Unsolved Double Homicide: Married 68 Years, Who Killed Russell and Shirley

In 1985 a skull and partial remains are found in a plastic bag near Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, California. Thinking the remains are from a recent victim, investigators work to solve what they think is a murder. Failing to identify the victim, the case goes cold. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain how the scientists at Othram Labs developed a DNA extract from the evidence and were able to identify “Ventura County Jane Doe "as the victim of a grave robbing that happened after her death in 1915. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will share the story of Gertrude Elliot-Littlehale, a woman born in 1864 and the amazing life she lived well before she became the unidentified “cold case” of “Ventura County Jane Doe”. Othram Labs is helping solve cases that seem unsolvable with the help of everyday people willing to make a small donation at DNASOLVES.COM Please take a moment of your time and visit DNASOLVES.COM and see how you can help solve a case.         Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction of Ventura County Jane Doe  00:03:44 Discussion of Skull found in a bag in 1985  00:07:19 Talk about history and DNA  00:11:58 Discussion identifying bodies  00:15:13 Talk about going from 1985 back to 1864  00:20:49 Discussion of dogs and old bones  00:24:14 Discussion of forensic anthropologist  00:29:04 Discussion of “suture lines”  00:33:03 Talk about solving crimes with DNA  00:38:20 Discussion of building a family tree  00:42:12 Discussion of “Gertie” and her life  00:46:50 Talk about Othram Labs   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine waking up inside a body bag, declared dead and transported to a funeral home, where you find yourself short of breath, BUT STILL BREATHING! In this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan we will explore something that is happening far more often than you think, people being declared dead, who wake up on a table in a funeral home!  And how to make sure you are not Buried Alive!           Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction: worst nightmare come true  00:03:02 Discussion being buried alive   00:07:28 Talk about funeral homes  00:11:49 Discussion of hospice care nursing  00:16:29 Discussion of soldier Battle of the Bulge  00:20:24 Talk about forensic pathology  00:24:46 Discussion of dead body, signs of death  00:28:30 Discussion of death investigation  00:31:34 Talk about people declared dead, waking up in funeral home  00:34:16 Discussion of death and declaring someone dead  00:38:04 Conclusion: cautionary tale, death investigation is important See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The victims of the Long Island Serial Killer have been known in the media as the “Gilgo 4”, but now that Rex Heuermann has been charged with two more murders the media will have to change the name to the “Gilgo 6”.  Rex Heuermann is an architect by trade, someone who can create and use blueprints. Investigators found a Serial Killer Blueprint on Heuermann’s computer. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain how DNA evidence and hair might be enough to put away Rex Heuermann for good, and Dave Mack will explore some of the items found on Heuermann’s computer. From disturbing images of abuse and porn, to lists of supplies for torture, investigators found a goldmine during a recent search of Heuermann’s home.           Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction of Gilgo details  00:02:09 Discuss Rex Heuermann two new murder charges  00:07:19 Discussion of Data from a forensic standpoint  00:12:01 Talk about seeing the dumping ground and home of Heuermann  00:16:58 Discussion of more bodies found along Gilgo  00:21:18 Discussion of area, easy to be seen  00:25:25 Discussion of the court documents, new information  00:29:37 Talk about changes in DNA science since early 90s  00:33:36 Discussion of skin and injury  00:37:05 Conclusion – more bodies See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They called themselves the "Gilbert Goons", a group of teens that were suspected of assaults at parties and parking lots, as well as armed robberies. Defended by their parents, the teens' reign of violence culminated with the fatal beating of 16-year-old Preston Lord. Preston was at a Halloween Party with friends when one of the "Gilbert Goons" stole a cheap necklace from a friend of Preston Lord.  On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will tell the story of how a town in Arizona was terrorized by a group of entitled teens who were defended by their entitled parents for years until they almost got away with murder.          Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction: Group Think  00:03:56 Discussion of group of teens in Gilbert, Arizona  00:07:22 Discussion of Gilbert Goons videotaping the beating   00:11:15 Talk about the assaults attributed to the teens in Gilbert  00:16:09 Discussion of how the beating of Preston Lord continued   00:21:07 Discussion of a bully  00:25:45 Talk about parents joking about the beating  00:30:19 Discussion of severe blunt force trauma  00:33:52 Discussion of shoe imprint on the body of victim  00:38:02 Conclusion: judgement is coming.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chrystul Kizer is 17 when she is arrested for the first-degree murder of Randy Volar. The question that will be answered through investigation and the court system is whether or not Chrystul Kizer killed an innocent man, or did she kill a man who was sexually abusing her and other underage girls. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will breakdown the case and take an in-depth look at what story the forensics tell and what information a judge will have to consider in sentencing a teen who saw murder as her only way to live.            Transcript Highlights 00:00:17 Introduction: growing up  00:02:18 Discussion of Chrystul Kizer, 17, abuse victim  00:06:52 Talk about fire debris and dead body  00:09:57 Discussion of heat causing teeth to shatter  00:13:15 Discussion of destruction of a person  00:17:05 Discussion of multiple victims  00:21:47 Talk about laws regarding sexual abuse  00:25:54 Discussion of electronic forensics  00:29:01 Talk about Chrystul Kizer trying to survive  00:33:04 Discussion of damage 2 shots to the head can cause  00:38:11 Discussion of stippling  00:41:43 Talk about victim escaping in BMW  00:44:27 Discussion of plea deal offered  00:45:18 Conclusion – sentence coming in August See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgia authorities find three victims tortured and murdered in Clayton County and taken to Fulton County. They were found in an abandoned car along I-85 at an exit ramp in Union City, Georgia on January 13, 2013. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will take you into the investigation that determined the victims were tortured and murdered and Dave Mack will go into the back story on how the case remained cold for 11-years until forensics led investigators to a Middle School Assistant Principal in Alabama and 3 other suspects.        Transcript Highlights  00:00:08 Introduction – Position of authority  00:02:36 Talk about Assistant Principal arrested in cold-case triple murder   00:08:06 Discussion -11 years after 3 dead bodies found in a car, a break in the case  00:11:54 Discussion - victims found in Atlanta from Montgomery, Alabama  00:17:02 Talk about suspect was assistant principal at a middle school  00:20:51Discussion of multiple jurisdictions working on a case  00:24:23 Talk about medical examiners  00:27:40 Discussion of multiple suspects  00:30:03 Discussion of asphyxiation  00:31:14 Conclusion, what did the bodies say? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Institutes of Health, comparing a medical examiner and coroner, states that Coroners are elected lay people who often do not have professional training, whereas medical examiners are appointed and have board certification in a medical specialty. All of this is true. On this episode of "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan," Joe will take you back in history to a time when the person who finds the dead body in their yard has to gather a posse and solve the murder mystery or be stuck with paying taxes!! The coroner system has a long history, some funny stories, some strange people, and a few mysteries to unpack.       Transcript Highlights  00:22.56. Introduction of studying the dead.  03:04.63 Discussion most people don’t die from bullet wounds  06:01.87 Talk about forensics   11:38.68 History of “Normans”  17:44.17 Discussion of power of Coroners  22:25.90 Discussion of Coroners Jury  26:18.76 Discussion of authority of coroner  31:00.67 Discussion of scientific people in coroner system  32:05.27 Talk about who backs up the coroner  37:48.5 Discussion of medical examiner state vs coroner state        42:49.50 Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grace Millane is in New Zealand when she meets Jesse Kempson on Tinder. Grace is on a Gap Year trip that has taken her to South America and now she is in Auckland, New Zealand where she is camping and hiking and meeting new people.  Connecting on Tinder, Grace meets Kempson for dinner and drinks, most of their evening captured by CCTV. They arrive back at Kempson's hotel and we see them get on and off the elevator. It is the evening of December 1 and Grace turns 22-years-old on December 2nd. On this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, Joe will breakdown what happened to Grace inside the hotel room and what Jesse Kempson did in the aftermath of the gruesome murder.  And Dave Mack will try and make sense of the timeline when, even now, we don't know if Grace made it to her 22nd birthday.        Transcript Highlights  00:00:18 Introduction of Grace Millane, gap year vacation  00:04:27 Discussion of Tinder date timeline  00:09:15 Discussion murderer goes on another Tinder date  00:13:56 Talk about targeting victim, asphyxia  00:18:33 Discussion of Gap Year   00:23:46 Discussion of date captured on video  00:28:17 Talk about murderer covering up the crime  00:33:03 Discussion of destroying the victim  00:36:31 Discussion of killing someone with hands around neck  00:40:13 Talk about the sexual assault See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Missy Bevers was murdered inside a church before 5 a.m. while she was preparing for her morning fitness class. Her body is found by a student and Missy is pronounced dead at the scene. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will discuss the possible weapons used to kill Missy Bevers and Dave Mack will dig into the possible suspects in an unsolved murder where the main suspect is caught on camera wearing a police swat kit and walking the halls of the church with an unusual gait, waiting for Missy to arrive.            Transcript Highlights  00:00:24 Introducing Missy Bevers  00:01:51 Discussion of unsolved murder  00:04:12 Talk about Camp Gladiator  00:08:38 Discussion of murderer seen on video  00:12:28 Discussion of odd gait  00:17:13 Talk about suspect, man or woman?  00:21:13 Discussion of SWAT disguise  00:26:09 Talk about new kit  00:30:13 Discussion of long hammer as a weapon  00:34:31 Discussion of injuries matching weapon  00:39:05 Talk about coverage of case in media  00:43:20 Discussion of no gun belt  00:46:44.Conclusion    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.