Tag: Teenager

Episode 134: Investigating Medical Child Abuse

My guest on the podcast today is highly esteemed Tarrant County Sheriff’s Investigator Michael Weber, who specializes in investigating cases of medical child abuse, also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Detective Weber is also a member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s Munchausen by proxy committee alongside international expert on factitious disorders Dr. Marc Feldman and author Andrea Dunlop.

Detective Weber is also a Munchausen by proxy investigative expert, law enforcement trainer, and consultant on these complicated cases, which are notoriously difficult to prosecute. I’m honored to have the opportunity to talk with him about his work and how important it is to raise awareness of this lesser-known but surprisingly common form of child abuse.

This is Episode 134: Investigating Medical Child Abuse.

Links related to today’s episode: 

Mike Weber Consulting: https://mikeweberconsulting.com

Munchausen Support: https://munchausensupport.com

Dr. Feldman’s Munchausen website: https://www.munchausen.com 

Podcast – Nobody Should Believe Me: https://www.nobodyshouldbelieveme.com/ 

Rosenberg study (1987): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0145213487900810?via%3Dihub

Sheridan study (2003): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213403000309?via%3Dihub 

Episode 58: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (Part 1): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/44665606

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

You can also support the podcast at Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod.

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.

Episode 133: Case Update Special #9

Like I did last week, in this episode, I will provide updates on some of the cases I’ve covered in early episodes of the podcast.

The cases discussed in today’s episode include those of AJ Freund, Treyanna Summerville, Sereniti Sutley, Josias Marquez, and Conner and Brinley Snyder, as well as another quick update in the case of Arabella Parker.

This is episode 133: Case Update Special #9. 

Links related to today’s episode:

Episode 123: AJ Freund (Mega Episode): https://www.spreaker.com/episode/50936535

Episode 20: Treyanna Summerville – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/44665638

Episode 21: Sereniti Sutley – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/50859194

Episode 122: Sereniti Deserves Justice – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/50796217

Episode 24: Josias Marquez – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/44665644

Episode 29: Brinley & Conner Snyder – https://www.spreaker.com/episode/44665674

Episode 16: Arabella Parker (Part 1) – https://youtu.be/fGjN0G9w6q4

Episode 17: Arabella Parker (Part 2) – https://youtu.be/SJKFAvKi8M8

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

You can also support the podcast at Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod.

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.

Episode 119: Giovanni Melton (Part 2)

Last week, I told you the story of 14-year-old Giovanni Melton, who was shot to death by his father on November 2, 2017. Wendell Melton claimed the shooting was an accident, but many, including Giovanni’s mother, believe the murder was perpetrated by a man who couldn’t stand having a gay son. 

In this episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Giovanni’s mom, Veronica Melton, who has channeled her grief and anger at the senseless murder of her baby into advocating for other LGBTQ+ youth of color with the hope of preventing future such tragedies.

This is part two of the heartbreaking story of  Giovanni Melton.

Giovanni Melton Foundation website: https://giovannimelton.org/ 

Giovanni Melton Foundation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiovanniMeltonFoundation.org/

Giovanni Melton Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giovannimeltonfoundation/?hl=en

Moms Demand Action: https://momsdemandaction.org/ 

Everytown Survivor Network: https://www.everytown.org/organization/survivor-network/

National Action Network: https://nationalactionnetwork.net/

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.

Episode 118: Giovanni Melton (Part 1)

On November 2, 2017, a tearful man called 911, telling the dispatcher he had shot his teenage son. Wendell Melton claimed that during an altercation with his 14-year-old son, Giovanni Melton, his gun accidentally went off, striking Giovanni in the chest. Giovanni was rushed to the hospital, but he did not survive.

After Giovanni’s death, multiple people came forward with information indicating the killing was not an accident, instead the deliberate action of a homophobic father who couldn’t tolerate having a gay son.

In next week’s episode, we’ll hear from Giovanni’s mom, Veronica Melton, who has channeled her grief and anger into advocating for LGBTQ+ youth of color with the hope of preventing tragedies like her family’s.

This is part one of the heartbreaking story of Giovanni Melton. 

Links discussed in this episode:

***Urgent! Please see this post for more information on how to contact Judge Michelle Leavitt before Friday, July 1, 2022 to make your voice heard for Wendell Melton’s sentencing hearing! https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1242273556547448&set=a.121744861933662 ***

Giovanni Melton Foundation website: https://giovannimelton.org/ 

Giovanni Melton Foundation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiovanniMeltonFoundation.org/

Giovanni Melton Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giovannimeltonfoundation/?hl=en

PFLAG: https://pflag.org 

National Black Justice Coalition: https://nbjc.org

Counter Narrative Project: https://thecounternarrative.org 

Strong Family Alliance: https://strongfamilyalliance.org

Moms Demand Action: https://momsdemandaction.org/ 

Everytown Survivor Network: https://www.everytown.org/organization/survivor-network/

National Action Network: https://nationalactionnetwork.net/

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.

Episode 116: Itaberli Lozano

On January 7, 2017, police in Cravinhos, Brazil discovered a charred body in a sugarcane field and soon identified the remains as belonging to 17-year-old Itaberli Lozano, whose grandmother reported him missing days earlier. Before long, the investigation uncovered a diabolical murder plot orchestrated by Itaberli’s own mother, Tatiana Ferreira Lozano Pereira, who hired two young hitmen to kill her son. When her hired thugs refused to end Itaberli’s life, Tatiana herself stabbed her own child to death.

This is the story of a vivacious, outgoing teenager whose relationship with his mother crumbled when he told her he was gay. It’s also the story of a mother who so much preferred a dead son to a homosexual one that she twice solicited others to attack him before she herself ended his promising young life.

This is the horrific story of Itaberli Lozano.

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.

Episode 114: Jasmine Cannady & JJ Bright

On a seemingly mundane Monday afternoon in February of 2021, a 911 call summoned police to an unassuming two-story brick home in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. On the front porch, officers found 48-year-old Krisinda Bright waiting for them, covered in what she freely admitted was the blood of two of her children: 16-year-old JJ Bright and 22-year-old Jasmine Cannady, both of whom were inside the home, dead from apparent gunshot wounds to the head.

JJ, a transgender boy who socially transitioned at age 12, and Jasmine, who identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns, have been consistently misgendered by most media outlets from the start, and JJ has been deadnamed in news articles more times than I can count. In life, they deserved the respect of being referred to by their preferred pronouns and JJ by his chosen name; in death, the very least we can do is remember them with dignity and respect, the way they both deserve.

This is the tragic story of Jasmine Cannady and JJ Bright.

Links discussed in this episode:

Remembering Jasmine Cannady And Jj/jeffrey Bright Facebook group 

PRISM Beaver County 

NAMI Beaver County 

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC)

The Trevor Project 

Transgender Homicide Tracker

Photos related to today’s episode can be viewed on Facebook and Instagram:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok.

My Linktree is available here.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you’ll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts. Pledges of $5 or more per month access ad-free versions of my regular Wednesday episodes (starting with episode #88). Pledges of $10 or more per month access a small but growing collection of Patreon-exclusive bonus minisodes!

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

For more stories like this one, visit Suffer the Little Children Blog.

Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spreaker, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or your favorite podcast listening platform.