Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave Affair

Latest Episodes:

S1 E12: Body Broken Industry Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Donating one's body to science seems like a beneficial sacrifice, but there is a dark underbelly to the industry. "Body brokers" are selling donated body parts- and it's all perfectly legal.

Resources:

"How to donate your body to science" by Lori Cuthbert- National Geographic

Department of Defense Memorandum: "Army Policy for Use of Human Cadavers for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Education or Training"

"How the body of an Arizona great-grandmother ended up as part of a U.S. Army blast test" by John Shiffman- Reuters

"A business where human bodies were butchered, packaged and sold" by John Shiffman, Reade Levinson, and Brian Grow- Reuters

"Gruesome tests on cadavers betray donors" by Michael Myer- SCU

Pamphlet: "Healthcare workers, unsung heroes"- Science Care

"In the U.S. market for human bodies, almost anyone can dissect and sell the dead" by Brian Grow and John Shiffman- Reuters

"The Law and Ethics of Using the Dead in Research" bu Catherine M. Hammack

"In Texas, the cadavers of the poor are used to advance medical science, without their consent" by Eli Shupe- The Dallas Morning News

Colorado General Assembly: SB18-234- Human Remains Disposition Sale Businesses

AATB.org

H.R.4062 - Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act of 2021, Congress.gov

**advocacy link-"Body Broker Bill" nfda.org

Mini Episode: Ghost Stories with Ghosts Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

We're doing something a little different for spooky season! We'll be coming to you from a cemetery and reading real-life horror stories. Get ready to be spooked by tales of a murder house and an abandoned sanatorium!

Resources:

"The True Story of the Boise Murder House is Straight Out of a Horror Movie" by Alyssa Fiorentino- House Beautiful

Daniel E. Rodgers v. State of Idaho, Docket No.22417

"The Story Behind this Evil Place in Idaho Will Make Your Blood Turn Cold"- Only In Your State

Molly Stark- starkparks.org

"Molly Stark Sanatorium"- abandoned online.net

"Molly Stark Haunted? Visitors to Former Tuberculosis Clinic Say they Have Witnessed Strange, Unexplainable Happenings" by Ed Balint, The Canton Repository

S1 E11: The Royals' Dark Secret Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

With the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we've been thinking a lot about the peculiarities of the royal funeral process. This week we're diving into a dark secret of one royal funeral...

Resources:

“1936 Secret is Out:Doctor Sped George V’s Death” by Joseph Lelyveld, NYT (1986)

“King George V was murdered, not euthanised” by Gerrick Adler ( the Guardian)

“The Death of George V” by Francis Watson- History Today

“The Funeral of King George V” the Royal Windsor Website

“Lying-in-State”- Parliament.uk

“Royal lying in state traditions endure a century of change” by Associated Press- NBC News

“What to know about the Queen’s lying in state in Westminster” by Sylvia Hui- AP News

“At least 250,000 people lined up to see Queen’s Coffin” by Sylvia Huir- AP News

“Expert Talks Royal Traditions, Etiquette ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral” ABC7 Chicago

“What Britain’s Royal Family Wears to Queen’s Funeral will be Dictated by Tradition” by PTI, The Indian Express

“Families Waiting for Justice in Funeral Home Case” by Libby Cunningham, CNHI news

"How did George V Really Die?" by Meg Matthias- Britannica

S1 E10: Clean Grave Club Sep 17, 2022

Show notes

We're taking you on a field trip for a lesson in grave cleaning from our friend, Joe Reisinger! Join in on our new favorite hobby

Resources:

"Charges filed over Jeffersonville funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies were found"by Caleb Stultz. Courier-Journal

"Charges filed against director of Jeffersonville funeral home after bodies, cremated remains found"-WDRB.com

S1 E9: A Viking Murder in Iceland Aug 23, 2022

Show notes

We're taking you with us as we climb treacherous Hjörleifshöfði in Iceland, where a Viking grave with a dark story lies at the summit.

Resources:

"Hjörleifshöfði Promontory in South-Iceland - The Blood Brothers Ingólfur and Hjörleifur" by Regína Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir, Guide to Iceland.

"Hjörleifshöfði & Yoda Cave- A Star Wars film location in Iceland"- Arctic Adventures

"Families watched as Lankford Funeral Home owner hands over records; 'There’s no remorse'" by Grace McKenna, WHAS11

"Indiana suspends license of funeral home where 31 decomposing bodies were found" by Matthew Glowicki, Courier Journal

"Burials Suggest Icelandic Vikings Had a Thing for Stallions" by Jason Daley, Smithsonian Magazine

Jenelle's Iceland Journal

S1 E8: Funeral Home Horror Aug 07, 2022

Show notes

We're discussing breaking news of an Indiana funeral home where 31 unembalmed bodies were found decaying on the premises. We'll compare that to the 2002 crematorium scandal where hundreds of bodies were left scattered across the property.

Resources:

"Mercury Emissions from Crematoria" by Susan R Maloney

"State Requirements for Home Funerals"- National Home Funeral Alliance

"New funeral home opens in Jeffersonville" by Tara Schmelz- News & Tribune

Indiana Code, Title 25, Article 15, Chapter 4

"Funeral home owner speaks in court" by Libby Cunningham

"Nearly 20 years ago, nearly 350 decomposing bodies were found at GA crematorium" by WSBTV.com New Staff, Atlanta

"Tai-state Crematory scandal"- Wikipedia

"Attorney says mercury poisoning may explain Tri-State Crematory case" - The Chattanoogan.com

"Ray-Brent Marsh released from prison after Tri-State Crematory sentence" by Ross Cavitt, WSB-TV, Atlanta

"Twenty years since the Tri-State Crematory scandal in Lafayette, Ga where more than 300 bodies were found" by Alyse Zwick, Local 3 News

"The horrifying true story of the scandal at Tri-State Crematory" by Syl- Wicked Horror

"With charges yet to be filed, prosecutor explains 'complexity' of Jeffersonville funeral home investigation" by Gladys Bautista

Statistics-National Funeral Directors Association

"'I feel like he put on a front': Clients of southern Indiana funeral home speak after bodies found decomposing" by Connor Steffen- WHAS11.com

"Owner of Southern Indiana funeral home where bodies found questioned in court" by Darby Beane

S1 E7: The Cemetery Murder of Jessica Lyn Keen Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

TW: physical and sexual violence

Badass cheerleader Jessica Keen was found murdered in a graveyard in 1991. We'll bring you with us to the scene of the crime.

Support teens like Jessica by donating to Huckleberry House in Columbus, Ohio: https://www.huckhouse.org/donate/

Resources:

"Horror in the Graveyard: The Murder of Jessica Keen" by Verity Partington, Medium.

"Jessica Keen" unsolved.com; Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Slack- season 10, episode 9.

"Foster Chapel Cemetery", morbidtourism.com

"Jonathan Adler", Ohio History Central

Franklin County Clerk of Courts

"Suspect Admits he Raped, Murdered Westland Cheerleader in 1991", The Columbus Dispatch

"Man Expected to be Charged 17 Years After Girl's Murder", The Columbus Dispatch

huckhouse.org

S1 E6: Relics & Incorruptible Corpses Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

Rest in peace.... until you're canonized a saint. We're unearthing the mysterious practice of collecting relics! Join us for an interview with someone who knows a little bit more about sainthood than we do.

Resources:

"The (Not Really So Very) Incorruptible Corpses" by Elizabeth Harper- Order of the Good Death Blog

"How Can a Corpse be Incorruptible?" by Josh Clark- HowStuffWorks

"Saints"- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

"How to Obtain Relics?" by Father Kenneth Doyle- Echoes

"Why do Catholics Venerate Relics?" by Michael R. Heinlein

mariasteinshrine.org

Pamphlets from Maria Stein

S1 E5: Cemetery Picnics Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

Plot Twist is going on the road for the first time! Morgan and Jenelle are revisiting a Victorian-era pastime: picnicking among the dead.

Resources:

lakeviewcemetery.com

"Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries" by Jonathan Kendall, Atlas Obscura

"Party Like it's 1899: Are Cemetery Picnics Making a Comeback?" by Patricia Hartley, Connecting Directors

"Dying to Get In: When Cemetery Picnics Were a Thing" Intrigued Mind, Youtube

S1 E4: S1Zion National Park- Grafton & Hog Allen May 21, 2022

Show notes

Join us for our spooky shenanigans in Utah at Grafton ghost town and Hog Allen's grave. Also, tune in for our first interview ever!

TW: postmortem grossness at the end.

Native Land app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/native-land/id1194356597

Bird extraordinaire Nick Harris: @longwingslc @n.harrishawk

Resources:

Grafton Heritage Plaques

"Black Hawk War" by John A. Peterson, Utah History Encyclopedia

"Grafton Cemetery" Outdoor Family Adventures

"Grafton Cemetery" findagrave.com

"Grafton Ghost Town" World of Urban Legends

"The Legend of Hog Allen" compiled by Gary Allen Smith, "The Tale of Hog Allen" by S. Michael Chamberlain

"Do Your Hair and Fingernails Grow After Death?" by Claudia Hammond, BBC

"Corpses Keep Moving Long After Death" by Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics

"Early Changes After Death" by Suhailey bt. Mohd Noor, PortalHealth Malaysia

"Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences- Forensic Taphonomy" by T. Simmons & P. A. Cross

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