Tell Me Why - The Unexplained Death of Courtney Heater Part 3

Explicit content warning

12/14/21 • 75 min

Part 3
Illinois native Courtney Heater moved to North Carolina to live with her new boyfriend. The relationship is tumultuous from the beginning, eventually becoming physically violent. In November 2019, Courtney confided in her mom, Debbie that she wanted to leave the relationship. On February 2, 2020, Courtney was found dead in the house she shared with her boyfriend. She was transported to the morgue as a Jane Doe and Debbie was notified of Courtney's death hours later. The autopsy came back leaving more questions than answers. What happened to Courtney Heater and why?
Music by Bryan Anderson
Cover Art by Marley Soden

Previous Episode

Tell Me Why - The Unexplained Death of Courtney Heater Part 2

Part 2
Illinois native Courtney Heater moved to North Carolina to live with her new boyfriend. The relationship is tumultuous from the beginning, eventually becoming physically violent. In November 2019, Courtney confided in her mom, Debbie that she wanted to leave the relationship. On February 2, 2020, Courtney was found dead in the house she shared with her boyfriend. She was transported to the morgue as a Jane Doe and Debbie was notified of Courtney's death hours later. The autopsy came back leaving more questions than answers. What happened to Courtney Heater and why?
Music by Bryan Anderson
Cover Art by Marley Soden

Next Episode

Tell Me Why - The Unexplained Death of Courtney Heater Part 4

Part 4
According to the hotline.org, "Abusive relationships are extremely complex situations and it takes a lot of courage to leave. Abuse is about power and control. When a survivor leaves their abusive relationship, they threaten the power and control their partner has established over the survivor’s agency, which may cause the partner to retaliate in harmful ways.

As a result, leaving is often the most dangerous period of time for survivors of abuse."
The True Crime Mamas podcast team walked away from Courtney's story seeking to understand why. Why did Courtney stay? Why didn't she leave her abusive relationship with DJ? We were fortunate enough to meet domestic violence survivor Reba. Reba courageously gave us insight by sharing her story. This is part 1 of 2.

Music by Bryan Anderson
Cover Art by Marley Soden