Ever had an ex send you a nasty text? Multiply that by 50,000 and you’ve got the Cari Farver case.
This isn’t your garden-variety stalking story—it’s a masterclass in obsession that makes your clingy ex look like an amateur. (And if you’re currently dealing with a clingy ex, maybe triple-check your locks tonight.)
When “Ghosting” Takes on a Whole New Meaning
In November 2012, 37-year-old Cari Farver vanished after spending the night at Dave Kroupa’s apartment in Omaha. They’d been dating for exactly two weeks—barely enough time to decide if you like someone’s taste in movies, let alone become entangled in a murder plot.
But here’s where it gets weird (as if a disappearance wasn’t weird enough): Dave started receiving aggressive texts from Cari’s phone. Not just a few angry messages, but a biblical flood of digital rage that would continue for YEARS.
“I hate you,” “I’m watching you,” and “Look out your window”—the greatest hits of stalker texts kept coming and coming. And coming. For THREE. WHOLE. YEARS.
If you’re thinking “this feels off,” congratulations! You’re already a better detective than some of the initial investigators.
Enter Liz Golyar: The Original Gone Girl
While Dave was drowning in threatening messages supposedly from Cari, another woman entered the picture: Liz Golyar. She’d been casually dating Dave before Cari came along, and—surprise!—she suddenly became a target of “Cari’s” digital wrath too.
Poor Liz! Getting harassed by this crazy woman who disappeared! Someone even set her house on fire! What terrible luck!
Except… (dramatic true crime podcast pause)… Liz WAS Cari. Or rather, Liz was pretending to be Cari. Because Liz had murdered Cari within days of her disappearance.
The level of commitment here is staggering. Liz sent approximately 50,000 texts and 15,000 emails over three years, all while pretending to be the woman she’d killed. That’s roughly 60 messages PER DAY. I can barely remember to text my mom back on her birthday.
Digital Breadcrumbs: How Technology Caught a Killer
The disturbing stalking case finally broke open in 2015 when detectives from the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office took a closer look at the bizarre situation.
They discovered that the threatening messages from “Cari” were actually being sent from IP addresses connected to Liz’s home and devices. (Pro tip for aspiring criminals: the internet is not anonymous. Like, at all.)
But the smoking gun? A photo of what appeared to be Cari’s decomposing body found on Liz’s SD card. Liz had taken a trophy photo and then KEPT IT. I’ve seen smarter decisions made by characters in horror movies who decide to “check out that noise in the basement.”
The Obsession Factor: Why This Case Still Haunts Me
What fascinates me about the Cari Farver case isn’t just the elaborate deception (though that’s nightmare fuel on its own). It’s how Liz essentially lived as three people for years: herself, her victim, and her victim-as-stalker.
The psychological gymnastics required to maintain this charade are both impressive and terrifying. Liz didn’t just kill Cari—she stole her identity, weaponized it, and then used it to make herself look like a fellow victim.
Ryan (my husband) says this is why he monitors my true crime obsession—apparently, I get “that look” when I talk about cases like this. But seriously, wouldn’t you have survived this crime? I would have. Dave Kroupa should have known something was fishy when his two-week girlfriend suddenly turned into Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction.
Digital Forensics: The Modern Fingerprint
This case demonstrates why digital evidence is becoming as crucial as DNA in modern investigations. Investigators had to sift through thousands of messages, tracking IP addresses and digital footprints to uncover the truth.
It’s like a high-tech version of retrieval-augmented generation—piecing together fragments of data to create a complete picture of what actually happened.
The Aftermath: Justice for Cari
In 2017, Liz Golyar was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder, despite Cari’s body never being found. The digital evidence was so overwhelming that physical remains weren’t necessary for conviction.
The most chilling part? Without the digital trail, Liz might have gotten away with it. She created an elaborate fiction where Cari was alive but unhinged—and nearly everyone believed it.
So next time you get a weird text from someone acting out of character, maybe do a little digging. It might not be them at all.
And maybe—just maybe—check your locks one more time tonight.
(I know I will.)