Dead Men's Donuts

Greetings Travelers! Your favorite snarky medical examiner is here with more morbid adventures! There's a new format. I'm going to alternate episodes: For every episode featuring a survival story, the next episode will be a true story from my own experiences as a Medicolegal Death Investigator... but more importantly... as a Woman Medicolegal Death Investigator on the Autism Spectrum! That's right, just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder- turns out, I'm neurodivergent (of course, a lot of people already knew that but it was news to me) Anyway, this weeks story is a reintroduction to me, my profession and a true recounting of my very first autopsy

Charlie was victimized by her mother's husband from the time she was 6 years old.  As a young adult she continued to live under the thumb of his narcissistic abuse and even gave birth to his child.  But Charlie wasn't going to spend her life in that cage.  And there's nothing more dangerous than a woman who has nothing left to lose.  This is part 2 of a 2 part-story.

Charlie endured almost two decades of abuse at the hands of her family.  But you can't keep a heroic woman down.  This is part 1 of a two-part story with a truly remarkable individual.

Deb never thought much about her family, her childhood... or anything else.  Until a martial arts class woke her up to the fact that she had been sleep-walking, and drinking, her way through life. 

CW: emotional, mental abuse / addiction

Rachael has had quite a life.  Not only is she an internationally known performer, she has also survived a never-ending onslaught of peril and craziness... but this episode focuses on her run as an experimental lab-rat due to an UNHEARD OF cancer diagnosis. Not for the overly sensitive, morally uptight or faint of heart.

Certain risks come with working private security in Mexico... for example, people coming to your home to kidnap you and your family.  Not only did Duque survive the ensuing fire-fight, he also managed to leave that world behind him... and now enjoys the simple thing in life.... like making tacos while he's being interviewed.

In this episode, Grace tells (part of) her own survival story.  This episode deals with abuse, addiction... zombies... you know- all the horrifying stuff. Another morbidly uplifting podcast!

It's never great when someone incorrectly thinks you're a racist, it's another thing entirely when someone tries to kill you because they incorrectly think you're a racist.

Having just gotten out of a bad relationship, Ash was on to bigger and better things... right up until a car on the highway crossed a center median and crashed right into Ash's future.  She may have died twice on the helicopter ride to the hospital, but the good news is... she got to meet Voldemort!

Death May be the great equalizer, but suicide is a crazy bitch.  This week features an essay of wild (unsuccessful) suicide attempts, as told by the host, Grace.  More misadventures in mortality for your listening pleasure!

Chris survived two years of hell serving in the Marine Corps, but his fight was only just starting. Coming home to serve as a sheriff's deputy in his hometown, he began to realize that surviving the initial trauma of his military service was nothing compared to the PTSD that followed.  Listen to his story of struggle, disgrace and redemption

Part 1 of 2! Everyone has heard of PTSD as it applies to soldiers who have faced combat- but that's not Chris's story.  Even though he saw combat, Chris's PTSD came from perhaps the most unlikely place: his peers. Part 1 is surviving the trauma itself. Part 2 is navigating the world after the fact- hence the POST in PTSD. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do... is admit that you're a goddamn mess.

What happens when the medical examiner gets called to a scene and the dead person is still alive? An existential crisis... that's what.

Love is truly blind- until the butcher knife comes out... then love is a scene from The Last Unicorn.  

Molly and her friend were walking home from a night out in Asheville, North Carolina, when a stranger with a gun changed her life forever.  He may have broken her nose (along with a few other things) but he sure as hell didn't break her spirit.