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Simone Boyce
This is an I Heart podcast.
Dr. Leslie
Do you want to hear the secrets of psychopaths, murderers, sex offenders? In this episode, I offer tips from them. I'm Dr. Leslie, forensic psychologist. This is a podcast where I cut through the noise with real talk.
Unknown Female Guest
When you were described to me as a forensic psychologist, I was like, snooze. We ended up talking for hours and I was like, this girl is my best friend.
Dr. Leslie
Let's talk about safety and strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones. Listen to Intentionally disturbing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Amy Robach
Culture Eats Strategy for breakfast, right?
Valisha Butterfield
On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Valisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling impact and the intersections of culture and leadership.
Amy Robach
I am a free black woman.
Valisha Butterfield
From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valisha's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture Raises us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Robay
Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.
Amy Robach
I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.
Danielle Robay
I'm Danielle Robay and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, the new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple co Reese Apple Books to find out more.
Bridget Armstrong
I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Neal Barnett and I discuss flight anxiety. What is not normal is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do, the things that you were meant to do. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Bridget Armstrong, host of the new podcast the Curse of America's Next Top Model. I've been investigating the real story behind that iconic show.
Unknown Female Guest
I ended up having anorexia issues, bulimia issues.
Bridget Armstrong
By talking to the models, the producers and the people who profited from it all.
Amy Robach
We basically sold our souls and they got rich. If you were so rooting for her.
Bridget Armstrong
And saw her drowning, why don't you help her listen to Curse of America's Next Top model on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
T.J. Holmes
Hey there folks. It is Saturday, October 4th and one of the big headline grabbing stories this week. A woman is facing nearly 50 charges related to sexual misconduct involving teenage boys. And she's a former teacher. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. The details you hear. Someone has been involved, up to 10 victims. She's a 31 year old woman. These are 13 to 15 year old kids. And some of the details here, you said it before we, I hit record what the actual.
Amy Robach
It's, it's. You can't even believe what you're reading. In fact, when I first told you, when I saw the headlines, when I started reading the details, you didn't believe it. Oh yeah, who's reporting that? Yeah, that can't be real.
T.J. Holmes
Oh, I thought it was some national enquire or something.
Amy Robach
So she. Exactly. So she is an ex substitute teacher now at Eminence High School in Martinsville, Indiana. She also was a middle school teacher. Correct as well, math teacher. She was arrested in the spring when one young man, one teenager came forward. But since then it has snowballed. And the details about what she is accused of doing, including having, enforcing group sex and then forcing these teen boys to wear the scream mask, you know, ghost face, you know, the movie, that scary mask. She allegedly made them put the mask on while having sex with her in front of a group of teenage boys. And this didn't just happen once. This happened apparently multiple, multiple times.
T.J. Holmes
I cannot believe this story. Yes, that detail makes some headlines and people, it's making its way around social media and whatnot. But this is a disturbing, a scary and awful story at this point. Yes, these are allegations, so we have to say that. But we are talking about this idea of grooming, this idea of someone who we trust with our children, preying on our children. And this, we are talking multiple victims. This is one of those things that snowballed that we've seen cases before where one, there's one victim and then somebody else feels comfortable coming forward and this thing snowballed.
Amy Robach
And now six months later, after the initial boy came Forward, we have another one coming forward and so many in between. So it's. Police aren't even sure how many victims you're talking about because imagine these young boys, some of them in middle school, some of them in high school, having to go tell their parents. And there's a lot of evidence, according to police, cell phone pictures, videos, and certainly they all had the same scary, creepy story to tell. Also we should point out Brittany Fortenberry, that's her name, 31 years old, she's in the middle of a divorce. Now, not shockingly, her husband divorced her, I believe or filed for divorce the month before the allegations came out. But she also has a four year old child. And get this, the husband is implicated in some of this. He is actually facing charges himself in this. It really is a hard to believe story.
T.J. Holmes
And it's also hard to believe that robes, at least according to the kids, this was something that was just known. The kids knew that was happening. It was talked about fairly openly. This wasn't a secret, at least among them. Now we'll go back to March when that first kid came forward. This kid was 15 years old at the time she was in. But with the time she was at the high school, was she or okay, so this was a 15 year old kid. His grandmother comes forward, tells police that her grandson had been having sex with this teacher, claimed that she had sent naked photos to her grandson, gave him drugs, specifically mushrooms, before having sex with him on multiple occasions and also told, told this kid that if he told anybody that she would kill herself. Now this is all according to. This is what got the ball rolling and got this story started. This was back in March, so it was just one kid. And they say, I thought this was an interesting thing to add. The kid said he came forward because he didn't want it to happen to any other kids. This 15 year old, first of all.
Amy Robach
He'S not old enough to give consent, but meaning he didn't want to do it in the first place. That is so sad and that is so abusive and just disturbing. But yeah, unfortunately his hope was that she wouldn't do it to anyone else. But because he finally had the courage to come forward, turns out he still certainly was not the only one. Another victim came forward pretty quickly after talking about how he claimed Brittany, his teacher, would put her own child to bed and then had sex with him in the garage, then had him sleep over and she went back into the bed with her husband. I mean, just really egregious claims that these kids are making and of course, probably the biggest one was the group sex that supposedly was happening with scream masks. Also, she was paying these kids, buying them expensive gifts, actually giving them cash up to $800 for photos of their genitals. She would send them naked photos of her. She wanted photos of them. I mean, this was just. It feels like it was non stop. This seems almost. When you hear these reports and how many times and how many young kids, it's as if it was almost a second job. This took a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of money. And it looks as though her husband knew what was going on.
T.J. Holmes
Oh, yeah, he's been charged. What with intimidation and something else. Now he's not implicated in actually having any involvement in the molestation of the boys. But according to police, the victims told them he was aware the husband was. And what was it? He threatened the kids.
Amy Robach
Yes. So I can actually tell you. Detective Patrick Williams of the Morgan County Sheriff's Office there in Indiana testified that her husband Nicholas was aware of his wife's criminal activity and threatened the boys to stop having sex with his wife until they were older. He threatened to kill one boy in front of his family if he had sex with his wife again. And that he had to wait until he was 16. Actually gave, according to this detective, this young boy an age requirement to resume having sex with his wife. But until then, if he did it again, he was going to threaten that he threatened this boy with his life.
T.J. Holmes
So he is facing charges. You said he filed for divorce before the initial charges.
Amy Robach
Yes, I believe he filed for divorce in February and the charges came to light in March.
T.J. Holmes
So this story, again, shocking when you first hear about it. And then there was an update several months later when other boys came forward. And here we are in October. This was back in March. Now here we are in October, still having victims come forward. I wonder, Robes, will there be more? Because officially there's at least eight victims, I believe. I don't know if you saw a higher count, but at least that many.
Amy Robach
So when the first few boys came forward, police were telling reporters they think as many as 10. It could be more. Look, in these types of cases where someone has a position of power and can absolutely groom young children, they oftentimes do have countless numbers of victims, many of whom don't feel comfortable coming forward. They don't want to be. I get it. They don't want to be attached to this story. They don't want people looking at them differently. It's humiliating to think that this woman drugged Them and paid them. It's just not anything I don't think anyone wants to admit. So do we know if there are more victims? Not technically, but is it likely? Absolutely.
T.J. Holmes
This is, this is one we have to be. And don't you feel. I don't know about the coverage necessarily, but when we see it's a female teacher doing this to a male student, it reads differently to a certain degree, or if you will, than if it was a male teacher with. Can you imagine a 13 year old, 14 year old girl involved with a teacher? Yeah.
Amy Robach
It should be a very different story. The point being is there's still this and it's not fair, but this idea of a hot teacher, that it's a young boy's fantasy to have the hot teacher make a pass at him and have sex with him. And so it almost seems like wink, wink, nod, nod, way to go, young son. You know, you were able to fulfill every young kid's fantasy of having sex with the hot teacher. So yes, it's unfair because we put that on the young boys that somehow it's a good thing or it's an okay thing or it's something to laugh or nod or wink at or be proud of almost in a way that it would never be regarded the same way if the genders were reversed, period.
T.J. Holmes
But that's important and that's something that folks who work when in the area of child sexual abuse victims, they say it's so important that you scream and scream and scream on a case like this, that you need to understand this is not voluntary. She did what is frankly typical when you find child sex abusers. She groomed. These kids were being manipulated and groomed. And unfortunately it comes off as if it was voluntary. At least these kids were game for it. They were getting some money out of it, they were getting drugs. No, no, no. These kids are absolutely abuse victims and she groomed them in. Unfortunately, what we've come to know as the classic ways that people go about grooming their victims.
Amy Robach
Yeah. And I think, you know, just to even know that the husband was aware of it and intimidated the young boys on top of it, that had to be so scary. Not only are you now caught up in this sexual situation you don't want to be in, but now you have a grown man threatening to kill you in front of your family if you tell anyone. He also is facing charges for failing to report the crime. So it's, you know, he's getting charged with intimidation, but also he had a, a civic duty, a moral duty. A moral obligation, a legal one, to report that crime and those crimes that he knew were happening in his own home. That. So I think, I think about the double intimidation factor that it's your teacher and her husband knows and he's threatening you and what are you supposed to do? You're a young kid. Who do you turn to, who do you tell and who's going to even maybe believe you at that point? There's a lot I can't even imagine what would be swirling in this, these kids minds.
T.J. Holmes
You said who's going to believe you? Even when you told me the details, I didn't believe what you were saying. I'm like, this is nuts. This cannot be happening. Obviously she wouldn't do this. And I know anybody. If you're listening to the story, you're wondering, well, what in God's name was she thinking? What is wrong with this woman and what possible defense could she have for herself? Well, she has one and her defense attorneys are giving us an indication of how she is going to defend herself in court. Stay here.
Unknown Female Guest
This is the story of the 1. As a custodial supervisor at a high school, he knows that during cold and flu season, germs spread fast. It's why he partners with Grainger to stay fully stocked on the products and supplies he needs, from tissues to disinfectants to floor scrubbers, all so that he can help students, staff and teachers stay healthy and focused. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
Bridget Todd
The Internet is something we make, not just something that happens to us.
Bridget Armstrong
I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech and culture podcast. There Are no Girls on the Internet. There are no girls on the Internet is not just about tech. It's about culture and policy and art and expression and how we as humans exist and fit with one another. In our new season, I'm talking to people like Anil Dash, an OG entrepreneur and writer who refuses to be cynical about the Internet.
Bridget Todd
I love tech. You know, I've been a nerd my whole life. But it does have to be for something. Like it's not just for its own sake.
Bridget Armstrong
It's a fascinating exploration about the power of the Internet for both good and bad.
Bridget Todd
They use WhatsApp to get the price of rice at the market that is often 12 hours away. They're not going to be like, we don't like the terms of service, therefore we're not trading rice.
T.J. Holmes
This season.
Bridget Armstrong
It's an inspiring story that focuses on People as the core building blocks of.
Bridget Todd
The Internet platforms exist because of the regular people on them. And I think that's a real important story to keep repeating.
Bridget Armstrong
I created There Are no Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Listen to There are no Girls on the Internet on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Dr. Leslie
Do you want to hear the secrets of serial killers, psychopaths, pedophiles, robbers?
T.J. Holmes
They are sitting there waiting for the vulnerable thing. They're waiting for the unprotected.
Dr. Leslie
I am Dr. Leslie, forensic psychologist. I advocate for safety and awareness of predators while wearing pink.
Unknown Female Guest
When you were described to me as a forensic psychologist, I was like, snooze. We ended up talking for hours and I was like, this girl is my best friend.
Dr. Leslie
This is a podcast where I cut through the noise with sarcasm, satire and hard truths.
Amy Robach
I am not going to fake it.
Dr. Leslie
And force it, but would you force an orgasm? Because that's like a different layer. The car accident you didn't want to see but couldn't turn away from. In this episode I discuss personal safety and self defense tools, instincts and strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones in everyday life and high risk situations. Listen to Intentionally Disturbing on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Unknown Female Guest
I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result.
Amy Robach
It's scary putting yourself out there, especially when it's something you really care about and something that you hope is your passion in life and you want people to like it.
Simone Boyce
Let's get delicious and put ourselves out there. I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Bright side. And those were my recent guests, comedian Phoebe Robinson and writer Aaron Foster. On this show, I'm talking to the brightest minds in entertainment, health, wellness and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers and ourselves. It's not about being perfect. It's about going on a journey and discovering the bright side of becoming. Few people know that better than soccer legend Ashlyn Harris.
Amy Robach
It's the journey, it's the people, it's the failures, it's the heartache, it's the little moments.
Simone Boyce
These are our moments to laugh, learn and exhale. So join me every Monday and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Robay
Just like great shoes. Great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into convers with characters you'll never forget.
Amy Robach
I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies.
Danielle Robay
I'm Danielle Robaix and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, the new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple Co ReeseAppleBooks to find out more.
Amy Robach
Welcome back to this edition of Amy and TJ and we are talking about a story that is so disturbing and so bizarre it's actually hard to believe. But this is happening in the state of Indiana. A former math teacher, she was a high school teacher at one point, a middle school teacher at another point is now facing 47 counts after at least 10 boys have now come forward. Underage kids, teenagers, some of them in high school, some of them in middle school, saying that this teacher, their teacher, drugged them and then sexually abused them. And there are even allegations of forced group sex, making these kids wear scream ghost face masks while having sex with her, threats of killing them, threats of killing herself. And she this these allegations have continued to pile up over the past six months. So you're all of us are thinking she's 31 years old, she has a four year old child, she had a husband.
T.J. Holmes
1.
Amy Robach
What is going on with this woman? She said a couple of things. One of them she told the police, according to a local affiliate, that she had just lost 150 pounds.
T.J. Holmes
You kept mentioning this. I didn't know how this related.
Amy Robach
This was wild. She said she wished, she told the police she wished she hadn't lost the 150 pounds because then she wouldn't have behaved the way she behaved. Almost implying or suggesting that because she became thin and hot and felt sexy that she then felt empowered or wanted to do these things because now she had a hot bod. That just seemed bizarre.
T.J. Holmes
That's one of a number I was.
Amy Robach
Going to say add it to the.
T.J. Holmes
List of this story. And as awful as it is, some of it is still just bizarre. The screen mask thing, the £150. There's some. The husband. I just. It. It doesn't make sense. And we're trying to make sense of this. But her defense team maybe has one reason for her behavior. And how could you not think that someone who has done what she's accused of isn't mentally ill.
Amy Robach
Correct.
T.J. Holmes
Doesn't have something wrong. But they've already indicated this is the direction they're going to go.
Amy Robach
But I think, look, in most moments where you have extreme acts of repugnance or even violence, a lot of people would say yeah, you snap in that moment. But this was so repeated, this was so calculated. This went on for months. This wasn't just a one off or a one time thing. And it wasn't just with one teenager. One of the boys said that he was coming over and participating even though he was underage and could not give his consent. But he stopped and wanted to stop when he realized that she was having sex with a number of underage boys, that he wasn't the only one. I think he thought maybe he was special. And when he realized holy crap, she's doing this with a countless number of. Of kids. And he pulled away at that point. But this is what her defense team has said. I'll read you the. The quote. Counsel has a good faith believe that the defendant likely suffers from a mental disease or defect, but lacks the expertise to proffer whether the defendant appreciated the wrongfulness of her conduct at the time of the offense. I find that hard to believe when you're threatening a kid with either their harm or your own harm, self harm by trying to get them not to tell anyone. To me that means you can reason by that act alone that what you're doing is wrong. If you're telling someone and threatening someone and paying someone to not tell on you, so to speak, that means you know what you're doing is wrong.
T.J. Holmes
I wonder how a defense lawyer with. Because I know that's come up before. I'm trying, I was trying to remember I've heard this exact thing before. Like you can't claim mental illness or a mental break when you are. Look at all the planning that was involved or the covering up. You had plenty of time. So I don't know what a good defense attorney would say in response to that. But yes, they are going after a mental illness defense, at least indicating early on. But she at this point is. She's not out. I think they set bond at maybe up to $200,000 or something. But I didn't see she was out.
Amy Robach
Do you know what's wild? She's been. These charges keep accruing, so she keeps getting charged and then rearranged. Like the initial charge, I think it was a $600 bond. Think about how low that was. And then to find out, it has escalated to the scope and to the level it has. Yes. So now we're talking a much bigger bond, and her husband is, in fact, leaving her. But my goodness, this is just. It's hard to get your head around this story.
T.J. Holmes
It's a heartbreaking story, and we might not be done hearing about victims again. Brittany Fortenberry is her name. 31 years old, a former substitute teacher in Indiana, now charged with 47 counts related to having sex with underage boys. Up to 10.
Amy Robach
I think you just said that's the latest count. I mean, it's sad when you lose count because there were so many different moments when these boys came forward.
T.J. Holmes
All right, well, this is again in Martinsville, Indiana. We'll keep our eyes on this story. But again, a crime story this week that was making a lot of headlines that we wanted to hop on and tell you true crime junkies about. So with that, folks always appreciate you hanging with us. For Ms. Amy Robach, I am T.J. holmes. See y' all soon.
Dr. Leslie
Do you want to hear the secrets of psychopaths, murderers, sex offenders? In this episode, I offer tips from them. I'm Dr. Leslie, forensic psychologist. This is a podcast where I cut through the noise with real talk.
Unknown Female Guest
When you were described to me as a forensic psychologist, I was like, snooze. We ended up talking for hours, and I was like, this girl is my best friend.
Dr. Leslie
Let's talk about safety and strategies to protect yourself and your loved ones. Listen to intentionally disturbing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Amy Robach
Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right?
Valisha Butterfield
On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Valisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling impact and the intersections of culture and leadership.
Amy Robach
I am a free black woman.
Valisha Butterfield
From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valisha's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture raises us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Danielle Robay
Just like great shoes, great books, take you places through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.
Amy Robach
I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of, like, butterflies.
Danielle Robay
I'm Danielle Robay and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from hello Sunshine and I Heart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audiobook and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit Apple Co ReeseAppleBooks to find out more.
Amy Robach
Betrayal Weekly is back for season two with brand new stories.
Unknown Female Guest
The detective comes driving up fast and just like screeches right in the parking lot. I swear I'm not crazy, but I think he poisoned me.
Amy Robach
I feel trapped.
Unknown Female Guest
My breathing changes. I realize, wow, like, he is not a mentor.
Bridget Armstrong
He's pretty much a monster.
Amy Robach
But these aren't just stories of destruction.
Unknown Female Guest
They're stories of survival.
Bridget Armstrong
I'm going to tell my story and I'm going to hold my head up.
Amy Robach
Listen to Betrayal Weekly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Bridget Armstrong
I'm Bridget Armstrong, host of the new podcast the Curse of America's Next Top Model. I've been investigating the real story behind that iconic show.
Unknown Female Guest
I ended up having anorexia issues, bulimia issues.
Bridget Armstrong
By talking to the models, the producers, and the people who profited from it all.
Amy Robach
We basically sold our souls and they got rich. If you were so rooting for her.
Bridget Armstrong
And so saw her drowning, why don't you help her? Listen to the Curse of America's Next Top model on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.
Unknown Female Guest
Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Simone Boyce
This is an iHeart podcast.
Episode: Former Teacher Accused of Forcing Students into Sexual Acts Wearing “Ghostface” Scream Mask
Release Date: October 4, 2025
Hosts: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes
This episode dives deep into a disturbing case in Martinsville, Indiana, where former substitute teacher Brittany Fortenberry faces nearly 50 charges for sexually abusing teenage boys, some as young as 13. Amy and T.J. recap the unfolding details, public reactions, the challenges of reporting such abuse, and the wider implications—for both victims and society—of gender bias in cases involving female perpetrators. They also explore initial defense strategies and how the community is coping with the shock.
On disbelief and the extreme nature of the case:
On societal gender bias in abuse cases:
On the reality of victimization:
On the defense strategy:
Amy and T.J. deliver the story with gravity, empathy for the victims, and open skepticism toward the accused’s justifications. They candidly explore their own preconceptions, challenging normalized myths around male victims and female perpetrators. The tone is serious, often shocked, but always clear in its condemnation of the alleged crimes and its support for the victims' bravery.
This episode is a comprehensive, harrowing look at the Indiana case where a teacher's long-term sexual abuse of minors became public—and the systemic, cultural, and legal challenges that such cases expose. Amy and T.J. highlight the complexities of grooming, the psychological and social traps for victims (especially boys), and the ongoing failings in how such cases are viewed when the perpetrator is female. They underscore the importance of taking every victim seriously, no matter the genders involved, and express deep concerns about how many more stories like this remain untold.