When gregarious, 19-year-old Chad set off from his rural home in the Pacific Northwest to find his future in Phoenix no one could have predicted the deadly outcome. Missing for two weeks, his family was determined to find him. Hear his sister's painful recollection of Chad's senseless murder on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, how she carries the loss in her heart and her feelings about the impending prison release of the perpetrators.

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Amy Oneill did not know she and fellow athletes were running toward bombs as they approached the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Three innocent lives were lost. This episode bears witness to the impact of mass homicide in places once considered sanctuaries.

Imagine being a thousand miles away from your little grandson when you learn of his murder by a man he barely knew, then having to relay this to your son (his father) followed by an acquaintance asking why you didn't stop it. Kristen Bell allows us to accompany her on a grievous journey she never imagined taking - nor having the strength to endure - and how the State of Utah failed Christopher.

In this second half of the discussion, thanatologist Juliet Ruiz talks candidly about how working with the subject of death impacts her own views of mourning, how to approach the family member who is closed down, what it might mean when someone won't stop talking about a death, something called "meaning making," integrated grief, the special loss of a sibling, how grieving can be seen as a gift because it spares the one we lost from going through it, conflicted grief, her reaction to murder-as-entertainment and the importance of finding others with a common ground.

We are broadening the discussion in the next two episodes to learn how death and dying are seen from the perspective of a thanatologist (a grief expert). In the first half of the discussion Juliet Ruiz focuses on the field of thanatology, Kubler-Ross's model of death and dying, William Warden's work on the four tasks of grieving, the big disconnect between society and the griever, the special needs of siblings of the deceased, the role of bereavement groups, the brain's response to sudden death and her opinion about online support groups.

Guest, author and activist Nancy Hartwell, whose German friend was kidnapped by sex traffickers over 40 years ago, describes her grief and how she channeled it to tirelessly educate the public about this growing, worldwide threat. Three separate cases of parents who lost children to sex traffickers are reviewed, as well as how they coped with the death of their daughters. The corresponding show notes on the Facebook page "Domino Effect of Murder" provides many tips and resources adults can use to help keep kids safe and spot a child victim of this abhorrent "industry."

Kimberly Womack's death certificate says she died from homicide due to blunt force trauma to the left side of her head and multiple broken ribs. Yet, County Coroner Bo Clark had her cremated almost immediately, violating Louisianna state law. (This is one of over 100 such cases of Dr. Clark's and one of over 800 in the state of Louisianna). No one is providing answers to her only child, her now-grown daughter. Listen as guest Kathryn Simpson describes her frustration at not getting justice for her mother, Kimberly. If you know anything please contact Kathryn. (See the Facebook Shownotes)

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Eric Christiansen is on a mission as a filmmaker-documentarian. After losing his home to the 1990 Santa Barbara Painted Cave Fire (one of California's most destructive man-made disasters on record) he devoted his talent, time, resources and energy to creating stunning, powerful accounts of survivors who have had a front-row seat to suffering. His subjects are trauma survivors: those who endured 911, first responders, military veterans, witnesses to mass shootings and others. He explains a basic conflict among his subjects: to keep or discard the mask they wear to conceal the depth of their emotional, physical and spiritual pain from the wider world. His films sensitively show life behind the mask and the healing power of moving from seclusion to inclusion by the retelling of their experiences.

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Sharon McConnel Dickerson is a study in contrasts. She is a blind international artist. She is petite yet intrepid. She does not speak Spanish, never traveled to Panama, never studied crime scene investigation, yet stopped the serial killer who murdered her close friend in Boco del Toro, Panama. She accomplished this with only a phone and determination born out of grief for her pal, Beau. Listen as she recounts her initial suspicions, the steps taken to identify "Wild Bill" Dathan Holbert as the perpetrator, stop him from fleeing to Nicaragua and how Holbert was made to account for his crimes.

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Kevin McCall, a grieving father, allows us a private retelling of events surrounding the senseless murder of his 21-year old son, Ryan, at U of Tampa and the long wait before the assailant was captured. Kevin reveals the toll it took on his family and the lack of closure brought by a conviction. Kevin kept a personal journal throughout the ordeal, never intending to publish it, but that is eventually what happened. This publication, "For the Love of Family" offers rare insights in real-time reactions of a homicide survivor as days and months unfolded. Since then he has tried to honor Ryan's memory through charitable events such as Ryan's Run. There is no doubt that the central ambition of Kevin was to keep his family from imploding throughout the ordeal. It was the biggest challenge of his life.