What happens when people try to get drunk from products never meant to be consumed? In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns explains the forensic reality of non-beverage alcohol intoxication, from mouthwash and rubbing alcohol to antifreeze and even hairspray. He shares real cases and describes what these substances do to the body and how medical examiners determine cause and manner of death. What starts as a story about a childhood friend and bottles of Listerine leads into a forensic look at the deadly consequences of ingesting everyday household products.

If you or someone you know needs support for substance use, emotional distress, or thoughts of self-harm, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.

Highlights

(0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

(0:15) “Minty Fresh”: the childhood friend who drank Listerine and even tried hairspray

(1:30) Household products people drink when regular alcohol is not available

(2:15) Why Listerine became the focus: easy access, high alcohol content, and deaths tied to mouthwash

(3:15) Alcohol by volume vs. proof: a quick lesson on intoxication math

(4:30) Acute alcohol poisoning: how blood alcohol rises, what overdose looks like, and when it turns fatal

(6:30) Mouthwash case study: a chronic alcohol user drinks multiple bottles of Listerine and is found collapsed at home

(7:30) High anion gap metabolic acidosis: what it is and why it explained the Listerine death

(11:00) Rubbing alcohol: a common toxic ingestion, including the risk of using isopropyl alcohol on children with a fever

(13:00) Antifreeze deaths: alcohol misuse, suicide, homicide, and why ethylene glycol is so dangerous

(15:45) Hairspray as a non-beverage alcohol, the “Ocean” preparation, and Dr. Crowns’ closing message

About the Host:

Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationallyrecognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

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. If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

Chicago commutes can be routine until they are not. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns recounts his years navigating public transportation and the commuter rules he learned the hard way. Through a civil deposition tied to a crash, he explains positional asphyxia, how a catastrophic spinal cord injury can leave someone unable to reposition, and why body position can become the deciding factor when breathing mechanics fail. Dr. Crowns then shares two transportation stories that still stick with him: a speeding cab ride that turns surreal when the driver recognizes him, and a late-night ride out of O’Hare that goes sideways fast enough to end with Dr. Crowns getting out at a random neighborhood intersection. The episode throughline is simple: trust licensed rides, keep your situational awareness, and do not ignore the early signs that a “normal ride” is turning into something else.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:30) The “Barney-Mobile” era: one car, long commutes, and using public transportation

• (1:15) Commuter basics: early trains, conductors, and the “only open seat” rule

• (3:45) Cook County court run and Dr. Crowns’ Chicago taxi education

• (6:15) Lower Wacker hatchet homicide: an autopsy reveals fatal chop wounds

• (9:00) A civil case tied to a roadway hazard and a catastrophic crash

• (10:30) Case breakdown: positional asphyxia after a spinal cord injury and a head-down position

• (12:00) Positional asphyxia: what it is and what investigators look for

• (14:00) Risk groups and common scenarios: children, intoxication, and confined positioning

• (15:30) Taxi ride #1: zigzagging, speeding, and the “how does he know my name?” moment

• (19:00) Forensic pathology board exams and the travel grind

• (22:15) Taxi ride #2: “What have you gotten into?” Locked doors, no meter, dead phone, and worst-case thoughts

• (26:15) Exit plan: cash on the console, out into the snow, and hiding until the car is gone

• (28:00) Closing takeaway: “Take an Uber.”

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns

Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

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. If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of deaths, including the deaths of children. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

Choking is fast, quiet, and more common than most people think. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns explains what happens when the airway is fully obstructed, why panic and oxygen loss escalate in seconds, and how irreversible brain injury can follow within minutes. Through a series of cases, he shows how choking deaths present across age groups: swallowing problems in the elderly, intoxication and unpredictable behaviors in adults, and everyday household hazards in children. From pica-related obstructions to foreign-body ingestion and a devastating battery case with delayed, catastrophic injury, Dr. Crowns ties the forensic details to the real-world patterns that show up again and again in preventable deaths.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:30) Grapes of Death: prevalence, risk groups, and who's most at risk

• (1:00) Choking physiology: complete obstruction and the fast countdown to unconsciousness

• (2:00) Heimlich maneuver basics and why it works

• (4:00) Café coronary syndrome: the misread emergency that can cost a life

• (5:15) Case 1: a 22-year-old, trashed room, and injuries that don’t match a fight

• (7:30) Adult risk factors: impaired gag reflex, talking while eating, and certain mental health conditions

• (7:45) Case 2: pica, latex gloves, and fatal choking

• (9:45) Diagnostic criteria and patterns: the obsession, sensory pull, and short-term relief

• (11:15) Case 3: ballpoint pen ingestion, bowel perforation, peritonitis, and sepsis

• (12:30) Pediatric choking: the biggest hazards and why the youngest kids are most vulnerable

• (13:45) How kids’ airways are different: size, shape, larger tongue proportion, and a floppier epiglottis

• (14:00) Case 4: a 5-month-old, a missed item on the floor, and a cherry blocking the airway

• (15:45) Case 5: swallowed battery, delayed symptoms, burns, erosions, and fistulas into major vessels

• (18:15) Closing: prevention, awareness, and why messaging can save lives

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

Courtroom testimony is meant to be clinical, controlled, and objective. In reality, it often cracks open the rawest moments of grief, rage and disbelief. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns recounts cases in which his autopsy testimony triggered emotional outbursts inside the courtroom and, in one instance, nearly followed him into the parking lot. From a slain Chicago police officer whose widow fled the courtroom in anguish to gallery eruptions, post-verdict violence, and a murder trial that ended with Dr. Crowns sprinting for his car, this episode looks at what happens when forensic facts meet human emotion and why the witness stand can become one of the most volatile places in the justice system.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:30) Introducing Outburst and the book Defending the Damned

• (1:00) Dr. Crown’s first appearance in print and the case that put him there

• (2:15) The murder of a Chicago police officer and the autopsy findings

• (3:30) Testifying in the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, gunshot wounds to the head, and a widow’s courtroom response

• (8:30) Fishbowl courtrooms and how their design changes courtroom dynamics

• (9:30) Gallery eruption during a gang-related murder trial

• (10:15) A stabbing case, a rapid jury verdict, and violence following “not guilty”

• (12:30) A particularly brutal home-invasion murder and its autopsy findings

• (17:00) Neck trauma, spinal fractures, and paralysis without immediate death

• (18:00) Testifying to extreme violence and a mother’s accusatory outburst in court

• (19:45) Sprinting across an empty parking lot and a close call after testimony

• (22:00) Verdicts, sentencing outcomes, and final reflections on courtroom outbursts

About the Host:

Dr. Kendall Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

When winter weather hits, the danger is not only what happens on the roads, but also what happens when the heat goes out, help slows down, and people misjudge how quickly the body loses it margin for error. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns breaks down hypothermia through three cases: a bascule bridge immersion event, an elderly woman whose final behavior included paradoxical undressing and terminal burrowing, and an unidentified man recovered frozen inside a Chicago railcar.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:15) Winter storm context, power outages, and why hypothermia cases spike

• (2:00) Common scenarios in cold exposure fatalities

• (2:30) Dry vs. immersion hypothermia and why water changes the timeline

• (3:00) Case one: bascule bridge repairs, harness failure, and near-freezing immersion

• (4:30) Cold water heat transfer, loss of consciousness, and arrhythmia risk

• (5:15) Hypothermia progression: early shivering and impaired judgment, then shivering stops as confusion escalates and paradoxical undressing can appear, including alcohol’s role

• (8:00) Case two: elderly woman, initial foul play concern, paradoxical undressing, and terminal burrowing

• (10:45) Case three: unidentified man recovered frozen from a railcar in Chicago and what it takes to thaw remains before autopsy

• (12:30) Thawing protocol: warming lights, artifact risk, and the unglamorous “poke test”

• (14:30) The classic triad and why hypothermia is a diagnosis built from findings plus context

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns

Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

In forensic pathology, a single word on a death certificate can carry the weight of an entire investigation. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns details the difference between cause of death and manner of death and explains why manner is often an evidence-based opinion rather than a simple label. He discusses the five standard manners and tests them against real cases, including a multi-fatality crash, Russian roulette, a delayed medical consequence tied to an old stabbing, and an 18-year-old college student whose death remained unsolved. It's a practical guide to how one classification can reshape everything that follows.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:15) Cause of death versus underlying mechanism

• (1:45) Manner of death as a classification built from scene context, autopsy, and investigative follow-through

• (2:15) The five manner and the NAME guidebook framework for definition and disputes

• (4:45) Why “clear-cut” cases still fracture consensus inside a medical examiner’s office

• (5:15) Case one: multi-fatality collision and the initial assumption of accident

• (7:30) Investigative information changes the classification: suicide attempt by driver, homicide for the victims

• (9:30) Court outcomes, public backlash, and why intent to kill is not required for homicide classification

• (10:15) Russian roulette, “redneck Russian roulette,” and the never-ending suicide- versus-accident argument

• (13:15) Case two: vitreous glucose, acetone, and the autopsy logic behind diabetic ketoacidosis

• (16:15) Records connect the death to an old abdominal stabbing that damaged the pancreas and reshaped the manner

• (17:30) The “but for” principle and why delayed consequences can still be classified as homicide

• (20:00) Case three: 18-year-old college student with no findings, no answers, and an undetermined conclusion

About the Host: Dr. Kendall Crowns

Dr. Crowns is the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County, Texas, and a nationally recognized forensic pathologist. He has 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.

Connect and Learn More

Have a question for Dr. Crowns? Submit them to mayheminthemorgue@gmail.com

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of death of individuals. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

The line between curiosity and catastrophe is thinner than most people expect. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns uses a series of foraging mistakes to show how curiosity, mixed with a hint of bravado, can turn lethal when people rely on folklore, hearsay, or incomplete information. From toxin- secreting toads and misidentified “magic mushrooms” to a drowning case complicated by zebra mussels and cyanotoxins, each case tracks the same pattern: confidence first, consequences later.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:30) A radio story from Arizona: people reportedly licking toads to get high

• (1:00) A high school “toad hunt” in Kansas goes sideways with the wrong species and 24 hours of vomiting

• (2:30) Colorado River toad, 5-MeO-DMT, and why "toad licking" is dangerously misunderstood

• (5:45) Case one: a 20-year-old “confirms” magic mushrooms with library photos and dries a batch for tea

• (7:30) Psychedelic tea results in vomiting and GI complications, followed by multiorgan failure and death

• (12:45) Case two: a drowning case is complicated by foreign shells in the airway and stomach

• (15:15) Zebra mussels and cyanotoxins enter the investigation

• (22:00) Closing warning: all mushrooms are edible, some only once

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.

Connect and Learn More

Have a question for Dr. Crowns? Submit them to mayheminthemorgue@gmail.com

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of human remains and skeletal material. If you’re sensitive to this topic, this episode may not be for you.

After death, decomposition proceeds predictably, but the fate of what remains is not always controlled. In this episode of Mayhem in the Morgue, Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kendall Crowns examines the journeys skeletal remains can take long after death. From medical school anatomy labs and public sidewalks to airport cargo facilities and forgotten attics, Dr. Crowns recounts cases where bones became objects of confusion, investigation, and unintended alarm.

Highlights

• (0:00) Welcome to Mayhem in the Morgue with Dr. Kendall Crowns

• (0:30) Decomposition, bone persistence, and what ultimately remains after death

• (2:15) Medical school anatomy labs and learning from real human bones

• (5:30) A forgotten skull on public transportation and a police response

• (8:00) A failed carrying strap and an unexpected public reaction

• (11:00) Studying anatomy at home and introducing skeletons at Thanksgiving

• (13:30) Customs and Border Protection encounters human remains in transit

• (17:45) Two skulls intercepted at an airport and forensic evaluation

• (20:00) Homeowners discover skulls in their attic

• (22:45) Ancient remains, museum custody, and the long journey toward repatriation

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.

Connect and Learn More

Have a question for Dr. Crowns? Submit them to mayheminthemorgue@gmail.com

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.

If you liked this episode, don’t keep it to yourself—follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave us a review.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.