The Warrior Eli Hoax Part 1 with Taryn Wright

Nobody Should Believe Me

True Story Media

Society & Culture, True Crime, Personal Journals

4.2 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the early 2010s, a heartbreaking story circulated widely online: a family documenting their young son Eli’s battle with cancer, following the sudden death of his mother. When investigative writer Taryn Wright came across the story, what began as casual curiosity quickly led to a shocking series of revelations about a story thousands of strangers had become deeply invested in. In this episode, Andrea talks with Taryn about how the Warrior Eli hoax unraveled and the very real impact it had on the people who believed it. The conversation explores why these stories resonate so deeply and what happens when deception is exposed. * * * Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy. Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show! Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content. Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop Buy Andrea's books here. For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	True Story Media.
0:09.5	Hello, it's Andrea, and we're back today with a brand new episode, our very first of 2026.
0:15.3	I hope your new year is off to a good start. I know things remain chaotic in the world to say the least. But we've got a
0:21.7	great episode for you today with someone I have been wanting to have on the show for a while.
0:25.8	And I think some of you will be familiar with her work. Today we are talking to hoax hunter and
0:31.5	writer Terran Harper Wright, who broke a number of stories about Munchausen by internet back in
0:37.0	the 2010s,
0:37.8	including the Warrior Eli hoax, which we're digging into today.
0:41.8	In the meantime, we're hard at work on season 7, which is coming to very soon.
0:46.5	As almost always happens, there were some surprises along the way that moved our timeline a bit,
0:52.5	but that's the show and we think the end result
0:55.1	will be well worth the wait. And while we are working on that, we've got a lot of ground to cover
0:59.8	week by week here in our case files episodes. And we have a really special guest coming up.
1:06.5	We love to hear from you. So as always, if you have feedback on something you'd like us to cover,
1:10.8	you can send us an email at hello at nobody should believe me.com. In the meantime, if you want
1:16.8	to support the show, the best way to do that is to subscribe on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You will get
1:22.6	bonus episodes each month. And when we launch season seven, you will get the whole thing every single episode
1:28.6	of the season all at once ready to binge. And if monetary support isn't an option, no worries,
1:34.9	you are supporting the show just by listening. And if you want to take a moment to share the show
1:39.2	with someone who you think should hear it or rate and review us on Apple, those things also help
1:44.1	a great deal.
1:45.0	We are an independent show. There is no show without you. And we are so grateful for your support.
	...

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