65: Ep. 65 Dorothea Puente - Creepy Mean Girls Series

In the 1980s, a sweet-looking grandmother ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California. Dorothea Puente took in the city’s most vulnerable residents—elderly folks on Social Security, mentally ill individuals, recovering addicts—and presented herself as a caring caretaker who gave them a safe place to live.But behind the floral dresses and homemade cookies, Dorothea was systematically murdering her tenants, burying their bodies in her yard, and cashing their Social Security checks for months or years after their deaths.In November 1988, police excavated her property at 1426 F Street and found seven bodies buried in the garden. The subsequent investigation revealed at least nine confirmed victims, and possibly many more. This is the story of one of America’s most chilling serial killers—a woman who weaponized the appearance of kindness to prey on society’s most forgotten people.**CONTENT WARNING:** This episode contains detailed discussions of elder abuse, murder, financial exploitation of vulnerable people, and descriptions of bodies being discovered. Listener discretion is advised.