The Starvation Doctor: Linda Hazzard & The Williamson Sisters

About this episode

This episode discusses Linda Hazzard's extreme fasting treatments and the tragic story of the Williamson sisters.

A quick note on today's episode: Linda Hazzard's 'treatments' heavily involved extreme fasting and starvation. We want to mention this up front for anyone who might be sensitive to discussions around restrictive diets or disordered eating. This week we discuss Linda Hazzard, a self-proclaimed doctor in the early 1900s who convinced patients that extreme fasting was a medical cure. Operating out of Washington state, Linda exploited legal loopholes to open a sanitarium that locals grimly called "Starvation Heights." She targeted wealthy individuals, placing them on starvation diets while slowly taking control of their finances and estates as they grew weaker. The situation finally reached a breaking point when wealthy British heiresses Claire Williamson and Dora Williamson entered her care. We cover the harrowing conditions the sisters endured, the desperate rescue mission by their childhood nanny, and the sensational murder trial that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Moms and Mysteries Podcast

Topics covered

• extreme fasting
• disordered eating
• medical malpractice
• wealth exploitation
• murder trial
• historical true crime

Keywords

• Linda Hazzard
• starvation
• Williamson sisters
• true crime
• medical cure
• sanitarium
• murder trial
• disordered eating

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Starvation Heights

Places: Washington state

More episodes of Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

• UPDATED: Bonus Episode: Neighbors "Patch of Grass" from the Patreon Vault · June 12, 2026 · 49 min
• A Toxic Web in Zanesville: The Murder of Jayla Wyatt · June 11, 2026 · 42 min
• The System Failed Yana Huss: The Murder on Rickover Street · June 9, 2026 · 1h 28m
• Rachel Nickell: The Case Behind the Netflix Documentary · June 4, 2026 · 50 min
• We Covered 10 Cases in January: Here's Where They Stand Now · June 2, 2026 · 51 min
• The Night He Brought Her Home: The Murder of Colby Vinson · May 28, 2026 · 44 min