Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie
"Best weekend ever when someone, not just someone, someone in the party that you went with... Died?" — Britt
"The longer this goes, the more difficult it becomes to get those answers. But they deserve them, because it's hard to find peace when you feel justice hasn't been served." — Ashley Flowers
"He also admitted that while he knew evidence could be collected from Lauren's fingernails, that never happened. It sounds like no one covered the hands or tried to protect any evidence that could be under those fingernails." — Ashley Flowers
This episode delves into the perplexing death of Lauren A.G. during WakeFest in 2015, a case where an initial ruling of accidental death is heavily disputed by her family and a subsequent private investigation. The narrative begins with the discovery of Lauren's body in Center Hill Lake by fishermen, leading to the involvement of off-duty officers who noted trauma to her head and shoulder. Suspicion quickly falls on two young men, Erin Lilly and Chris Stout, who were with Lauren and displayed an unsettling lack of emotion. Further complicating the early stages of the investigation, authorities appeared to treat the situation as an accident without thorough inquiry, despite visible injuries and the questionable circumstances surrounding Lauren's last known moments at a dangerous cliffside campsite.
The investigation, or lack thereof, is highlighted by the police's reliance on a theory of cliff-jumping, purportedly supported by photos on Lauren's phone, despite no direct evidence of her engaging in the activity. The preliminary autopsy report indicated blunt force trauma consistent with a fall, along with a small amount of water in her lungs and a high blood alcohol level. However, a private investigator, Sheila Weissaki, later uncovered significant inconsistencies. A forensic scientist reviewing the autopsy found no water in Lauren's stomach (contradicting drowning), pristine clothing, and facial injuries that suggested a violent assault rather than a fall. Furthermore, experiments failed to replicate how Lauren's body could have landed in the water from the cliff, and her body's location in the lake defied natural current patterns.
The episode concludes by detailing the family's ongoing struggle for justice, including a wrongful death suit that exposed the lead investigator's lack of homicide training and critical oversights, such as failing to request a sexual assault kit or properly preserve fingernail evidence. Despite appeals court rulings allowing the suit to proceed, Lauren's family remains without definitive answers. The narrative emphasizes Lauren's potential and the deep-seated need for the truth, underscoring the profound impact of an inadequately investigated death on a grieving family.