Investigation Discovery’s true crime docuseries The Bakersfield 3: A Tale of Murder and Motherhood premieres Sunday, May 11 and streams on Max.
The series, based on a 2022 feature in Marie Claire titled Of Murder and Motherhood, traces the stories of three mothers in Bakersfield, California, united by parallel tragedies.
In the space of weeks in 2018, Diane “Di” Byrne’s son James Kulstad, 38, was shot to death; Cheryl Holsonbake’s son Micah Holsonbake, 34, went missing and was later confirmed to have been murdered; and Jane Parrent’s daughter Baylee Parrent Despot went missing. To this day, Baylee has still never been found.
The three mothers soon came to believe that their children’s fates were connected—dubbing them the Bakersfield 3—and forged an unbreakable bond with one another through the most horrific circumstances.
But, in the words of local crime reporter Olivia LaVoice, Di, Cheryl, and Jane were not just grieving mothers, “these are mothers that are in the middle of a full-blown investigation.”
Together, the women did everything in their power to raise awareness of the intertwined cases, bring about justice for their kids, and help with similar cases happening in their local area.
All three episodes of this fascinating, tragic saga air May 11. Below, we take a look at the biggest takeaways to expect from episode 1, titled “One Mystery—or Three?”
Bakersfield Is a “Sleepy Little ‘Burb”
The Bakersfield 3’s parents bring attention to the incongruity of these horrible things happening to their kids in this “sleepy little ‘burb,” as Micah’s dad Lance puts it.
“You can make an argument about Bakersfield being a terrible place,” Lance says in the documentary. “You can make a good argument for Bakersfield being a very nice place.”
Meanwhile, Lance’s wife Cheryl explains about the murders and disappearances, “This is not happening in the ‘bad part of town’ under the cover of night. These are people doing this stuff in their garages around the corner from people who are just normal families.”
Micah Holsonbake Had a Bright Future
Micah Holsonbake in 2001.
(Image credit: Courtesy Subject)
The series begins by taking a closer look at Micah’s life and death, told through the eyes of his parents Cheryl and Lance, and of his close friends.
Micah worked as a stockbroker, which his father took as evidence that he was doing okay. “I never worried about Micah,” Lance said. “I always thought that he’d be alright. Micah will be alright. He’s resourceful. He’s independent. I always thought he’d be fine.”
But when Micah stopped answering phone calls for days on end in the spring of 2018, his parents and friends knew that something was seriously wrong.
Cheryl was eventually able to file a missing persons report for Micah. After that, she said, “We had so many phone calls because you know he knew everybody.”
A friend of his reinforced the idea of his popularity, explaining, “Micah’s motto is ‘I only go where I’m the show.'”
James Kulstad Wanted Out of Bakersfield
James Kulstad in 2012 with his younger daughter, Autumn.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Subject)
James Kulstad had moved to San Diego years before he was murdered—he loved it there, especially the surfing. But after being hit by a car in 2007, he became addicted to opioids, leading him down a dark path. Eventually, in the summer before he was shot, he moved back in with his mom Di in Bakersfield, but his priority was always to get back to San Diego. Tragically, he never got to.
Baylee Despot’s Story Is Still a Mystery
Baylee Despot in 2014 when she was 17.
(Image credit: Courtesy Subject)
Seven years on from when she first disappeared, Baylee has still never been found.
In the documentary, her mom Jane takes the viewer with her to put up flyers about her missing daughter. Every time she puts one up, she says the prayer: “One more day to find Baylee, one more day not to go crazy.”
Jane will never give up until she knows what happened to her daughter, but the search has been grueling. “I have nowhere to look for Baylee, but I have everywhere to look for her,” she says.
Di Byrne Was the First to Make the Connection Between James and Micah’s Cases
After learning that Micah was missing, Di called Cheryl and told her that James had been killed, and that he had known Micah. The two men had met working at Wells Fargo, and had spent some time together.
Di ended up bringing Cheryl and Lance with her to see James’ detective, Sgt. Garrett, who agreed that there could be a link between their cases.
And then, Micah’s brother found out through someone in his circle that his family needed to speak to Baylee to find Micah.
How the Moms Came Together
(Image credit: Da’Shaunae Marisa)
When Baylee stopped answering her phone (and posting on Snapchat), her friends and family became worried. Eventually, Jane filed a missing persons report and began making somewhere between 5 and 10k flyers to post around the county.
That’s how Lance found and messaged her.
All three moms spoke on the phone after that, and all three were convinced that their children’s cases were connected.
At this point, they also got the crime reporter Olivia LaVoice involved, who has been following the case ever since, even hosting a podcast about the case.
How the “Bakersfield 3” Came to Be
Di’s ex-husband Will came up with the name the “Bakersfield 3,” which the group then used to help with their investigation.
Will then set up two Facebook pages to create community and discussion around the case, which brought James, Micah and Baylee’s stories in front of more eyes.
Who Is Behind It All?
Episode 1 teases some of the theories about what could have happened to the Bakersfield 3, put forward by the families as well as Sgt. Garrett and Olivia LaVoice.
It’s at this point in the episode that Jane reveals that Baylee had sadly been sex trafficked at some point before her disappearance. “She just met the wrong people who took advantage,” Jane explained. “Because Baylee was a little naive still at that time.”
Other players also explain that the county surrounding Bakersfield has the highest rate of murder in the state of California, in part because of its location on the freeway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drugs are put forth as a factor, and possible suspect groups such as the Hell’s Angels or Mexican cartels are mentioned, too.
Cheryl tells the cameras, “Somebody’s got a hold on Rosedale,” a neighborhood that all three families have had ties to.
Meanwhile, Di speaks about how hard it has been to get information out of people, because of a general “snitches get stitches” attitude. People, she says, are “fearful for their lives.”
What to Expect From Episodes 2 and 3
Episode 2, “The Boogieman of Bakersfield,” follows the families as the county discovers body parts belonging to Micah, seemingly confirming that the three cases are in fact connected.
We see how Micah, Baylee and James became involved with “dangerous local characters,” including the man Baylee was living with when she disappeared, Matthew Queen.
Episode 3, “Fights Like a Mother,” shows the police’s search for Micah’s killer, a course-changing arrest, and a dramatic press conference that could tear the mothers apart.
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