In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns begins a two-part series on prescription drug misuse and the ordinary ways pills can end up in the wrong hands. He shares a childhood story about missing medication from his mother’s cancer treatment, a residency assignment that blurred an ethical line, and a hospital encounter that highlights the difficult position doctors can face when patients demand controlled substances. He also discusses doctor shopping, what pill bottles can reveal at a death scene, and why fame can make access to prescription drugs even easier.



Highlights

(0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

(0:15) Prescription drug misuse and why legal medications are often overlooked as drugs of abuse

(1:15) How certain prescription drugs become tied to medical professionals instead of street dealers

(1:30) Dr. Crowns recalls his mother’s hydrocodone prescription and her missing pills

(3:45) Stealing medication from friends, family members, and deceased relatives as a common route to prescription drug misuse

(4:15) What pill bottles can reveal at a death scene, including labels, prescribing doctors, pill counts, and mixed contents

(5:30) Doctor shopping, emergency room visits, claimed allergies, and other red flags

(6:45) The risk of doctors prescribing to relatives and friends, and a case of a secretary’s husband who died unexpectedly

(10:45) Why Dr. Crowns never obtained a DEA number

(12:45) Patient pressure, medical school rotations, and a hospital encounter with an inmate asking for morphine or hydrocodone

(17:15) Dr. Crowns introduces Michael Jackson’s death as the focus of Got Milk? Part Two



About the Host:

Dr. Kendall Crowns is the chief medical examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, andKansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings sharp medical insight and dark humor to the often-misunderstood realities of forensic pathology.



About the Show

Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations.



Connect and Learn More

Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on LinkedIn and follow Mayhem in the Morgue on TikTok at @mayheminthemorgue. Catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and be sure to follow Mayhem in the Morgue wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns begins a&nbsp;two-part series on prescription drug misuse and the ordinary ways pills can end up in the wrong&nbsp;hands. He shares a childhood story about missing medication from his mother&rsquo;s cancer&nbsp;treatment, a residency assignment that blurred an ethical line, and a hospital encounter that&nbsp;highlights the difficult position doctors can face when patients demand controlled substances.&nbsp;He also discusses doctor shopping, what pill bottles can reveal at a death scene, and why fame&nbsp;can make access to prescription drugs even easier. 
Highlights
(0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns
(0:15) Prescription drug misuse and why legal medications are often overlooked as&nbsp;drugs of abuse
(1:15) How certain prescription drugs become tied to medical professionals instead of&nbsp;street dealers
(1:30) Dr. Crowns recalls his mother&rsquo;s hydrocodone prescription and her missing pills
(3:45) Stealing medication from friends, family members, and deceased relatives as a&nbsp;common route to prescription drug misuse
(4:15) What pill bottles can reveal at a death scene, including labels, prescribing doctors,&nbsp;pill counts, and mixed contents
(5:30) Doctor shopping, emergency room visits, claimed allergies, and other red flags
(6:45) The risk of doctors prescribing to relatives and friends, and a case of a secretary&rsquo;s&nbsp;husband who died unexpectedly
(10:45) Why Dr. Crowns never obtained a DEA number
(12:45) Patient pressure, medical school rotations, and a hospital encounter with an&nbsp;inmate asking for morphine or hydrocodone
(17:15) Dr. Crowns introduces Michael Jackson&rsquo;s death as the focus of Got Milk? Part&nbsp;Two 
About the Host:
Dr. Kendall Crowns is the chief medical examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized&nbsp;forensic pathologist. He has led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, andKansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court&nbsp;hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings sharp medical insight and dark humor to the often-misunderstood&nbsp;realities of forensic pathology. 
About the Show
Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world&nbsp;of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode&nbsp;delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows&nbsp;humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations. 
Connect and Learn More
Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on LinkedIn and follow Mayhem in the Morgue on TikTok&nbsp;at @mayheminthemorgue. Catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and be sure&nbsp;to follow Mayhem in the Morgue wherever you get your podcasts.

It's chaos, blood and body parts. Join Dr. Kendall Crowns each week as he discusses stories and cases from his over 35-year journey of death from the tornado alley of Kansas, the bloody Memphis shoreline of the muddy Mississippi river, the ultra-violence of Chicago, and finally the Methamphetamine fueled insanity of Texas -- encompassing his days as an autopsy tech, medical student, resident/fellow and finally as a medical examiner. Stories range from humorous to horrifying and cover a wide variety of topics from week to week. You will never know what you will hear, be it courtroom drama, decapitations, gangland shootings, feet with no body, or chihuahuas feasting on the flesh of decomposing bodies. The cases will never end. It will always be different and there is never a dull moment. So, tune in each week and climb aboard, your nightmares will never be the same

It's chaos, blood and body parts. Join Dr. Kendall Crowns each week as he discusses stories and cases from his over 35-year journey of death from the tornado alley of Kansas, the bloody Memphis shoreline of the muddy Mississippi river, the ultra-violence of Chicago, and finally the Methamphetamine fueled insanity of Texas -- encompassing his days as an autopsy tech, medical student, resident/fellow and finally as a medical examiner. Stories range from humorous to horrifying and cover a wide variety of topics from week to week. You will never know what you will hear, be it courtroom drama, decapitations, gangland shootings, feet with no body, or chihuahuas feasting on the flesh of decomposing bodies. The cases will never end. It will always be different and there is never a dull moment. So, tune in each week and climb aboard, your nightmares will never be the same

Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

Mayhem in the Morgue | Got Milk? Part One

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9fae7460-6746-4fc4-bcb3-b48000f3453b/transcript