The Bizarre Case of Flypaper Lyda

Flypaper Lyda — Idaho’s First Serial Killer At the turn of the twentieth century, sickness was a part of everyday life. People got ill at home, doctors offered few answers, and deaths—especially slow ones—were rarely questioned. That silence created the perfect conditions for something far more dangerous to hide in plain sight. This episode tells the story of Lyda Southard, often cited as Idaho’s first documented serial killer. Over the course of years, husbands and family members grew sick and died under eerily similar circumstances. Each death, on its own, seemed ordinary. Together, they revealed a pattern no one was prepared to see. We follow Lyda’s life chronologically—from her early years and marriages, through repeated illness and loss, to the moment coincidence finally collapsed and authorities were forced to look back instead of forward. This is a case about trust, domestic spaces, and how violence doesn’t always look violent. Because sometimes the most dangerous harm doesn’t come from strangers in the dark—but from someone you’re taught never to question. Content warning: illness, poisoning, death. Listener discretion advised.