Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of autopsy findings and the accidental death of an individual involving animal trauma. If you're sensitive to detailed accounts of injury and investigation, please proceed with caution.

In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns unpacks the strange case of a 75-year-old man found dead beside a horse trailer. What began as a question of accident or homicide quickly turned into a hoof-print analysis and a chaotic field investigation with the donkey named Arnold.

From pattern matching injuries to near misses in the pasture, this case shows that sometimes the truth really is in the hoof print.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns
• (0:15) A ranch hand goes missing and turns up dead
• (1:00) Strange pattern injuries and internal damage
• (1:45) Accident or homicide? The investigation begins
• (2:15) The case of the aggressive bull
• (3:45) The horse has an alibi, the donkey does not
• (4:45) Hoof print as evidence?
• (5:45) Cows, fog, and Arnold enters the scene
• (7:15) Donkey wrangling gets dangerous
• (8:45) A forensic near-miss and a smeared print
• (10:15) Match confirmed. Arnold did it
• (11:00) Innocent bull, roaming donkey, and one accidental death

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns

Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He las led death investigations in Travis County, Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas. Over his career, he has performed thousands of autopsies and testified in court hundreds of times as an expert witness. A frequent contributor to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, Dr. Crowns brings unparalleled insight into the strange, grisly, and sometimes absurd realities of forensic pathology.

About the Show

Mayhem in the Morgue takes listeners inside the bloody, bizarre, and often unbelievable world of forensic pathology. Hosted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns, each episode delivers real-life cases from the morgue, the crime scene, and the courtroom. Expect gallows humor, hard truths, and unforgettable investigations, ranging from courtroom drama to deaths that even seasoned pathologists struggle to explain.

Connect and Learn More

Learn more about Dr. Kendall Crowns on Linkedin, catch him regularly on Crime Stories with Nancy Grace and follow Mayhem in the Morgue where you get your podcasts.

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