Morbidology

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 girl vanished, and her disappearance would lead to...

Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity is a defence that most killers hope and dream of. It is a defence that can sometimes essentially let a killer get away with murder. If found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, a killer is sent to a psychiatric hospital where they remain until they are considered sane in the eyes of the law whether that be one year or 40 years. It is the defence that stirs the most c...

On the 23rd of February, 2014, a frantic 999 call to Surrey Police was placed by a woman who was desperately running for her life. In the phone call, the woman describes how her mother has been shot dead. Towards the end of the call, she informs the 999 operator that she is going to go back to the scene of the incident and acknowledges that she will probably lose her life. Her last words to the op...

As podcasters, we have a platform and duty to speak up and call out injustice. In light of the murder of George Floyd, we have come together in solidarity to use our platform to speak up against racial injustice and amplify the voices of black podcasters that deserve more recognition. Racism is prevalent in all industries; from the media who under-report on black victims to the justice system whic...

To some, Britain seems like a utopia. Each year, thousands of people from all across the world flock to Britain in search of a better life. They all come filled with hope and anticipation of what their new life in Britain will look like. In 2000, a family from Nigeria came to Britain looking for pastures greener. Instead, however, they found themselves all too aware of just how depraved and cruel...

University lacrosse is renowned for its predominately white, privately educated “rich kid” reputation and over the years, it’s the main sport in university that routinely suffers from damaging scandals. These scandals always grip the media, most likely because everybody involved is young, attractive and privileged. But then in May of 2010, the University of Virginia was thrust into the spotlight a...

Bargo is located just off the Hume Highway in the New South Wales southern highlands. It’s a sleepy little town known most for its interesting bushranging history. It’s also known as the gateway to Picton Lakes, the very last pristine freshwater lake near Sydney. However in 1992, a 9-year-old girl vanished on her way home from school and in the aftermath, the small town of Bargo was left forever m...

In some religions and communities, great weight is placed on the family and its so-called collective honor. To some within these religions and communities, family name and reputation dominates everything else. Sometimes when perceived shame has been brought upon said family, the victim has to pay the ultimate price. In 2006, a Kurdish woman named Banaz Mahmod vanished from her home in London. SPON...

In 2005, Ideal Home Magazine carried out a survey which showed that 1 in 5 women keeps a weapon beside her bed to defend herself against intruders. A number of women also carry concealed weapons or alarms while out in public out of fear that they will be attacked. While it may seem to be an extreme reaction to the nation’s obsession with crime, it is behavior that for a number of women, is complet...

In summer of 2015, a brutal crime scene was uncovered in the Bonita Springs home of a wealthy and well-known holistic medicine physician. In the middle of the kitchen lay the bludgeoned body of a woman, her head caved in by blows from a hammer. The murder completely gripped the nation but it wouldn’t take long until a trail of proverbial breadcrumbs led right to the doorstep of the guilty party. S...

One of the greatest fears for a number of women is going for a run while alone. Many women fear that they will become the victim of a sexual assault or worse. Crime statistics show that these kind of attacks are rare and women are more likely to face greater dangers from traffic. However, the fear that they inspire Is very much real, as are smaller scale episodes of harassment or assaults even in...

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. As a motorist was arriving at the African American church on Huff Creek Road on the 8th of June, 1998, they were met by...

For parents, their child moving overseas can be most of the most daunting moments of their life. On one hand, they want to give their child the freedom to determine their own fate but on the other hand, it can be a very scary experience, knowing that your child is so far away from home. However, that apprehension is nothing compared to the fear a parent feels when their child disappears while in a...

It was early January of 2014 when a number of trash bags appeared on several rural roads throughout St. Clair County, Michigan, around 50 miles northeast of Detroit. Inside the trash bags were the dismembered remains of a man. The first theory upon discovery was that the gruesome murder was somehow connected to drugs. However, a witness soon came forward to say that they had witnessed a woman esti...

It’s a sad fact that there is a clear pattern when it comes to the media. Too often, they more intensively cover the disappearances or abductions of young white women, even more so if they are in the upper middle class or of a higher social status. But crime does not discriminate. Anybody can become a victim, regardless of race, wealth or social status. When 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes disappeared...

For any parent – no matter the age of their child – one of the worst things that they can experience is their child going missing. The not knowing is arguably more traumatizing than knowing that they aren’t coming home. It’s an open wound, so to speak, that never really heals. One minute, they could feel a glimmer of hope but then within an instant, that hope can evaporate and its place, they coul...

Over the past decade and a half, the rise of smartphones and social media has combined, making it all too easy for teenagers to live their lives online. Understandably, many parents worry about what takes place behind the veil of secrecy of the internet. Many wonder if their children are being bullied or talking to people that they shouldn’t be. In Surrey in 2014, the case of Breck Bednar was a ch...

In Augusta, Maine, in 2001, a little girl was found dead in a turned over high-chair in the unfinished basement of her foster home. Nothing reveals more about a society than the welfare of its own children and the death led to public outrage, legislative hearings, and changes in the way Maine cares for its most vulnerable children. The case became a chilling reminder that it’s a misconception that...

Children are among the most vulnerable members within our community and great lengths are taken to protect them at all costs. Adults – especially parents – have a responsibility to protect youngsters and it’s one that isn’t taken lightly. The schoolyard is patrolled by teachers, at the playground, parents watch like hawks, and tiny hands are grasped tightly while out in public. There are also soci...

Bend is a picturesque former lumber town at the foot of the Cascade Range in Oregon. Over the years, the population of Bend has risen exponentially. People are drawn to the area by its warm climate, its hiking, skiing, fishing, and cycling opportunities as well as its breweries. But in summer of 2016, a string of crimes sent shock waves throughout the town. Even more shocking was that when the per...

It was around 1:40AM on the 28th of November, 2001, when firefighters in Chester, South Carolina, were alerted to a fire in a home on Slick Rock Road. When they arrived on the scene, they initially, believed that the home was empty. However, after extinguishing the flames, they found the bodies of 66-year-old Joe Pittman and his wife, 62-year-old Joy, in their bed on the second floor. They were in...

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. What they found inside traumatized even the most seasoned officers, so much so, that a stress team needed to be called in for specialized couns...

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 as the Pet Man. PANDIA...

The purpose of the police is to protect and serve but what happens when a failure on their behalf leads to the death of a young woman? Well in Gateshead, Newcastle, in 2016, this is exactly what happened. 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 campa...

The two most common early signs of domestic violence are jealousy and controlling behaviour. 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. Domestic violence comes on not like a tsunami but as a steady wave, said Kit Gruelle, a survivor of domestic violence. Too often, many...