In a mystery that has captured national attention, Washington father Travis Decker picked up his three young daughters on May 30 for a "planned visitation," and never came back. The three girls -- Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5 -- were found dead near a Washington state campground on June 2. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the case that has one of the most shocking crime scenes of all time.  Professor Morgan explains the forensic evidence left behind inside the bags and the bloody handprint on the truck.  As of today, Travis Decker is still on the run, the lone suspect in the murder of his three little girls. Officials say anyone who sees Decker or knows of his whereabouts should call 911. 

Transcribe Highlights
00:00.88 Introduction 

02:06.17 The Murder of the Decker Sisters

05:11.48 Decker picked up his girls for visitation

10:08.63 Help is a two-way street

15:08.46 Search for Decker began June 2nd

20:04.96 Bloody handprint on tailgate of truck 

24:56.48 Bags don't breathe

30:55.64 Passive Homicide

34:47.96 Decker has a decent level of training

40:04.66 Decker DNA found on the bags

45:24.15 Eric Robert Rudolph

49:27.37 Conclusion

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The recent release of police bodycam footage from Moscow, Idaho and the interview with Dylan Mortensen answers a lot of questions for those who have followed the case. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the latest information on the case including the FBI doing something they publicly said they would never do, and how Othram helped put the monster away for the rest of his life.

Transcribe Highlights 
00:00.05 Introduction 

01:12.31 Show recorded on August 22, 2025

02:05.82 Discussion about DNA

05:01.99 Kohberger drove around house multiple times 

09:51.40 Relating to the families involved 

15:06.47 Scream "someone" is in house, mistakes Xana for Kaylee

20:00.77 Sounds made on staircase

25:13.04 DNA Scientist

30:09.48 FBI inserts the agency into the case

35:28.67 Genetic Genealogy is a game changer

42:01.94 Conclusion

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August 12, 2025, Los Angeles Investigators take a missing person report for 33-year-old wife and mother, Sheylla Cabrera. The next day Detectives locate security footage showing Sheylla's husband, Jossimar Cabrera, dragging a "large object" wrapped in material from their apartment complex. Sheylla's body is found the day after she is reported missing wrapped in a sheet/blanket and tossed down an embankment in the Angeles National Forest. When police try to meet with Jossimar Cabrera to notify him they found his wife, deceased, they discover he has packed up their three children and headed for Peru. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the case and what type of evidence investigators will find inside the wrapping around the deceased mother of three, their now empty apartment and what type of digital forensic evidence might come into play. 

Transcribe Highlights 

00:00.00 Introduction - Sheylla Cabrera 

03:33.49 Los Angeles County is huge

05:16.89 TMZ: Thirty Mile Zone 

09:30.53 Suspect possibly caught dragging wife in a bag

10:37.54 Dave Talks about Movie he was in where he drug a body

14:31.19 Dead body is really "dead weight"

19:05.83 Body of Sheylla found one day after being reported missing

23:40.11 Cabrera flees before body found

28:50.65 Sheylla filed dv charge in Peru

34:10.07 Sheet will have evidence 

38:17.06 Isolated in LA

39:57.35 Conclusion 

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Martha Nolan O'Slattarra is a business woman on the rise in the fashion world who turns up dead on a yacht in one of the richest places in the USA, Montauk in the Hamptons, New York. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the  case and what is known as of this taping but with an update coming when final toxicology results are available. 

Transcribe Highlights
00:00.00 Introduction 

01:17.03 The song is Ripple by the Dead

04:03.73 Woman found dead on yacht

09:08.94 Finder on dock nude

14:49.84 Without obvious injury, what do you look at first?

20:43.73 Finder invested in Martha Nolan

25:34.83 The only source for info is naked guy

30:00.31 People don't snort drugs from a seat

35:11.76 Chris Durnan bit firefighter

40:24.01 Multiple agencies working the case

42:01.53 Conclusion

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Forensic Odontology is much more than just "bite mark" evidence. It is an incredible science that helps identify people and provide answers to families. That said, most people hear Forensic Odontology think "Bite Mark".  "Bite Mark" evidence has been used in many criminal cases over several decades, until science started showing it might not be as conclusive as once thought.  Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack talk about Ted Bundy leaving a bite mark on Lisa Levy's buttocks that later served to help convict and sentence him to death as well as other crimes solved and people sentenced to death using "bite mark" evidence that turned out to be something other than a bite mark. 

Transcribe Highlights
00:03.55 Introduction  

00:50.52 Forensic Odontologist

04:31.54 Wear pattern of teeth 

09:01.90 Did Kohberger study forensic odontology

14:02.90 Teeth biting sadists

20:09.39 Identifying people in a plane crash 1982

24:52.28 using saw to pop the roof of the mouth and remove teeth

30:11.52 Biting an apple

34:23.79 Girl stolen from home while mom folds clothes

39:13.61 Bite marks as a science

44:24.65 Bite mark out of a hickey

46:17.22 Conclusion

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Joseph Scott Morgan gives a master class on Crime Scene Body Examination and Assessment. Professor Morgan offers insight from being on the scene and what is truly important and what needs to be done to insure justice prevails for the person who can no longer speak for themselves. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack also discuss the shocking truth of what happened at the scene of two of the most high profile crimes of the last 50 years; Trayvon Martin and Jodi Arias victim, Travis Alexander. 

Transcribe Highlights
00:00.84 Introduction - Crime Scene

03:10.57 There is only one first time 

05:39.41 Every site, every time

09:57.20 Different levels of comfort

15:07.57 First thing, make sure person is dead

19:37.93 Cold from a dead body

25:08.37 Suicide victim wasn't dead

30:31.89 Homicide detectives moving up 

35:23.28 Everyone is watching 

40:06.88 Want to transport body as if it were still at the scene

45:15.73 Trayvon Martin Autopsy report

50:07.39 Body needs to be examined at scene

52:15.60 Conclusion

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Human remains were found scattered on a Georgia Hunting club property in November 2022. The remains were found in a three-mile area covering two counties, and investigators reached out to the public for help.

Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss the case that was investigated by multiple agencies, including the GBI and the FBI. They explain how the agencies came to identify the scattered remains as those of Mindi Mebane Kassotis, the wife of Nicholas Kassotis a former member of the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps (JAG).

 Kassotis is on trial right now for several charges, including murder and removal of body parts from the scene of death or dismemberment.

Transcribe Highlights

00:00.00 Introduction

03:33.49 No sympathy for those who should know better

04:59.21 Body Parts found in hunting club

09:30.53 Jeffrey MacDonald Article 32 Hearing 

15:11.73 Sketch Image of victim was amazing

20:10.93 DNA is great if you have a sample in the system

24:58.72 Genetic genealogy 

30:52.17 Tissue on skeleton

35:27.14 Dismemberment

39:22.78 May never know how she was killed 

41:12.21 Conclusion 

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Clinton and Cristen Brink have recently moved to Arkansas with their daughters and decide to go for a hike in Devils Den State Park.

Without warning, the family is ambushed on a hiking trail by a man with a knife. 43-year-old Clinton fights with the man as 41-year-old Cristen runs with their daughters, 9-year-old Arianna and 7-year-old Christina, until they are a safe distance away from where the attack is taking place.

Cristen tells the girls to run towards where they parked their car and get help. Cristen then returns to help her husband. The girls do as they are told, and some hikers in the park find them and take them to the entrance to the park to tell a ranger what happened.

Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack discuss this shocking case and break down the forensic evidence that is used to identify the suspect, Andrew McGann, and what evidence directly ties him to the crime.

Transcript Highlights

00:01.22 Introduction 

00:33.99 Haircuts with Pa-Paw

05:05.82 Multiple agency's involved

06:09.21 Two girls trying to find help

10:36.34 Mom gets girls to safety

14:54.34 Suspect gets out of park 

18:58.82 Understanding the crime scene

24:00.80 Knife is painful way to die

29:12.39 Tracking suspect

34:14.21 Blood didn't match victims

39:26.36 Injuries on hand of suspect

44:27.28 Suspect Andrew McGann 

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Erin Patterson went hunting for special mushrooms, Death Cap Mushrooms. She needed them for a very special meal she was preparing for her soon to be ex-in-laws. Her husband Simon was invited to be at the dinner with his parents and extended family but Simon decided not to be present. He had gotten sick too many times before when he wasn't able to watch his wife, Erin, prepare the food they ate. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack are covering this story, again, because there is finally a conclusion to the case. Was Erin Patterson wrongly accused of trying to kill her husband and his family with Beef Wellington and mushrooms, or was she using this very special dish as a weapon for murder? 

Transcribe Highlights 

00:04.45 Introduction - Favorite meals 

02:11.60 Beef Wellington used for murder

07:17.61 Toxic Mushroom - Death Cap Mushroom

11:10.88 What was to goal?

15:39.31 Patterson picked deadly mushrooms on purpose

20:03.78 Family members die, one needs liver transplant

25:35.37 Husband, Simon, nearly died multiple times

30:05.28 Symptoms are the same, food is different

35:17.86 Doctor friend tells victim to keep food journal

40:19.74 Could not solve the problem

45:11.15 Children will be scarred
conclusion 

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The FBI's investigation into James Knott's Kentucky home reveals a shocking discovery: 40 human skulls, femurs, hip bones, and spinal cords used as decorations. In response to this disturbing find, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack delve deep into the complex and unsettling world of how human remains are treated, examining the blurred boundaries between respect and violation. Through personal stories, including that of a mortician's questionable actions and a chilling account of James Knott's home adorned with human skulls, the duo grapples with society's morbid fascinations. Additionally, they explore historical figures like William Burke and contemporary controversies surrounding Harvard Medical School. The episode culminates in a somber reflection on the trade of human trophies in our digital age, and discussion of ethical dilemmas surrounding these issues, prompting us to question our society's values and the importance of respecting the dignity of the deceased.

Time-codes:

[00:00:20] - Joseph Scott Morgan gives an overview of his experience as a death investigator, introducing the episode's story about a man who worked for a prestigious institution and drove a car with vanity plate hinting at death

[00:04:00] - Joe Scott narrates a shocking tale of a mortician's twisted expression of love, and argues that the dead are the most defenseless and that those in the mortuary industry should honor the dead.

[00:06:20] - Dave Mack introduces the story of James Knott, a man in Kentucky whose home was raided by the FBI, leading to the discovery of 40 human skulls and other bones used as decorations.

[00:07:44] - Insight into the intricate and complex process of dissecting human brains and spinal cords is shared.

[00:10:13] - Joe's passion for history and architecture leads to a discussion on ossuaries in Portugal and Milan, Italy.

[00:13:00] - Joe recounts the chilling response of James Knott to FBI agents during a warrant execution and raises questions about Knott's motives and activities, speculating on the possibility of him being a necrophile, grave robber, serial killer, or trafficker in human remains.

[00:15:20] - A Harvard medical school bag's discovery thickens the plot around Knott.

[00:16:37] - Dave probes the enigma of preparing human remains for display, including cleaning and sourcing the remains. 

[00:19:40] - How can one acquire so many skulls? Joe presents his theories and also discusses methods of cleaning bones, including using bleach or a heating process.

 [00:23:20] - Joseph Scott Morgan delves into the history of William Burke and William Hare, two serial killers known for selling bodies for medical dissections, and explains the prohibition against human dissections in medical schools during that period, leading to a market for human remains.

[00:25:37] - The debate steers towards the legality and ethics of anatomical gifts, and the trust issues surrounding anatomical donations. Harvard Medical School's involvement in this case raises questions.

00:27:12] Morgan explains how certain individuals, including Cecil Lodge, former head of the Harvard Medical School Anatomical Gift Program, allegedly brokered human remains.

[00:28:06] - A step-by-step journey through the body dissection process in medical schools.

[00:29:38] - The morbid market of body parts as "souvenirs" is put under the spotlight. Dave highlights the modern-day horror of trading human trophies on social media.

[00:32:00] - Joe Scott contemplates the future repercussions of the episode's revelations on industry regulations.

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