The Escape Pod

The Baby Farmer – Ep. 28

On this episode we take the Escape Pod across the pond and back in time to England in the 1800s, when being an unwed mother was frowned upon, but women in this situation had limited options to give their babies a better life. “Baby farmers” were like early versions of adoption agencies, but one such “farmer” was both greedy and mentally disturbed – a dangerous combination for the children entrusted to her care. 
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussion of crimes against children. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1   3:35 Escaping projectile vomit 
Topic #2 13:25 Introduction to Amelia Dyer 
Topic #3 22:30 Amelia’s true crime revealed 
Topic #4 37:12 The co-hosts escape, stock show-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Dyer 
https://www.serialkillercalendar.com/Amelia%20Elizabeth%20DYER.php 
https://the-line-up.com/amelia-dyer-baby-farmer 
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/amelia-dyer/ 
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/amelia-dyer-34349.php 
https://www.historynaked.com/amelia-dyer/  
 
 
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Spygate Enters Chatroom - Ep. 27

In June 2003, police in the UK respond to a report of a stabbing in an alleyway. The victim is a 14-year-old boy, the reporting person is his 16-year-old friend, and the perpetrator is described as a man in a hoodie, but video evidence later proves no such man exists. 
The events leading up to this true crime are more bizarre than most soap opera story lines – with tales from a teen chatroom that include love, spies, secret codes, kidnapping, murder, and much more. Did anyone escape alive? Find out on this edition of The Escape Pod! 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
 
Topic #1   1:33 Escaping a fast ... and slow traffic 
Topic #2   9:37 Introduction to a “bonkers” of a story  
Topic #3 19:22 Introduction to best friend “Mark” 
Topic #4 26:30 Red Flag #1: A person claiming to be a spy joins the chatroom 
Topic #5 36:02 Mark gets his first big “assignment,” and it’s a doozy! 
Topic #6 52:26 Escapism, co-host-style 
 
Resources & Links 
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2005/02/bachrach200502  
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/3758209.stm  
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/boy-planned-own-murder-on-internet-1110229  
Casefile Presents 12/22/2018. Case 104: “Mark and John” https://podscripts.co/podcasts/casefile-true-crime/case-104-mark-john  
 
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Out of Left Field - Ep. 26

Kids say the darnedest things? So do people coming out of crisis mode! Back by popular demand, podcast guest and OneHeart Transformation Director Chad Ratigan returns to the Escape Pod to share several true – and truly hilarious – comments he and his team have heard that came right out of left field.
 
DISCLAIMER: Content and language in this episode intended for a mature audience only. Also, these stories and comments are not shared to demean anyone, but – rather – to find a little “funny” in the extremely challenging work that is the human services field.
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:
 
Topic #1 2:13                   Escaping heavy traffic, hurricanes, and “bugs”
Topic #2 8:27                   Out of left field
Topic #3 28:09 Ghostly guest in the building? Leave no pregnant woman behind!
Topic #4 43:12 Raining cats and dogs? Not today!
Topic #5 50:25 Escapism, co-host-style!
 
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Where RAGE Meets the Road – Ep. 25

In 2023, 92% of people responding to a survey on road rage said they had witnessed at least one act of road rage during the previous year. Some of these incidents end without consequence; others have fatal results. 
 
On this episode of The Escape Pod, co-hosts Charity and Julie try to keep their cool as they take on a topic that gets almost every driver revved up at one point in time or another! 
 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
 
Topic #1   9:23 Scary road rage stats 
Topic #2 11:32 June 2017: A man jockeying for position on a Pennsylvania highway fires a gun at a teen driver  
Topic #3 17:52 Co-hosts become “mama bears” when dealing with dangerous drivers 
Topic #4 25:39 A woman waiting to make a left turn honks at the person in front of her and gets an unusual – but pretty hilarious – response 
Topic #5 37:35 Road “rouge” explained! 
 
 
 
Resources & Links 
 
Vince Lattanzio. 12/13/2018. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/man-killed-teen-road-rage-shooting-sentenced/206687/  
Ron Shaffer. 04/02/2000. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/04/03/a-strange-case-of-road-rage-with-a-lesson-learned/cc408818-59c8-4841-904b-ea64999a9dda/  
https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/road-rage-statistics/  
 
 
 
 
 
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Escape Artists ‘Play Possum’ – Ep. 24

A child plays dead to escape his mother’s abusive grip; a woman plays dead and likely escapes a serial killer; a student plays dead to escape a gunman in her classroom. Conscious decision or simply the body’s primitive response to danger? On this episode of The Escape Pod, the co-hosts discuss true stories of people who “played possum” - pretending to be dead – to escape horrific situations and how, in these cases, that response was likely their key to survival. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1   6:08 Co-hosts shares story of “freezing” in traumatic situation 
Topic #2 16:53 10-year-old boy plays dead to escape his mom’s abuse 
Topic #3 21:12 Shop owner plays dead to escape gunman 
Topic #4 31:11 11-year-old plays dead to escape school shooter 
Topic #5 37:55 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
 
Resources & Links 
 
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/10-year-old-boy-decided-to-play-dead-after-mom-allegedly-doused-him-with-bleach-and-tried-to-drown-him-in-bathtub-cops/  
https://people.com/boy-played-dead-survive-alleged-drowning-attempt-mother-police-say-8639764 
https://www.waaytv.com/news/sheffield-woman-indicted-on-aggravated-child-abuse-charge/article_18a8e744-117a-11ef-8ee2-b7485c7176c7.html  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-70_killer  
https://nypost.com/2023/07/16/i-70-serial-killers-lone-survivor-played-dead-to-save-her-life/ 
https://www.firstalert4.com/2022/02/28/news-4-exclusive-possible-lone-survivor-i-70-serial-killer-speaks-up-after-30-years/  
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/27/us/robb-shooting-survivor-miah-cerrillo/index.html  
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/uvalde-school-shooting-survivors-miah-cerrillo-khloie-torres-awarded-for-courage/  
 
 
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‘I CONFESS! Except I didn’t do it.’ – Ep. 23

A teenager confesses to shooting a man outside a nightclub. A woman confesses to stabbing her elderly landlord to death. A man confesses to killing his father, even though he can’t remember doing it. Different situations, different cities, different years – all with one thing in common: in every case, the confession was coerced. Call it “crisis brain” in full force! 
So ... how did these suspects escape their own false confessions? And how long did it take for the truth to come out? Find out in this episode of The Escape Pod! 
  
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1  00:54 
Escaping weird tics and terrifying drivers! 
Topic #2 12:20  
Wisconsin, 2018: An 18-year-old becomes a shooting suspect 
Topic #3 18:15  
New York, 1995: A tenant and would-be informant becomes the suspect in her landlord’s fatal stabbing 
Topic #4 28:19  
California, 2018: Man’s father goes for a walk but doesn’t return 
Topic #5 38:01  
Co-hosts' final thoughts on coerced confessions 
 
Resources & Links 
 
Tony Saavedra. May 23, 2024. https://www.sbsun.com/2024/05/23/fontana-pays-nearly-900000-for-psychological-torture-inflicted-by-police-to-get-false-confession/  
KC Baker. May, 28, 2024.  https://people.com/man-coerced-confessing-murdering-father-father-was-alive-8654832  
https://www.birdsall-law.com/false-confessions-the-eddie-gill-case 
https://www.forensicmag.com/609996-Coerced-Confession-Evidence-Withholding-Renay-Lynch-is-Exonerated-26-Years-Later/  
https://innocenceproject.org/renay-lynch-is-exonerated-after-nearly-26-years-of-wrongful-conviction-in-buffalo-new-york/  
 
 
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UNWELCOME: When squatters invade (Teri’s story) – Ep. 22

Roughly 30 years ago, escape artist Teri and her husband were thrilled to become the new owners of a “really cute” house in central California when they successfully bid on a foreclosed property. Little did they know they already had house guests – the unwelcome kind known in legal terms as “squatters.” 
In this episode of The Escape Pod, Teri offers up a hilarious account of their escape from the squatters. But first, co-host Charity explains the difference between squatting and trespassing and highlights a separate, more recent case in California – with much more serious consequences. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1  2:30 While one co-host escapes a drunk driver, the other barely escapes a wave of Powerade rushing through her car. 
Topic #2 15:20 Squatting vs. Trespassing 
Topic #3 19:51 California, October 2021: A 71-year-old man is reported missing by a concerned neighbor; authorities start to investigate the woman living in his home. 
Topic #4 39:44 Teri’s escape from squatters 
Topic #5 58:50 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
 
Resources & Links
Story Sources: 
Brittny Mejia. March 18, 2024. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-18/she-sold-his-encino-home-out-from-under-him-for-1-5-million-then-he-killed-himself  
Yaron Steinbuch. March 25, 2024. https://nypost.com/2024/03/25/us-news/squatter-left-dead-mans-body-in-luxury-la-home-in-elaborate-scheme-to-take-over-property/ 
March 18, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/west-hills-woman-who-disposed-one-victims-body-sentenced-20-years-federal-prison  
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66735202/united-states-v-herrling/  
 
Squatter Information:  
Gemma Smith. November 21, 2023. https://www.azibo.com/blog/creative-ways-to-get-rid-of-squatters#:~:text=Property%20owners%20and%20property%20managers,if%20they%20refuse%20to%20leave  
https://www.steadily.com/blog/south-dakota-squatters-rights-laws#:~:text=What%20duration%20of%20occupancy%20is,10%2Dyear%20duration%20is%20required 
Giulia Carbanero. March 26, 2024. https://www.newsweek.com/how-squatters-rights-compare-different-states-1883480 
Vivian Tejada. March 8, 2024. https://www.azibo.com/blog/squatters-rights 
 
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NOT Mom of the Year (Ruby & Jodi’s story) – Ep. 21

A 12-year-old escape artist knocks on a neighbor’s door and politely requests that the man take him to a police station. Soon, the boy’s mom and her friend/therapist/business partner are arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony child abuse. But just a few years prior, this same mom was gaining notoriety (and 2.5 MILLION followers) on YouTube, in part, for her parenting style. 
What happened?! How many steps are there between “disciplinarian” and straight-up “abuser”? Was the influencer being influenced in all the wrong ways? There’s plenty to discuss about this relatively recent true crime tragedy, so jump into the Escape Pod with co-hosts Julie and Charity, and – spoiler alert! - don’t bail early because this episode does, in fact, end on a funny note that ensures we keep the “comedy” in “traumedy.” 
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains content about severe physical and emotional abuse committed against children. 
 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1      2:40 Co-host offers update on parental drama of her own 
Topic #2    13:13 Introduction to “NOT Mother of the Year” Ruby Franke 
Topic #3    21:50 A child’s escape leads to two women’s arrests 
Topic #4    35:10 In custody, Ruby admits to many of her abusive acts 
Topic #5    52:30 Where’s the kids’ dad? 
Topic #6 1:03:35 Gigglefest 2024: Co-hosts react to one hubby’s hilarious reply to the question, “How much over par are you?” 
 
 
Resources & Links 
https://www.thecut.com/article/ruby-franke-utah-mommy-vlogger-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse.html 
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/ruby-franke-sentence-child-abuse-mommy-vlogger-rcna139627 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Franke#:~:text=5%20References,Career,and%20amassed%201%20billion%20views  
https://apnews.com/article/ruby-franke-youtube-child-abuse-sentencing-4f4985c1cab9243d4eaf8b6a58f087ed  
Law and Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmO78ryTM1g and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ier97z_WRcM  
https://wegotthiscovered.com/youtube/what-are-the-ages-of-ruby-frankes-kids/  
https://www.google.com/search?q=ruby+franke&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS858US858&oq=ruby+fr&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyCggBEC4YsQMYgAQyBggCEEUYOTINCAMQABiDARixAxiABDINCAQQABiDARixAxiABDINCAUQABiDARixAxiABDIGCAYQABgDMgYIBxBFGDyoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c2a5b6a0,vid:OoBAUOrtUds,st:0  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGcpOhlKL_w  
https://jodihildebrandt.com/reviews/  
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/niece-jodi-hildebrandt-ruby-frankes-business-partner-speaks/story?id=103751750  
https://pagesix.com/2023/09/12/niece-of-jodi-hildebrandt-claims-they-were-duct-taped-by-terrifying-aunt/  
https://lawandcrime.com/sidebar-podcast/it-was-torture-niece-of-ruby-franke-supporter-jodi-hildebrandt-opens-up-about-alleged-child-abuse/  
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ruby-franke-jodi-hildebrandt-sentenced-child-abuse-youtube-eight-passengers/  
 
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