From Abuse Victim to Killer to Public Defender – Stacey Lannert By Emily Thompson Stacey Lannert was sexually abused by her father, Tom, from when she was a young girl. When she turned 18, she snapped & shot him dead. She was sentenced to life in prison before her sentence was committed. Feb 14, 2020 • 5 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 34: Calyx & Beau Scheneker By Emily Thompson In 2011, Tampa police were conducting a welfare check on a family in the upmarket gated community of Royal Park Court in Tampa Palms, Florida. When they arrived on scene, they discovered somebody sitting on the porch, spattered almost head to toe in blood. Feb 10, 2020 • 5 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 33: Leanne Tiernan By Emily Thompson The 2000 disappearance of teenager Leanne Tiernan from Bramley, Leeds, sparked one of the largest manhunts in West Yorkshire Police’s History. During the painstaking search, police officers visited more than 10,000 homes and scoured almost 40 drains. Leanne’s disappearance led to a first in British criminal investigation and unmasked a prolific sexual predator known locally… Feb 3, 2020 • 5 min read
A Murder & A Disappearance – Chance Wackerhagen By Emily Thompson Chance Wackerhagen, 9, was visiting his father, Lee, and his father's girlfriend, Latricia, over Christmas of 1993. Police found Latricia shot dead and Chance and Lee missing. Initially, police speculated Lee had killed Latricia and fled the scene with his son. However, it was later theorized somebody else had committed the murder. Jan 29, 2020 • 3 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 32: Alice Ruggles By Emily Thompson There were missed opportunities and procedural failings by police and the army when 24-year-old Alice Ruggles contacted them for help and for protection while being the victim of a stalking campaign. The inactivity of those entrusted to care for the community led to the brutal and preventable murder of a young woman. Jan 27, 2020 • 5 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 30: Vera Jo Reigle By Emily Thompson 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… Jan 13, 2020 • 4 min read
Burned Alive – The Slow Death of Robbie Middleton By Emily Thompson 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. Dec 28, 2019 • 5 min read
Nittany Nightmare: The Sex Murders of 1938-1940 and the Panic at Penn State By Derek J. Sherwood As the Great Depression hit, Penn State College was cash-strapped and dilapidated. In 1937, underfunded state police fighting a losing battle against striking miners and steel workers in Johnstown called in the National Guard. There were not enough police to cover the state, and it showed. Then someone started killing young women in the area. Dec 21, 2019 • 4 min read
The Disappearance of Sandy Davidson By Emily Thompson It was a pleasant spring morning on the 23rd of April, 1976, when 3-year-old Sandy Davidson was playing in his grandmother’s garden on St Kilda Street, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland. He followed his dog out of the front gate and vanished, never to be seen again. Dec 7, 2019 • 4 min read
The First Civil Rights Martyrs – Harry & Harriette Moore By Emily Thompson Harry & Harreitte Moore were pioneer activists & leaders of the early civil rights movement in the United States. On Christmas night of 1961, they would become the first martyrs of the movement, followed by Harry T. Moore and Martin Luther King Jr. Dec 4, 2019 • 6 min read
