The Unlovely Truth
Exploring the intersection of faith and true crime.
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Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
The unexpected death of a loved one is devastating. How much more grief is heaped onto your mourning when you find out that your loved one was murdered? What does this type of tragedy do to a tight-knit community? Let’s find out.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 47. Our book this week is “We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder” by M. Williams Phelps and we’re going to welcome back licensed counselor and pastor David Brannock as our guest for the next two weeks. We will check in with David after we investigate the fascinating case of the murder of Mary Yoder.
Sixty-year-old Mary Yoder was a go-getter. Along with running a thriving chiropractic office with her husband Bill, she was passionate about healthy living and healthy eating. Whenever she was in a hurry at lunch, she had her go-to protein shake powder. But it was time to start slowing down.
Mary and Bill were looking to sell their practice and travel. It had to be to just the right person who would care for their patients as they would. And their staff was like family - literally in one case. Their son Adam worked part time for them as he finished up his degree. He convinced his parents to also hire his girlfriend, Katie. Sounds cozy, right? It was - until the young couple’s relationship went south.
Proverbs 27:4 NIV
Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
I’ve been overwhelmed with anger before. It’s not a good time to make decisions, and not a good time to interact with others. It’s too easy to want to get revenge on the person who did whatever we decided was worth losing our temper to start with. Here, the Bible teaches that as bad as that kind of situation is, how it can tempt us to act in ways we shouldn’t - jealousy can get us even more bent out of shape.
We’re all true crime friends here. We’ve all read the books and watched the shows about the terrible things people can choose to do when someone has something they want. Like the title of this week’s book, We Thought We Knew You, it can be hard to recognize harmful behavior in people we admire, like, or even love. And the failure of numerous people to recognize a seriously disturbed person cost Mary Yoder her life.
Who in our lives or the lives of our loved ones needs to be looked at a little more closely? They may not be lethal, but that doesn't mean they can’t do a lot of damage physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. It’s ok to speak up and tell people that you are concerned about a person in their life. Did anyone know how bad Mary’s killer really was? Find out next week.
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Grab your copy of “We Thought We Knew You”
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Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Tuesday Dec 05, 2023
Thirty two year old Patty Vaughan went missing on Christmas Day, 1996, from her home in La Vernia, Texas. Her family needs to know what happened and if she’s no longer alive, to find her body and lay her to rest. Someone knows what happened and together, we might be able to convince them to come forward.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 46. Our case this week is the case of Patty Vaughan. Even after nearly 27 years, this case is still solvable. So let’s investigate and share all over the state of Texas and the world.
Lying on the south bank of Cibolo Creek, La Vernia Texas is a small town near San Antonio.
Patty and her husband Jerry Ray “J.R.” Vaughan had been separated for a couple of months.
Patty told friends and family that she had grown increasingly frustrated by JR’s controlling behavior. They claimed that Patty told them he didn’t allow her work and was verbally abusive. Some suspected there was physical abuse as well when they spotted bruises that Patty couldn’t explain.
Authorities in Patty’s case say there is circumstantial evidence, but not enough to charge anyone. That’s where we can help. A lot of people from the great state of Texas listen to this podcast. I hope you will all share it with your friends who live in the San Antonio area, or who did back in 1996 when Patty went missing. Sometimes all it takes to break a case wide open is one piece of information. Hearing about a cold case may stir up memories for people, or even a desire to share information they were once afraid to disclose. So let’s share with friends, share on social media, and try to get some more answers for Patty’s family and maybe even some justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
In Patty’s case, I firmly believe there are people who have lost their voices, figuratively speaking. They know what happened. Patty cannot speak for herself, so it’s up to someone else to stand up for her right to have justice done. If you are that person, you don’t need to worry that speaking up may get someone in trouble. It’s a person’s actions that do that, not the reporting of those actions.
Police and prosecutors can only work with the information that is available to them. You can’t finish putting a puzzle together if you don’t have all of the pieces. You might be able to say with certainty what picture the puzzle makes, but you still aren’t done. Patty’s case isn’t done. It’s still missing a few pieces. If you have any of them, look in the show notes for how you can contact authorities to tell them what you know.
Someone, and maybe more than one someone, has literally gotten away with murder. While they’ve been free, who knows how many other people they may have hurt. Patty’s family certainly still hurts. Let’s do all we can to help them now.
I’d love to know what cases or topics you’d like to see on the podcast in 2024! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. Don’t shy away from hard topics. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
If you have information about Patty’s case, you can call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-TIPS or 210-335-6000.
You can also call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
Submit a tip online to the Texas Department of Safety
Read the articles from News4 San Antonio, nbcnews.com, and The Charley Project
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If you are in an abusive relationship and you need to store money and documents privately and securely, visit Safe Haven Services
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Mark Abbott figured he’d better take the back roads to get home in the early morning hours of November 8th, 1992. He would later claim that he was drunk and didn’t want to get another DUI or get cited for driving without a license. When he pulled off of Interstate 55 near Benton, Missouri, he saw a car idling at the top of an exit ramp. He looked in, and realized he’d found a body.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
Our book this week is “The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless: An Honest Sheriff and the Exoneration of an Innocent Man” by Stephen R. Snodgrass with Joshua C. Kezer and our guest is Joshua Kezer. We will check in with Josh after we investigate this fascinating book.
The body Mark Abbott found was 19 year old nursing student Angela Mischelle Lawless.
With all the wisdom of a drunk man, he decided someone else would come by soon, and if the police came looking for him, he’d tell them he was Matt Abbott, his twin brother.
If true crime shows had been popular back then, maybe he’d have known that twins don’t have identical fingerprints.
Someone else did drive and notice the car, but didn’t stop in case whoever was inside might be looking for trouble. The couple went to the sheriff’s department to tell them the scene needed to be checked out. Deputies found Angela, who went by her middle name of Mischelle lying across the center console with her head on the passenger seat. Mischelle didn’t appear to be breathing.
Witnesses said that Josh had confessed to them. Despite having alibi witnesses that placed him over 300 miles away at the time of the murder, Josh was convicted and sent to prison. Prison is a rough and dangerous place and Josh had to learn how to survive there. As time passed, he got involved with the prison ministry attending Sunday services and joining Bible Study groups.
Josh says in the book that faith became the focus and center of his life, giving him hope for the future, and helping him handle the nightmare that was his present.
It was there that he met Jane Williams. Jane was at the prison giving a presentation on devotionals she had written. After meeting they forged a friendship through correspondence. Eventually, Josh trusted Jane enough to tell her his story.
Scott County reserve deputy Rick Walter had always believed that the case against Josh was weak. Though neither he nor Jane Williams knew what the other was doing, their combined efforts would change Josh’s life forever. It wasn’t easy, and he still lives with the trauma he endured spending so many years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. One of the most important things that he learned was the importance of forgiveness.
Psalm 109:1-3
Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths
are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
This is a Psalm of David, written when he was at a really low point in his life. Enemies were pursuing him with lies. Josh Kezer knows what that feels like. If you read the rest of this Psalm, you’ll see that even in his distress, David left vengeance to God. That’s not an easy thing to do at all. It certainly helped David that he cried out to God. It helped Josh that he turned to his faith too. What attacks are you facing where it’s really tempting to try to get payback? I hope that Psalm 109 inspires you to let God deal with it.
Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Get a copy of The Murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless: An Honest Sheriff and the Exoneration of an Innocent Man
Connect with Josh on Facebook or Instagram
Contact the Scott County Prosecutor at 573-545-3562
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Check out my newest book, Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Is your church a safe place? That sounds like such a rude question, doesn't it? But I only ask because I love the church so much! Study after study shows church attendance declining, but I want to see our churches regain the central role they once held in our communities, where people saw them as safe and trustworthy havens for everyone.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 44. We are going to flip the script today. Self publishing expert, founder of Beatitudes Publishing LLC and Andre Lende is going to ask me some questions about my newly released book, “Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches”.
Feeling unsure about taking the first step? That's perfectly okay. This training is crafted to be effective at any stage of your journey. Immediate positive changes are within your grasp, and, most importantly, you'll have the flexibility to customize solutions to your church's unique needs. I'll be your guide throughout, supporting you in this crucial endeavor. Together, we can reclaim sanctuary not just within our buildings but also in our communities.
1 Samuel 17:32-37 TLB
“Don’t worry about a thing,” David told him. “I’ll take care of this Philistine!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “How can a kid like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!”
But David persisted. “When I am taking care of my father’s sheep,” he said, “and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lion and the bear
will save me from this Philistine!”
Saul finally consented, “All right, go ahead,” he said, “and may the Lord be with you!”
A true sanctuary isn’t just a building. It’s the community that inhabits the building. There were threats to the flocks that David tended, and there are threats to our flocks today. David says that when a predator comes after a lamb from his flock, he goes after it! He sees what needs to be done and he does it.
Part of making our churches true sanctuaries is to recognize that each one of us needs to have David’s attitude. He doesn’t look at how intimidating Goliath is, any more than he worried about bears or lions. Each in its own way was a threat and David was willing to be responsible to take care of threats.
I hope that each one of us will take a look around at our churches and see where there may be physical, emotional, or spiritual threats. If you need a bit of help doing that, I hope you’ll grab my book. There's a link in the show notes for where to grab your copy. And stay tuned to be one of the first to find out when the video training that dives even deeper becomes available.
Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Link to buy Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches
Connect with Andrea Lende
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Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Behind the facade of a religious community, lies a story of manipulation, mind control, and tragedy. Let’s investigate the secrets, the power, and the psychological grip of the Word of Life Church – a story of religious devotion taken to the extreme.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 43. Our book this week is Broken Faith: Inside One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr. Our guest this week is Lori Prather, our chaplain here at The Unlovely Truth. Get ready for an eye-opening journey into the heart of the Word of Life Church– a story that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and make your question your own susceptibility to be manipulated.
This is one of the most disturbing instances of what I considered spiritual abuse and physical abuse in a church setting that I’ve ever come across. A church movement that started in 1979 and still exists today has many critics and many who would defend it with their lives. Though written as an expose, I believe this book also serves as a cautionary tale of sorts. It may be hard for some of us to accept that people can proclaim to be godly, then turn around and be horribly abusive. But it does happen. That’s why Jesus says this in Matthew 7:15 - Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. We will look at what else He says about how to recognize these false prophets.
Matthew 7:15-20 NLT
Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
This passage of scripture is so straightforward and so practical and it calls us all to practice what security experts often call situational awareness. Jesus is instructing his disciples on how to know who in ministry is authentic, and who is not. He knew we would deal with situations like this and He told us exactly what to do! We have to embrace this as part of our calling. If we look closely at this passage, we can see that Jesus gave us a simple three step process.
First we have to be willing to accept the fact that there will be false prophets trying to exert influence in our churches and ministries. Jesus doesn’t say we might encounter them, He states that they will come. We are instructed to be on the lookout.
Second, we must look objectively at a person’s actions. Trees produce fruit, and people produce actions. If someone produces bad actions, they are not a harmless sheep but are really a vicious wolf.
Third, Once we identify these bad actions, we have to deal with them. No - we aren’t going to throw anyone in the fire, don’t do that. But we may need to have that person step down from a leadership position or even remove them from our midst.
I know that sounds harsh, but I didn’t come up with this, God did. The integrity of our churches and our ministries is too important to handle wolves in sheep’s clothing any differently. Closing our eyes and hoping for the best is not a safety strategy!
Let me know what you think! Send me an email at lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Link to buy Broken Faith: Inside One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults
Learn more about the Word of Life Fellowship
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Interested in personal safety? Grab a copy of my books How to Kick Fear to the Curb: Private Investigator Approved Personal Safety Tips with Biblical Evidence to "Fear Not" and In God We Trust: Everyone Else Gets a Background Check
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
Tuesday Nov 07, 2023
More than 600,000 people go missing in the U.S. every single year according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). Even if 90% of them are found alive or their remains are recovered, that would leave around 6,000 who become a part of the long-term missing. So that number grows every single year.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for more true crime stories, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 42. This week we’re going to talk about the growing problem of long-term missing people in the United States, highlight some cases, and I’ll give you ways that you can protect yourself and your loved ones.
Every missing person case is a tragedy and collectively the issue has been called the nation's silent mass disaster. When we think of missing persons, the initial image that comes to mind might be a recent disappearance—a frantic search, news coverage, and community efforts to find the individual. But what about those cases where the passage of time hasn't brought closure? Where loved ones continue to grapple with uncertainty, not knowing the fate or whereabouts of their family or friends for months, years, or even decades?
As time passes, the public and media attention tends to diminish, reducing the resources and support available for continued search efforts. Families often experience prolonged emotional distress, with the uncertainty of not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or what might have happened to them.
We can’t forget that these long-term cases affect the families and communities involved.
The impact on families is profound. The ongoing emotional distress and ambiguity can disrupt their lives in so many ways—financially, emotionally, and psychologically. Many families are left in a perpetual state of limbo, unable to move forward, and yet not having closure. You have to re-evaluate so many life events. Do you have a vacation or wedding planned - do you postpone them?
The toll on mental health, relationships, and everyday functioning is immeasurable.
These cases also affect communities, as unresolved cases erode trust in the justice and law enforcement systems, leaving communities feeling vulnerable and often overlooked.
Let’s take a look at four long-term missing persons cases and see if we can help find some answers for the families of Jason Washington from Columbia, Missouri, Warren County Jane Doe from Bowling Green, Kentucky, Lulaida Morales Sejalbo from Santa Clara, California, and Michelle Parker from Orlando, Florida.
The Bible passage I chose for this episode is one I’m sure many of you are familiar with.
Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
To put Paul’s words into context, we have to remember that when he wrote this, he was living under house arrest. He understood what it was like to face an uncertain future. Hope seemed like a very far off thing.
It’s hard to imagine not being anxious about anything when our worlds have been turned upside down. But Paul isn’t asking us to do something superhuman - he’s simply encouraging us to replace the anxiety and fear we naturally feel in horrible situations with prayer. That’s how we can have a peace from God that we can’t even understand, and we don’t have to. As the old hymn says, we just trust and obey. That’s how we can have a peace that will allow us to hold onto hope.
The families of the missing persons we talked about today need that so very desperately. I don’t know the families, but because of their situations I know they desperately need our prayers, and our help if we are in a position to give some. We certainly can all share this episode and someone who has answers to help solve these cases might come forward.
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Bring Jason Washington Home Facebook page
You can submit an anonymous tip here
Learn more about Warren County Jane Doe
Check out the great work being done at NamUs
Find out how you can help with long term missing kids cases
If you have any information about the disappearance of Lulaida Morales Sejalbo, please call the Santa Clara Police Department at 408-615-4700
Check out her information at missingkids.org
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Michelle Parker is urged to come forward and contact Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).
Learn more at the Michelle Parker Missing Person Facebook page
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Let me know how The Unlovely Truth has made a difference in your life.
Learn more about safety on trust by reading my books How to Kick Fear to the Curb and In God We Trust: Everyone Else Gets a Background Check. And be on the lookout for my training guide, “Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches” being released this month!
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Tuesday Oct 31, 2023
Stalking is a tactic that abusers often use to control their victims. Being stalked can be terrifying, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Let’s hear about some actual cases so we can learn our own tactics - tactics to keep ourselves safe from these creeps.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 41. Our book this week is “Think Like a Stalker and Stop Them” by my friend and fellow private investigator Michael Kenny. He wrote this book to share what he’s learned from years of working with celebrity and non-celebrity stalking victims. He’s going to give us the tools and direction to help ourselves or someone else end the nightmare.
Like the song says, breaking up is hard to do. Have you ever had a soon-to-be-ex that just can’t accept that you want nothing more to do with them? That happened to a woman I’ll call Everly.
She had just moved to a new town and was lonely. She decided to use a dating app to find some dates. Soon she met a man who seemed to be every girl’s dream. He was polite, generous, treated her like a queen, and even had a great car. When Everly made the relationship Instagram official, an ex-boyfriend who had been the love of her life reached out. Are you thinking he’s the stalker? Nope! They reconnected, and it was Mr. Car who lost it.
Lamentations 3:52-57
Those who were my enemies for no reason at all hunted me down as if I were a bird. They tried to end my life by throwing me into a deep pit. They threw stones down at me. The water rose and covered my head. I thought I was going to die. Lord, I called out to you. I called out from the bottom of the pit. I prayed, “Please don’t close your ears to my cry for help.” And you heard my appeal. You came near when I called out to you. You said, “Do not be afraid.”
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah is thought to be the author of Lamentations, and he was writing about the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon and sharing his deep despair over the evil in the world that comes when people reject God. Lamenting in the biblical sense is more than just expressing sorrow. It’s also a way to process sorrow and confusion. But this chapter of Lamentation is also full of hope!
Even when we are being pursued and hunted down, when we call out to God, He will remind us that we don’t need to be afraid. And that’s something I hope this episode has also done. If you are being stalked, please know that there is hope. There are people like Mike Kenney who are providing resources to give you comfort and practical assistance.
I’ve put links in the show notes to Mike’s book, how you can contact Mike, and other resources for victims of stalking. I hope that not only will you check them out, you’ll share them. It’s a tough topic, but one we need to talk more about. Hard conversations lead to healthy outcomes.
Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Get Mike’s book (and support The Unlovely Truth by using this affiliate link)
Connect with Mike on X
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Other episodes on Domestic Violence and Stalking: Domestic Violence Statistics Don’t Lie: Meet the Man Trying to Change Them, Domestic Violence: There is Help Available, Whisper of Fear: The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Stalks the Stalkers
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Let me know how The Unlovely Truth has made a difference in your life!
Need Help? Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) to reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline
Victimsofcrime.org has a Stalking Resource Center. You can call them at 855-4-VICTIM (855-484-2846)
Want to be safer? Grab a copy of my books, How To Kick Fear to the Curb and In God We Trust, Everyone Else Gets a Background Check
And be on the lookout next month for my guide to safer churches, "Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches".
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Tuesday Oct 24, 2023
Domestic violence is a complicated topic. Even though I worked for a time in a domestic violence court, I’d never seen a case like this before. A case where a child was made to kill - by her mother.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 40. Our book this week is “My Mother’s Soldier” by Mary Elizabeth Bailey. Our guest is Chris Moles, who edited and contributed to “Caring for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse” written by a team of biblical counselors. Chris is a pastor, a certified biblical counselor, an author, and a podcaster. He’s going to help us unpack some areas where the church needs to grow when it comes to responding and ministering to families that have experienced domestic abuse.
Childhood wounds plague us all, but it’s hard to imagine any worse than those of Mary Elizabeth Bailey. When she was just 11 years old she committed a murder. That’s incredibly shocking for most if not all of us. What’s even more shocking and perverse is why she did it. Mary killed her abusive step father, not because she thought it was the only way to stop the abuse. She killed him because her mother told her to.
Proverbs 3:27-28 NLT
Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
It’s in our power to help people stay safer more often than we think. Mary’s mother could’ve kept her children safer if she’d made less selfish choices. You’ll have to trust me that I didn’t go into as many details as the book did. Mary’s grandmother could’ve called the authorities. Maybe she feared losing the kids to foster care but that’s what happened in the end anyway. Brother Jim and Mrs. Kay probably did more for Mary than anyone.
We don’t know if the schools that Mary attended did much. To be fair, her family moved a lot which is quite common among families where abuse is happening. If the abuser doesn’t let you get close to anyone, it’s less likely you’ll get help. It doesn’t seem as though neighbors did much, or at least if attempts were made they weren’t successful.
But we are all supposed to do good things for people whenever we can. We aren’t supposed to put it off! Keeping a battered wife and an abused child safe is certainly good. If you suspect that someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, there are several different ways you can help. If you fear for that person’s immediate safety, call 9-1-1. Today’s verse says not to say you’ll help tomorrow. For some victims of domestic violence, tomorrow will be too late.
You can also tell the person you are concerned about them and want them to know that you are a safe person to talk to when they are ready. Make sure you let them know that a hotline exists that they can call for confidential help from trained advocates. I’ve put that number in the show notes for you so be sure you store that number somewhere you can access it.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence needs to be reminded that they don’t deserve what is happening to them and that they are not to blame. They need to be believed. They need to know that God’s plan for loving relationships, especially marriages, is that each partner puts the other’s needs above their own. Children are to be seen as a blessing and not a burden.
We need to tell them how much God loves them, but we can’t stop at mere words. We have to show that love by doing whatever good is in our power to do for them. I challenge all of us to find someone in our circle who needs us to see them, believe them, and offer practical help to them.
Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!
Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
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For church leaders - grab a copy of The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home (affiliate link)
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Other episodes on Domestic Violence: Domestic Violence Statistics Don’t Lie: Meet the Man Trying to Change Them, Domestic Violence: There is Help Available
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Need Help? Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) to reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
As William Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice, “Even the Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. Pastor Baker lived a double life. His wife Kari didn’t see it until it was much too late.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode 39. Our book this week is “Deadly Little Secrets: The Minister, His Mistress, and a Heartless Texas Murder” by Kathryn Casey and our guest is Kristy Hensley. Kristy is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Seed of Hope Counseling and a Co-Founder of Indigo Hills, a 501c3 Non-Profit retreat center that helps ministry leaders find rest and recuperation.
Linda Dulin got the worst phone call any parent could get in April of 2006. A police dispatcher said there had been an accident at her daughter Kari’s home. She asked if it was one of her granddaughters, but was told it was her daughter. She called Kari’s husband Matt and asked him what was going on. He told her that Kari was dead. He said she’d committed suicide.
1 Timothy 3:1-3 NIV
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness,not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
It's okay to hold leaders accountable. If somone had held Matt Baker accountable, Kari might still be alive.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Just as J. Edgar Hoover was starting his controversial career with the FBI, several wealthy Osage Indians were found murdered under suspicious circumstances. Vast oil reserves had been found beneath their land, and outsiders quickly tried to take advantage of the Osage’s newfound prosperity. Their most common scheme involved marriage and murder.
Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!
This is Season 4, Episode #. Our book this week is “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann and our guest is Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. Sarah is an author, speaker, member of the Choctaw Nation and is a Choctaw storyteller. She writes historical fiction that features truly authentic American Indian characters. And for my writer friends, she also offers a digital course all about creating those authentic characters in your writing.
So if you’re a Leonardo DiCaprio or Martin Scorsese fan, you are probably as excited for the movie based on this book to come out as I am! I love history and true crime, so this one really hit it out of the park for me. At one time, members of the Osage nation were among the wealthiest groups of people per capita on the planet Because of the Oklahoma oil boom, life was good. Until the murders started. Believing the Osage would not be able to manage their new wealth, lobbied by whites who wanted a piece of the action, Congress passed a law in 1921 which required that courts appoint guardians for each Osage of half-blood or more in ancestry, who would manage their royalties and financial affairs That was a recipe for abuse.
If this story made you mad, you’ll want to listen to this one .
Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.
Get your copy of Killers of the Flower Moon (this is an affiliate link so I may make a small commission to support the work of THe Unlovely Truth)
Connect with Sarah and check out more great resources here.
Be sure to visit https://www.choctawspirit.com/
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