When Phillip Chism, 14, doesn't come home from school, his mother calls the police to report him missing.
As the town begins to look for the 9th grader, word spreads around town that a 24-year-old teacher, Colleen Ritzer, is also missing. Chism is found walking along a road just after midnight. After a quick search of his backpack,  he is arrested.
Later in the morning, Colleen Ritzer's body is found on school grounds, sexually positioned with a folded note next to her body that says, "I hate you all."
Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the story of the student from Tennessee and the horrifying final moments in the life of Colleen Ritzer.
 
Transcription Highlights 
00:01:00 Introduction of location, suspect, and victim 
00:02:53 Suspect is student, 14, victim is a teacher 
00:04:04 Discussion of suspect family 
00:08:22 Talk about motive and possible “trigger” 
00:11:49 Discussion of why victim went to public bathroom 
00:15:28 Discussion of witness and surveillance video 
00:19:07 Talk about investigation, pinging cell phones 
00:21:47 Discussion of suspect on surveillance video  
00:27:25 Talk about body being covered  
00:30:36 Breaking down the evidence 
00:34:35 Discussion of sentence  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At The Hands of The Student: The Murder of Colleen Ritzer

Join Joseph Scott Morgan every week as he explores a world that not many have had a chance to visit, the realm of death. Jo Scott will lead listeners on a journey through the blood soaked death scenes of America and then into the autopsy room to fully understand the science behind each case. Jo Scott is one America’s leading experts on applied forensics and is regularly featured on ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’, ‘The Piketon Massacre’, Court TV and more.

Theme Music: Audio Network

True crime

Dr. Werner Spitz is a man who spent his lifetime looking straight into the soul of man and looking death in the eye. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan gives a heartfelt tribute to a mentor he never met, a teacher that never gave him a test but one whose approval was sought in every written word and study as a death investigator. Dr. Werner Spitz passed away at the age of 97 on April 14, 2024, and this show is a special tribute to a man that actually did write the book of his profession, "Spitz and Fisher's Medicolegal Investigation of Death; Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Transcribe Highlights
00:33.95 Introduction to the life of Werner Spitz
05:59.93 Discussion of Spitz impact on forensic pathologists
09:53.32 Discussion of fleeing Nazi Germany
13:51.43 Talk about being the lone voice of truth that you see
17:35.73 Discussion of Mary Jo Kopechne
24:16.10 Discussion of Spitz being called into high profile situations
28:15.52 Talk about examination using photographs
31:38.41 Discussion of not being afraid to take on cases others wouldn't
36:52.60 Talk about paying for an opinion
37:01.94 Conclusion Those who fail to remember history, are doomed to repeat it See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Werner Spitz, The Original Medical Detective, a Body Bags Tribute

The double homicide of Russell and Shirley Dermond rocked their gated community along Lake Oconee in Georgia.. The decapitated body of 88-year-old Russell Dermond was found in the garage and his wife of 68 years,  87-year Shirley Dermond was found in Lake Oconee weighted down with cinder blocks, 10 days after Russell's body was found.  On this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, you will learn about the evidence investigators found at the crime scene as well as what can be learned from a body that may have been in a lake for 10 days. The double homicide has gone unsolved for 10 years and the head of Russell Dermond has never been found.  How was this elderly couple, married 68 years, murdered and why?
 
 
 
Transcript Highlights 
00:00:08 Introduction about murders 
00:05:00 Discussion about neighbor checking on Dermond’s 
00:09:34 Talk about unsolved murders, 10 years 
00:14:04 Discussion about Shirley Dermond body found in lake 
00:19:05 Discussion of Russell Dermond head, it’s missing 
00:23:51 Discussion about Shirley was weighted down 
00:28:08 Talk after 10 years, case still unsolved 
00:31:39 Discussion of lack of blood at scene 
00:34:52 Talk about how head was removed 
00:37:57 Talk about DNA evidence 
00:40:28 Conclusion: After a decade, new evidence might solve the case  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unsolved Double Homicide: Married 68 Years, Who Killed Russell and Shirley

Was 7-year-old JJ Vallow alive when he was buried? Was 16-year-old Tylee Ryan dismembered before her remains were burned? What does the autopsy say about the death of Tammy Daybell? On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain the forensics of all 3 victims and Dave Mack will fill in the background on the story of what really happened to JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and Tammy Daybell 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Transcript Highlights 
00:00:08 Introduction, loving arms that didn’t hold JJ and Tylee 
00:04:21 Discussion of the deaths, JJ, Tylee, and Tammy Daybell 
00:07:54 Discussion of bodies buried near one another 
00:11:19 Discussion of death of Tammy Daybell  
00:14:57 Explaining asphyxia 
00:18:45 Talk about access and opportunity 
00:22:58 Discussion of Dr Warren on witness stand 
00:26:02 Discussion of Bones being scattered, broken up while burning 
00:29:07 Talk about JJ Vallow trying to pull bag off his head 
00:30:47 Conclusion: Justice, whatever that means, is coming. 
Justice, whatever that means, is coming and there is a reckoning coming. 
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Death Of Innocence: Was JJ Vallow, 7, Buried Alive?  Was Tylee Ryan Dismembered?

At least 12 bodies have been pulled from "Lady Bird Lake" in Austin, Texas in the last 22 months. Some can be explained as deaths that happen on or near a lake, but not all. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan will break down the difference between a regular death in a lake and a possible serial killer, while Dave Mack breaks down the stories behind the victims. 
 
 
 
Transcript Highlights
00:16.18 Introduction about water and murder
03:37.66 Discussion does Austin have a serial killer?
08:13.12 Discussion what does "serial killer" do to an area
13:22.11 Talk about other serial killers, were they really caught
17:54.47 Talk about witnessing a death on the water
22:03.17 Discussion of toxicology
27:53.13 Discussion of victims
32:38.32 Talk about water as a dumping ground
36:26.16 Discussion of decomposition in water
40:04.57 Talk about water flow
47:42.83 Discussion about rumors over fact
Conclusion See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Dead Bodies in 22 Months: Does Austin Have A Serial Killer?

Mother of five,  Crystal Rogers is last seen July 3 by her live-in boyfriend, Brooks Houck. Crystal Rogers mother, Sherry Ballard, reports her missing on July 5. Later that day, Crystal Rogers red Chevy Malibu is found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway. The car has a flat tire, but Rogers' keys, phone and purse are still inside. 16-months later, Crystal Rogers is still missing and her father, Sherry Ballard's husband, Tommy Ballard, is murdered in the early morning hours as he prepares to go hunting on his own property with his 12-year-old grandson.
Ballard is shot from an undetermined distance, but his property backs up against the Bluegrass Parkway. It's a fast getaway in either direction for a gunman. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack explore the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and the murder of her dad, Tommy Ballard.  Plus, Joseph Scott Morgan  explains how prosecutors can prove Crystal Rogers was murdered,  even though they haven't found her body.
 
 
 
Transcribe Highlights
00:12.12 Introduction of growing up with PaPaw Morgan
03:34.36 Discuss Crystal Rogers missing, her father Tommy Ballard murdered
06:15.27 Discussion of Bardstown Kentucky 
07:46.82 Discussion of why Brooks Houck didn't report Rogers missing
08:13.81 Talk about Crystal Rogers car found on Bluegrass parkway
15:45.34 Talk Rogers car found with flat tire, she is still missing
18:16.83 Discussion of Brooks Houck, suspect, brother is police officer
21:13.58 Discussion of police letting Houck talk to his brother on phone
26:27.16 Talk about tracking dogs pick up Crystal Rogers scent at farm, but not at her car
31:09.10. Discussion 16 months after Crystal Rogers vanishes, her dad, Tommy Ballard killed
34:36.43 Discussion of how bullet twists the skin
39:02.99 Discussion of Tommy Ballard hunting, murdered on his own property
40:52.53 Discussion of murder charges without a body
43:45.73 Conclusion - waiting for trial 
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At The Hands of The Student: The Murder of Colleen Ritzer

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