In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m examining the disturbing case of Shawn Michael Grate, a serial killer whose crimes spanned a decade across northern Ohio and left multiple families forever changed.
What makes this case especially unsettling is not only the length of time the murders continued, but how many opportunities there may have been to stop the violence sooner. As investigators pieced together the evidence, a clearer picture emerged of a predator who targeted vulnerable women, leaving behind unanswered questions and unimaginable heartbreak.
As a forensic death investigator, I walk through the timeline of the investigation, the evidence that ultimately connected the cases, and the forensic and investigative techniques that helped bring long-awaited answers to the victims’ families. We’ll also discuss how missing persons investigations, crime scene evidence, and victim identification play critical roles in solving complex serial homicide cases.
But as with every case I cover, I want to keep the focus where it belongs.
On the victims.
Each woman had a life, a story, and people who loved her. Behind every headline was someone whose future was stolen far too soon. Their lives deserve to be remembered with dignity, not simply as part of a criminal’s history.
This episode explores the realities of serial homicide investigations while honoring the individuals whose stories might otherwise be overshadowed by the person responsible.
This episode contains discussion of homicide, sexual violence, and serial murder. Listener discretion is advised.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
00:06
Welcome to Pushing Up Lilies. I’m your host, Julie Mattson. Pushing Up Lilies is a weekly true crime podcast with spine-tingling, unusual, and terrifyingly true stories from my perspective as a forensic death investigator and a sexual assault nurse examiner.
00:24
Do I have some stories for you? Are you ready? Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Pushing Up Lilies. I am working on my home YouTube podcast studio. My office is very, there’s a lot of echoes in there.
00:47
And so, I’m going to have to do something, I think, with the walls. As you all know, I’ve been recording for years in the floor of my closet, surrounded by my clothes hanging, which serve a great buffer from outside noise.
01:01
But I’m ready to get on video. I’m ready to do this YouTube thing. I’ve also started a YouTube channel for my MedSpa called Beyond the Needle, and I’m working on the studio there at the same time. Of course, all while going to grad school, recording the podcast, taking care of my family, and working full-time at the med spa and actually attending clinicals for $0 an hour.
01:33
So, we all know at some point in our lives what that looks like. And it’s so fun, y’all. But I’ve got to get the YouTube up and going. I know that YouTube’s kind of where it’s at, trying to work a little bit on my TikTok.
01:48
I have somebody that’s going to help me with some videos. And right now, I have someone working on an intro and outro for my YouTube channels for both the MedSpa and the podcast. So, we’re going to start really pushing out the subscription boxes, the cereal boxes.
02:04
Those are great. They have the cutest things in them. I know that y’all are going to love them. And I’ve got a lot of new items with my logo on them that I took to CrimeCon. And yeah, I really need to get up to the Merk here in Krum and get all that stuff set up in that booth so that y’all can purchase some of the new stuff.
02:24
I know I’ve had a lot of y’all asking about them. First, I want to talk a little bit about my friend Stephanie. Stephanie owns a company called Soaping Up Life, and her soaps are amazing. Let me tell you, I bought some in little boxes, super cute gifts for my girlfriends for Christmas, and they loved them.
02:49
There was a bath bomb, a soap, I think a lip balm. It was just the cutest little set ever. So, if you need some self-care in your life, you’re going to find a lot of handcrafted soaps, foaming hand soaps, bath bombs, and more.
03:07
And these are made in very small batches by Stephanie at her house with skin-loving ingredients and unique fragrances that you will absolutely love. And for the ultimate treat, you need to join her subscription box, Soaping Up Life, and get a curated collection of handmade bath and body products delivered right to your door every month.
03:32
So, visit soapinguplife.com and treat yourself today. You will not be sorry. Stephanie’s soaps smell amazing. This week, we’re going to talk a little about missed opportunities. This is a case that continues today to haunt investigators across Ohio.
03:55
But first, I do want to thank y’all for spending your day with me. I know I met so many people at CrimeCon who listen every day. And some while they’re driving to work, some might be walking their dog, cleaning their house, or just sitting in their favorite chair with a cup of coffee.
04:12
But I truly appreciate you being here. Now, again, this is a story of missed opportunities and vulnerable victims. A story about a woman who actually made one phone call that saved her life and exposed a serial killer.
04:30
This is about Shawn Grate. And I want to say that this episode actually contains discussion of sexual assault, not vivid, but there were some women tortured. There were homicides involved and violence against women.
04:47
So, listener discretion is advised. I don’t go into gory details, but I want to get started a little bit on this story. Now, September 13th, 2016, we’re in Ashland, Ohio, and there was a woman trapped inside a house.
05:08
She’d been beaten. She’d been sexually assaulted. She had been bound to a bed and held captive for three days. And her attacker, Shawn Grate, had fallen asleep. We all know, you know, a lot of victims don’t get this opportunity.
05:28
We see it in the movies a lot. You know, they reach for the phone or they’re going to sneak out the door, and the perpetrator is sleeping and they wake up and drag them back in the house. And that’s just how it normally happens.
05:41
So, a lot of victims just never get this chance. But somehow, against impossible odds, she was able to reach a phone and call 911. And the dispatcher answered and she whispered. Of course, she was terrified, as you can only imagine.
06:04
She explained that she had been kidnapped, that the man who kidnapped her was sleeping nearby, and she explained to the dispatcher that she believed that he would kill her. Police responded immediately.
06:22
And this always just amazed me when I worked at the medical examiner’s office. You know, I would get death reports, and they would say the call came in at 9 a.m. and dispatchers pronounced at 9.04. And I’m like, were they like already there?
06:41
Because how the heck do they get there so fast? I mean, I know these guys practically sleep and girls practically sleep with their pants on. But for heaven’s sake, I was like, I don’t understand, how do the police get there so quick?
06:55
And I know they’re spread out, you know, around the city so that they can get everywhere quick. But I also know they’re busy at times and you don’t always get someone from the nearest station. It just amazes me.
07:08
But anyway, police got there quickly and they found the victim alive and they also found Shawn Grate and he was sleeping and he was completely unaware that his reign of terror was about to end. Now, what investigators discovered over the next several weeks would reveal a serial predator responsible for multiple murders spanning a decade.
07:39
But before we discuss what his crimes were, we need to kind of understand the man behind them. Now, Shawn Grate was born in Marion, Ohio in 1976. People who knew him say he was charming. They say he was friendly.
07:59
They say that he was easy to talk to. And a lot of women found him completely likable, which is scary. Some described him as funny. Others said that he was extremely persuasive. Now, his childhood was marked by instability, as a lot of people’s are.
08:24
His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother eventually left Ohio. Shawn was angry at her for leaving Ohio. This is one thing too that always gets me. People ask me a lot, is there something in childhood that created a killer?
08:45
The truth is that most of our stress or anxiety is caused by childhood trauma. And childhood trauma alone does not create serial murderers. Millions of people experience difficult childhoods and they never hurt anybody.
09:08
They never kill an animal. They never torture an animal or a person. And they never kill or hurt anyone. But what we do see is that many violent offenders have histories involving neglect, abandonment, instability, violence, or personality disorders.
09:33
Those factors can definitely contribute, but they do not excuse and they do not predict. Many people have rough lives. Many people’s parents’ divorce. Many people were forced to move out of state at a young age because their parents split up.
09:55
But at some point, every offender makes a choice. And Shawn Grate made many choices. His criminal behavior began long before these murders. He had been arrested. He had burglarized places. There were violent incidents.
10:15
There were warning signs, but somehow, he remained completely free. The woman known publicly only as Jane Doe, who made this phone call, had met Shawn at a community center. It wasn’t at a bar. They weren’t drunk.
10:38
It wasn’t going to be a one-night stand. She viewed him as a friend, almost like an older brother. I mean, she met him at the community center. They talked and they walked together and they talked about a lot of things, religion being one of them.
10:56
But nothing suggested that she was dealing with a serial killer. And then everything changed on September 11th, 2016, when Shawn convinced her to come to his home. We all know those people that just snap.
11:14
Their personality changes, and that’s exactly what happened. Once inside, his demeanor completely shifted. His mask came off. He became a completely different person. Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde. He attacked her.
11:34
He beat her. He strangled her. And then he restrained her. And over the next three days, she endured unimaginable abuse. The physical injuries documented afterward were extensive. And those are hard to see.
11:54
As a sexual assault nurse, you know, I documented trauma and injuries on victims. I can’t even tell you how many bite marks and cigarette burns and ligature marks that I documented. So unimaginable abuse that she went through over those next three days.
12:21
The emotional trauma is difficult to comprehend. I can tell you that sexual assault victims often carry injuries that heal, but the psychological injuries remain for years. Many of these women suffer from PTSD for years after the incident.
12:43
Sometimes it never goes away. Sometimes it never gets better. Sometimes it’s for life. So, the courage that it took for Jane Doe to survive those three days is extraordinary. And then came the moment that changed everything.
13:03
That moment that we see on TV that, again, the victim never gets. Shawn fell asleep and she reached for that phone, and she called 911 and that call saved her life and exposed a killer. Now, when investigators searched this house, they found far more than a kidnapping scene.
13:28
Was not what they thought they would find. Inside, there were the remains of women, two women, Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith. Both had been reported missing, both had been strangled, and investigators, when they found those bodies, immediately recognized that they were dealing with something much larger than a kidnapping.
13:58
What they didn’t know yet was how many victims existed or how long Shawn Grate had been killing. So, Stacey Stanley, her family searched desperately for answers like so many families of missing persons.
14:17
They lived in limbo. They had no closure, no certainty, no answers, no idea where she was. When investigators found her body inside the house, those answers arrived in the most devastating way possible.
14:36
Again, she had been strangled. If you can imagine, I mean, families often tell me that uncertainty is one of the worst parts of loss. That feeling of someone going missing and not being found for hours, days, weeks, months, sometimes years.
14:59
Could you imagine that uncertainty? I mean, I don’t know how many of you have lost your children at the grocery store for what seems like hours, is only a split second. But the fear that you experience when that happens is crazy.
15:21
I mean, your arms go numb, you hyperventilate, you’re having an anxiety attack, you can’t find your child. And sometimes it’s only for just a minute, but just imagine for years, just imagine that. Not knowing where a loved one is and not knowing if they’re alive, kind of being in limbo somewhere between hope and grief.
15:52
For Stacy’s family, the waiting had finally ended, but the pain was only beginning. Elizabeth Griffith had been missing for about a month. Like Stacey, she was found inside the residence. Just like Stacy, she had been strangled.
16:12
But at this point, investigators were beginning to see a pattern, obviously. Vulnerable women who were manipulated and controlled and strangled. Sexual violence took place. It was all at the hands of the same offender, all by the same methods, and all with the same outcome.
16:37
Strangulation, I know we’ve talked about it before, but it’s an incredibly personal form of homicide. Unlike firearms or other methods, the offender is physically present. The offender is standing next to the person.
16:55
The offender has their hands around their neck, and they feel the resistance of this person. They feel this person trying to get away. And they feel the fear. And they feel life leaving the victim. I mean, they’re right there in front of them.
17:17
They can hear them stop breathing. They can feel them. This is very much a crime rooted in domination and control. Now, we’ll talk a little bit about Candace Cunningham because she dated him for a while.
17:38
She thought she found somebody who cared about her. She and Shawn had an on-again, off-again relationship, which spanned over years. And according to investigators, she endured days of torture before her death.
17:56
Days. Think about that. Hours becoming days. Fear becoming hopelessness. Pain becoming unimaginable suffering. After his arrest, Shawn led authorities to her remains. And so, until the time when he was arrested, her family still didn’t know where she was.
18:20
He led them to her because they knew that he had victimized other women. And one of the most disturbing aspects of serial offenders is compartmentalization. And that always just blows me away. We’ve all seen that offender in court who, I mean, they’re probably medicated, but they sit there and they just act like they don’t care.
18:44
They’re staring off into space. They have zero emotion. They continue to move through daily life. Some of them continue after they kill more than once, just going to work. They hold conversations. They watch television.
19:06
They eat meals. They go on dates while they hide these horrific secrets. Sometimes everybody wonders, we all have, you know, how did nobody know? Like, this guy’s a weirdo. How is it that no one had a clue that this was going on at his house?
19:27
But the answer is simple. Predators actually become very skilled at hiding. Now, Rebecca Lacey, she was another victim. Her death was initially ruled an overdose. And this happens a lot. She may have had drugs in her system, but it happens more often than people realize.
19:53
Sometimes a death scene can appear straightforward and sometimes evidence seems obvious. It seems to obviously point to a cause and manner of death. But sometimes those critical details remain hidden.
20:10
So, after Shawn got arrested, investigators revisited Rebecca’s case and what emerged was shocking because according to Shawn, and he admitted to this, he strangled her. So, this homicide happened in plain sight.
20:29
Cases like this remind investigators why cold cases are so important. Sometimes just reopening that investigation, looking at the evidence again, revisiting the evidence, because these families deserve answers.
20:48
Sometimes the truth is buried for years. Sometimes it just takes forever to turn it over. Now, Dana Lowry is another victim. Dana’s story was especially heartbreaking and she disappeared in 06. And so, for 13 years, y’all, she remained unidentified.
21:09
Imagine 13 years, more than a decade without a name. No answers, no justice. But when DNA technology eventually came into play, it changed everything. Dana was eventually identified through genetic genealogy.
21:31
She had children and she had family members and there were people who loved her and people who wondered what happened. 13 years. According to Shawn’s confession, Dana’s murder started over an argument involving a magazine, just a trivial dispute, a grudge, maybe.
21:55
For normal people, those events may cause a little bit of frustration, but for violent offenders, they become justification. They become reasons for them to hurt somebody or to kill somebody. And that distinction is very critical.
22:14
When we examine Shawn Grate, several characteristics emerge. He obviously was a manipulator. He loved being in control. Sexual violence took place with all of these victims. He lacked empathy. He had predatory behaviors.
22:35
His victim selection was very common. Many serial offenders seek individuals that they perceive as vulnerable. People that they might think, would it be best? People who kind of live on the margins, live off the grid.
22:55
Maybe even people who are struggling financially. And so, the offender actually convinces himself that society is not going to notice this person missing. Society, he decides, we’ll be fine without this person.
23:12
But society notices and families notice, and friends notice and investigators notice eventually, sometimes 13 years later. One question I continue to ask about cases like this involves risk. So why did he keep the victims in his house?
23:36
Why bring people into a location that could directly connect you to the crime? And the answer to that is that many offenders become increasingly confident. They think that they’re smarter than law enforcement.
23:53
They start taking greater risks. And the longer that they evade being captured, the more invincible they feel. They’re like, they’re not on to me. I’m invincible. I’m unstoppable. And that overconfidence sometimes becomes their downfall.
24:15
In Shawn’s case, it definitely contributed. Another question is, why did he keep Jane Doe alive? And the answer to that is control and power, possibly fantasy, because offenders like Shawn often derive satisfaction from domination.
24:39
And the victim’s fear becomes part of the experience. They enjoy that. The captivity itself becomes part of the crime. Thankfully for Jane Doe, that delay created an opportunity, a phone call, a rescue, an arrest, and a miracle.
25:00
Now, the evidence against Shawn Grate was overwhelming, of course. We have victim statement, physical evidence. We have bodies in his house and confessions. So, investigators were able to piece together years of violence.
25:18
And eventually he was convicted and sentenced to death for multiple murders. There were also additional convictions that followed and life sentences were added, but no sentence can fully account for the suffering that he left behind.
25:38
So, what stands out most in Shawn Grate’s case is the courage of the survivors. Also, we can’t overlook the determination of the investigators and the persistence of these families who loved these women and just the importance of never giving up on missing persons.
26:01
One survivor changed everything. One whispered 911 call, just one moment of bravery. And without her, we all know additional victims would have followed. So, if you take anything from this episode, let it be to trust your instincts, to pay attention to warning signs.
26:25
Something seems off. It probably is. Check on vulnerable people and don’t put yourself in vulnerable situations. Again, I just want to remind you, if you enjoy these episodes, please subscribe and leave a review and share the podcast with somebody who loves true crime and loves forensic investigation.
26:48
Don’t forget, if you don’t mind, I know it’s on my Facebook page. And if you’re not on my Facebook page, I would love for you to join. But go to www.bestofdenton.com and Pushing Up Lilies is actually one of the finalists for the Best of Denton podcast.
27:09
And if you’re able to and you live in the area, I would very much appreciate your vote. Also, our business, Taps and Tunes, I think many of you know, we have a mobile beer business. It has been nominated for best new business of 2025.
27:26
And then my MedSpa located in Denton, the filling station, is also up for, I think, seven or eight. We’re the finalists in seven or eight different categories. So, we’d very much, if you’re in the area, I think you have to have a local zip code to vote.
27:45
But if you’re in the area, we would very much appreciate your vote in all of those categories and all of those businesses. But super excited that Pushing Up Lily’s is in the finals for Best of Denton.
27:59
There’s several great podcasts in the area. And yeah, so it’s super exciting. I just very much appreciate everyone listening and look forward to next week’s episode. I’m looking into Crime Cruise. I think I’ve talked to many of y’all about that.
28:18
I think it’s coming up in November. I have already applied for Creator’s Row for CrimeCon next year, which takes place in September in Orlando. I already have my hotel room. So, the hotel is sold out.
28:34
Sold out, y’all. And I did learn last time, Caesar’s Palace is big and it was a lot, but we did not stay at the hotel because of the cost. But I’m going to start staying at the hotel where the conventions are because I don’t like having to worry about traveling back and forth.
28:53
We had great experiences with our Uber drivers, don’t get me wrong. I think almost every Uber we took in Vegas was a Tesla, which I don’t know why, but apparently, they’re very popular. A lot of Uber drivers have Tesla’s.
29:08
But anyway, it was a lot of fun, but we do already have our hotel at the actual conference venue in Orlando already. So, we’re super excited about that. And then hopefully CrimeCon Cruise, coming on up here in November.
29:23
And yeah, lots of exciting things happening. If you haven’t been by the Merk in Krum lately and you live in the area, come by there. I’ll have a lot of my new true crime merchandise there and my comic books will be up there as well.
29:39
All right, y’all. Take care and I very much look forward to talking to you next week. Bye, y’all. Thank you so much for joining me today on Pushing Up Lilies. If you like this podcast and would like to share with others, please do me a quick favor and leave a review on Apple Podcast.
29:56
This helps to make the podcast more visible to the public. Thanks again for spending your time with me and be sure to visit me at pushinguplilies.com for merchandise in past episodes.
