Kada Scott, 23, Missing After Reports of Harassment | Crime Alert Recap Saturday 10.11.25

Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here is presented with limited commercial interruption thanks to Lifelock. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LifeLock and use promo code NANCY or go to https://www.LifeLock.com/NANCY for 40% off. Terms apply. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for children to grow and learn, but all too often terrifying crimes involving our children happen at school. 38% of child abductions occur when a child is going to and from school. Bullying in the classroom and fights in the school bathroom. And don’t forget teachers turned sexual predators, or unthinkable emergencies. How do you keep your kids safe when you’re not with them? Nancy Grace sits down with world class experts in child and school safety to tackle these important issues to prepare parents and kids about how to stay safe at school. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for children to grow and learn, but all too often terrifying crimes involving our children happen at school.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Mars 41min

Susan Smith's ex-husband has revealed what she said to him after she killed their young boys. David Smith tells Dateline his ex-wife casually, said, ‘I’m sorry,' and that was about as far as it went." After high school, Susan Leigh Vaughan married David Smith. They had two sons, but the marriage faltered despite the children. The couple separated multiple times. During one separation, Susan began dating Tom Findlay, the single son of a wealthy mill owner. Smith imagined a future with Findlay until she received a "Dear John" letter from him, stating he did not want an instant family. On the night of October 25, Susan Smith knocked on the door of a house near John D. Long Lake. Hysterical, she told the man who answered to call the police. She claimed an armed Black man had carjacked her at a red light, with her two boys—3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex—still in the car. For days, Susan repeated increasingly inconsistent versions of the carjacking story. Eventually, Smith confessed. There had been no carjacker. Feeling desperate, alone, and suicidal, she had taken her sons for a drive. At John D. Long Lake, she put the car in neutral, jumped out, and watched as the car sank. Scuba divers later found the vehicle with the boys still strapped in their seats. Since her conviction and incarceration, tabloid reports have alleged that Smith told prison investigators about four sexual encounters with Lieutenant Houston Cagle, a supervisor at South Carolina’s Women’s Correctional Institution. C Cagle admitted to having sex with Smith and another inmate. In August 2000, he was charged with the offenses, pleaded guilty, and served three months in jail. Captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and received five years of probation. Thirty years after Susan Smith drove her car into a lake with her two sons strapped in their car seats, she sought parole. A parole board denied her request. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Tara Malek – Boise, ID, Attorney & Co-owner of Smith + Malek; Former State and Federal Prosecutor; Twitter: @smith_malek Dr. Bethany Marshall – Psychoanalyst (Beverly Hills, CA); Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall; Twitter: @DrBethanyLive Chris McDonough – Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel: “The Interview Room” Joseph Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University; Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet;” Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;" Twitter: @JoScottForensic Dave Mack - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Mars 35min

Taylor Meyer plans a Valentine's Day dinner for his wife, Deborah, with the theme "Bring Paris to You." Pulling out all the stops, he has their children draw pictures of the Eiffel Tower to decorate the table, buys Deborah a beautiful new dress, and orders food from their favorite Japanese steakhouse. After a lovely dinner, he gives his wife a Valentine's Day card with a personal message, and they dance to their wedding song. When the song ends, Deborah does not react as Taylor hopes, and they begin to argue. She leaves the house for about 20 minutes. When she returns, Taylor accuses her of cheating with a coworker and claims she visited her boyfriend, who had just gotten off work. He demands to see the messages on her watch and check her phone. When she refuses, a physical fight breaks out. Taylor pins her to the ground, sits on her back, and chokes her while grabbing the phone. He finds a number saved as "My Best Friend Emily" and calls it. A man answers. Taylor tells him, "It's your... fault." Deborah continues to struggle and challenges her husband, asking, "What are you going to do, kill me? You're going to hurt me and leave our kids with no parents?" She hits Taylor in the head with a water bottle. He responds by striking her in the head with a wine bottle. Deborah screams for help, calling for her children and the police. The person on the other end of the call hears her cries. When Deborah becomes unresponsive, Taylor goes to the kitchen, grabs "a big-ass knife," and stabs her 40 times. Joining Nancy Grace today: Greg Morse - Partner at the law firm of King Morse; current CJA counsel (Southern District of Florida); Former West Palm Beach Public Defender’s Office; Author: “The Untested” found on Amazon; website: kingmorse.com Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: “Deal Breaker;" featured in hit show “Paris in Love” on Peacock; IG & TicTok: @drbethanymarshall; X: @DrBethanyLive Barry Hutchison - Owner & Chief Investigator for Barry & Associates Investigative Services [located in Kansas & Missouri] Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth); New Podcast: "DOA - Dead On Arrival," LAUNCHING April 7th; Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Shannon Henry - President & Founder of SASS Go, (Surviving Assault Standing Strong) a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally, Case Consultant, Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Education, www.sassgo.org, FB, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @sassgoglobal Christina Aguayo - National News Anchor, Salem News Channel; Facebook: @ChristinaAguayoNews, Instagram: @Christina.AguayoNews See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Feb 41min

Mom who refuses to accept suicide ruling for her daughter gets her son-in-law to confess to her murder. Woman stopped at the border with a giant load of bologna! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Feb 5min

11:16 p.m. Saturday. Princeton police respond to a 911 call about a dead body and a fire in an apartment building. The caller remains cryptic, refusing to answer the dispatcher’s questions about who is dead, why they are dead, or who owns the apartment. Police and first responders surround the building, but nothing prepares them for what they find inside. Matthew Hertgen, 31, answers the door. Inside, officers see a bloody, unresponsive young man with blunt force and laceration injuries covering his body. He is pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators note that one of his eyes has been removed. Nearby, they find a bloody plate, fork, and knife. Officers also discover a bloody golf club and what appears to be the charred remains of a cat. The victim is identified as 26-year-old Joseph Hertgen. Matthew Hertgen is immediately arrested for the murder of his younger brother. The discovery of the bloody plate leads police to believe that, in addition to beating Joseph to death, Hertgen ate his eye. Princeton police have not disclosed a possible motive for the attack. Hertgen is also charged with animal cruelty and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The Princeton community is stunned. Residents describe Joseph’s death as devastating and tragic. A police source says no one could have foreseen such violence. Matthew Hertgen, they say, came from what appeared to be a stable, all-American family, with no signs he was capable of such brutality—especially against his own brother. Joining Nancy Grace today: Sam Bassett - Criminal Defense Attorney at Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey, Former President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Educational Institute, Long-Time Faculty member of the Texas Criminal Trial College (Huntsville, TX), MBFC.com, Facebook: MintonBassett, Instagram: @MBFC_Law Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski - Forensic Psychologist, Author: “Darksides;" YouTube: "Dr. Jeff Kieliszewski, Forensic Psychologist" Fil Waters - Former homicide detective for the Houston Police Department, President & CEO of Kindred spirits Investigations & Security, Inc. Dr. Jan Gorniak - Former Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist, World Peace Forensic Consulting, LLC Karen Wall - Senior Local Editor at Patch Media [covering the Jersey Shore region], Website: patch.com; X: @karenwall1966, Facebook: karen.e.wall, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Feb 41min

Teen son accidentally kills his father in a drunken fight. Memphis food truck customers don't react after witnessing a shooting. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Feb 6min

Bryan Kohberger's attorneys have filed a motion to remove the death penalty as a sentencing option for their client. Their motion, titled “Motion to Strike Death Penalty RE: Autism Spectrum Disorder,” was filed Monday, along with a separate motion to "Redact or Seal Newly Filed Records in Support of Their Motion to Strike Death Penalty RE: Autism Spectrum Disorder Under Seal." This indicates the defense is citing autism spectrum disorder in its effort to keep Kohberger off death row. As of early this morning, the full documents were not publicly available online. The motions are sealed, so it remains unclear whether Kohberger has been diagnosed or if the defense is seeking a diagnosis. Meanwhile, Judge Stephen Hippler ruled against Kohberger’s defense regarding the DNA technique used to identify him as a suspect in the quadruple homicide case. Hippler determined that police did not violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights, stating there is "no reasonable expectation of privacy in identity" and that Kohberger’s team "did not prove that his DNA was tested for anything other than identifying purposes." The judge wrote, "Even if the DNA analysis revealed sensitive personal details, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in crime scene DNA." Hippler has rejected multiple defense motions to suppress evidence. He ruled that police did not violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights during searches leading up to his arrest. One motion sought to exclude genetic evidence obtained through forensic genealogy, but the court found no violation. The defense also requested a hearing to determine whether the court was misled in obtaining warrants, but the judge denied the request. The court upheld digital evidence from Kohberger’s Google, Apple, Amazon, and AT&T accounts, dismissing claims that the FBI’s subpoenas constituted warrantless searches and ruling that the search warrants were valid Joining Nancy Grace today: Philip Dubé - Former Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law, Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," Featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Chris McDonough - Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel, "The Interview Room." Dr. Monte Miller - Director, Forensic DNA Experts LLC, Specialist in Sexual Assaults and Murder, Former Forensic Scientist for Texas Dept. of Public Safety State Crime Lab Foresnsic Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet," and Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;" X @JoScottForensic Germania Rodriguez - Germania Rodriguez, Chief US Reporter, DailyMail.com and host of Welcome to MAGAland podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Feb 42min

Believed mentally ill woman beats her mother to death in front of teen sister. Battery by hamburger? For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 Feb 5min