What happened to Cari Farver? The shocking case behind Netflix’s Lover, Stalker, Killer documentary

Latest documentary tells the terrifying story of a twisted love triangle that turned deadly

Netflix has released its latest true-crime documentary titled Lover, Stalker, Killer, which explores the shocking case of a twisted love triangle that turned deadly.

Released on 9 February, the film tells the story of Dave Kroupa, a single father of two who, after getting out of a long-term relationship in 2012, is ready to re-enter the dating game.

New to Ohama, Nebraska, Kroupa created a dating profile and connected with Shanna “Liz” Golyar, a single mother and animal lover from Persia, Iowa. The two began casually seeing each other, with Kroupa telling Golyar that he was not looking for anything serious. And she seemed ok with that.

Who was Cari Farver?

Kroupa then met another woman: Cari Farver, a single mother from Macedonia, Iowa. After the pair’s first date, they returned to Kroupa’s apartment. As Farver was leaving the next day, she ran into Golyar, who said that she was dropping by to collect a few of her things. This encounter would change the rest of their lives forever.

Farver and Kroupa continued seeing each other over the next couple of weeks until suddenly, Farver vanished.

Though she was nowhere to be found, Kroupa and Golyar began receiving threatening texts from Farver’s phone. In one message, Farver accused Kroupa of ruining her life. Golyar also claimed that Farver had warned her to stay away from Kroupa.

Lover, Stalker, Killer on Netflix (Netflix)

Farver’s mother, Nancy Raney, said she, too, received strange messages, including one from Farver informing her that she had moved to Kansas for a new job and would arrange to pick up her 14-year-old son, Max.

What happened to Cari Farver?

For weeks, Farver remained absent from her family’s life. She missed her son’s 15th birthday, her father’s funeral and Thanksgiving, according to a 2020 report by ABC News.

Farver stayed missing for several years before an Iowan sergeant investigator, James “Jim” Doty, took an interest in the case in the spring of 2015.

Doty and investigator Ryan Avis re-examined the evidence and came to the conclusion that Farver had not been the one sending any of the threatening or strange texts after her November disappearance – she was being impersonated.

It wasn’t until authorities got ahold of Golyar’s phone and found photos of Farver’s car, along with dozens of logins to fake email accounts, that the case was cracked. They eventually stumbled across a photo of Farver’s dead body on Golyar’s tablet and discovered that Golyar had murdered Farver in November 2012 and had stolen her phone, posing as her digitally for years.

Lover Stalker Killer on Netflix (Netflix)

Where is Liz Golyar now?

In December 2016, Golyar was found guilty of first-degree murder. She is currently serving a life sentence at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.

Where is Dave Kroupa now?

Kroupa now leads a quiet life, living in rural Nebraska with his partner, Maggie Hover.

Lover, Stalker, Killer is out on Netflix.