The two most common early signs of domestic violence are jealousy and controlling behavior. It’s easy for people to say: “why don’t they just leave?” but statistics show that up to 75% of abused women who are murdered are murdered after they leave their partners. Too often, many women do try to leave toxic an abusive situations and tragically, they pay with their lives.
Author: Emily Thompson
The Eubanks Filicide
What would drive a parent to kill their child? Revenge is one of the main motivations behind filicide. Revenge at an ex-partner for leaving them. One such case of revenge-fueled filicide is that of Susan Eubanks from San Marcos, California.
Morbidology the Podcast – 30: Vera Jo Reigle
Poverty, drugs, neglect and abuse made up the four walls of a literal house of horrors for Vera Jo Reigle and in 2011, her disturbing death reverberated in a community which prides itself on being caring and compassionate and led to a discussion about what could be done to better identify and assist those who may be unwilling or unable to ask for help.
Where is Alexis Patterson?
On the morning of 3 May, 2002, 7-year-old Alexis Patterson vanished while walking to school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her family said that her disappearance didn’t receive as much publicity as other missing children due to the fact that she was African American. She has never been found.
Morbidology the Podcast – 29: Tristan Jensen
Redlands is a tranquil city in San Bernardino County, California. It’s known for its gracious Victorian homes, the Lincoln Shrine, acres of orange groves and low crime rate. While many surrounding cities are rife with gang violence and random street violence, residents of this bucolic city like to think that they inhabit an oasis. But throughout the 1990s, a wave of youth violence rocked the city and shattered their idyll. The violence culminated with the mysterious disappearance of a 14-year-old boy.
The First Woman African American Pilot – Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman became the first African American woman to hold a pilot license, which she achieved in 1921. She died at just 34-years-old when her faulty plane took a nosedive at 2,000 feet, sending her crashing to the ground,
Morbidology the Podcast – 28: Sadie Hartley
Lancashire is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is made up of beautiful and lush countryside and charming villages. One of the most gorgeous villages in the area is arguably Helmshore. In 2016, however, a jealous obsession was brewing in Helmshore, one which would culminate with the brutal murder of a wealthy businesswoman.
Burned Alive – The Slow Death of Robbie Middleton
Robbie Middleton was just 8-years-old when he was tied to a tree and set on fire in Splendora, Texas. Twelve years later, he succumbed to his injuries but not before naming his attacker as a 13-year-old boy who had sexually assaulted him two weeks prior.
The Starvation of Stephanie Devine
Stephanie Devine, 2, was born with cerebral palsy and needed daily medication. In 2012, her mother, Brandy Devine, closed her in a bedroom with 4 cats for 3 days with no food, water or medication. Stephanie died a slow and agonizing death.
Morbidology the Podcast – 27: Goleta Postal Murders
One thing you’ll notice about almost all mass shootings is that the perpetrator is male. Female mass shooters are rare. Female mass shooters that target their place of employment are even rarer. But in Goleta, California, in 2006, an ex-postal worker was an exception to the rule. It was the nation’s deadliest workplace shooting perpetrated by a woman and the nation’s bloodiest shooting at a postal installation in almost 20 years.