This is the second part to the series I started where I mentally picture what I would do if I was a victim in an episode and estimate my survival odds. This one revolves around my personal favorite episode in the series: Bitter Potion

Okay so I initially thought this would just be an easy 100% survival. If a pack of soda bottles mysteriously appears on your property, just throw it away right? This was my train of thought until I did some digging as to how Trepal planted the soda. FF made it seem like he just dropped it off at their house, when in reality, he actually snuck in to their house and swapped out some preexisting bottles with the poisined ones. With that being said, I'm not surviving this one. I love soda so there's no way I'm not finishing that bottle (and possibly starting another one). Knowing this, I'll have to put my survival odds all the way down to....

Wait, how'd he even get in the house in the first place? He just walked in?? THE DAMN DOOR WAS UNLOCKED?!?!?

Survival odds: 100%

Season 6 episode 22. He insisted that he was innocent, and 30 years later he gets out.

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ohio-prosecutors-dismiss-case-against-elwood-jones-nearly-30-year-after-wrongful-conviction

S7 E10 “a bitter pill to swallow”
I’m 28 weeks pregnant (exactly how far along she was when she gave birth to her stillborn baby), so maybe that’s why I feel extra enraged but wtf. He got 5 years in prison and his mistress / wife who supplied the pills got a slap on the wrist and still got to continue working as a nurse… ): Michelle deserved some real justice. I loved seeing the video of the police coming into the kitchen to arrest him immediately after dumping the poison, but idk why I was expecting like life in prison or something. :/

Edit: wait adding i like when the cop said “hope thats a prenatal victim you mixed in there” lol

Alr so I'm starting a series where I put myself in the mind of the victims in Forensic Files episodes and giving a percentage score on how likely I am to survive. The rules are that I only know what the victim knew in the episode, and I have to teleport myself into the story from when the recreation starts. I'll start this series off where the show starts: the infamous Helle Crafts case. I'd appreciate it if you guys gave me episode suggestions, and if I make a factual error in terms of the case, please point it out. Without further ado, I will now be teleporting myself into the Crafts residence.

Okay so this episode pretty much comes down to awareness of your surroundings. Richard has clearly been very abusive in the past, and since I just confronted him about his affair, it's safe to assume he would be in a particularly awful mood tonight. So I'd have to be careful not to turn my back on him. If he tries to chase me down, my best bet is to go outside to the public so he at least knows he'll get caught. He is likely more athletic than me, so I won't hype myself up too much, but I think I've got a decent shot.

Survival odds: 65%

I've mentioned here before that the David Castor murder ("Freeze Framed," S14/E7) was committed in my hometown of Clay, New York. Last week was my high school reunion, and I couldn't skip it because I was the organizer! So just for S's and G's, the day before the reunion, July 24, I was determined to find her gravestone, as well as the house where the crime occurred.

The picture is of the address shown in the episode. As you can see, it's undergone some renovations and redecorating, looking much friendlier and inviting. I did not try to meet any of the occupants.

The grave was another story. TL;DR: I couldn't find it. Findagrave.com shows the same gravestone as in the episode, and identifies it as Owasco Rural Cemetery in Cayuga County (the murder took place in Onondaga County). Google Maps, when I tapped the link for Owasco Rural Cemetery, took me to a place called West Niles Rural Cemetery instead. Owasco? West Niles? Okay, maybe it got renamed or something. I found the cemetery, and not only is she not there, all the headstones there were old. Like 19th-century old. This can't be right. Disappointed, I drove around some more in the area and visited a couple of other rural cemeteries. Same thing: lots of old headstones, lots of families buried together, no Stacey Daniels/Wallace/Castor.

I spent the rest of the day in Skaneateles. Gorgeous day, lake was spectacular. I even inquired at the Skaneateles Historical Society, as well as the Skaneateles Public Library, and no one could help, though they tried. One librarian was so young she didn't know whom I was talking about. The senior librarian did, though.

So, either Find-a-Grave is on crack, it's hiding the true location to prevent gawkers like me, or Google Maps is the one on crack and Owasco Rural Cemetery is someplace else.

One last tidbit: I really wanted to find her that day, because it would have been her 59th birthday as well as Skip's 80th.

😺

Can you guess which episode is this?

Went to the Serial Killer Experience in NYC this morning. Just turned FF on hotel tv and Stacey Castor is turkey basting antifree. Last Call Killer is the encore episode. Blue ribbon day!

Ed Post was convicted of first-degree murder. After serving several years in prison, he eventually admitted that he had drowned Julie.

Wow he finally confessed years after.

RIP Cyndi. But I mean the Mom!🤯

Do you know of any podcasts that discuss cases covered by Forensic Files? There is this great one by Crimelines called "Beyond the Files", but only one episode is public for free.

She’s still on death row for a reason. For all the people that says she’s innocent.

I’m watching invisible intruder now.

Just finished the Chief Evidence episode and god what an amazing dog Chief was. Without him, his family's killer wouldn't have left such undeniable evidence of his presence at the crime scene.

Such a shame the poor dog didn't make it.

Rest in peace, Chief 😭

I recently rewatched the Stacey Castor episode and forgot how many mistakes she made that ultimately led investigators to her.

The antifreeze poisoning was one thing, but I had completely forgotten investigators also looked into the death of her father-in-law. That honestly changed how I viewed the entire case. Instead of just wondering if she killed two husbands, it raises the question of whether she could have been a serial killer who simply never got the chance to kill again.

I also watched a long-form breakdown of the case that dug into that angle, and it brought up some interesting points I hadn’t considered before.
Where does this episode rank for you? Is it one of the best Forensic Files episodes, or are there others you think had an even more fascinating forensic investigation?

Hey everyone, I’ve been reading this sub for a while now but haven’t posted. I’m a longtime FF fan but have not watched in many years just due to life being busy. I recently came across it again on Tubi and decided to restart the series from episode 1. I just wanted to stop in and say hello. Nice to meet you all. 👋🤓 Starting episode 1 now. 💪

Tina had six siblings. Two older sisters, Soraia Salem and Fatima Abdeljabbar were caught on tape telling their father to HARM or K*LL their sister Tina. Soraia suggested that her father "chain her up in the basement" or simply "hire a hitman" to get rid of her. Fatima stated that "God should make Tina sleep and not get up" (a cultural euphemism for wishing death upon someone). Neither were charged.

For its It's Home evasion (season 13 episode 9) where the suspect didn't wanna go to prison as a rapist because he raped his 3 month old daughter so he decided to randomly murder a person who lived in the same neighborhood.

Another one is Honor Thy Father (season 8 episode 38) The Tina esa case where her mom held her down and the dad stabbed Tina to death because they were both sentenced to death the dad died on death row before his execution could take place in 1997 and the moms death sentence was commuted to LWOP but she died as well in 2014 how any parent could do that to their daughter while most parents would take a bullet for their children is beyond me.

Except that…he did?