Emma TaylorWhen people talk about family secrets, they usually mean hidden affairs, long-lost relatives, or maybe some buried drama from decades ago. But one Utah woman recently shared a story that goes way beyond uncomfortable family gossip and straight into nightmare territory.
Utah true crime creator Kourtney Laymance shocked viewers after opening up about the deeply disturbing reason she became fascinated with crime stories in the first place. And once you hear it, it’s impossible to forget.
Kourtney, who runs the popular true crime account “Crime With Kourt,” revealed that someone she adored growing up, her grandmother, was at the center of a horrifying case involving the death of Kourtney’s own great-grandmother.
Utah Podcaster Reveals Details Of Her Own Family Horror Story
What made the story hit even harder was the way Kourtney described her grandmother before learning the truth. According to her, this wasn’t some cold or obviously dangerous person. She was loving, creative, and the kind of grandmother who made childhood feel warm and magical.
“Imagine being a kid and suddenly learning that the same grandma who always painted with you and always made holidays feel magical was also the center of one of the most stirring cases you have ever heard of,” Kourtney explained.
That contrast alone is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. The crime itself reportedly happened in the 1990s in Yakima. At the time, Kourtney’s grandmother, Christine Varness, had been caring for her mother, Lois Huysman, after surgery. But during one conversation while helping her bathe, things allegedly took a horrifying turn.
According to Kourtney’s retelling, Lois admitted she had known about the abuse Christine suffered from multiple stepfathers throughout her childhood. Even worse, she allegedly blamed Christine for what happened to her. That moment, according to Kourtney, completely shattered something in her grandmother’s mind.
Christine reportedly drowned her mother in the bathtub before later returning and doing something even more gruesome. Kourtney explained that her grandmother later confessed the violent acts centered around Lois’s jaw because, in her own words, “She needed to stop talking.”
The Case Is Why Kourtney Became Interested In True Crime
Kourtney admitted that statement has stayed with her ever since.“That line in the case files has literally haunted me ever since,” she shared. As if the story could not get darker, the remains were reportedly hidden inside garbage cans filled with cement and left sitting in a storage unit for years.
Meanwhile, family members were allegedly told Lois had simply disappeared with a wealthy man. Fake letters were even written to keep up the illusion that she was still alive. It sounds like the kind of plotline people binge-watch on streaming documentaries at 2 a.m., except for Kourtney, this was real life.
Christine eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and served two years in prison. Years later, Kourtney was born and eventually learned the horrifying truth when she was just 12 years old. The internet was understandably stunned by the confession.
Thousands flooded the comments of her viral video, many pointing out how unsettling it is to reconcile someone’s loving side with actions that brutal. “Mind blown,” one person commented. “We all have a multitude of sides to ourselves,” another wrote.
This Utah woman is being open and honest about her family and experience, which uniquely gives her insight into the minds of victims and killers for her podcast.
Emma Taylor is a self-proclaimed book nerd who loves to write about projects moving from the page to the screen. Whether it’s Twilight, Acotar, or Fourth Wing, she’ll keep you informed on the latest bookish news.
