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What happens when an ordinary night out turns into a tragedy, and a five-year-old child becomes one of the most...
When a murder makes national headlines, we often hear more about the person accused of committing the crime than the...
What happens when someone is sentenced to death, the execution goes forward, but the person doesn’t die? This week on...
When you walk into a death scene and see someone hanging from a tree, it would be easy to assume...
Four people found unconscious inside the same house. Three dead. One survivor. No obvious injuries, no clear explanation, and weeks...
When I first started looking into the death of two-year-old Barrett Walsh, one detail immediately stood out to me: his...
Sometimes a death scene seems to tell you exactly what happened. A child is found submerged in a swimming pool,...
The Lindsay Clancy trial has reached one of its most important moments. The witnesses are finished, both sides have made...
The Lindsay Clancy trial continues, and with each new day of testimony, the questions surrounding this case seem to become...
Last week, I took you through the devastating events of January 24, 2023, the night Lindsay Clancy’s three young children,...
On January 24, 2023, what began as an ordinary evening for a young Massachusetts family ended in an unimaginable tragedy....
When an entire family is lost, it’s easy for the headlines to focus on the person responsible. In this episode,...
When a murder ends in suicide, investigators lose one of the most important pieces of the puzzle—the person who could...
BONUS AUDIO: SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALLIE’S FRIEND BONUS AUDIO: SHARED WITH PERMISSION FROM ALLIE’S FRIEND What happens when a...
What happens when someone disappears… after they’ve already died? In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m exploring one of...
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m examining the heartbreaking murder of 32-year-old Caroline Piña Cairo, a mother of...
In this episode of Pushing Up Lilies, I’m covering the heartbreaking case involving Amy Steadman and the tragic family deaths...
Pushing Up Lilies
Dissect the science behind some of the most spine-tingling, unusual and terrifyingly true crime stories with Julie Mattson, a seasoned Forensic Nurse Death Investigator in this gripping weekly podcast.
Julie’s unique approach to investigations is informed by her background in nursing, which allows her to provide an in-depth analysis of the medical intricacies and physiological aspects of each case.
With her compassionate storytelling and unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth, Julie takes you on a thrilling journey into the world of forensic science, shining a light on the intersection of medicine, justice and criminal investigation.
In “Pushing Up Lilies,” Julie’s expert medical analysis will captivate your imagination and challenge your understanding of the human body’s role in solving the most complex and enigmatic criminal case.
What happens when an ordinary night out turns into a tragedy, and a five-year-old child becomes one of the most important witnesses to a violent crime?
This week on Pushing Up Lilies, I’m talking about the heartbreaking case of Jessica Antolini, a 30-year-old woman whose life was taken following a violent confrontation outside a bar in Safety Harbor, Florida.
According to investigators, Jessica’s boyfriend, Christopher “Dodge” Smith, arrived at the bar looking for her. After an argument outside, he allegedly shot Jessica and then drove over her with his SUV as he left the scene. Even more disturbing, his five-year-old daughter was reportedly present and witnessed the violence.
Jessica fought for her life in the hospital for two days before passing away from her injuries.
As a forensic nurse and former death investigator, there are several aspects of this case that I want to examine. We’ll talk about how investigators evaluate gunshot wounds alongside injuries caused by a vehicle, why hospital records are so important in a death investigation, and how forensic evidence can help reconstruct the events leading to someone’s death.
I also want to discuss something that deeply concerns me: the involvement of a young child in such a traumatic event. We’ll look at the importance of specialized forensic interviews, protecting child witnesses, and recognizing the emotional impact that witnessing violence can have long after the investigation ends.
And because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’ll talk about intimate partner violence, the warning signs that sometimes go unnoticed, and the role healthcare professionals can play in helping people experiencing abuse.
But before anything else, I want you to know who Jessica was.
She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a woman who cared deeply about people’s rights and animal welfare. Her family described her as kind and loving, and her life deserves to be remembered for so much more than the circumstances of her death.
Join me as we examine the evidence, the unanswered questions, and the devastating loss of Jessica Antolini.
Because behind every death investigation is a person whose life mattered.
* Listener discretion is advised.
