Note: I'm honored to release this episode on what would be Arianna's sixth birthday. On January 8, 2021, 27-year-old Destani Neel called 911, reporting that her boyfriend’s daughter was having trouble breathing. Although two-year-old Arianna Starkey was rushed to the hospital, she never regained consciousness, and she took her last breath two days …

From time to time, instead of covering an individual child’s story, I tackle a broader topic, such as my past episodes about hot car deaths and medical child abuse. While the topic of today’s episode doesn’t necessarily intersect with that of child abuse and neglect, it definitely intersects with this podcast’s purpose: to protect children. For thi…

When Indianapolis police responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive child on April 9, 2024, they couldn’t have guessed the horrific circumstances of the victim’s life and death. 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty, who weighed only 21 pounds, was clearly malnourished. She had a bruise on her face and fecal matter on her body and matted into her hair, which…

In Episode 102, I told you the story of two-year-old Fallon Fridley, a precious little girl in Georgia whose babysitter, a close family friend, tortured and killed her in December 2020. The attack was caught on the babysitter’s in-home video surveillance system, and police found incriminating search terms on Kirstie Flood’s phone, such as “What doe…

*This minisode, formerly available only to Patreon subscribers, was originally released on May 27, 2021. Since I'm no longer creating these, I thought I'd release them once in a while for all my listeners to enjoy. I apologize for talking so fast back then!* An adorable two-year-old boy described by loved ones as a “cheeky monkey” is dead, murdered…

The National Children's Alliance (or NCA) is a Washington, D.C.-based network of almost 1,000 Children’s Advocacy Centers (or CACs) across the United States. These centers offer crucial services to children affected by abuse, providing them with a safe space to share their stories and access a diverse team of professionals, from health practitioner…

(Today would be Cali's 12th birthday, so I'm re-releasing this episode in her honor.) On May 15, 2018, police responded to a self-storage facility in Sacramento, California, where, in one of the storage units, sat a box containing a blue plastic barrel, inside which was a duffel bag. In that bag were the remains of a small child who appeared to hav…

When Vayda Vasquez was a month away from turning two, her custodial maternal grandma trusted her overnight with a long-time family friend, Kellie Barthel. The following morning, after several 911 calls from Kellie’s residence in Stanton, Michigan, police responded and found little Vayda unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene. This is th…

On the evening of May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The next day, in a nearby wooded area, the boys were found brutally murdered, bound, and submerged in a drainage ditch. The horrific nature of the crime shocked the community, and police quickly arrest…

Over the past two episodes, I told you the story of non-verbal, autistic 13-year-old Jonathan Carey, who was smothered to death in 2007. His killer was a care worker from a facility for people with developmental disabilities. How could something like this happen? In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Jonathan’s father, Michael Carey, wh…

In the last episode, I told you the story of Jonathan Carey, a non-verbal, autistic boy whose parents had no choice but to send him to a second residential program after he suffered abuse and torture at the first one he attended. At age 13, Jonathan was restrained and suffocated to death by Developmental Aide Edwin Tirado. In this episode, I’ll con…

(Laine here! This is part 2/2 of a collab I participated in. I hope you'll give it a listen!) Welcome to Hot Pursuit, a summer true-crime collaboration, where we dive deep into the world of true crime. We’ve gathered many incredible true-crime podcasters to bring you a multi-part series that’s all about the heat of the chase. We'll explore cases wh…

(Laine here! This is a collab I participated in. I hope you'll give it a listen!) Welcome to Hot Pursuit, a summer true-crime collaboration, where we dive deep into the world of true crime. We’ve gathered many incredible true-crime podcasters to bring you a multi-part series that’s all about the heat of the chase. We'll explore cases where justice …

Jonathan Carey was autistic and nonverbal. Because he needed more care than they could provide in their home, when Jonathan was nine, his parents sent him to a highly recommended residential program at the Anderson School in Staatsburg, New York, where young Jonathan was starved, isolated, and physically abused. Due to the PTSD Jonathan suffered fr…

In 2003, an East Texas couple adopted three young Russian children. Over the years, there were countless red flags for child abuse, especially against the oldest child, Alexey, who began running away when he was 12. He ended up on the doorstep of the Roosevelt House, an emergency shelter, assessment center, and residential care facility for childre…

For this episode, I had the privilege of talking to forensic psychologists Dr. Shiloh and Dr. Scott, the hosts of the L.A. Not So Confidential podcast. With years of expertise under their belts, the doctors had plenty of insight for us into the topic of child abuse, why it happens, and much more. This is Episode 175: The Psychology of Child Abuse (…

Last week, I told you the story of two-year-old Macy Grace Ditty, who arrived at the hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina on December 2, 2015, covered in bruises. Macy’s mother, Jeanie Ditty, went to trial for murder, but that ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury, and now, over eight years after Macy’s death, justice still hasn’t been served.…

On December 2, 2015, 23-year-old U.S. Army specialist Jeanie Ditty called 911 and calmly requested an ambulance for her two-year-old daughter, Macy Grace, who she said had thrown up in her sleep and aspirated. As soon as Macy Grace arrived at the hospital, medical staff took one look at the bruises covering her from head to toe and called the Fayet…

Three years ago, in episode 69, I told you the story of six-year-old Corey Micciolo, whose mother fought for months to save her son from his abusive father. Despite her pleas to New Jersey’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency and the family court system, Christopher Gregor retained primary custody of Corey. On March 20, 2021, surveillance …

Over the last two episodes, I’ve told you the story of three-year-old Arabella Parker, who died in November 2019 after severe abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, Jahrid Burgess. For this episode, I was honored to speak with three people close to Arabella’s case. First, you’ll hear my recent conversation with the Sunbury Daily Item’s crime…

In episodes 35 and 36, back in late 2020, I told you the story of 9-month-old Jacob Landin, a tiny boy with a big laugh and an even bigger personality. Jacob died in April 1987 from a severe traumatic brain injury. When the injury occurred, he was in the care of his mom’s boyfriend, Steven Chavez, who told several different stories to Brenda Landin…

In the last episode, I told you the first part of the story of three-year-old Arabella Parker, who was rushed to the hospital on October 10, 2019, reportedly suffering from a seizure. Because medical staff wasn’t told that the seizure resulted from severe head trauma, the damage was irreparable, and Arabella died on November 22, 2019. In this episo…

Four years ago, in episodes 16 and 17, I told you the tragic story of 3-year-old Arabella Parker. Because that was so early in my podcasting journey, I’m not satisfied with my coverage of her story, so I’m revisiting it in an all-new, comprehensive re-telling as I’ve never told it before: with the help of her family and others. On October 10, 2019,…

(This episode was originally released in April 2022.) On the morning of Wednesday, March 18, 2020, police in Bakersfield, California responded to an apartment on a report of an eight-year-old child not breathing. Although Ger’Mya Alexander was rushed to the hospital, she died of her injuries the same day. Her mother’s boyfriend, 37-year-old Clint M…

In episodes 87 and 88, I told you the story of four-year-old Judah Morgan. Judah lived for most of his life in a foster care kinship placement with the family of his second cousin, Jenna Hullett. In April of 2021, Judah was returned to his biological parents, Alan Morgan and Mary Yoder, despite multiple red flags and warnings to DCS. Six months lat…

On this podcast, I’ve told you the stories of many children whose deaths came at the hands of parents or guardians after extended periods of what can only be described as torture. Intra-familial child torture is a disturbingly common occurrence, and it has a 36% fatality rate for the children affected. In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation w…

On February 17, 2020, police in Fort Myers, Florida responded to a horrific single-vehicle accident in which a minivan carrying two women and a three-year-old girl veered off the road, hit several palm trees, and flipped over. The little girl, Serenity Robinson, was not in a car seat and was unrestrained. Her mother, Leslie Joe Zeagler, was found t…

Last week, I told you about the abduction and murder of seven-year-old Joan D’Alessandro. On April 19, 1973, Joan was delivering Girl Scout cookies when her neighbor, Joseph McGowan, a high school science teacher, lured her into his basement, sexually assaulted her, and brutally beat and strangled the helpless little girl. McGowan pleaded guilty to…

On April 19, 1973, seven-year-old Joan D’Alessandro left her family’s home in Hillsdale, New Jersey to deliver her last two boxes of Girl Scout cookies. She never returned. After a massive search and an intensive investigation, police zeroed in on the family’s neighbor, 27-year-old high school science teacher Joseph McGowan, who soon confessed that…

**This episode was originally released in June of 2021. I am re-releasing it due to the recent arrest of Lisa Jo Vanderlinden, the woman who spent less than a year in jail for Lucas's murder, on charges of abusing another child.** In 2017, Lucas Call and his baby sister were removed from their biological mother’s custody, in part because she had a …

As a child, Antonia Deignan believed that her father’s nighttime visits to her bedroom showed the special love he had for her. Still, some part of her knew that what he was doing to her was wrong. She began to create fantasy worlds in her mind to escape. As Tuni grew up, she traded her fantasies for dancing, but her inner turmoil also manifested in…

*Fallon Fridley should have turned 5 yesterday. I'm re-releasing this episode in her honor.* On December 9, 2020, in Sandy Springs, Georgia, two-year-old Fallon Fridley was spending the night at the home of her babysitter, who was also a good friend of Fallon’s mom, Kristin. The babysitter, Kirstie Flood, called 911 that evening to report little Fa…

Since I started making this podcast, I’ve told the stories of a number of children that have involved the failures of the family court system. So many names pop into my head when I think about it: Thomas Valva. Nakota Kelly. Averylee Hobbs. James Biel. Corey Micciolo. Since 2008, over 900 American children have died at the hands of a parent or guar…

For fifteen years you could call a private number in Manhattan and anonymously apologize for anything. It was called The Apology Line. This is the story of the phone line and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.” As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shopli…

In 1997, a pair of sisters in Elk Grove, California endured the unthinkable. Their mother and stepfather, Barbara and Larry Carrasco, abused methamphetamine and somehow became certain that Barbara’s daughters, 13-year-old Jessica and five-year-old Alexia, were possessed by demons and vampires. To exorcise the unwanted beings, Barbara and Larry bega…

Christian Crossland spent most of his short life in the care of family friends, Brittany and Trevor Easton, who took Christian into their Indiana home and loved him like their own. In January of 2022, Christian’s biological mother, Chelsea Crossland, took him back from the family who doted on and adored him. In under three months, Christian was dea…

In episode 7, I told you the first part of the story of 12-year-old Alex Hurley. I provided updates on Alex’s case throughout the next three years. This past week, the last family member charged in Alex’s death was finally sentenced, so I’m revisiting Alex’s story in an all-new, comprehensive episode like I’ve never told it before. On February 3, 2…

When Mike Williams vanishes on a hunting trip, the authorities suspect he was eaten by alligators but the true predators who took Mike may lurk much closer to home. The mystery of Mike’s disappearance might have faded from memory, if it wasn’t for one woman’s tireless crusade. From Wondery, comes a new season of Over My Dead Body; a story about an …

In episodes 47 and 48, I told you the story of 4-year-old Averylee Hobbs. Avery was not even a month old when her mother, Britney Roll Mayes, fractured Avery’s skull and spent time in prison. After Britney was released, she was awarded visitation with Avery, who began returning to her paternal grandparents covered in bruises, burns, bite marks, and…

Since 1990, well over 1,050 children in the United States have died after being left in hot cars. An untold number of additional kids have been left with permanent brain damage and other long-term injuries. The largest percentage of these kids were unknowingly left in a vehicle by a parent or caregiver. No one wants to believe their brain is capabl…

Leon Benson spent 24 years in an Indiana state prison for the 1998 murder of a young man named Kasey Schoen. His conviction hinged on the testimony of two eyewitnesses – but what if their memories turned out to be wrong? And what if the people who knew what really happened had never been allowed to speak? Suspect Season 3: Five Shots in the Dark is…

Baby Jazmine Robin weighed under three pounds when she was born 11 weeks premature, and she spent nine weeks in a Houston hospital’s NICU before being taken home on July 3, 2018 by her parents, Jason Robin Jr. and Kat White. Only 11 days later, Jasmine arrived at the emergency room, suffering from head trauma, brain bleeding, broken bones, and brui…

Over the course of a seven-part miniseries that began last September called Groomed to Die: The Kendzia Children, I told you about the countless alleged crimes committed by Susan Lee, formerly known as Susan Stevenson, Susan Cook, and Susan Kendzia. I told you about Susan’s charges in the 1980s for the murders of her two adopted infant sons, Michae…

In episode 138, I told you the story of two-year-old Stevie Osborn, whose death on December 23, 2019 went all but unreported by the media. Stevie’s mother, Abigail Osborn, and Abbey’s boyfriend, Joseph Chilson, were investigated by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division, which found by preponderance of evidence that both had…

On May 30, 2015, first responders arrived at a townhouse in Waterloo, Iowa, where they found four-year-old Gracie Buss unresponsive. Gracie’s mother, Kristi Buss, and her boyfriend, Chad Little, told police and medical staff that Gracie suffered a seizure and fell down the stairs. Tragically, Gracie died after three days on life support. Eighteen m…

In episodes 5 and 6 of this podcast, I told you the story of 8-year-old Thomas Valva. Thomas and his two brothers were unjustly taken from their mother’s custody in 2017 and spent the next three years living with their father and his girlfriend, both of whom abused, starved, and tortured the boys. On January 17, 2020, Thomas and his 10-year-old bro…

(This is a re-edit of an episode released in March, which was taken down shortly after release.) On December 23, 2019, two-year-old Stevie Osborn was rushed to the hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, suffering from bruises all over her body, two skull fractures, and massive bleeding on the brain. After Stevie died during life-saving surgery, her dea…

Over the last two episodes, I told you the story of Alexavier Pedrin, whose six years were marred by family turmoil, alleged abuse and neglect, and CPS involvement. On February 11, 2023, Alexavier was found dead in his family’s rented home in Medary, Wisconsin with multiple inflicted injuries and Xanax in his system. Three months later, his father’…

In the last episode, I began telling you the story of six-year-old Alexavier Pedrin, whose short life was filled with constant family turmoil and frequent involvement by various CPS agencies in his home state of Wisconsin and others. After Alexavier’s mom went to prison, his father eventually stopped letting her side of the family see their son, al…

In 2011, 19-year-old Josie Dikeman was accused of child neglect after her boyfriend’s one-year-old daughter suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury in her care. That charge was dropped. Two years later, she was convicted in a separate child neglect case regarding the same little girl, by then age three, who had been returned from foster care o…