Morbidology

It was morning rush hour in Melbourne, Australia, on the 29th of January, 2009. Commuters were slowly moving in traffic along the West Gate Bridge when a white Toyota Land Cruiser heading towards the city slowed down in the left-hand land before finally coming to a halt. The driver exited his vehicle, opened the rear passenger door, and lifted out a small child. What happened next was so horrific...

The provocation defence is an outdated and inappropriate defence which allows killers to claim that their victim had provoked them to commit murder. If successful in such a defence, a killer can be convicted of manslaughter as opposed to murder. Essentially, it rewards lack of self-control by enabling an intentional killing to be categorized as something other than murder. In New Zealand in 2008,...

In summer of 2013, Joy Blodgett arrived home from work for lunch to find that her teenage daughter was still seemingly asleep in her bedroom. However, when she approached her daughter, it soon became apparent that she was deceased. Fear engulfed the community of Hartford, Wisconsin, but the investigation would reveal that somebody close to the family had been harboring dark and disturbing fantasie...

Roswell is a city in north Fulton County, Georgia. It is the home of around 95,000 residents. Despite the fact that it’s a relatively large city, it still has a quaint feel to it. Canton Street in downtown Roswell is always teeming with shoppers or those stopping for a bite to eat with friends. Each year, they hold a Memorial Day celebration; people from all across the state flock to join in on th...

It was early March of 2006 when a 12-year-old boy came forward to police in Winnipeg, Canada, to reveal a disturbing secret. He informed police that his 5-year-old stepsister had been systematically abused and then murdered the year beforehand and then secretly buried. An investigation into his claims would reveal many systemic failures in the system entrusted to protect children. If you would lik...

It was the 15th of April, 2016, when police in Spalding, Lincolnshire, knocked on the front door of a semi-detached home on Dawson Avenue. It was the home of 49-year-old Elizabeth Edwards and her two daughters, 13-year-old Katie and 14-year-old Kim. Police were there after receiving a report that Katie and Kim had been absent from school. After receiving no response, police would break down the do...

It was a pleasant autumn morning in Haddon Township, New Jersey, on 13 October, 2015. The homes along the tree-lined streets of Cooper Street and Virginia Avenue were all decorated in preparation of Halloween. That morning, however, residents awoke to police canvassing the streets and a helicopter hovering overhead. Unbeknownst to the locals, something terrible had transpired in their quiet commun...

CrimeConversations is a brand new true crime podcast brought to you by CrimeCon UK. In the lead up to CrimeCon UK in London, Crimecon UK are bringing two true crime podcasts together to find out more about their fascination with true crime. Each episode will explore subjects such as how they got involved in true crime, the cases that have stuck in their mind and the process behind their podcast. I...

Jaliek Rainwalker was born to a cocaine-addicted, alcoholic mother. He had been moved from pillar to post throughout his childhood, having been in seven foster and adoptive homes. Jaliek seemingly landed on his feet when he was adopted by a couple who had fostered him for two years. However, when Jaliek was 12-years-old, he inexplicably vanished under suspicious circumstances. If you would like to...

True Love, Truer Crimes dives into the stories of the world's most notorious criminal couples. From sleeping in a coffin together to cooking their victims for dinner, hear all about who these people were before they met, their romance, crime spree, and how their fateful love story ended. Listen and subscribe across all podcast platforms! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com...

Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, which lies along Kempenfelt Bay, an arm of Lake Simcoe, around 55 miles north of the bright lights of Toronto. It’s known as a vibrant commuter town and at one point had even been one of the fastest growing cities in all of Canada. In autumn of 1993, the residents of Barrie would be rocked by a brutal string of murders that would disturb even the most s...

In September of 2009, police in North Naples, Florida, conducted a welfare check on the Damas family after they hadn’t been seen for several days. When police entered the home, they immediately noticed blood pooling in front of a closed door underneath the stairs. They would be met by a particularly gruesome scene which spanned several rooms in the home. The grim discovery would be referred to as...

The purpose of the police is to protect and serve. I imagine if you were being attacked, you would call 911 under the assumption that they would send somebody to protect you. However, in Dallas, Texas, in 2012, a woman called police for assistance. Her desperation and fear were audible as she screamed for her life. It took over 50 minutes for officers to respond to the scene and even then, they si...

Dalton Township is a civil township of Muskegon County. It’s the home of around 8,000 residents and is around 40 miles northwest of the hustle and bustle of Grand Rapids. It was a pleasant summer evening in 2014 when police were alerted to what was initially believed to be a tragic hit-and-run. However, upon closer inspection, it soon became apparent that this certainly wasn’t a hit-and-run. SPONS...

North Shore is a picturesque area on the coast of Sydney in Australia. It is dotted with intimate villages and is worlds away from the hustle and bustle of city life. In 2013, a well-known and well-liked man from North Shore was the victim of a vicious attack. In trying to uncover what had happened to him, a media frenzy focused on his private life, posting lurid story after lurid story about the...

Wellington, Ohio, is a quaint village around 40 miles south-west of Cleveland surrounded by rolling fields. In 2007, it was the scene of a grisly crime that would cause irreversible damage to a well-known and well-loved family and in the aftermath, would reignite the debate over teenagers and violent videogames. SPONSORS - UNIDRAGON: Thank you to Unidragon for sponsoring this episode! Get premium...

It was July of 2004 when 21-year-old student, Leigh Matthews, vanished while walking to the parking lot at Bond South Africa University. Before it was even noticed that she was missing, her parents received a very disturbing phone call from somebody claiming that they were holding Leigh hostage and that they had one demand: money. SPONSORS - STEREO APP: Thank you to Stereo App for sponsoring this...

It was a cold winter morning in Cleveland, Ohio, when a teenage girl vanished after getting on a public transit bus to take her to school. Her parents didn’t learn she was missing until later on that afternoon. Her disappearance sparked a massive search and would lead to calls for safer streets and for new legislation when it comes to schools reporting children as absent. It would also lead many p...

Between 1974 and 1975, San Francisco was terrorized by a serial killer known as The Doodler. The untold story of this serial killer has now been turned into a new documentary podcast from Ugly Duckling Films. Subscribe to The Doodler on Apple Podcasts or wherever else you're listening! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support .

In 1990, a young woman was knocked off her bicycle by a man driving a truck along a lonely Ohio country road. The man attempted to abduct the woman but miraculously, she escaped and flagged down a passing motorist. Almost three decades later, an eerily similar attack would occur along another lonely Ohio country road. This time, however, the young woman wouldn’t be as lucky. SPONSORS - BEST FIENDS...

Wairarapa is a small town in New Zealand, which shows its true beauty in spring. Daffodils are dotted throughout the area which is backdropped by the snowy Tararua Ranges. In 2003, a little girl never showed up to class one morning and the community truly bounded together to try and bring her home safely. Her disappearance would reveal a dark underbelly of the town as well as highlight many system...

Aspen is a ski-resort town located 13,000 feet up the Rocky Mountains. At one point in time, it was a silver mining town but now, it is a magnet for the wealthy. Nestled among a picturesque mountain and lakes, the average home price in Aspen is around $5 million with at least 50 billionaires owning a home here. In the 1970s and 1980s, Aspen had a reputation for cocaine-fuelled excess but since the...

New Mexico ranks among the worst states in the United States for child abuse deaths, with more than three per 100,000 children. From 2001 to 2016, more than 22 children in New Mexico ranging from 5 weeks old to 11-years-old have been killed as the result of physical and sexual abuse. While these statistics are extremely alarming, critics say that the numbers are severely underestimated. Among the...

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, what went on behind those closed doors would traumatize even the most seasoned detectives....

In 2003, Diana and Robin Garbutt moved to the picture postcard village of Melsonby, North Yorkshire, which is located in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. They were attracted to the area by the tranquility of the area. There was very little other than rolling fields, a pub, a post office and village store and a stream meandering through the centre. However, in 2010, their idyll was abruptly shatte...