Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan

In Washington state, Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin West calls 911 at 4:27 a.m. and reports that his wife, Marcy West, is unconscious.  West says his wife is having a seizure and that he is performing CPR. The Camas-Washougal Fire Department responds to the call, but 48-year-old Marcy dies. An autopsy is inconclusive, and her body is turned over to the funeral home. In the days that follow, police receive calls claiming the West marriage was broken and that the chief was having an affair. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack dig the truth out of the story, and Joseph Scott Morgan explains what was found in the second autopsy that would have been nearly impossible to miss the first time. Transcribe Highlights 00:00.03 Introduction - Taking a second look 04:05.15 Heroes - Firemen, policemen 06:29.10 Kevin West, fire chief, calls 911 10:24.38 Tammy Daybell death  14:12.47 Brain texture 19:05.56 Divorce and murder 24:44.89 West Marriage discussed in community 29:07.23 Helping first responders experience a real body 34:50.17 Finding marks on the neck 39:40.44 Kevin West guilty of murder 40:19.06 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Feb. 24, 2023, police were called to the Banfield family home for a stabbing and a shooting around 8 a.m. Brendan Banfield, an IRS special agent, told police he shot a man who had stabbed his wife, Christine Banfield. Police find Christine Banfield, nude and stabbed multiple times, in an upstairs bedroom. Nearby, they find a man named Joseph Ryan shot multiple times. Inside the house at the time of the shooting: Brendan Banfield, along with the family's au pair, then-22-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, and the Banfields' then-4-year-old daughter. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack go behind the headlines to find out what really happened in a home that left a 37-year-old mother dead, a 39-year-old male stranger dead, an IRS Special agent Brendan Banfield charged with murder, a four-year-old little girl who will be raised by someone other than her mother, and the Au Pair who moved into the master bedroom, then copped a plea deal to testify for the state.        Transcribe Highlights00:00.55 Introduction 01:10.44 Never known anyone who had an "au pair" 04:20.15 Multiple 911 calls 10:24.02 Fingerprints on the knife, digital forensics 14:47.86 Joe shares story from his time in Atlanta 20:20.60 Body not cleaned on scene 25:16.54 911 call, hangup. Another 911 is made 15 minutes later 30:05.72 Federal Agencies have law enforcement wings 35:09.29 Husband and Au Pair involved in sexual relationship 40:02.52 Not just the rifling 45:48.22 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 1983 van homicide discovered at a coastal turnout and the strange clues left behind. Traces like sand, a missing camera, fingerprints on a soda can, and preserved blood steer the narrative. A pawn-shop lead and decades of forensic persistence revive the cold case. Advanced DNA reconstruction and genetic genealogy ultimately point investigators toward long-hidden answers.

When Stacey Powell doesn't log onto her work computer for two days in the middle of the week, and family can't get her on the phone, police are asked to do a "well-being" check. When police arrive, they immediately suspect Powell's boyfriend, Andrew Ridgeway, of lying. She's later found brutally murdered inside her Auburndale, Florida, home. Join Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack in this episode, as they discuss the case. Also in this episode, we mention a show that dropped December 23, 2025: "1983 Car Fire Death: Charred Remains Buried. Victim Found ALIVE! Who is in GRAVE?"             Transcribe Highlights00:01.62 Introduction - Well-being check   01:02.14 "savage" 05:02.26 Police show up - looking for Stacey 06:05.69 Andrew Ridgeway lies to police 10:01.21 Police need a warrant 15:02.62 What do "raccoon eyes" mean? 20:01.27 Past show - charred remains, 1983 car fire death  25:22.65 Lacerations are not sharp force injuries  30:05.43 Fresh blood, slippery 35:12.74 Stacey was shot and beaten 40:00.73 Beat cops deal with everything 45:20.16 M.E. said face unrecognizable  49:38.18 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In November 2006, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found on a beach in Taholah, an unincorporated village on the Quinault Indian Reservation, in Grays Harbor County, Washington.  he Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office and the Grays Harbor County Coroner's Office responded and began collecting evidence and investigating. The Skeletal Remains: Adult Man - 5'9" - 170 - 180 lbs Likely between 20 and 60 years old (OR OLDER!!!!) Needless to say, the case went cold. For 20 years. In 2025 - Grays Harbor County Coroner's Office and the King County Medical Examiner's Office and submit evidence to Othram. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack talk about the case that didn't seem possible to solve, and the Mayor who was able to finally be laid to rest.           Transcribe Highlights 00:03.34 Introduction - Story of "Pearl" 03:23.81 Ann Rule - true crime author 05:05.05 Skeletal Remains found on beach 10:10.94 Dental wear to determine age 15:09.54 Skull wear - suture lines 20:34.97 Standing at the edge of raging rivers 25:01.85 Soft tissue eaten 30:23.00 Mayor Edwin Asher 35:11.85 Skeleton found in 2006 41:12.23 Identifying remains 45:17.78 Having to breathe life into DNA 48:52.47 Othram making a difference  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Eugene Brashers was a serial killer and rapist who got away with murders. He was only proved to be a "serial killer" 20 years after he killed himself! Brashers body was exhumed and his DNA tied him to the infamous "Yogurt Shop Murders" in Austin, Texas in 1991. Now in the recent past, another cold case has been tied to Brashers - the 1998 murder of Linda Rutledge in Lexington, Kentucky. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the evidence that ties Brashers to both of those crimes as well as several more!            Transcribe Highlights00:02.71 Introduction: Yogurt Shop Murders 05:33.02 Working Serial homicides 10:00.38 Joining the Army, then Navy 15:07.68 Is three years enough for the crime? 19:59.05 Shot to death, fire used to cover-up crime 25:19.93 Comes prepared to start fire  30:24.34 Execution style shooting 35:04.41 Austin and Lexington cases both cold 39:04.69 Did not know Brashers was serial killer until 2018 42:19.26 Conclusion   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On October 17, 2025, a normal morning starts as a New York mother sees her children off to school. After returning from taking her youngest daughter to school, an intruder attacks Aleena Asif after sneaking into her home while she was away. Aleena loses her life during the struggle. Now, according to the County of Nassau District Attorney, an arrest has been made in the case. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack go inside the home of Aleena Asif and break down her murder at the hands of her estranged husband, who is accused of smothering the mother of his children with Cyanide and Acid. Transcribe Highlights  00:00.07 Introduction - Snack foods 02:08.31 Cyanide 04:55.10 Marie Hilley using arsenic 10:07.92 Mom taking kids to school, at home, death awaits 15:14.60 Why did school not call the father? 20:21.43 Qureshi uses rag dipped in cyanide and acid 24:57.85 Acid would make skin look red or even turn brown 29:49.11 Workers have to worry about cyanide 35:06.94 Did suspect plan to torture 38:50.95 Conclusion   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Torso Killer is back in the news again as Richard Cottingham confesses to the 1965 murder of 18-year-old nursing student, Alys Eberhardt, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Cottingham will not be prosecuted for the murder, the admission allows the city of Fair Lawn to close the case, maybe provide an answer for family who have waited decades to know what happened to their loved one. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack dig into the story of the "Torso Killer", the "Time Square Killer" Richard Cottingham. He confesses to a cold case from 1965, will there be more?           Transcribe Highlights00:00.28 Introduction - Decade, getting older 02:53.32 Deathbed confessions 06:23.91 Will confession aid in healing? 11:38.74 The last woman attacked, survived 16:56.79 Rodney Alcala worked at BCBS at same time 22:56.31 Torso killer - attacked with a knife, but killings were strangling 29:00.70 Heroic woman survived and caused Torso Killer to be caught 35:11.48 Telling tales for benefits in prison 40:03.03 Bodies try to heal 45:16.76 Torture killing 46:02.07 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania have uncovered disturbing details in connection with an alleged 34-year-old grave robber. Police arrested Jonathan Gerlach, of Ephrata, as he left Mount Moriah Cemetery “holding a burlap bag, crow bar, and other assorted items.” He’s now facing over 500 criminal charges in connection to alleged break-ins, including 100 counts of abuse of a corpse, desecration, theft, and more. The reported burglaries started in early November and continued until December, according to the Delaware County, Office of the District Attorney. Police arrested Gerlach on January 6. Now, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack dig up the dirt on the grave robber who allegedly has over 100 human skulls in his house, as well as mummified body parts.             Transcribe Highlights00:03.45 Introduction - Mount Moriah 03:34.68 Grave Robber 07:41.62 Body prep and time 12:13.30 Glass allowing body to be viewed  17:59.99 Flies in Pa draw attention of neighbors 23:36.50 Don't step on center of cement over a grave 29:37.59 Gerlach basement 34:39.35 Driving skull to Chicago to sell  40:00.95 Too much done in 60 days time 43:00.46 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The body of Rhonda Fisher was found on April 1, 1987, 25 miles north of Denver, in a rural area of Douglas County. A motorist passing by the area spotted her body at the 3500 block of South Perry Park Road, and contacted police. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The night before her murder, she was on foot, walking north on Monaco and toward Denver.  Now, following in-depth investigations with crime scene and evidence, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has announced a resolution in the case.  Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack talk about the case that was cold for 38 years, and Joe explains how the evidence that pointed to the killer was in the hands of law enforcement from the very start.  Transcribe Highlights 00:00.09 Introduction - Decades 02:58.90 Missing Friend found alive  05:02.26 Case begins April 1, 1987 05:53.98 Rhonda Fisher was last seen in Denver. 08:05.10 Serial perps leaving the body a certain way 13:18.90 Looking for minutiae 18:05.56 Triangulating a body 23:49.51 Trace Evidence, Bags came into play 29:38.04 Sexual assault, serialized event 34:25.69 Killer identified by what was found in the paper bags 39:05.15 Vincent Groves died 9 years after he killed Rhonda 40:50.11 Hair combings, cuttings 42:41.86 Conclusion  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.