“No one could hear them scream.” The babysitter from hell | Mystery & Makeup
The "Murder, Mystery & Makeup" podcast explores the chilling case of Christine Falling, a babysitter responsible for the deaths of several infants and an elderly man between 1980 and 1982. The blurb discusses Falling's troubled childhood marked by poverty, neglect, and abuse, as well as the disturbing pattern of deaths surrounding her that initially went unquestioned.
Despite raising suspicions, Falling was able to escape scrutiny for years due to lapses in oversight and misdiagnoses that attributed the deaths to accidental or natural causes. The episode delves into Falling's eventual confession, her motivations involving "voices" and potential psychological disorders, and the aftermath of her conviction and life sentencing.
This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Apr 29, 2024 episode of the Murder, Mystery & Makeup
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1-Page Summary
The Infant and Elderly Murders
Christine Falling killed 5 infants and 1 elderly man
Between 1980-1982, Christine Falling was responsible for the deaths of infants Cassidy Johnson, Jeffrey Davis, Joseph Spring, Jennifer Daniels, and Travis Coleman. She confessed to suffocating Cassidy because she became "rowdy," choking Jeffrey because "he made [her] mad," killing Travis with no reason given, and suffocating crying Jennifer.
She attempted to kill 3 more infants
Falling also attempted to kill 3 other infants under her care: Joseph Spring stopped breathing and died after she watched him, while Kyle Summerlin became critically ill with a meningitis diagnosis.
Falling's Traumatic Childhood
She grew up in poverty, neglected and abused
Falling's early life was marked by poverty, neglect from her 16-year-old mother Ann and abusive 65-year-old father Thomas. At 4, she was adopted into the abusive Falling family. She exhibited disturbing behaviors like killing animals.
Escaping Scrutiny
Deaths were ruled accidental or natural
Despite multiple infant deaths under her care, like Cassidy's blunt trauma or Jeffrey's myocarditis, the deaths raised little concern and were deemed accidental or natural.
She was praised as a good caregiver
After the Cassidy Johnson incident, hospital staff even praised Falling for how she handled the emergency, highlighting lapses that allowed her to escape scrutiny.
The Aftermath
She confessed to killings, citing "voices"
Falling eventually confessed to smothering infants, stating "voices" told her to kill. She had revealed to her sister Carol being responsible for 5 deaths.
Charged with 3 murders, sentenced to life
Falling was charged with murdering Cassidy Johnson, Jennifer Daniels, and Travis Coleman in 1982. She pled guilty and received 3 concurrent life sentences, though she was not charged for other deaths.
Possible Munchausen or Munchausen by Proxy
Medical professionals speculated Falling may have had Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen by proxy, though her "voices" claim was dismissed, leaving her psychological condition unclear.
1-Page Summary
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Munchausen syndrome is a mental health disorder where a person fakes or exaggerates symptoms of illness for sympathy or attention. Munchausen by proxy is when a caregiver, often a parent, fabricates or induces illness in someone under their care to gain attention or sympathy for themselves. These conditions involve deceptive behavior and can have serious consequences for the individuals involved.
- When it mentions that the deaths were ruled accidental or natural, it means that despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the infants under Christine Falling's care, authorities initially attributed the causes of death to accidents or natural causes. This led to a lack of further investigation into the possibility of foul play or intentional harm. The medical explanations provided for the deaths did not raise enough red flags at the time to prompt a deeper inquiry into Falling's actions. This lack of scrutiny allowed Falling to continue her harmful behavior without facing immediate consequences.
- Falling's traumatic childhood, marked by poverty, neglect, and abuse, significantly impacted her mental and emotional well-being. Growing up in an environment of neglect and abuse can lead to severe psychological issues, potentially influencing one's behavior and decision-making later in life. Falling's early experiences of neglect and abuse may have contributed to her exhibiting disturbing behaviors, such as harming animals, which could be indicative of deeper psychological distress. Understanding Falling's traumatic upbringing provides crucial context to comprehend the complexities of her actions and the potential factors that led to her involvement in the tragic events detailed in the text.
- Christine Falling was charged with murdering three individuals in 1982. She pleaded guilty and received three concurrent life sentences for these crimes. Despite confessing to multiple killings, she was not formally charged for all the deaths she admitted to. Medical professionals speculated about Falling possibly having Munchausen syndrome or Munchausen by proxy, but her claim of hearing "voices" was not considered a valid explanation for her actions.
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The Murders and Attempted Murders
Christine killed 5 infants and 1 elderly man while babysitting
Christine Falling is responsible for the deaths of five infants and one elderly man between 1980 and 1982.
Cassidy Johnson, Jeffrey Davis, Joseph Spring, Jennifer Daniels, Travis Coleman
Cassidy Johnson was the first infant Christine killed. Under her care, two-year-old Cassidy had to be rushed to the hospital and later died. The autopsy listed blunt force trauma to the skull as the cause of death. Christine confessed to smothering her because she "gotten kind of rowdy or something."
In the same month, Christine was babysitting four-year-old Jeffrey Davis, who stopped breathing under her supervision. After his death, myocarditis was noted as the cause. Later, Christine admitted that she choked him because "he made [her] mad or something."
One of the victims, Travis, was under Christine's care twice and died due to suffocation, which could only have been caused deliberately. Christine could not provide a reason for killing Travis, saying that she killed him "for no parent reason."
Joseph Spring was napping when Christine got the urge to kill and suffocated him. Similarly, Jennifer Daniels' continuous crying angered Christine, prompting her to choke the child until she ceased breathing.
She attempted to kill 3 other infants
During the time she committed the murders, Christine Falling also attempted to murder three ot ...
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The Murders and Attempted Murders
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Christine Falling was a serial killer who murdered infants and an elderly man while babysitting in the early 1980s. She confessed to these crimes, citing reasons like the children being rowdy or making her mad. Falling also attempted to kill other infants during the same period. Her actions shocked the community and led to her eventual arrest and conviction.
- The events described in the text occurred between 1980 and 1982. Christine Falling was responsible for the deaths of five infants an ...
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Christine's Troubled Past
Christine's life has been fraught with challenges from the start, experiencing a traumatic upbringing filled with poverty, neglect, and abuse that would shape her disturbing behaviors.
She had a traumatic childhood
Grew up in poverty, neglected and abused
Christine's life began under difficult circumstances; she was the child of a young 16-year-old mother, Ann, and an elderly 65-year-old father, Thomas. Her early childhood was riddled with poverty, as her mother periodically disappeared for months, sometimes coming back pregnant, and her father denied paternity for all his children except the youngest brother, Earl. Thomas treated the children poorly, justifying his behavior by claiming they were not his offspring. When Ann was absent, he took the children into the woods for work, making them assist with his labor. After Thomas suffered a debilitating back injury leading to his inability to work, Ann returned, and their household became a battleground filled with constant conflict.
At the age of four, Christine and her sister Carol were adopted by the Falling family due to their parents' incapacity to care for them. However, this change brought no respite; they were exposed to both physical and sexual abuse by Jesse Falling, their adoptive father. Despite accusations and arrests, legal action against Jesse Falling resulted in dropped charges or a hung jury.
Exhibited disturbing behaviors like killing animals
Christine exhibited signs of developmental delays, epileptic seizures, and aggressive behavior, which led to bullying at the foster home. She endu ...
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Christine's Troubled Past
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Munchausen syndrome is a mental health disorder where a person feigns or induces illness in themselves for attention or sympathy. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is when a caregiver fabricates or causes illness in someone under their care, often a child, to garner attention or fulfill their need to be seen as a hero. This behavior can be a form of abuse and is considered a serious mental health issue. It involves deception and manipulation for personal gratification or to assume the role of a devoted caretaker.
- "Justice marks" were physical injuries inflicted on Christine by her adoptive father, Jesse Falling, as a form of punishment. These injuries were then shown to others, such as at school, as a way to justify the punishment she received. The term "justice marks" was used to imply that the injuries were deserved consequences for her actions ...
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Repeatedly Escaping Scrutiny
The story outlines how a caregiver named Christine repeatedly escaped scrutiny despite multiple suspicious infant deaths occurring under her supervision.
Multiple suspicious infant deaths occurred under her supervision
Several infants died while under Christine's care, but the deaths did not raise the appropriate level of concern at the time.
But deaths were ruled accidental or natural causes
Baby Cassidy's death, while caused by blunt force trauma, did not raise flags and led to no investigation. Similarly, Jeffrey's death was suspected but ultimately ruled as myocarditis, leading to a closed case. Additionally, Joseph's death, which tragically took place during Jeffrey's funeral, was quickly attributed to a viral infection and was not further investigated.
She was initially praised as a good caregiver
Despite these troubli ...
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Repeatedly Escaping Scrutiny
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Christine is a caregiver who was responsible for the care of infants involved in suspicious deaths. She faced multiple incidents where infants died under her supervision, leading to questions about her role and the circumstances surrounding these deaths. Despite these tragedies, Christine's competence as a caregiver was initially praised by hospital staff, highlighting the complexities of the situation and the lapses in oversight that allowed her to evade scrutiny.
- The deaths did not raise concern initially due to a combination of factors such as the deaths being attributed to accidents or natural causes, lack of thorough investigations, and a general perception of the caregiver as competent.
- Christine was initially praised as a ...
Counterarguments
- The deaths being ruled accidental or due to natural causes could indicate that there was sufficient evidence at the time to support those conclusions, and it may not have been a lapse in the system but rather a limitation of the medical knowledge or technology available.
- Praise for Christine as a caregiver could have been based on her overall behavior and performance, separate from the tragic outcomes, which might not have been directly linked to her actions based on the information available at the time.
- The lack of concern raised could be due to a statistical misunderstanding, where infant deaths, although tragic, can occur due to a range of complex medical issues that are not always immediately or easily attributable to caregiver negligence or malfeasance.
- The system may have protocols that prioritize the privacy and rights of caregivers against whom there i ...
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The Arrest and Aftermath
Christine's disturbing actions and the ensuing investigation led to her arrest and later, to questions surrounding her mental state and the motives behind her horrific actions.
She eventually confessed, saying "voices" told her to kill
After being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for assessment, Christine confessed to the chilling details of her actions. She revealed that she smothered three infants, guided by voices that urged her to "kill the baby." Beyond these admissions, Christine had previously told her sister, Carol, that she was responsible for the death of five children she had cared for, and during her taped confession, Christine gave various motives for the killings, from being angered to feeling the impulse, or sometimes for no reason at all.
She was charged with 3 counts of murder, sentenced to life in prison
Following these revelations, Christine was arrested in July of 1982 and charged with first-degree murder. The charges specifically mentioned the deaths of Cassidy Johnson, Jennifer Daniels, and Travis Coleman. By December of the same year, Christine had pled guilty to these three murders and consequently received three concurrent life sentences. Notably, she was not charged for the deaths of two cousins who also died in her care, and prosecutors did not seek the death p ...
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The Arrest and Aftermath
Additional Materials
Clarifications
- Munchausen Syndrome involves feigning or exaggerating symptoms of illness for attention or sympathy. Munchausen by Proxy is when a person fabricates or induces illness in another, often a dependent like a child, to gain attention or fulfill a psychological need. Both conditions are considered forms of factitious disorder, where in ...
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