When Indianapolis police responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive child on April 9, 2024, they couldn’t have guessed the horrific circumstances of the victim’s life and death. 5-year-old Kinsleigh Welty, who weighed only 21 pounds, was clearly malnourished. She had a bruise on her face and fecal matter on her body and matted into her hair, which was crawling with lice. Kinsleigh was pronounced dead at Riley Hospital for Children the same day. This is the story of yet another child failed...

In Episode 102, I told you the story of two-year-old Fallon Fridley, a precious little girl in Georgia whose babysitter, a close family friend, tortured and killed her in December 2020. The attack was caught on the babysitter’s in-home video surveillance system, and police found incriminating search terms on Kirstie Flood’s phone, such as “What does it mean to have a sudden urge to beat a child that’s not yours?” Today, I have several updates for you in Fallon’s case, including plea deals,...

*This minisode, formerly available only to Patreon subscribers, was originally released on May 27, 2021. Since I'm no longer creating these, I thought I'd release them once in a while for all my listeners to enjoy. I apologize for talking so fast back then!* An adorable two-year-old boy described by loved ones as a “cheeky monkey” is dead, murdered just days after his second birthday, and his older sisters are left wondering why their beloved baby brother never came home. This is a tragic...

The National Children's Alliance (or NCA) is a Washington, D.C.-based network of almost 1,000 Children’s Advocacy Centers (or CACs) across the United States. These centers offer crucial services to children affected by abuse, providing them with a safe space to share their stories and access a diverse team of professionals, from health practitioners to law enforcement. CACs have trained nearly 1.6 million people in child abuse prevention, and last year alone, CACs served over 380,000...

(Today would be Cali's 12th birthday, so I'm re-releasing this episode in her honor.) On May 15, 2018, police responded to a self-storage facility in Sacramento, California, where, in one of the storage units, sat a box containing a blue plastic barrel, inside which was a duffel bag. In that bag were the remains of a small child who appeared to have been dead for at least two weeks. Police tracked down the couple who left the box in the storage unit, Tyler and Averyauna Anderson of Reno,...

When Vayda Vasquez was a month away from turning two, her custodial maternal grandma trusted her overnight with a long-time family friend, Kellie Barthel. The following morning, after several 911 calls from Kellie’s residence in Stanton, Michigan, police responded and found little Vayda unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene. This is the story of a sweet, happy little girl who loved dancing, “Baby Shark,” and listening to her mommy sing. It’s also the story of a woman who valued...

On the evening of May 5, 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—went missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The next day, in a nearby wooded area, the boys were found brutally murdered, bound, and submerged in a drainage ditch. The horrific nature of the crime shocked the community, and police quickly arrested three local teenagers—Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley—based on a coerced false confession, no solid evidence, and Satanic...

Over the past two episodes, I told you the story of non-verbal, autistic 13-year-old Jonathan Carey, who was smothered to death in 2007. His killer was a care worker from a facility for people with developmental disabilities. How could something like this happen? In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Jonathan’s father, Michael Carey, who has spent the last 17 years pushing for a massive overhaul of New York State’s mental health system as well as legislature to help protect...

In the last episode, I told you the story of Jonathan Carey, a non-verbal, autistic boy whose parents had no choice but to send him to a second residential program after he suffered abuse and torture at the first one he attended. At age 13, Jonathan was restrained and suffocated to death by Developmental Aide Edwin Tirado. In this episode, I’ll continue Jonathan’s story where I left off, and I’ll tell you about the Careys’ continued fight to change the system that tragically took their son...

(Laine here! This is part 2/2 of a collab I participated in. I hope you'll give it a listen!) Welcome to Hot Pursuit, a summer true-crime collaboration, where we dive deep into the world of true crime. We’ve gathered many incredible true-crime podcasters to bring you a multi-part series that’s all about the heat of the chase. We'll explore cases where justice was relentlessly pursued, delve into crimes that occurred during the scorching summer months, and highlight cold cases that...

(Laine here! This is a collab I participated in. I hope you'll give it a listen!) Welcome to Hot Pursuit, a summer true-crime collaboration, where we dive deep into the world of true crime. We’ve gathered many incredible true-crime podcasters to bring you a multi-part series that’s all about the heat of the chase. We'll explore cases where justice was relentlessly pursued, delve into crimes that occurred during the scorching summer months, and highlight cold cases that desperately need some...

Jonathan Carey was autistic and nonverbal. Because he needed more care than they could provide in their home, when Jonathan was nine, his parents sent him to a highly recommended residential program at the Anderson School in Staatsburg, New York, where young Jonathan was starved, isolated, and physically abused. Due to the PTSD Jonathan suffered from the abuse, he had difficulties at home, and the Careys had no choice but to find another residential placement for him.  In 2005, Jonathan...

In 2003, an East Texas couple adopted three young Russian children. Over the years, there were countless red flags for child abuse, especially against the oldest child, Alexey, who began running away when he was 12. He ended up on the doorstep of the Roosevelt House, an emergency shelter, assessment center, and residential care facility for children removed from abusive situations, usually by CPS. The home’s founder, Diane Black, had no idea that her battle to save Alexey and his sisters,...

For this episode, I had the privilege of talking to forensic psychologists Dr. Shiloh and Dr. Scott, the hosts of the L.A. Not So Confidential podcast. With years of expertise under their belts, the doctors had plenty of insight for us into the topic of child abuse, why it happens, and much more.  This is Episode 175: The Psychology of Child Abuse (with L.A. Not So Confidential). Center cover photo by luis arias on Unsplash. Doctors’ photos from L.A.Not So Confidential podcast...

Last week, I told you the story of two-year-old Macy Grace Ditty, who arrived at the hospital in Fayetteville, North Carolina on December 2, 2015, covered in bruises. Macy’s mother, Jeanie Ditty, went to trial for murder, but that ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury, and now, over eight years after Macy’s death, justice still hasn’t been served. In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Michelle Smith, Macy Grace’s great-aunt, who runs the Justice for Macy Facebook page and...

On December 2, 2015, 23-year-old U.S. Army specialist Jeanie Ditty called 911 and calmly requested an ambulance for her two-year-old daughter, Macy Grace, who she said had thrown up in her sleep and aspirated. As soon as Macy Grace arrived at the hospital, medical staff took one look at the bruises covering her from head to toe and called the Fayetteville Police, reporting probable child abuse. Tragically, Macy died two days later. This is the story of a young mother with a very slippery...

Three years ago, in episode 69, I told you the story of six-year-old Corey Micciolo, whose mother fought for months to save her son from his abusive father. Despite her pleas to New Jersey’s Division of Child Protection and Permanency and the family court system, Christopher Gregor retained primary custody of Corey. On March 20, 2021, surveillance cameras in the gym at Christopher’s apartment complex captured horrific footage of Christopher forcing Corey to run on a treadmill, causing him to...

Over the last two episodes, I’ve told you the story of three-year-old Arabella Parker, who died in November 2019 after severe abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, Jahrid Burgess.  For this episode, I was honored to speak with three people close to Arabella’s case. First, you’ll hear my recent conversation with the Sunbury Daily Item’s crime reporter, Francis Scarcella, who followed Arabella’s story from the very beginning. Then, you’ll hear me talk with two of Arabella’s maternal...

In episodes 35 and 36, back in late 2020, I told you the story of 9-month-old Jacob Landin, a tiny boy with a big laugh and an even bigger personality. Jacob died in April 1987 from a severe traumatic brain injury. When the injury occurred, he was in the care of his mom’s boyfriend, Steven Chavez, who told several different stories to Brenda Landin, medical professionals, and investigators. Despite being the only suspect, failing a polygraph, and reportedly confessing to police, Steven was...

In the last episode, I told you the first part of the story of three-year-old Arabella Parker, who was rushed to the hospital on October 10, 2019, reportedly suffering from a seizure. Because medical staff wasn’t told that the seizure resulted from severe head trauma, the damage was irreparable, and Arabella died on November 22, 2019. In this episode, I’ll take you through the hearings and the trials of the three people accused of allowing, causing, or covering up the reason for Arabella’s...

Four years ago, in episodes 16 and 17, I told you the tragic story of 3-year-old Arabella Parker. Because that was so early in my podcasting journey, I’m not satisfied with my coverage of her story, so I’m revisiting it in an all-new, comprehensive re-telling as I’ve never told it before: with the help of her family and others.  On October 10, 2019, Arabella reportedly suffered a seizure at her home in Trevorton, Pennsylvania. At the hospital, doctors immediately suspected child abuse based...

(This episode was originally released in April 2022.) On the morning of Wednesday, March 18, 2020, police in Bakersfield, California responded to an apartment on a report of an eight-year-old child not breathing. Although Ger’Mya Alexander was rushed to the hospital, she died of her injuries the same day. Her mother’s boyfriend, 37-year-old Clint Mason, who had been caring for Ger’Mya when she was fatally injured, fled on foot and was apprehended the next morning.  This is the story of a...

In episodes 87 and 88, I told you the story of four-year-old Judah Morgan. Judah lived for most of his life in a foster care kinship placement with the family of his second cousin, Jenna Hullett. In April of 2021, Judah was returned to his biological parents, Alan Morgan and Mary Yoder, despite multiple red flags and warnings to DCS. Six months later, Alan and Mary were arrested for Judah’s brutal murder. In this episode, you’ll hear multiple updates to Judah’s story in my most recent...

On this podcast, I’ve told you the stories of many children whose deaths came at the hands of parents or guardians after extended periods of what can only be described as torture. Intra-familial child torture is a disturbingly common occurrence, and it has a 36% fatality rate for the children affected. In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with childhood torture survivor and advocate Ali Davis. Ali survived 19 years of torture at the hands of one of her parents. Her experience led her...