Welcome Shattered Souls to the CrimeOnline Podcast Network! What comes to mind when you hear the word “forensics”? For many, the word evokes images of sterile labs and white coats. The reality, however, is quite different.

In Shattered Souls veteran forensic investigator Karen Smith opens her detailed and poignant journals from her 11 years as a forensic detective in Jacksonville, Florida. She speaks of trudging through muddy swamps, dangling over crime scenes from a firetruck ladder, and the tremendous emotional toll that the horror of these crimes wreaks on the investigators tasked with solving them. 

Karen talks about the nightmares, the emotional and often physical pain, the scares, and the breath-holding, white-knuckle moments from the most haunting cases of her career. They’re victims you’ve probably never heard of, but they’re victims that she can never forget. Their stories - and the shattered souls of loved ones they left behind - are at the heart of every episode.

Music by Sam Johnson