4 confirmed murders by Meirhofer
David Meirhofer confessed to four murders: Susie Jaeger (age 7), Sandy Dykeman (age 19), Michael Raney (Boy Scout, age 12), and Bernie Pullman (a teenager, 1967).
Where this was said
The Freezer, the Confession, and Four Murders
At 49:25 · chapter starts 47:40
Investigators return to Meirhofer's property for a second, deeper search. In the freezer, tucked among deer meat and frozen dinners, is a package wrapped in butcher paper labeled 'SMDS.' Inside: Sandy Dykeman's severed hand. Meirhofer has no answer for this. He tells his lawyer he will confess to killing Sandy and Susie — and in exchange for the state dropping the death penalty, he will reveal two more murders. On September 29, 1974, he sits down with Agent Dunbar and the county attorney. He admits to abducting Susie from her tent, strangling her when she fought back during assault, dismembering her, and burning her remains — leaving only her head in an outhouse they had never searched. He confesses to Sandy's murder in similar terms. Then he adds the Boy Scout stabbing from 1968 and the 1967 death of teenage Bernie Pullman, previously ruled an accidental shooting.
The Hand in the Freezer
Hidden among ordinary freezer items — deer, elk, frozen dinners — was a butcher-paper package labeled 'SMDS.' Inside: Sandy Dykeman's severed hand, fingers still wearing nail polish. There was no talking out of this one.
Sandy Dykeman's severed hand found in freezer
Investigators discovered Sandy Dykeman's severed hand — fingers still bearing nail polish — wrapped in butcher paper labeled with initials in Meirhofer's freezer.
Four Murders, One Confession
Meirhofer agreed to confess to killing Susie Jaeger and Sandy Dykeman — and offered two additional confessions in exchange for no death penalty. His victims spanned from 1967 (teenager Bernie Pullman) to 1973, and included the 1968 Boy Scout stabbing that had been cold for six years.
Similar snapshots
Sued for $250B before Uber
Before Uber, Kalanick built a peer-to-peer file-sharing system and was sued for a quarter of a trillion dollars by 33 major media companies.
Arms dealer Edwin Wilson: 52-year sentence
CIA operative Edwin Wilson, part of the illegal arms network used by Oliver North, was sentenced to 52 years for supplying Libya with 10,000 machine guns and 20 tons of C4.
186-year prison sentence sought
US prosecutors sought a 186-year prison sentence for Kim Dotcom, largely because of his financial support for WikiLeaks.
Mario Tabraue sentenced to 100+ years
Mario Tabraue, a central figure in Monsters of God linked to drug trafficking and murder, was sentenced to over 100 years in prison but served only 12 years.
Disappeared October 3, 2024
Zelig Williams disappeared on October 3rd, 2024 after leaving his mother's home in Columbia, South Carolina and has not been seen since.
Season 5 — 6 new unsolved mysteries
Dateline: Missing in America Season 5 features six new unsolved missing-persons mysteries, hoping a listener may hold a crucial clue.
Strickland got 2 felony GBI charges
At a high school party, Strickland broke one victim's nose, jaw, and knocked out teeth requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries, resulting in two felony GBI charges.
55 years unsolved
Joyce LePage's murder has remained unsolved for 55 years despite active investigation from the start.
Mark's mental institution history
Joyce's own letter revealed that Mark Wadley had once stayed at a mental institution for trying to strangle people — a detail investigators apparently never followed up on.
