Welcome to Monday's Morbid Minute! Each week, we're going to break down the weekend headlines to brace ourselves for the week ahead.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey everyone, Welcome the Monday's Morbid Minute, a brand new
weekly bonus episode of Mother Nos Death. This is your
quick rundown of the week's most fascinating stories involving death, disease, medicine,
and injury, making headlines and rippling through the pop culture.
We'll tease the cases here, then we'll do a deep
dive into the pathology, forensics, and medical mysteries later on
(00:25):
in our normal Mother Knows Death episodes, in articles over
in the Gross Room, and during our weekly YouTube live
bonus episode exclusively for Grossroom members. If it's dark, disturbing,
medically bizarre, or just too good not to dissect, you'll
hear it first on Monday's Morbid Minute. Hi everyone, We're
(00:49):
going to start off with true crime and court cases.
Of course, we are going to talk about a story
that has been shaking headlines across the country this week.
Nancy Guthrie, the eighty four year old mother of Today's
show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than
a week after disappearing from her Tucson, Arizona home on
(01:09):
January thirty first. Investigators are treating the case as an abduction,
saying blood matching her DNA was found at the scene,
and her home has been treated as a crime scene.
No suspects or vehicles have been publicly identified, and authorities
continue an active investigation with the help from the FBI.
(01:30):
Allege ransom communications demanding millions in cryptocurrency have surfaced and
are being vetted by law enforcement, and the family has
released emotional video please saying they are willing to pay
for her return, although there has still not been verified
proof of life. Search efforts have expanded to include property searches,
(01:51):
even septic tanks, and follow ups on new messages, but
police have not disclosed any major BREAKTHROUGHSI has also deployed
billboards and increased outreach to encourage public tips. Now, we're
going to talk about a story that fell off the
radar earlier this week. Bill Stevenson, the seventy seven year
(02:13):
old ex husband of former First Lady doctor Joel Biden,
was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection
with the death of his wife, Linda Stephenson. Police say
they were called to Wilmington, Delaware, whom in late December
for a reported domestic dispute, where Linda was found unresponsive
and later pronounced dead. After a week's long investigation, a
(02:35):
grand jury indicted Stevenson, who remains jailed on a half
a million dollars bill as the case moves forward. Joel
Biden was married to Bill Stevenson for five years and
they divorced in nineteen seventy five. In Columbus, Ohio, autopsy
reports have now revealed the shocking extent of the injuries
suffered by Spencer and Monique Tepe, a husband and wife
(02:57):
found shot to death in their home in late December.
The Franklin County Coroner's Office confirmed that Spencer was struck
seven times and Monique nine times. We will discuss this
case in more depth in the gross Room, where we
will break down all of the findings from the autopsy reports.
As we talk about these stories of domestic violence, there
is also a broader warning coming from federal authorities. The
(03:20):
US Department of Homeland Security has issued an intelligence bulletin
alerting law enforcement to an increasing trend of domestic partners
using chemical and biological toxins, including cyanide and racin to
harm or kill their significant others. The note highlights that
these agents are often sourced from online sources or even
(03:42):
concocted at home, and that their effects can mimic natural illness,
complicating detection and prosecution. New developments emerge in the mysterious
death of eighteen year old Anna Kepner, who was found
dead in November aboard a family's carnival cruise ship. Her
cause of death was due to asphyxia from a bar hold.
(04:02):
Federal authorities have now finally arrested and charged her sixteen
year old stepbrother in connection with her death. Court proceedings
were sealed because of his age. If you're interested in
more details of this case and you would like to
know more about the autopsy findings on bar hold deaths,
read our death dissection on this case in the gross room.
(04:22):
Now we're going to get into another story that has
gone mostly unnoticed this week that should terrify all of us.
In Las Vegas, investigators uncovered what they believe was an
illegal biological lab operating out of the garage of an
Airbnb rented home. When police and the Federal Bureau of
Investigators searched the property, they found a lab, equipment, refrigeration units,
(04:46):
and over a thousand vials of unknown liquid samples that
had to be removed by has met teams and set
off for federal testing. Authorities say there's no confirmed public
threat right now. Workers who had entered the garage before
the raid reported becoming quote deathly ill, describing breathing problems, exhaustion,
(05:08):
and muscle pain symptoms investigators are now looking into as
lab testing continues. Authorities are also examining possible links between
this case and a previously charged California biolab operator, suggesting
this investigation could stretch well beyond one house in Nevada.
We have an update on a story from October of
(05:29):
twenty twenty three in Penrose, Colorado. A funeral home co
owner who promoted green burials was just sentenced to forty
years in prison for corpse abuse, one of the harshest
penalties ever handed down in a case like this. Investigators
uncovered nearly two hundred decaying bodies stored improperly at the
(05:49):
Return to Nature funeral home, and in court, families described
how the funeral home provided fake ashes instead of their
loved ones remains. In Houston, federal prosecutors have indicted a
prominent transplant surgeon, accusing him of falsifying medical records to
keep patients off liver transplant list. According to the charges,
(06:11):
the doctor's entries made five patients appear ineligible for life
saving organs without their family's knowledge. Tragically, three of those
patients died before they could receive transplants, and only two
eventually got new livers after seeking help elsewhere. In pop
culture and celebrity news, this week, we kicked off the
twenty twenty six Winter Olympics. Lindsay Vaughn, already a legend
(06:34):
with multiple Olympic medals to her name, was pursuing what
would have been a storybook comeback in the women's downhill.
Just nine days before her race, Vaughan completely ruptured the
ACL in her left knee, an injury that typically sidelines
athletes entirely, yet she still chose to compete. Seconds into
(06:55):
her run down the course, Vaughn lost control, hit the
snow hard and crashed, bringing her Olympic downhill to a
tragic close and prompting a medical evacuation by helicopter. She
was taken to a hospital where she had emergency surgery
to stabilize a fracture in her left leg. In other
Olympic news, the World Anti Doping Agency has issued a
(07:16):
strong response to a German tabloid's bizarre claims that are
circulating online about athletes receiving penis injections as part of
performance enhancement, they call the rumors quote completely false and
stressed that there is no evidence of any such treatments
were administered to competitors, emphasizing that credible anti doping regulations
(07:38):
and testing continued to be enforced rigorously at the Olympics
and in celebrity deaths. This week, Brad Arnold, the lead
singer of the rock band Three Doors Down, has died
at the age of forty seven from metastatic kidney cancer.
The band broke out in the late nineties and early
two thousands, and Arnold's voice was a defining part of
(07:58):
their sound. In medicine and health news, an emotional case
out of Las Vegas is drawing national attention. A local mother,
Stacy Norris, says she was twice told by her doctors
that her fetus had no heartbeat and was non viable,
and she agreed to have a surgical abortion based on
that information, But after the procedure, she later discovered that
(08:20):
her baby was still alive. Stacy is now speaking publicly
about the ordeal describing the shock of learning her pregnancy
was viable and the confusing medical journey that followed. A
thirty year old woman in England named Tiana Moon has
captured headlines after discovering she has a rare medical condition
(08:40):
called gigantomastia, which causes excessive and rapid breast tissue growth,
a condition with only about three hundred documented cases worldwide.
Tiana first noticed something was wrong after starting Manjaro, a
popular prescription medication for weight loss. Even after she shed pounds,
her breast continued to grow, eventually weighing around thirty nine
(09:03):
pounds and causing significant discomfort and health challenges. In freak
accidents and unexpected deaths, we turned to a story that
might make you never look at Olive Garden the same
In Pennsylvania, police responded to a disturbing scene inside of
an Olive Guarden kitchen after a cook took his own
(09:24):
life in the restaurant. According to police and nine one
one dispassed records, the man removed his clothing and placed
his head into a hot, deep fryer during a busy shift,
in view of terrified coworkers and at least one customer.
Despite frantic efforts by staff to intervene and the rapid
(09:44):
response of emergency services. The cook was rushed to the
hospital with severe burns and later died. A fellow employee
who tried to stop him also suffered minor burns. The
restaurant closed temporarily after the incident and has since rea opened.
In southern California, authorities responded to a terrifying crash that
(10:05):
left three people dead and several others injured. In Los Angeles.
A vehicle collided with a bicyclist, then barreled through the
front doors of a busy grocery store, plowing into shoppers
before coming to a stop inside the building. First responders
arrived to find chaos and debris, and despite their efforts
to treat the wounded, three people did not survive. Several
(10:28):
others were hospitalized with injuries ranging from broken bones to
more serious trauma. Police say they're investigating the cause of
the crash, but it's important to note that the driver
was ninety two years old. Officials say she cooperated with
investigators and was undergoing a medical evaluation. And In other
death news, our last story comes out of Chelsea, Michigan,
(10:51):
where police were called to a goodwill donation center after
staff discovered something unexpected while sorting through donated items, what
appeared to be a human skull wrapped in a shirt.
Officers took the skull and turned it over to the
Medical Examiner's office to be examined by a forensic anthropologist,
a process that could take weeks or even months. Authorities
(11:13):
say there were no visible signs of trauma on the skull,
and they believed it may have been accidentally included in
a box of clothing and household items. Now, police are
asking for the public's help in identifying the woman's scene
on surveillance dropping it off because they want to understand
why it was donated in the first place, and whether
it came from a legitimate source like a medical collection
(11:35):
or a crime scene. And that's it for this week's
Monday's Morbid Minute. For full breakdowns of these stories, plus
any breaking news that develops, be sure to tune into
this week's regular Mother Knows Death podcast and check out
the Gross Room. Don't forget to subscribe to us on
all podcast platforms and on YouTube, and while you're there,
(11:55):
leave us a review. We would love to hear what
you have to say. If you see a story you
want us to or have questions or comments, email us
at stories at Mothernosdeath dot com. Thank you for listening
to Mother noos Death. As a reminder, my training is
as a pathologist's assistant. I have a master's level education
(12:17):
and specialize in anatomy and pathology education. I am not
a doctor and I have not diagnosed or treated anyone
dead or alive without the assistance of a licensed medical doctor.
This show, my website, and social media accounts are designed
to educate and inform people based on my experience working
(12:38):
in pathology, so they can make healthier decisions regarding their
life and well being. Always remember that science is changing
every day and the opinions expressed in this episode are
based on my knowledge of those subjects at the time
of publication. If you are having a medical problem, have
a medical question, or having a medical emergency, please contact
(13:01):
your physician or visit an urgent care center, emergency room
or hospital. Please rate, review, and subscribe to Mother Knows
Death on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere you get podcasts.
Thanks
Hey everyone, Welcome the Monday's Morbid Minute, a brand new
weekly bonus episode of Mother Nos Death. This is your
quick rundown of the week's most fascinating stories involving death, disease, medicine,
and injury, making headlines and rippling through the pop culture.
We'll tease the cases here, then we'll do a deep
dive into the pathology, forensics, and medical mysteries later on
(00:25):
in our normal Mother Knows Death episodes, in articles over
in the Gross Room, and during our weekly YouTube live
bonus episode exclusively for Grossroom members. If it's dark, disturbing,
medically bizarre, or just too good not to dissect, you'll
hear it first on Monday's Morbid Minute. Hi everyone, We're
(00:49):
going to start off with true crime and court cases.
Of course, we are going to talk about a story
that has been shaking headlines across the country this week.
Nancy Guthrie, the eighty four year old mother of Today's
show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing for more than
a week after disappearing from her Tucson, Arizona home on
(01:09):
January thirty first. Investigators are treating the case as an abduction,
saying blood matching her DNA was found at the scene,
and her home has been treated as a crime scene.
No suspects or vehicles have been publicly identified, and authorities
continue an active investigation with the help from the FBI.
(01:30):
Allege ransom communications demanding millions in cryptocurrency have surfaced and
are being vetted by law enforcement, and the family has
released emotional video please saying they are willing to pay
for her return, although there has still not been verified
proof of life. Search efforts have expanded to include property searches,
(01:51):
even septic tanks, and follow ups on new messages, but
police have not disclosed any major BREAKTHROUGHSI has also deployed
billboards and increased outreach to encourage public tips. Now, we're
going to talk about a story that fell off the
radar earlier this week. Bill Stevenson, the seventy seven year
(02:13):
old ex husband of former First Lady doctor Joel Biden,
was arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection
with the death of his wife, Linda Stephenson. Police say
they were called to Wilmington, Delaware, whom in late December
for a reported domestic dispute, where Linda was found unresponsive
and later pronounced dead. After a week's long investigation, a
(02:35):
grand jury indicted Stevenson, who remains jailed on a half
a million dollars bill as the case moves forward. Joel
Biden was married to Bill Stevenson for five years and
they divorced in nineteen seventy five. In Columbus, Ohio, autopsy
reports have now revealed the shocking extent of the injuries
suffered by Spencer and Monique Tepe, a husband and wife
(02:57):
found shot to death in their home in late December.
The Franklin County Coroner's Office confirmed that Spencer was struck
seven times and Monique nine times. We will discuss this
case in more depth in the gross Room, where we
will break down all of the findings from the autopsy reports.
As we talk about these stories of domestic violence, there
is also a broader warning coming from federal authorities. The
(03:20):
US Department of Homeland Security has issued an intelligence bulletin
alerting law enforcement to an increasing trend of domestic partners
using chemical and biological toxins, including cyanide and racin to
harm or kill their significant others. The note highlights that
these agents are often sourced from online sources or even
(03:42):
concocted at home, and that their effects can mimic natural illness,
complicating detection and prosecution. New developments emerge in the mysterious
death of eighteen year old Anna Kepner, who was found
dead in November aboard a family's carnival cruise ship. Her
cause of death was due to asphyxia from a bar hold.
(04:02):
Federal authorities have now finally arrested and charged her sixteen
year old stepbrother in connection with her death. Court proceedings
were sealed because of his age. If you're interested in
more details of this case and you would like to
know more about the autopsy findings on bar hold deaths,
read our death dissection on this case in the gross room.
(04:22):
Now we're going to get into another story that has
gone mostly unnoticed this week that should terrify all of us.
In Las Vegas, investigators uncovered what they believe was an
illegal biological lab operating out of the garage of an
Airbnb rented home. When police and the Federal Bureau of
Investigators searched the property, they found a lab, equipment, refrigeration units,
(04:46):
and over a thousand vials of unknown liquid samples that
had to be removed by has met teams and set
off for federal testing. Authorities say there's no confirmed public
threat right now. Workers who had entered the garage before
the raid reported becoming quote deathly ill, describing breathing problems, exhaustion,
(05:08):
and muscle pain symptoms investigators are now looking into as
lab testing continues. Authorities are also examining possible links between
this case and a previously charged California biolab operator, suggesting
this investigation could stretch well beyond one house in Nevada.
We have an update on a story from October of
(05:29):
twenty twenty three in Penrose, Colorado. A funeral home co
owner who promoted green burials was just sentenced to forty
years in prison for corpse abuse, one of the harshest
penalties ever handed down in a case like this. Investigators
uncovered nearly two hundred decaying bodies stored improperly at the
(05:49):
Return to Nature funeral home, and in court, families described
how the funeral home provided fake ashes instead of their
loved ones remains. In Houston, federal prosecutors have indicted a
prominent transplant surgeon, accusing him of falsifying medical records to
keep patients off liver transplant list. According to the charges,
(06:11):
the doctor's entries made five patients appear ineligible for life
saving organs without their family's knowledge. Tragically, three of those
patients died before they could receive transplants, and only two
eventually got new livers after seeking help elsewhere. In pop
culture and celebrity news, this week, we kicked off the
twenty twenty six Winter Olympics. Lindsay Vaughn, already a legend
(06:34):
with multiple Olympic medals to her name, was pursuing what
would have been a storybook comeback in the women's downhill.
Just nine days before her race, Vaughan completely ruptured the
ACL in her left knee, an injury that typically sidelines
athletes entirely, yet she still chose to compete. Seconds into
(06:55):
her run down the course, Vaughn lost control, hit the
snow hard and crashed, bringing her Olympic downhill to a
tragic close and prompting a medical evacuation by helicopter. She
was taken to a hospital where she had emergency surgery
to stabilize a fracture in her left leg. In other
Olympic news, the World Anti Doping Agency has issued a
(07:16):
strong response to a German tabloid's bizarre claims that are
circulating online about athletes receiving penis injections as part of
performance enhancement, they call the rumors quote completely false and
stressed that there is no evidence of any such treatments
were administered to competitors, emphasizing that credible anti doping regulations
(07:38):
and testing continued to be enforced rigorously at the Olympics
and in celebrity deaths. This week, Brad Arnold, the lead
singer of the rock band Three Doors Down, has died
at the age of forty seven from metastatic kidney cancer.
The band broke out in the late nineties and early
two thousands, and Arnold's voice was a defining part of
(07:58):
their sound. In medicine and health news, an emotional case
out of Las Vegas is drawing national attention. A local mother,
Stacy Norris, says she was twice told by her doctors
that her fetus had no heartbeat and was non viable,
and she agreed to have a surgical abortion based on
that information, But after the procedure, she later discovered that
(08:20):
her baby was still alive. Stacy is now speaking publicly
about the ordeal describing the shock of learning her pregnancy
was viable and the confusing medical journey that followed. A
thirty year old woman in England named Tiana Moon has
captured headlines after discovering she has a rare medical condition
(08:40):
called gigantomastia, which causes excessive and rapid breast tissue growth,
a condition with only about three hundred documented cases worldwide.
Tiana first noticed something was wrong after starting Manjaro, a
popular prescription medication for weight loss. Even after she shed pounds,
her breast continued to grow, eventually weighing around thirty nine
(09:03):
pounds and causing significant discomfort and health challenges. In freak
accidents and unexpected deaths, we turned to a story that
might make you never look at Olive Garden the same
In Pennsylvania, police responded to a disturbing scene inside of
an Olive Guarden kitchen after a cook took his own
(09:24):
life in the restaurant. According to police and nine one
one dispassed records, the man removed his clothing and placed
his head into a hot, deep fryer during a busy shift,
in view of terrified coworkers and at least one customer.
Despite frantic efforts by staff to intervene and the rapid
(09:44):
response of emergency services. The cook was rushed to the
hospital with severe burns and later died. A fellow employee
who tried to stop him also suffered minor burns. The
restaurant closed temporarily after the incident and has since rea opened.
In southern California, authorities responded to a terrifying crash that
(10:05):
left three people dead and several others injured. In Los Angeles.
A vehicle collided with a bicyclist, then barreled through the
front doors of a busy grocery store, plowing into shoppers
before coming to a stop inside the building. First responders
arrived to find chaos and debris, and despite their efforts
to treat the wounded, three people did not survive. Several
(10:28):
others were hospitalized with injuries ranging from broken bones to
more serious trauma. Police say they're investigating the cause of
the crash, but it's important to note that the driver
was ninety two years old. Officials say she cooperated with
investigators and was undergoing a medical evaluation. And In other
death news, our last story comes out of Chelsea, Michigan,
(10:51):
where police were called to a goodwill donation center after
staff discovered something unexpected while sorting through donated items, what
appeared to be a human skull wrapped in a shirt.
Officers took the skull and turned it over to the
Medical Examiner's office to be examined by a forensic anthropologist,
a process that could take weeks or even months. Authorities
(11:13):
say there were no visible signs of trauma on the skull,
and they believed it may have been accidentally included in
a box of clothing and household items. Now, police are
asking for the public's help in identifying the woman's scene
on surveillance dropping it off because they want to understand
why it was donated in the first place, and whether
it came from a legitimate source like a medical collection
(11:35):
or a crime scene. And that's it for this week's
Monday's Morbid Minute. For full breakdowns of these stories, plus
any breaking news that develops, be sure to tune into
this week's regular Mother Knows Death podcast and check out
the Gross Room. Don't forget to subscribe to us on
all podcast platforms and on YouTube, and while you're there,
(11:55):
leave us a review. We would love to hear what
you have to say. If you see a story you
want us to or have questions or comments, email us
at stories at Mothernosdeath dot com. Thank you for listening
to Mother noos Death. As a reminder, my training is
as a pathologist's assistant. I have a master's level education
(12:17):
and specialize in anatomy and pathology education. I am not
a doctor and I have not diagnosed or treated anyone
dead or alive without the assistance of a licensed medical doctor.
This show, my website, and social media accounts are designed
to educate and inform people based on my experience working
(12:38):
in pathology, so they can make healthier decisions regarding their
life and well being. Always remember that science is changing
every day and the opinions expressed in this episode are
based on my knowledge of those subjects at the time
of publication. If you are having a medical problem, have
a medical question, or having a medical emergency, please contact
(13:01):
your physician or visit an urgent care center, emergency room
or hospital. Please rate, review, and subscribe to Mother Knows
Death on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere you get podcasts.
Thanks
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