Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

High-profile cases don’t stay behind the scenes anymore. Lawyers are hired before investigations are complete, advocates and private experts release their own findings, witnesses speak on podcasts, and online accusations spread long before anyone is charged with a crime.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer to discuss how that shift is changing the criminal justice system and putting new pressure on prosecutors, investigations, witnesses, families, and potential jurors. Using the Nolan Wells investigation as an example, Sheryl and Joshua talk about outside experts, secondary autopsies, media coverage, death threats, doxing, and what can happen when people outside an investigation become involved before law enforcement has finished its work. They also explain how public statements, podcasts, and social media posts can complicate a case and potentially create reasonable doubt if it eventually reaches court.

Highlights:
(0:00) “Crazy town”: the troubling trend in high-profile cases that brings Joshua Schiffer back to Zone7
(1:00) How lawyers, GoFundMe campaigns, protests, and public pressure can begin before an investigation is complete
(6:00) The personal toll of high-profile cases on prosecutors, public defenders, investigators, and their families
(8:30) From theories accusing Lindsay Clancy’s husband to lawsuits against influencers: where true crime interest crosses into harassment and civil liability
(12:15) The Nolan Wells investigation and the outside force already influencing the case before any criminal charges are filed
(14:30) Private reports, outside experts, nonprofits, and public advocacy: when well-meaning help complicates an active investigation
(18:15) Why following police procedures matters when a defense attorney begins challenging an investigation
(20:00) Hiring a lawyer or remaining silent is a constitutional right, not an admission of guilt
(22:15) No blunt force trauma or signs of a fight: what the secondary autopsy does and does not show
(27:30) Death threats, doxing, disputed audio, and why Sheryl and Joshua question the theory of a violent death
(34:30) How podcasts, books, interviews, and social media posts can introduce reasonable doubt before a case ever reaches trial

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Joshua Schiffer is an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and longtime Zone 7 contributor. He represents clients in criminal matters and frequently provides legal analysis on high-profile cases, courtroom strategy, constitutional rights, and the realities of the criminal justice system.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother who had been struggling with serious mental health symptoms after the birth of her third child, admitted to strangling her three young children with exercise bands while her husband was out picking up dinner and medication. She then jumped from a second-story window, survived, and was left paralyzed. Her first trial ended in a mistrial, leaving major questions about what happens next.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back board-certified forensic pathologist Dr. Priya Banerjee to talk through the Lindsay Clancy case and what the medical evidence can help explain. Dr. Priya describes what the children’s injuries can tell us about how they died and why Lindsay’s mental state that night remains one of the central questions in the case. They also discuss the difficult months leading up to it, from Lindsay’s sleepless nights to changing prescriptions and the challenges of coordinating care across multiple providers, and consider what could change if the case goes to trial again.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl and Dr. Priya address misinformation surrounding the Lindsay Clancy case and the questions following the mistrial
(4:45) Why the repeated ligature strangulation of three children raises difficult medical and psychiatric questions
(7:00) The Clancy children and the significance of different exercise bands being used to strangle each child●
(8:15) Dr. Priya explains how ligature strangulation causes asphyxia, loss of consciousness, and irreversible brain injury
(11:15) Lindsay Clancy’s injuries after jumping from a second-story window and Dr. Priya’s assessment of the suicide attempt
(13:30) Postpartum anxiety, hormonal changes, severe sleep deprivation, and why recovery does not follow a simple timeline
(17:15) Why psychiatric medications can take weeks to work and the complications of starting, stopping, or changing prescriptions
(21:30) How mental illness, multiple providers, telehealth, and incomplete communication can complicate psychiatric care
(23:45) Speculation about Patrick Clancy and what the defense stipulated at trial
(25:45) What prescription drug monitoring programs can and cannot tell doctors about a patient's medication
(29:30) Why another Lindsay Clancy trial could become a battle between psychiatric experts
(33:00) The emotional toll that graphic child-death evidence can place on jurors asked to decide a difficult case

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Dr. Priya Banerjee is a board-certified forensic pathologist and former Rhode Island state medical examiner. She previously co-hosted Pathology with Dr. Priya on Zone 7 and uses her forensic experience to help explain complex medical evidence and death investigations.

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 11, 2001, with U.S. airspace closed after the terrorist attacks, dozens of transatlantic flights were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. Thousands of passengers and crew from around the world landed in the small town, nearly doubling its population within minutes. Their story later inspired the Broadway musical Come From Away.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes her sister, Sharlene Bowen, who was working as a flight attendant aboard Delta Flight 15 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta when the plane was ordered to land in Gander. Sharlene recalls spending 30 hours grounded on the tarmac with little information, the moment she finally saw the attacks on television, and the note that led her to Constable Oswald “Oz” Fudge and a hug Sheryl sent from Atlanta. Over the next five days, she watched the people of Gander open their schools, homes, and churches to the “plane people," as the locals called them.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl introduces the story of Gander, Newfoundland, and her sister Sharlene Bowen’s experience on September 11, 2001
(3:00) Sharlene remembers when an ordinary flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta suddenly changed and the crew learned something had happened in New York
(7:00) “All US airspace has been closed.” The announcement that silenced an entire cabin
(11:45) How passengers and crew worked together during 30 hours aboard the grounded plane●
(16:00) Why every passenger had to be cleared before leaving the aircraft and how Gander prepared for thousands of unexpected guests
(20:45) Sharlene finally sees the attacks on a TV at Walmart more than a day after they happened
(23:00) A note and a police hat lead Sharlene to Oz Fudge and a message from her sister
(28:00) Teenagers give free rides, Walmart hands over its keys, and the hockey rink becomes the town’s refrigerator
(36:45) Local teenagers create a special experience for stranded Make-A-Wish kids who missed their trip to Disney World
(41:45) Returning to Gander, hearing the original air traffic control recording, and seeing Come From Away with the people who lived the story
(46:30) How the hug from Oz Fudge delivered on Sheryl’s behalf became part of the production of Come From Away
(51:45) A scholarship fund started on the flight home has now sent more than 300 Gander students to college
(56:45) Delta employees wave American flags along the Atlanta taxiway, and Sharlene share a message about remembering the way people cared for one another after 9/11

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Sharlene Bowen spent 34 years as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant and was a crew member aboard Delta Flight 15 when it was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. She later became a level one trauma nurse and charge nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she recently celebrated 20 years of service.
Related Episode
From Crisis to Compassion: A 9/11 Retrospective with Constable Oswald Fudge

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jabez Spann was 14 years old when he disappeared from Sarasota, Florida, over Labor Day weekend in 2017. It would be two years before his remains were recovered and his death was ruled a homicide.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back Jabez’s mother, Tawana Spann, and her husband, Joe Spann, to mark nine years since Jabez went missing and renew their call for anyone with information about his murder to come forward. Tawana and Joe discuss the advocacy work they have built out of their grief, including the Jabez Spann Foundation, the Missing Our Voices podcast, and a new initiative called If We Could Speak.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl opens the episode with a call to action for anyone who knows what happened to Jabez Spann
(2:00) Tawana explains the one question she still needs answered about her son’s murder
(5:00) How living without answers can become its own kind of prison for families of missing and murdered children
(9:00) Why Jabez’s disappearance led Tawana to create resources for other families searching for loved ones
(11:45) How Missing Our Voices gives families a place to talk about the people they lost
(14:00) Joe Spann introduces the rapid response readiness kit, and the common misconceptions families can face when someone goes missing●
(17:00) Why organization during the first 72 hours can help families become more proactive in a missing-person investigation
(19:00) How If We Could Speak uses digital avatars to make people stop, listen, and remember the victim
(22:30) Jabez’s digital avatar focuses on the life he should have had and the future that was taken from him
(24:45) Joe appeals to anyone who has information about Jabez’s murder to do the right thing
(27:00) Joe reflects on Tawana’s strength and how she has channeled her grief into helping other families
(33:15) Tawana credits her mother, Lucille Tillery, with helping her turn her anger into advocacy for other families

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
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Tawana Spann is the mother of Jabez Spann and an advocate for families of missing and murdered loved ones. Through the Jabez Spann Foundation, Missing Our Voices podcast, and other initiatives created in her son’s memory, she works to provide families with practical resources, keep their loved one’s stories visible, and give them a place to be heard. Her husband, Joe Spann, works alongside her as a co-advocate through the foundation.

Related Episode
Who Killed Jabez Spann? | Seeking to Expose a Killer's Secret

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:●
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By 1901, Laura Bullion had traded the ranches of her childhood for life with the Wild Bunch, the outlaw gang associated with Butch Cassisy and the Sundance Kid, and took part in the Great Northern train robbery that would eventually send her to prison. After years spent waiting for Ben Kilpatrick, she reinvented herself as a seamstress in Memphis, leaving the people around her with no idea about the life she had once lived.
In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum welcomes back New York Times bestselling author Chris Enss to talk about Laura Bullion and her newest book, The Last Ride. Chris shares the circumstances that connected Laura to the Wild Bunch, what her prison letters tell us about her relationship with Ben Kilpatrick, and why women like Laura have been largely overlooked in the history of the American West.

Highlights:
(0:00) Sheryl welcomes Chris Enss and introduces Laura Bullion, the little-known female outlaw of the Wild Bunch
(1:15) Laura’s childhood in Texas and the circumstances that put her among cowboys who would later turn to crime
(4:45) The complicated relationship between Laura and Will Carver, and how he connected her to the Wild Bunch
(7:15) Laura’s role in the 1901 Great Northern train robbery and the gang’s refuge at Hole-in-the-Wall
(8:45) How the famous Fort Worth Five photograph helped the Pinkerton detectives identify members of the Wild Bunch
(11:45) What Laura’s prison letters tell us about her dysfunctional relationship with Ben Kilpatrick
(14:30) Laura Bullion’s mugshot, her aliases, and the years surrounding the train robbery
(17:15) Remembering Laura as a criminal in her own right
(20:00) How brothels like Fannie Porter’s became a home base for members of the Wild Bunch
(22:45) Why the women of the American West, including female criminals, remain largely absent from popular history
(27:45) Laura leaves the outlaw life behind, becomes “Freda Lincoln,” and spends her later years as a seamstress in Memphis

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps
others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
---
Chris Enss is a New York Times bestselling author who has spent more than three decades researching and writing about women of the American West. She has written more than two dozen books highlighting women whose contributions, adventures, and crimes have often been overlooked in traditional accounts of Western History.
Chris Enss’s The Last Ride tells the story of Laura Bullion and her life with the Wild Bunch.

Related Episode
The Outlaw Queen: Kathryn Throne and the Making of Machine Gun Kelly

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.
Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:
Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com●
X: @ColdCaseTips
Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.