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.