Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

When winter weather hits, the danger is not only what happens on the roads, but also what happens when the heat goes out, help slows down, and people misjudge how quickly the body loses it margin for error. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns breaks down hypothermia through three cases: a bascule bridge immersion event, an elderly woman whose final behavior included paradoxical undressing and terminal burrowing, and an unidentified man recovered frozen inside a Chicago railcar.

Highlights
• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns
• (0:15) Winter storm context, power outages, and why hypothermia cases spike
• (2:00) Common scenarios in cold exposure fatalities
• (2:30) Dry vs. immersion hypothermia and why water changes the timeline
• (3:00) Case one: bascule bridge repairs, harness failure, and near-freezing immersion
• (4:30) Cold water heat transfer, loss of consciousness, and arrhythmia risk
• (5:15) Hypothermia progression: early shivering and impaired judgment, then shivering stops as confusion escalates and paradoxical undressing can appear, including alcohol’s role
• (8:00) Case two: elderly woman, initial foul play concern, paradoxical undressing, and terminal burrowing
• (10:45) Case three: unidentified man recovered frozen from a railcar in Chicago and what it takes to thaw remains before autopsy
• (12:30) Thawing protocol: warming lights, artifact risk, and the unglamorous “poke test”
• (14:30) The classic triad and why hypothermia is a diagnosis built from findings plus context

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns
Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings unparalleled insight into the strange, grisly, and sometimes absurd realities of forensic pathology.

About the Show
Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations.

Connect and Learn More
Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on Linkedin. Catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and follow Mayhem in the Morgue where you get your podcasts.

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In a tragic incident early Sunday morning, a mass shooting at a bar in Austin resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left 14 others injured, according to police
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After four weeks of testimony, prosecutors could soon end their sex abuse case against three real estate mogul brothers.
Jurors have heard explosive testimony about alleged drugging and humiliating encounters, as the defense continues to declare the Alexander Brothers' innocence. Twins Oren and Alon Alexander and their older brother Tal have faced a 12-count indictment for sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
The Alexander brothers are accused of using their wealth and influence to create opportunities to sexually assault women. More than 40 women have come forward with allegations, and investigators are urging others who believe they were assaulted to contact authorities.
Attorneys for the brothers say they plan to plead not guilty. If convicted, they face life in prison.
The three brothers come from a high-profile real estate background. Tal and Oren brokered a $47 million deal for their father in 2012 and a $240 million Manhattan condo sale in 2019. Alon attended law school before joining the family's private security company, Kent Security.
Each brother has been accused of forcible rape by at least 10 women. All three are indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, while Oren and Alon also face sexual battery charges in Florida.
The Alexanders have denied the allegations in civil cases, with their representatives suggesting the accusers are attempting to extort them.
Court documents detail accounts from alleged victims. "Victim-1" claims she was raped by Tal Alexander and other men in 2021 at a home in the Hamptons. She says she felt unwell after drinking a glass of wine, then recalled Tal holding her down as another man entered the room.
She later woke up in a separate room, where a camcorder was set up.
Another alleged victim, referred to as "Victim-2," told investigators that Oren raped her. She says Oren gave her a cocktail, after which she felt strange and struggled to walk. Alon then took her to a bedroom to lie down. She recalls waking up to find Oren in the room.
He allegedly pulled down her bathing suit and raped her while she was "physically impaired and could not move."
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Neama Rahmani – Former Federal Prosecutor-turned-Trial Attorney; Author: “Harvard to Hashtag;” INSTAGRAM: @Neamarahmani/ X: @NeamaRahmani
Caryn L. Stark – Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych/FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice
Bill Daly – Former FBI Investigator and Forensic Photography, Security Expert
Lynn Shaw - Founder and Executive Director of Lynn’s Warriors Host of Lynn’s Warriors on YouTube; X: @lynns_warriors Youtube: @LynnsWarriors
Christina Aguayo – National News Anchor, Salem News Channel; Facebook: @ChristinaAguayoNews, Instagram: @Christina.AguayoNew
Lauren Conlin - Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of "Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4

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Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert
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Savannah Guthrie is speaking out again on social media, pleading with someone to "be the person who brings Nancy Guthrie home."
She pointed out in her post that the reward can be anonymous and can be paid in cash.
Also, AI - artificial intelligence - was it used to write two of the ransom notes? And if so, there's a way to track it.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'
Heather Barnhart - Digital Forensics Expert with Cellebrite and the SANS Institute (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security), One of the Digital Forensic Investigators in the Bryan Kohberger Case, and Co-Author of "Practical Mobile Forensics" (now in its 4th edition)
Todd Shipley - Digital Cyber-Crime Expert, Former Detective Sargent with the Reno, Nevada PD, Author of: "Surviving a Cyberattack: Securing Social Media and Protecting Your Home" and Author of: “Investigating Internet Crimes: An Introduction to solving Crimes in Cyberspace;" X: @webcase
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