Overview of Rewind with Karen & Georgia - 95: Gesus
This episode is a nostalgic Rewind of a classic My Favorite Murder installment, revisiting episode 95 from November 16, 2017. Karen and Georgia look back on old tour memories in Texas, share corrections from the original episode, and recap several memorable true-crime stories—most notably the bizarre and tragic case of Amish killer Eli Stutzman, plus the Springfield Three, Asha Degree, and Bobby Dunbar. The episode also includes a powerful “Good Things” segment featuring survivor Jennifer Maury Caldwell.
Key Stories Discussed
Eli Stutzman: The Amish Serial Killer
The main story centers on Eli Stutzman, an Amish man whose life veered from rebellious teen to suspected murderer.
- Raised in a strict Amish community, Eli was described as charismatic, defiant, and unusually worldly.
- He married Ida, had a son, and later Ida died in a barn fire/heart-attack scenario that later appeared suspicious.
- After Ida’s death, Eli increasingly abandoned Amish life, electrified the farm, cut his hair, bought a car, and began openly living more freely.
- He later placed a personal ad in a gay newspaper and had relationships with men.
- Eli eventually moved to Texas, where he killed or was strongly suspected in the deaths of:
- Glenn Pritchard, a man who worked for him and complained he hadn’t been paid
- His son Danny, whose body was later found in a field in Nebraska
- He was eventually convicted, paroled early, later diagnosed with HIV, and died by suicide in 2007.
Takeaway: The case is presented as a deeply disturbing example of a sociopathic personality emerging from an extremely restrictive environment, with multiple deaths and a trail of deception.
The Springfield Three
Georgia shares the still-unsolved disappearance of three women in Springfield, Missouri:
- Susie Streeter, Stacy McCall, and Susie’s mother Cheryl Levitt vanished in 1992.
- Their cars, purses, money, keys, and other belongings were left behind.
- A broken porch light and strange phone calls added to the mystery.
- A possible burial site was later suspected under a hospital parking garage, but nothing definitive was ever proven.
Takeaway: The case remains one of the most famous missing-person mysteries in the U.S., with theories but no resolution.
Asha Degree
Another haunting disappearance is that of 9-year-old Asha Degree, who vanished in 2000 in North Carolina.
- She reportedly left her home in the middle of the night carrying a packed backpack.
- Multiple drivers saw her walking alone in the rain before she ran into the woods.
- Her backpack was later found wrapped in plastic far from home.
- Investigators have continued to examine possible leads, including a suspicious family, but no one has been charged.
Takeaway: The episode underscores how unsettling the case is because it appears planned, but the reason for her leaving remains unknown.
Bobby Dunbar
Karen finishes with the infamous Bobby Dunbar case, which eventually received a DNA-based resolution.
- Bobby Dunbar disappeared during a fishing trip in Louisiana in 1912.
- Months later, a boy believed to match Bobby’s description was found with William Cantwell Walters.
- Walters said the boy was actually another child, Bruce Anderson, whom he had been caring for.
- The Dunbars claimed the boy as their son, and the courts ultimately sided with them.
- Decades later, DNA testing revealed the boy raised as Bobby Dunbar was not biologically related to the Dunbars.
- The real Bobby Dunbar’s fate is still unknown, though the family later speculated he may have drowned or been eaten by an alligator.
Takeaway: This case is a classic example of early-20th-century identification chaos, family grief, and how uncertain missing-child cases could become without modern forensic tools.
Corrections and Running Commentary
The episode includes several corrections and clarifications from the original recording:
- Terry Hoffman: Karen corrects the year of death from 1997 to 2015.
- Wind River: Karen admits she mistakenly described the director as a woman; the film was directed by Taylor Sheridan, a man.
- The hosts also joke about:
- The “my sister’s dying” misunderstanding from a live-show photo moment
- Bucky’s Beaver Nuggets
- Their “leave me alone” hotel sign
- Whether to open with the lighter or heavier story depending on the show’s emotional balance
Notable “Good Things” Segment
The episode closes with an emotional highlight from the Dallas live show:
- Survivor Jennifer Maury Caldwell appears on stage.
- Karen had previously retold Jennifer’s attack story from I Survived.
- Jennifer explains how meaningful it was to hear her story treated with care.
- She praises the hosts for bringing humor and empathy to true crime without losing respect for survivors.
- The moment is framed as one of the most memorable and moving live-show experiences in the show’s history.
Main Takeaways
- The episode blends true-crime deep dives with retrospective commentary and tour memories.
- The central story, Eli Stutzman, is a disturbing mix of cult-like upbringing, repression, secrecy, and violence.
- The other stories highlight different kinds of disappearance mysteries: unsolved, baffling, and one eventually clarified by DNA.
- The Jennifer Maury Caldwell segment stands out as a powerful reminder of why the show connects so strongly with listeners and survivors alike.