Stay ConnectedNancy Grace dives deep into the day’s most shocking crimes and asks the tough questions in her new daily podcast – Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Nancy Grace had a perfect conviction record during her decade as a prosecutor and used her TV show to find missing people, fugitives on the run and unseen clues. Now, she will use the power of her huge social media following and the immediacy of the internet to deliver daily bombshells!
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From backyard family barbecues to crowded public beaches, the sounds of July 4th celebrations were violently replaced by the ring of gunfire in multiple states. We're looking at a double shooting weekend in Brooklyn; chaos on the coast in South Carolina; a disrupted celebration in Pensacola; and a neighborhood block party turned crime scene in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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A jury finds Sean "Diddy" Combs guilty of two counts relating to transporting individuals for prostitution, but the rap mogul is acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. After the verdict, Combs' attorneys ask for bail. He doesn't get it, instead getting a 50-month prison sentence. Now Combs is scheduled to be released from federal prison on February 23, 2028.This date has been adjusted or changed at least four times.
Release dates are determined by the Bureau of Prisons considering credits for good conduct time, participation in rehabilitation programs, and time served.
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In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns discusses coffin birth, the rare postmortem phenomenon formally known as postmortem fetal extrusion. He explains how human decomposition creates gases, bloating skin, skin slippage, purge fluid, maggot activity, and other artifacts that can change the body after death and sometimes mimic trauma, sexual assault, or other evidence. He also discusses the Shanann Watts and Laci Peterson cases to explain how coffin birth is evaluated and why it must be distinguished from live birth or other possibilities.
Highlights
(0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns
(0:15) Coffin birth, decomposition gases, and the autopsy artifacts that can complicate a death investigation
(0:45) What happens after death: autolysis, putrefaction, and the bacteria already waiting inside the body
(2:30) Why decomposition smells so distinct, from rotten eggs and stale urine to rotting fish and foul garlic
(4:00) Dr. Crowns remembers his first decomposed body during medical school in Wichita, Kansas
(8:15) Inside the morgue with flies, maggots, maggot masses, and the daily reality of decomposition cases
(11:45) The Cook County decomposition morgue, the air-handling problem, and one doctor’s very questionable workaround
(18:00) Bloating, skin slippage, brighter tattoos, and the forensic details that can help or hinder identification
(19:30) When decomposition mimics trauma: ruptured scars, gaping wounds, and the risk of misreading the body
(21:15) Purge fluid, mistaken sexual assault concerns, and the importance of separating artifact from evidence
(24:00) Dr. Crowns explains postmortem fetal extrusion, also known as coffin birth, through the Shannan Watts case
(25:00) Laci Peterson, fetal separation, and why coffin birth must be carefully distinguished from live birth or other possibilities
About the Host:
Dr. Kendall Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings sharp medical insight and dark humor to the often-misunderstood realities of forensic pathology.
About the Show
Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations.
Connect and Learn More
Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on LinkedIn and follow Mayhem in the Morgue on TikTok at @mayheminthemorgue. Catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and be sure to follow Mayhem in the Morgue wherever you get your podcasts.
If you like this episode, don’t keep it to yourself; follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.
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This time last year Stephan Sterns was given 21 life sentences for the death of 13-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Soto.
Maddie was reported missing February 26, 2024, after she didn't made it to Hunter’s Creek Middle School in Orlando. Mom's boyfriend, Sterns, initially claimed he had dropped Maddie off that morning, but surveillance footage showed the lie.
Two days later, March 1, 2024, Maddie's body was found in a wooded area near St. Cloud. Her death rules a homicide by strangulation. Investigators believe she was already dead the morning she was reported missing and that Sterns moved her body that day when he said he was taking her to school. Video evidence showed Sterns discarding items, including her backpack and school laptop, into a dumpster at the apartment complex where she lived.
Forensic analysis of Sterns’ phone revealed images and videos of child sexual abuse, dating back to when Madeline was as young as eight. When investigators initially looked at the phone, they found it had been factory reset. He claimed that was an accident.
Sterns was arrested February 28, 2024 on charges of sexual battery and possession of child sexual abuse material, and later indicted for first‑degree murder and multiple sexual offenses. Sterns pleaded no contest to first‑degree premeditated murder and guilty to 60 other sex crime charges. He began serving his 21 concurrent life sentences with no possibility of parole at the Central Florida Reception Center.
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Terrence Woods Jr., a talented and educated young television producer vanishes while filming near an abandoned mine. According to the crew on set, Terrence suddenly bolted down a steep hill at full speed and vanished without a trace—a narrative many doubt. As the investigation unfolds, a mountain of unsettling red flags emerges: a local sheriff's department treating the case as a simple runaway, international crew members quickly fleeing back to London, conflicting eyewitness accounts, and highly suspicious physical evidence. From missing pants and muddy shoes packaged in plastic bags to tampered camera photos and pages ripped directly out of Terrence's diary. Was it a sudden psychological break, or something more sinister?
Joining Nancy Grace today:
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Pregnant Reagan Simmons-Hancock brutally murdered by her friend Taylor Parker, October 2020. Her unborn second child cut from her womb and abducted, ultimately dies.
Parker had been faking a pregnancy for months. She brutally stabbed and bludgeoned Reagan, then performed a crude C-section to remove the unborn daughter, Braxlynn Sage Hancock. Police say Reagan’s three-year-old daughter was present in the home but was unharmed .
After the attack, Parker fled with the baby toward Oklahoma. but was stopped by a Texas state trooper for erratic driving. She claimed she had given birth in the car. At the hospital, medical staff confirmed Parker had not given birth and had previously undergone a hysterectomy, making pregnancy impossible. DNA testing confirmed the baby was Reagan’s. Parker was arrested and later convicted of capital murder, murder, and kidnapping.
Reagan’s mother, Jessica Brookes, is pushing for legislative change to protect pregnant women
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Amanda Roarke's boyfriend tells 911 operator, "I murdered my girlfriend." Ex-boyfriend gets 60 years for attacking woman with a hatchet. 16 children removed from squalid rural Ohio home. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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New reports say the FBI determined ransom notes related to Nancy Guthrie were fake. TMZ's Harvey Levin pushed back on the claim, having received several of the notes. Less than 24 hours later, FBI bosses say they've not made a ruling either way. Investigators continue to treat her disappearance as an active case, with DNA and video evidence still under forensic review. Now, who to believe?
Joining Nancy Grace today :
Caryn Stark- NY- Forensic Psychologist, renowned TV and Radio trauma expert and consultant, www.carynstark.com, Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice
Michael Harrigan - Fmr. FBI Agent for 22 years - Chief, Firearms Training Program at Quantico, VA. Led the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP), Current principle with the Pax Group, LLC, a crisis management and risk assessment entity
Brian Trascher - Vice President of the United Cajun Navy, https://unitedcajunnavy.org
Dr. Jim Jones - cyber security and digital forensics expert, digital forensics program director and associate professor, George Mason University
Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of the Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue", Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
Sydney Silvagni -Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
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Philadelphia police are hunting two 16-year-old boys accused of shooting a college student for his phone. Wisconsin man sentenced after years-long sexual abuse of an unconscious victim unearthed in online brag group. Texas woman tries to conceal murdered boyfriend's remains in concrete. Sydney Silvagni reports.
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Mackenzie Shirilla is serving 15 years to life at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, convicted on 12 counts, including murder and aggravated vehicular homicide. Police say Shirilla deliberately crashing her car into a brick building at 100 mph. Two passengers were killed, Shirilla's boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend, Davion Flanagan. Data from the car's black box showed Shirilla floored the gas pedal and never used the brakes, making calculated steering and gear adjustments before impact. She was 17 at the time.
The Ohio Supreme Court has declined to review Mackenzie Shirilla’s post-conviction appeals, ruling the petition was filed late and the trial court lacked jurisdiction to excuse the delay. Shirilla’s lawyers, in court documents, said they requested the review due to a calendar mistake. They filed the appeal one day past the deadline.
Jailhouse recordings and prison records reveal demands the double killer is making behind bars Recordings from her time at the Ohio Reformatory for Women exposed her begging for perks like an iPad, complaining about being bored, and scheming with her mother. A prison document details 23 complaints and 36 violations against her, including flashing her breasts to visitors, possessing contraband like paints and monopoly money, and refusing job assignments.
Shirilla will not be eligible for her first parole hearing until October 2037.
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