True Crime Time For August 5, 2025 | Jessie Blodgett Case, Child Abuse in Wyoming & Family Murders

Summary

Real Life Real Crime Podcast Summary Episode: True Crime Time For August 5, 2025 | Jessie Blodgett Case, Child Abuse in Wyoming & Family Murders
Host: Real Life Real Crime Productions (Woody Overton & Cindy Overton)
Guest: Sophia Salinas, Assistant Director Alumni at Southeastern Louisiana University, Master’s in Psychology
Release Date: August 2, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of True Crime Time For, hosts Woody and Cindy Overton, alongside special guest Sophia Salinas, delve into a series of harrowing true crime cases. From the chilling murder of Jessie Blodgett in Wisconsin to disturbing instances of child abuse in Wyoming, and unsettling family murders, this episode offers a deep dive into the darkest corners of human behavior and the complexities of the legal system.

Jessie Blodgett Case: A Tragic Loss and Legal Proceedings

Overview The episode opens with the heart-wrenching story of Jessie Blodgett, a vibrant 19-year-old college student from Hartford, Wisconsin, whose life was brutally taken in July 2013. Jessie was found strangled and sexually assaulted in her bedroom, leading investigators to suspect someone within her close circle.

Investigation Details Sophia Salinas provides a detailed account of the investigation, highlighting the critical evidence that led to the arrest and conviction of Daniel Bartlett, Jessie’s ex-boyfriend:

• Suspicious Behavior and Evidence:
  Cindy Overton recounts, “[...] one of her credit card companies had been sending me messages with codes to my phone saying you try to verify or log into your account...” indicating potential tampering with accounts post-trial.
  Sophia Salinas adds, “Forensic testing revealed that both Daniel Bartlett's DNA and Jesse's DNA were on that evidence. And the rope matched the ligature marks on Jesse's neck and wrist.” [13:02]

• Digital Footprint:
  Sophia Salinas explains, “When his digital history was analyzed, they found disturbing online searches. He had researched serial killers, restraint techniques, and rape fantasies, showing that all that he did was premeditated.” [13:25]

• Trial and Conviction:
  The trial moved swiftly, with prosecutors presenting undeniable evidence. In October 2014, Bartlett was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Notably, during sentencing, Jesse’s father, Buck, made an extraordinary statement:
  Citizens often stunned: “I not only forgive you, I love you. And I want you to know that as long as you're alive, you still have the chance to own what you did, to make amends and bring healing into this sick world.” [24:40]

Legacy Jessie’s family established the Love is Greater Than Hate Project, a nonprofit aimed at raising awareness about male violence against women, ensuring that Jessie’s legacy continues to foster positive change.

Child Abuse in Wyoming: The Middlestadt Family Case

Case Overview Next, the hosts turn their attention to a deeply troubling case from Wyoming involving Derek Middlestadt, a fire chief, his wife Angela, and their adopted 13-year-old son. Discovered in June 2025, the boy was found emaciated, weighing only 50 pounds, and suffering severe neglect and abuse.

Details of Abuse Cindy Overton provides a harrowing description:
“They found the boy in his bedroom, locked from the outside with heavy items. He was only fed white bread, ham, vegetables, and a zero Gatorade once a day. According to police, he hadn't left the property in years and was prohibited from leaving his room, watching TV, or playing with his brother.” [27:36]

Investigation and Charges The investigation unveiled a pattern of cruelty:

• Forensic Evidence:
  Sophia Salinas notes, “Forensic testing revealed that both Daniel Bartlett's DNA and Jesse's DNA were on that evidence.” Though this seems to be a mix-up with the Jessie Blodgett case, the Middlestadt case similarly centers on forensic evidence linking the parents to the abuse.

• Parental Admission:
  Both Derek and Angela admitted to their failings, expressing remorse. Angela stated, “That was my mistake for thinking I could help him,” highlighting their awareness of their misconduct.

• Legal Consequences:
  Both parents were charged with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse, culminating in their surrender to authorities on July 28. The Laramie County Fire District has since called an emergency board meeting to address the fallout.

Family Dynamics and Discussion The hosts and Sophia delve into the psychological aspects of such abusive behavior. Sophia Salinas ponders, “How do you go from... this wasn't his first time getting punished, getting sent to his locked in a room for years and not being fed?” [34:40]

Cindy Overton adds her frustration and disbelief, questioning how prominent, seemingly responsible individuals could commit such heinous acts:
“...they are prominent people, your fire chief and the wife... they hold functions and they are prominent members of society and you lock him in the room for years.” [34:40]

Family Murders and Child Abuse Cases

Nebraska Child Deaths The discussion shifts to multiple cases of child deaths in Nebraska, emphasizing the tragic frequency and the dire need for awareness and preventive measures:

• Hastings Case:
  A five-month-old baby was left in a car on a sweltering hot day in Hastings, Nebraska, leading to the child’s death from extreme heat exposure. The father, Jeremy Hansen, was arrested and charged with negligent child abuse resulting in death.
  Cindy Overton highlights, “On a day like this, ... temperatures inside the car can reach 135 degrees. The baby cooked,” underscoring the lethal conditions faced by the child. [53:08]

Australia Child Fatality Another case from Australia involves Monique Ellen Burden, who was sentenced for interference with a corpse and fraud related to a GoFundMe campaign:

• Incident Details:
  Sophia Salinas narrates, “Burden gave birth in 2022 before leaving the baby boy in a garbage bag behind a couch. Her partner placed the bag into a chest freezer.” The baby was later found in poor condition, leading to Burden’s conviction.

• Legal Outcome:
  Burden received a 19-month suspended sentence, which includes a treatment program. The judge criticized her actions as involving “a degree of indignity and callous disregard and moral repugnancy,” but acknowledged her remorse and psychological conditions.

Discussion on Legal System and Recidivism The hosts express frustration with the leniency of sentences in cases involving child abuse and neglect, questioning the effectiveness of the judicial system in deterring such behaviors:

Cindy Overton states, “19 months is ridiculous. She's going to do it again.” [47:40]

Sophia Salinas echoes the sentiment, adding, “She's already done it. How many times?” [47:40]

Conclusion

In this episode, True Crime Time For underscores the pervasive issues of abuse, neglect, and systemic failures across different regions. Through detailed case studies and expert insights, the hosts and their guest shed light on the intricate and often tragic dynamics that lead to such crimes. The episode serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of vigilance, awareness, and robust legal frameworks to protect the vulnerable.

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Notable Quotes:

• Buck (Jessie’s Father):
  “I not only forgive you, I love you. And I want you to know that as long as you're alive, you still have the chance to own what you did, to make amends and bring healing into this sick world.” [24:40]

• Cindy Overton on Middlestadt Case:
  “They have a 13-year-old adopted son... he was discovered ... weighed 50 pounds.” [27:36]

• Cindy Overton on Legal Outcome:
  “19 months is ridiculous. She's going to do it again.” [47:40]

• Sophia Salinas on Abuse Patterns:
  “How do you go from like, obviously this wasn't his first time getting punished...” [34:40]

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of the discussed cases, the investigative processes, and the broader implications on society and the legal system.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Woody Overton]

Hello everybody.

[Cindy Overton]

Welcome to this episode of True Crime. Time for Tuesday, August 5th, 2025 and I'm Woody Overton.

[Sophia Salinas]

I'm Cindy Overton.

[Cindy Overton]

And we're back in the saddle again. And we have a special guest in the studio today. We do Sophia Salinas who has her master's in psychology. She's here to give dissecting us.

[Woody Overton]

She is here to maybe impart some.

[Cindy Overton]

Knowledge from the college which she still works at as assistant director alumni in southeastern Louisiana University where we just have.

[Woody Overton]

The most fire live show ever Southeastern.

[Cindy Overton]

Such grace host Sophia and I appreciate that and thank you for being here today. And y', all she's very analytical and and she's probably dissecting what I'm saying right now. But anyway, thank you for being here.

[Woody Overton]

So that being said, a couple things.

[Cindy Overton]

Still actively trying to recover the YouTube channel. And I can say that because we're not video recording this to put it on Tick Tock. Because on Tick Tock you can't say YouTube. You have to say yt working on that. But you know the hacks and they keep coming. Last night it was like I don't know, 12, one o' clock in the morning. One of my credit card companies had been sending me messages with codes to my phone saying you try to verify or log into your account. Here's your code. I'm like I thought it was spam or something. Then I started thinking about it and I actually called him and guess what? I'm locked out of that account too. So it's the cost of doing war and it's just little battles and hashtag just for Bradley and hashtag justice for AO and they can eat a bag of dicks. And that that doesn't bother me. Does it take a little time and we'll have to do a little sure it but Bradley's been murdered and ao is it if she hadn't been murdered, I don't know what the hell happened. So that on that note on the autopsy I did on the last episode that dropped and tell y' all that I have photographs. The photographs I have are not actual autopsy photographs. They are photographs taken when her body got back from Beaumont, Texas, from the autopsy. The autopsy I'm reading you is directly from where they perform the autopsy in Beaumont with no detective present and pushing her through. My opinion as. As just another dope head. And I told you about during autopsies, if any scratches or bruises or injuries you have, there should be photographs with a measurement in case it comes up in court later on. And the. I had a lot of medical professional lifers reach out about the injury to the forehead and that I described in the last episode that I have the picture of. And they're like, no way that, you know, that should have been opened up. That should have been explored more. There should have been more in the autopsy report about that. How do you. They know that her skull wasn't fractured and what have you. And I have. I'm not done with autopsy yet. I've got a lot more to read to y'. All. And I know some of you, you know, some of you asking, do you even think they did in autopsy? Yes, I do. I absolutely believe they do. Because I know when we get further into it, I'll tell you about, you know, the organs that they took out and weighed and everything, which is standard and typical of an autopsy. And I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I don't think that the pathologists in. In Beaumont, Texas, did it with mal intent. What. My whole point about this whole thing is what the law enforcement telling the family that Austin Abanion didn't have a scratch on her, and that's just a lie. Okay? And then we give a shout out to all the great people in Vernon Parish. So the. It appears, you know, that I'm only saying bad things about people in burning Parish. They have hundreds, literally hundreds of tips that have come in from good people. A lot of them are scared. And one troll on Tik Tok yesterday and was like, oh, nobody's scared. I. Everybody knows who did it. I see the dude in the donut shop twice a week. I'm like, why don't you get your ass and go arrest him? Then give. Give David Vance and go arrest him. Of course, this guy had a new account with, you know, like 20, 30, 30 followers. Then another one later on who was saying, oh, those photos had to be photoshopped. He had three followers and a brand new account and two pictures. So we. You want. You tr go drink a buddy with your beer with your law enforcement buddies who didn't do their job that I'm doing now. It's a shame that I have to go to Vernon Parish at all if this case had been handled correctly. And yes, now I'm at the point of just straight up calling them out. And I'm not saying the cops murdered anybody or anything like that. I'm saying from a law enforcement standpoint, they it up. And that's a fact. And I'm going to prove it. I'm going to continue to prove it. And the more you with my, the more invested I get. And I'm already invested up team. My wife knows that. But when you piss Woody Overton off, then you just give me more fuel for the fire and I'm going to. I'm going to burn your ass. That's. That's not a threat. It is a promise to go follow someone.

[Woody Overton]

Tick tock.

[Cindy Overton]

In the meantime, it went so viral that, that they wouldn't. Because I comment to every everybody that post. We do hashtag just for Bradley and hashtag just for ao and I answer every single person. And the one video had like 800 something comments and TikTok blocked me. They said, they said, slow down, take a break.

[Sophia Salinas]

Like three different times.

[Cindy Overton]

Yes, okay, but you know what? My. Meanwhile, I probably needed to because my fingers were falling off from answering everybody. But I'm, I am vested. Nobody else is answering that. That's me. And, and that lets you know that the only reason I'm doing that is because every time I do it, I get tips. And, and you can verify this. And the funny thing is we have the tip line 313RLRC tip. But I the. And so I get, you know, tips to the tip line. I get tips to my regular phone. I get like 30 or 40 Facebook messages on the different Facebook pages that I have. So y', all, I'm like getting back to everybody and look, if you call my personal cell phone and I don't know your number, I'm not answering it. Leave me a voicemail and a lot of you know this. Leave me a voicemail and I'll call you back. And yes, you can remain totally anonymous. A lot of people are scared and I get that. And they have knowledge and I'll do some more tiktoks this week of people calling in and the things that they're saying, I'm not saying that they're true. I'm just, this is just the variety in the spectrum of when you open up a tip line, all the people, you know, from the crazy to the straight up, the people that have the, the truthful knowledge. And, but it's interesting and, but I will be using a voice app to change their voices from now on just out of abundance of caution, but shout out to the great people of Vernon Parish. And I'm not talking about just people that were running with these high risk lifestyle people. I'm talking about well known established people in the parish who are offering me help. And, and, and just everybody that cares about what's going on in that parish. Right. So they're, they're murderers walking around. That's a fact. And, and, and I get it. You can remain anonymous. I will not burn you. Those of you that have given me information that asked me not to say anything. I haven't. And, and, but one day. And like you the about the Photoshop and how do you know that Photoshop. I'm sipic ups or not. I've seen a lot of dead bodies and I know what I'm looking at and verified by tattoos and everything else. And he's like, oh. And I'm like, we'll let the courts decide because one day this shit's going to trial if they don't take a plea bargain. That being said, that's enough about Hashtag just for Bradley. Hashtag just for ao. Bless us with a story. What do you have?

[Sophia Salinas]

I got a story out of Wisconsin.

[Cindy Overton]

Wisconsin. What's going on with my country up there?

[Sophia Salinas]

Well, this is the old story that has come back with some not your business, huh? No. This happened in 2013 in Hartford, Wisconsin. Okay, so July 15th of 2013. Jessie Blodgett was 19 years old and found dead in her bedroom by her mother.

[Cindy Overton]

There you have it.

[Sophia Salinas]

And at first glance, she looked like she was sleeping peacefully tucked into her bed. But within moments, the mom realized that something had actually happened to Jesse. So the autopsy confirmed that Jesse had been strangled. And there were signs of sexual assault with marks being on her neck and wrist that showed that she had been restrained. And it looked like the restraint was ropes. Nothing had been stolen from the house or from her room or anything like that. There was no signs of forced entry. And so obviously that in their opinion thought was that the killer must have been, you know, familiar with Jesse. So Jesse was described as a vibrant, passionate college student. She loved music, theater and activism. Just the day before her death, she performed in the production Fiddler on the Roof. I don't even know if this generation knows about Fiddler on the Roof. Yeah, right. Yeah, it was a really good movie with Jack Nicholson.

[Cindy Overton]

It was a play first I know.

[Sophia Salinas]

But it turned into a movie.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Sophia Salinas]

And among the people who came to mourn her. So she had a very tight knit circle of friends and family that adored her. And so there was of course, many friends that came out to mourn her the day. And one particularly was Daniel Bartlett. And he was her ex boyfriend and they, the Blodgetts, her family had welcomed him into their home and he was just, you know, like a significant other with our kids is, you know, they're welcomed in and treated like family. But he had always seemed like a good kid. He was a straight A student, talented musician, friendly, respectful, and Jesse's father, Buck had even thought of Daniel like a son. Investigators dug deeper though, and they found a far darker picture of sweet Daniel as they did the investigation. Just days before Jesse's murder, another young woman had been attacked in the nearby Richfield Historical Park. And she was walking alone when a man came up behind her with a knife and tried to strangle her. And she fought back and managed. She fought back and managed to escape. And so when the police questioned Bartlett about the attack, he eventually admitted to being there, claiming he'd only wanted to scare the woman. But during the same conversation, he made a disturbing slip.

[Cindy Overton]

Couldn't he just say boo instead of jumping out with a knife and trying to slit her throat?

[Sophia Salinas]

Right. I mean, legit. So he said when they were talking to him, which is the reason why y' all do talk to them, he said Jesse had been raped and murdered. No one knew what happened to Jesse yet at that time.

[Cindy Overton]

That's why you keep, keep.

[Sophia Salinas]

Well, they, they knew do the interrogation.

[Cindy Overton]

And everything they knew, but they weren't giving it up. Yeah, trying to lock him into a story.

[Sophia Salinas]

Right. And so he made that slip during the interrogation. And like I just said, those details had not been made public. And so obviously the investigators were like, okay, ding, ding, ding.

[Cindy Overton]

So I bet they kept him good at homicide interrogation that didn't even start until after five hours. Then the longer you keep them there, the, the more likely they are slip up like he did.

[Sophia Salinas]

And at before that point, he had like a strong alibi. And they weren't questioning the alibi like they weren't.

[Cindy Overton]

They should have.

[Sophia Salinas]

Well.

[Cindy Overton]

I could tell you I have an alibi for something. If you don't go look at it, you don't know if it's true or not.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah, I mean, he might have.

[Cindy Overton]

You got to question an alibi.

[Sophia Salinas]

Well, they don't go into what his alibi was, but it was probably. They just. That's the way this reads. So police then after he made that statement, they go back and retrace Bartlett's steps and pulled surveillance footage from the park. And it showed him discarding something into a trash can just hours before Jesse's murder. And so that trash was recovered, and what they found was. I'm gonna do to you what you do to me.

[Cindy Overton]

Dirty condom.

[Sophia Salinas]

If you guess this, I will give you a million dollars.

[Cindy Overton]

I get three guesses. Yes. You tell me if I'm get hotter or cold.

[Sophia Salinas]

Okay.

[Cindy Overton]

Use condom.

[Sophia Salinas]

Nope. Oh, oh, wait.

[Cindy Overton]

Cold. Okay. A pink bunny rabbit. Cold, cold, cold, Cold.

[Sophia Salinas]

Frozen.

[Cindy Overton]

A horse with a stick up his.

[Sophia Salinas]

Good try.

[Cindy Overton]

I give up. Go ahead.

[Sophia Salinas]

A cereal box. A cereal box containing ropes, duct tape and bloody wipes. Murder kit and a cereal box aren't murder kids usually in backpacks.

[Cindy Overton]

I mean, you got to carry it in something.

[Sophia Salinas]

You can walk around with your cereal.

[Cindy Overton]

You might not could afford a backpack.

[Sophia Salinas]

It's a serial killer.

[Cindy Overton]

He might have had a. Yeah, that's funny. He might have had a box of Wheaties or something. I wonder what kind of cereal box it was. I know, like Raisin Bran. What was. Oh, great nuts. Yeah, I used to love great nuts.

[Sophia Salinas]

They get too milky and yucky and they get crunchy.

[Cindy Overton]

You got to get them.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah, but after they put a lot.

[Cindy Overton]

Of sugar on top, they get.

[Sophia Salinas]

They get mushy.

[Cindy Overton]

But you don't let them sit. The whole point of pouring a bowl of grapevine.

[Sophia Salinas]

I know how long it takes me to eat.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay.

[Sophia Salinas]

And so things get soggy.

[Woody Overton]

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[Cindy Overton]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Cindy Overton]

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[Woody Overton]

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[Sophia Salinas]

So, forensic.

[Cindy Overton]

I'll get you a bowl of rocks. Proceeding.

[Sophia Salinas]

I'm going to keep my mouth shut. Forensic testing revealed that both Daniel Bartlett's DNA and Jesse's DNA were on that evidence. And the rope matched the ligature marks on Jesse's neck and wrist. Now, remember, this is all the way back in 2013. And so now police have their smoking gun, and he was. Bartley was arrested 16 days after Jesse's death. So why are we talking about this? So. Well, let me go a little bit further. I'm going to boom that out. So when his digital history was analyzed, they found disturbing online searches. He had researched serial killers, restraint techniques, and rape fantasies showing that all that he did was premeditated. The trial went very swiftly. Prosecutors laid out every grim detail. And In October of 2014, he was convicted of first degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

[Cindy Overton]

No, Wisconsin does not have the death penalty. I already checked while you were reading, but I knew that anyway.

[Sophia Salinas]

Even during the sentencing, he maintained his innocence, but the family didn't respond with hatred. We talked about this yesterday. I often wonder how people don't. But Jesse's father, Book Buck, stood in the courtroom and said something that stunned. I can't talk. Stunned everyone. He said, I not only forgive you, I love you. And I want you to know that as long as you're alive, you still have the chance to own what you did, to make amends and bring healing into this sick world. And Jesse's legacy didn't end in the courtroom. Her family founded the Love is Greater Than Hate Project, which is a nonprofit focused on raising awareness about male violence against Women. And in 2025, this is why we're talking about this. In 2025, the story resurfaced on a national TV episode of a Killer Among Friends, which was a documentary series on investigation discovery. And so it went through all the layers of the case and, you know, explained it, so.

[Cindy Overton]

And there you have it. You got anything to say? Psychologist? No.

[Sophia Salinas]

She's probably saying mama shouldn't have said serial killer.

[Cindy Overton]

Nobody knew she was a daughter. I didn't say daughter. I was trying to treat her as a professional. All right, but you know what? Since. Since you went there. Usually I make your mama cry at least once a day when I'm telling stories. And I'm gonna see if I can get us two for make both of y' all cry at this next one. Sorry. So we gotta. It's time for family matters. All right. We're going to Wyoming, which is an awesome place. What was it? I spent like two or three weeks and. Is it Bozeman? It's not Bozeman. Wherever the college is. I know they have several colleges, but anyway, I loved it up there. It was awesome. The. We're going to Wyoming. Now. Let me ask you something. We. Sophia, your younger brother is 15. He's almost big as me. He probably weighs more than me. But a 13 year old boy, how much do you think they should weigh? On average? If they were just a healthy. Not fat or not too skinny or whatever, but that. How much do you think they should weigh? Okay, I. I don't know.

[Sophia Salinas]

Set around 120.

[Cindy Overton]

All right, so in Wyoming, they have a fire chief, Derek Middlestadt and his wife Angela. Well, they're in trouble now. They also have a 13 year old adopted son. And when they found him, he weighed 50 pounds.

[Sophia Salinas]

It's just his bones.

[Cindy Overton]

All right, so according to the Cowboy State Daily, the boy was discovered on June 22. At the time, the youth development center in the city of Douglas had contacted the Laramie County Sheriff's Office, or lcso, because they saw the boy and he. He was emaciated. Right, that and they dropped him off at like the youth development center. You think somebody's not going to fucking report that? But here, here. Here's where he gets rich. So the police, you know, do their affidavit, et cetera. And in the affidavit, it was detailed how police officers noted that the 13 year old was extremely thin and his bones were protruding and clearly visible on him. Additionally, the 13 year old was missing much of the hair on his head. Yeah, right. So they. They talked to the boy, you said nutrients, so that the cops start to talk to him and he gives an Incorrect date of birth. All right. To the youth development center staff. And they told him about his Macy's state. And he heartbreakingly told an officer, I'm only allowed to eat one meal a day since there's no point in giving me food.

[Sophia Salinas]

Oh, my gosh. Right, and this is the adopted child?

[Cindy Overton]

Yes. Listen, listen. So the. They took him to the hospital naturally, and he weighed 50 pounds. So eventually once he, I guess he felt like he's in a safe zone or whatever, he starts to open up. Right. The 13 year old said that it was his mom, Angela Middlestadt, who dropped him off at that center. And the affidavit says that the mother instructed him to say that he needed somewhere to live. Yeah, this is a fire chief and the fire chief's wife. So then according to court documents, the boy described how he lived inside his bedroom, which was locked from the outside with heavy items. He also said how he was only fed white bread, ham, vegetables, and a zero Gatorade once a day.

[Sophia Salinas]

I mean.

[Cindy Overton]

So the sheriff's office placed Middleset's younger son, who's six years old, into protective custody. And they interviewed these wonderful parents of the year, Derek and Angela, on June 23. Now, Angela tells the cops. Hey. That they had adopted 13 year old as a child. He was described as homeless, malnourished and traumatized. And in the warrant, the woman described herself as an idiot for thinking she could help him. So then she says that the teen refused to go to school or to eat or sleep at night. He would pee and defecate in his room instead of using the bathroom. And then she says when asked why she didn't seek any help, Angela said that the teen was anyone else's problem.

[Sophia Salinas]

So I'm just going to lock him up because he's acting out. And I mean, even if he did pee and whatever, whenever he wanted, I mean, I'm just saying, they get trauma.

[Cindy Overton]

Stick with me. I'm not done yet. Angela admitted to feeding, to feeling overwhelmed on June 22 as she smelled poop. And she said that she then drove him to the youth center. All right, now let's go to the fire chief. Fire chief. That means it takes a minute to get to be a fire chief. All right. Derek Middlestadt, who's the Laramie County Fire district's number one chief, admitted to having failed everyone. And he revealed, according to the affidavit, that the child had not left the Middle Step property in Cheyenne for years. He'd been locked in his bedroom for years. The child was prohibited from leaving his room, watching TV or even playing with his brother. It'd been more humane just to kill him. Yeah, so. So the fire chiefs stated that the team was problematic, saying that he lied about completing schoolwork and that he urinated and defecated in his room in accordance. The Wyoming News now, the fire chief admitted to not taking his son out for activities or to meet family because he was wafer thin. News flash, if you don't feed your kid, they get wafer thin. So the other side of the story, however, the child's adopted grandparents had not seen the boy since 2023. Said that he behaved correctly. They reportedly added that he had a healthy appetite and was not a problem child at all. Right, three sides to every story. So the fire chief and his dumb ass wife were charged with aggravated child abuse and conspiracy to commit aggravated child abuse. And they both turned themselves in on Monday, July 28. Now, Laramie County Fire District number one has yet to address the chief's charges on their website, but they have called an emergency board meeting because they asked about to get fired. And that wasn't even a good one. I'm just getting you warmed up to make you cry a little. I mean, it's a good one. It's a good one, but it's a bad one. What is the mindset that of parents like that? I mean the grandparents were like, no, it was a normal kid. And then what do you just you bothered now because you adopted him? I'm sure they were getting a check form too, by the way, from the state. But you adopt him. You're prominent people, your fire chief and the wife, I mean they, you know, hold functions and they prominent members of society and you lock him in the room for years. If you lock him in a room, he's gonna poop and, and pee in the room. Yeah, I don't know.

[Sophia Salinas]

I have. No, I don't. You tell me all the time, Cindy. You're never gonna figure it out. You don't think like them.

[Cindy Overton]

So I don't know why. I figured we have a shrink in the room that, that she could shed some light.

[Sophia Salinas]

No, I'm just thinking that it's. How do you go from like, obviously this wasn't his first time getting punished, getting sent to his locked in a room for years and not being fed.

[Cindy Overton]

Right.

[Sophia Salinas]

Was happening before that too.

[Cindy Overton]

I don't, I don't know, maybe, maybe they want to go on a trip, say let's say his. Oh, maybe the younger brother came along. The six year old came on. They had a Natural child. And they're like, I wouldn't want the adopt a child, but ham. I don't even like zero Gatorade. So I'm not asking them to sponsor us. I don't drink it. It's nasty. I don't like that sugar. Fake sugar.

[Sophia Salinas]

I like the blue one.

[Cindy Overton]

I like Gatorade.

[Sophia Salinas]

You really like body armor.

[Cindy Overton]

I did. I'm off that kick now. I want. I'm on Sam's Cola.

[Sophia Salinas]

It's a big hydration, big upgrade I did.

[Cindy Overton]

And then I, I was on Go Peak Tea and then body armors and. And now it's on Sim Coles, the.

[Sophia Salinas]

Starbucks coffee in the can.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh yeah. I used to love those triple shot, triple shot energies.

[Sophia Salinas]

We have gone through some wait for y' all to be on water, right?

[Cindy Overton]

I, I drink water every night.

[Woody Overton]

Every night I drink two big things.

[Cindy Overton]

Of ice water as I quit drinking the Coke. So like midnight because it'll keep me up. And so for the next two hours I drink ice waters and I bring water to bed with me. Yeah. And I'm drinking water right now.

[Sophia Salinas]

And every.

[Cindy Overton]

Aren't you proud of me? Psychologist?

[Sophia Salinas]

Every holiday, every like gift giving holiday. Emma and La give me some type of cup or water bottle. Like, are you trying to give me a hint? And they're like, yes, probably.

[Cindy Overton]

All right, give us another one.

[Sophia Salinas]

So we're going to July 25th of this year, Fort White, Florida. And there's a family. And in the family, the last name is Griffith. We have Brian, who's 47 years old, Jill, who's 41. And then they have adult children, Dylan, who's 21, and Liberty, who's 19. They were all arrested after authorities discovered what they had been doing in their home. It began with concern from someone at their local church. And their church was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And one of the Griffith children showed up at a church camp with a functioning stun gun. And that set off a mandated investigation. And deputies and social workers responded and they discovered some horrific things. Inside the family's mobile home. Five biological children and four adopted children, ages 7 to 16, were found suffering under a regime of cruelty. Some children were locked underneath a bunk bed. The entrance of the. Of that where they were like underneath it, it was sealed with plywood and screwed down, forcing them to sleep in cramped, dark makeshift cages. And at times they were unable to use the bathroom at night and denied basic rights. Others described being sprayed in the face with vinegar as punishment, beaten with a cane and even pressed beneath plywood laid across their bodies, causing painful splinters. One child recalled being forced to lie on the floor with a board placed on top, while another said he was locked alone under a bed, only allowed out for meals or play. The adopted children endured harsher treatment. They worked constantly while the biological children were allowed leisure. And many didn't even know their own birthdays, their full names or basic personal details. Some were considered illiterate, never taught to read or write. And one teenager alleged sexual abuse by Dylan. And he was the 21 year old son. On July 3rd, acting on a court order, the Florida Department of Children and Families removed all nine children from the home. And over the last several days, child protection team investigators interviewed them, confirming all of the allegations they made. So on July 22, law enforcement arrested Brian Jill, Dylan and Liberty Griffith. And each faces charges of aggravated child abuse. And they're being held at the Columbia county detention on $5,000 bonds. So officials emphasize that the children included of course, like we've said, biological and adopted or foster kids. And some adopted privately from Arizona. And one additional foster child was later located safely with their biological parent in Arizona. So that's really scary. We'll see what happens with that.

[Cindy Overton]

It's time for worldwide crime.

[Narrator]

This is the story of the one. He's responsible for keeping a leading health care facility clean and safe. And he trusts Granger's high quality H vac cleaning and safety products combined with their world class supply chain to consist of consistently deliver ensuring he's covered inside and out so he can focus on keeping his facility clean to help protect the health of everyone inside. Call 1-800-granger clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Cindy Overton]

It's time for family matters. Going out to Australia and tell you about a set of parents or yeah, I guess technically their parents and they're in a little bit of trouble. Sophia, what would you do? Nah, that. I'm not even gonna ask that question. The so let's in Australia, they had a woman who had a newborn baby.

[Sophia Salinas]

Okay.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay. And you know what she did with the newborn baby? She hid it in a garbage bag. And you know what the daddy did or her partner did?

[Sophia Salinas]

Threw it in the garbage?

[Cindy Overton]

Nope, better than that. Placed it in a backyard freezer.

[Sophia Salinas]

That was my next guess.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah. So on Friday, August 1, 35 year old Monique Ellen Burden was sentenced in the Perth district county for interfering with a corpse and multiple counts of fraud related to a GoFundMe campaign. And it's according to every every news Outlet in Australia. So per abc, that's the Australian Broadcasting Company, Sophia, not the American Broadcasting Company. The charges stem from when Burden gave birth in 2022 before leaving the baby boy in a garbage bag behind a couch. Now, Sean Bradley Ballaham, who was Burden's partner, then placed the bag containing the baby into a chest freezer with the mother later saying that the child was stillborn. I'm pretty sure the contestants tell that's a lie, but they quote, your motive was in part a desire to avoid the consequences of your pregnancy and because of your psychological conditions. Judge Darren Wren said that this was during the sentencing. You had a sticking your head in the sand approach to deal with the stressors and would go into a state of avoidance and denial. And the judge said her actions involved a degree of indignity and callous disregard and moral repugnancy. Now, Burden, who the judge said had adjustment disorder and was genuinely remorseful, had her 19 month total sentence suspended as she undergoes supervision and treatment. She gets nothing. 19 months for putting your baby in a garbage bag. Okay. And according to one outlet, The Herald, the 19 month prison term was suspended for 12 months and include that treatment program. So the now Bellaham and Burden, who had five children together before the 2022 birth, have been together for 14 years. Burden secretly gave birth to the child at her home on August 19, 2022 before wrapping the baby in clothing and hiding it behind the couch. Now, after being taken to the hospital, Burton denied that she'd given birth when questioned by the medical staff. But they kept questioning like I'm pretty sure all this stuff that's going on with you, that's because you gave birth and she admitted to it. And then police got called out and couldn't find the baby. But then one of them opened the freezer in the backyard and that's where the baby was. So Balon was determined to not be the baby's father following the test. Ooh, how about that? You gonna wrap the baby up in a garbage bag, put it in the freezer and later on you find out it wasn't even your shit and you go into prison for it. So he received a suspended sentence for interference with a corpse. And the news.com Australia specifically noted his 12 month community based order came as he was charged with not having a lawful excuse to improperly interfere with a corpse. The judge said it was not possible to determine how the baby died due to the condition of the body was found imagining severity comp and the this scored to ABC which reports that Burden Claimed the child had been stillborn, made no noise and looked like a doll. He said he believes it was likely the baby was stillborn. Now, according to Renton, the mother previously concealed two pregnancies, and one of her children died at a young age. Right. As for the fraud charges related to the GoFundMe campaign, they stem from a fundraiser launched by a friend who was told Burden had a terminal illness before raising $3,000. And she was aware the campaign was going to be created. What kind of mentality we dealing with there? You got a bunch of kids already, and then one of the other kids died and you hid two more pregnancies, and then this. I mean, hey, you know what? Use flash. If you put a dead baby in a freezer in your backyard, it's not going to go away. It's forever going to be there. Unless you move it again. Yeah, and then what? Why she get you go to the hospital? Don't you have like postpartum that comes out and then all that stuff went on down there. Right. And. And.

[Sophia Salinas]

Sophie doesn't know yet, but one day she will.

[Cindy Overton]

She'd be giving me that grandbaby. But I don't. You know, I don't know. I see. It's pretty light for me. The. But it is what it is. Takes all kinds to make the world go around.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah, but the. The one that failed the moat. Not the most, but just as poorly as the judicial system. 19 months is ridiculous. She's going to do it again.

[Cindy Overton]

I totally agree with you.

[Sophia Salinas]

She's already done it. How many times? Concealed pregnancies and two other ones.

[Cindy Overton]

And one of her kids is dead. Yeah, and I don't know, man. Look, I can't. I. I just can't get away from this. The. The. I wasn't going to do a story earlier. Y' all keep doing these stories about cars. Sophia. We did one last week. A dad left his three kids, seven, five and two in a car. I think it was San Antonio or somewhere in the heat of the summer. You know where dad was? For over an hour. Knew where he was. Porn star store. He was in the back in the porn store watching videos. And the cop went in to get him. He wouldn't come out. And then he acted like it wasn't his car. He just tried to walk away. Right. But so, but unfortunately we've done like three or four where the kids have died this year. And, and, and there were so another one I was going to. Didn't want to do earlier. A five year old who died in the car. So there's that one, but then this one because last night we were talking about the Nebraska chocolates and the Ohio chocolates because we've gotten from Nebraska before. And, and anyway, so I'm gonna take you for the last one of the day. It's time for family Matters to Nebraska Father of the Year. They say this is a heartbreaking incident. And our hearts go out to the family, friends, first responders and all those affected by this unimaginable loss. And let me tell you what happened. A Nebraska dad or father is facing charges after his son died from being left in a car on a sweltering hot day. So the cops get the call or the merge, whoever, authorities get the call and they haul ass out there. The call was of a baby that was unresponsive in a hot car at a parking lot in Hastings, Nebraska on Monday. Now the five month old was taken to nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. A preliminary police investigation determined he died of extreme heat exposure. That basically he got cooked to death. Later that evening the police arrested and charged the father, Jeremy Hansen, who's 36 years old with his son's death. He faces a charge of negligent child abuse resulting in death. They said this is a heartbreaking incident and our hearts go out to the family, friends, first responders and all those affected by this unimaginable loss. And on Tuesday, Hansen was formally charged by the Adams County District Attorney's office. And he'll have his first court appearance on Friday, which is this past Friday, y'. All. And of course they always say it's not clear if he has an attorney but According to the U.S. national Weather Services, temperatures were around 105 degrees Fahrenheit in southern Nebraska at around 5pm on this day. They said we know we have at least a few days like this every summer and that doesn't make them any less dangerous to those vulnerable to heat, working outdoors without AC and to pets in this courts of the National Weather Service. But now this is. Sophie, you may not know this, but according to the organization Kids and Car Safety Five children in Nebraska died in hot cars from 1999 to 2024, when on average 40 children die each year from heat stroke and cars across the country. So the on according Coco's case because it was October 5th, first weekend October and they put her body in the car, it was in an error for less than two days. When the Texas found in Wayne, Texas she was so badly decomposed it looked like been weeks, but they did the studies GM as they've actually done the studies on. Not on the trunk, but on the inside of cars. And on average when you. On a day like this, whatever or even if it was a cold day or whatever, on average, the. The seal. Well, not on cold day. On a warm day, the average temperature inside the car is at least 30 to 40 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. So this five month old baby. But be conservative, we'll split the difference between the 30 and 40 was cooking at 135 degrees. I know. Speechless.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah. But I have a question because we all you. You've talked about cold temperatures like before, you know people so. I have never heard of a child being found dead, freezing to death. I have.

[Cindy Overton]

I think, I think of the. I did one where the parent left the kid in a car somewhere up north and it froze the. But that's been a couple years ago.

[Sophia Salinas]

Is it harder to freeze to death than.

[Cindy Overton]

I would much rather freeze to death than Friday. You freeze death. You just go to sleep.

[Sophia Salinas]

Why? I'm. That's.

[Cindy Overton]

I mean you get cold. Is it harder on your body?

[Sophia Salinas]

No. Take more time. Yeah. Yeah.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh, I don't know. I would think so. Because you gotta drive.

[Sophia Salinas]

We don't have like. Well, your body after day reports of freezing to death.

[Cindy Overton]

Well, it's summertime. It's summertime right now.

[Sophia Salinas]

No, in the cold even we did the winter shows we didn't have this kid freeze to death.

[Cindy Overton]

You're right. And it's like the 6 or 7 and I passed another one up earlier today.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah. There's more than 40. Because we've done 40 and like just when skipping over them.

[Cindy Overton]

I know. And, and because it gets a little bit redundant. But the thing being I'm going back to the warning light. Check your back seat. And what kind of like this is the cause of them having to put warning lights in cars? Check your back seat. You might have forgot your kid.

[Sophia Salinas]

And the problem is is that I see. I mean I know I don't have a kid back in the backseat, you know, and I still see it. I still see it if there's a light on, but you get desensitized to it as well. You know, you're just like.

[Cindy Overton]

I'm pretty sure that, you know, it should happen. You're such an that you're going to leave your kid in the car to die that the light wouldn't matter in any way. But a lot of these cases, Sophia, that we've done are much worse. You're right. One of them was in a Bar room for hours. And another one was in the porn shop. Those kids didn't die, thankfully. One lady was in a beauty salon. She. Her kids in. Colin said, can I bring my kids in? They're like, yes. She took them in. And then they were, I guess, being a little disruptive, so she put them back out of the car and went and got her nails and done. While out there they cooked.

[Sophia Salinas]

And another father had gone out drinking, came and got his kids from his fan. Like, went back to a family member's house. He was in the middle of a divorce or something.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah. He put the kid babysit.

[Sophia Salinas]

They were babysitting. He put the kids in the car, went back in the house and went to sleep and then woke up the next morning to the dead kids in the car.

[Cindy Overton]

Yep. And. And then that. Think about that. Because it was only probably like 100 degrees or 110 degrees in the car versus this 140. So those. Those babies suffered.

[Sophia Salinas]

We had the drunk couple that.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sophia Salinas]

Just a whole drunk couple that just left their kids in the car. They were. So they had done that. They had done.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, yeah. They were. Yeah. They weren't just drunk.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah.

[Cindy Overton]

They were dopers. And. And they wake up the next morning, like, where are the kids at?

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah.

[Cindy Overton]

Roasted in the backseat of your car. And a lot of the kids. I mean. I mean, I don't get it.

[Sophia Salinas]

Oh, we had a mom. And I feel really bad for this mom. She was going to work, and she was at, like, a factory or a plant.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Sophia Salinas]

And she put. She had her kid. She didn't have a baby. I'm assuming she didn't have a babysitter for her kids. So she left the kid in the.

[Cindy Overton]

Car with the car running or whatever, but it ended up turning off. Yeah.

[Sophia Salinas]

I mean, the baby was seven. That was an older one.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Sophia Salinas]

But she was actually that. She wasn't in a bar. She wasn't getting her nails done. She wasn't getting Botox. She wasn't doing math.

[Cindy Overton]

Trying to provide for a kid.

[Sophia Salinas]

Exactly.

[Cindy Overton]

But still, mom, still, it happens. Negligent, meaning when you show such lack of care that a reasonable person would have shown, it causes some bad.

[Sophia Salinas]

Yeah.

[Cindy Overton]

So. All right, y' all got anything else?

[Sophia Salinas]

No.

[Cindy Overton]

All right, well, I'm Woody Everton.

[Sophia Salinas]

I'm Cindy Overton.

[Cindy Overton]

And Sophia.

[Sophia Salinas]

And I know Sophia Salinas.

[Cindy Overton]

That's right. He hosts A True Crime Time for this first Tuesday in August. We'll holler y' all later. Peace.

[Narrator]

This is the story of the 1. He is responsible for keeping a leading healthcare facility clean and safe and he trusts Granger's high quality H Vac cleaning and safety safety products combined with their world class supply chain to consistently deliver ensuring he's covered inside and out so he can focus on keeping his facility clean to help protect the health of everyone inside. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.