This Is the Most Mysterious Disappearance in History

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About Thoughty2
Thoughty2 (Arran) is a British KZbinr and gatekeeper of useless facts. Thoughty2 creates mind-blowing factual videos about science, tech, history, opinion and just about everything else.
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Writing: Bevan Rees
Editing: Jack Stevens
Script Development: Steven Rix

[@Thoughty2]

Thanks for watching! And thanks to Manscaped for sponsoring today’s video! Get 20% OFF + Free International Shipping + 2 Free Gifts with my link manscaped.com/thoughty2

[@Muscleman8562]

I just ate a live cicada bug in a video 💪

[@SRoeiS]

@@Muscleman8562 nice

[@The_o_game_goat]

How did you comment before the video was uploaded

[@SRoeiS]

@@Muscleman8562 ewwww i just watched it wtf

[@charmendo9936]

why do u think hell change it,its not even that bad normal title

[@zuggalon]

you forgot to mention that when they received the picture of “Louis” that they hired a private investigator to go to Kentucky but the investigator went missing and never got back to them.

[@PiousMoltar]

Oh shit This has Mafia written all over it

[@candyluna2929]

@@PiousMoltar very true

[@cameleonfleuri]

Wow, scary! Looks like a mafia thing

[@Oozes_Dark]

Dammmnnnn

[@pleasyplease5719]

Can't even imagine how much they must have tortured louis on knowing what he did. Poor kids.

[@JoeZyzyx]

My grandfather, born in 1885, always referred to insurance salesmen as "barn burners". He said when insurance started up, it was a racket. The salesmen would come to a community, and burn a barn, then go around selling insurance to all the farmers in the area. If someone chose NOT to buy the insurance, that was the next barn burned. It became apparent if insurance was not bought from these salesmen, then they also might find their barn burning, and in this way many insurance companies came into existence, which are of course still around today.

[@Alizudo]

My grandfather is much younger and still calls them Barn Burners to this day.

[@taranouh3247]

What did your grand dad say about lawyers?

[@JoeZyzyx]

@@taranouh3247 Never heard him say much about them, since he either never or rarely needed such service.

[@taranouh3247]

@@JoeZyzyx thank you, good to know.

[@brandonknott9012]

Interesting

[@f.a.kefacebook5688]

As soon as I heard they found no bones in the ashes, I knew the kids had not burned. Every crematorium has a machine called a "cremulator", that is necessary to pulverize the bones after cremation, so they mix with the ashes. With no cremulator to do the job, the bones would be mostly intact, and would have been found.

[@mishie618]

I don't think intact is correct, but there DEFINITELY would have been bone pieces abd chunks. It's sad that with too many cooks in the kitchen with theories, it will likely never truly be completely solved. Sigh. But I agree. A fire never fully engulfs every bone. Happy new year!!! 😊❤

[@wanderinghistorian]

teeth at the very least - numerous criminals have tried to burn remains to get rid of evidence in much hotter conditions than a house fire and teeth always remained behind to identify the victim.

[@amazingsupergirl7125]

A regular house fire leaves the whole skeletons where they lay. It’s not hot enough to even begin burning bones

[@SImrobert2001]

People are assuming that they even got inside the house to look in the first place, and aren't taking racism into account. "I need to wait for someone to arrive" can be code for "I didn't want to do it, so i'm covering my ass in a way the state won't prosecute." Its very likely that an ITALIAN family, just after ww2, when thousands of Americans were killed invading Italy to stop the Axis powers, were some of the most openly hated family in town. Its like when people hate muslim refugees. Only its after a war that killed so many people that hardly any family in the US didn't have a relative who wasn't suffered. There are stories where people would ignore fires, arson, gunfire, and death threats in black communities, in the exact same way the fire chief and police ignored complaints bout the sodder family. Its clearly an attack, but one more likely the result of either the white neighbors getting rid of an Italian family, or the mafia catching up with the father, and the small town not caring that the italian family was burned out of their home, or the insurance salesman burning the farm because Mr Sodder wouldn't buy life insurance, and the town ignoring the sodder family because they were Italian and not English. No remains were found, probably because the fire crew stepped inside, hung out, drank a bit, and didn't care if the family was inside or not. They were finally rid of people they didn't like. People they felt were their son are likely just a coincidence. People look like one another all the time. Look at how many people are tolled online in more and more creatively cruel methods. Now, do so with 1940s tech, and you have people emailing doctored photos, taking their money and running off.

[@humble2246]

@@SImrobert2001 amazing schizoramble. Yeah, im not reading that

[@LlamaLlamaMamaJama]

I would LOVE to ask the fire marshal how he expects me to believe he found a heart, from a fire that was hot enough to destroy bones better than a crematorium 🙄

[@paulinentinyari5639]

Me too.😂😂

[@SpiceWeazel]

Yeah! And even if it were true, how the fuck did he not get in trouble for burying evidence on the spot without telling the family?

[@LlamaLlamaMamaJama]

@@SpiceWeazel RIGHT!!??

[@dancesmokesmile344]

I didn’t watch the whole video because I’ve heard a lot about the story before, but it wasn’t hot enough to burn bones, you were sarcastic right? But yeah, I remember the heart he claimed to find

[@LlamaLlamaMamaJama]

@@dancesmokesmile344 yes I was being sarcastic…. I don’t remember everything exactly this video said, but I know that even in a crematorium, when the person comes out there are STILL recognizable bones - just degraded enough to be crushed into powder. The fire chief in this case didn’t find ANYTHING that looked like bones - that’s what I meant by this fire allegedly destroyed bones better than a crematorium But yet he expected to believe that a heart survived? For that reason I don’t believe anyone died in that fire, and I think what they were told was ridiculous…. hence the sarcasm 😉

[@bastion4593]

i love the fact that during this entire thing, they found a piece of vertebrae from another kid, and just shrugged it off.

[@alli_lee]

High likelihood that it was planted by either the perpetrator of the kidnapping or more likely the police in order to try and close the case.

[@catherinebeatific535]

@@alli_lee 💯 WV law enforcement across the board is shady af.

[@user-ov2fc5sd1e]

Spoilers!!!!

[@user-ov2fc5sd1e]

It was the 1940's, tens of millions of people have died worldwide, so this was a relatively trivial discovery.

[@bastion4593]

@@user-ov2fc5sd1e ?

[@than217]

Police: "In the future just try not to mix up cutting phone lines instead of powerlines. It's an easy mistake. Now be on your way." Man Dressed like Cat Burglar: "Don't you even want to know my name?" Police: "No."

[@walidechchafnaje9812]

That's really suspicious

[@Saulgoodman67677]

Tbh, I understand why the police didn’t really question him. It’s definitely a red herring I’d say. Thieving would be at it’s highest during Christmas so it would make sense for why someone is trying to cut the powerlines for probably more cover.

[@kai0tfoool]

@@Saulgoodman67677 what you're saying makes no sense. You're gonna let someone go that cut power lines and did sketchy shit? What?

[@Saulgoodman67677]

@@kai0tfoool what you say makes no sense. I didn’t say let him go, only that I understand why they didn’t really question him too much. The criminal is probably just a red herring to the mystery

[@GlennaVan]

Doesn't anyone wonder how someone could cut a phone line thinking it was a power line? Seriously!!!

[@jademoon7938]

Wonder if anyone ever asked a living descendant of one of the older kids who survived for their DNA to run through a database to see if they can find any close matches on the paternal side in the US.

[@kumar7359]

that's a good idea.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

Exactly! I was like how is this not solved yet?!!?

[@ShipperTrash88]

Technology of the future (or the now) solving mysteries from the past

[@jademoon7938]

@@andywilchsalem2377 Your comment is the peak of incoherence.

[@daffymuck295]

@@jademoon7938 don't even reply to that clown jade he's all over the comment section talking nonsense whatever he's smoking is strong

[@darthsmoker420]

I can still remember as a kid when we'd drive by this place and there was a huge sign with the children's pictures. It remained there for a years. Not sure but I think new owners finally took It down because of people always stopping to look at it. It was haunting for sure.

[@andywilchsalem2377]

*ALL SMOKERS are SKUUM !!!*

[@darthsmoker420]

@@andywilchsalem2377 that's nice you know anyone that cares what you think?

[@andywilchsalem2377]

@@darthsmoker420*I Know MANY who Care wut I Think, InCLUDING YOU!!!!*

[@darthsmoker420]

@@andywilchsalem2377 not so much

[@T1murr]

@@andywilchsalem2377 .What.

[@Laffy-ix5xy]

The son might have lied about shaking awake the children because he didn't want to admit that all he did was call them from downstairs. Maybe he was afraid of getting caught in the fire, but thought that his parents would be angry at him if he admitted the truth. It does sound like he was in on it, but he could have been totally innocent. And I can't help feeling his family would have suspected something if he had been involved. And when it came to him saying that they should all move on and stop dwelling on what happened, maybe he felt that they blamed him for not saving the children.

[@sal2975]

Good observation. I hadn't considered that.

[@carlovincetti4538]

It doesn't matter if no children responded they were not there anymore and probably taken out the window like the Limburg baby down the ladder then hiding it from sight to prevent anyone from climbing up on it. Brilliant I say.

[@Starolfr]

I thought that, as well. (My kids do things like that so it seemed pretty likely to be an option in that scenario.,)

[@EllePhoenixMC]

It possible he could have had some sort of PTSD and that’s why he lied. Survivors of tragedies will often feel some sort of guilt for surviving, constantly asking “what if” questions. This could lead them to lying initially as they interpreted their lack of action as shameful.

[@Laffy-ix5xy]

@@EllePhoenixMC Yes that sounds very plausible, especially as he was one of the oldest.

[@From_A_Diverging_Timeline]

The weird phone call could have been people checking If the phone had been cut or not. Possibly if a group of people were involved.

[@hightechredneck8587]

Could just be unrelated but proves the phones were working just a few moments before

[@From_A_Diverging_Timeline]

@@hightechredneck8587 yeah its an interesting note for sure.

[@RachaelClag]

...and Perhaps the person they asked for was an old pseudonym of the father's from his Italian days, or at least a name he would recognise from back then?

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

The phone line hadn't yet been cut at that point. Phone call, thump on the roof half an hour later, then fire. So there was a half an hour window at minimum for the phone line to have been cut before the fire spread to the point of waking Jenny, during which time the people who attacked and probably took the youngest children were getting ready, quite possibly unknown to the guy who cut the line and tampered with George's truck. And I believe the call was from a drunk woman who just had the wrong number, it happens.

[@sneakycheeky531]

@@JoshuaRWorkman the phone call could have also been a way to distract while the children were taken. but i initially thought and still think it was to make sure the phone lines are connected or not

[@sithemperorpalpatine870]

This is an example of the cruelest of torture and suffering that one can experience. I have lost a child when she was just 18. I was totally and utterly broken from that day and I'll never be the same again, but at least I have closure and know what happened. I think that losing children and never knowing what happened to them would be a lot worse 😪 I'm so sorry for the family.

[@c.e.anderson558]

I'm so sorry. I would die if one of my sons was taken from this earth. They are grown but my mother was right, they are always your little boys. I lost my brother age 22 when I was just 24 and it was a good 5 years before I ended my grieving stage. Our family still has a gaping hole in it. Again, I'm so sorry for you losing your child It was just 40 years ago on 11-13-2023.

[@jaredmaynard1387]

I actually live in WV. I've been here for 35 years, and after hearing the start to this story. It sounded like what happened to my mom when she was younger. She grew up in a pretty rural part of the state. She had 6 brothers and 2 sisters . Also their house actually burned to thw ground on Christmas Eve when she was just a little girl. To watch her speak about it now, she still gets emotional and I dont blame her for having lost everything that Christmas Eve. Everything except each other, and to show what REAL community it like. The entire town and all throughout the community, everyone pitched in and donated gifts and a tree , along with much of what was needed to rebuild their home. My mom still says that was still the best Christmas she ever had as a child because she got all kinds of new things , things that they just couldn't afford due to the large family and limited funds. Believe in your community and neighbors and they will come through in the end. Love ya'll and Be kind nd rewind

[@shadymcnasty5920]

Uhhhh you sure her maiden name isn’t Sodder?

[@AJ-db8kc]

this story was so wholesome until that typo ruined it

[@jaredmaynard1387]

@@AJ-db8kc typo of thongs instead of things right? I just corrected thank you. I hadn't noticed

[@AJ-db8kc]

@@jaredmaynard1387 haha don't worry about it

[@jaredmaynard1387]

@@AJ-db8kc were there anymore mistakes you may have noticed? I'm always up to learn from my mistakes.

[@paulgoogol2652]

This guy was born to advertise for ball shaving equipment as he is one of the few who have the class to handle this hairy topic.

[@anonymousadult]

My teenaged boys can’t live without theirs!

[@IvanOoze1990]

Fishing for likes eh?

[@ShitMental]

I've never thought about this product before, the man can sell it so well. It's like Worzel Gummidge down there.

[@PhillipeHasselhoff]

Now i want one of those

[@aenimalewis1764]

To tackle this issue, you can tackle the guy with the tackle

[@tacticalmattfoley]

My Grandmother lost two siblings in a house fire two days before Christmas in 1937. One of the siblings was her identical twin. Those events tear across generations. I can’t imagine what they went through as a family.

[@WafflesGud]

Welp i know this was a long time ago but i am still sorry for your grandmother(she prob is dead but still Sorry)

[@patriciajrs46]

The answer here was a wonderful tjing to say. RIP to the lost.

[@kmdn1]

I'm so sorry. That kind of tragedy truly does tear across generations. Even if the tragedy happened to an ancestor you never met, it still effects people for generations to come in different ways. My parents lost their first child and being raised by parents who were grieving for years really had a detrimental effect on me and those changes in me will probably in some way effect the way my kids are, so on and so forth through generations.

[@alanarapacz1882]

@@kmdn1 I'm so sorry that you and family are suffering Generational Trama. It is a very difficult thing to overcome. My thoughts are with you. (Hugs)

[@gionun8950]

My father was born just prior to WW2 in Italy. Even though he migrated to Australia, he never discussed his political preferences, advising me that it could get you killed. I can only imagine what he experienced before he left his country of birth.

[@ninamenon]

Palermo zip code? Hmm.

[@Kikiadams]

It’s crazy that after all these years no one has stepped forward to negate the claims that this photo is of Louis. By now a family member of this person would’ve confirmed who this was if it isn’t Louis.. I truly believe this is Louis however the letter it’s very eerie and confusing.. not sure what he is trying to say I however do believe that is a zip code and not anything that needs to be decoded. Louis was the youngest and if he was in fact taken to Italy it’s easy to assume that by the time the letter was written he had forgotten how to write properly in English. Why did the post card come from Kentucky but there was an Italian zip code?.. Very strange Whose Frankie? “ilil boys” Hopefully one day this story will be solved.

[@thelastant8366]

@AustinMa 28 face recognition needs references to check when identifying someone and there aren't many reference pictures of people kidnapped in the 40's

[@katrabbit]

After hearing about this so many times- I'm not sure how Jenny could have seen the house was open all night, heard all of that noise from near the attic, and gone back to bed... I'm much too paranoid... But, I'm sure it haunted her for the rest of her life- wishing she would've gone to check on them during the night.

[@oldarthurmorgan6319]

Jenny was def a bit of an idiot in this you hear noises coming from the attic the door is UNLOCKED! I mean automatically seeing the door unlocked would already make me shit my pants I would think there's a break in especially if I have a ton of kids I would check all of them to see if there safe after I lock the door def very suspicious story

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

Indeed. There may be an explanation for some of it, but I'm not coming up with any viable ones. Assuming the one daughter fell asleep on the couch and was intent on sleeping there until morning and the other kids had gone to bed at a reasonable enough hour compared to when the entire family was supposed to be awake in the morning, why wouldn't the two boys who were asked to finish the farm chores that were still outstanding lock the doors and turn off the lights? I can understand the one daughter falling asleep with the lights on, I do it sometimes, and I admit to sometimes leaving my front door unlocked on accident, but there were at minimum three Sodder children old enough to know the drill, Christmas or not, and turn off the lights downstairs and lock the doors before going to bed.

[@im1who84u]

Yea, Jenny seemed kind of an "airhead" in this story. Comes downstairs to answer a phone call that comes in after midnight. Strange phone call. Lights on. Door unlocked. Daughter sleeping on couch and didn't wake her up and tell her to go upstairs to go to bed. Thud on roof in the middle of night and then something rolling off the roof and hitting the ground. Goes back to sleep. Maybe it's just me but..... just that one thing of the door being unlocked would have prompted me to check the entire house and to check on all the children.

[@sarahwebb3125]

I was thinking the same thing. You have five kids in the attic & don’t go check on a strange noise that woke u up in the middle of the night? It couldn’t have been that easy to sneak five kids out of the attic quietly. Also, who lets just some of their kids stay up late to play??

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

@@sarahwebb3125 That's what I've been saying, it cannot have been easy to get the children out of the house without waking everybody else. How could they have done that? One theory I have with no evidence to back it up, the kidnappers were or counted among them people the children knew via their parents and would listen and trust them when they say to be quiet. But surely, surely there would have been creaking floorboards and the sound of doors opening and closing and someone all but had to have heard it.

[@sarahharrison8520]

They probably tampered with the trucks so no one could go for help. Not because they believed the father would use them to climb int the house.

[@randomeh393]

depending how close they were to the house, lack of oxygen can prevent the engines from functioning

[@33moneyball]

@@randomeh393 they’d have to be in the house....there’s an unlimited amount of oxygen outside.

[@sarahharrison8520]

@@randomeh393 I didn’t know that. But yeah, no evidence that they were tampered with so that makes sense

[@ulrichraymond8372]

The truck peobably could not start because it was too cold this is made evident by the water turning to ice for fighting the fire

[@ripvanwinkle6152]

I mean if they used the truck to get help, the house would already be burnt down. The person cut the phone lines so they can't call for help. They most likely wanted to look for things they could climb and get rid of them so they can't get up to the attic.

[@erinm9870]

That poor mother, the fact that she got up and locked the door and turned off the lights in the middle of the night makes me really sad; that she would blame herself for not checking on her children because everyone thinks like that - “if only I had done this instead”

[@NobalGaming]

I used to know an operator of a crematorium, bone's do not get burnt up in a even after 3 or 4 hours of being at full pressure, instead they get passed through a 'Cremulator' which breaks them down. He once told me about a 46stone man that went through the crematorium that took just under 5 hours and his bone's were still intact, which was concentrated heat.

[@Tymbus]

Interesting that the fire chief said that the fire was due to a power failure while the man stopped by police said that he intended to cut the power lines.

[@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124]

He is a red herring. He was trying to steal on christmas eve, a thief tradition, when he got the bright idea to cut the power so he could have more cover. I bet the phone lines were cut far away from the house.

[@outkastsadboi2788]

Cv

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

@@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124 As other phones in the area were also affected, lines were cut closer to the exchange rather than their house.

[@carlovincetti4538]

Only faulty wiring can be an unknown cause of fire not a lack of electricity. This fire chief should have been booted for not knowing how to drive his own trucks and no ability to investigate any fires.

[@carlovincetti4538]

@@KOZMOuvBORG Seems this was a little more planned than people would admit and in the long run successful.

[@xfyr4591]

Through the sponser i was skipping 10 seconds forwards and each time i did it just went Ball, ball, ball

[@lindaedvardsson4218]

Isnt it beautiful?!…😌.. bald balls in the best and in Arrans way…😁☺️

[@paulgoogol2652]

Why would you skip the best part?

[@bmoneybby]

You should play the power ball

[@supersolomob422]

I tell you, these sponsor segments are masterfully crafted.

[@antonkovalenko364]

😆😆😆😆😆

[@davidtatro7457]

It's almost inconceivable that genetic tracing was never employed in this case within more recent decades.

[@ToweringPsychic]

Maybe because the case was officially closed and a conclusion was reached; however bad the conclusion may be, unless the case is reopened, we can’t do anything about it.

[@rosemaryconstable5620]

@@ToweringPsychic if any of the family was alive (the children we know survived), could they not have uploaded their dna and had a search done for familial matches? I know that’s how they are helping to solve cold cases now.

[@tabby73]

They don't need involvement from law enforcement to upload their dna to one or several of the genealogy websites and see if it turns up any matches. Puzzled they didn't do that.

[@tiagopatricio3805]

Not if the Italian Mob was involved, the numbers on the Letter??? They are postcard numbers in Italy, funly enough...

[@kinucch]

Being an Italian myself I must say, the level of plotting to the last details reminds me of the typical mafia crime. Some details are very reoccurring, from the car watching the house to the disappearance/kidnapping of someone's kids to take revenge on them. Definitely the culprits were Italian imo.

[@MrTaurenshaman]

-Story of children having either died in a fire or kidnapped. -Advertised with a ball shaving razor.

[@hshhsggsg9873]

this guy keeps stealing stories from buzzfeed unsolved its like 10 or 15 times already same story diffrent channel + his inbred accent

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

@@hshhsggsg9873 Ok but who the hell even watches buzzfeed? I've heard this story about four times here and there but that's just because it is a genuinely interesting story and a lot of people covered it, not because he's copying anyone. In any case as far as these corporate owned pop fact channels or whatever you'd call them go it could be way worse. Same goes for his accent, He's British, what do you expect him to sound like? Granted I lived in England for over a decade so I don't notice so much but I've heard some awful British accents in my days and I can't say his is bad. He could talk like that Simon guy who does those awful channels like Business Blazer or whatever and stuff.

[@claredyj2015]

@@hshhsggsg9873 Rude!!

[@johnwolford2715]

70% off it's a good purchase

[@dudeinoakland]

Disgusting.

[@Chowder12345able]

That was a roller coaster. Just when you think it couldn't have got any worse a new detail came up

[@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan]

This isn't the best Thoughty2 video. They're wouldn't be bones left to find. Because they stored a ton of gasoline in the basement. This would of created a oven that would turn even bones to dust. They probably died from smoke inhalation. I feel terrible for the parents who couldn't let go. I can't blame them.

[@mattcecil6692]

@@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan The bones would not have turned to dust. The fire didn't last long enough and wouldn't have been hot enough.

[@Volodimar]

@@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan gasoline fuel can't melt human bones. It was inside job.

[@GlennaVan]

@@Mantis_Toboggan_TrashMan If your statement is truth, how is it the remains of the Powell boys left enough to identify they had been struck in the head? Josh Powell poured gasoline all around to ensure the house would be fully burned with the three of them in it. Count me among those who doubt the five children were even there. Older sister was asleep downstairs, they could have easily walked out of the house perhaps thinking they were playing a trick - children can be quite good pranksters. Of course, whoever convinced them to do it would not have told them what they were going to do (burn the house).

[@oldschoolwoolandweavingcen4060]

RE: Jenny and her actions or lack of actions the evening of the fire. They lived in a rural area and apparently had iivestock because she agreed to the three girls staying up later than usual as long as the three boys got the outside chores done. At 10:00 pm. Therefore it wasn't strange or unusual or scary to be outside in the middle of rural Va on a homestead doing farm chores. It also wouldn't have been frightening for the door to be unlocked or noises to be heard late at night. Especially if you think the kids are still awake. Given the long day, the big family and all the preparations that must have been done for the next day I'm sure she was bone weary. As the mother of 11 who lives on a farm there is no end to the noises at night, some seemingly against the house, others not. Nothing exciting or worrisome or threatening.

[@wednesdayaddams7066]

I have a weird theory, what if the boys went to do the chores actually never made it back inside the house

[@muneebahmad4378]

Mother of 11 wow That must be a hard job

[@joshuapatrick682]

What would you do if your children were missing under mysterious circumstances made to look like they died in an accident. Would you give up? I think every parent out there can honestly Answer no to that question.

[@jhhwild]

With DNA genealogy perhaps we could determine if there are any living relatives to the Sodders that took on different names or something. Imagine if someone took a DNA test and found out one of the missing Sodder children was their Mom or Dad.

[@GlennaVan]

Very likely if they were alive and could be tracked via DNA today, they were unlikely using the name of Sodder so it would not be traced to the family anyway. DNA is not as great as we are led to believe. According to DNA, my granddaughter "might be" a niece three times removed!

[@jhhwild]

@@GlennaVan Yeah, I'm not sure exactly how it works but long lost relatives have been found through DNA testing.

[@GlennaVan]

@@jhhwild They are but it does not determine exact relationships. Also, if the person submitting the sample does not use the correct name, they may never be matched to each other. My adopted sister was able to find her half-sisters through DNA answering questions she had for over 50 years. All details of her adoption had "disappeared" from records and the person who handled it never gave information (and was a friend of another family member). I had always felt it was an illegal adoption since my father and his wife met NONE of the requirements of time - I know because my husband and I looked into adopting. At that time, a blond blue-eyed baby boy "sold" for $50K, seriously! So illegal adoptions were definitely happening. I have always found it peculiar the State had absolutely no record of her adoption! She had her answers for the main questions she had though her birth mother had died a few years before. They are all more casual friends than family as we might expect. It is unlikely her father will ever be identified (was a passing boyfriend after her mother's husband died), but she does have half of her health information which is far better than none. She decided that she had gone as far as she wanted; I've not encouraged her either way since it is a very personal issue. I do recommend going to Wikipedia to read about this family - it is without any drama and everything is cited if you want to read farther.

[@jhhwild]

@@GlennaVan I'm not sure if illegal adoption is the answer to the mystery but it's interesting that it actually happened.

[@GlennaVan]

@@jhhwild It had to be illegal, or at the least, fraudulent. The no-records-existing is more than suspicious. At the time (mid-1960s), both parents had to be under 40 years of age (they were not), they could not have any of their own natural children (he had one [for whom he had not paid the required child support and had been taken to court because of it], she had a son serving in Vietnam, and they had a son together, then a teenager. Supposedly, they said her mother was dead (she was not) and his mother was too ill to interview (she was not) and there were no other family members to interview (again, not truth). As for income, they fell below the required income level even though both worked. When they announced they had adopted a baby, everyone in the family was shocked. There was a lot of discussion about how it could happen. There was one person, a personal friend of theirs, who worked for the department that handled adoptions that knew what happened but never would talk to any family members. It was all very bizarre. Regarding her adoptive mom, she could not have a better mother but, sadly, she died early on. My father remarried to someone who did not want children and he was far from a stellar father. Fast forward over a dozen years and my best friend confided to me she had a baby girl when she was in her first year of college who her father forced her to give up; the girl was born the same month as my sister. Until later when I learned her daughter was born a year later, I was heartbroken thinking it might be my sister who had been adopted into a situation that became worse than her natural grandfather. Some secrets are very difficult to keep but we must. I was so relieved to learn it was not the same baby girl (born in the same part of the state but a year later). Later my friend and her daughter were reunited and their families melded beautifully as if they had all been together the entire time. I wish all adoption stories ended as well as theirs did. The important thing for my sister is that she is at peace with it all. Admittedly, I was concerned when she was contacted by a stranger after the DNA match, but it all turned out okay. She has had a full life and is content with not having a close relationship with the birth family though she appreciates the connection.

[@zJericho101z]

Jenny has an amazing figure after 10 children and doesn't look a day over 35 yrs.

[@adrianaricci5900]

Right??? 🤣🤣🤣

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

Should I tell him, guys? This is bound to get someone that doesn't know its a joke to r/whoosh me.

[@litore8657]

Seek help

[@shinobifrog5519]

@@litore8657 why tho?

[@sanguinemluna4337]

@@Frosty_tha_Snowman r/whoosh

[@shayneelizabeth358]

It absolutely broke my heart when I read the billboard “reward for any one or all 5 of his children”. They were desperate for any of their baby’s to come home. No parent should never be subjected to such tragedy.

[@TasogareTaichou]

I feel like one of those kids that survived has to have descendants. So why doesnt someone do like a 23 and me thing and see what happens. Maybe they'll find out connections that shed light.

[@NiaJustNia]

They might have, it just might not be public knowledge if there's no hits yet

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Depending on where they live now they might not have thought about it or else (in Norway’s case) it’s illegal (yeah I don’t understand why either). However now that more people are getting curious as to their family history of health and general family history we might see more people in the Eastern Hemisphere spend money to get their DNA analyzed. DNA tests are how we discovered my mom has Denisovian DNA (which is funny because her ancestors are pretty much German on both sides. There is Neanderthal in her which is to be expected due to the highest concentrations of Neanderthal remains coming from Europe but the Denisovian was unexpected).

[@brendonian4097]

This story is sad, but it's also kind of wholesome in the devotion that Jennie and George had for their children. They never gave up the search, always waiting for their children. I think that's heartwarming

[@daddistroyer5657]

This is one of the Saddest stories I've ever heard. I just went upstairs and kissed both my Sons on the forehead. I couldn't imagine the heartbreak they went through 🥺😥😢😭

[@rainofrest7778]

bruh u sus lowkey

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

@@rainofrest7778 u dont kiss guys?

[@pandorasactor7127]

@Michael Jordan does playing minecraft means you are gay? Please enlighten us. Your must have been a disgrace to your family or you parent disgust you 🤮

[@zuthula3847]

I don't understand how people can't tell that crying face is a crying of laughter face.

[@Midgey]

@@zuthula3847 😭 = crying. 🤣/😂= Cry laughing

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

How have I never heard of this? I'm pretty into West Virginia history, and have spent a good deal of time in almost every town in the state. Fayetteville is less than an hour and a half's drive from my house, and I spend a fair amount of time there playing music, camping, kayaking, picking wineberries, and swimming in the beautiful rivers and lakes in the area. Fascinating.

[@avalonpark1574]

This was the best version of this case I ever hear. You mentioned a lot of details other people did not state. Thanks.

[@amrogers4]

This one has always haunted me, and no matter what, I always return to the conclusion they were taken. Regardless, incredibly sad.

[@ComicalRealm]

The upsetting part of this story is that George sodder had to live the rest of his life with the thought of what happened to his children.

[@IceFox606]

And Jenny and the rest of the children

[@Jaggededge112]

Don’t forget the rest of the Sodder family. All of them went through an unimaginable tragedy.

[@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124]

Someone else figured the same thing as he was on his death bed and sent them that photo, "confirming" all the things they thought. It was fake, but the person thought it would give them some comfort.

[@Davey-Boyd]

Maybe that was the point?

[@a.t.hustle1583]

That does sound Mafia-esque

[@skeleton599]

This case truly made me sad, throughout the video I was desperately hoping the parents would reunite with their children and that they would be safe and sound, kinda shed a tear ngl.

[@dreamninja9668]

The fact that their whole family was on it together to find the lost kids was so heartwarming and saddening at the same time. Imagine the countless nights they had to endure nughtmares of that night...

[@louisberghaus1886]

When the children were inside the house during the fire, then why did nobody heard them screaming? I mean if someone shouts at you and your family is running outside the house, you would probably wake up, even if you’re pretty tired

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

(if they were in the attic) fumes from the initial stages of the fire could've asphixiated them. The wife woke up after getting a strong whiff of smoke when the fire had grown

[@terristroh3965]

Depending where the fire was in proximity to where the children were supposed to be, it’s possible they couldn’t hear them. A structure fire is very loud…ask any firefighter.

[@carlovincetti4538]

Exactly!

[@RonSeymour1]

Perhaps they had already been taken before the fire was set.

[@Val.Kyrie.]

@@terristroh3965 you’d be shocked at what a mother can hear.

[@jannetteberends8730]

I don’t have children, but I have cats and a dog. When I find an open door I check immediately if they are all in. So for me it’s so strange that Jenny didn’t check if the children were really in their beds. That was for me the real mystery, the whole video I was thinking: “you should’ve checked”

[@jasonshuck8412]

The 1940s was a much different time.

[@damienkarney2251]

I don’t have kids, but I thought the same thing

[@steliosdanios1896]

It was 1945 and she had 10! Kids were a bit more independent in those days.

[@jannetteberends8730]

I’m not an young woman and know how it was. Also live in a country where kids are very independent. But going to sleep without knowing for sure if your kids are inside?

[@Mishke820]

He said door were unlocked not open, big difference. Some 30 years ago we lived in better times and we never would lock the doors ( im talking about ex Yugoslavia). Unlocked door probably were not considered like big threat back than.

[@cleoldbagtraallsorts3380]

Thankyou for this. I've heard the story many times but never in such detail. Well done. I hope these children were adopted by loving families, even back in Italy, and went on to live happy lives.

[@Turrican60]

Nice sentiments, but I think there's far more chance that they died.

[@tabby73]

Wouldn't they have talked at some point in their lives? They weren't babies when taken and would remember everything. Surely at least some of the five would have spoken up at some point.

[@jodyharnish9104]

Excellent work! I have heard about this story many times, but you went into far more detail than the other accounts.

[@33moneyball]

Yes the fire consumed the bones beyond any recognition of 5 people yet this heart is perfectly intact. What an awful scam.

[@Areyousayingidontknowmyname]

Even cremation struggle to ash everything.

[@46rrodriguez]

he buried it in box away from fire. it wasnt heart it was beef liver. that idiot should be locked up for it

[@sussekind9717]

I've studied this case for years, and I am of firm belief that the whole thing with the liver/heart was way too sloppy to have been part of the original perpetration. I actually believe them, when they say they just wanted everybody off their backs. Then, the issue issue with the vertebra that scientists concluded were from a boy, that died a long time ago and not in a fire. Back in the early days, people were often buried near the house they lived in, instead of proper cemeteries like nowadays. Family cemeteries at the homestead, especially in that part of the country, were sometimes, due to the siblings or other family having already died or moved away, that the grave would sometimes be forgotten. Such a burial could easily have been bulldozed through, durring the covering of the charred remnants of the Soder house on the property.

[@TREVASLARK]

If indeed you have studied this case at length, what is your personal conclusion ?

[@sussekind9717]

@@TREVASLARK The best conclusion I can come up with, is that somebody had it out for Mr. Sodder. Maybe it was because of his political leanings or perhaps some shady or questionable business dealings, who knows? Also, kidnapping and human trafficking, especially of children, was not at all uncommon at the time. Hell, it's not uncommon today, even with modern computers, cell phones, tracking devices, etc. Somebody had it out for him, so they had his home and family life destroyed, and then they stole and sold off his children. He must have made someone awfully mad. I don't believe the mafia connection. My wife's family is coincidentally from Palermo and there are no mob connections at all. In fact, the majority of Italians/Sicilians hate and are embarrassed by the mob. They see it as a stain on their homeland. In conclusion, I would say Mr. Sodder stepped on the wrong person's toes somewhere along the line.

[@sussekind9717]

@Alice Kae I assume there have been no ghosts or ghouls, even on Halloween, right?

[@marcelmichels2925]

Something seems odd in this case, and I mean even more than everything does already. I don't buy the kids dying for a second, there would have been some evidence of that. The whole Mafia thing doesn't really add up either. Too much evidence left and way to sloppy. If they really had it out for Mr. Sodder that badly, either it would obviously be a crime or impossible to tell that it was. The entirety of the police force, firefighters and a good chunk of the community seem to be involved tho. The strange Phonecall is to conveniently timed to be an accident and the guy cutting the phone line thinking it was the Powerline also seems to have gotten off with committing a crime way to easy. But all of that pales in comparison to Johns behavior. He lied about waking the kids and him just moving on like that makes no sense from a psychological standpoint. He would be the one blaming himself for the death of his siblings. He should be mentally completely broken, blaming himself, going to hell and back to find a sign of life or fall into depression, potentially even committing suicide. Either he has a mental illness causing him to not go crazy and seemingly not care, or he knows exactly what happend. There should be simply no way that a young person's psyche should be unharmed after being in his situation. As far as I can tell, he is the point where all the strings lead together. Why was he never put through the ringer to find out what exactly he knows?

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

@@sussekind9717 Agreed. I think the kids were moved somewhere else and had their names changed in order to disconnect them from their past.

[@Katie777wuzhere]

I love the animation that accompanies each story. The is one of my favorite channels on KZbin. Great job!!!

[@diyardley5213]

I've only recently discovered your channel, and I'm really enjoying your content! This was a fascinating story, and I loved all your cartoon graphics - you put so much work into it. Thank you!

[@richdorak1547]

There definitely would have been bones remaining. They were taken for sure.

[@spiritualtruthseeker1947]

Longer than 45 minutes in a crematorium. House fires don’t reach temperatures anywhere close enough.

[@SeatbeltSam69]

THATS JUST WHAT THE KIDNAPPER WOULD SAY

[@manudavidfy]

As indian I can confirm that...Ive attended so many Hindu funerals .they collect the bones from the ashes after completely burning the deceased..& you can hear the horrifying sound of the explosion of the skull in the fire 🔥🔥

[@pittmanfh]

Agree. The cremationist is correct. Long bones survive even a cremation chamber. They are brittle, with all water having evaporated. But they still must be pulverized before being placed with the remaining ashes. There is zero chance a house fire got as hot as a crematory.

[@SvenskSork]

Yepp cant agree more. Theres to much in this story for it to be just "an accidental fire".. Also I think the local police and fire department where paid off somehow. Why would they otherwise be so hard on not working with the FBI. In this case if the Police and Fire.Dep truly thought it was a fire and the kids died it should be obvious that the FBI cant do more then to find out just that... So in conclusion they where hiding something at least. May have been other stuff then this case but still something

[@jackdurden466]

They definitely didn’t die in that fire. Far too many coincidences, and at the time there was far more “Organized Crime” aka mafia activity. And those Italians back then didn’t take lightly to any sort of dissenting. For me, it’s an awful thing for the family to have dealt with. But not entirely without motive from the right, or wrong, people.

[@TheAnanaki]

Problem with the mafia theory is that the husband was an outspoken critic of Mussolini & Mussolini hated the mafia with a passion. He tried to eradicate them from Sicily. If Italians were involved it's more likely they were fascist supporters.

[@jackdurden466]

@@TheAnanaki ok gotcha, I may have had that backwards then. You hit the point I was trying to make, I only think I made it the wrong direction! 😂😂

[@SvenskSork]

@@jackdurden466 the Mafia, fascist supporters. They where actually not to different from each other in how they planed and operated a mission since many Mafia "members" at the time had military training they operated in similar ways to coordinate a mission. So I think your idea is as valid =D. As Thoughty2 points out we dont actually know much about the fathers backround, he might have been a gangster and then escaped? What do we know ;D

[@godessofthisage]

One of those " children " was a 22 year old adult boy. The boy John who either went up and shook them awake, ( which makes no sence, where did they go then )or just called upstairs, was in on it. The 22 year old adult son is quite capable of convincing his younger siblings to go with him on a roadtrip. Remember the lights were on, the door was unlocked, the older daughter was asleep on the couch. The mother just assumed her children had gone to bed. She didnt check on her kids. I dont believe those kids ever went to bed. The first thing I would have done would be to check on them. Or woken the girl up. The adult children seem to have often been left responsible for their siblings. Noone can know what happened that night, but the photo of the older son years later with the wierd message. Who is brother Frankie????????

[@carlovincetti4538]

George felt a Lil too comfortable in America thinking his money could keep him safe always.

[@adampecore6917]

Another great story. I am officially addicted to this channel. Great job!

[@christopherwinstanley1348]

I'm just surprised they didn't hear the explosion. I've witnessed a house fire in the mist of night/early morning. It's terrifying 😳 I literally blanked the event out due to shock. It was a gas explosion at a block of appartments I woke to the blast and open the curtains to see the appartment block the whole surface was out and people screaming. I think there are missing parts to this story x

[@anonymousunknown2919]

Clearly seems like an inside job, it was like someone knew everything about the house, where the ladder is, about the cars, the son seems very sus because he changed his story. The life insurance guy and so on. And one thing that nobody is talking about is the screaming, getting burned alive is one of the most painful ways to die and no one mentions the kids screaming or anything.

[@galaxya40s95]

Big fires make a lot of noise. Smoke rises and can suffocate you in your sleep. But yeah, inside job sounds plausible. I'm betting on the mother.

[@theocooper2203]

@@galaxya40s95 the mother? Can I ask why u think that if anything she seems like the most trustworthy person in this case

[@46rrodriguez]

hardly inside job. You are forgetting that suspicious car was seen repeatedly close to the house

[@anonymousunknown2919]

@@46rrodriguez who reported the car? Maybe the the person behind it made it up to throw people off.

[@46rrodriguez]

@@anonymousunknown2919 ok Sherlock you clearly solved the mystery :)

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

Those times, fascists still called themselves fascists, so the words "Mussolini is a fascist" wouldn't have been seen as an insult.

[@sunnyjim1355]

"Me ne frego"

[@sal2975]

Fascism was defined as something very specific back then to how it's defined nowadays. It was still a trash ideology though.

[@vulpesinculta9253]

@@sal2975 What Fascist literature have you read?

[@sal2975]

@@vulpesinculta9253 Books related to Geovanni Gentile who was the creator of the Fascist ideology.

[@JessiDeerSims]

Just like BLM people

[@linkedinlove106]

Wow, you are right - the most mysterious disappearance of all! How sad, for the parents and their children. So many other questions, but we'll never really know the truth. Excellent video, I subscribed and look forward to more great stories from you.

[@Celeste.Martel]

I absolutely love your storytelling and the tone of your voice, it's all perfect. ❤

[@marywallace3620]

I heard about this case before and it made me realize that the fire department back then wasn't very adequate at their jobs. Yea, I understand that there was a shortage of people due to the war that was going on back then, but how the hell can someone be a Fire department chief and not know how to drive a fire truck? You'd think that learning how to drive a fire truck would be one of the first things a fireman would learn in case one of the other firemen are unavailable (due to being sick or out of town or something).

[@theeclectic2919]

They were bought off or threatened. That's why they appeared to be incompetent.

[@leicestergux]

Its actually quite common that the fire chief wouldn't drive the truck 👌

[@theeclectic2919]

@@leicestergux Perhaps, but he would know how to if needed.

[@katrinak7394]

I can tell you aren't from WV. In the 1940s it was a miracle they even had a fire dept. The area of Appalachia I'm from didn't even get electricity until 1940. Think on that for a minute.

[@leicestergux]

@@theeclectic2919 I suppose mate depends on if protocol allows it, personally I'd have jumped in it and drove it but you know what some people are like 👍

[@robgrant2795]

What a mad story. Do love the faceless graphics though dude. Tells the story without distracting one from it.

[@Gye5451]

How come this video is a year old and I’ve watched a fair few of Thoughty2’s videos but I see this one now, when it’s Christmas. What timing

[@jennydonnelly4436]

You explain the story so well..your Resurch is brilliant..keep them coming...

[@alrightalright4585]

Clearly this was all the work of a "Dungeons&Dragons Lvl. 5 Mage" with a basic fireball spell. There can be no other explanation.

[@beyondleftfield4470]

Actually, the Italian Mafia specializes in the training of mages...

[@kimlarge4077]

Lol, clearly indeed. 🤣

[@cerealbird6384]

I wouldn't have believed any of it if it hadn't been for the grenade That's something you don't just find lying around

[@Leo-fy3wg]

especially since it fell off of the roof- meaning someone definitely threw/ dropped it on the night

[@A.Martin]

well someone said about flaming balls being thrown on the roof, and the mother said she heard something hit the roof and roll down it.

[@galaxya40s95]

Why would anyone throw a grenade with a safety on? Fireball sounds more like molotov.

[@A.Martin]

@@galaxya40s95 the footage in this video is a re enactment, it wont be 100% accurate.

[@dexter1981]

but a frag grenade would not cause fire, a molotov would

[@carolb.6350]

Thank you for making this story more clearer than I've ever heard it before.

[@shayneelizabeth358]

Such fantastic storytelling! Absolutely engaging !

[@coyote4237]

I hope someone in this family has done their DNA. Maybe a long distant relative will pop up, and they can connect some dots that way.

[@bellasmom2597]

Yeah I was thinking genetic geneology

[@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124]

The pic in the mail was sent when the dad was on his deathbed. Someone wanted him to have closure, a nice closure too, where the kids survived the kidnapping. BUT you have to take in to account that all of those kids were old enough to remember their real names and parents and condition of their own kidnapping, meaning that they could ahve come forward when they were 40, 60, 80 years old.... Meaning that they were killed soon after the kidnapping.

[@josephsagotti8786]

@@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124 i had a stroke reading the last part. Are you saying that the kids got old but were killed soon after they got kidnapped?

[@jonathanguisinger3395]

@@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124 Not necessarily they may have been held hostage or threatened not to contact their family or even yet were told that they were told that the family were killed in the fire remember the letter from Kentucky from an older Louis

[@SvenskSork]

@@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124(if it was the mafia) OR they where taken by the mob and the one boy became a "sort of" made man so he where allowed to have a life but still forbidden to contact hes family under threat of them all being killed if he did. Just thinking here, maybe Im thinking to deep into it xD

[@elimpoluto9952]

Never trust "official" findings, especially when there is clear evidence that dispute those findings.

[@stephenpmurphy591]

Yep, can't trust any current government officials elected or appointed. Sadly here in the USA our elected officials loyalty lies with corporate lobbyists & foreign government lobbyists. The USA Federal government is corruption personified.

[@PiousMoltar]

The police were clearly in on it. By which I mean, this was probably done by the Mafia, and the police knew it, and they didn't want to end up dead.

[@kreisler8424]

Your comment in French accent is funny

[@mohammadtausifrafi8277]

I really like how the Sodder parents did not give up on trying to find their lost children and kept trying for all those years, that is what a family is or should be like.

[@waveyleslie827]

I've heard this story more than once before. You told it the best.💚

[@andrewjohnson6716]

As a member of a “well-respected middle class family [of eight]”, I can assure you that 1. the way that family members view the family from the inside and how the surrounding community views it from the outside are radically different 2. the house is always, always in a state of moving chaos 3. the veracity of anyone’s statements are a moving target.

[@XxJustinxx88]

Oh wow. None of us who are from regular, everyday families wouldn't have ever guessed that their are different views of one's family from either themselves or the way outsiders view them. We also wouldn't know anything about the chaos Inside of a family home as you stated. I mean afterall we are just normal, everyday small people. We aren't from "well respected and well known middle class families." So we'll just have to take your word for all of this. Gtfoh with that bs dude. You've obviously been spoiled and entitled your entire life to get In the comment section and feel the need to mention that you're from a well known MIDDLE class family lmfao. As If you're better than someone else. 😂😂😂😂

[@Tara........]

This story is so incredibly sad, whether the children died in the fire or were taken by someone.

[@oliversherman2414]

This is such a tragic mystery, it must be an unimaginable feeling knowing that you've lost your children and would never see them again. Let's hope something like this never happens again

[@xXGlitchXx17]

Omg Thoughty2 was so confident about Manscaped So enthusiastic about it i love it love ur way of body care

[@MrSpooner1985]

So, Jenny gets a call shortly before going to bed and w/in an hour the phone lines are mysteriously cut (previously wrote cute by mistake; thats what the comments below are about) just before a fire on the house had occurred? Thats an amazing coincidence, id ignore it if i was the police 🤦‍♂️.

[@SvenskSork]

and It seems as if it was some sort of victory taunt the caller made just for the power trip. Talk about disturbing and creepy stuff =S

[@degrelleholt6314]

You'd fit right in. ;-)

[@alexsm3882]

They weren't just cute, they were adorable...

[@SvenskSork]

@@alexsm3882 hahahaha

[@Whifadira22]

Police are the worst of criminals

[@trevorstevens2889]

Why has every version of this story always deleted the name of the salesman who made a incredibly specific threat that actually happened?

[@tristramcoffin926]

That's true. If he was on the committee that judged the fire was due to electrical failure his identity would be recorded.

[@AWindy94]

@@tristramcoffin926 true....

[@grandmamuscle3501]

That was amazingly done. I especially liked the fact that the individuals had no faces.

[@ilovecake1310]

I’d love to see what a genealogy site looking into this, using DNA testing, to see if any of these people ended up having kids.awesome story either way!

[@lesliebean4594]

This is such a tragic case. How sad for Sylvia being the only one remaining and still having no answers at the time of her passing. I like to think they all know now what we still don’t. On a random side note, this is the first I’m hearing a grenade referred to as a pineapple bomb. It sounds a lot less menacing when you put it like that.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Cannot imagine the pain of that family. The not knowing would be infinitely worse than losing them, which would be the end of the world for them in itself. It's like a continual torture. Grief fades, even if it never goes away in some cases, but only if you know beyond doubt that there is no hope of the lost one coming back. But without that proof, you will always hope, and _that_ is the greatest - as in worst - form of torture there is.

[@glendenton3193]

Sounds like something the Italian or Sicilian mafia would do that’s how the Colombians got all their vicious methods from

[@olasmith8132]

You are so right Mandy B, and you are always haunted by what is happening to them....excruciating, true hell....those poor parents.

[@belikereepicheep]

I can’t imagine leaving it up to young children to turn the lights off or lock the doors. And to just ignore sounds on the roof while children are sleeping in the attic? How did no one go to get the kids when they noticed the smoke? This story just seems like so much could have been prevented, I believe the kids were taken. I also think the oldest brother knows more than he’s letting on he gives suspicious vibes with changing his story and not wanting to talk about it.

[@NiaJustNia]

I mean they did send the brother to wake the other kids when they sent the daughter to grab the baby (I'm guessing the parents would've tried to find the fire and see if they could extinguish it), it was only later they found out he didn't actually go up there, which is baffling. Why wouldn't you? You know there's the window and the ladder, and your 22yr old brother could help you get the kids out. I personally think both boys were involved. They could make sure the parents and other adult siblings were drunk, they'd know about the ladder, know both trucks were working, know the younger siblings would trust them and follow them, know if the ladder was there, the dad would kill himself rescuing the kids (which would defeat the point of him suffering), and the one that stayed would know they weren't there and to not bother checking. It makes perfect sense to keep one on the inside to keep track of the family, and one with the siblings. If both boys had been radicalised by the Mussolini fascists or a criminal organisation, it would all make sense, including putting pressure on the authorities to close the case regardless of evidence.

[@anthonyalvarado6465]

Wow This is so Unbelievably Heartbreaking! I can't even begin to Imagine the Soul Crushing heartbreak the Parents went through their Whole lives not knowing what Truly happened to all 5 of their Children! This is one of the Saddest most horrific stories I've heard!!

[@LiseandRobsTravelAdventures]

I've heard this story many times. This is by far the best telling

[@michellepomponio1537]

I’ve known about this story for years. Thank you for your in-depth commentary on this tragedy. It is by far the best I’ve heard .

[@dragongirl15dragon94]

Great video :) such a sad but fascinating case. Here are a couple of additional interesting facts if you’re interested. In regards to the picture of Louis that was addressed to the mom, Jennie, she did had a brother named Frank Cipriani, who could be “brother Frankie”. The Sodder family had initially suspected him because he lived in Florida. There were witnesses who saw the children get into cars with Florida licence plates. Even the Sodders believed this theory that Jennie’s brother took them because it would’ve been someone they knew. Thank you again for a great video.

[@neilmackenzie4394]

Good Job! Your acting was fun to watch, and the illustrations of the story's characters was good.

[@huanhoundofthevailinor2374]

This was one of the strangest stories ive heard

[@PnkSamurai00]

Really?? Wow

[@thegooddoctor6719]

The trend now to find missing family members is those consumer genetics test (23andMe, Ancestry). If missing sibling are still around - surely someone in family/offspring may have taken one of those tests. Awesome Story BTW !!!!

[@jonathanguisinger3395]

Or if those missing children had families and unfortunately died already

[@SandyDiVa]

@@jonathanguisinger3395 one word…grandchildren

[@jonathanguisinger3395]

@@SandyDiVa I implied that

[@AnarchyandAngels]

I've seen this story before and always wondered why it took so long for firefighters to respond, now I know. The other shows I watched just mentioned that it took so long for them to show up, never explaining why. And the others didn't mention that the family kept a ladder against the house that suddenly wasn't there, and found later far from where it should have been.

[@Lady_Truth]

My heart breaks for the family 💔😥 I pray that they're all resting in peace now and theirs souls have all reunited 🙏🏼

[@spiritualtruthseeker1947]

I have always thought that they were abducted and the fire was started to conceal evidence. Could an age progression be done on Louis’ photography to see how close it comes to matching his alleged adult photo? The resemblance is striking. They may be able to extract mitochondrial DNA from the mother’s body and use it to track possible relatives. If those children survived, some of their children and/or grandchildren have likely used a DNA service. The DNA of descendants of the five children who were not lost would also be helpful.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

That’s a good point. Genealogy is how one of my distant cousins on my dad’s side managed to find and contact him. It’s a complicated story as to why it took a while to contact my dad but it involves his (the cousin’s grandpa, my great-great uncle) ex-wife. Apparently Esther was kinda a poisonous person and she told lies to her and her ex’s children and grandkids about their dad/grandpa. Once the cousin got in contact with my dad he learned the truth about his grandpa. Now they talk on a semi-regular basis.

[@Dethmeister]

How did he slice his arm open on the attic window glass if he couldn't get up on the roof? Hand grenades are loud when the explode aren't they?

[@josephsagotti8786]

it didnt explode though

[@Dethmeister]

@@josephsagotti8786 , Yeah I was going to ask how an unexploded grenade can cause a fire but then I figured there were more than the one. But also, a witness said someone was throwing fireballs onto the roof. Maybe they were going to throw the grenade but thought it would be too loud.

[@brianelkins8604]

Not to mention, the pineapple is a fragmentation grenade not an incendiary grenade. Not likely to cause a fire even if it did go off.

[@SvenskSork]

@@brianelkins8604 yeah that was on my mind to. They may have had some type of incendiary to throw but they also had the one pineapple in case the parents would wake up and since they didnt wake up they just left it before leaving the scene (or dropped it by mistake? ) anyone's guess =D

[@carlovincetti4538]

I was just saying to someone the pin was not pulled and probably left as a message to George.

[@philliphols]

The vehicles could have been disabled to prevent anyone from giving chase while they flee the scene. It doesn’t necessarily imply that it was to prevent them from Being used for rescue. Also the ladder wouldn’t have been removed to prevent rescue if nobody was left upstairs to even be rescued. That’s probably also another step in preventing would be chasers while you flee. We have a mystery here for sure but it’s being looked at allll wrong

[@BeanieBod]

I lost my precious son, who was very handicapped, a few years a go. I also have 2 other children. Losing my son was beyond devastating, so to lose 5 children so horrifically, by fire or taken by others, is unimaginable and so cruel. The circumstances surrounding the fire with no real answers to what caused it, seems extremely suspect. Sending love & healing to any family members who are still with us today 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽. Another fab story Thoughty2 👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿

[@33moneyball]

Bizarrely the question of who set the fire is rarely the focus of any Sodder children breakdown. The question of what happened to the 5 kids overwhelms it completely.

[@user-zi8lg5qu1h]

Pretty sure the answer is the same. If you know who set the fire you know who took the children, then you can speculate what options those people had, since to go to such an extent to kidnap and cover up just to kill the children doesn't make sense. If it's mafia then possibilities are endless, but as I said in one of the comments, mafia wouldn't go so far and spend so much resources just to take revenge on big mouth nobody, simple beating or murder would do the trick. If children were kidnapped it was personal

[@NoNameEst1992]

@@user-zi8lg5qu1h Yeah I agree that's what confused me, the mafia and mussolini get mentioned.... Why would they make such elaborate plans and steal children over someone whos just speaking out loud, the same as millions of other Italians would've been at that time and he's not even living in Italy anymore.... Assuming the photo later on is of one of the boys all grown up it implies they all lived a normal life to some degree , why would they kidnap 5 kids to just raise them themselves... I really don't know what happened but I think its a far reach to assume it has anything to do with mussolini and I'm pretty sure kidnapping 5 kids isn't the mafias style.

[@user-zi8lg5qu1h]

@@NoNameEst1992 Answer most likely lies in potential motive, which could only be given by family or people who were in on it (at this point cause noone knows enough about family and especially the father's past). Also the apparent local cover up doesn't make sense unless it was mafia or financial gain (which would explain why their brother trys to get everyone to move on). There is too little important evidence to cross anything out, even that kids died in the fire (though it seems as a most unlikely scenario).

[@NoNameEst1992]

@@user-zi8lg5qu1h the 2 most illogical parts to this story for me is 1. the finding of a hand grenade surely going to all that effort to try and make it a rather secretive job is a waste of time if your gonna just lob a hand grenade onto the building that would blow the place to bits with a loud bang... Plus the explosion wouldn't likely set a fire it'd just blow shit up, so without the fire the whole cover up wouldn't have worked... It could also have killed people in the explosion, so was the intent in the first place to also murder some of the others? It opens up alot more questions I don't think where fully looked in to and the 2. That for me sparks more questions is why did she go back to sleep after hearing what she thought sounded like a rubber ball bang on her roof and roll off in the middle of the night, noone is playing football at that time, the least you would do was check to see what it actually was and why or how it's made its way onto your roof.

[@Salena905]

@@user-zi8lg5qu1h I'm not that familiar with the political history of this time, but If the father had caused up too much of a stir, then surely someone from the political would fund the Mafia to do this job for them. Besides the Mafia isn't made up of one big 'family" they were made up of several different ones, yes they had the "God Father" But not all of the "families" got on well with eachother ,so it could've been one group that were happy to go this far thus hugely bennifitting from this certain political person, a favour for a favour, power etc.

[@jackschwartz1783]

George sliced his arm open breaking the attic window, but they couldn't get to the window because the ladder was missing? W T H ?

[@MandleRoss]

That confused me as well.

[@jonathanguisinger3395]

Falling glass maybe

[@Rmdsensei]

Yup the same confusion

[@robjones8733]

Beeze....😹

[@madjoemak]

Maybe he smashed a different window lower down to try and get into the upstairs but then realized that the stairs to the attic were in flames and decided to go to the roof on the ladder

[@realopinions3941]

Been watching since before sponsorships lol nice to see how much you have grown from when I had different KZbin accounts lol

[@kirppuntutti]

How could George the dad cut his arm on an attic window when he couldn’t even get up to the attic windows - no ladder and no working trucks??!! Plot holes here…

[@jeananthony8541]

You're right. How did dad cut his arm? Which window? Also, if the brother was calling for the kids still in the attic, did the rest of his family hear him calling for them? Why was law enforcement so incompetent? Why did the police refuse FBI assistance? What was the deal with the fire chief who couldn't drive the fire truck? Too many coincidences to be unplanned. Also, I think several people were involved. It's so sad that the family suffered this tragedy and that they never found out what happened to the to the missing children.

[@Spearra]

@@jeananthony8541 Or how about how the Salesman who's EXTREMELY suspect, was also basically the judge for the initial rulling of it being a "electrical failure". And how he's NEVER named. How is someone that important one of the few people not named in this story?

[@Kinosho_Kawakami]

worst thing that can ever happen to someone in this kind of situation is exactly what happened to them. if you knew they died you'd have closure, you'd be able to move on and live with the memory you spent with them in your life, but not knowing if they're alive or dead, kidnapped, hurt... you never get over something like that.

[@christopherr3676]

I stumbled across this channel and I know its cliché to say it but I've been binging it for 2 weeks solid . The emu war one is gold . Keep up the amazing work

[@chikacherrycola9189]

OMG❤️ I LOVED Your Enthusiasm & Well Done Presentation for your Sponsor!! I am DEFINITELY purchasing this for my Best Friend (A Guy)….And I Love your Podcast too😘😘😘 BIG Fan🌸