May 3, 2019 ▸ History, True Crime

Episode 383: Sodder Family Disappearance: From Mafia to Mario!

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On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a listener-voted favorite, the mysterious disappearance of the Sodder Family. On Christmas Eve of 1945, an odd fire raged through the Sodder home, supposedly killing five of the 10 Sodder children. However, the circumstances around the fire are pretty baffling, and the lack of evidence and bodies suggest the kids weren’t actually in the house in the fire. But if that was the case, where did they go, and why did nobody ever find them? Good question!

George and Jennie Sodder were both first generation Italian immigrants who came through Ellis Island and settled in Fayetteville, West Virginia. It was a town with a large Italian population, half of whom hated George Sodder for his stance against Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. He got in regular arguments with the locals about this, and it got so heated that an insurance salesman once said that his house would one day go up in smoke, and his children would be destroyed! Well, turns out that guy was right.

On Christmas eve, a strange series of events took place that may or may not have put the kids in their beds up in the attic as they were supposed to be. At 12:30 AM, an odd phone call came in. At 1:00, there were noises on the roof (those ain’t reindeer!), and by 1:30 George’s office and the roof were on fire. The couple ushered four of their children out of the house, but the flames were too intense for them to return for the remaining 5. And then came the series of “No’s”. The ladder that was always against the house (and could save the kids) was gone. The water barrels were all frozen solid. The phone line was cut. The neighbors couldn’t reach anyone on the phone to get help. The trucks wouldn’t start. The Cosmic Muffin really dropped his hammer.

Or did he? Investigations started to reveal mysteries and odd happenings. The phone line wasn’t dead from the fire but was cut. A burglar was caught on the premises but released for no good reason. There were no children screaming in the fire. It took the fire department 7 hours to get on the scene. And most importantly, there were no bodies or bones found after the fire died.

So, were the kids inside, and if so, what happened to their bones? Why did George go against the will of the fire department and bury the Sodder house under five feet of dirt just four days after the fire? What did the guy who threatened the Sodders have to do with the findings of the fire department? Did this all have to do with the mob? How long does it take Brad, Brent, and Dave to descend into talk about the Mario Brothers? Listen, laugh, learn.