The Murder of Teen Esther Gonzalez: Solved

John Tyrrell is in the New Jersey woods when he finds a refrigerator that is wrapped in a sleeping bag, secured with blue ratchet straps, and covered with carpet. Tyrrell takes one look inside and calls police, he has just found missing mom, Laura Hughes. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss how the decomposed body is identified and what investigators do to nab the suspect in an international manhunt. Transcription Highlights 00:03.04 Introduction 03:47.47 Using refrigerator as casket 08:29.44 Digital data solves crimes 12:29.05 Finder wont give phone to police 17:40.80 Did perp keep refrigerator plugged in? 23:05.79 "purge fluid" 28:13.49 Removing clothes from the dead 33:45.56 Positive ID of victim 38:09.70 Items used to identify the dead 43:13.15 Calender in suspect apartment with "X" marks 48:09.54 Bullet defect and trajectory 49:23.36 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 Apr 49min

A teenager in Wisconsin is accused of killing his mother and his stepfather, then living with the decomposing bodies for weeks before he finally leaves the family home. Joseph Scott Morgan explains how difficult it would be to remain in a home with two decomposing bodies and he breaks down the types of guns and ammunition available to 17-year-old Nikita "Nikki" Casap. Dave Mack explains the family dynamic and how Nikki is also charged with identity theft for trying to pretend he is his now dead stepfather, as well as being charged with murder and more. Transcript Highlights00:10.61 Introduction 01:01.83 Spending more time with the dead 05:41.51 Teen kills mom, stepdad, lives with bodies 09:52.98 Making mistakes in murder 15:20.17 Pulling back the blankets 20:51.75 Mother is found in hallway 25:10.98 Backing out of crime scene 29:50.56 Dividing up responsibilities on scene 34:00.22 VERY nice house 39:56.04 Doesn't have to be a body part 43:53.57 Removing each layer 47:45.42 Size of Round and type of stippling 53:28.71 Getting hit with a sledgehammer 55:09.61 ConclusionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Apr 55min

How is it possible for a Green Beret to survive multiple times on the field of combat only to come home and be taken out by his nurse wife? Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack look at the different sides of the same marriage to determine if forensic evidence will explain how Clint Bonnell's body parts ended up in a pond just three miles from his home and just weeks after he retires from military service. How will his wife, Shana Cloud, explain the bullets in her husband's laptop and declining to file a missing person report when he is obviously nowhere to be found? Transcript Highlights 00:00.71 Introduction 03:16.43 Green Beret skill set 0833.43 Green Beret retires 13:46.78 To be on time is to be late 18:07.48 What was found with first search warrant 23:12.81 Green Beret gone, car in driveway 28:23.25 Remains tossed into pond 33:39.72 Recovering body from a pond 38:20.96 Digital forensic search 42:44.42 Would Green Beret be "on alert" 47:58.59 Bullets in the bookbag and laptop 49:08.59 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Apr 49min

A shocking video our of New Orleans shows an Orleans Parish Coroner's Office employee dragging a murder victim's body down the front steps of his home! Project NOLA posts the video to social media and the next day, OUTRAGE. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack take a look at what happened on the scene to allow this to take place. Joe takes the time to explain the possible damage being done, not just to the victim, but to the prosecution case at trial. Transcribe Highlights00:05.89 Introduction, New Orleans 05:18.12 Description of Large Man dead for a long time 08:26.46 Getting the man down the stairs 10:27.13 The dead deserve dignity and respect 14:28.29 Recalling a story from autobiography 20:08.56 A body being drug from a home 25:08.48 Dragging a body down the stairs 30:00.43 Body is being damaged 35:56.52 Everything in the case can be ruined 40:41.59 Homes are very close 45:51.47 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Apr 46min

Brandon Braxton played football for Duke University, is twice an Academic All-American, but after his playing career is over, he finds himself back where he went to High School, hanging out with a friend, Whitney Hurd. Hurd is a realtor and enjoys catching up with her old friend, at first, but when he starts hanging around her house and passing out drunk in her driveway, she calls police. When Whitney Hurd is reported missing, one of the only clues is her car. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack look behind the front door of a high school friendship that turned deadly. Whitney Hurd actually helps provide a key clue as to what happened to her and who did it. Joseph Scott Morgan explains fingerprints and how they are everywhere, and in this case, put the suspect in the front seat of the victim's vehicle, a place Whitney Hurd never allowed anyone. Transcribe Highlights 00:00.00 Introduction 01:21.76 Fingerprints found everywhere 04:52.11 Brandon Braxton, Academic All-American at Duke 10:13.35 Whitney Hurd is found by a Private Detective 15:27.08 Whitney Hurd, 32, realtor, well-off, reported missing 20:02.86 Describing friction ridges on finger prints 25:03.46 Playing football at Duke, academic all-American, good start in life 30:35.38 Whitney Hurd found INSIDE HER HOME 35:18.44 Face covering of murder victim, sign of remorse 39:51.96 Whitney did not let anyone drive her car 44:20.92 Braxton tells police he has never been in Whitney's car 46:06.88 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Apr 46min

Kei'Mani Latigue, 13, lives with her grandmother, Dorothy Latigue - just the two of them. Dorothy works at night and when she comes home the next morning, the door is unlocked, the house is a mess, the gas on the stove is on, and KeiMani is missing. KeiMani's father appears on local TV begging for anyone to please call police to help find his daughter. Days later, the body of the 13-year-old is found with her hands chopped off and her head nearly severed. And she has been raped. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack take a close look at the family dynamic as Joe explains how forensics will help investigators determine what happened inside the home as well as where the child's body was found and what led police to arrest Darnell Jones, KeiMani's 33-year-old father. Transcribe Highlights 00:00.62 Introduction 01:20.85 Graffiti says "her life mattered" 03:01.55 13-year-old KeiMani Latigue, missing 07:07.69 Grandmother comes home from work, KeiMani mising 10:18.70 Examine couch for seminal fluid 14:59.66 Talk about force entry and struggle 19:17.46 Dad claims he left his daughter in the home 24:56.30 Father charged with kidnapping 30:25.80 Wounds are incised wounds 35:06.04 Why was body dismembered? 40:07.16 KeiMani was raped 45:24.68 Determining how long a body has been at location 50:17.96 Police charge father with kidnap, rape, murder 57:14.69 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Apr 56min

On August 5, 2008, a beach goer near the former Silver King Resort, west of Port Angeles, Washington, found a shoe containing a sock and what appeared to be human remains. It was not the first discovery of its kind—and would not be the last—but today, the person behind the foot has been identified. Since 2007, at least 20 detached human feet, often in sneakers, have washed ashore along the Salish Sea in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack examine the mystery and go behind the scenes at Othram to explain how forensic experts identified the remains—and how the public can help. Othram collaborates with forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement to solve cases when other methods have failed. Transcript Highlights 00:00.12 Introductin 01:57.78 A shoe with a human foot found on beach 06:48.11 Water meeting the sea, creating odd currents 12:09.99 How do feet wind up on the beach inside shoes 17:02.94 Geography of the area 23:51.44 Investigation starts very broad 28:31.49 Forensic anthropologist needed to ID remains 33:34.69 Why say "human remains" instead of "foot" 37:10.65 Othram Labs solving mysteries 43:12.33 ConclusionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Mars 44min

Jessie Marie Peterson, 31, an attorney with Type One Diabetes, is admitted to the hospital for a diabetes-related illness.Two days later, she calls her mother around 2:30 p.m. and asks her to come pick her up and take her home. When her mother shows up two-hours later, she is told that Jessie Marie Peterson checked herself out of the hospital, Against Medical Advice (AMA). Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack take a close look at what really happened to Jessie Marie Peterson and why was her mother told she had checked out, when according to their own records, she was pronounced dead at 4:27 p.m. at the medical center.While the family spent over a year looking for Jessie, her body had been sitting in a storage facility. Transcript Highlights 00:05.18 Introduction 01:59.25 Hospital tells family patient left AMA 06:53.65 Family is looking for Jessie Peterson, attorney 11:48.34 Jessie is ready to leave hospital, accomplished woman 16:11.54 Lawsuit filed 21:10.19 She calls her mother at 2:30, two hours later she is gone 25:20.07 Hospital claims she left AMA 30:22.43 Mother begins looking for Jessie 35:15.51 Jessie Marie Peterson was dead and for a year the family is looking for Jessie 40:06.21 Body is placed into cold storage 45:08.31 Her body is found after a year, remains are not viewable 49:01.24 ConclusionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Mars 49min