Shattered Lives | Next of Kin and the Heartbreaking Task of Death Notifications

Diane McIver was riding in the front passenger seat of a Ford Expedition SUV when she was shot by her husband Tex McIver. He admitted that to police. The question, as the investigation went on, was whether the firing was intentional or discharged by accident. Tex McIver claimed the latter...that the .38-caliber snub-nose revolver, discharged by accident. McIver's attorneys have filed an appeal of his murder conviction, claiming the judge made several errors during the trial. Today on Body Bags, former death scene investigator and forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan looks at what the evidence tells us. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Jan 202233min

A meal with Daddy at Chick-fil-A... that's what 22-month-old Cooper Harris enjoys the June morning that he dies. Father Justin Ross Harris, 41, takes his son to breakfast, and then instead of turning toward the daycare to drop off his son, Harris drives to work, parks his SUV in the lot and heads inside. The little boy is still strapped in his car seat. The temperatures that day are over 90 degrees outside, and 125 degrees in the car, according to experts. Cooper Harris suffers heatstroke and dies. Justin Ross Harris returns from lunch, stops to put a purchase inside the car, but doesn't see his son inside. The discovery of the body happens that evening as Harris is driving home. He pulls over into a parking lot, unlocking the lifeless body of his only child from it's restraints. Harris is charged and convicted of eight counts including malice murder. A judge sentences him to life without parole as well as 32 more years in prison. Now the killer dad is asking for a new trial. Today on Body Bags, former death scene investigator and forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan walks us through the terrible details of this case. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 Jan 202237min

On July 1, Bart and Krista Halderson decide to go to their lakeside cottage...at least that's what their son, Chandler, says. Six days later, the 23-year-old reports his parents as missing. An investigation ensues, and a series of lies are uncovered, lies that start long before Chandler Halderson says he parents went on a trip. Halderson is now charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating and hiding a corpse, and giving false information to authorities. Police say Halderson killed his parents and dismembered their bodies after Bart and Krista discover their son's untruths. Today, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan breaks down the gruesome details surrounding this case, including how police believe Halderson burned his parents' skulls in the fireplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

15 Jan 202231min

A body is found. Investigators are called, but who's going to show up? Will it be a coroner or a medical examiner? Today on Body Bags, former death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan answers the question: What's the difference? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Des 202130min

A chaotic opening night at the Astroworld Festival results in 10 people dead and hundreds more injured, as the crowd of 50,000 people surges toward the stage during Travis Scott's concert. Victims range in age from 9-years-old to 27-years-old. According to the medical examiner's report all 10 of the victims died from compression asphyxia. Today on Body Bags, former death scene investigator Joseph Scott Morgan explains the physical aspects of this type of death. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Des 202127min

11-year-old Gannon Stauch is reported missing by his stepmother. Two months later the boy's body is found 1400 miles away from his Colorado home. We now know, Gannon Stauch was, according to police, murdered in his bedroom by his stepmother.  Recovered evidence supports a violent event occurred in the bedroom with blood spatter on the walls, and soaked through the carpet. Police say Stauch was shot in the jaw and stabbed more than 18 times. Today, forensics expert and former death scene investigator Josph Scott Morgan, breaks down the evidence that could be used in Leteica Stauch. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Des 202134min

Chad Daybell's trial for multiple counts of first-degree murder is set to begin just after the new year. The Idaho man is accused of killing his wife, Tammy Daybell and the children of the woman he marries just two weeks after Tammy died. JJ and Tylee Vallow are missing for months before their bodies are found on Daybell's property. At first, Tammy Daybell's death is ruled natural cases. The seemingly healthy 49-year-old is training to run a 4K race, but Chad Daybell reports that his wife is dead in the bed beside him one morning. The coroner does not attend the scene, only officers who say the death appears to be natural. What's more, an autopsy is refused by the family.  As bodies seem to pile up around the newlywed family, questions are raised. Other deaths connected to this investigation include Lori Vallow Daybell's ex-husbands, and her brother. Today on Body Bags, forensic expert and former death scene investigator Joseph Scott Morgan looks into the unexplained death of Tammy Daybell.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Des 202130min

After weeks of searching for Brian Laundrie, the main suspect in the death of his girlfriend Gabby Petito, a partial skull is found in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. The remains and skull are confirmed to belong to Laundrie. The medical examiner concluded laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Today on Body Bags, forensics expert and former death scene investigator Joseph Scott Morgan explain what we can learn from the recovered skull.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Des 202134min