Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes · Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Dead Weight PT 1

November 5, 2025·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Detectives open a trunk to find a woman's body in a fetal position, and another trunk contains only her upper torso and legs.

This episode of Buried Bones focuses on the 1931 discovery of two murdered women inside luggage at a Los Angeles train station. Hosts Kate Winkler Dawson, a true crime journalist, and Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator, apply modern forensic analysis to the historical mystery. The case begins when the Golden State Limited train arrives from Phoenix with two foul-smelling steamer trunks. A USC student named Burton McKinnell and a woman claim the trunks but leave to retrieve keys, never returning. Detective Frank Ryan opens the trunks to find one containing a fully intact, decomposing woman in pink pajamas. The second trunk holds only the upper torso of a second woman, with her legs bundled beside her. Further searches reveal a suitcase containing a lower female torso and a hatbox holding a .25 caliber Colt pistol, ammunition, and surgical instruments. Paul Holes explains that the dismembered body showed less bloating because the process releases decomposition gases. He notes the offender likely had medical knowledge or hunting experience to perform the dismemberment, possibly to ease transport. The presence of spent cartridge cases in a victim's purse suggests the killer attempted to clean the scene. The valuable luggage indicates the perpetrator was not impoverished. The hosts examine period photographs of the evidence, including the ornate trunks and the hatbox containing the suspected murder weapon. Holes analyzes why a killer might remove intestines and bladder, citing practical disposal challenges. Dawson expresses particular shock at the dismemberment aspect, which Holes contextualizes as an act of logistical desperation rather than pure sadism for many offenders. The tone is a collaborative, educational dialogue between an investigative journalist and a forensic expert. The style is detailed and analytical, walking through the crime scene discovery and evidence with professional detachment. Listeners who enjoy methodical, forensic deep dives into obscure historical crimes will appreciate this episode. Those sensitive to graphic descriptions of decomposition and dismemberment may find it too intense.

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