Pillar of the community. Philanthropist. Medical doctor. Dorthea Puente was given – or gave herself – many different titles over the years, but in California in the 1980s, the one title that proved true was “serial killer.” On this episode of the Escape Pod, co-costs Charity and Julie are joined by friend-of-the-show Karabeth to discuss this “greedy granny” whose love of money may have driven her to kill some of the very people she was entrusted to help.
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
- Topic #1 6:19 Sacremento, CA, in the 1980s: A man with a mental health condition and other challenges goes missing after moving into Dorthea Puente’s home
- Topic #2 14:31 Discussion of Dorthea’s troubling and traumatic past
- Topic #3 32:22 A secret note is slipped to investigators that helps crack the case
- Topic #4 47:24 A Lighter Note: Escapism, co-host-style
Resources & Links
https://sports.yahoo.com/killing-her-boarders-burying-them-194503281.html
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/dorothea-puente/
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/california-serial-killer-dorothea-puente-17318261.php
Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more at http://escapepod.live Contact Us or Submit a story:
- General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live
- Submit listener stories: escapeartist@escapepod.live
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com