The Autopsy of John Wilkes Booth

On January 19, 2001, Tara Baker was murdered in her apartment. The perpetrator sexually assaulted her and then lit the apartment on fire. The case went cold in the town of Athens, Georgia, for over 20 years. On this episode of "Body Bags," Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the science of solving a cold case and Dave Mack will fill in the blanks of the story that shocked Northern Georgia for over 20 years. Recently the murder of Laken Riley brought the Tara Baker homicide back into the conversation and with great detective work and with biological evidence and DNA science, the cold case became hot again, as hot as the fire the suspect set to destroy evidence of the horror he created.           Transcript Highlights  00:00:09 Introduction of influence  00:01:24 Tragic Cold Case Solved, Tara Baker  00:04:11 Discussion of Tara Baker case and Laken Riley  00:08:32 Discussion of fire in apartment  00:09:24 Talk about find body   00:14:32 Discussion of accelerants  00:19:21 Discussion of death investigation in fire  00:24:41 Discussion of time involved in the attack  00:27:58 Talk about predators selecting their victim  00:31:33 Discussion of how to determine sex assault when body is burned  00:37:20 Discussion of how a burned body is examined  00:38:47 Talk about unsolved cold case  00:41:50 Case solved; Edrick LaMont Faust arrested  00:44:46 Conclusion, Faust is 48, Tara Baker died at 21 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, Joe is going to break with our regular format and take a look at a man who revolutionized the Medical legal death investigation field. He was famous as a “Celebrity Pathologist” but that doesn’t do the man justice. When others walk away from trouble, Dr. Cyril Wecht said, “Where is the brain of JFK?”  Joseph Scott Morgan shares his thoughts on the passing of Dr. Cyril Wecht.         Transcript Highlights  00:00:18 Introduction from JFK movie   00:00:47 Talk about Dr. Cyril Wecht  00:04:06 Talk about passing of Werner Spitz  00:08:21 Discussion of JFK  00:11:37 Discussion of Dr. Wecht as Air Force Officer  00:14:45 Talk about Wecht running for political office  00:19:33 Discussion of Dr. Wecht from coroner’s office to medical examiner  00:24:16 Talk about Wecht didn’t play golf, life was his hobby  00:27:16 Discussion of Wecht getting sued for comments   00:31:36 Talk about Wecht discovers JFK brain is missing  00:35:02 Talk about destroying evidence to cover up a crime  00:38:34 Discussion of Dr. Cyril Wecht accomplishments  00:39:28 Discussion about over 42,000 Post-mortem exams  00:43:49 Joseph Scott Morgan share thoughts on Dr Wecht  I just want to take a moment and 1st off acknowledge his passing and certainly the wet family, the Duquesne family and all of his extended friends and colleagues. My deepest sympathies to them because he's a man. He is a man that Has impacted so many of us in the field of forensic science. He passed away peacefully on May 13th.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The autopsy of Noah Presgrove is released and for the first time in the history of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, Joe is going to issue you a warning for what you are about to hear. Noah Presgrove is at a birthday, end of summer, labor day party with friends all weekend. But something happened Sunday night to cause Noah to leave the party by himself. He is found the next morning at 5:53am, alone, dead, on the side of a rural highway. He is naked except for a pair of shoes, but one of the shoes isn't his, it belongs to a guy asleep at the house where the party took place. The "friends" he has known all of his life aren't talking. His brother sees teeth scattered near his brother's body and pieces of chain. Who or What killed Noah Presgrove? Will the autopsy help answer the question?     Transcript Highlights 00:00:08 Introduction: Growing up in rural area  00:03:10 Talk about List of Injuries  00:05:17 Discussion of group dynamics  00:09:12 Discussion of what happens to clothing   00:12:27 Talk about social media evidence  00:16:11 Discussion of internal injuries  00:20:26 Discussion of injuries cased by falling out of a truck   00:24:14 Talk about skull fractures  00:28:32 Discussion of brain fluid  00:32:52 Discussion of broke teeth  00:36:03 Talk about animals and body on road  00:37:52 Discussion of cervical injuries  00:40:00 Discussion of abrasions  00:41:47 Talk about being hit by car  00:43:59 Discussion of data  00:44:17 Conclusion; After the autopsy we still don’t have answers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Werner Spitz is a man who spent his lifetime looking straight into the soul of man and looking death in the eye. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan gives a heartfelt tribute to a mentor he never met, a teacher that never gave him a test but one whose approval was sought in every written word and study as a death investigator. Dr. Werner Spitz passed away at the age of 97 on April 14, 2024, and this show is a special tribute to a man that actually did write the book of his profession, "Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death; Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation.              Transcribe Highlights00:33.95 Introduction to the life of Werner Spitz 05:59.93 Discussion of Spitz impact on forensic pathologists 09:53.32 Discussion of fleeing Nazi Germany 13:51.43 Talk about being the lone voice of truth that you see 17:35.73 Discussion of Mary Jo Kopechne 24:16.10 Discussion of Spitz being called into high profile situations 28:15.52 Talk about examination using photographs 31:38.41 Discussion of not being afraid to take on cases others wouldn't 36:52.60 Talk about paying for an opinion 37:01.94 Conclusion Those who fail to remember history, are doomed to repeat itSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The double homicide of Russell and Shirley Dermond rocked their gated community along Lake Oconee in Georgia.. The decapitated body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was found in the garage and his wife of 68 years,  87-year Shirley Dermond was found in Lake Oconee weighted down with cinder blocks, 10 days after Russell's body was found.  On this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, you will learn about the evidence investigators found at the crime scene as well as what can be learned from a body that may have been in a lake for 10 days. The double homicide has gone unsolved for 10 years and the head of Russell Dermond has never been found.  How was this elderly couple, married 68 years, murdered and why?       Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction about murders  00:05:00 Discussion about neighbor checking on Dermond’s  00:09:34 Talk about unsolved murders, 10 years  00:14:04 Discussion about Shirley Dermond body found in lake  00:19:05 Discussion of Russell Dermond head, it’s missing  00:23:51 Discussion about Shirley was weighted down  00:28:08 Talk after 10 years, case still unsolved  00:31:39 Discussion of lack of blood at scene  00:34:52 Talk about how head was removed  00:37:57 Talk about DNA evidence  00:40:28 Conclusion: After a decade, new evidence might solve the case See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was 7-year-old JJ Vallow alive when he was buried? Was 16-year-old Tylee Ryan dismembered before her remains were burned? What does the autopsy say about the death of Tammy Daybell? On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain the forensics of all 3 victims and Dave Mack will fill in the background on the story of what really happened to JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell              Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction, loving arms that didn’t hold JJ and Tylee  00:04:21 Discussion of the deaths, JJ, Tylee, and Tammy Daybell  00:07:54 Discussion of bodies buried near one another  00:11:19 Discussion of death of Tammy Daybell   00:14:57 Explaining asphyxia  00:18:45 Talk about access and opportunity  00:22:58 Discussion of Dr Warren on witness stand  00:26:02 Discussion of Bones being scattered, broken up while burning  00:29:07 Talk about JJ Vallow trying to pull bag off his head  00:30:47 Conclusion: Justice, whatever that means, is coming.  Justice, whatever that means, is coming and there is a reckoning coming.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least 12 bodies have been pulled from "Lady Bird Lake" in Austin, Texas in the last 22 months. Some can be explained as deaths that happen on or near a lake, but not all. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the difference between a regular death in a lake and a possible serial killer, while Dave Mack breaks down the stories behind the victims.        Transcript Highlights 00:16.18 Introduction about water and murder03:37.66 Discussion does Austin have a serial killer?08:13.12 Discussion what does "serial killer" do to an area13:22.11 Talk about other serial killers, were they really caught17:54.47 Talk about witnessing a death on the water22:03.17 Discussion of toxicology27:53.13 Discussion of victims32:38.32 Talk about water as a dumping ground36:26.16 Discussion of decomposition in water40:04.57 Talk about water flow47:42.83 Discussion about rumors over factConclusionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mother of five,  Crystal Rogers is last seen July 3 by her live-in boyfriend, Brooks Houck. Crystal Rogers mother, Sherry Ballard, reports her missing on July 5. Later that day, Crystal Rogers red Chevy Malibu is found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway. The car has a flat tire, but Rogers' keys, phone and purse are still inside. 16-months later, Crystal Rogers is still missing and her father, Sherry Ballard's husband, Tommy Ballard, is murdered in the early morning hours as he prepares to go hunting on his own property with his 12-year-old grandson. Ballard is shot from an undetermined distance, but his property backs up against the Bluegrass Parkway. It's a fast getaway in either direction for a gunman. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack explore the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and the murder of her dad, Tommy Ballard.  Plus, Joseph Scott Morgan  explains how prosecutors can prove Crystal Rogers was murdered,  even though they haven't found her body.       Transcribe Highlights 00:12.12 Introduction of growing up with PaPaw Morgan03:34.36 Discuss Crystal Rogers missing, her father Tommy Ballard murdered06:15.27 Discussion of Bardstown Kentucky 07:46.82 Discussion of why Brooks Houck didn't report Rogers missing08:13.81 Talk about Crystal Rogers car found on Bluegrass parkway15:45.34 Talk Rogers car found with flat tire, she is still missing18:16.83 Discussion of Brooks Houck, suspect, brother is police officer21:13.58 Discussion of police letting Houck talk to his brother on phone26:27.16 Talk about tracking dogs pick up Crystal Rogers scent at farm, but not at her car31:09.10. Discussion 16 months after Crystal Rogers vanishes, her dad, Tommy Ballard killed34:36.43 Discussion of how bullet twists the skin39:02.99 Discussion of Tommy Ballard hunting, murdered on his own property40:52.53 Discussion of murder charges without a body43:45.73 Conclusion - waiting for trial   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corey Micciolo did not meet his father until he was 5-years-old. Soon thereafter Corey landed in the middle of a custody battle. From the first time he was left alone with his father, Corey came home with bruises, busted lips, and more. His mother complained but nobody listened. Only now are people paying attention because of an awful video showing 6-year-old Corey Micciolo being forced to run on a treadmill and falling off, over and over. Each time he falls off the treadmill, his father puts him back on and turns the speed up, allegedly.  Christiopher Gregor is on trial facing murder charges for allegedly killing his own son in what the media calls the Treadmill Abuse Trial. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain what really happened to Corey Micciolo and why 6-year-olds don't drop over dead, and Dave Mack will fill in the rest of the story of how Corey was given to a father that never bonded with him while his mother begged for anyone to listen.             00:38.98 Introduction, talk about weapons 05:17.90 Discussion of exorcise as punishment 10:01.23 Talk about making 6-year-old run on treadmill 16:01.12 Discussion of bruises and injuries 21:06.32 Talk about Corey's health is fine, except for bruises 26:20.26 Talk about Corey tells doctor about football and treadmill 32:41.40 Discussion of children don't die of natural causes at 6 37:27.82 Discussion of injury to abdomen 39:12:19 Conclusion Final Diagnosis, Blunt Force impact, laceration of heartSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lisa and David Hernandez had been separated for a year before he starts stalking her, showing up at her job uninvited and unwelcome. He sends his estranged wife a bouquet of flowers with Lillies, "the Death Flower", knowing she is extremely allergic to them. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain how someone can be killed by a blunt force instrument and a sharp-edged instrument at the same time and Dave Mack will fill in the story with the creepy stalking that David Hernandez allegedly did to his wife.         Transcribed Highlights00:02:00 Introduction of Lisa Hernandez  05:12.52 Discussion of "Death Flower"  08:50.91 Talk about a tool as a weapon14:17.46 Discussion of skull injury 19:46.20 Discussion of suspect knowing victim allergies 24:28.29 Talk about a "staged" scene29:19.40 Discussion of allergic reaction 32:32.27 Discussion of blunt force and sharp force 36:26.87 Talk about tossing weapon / tool into lake41:22.33  Discussion of Searching the bottom of a lakeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.