S. 7 Episode 14 - The Unsolved Christmas Mystery of the Sodder Children

Explicit content warning

12/19/24 • 62 min

1 Listener

Before we take a 2 week break for the holidays and travel, we wanted to leave you with a story that happened on Christmas Eve in 1945. It a devastating fire that consumed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. While George and Jennie Sodder and four of their children escaped, five of their children seemingly vanished without a trace. The official explanation claimed they perished in the fire, but troubling inconsistencies and chilling clues have kept the mystery alive for nearly 80 years.

Hit play, grab a drink, ditch the family for an hour, and join us as Kat delves into one of America’s most haunting cold cases, exploring theories, evidence, and the Sodder family’s relentless pursuit of the truth.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Boxing Day, and Happy Festivus for the Rest of Us!
Here's to a wonderful 2025! We love you all!
See something. Say something.
Love,
Kat & Ashley
References:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-sodder-children-siblings-who-went-up-in-smoke-west-virginia-house-fire-172429802/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-25/the-mystery-of-the-vanished-sodder-children/103245390
https://www.grunge.com/676611/the-biggest-sodder-children-theories-what-really-happened-to-them/
https://www.mywvhome.com/forties/sodder.html
https://wickedhistory.substack.com/p/a-tragic-and-enduring-christmas-mystery
https://www.timeswv.com/news/their-fate-kidnapped-murdered-or-are-they-still-alive/article_be5920fe-a3f1-11e6-a3fc-43908d62effb.html

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FOR HELP WITH STALKING OR CYBERSTALKING:

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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-happened-sodder-children-siblings-who-went-up-in-smoke-west-virginia-house-fire-172429802/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-25/the-mystery-of-the-vanished-sodder-children/103245390
https://www.grunge.com/676611/the-biggest-sodder-children-theories-what-really-happened-to-them/
https://www.mywvhome.com/forties/sodder.html
https://wickedhistory.substack.com/p/a-tragic-and-enduring-christmas-mystery
https://www.timeswv.com/news/their-fate-kidnapped-murdered-or-are-they-still-alive/article_be5920fe-a3f1-11e6-a3fc-43908d62effb.html

https://rainn.org/news/resources-survivors-stalking-and-cyberstalking

FOR HELP WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

https://www.thehotline.org/get-help/domestic-violence-local-resources/
IN HOUSTON AREA: https://www.bayareaturningpoint.org/

FOR HELP WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT:

https://rainn.org/resources

SUICIDE & CRISIS HELPLINE: 988 - 24/7 Help if you or someone you know if struggling. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Previous Episode

S. 7 Episdoe 13- Who was Ronald T. Owen?

In this episode Ashley discusses the unsolved, bizarre 1935 murder case of Ronald T. Owen aka Artemus Ogletree. There are so many unanswered questions, so many twists and turns and at this point we may never know who did it or why! Join us as we explore the dark side of humanity. And as always, if you see something, please say something.
Resources:

1. https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/unsolved-mystery-the-haunting-case-of-room-1046/

2. https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/artemus-ogletree

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Artemus_Ogletree

4. https://unresolved.me/room-1046

5. https://www.ranker.com/list/room-1046-mystery/orrin-grey

6. https://www.al.com/news/erry-2018/09/56ecbe55ac9479/the-mystery-of-what-was-in-the.html

7. https://allthatsinteresting.com/room-1046-murder-roland-t-owen

https://rainn.org/news/resources-survivors-stalking-and-cyberstalking

FOR HELP WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

https://www.thehotline.org/get-help/domestic-violence-local-resources/
IN HOUSTON AREA: https://www.bayareaturningpoint.org/

FOR HELP WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT:

https://rainn.org/resources

SUICIDE & CRISIS HELPLINE: 988 - 24/7 Help if you or someone you know if struggling. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Next Episode

S. 7 Episode 15- The Disappearance of Suzanne Lyall

This week we discuss the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall, a 19 year old college student who went missing from the SUNY Albany campus. She went missing on March 2, 1998 and has never been heard from again. Who used her ID? Who used her ATM card? Where did she go? We also discuss all the wonderful, amazing advocacy her parents did to create laws to support other families of missing people. Welcome to 2025!
Resources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Suzanne_Lyall

2. https://icestationpoetry.medium.com/who-is-responsible-for-the-disappearance-of-suzanne-lyall-5d32f47db4f

3. https://saratogaliving.com/capital-region-cold-case-the-disappearance-of-suzanne-lyall-still-haunts-the-albany-area/

4. https://discover.hubpages.com/politics/suzanne-suzy-lyall-vanished-from-a-bus-stop

5. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/suzanne-lyall-missing-since-1998-after-leaving-her-job/

6. https://www.darklight.com/suzy/Important_Info/A_Letter/a_letter.html