Root of Evil traces the tragic and twisted story of the Hodel family, whose patriarch, George Hodel, was a physician and a prime suspect in the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, a.k.a. the Black Dahlia. The podcast’s hosts—and Hodel’s great-grandchildren—Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro begin with their mother’s search for her own biological mother, a journey that has many fascinating detours and leads to an awful revelation. At its core, the show is about choosing to share pain instead of keeping it a secret. Just about everyone featured in Roots of Evil suffered abuse that is difficult to describe, let alone fathom. Listeners are meant to serve as witnesses to this evil—and to the strength of the people who endured it and want to ensure it never happens again.