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The Secrets We Bury

January 27, 2026·1 hr 17 min·5 clips

A psychic tells Mike Carroll his missing father is buried in the basement under a target from his childhood.

This episode covers the HBO Max documentary "The Secrets We Bury," hosted by Patrick Hinds and Gillian Pensavalle. The hosts recap the story of Mike Carroll, a Long Island man investigating his father's disappearance decades earlier. Mike's father, George Carroll, vanished when Mike was a child after his mother claimed he went out for cigarettes and never returned. The documentary reveals no missing person report was filed, and George's car, wallet, and last paycheck were left behind. Mike, a respiratory therapist and self-described QAnon adherent, lives as a hoarder in his childhood home. A psychic later tells Mike his father was murdered and buried in the home's basement, prompting a months-long excavation. Mike's siblings, including his older sister Jean, remember their childhoods differently and grapple with their mother Dorothy's narrative. Mike discovers a neighbor, Mr. Yeagle, was once married to his paternal grandmother and gave Dorothy a box of George's belongings. Years later, Mike meets a patient with the last name Yeagle who reveals himself to be George's brother. This uncle asserts George would never have abandoned his children and suggests he was buried under the house during construction. On her deathbed, Mike asked Dorothy about his father, and she responded only with a wink before dying. The hosts note Mike's hoarding began after his mother's death and discuss hoarding as a psychological disorder linked to trauma. They analyze the family's dynamic, where Dorothy's word was "gospel" and the children were told to forget their father. The hosts describe Dorothy as a controlling figure who hosted weekly "skit nights" and created a tense living environment for Mike's ex-wife Debbie. A major theme is how unprocessed grief and buried secrets manifest across generations. The tone is conversational and empathetic, blending recap with the hosts' personal reactions and dark humor. Listeners who enjoy complex family mysteries, psychological deep dives, and documentaries about unconventional investigations will appreciate this episode. Those sensitive to discussions of hoarding or who prefer straightforward crime narratives might find it less engaging.

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