“I Feel Like I’m Dying” – The Death of Marissa Kennedy By Emily Thompson On 25 February, 2018, first responders were alerted to an unresponsive child. When first responders arrived at the scene, the little girl was already deceased. She was identified as 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy. It was evident that she had been the victim of prolonged abuse. Apr 16, 2021 • 5 min read
Every Parents’ Nightmare – Operation Holitna By Emily Thompson Operation Holitna was the name of the investigation into a massive international child pornography network. It would identify a number of men who had been planning on abducting children for the purpose of cannibalizing them. Feb 17, 2021 • 4 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 87: Blackstone House of Horrors By Emily Thompson Blackstone is a town of less than 10,000 near the Rhode Island border in Massachusetts. It’s a quaint suburban area away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Boston, just 50 miles away. On a quiet street just four blocks away from the local police station sat an unassuming Cape Cod-style home. However,… Feb 15, 2021 • 6 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 54: Jamie Rose Bolin By Emily Thompson Cannibalism is arguably one of the most taboo crimes of all. Although most societies connect cannibalism with ancient Amazonian tribes or even rumors of devil worshiping rituals, fantasies of cannibalism are not entirely uncommon among killers, even more so if their motive for murder was sexual or sadistic. In Purcell, Oklahoma, in 2006, a little… Jun 29, 2020 • 5 min read
Teenage Hatchet Murders – Jeffrey Franklin By Emily Thompson Jeffrey Franklin was just 17-years-old when he brutally attacked his parents and young siblings with a hatchet, sledgehammer, rat-tail file and butcher knife. Jun 25, 2020 • 5 min read
The Girl in the Closet – Lauren Kavanaugh By Emily Thompson When Lauren Kavanaigh was 3-years-old, she was locked in the closet and only allowed out when her mother and stepfather wanted to physically and sexually abuse her. At 8-years-old, she was rescued. She went on to become an advocate for abused children. However, when she was 25-years-old, she was arrested for sexually abusing a child. Jun 14, 2020 • 5 min read
The Osaka Sister Killer – Yukio Yamaji By Emily Thompson Yukio Yamaji was just 16-years-old when he beat his mother to death with a baseball bat. Due to his young age, he was released from juvenile detention school after just 3 years. The courts would soon discover that this was a grave mistake. May 8, 2020 • 4 min read
Morbidology the Podcast – 44: James Byrd Jr. By Emily Thompson Jasper is a small timber town around 100 miles northeast of Houston, Texas. It’s a quaint area that holds an annual Butterfly Festival the first October every year. However, in June of 1998, Jasper was rocked by a brutal hate crime that still reverberates across the nation today. Apr 20, 2020 • 6 min read
The Unsolved Dermond Murders By Emily Thompson Russell Dermond, 88, was discovered beheaded in his home on the banks of Lake Ocenee, Georgia, in May 2014. His wife of 68 years, Shirley, was missing. However, the following week, her body was discovered floating in Lake Oconee. Who killed the elderly couple and why? Apr 12, 2020 • 4 min read
Violence Against Women in Mexico – The Femicide of Ingrid Escamilla By Cristina Massieu On 11 February, 2020, the horrific news about the femicide of 25-year-old Ingrid Escamilla shocked the Mexican nation, not only because of the gruesome details of the case that were soon spread across the country, but because terrifying images of the victim’s body and the crime scene were published by two tabloids. Apr 4, 2020 • 4 min read