Stay ConnectedJoin 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.
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17-year-old Kaitlyn Coones is a runaway from a group home in Canton, Ohio, and is staying with Jonathon Jones, 33, at his mother's residence. Nicole Jones, 53, mother of Jonathon Jones, is unaware that her son has snuck a teen into his bedroom. Days later, Kaitlyn Jones calls a case worker at the Canton group home informing her she has done something terrible and is on the road with Jonathon Jones. Canton Police call for a welfare check and officers discover Nicole Jones has vanished. Jones car, her son Jonathon, and Kaitlyn Coones are also missing.
In this episode of Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan, Joe explains what evidence, recovered by investigators, lead police to say Nicole Jones is dead Dave Mack goes behind the headlines explaining the relationship dynamic between Jonathon Jones and Kaitlyn Coones to determine if the teen is a victim, a suspect, or both.
Transcript Highlights
00:00:03 Introduction – teen kidnapped, mother missing, convicted son being sought
00:04:47 Discussion of missing mom’s car tracked to Arizona and New Mexico
00:07:52 Talk about attention focus when child is involved
00:11:47 Discussion of 33-year-old man sneaks teen into his bedroom
00:16:59 Discussion of Jonathon Jones and Kaitlyn Coones
00:22:29 Talk about Nicole Jones being murdered in kitchen
00:27:18 Discussion of circumstantial evidence
00:32:30 Discussion about rock used as murder weapon
00:36:44 Talk about Kaitlyn Coones giving Jonathon Jones 5 hours to kill
00:40:03 Discussion of using GPS to track movement of suspects
00:42:03 Discussion of blood and hair evidence
00:44:02 Discussion of Jonathon Jones failure to disarm GPS tracker
00:45:51 Talk about focus on Kaitlyn Coones being underage victim and suspect
00:46:56 Conclusion Nicole Jones body will never be found, Jones and Coones are in prison
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mary Catherine Edwards is found naked and in handcuffs in her bathtub with about 4 inches of water. She has been sexually assaulted and murdered. Cause of death is drowning and asphyxia. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain how the case that went unsolved for nearly 30-years was solved with DNA, Genetic Genealogy and a tip of the cap to Othram . Dave Mack will help tell the story of the 31-year-old beloved schoolteacher and the killer who almost got away with her murder.
Transcript Highlights
00:00:06 Introduction of Cold Case Murder
00:05:42 Discussion of shutting down crime scene
00:09:44 Talk about Parents discovering body of their daughter
00:13:27 Discussion of motivation
00:18:01 Talk about “torture”
00:22:21 Discussion of cause of death, drowning and asphyxia
00:27:30 Discussion of drowning in bathtub
00:31:23 Discussion of Shera LaPoint, the Gene Hunter
00:35:33 Talk about familiarity between victim and suspect
00:39:20 Discussion of DNA and genetic genealogy
00:41:52 Discussion of Rape Kit
00:46:35 Conclusion: DNA Solves
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Six years before he became known as the Day Trader who went on a murderous rampage, Mark Barton was the suspect in the death of his first wife and her mother while they were camping at a lake in North Alabama. Today, Joseph Scott Morgan shares personal memories of working the homicides in Atlanta, as well as breaking down the murders of Mark Barton’s first wife and her mother in the camper, and his second wife and children in their apartment.. Dave Mack fills in the back-story on how Mark Barton may have gotten away with murder and child molestation, but he couldn’t escape himself.
Transcript Highlights
00:00:08 Introduction of geography, family killer, mass murderer
00:02:46 Discussion of Mark Barton
00:07:21 Discussion of murderers and weapons
00:11:44 Talk about day traders in Atlanta
00:16:04 Discussion of murder in camper trailer on lake
00:21:17 Discussion of “robber” that left behind cash and jewelry
00:26:26 Talk about blood in the Camper
00:31:02 Discussion of Mark Barton cheating on his wife
00:35:57 Discussion of timeline of family murders and Buckhead massacre
00:39:49 Discussion of Barton killing second wife and children with a hammer
00:43:06 Discussion of murders at Momentum and All-Tech
00:46:20 Conclusion, Barton shoots himself in the head
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Skeletal remains found near the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee don't match up with any missing person cases in Chattanooga or the surrounding area. It takes several months before the remains are positively identified. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will take you into the field where the remains have been found and into the lab where identification takes place, and Dave Mack will look into the facts surrounding the disappearance of the 20-year-old beauty from Georgia and how she ended up as a skeleton on the side of a rural road outside Chattanooga Tennessee.
Transcript Highlights
00:00:25 Introduction of 20-year-old woman, missing
00:04:07 Discussion of geography of the case
00:07:20 Discussion of picking up body in jail
00:11:51 Talk about Fentanyl becoming drug of choice
00:16:13 Discussion of drugs and dealers
00:20:48 Discussion of reporting missing person
00:24:16 Talk about the deposition of the body
00:28:08 Discussion of trauma on the bones
00:32:32 Discussion explaining forensic anthropology at the scene
00:37:13 Discussion of being absent of clothing
00:41:40 Conclusion – Case is still open; we will follow up
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bonnie and Clyde killed at least nine police officers and four civilians during their 21-month crime spree from 1932 to 1934. The couple were also responsible for several Bank robberies, gas stations hold-ups , and burglaries. They weren't very good thieves, as they rarely got away with more than $80. In this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain how Bonnie Parker suffered so many bullet holes her body had to be plugged to hold embalming fluid, and Dave Mack will take you behind the scenes in the woods with Frank Hamer and Manny Gault as they brought down the murderous "Bonnie and Clyde".
Transcript Highlights
00:00:10 Introduction of human destruction
00:02:09 Description of Bienville Parish
00:05:24 Description of Bonnie and Clyde car on display
00:08:14 Discussion Bonnie 23, Clyde 25
00:11:15 Talk about Bonnie and Clyde murder young cop
00:15:11 Discussion about State Coroners convention
00:18:05 Discussion about transcribing
00:21:32 Talk about Bonnie and Clyde murdering cops
00:25:57 Discussion of BB Episode about Coroner system
00:28:21 Talk about autopsy of famous people
00:31:41 Discussion of Dr. Wade and others at the autopsy
00:35:00 Discussion of injuries suffered by Bonnie Parker
00:37:42 Conclusion: Bonnie and Clyde meet their end
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Trista Spicer tells everyone her live-in boyfriend, Eric Mercado, left the house on October 11, 2014, and never returned. Mercado’s family called him “Nino” and they printed up posters, circulated info on social media and physically looked for their “Nino” with no luck. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will detail what happens when someone is hit in the face with a frying pan and their throat is slit with a box cutter. Dave Mack will investigate the relationship between Trista Spicer, Eric Mercado, and Waylan Gentry, and who gave the police the “tip” that turned a missing persons case into a homicide investigation.
Transcript Highlights
00:00.01. Introduction - walking through graveyards
05:08.07 Discussion of social media, sharing too much
10:07.10. Discussion of victim, early 40s
15:35.82. Talk about spouses
20:20.01. Discussion about a missing family member
26:08.66 Discussion of what did Suspect tell new boyfriend
31:18.61. Talk about tattoos
36:39.54 Discussion - somebody always talks
40:26.66 Discussion of soft tissue, dehydrated skin
42:04:13 Conclusion - Face smashed in with frying pan, throat slit
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wade Wilson, not the superhero better known as "Deadpool" but Wade Wilson, Tattoo Face Killer. If Wilson has a favorite song it is probably "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash for the line "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die". For Tattoo Face Wade Wilson, using a gun to kill someone is too impersonal. In this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain just how personal it is to strangle the life out of someone with bare hands, and Dave Mack will go behind the tattoos and headlines to find out more about the victims of the vile creature capable of killing two women in a matter of hours, just because he can. Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner in closing argument in murder trial of Wade Wilson: "This case was about killing for the sake of killing. Strangulation is the epitome of life slipping through someone's hands."
Transcribe Highlights
00:39.32 Introduction of a nightmare
05:03.44 Discussion of Wade Wilson, tattoo face
10:24.32 Talk about Wilson claiming to be a victim
15:00.63 Discussion about how Wade Wilson got invited back to woman's home
20:23.78 Discussion about destroying a person for no reason
25:52.10 Talk about isn't it enough?
29:33.42 Discussion about Wilson leaves Melton's home in her car
33:49.88 Discussion of Diane Ruiz body damage, injuries and animals
38:23.24.Discussion Wilson tells Bio Father what he has done
42:13.10 Conclusion - Wade Wilson, Florida Justice
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jerry Harris's pregnant daughter is murdered, her uterus removed, and her body thrown in a river. She is found by fishermen six days after she is last seen alive. Jerry Harris commits suicide outside the Sheriff's Office. On this episode of Body Bags Joseph Scott Morgan go behind the evidence and take a look at the body of Jerry Harris' daughter, Jennifer, a murder still unsolved. Dave Mack digs into the story of Jennifer Harris. Who knew she was pregnant and who wanted her dead? The ex-husband? The ex-boyfriend? Did Jerry Harris get so depressed over the murder of his daughter that he killed himself at the Sheriff's office as some kind of challenge? We know Jerry Harris killed himself. Do we know why?
Transcript Highlights
00:00:17.19 Introduction of "Cold Case" and recent suicide
00:03:48.25 Discussion of life and "dark space"
00:07:29.51 Talk about notification of family
00:10:31.93 Discussion of Jennifer Harris before she vanishes
00:14:43.53 Discussion of evidence, finding Jennifer
00:19:47.66 Talk about detaching while investigating
00:25:25.90 Discussion of finding and condition of remains in Red River
00:29:57.94 Talking about water damage
00:33:35.52 Discussion of ex-husband alibi
00:39:03.49 Talk about Jeep, latent hand or palm print
00:40:04.96 Discussion of cabin in the woods, burned down
00:43:30.88 Discussion of skill level of the person removing uterus
00:45:36.30 Conclusion: Blue clay, caretakers' cabin, suicide of Jerry Harris
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Texas mother of 4 is found hanging from a dock with a rope around her neck in an apparent suicide. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will go behind the shocking story of an apparent suicide and Joe Scott will explain how a witness describing the woman’s body hanging from the dock tells him she didn’t kill herself; this is a murder!
01:38.72 Introduction: Suicide or Murder
05:20.55 Discussion of rigidity
09:06:44 Talk about boat life, living at marina
13:02.11 Discussion of arms hanging down
16:41.60 Talk about 30-year old mom, 4 children
19:31.74 Discussion of suicide
24:33.02 Discussion of woman’s arm points to different conclusion
28:06.63 Discussion of staging a suicide
32:14.44 Talk about girlfriend leaves, doesn’t come back
36:11.46 Discussion of post-mortem lividity in aquatic environment
39:18.91Discussion of flaccid
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Recorded LIVE at CrimeCon Nashville, 2024:
In this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan explains how he challenges his class at Jacksonville State University to try and solve a cold case. Two years in a row, two different classes and students chose the unsolved murder of Blake Chappell. Blake Chappell tells his mother he is having the best night of his life with his girlfriend at the East Coweta High School Homecoming Dance.
Within a matter of hours, Blake will find himself chased out of his girlfriend’s house in the middle of the night, walking down the road at 5 a.m. texting his girlfriend, and telling her police just stopped and talked to him. One last text to his girlfriend that he is getting cold, and his phone goes quiet.
Blake Chappell is 17 and he never makes it back to his friend’s house. He just vanishes into thin air. It is October 16, 2011. Two months later on December 17, 2011, his nearly naked body is found floating in a creek, he has been shot in the back of the head.
The case is still unsolved. But new search warrants were served in March 2024, will there be justice for Blake Chappell?
Transcript Highlights
00:00:13 Introduction Blake Chappel Case
00:04:40 Discuss of family financial issues
00:08:28 Blake finds ex-girlfriend who ran away
00:10:32 Blake beaten up by ex’s stepfather
00:12:26 Blake put in jail for finding his ex
00:17:35 Mother takes Blake and date to homecoming dance
00:20:48 Discussion of Blake activities walking in the night
00:24:24 Talk about Blake walking miles to see girlfriend
00:28:08 Talk about Blake texting girlfriend
00:31:49 Talk about Blake doesn’t make it back to Austin’s house
00:37:36 Discussion Blake shot in back of head
00:43:22 Discussion rumors about Blake’s death
00:48:12 Discussion Blake found wearing underwear, no shoes
00:52:34 Conclusion Joseph Scott Morgan lets his JSU class pick unsolved crime to solve
Two years in a row the case of Blake Chappel is chosen for the project
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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