Shattered Trust: Why Kids Aren’t Safe | Minneapolis Shooting + Netflix Catfish Exposed EP 28

Two stories. One thread: broken trust.
In this episode of The Dad Compass, Dmitry V and Patrick O unpack the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in Minneapolis—where two children, Fletcher Merkel (8) and Harper Moyski (10), lost their lives—and the Netflix documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. We go deep on motives, missed warning signs, bullying, fatherhood responsibility, digital safety, and how to talk to your kids about tragedy without feeding fear.

We keep it real: raw language, honest dad talk, and practical takeaways.

⚠️ Content Warning: explicit language, mature themes (violence, suicide, cyberbullying).

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Cold open & audio check chaos (real life pod vibes)
00:23 Setting the stakes: church, safety, and a Netflix cyberstalking shocker
01:26 Why this hurts: empathy, anger, and fatherhood
02:30 The poem “But Not The End” (missed warning signs)
05:13 Case facts: Annunciation Catholic School shooting (timeline, 116 rounds, under 2 minutes)
06:05 Victims named: Fletcher Merkel (8) & Harper Moyski (10)
07:05 Manifesto, ideology, and notoriety seeking (why this matters for dads)
09:00 Bullying, isolation, and faith-school context
15:20 Stats that matter (who commits school shootings, how often, what patterns)
16:40 School safety today: locked doors, buzz-ins, realistic preparedness
18:05 Fatherhood data point: unstable/absent dads & risk factors
18:44 Are shooters ever fathers? Parental accountability & rare cases
20:39 Real-life parenting moments (communicating without assumptions)
22:30 Boundaries, hard talks, and consistent presence
24:49 What accountability looks like after tragedy
30:00 “Fatherhood Unscripted”: forcing the hard conversations (why it works)
41:00 Netflix: Unknown Number—The High School Catfish (story setup)
44:14 Actual quotes from the harassment (viewer discretion)
48:11 Motive & psychology: control, dependency, and digital “Munchausen-by-proxy” vibes
52:20 Fallout: small town, trust collapse, and long-term healing
57:42 Control vs. sadism? What the film suggests
59:20 What “Munchausen” really means (quick explainer)
1:01:20 Parenting playbook: digital hygiene, boundaries, and emotional check-ins
1:05:24 Closing reflections: do the hard conversations, every week
1:06:47 (Comic relief) Stripper-name lightning round 🤦‍♂️
1:08:39 Subscribe + “Compass on” sign-off

🎯 Key Takeaways

Name the loss. Say Fletcher and Harper’s names; center the victims, not the perpetrator.

Spot the signals. Isolation, self-harm, violent idolization, and grievance scripts are red flags.

Dad playbook. Be present, set boundaries, ask direct questions, and follow up weekly.

Digital safety ≠ surveillance. It’s trust, literacy, and clear rules (with consequences).

Talk faith & fear. Give kids language for anxiety and a path to hope.

📌 Resources Mentioned

Netflix: Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Quick explainer: Munchausen syndrome & Munchausen by proxy

Crisis support (US): 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)

👍 If this helped:

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Hosts: Dmitry V & Patrick O
Show: The Dad Compass — Fatherhood. Faith. Real talk.