437: Lindsay Clancy Copycat, 5 Year Old Saylor Hayes, Kim Zolciak’s Son & D4vd Update
55m 16s
This episode delivers a comprehensive roundup of several high-profile and emotionally charged true crime cases. David Anthony Burke, known as D4VD, is set to face trial for the brutal murder and dismemberment of Celeste Rivas, after abruptly switching from a private defense team to a public defender. This shift is puzzling given his wealth and history of asset transfers to his mother, leading to speculation about financial concealment or a strategic attempt to evade justice. The case has intensified with prosecutors still considering the death penalty, and the defendant's new public defender has been granted limited time to prepare, with a next court date set for October 19th. Barry Morphew, accused of murdering his wife Suzanne in 2020, re-emerges after violating his bond by allegedly fleeing a hit-and-run in Colorado, with GPS data and witness video revealing suspicious travel and evasive actions. Prosecutors now believe he may have attempted to flee the state, leading to his arrest in Boulder under a warrant for breach of bond. Another major case involves Kim Zolciak’s 15-year-old son, KJ, who was arrested on multiple felony charges of sexual assault after a reported incident at a gym. Despite his mother’s public denial and claims of a polygraph pass and no DNA evidence, a grand jury has indicted him on seven counts, including child molestation. His defense argues he is not a flight risk and has strong community ties, though critics question the value of such arguments in light of systemic failures in prosecuting youth offenders. The most heartbreaking case is that of five-year-old Sailor Hayes, who went missing in South Carolina and was later found dead in the water. Her parents, John and Jordan Hayes, were arrested for unlawful endangerment and child abandonment after investigators discovered the tracking device had been removed and the child was left unsupervised near water—clearly a pattern of neglect. Both parents have criminal histories involving child neglect and drug use, and the case has prompted a deeper investigation into their social media activity. A separate, disturbing case involves Corey Walsh, who murdered her two-year-old son Barrett in a basement, allegedly influenced by obsessive fixation on the Lindsay Clancy case. Investigators believe the act was premeditated, while her defense claims she was suffering a psychotic episode. The case has sparked widespread online discussion and criticism of the "same Lindsay, same" trend, where individuals falsely equate their struggles with Clancy’s case. Reddington’s recent statements—asking for Trump’s pardon and suggesting a plea deal—have fueled speculation about his knowledge of the actual guilt in the Clancy case, with many believing he is protecting a known guilty party. The episode concludes with a call for listener engagement on deep dives, a reminder of the importance of sleep and wellness, and a reminder that the show offers exclusive content through Patreon, including ad-free episodes and real-time case discussions.
Hey true crime besties, welcome back to an all-new episode of "Serial Is Sleep." Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to an all-new episode of "Serial Is Sleep." Honestly, with me, your host Annie Elise, if you had a long weekend and are now like back in the groove this week, I know it's almost the weekend again, but hopefully this shorter week was nice for you. Today's Thursday, which means headline highlights, and we have, of course, like always, no shortage of cases to discuss. I did release a couple deep dives earlier this week on not only this feed, but also my second true crime podcast feed, "Ten to Life." So you have plenty of content to go binge, catch up on, do all of that. However, first order of business, why we are here today is because we are going through everything happening this week. And there is so much in the news right now that honestly, I think quite a few of these cases are going to just naturally become deep dives as well. And you tell me in the comments section which one you want deep dives on. I personally, I mean, looking at all of these cases, I kind of feel like all of them, I want to dive into even deeper. But we've got the Lindsay Clancy copycat case, which if you haven't heard about this, get ready. It is diabolical. It is a woman who was following the Clancy trial. In her group chat talking about it, I don't want to say obsessed with it, but constantly talking about it with her friends. And then allegedly, I'm going to say that, took the life of her child in a very similar manner. And so we're going to talk all about that. We've also got to talk about five-year-old sailor Hayes. I don't know if you guys saw this come across your feed a couple weeks ago. This beautiful young five-year-old girl who had gone missing, statistic, the mom was not acting, all that concerned in my opinion. And sure enough, the parents have been arrested and there's a lot that we have been able to uncover in that case. So I want to talk with you about that case. There's updates in the shipbag, douche canoe, firestorm that is David, a D4VD, scamming people left and right, trying to still think that he's above the law. So we've got to talk about that in Bravo news. I don't know for all my pop culture gurlies out there who watch Bravo. Kim Zolciac's son is under fire right now with some sexual assault charges. So we're going to go through all of that. Earlier this week, Reddington spoke out on Good Morning America. There's been a couple interviews here and there where he asked for Trump to pardon Lindsey Clancy. Yet also in the same breath said that he hopes that Cruz comes in with a plea deal, which kind of leads me to believe. Well, I'll say I'll save my thoughts for that. So we just have a lot to talk about today. Now before we get into it, I do want to introduce someone that is brand new to the show. You've never heard her speak. Please join me in welcoming. Oh, wait, nobody's here today. I don't even have the camera on to pan to an empty chair. How sad is that? But I'm looking right now at an empty chair. Amy Colette is not here today. She has abandoned me. She's living her best life in Ibiza, Ibiza. And it just apparently has no responsibilities. And so she thinks she can just leave me and go and enjoy her life, which is like, hello, no, you don't enjoy life. We don't vacation here at 10 to life. No, I'm just kidding. No, she's having like the time of her life. I'm living vicariously through her stories on Instagram. She's like on boats and beach clubs and watching Swedish house mafia at 4 a.m. which I'm actually not living for that because my bedtime is strictly 7 p.m. But having the time of her life. So she's not here with me today. Therefore, I am taking applications for guest host Amy. If you are listening to this, you're being replaced. This is what happens when you abandoned me. OK, no, we would sure the best. We're glad she's having fun. But you're going to be writing solo with me today in today's episode. Raul Dogganit with Just Me. So hopefully you're not too disappointed. Now let's start with my favorite asshole, David. Because this guy is like the scum of the earth. Truly thinks that he is above the law in so many different ways. And even though he's been super caught up now and obviously he's moving forward to trial for Celeste Rivas's murder, he yet still thinks that he can like skirt around the law, play different cards to have the upper hand. And it just really makes me sick. So let's start off with this update. OK, now as you know, David Anthony Burke, who also goes by D4VD, is officially being represented now by a public defender. This is after his high profile defense attorney suddenly dropped him. Just like, you know, a bad habit out of nowhere. Now this literally happened during his second arrangement back on August 31st. And really quickly, just in case you have never heard of this case, and I'm sure most of you had, David is a rap artist who is about to stand trial for murdering a 14 year old beautiful girl named Celeste Rivas. Not only murdering her, but then dismembering her, storing her dismembered body in his Tesla, which was then towed and discovered while he was on tour. And the details of this case are just absolutely catastrophic and horrible and so evil. I can't even put it into words, but he's about to stand trial. So now this whole switch up, as I just mentioned, his high profile defense attorney just dropped him. And now he has a public defender. So Blair Burke and the rest of his team had asked to withdraw from the case. But a reason for why they had asked that has not been reported. Yet on that same day, the withdrawal was approved. And a public defender named Walid Kendiel stepped in. Now, it's been reported that Walid was actually sitting in the courtroom waiting for the change of council to be approved. And then once it was, he asked the judge to delay the arrangement because of the change of council. However, the judge said no. So being like, oh, well, there's a change of council. That's how can we have a little more time? Can you delay this? And the judge is like, uh, no, bro, we're going to continue as planned. So David went ahead with the hearing. And once again, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Murder with special circumstances, sexual assault of a child under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. And remember, the special circumstances charges, along with the murder are for lying in weight, witness intimidation. There's a bunch of other things stacked within that. And I've done deep dives on this case that you can refer back to if you want. Otherwise, I don't know, maybe we should do a fresh deep dive ahead of the trial. Let me know what you think. Just really outlining everything because we have uncovered so much more, which I wish I could share right now on here, but can I? Now, there's certain things I can't talk about yet, but there is so much more I want, I do want to share with you. So anyway, now the big question here, obviously, even though he was pleading not guilty once again, is why is this multi-millionaire rap artist, rap, R&B, whatever you want to call it, suddenly being represented by a public defender? Certainly he has the means and he has the finances, right? So like, what's going on here? My personal thought, the moment I heard this was, oh, it's because he's stashing money. Already, before he was even arrested, right after they found Celeste's body back in September of 2025. So a year ago, he started moving properties around to his mom's name and hiding assets, which, in my opinion, at the time, I called that out even before he was arrested. I'm like, nobody who's innocent does this. He's doing this to prepare for something so that his finances are protected, so somebody else has control of them because he probably knows that in arrest is coming down the pike. And sure enough, since this announcement, some people have pointed out that the fact that he didn't have another private attorney just ready to take over could either mean one, he's out of money, and he has exhausted all of his finances, or conversely that he's trying to be shady. Because people have pointed out in all of the forensic accounting, and in a lot of the, like, you know, just math of his contracts and what we learned even during the preliminary hearings, he has made at least $10 million from his music career between 2023 and 2025. And look, I get that this is a high-profile case, but it hasn't even gone to trial yet. There is no way you've already depleted millions and millions of dollars. So where's the money? Show me the money. And I have to say, too, Celeste's family, they are not buying anything that David is selling right now. They don't believe that he can't afford a private lawyer. They even put out a statement claiming that he has all of his money tied up in different corporations, and they're accusing him of transferring assets to his mom, which obviously would not be surprising, given what he did a year ago as well. So specifically in their statement, they said, "The residents of Los Angeles County should be outraged, because it will be the taxpayers that are picking up the tab to defend this millionaire." Perhaps he would have money if he just asked one of his corporations, or if he had not fraudulently transferred assets to his mother/manager, Colleen Burke, which again, yes, we all know he did that. That was no secret. He transferred two of his Texas homes into his mom's name. He was moving money around, and she was his manager, even during the height of his career. So it's not unheard of to think that he's now just trying to fly under the radar. However, the public defender's office does say that they did a full financial review, and they determined that David does qualify for a public defender. But I think that could also be for a multitude of
reasons. Because yeah, maybe the money doesn't belong to him anymore on paper. So he would qualify. I mean, hello. So anyway, after the second arrangement hearing was over, the LA County DA, Nathan Hodgman said that the prosecutors still haven't decided whether or not they will seek the death penalty. I've seen some rumbling saying that they have made that decision now and that they are seeking the death penalty, but I don't want to overly confirm that. But I do believe that that is where it's going. So he says that they were waiting for David's former defense team to submit a packet explaining why they shouldn't pursue the death penalty. However, that never happened before the attorneys withdrew from the case. So now the new defense team is going to have more time to pull all of that together if they want to. So for now, we're kind of back to the waiting game to see what this public defender is going to do with the mess that is this case. And his next court date is set for October 19th. And we also know based on the prelim that they are going to move forward with a speedy trial. So depending on what happens in that court date, I don't know, I know the change of council could delay things, but I can't help but wonder if we are going to see a trial coming up relatively soon. I mean, in comparison to some of these trials that are delayed years and years and years, which speaking of trials that are delayed for years and years and years and another ass hat on my list, let's talk about Barry Morphew. Now it is no secret that I hate this guy. And look, I get it innocent until proven guilty. But this guy just seems like an all-around dirt bag to me. If you don't remember, Suzanne Morphew went missing on Mother's Day back in 2020. Barry, her husband, said that she went for a bike ride and both of their daughters were away at the time to where were they. I want to say they were camping or they were away to camp. They were somewhere. But anyway, he said that she went for this bike ride on Mother's Day and then he got home and she was nowhere to be found, indicating that she must have been in some sort of biking accident. Well, come to find out. As they start doing the investigation, it took a very long time to find her remains. But they ended up finding evidence of a tranquilizer dart in his washing machine, which was like a cap to the tranquilizer dart, which was very reminiscent of like Jody Arias trying to get rid of the SD card in her case when she tried to put the digital camera in the washing machine. Then they saw the phone pinging all around the house and the backyard as though it looked like he had been chasing after her with this tranquilizing dart, which he said he was chasing chip monks, which that felt very reminiscent of Chad Debel saying that he was like shooting raccoons. The whole thing. He also lied about a work site. He was dumping trash and random bins and dumpsters. His hotel room wreaked of chlorine. He left a stack of mail behind. There's so many red flags around this guy. I don't even know where to begin. We also have done a deep dive into this, but I will do a fresh one as the trial approaches. The trial was supposed to originally start this fall, but it's been pushed out. But that's not why he's back in the news today. I just kind of went on a rant. I apologize. But the reason he's back in the news is because we now have another update regarding him, which actually let me backtrack one second because I just gave you a very, very high level highlight of his case and his murder trial that's going to be coming up. But he originally had been charged with Suzanne's murder in 2021. Yet the charges were dropped the following year because at that point, they hadn't found her remains yet. At that point, I don't think they had enough evidence to where they felt strong enough for a conviction. So they dropped the charges. Then he was later indicted again after Suzanne's remains were found. He's pleaded not guilty. He's denied having anything to do with her death. His daughters have stood by his side from day one. He was granted a $3 million bond to get out and wait a waiting trial. Yet he was given some pretty strict rules. He was supposed to only leave for things like work, doctor's appointments, emergencies, or meetings with his attorneys. And he was also wearing a GPS ankle monitor. However, on August 26, just a few weeks ago, police say that Barry was involved in a hit-and-run car accident in Denver. A woman involved in the crash actually recorded part of her interaction with Barry too. And the judge said that the person in this video was very clearly Barry. After the crash, he allegedly refused to give her his name, his identification, nothing, and instead offered her $300 for the damage to the vehicle. Even tried to rub the scratches off of her car with his shirt and his hand, which, look, that's not that out of the normal. If you get in a car accident to be like, oh, you know, I really don't want to go through the insurance. My premium is going to go up. I don't want the ding on my license. Can we just do this privately? I'll pay for everything. And you always run a pretty big risk with that because you never know if the person will actually follow up. You should still get their ID and their insurance information. So then God forbid, they do try to go through the insurance. But it's not uncommon for people to try to go to try to go off books for things like this. However, when she told him that she was not going to do this and that she was calling the police, Barry allegedly took off. So now just driving off in the, you know, cool, common collected, putting his blinker on, pulling out and driving off. He drove off driving over a curb and nearly hitting someone as he left, which if that's not crazy enough, get this. A judge ordered Barry to stay at home full time while the court was looking into the situation, which yeah, that sounds good in theory, right? Except this guy is literally being investigated after already violating his stay at home rule while out on bond. And prosecutors then reviewed the GPS data, which remember was in place because he was already out on bond from the murder trial. And when they looked into the GPS data, they found that Barry had gone to Denver International Airport on a day when he was not supposed to be traveling for anything other than work. Once again, a man thinking he's above the law and trying to, you know, weasel his way out of all different things. Now his attorney reportedly said that Barry might have been there picking up his daughter from the airport. However, the prosecutors were not buying it. They said that the GPS data also showed that Barry was at several hotels and even a mall before he ended up in that alleged area of the hit and run. So it was kind of just like out gallivanting, cruising around, running errands without a care in the world, then got involved in this hit and run, got spooked when she was going to call the police and said like, "Fuck it, I better get the hell out of here." So obviously prosecutors said that this was a huge problem. They said that Barry appeared to be using his work exception to go to places that had nothing to do with work. And they said that the alleged hit and run made them even more concerned that he could try to flee the state, maybe even try to flee the country while out on bond, which is absolutely fair. This guy clearly is not following the rules, right? So on Thursday night, September 3rd, last week, deputies arrested Barry in Boulder County, Colorado. They arrested him on the outstanding warrant for failing to comply with the conditions of his release. And this is definitely something that I am going to keep a close eye on as we wait for the murder trial, which is now, as I said, postponed and it is set to begin in July of next year. But this guy, I mean the audacity of this guy, beyond, beyond. Now, let's move into another case that was all over my feet last week. And you might recognize some of the names involved, especially for any of my pop culture girlies who are listening. Kim Zolciak is a reality TV star. She became famous on the Real Housewives of Atlanta. She was also married to a former NFL player named Croix Bierman. The two of them have five children together. They've documented this. They had, like, not only was she on Housewives, they've had their spin-off show. I think their wedding was even televised. They had, was it one set of twins or two sets of twins? I can't remember. But, you know, documented everything about their lives. They now are in a very contentious divorce. And they have been for years. They've filed TROs against each other. They've had police calls out to the house about who's taking what from the closets from the house. And body cam footage has been out there that it's just very, very toxic and very contentious. However, now the headlines aren't about them and not about their drama in toxicity. It's about their 15-year-old son, Croix Bierman Jr. Because he is at the center of a very serious criminal case. Croix Jr. also goes away. KJ, for short, was arrested on August 17th on suspicion of aggravated sodomy and aggravated sexual battery. However, even though the arrest just happened, this actually started months ago. Back on April 24th, police were called to North Fulton Hospital in Georgia after a teenage girl reported that she had been sexually assaulted the day before. The girl told the police that she and KJ were classmates, that they had been hanging out at a gym, a lifetime gym. She said that KJ suggested that the two of them go into the sauna together. However, in order to get in there, they had to walk through a family changing room. It was one of those like cord or type, you know, dressing rooms, family rooms, things like that. And she says that that is where the alleged assault happened. She told investigators that KJ started getting physical with her, that she said no. But according to her, he continued anyway and he forced her to engage in sexual acts. So police started looking into these claims and an officer says that he started trying to get in contact with KJ's father, Kroy Beermann, on back on May 14th. So shortly after this incident, alleged to have taken place. The officer says that he eventually spoke with Kroy a few days later. And Kroy said he would discuss the situation with Kim, his, you know, current soon to be ex-wife. The girl was also examined at the hospital after making the report. And according to the police report, doctors did not find evidence of male DNA.
But as we know, that doesn't always matter. Oftentimes, if you are assaulting someone, there isn't necessarily DNA left behind, so it's not the end all be all. However, Kim, KJ's mom, later spoke publicly about the allegations, and she said that her son was denying everything. She called the allegations reckless and deeply troubling. She said that KJ denied ever being involved with this girl or engaging in any of the acts that she described. Kim also said that KJ voluntarily took a polygraph test and passed it. And she pointed to the fact that no DNA belonging to KJ was found during the victim's exam. She went on to say in her statement that false accusations can have devastating consequences, which yes, they can. We all agree on that, not only for the person being accused, but also for actual survivors of this type of assault. She said that nobody should be publicly condemned based on allegations alone, and that the facts and the evidence need to be allowed to play out. Which to me sounds like a very level-headed statement. You're not assuming responsibility. You're saying, let's let the evidence and the facts play out, but we're denying it. We'll go to court, let the court system do its process, and let's see what happens. However, things then took a much larger turn last week, because on September 3rd, a grand jury indicted KJ on not just two of the charges that he was already facing, but even more. He was indicted on seven different felony counts, including aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment, and three counts of sexual battery against a child under 16. Now KJ's attorney is still maintaining that he is innocent, and said that he is confident that the evidence they have will prove that he is not guilty of these horrific actions, but KJ is also asking to be released on bond while the case moves forward. I will say this too. Yes, innocent until proven guilty, there have been rumblings, which I want to be very clear, are not verified, but rumblings that this particular girl has made false accusations in the past. Now do I think that means anything? No. Do we know if that's true? No. Even if it is true, even if she falsely accused a hundred people in the past, it doesn't mean that she's lying. Now, you know, you have to process the evidence, and you have to go forward with it. The fact that a grand jury isn't dining him on seven different felonies, to me, that tells me that there is something compelling here. There is something they're going off of aside from just her word, but I don't know. We will see as it moves forward. His attorney say that he is not a flight risk, and they're also are using the fact that he has stayed in the area and kept living his life, even after learning about these allegations back in April, as proof that he is not going to run. They say he has strong ties to the community, including his parents, his five siblings, his friends, his coaches, and his teachers, and they are also pointing out that his grades and his athletic career are fantastic, saying he's a good student and an athlete who has scholarship opportunities ahead of him, which they are arguing shows his good character. And that I am going to push back on because how many athletes, whether it's at the BAU, wherever all these colleges have been, Brock Turner, this other Brock guy, his last name is passing me up right now. I can't think of it, but these college athletes who play baseball, football, all these things who we have seen go on trial for sexual assault and get a slap on the wrist. I don't care if somebody has good grades, I don't care if they are an athlete and they're getting a scholarship. That doesn't mean that they are not capable of things like this. We have seen it play out far too many times. So for, I didn't get it, that's an attorney's job, right, is to argue on behalf of their client and to try to get them whatever perks and least restrictions possible. But to argue he has good grades, he's this, I get that that's part of it and part of the game. But also to me, that means jack shit. So I don't know, this is a really, really complicated situation. KJ is asking the judge to keep the proceedings confidential. His attorneys argue that both KJ and the alleged victim are minors. And because of that, there's a huge amount of media attention surrounding the case because of the status of KJ's family. So they're begging to keep it under wraps. But is that because he really doesn't want the public scrutiny or is it because he doesn't want all of this to be out in the open and maybe potentially ruin his scholarship opportunities? I don't know. Like I said, it is a very complicated situation. I will keep watching it. But for now, KJ is in custody. At the time of this recording, he's facing those seven felony charges and this case is moving forward. You guys know that I take my sleep very seriously. Because when I don't get enough sleep, I feel it all day long. And I've told you before, but I'm going to tell you again, one of the easiest upgrades that you can make to your sleep is having a mattress that you actually look forward to getting into at night. For me, it is my helix. It has been my ride or die old faithful for cash five or six years now. The sunset looks guys, I'm telling you it is like a moon cloud. They have over 20 different mattress models. So whether you're a side sleeper, you sleep hot, you want something softer, more supportive, whatever you want. There is an option designed just for you. Plus, they offer free shipping in the US a 120 night sleep trial and a limited lifetime warranty. So you can make sure that you actually love it. 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Cocovia boosts your body's own pool of nitric oxide for better blood flow, which helps keep arteries healthy and flexible. Plus, the science is unmatched. And a massive 5-year clinical study of over 21,000 adults. Among those who took their 500-milligram supplement daily, it delivered a 39% improvement in key heart health outcomes compared to a placebo. I take the 500-milligram powder to support a strong heart and cardiovascular system, mixing a scoop into my morning tea, even you can mix it in oatmeal, whatever. And to try it yourself, go to cocoavia.com. S-E-O-C-O-A-V-I-A.com and use my promo code AE@Checkout for an extra 20% off or find it at your local Sprouts Farmers market. Okay, so this next case is a heart-breaking one. And one that I think I am going to do a deep dive on, but like I said at the top of this episode, let me know in the comments if you want me to do that. That involves a 5-year-old little girl who went missing in South Carolina. Her name was Sailor Hayes. She was a 5-year-old beautiful little girl, autistic, nonverbal, and according to her parents, she had a history of wandering off and a strong attraction to water. So on Sunday, August 30, around 1139 in the morning, a man named John Hayes called 911 from Georgetown County, South Carolina, and he reported that his daughter was missing. He told the dispatchers that she had, quote, "taken off." And that little girl was Sailor Hayes, which, describing it as a 5-year-old taking off. I don't know that those are the words I would personally use, but to each their own. And I know everybody reacts to grief and fear and trauma differently, but it felt a little a foot from the very beginning. Now according to her dad, they were staying with friends and they had looked everywhere for Sailor. Georgetown County 911. I need help, my little 4-year-old 5-year-old girl is very autistic, just to state, I'm at 76 Walk-A-Mall Drive, she's took off, I need help, find her. Please, 76 Walk-A-Mall Drive, as soon as possible, I don't see her anywhere. Is that old Walk-A-Mall Drive? Yes. Okay. Can you set these 5-year-olds? Yes. She's autistic. She's very autistic. Okay. See why Block is panicked. Why? Brown hair. Green eyes. Shit. What do you want to be the last wearing, sir? Uh, I think she's wearing her bathing suit. Walk-A-Mall Drive. of bluish hey what's your name say what's your name say or she's bad you're bad okay okay okay okay okay
I'm talking to him right now. Yeah, let me have the key. No, that's the play again. Okay. He's off the exit. I'll tell them. I'm coming. Who else? They're on their way. Yes, ma'am. All right. Thank you. I'm getting more information from you, though, okay? Okay. I need to look for it. I can't give you one. I need to go on the water. Yeah, I need to go look at the water. I've got to look around, ma'am. I need to be just respectful. I've got to find her. Yes, I need to. I can have a better location, okay? Well, okay. She doesn't talk. She doesn't talk. Okay. She would say that. She's non-verbal. That's the problem. Does she come to her name with its call? Not really. Half the time. Not really. I don't think she would go out of here. John said that the family was getting ready to go to the beach and that he had gone inside to grab sailor a juice and some other things that they needed. However, when he came back outside, she was gone. And because sailor was non-verbal and known to wander, her parents told investigators that she was wearing a tracking device through Project Life Saver. Now, this isn't like an Apple watch or an air tag where you can just use Life360 or find my iPhone and it immediately tracks it. It's actually a small transmitter device that is attached to a non-removable band. And it puts out frequencies that can only be picked up by specialized equipment that law enforcement has access to. They also had told authorities that sailor was attracted to water. That not only would she wander, but that she loved being in the water. And there also were a lot of social media posts leading up to this where she was very active and playful in the water, which makes this even more devastating. But because of that, because of her natural draw to the water, naturally one of the concerns was that she may have wandered toward the water. Then, less than an hour later, the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office announced that sailor was missing, saying that she had wandered away from the rental home where the family was staying. And the search ensued and became massive. They had helicopters, canines, drones, boats, people searching on foot. I mean, basically every resource that they could get out there, they did. Hundreds of people and multiple agencies were searching all through the night and into the next morning. However, there was one problem in all of this. None of the law enforcement agencies in South Carolina could pick up a signal from sailor's tracking device. So the investigators contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Virginia because that's where the family had lived. So they asked them to check her transmitter frequency and see if they could track her that way. But this is where things get really strange. Authorities in Virginia were actually able to detect sailor's tracking frequency. And they found out that it was coming from a vehicle on the property where the family lived, which that is six hours away from where sailor reportedly had gone missing. Which think about that for just a second, because I know we went through a lot of information. Sara had supposedly disappeared from South Carolina while out away with her family. But her tracking device was apparently sitting inside a vehicle at her family's home in Virginia, six hours away, a transmitter that doesn't remove like an Apple watch or an air tag. But that has to be cut off from your arm or leg in order to remove it. So this already was not looking good. And I also have to say, in the beginning when the searches were happening, there were a lot of videos of the mother in all of this. And she did not seem like an overly concerned parent, at least not to me. So search efforts kept going all throughout the night. But then on the next morning on Monday, August 31st, around 9.45 AM, sailor's body was found. And sure enough, it was found in the water near the area where she was last seen. The sheriff's office said that there were no visible signs of trauma, but her body was sent for an autopsy and for additional testing. However, as you can imagine, the investigation was far from over. Because the following day, on Tuesday, September 1st, around 7 p.m., sailor's parents, John and Jordan Hayes, were arrested in Tennessee, which now they're in Tennessee. And that's almost 400 miles away from where sailor was found, which why are you fleeing? Where are you going? Why are you so far away? They were both charged in connection with sailor's disappearance for unlawfully putting a child at risk and willfully abandoning a child. Now not a whole lot is being said about the fact that they were almost six hours away by the very next day. We don't know if they were intentionally running away if they were trying to hide from the police because they knew that they were going to be arrested or if maybe they were just in route going back home. I don't know. It's possible because they were in South Carolina on a trip that after all of this happened, they canceled the rest of the vacation and then started heading back to Virginia. I don't know. But here's what I find really weird, okay? Investigators alleged that sailor's tracking device had actually been removed before the family even left Virginia, which remember this is something that needs to be physically cut off. So the mother or the father would have been the one to have done that, right? So they would have remembered cutting it off. So for them to then mislead the police when they call in the missing person report and say she has one of these tracking devices, wouldn't you remember cutting it off? That's a red flag to me. Also investigators alleged that sailor had been left unsupervised within about 15 meters of the body of water where she was ultimately found. Now if they already know that she has a tendency to wander and that she has attracted to bodies of water, why on earth would they leave her unsupervised near a large body of water, unless it was intentional, unless they wanted her to wander into the water to then ultimately not be able to swim and to, you know, to lose her life? Now even more than that, like we just talked about with the tracking device, according to the warrants, her parents had encouraged the police to use that tracking technology, even though they knew that she wasn't wearing the device, all in an effort to direct search efforts away from the body of water, where sailor was allegedly left behind and left to go wander off on her own. The warrants also accused the parents of putting sailor at a "unreasonable risk of harm" by not providing the supervision and safeguards that would have been appropriate for a severely nonverbal autistic five-year-old who was known to wander. Then a few days later, even more information came out about Jordan, her mother. The warrants showed that she had been arrested earlier this year on child abuse and neglect charges. However, this was involving a different child. That happened back in February. In that case, she was accused of leaving the child in a broken-down vehicle on the side of the road, just by itself, on her, like, leaving without a care in the world. The warrants also says that the heat wasn't on and the temperatures outside were near freezing. So she was arrested at that time for reckless disregard for the life of a child. Child cruelty and public intoxication, because there also have been a lot of rumblings that there is potentially some like "meth usage" going on here. Now, at the time, Jordan pleaded not guilty to public intoxication. Then the child cruelty charge was dropped in mid-August, and a few days later, the third charge for reckless disregard was resolved in court and Jordan was ordered to pay $500 in court fees. However, there was another case that also surfaced involving both of them from 2023. According to authorities, they were both arrested when two unnamed children in their care tested positive for methamphetamine and/or methadone. Now at the time, both John and Jordan were known users. So they both pleaded "nolo contendere" which means that they accepted the court's punishment without officially admitting or denying guilt, and they each got two years of probation. But obviously, there's a history, right? There's drug use, there's child neglect, there's putting themselves before the children, look, not for nothing, but having a toddler in and of itself is an extremely, you know, tiresome job to some people. It takes a lot of energy and you have to be very watchful, no less, an autistic non-verbal child. So I understand that it is difficult, but like that's your job as a parent. You can't be strong out on drugs, you can't be neglectful, you've got to show up. So the fact that they have this pattern of putting themselves first, their drug use first, leaving the children in locked cars or near bodies of water, like, what is happening here? So then on Friday, September 4th, sailors autopsy results came back, and the coroner said that sailor had fluid in her lungs at the time of her death. So at their bond hearing, John and Jordan each asked for bond, saying that they just wanted to go to their daughter's funeral and that they were not a flight risk. John's attorney even said, "You won't see much on his record, especially by way of anything violent." He argued that because John was the one who called the police and reported sailor missing, that he definitely wasn't hiding anything. However, the judge responded with, "Well, respectfully, there's no way on this earth that I'm going to grant a PR bond that is not going to happen on my watch. Due to the egregious nature of these charges and the past criminal history, which I would advise the attorneys need to look into like I have this morning, your bond is denied for both individuals. Have a better day. Thank you." Which I love this. I love the way that this judge just called out this bullshit from the jump, being like, "You didn't even look into their criminal histories. You're saying that we won't find a past criminal history?" Well, I looked into it this morning, and I found one, so no, they are not going to be released. So as of now.
now both John and Jordan are being held without bond. We will see what happens moving forward. I hope they don't get a slap on the wrist for like it appears they got in the past. I think they need to be held accountable here. I mean, obviously, hello, a child lost their life over this. And we started digging into this in a deeper way. So I kind of do want to do a deep dive quickly in the near future. Let me know that's something you're interested in because even just doing a full audit of the social media history of the mother, there's a lot of red flags that stood out to me. So let me know what you think. We certainly have enough information to dig deep into this. But let me know if that's something you're interested in. Now moving into the Lindsay Clancy Copycat case, okay? Or what I should say, the media is dubbing as the Lindsay Clancy Copycat case. This case, I want to warn you, is very difficult to hear. And it's also a case that has a lot of people talking because there are a lot of similarities and even some connections to the Lindsay Clancy case. On Tuesday, September 1st, just after 4pm, police in Frankfurt, Illinois were called to a home for a report of an unresponsive child. And when they got there, they found a two-year-old little boy named Barrett, whose family called him Bar for short, hanging from a raster in the basement. Now what led the police to this basement is really where the case started. Two of Barrett's siblings had just gone home from school. Their mom, 40-year-old Corey Walsh, normally met them at the bus stop. However, that day, she wasn't there. So then, a neighbor decided to walk the kids home. However, as soon as they got inside the house, the kids ran back outside screaming. So the neighbor of course went inside the home to see what was going on. And upstairs, she found Corey in a bloody bathtub fully clothed and apparently multiple self-inflicted wounds. Court documents say that Corey had deep cuts on both her wrists and her thighs. The neighbor was luckily able to take the knife away from her and put it in the sink. Corey was still relatively coherent and allegedly asked for the neighbor why she was taking the knife away from her. And then Corey allegedly told her that bear was in the basement. So the neighbor went downstairs and that's when she found this two-year-old little boy hanging from the rafters with a ligature around his neck. Now, I've seen some court documents that say it was a rope, although I've seen a lot of people online saying it was an exercise band, which is what Lindsey Clancy had used with her children. I don't believe it is an exercise band, I believe it was a rope, but there are a lot of mixed reports out there right now. So she removed this ligature, got him down and started CPR immediately and called 911, which I do want to stop here actually really quickly and pause because there was some misinformation when this story first broke. Some reports said that the person who found bear was a 17-year-old girl, which that's not true. She was an adult neighbor who happened to be there when these children came home from school that day, which thank God that she was there, right? Can you imagine? It's just such a nightmare. And for these kids to have run in the house and come out screaming, it's just awful. So when paramedics arrived, they attempted life-saving efforts on bear it before rushing him to a local hospital. However, he was then pronounced dead. Shortly after that, Cory was also taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Now, a little bit of background on this family, Cory and her husband, Mike, had four kids together, the two school-aged kids, little two-year-old bear it, and a baby. As I said, the older kids were at school that day, and the baby was actually in the home, but thankfully unharmed. Cory's husband was out of state when all of this happened. He took business trips pretty regularly, and sometimes these trips could be weeks long. So he was out of town when all of this happened, yet he did fly home that night. Now, investigators eventually asked Cory why she did this. And her response and answer to that is very, very dark. She allegedly told investigators that her two-year-old son was the devil and the antichrist, which to think that about a two-year-old child is obviously very unnerving, right? And it throws up a red flag and quite a bit of concern. Bear it's autopsy found that he died from exphyxia that was caused by ligature compression of the neck. And police said that the final cause and manner of death were still pending. Although I would imagine if they haven't been updated by the time of this recording, they probably will be shortly, I would imagine, to homicide, and to exphyxiation. However, the investigators also learned something else about what Cory had been doing in the hours leading up to Barrett's death. According to court documents, Cory had become very, very invested in the Lindsay Clancy case. Prosecutors say that Cory had not only been very active and invested in the case herself, but she had actively been talking about the case in a group text with all of her friends, basically right up until hours before Barrett was found. Now that is obviously something that prosecutors are going to focus on pretty heavily, especially if Cory is trying to plead insanity, which I will get to that in just a moment. So investigators are now conducting a forensic analysis of Cory's phone to see exactly what she was saying, what she was searching for, and what she was looking at before this happened. And on Friday, September 4, Cory was formally arrested and charged with three counts of first degree murder in connection with Barrett's death. Prosecutors are alleging that Cory had completely planned out this murder. They also ask that she remains in custody while she awaits trial, saying that she has made statements about wanting to harm her other three children and that she intended to harm her husband when he returned home as well. However, Cory's attorney is arguing that there's actually a whole other side to this story. And this is where, again, people are drawing parallels to the Lindsay Clancy case. Because her attorney says that Cory was experiencing a psychotic episode at the time of Barrett's death, and he described this as a tragedy for the entire Walsh family. So now you have prosecutors saying that this was all planned and that this woman was seemingly obsessed with the Lindsay Clancy trial, while the defense is saying that Cory was in the middle of a severe psychotic episode, which is what we know Lindsay Clancy's defense was. And honestly, I think that that's going to be one of the biggest questions in this case moving forward. I mean, what exactly was happening inside Cory's mind in those hours before her two-year-old son was found in that basement? What was she searching? What was she looking for? What was she fixated on? How invested was she in the trial? Like, what really is going on here? And I've seen a lot of people dissect this online. People saying, unfortunately, that the Lindsay Clancy case is setting a new precedent out there for people who may want to harm their children and think that they can get away with it by pulling the psychosis card. And I don't know if that's what's happening here, but people are drawing the comparison and that it's kind of creating this fandom almost around all of these people who are standing in support of Lindsay. And I think there was even something that was trending a couple weeks ago called like same Lindsay, same where women were posting videos on TikTok of them stressed out with their children or, you know, trying to get everything done in the house, prepare the meals, do all these things and put the caption, same Lindsay, same over their videos as though they are relating to Lindsay, as to why she wanted to murder her three children, which that to me is so fucking backwards. And like, who would ever think that it's okay to post something like that or to say, same Lindsay, same, I get it. Like, I understand empathizing or sympathizing with a woman who went through post-partum psychosis. Hello, you know, I'll be the first one to say that. And I know that motherhood can become overwhelming, but to actively make a choice to film yourself with your children in a state of overwhelm and then put a text overlay on it saying same Lindsay, same, trying to advertise, not even trying advertising that you were late to an accused murderer of familicide is beyond, is beyond. And so I have a lot of thoughts on the Lindsay Clancy case too. I mean, you know, I do, and I'm going to do an updated episode soon. Maybe it'll be a rant rather than an episode. I don't know, but I don't know. This is wild. In this case, it is like rocking me right now. I just cannot understand it. And I'm going to dive into it deeper and like figure out what all of the backstory is, what all of the digital footprint shows like it's just very alarming. And like I said at the top of this episode, there was an interview earlier this week on Good Morning America with Reddington. There have been some other interviews since with other people too to where he not only asked for the pardon by Trump, but said that he was hopeful that the prosecutor or the state's office would potentially present a plea deal. And here's my thought on that. I know there's been a lot of back and forth on did Patrick do it? Did he frame Lindsay? Did Lindsay do it? I still believe that Lindsay did this. I can, it's two things can be true though. I don't think there was ever a full bore investigation at the beginning, but I do know that right when Patrick and me, the 911 calls, and when he was talking with everybody, that's when their investigation did start. That's when they pulled the CCTV footage. That's when they verified his story, all of these things. However, he was never looked into as a suspect. But my point is there have been several moments throughout the trial as well. And even after the trial, where Reddington has point blank verbatim said that his client did this. And I actually, I know everybody's always like, no, that's not what he said, that's not what he said. There's a couple excerpts. I still even have here where like, let me see if I have one readily available. Let me see. Okay. Where he says the circumstances of this horrific act are not in dispute. And let me just play this for you. The circumstances of this horrific act are not in dispute. Having Patrick Clancy.
who's a young man who has suffered one of the worst tragedies that anyone could ever suffer. How that guy is still an emotion, not an emotional basket case is beyond me. And he has been and the district attorney wants to put that guy on the witness stand and show little onesies with bodily fluid of his child and they want to have him stand there. Oh, they're going to let him stand in the hallway while we listen to the 9-1-1 call in this court. Every time we've had pretrial hearing indicating to the court that the circumstances of the death is not in dispute, the circumstances of this horrific act are not in dispute. So he's not disputing it and there still are so many other things like that that I've actually clipped and saved of his statements where he is acknowledging that she did this. Now my point is in some of the press conferences that have happened since the mistrial, when asked about Patrick, he kind of dodges the question. And I've seen people dissect that being like it's because he knows Patrick's guilty, it's because the next trial it's game on, it's this and that. And no, the reason he's dodging it and not outright being like Patrick is innocent, Patrick didn't do anything is because he has the public's favor right now. He's not, if he says Patrick didn't do this, it absolutely was Lindsey, that's going to make it so much more difficult at a read a potential retrial for him to get all of the not guilty votes. Not because the people even who were voting not guilty think Patrick did it, but it's like he's going to, of course, if he has the opportunity as a defense attorney to have this bubble of reasonable doubt, of speculation, of social media and all these things, he's not going to blow that for his client. No way in hell is he going to do that, but he's also not outright saying the Patrick had anything to do with it. He's just allowing the speculation to continue and to be clear with all of this. The 11 to 1 in favor of the defense was not for a full acquittal. It was for a not guilty by reason of insanity. It was not for a straight not guilty and that's been confirmed. So my point is in this interview with Good Morning America where he said that he'll see what plea deals brought to the table. He's hopeful that, you know, the state will reevaluate some things based on the 11 won and come to the table with something that is fair for both parties. You think if he thought that there was a chance that she was either truly not guilty, not guilty, but, you know, like straight not guilty or that there is a third party suspect or Patrick or anything, that he wouldn't go back to trial knowing he already had the 11 to 1 favor. No way. If he wouldn't accept a plea deal, if that were the case, absolutely not, because he would be like, oh no, if we, if I can, in this next trial, bring Patrick into the fold and prove that he's guilty and that he framed her or create enough reasonable doubt, I'm going to do that, especially knowing I already had the 11 to 1 favor, but he knows that his client did this and that a trial is a gamble at any point and that the evidence supports that she did this. And so that's my opinion. I think that if he's willing to accept a plea deal, especially knowing that he was the front one runner in this last trial, that it's because he doesn't want to risk her being found guilty of murder one, murder two or even manslaughter if they can come in with something else. And I don't know, maybe that's, maybe I'm completely off-base with that, but that's how I am, you know, reading between the lines and all of this. Why else would he accept it if he thought he was going to have his mic drop moment and bring Patrick in now for the second trial or even enough reasonable doubt, I just, I don't see it. I've also talked with a few attorneys that they don't see it either. So I don't know, it also, again, it was 11 to 1, not guilty by reason of insanity. There was not a single straight, not guilty vote in that deliberation room. So it is what it is. But anyway, I will save that conversation for another day. There's so many other things I want to talk about with that case, but that's it for today. Really quickly before we go, if you are in Patreon, you already know that we do this every month, but if you're not in Patreon, you don't know this, but we do giveaways every single month. And at the September Patreon giveaway closes tomorrow on the 11th at noon, 12 p.m. Pacific time. So if you haven't joined Patreon yet, you're going to want to join the link is in the show notes, or you can go to patreon.com/anilece, bonus episodes, ad free episodes, every single episode as a video, but without ads and completely uncensored vlogs, giveaways, free stuff. I mean, our private group chat that goes on 24/7, where we're all talking about all these cases in real time. So go check it out. And for anybody who is a Patreon member already, don't forget giveaway closes tomorrow at noon. All right. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of headline highlights with me. And I will be back with you again very soon. Until the next one. Be nice. Don't kill people. Don't join any cults. And take care of your babies. Okay. Bye.
Podcast Summary
Key Points:
David Anthony Burke (D4VD) is facing trial for the murder, dismemberment, and concealment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, with a sudden switch from a high-profile defense attorney to a public defender raising concerns about his financial transparency and possible asset concealment.
Barry Morphew, accused of murdering his wife Suzanne in 2020, is back in the news after violating bond conditions by allegedly fleeing a hit-and-run in Colorado, with GPS data and video evidence showing suspicious travel and evasive behavior, prompting renewed legal scrutiny.
Kim Zolciak’s son, KJ, is charged with multiple felony counts of sexual offenses following an alleged assault at a gym, including aggravated sodomy and child molestation, with conflicting evidence and calls for a confidential trial due to his minor status and family’s public profile.
Summary:
This episode delivers a comprehensive roundup of several high-profile and emotionally charged true crime cases. David Anthony Burke, known as D4VD, is set to face trial for the brutal murder and dismemberment of Celeste Rivas, after abruptly switching from a private defense team to a public defender. This shift is puzzling given his wealth and history of asset transfers to his mother, leading to speculation about financial concealment or a strategic attempt to evade justice.
The case has intensified with prosecutors still considering the death penalty, and the defendant's new public defender has been granted limited time to prepare, with a next court date set for October 19th. Barry Morphew, accused of murdering his wife Suzanne in 2020, re-emerges after violating his bond by allegedly fleeing a hit-and-run in Colorado, with GPS data and witness video revealing suspicious travel and evasive actions. Prosecutors now believe he may have attempted to flee the state, leading to his arrest in Boulder under a warrant for breach of bond.
Another major case involves Kim Zolciak’s 15-year-old son, KJ, who was arrested on multiple felony charges of sexual assault after a reported incident at a gym. Despite his mother’s public denial and claims of a polygraph pass and no DNA evidence, a grand jury has indicted him on seven counts, including child molestation. His defense argues he is not a flight risk and has strong community ties, though critics question the value of such arguments in light of systemic failures in prosecuting youth offenders.
The most heartbreaking case is that of five-year-old Sailor Hayes, who went missing in South Carolina and was later found dead in the water. Her parents, John and Jordan Hayes, were arrested for unlawful endangerment and child abandonment after investigators discovered the tracking device had been removed and the child was left unsupervised near water—clearly a pattern of neglect. Both parents have criminal histories involving child neglect and drug use, and the case has prompted a deeper investigation into their social media activity.
A separate, disturbing case involves Corey Walsh, who murdered her two-year-old son Barrett in a basement, allegedly influenced by obsessive fixation on the Lindsay Clancy case. Investigators believe the act was premeditated, while her defense claims she was suffering a psychotic episode. The case has sparked widespread online discussion and criticism of the "same Lindsay, same" trend, where individuals falsely equate their struggles with Clancy’s case.
Reddington’s recent statements—asking for Trump’s pardon and suggesting a plea deal—have fueled speculation about his knowledge of the actual guilt in the Clancy case, with many believing he is protecting a known guilty party. The episode concludes with a call for listener engagement on deep dives, a reminder of the importance of sleep and wellness, and a reminder that the show offers exclusive content through Patreon, including ad-free episodes and real-time case discussions.
FAQs
The case involves a 40-year-old mother, Corey Walsh, who allegedly strangled her two-year-old son, Barrett, in a basement in Frankfurt, Illinois. Investigators believe she was heavily influenced by the Lindsay Clancy case, with evidence showing she discussed it extensively in a group chat hours before the incident. She is now charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Sailor Hayes, a 5-year-old autistic and nonverbal girl, went missing in South Carolina in August. Her parents, John and Jordan Hayes, were arrested for unlawfully putting her at risk and willfully abandoning her. Her body was found in the water near where she was last seen, and investigators found her tracking device had been removed and her parents had left her unsupervised near water, raising serious concerns about negligence and intent.
David Burke, a rap artist facing murder charges for the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas, previously had a high-profile private attorney who suddenly dropped the case. He is now represented by a public defender after financial scrutiny revealed possible asset transfers to his mother. Critics question whether he is hiding money or out of funds, especially given his reported $10 million in music earnings.
Barry Morphew, accused of murdering his wife Suzanne in 2020, was arrested in Colorado after a hit-and-run incident where he allegedly refused to provide identification and offered $300 to cover damages. GPS data showed he traveled to Denver without authorization, violating his bond conditions. Prosecutors believe this shows intent to flee, and the case is now being re-evaluated amid renewed scrutiny.
KJ, the son of reality TV star Kim Zolciak, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated sodomy and sexual battery. A grand jury later indicted him on seven felony counts, including aggravated child molestation and false imprisonment. His defense claims he is innocent and denies all allegations, while prosecutors say the evidence is compelling enough for multiple charges.
Yes, investigators are examining whether Corey Walsh's actions were influenced by her obsession with the Lindsay Clancy case, particularly her active group chats discussing the trial. Her defense claims she was experiencing a psychotic episode, while prosecutors argue she planned the murder with premeditation and fixation on the Clancy case.
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