Digest

This podcast delves into the life and crimes of Nanny Doss, a seemingly sweet woman who was a serial killer. The episode begins by introducing the infamous figure of Medea from mythology, known for her brutal revenge, and contrasting her with Nanny Doss, a real-life "Medea." The episode then explores Nanny Doss's life, starting with her troubled marriage to Charles Braggs, the deaths of two of their daughters, and Charles's departure. It explores Nanny's search for a new husband through lonely hearts columns and her subsequent marriages. The episode details the death of Nanny's granddaughter, Melvina's baby, and her grandson, both of which were suspicious. Melvina witnessed Nanny putting a pin into her daughter's head, and her son died from asphyxia while in Nanny's care. The episode describes Nanny's murder of her husband, Frank, after he became abusive. She poisoned his moonshine with rat poison, and his death was attributed to food poisoning or illness. The episode continues to chronicle Nanny's subsequent marriages and murders. She married three more husbands, Arleigh Lanning, Richard Morton, and Sam Doss, all of whom died under suspicious circumstances. The episode focuses on Nanny's final marriage to Sam Doss, a man with strict rules and moral codes. Nanny left him but eventually returned, only to poison him with arsenic. The episode describes Nanny's arrest after Sam's death and her confession to poisoning him. She also confessed to killing her previous husbands, blaming her actions on a childhood head injury and her search for the "perfect mate." The episode explores Nanny Doss's early life, including her abusive father, Jim, and her loving mother, Luisa. It details her limited education and a childhood head injury that she later claimed caused her "crooked thinking." The episode recounts Nanny's first marriage to Charles Brex, her overbearing mother-in-law, and the deaths of two of her daughters. It raises the question of whether Nanny poisoned her daughters. The episode discusses the psychology of serial poisoners, highlighting their cunning, manipulative nature, and lack of empathy. It explores the motivations behind their actions, including power, control, and financial gain. The episode examines the characteristics of successful poisoners, including their intelligence, planning, and ability to hide symptoms. It also discusses the role of staging and the difficulty of detecting poisoning. The episode explores why Nanny Doss went undetected for so long, attributing it to the ease of masking poisoning in the past and the difficulty of believing that a seemingly sweet woman could be a serial killer. The episode describes Nanny's interrogation by detectives, her initial denial, and her eventual confession to poisoning Sam and her other husbands. She blamed her actions on her childhood head injury and her search for the "perfect mate." The episode details Nanny's trial for Sam's murder, her guilty plea, and her life sentence. It also mentions the passage of the "Nanny Doss Law" requiring autopsies in cases of mysterious deaths. The episode describes Nanny's life in prison, her hatred for her situation, and her backtracking on her confessions. It concludes with her death from leukemia in 1965.

Outlines

00:00:00

The Life and Crimes of Nanny Doss: A Real-Life Medea

This episode introduces the infamous figure of Medea from mythology, known for her brutal revenge, and contrasts her with a real-life "Medea," Nanny Doss, a seemingly sweet woman who was a serial killer. The episode then delves into Nanny Doss's life, starting with her troubled marriage to Charles Braggs, the deaths of two of their daughters, and Charles's departure. It explores Nanny's search for a new husband through lonely hearts columns and her subsequent marriages.

00:07:09

Nanny Doss's Suspicious Deaths and Murders

The episode details the death of Nanny's granddaughter, Melvina's baby, and her grandson, both of which were suspicious. Melvina witnessed Nanny putting a pin into her daughter's head, and her son died from asphyxia while in Nanny's care. The episode describes Nanny's murder of her husband, Frank, after he became abusive. She poisoned his moonshine with rat poison, and his death was attributed to food poisoning or illness. The episode continues to chronicle Nanny's subsequent marriages and murders. She married three more husbands, Arleigh Lanning, Richard Morton, and Sam Doss, all of whom died under suspicious circumstances.

00:14:57

Nanny Doss's Final Marriage and Arrest

The episode focuses on Nanny's final marriage to Sam Doss, a man with strict rules and moral codes. Nanny left him but eventually returned, only to poison him with arsenic. The episode describes Nanny's arrest after Sam's death and her confession to poisoning him. She also confessed to killing her previous husbands, blaming her actions on a childhood head injury and her search for the "perfect mate."

00:20:55

Nanny Doss's Early Life and Family

The episode explores Nanny Doss's early life, including her abusive father, Jim, and her loving mother, Luisa. It details her limited education and a childhood head injury that she later claimed caused her "crooked thinking." The episode recounts Nanny's first marriage to Charles Brex, her overbearing mother-in-law, and the deaths of two of her daughters. It raises the question of whether Nanny poisoned her daughters.

00:28:32

The Psychology of Serial Poisoners

The episode discusses the psychology of serial poisoners, highlighting their cunning, manipulative nature, and lack of empathy. It explores the motivations behind their actions, including power, control, and financial gain. The episode examines the characteristics of successful poisoners, including their intelligence, planning, and ability to hide symptoms. It also discusses the role of staging and the difficulty of detecting poisoning.

00:39:40

Nanny Doss's Interrogation, Trial, and Legacy

The episode describes Nanny's interrogation by detectives, her initial denial, and her eventual confession to poisoning Sam and her other husbands. She blamed her actions on her childhood head injury and her search for the "perfect mate." The episode details Nanny's trial for Sam's murder, her guilty plea, and her life sentence. It also mentions the passage of the "Nanny Doss Law" requiring autopsies in cases of mysterious deaths. The episode describes Nanny's life in prison, her hatred for her situation, and her backtracking on her confessions. It concludes with her death from leukemia in 1965.

Keywords

Q&A

• What were some of the motivations behind Nanny Doss's murders?

  Nanny Doss's motives for killing varied. She killed some of her husbands for financial gain through their insurance money, others because they annoyed her, and possibly her granddaughter out of jealousy.

• Why did Nanny Doss go undetected for so long?

  Nanny Doss went undetected for so long because poisoning was easy to mask and hide in the past, and people found it difficult to believe that a seemingly sweet woman could be a serial killer.

• What were some of the characteristics of Nanny Doss that made her a successful poisoner?

  Nanny Doss was cunning, manipulative, and had a lack of empathy. She was also intelligent enough to plan her murders and hide the symptoms of poisoning.

• What impact did Nanny Doss's case have on the legal system?

  Nanny Doss's case led to the passage of the "Nanny Doss Law" in Oklahoma, which required autopsies in all deaths of mysterious circumstances. This law was intended to prevent future poisonings from going undetected.

Show Notes