HOLIDAY MYSTERIES: THE CHRISTMAS TREE LADY

On December 19, 1996, a woman who became known as "The Christmas Tree Lady" was discovered dead, lying on a plastic sheet in Annandale, Virginia at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park cemetery. She was approximately 60 years old and had never been identified.

Police discovered beside her body a Christmas tree, a tape player, and a note that read: "Deceased by own hand...prefer no autopsy" and was signed "Jane Doe."

The note also requested that she be cremated and included money to cover the cost. Her cause of death was ruled as asphyxiation and investigators believed she had taken her own life. However, for almost two decades, nobody came forward to identify Jane Doe and the motivation behind her death remains unknown.

Earlier this year, DNA and genealogy research led to "The Christmas Tree Lady" being identified. She was Joyce Marilyn Meyer Sommers, originally from Davenport, Iowa. She was the oldest of five siblings, according to DNASolves.com.

At the time of her death, Meyer had not been reported missing and did not have family in the immediate area. Relatives had hired a private detective to look for her but had no success...

NEWS BREAK: HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARTY HORROR

It was meant to be an evening of good cheer.

A group of powerful Hollywood creatives and executives gathered on Saturday night for a holiday party at the home of Conan O’Brien. The estate is nestled in a section of the Pacific Palisades spared by the fires that decimated the affluent neighborhood almost a year prior.

O’Brien had to evacuate during that terrifying time. For him and the guests in attendance, this was a chance to shake off the bad mojo of 2025 and look toward a happier and more hopeful new year.

But as the night progressed, a different kind of dark energy filled the room.

An erratic male figure wandered around the party and interrupted conversations, demanding to know who attendees were and if they were “famous.” Many, like Jane Fonda and Bill Hader, in fact were.

Whispers begin to ripple. The imposing man — 6-foot-3, approximately 230 pounds — had not wandered in off the street, though many wondered if he had. The man was the son of Rob and Michele Reiner.

His name was Nick. He was troubled. A lifetime of drug issues. Compassion was quietly urged. Sympathies and concerns for his parents, one of whom was a Hollywood giant, were expressed.

Nick’s name was not on the invitation. But his parents asked O’Brien if he could tag along. His behavior, which had often been extreme and stressful, had grown degrees even more concerning in recent weeks. They were reluctant to leave him home alone, in the guesthouse of their Brentwood home, where he was currently living under their watchful supervision.

Nick kept on interrupting the guests and he broke in to a private conversation that comedian Bill Hader was having. Hader calmly responded to Nick that he was engaged in a private conversation, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Nick glared at him for what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time.

Some time later, shouts echoed. All conversations stopped and turned toward the racket. Two men, arguing. It was Rob and his son, having it out over Nick’s asocial and unsettling behavior.

Minutes later, the Reiners, mortified, apologized to O’Brien and left the party. It has not been determined if Nick left with them. The conversational din returned to the room, but the mood of the evening was altered.

At 4 a.m., Nick checked into the Pierside Santa Monica, where staff later discovered a shower “full of blood” and bedsheets hanging over the window.

Rob and Michele were discovered slain, victims of knife wounds, in their home at 3:30 p.m. Sunday by their daughter, Romy.

Time of death has yet to be determined. But according to law enforcement, they had already been dead for several hours, and could have been killed as early as Saturday night or early Sunday morning, once they returned from O’Brien’s party.

Nick, 32, was later taken into custody at a subway station in Exposition Park near USC, 15 miles from his parents’ home. Prosecutors said on Tuesday they intend to charge him with two counts of first degree murder with special circumstances in the death of his parents. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his office has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole in the criminal murder case...

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GLENN MILLER

December 15, 1944. The war in Europe was grinding toward its climax. Paris had been liberated, and Allied forces were pushing eastward. Amid the chaos, music still found its way into the hearts of soldiers—none more so than the swing of Glenn Miller, whose orchestra had become the soundtrack of wartime America.

Major Glenn Miller, once the king of the big band era, had traded his tuxedo for a military uniform. His mission: to boost morale among troops through music. That day, he was scheduled to fly from RAF Twinwood Farm in Bedfordshire, England, to Paris, where his Army Air Forces Band was preparing a Christmas performance for the troops.

The aircraft was a Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman, a small, single-engine plane. It lifted off into the foggy afternoon sky with three souls aboard: Miller, pilot John Morgan, and Lt. Col. Norman Baessell. The weather was poor—visibility low, temperatures freezing. And then, somewhere over the English Channel, the plane vanished.

No distress call. No wreckage. No survivors.

The world was stunned. Glenn Miller, the man behind “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” had disappeared without a trace.
Theories and Speculation

In the absence of answers, theories bloomed like wildflowers:

Friendly Fire: One popular theory suggested the Norseman was accidentally struck by bombs jettisoned by returning RAF bombers. But later evidence, including a teenage plane spotter’s diary, indicated Miller’s flight path didn’t intersect with the bombers. 

Espionage and Secret Missions: Some believed Miller was on a covert diplomatic mission, sent by Eisenhower to negotiate with Nazi officials. Others whispered of a death in a Parisian bordello—scandalous and unsubstantiated. 

Mechanical Failure: The most credible explanation came decades later. Dennis Spragg, a researcher with the Glenn Miller Archive, uncovered long-forgotten military documents. They pointed to a tragic but mundane cause: the plane’s fuel lines likely froze mid-flight, causing the engine to fail. The Norseman, made of lightweight materials, would have disintegrated on impact with the icy waters. 

Though Miller’s body was never recovered, his legacy endured. His music continued to echo through the decades, a reminder of joy in dark times. President Truman and General Eisenhower paid tribute to him. His widow, Helen, received his Bronze Star in 1945.

And while the mystery of his disappearance may never be fully solved, the story of Glenn Miller remains one of the most poignant chapters in the annals of wartime history—a tale of swing, sacrifice, and silence over the sea...

FINAL CUT: THE MYSTERY BEHIND ROB REINER'S MURDER

On December 14, Hollywood was shaken to its core. Rob Reiner—the legendary director behind When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, and Stand By Me—was found dead in his Brentwood home alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. Both had suffered fatal stab wounds. The news spread like wildfire, leaving fans and industry insiders stunned.

Police have classified the case as an apparent double homicide. The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division is leading the investigation, but details remain scarce. No arrests have been made, and no official suspects have been named. The home showed no signs of forced entry, fueling speculation that the killer was someone they knew.

Reiner wasn’t just a director—he was a storyteller who shaped generations of cinema. His sudden, violent death feels like a cruel twist in a narrative no one saw coming. Tributes poured in from across the globe, with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and countless Hollywood figures expressing grief and disbelief.

As the investigation unfolds, rumors swirl. Was this a targeted attack? A robbery gone wrong? Or something far more personal? Several media outlets have reported, citing unnamed sources, that Nick Reiner, the couple’s son, is a person of interest. These claims remain unverified—the LAPD has not publicly named a suspect or made an arrest. Officials have stated only that the case is ongoing and no one is in custody. Nick’s past struggles with addiction have been mentioned in some reports, adding fuel to speculation. But until law enforcement confirms, these remain rumors—not facts.

For now, the case remains shrouded in mystery. Hollywood waits for answers, but one thing is certain: the final chapter of Rob Reiner’s life has left a haunting question mark...

HOLIDAY MYSTERIES: THE MISSING SODDER CHILDREN

On Christmas Eve in 1945, five children from the large Sodder family disappeared and were never seen again.

Their family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia was the site of a huge fire and while parents George and Jennie and four of their children managed to escape the burning building, five of their children were unaccounted for, and their remains were never recovered.

They were 4-year-old Maurice Sodder, 12-year-old Martha, 9-year-old Louis, 8-year-old Jennie, and 5-year-old Betty.

In a strange and upsetting twist of events, a significant amount of unexplained problems arose when George Sodder tried to rescue his children, including a ladder being missing, windows not opening and no operator at the fire station working that night.

How the fire started and what happened to the Sodder children remains unknown today but according to several true-crime podcasts such as Casefile True Crime, a possible motive relates to George's criticism of Italian fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. George was an Italian immigrant and his opposition made him a vulnerable target of the Sicilian mafia.

George demolished the house before it could be established whether his children were dead or missing.

According to the Press, the surviving Sodder family believed for the rest of their lives that their relatives had survived the fire. A billboard was erected in the 1950s with images of the children, and a reward was offered for information. It remained standing until Jennie Sodder's death in 1989...

THE STRANGE MURDER OF MARTHA MCKAY

Martha McKay, a member of the Snowden family, was found dead on a Wednesday morning in 2020 at the historic Snowden house in Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas. The alleged suspect, Travis Santay Lewis, had been convicted of killing Martha’s mother Sally Snowden McKay and her mother’s nephew Lee Baker in September 1996. He was paroled in 2018. When police responded to the scene on Wednesday, Lewis jumped into the lake and never resurfaced. His body was later recovered. The Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

Martha McKay, 63, a member of the Snowden family, was found dead on Wednesday inside the colonial-style house at Horseshoe Lake in Crittenden County, Arkansas.

The intruder, later identified as 39-year-old Travis Santay Lewis, ran to a nearby car and attempted to drive away, but authorities said the vehicle got stuck in the yard. That’s when Lewis ran from the car and ran into the lake.

“He was observed going under the water and never came back up,” Sheriff Allen said in a news release. “The Arkansas Game and Fish and Crittenden County Search and Rescue were called, and Game and Fish used their sonar equipment and Search and Rescue was able to locate and recover the body of the suspect.”

The bodies of the victim and the suspect have been sent to the Arkansas Medical Examiner’s Office for cause and manner of death.

According to Sheriff Allen, Lewis was 16 when he pleaded guilty to the September 10, 1996 Horseshoe Lake murders of Martha’s mother, Sally Snowden McKay, and Sally’s nephew, Joseph Lee Baker, who was a well-known Memphis blues/rock guitarist. It was believed Lewis shot Sally and Lee because they startled him as he attempted to rob the house. The building was then set on fire, Sheriff Allen added.Travis Santay LewisCrittenden County Sheriff

Lewis was sentenced to 28 ½ years in prison and ordered to serve at least 70 percent of it, according to the plea bargain. After spending 23 years behind bars, Lewis was paroled in 2018, Sheriff Allen said.

Martha McKay, who moved to Horseshoe Lake from San Francisco after her mother’s murder, had turned Snowden House into a high-end bed-and-breakfast and wedding venue.

“I met her a few times and she was a nice, interesting lady. She really restored that place back to its original beauty,” Sheriff Allen said. “It’s such a tragedy, and, well, mind-boggling that a 16-year-old would commit these murders and then you know, allegedly come back and do something so horrible again.”

Sheriff Allen told the press there were reports that Martha had been in touch with Travis Lewis during his time in prison, as well as after he was released.

“I think it was her mission to find out what happened to her mother, and to find out if someone else was involved,” Sheriff Allen said.

Unfortunately, what started as Martha's quest for redemption for a prisoner turned into tragedy...

VIDEO BREAK: THE LOBSTER BOY SAGA