A mother loses custody of her kids to her violent and abusive ex. Did the government go one step further and effectively sanction her murder?

A mother loses custody of her kids to her violent and abusive ex. Did the government go one step further and effectively sanction her murder?

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made Paper Ghosts a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is oneof them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness.

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made Paper Ghosts a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is one of them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness.

Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made PAPER GHOSTS a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is oneof them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness.

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made PAPER GHOSTS a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is one of them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness.

The Petite Jasmine Tragedy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dc282c40-2e6c-4f72-9d6d-af6d003b07ce/transcript

Phelps speaks with Lauren Fields’ mother, Shantell, about the surprising cause and manner of death in Lauren’s case. He also digs into the Brenda Rawls death - another woman found dead after a date - the very same night, just down the road from where Lauren died - whose family was also never informed of her death by the police.

Phelps speaks with Lauren Fields’ mother, Shantell, about the surprising cause and manner of death in Lauren’s case. He also digs into the Brenda Rawls death - another woman found dead after a date - the very same night, just down the road from where Lauren died - whose family was also never informed of her death by the police.

Bumble Date Death, Part 2: The Brenda Rawls Case

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9c05015a-512f-401f-838a-afb0002ff9c5/transcript

You might have heard about this case: A woman, Lauren Smith-Fields, TikTok influencer, model and college student studying physical therapy, invites a Bumble date over to her apartment in December 2021 and winds up dead … police say accidental, family says suspicious … and yet the manner of death is only half the story. What happened inside Lauren’s apartment on the night she died, and the next day, will have your jaw on the floor, wondering what is going on in the world of law enforcement investigation in some of the country’s largest cities. In the first of this two-part Crossing the Line, Phelps digs in deep and talks to Lauren’s family. 

You might have heard about this case: A woman, Lauren Smith-Fields, TikTok influencer, model and college student studying physical therapy, invites a Bumble date over to her apartment in December 2021 and winds up dead … police say accidental, family says suspicious … and yet the manner of death is only half the story. What happened inside Lauren’s apartment on the night she died, and the next day, will have your jaw on the floor, wondering what is going on in the world of law enforcement investigation in some of the country’s largest cities. In the first of this two-part Crossing the Line, Phelps digs in deep and talks to Lauren’s family.

Bumble Date Death - Part 1: The Lauren Smith-Fields Case

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a7091bb7-62c0-42ed-8949-afa80121f474/transcript

A beloved woman in a posh Connecticut town goes out for a jog, same as she does every day. Along that route is an immense estate owned by the puppeteer, Caroll Spinney, who played the iconic “Big Bird” and “Oscar the Grouch” characters on Sesame Street. After failing to return, police searching for the woman find a literal blood trail leading directly to Big Bird’s estate … and an immaculate Chinese pagoda on the property. Soon, all eyes are following that bird—and yet neither he - nor the woman - are anywhere to be found.  

A beloved woman in a posh Connecticut town goes out for a jog, same as she does every day. Along that route is an immense estate owned by the puppeteer, Caroll Spinney, who played the iconic “Big Bird” and “Oscar the Grouch” characters on Sesame Street. After failing to return, police searching for the woman find a literal blood trail leading directly to Big Bird’s estate … and an immaculate Chinese pagoda on the property. Soon, all eyes are following that bird—and yet neither he - nor the woman - are anywhere to be found.

The Judy Nilan Case: Murder at Big Bird’s Estate

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5bfed0b6-294b-4cd4-8b7c-afa000325cd3/transcript

The Petite Jasmine Tragedy

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