Blue Christmas - EPISODE 8 (The Bakersfield Three)

EPISODE 8/15
Blue Christmas
Another bombshell surfaces as the mothers of the Bakersfield Three brace themselves for answers that change everything.
When two friends go missing back-to-back, and in between their disappearances, a third friend is murdered, their mothers begin their own investigation. As the connections between the three cases are explored, the mothers navigate devastating twists and turns, including one revelation that shakes the community to its core.
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The Bakersfield Three Podcast
casefilepresen...
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CREDITS
Writing & Narration - Olivia Lavoice
Audio Editing - Anthony Telfer
Production and Music - Mike Migas
Animation - Mat Rydzik, Paulina Szymanska
Special thanks to the mothers and family of the Bakersfield 3 & KGET News Station
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#bakersfieldthree #truecrime #mysteryseries #crimeinvestigation #missingpersons #communityshaken #crimerevelations #mothersfight #tragicdisappearances #unsolvedmysteries

[@EllenLeah-pv2yw]

I stayed up most of the night listening to these. Only got a couple hours’ sleep. These mothers are so incredible, and so commendable. I know I wouldn’t have half their strength and resolve to keep fighting, even fighting to change the whole system in multiple ways and spare future families in similar situations from facing such unbearable (and fixable) obstacles, all while my world was crumbling down around me. So thankful that they had one another and grateful to this excellent crime reporter for facilitating that powerful bond. So much true crime “content” feels deeply exploitative, makes me feel guilty for listening, but Casefiles’ podcasts are head and shoulders above their peers in every way. Thank you so much.

[@tonysansom]

I suspect you would, if you had to. But hopefully you'll never know.

[@jennifersawyer8207]

Very well points!

[@mikeevans7381]

I this isn't gut wrenching and heart pounding too anyone who listens to it then i don't know what to say. Man it's a tough go. 💯❤️🇺🇸

[@breannacamarillo]

I've cried actual tears at least 3 times already and I'm only half way through! Absolutely tears my heart out 😢

[@charliekezza]

That first Christmas without your loved one is agony. I feel bad for the 3 families.

[@rebekkahaas9686]

It's striking how different narratives can be formed around the similar situations. In this case, one 20-year-old girl, seen as manipulated and possibly murdered by Matthew Queen, is portrayed in one light, while another 20-year-old is labeled as a worldly jezebel simply for living through it. Kind of an amateur trap to fall into, Olivia.

[@MiMiiViVi]

💔

[@exactlywhatineeded]

Haven’t remembered anything since episode 4. This format is so bad

[@usefulusinguser]

12:30 Jane is proving the 40 something year old ex boyfriend of her missing daughter right with behavior like that. Amazing, the insane levels of arrogant unawareness in an adult her age.

[@usefulusinguser]

13:57 the absolute desperation to crucify this girl. To take such a worthless statement and try to turn it into some sort of confession is just absolutely pathetic, you can even hear it in her voice as she brings it up again in the video. She knows she sound ridiculous but doesn’t care. Maybe Bailey was unfortunately used to experiencing such harassment from her as well. How do we know she didn’t do something to her daughter?

[@usefulusinguser]

4:00 Yea Jane you really did a great job at not making yourself look crazy with that one. I love how this entire timeline she tries to paint her daughter (rightfully) as a victim preyed on for her young age yet here she (and the other girl) aggressively going after this new 20 year old girlfriend like she isn’t the same exact type of person they say Bailey is. If there is one thing this cradle robber Matt guy was right about, it’s jane being messed up in the head prior to Bailey going missing.

[@dana_5589]

Sarah is a victim in the sense that she was barely out of her teens and preyed upon by a man more than twice her age just like Baylee, but she is not a victim in the sense that she sent nasty messages to Jane and took down fliers of a missing person who she was supposedly good friends with. That isn't normal behavior. Just because she is so young doesn't excuse that at all. I don't think Jane should have stooped to her level by cursing her out, but at the same time I can only imagine the frustration of having your daughter go missing and having her supposed "friend" take down those posters and then drive by as you are hanging some back up. Jane needed to be in control of her emotions more, but that is by no means an excuse for how Sarah behaved either.

[@usefulusinguser]

@@dana_5589 totally went over your head lol… The point is that there was a standard being held for this girl as if she wasn’t young, naive, manipulated, probably groomed to some extent, etc. similar to how Jane’s daughter was but that standard need not apply towards Jane’s daughter according to Jane. There is no benefit of the doubt given to the other girl yet Jane’s daughter gets all the most charitable good faith perspectives one could offer. Obviously what she did was wrong, but so was the stuff Bailey was doing, both more than likely as a result of Matt’s influence on them. However Jane being the unhinged person that she is refuses to see it like that and thinks that it’s only her daughter who gets a pass and is allowed to be the lost soul that knows not what she does but for the other girl it’s all purposeful and malicious when in reality they both walked the same path being manipulated and victimized by this guy.

[@dana_5589]

@@usefulusinguser No, I get all that. It didn't go over my head. I just don't think it's as simple as "Jane bad, Sarah victim". Sarah being manipulated and groomed doesn't make her not responsible for her actions. She still took down the fliers. It would be in the same vein as Baylee being involved in the killing of Micah. If she was involved in some way, her being manipulated and groomed by Matt wouldn't excuse that either. I do think Jane needed to find some empathy for Sarah, as Matt at the very least knew what happened to Baylee and at the very worst killed her, meaning that Sarah could be in danger too. I have other criticisms about Jane as well regarding her not trying hard enough to help Baylee out of the situation she was in and get her the help she needed after the gang r a p e. At the same time, I cannot imagine what Jane is going through, and she's probably not in her right mind or emotions a lot of the time. That's not excuse for her behavior towards Sarah though. I'm not finished with the series yet, and maybe this is a touch irrelevant, but where are Sarah's parents? If my daughter was being with such an older man who is possibly a murderer/involved in another young girl's disappearance and about to have his baby, I would have been in touch with these other moms in a heartbeat. They are clearly very proactive, and while they are all dealing with their own struggles and griefs, they still seem very willing to step in and help others. Sarah is not in a good situation here, and while maybe there are things going on behind the scenes we don't see, the complete lack of mention of her parents is a bit disconcerting.

[@usefulusinguser]

@@dana_5589 You are still failing to understand my point. It’s incredibly simple, jane holds sarah to a standard she doesn’t for Bailey despite the two being in similar situations and potentially Sarah coming from an even worse one (lack of parents mentioned possibly meaning she came from an even worse broken home). That’s it. It’s criticism towards jane for being a hypocrite. It isn’t saying one isn’t or another is, both girls are victims that obviously made bad decisions that aren’t entirely excusable but are explainable due to their situations as well as histories but again that’s not my point lol. Either way, Jane is a bad person, terrible even. Maybe if she wasn’t such a bad parent towards Bailey none of this would have ever happened. What kind of mother would rather have their daughter dead so that she doesn’t have to suffer anymore instead of alive and trying to help her through her trauma? I’m guessing you haven’t reached that part yet though lmfao. That’s a different conversation though.

[@dana_5589]

@@usefulusinguser No, I hadn't gotten to that point yet. It is weird she kept emphasizing wanting one of the body parts to be Baylee. I understand wanting closure, but she mentioned it a lot which was odd, whereas Micah's mom didn't want it to be her son, which is usually how parents react. It was kind of jarring seeing how different both of their reactions were one after the other.