
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark Rewind with Karen & Georgia - 67: Live At The Egyptian Room
Oct 22, 2025
Karen delves into the eerie life of serial killer Belle Gunness, detailing her suspicious past, a stream of suitors, and the grim discovery of mass graves on her property. Georgia follows with the chilling story of Herb Baumeister, whose thrift stores masked a darkness as gay men went missing near his estate. The hosts share grassroots investigations, unsettling police confrontations, and ongoing victim identifications, all while reflecting on fan stories and the nuances of their past performances.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Candy Shop To Murder Farm
- Belle Gunness moved from Chicago to La Porte after insuring a burned candy store and collecting payout.
- She then bought a 42-acre farm where suspicious fires and deaths began to occur around her family.
Insurance Patterns Raised Suspicion
- Multiple family deaths were attributed to colitis-like symptoms that mimic strychnine poisoning.
- Insurance payouts and overlapping policies created a pattern that later looked highly suspicious.
Farmhouse Fire And A Misidentified Body
- Belle's farmhouse caught fire in April 1908, and rescue failed as flames gutted the home.
- Investigators found a burnt corpse without a head and later discovered the body did not match Belle's measurements.


