My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark - MFM Minisode 235 - Let's Get Medical

Episode Date: July 12, 2021

This week's minisode is a compilation of hometown stories about the dark side of medicine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We at Wondery live, breathe and downright obsess over true crime and now we're launching the ultimate true crime fan experience, Exhibit C. Join now by following Wondery, Exhibit C on Facebook and listen to true crime on Wondery and Amazon Music, Exhibit C. It's truly criminal. Hello and welcome to my favorite murder. The mini-soad. It's the mini-episode. It's the short one that comes on Monday at the beginning of the week. You remember? You remember today's Monday? Sorry about that. This is a hometown baby Jessica story. Hi MFM. Every time my mom tells my birth story, it's actually largely the baby Jessica story. My mom went into labor shortly after she heard the

news that baby Jessica got stuck in the well. Nearly her entire labor consisted of my mom making a deal with God that she would sustain the pain of childbirth if he would keep baby Jessica alive. Lady, you're going to sustain the pain of childbirth anyway. I hate to tell you, you're having a baby. An hour after baby Jessica was free, I was born. So on top of all the people that actually saved baby Jessica, my mom also likes to give herself a little thanks. I love it. I remember getting a really bad ear infection when I was probably like six or seven and begging God that if he made it go away, I'd be a really good Catholic. And it worked. So you still have that ear infection then?

It hurts so bad to podcast. I wrote in another actually heroic story of my mother a couple years ago and since I'm talking about her and it's almost Mother's Day, here it is again. See, that's the kind of persistence we're looking for. Okay, one night in 1992, my mom was half asleep and heard a noise. From her bed, she could see into the dining room in a man climbing through the window. Before she could pick up the phone and call for help, the stranger was on top of her addressing her by name and telling her if she wasn't quiet, he would kill her three children too. Oh my God. My mom being five, three and almost 110 pounds didn't have a lot of options. So she started talking. She convinced him to murder her in the

woods away from the house where her children wouldn't find her. He agreed. In the slow transition off of the bed, the phone fell off the hook. The loud noise off the hook sound surprised him. And when he looked towards the noise, she pushed in his eyeball with her long 90s acrylic nails. Holy fuck. Yes, yes. Push in his eyeball. She buck and took that. I like to imagine because it was long and acrylic that it had a tiny painting of a sunset on it and she just jammed it into his eye. Then now one eyed intruder fled back out the door and into the woods, leaving zip ties, duct tape and a knife. Soon after she moved us to Southern California, aka as far away as she could. I slept through the whole thing and was only told years later when my mom was wine drunk

on a school night. Yeah. Way to beat. They never caught the man. But at the time, my mom had just broken up with an abusive med school graduate who had almost broken her arm and had threatened multiple times that he would kill her. Maybe he didn't hire anyone to kill my mom, but it sure as hell seems like he did. Stay sexy. And if you're in think twice before going into a radiologist. Oh my God. Go moms, go women. X O Annie. Wow. Shit, girl. That's horrifying. That's great. I can't believe they couldn't find someone whose eye was fucking punctured. Yeah. Okay. This one's it called another killer dentist story. Yes. Hello, murder queens, furry friends and Steven. Do you hate that whole thing? No, I like it. Okay. I was listening to a minisode where someone's

mom almost dated a killer dentist and was remind and it reminded me vaguely of my hometown killer dentist story. My first dentist when I was a child was Bart Corbin based out of Hamilton, Mill, Georgia. It's really confusing when you see your own name based out of Hamilton, Mill, Georgia and rule totally wrote a book about it and and I reviewed it for my seventh grade book project. Nice. Very cool. Awesome. He always seemed like a little odd, but the man knew how to clean teeth and do root canal. So we didn't think anything of it. My aunt used to play tennis with his wife's sister and they seem like a normal family, husband, wife, two sons, white picket fence. This though was not the case because in December of 2004, their oldest son,

who was really young at the time, ran to the neighbor's house and told them that someone had shot his mom. When police arrived to the scene, Corbin's wife, Jen, was found with a gunshot wound to the head, suicide-esque. It was quickly determined that it was a homicide framed as a suicide. The giveaway was that the hand holding the gun was neatly tucked under the covers. Oh, yeah. It came out that their relationship had gone south. She had met someone online and he was having an affair with his secretary. She was in the process of serving him divorce papers and he lost it and killed her. Oh my God. It came out later that he had done the same thing to his ex-girlfriend he had in dentistry school, Dolly. She broke things off. He put sugar in her gas tank,

stole her cat, and destroyed her final project before finally shooting her in the head and framing it as a suicide in the same way. I feel like this has been a forensic files. I'm sure it has. The name Dolly is the first girlfriend I think is stories and memories. The only reason he didn't get caught that time was because a rookie cop responded to the scene and picked the gun out of her hand after seeing the shot through the head. Yeah. Needless to say, he was arrested for his wife's murder and it was no longer my dentist. But he was arrested for his wife's murder, so I began to travel to the prison to get my teeth done there. What else was I going to do? My dad was in the middle of a root canal and had to find

a new dentist ASAP. He loved the new guy we went to and told my mom we should start going there since our old dentist was a murderer. A week later, the new dentist was on the news for child molestation. No. I know a dentist who has never been convicted of anything, thankfully. Nice. Love the show and all you do, Mads from Georgia. Oh, Mads. Dude. Don't let your dad pick dentists anymore. It's hard enough to go to the dentist's plane without all those threats and weirdnesses. All right. The subject line of this is, it's a Toronto hometown. I worked with the Angel of Death when I was 15. Oh my God. Hi, gang. I got a wicked hometown murder, but a serial killer nurse for y'all. Where are you from? When I was 15, because that's Boston and that's the South.

Totally. This person is actually from Toronto. She's from all over. She's, that's right. She's an Army brat. Yeah. Okay. When I was 15, I worked as a student nurse's aide at this super shady nursing home in Woodstock, Ontario. Cool. No, not the Woodstock. This one is the dairy capital of Canada. Same. That's what I was thinking of. Yeah. I love to learn. So there was this nurse at the home named Beth Elizabeth, and then full name Elizabeth Wett Loffer. And I worked with her from 2010 to 2013, which happened to be right smack dab in the middle of her active killing spree. In 2007, Beth started working at this nursing home. And in that first year, she tried to kill two old lady sisters by injecting them with insulin, but they survived. Apparently,

it's pretty hard to accidentally overdose people with insulin. So it's pretty intentional if someone does administer a lethal dose. Between 2007 and 2014, she killed eight seniors and attempted to kill four more along with two aggravated assaults from before, making her Canada's first female serial killer. During her confession, Beth said she felt that God was telling her to kill who to kill next, or that the seniors were mean and difficult. So she just killed him. Jesus Christ. Sorry, that's not, it's not funny. It's like, what are you talking about? Right. But that I have a nervous reaction that when I'm very upset about things, I just start laughing. That's what this podcast is. That's why we're here. Yeah. Okay, great. So you're not mad at me?

After she was killed, after she killed, she said she felt a cackling from the pit of hell. That's in quotes within her. And then in parentheses, what the fuck does that even mean? She apparently had confessed to the murders to a former girlfriend, a pastor, a lawyer, a narcotics anonymous sponsor, and a student nurse, and no one did anything except to tell her to stop or pray for her or some shit. Sorry to give advice again to fucking serial killers, but don't tell anyone. Right. I mean, and also, if you're going to tell someone because you want to be stopped, don't pick the lamest people in your, in your life or the people who won't believe you. Yeah. Or the people who kind of don't have the guts to do anything. And they're just like,

you should pray. You're so silly. What's her name, Margaret? You're so silly. What's her name, Margaret? Sounds like a Margaret. Okay. So almost exactly one year ago today, Beth went to a mental health institution in Toronto and fessed up for the sixth fucking time, I might add, and that she'd killed eight old people and they contacted the police. Beth pled guilty immediately and on June 26, 2017, like this was three fucking months ago, you guys, it's crazy. She was sentenced to eight concurrent life sentences in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Some other weird shit she did while she was actively killing. When asked if rumors about her being a murderer were true, Beth started quote, laughing hysterically, as you do. And then finally,

she published some weird ass poems online about a woman quote, quenching her craze by stabbing someone to death. And another about how much she likes old people quote, their wrinkles, their frailty, their smell, knowing this is their last home. Super fucked up a, I also forgot to mention that Beth went to high school with my mom, gotta love small towns, fuck politeness and stay out of the forest, Amy. Oh my God. That's super nuts. Margaret, stop killing people. Her name's Elizabeth. Elizabeth. Elizabeth Margaret. Stop killing people. Margaret is short for Elizabeth. They almost said, really? Jesus, so gullible. Okay, this just is called hometown story. Hi, everyone. Don't want to miss anyone,

so this will do. Thank you. I've never been one to do something like this, but thought the story was too cool not to share. I was born and raised in the North Jersey town of Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown is a New Jersey. What did I say? No, no, no, no, they just said New Jersey twice in a rally in the New Jersey town of Morristown, New Jersey. Morristown is a super cute and diverse town with a picturesque town center and lots to do. This is from the tourism board from Morristown with New Jersey. When growing up in Morristown, the town's rich history is drilled into our brains while at school. Just a couple of cool facts. Elizabeth Shuler was staying in Morristown when Alexander Hamilton was courting her. Washington had headquarters here during the

Revolutionary War, and Peter Dinklage was born here. Hey. Hey. But one historic story that was not taught in school, but we all know is the murder of the Sayre family and subsequent hanging of Antoine Leblanc. Antoine Leblanc was a French immigrant who arrived in Morristown in the mid-19th century. He was hired by the Sayre family as a handyman, but Leblanc was from a well-to-do European family and didn't like his meager work in the US. I mean, who among us, asshole? Yeah, for real. Only a couple weeks later, he murdered Mr. and Mrs. Sayre as well as their servant, Phoebe. Then he took any valuables he could with him and frantically ran away, headed towards New York City. Stupidly, he left a trail of stolen items as he tried to escape.

Because of this, the murder scene was quickly discovered and he was found at a tavern in Hackensack about 30 miles away. Leblanc was subsequently tried and sentenced to be hanged. The story gets worse, though. After being hanged in the town center, might I add, his body was taken to Dr. Camfield's office where they conducted experiments by hooking his body to batteries and trying to resurrect him. Still gets worse. His skin was then sent to a local tannery where a bunch of wallet, purse, book jackets, etc. were made as keepsakes. Imagine hearing this story as a child. This all sounds like a tall tale, but in the 90s, a death mask of his face and wallet made of human skin said to be his was found in a local

collector's house after his death. I believe it's stored at the police department now. They say that all the quote keepsakes are scattered through Morristown and the surrounding area, maybe heirlooms kept by long-standing local families. Grandma's dead, everyone. Here's what you get and here's a fucking face. You get a people book. But we're a murderer. Jesus. And then she writes, and done. Sorry it was so long, but it's such a good murder slash local history slash legend story. I've been listening to you since the beginning and always get excited to hear new episodes every week. And I guess I'll do one of these. Stay sexy and dope buy antique wallets at garage sales. Francisco, like San Francisco, but without the sand and ending

with an A. Thank you. I would have called you Francesca. So I appreciate it. New Jersey, New Jersey, Francisco, like New Jersey, but San Francisco. Wow. That was, yeah, that I'm those ones. It's so nice when they're from the 1700s and we can just go like, Oh, people back then. Deny that it's happening to this day. But I do think that I'm pretty sure when they say death mask, they mean the, the, like they do a, they do a mold of the face when they're dead. Not, it's not a human face. I was just like, they skinned his face and no, okay. No, that makes more it's not the silence of the lambs. I was going shrunken head three. No, no. Yeah. Okay. I'm pretty sure please connect me to Jersey if I'm wrong. Everyone in New Jersey will let you know.

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easy and also makes it so that my food tastes good, which is hard to do on my own. It gives you everything, everything you need. So get up to 20 free meals with purchase plus free shipping on your first box at hellofresh.ca slash murder 20 with code murder 20. That's up to 20 free meals plus free shipping on your first box when you go to hellofresh.ca slash murder 20 and use code murder 20. Goodbye. Hey, I'm Mike Corey, the host of Wondery's podcast against the odds. In our next season, three masked men hijack a school bus full of children in the sleepy farm town of Chowchilla, California. They bury the children and their bus driver deep underground planning to hold them for ransom. Local police and the FBI marshal a search effort, but the trail

quickly runs dry. As the air supply for the trapped children dwindles, a pair of unlikely heroes emerges. Follow against the odds wherever you get your podcasts, you can listen ad free on the Amazon music or Wondery app. Georgia, the subject line of this email is my drug addicted needle reusing oral surgeon. Okay, so I would say to anybody who is a bit creeped out by bad medical things, you're gonna want to jump ahead the 30 button a couple times. I can't do that. For real? Are you no likey? I can't. No, I'm, you know, I love it. Okay, put your finger up if you feel faint. No, I'm ready. I'm ready. Let's go. Hello, Georgia, Karen, Steven and pets. My hometown story is from a suburb of South Denver. It is my very own oral surgeon who removed not only my

wisdom teeth, but my mothers and sisters as well. He was recommended to us by a good family friend who just so happened to also be our dentist. I would assume that if he'd known what this oral surgeon was doing, he wouldn't have recommended his family friends to see him. I'm unsure how he got caught. But in 2012, 10 years after we had been to see him, it was found out that from 1999 to 2011, this motherfucker was not only committing prescription fraud and using the drugs intended for his patients and treating patients while actually on painkillers, but he was also reusing needles from patient to patient. Oh my God, no, why don't do that. Right? That's just you don't need to do that. This is absolutely in the doctor death category of bum out things that could happen

doctor-wise. Okay. And if you haven't heard doctor death, I haven't. I just don't want to. Oh, right, because if you can't handle these kind of squeamish things, doctor death is like times 25. Okay. But if you can, it's one of the best podcasts out there. I'm into this right now though. Okay. Okay, so letters were sent to any previous or current patients of his informing them of the situation. Myself, my mom and my two sisters, one of which who had just had a baby. So we had the added scare of my nephew's health along with 8,000 other patients of his 8,000 had to get tested for HIV and hepatitis. Six of his patients had tested positive for HIV or hepatitis. But of course, it is impossible to say whether or not those patients contracted it from his stupidity.

Myself and my family all tested negative, praise Steven's mustache. Oh my God. That was in parentheses. Oh my God, Steven. Look at Steven's embarrassed sunburn face. I gasped genuinely a few seconds ago. Steven, you're bright red, but it's also because you went to the Ren Fair in a sunburn, not because you're embarrassed. That's the story is already so horrifying. It's horrifying and then you're pulled into it. Yeah. Can't wait. So this family all tested negative and we're able to put the whole thing behind us. The state never charged, filed charges against this psychopath, but he agreed to surrender his dental license and license as a oral surgeon. How could they not file charges against him? I don't know. Karen, mad at you. I will call the Denver PD. I wish you would.

However, this guy isn't done yet. Uh-oh. In 2013, he was pulled over and arrested in Lake Tahoe for driving under the influence of cocaine. Dude. That's specific. That's very specific. Like how bad are you on cocaine if you're pulled over for it? You're talking so much, you start swerving. Yeah. He admitted to being a drug addict after his issue in Colorado. My sister, who is also obsessed with her podcast, and I searched to find any updated information after his arrest in Lake Tahoe, but we haven't found anything. I guess that's a good thing. Maybe he's sharing dirty needles in the privacy of his own home instead of with patients in a doctor's office. Anyway, thanks for your amazing podcast and the wonderful murdering out community.

Listening to you guys always brightens my day. SSDGM and always beware of creepy dentists, Ann Marie. Thanks, Ann Marie. Us too. Reading your story always brightens my day. Any kind of needle, involuntary needle sharing story is a real... What a bummer. Like you go to these doctors that you should, you trust. Like, why go to the trouble of getting a fucking dental degree if you're just going to be a piece of shit about it? Well, it's those drugs. I'm sure he started with all the best intentions and then suddenly he's like, I could save a little more money for my cocaine if I reuse these needles. I mean, like, it's drug thinking. God. This one's called Human Skin Book Bindings at the Mudder Museum. Dear Karen,

Georgia and Co. On behalf of the staff at the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, well known for its MUTOR Museum, we are huge fans of your podcast, which is such an honor. That museum is so fucking cool and badass. I'm so bummed I've never been there yet. In your most recent episode, the question of how common was the practice of binding books in humans and came up and we wanted to offer our expertise. Hell, yes. MUTOR Museum, MUTOR. Our historical medical library just happens to have the largest confirmed collection of I'm going to get this. Anthropodermic, like derma. Karen, you're so sorry. No, you're right. I love words. I love words. Anthropodermic books in the country. So we thought we'd share what we

know. It wasn't uncommon for 19th century physicians and surgeons to tan human skin and subsequently use the leather as book bindings. Traditional 19th century tanning began by soaking an animal skin in lime water. After the skins had soaked any flesh, fat and hair was removed from the skin by hand. Ew. The defleshed skins were soaked again in lime water for a few days and then soaked in baths. A tanning usually derived from tree bark that were made progressively stronger over a period of weeks or months. Once tanned, the skins were dried, rolled, and pressed into leather. Of course, this brings up the question of whether the doctors had their patient's permission, which in many cases can't be confirmed. Three of our five anthropodermic

books came from the skin of one woman, Mary Lynch, who died of trichinosis on January 16, 1869 at Old Blockley in Philadelphia. One of her attending physicians, John Stockton Howe, removed a piece of her skin from her thigh sometime between her death and burial. In June of 1887, Howe used the skin to partially bind three books, all dealing with women's reproductive health. We don't know if Howe had Mary Lynch's permission or why he chose to bind books about conception and child birth with her skin. These three books, in addition to the other two anthropodermic books in the library collection, represent a unique convergence of text and medical specimen. The books as collections of text remain valuable sources in the history of medicine. The books as objects force us into

uncomfortable considerations of the use of human skin and bindings and whether the use of human skin diminishes the value of the text, rendering them mere objects of moral curiosity. So smart. If you're ever in Philadelphia, we would love to give you a private tour and we'd love to take it. Oh, please. Stay sexy and don't let your skin be turned into a book without your consent. The staff at the Muter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. And then I remember that I have a friend who's this really smart librarian who was working on a book about this practice. So I looked it up and it actually comes out next month in October. How fucking weird is that? It's called Dark Archives, a librarian's investigation into the science and history

of books bound in human skin. And her name's Megan Rosenblum. I just, I completely forgot, but well, that's girl. That's such good news that that book is coming out because I would love to know why they did that and what the, I mean, like, yeah, apparently it's so creepy to me. The book gets into all of that. How cool is that? Because we've heard a couple stories about creepy doctors where I'm thinking this doctor that did that with the story that you just told. May have been a creep, could have been. Yeah, sounds like it. Real good. I don't know. But then maybe in this book, it explains that it was like some, I don't know, what would the explanation be that would make me feel better? I'm not sure.

There can't be one. I mean, history, maybe for like history's sake, you know? I mean, but it's a book. I know. Just use fucking paper and leave people alone. Well, I bet you'll find out in the book Dark Archives by Megan Rosenblum. I think that's it. Yeah, let's send your hometowns to my favorite murder at Gmail. And stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie?