The Bakersfield 3: A Tale of Murder and Motherhood dropped over the weekend, sparking renewed interest in the tragic true crime case. If you want to give it a watch yourself, there’s one way to watch it for free.
There’s plenty of new true crime to give into this month, including Netflix’s A Deadly American Marriage, centering on the Molly Martens and Jason Corbett case.
Next in line is a Netflix docu-series on UK serial killers, Fred and Rose West, as well as the anticipated American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden after its unexplained delay.
Before then, Investigation Discovery – the network behind Quiet on Set – has just released a three-part documentary on the murders and disappearance of James Kulstad, Baylee Despot, and Micah Holsonbake, known as the Bakersfield 3.
How to watch Bakersfield 3 documentary for free
You can watch The Bakersfield 3: A Tale of Murder and Motherhood by signing up for a free trial of Philo, FuboTV, or YouTube TV. ID is available on these streaming platforms, meaning you can watch the true crime docu-series on-demand.
If you’re all out of free trials, Philo subscriptions start at $28 per month, FuboTV ranges from $14.99 to $109.99 per month, and YouTube TV is $82.99 per month. Alternatively, The Bakersfield 3: A Tale of Murder and Motherhood can be streamed on Max.
What’s it about?
The three-part docu-series follows the tragic true story of the Bakersfield 3 – a group of young friends whose disappearances and death rocked a California community in 2018.
James Kulstad was murdered, while Micah Holsonbake and Baylee Despot vanished, all within weeks of each other. It initially seemed like a series of unrelated crimes, but as their grieving mothers began to dig deeper, they uncovered connections between their children.
A Tale of Murder and Motherhood charts their tireless efforts for justice. As per the official synopsis, “In the spring of 2018 over the course of just 34 days, a young woman and man went missing, and another young man was murdered in Bakersfield, California.
“While initially thought to be tragic but unconnected events, a string of coincidences unearthed by the victims’ mothers led to the realization that these three cases were entangled with one another.
“Desperate for answers, they banded together in their unyielding quest for the truth, dubbing their children’s death and disappearances as ‘The Bakersfield 3.’
“Now, this three-part docuseries charts the mothers’ journey as they navigate through a labyrinth of clues, dead ends, and unexpected revelations to find out what really happened to their children – and how exactly they were connected.”
It goes on to state that Di Byrnes sought answers after her son James was shot dead, leading her to Micah’s mother Cheryl Holsonbake. They joined forces and discovered Jane Parrent, Baylee’s mom.
“Each of their children vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions, unimaginable grief, and one mysterious connection to unravel: they all knew each other,” the synopsis continued.
“As the months went on and the investigation evolved, authorities uncovered Micah’s remains, leading to a shocking question in the case: was one of the Bakersfield 3 responsible for the other’s murder?”
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