The Unlovely Truth

Season 2, Episode 19: How do I Forgive? ”Murder by Family” by Kent Whitaker

Being with family should be the safest place in the world. For many, tragically, it isn’t. Mark Sowersby survived childhood sexual abuse by someone he should have been able to trust. I’ve chatted before with Mark and the first thing I noticed about him was that he just radiates joy. I’ve asked him to share his incredibly compelling story with us, and to also talk a bit about some related issues from this week’s book. The author of “Murder By Family”, Kent Whitaker, is a victim himself. We usually hear about parents who are the abusers, but in this case it was the child abusing the parents' trust in him, which eventually led to murder.
What would you do if you found out that a family member wore a mask that made it seem like everything was alright, then you found out that behind the mask was someone committing horrifically evil acts? Both Mark and Kent had a choice to make. They knew God would give them the strength to forgive if they wanted it. But did they really want it?
Check out these links for great resources related to today’s episode:
Learn more about the My Stuff Bags Foundation
Advice on how to forgive an abuser
Buy "Murder By Family"
Mark's website
Join my email list - scroll to the bottom of the homepage!

Season 2, Episode 18: Gone in an Instant: The Kentucky Vanishing of Heather Teague

Every year for the last 30 years in the U.S, between half a million and a million people have gone missing. The vast majority return or are found, or their remains are recovered. A few seem to vanish into thin air. Heather Teague from Kentucky is someone who was suddenly just gone and has never been located. Let’s try to change that. Heather's disappearance remains unsolved, and she is still missing. If you have any information, I’ve provided a number below where you can give any information you have to authorities. You can also read news articles about Heather’s case, and look up cases from where you live. Maybe you can help solve that mystery.
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Kentucky State Police
Detective Tim Rascoe
270-826-3312
Agency Case Number:
MP-96-02
NCIC Number: M-859716833
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.
The Charley Project - A cold case missing persons website
News article about Heather's case
News article about the original 911 call in Heather's case
The Doe Network - International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons
National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Season 2, Episode 17: I Thought He was My Friend - ”Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town” by Jon Krakauer

It’s hard to get good statistics on sexual assault. Some women don’t want to come forward to report an assault, and others – because they may have been intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated – may not even know that they were assaulted. This week’s book looks at cases of sexual assault at the University of Montana and how police handled rape cases there from 2010 to 2012. And I want to be very clear from the beginning of today’s episode: victims of sexual assault are never to blame for what happened to them. It’s not because of what they wore, the fact that they were drinking, or where they decided to go. It’s because a man decided that he did not need their consent to do what he wanted to do. Of course, it’s not only athletes that often seem to get preferential treatment. Anyone who we hold up as a role model can too easily be given a pass if an accusation is made against them. Even leaders in the church.
It’s an unlovely truth that often, action isn’t taken until media attention forces us to really look at situations closely, knowing that others are evaluating how things are being handled. My guest this week, Yvette Babs Walker, is a former reporter, editor, and news director, current dean of students at a large university, speaker, and host of the Positively Joy podcast. You’ll want to hear her perspective on violent crime, preferential treatment of some types of offenders, and how any one of us can step up to make a difference.
Check out these amazing resources:
Positively Joy podcast
Article on Jon Krakauer writing the book
Buy the book
Article on campus rape
Volunteer opportunity
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit their website to receive confidential support.

Season 2, Episode 16: Was I Just Scammed? Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion by Tori Telfer

In this week’s book “Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion” the author wrote about many different types of scams, from false Russian royalty to shady spiritualists to straight up grifters. We don’t like to admit it, but any one of us could fall for the lies of a good scammer, especially when they are telling us something we are desperate to hear.
This book isn’t the story of one scam, or even one scam artist. But we are going to focus on just one of these scammers and what she took (besides just money) from her very rich, very famous victim - New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux.
I’m joined by certified fraud investigator Ed Stolle, whose real passion is to keep the youth in his church from falling for the biggest scam of all – that the object of their faith isn’t real.
Check out these resources for more information about today’s topics:
Protect yourself against investment fraud
Buy "The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time" by Maria Konnikova
Email Ed at EDLS@yahoo.com

Season 2, Episode 15: Basketball, Baylor, Betrayal and Beyond: ”The Leftovers” by Matt Sayman

This week’s book is The Leftovers: Basketball, Baylor, Betrayal, and Beyond by former Baylor basketball player Matt Sayman. With Baylor winning the men’s NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship just days ago, I felt like this was a great opportunity to look at some of the mistakes made 20 years ago that took the program to the lowest point that they - or arguably any major college basketball program - had ever sunk, and talk about how we can work to avoid making those same mistakes in our own lives. Our story is told by a man who was on the team when it all came crashing down and was a big part, along with current Baylor Coach Scott Drew, of setting it back on the right track. Former coach and athletic director Brian Williams joins me to talk about what happens when winning becomes your god, why we excuse bad behavior in successful people, and the importance of consistently putting others first.
To find Brian’s resources, check these links:
https://coachingtoolbox.net
https://www.personaldevelopmenttoolbox.net
Click here to buy "The Leftovers"
Article on Coach Bliss
Article on Coach Scott Drew
We focused on the downside of competitive athletics, but there’s no doubt that when done right, youth sports offers many positives. Kids can learn teamwork, discipline, and how to respond to good leadership – all while they stay physically fit! Sports can also offer a great alternative to hanging out with the wrong people and possibly getting involved in activities that lead nowhere good. If you want to help a kid who may not have the resources to play sports, visit goodsports.org.

Season 2, Episode 14: The Cold Case Murder of 10-Year-Old Joshua Lee Walden

This month’s featured unsolved case is the murder of ten-year-old Joshua Lee Walden of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Joshua was enjoying the mild weather in early December of 2000 by riding his 20-inch Magnum bicycle near his family’s home in the 4500 block of 14th Avenue. His 17-year-old sister Crystal was busy with her newborn, but when she realized how late it was, and that her parents didn’t know where Josh was, she reported him missing. It was just after midnight, in the early moments of Saturday, December 9th. Police immediately started a neighborhood canvas and began to interview Josh’s friends and family, and people searched everywhere for the grade schooler. His body was found on Sunday the 10th, in a wooded area off the 3100 block of 16th Avenue, near the East Lake Duck Pond. It was only about a half a mile from the Waldens' home. Someone knows what happened to Joshua.
For more information about Joshua Lee Walden’s case, check out these resources:
News video with Crystal and police
Video with Joshua on his bike
If you have any information at all regarding Joshua’s case, please contact the DA's Cold Case Unit at 423-209-7470 or send an email to coldcases@hcdatn.org.

Season 2, Episode 13: The First Internet Serial Killer: ”Anyone You Want Me to Be” by John Douglas and Stephen Singular

The internet can certainly make daily tasks more convenient. We can do our shopping online, apply for jobs online, and even look for love online. But how can you know for sure that someone you meet on the internet really is who they say they are? Former FBI profiler John Douglas of Mindhunter fame has teamed up with true crime author Stephen Singular to bring us a cautionary tale of multiple women who thought they met the man of their dreams online, only to find themselves in a deadly nightmare.
You’ve probably never heard of John Robinson, who made history for being the first serial killer known to find his victims on the internet. I certainly hadn’t heard of him, even though he was a very, very prolific criminal who fooled dozens of unsuspecting victims. Join me and my guest Carrie Kerskie, a private investigator and fraud expert, as we talk about romance scams, phishing attacks, and how to stay safer online.
For more information, check out these resources:
Carrie's website
Credit protection Tip Sheet
Carrie's podcast
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the main agency that collects scam reports. Report your scam online with the FTC complaint assistant, or by phone at 1-877-382-4357 (9:00 AM - 8:00 PM, ET).
Buy "Anyone You Want Me To Be"

Season 2, Episode 12: Obsession and Manipulation in the Deep South: Everything She Ever Wanted by Ann Rule

Mary Linda Patricia Vann, known to most as Pat, had big dreams. She was obsessed with the idea of having a man who would sweep her off her feet and set her up in a modern-day version of Gone With The Wind. Someone who would give her everything she ever wanted. Ann Rule’s book with that title is the tale of the lengths Pat would go to in order to make her dreams come true. She went much further than most people you and I know would – we hope!
This week’s guest is Pastor Lori Prather who is also the chaplain of our Unlovely Truth Tribe. She and I will be talking about recognizing and helping people in your life who might be just a little bit like Pat.
Buy "Everything She Ever Wanted" by Ann Rule
Buy "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

Season 2, Episode 11: There Should’ve Been a Book: Who is Delta Jane Doe?

All of us have a deep desire to be known. To have others value who we are at our core. Our story today involves the death of a woman who is only known in death as Delta Jane Doe. Authorities in Isleton, California, hope that they can discover who she was in life. They need your help to be able to do that.
If you know anything about this case, call 916-874-5057.
Check out these sites for more information about Delta Jane Doe:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/627ufca.html
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/ca-isleton-fem-skeletal-627ufca-30-50-blue-delta-fire-hoodie-mar08.62723/page-2
http://unsolvedgratefuldeadfans.homestead.com/UnidentifiedFemale1.html
https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2d/141/304.html
Buy The Case of the Singing Skirt

Season 2, Episode 10: Are You There Alone?

“9-1-1, What’s your emergency?”
Dispatchers never know what they are going to hear when they say those words. On June 20th, 2001, a dispatcher in Houston, Texas, answered a call from a woman named Andrea Yates. She wouldn’t tell the dispatcher what had happened, just that she needed a police officer to come to her house. After asking more questions and finding out that Andrea had 5 young children, the dispatcher sent Officer David Knapp to the home on Beachcomber Lane in south Houston. Andrea met him at the door when he arrived and told him that she had just killed her children. Her husband Rusty arrived minutes later. She had called him at work to tell him that he needed to come home. Rusty was worried that Andrea may have tried to kill herself again. He had no idea of the devastation he was coming home to.
Please check these resources if you or someone you know needs assistance with a mental health issue.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-8255
Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish.
Psychology Today
Cumberland Counseling Centers
@alexandrathompson_lcsw