Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes The Murder of Maria Buel
30 snips
Jan 28, 2026 A 1832 Ohio disappearance unravels a tangled web of relationships, lies, vendettas and a mysterious old head injury. Community rumors, sheltering neighbors and tense negotiations reveal patterns of coercive control. A fatal stabbing at a fence and a trial that invokes insanity and changing legal limits on assault round out the drama.
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Escalation Through Coercive Threats
- Ira Gardner repeatedly threatened his stepdaughter Maria and claimed he would "follow her to hell" to get revenge.
- Those threats reveal an escalating pattern of coercive control that framed later violence.
Sickness, Control, And Social Policing
- Maria had been sick and Ira refused medical help because she had been speaking with men he disliked.
- This conflict over her social life exposed long-term controlling behavior in the household.
Isolation As A Control Strategy
- Ira insisted only he could handle Maria, refusing to return her shoes or allow others to mediate.
- That insistence kept Maria isolated and gave him continual opportunities to exert control.
