Missing: A Quarter of Century, The Disappearance of Melissa Wolfenbarger

Murdered in a uniquely gruesome and prolonged series of events; Reggie and Carol Sumner are the helpless victims of a month-long plan carried out with the help of a familiar face. Buried alive in a pre-dug hole near the Florida/Georgia line, these two high-school sweethearts suffer their terrible end at the hands of Tiffany Cole, her boyfriend Michael James Jackson, Alan Wade, and Bruce Kent Nixon, Jr. Tiffany Cole buys a vehicle from the Sumner family and travels to Jacksonville regularly to pay down her debt. That is, until her new boyfriend,  Michael James Jackson,  hatches a plan that ends in the Sumners' deaths. After being buried alive, under hundreds of pounds of dirt, an autopsy determines that the couple's cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation (i.e. physical interference with breathing and or circulation).    In this episode of Body Bags, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan and Jackie Howard take a closer look at these horrifying deaths.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Kesä 202235min

The body of Gloria Satterfield, longtime housekeeper for disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, will be exhumed. Satterfield died after a trip and fall accident at the Murdaugh home. No autopsy was performed and her manner of death listed as natural. Now,  after the string of deaths linked to the Murdaugh name, investigators want to know more.  Exhumations are not ordered for just any old case, but when a court orders the  embalmed remains of a human being be uninterred,  everyone pays attention, including our forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan.   In this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Jackie Howard discuss what exhumation is, and why exhumation must be handled with the utmost of care.   Subscribe to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan : Apple Podcasts Spotify iHeart   Show Notes:Introduction [02:00]Events that lead to the pending exhumation of Gloria Satterfield  [03:32]Judiciary regulations regarding exhumations  [05:58] The effect that embalming (or not) has on exhumations, and factors that impact a successful exhumation and investigation [08:31]   Joseph Scott Morgan describes the investigative process, vital medical records, and test results he would study prior to the exhumation of Gloria Satterfield [17:08]The impact that medical intervention, autopsy, and body preparation for burial have on the investigation of a trauma-related death, and the particular problem with the Gloria Satterfield case [20:24]Information investigators will be looking for when reviewing Gloria’s body [27:27]The types of professionals who perform autopsies of exhumed bodies, and concerns regarding the omission of the South Carolina medical-legal community in the Satterfield case  [29:46]Kathleen Savio, Shele Danishefsky Covlin, and other high-profile exhumation cases in the US [32:36]See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Kesä 202236min

Beloved chef Daniel Brophy is found shot to the death in the kitchen of the culinary institute where he works. There is no sign of forced entry at the Oregon Culinary Institute Instructor, in fact, the door is locked. Students coming into class that day say it's normal for Brophy to come in early, set up the day's instruction, then open the door to students. On this day, that didn't happen. Another instructor had to open the door and that's when Brophy is found shot twice. Who killed Dan Brophy, and why? Ultimately, police build a circumstantial case against Nancy Crampton Brophy, the chef's wife. Where's the proof?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Kesä 202238min

December 9th, 2001, novelist Michael Peterson calls 911 telling the operator that he's found his wife at the bottom of stairs in their home. She is still breathing, but there's lots of blood coming from her head. Kathleen Peterson later dies. When police and emergency personnel first enter the home, Peterson's injuries are characterized as accidental and the scene is not handled properly, forensically. Soon, however, the facts do not add up and Michael Peterson is charged with murder. Kathleen Peterson has seven head injuries. So where does the owl come in? The owl theory speculates that an owl attacked Kathleen, precipitating her fall, but in fact, this theory never makes it into court. Michael Peterson is found guilty at trial, and sentenced to life in prison. Eight years later, he is granted a new trial after evidence comes to light that a prosecution witness lied. Peterson is eventually released. New charges aren't filed because Michael Peterson takes an Alford plea. This allows him to not admit guilt, but rather acknowledge that the state has enough evidence to convict. Peterson said he simply didn't want to go through another trial ordeal. He was sentenced to time served.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Touko 202241min

Teacher and former beauty queen Tara Grinstead vanishes from her Georgia home. There is no sign of forced entry. There is no sign of a struggle, but some things were out of place. Grinstead's bedside clock was found under her bed, and a broken lamp was propped against the wall on her nightstand. The 30-year-old attended a beauty pageant and a cookout with co-workers before going home. Friends and family called Grinstead the next day, but couldn't reach her. When Grinstead did not show up to teach at Irwin County High school, co-workers called police. Some 12 years later, Grinstead's remains are found in a pecan orchard and two of her past students charged with her murder. Today on Body Bags, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan looks at what details may have been overlooked at the time of Tara's disappearance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Touko 20221h

SPECIAL LOOK AT THE HIT PODCAST! "Shattered Souls: The Car Barn Murders." Retired detective Karen Smith discovers that her father kept a family secret for decades. In 2002, her father revealed that Karen's great uncle, Emory Smith, was the victim of a heinous murder and that her grandfather had been held as a suspect. Karen begins her journey to solve her great uncle Emory's murder. Subscribe to the Shattered Souls podcast now to hear all new episodes! Episodes 1-8 available NOW! Apple Podcast iHeart Spotify See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Touko 202232min

Recorded live in front of a studio audience at CrimeCon in Las Vegas, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan re-examines the injuries to Ellen Greenberg. The teacher and soon-to-be-bride, is found death in her apartment with more than 20 stab wounds, and her death is ruled a suicide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Touko 202239min

Kenneth, Janet and Matthew Lindquist die at the hands of two vicious killers. 21-year-old Matthew Lindquist, a recovering heroin addict, has a relapse and makes a deal with Sergio Correa, exchanging his dad's guns for drugs. Correa shows up to the deal with his adopted sister Ruth, and the carnage begins. The couple chases Matthew into the woods, hacking him to death with a machete. It is months before Matthew's body is found. The Correa's then invade the Lindquist home, pulling the parents from their bed, beating them with a baseball bat, strangling Janet, then setting the house on fire to cover their evil. Today on Body Bags, forensic expert Joseph Scott Morgan explains the extensive injuries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Touko 202246min