This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime.

The holidays are upon us, and for most, it's a time of celebration, friends, and family.

While the holidays can be stressful at times, I hope you're looking forward to gatherings with those you love,

sharing a time to appreciate one another, and reflect on how much those special people in your life mean to you.

But the holidays sometimes bring out the worst in people.

Whether due to a problematic prior family history, jealousy, greed, or any other number of reasons,

the holidays can turn disastrous, or even deadly.

I'll be sharing two episodes with you this month about murderous crimes that were committed

over the Christmas holidays. Then for the third and final episode of the year, I will bring

on a much-requested return guest to help me dive into a case investigation. I'm looking forward to it,

and I think you will all enjoy it. But first, to kick off the series Missile Toe and Murder,

I'll tell you about a case where almost an entire family was wiped out on Christmas Eve,

for no apparent reason. This is Chapter 1, the Carnation Christmas murders.

On December 26, 2007, Judith Anderson was expected to arrive at the United States

Post Office where she worked as a mail carrier in the town of

Carnation, Washington. Carnation was a rural town of just 2,500 residents located some 30 miles east

of Seattle, and, incidentally, about half that distance from Lake Sammamish State Park.

Lake Sammamish was made infamous as one of serial killer Ted Bundy's hunting

grounds during the summer of 1974. Judy's friend and co-worker, Linda Thiel, had last seen her

friend on December 23rd, when she'd wished her a Merry Christmas, gave her a hug, and told her she'd

...