're being crazy. Give me this ride. And you know what else he learned that day?
00:11:38
That's not a joke. I love it. He learned in a way that is very important. That's not a joke.
00:11:44
That was I love that story. That's that's that's the that's the coming of age understanding story that we made a big mistake at one point.
00:11:51
We all fucking did. I wrote about it in the book when I took my top off for a quote unquote professional photographer in fucking seclusion and was like wow let not get ourselves in this situation ever again
00:12:05
Right. And it was the first time I've ever fucking talked about it was in the book.
00:12:09
Yeah. This one's called The Day the FBI Rated My Job for a Crime I Predicted. Oh, it just starts.
00:12:17
I have a reputation for having the best luck with getting magical, interesting jobs.
00:12:23
When I was in high school, I worked as an assistant in research and development for Maytag and literally got paid to write down numbers.
00:12:31
My uncle said out loud after we flooded, blew up or dropped washing machines from the third story of the building.
00:12:40
Yes. So you already win. To this day, I don't think the numbers meant a damn thing.
00:12:46
Or when I randomly moved to Nashville and quickly got a job as the receptionist at a vinyl pressing production plant.
00:12:54
And on my second day, shadowed someone giving a tour of the plant to Radiohead. Oh, shit.
00:13:01
Yeah. One of my favorite jobs ever was working as a movie theater projectionist.
00:13:07
This was right after college and right after the switch to digital. So I just whizzed around in a rolly chair, programming a supercomputer in the evenings before nestling down in a theater with a last of the day's popcorn and screened the films with my best friend slash roommate, Rana.
00:13:26
That is a dream job, though. There's nothing. Oh, I also worked in a movie theater when I was 19.
00:13:31
You had to. Asher the Escher, my brother, Asher the Escher, who also worked there as a projectionist.
00:13:37
projectionist so we mostly worked on an island from the rest of the operations because projectionist
00:13:43
to me were like the big guns like you didn't they were with them no no they were like scientists
00:13:48
like we were just down there selling dots and like i was just down there secretly eating a box
00:13:55
of dots all day long but like the projectionist came and you're just like is he a vampire is he
00:13:59
the smartest man in the world is he make the movie i don't know i'm an irvine is that david lynch i
00:14:07
love him. I'm in love with him. Okay. At the theater, there were plenty of high school kids
00:14:13
who started there when they were 14 and had worked their way up to the shiny and distinguished position of
00:14:19
shift supervisor. And then there's diamond emojis happening. I just think that's important to know.
00:14:26
What is that shift supervisor? It's fancy. It's fancy. It's like, oh my God. You know when you were
00:14:31
like 14, you're like, they're the manager. And you're like, oh, I better be cool to them. And they're like a
00:14:35
16-year-old weirdo. That's right. They set the hours. That's right. They can find my box of dots.
00:14:41
Okay, sorry. No, keep going. Let's talk about dots. One such person was Michael, who relished his power over his friends slash roommates
00:14:50
and was mostly known among staff as a supervisor who would sneak expired concession stand food
00:14:57
out of the back of the building in trash bags with the leftover popcorn. Told you.
00:15:02
You? No, no, no. I just ate the one box of dots all day long. So these guys were they were like a heist compared to you.
00:15:10
Yeah. It was expired. I used to wear. There's no treasure. The next line says expired hot dogs, jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks were crowding the freezers of everyone who worked there, including ours.
00:15:27
Remember when you had to shop at John's and buy the lowest level value meat. They were so excited to be eating expired mozzarella instead of Top Ramen for one week.
00:15:42
I was just like, thank God this finally happened. After I had been there for a year or so, Michael announced that he had gotten a new job as a bank teller and dramatically gave his two weeks notice.
00:15:52
I turned to Rana, Raina, Raina, and said, for sure, that bank is getting robbed.
00:16:00
Oh, fast forward to six months later when I walked into work and found three FBI agents standing in the lobby.
00:16:06
They were there to talk to Michael's roommates and girlfriend. Michael had been found that morning tied to a chair at the bank with only a bloody nose after having been, quote, kidnapped and forced to empty an ATM.
00:16:22
Turns out the man who had appeared on the bank security cameras in a mask leading Michael around.
00:16:28
And it says with no weapon was his roommate, Brendan. And the $17,000 they stole was found in a few trash bags.
00:16:38
Wait, hold it. Along with day old popcorn in the trunk of Brendan's car in the feeder parking lot.
00:16:47
OK, you know what this says to me? P.O.T. spells stoners. What's that? Oh, pot. Pot?
00:16:54
Pot spells stoners. Got it. Yes. All told, there were four guys who masterminded the, quote, heist.
00:17:03
And they all spent some time in jail and were fined $250,000 each. Oh, shit. Stay sexy and don't eat expired hot dogs.
00:17:14
Megan. Megan. Yes. Classic. Classic, epic hometown. If I had walked into the movie theater and I saw three FBI agents,
00:17:25
I'd be like, they fucking found out about the dots. They know what I'm doing. Karen and the dots.
00:17:31
That's your fucking band name right there. Oh, my God. That's good. I love that.
00:17:36
Like, it also happened almost immediately after he left. And she was like, that bank's getting rough.
00:17:42
Like, why would who would hire? Who hired him? You know, as as old Jim Kilgariff likes to say, there's certain people who can't keep their hands out of the till.
00:17:50
And it sounds like that guy was Jim Kilgariff. that a great I want to know who he thinks that is I bet he thinks it me he no no he just saying in general you know you hear about certain people that can handle it I just saw a thing the other day on Twitter
00:18:08
It was about a woman who embezzled some huge amount of money from a children's charity.
00:18:16
And it just happens all the time where it's like they put themselves in the position to be in charge of money.
00:18:21
And they can't not steal money. The audacity of thinking that you're smarter than the fucking company you work for and no one's going to find out.
00:18:32
Right. Like we're the kind of people who walk into a store where we're going to buy something and are terrified someone's going to think we're shoplifting.
00:18:40
Always. Even though we have no intention of shoplifting. A little bit. And well, you know, the idea runs through our head.
00:18:47
If you get a shot, you know, you never know. You're not hurting anyone. All right.
00:18:53
Go. Okay. The subject line of this letter is Lizzie Borden treasure. Hey, y'all.
00:19:01
I just finished your live episode where Karen covers the story of Lizzie Borden.
00:19:05
And I knew I had to write in. I grew up in Arizona, but all my extended family lives on the East coast.
00:19:10
That means I have a ton of aunts, uncles, and cousins. I only hear about occasionally on holidays.
00:19:16
Your insert unrecognizable name of family member just had her gallbladder removed.
00:19:21
etc so imagine my surprise when last christmas i saw a gift under the tree from my aunt louise
00:19:29
in rhode island my aunt louise married my mom's brother so we aren't related by blood but i'd
00:19:35
heard some casual conversations about her and my uncle while i was growing up i looked at my mom
00:19:40
questioningly and she responded that christmas morning mom smirk that only meant you were about
00:19:46
to open something good i don't think i've ever been more in shock when opening a present before
00:19:51
My Aunt Louise sent me, wait for it, authentic 1890s lace cuffs straight from Lizzie Borden's house.
00:19:59
What? Lace cuffs. I had known for a few years that my Aunt Louise is related by blood to Lizzie Borden.
00:20:07
Louise's mom was a Borden. My mom had always said that my uncle joked about not letting her near sharp utensils just in case.
00:20:15
apparently my mom had called her to ask if she could sign a book about lizzie borden to give me
00:20:21
for christmas and my aunt had responded just a book do you think she'd like something even better
00:20:27
she went up the shit out of you aunt louise and louise told how to give a gift what bitch
00:20:33
aunt louise dash borden is not going to take direction she sent the handmade cuffs across
00:20:40
the country for me to have. I called my aunt pretty immediately after opening them to gush
00:20:46
and say thank you approximately 1000 times. My aunt said that her side of the family has
00:20:50
possession over all types of clothing, furniture, and even documents from the board and house
00:20:55
before it was turned into a bed and breakfast slash museum. It's actually for sites recently
00:21:02
for sale. Exactly right offices for the when the pandemic's over. Yes or no. Stephen's clapping.
00:21:08
Also, the La Bianca house here in fucking Los Feliz is for sale. I feel like we have dueling coasts, terrifying, terrifying dueling coasts.
00:21:17
I mean, I just feel like we should keep it local. It's easier for everybody to not move to Rhode Island in the middle of pandemic.
00:21:24
But we can discuss it at the next. You're right. This is an inappropriate. I'm sorry. Yes, this is an appropriate and possibly actionable conversation.
00:21:32
OK, after we talked about all the history and details, I finally asked her. Do you think she did it? And she answered pretty casually. Honey, we all do.
00:21:42
Aunt Louise. I live in Austin, Texas now, and thankfully, my roommate is also a listener and a murderino and agreed to hang the cuffs at the entryway of our apartment as the ultimate conversation.
00:21:54
Hey, do you want to hook up? But quickly, just know I'm descended from. I don't know if you care about murder or not, but this happened.
00:22:03
Yeah. Get into my room. Right. I'll keep you guys updated if we get a ghost. Fingers crossed.
00:22:09
Stay sexy and keep in touch with that distant aunt. You never know if she's related to an axe murderer.
00:22:14
Mallory. Oh, that's a good name. Yeah, it's a great name. Karen, do you have those married into cousins and aunts or uncles that you've known your whole life?
00:22:26
They didn't marry anew. They're not your blood relative, but you fucking like, like you gravitate towards them at parties.
00:22:33
yes remember i actually ran into one on the street in santa barbara that's right it was so out of
00:22:41
context because i only ever see her at thanksgiving or christmas at my aunt joe's house yeah that when
00:22:46
we ran into each other she was like karen i'm your fucking god i remember that and i was in that weird
00:22:52
mode of like hi nice to meet like phony we had just done a three hour meeting greet so your face
00:22:58
And I saw your face and I was like, oh, I've never seen Karen like this before. So embarrassing.
00:23:04
It was so like it was like I was pretending. Yeah. Like pretending. She's like, oh, my God.
00:23:10
And you couldn't fix it after that either. You can be like, no, I have a cousin, Donna, who was like married to like the fucking like crowning king of cousins, Jeff.
00:23:22
And Donna was like the queen. and they divorced but she was she donna schwartz was is a queen and every time you go to a party
00:23:32
like a hanukkah party no matter how old you were you're like donna can i just be in a fucking room
00:23:37
with you and hang out with you southern and not jewish so she was just like loud and drunk and
00:23:42
she was like the most fun yes i miss donna uh i love that i love that and yolanda my fucking
00:23:49
sister-in-law it's like oh yeah she's great that cousin or that person that you're like
00:23:53
You're not one of us. Can I fucking please talk to you? Yeah. There's a warning.
00:23:58
Because I have 28. We actually have lots of these, like, you know, the first person.
00:24:04
It's like Deirdre and Eileen. There's, you know, there's so many Eileen. I've known you since I was a child.
00:24:09
You're my cousin as much as this other person. I don't give a shit if we have blood involved.
00:24:13
In fact, that's a fucking negative to you. It's a negative. In my family, it's not a plus.
00:24:19
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00:26:48
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00:26:52
There's a whole staff at SimpliSafe that's waiting to talk to you and help you out and tell you, no, you're fine.
00:26:58
It's a raccoon. Right now, you can get 50% off your new system by visiting SimpliSafe.com slash MFM.
00:27:03
That's half off at SimpliSafe.com slash MFM. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. Goodbye.
00:27:11
Okay, I have one more email to read. And this actually so this is from a Reddit thread.
00:27:18
I found out about this because a Reddit thread got posted on Twitter. And so a bunch of murderinos let us know that this person was writing in and they were trying to get heard.
00:27:30
But of course, our Gmail is chock full and no one had read this email. So we got the heads up and we went in and found it.
00:27:39
And actually, I began to email with this person and had a good conversation with them.
00:27:45
And so they sent this email. And before I get started, I just want to give a trigger warning.
00:27:49
This is a very intense letter. So people, if you're sensitive to sexual assault stories, you're not going to want to listen to this.
00:28:00
A few months ago, a co-worker turned me towards the MFM podcast because a story was told about me.
00:28:06
Spoiler alert, I wasn't murdered. for reference it was episode 92 in October of 2017
00:28:12
I actually wrote to you once before and indicated that I didn want anything more published that I just wanted to set the record straight but I had a few months to sit on this and some time to bounce it off my therapist and I decided that I do want to tell my story It was so crazy to hear my worst nightmare told
00:28:28
on a podcast. It felt like a violation. So much of this has felt like something that happened to me,
00:28:35
and I want to control this part of the narrative. I want my real story told by me with my consent.
00:28:41
On January 8, 2017, I was working as a medical legal death investigator and forensic autopsy tech.
00:28:49
I was working a swing shift alone. The building we were in at the time was old and decrepit.
00:28:55
The building was not connected to any hospital, though it did house the county morgue.
00:29:00
The upstairs part of the building was primarily offices, and the basement was the autopsy suite and body cooler.
00:29:05
That night, the region was experiencing widespread flooding due to rain melting the snowpack.
00:29:12
Law enforcement resources were stretched thin, and the old building was leaking and threatening to flood.
00:29:17
The county had made press releases that county facilities would be closed the next day.
00:29:22
In addition to scene investigations, part of my duties were to process cases for autopsy the next morning.
00:29:29
Traditionally, I would do all of my writing and follow up from my cubicle upstairs and save the hands-on processing until the very end of my shift.
00:29:37
I would rather process three bodies in a row all at once versus go downstairs three times during my shift.
00:29:44
Even after years of working with the deceased, the downstairs creeped me out. While I was upstairs writing a report, my computer keyboard malfunctioned.
00:29:52
I spent some time fiddling with it, but ultimately decided to go downstairs to an abandoned office turned storage room to get a replacement.
00:30:00
Normally, I wouldn't have gone downstairs for another 45 minutes or so, but I couldn't finish my report without a keyboard.
00:30:06
I was in the office storage room with my back to the door. When I turned around, there was a man leaning on the doorframe.
00:30:13
He was wearing a scary clown mask. He was calm and cocky, and he told me, you're early.
00:30:19
He knew my routine. I was kind of frozen for a second. He rushed toward me and I swung the keyboard at him like
00:30:26
a baseball bat. To this day, I can see some of the keys flying off in slow motion. He pushed me
00:30:32
against a bookcase hard. My vision went white. I think my bell got rung pretty good because there's
00:30:37
a couple seconds I can't account for. He had my right hand pinned up near my head. He grabbed at
00:30:43
my skirt and ripped it. I thought he was trying to pull off my lanyard that had a key card and
00:30:48
physical keys to the building. I tried to hit him, but I couldn't get any leverage. He was so close
00:30:54
to me. Nothing I did got any response until I tried to pull the mask off. That's when he pulled
00:30:59
the knife. He rubbed the knife over my face. He cut my cheek and showed me my blood on the blade.
00:31:06
He called me a whore. He told me to undress, and when I refused, he put the knife under my collarbone
00:31:11
right at the subclavian artery and told me he would paint the walls red. He raped me.
00:31:17
When I yelled and begged him to stop, he laughed and asked who was supposed to hear me scream.
00:31:23
He stopped and told me to get on my knees. For the first time, he didn't have the knife to my chest or throat.
00:31:29
I didn't think about it. I grabbed the knife by the blade and ran. Running up the stairs, I kept feeling something weird on the handrail.
00:31:38
It turns out it wasn't the handrail that was weird. It was my hand. I started to run outside, but realized I didn't know where he was.
00:31:46
Our old building was like a maze. I started to go to my desk, but stopped and hid under another investigator's desk.
00:31:53
I couldn't find my cell phone, and I called 911 from the desk phone. It took a couple of tries, having to remember to dial 99 before dialing out.
00:32:02
I vividly remember hiding under the desk, trying to whisper to the dispatcher, and watching
00:32:07
the blood run down my fingers and pool on the ground. Our building was supposed to be secure, and the responding police officers had no way to gain entry.
00:32:16
I had to leave the desk and walk through two doors and a hallway to let them in.
00:32:21
The whole time I was expecting him to pop out, but he didn't. It took law enforcement a while to clear the building.
00:32:27
They didn't have keys, were unfamiliar with the maze-like layout, and had to search every body bag.
00:32:32
The man in the clown mask wasn found I was released from the ER several hours later My supervisor drove me home but we first had to go back to the building to collect my wallet and keys It was dreamlike
00:32:45
Seeing the red and blue lights illuminate the area. Officers and deputies patrolling in pairs
00:32:50
in the pouring rain reminded me of a scene from a movie. After the scene was processed,
00:32:55
my co-workers cleaned my blood from the office, stairs, desk, doors, and wall. An email went out
00:33:01
the majority of the staff telling them not to report until 0800 hours. When my co-workers,
00:33:08
who are also my partners and best friends, went downstairs to prepare everything for autopsy,
00:33:13
they found evidence that he had been waiting for me in the autopsy suite. Arranged on the back of
00:33:19
an evidence cart next to an exam table were long strips of red duct tape. Two long pieces,
00:33:25
two shorter pieces. The red duct tape was dog-eared, which is never done with evidence.
00:33:30
As it was described to me, they were ready for someone at the floor level to be able to easily grab, ready to go.
00:33:37
If I had been going down to process bodies in my usual routine, I would have walked backwards, pulling a gurney to that exact spot.
00:33:45
No arrest has ever been made. The only DNA that was recovered from my clothing wound up belonging to my infant son from where I had held him before going to work.
00:33:55
The investigation of my case was transferred from one jurisdiction to another as the attack happened in a county building.
00:34:02
This resulted in twice as many law enforcement officers being involved in various ways.
00:34:07
The detectives investigating my case forgot to flag it as confidential, resulting in an unknown number of deputies reading details of my case.
00:34:16
One deputy shared details of my case on a hookup app. one high-ranking officer shared the details with their family, and that is how it came to you in
00:34:27
the first place. That night turned my world upside down. I moved, changed cars, my kids changed
00:34:33
schools, and I ultimately resigned. The new facility that we moved into a month later is
00:34:38
state-of-the-art with cameras, alarms, and ballistics glass, but I was never again comfortable
00:34:43
being alone in the morgue at night. I will always have to live with the knowledge that someone
00:34:48
very smart, collected, and comfortable in a morgue, is still out there. We know that he had
00:34:53
been in the building at least twice before and likely once after. I don't know what exactly he
00:34:59
had planned, but I'm thankful for a random faulty keyboard spacebar. I'm okay. It took a while of not
00:35:06
being okay to be where I am now. I wanted to write to you because I think sometimes the person part
00:35:12
of your stories gets overlooked. I found and reached out to the person who initially shared
00:35:17
my story, but I think I freaked them out. Perhaps they were concerned that I was the perpetrator.
00:35:24
Oops. If you have any questions about details or you need clarification, I'm happy to unscramble
00:35:30
this. Thank you for your time. So we told a story that was third hand and not the person's story to
00:35:42
tell. I don't think that the person who wrote in had malicious intent, but I think this is a very
00:35:49
good lesson for all of us when we think about what we're doing and how we're talking and who
00:35:57
we're talking about. So our apologies to you who had to hear her story on a podcast. That's the
00:36:05
last thing that we want to happen. And that's, you know, that's just that's not what we're trying
00:36:10
to do and it's not what it's about and we should have thought it through. And we're going to try
00:36:14
our best to keep aware of this and to keep you in mind so that we avoid mistakes like this in the
00:36:23
future. And so George and I have decided that we're going to donate $10,000 to the Rape, Abuse
00:36:32
and Incest National Network, RAINN. And we thank you for your understanding and for writing in and
00:36:37
communicating with me and letting us retell your story the way you wanted it told.
00:36:44
And yeah, I think that's it. Yeah. Thank you guys so much. Thanks for listening.
00:36:49
And stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? Susan how do you want to be introduced You can just use my first name if you don mind
00:37:04
And tell me, you know, what your trepidation just is in general. I would hate for any member of our family to have something bad happen just because we were unfortunately related to a serial killer.
00:37:18
Susan's worried about this podcast even though her great great great uncle died almost 200 years ago
00:37:27
this is season 2 of Tenfold More Wicked on Exactly Right I call this story The Body Snatcher
00:37:35
19th century Scotland 16 helpless victims killed using a brilliant method two ruthless murderers
00:37:45
but only one had a conscience and one ambitious doctor, Dr. Robert Knox, who pioneered modern medicine in the laboratory.
00:37:55
Students fought to get into his classroom because he had fresh bodies for them to dissect.
00:38:01
You don't have to make it more gory. It's already two people that are killing people for money.
00:38:07
It's gory enough. This season is about discrediting myths. You've got no idea who's telling the truth.
00:38:13
I think he was a doctor. He must know that many people just don't die. It's about betrayal.
00:38:17
There's only one particular person who has a vendetta against Knox at that point.
00:38:22
He seems to have been the only corpse who had known that he was about to be murdered.
00:38:28
It's about why William Burke and William Hare still matter. They would have just gone into a grave and rotted away.
00:38:37
Because they were taken to Knox, they trained thousands of surgeons on them. And how this story ends shocked everyone in 19th century Europe.
00:38:47
It even shocks me now. These bodies have been had here probably a little over a year.
00:38:55
And so they're almost all skeletonized. It's quite shocking when you find out that there's a mass murderer in your family tree.
00:39:02
And we literally have a skeleton in the closet. But ultimately, it's about a family that just wants answers about the killer in their past.
00:39:12
So he had to have known that that's who was in the tea chest. Right. They lied. Wow. Wow.
00:39:18
I never heard anything about this. I'm Kate Winkler-Dawson, and this is Season 2 of Tenfold More Wicked,
00:39:27
a podcast about the world's most famous grave robbers who never actually robbed a grave.
00:39:36
Season 2 of Tenfold More Wicked is now available on Exactly Right. Subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen.
00:40:11
and see just how stress-free vacation planning should be. Goodbye. This episode is brought to you in part by Vital Farms.
00:40:18
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Vital Farms, good eggs, no shortcuts. Goodbye. Hey everyone, it's Kel Penn. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever
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Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 80
    Most heartbreaking
  • 75
    Most shocking
  • 70
    Most dramatic
  • 70
    Most intense

Episode Highlights

  • Earsay Podcast
    Discover standout audiobooks with Cal Penn on the Earsay podcast.
    “It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great audiobook.”
    @ 00m 57s
    January 25, 2021
  • Neptune Shoes by Reef
    Experience comfort without sacrificing style with Reef's Neptune shoes.
    “They're really cute, but your feet are like on little clouds.”
    @ 01m 43s
    January 25, 2021
  • Tenfold More Wicked Season 2
    Kate Winkler Dawson's podcast returns with a gripping true crime story.
    “It's called The Body Snatcher.”
    @ 03m 09s
    January 25, 2021
  • My Trucker Dad Thwarted My Kidnapping
    A chilling story of a father's instinct saving his child from danger.
    “I can't imagine what would have happened if he hadn't woken up when he did.”
    @ 06m 41s
    January 25, 2021
  • Lizzie Borden's Lace Cuffs
    A surprising family connection to Lizzie Borden revealed through a Christmas gift.
    “My Aunt Louise sent me, wait for it, authentic 1890s lace cuffs straight from Lizzie Borden's house.”
    @ 19m 51s
    January 25, 2021
  • The Clown Mask Attack
    A medical legal death investigator recounts a horrifying encounter with an attacker in a clown mask.
    “He was wearing a scary clown mask.”
    @ 30m 15s
    January 25, 2021
  • The Aftermath of Trauma
    The investigator shares the long-term effects of her traumatic experience and the lack of justice.
    “No arrest has ever been made.”
    @ 33m 45s
    January 25, 2021
  • A Lesson in Storytelling
    The hosts reflect on the importance of telling stories with consent and accuracy.
    “I don't think that the person who wrote in had malicious intent.”
    @ 35m 49s
    January 25, 2021

Episode Quotes

  • Goodbye.
    MFM Minisode 211
  • That's fucked up.
    MFM Minisode 211
  • I don't give a shit if we have blood involved.
    MFM Minisode 211
  • I thought I just hated bras, but I was wearing the wrong size.
    MFM Minisode 211
  • I want my real story told by me with my consent.
    MFM Minisode 211
  • That's the last thing that we want to happen.
    MFM Minisode 211

Key Moments

  • Goodbye00:35
  • Stay sexy07:09
  • Lizzie Borden19:00
  • Unexpected Reunion22:26
  • Family Connections23:53
  • Intense Trigger Warning27:46
  • Horrifying Encounter30:10
  • Unsolved Case33:45

Tension Over Time

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown