Episode 24: The Murder of Tia Rigg

06/15/20 • 20 min

On April 3, 2010 in Manchester, England, 12-year-old, Tia Rigg's uncle, John Maden phoned her mother, Lynne, to ask if Tia could come over to babysit his young daughter. Lynne agreed, and Tia went to John's home, hoping to catch some of the football game that day, as her favorite team, Manchester United, was playing but she had no idea what awaited her at her uncle's home. John drugged Tia before raping her, committing a variety of sexual acts on her, and then stabbing and strangling her to death. Social services had many chances to take Tia from the care of her mother, Lynne, as Lynne had a history of drug abuse, suicide attempts, and domestic violence, however, they failed little Tia. Sources: True Crime England. (2020, February 4). The Murder of Tia Rigg. Retrieved from: https://truecrimeengland.wordpress.com/2020/02/04/the-murder-of-tia-rigg/ Daily Mail Reporter. (2011, May 13). Murdered girls' addict mother to sue council for not taking her into care. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1386614/Tia-Rigg-12-raped-murdered-uncle-Child-Protection-Register-born.html Riches, Chris. (2010, April 5). Mother's horror as she finds daughter, 12,stabbed and strangled. Retrieved from: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/167227/Mother-s-horror-as-she-finds-daughter-12-stabbed-and-strangled Press Association. (2010, October 4). Tia Rigg tortured and murdered by uncle obsessed with child porn. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/oct/04/tia-rigg-murdered-by-uncle Tozer, James. (2011, May 13). 'I've finished killing her now': Uncle, 38, murdered niece, 12, while acting out a fantasy from his collection of violent porn. Retrieved from: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1317626/John-Maden-raped-murdered-niece-Tia-Rigg-acting-internet-porn-fantasy.html Audio: Daily Motion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xioost DCI David Warren: https://youtu.be/rM1WG-37gj0

Previous Episode

Episode 23: Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard

On the night of June 14, 2015 in Missouri, police entered the Blanchard residence after receiving a call to do a welfare check on a disabled girl named Gypsy Rose and her mother, Claudette "Dee Dee" Blanchard. They found the body of Dee Dee lying face down, stabbed to death. Gypsy was nowhere to be found. Everyone thought this girl would never be able to survive without her mother's care, as she suffered from muscular dystrophy, leukemia, sleep apnea, a chromosomal disorder, and was confined to a wheelchair.......or was she? Police discovered Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend at the time, Nicholas GodeJohn at his home and begun to realize Gypsy wasn't a victim of Nick, but a victim of her mother. Gypsy had been a victim of Dee Dee's Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome her entire life and believed Nick was her way to escape the clutches of her mother. With his help, she exacted revenge. Sources: Serena, Katie. (2018, April 9). The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the 'Sick' Child Who Killed her Mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Retrieved from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard Kettler, Sara. (2019, April 4). The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her Mother. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/news/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder. Biography.com. Meisfjord, Tom. (2020, March 25). The Tragic Childhood of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Retrieved from: https://www.grunge.com/196643/the-tragic-childhood-of-gypsy-rose-blanchard/. Grunge.com Sokmensuer, Harriet. (2019, July 15). Gypsy Rose Blanchard , Who Conspired to Kill Abusive Mom, Is Pictured with Fiance for 1st Time. Retrieved from: https://people.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-pictured-fiance-first-time/ Paul, Pritha. (2020, April 7). Gypsy Rose Blanchard Taking Things Slow with Fiance Ken After briefly calling off their engagement. Retrieved from: https://meaww.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard-reunites-with-fiance-ken-after-split-stepmother-says-they-artaking-things-slow Jones, Alexis. (2019, March 21). Who is Rod Blanchard, Father to Gypsy Rose Blanchard of Hulu's The Act" Retrieved from: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a26887470/who-is-rod-blanchard-gypsy-rose-blanchard/ Videos for information: Dr. Phil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZJfCpqGRww https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOQcOQ4Mk_I Audio: ABC2020: Gypsy's Truth and Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfE3o8IriQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mDCbVy3Xp8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysUtZexaZTI

Next Episode

Episode 25: The Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church Poisoning

On April 27, 2003, 27 members of a 50 member church congregation at the Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden, Maine gathered for a meeting to discuss the purchase of a new furnace for the church. While at the meeting, 16 members drank coffee from one of two urns holding coffee for the congregation. These 16 members ended up being treated for severe vomiting at two hospitals, one member, named Walter Reid Morrill passed away at the age of 78 due to this illness. Upon investigation, police determined one of the urns holding coffee had been poisoned with extreme levels of arsenic.

To this day, the case is closed due to police believing they knew who had done it, but the town is divided in whether the case should reopen and find the accomplices or remain closed and let bygones be bygones.

sources:

Imhoff, Frank. (2006, April 21). Case Closed on Lutheran Church arsenic poisoning in Maine. Retrieved from: https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7127

WGME. (2018, April 27). Special Report: New Sweden Arsenic poisonings. Retrieved from: https://wgme.com/news/local/special-report-new-sweden-arsenic-poisonings

Murderpedia. Daniel Bondeson. Retrieved from: https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/bondeson-daniel.htm

Sharp, David. (2008, June 15). In Maine, pains linger for arsenic poisoning survivors. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-15-adna-arsenic15-story.html

Zernike, Kate. (2003, May 1). Arsenic Poisoning at Church Mystifies a Maine Town. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/01/us/arsenic-poisoning-at-church-mystifies-a-maine-town.html

Robinson, Bryan. (2006, January 7). Church Poisoning May Never Be Solved. Retrieved from: https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96750&page=1

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