A Cry in the Dark (1988) based on a true story. Starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill. This movie was had another title called “Evil Angels” only in New Zealand and Australia.
The Chamberlain family is from Australia and they decided to go on camping trip to a place called Uluru, Australia.
This place is also called Ayers Rock and has a massive sand formation in the middle of the southern part of Australia.
The wife is named Lindy Chamberlain and the husband is named Michael Chamberlain. They took their three children including two month old Azaria Chamberlain on the camping trip. On the late hours of August 17, 1980 Lindy made a report to the authorities that Azaria was taken while sleeping in their tent by a dingo.
A dingo is a kind of dog that is found in the wilds of Australia. During the timeframe when the baby was taken there was a huge search for her but they no luck in locating her. However they did find an article of clothing a couple of days later a couple of miles from the campsite. A dirty jumpsuit with dried blood was found around the neck of the suit.
When Lindy Chamberlain described Azaria to the authorities of what she was wearing. She claimed in addition to the jumpsuit she was also wearing an article of clothing called a matinee jacket. However that was not found with the jumpsuit.
No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage
Manadatory Credit: Photo by c.Warner Br/Everett / Rex Features (849114d)
‘A Cry In The Dark’, Sam Neill, Meryl Streep
‘A Cry In The Dark’ Film – 1988
The Chamberlains maintained that a dingo did take Azaria but suspicion quickly drew to the couple that they killed the baby and made up a cover up story. Although a park ranger named Derek Roff did make claims to the Australia government that there was a high number of dingos in the park and he fear human danger. He wanted to remove the high amount of dingos to avoid any human tragedies. He noted the fact that the dingos in the area were being temperamental, following and biting campers.
The Australian people did not believe the Chamberlains claim at all due to Lindy demeanor during her interviews. The public used the the words such as “cold-hearted”, “too stoic, and had a quick whatever attitude about what happen to her baby.
After various inquests (some of them were even on TV) Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were charged for Azaria’s death. It was claimed that Lindy slit Azaria’s throat and hid her body in a small camera case that they had while camping. Started making dinner for her other children and then claiming that her daughter was taken by a dingo. Then preceded to hid Azaria’s body while the other campers were searching for the baby. The court grilled Lindy about Azaria’s clothing since the matinee jacket was never found so they believed she made the clothing she was actually wearing a lie. They also brought in some experts for the prosecutors side and claim that it was such an outrageous lie that the family made about the missing baby. Lindy was found guilty and sent to life in prison while her husband Michael was convicted of “being an accessory after the fact.” He was sentenced to 18-months but it was suspended since he was a sole proprietor of the family.
Lindy was convicted on October 29, 1982 and sentence while she was seven months pregnant with her fourth child. During a round of appeals Lindy was finally release on February 7, 1986 when new evidence was submitted to the case. During a search of a missing tourist around Ayers Rock they not only located the body of the missing tourist but authorities also found the matinee jacket that Lindy said Azaria was wearing at the time of her being taken by the dingo.
Proving once and for all Lindy’s statement was true after all. It granted Lindy to be able to go home and the case was reopened and the Chamberlains were acquitted in 1988. Finally in 2012 the Chamberlain family wanted to clear their name and in June of that year an Australian coroner made a final decision on that case. Confirming that Azaria was taken by a dingo during their family vacation to Ayers rock and was killed by the dingo.
Here is a video above about Lindy’s feelings about the coroner’s finding.
The movie “A Cry in the Dark” is available to watch in any platform. I watched the movie through the criterion collection channel.
” hello instagram friends everywhere! I am Leigh Lahav, animator, writer and lover of sharing weird shit on my insta stories. I hop every couple of years between my homes Tel Aviv and Los Angeles, and complain about both respectively whenever i’m around (currently in tel aviv and complaining about missing target and mendocino farms. stay tuned!!!) My current IG is tiny and private because one time my account got hacked and blocked most of my followers which was a nice gesture as my therapist had just suggested I should stay away from social media. Thanks, anonymous hacker! (or rather….-gasp- THERAPIST??? WAS THAT YOU?)”
2. Can you talk a little bit about your youtube channel: OnlyLeigh ?
“AH! My now semi-abandoned youtube channel OnlyLeigh is an animation, pop culture and parody YT channel I started a few years back to satisfy my constant need for validation and attention. I wrote it with my partner/husband and animated it myself because I am a masochist. Some of the videos went viral which is pretty dang sweet, not to mention helped me get a manager and a career in LA!
I recommend: “A Stranger Things Christmas”:
a stranger things/peanuts mashup that is the only video I never got hate mail about. SUCCESS! Nowadays I keep making funneh videos but since youtube channels are hard to maintain I now make a series for CRACKED “
3. What is on your summer reading or movie list and why?
“As it so happens i currently live in a country with terrible, humid, devil’s asshole hot weather so I definitely plan on not leaving the house for the next 3-4 months, which is plenty of time for indoor summer activities.
Right now I’m vibrating with anticipation for What we do in the shadows season 4. And then I’ll just rewatch it till October arrives I guess.”
4. What cartoon character best describes your personality and why?
“Tinkerbell. Like moi she’s small, blonde, moody, quick to anger, obsessed with looking at herself in mirrors and might seriously die if she doesn’t get attention. (also a little slutty???)”
5. Can you talk a little bit about your patreon?
“Thank you for bringing up my patreon As I mentioned back then around question 2, youtube videos don’t bring in a whole lot of $$$ unless you’re a regular vlogger (ANIMATION TAKES TIME!), so patreon helps me make indie videos. You can donate any amount you like per animated video, and I will ONLY get paid if I make a video! (some patreons work in a $ per month system. not I. do dang slow/busy/self hating.) While I upload less to my own channels, I do keep making new videos on Cracked, and some extra $$ through Patreon definitely, always, certainly helps me pay my staff, VO, and take my sweet time making my dumb cartoons extra smooth looking. Join us!”
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
” Nowadays I’m mostly writing some new material to pitch around town. I wrote a rom com feature so hopefully you’ll get to see that sometime in the next 30+- years! follow me on Twitter (@leighlahav) for updates or what is more likely very specific jokes about 90s sitcoms as i am re-watching Seinfeld (Newfound realizations so far: Kramer is definitely Bi. George is closeted Bi.)”
I said I love you thousand of times over text but never in person. Last summer when I went to visit you I promise myself that I would say it in person. I didn’t want to over think it so I put it in the back of head. A couple of days into my visit we settled in for the night. You turned on the 80’s version of King Kong and settled in to bed. You yawned and went into bed so I laid down with you. I thought about saying it …just blurting it out. But I stared at the ceiling. You turned your back towards me so I started to rub your back… I wanted to say it then. But my heart was beating too fast. I got scared. I got nervous. I stopped rubbing your back and I sat up and got closer to you. I wanted to whisper I love you. But a pillow was put between us you told me to move further away so you have enough space. I still wanted to say I love you but you told me to keep moving. I stopped when I reached the side of my bed. You settled down for the night. I had no room but I still wanted to say I love you. I could not sleep with space so I slowly got up. You sprang up from sleeping. “Where are you going?” I said I needed to used the restroom.” But I went to sleep on the couch instead. No cover, no pillow. I settled down on the couch and said” I love you _____.” And cried myself to sleep.
This week’s artist’s spotlight is on @eblrobinson !
Tell me a little about yourself:
“I’m Ed Robinson, Im originally from Sydney Australia but at the moment I live in Mumbai, in India. Im a voice over actor primarily but I also pop up onscreen every so often so there are about two dozen or so films where you can catch me in mostly bit parts- usually some kind of villain or eccentric dude (conspiracy theorist maybe), I have long blonde hair and a big red beard so you could say Im….a type haha.”
2. What is your favorite character voiceover that you have done?
“My favourite voice to do is Mickey Mouse. There’s a hierarchy to that job though. The first on the list ie the OFFICIAL Mickey is a guy called Bret Iwan, after him is Chris Diamontopolous, and a ways down the ladder is me, so I really only get to voice him for minor things, book readalongs, local commercials and such. But I love it, I love Mickey, I even have a tattoo of him on my arm. By first big Voice role was voicing an animatronic Popeye for an amusement park ride. I voiced him recently in a tiny appearance for the new Rescue Rangers movie but he didn’t make it into the cut, so it goes sometimes. Recently I did a voice over for a Drag Queen board game commercial and I did my impression of Divine….I really loved doing that one.”
3. How did you choose this line of profession?
“If I’m 100% honest, a large part of the appeal is the ease of the work. I mean, I’ve worked jobs where I had to get in at 830, leave at 6pm and stand all day and its just unpleasant. I had a real blessing in a natural ability too. Most people have about a two and a half to three octave vocal range, I have about five and a half, so my physiology also lent itself really nicely to the job. It means I can play characters under 10 and over 80. If you look up the Burger King “Confusing Times” commercials from 2021/22 that’s my voice. It sounds like an old man but I’m only 30. There’s a nice anonymity to Voice Over too. I do love onscreen acting, but a funny thing happened last year- I was in a super bowl commercial for Heinz Ketchup and after it aired people started approaching me on the street like “oh your that guy”. And it was wake up for me that I love the work, but I don’t want to be famous.”
4. Can you talk about the movie where you played a villain?
“So, I have this strange little niche of being a white actor who speaks Hindi. There are a few others, but not a lot. I was living in Toronto and an Indian film was shooting there, and they cast for people and being a small niche I was brought in to audition. Turns out they weren’t even recording location sound for the film (as is pretty common for Indian movies) so my voice was gonna be overdubbed, they just wanted someone who would understand the director onset. I was even able to bring in my best mate to play the other baddie- shoutout to Tarick Glancy a real killer actor. The film was called Angrej Putt, if anyone has an appetite to see it.”
5. What have been the top 3 memorable commercials you have worked on ?
“I did a political ad campaign for the “Arizona state mine inspector” which at the time I thought was a pretty funny one.
I did an ad for EA Sports Hockey the video game, where they wanted a mid century mid Atlantic voice, so I did my impression of 50’s cult leader Dr. George King, which is just funny to me cause its such a….I don’t know quite the right word- esoteric? Impression.
Not a commercial, but I worked on a pilot for a kids show a few years ago, and one of the actors I was working alongside was Matt Frewer. When I was 5 I went to Disneyland and got a plush toy of the character Panic from Hercules, loved that thing. Flash forward 20 years and I’m in a booth recording alongside the guy who voiced him, that was pretty cool.”
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
”
Well actually, due to Covid and movie release dates getting pushed back, I actually have a bit of a backlog of films that are just now being released. Darts, Stupid For You, Cyber Underground, and a but later this year a movie Im really proud of The Transformation of Ferlin Rusty. Oh! And either this Christmas or next Christmas a film I wrote for the Hallmark Channel- Christmas at the Allistair.
I also wrote a musical about Divine (my aforementioned love of mentioned above) so if anyone’s looking to stage such a show do reach out! @eblrobinson
I just wanted to wish everyone a happy best’s friend day! I am grateful for those who expressed friendship and positive thoughts and vibes. I am grateful for the kindness and friendship that people show. Celebrate the people in your life who let yourself shine.
This week I interview an amazing account : @lunchmeatvhs !
How did you come up with the name Lunchmeat?
“Ted Gilbert (co-editor of LUNCHMEAT) and I were working at Relapse Records way back in 2006 or 2007, and we would chat about movies, mainly horror and cult stuff, on our lunch breaks nearly every day. We were both writing for RESOUND (Relapse’s mail-order and resource guide) at the time, reviewing the genre movies we were stocking in the mail-order… and we thought it might be cool to start our own little zine about all these movies that were only available on VHS. We both had decent tape collections, and we were having a blast sharing these movies with each other, watching them, talking back and forth about them… and I think we just wanted to share that enthusiasm and passion, and make something tangible, physical out of that excitement. But we did need a name!
Our essential goal was to spotlight movies that were only available to watch via the VCR, and one of the movies we were really into at the time was a movie called LUNCH MEAT, a 1987 film by Kirk Alex. It was (and still is) VHS-only, and we liked the name, so I think we just went with that as an homage to the whole vibe of the cult, underground movies only viewable via videocassette that were central to our vision and mission. It seemed to embody that. Plus, we were constantly eating Lunchmeat sammiches while talking about all the movies, so it just made a lot of sense to us. We stylized it as one word and just went with it. We actually had Kirk Alex reach out to us a few years later after starting the zine and he was like, “Hey, nice name!” He was super cool about it, flattered. He did an interview for one the issues (LUNCHMEAT Midnight Snack #2), which we were of course thrilled to do.
Now, though, a lot of folks reference it as Lunchmeat VHS, because that’s the URL and social handle name, so I think it just kind of naturally became recognized as that… but the name of the mag and the original idea was just LUNCHMEAT.”
LUNCHMEAT MIDNIGHT SNACK #2, featuring the interview with Kirk Alex
2. How did you come up with your business?
“It was really just a hobby for the majority of the time. I don’t think either of us thought of it as real, viable business until about a couple of years ago. It kind of just kept growing, expanding, and we kept doing a little more with it every year. We got an offer for distribution a couple years back, we took it, and that’s made it easier to reach more people and get the Lunchmeat wares out there on a larger scale. I think that, coupled with the recent explosion of interest in VHS and video era culture, and some incredible support from the VHS community, has really helped Lunchmeat get where it’s at right now. We feel extremely fortunate to be able to do what we do, and we make it our priority to bring Tapeheads radical content, wares, and events to help keep the culture vibrant, fun, and connected in a positive way. VHS is Happiness, my friends. *Cue Suicide from ROTLD: “You think this is a F@cking costume?! This is a way of LIFE!”
“We’ve been doing the magazine and all the LUNCHMEAT stuff for almost 15 years now, which is wild. We’ve done print since about 2007 and online coverage since about 2009 or so (I think – time flies!). I mentioned how the concept came to us in the previous question, but really, it was just to highlight the slew of amazing, baffling, fantastic, ridiculous and wonderful cinema and content that only exists on VHS. We didn’t know if anyone would react to it, but people did; and it’s driven us to keep VHSpreading the rewind word, champion these films, and celebrate the creative talents, stories, memories, et al attached to the era, and dig deeper into the history of the format, the happenings with the current culture – really every aspect of the video age, and how people are still connecting with it.
LUNCHMEAT MAGAZINE contains reviews of movies only available on VHS, interviews with actors, directors, and other cult personalities from outer limits of the video era, think-pieces on various ideas and histories within VHS culture, galleries of video store promo items, VHS-only animation, VCR care, and much more. If you want to enter a weird, radical, and informative rewind-inclined wonderland, we aim for LUNCHMEAT MAGAZINE to be the ticket.
You can get issues of LUNCHMEAT (along with all our other VHStuff) on LUNCHMEATVHS.COM! “
Some LUNCHMEAT threads. Shirt art by Lard Humungus.
4. What is the most popular item in your store? Why do you think it’s so popular?
“I would say the magazine and our other publications, but the VHS releases are also essential to what we’re doing, and people really seem to dig those. Stickers sell often; the apparel does well. All of it gets a good amount of love and support, honestly. I think that’s why we do various rewind-inclined wares: so we can celebrate tape in all kinds of ways, and keep the community engaged, entertained and informed, whether that’s with distributing films we admire on VHS, making some fun merch, or creating publications all about our favorite format and all its wonders.
The Horror Frisbee!
Funny story: We did a VHSale recently and someone bought like fifty HORROR Frisbees (Frisbees made to resemble the iconic Horror genre sticker from rental vids) – and we’re still super curious about what he’s gonna do with all those frisbees! [laughs]”
5. What are some of you personal favorite movies on VHS? Why are they your favorite?
” I mean, my favorite tapes are the ones I’ve had since I was a kid. Tapes of me and my family – BBQs, birthdays, holidays, stuff like that. Those are one of one copies. So those are definitely my favorite. But as for movies on VHS? I feel like it’s hard to say movies just on VHS, because I watch nearly all my movies on VHS? [laughs] I mean, not all, but that’s how I watch A LOT of movies… I would say The Gate, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mother’s Day (a copy that I got at a dollar store when I was like 16 and still have, and barely works anymore because it’s been played so much, which also gives it its own charm)…hmmmm…The PIT! I also love watching stuff like Uncle Buck, The Sandlot, Angus…Nostalgic stuff, of course. I was recently gifted a taped-from-TV version of Angus, and it had all the commercials, some alternate scenes and the edited-for-TV dialogue. That was amazing to see again after years and years. That’s a new favorite tape.
Why are they my favorite? Because they capture and time and place. I first watched those movies on tape, and it’s a distinct experience that’s stuck with me. Nostalgia is definitely a considerable part of it. It just feels comfortable. They just bring to me a different place for like an hour and twenty minutes or so. It’s a slice of happiness for that little bit of time.”
The ANGUS taped-from-TV VHS
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“Oh, yes, always! I think the most exciting thing right now is we’re just about to announce the line-up and special guests for DRIVE-IN VHS FEST 6 at Mahoning Drive-In in Lehighton, PA, happening on July 8th and 9th, 2022, presented with Mahoning and our friends at Saturn’s Core Audio & Video. It’s our favorite party of the year, so it always gets us REAL VHStoked. It’s two days and nights of VHS on the big screen, vendors, guests – a total VHS party, and just an absolutely amazing event altogether. It’s such an exciting assemblage of VHS appreciation and celebration, and we love seeing everyone out there. You can watch our socials and website for announcements, and check out Mahoning’s site for info once it’s fully announced and tickets go on sale.
But we’ve always got some cool VHStuff cooking. We’ll have new VHS releases all this year (with some really rad titles that we’re extremely excited about), some new publications dropping, more rewind-inclined threads, and few VHSecrets we can’t reveal just yet!”
VHS Fest V – The poster from last year’s event. Poster art by Hayden Hall
If you would like more information. The following contact information is below:
One of the sales I look forward is the Halfway to Black Friday sale from vinegar Syndrome. I wait until midnight and order all of my movies I have on my wish list because I enjoy a lot of there movie titles from their website. So I decided to share some of my picks from the sale:
Miami Connection directed by Woo-sang Park. When I saw on Vinegar Syndrome that is was going to be release I wanted to start singing “Friends” by Dragon Sound.
The Films of Doris Wishman: The Twilight Years (Something Weird & AGFA) . So I was always interested in the career of Doris Wishman and decided this would be a good introduction to watch her movies.
Blood Lake (bleeding Skull and AGFA)- I felt like this is the kind of movie someone wanted to do over a summer vacation from school. Filled with teenage angst and vibes I recommend this movie if you a break from your normal movie watching.
I vaguely remember watching this movie growing up but I do remember Ruth Gordon and Pia Zadora being in it. I also may or may remember my sister dancing to the song “When the Rain Begins to Fall” that was from the movie.
with my personal countdown of my first class as an online student starting in a couple of days. I decided to restart my love of reading. These are the books I am currently reading:
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors- I have recently started to pick up actual books and when I walked in to a bookstore the cover caught my attention. Because it looks exactly like a painting and it stood out from the other books that were next to it. I am only about 3 chapters in but I am already absorbing Cleo’s and Frank’s life. I totally recommend it.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley: so the one thing I used from the library is there amazing audiobooks selection and I have been waiting to listen to this book since December 2021. I tend to listen to audiobooks on a regular basis since I started listening to podcasts. Mostly because I tend to do a lot of multitasking and tend to be doing up to 4 things at once. I rarely don’t do humorous books but the description of this one convince me to add it to my check out list.
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favorites: @AGFA !!!
How did this company start and what is the main purpose of this company?
“The American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) was founded in 2009. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit that exists to preserve the legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation, and distribution. We fulfill our mission through theatrical screenings, home video releases, and lab work.”
2. How do you go about selecting a movie to become a part of you film catalog?
“It’s really a case by case basis for theatrical and home video. The through-line is that curation is handled by the team. I oversee home video and acquisitions, but we all make suggestions. Theatrical is broader, as we have a constant influx of new titles from our partners like Arrow Films, Vinegar Syndrome, Shout! Factory, Severin, and many others.”
3. What is your personal favorite movie from your home video and why?
“This is a difficult question! My personal favorite is usually whatever title we’re working on at the moment.
But if I had to choose some highlights that I’m personally proud of, they would be our three DORIS WISHMAN box sets (THE FILMS OF DORIS WISHMAN: THE TWILIGHT YEARS—the first one—is out this month), BOARDINGHOUSE, TREASURE OF THE NINJA, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? AND THE FILMS OF THE GAY GIRLS RIDING CLUB, and LIMBO.”
4. Can you talk about the process and details if someone wanted to book a theatrical booking?
“Of course! Booking is very easy with AGFA. Bret Berg, head of theatrical, handles all of our outreach and bookings. He’s incredibly talented and knowledgeable when it comes to film programming, so that makes us kind of a one-stop-shop for all genre booking needs. Booking fees vary by the number of times the movie plays, size of theater, etc.”
5. Who does the cover art for the home video releases?
“I handle the design for AGFA home video releases. My favorites so far would be THE FILMS OF DORIS WISHMAN: THE TWILIGHT YEARS and SMUT WITHOUT SMUT: THINGS TO COME + THE DIRTY DOLLS.”
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“Constantly! The best way to stay informed on all things AGFA is to sign up for our email list or follow us on Twitter and Instagram”
For more information the following contact information is below:
Hello everyone, this week I had the pleasure of interviewing a podcast : @falllinepodcast !
How did you come up with your podcast?
“Brooke, my co-creator, came up with the title. The Fall Line is a geological boundary that marks a shift across our home state (Georgia) and delineates a marked change in climate, soil, what grows and doesn’t grow, etc.— a stark difference in worlds. We view it as a metaphor that operates on a few different levels: what cases do or do not get attention based on where and who they happen to, how things can fall through the cracks (the “line”), reading between the lines to see the underlying problems and issues, the intersecting issues or lines that create layers of difficulty for families seeking justice and attention for cold cases. . . it’s a pretty complex image, for us. It also evokes the South, which is our home base. We cover stories outside the Southeastern US when someone needs us to do so, but most of our work is centered here. Now, do we occasionally get confused with fashion podcasts or skiing podcasts? Absolutely. We didn’t even know about the skiing thing. There’s not a lot of skiing down here, as you might imagine.”
2. What made you want to start doing the podcast?
Laurah
“I (Laurah) spent the last decade or so working as an English professor with a specialty in creative writing.
Brooke
Brooke is an LPC (licensed professional counselor). We’ve been friends since college and were spending a lot of time together in 2016 and 2017, since we have children the same age. Around that time, I had gotten a small grant to develop a podcasting class at the university. I was already experienced in writing narrative nonfiction and in archival research. I’d also been using true crime in the classroom for some time. I liked to use headlines and reporting regarding unsolved cases to discuss social and political issues and to teach my students to identify ethical reporting, and how to sort out plausible claims from conspiracy theories on platforms like YouTube. This was for rhetoric and composition or Honors English. This dated back long before TikTok or Instagram or before I even listened to podcasts—I had no idea where this genre would go. I was trying to show them, for instance, how conspiracy theories about the death of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls operated, and how bad information or reporting operated, how spurious claims form, the effect on legal cases and victims’ families, etc.
By 2017, I had begun to listen to podcasts in all genres and assign them in class, and to look for articles related to subjects to help students understand different issues. This was really helpful in my argumentation courses, which students can find really dull.
As I was teaching myself how to podcast for my upcoming narrative podcasting class—how to use recording equipment—I heard about a case from Augusta, GA that I’d never come across before: Jeannette and Dannette Millbrook, who were 15 when they disappeared on March 18, 1990. I had always followed cold cases, so it was a surprise to me that I hadn’t been aware of missing twins from a city only two hours from Atlanta. Missing twins are rare, especially in a non-familial abduction. At the time I encountered their case, they were one of the only pairs of missing twins (non-familial-related case) in the United States that we were aware of. I believe I heard of their story on The Trail Went Cold or Thin Air. Both podcasts covered them very close together; I later found out an advocate had reached out on behalf of the family. But when I went searching for information, there was. . . nothing. A few articles from 2013, and that was it. A few message board posts. That’s when I found out their case had been closed in 1991, a year or so after they disappeared, and not opened again until 2013. But where were the articles from 1990? Because we are in Georgia, I have access to every possible archive that should have that info. I went into class the next day and did a comparison for my students between the Millbrook twins and the Springfield Three. It wasn’t a perfect comparison, but it was decent: a trio of women who disappeared in roughly the timeframe (1992) and in Missouri. They had hundreds of thousands of Google hits. The Millbrook twins had almost nothing. My class discussed the disparity in coverage from a few different angles: cause/effect (what causes this disparity? What is the effect of it?), evaluation, and looking at calls to action. They also looked at the presentation of headlines and descriptions of the victims and family and phrasing.
I was still bothered by the lack of information available. There was absolutely nothing. Not a single article in the hometown paper. If there had been news footage on TV, it was no longer available. When we eventually went down to the archives at the Augusta library, there was nothing there, either. There was no knowledge base available on the case. I decided that maybe it would be possible to assist in changing that by collaborating with the twins’ family in correcting that and creating a base. After all, I had the equipment. I’d learned to use it so I could teach my classes. I knew how to research and write. What I didn’t have was the skill and sensitivity to approach families who had been traumatized.
That’s where Brooke came in. She had been in counseling for more than a decade, and specialized in family therapy, where she helped people work through grief and trauma. She agreed to conduct family interviews. We knew the Millbrook twins’ family, and especially their sister, Shanta, was actively seeking coverage, so we spoke to her, and slowly began to develop what would become the first season of the podcast. It was a long process; TFL is always a collaboration between family members and the creators. We had no idea where it would go, or that it would be anything more than a few episodes designed to serve the Millbrook twins. But our listeners raised reward money, and then money for a billboard, and then a bigger billboard. And we are able to fund the rent for that billboard and a therapy fund for families today, all through Patreon. 100% of our Patreon funds go to those two goals.
Now, we’ve been making the show for five years (this June!) and have covered dozens of stories. We no longer work in long single-topic seasons.
We now cover the missing, the murdered, and the unidentified in one to three episodes. In regard to the missing and murdered, we work with family whenever possible—and we don’t currently cover a case unless there’s someone available to consent, unless there is an extenuating circumstance [e.g., unidentified, all family members have passed away]. Family/loved ones have approval over everything. We’ve worked out a system where family members/ loved ones approve their interview transcripts, then approve scripts.
now I work with a few research assistants who help me pull initial articles and file FOIA (freedom of information act requests), and we were able to hire a producer, Maura, who makes us sound like we’re actual professionals. Our senior research assistant, Bryan Worters, has trained as a genetic genealogist during his time with us and has assisted law enforcement with locating the family of one of Samuel Little’s victims (Miriam Chapman). He’s also fluent in Spanish and helps with translating, as does special content advisor Guadalupe Lopez. Our other assistants, Kyana Burgess and Michaela Morrill, are former students of our friend and colleague forensic anthropologist Dr. Amy Michael.
We have permanent content advisors who have life experience we don’t, Brandy C. Williams, Liv Fallon, and Vic Kennedy, who review all our material, and special content advisors who come in when we’re tackling subjects outside of the experience of our regular content advisors. Our hope is that the show can be, above all, a platform that provides knowledge, gets correct case information out there, and leaves family, friends, and experts feeling good that they participated. No one should be re-traumatized while attempting to get attention for their loved one’s case.”
3. How can someone submit a case and what information do they need to provide?
We ask for contact info, a description, and any links that can be provided.
We can’t respond to all submissions, but we do make sure to respond to every family that reaches out. If we can’t cover a story, we try to match you with a trusted friend who we think can over the case.”
4. What if someone wants to help out with a donation or wants to volunteer: how can they go about it?
“We don’t have volunteers, as we think people should be paid for their work! We do encourage people to donate to the following nonprofits:
Black and Missing Foundation
Private Investigations for the Missing
Sovereign Bodies Institute
Trans Doe Task Force
DNA Doe Project”
5. How do you pick out a case to cover?
” We look for cases that have gotten little to no media attention—this would mean no TV specials, not covered on lots of podcasts, and cases must be cold—that means 6+ years. That’s because our skillset is suited to helping with cases that have been left without any activity. We are able to reach out to law enforcement and other experts, like medical examiners, and offer to collaborate on such cases, and have a good success rate. We also have archival skills that are best suited to cold cases. Cases that are still under active investigation are best suited to our colleagues like Voices for Justice, The Vanished, Crimelines, War Cry, Unresolved, Hands Off My Podcast, Trace Evidence, Noir True Crime Files, True Consequences, Murder She Told, Black Girl Gone, and others. In terms of topic: We focus on unsolved murders, unidentified persons, and disappearances.
We primarily cover cases in the Southeastern United States, particularly those involving communities downplayed or even ignored in mainstream media or, sometimes, investigation. We especially prioritize victims who experienced lack of coverage due to factors like race, sexuality, gender identity, religion, disability, immigration status, involvement in sex work, poverty, housing insecurity, and many other considerations. We will cover national cases that meet the previous criteria—lack of coverage due to any confluence of factors.”
6. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“As for The Fall Line, we’re working on many new episodes, and are remastering several of our early Doe episodes for summer re-release with updates. We are always looking for fascinating expert interviews, so please suggest those, too! You can use the same submission form.
Laurah is currently writing a book (to be published with Hachette) on the topic of forensic science and how it is used to identify people known as ‘Does,’ or unidentified decedents, and her involvement in the recent solve of the case of “Ina Jane Doe,” a woman found murdered in Illinois in 1993, who was identified in March of 2022 as Susan Minard Lund. The book focuses on all the different kinds of forensic techniques—art, odontology, skeletal analysis, genetic genealogy, and DNA—that have developed and are developing, and the experts that are working to identify the tens of thousands of unidentified decedents in the US. The book should be out in late 2023. It’s tentatively titled Lay Them To Rest.“
If you would like more information. The following contact information is below:
ladycultblog 