Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"The thing about Nanny though, that's a problem that's like, she doesn't understand who she's fucking with. It seems like they are pushing Nanny to a limit, and I'm sure she's going to go a little overboard." — Henry Zabrowski
"She weaponized the thing that we all love food basically. And also pies. Oh pie, especially. Something is innocent as pie." — Ben Kissel
"I think Nanny Doss is actually scarier than Bill Gunness. I think so too. Because she gets in there. Yeah. And she really gets in there and she makes you think everything's chill." — Ben Kissel
This episode delves into the life of Nanny Doss, an American serial killer who, under the guise of a sweet, unassuming woman, murdered at least eleven family members between the 1920s and 1950s. Her methods primarily involved poisoning, often disguised in food or drink. The narrative traces Doss's life from a difficult childhood marked by abuse and neglect in rural Alabama, where she was forced to work from a young age and endured significant trauma, including molestation and a severe head injury from a train accident that led to chronic pain and emotional instability.
Doss's motivations are explored, highlighting a deep-seated obsession with romantic literature and an idealized fantasy of a life far removed from her harsh reality. This fantasy clashed with her experiences, leading to a detachment from emotional consequences. The podcast discusses how her marriages and familial relationships became opportunities to enact her fantasies and simplify her life, often by eliminating perceived burdens. Despite numerous suspicious deaths surrounding her, Doss managed to evade capture for decades due to a lack of concrete evidence, societal skepticism towards female perpetrators, and her ability to present a charming facade.
The episode details her various marriages and the subsequent deaths of her husbands, children, and other relatives, often employing common household items and foods as her murder weapons. Her arrest finally came after an autopsy of her fifth husband, Richard Morton, revealed arsenic poisoning. Doss confessed to killing her husbands but not other family members, ultimately dying in prison in 1965. The discussion touches on the psychological aspects of her crimes, including her seemingly detached nature and the role of her romantic fantasies in her destructive path.