The Unforgotten – Season 2: Unnatural Causes

Episode 7: The Missed Clues
Date: November 25, 2024
Podcast: The Unforgotten by Free Range Productions
Host: Charlie Scudder

Episode Overview

This episode explores how a series of murders committed by Billy Chemirmir, an in-home healthcare worker who preyed on elderly women in Dallas, went undetected for years. Through investigation into missed clues, institutional failures, and bias, the episode interrogates why these deaths were written off as natural causes and what that reveals about forensic science, ageism, and the criminal justice system. Host Charlie Scudder weaves together expert testimony, case studies, and powerful interviews with victims’ families to uncover the systemic cracks that enabled a serial killer to operate in plain sight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Suspicious Death of Mary Sue Brooks (00:01–01:43)

• Setting: Richardson, TX, 2018; Sue Brooks, a spirited elderly woman, is found dead at home with no visible signs of violence, groceries melting on the counter.
• Initial Response: Police and medical examiner dismiss the case as death by natural causes due to her age and health items found nearby.
  • Officer Shane Harris: Doubts the natural cause label and investigates further—“He patted down her body, looking for anything clearly broken or out of place. He didn’t notice anything.” (01:11)
• Key Point: Only a trained expert could spot the subtle signs of smothering, such as petechiae.

Expertise and Blind Spots in Forensic Pathology (01:43–08:20)

• Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, Dallas County’s chief medical examiner, is renowned for detecting smothering deaths and connecting possible serial cases.
  • Irony: Despite his expertise, Chemirmir’s early crimes slipped through his office.
  • Quote: “I think probably there are many people have experience with smotherings. They just don’t know they’re smotherings. That’s the thing about smothering: you’re lucky if you get any real evidence.” – Dr. Jeffrey Barnard (05:30)
• Workload & Limitations: The ME’s office processes thousands of cases a year, making it unrealistic to autopsy every elderly death without suspicion.
  • Barnard: “4,000 people are dead at home that are elderly—are you gonna try and autopsy 4,000 people in addition to the nearly 5,000 you’ve done?” (07:55)
• Turning Point: Only when police provide cell phone data showing Chemirmir at victims’ addresses do homicides become clear.

The Problems with Forensic Science and Subjectivity (08:20–13:16)

• False Positives vs. False Negatives: Systemic issues affect both wrongful convictions and missed identifications of murder.
  • Brandon Garrett (Duke Law Professor): “False negatives have enormous consequences too...they have become more high profile in the medical death area.” (11:15)
• Case Example: George Floyd—a death initially ruled as a medical incident only discovered as homicide after viral video evidence.
• Expert reliance on police reports, not always objective science:
  • Quote (On bias): “It just feels like...they just came in and out and they were missed.” – Charlie Scudder (06:48)
  • Barnard responds: “The cases that came in were called what they found, which was natural...If there’s nothing suspicious, then you’re generally not going to bring someone in...” (06:59)

Investigative Gaps in the Chemirmir Cases (13:16–24:17)

• Death Certification Challenges: Some death certificates (e.g. for Catherine Sinclair and Solomon Saul Spring) remain “undetermined” or “natural,” despite suspicions and familial pressure.
  • Barnard: “If I can't make the call...I’m not going to make a call that I think is not right. And so the timing didn’t add up. The rest of it didn’t add up. It wasn’t his normal scenario...” (21:08)
  • Family frustration: “I pretty much expected something that stupid. Didn’t know what the stupid would be, but that is ridiculous.” (Dan Probst, Sinclair’s nephew, on alternative theories, 20:09)
• Systemic Hurdles: Limited resources mean not every death can be investigated fully — repeated warnings from families ignored.
• Ageism in Forensics/Policing: Victims’ families highlight the ways in which elderly deaths are too often seen as “naturally” expected.
  • “Nobody wants to have missed anything like that...Somebody’s got to ring the bell that there’s something that we need to evaluate...” – Dr. Barnard (23:04)

Ageism & Societal Bias (24:17–31:59)

• Elder Victims Are Disbelieved: Both thefts and suspicious deaths in seniors are commonly dismissed; memory assumptions play a role.
  • Dr. Michael Wasserman: “To blow them off is, to me, unconscionable...it’s gaslighting 101.” (26:53–27:25)
• Statistical Reality: Less than half of all violent crimes against seniors are reported; only 1 in 24 cases of elder abuse reach Adult Protective Services.
• Victim Perspectives:
  • “My perception of what was missing from my mother was that it had been taken off her cold, dead body. That’s very, very different than, ‘oh, things just go missing.’” – Shannon Dion (29:38)
  • “There is a segment of our population that is senior adults...Some of these women...are thriving, active, as sharp as a tack, and everybody overlooks them.” – Cheryl Pangburn (31:03)

Race, Immigration, and Social Narratives (31:59–44:40)

• Race: Though victims were predominantly white and Chemirmir is Black, families and investigators reflect on the role of race in crime investigations and stereotypes.
  • Mary Bartel’s testimony highlights complexities and sensitivities in cross-race victim-offender identification.
  • Officer Jamal Kemp: “She would not describe his race to me...I interpreted that as she didn’t want to offend me in some type of way.” (32:53)
  • Shannon Dion: Reflects on her own reactions, emphasizing not to generalize or demonize due to race.
• Immigration: Misreporting about Chemirmir’s status fueled xenophobic narratives, but the host and guests clarify he was a legal resident.
  • “Again, that doesn’t matter. An American citizen, white female, could have done all of this. It’s the evil beast that was permitted to walk in. The immigration status is irrelevant.” – Shannon Dion (40:45)
• The Labor Context: The underpaid, immigrant-driven senior care workforce is discussed as necessary but vulnerable.
  • David Schless (Senior Housing Association President): “We will need as a nation more caregivers who are, you know, able to work here legally...that’s a really pressing issue...” (43:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Smothering Evidence:
  • “That’s the thing about smothering: you’re lucky if you get any real evidence.” – Dr. Barnard (05:30)
• On Undetected Crimes:
  • “False negatives...may happen just as often or even more often. And it was sort of widely ignored because, ‘well, that doesn’t matter in real life.’ But of course it matters enormously in real life.” – Brandon Garrett (11:15)
• On Systemic Ageism:
  • “There is a segment of our population that is senior adults...Most people, when you hear the term senior adult, your mind goes to a nursing home and a frail, feeble person in a wheelchair waiting to die...That couldn’t have been farther from the truth.” – Cheryl Pangburn (31:03)
• On System Failures:
  • “I’ve continued to use the phrase a complete lack of intellectual curiosity on the part of the investigating detective and his team...They did not follow evidence and could have probably caught this guy and saved a lot of lives...” – Scott McPhee (28:27)
• On Racial Stereotypes:
  • “To have this suddenly change in my life, it was something that had to be fixed...A white man could have very easily have walked in the same number of times and done the exact same thing. It just happened to be this man.” – Shannon Dion (37:47–38:33)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01–01:43: Discovery of Sue Brooks; initial police/ME response
• 04:45–08:20: Dr. Barnard on forensic challenges and systemic limitations
• 09:35–13:16: Brandon Garrett critiques flaws in forensic science
• 16:15–24:17: Specifics on missed Chemirmir cases and ME office decisions
• 24:17–31:59: Age bias, disbelief of senior victims, and family frustration
• 31:59–39:40: Race, identification issues, and discussion of relevant stereotypes
• 39:40–44:40: Immigration, labor force realities, and narrative corrections
• 44:54–End: Reflections, case closure, and preview of next trial

Episode Tone & Style

• Investigative, analytical, and empathetic, balancing data-driven exposition with heartfelt stories from victims’ families
• Strong use of expert interviews and direct testimony to weave a multidimensional view of the cases

Conclusion

The episode exposes the multifaceted systemic oversights in medical, legal, and social institutions that allowed a serial killer to prey on elderly women for years. It challenges prevailing notions of “natural causes,” scrutinizes the scientific rigor of forensic pathology, and examines how biases—around age, race, and immigration—compound these vulnerabilities. Ultimately, “The Missed Clues” serves as a call to action for more curiosity, rigor, and empathy in protecting society’s most vulnerable.