Woman Discovers Horrifying Details Of How Her Grandmother Killed Her Own Mother
Her family was hiding a dark secret.
TikTok Every family has its secrets, but this family’s hidden past might take the cake.
A woman in the TikTok community has gone viral for sharing the skeletons in her family’s closet on the platform. User @crimewithkourt — who has dedicated her account to covering true crime cases — opened up about an actual crime that occurred in her own family and the disturbing details of a police report on the incident.
The TikToker learned her grandmother killed her great-grandmother.
Kourt mentioned her family’s secret in several videos and, after fielding questions from viewers, decided to share her grandmother’s story on the app.
“I want to preface this by saying my grandma Kris has always been a good grandma to me,” Kourt said at the beginning of the video before setting in on the story of the twisted crime.
The incident occurred in her hometown of Yakima, Washington, in September 1990.
Kourtney explained that on the day of the murder, Kris was helping bathe her mother, Lois, after a hip surgery. They talked as Kris helped Lois, who was in her 60s, and before long, an uncomfortable subject came up between mother and daughter.
“At some point, my grandma brought up her childhood and how she was abused by one of her stepfathers,” Kourt explained. “And Lois reportedly blamed her for it.”
There are conflicting reports on what happened next.
“What happened next is unclear, but it resulted in Lois drowning in the bathtub,” Kourtney explained.
The story Kourt always heard from her family was upsetting but vague.
“After the murder, my grandma left her in the tub and went back to her home down the road,” she recalled her family’s version of events.
As Kourt noted in one part of her video, court documents told a different story.
“Court documents state my grandma also said that she was never giving Lois a bath, but that an argument broke out that resulted in Lois hitting her head, killing her,” she noted. “I don’t know which is entirely accurate.”
Kris was haunted by what she’d done but determined to dispose of the body.
“And for the next two days, [she] stated she couldn't stop hearing her mom's voice,” Kourt explains.
“So she went back to her mom's home and proceeded to dismember her body with a saw into eight pieces and threw what was left into a local landfill.”
“Then took the major parts, which included Lois’s head, her artificial hip, and her jaw, which she had cut out and put them into two garbage cans before filling them with concrete.”
That process wasn’t easy, and while it was happening, neighbors spotted Kris in Lois’ backyard with a blue tarp and a shovel.
“She then rented a storage unit and hid the garbage cans there for two whole years.”
Kris was faced with explaining Lois' absence to family and friends.
Kourtney explained that Kris told their loved ones, friends, and authorities that Lois had moved away to Hawaii with a wealthy man she’d fallen for.
Her husband, who was out of town when the murder occurred, wasn’t aware of what his wife had done.
Kris had made fake letters to herself from Lois, one of which Kourtney was able to get a copy of.
“It’s really creepy to read,” the TikToker shared.
Kris continued to live with her lie, even cashing Lois’ social security checks.
She also sold Lois’ second home for “around $140,000” and collected money from the sale. All the while, the keys to the storage unit containing Lois’ remains sat in her home “in an envelope labeled ‘Lois, shed #2.”
Kris couldn’t live with the guilt forever.
“At some point, I guess my grandma couldn't take it anymore and eventually turned herself in to [the] police,” Kourtney explained.
Kris stood trial for her crime, but a lot came to light during that time that would eventually help her case.
“During the trial, it was stated that [Kris] suffered from severe PTSD,” Kourtney explained.
“And although she was an adult at the time of the murder, they basically stated that the trauma and abuse she suffered as a child almost somehow stunted her mental development.”
Experts determined that Lois’ murder stemmed from the trauma Kris endured.
“In other words, it was basically stated that when Lois blamed my grandma for her own child abuse, it made her relive that trauma and sent her over the edge.”
Kris was still convicted of the crime, but her circumstances were considered when determining her sentence.
Kris was convicted of 2nd-degree manslaughter, serving just two years in prison.
“She's been out, living in the same house she was at the time of the murder ever since,” Kourt shared.
Learning about her family’s unfortunate history at 12 years old impacted Kourtney. “Ever since I’ve had these terrible recurring nightmares,” she shared.
“Some [are] really gory, and some are cult-related.”
It sounds stupid, but I still wake up scared sometimes,” she continued. “I keep picturing the table where she kept the keys to the storage unit that held my great grandma's body for those two years. She still has that table, and I know exactly where it sits.”
Angela Andaloro is a writer who passionately explores all things entertainment, parenting, and true crime. Follow her on Twitter here.