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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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[Music] website 26-year-old Shan Stout's Facebook page was an extension of himself he once shared a post on the
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social media website that read I don't know how I would live if I was not on Facebook multiple times a day sha would
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post whatever random thoughts popped into his head from asking if platypuses could be kept as pets to musing about
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celebrities he quoted his favorite television shows and summarized recently viewed episodes of Malcolm in the
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Middle he was also notably introspective writing starting next week I'm going to
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act totally normal Shawn had been diagnosed with autism a developmental disorder that
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impaired his ability AB ility to communicate and interact he'd also suffered from seizures since birth which
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prevented him from Living independently attempts to house sha in an assisted living facility hadn't
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panned out and he was unable to work due to being easily overwhelmed as a young adult sha still
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lived at home with his parents and three younger sisters in the City of Springfield
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Missouri Sha's autism made it difficult for him to understand social cues and other people's
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behavior although those who knew Shan thought he was nice and friendly he could come across as impolite or
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insensitive to neurotypical strangers he was aware of how his condition impacted others lamenting on
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his Facebook page I'm not a bad person I have social problems all I want is to live a normal
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life every self often sha posted about his home life anything from how his family's cars were getting their tires
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pressure checked to venting about his dirty bedroom carpet then in early April 2012 Sha's
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Facebook posts took on a new Focus he began sharing how his father Mark stouty had started acting
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strangely as Sha only had several online followers and they rarely engaged with his content these posts Drew little
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attention despite this sha continued to provide daily reports about his father's
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increasingly odd behavior according to Shawn Mark stouty was suffering mental problems that were
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also weakening his body quote my father is slowly starting to have problems with
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the driving and accomplishing anything when he drove a car the car swerved a little bit I had to help him keep the
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car Direction straight and properly turning in another post he claimed his father was so insane that sha didn't
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want to be friends with him anymore on Saturday April 7 sha posted my father is slowly getting
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sicker his voice is slurred his walking is wobbly his body is more tired than normal he is sleeping in bed longer than
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us he may collapse under his weight at any time the next day sha wrote that his father had spent half the day in bed and
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was struggling with basic physical tasks then on Monday April 9 sha announced my father died he lived a full
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life the cause of death is a stroke his funeral is this week his belongings now belong to my sisters
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[Music] [Music] sha stouty wasn't the only one who had noticed Mark's declining health two days
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before Mark's death he'd attended a recording session with his band a blues outfit called messing with
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Destiny as the band's lead singer and guitarist Mark had to project excitement and enthusiasm in order to put on a
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great show this came naturally to mark because music was his life's passion it had even drawn him to his wife Diane who
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was a church organist and the couple endeavored to pass their love of music down to their
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children messing with the Destiny was gradually gaining success booking semi-regular gigs in neighboring cities
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and making a small amount of money so during their evening recording session on Friday April 6 Mark's
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bandmates were dismayed to see him uncharacteristically distracted confused and slurring his
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words they didn't think Mark was drunk but wondered if his poor po diet lack of exercise or other unhealthy vices might
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have caught up with him Mark also had a bipolar disorder a mental condition hallmarked by drastic
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mood swings and manic episodes perhaps he was just going through a rough period mark stayed hydrated and went on
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several walks outside hoping to shake whatever ailed him despite losing his appetite becoming
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in inre inly lethargic and even vomiting Mark didn't go to the doctor nor did his
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family push him to seek medical treatment it seemed like he just had a bad case of the flu nothing that he
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wouldn't overcome in time Saturday April 7 was Mark's 61st birthday and he went to a friend's house
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to celebrate his friend was troubled by Mark's yellow complexion Diane stouty checked on her
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husband throughout the night but he was too fatigued to say much at all by Sunday April 88 Mark was so sick
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that he couldn't go to church his absence was surprising as the staties were devout Christians and
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prominent members of their Church community the rest of the family went without Mark who stayed behind to
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rest sometime after they returned home they found Mark in bed unconscious and unresponsive Diane called emergency
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services but there was nothing they could do Mark was [Music] dead a ring of blood had dried around
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Mark's mouth other than that he looked normal and had no signs of injury Diane stouty was able to detail
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her husband's Final hours which cmin ated in him suffering three seizures on Sunday he had never had a seizure
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before the last one occurred 45 minutes before Diane found Mark not breathing she said she'd wanted to call
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911 sooner but Mark had insisted that he didn't want to go to hospital Diane explained that Mark had
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diabetes and was developing Alzheimer's which was gradually destroying his mental functions
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this was in addition to liver problems he' acquired from drinking alcohol in excess Mark was also a longtime
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cigarette smoker and would sometimes smoke cannabis upon observing Mark's Body and
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taking his lifestyle and health into account the County Medical Examiner concluded that the 61-year-old must have
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died of natural causes they didn't think it was necessary to perform any tests or an
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autopsy Diane stouty announced Mark's untimely passing on her Facebook page telling the couple's devastated friends
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that her husband of 27 years had reached his eternal home she quoted from the Gospel of
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John let not your hearts be troubled believe in God believe also in me Mark was crated and his ashes
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scattered at a lake the remaining members of messing with the destiny performed a musical
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tribute for Mark at his memorial service and played his favorite song of theirs titled Darkest
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Hour Mark's daughter Rachel paid tribute to her father with a poem by influential
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German writer Johan Wolfgang vonger over the hilltops is calm in all the Treetops you feel hardly a breath of
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a the little birds fall silent in the woods just wait soon you'll also be at rest Mark's death was a huge blow to his
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family's Dynamic by all accounts the staties were happy and full of love support and
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understanding Mark was a devoted stay-at-home dad as all of the stouty children were reliant on on their
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parents in their own way eldest child and only son Shawn lived with them on account of his
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health 24-year-old Sarah a University graduate who had accured a large student loan debt was struggling to find a
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job 22-year-old Rachel was studying art history at College while pursuing her love of painting and
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music the Stout's youngest child an 11-year-old girl case File will refer to as Tia had learning
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difficulties Mark and Diane were very proud of their children Diane referred to them as little professors as each was
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an expert in their own special interests 51-year-old Diane was the family bread winner she was a Cardiology
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nurse who primarily worked from home assessing Insurance Company claims at times her income was not
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enough to support the family of six so Mark took on odd jobs for extra cash prior to Mark's passing the staties
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lived in a small home in Springfield Suburban West their house needed a lot of work
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and the neighborhood had some problems Sean stouty often vented about this on his Facebook page going so far
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as to write I need a better ha house to live in his father's modest life insurance
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payout of $20,000 helped the family relocate to a larger house in a nicer area Shawn was delighted by the move he
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posted about it online writing I am going to move out of a neighborhood of Hell to a neighborhood
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that has a low crime rate has good people has good schools and has properly built houses
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in late April sha opened a new Facebook account in preparation for his Fresh Start he continued posting near daily
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updates about whatever peaked his interest but over the following months his online activity
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lessened sha acknowledged this on Saturday August 4 2012 writing that he was sharing fewer posts than he had
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previously then then he stopped posting all [Music] together by September 2012 5 months
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after the Unexpected death of Mark stouty his family had settled into their new home then on Sunday September 2 the
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staties arrived at their weekly church service with another notable absence 26-year-old Shawn was unable to
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attend as he was bedridden after suffering flu likee symptoms for weeks he could do little else but rest
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and stay hydrated in between long painful bouts of vomiting head and muscle aches and appetite
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loss when the staties returned home from church they found sha unconscious on his
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bedroom floor a ring of dried blood had formed around his mouth just like his father months
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earlier had died unexpectedly after enduring a mysterious illness on this occasion the County
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Medical Examiner performed an autopsy it revealed that sha Had A congenital kidney defect signs of brain
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damage and a stroke as well as damage to his central nervous system given Sha's history of seizures
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and other health issues the medical examiner assumed that the young man had been struck down by a pre-exist in
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condition Sha's death was officially ruled as being due to Prior medical issues the sudden deaths of Mark and
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Shawn so close together left the local community reeling Friends of the staties were
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shocked that a loving Pious family could have such awful luck two days after Sha's death Diane
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stouty posted a short tribute to her son on her Facebook page it's been hard for me to come up with
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the right words Diane wrote but here goes on Sunday my oldest child Shawn died although he had been sick lately we
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thought he was getting better Diane went on to thank those who had been keeping her family in their
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prayers quote may we have a portion of the peace Sha now enjoys everyone was devastated for the
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now family of four who grew noticably reclusive after Sha's death his remains were crad but unlike
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his father there was no funeral or Memorial to honor his life Diane stouty seemed to be taking
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the loss of her husband and son in her stride she focused on taking care of her three daughters Sarah Rachel and Tia and
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threw herself into her music and church commitments the local community ried around Diane who responded well to the
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guidance and support provided by her pastors even Diane's daughter Rachel was struck by how well her mother coped in
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the aftermath of Sha's inexplicable death Rachel posted on her Facebook page don't think I've seen Mom so
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chilled out like this in a long time but this moment of calm was [Music] shortlived n months after the death of
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Shawn the stouty family was hit with more Misfortune 24-year-old Sarah stouty had
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been found unconscious in bed after suffering severe flu like symptoms Diane bundled her eldest
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daughter into her car and rushed her to the hospital by the time Sarah arrived at
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the emergency department her condition was so dire that she was swiftly admitted to the Intensive Care
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Unit doctors soon discovered that Sarah wasn't just dealing with the nasty strain of the
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flu her kidneys had shut down her pancreas was failing and her brain was hemorrhaging
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blood Sarah had suffered a total body collapse she'd had numerous strokes and seizures and most likely wouldn't
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survive multiple tests were performed but the cause of Sarah's illness remained a
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mystery di an stouty took to Facebook to inform her friends of her family's latest
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tragedy she wrote asking for prayers as my daughter Sarah is in critical condition in the ICU tonight
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she followed this up with an image that featured the biblical verse rejoice in our confident hope be
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patient in trouble and keep on praying as news of Sarah Stout's ordeal spread Springfield police received a
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troubling phone call the man on the other line said he wished to remain anonymous but claimed
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to be a pastor at the stouty church upon hearing about Sarah's illness he'd become overwhelmed with
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[Music] concern through his work he had encountered many people who'd experienced considerable hardship and
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loss however he had never come across a family who had endured so much indiscriminate death in such a short
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time span as the starties he brought up the close timing of Mark and Sha's deaths which had been
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excused on account of their respective histories of poor health but now the otherwise healthy
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Sarah was fighting for her life in a similar scenario the pastor had been counseling
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Diane sty and was struck by her lack of emotion in relation to it all he had come to believe something was
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seriously a mess in the stouty home [Music] police went to speak with the Physicians
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treating Sarah stouty they had performed multiple tests to identify what was impacting her but everything medical or
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genetic was ruled out although there was no trace of alcohol elicit drugs or poisons in
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Sarah's system a doctor remarked that her condition was very suspicious a nurse had more to add Sarah
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was barely clinging to life but her mother Diane had only visited her a couple of times moreover Diane's
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Behavior was described as inappropriate she joked and laughed with Hospital staff about her daughter's
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condition and said that she planned to go on a vacation to Florida soon regardless of Sarah's
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status police came to learn that Diane had also acted strangely after her husband and son
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deaths according to friends of the starties Diane treated Mark's memorial service like a party she displayed no
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outward expressions of grief and seemed more concerned about being the perfect host and making sure guests were catered
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to when a neighbor saw the coroner's van outside the stouty home after Sha's death she rushed over to check on the
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family Diane answered the door and the neighbor asked asked if everything was all right Diane responded casually oh
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yeah my son died online Diane barely mentioned her husband and son Beyond brief obligatory
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death notices within days she was back to posting positive Bible quotes and silly
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memes as detectives began reexamining the deaths of Mark and Shan stouty Diane agreed to be interviewed unaware that
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any investigations were taking place she was first asked about Sarah Diane explained how a week earlier
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Sarah had complained of a mild headache and stomach upset which resulted in her vomiting a few times to Diane Sarah's
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illness didn't seem that bad as she had seen worst cases of the flu Sarah spent most of her time in bed
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only emerging to vomit into the toilet she had no appetite but was able to take fluids Diane said Sarah's usual schedule
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consisted of her staying up all night with friends and sleeping during the day so she hadn't noticed anything was
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seriously off until Sunday that morning Sarah was bedridden and unable to attend
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church the rest of the family went without her when they returned home at around to 12:30 p.m. Sarah was still in
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bed seemingly resting hours passed before Diane went to check on her again by then Sarah was
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unresponsive Diane carried Sarah out to the car and rushed her to the hospital despite being a trained nurse
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Diane was mystified as to what had caused Sarah's illness all she could say was that it had done a number on her
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when asked if Sarah might have harmed herself Diane said that was a possibility Sarah had bipolar disorder
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like her father and had threatened self harm in the past but Diane asserted that her
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daughter's Behavior had been fine lately she'd also checked Sarah's medication and it appeared normal ruling
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out the possibility that she had overdosed on it Diane suggested that Sarah might have
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quote gotten into the cleaners meaning that she could have intentionally consumed poisonous household cleaning
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products Diane was asked to be more specific she responded with a laugh what do I have I can't see her
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taking soap yuck Diane was then asked what she thought happened to Sarah she fell silent for a moment
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before replying with an exasperated sigh I really don't know I've been trying to Rack my brain to figure out
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what happened I really can't think of anything I don't know it just doesn't make
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sense Diane was told that further tests would be carried out to establish what exactly happened to
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Sarah when asked if she thought anything suspicious might be s Diane responded I have no clue I don't even
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know what to look for I mean if they're looking for some kind of chemical that she may have taken I can't think of what
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it would be and if the tests did come back confirming the presence of a chemical
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how would Diane explain that she Shrugged her shoulders and answered I don't know Mark and sha stouty were both both
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cremated but sha was autopsied beforehand as part of that process the medical examiner had taken samples of
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Sha's tissue blood and hair the samples were stored for a certain amount of time postmortem
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allowing for additional testing to take place if necessary although Mark wasn't autopsied
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samples of the dried blood around his mouth had been collected and similarly stored
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the interviewing detective asked Diane is there any reason that from samples taken that there might be some
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sort of correlation some kind of Link something that might be similar between them Diane gently shook her head and
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replied I don't know the detective pressed on and if there was what would your explanation be
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Diane repeated I don't know the detective then abruptly asked what was Mark's life insurance
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policy like Diane divulged that Mark's $20,000 life insurance payout had helped pay for
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a nicer home Diane intended to use Sha's $115,000 payout for bills Sarah's policy wouldn't at Diana
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further 15 ,000 her other two daughters amounts were the same Diane was asked what she would
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spend to Sarah's life insurance payout on I have no clue she replied by now Diane's mood had
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shifted she'd become solemn and contemplative allowing for long moments of Silence before answering
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questions when asked if there was anyone that would want want to harm her family
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Diane claimed that Mark had a lot of weird acquaintances who were into drugs as for her kids she said I can't
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imagine anybody trying to harm them Diane was encouraged to open up about her marriage with Mark she
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eventually admitted that it wasn't good saying that Mark had a binge drinking problem a cannabis habit and had been
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unfaithful to her her Diane could never bring herself to kick him out as she feared he would take
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his own life when Mark died it was actually a relief I just don't tell people that
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Diane admitted before adding despite all his faults I still loved him suspecting Diane was holding back
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information the interviewing Detective appealed to her religious beliefs referring to her as a
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God-fearing woman he asserted that the right thing to do was to speak honestly and ask for
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forgiveness he told her I think you're a very good lady with the right intentions
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everybody reaches a Tipping Point or a breaking point maybe certain decisions are made
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that normally wouldn't be made often times the best best way to ask for forgiveness is to talk about it
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and give an explanation Diane expressed fear of going to jail she was told to put that thought
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aside and to just focus on showing remorse and seeking forgiveness finally after 2 hours of
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questioning Diane flatly admitted to put it really short and sweet I knew they were drinking anti
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freeze antifreeze is an additive that lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid it is used in
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vehicles to stop the water in the engine cooling system from freezing during winter
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months commonly known as engine coolant antifreeze can be purchased at motoring supply shops and gas stations and is a
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common item found in residential garages it is extremely hazardous when ingested it only takes a small amount of
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antifreeze to poison the human body with symptoms appearing gradually over several
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hours the impacted person can feel or appear inebriated and suffer from headaches fatigue lack of coordination
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grogginess slurred speech nausea and vomiting as the body breaks down the antifreeze the chemical can interfere
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with kidney lung brain and nervous system function with organ damage occurring 24 to 72 hours after
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ingestion it results in Rapid breathing erasing heartbeat and convulsions concluding with loss of consciousness
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and death Diane stouty was asked how she knew her family members were drinking antifreeze she
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replied because I saw them drinking it I didn't know what else to do I really didn't
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Diana admitted that she had reached a Breaking Point she claimed she didn't want to hurt her family she was just mad
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she was tired of working hard to provide for them while they took advantage of her and showed little
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appreciation in Diane's words Mark was a dead beat who stayed home drinking smoking and enjoying his
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music Diane had grown to hate her husband and said he lashed out violently her and their
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kids she couldn't stand being with him any longer so she killed him she did the same to Shawn because
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she was fed up with caring for him she described sha as more than a bother more than a pest who was always interfering
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in everything she did Sha's autism prevented him from holding down a job Diane felt he was
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being will fully disobedient in his inability to contribute to the household she felt the same towards
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Sarah they often argued about how Sarah didn't try hard enough to get a job Diane killed Sarah because she
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didn't want to wind up paying off her student loan debt she felt very differently about her
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two youngest children Rachel and tia they treated her well and caused no grief so Diane hadn't poisoned
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them she put it bluntly I'm not a Perpetual killer I'm just stupid I regret doing it I really
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do I've screwed up everybody I've screwed up my whole family Diane had researched online and
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learned about the harmful qualities of antifreeze it was easy to acquire and because of its sweet taste and a lack of
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odor easy to disguise no one would suspect Mark sha or Sarah had been poisoned with
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antifreeze unless medical personnel knew to look for it as its symptoms were similar to many normal
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ailments furthermore the chemicals raw components were easily missed in an autopsy because they weren't part of
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normal toxicology screenings and required Advanced testing to detect Diane ordered bottles of
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antifreeze online and poured a couple of teaspoons into Gatorade for Mark and cocacola for her
00:33:04
children she served the lethal concoction to her unsuspecting victims over a period of several
00:33:11
weeks the poison took effect within days but often just resulted in mild flu like
00:33:18
symptoms when Diane's Target didn't die quick enough she increased the dosage of
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antifreeze until it had its desired effect [Music] following Diane's shocking confession
00:33:34
detectives arrested her and began seeking more information about the stouty family
00:33:39
Dynamic Sarah was still in hospital and 11-year-old Tia was traumatized by her family's ongoing
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suffering yet there was still one other sibling who could provide some insight 22-year-old Rachel stouty agreed
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to speak with police she was unaware that her mother had admitted to poisoning her father brother
00:34:02
and older sister in contrast to Diane's account Rachel said that Mark was a nice Dad who
00:34:11
fostered his children's Independence she admitted that her parents argued a little bit over money
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but no more than any other married couple sometimes Diane took issue with Mark's friends as they drank and
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smoked Rachel recalled her parents breaking a table during one disagreement but overall they were close and had a
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pretty good relationship she saw no abuse and the only bad thing she had to say about her
00:34:41
father had come from her mother as for Shawn Rachel said he was extremely low maintenance all he needed
00:34:50
was a puzzle or comic book and he was quote a happy camper sha was independent and content
00:34:58
being alone hardly the imposing past Diane had made him out to be Rachel didn't consider him to be a
00:35:06
burden at all he had a good relationship with his siblings especially Sarah Rachel said that when Shawn was
00:35:15
sick everyone took turns looking after him though their mother primarily cared for him during the day while she worked
00:35:22
from home Diane gave him Coca-Cola as it was one of the a few things he could stomach when asked about her mother's
00:35:32
reaction to Sha's passing Rachel said Diane wished they could have done more for him she felt like a failure as a mom
00:35:40
because it was one thing to lose your husband but far worse to lose a child Rachel remembered when Sarah fell
00:35:50
ill too the toilet was right across from her bedroom and at night she could hear
00:35:56
Sarah going into vomit Rachel tried to convince Sarah to eat but she had no appetite she could managed to drink
00:36:06
though so Rachel and Diane would bring her fluids things eventually deteriorated to
00:36:13
the point where Sarah couldn't get up off the floor when she lost Consciousness Rachel
00:36:19
helped carry her out to the car and take her to the hospital according to Rachel Diane
00:36:26
expressed guilt over Sarah's predicament too lamenting that she should have taken
00:36:31
her to the hospital sooner Rachel also recalled the time Sarah had threatened to self harm it was
00:36:40
during middle school and Rachel was certain it was only a cry for help since then Sarah hadn't expressed
00:36:48
any Suicidal Thoughts she had been a high achiever at college and was otherwise doing
00:36:55
well Rachel admitted that sah wasn't trying very hard to find work though her options were
00:37:02
limited she had degrees in French and history and her interests lay in teaching or translating French but there
00:37:10
weren't many opportunities in Missouri as most students learned Spanish it was normal for Sarah to spend
00:37:19
the day on her computer watching videos online instead of helping out around the
00:37:24
house Rachel was more frustrated with Sarah than her mother seemed to be although Diane was disappointed by
00:37:33
Sarah's lack of effort she was patient with her Rachel had never seen them arguing Diane would bring up Sarah's
00:37:42
unemployment during normal conversations but it was never in a heated way more so
00:37:48
a gentle nudging Rachel admitted that she'd found the situation with her father brother
00:37:55
and sister weird she worried that their terminal condition was hereditary and she would
00:38:02
catch it next Diane had reassured her saying that Mark had a heart problem Sha's death was
00:38:10
due to his seizures and Sarah's illness was out of the blue Diane LED Rachel to believe that
00:38:19
she would be fine after Rachel had revealed all of this a detective told her her
00:38:28
kindly what has happened is your mom has admitted to killing your dad and your brother and trying to kill your sister
00:38:36
with poison I know it's hard to process and a hard thing to even think about but she
00:38:42
basically spelled it out to us how she did this and the reasons for doing it Rachel sat in shock as the truth set
00:38:52
in she then began to sob as the detective asked did you have any suspicions that mom was
00:39:00
doing anything Rachel tearfully explained that she knew her mother was frustrated but
00:39:07
she had no idea that she wanted to harm their family meanwhile a search of the stouty
00:39:15
home uncovered evidence pertaining to Diane's crimes including a bottle of prone brand antifreeze engine coolant in
00:39:23
the garage next to it was a six-pack of Coke Cola examination of a laptop revealed
00:39:31
that between searches for Christian Sheep music and funny cap videos were many others relating to fatal essential
00:39:38
oils poisons used in suicides herbs that cause stroke and where to purchase rat poison the same laptop was used the days
00:39:49
after Mark Stout's death to determine lethal doses of over-the-counter pain relief medication for adults weighing 48
00:39:58
kg this was Shan Stout's weight officers searched a bedroom and noticed a purple notebook sitting on top
00:40:07
of a shelf the word Journal was printed across the front cover and the pages inside were full of handwritten musings
00:40:16
about the day-to-day happenings of the stouty family an entry dated Monday June 11
00:40:24
2011 stood out it read sometimes I wish I could avoid the future and keep looking to the Past it's
00:40:36
sad when I realize how my father will pass on in the next 2 months and how sha my brother will move on shortly
00:40:45
after and yet it's really helpful I'm being warned so I have more time to prepare and
00:40:53
cope also I get to have Dad's car when he's gone it'll be tough getting used to the changes but everything will work
00:41:05
[Music] out on her Facebook page Diane stouty once posted the quote never miss an
00:41:15
opportunity to tell your child I love you despite this only one stouty child received the bulk of her
00:41:25
affection Diane's third oldest Rachel was her perfect Golden Child unlike sha Sarah and tea
00:41:34
22-year-old Rachel was uncomplicated she didn't face the same struggles as her siblings and was a
00:41:41
successful overachiever she exceled in school spoke four languages and played multiple
00:41:48
musical instruments she loved maths chemistry art and poetry Diane plastered her Facebook page
00:41:57
with praise directed at Rachel while her other children barely raided a mension it was clear Rachel was Diane's
00:42:05
favorite and the pair shared a remarkably close best friend type Bond they understood one another and
00:42:13
confided in each other Rachel also confided in her Personal Diary a journal with a purple
00:42:21
cover that she kept on a shelf in her bedroom Mark and sha were killed nearly year after the entry Rachel made
00:42:29
predicting their deaths well over the two-month deadline she had anticipated yet the fact she even knew
00:42:38
about them beforehand was surprising and a search of Rachel's purse uncovered a poem she had written
00:42:46
after Sarah was hospitalized it read once upon a time there were six and now there are only three only The Quiet
00:42:57
Ones are left my mom my little sister and me in Diane's police interview she had
00:43:06
insisted that no one else knew what she'd done during Rachel's interview she was asked directly if she had any
00:43:14
involvement in her mother's scheme Rachel had shook her head no and cried following the discovery of
00:43:24
Rachel's diary police conducted another interview with with her they kept a word
00:43:29
of the find to themselves and instead just asked how she felt about what her mother had done Rachel said she was
00:43:36
confused and shocked explaining no one expects to have somebody that they know do that I mean
00:43:45
who judges who can live detectives then asked did your mother ever say anything to you about any of your family members
00:43:55
being in bad health and that were going to die in the near future Rachel said that her mother had
00:44:02
spoken about Mark smoking and drinking she said if he kept it up then he wasn't going to make it to the age of
00:44:10
80 Rachel claimed that Diane had never mentioned anything about sha or Sarah's future Rachel was shown a benow entry
00:44:20
from the purple Journal found in the stouty home she confirmed the diary was hers and that she had written the
00:44:27
entries within she was then shown the entry where she predicted Mark and Sha's deaths Rachel thought for a moment
00:44:37
before explaining that she had a dream around that time that Mark and Shawn would die she claimed she told her
00:44:44
mother about the dream what did you tell your mother the police asked Rachel started to sob tearless as
00:44:54
she replied that it would be quick and easy that they'd be in heaven soon and we
00:45:01
could move on Rachel continued to open up stating matter of factly I didn't know when my mother
00:45:13
bought the antifreeze but I knew she'd been doctoring drinks with that although the interviewing detective
00:45:21
was stunned by Rachel's admission he remained cool and kept asking questions Rachel admitted that her mother had
00:45:29
confided in her about her intention to kill the others she offered more insight as to
00:45:35
how the plan came to fruition after Diane settled on antifreeze as her murder weapon she
00:45:42
purchased it online this was because antifreeze sold in stores has an added bittering agent
00:45:48
to prevent accidental ingestion Diane kept a small amount of antifreeze hidden in a container under
00:45:56
the kitchen sink she would tip out 2 Ines or so of whatever drink she'd poured for Mark sha
00:46:02
or Sarah and then refill it with the Poison by this point in Rachel's interview she had admitted to knowing
00:46:11
that her mother was intending to kill family members but maintained that she'd acted
00:46:17
alone yet when explaining how Diane researched by reading a book about poisonous plants Rachel initially said
00:46:25
we would before quickly correcting her answer to she would detectives suspected they weren't
00:46:33
getting the full story they told Rachel that they'd seized the laptop she and Diane shed and
00:46:40
asked what they'd find on it Rachel admitted that she had once searched how to kill
00:46:48
someone the interviewing detective then asked a risky question not expecting to receive the answer he was looking for
00:46:57
your mother would pour some of the drink out and then she would put the antifreeze in the drink and then give it
00:47:03
to your father how often did you do that after thinking for a moment Rachel replied
00:47:12
cooly once the detective was stunned when he pressed Rachel to be honest she clarified her
00:47:22
answer three four times this gradual drip feed of information formed the basis of Rachel's
00:47:33
confession she would initially give a broad uncertain or deceptive answer before being grilled with follow-up
00:47:41
questions eventually she gave detailed consistent answers that aligned with the facts of the
00:47:48
case she was first interrogated about her father's death it was a trade-off Rachel said casually
00:47:57
mom would do it then I would Rachel mixed the drinks for her father twice a day once in the morning
00:48:05
and once in the evening for several weeks she didn't have a clear schedule with her mother who typically
00:48:12
administered her poisonings in the afternoon so they often overlapped and served many poisoned drinks to Mark a
00:48:20
day as Rachel's story unraveled it was clear she'd participated in the poisonings more more than just the three
00:48:28
or four times she had initially admitted to Mar didn't fall sick at first Diane reassured Rachel telling her
00:48:39
it will take time it was several weeks before Mark finally became ill the women continued to poison him
00:48:49
with higher doses by the end Mark's drinks consisted of half soda or Gatorade and half anti
00:48:57
freeze Diane and Rachel went through upwards of five bottles of antifreeze in their efforts to kill
00:49:04
him despite having previously praised her father Rachel now claimed that Mark was killed because he was turbulent and
00:49:13
abusive this was at odds with her own diary where Rachel had written that her father would quote rather cut off his
00:49:21
own arm then hurt us nevertheless she went on to write that her father was still more of a
00:49:28
hindrance alive Rachel said she mixed the drink a day for Shan and one every so often for
00:49:37
Sarah but mostly used bottles of Coca-Cola orw Gatorade that Diane had premixed in
00:49:44
advance when asked why did you guys want to kill them Rachel replied indifferently Shan I accepted that mom
00:49:55
wanted him gone but I really didn't think he was necessary after further pressing Rachel
00:50:03
admitted that she found sha annoying as for Sarah Rachel said I really actually wasn't aware that Mom
00:50:12
was getting Sarah I knew about sha I knew about Dad but I didn't know she was going to go ahead with
00:50:21
Sarah as usual Rachel's lies didn't hold up under further scrutiny she soon admitted that she had known
00:50:29
about the plan to kill Sarah a month beforehand as to why they wanted Sarah Dead Rachel
00:50:37
explained other than the fact that she basically lived in the back bedroom and didn't have any gumption to get a job
00:50:44
I'm not certain mom probably has her own issues with her the detective asked what about
00:50:54
you Rachel took a deeper breath before replying she's annoying yes but I don't know Rachel eventually admitted that she
00:51:07
found Sarah very nosy and they fought all the time she added bluntly back in middle school Sarah
00:51:16
would touch me I mean she grew out of it later when she got on the medicine but she still argues she still has really
00:51:24
inappropriate jokes she really had no [Music] purpose Rachel clarified that the touching she was referring to was both
00:51:35
physical and sexual but Sarah rected like she couldn't remember it despite the seriousness of these
00:51:43
allegations and the fact that Rachel was implying deep prolonged trauma had motivated her to kill Sarah she never
00:51:50
referred to it again investigators thought it was convenient that Rachel said Sarah had no
00:51:57
recollection of it either as Rachel was a proven liar they believed she'd made up the shocking
00:52:04
accusation to make Sarah's murder appear understandable it still didn't provide any justification as to why she'd
00:52:13
participated in killing Mark and Shawn beforehand Rachel made yet another Revelation she claimed Sarah was in on
00:52:24
the murder plot too police were incredulous if Sarah was aware of and involved in the plan to poison Mark and
00:52:34
sha then she would know not to accept any drinks herself especially once she started developing
00:52:42
symptoms Rachel said that when Sarah fell ill she asked them am I going to die or will I die
00:52:51
soon Rachel and Diane would reply I don't know Sarah didn't ask or accuse them of
00:53:00
poisoning her despite allegedly knowing that they had done it twice before nor did she reach out to anyone
00:53:08
else or seek help on her own valtion in Rachel's own words Sarah was very afraid of death and often talked
00:53:17
about not wanting to die detectives felt that these actions didn't align with the narrative that
00:53:25
Sarah knew what her mother and sister were up to then there was the question as to why
00:53:32
Diane and Rachel had taken Sarah to the hospital for treatment Rachel revealed this wasn't
00:53:38
done due to any sense of care Compassion or a desire to save Sarah's life it was
00:53:45
Rachel's idea because she quote didn't want another one to die in the house cuz houses are nasty after somebody's died
00:53:54
in it after sha died Rachel moved into his room and was plagued by nightmares she said it was awful that
00:54:03
she kept sensing a ghostly presence in the space and she didn't want to experience that again when Sarah
00:54:11
passed Rachel's fear seemed genuine she was uncharacteristically nervous and shaky when discussing The Haunting in
00:54:19
Sha's room she had also written about it in her diary immediately following Sha's
00:54:25
death quote yet I feel your gaze lingering over me I close my eyes and try not to
00:54:33
think of the ghosts of copper and bleach on my tongue I try not to think of shuddery breaths or how easily a soul
00:54:41
evaporates leaving nothing behind but a hollow husk curled up on the floor eyes vacant and dull arms extended but what
00:54:52
were you reaching for as for the youngest stouty child Tia Rachel admitted that she and Diane had
00:55:01
planned to kill her after Sarah the motive was similar to sha Tia's learning disabilities were a
00:55:09
burden and they didn't want to look after her Rachel remarked I know there's no way in hell
00:55:17
I'd be able to take care of Tia I can't take care of me so how could I ever take
00:55:23
care of her following Rachel's harrowing confession police reinterviewed Diane upon learning that her daughter
00:55:34
had confessed Diane made full admissions that she and Rachel had planned researched and committed the crimes
00:55:42
together neither woman expressed a genuine remorse or regret nor did Diane show any hint of sadness for sacrificing
00:55:52
Rachel's promising future in favor of grooming her to be her her partner in [Music]
00:56:00
crime by the time Diane and Rachel's deadly plot was exposed Sarah Stout's condition had changed
00:56:09
dramatically although Hospital staff had given her a 0% chance of survival when she was first admitted in a miraculous
00:56:17
turn of events she was slowly recovering both Diane and Rachel were surprised to learn of Sarah's survival
00:56:27
though not relieved Rachel had even nodded her head and said yes when asked if she still
00:56:34
wanted Sarah to die but Sarah's ordeal wasn't over The Strokes and seizures she'd
00:56:43
endured left her with severe neurological damage she had to relearn to walk and talk when Sarah was well enough she
00:56:53
agreed to a police interview she hadn't yet been informed that her mother and sister had confessed to
00:57:00
poisoning her investigators wanted to get to the bottom of Rachel's claim that Sarah had
00:57:06
known about their crimes Sarah was told that police had been investigating why she had fallen
00:57:14
sick what do you think we found out detectives asked Sarah replied I don't know when asked if she thought anyone
00:57:25
would try to hurt her Sarah said no all I know is that I got sick Sarah was then informed that her
00:57:36
mother and sister had admitted to making her unwell Sarah went on to recount an experience she'd had after Mark and sha
00:57:46
died one day she found her mother's Personal Diary Sarah opened it and found an entry Diane had written about Mark
00:57:55
and Sha's death to Sarah's shock the entry also referred to her own death unnerved Sarah confronted her
00:58:05
mother but her concerns were dismissed and she was warned not to go looking in the diary
00:58:12
again Sarah said this hadn't alerted her to the fact that her mother or sister were responsible for making Mark sha or
00:58:21
herself sick Sarah flat out denied being involved in any part of the scheme and nothing that was uncovered suggested
00:58:30
she'd known what was going on detectives believed Sarah but in any case her brain had been seriously
00:58:38
damaged by the antifreeze it was obvious from their conversations that her mind was foggy
00:58:45
and she didn't fully comprehend what was being asked given Sarah's condition and the
00:58:52
lack of evidence pertaining to her guilt detectives ended these inquiries with the belief that she was an innocent
00:59:01
victim Diane stouty was ultimately charged with two counts of first-degree murder for Mark and sha as well as one
00:59:09
count of first-degree assault and one of armed criminal action for the crimes against
00:59:15
Sarah Rachel stouty was charged with the same offenses in May 2015 3 years after the
00:59:23
poisonings began Rachel Ed guilty as part of a deal in exchange for testifying against
00:59:31
her mother at trial Rachel would be eligible for parole one day at her sentencing Rachel read an
00:59:40
apology she had penned to her sister Sarah in it she claimed she was haunted by the reality of loss and grieved
00:59:48
knowing that her guilt wasn't a passing phase quote your suffering could have been
00:59:55
prevented Ed and I hate myself for not being there for you things will never be the same but I can try to change to
01:00:03
become a better person I want you to know that you are an inspiration to me thank you for showing me what I can
01:00:13
be Rachel stouty who was now 25 years old was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of Parole in 42
01:00:24
years in January 2016 Diane stouty also accepted a plea deal she agreed to plead
01:00:32
guilty to all but the armed criminal action charge in order to avoid potentially receiving the death penalty
01:00:39
if the case went to trial she was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without
01:00:47
parole since her incarceration Diane has changed her story yet again in a 2022 interview with AB BC's 2020 Diane
01:00:58
claimed that she was completely innocent she said that her husband was associated with dangerous people who had
01:01:05
put out a hit on him someone from within that Circle was responsible for poisoning
01:01:11
him she even went on to claim that she had been poisoned at one point though she offered no explanation as to how sha
01:01:19
and Sarah came to be victims as well a case detective clarified there is nothing whatsoever to show that
01:01:29
anybody was involved in this case other than those mentioned already if Rachel stouty hadn't
01:01:41
incriminated herself in her diary there was a very real possibility that her involvement in the poisonings would have
01:01:48
never been uncovered a clinical and forensic psychologist told A&D that the diary
01:01:55
entries were ever evidence of how much control Diane exerted over Rachel it had reached the point where
01:02:02
Rachel was fully convinced of her mother's scheme believing it was quote just the way it has to
01:02:09
be therefore she journaled about it as if it were any other mundane experience she was dealing with in her
01:02:17
life as a result of Sarah Stout's permanent neurological damage she now lives in an assisted care facility and
01:02:25
has a state Appo Ed Guardian Sarah was unable to care for her youngest sibling Tia who was
01:02:32
consequently placed in foster care in a statement read aloud in court Sarah said I prefer to be a Survivor
01:02:41
than a victim she intends to fulfill her dream of traveling to France and becoming a
01:02:48
translator in the meantime Sarah campaigns to raise awareness of antifreeze poisoning
01:02:56
following Sarah's ordeal she struggled the most with how much she missed her father and brother she lives her life
01:03:04
believing their Spirits protect her quote Mark and Shawn are like angels watching over me and every once in a
01:03:13
while I have dreams that they visit me although Sarah was angry when she found out her mother and sister had
01:03:22
poisoned her she has since moved past this feeling I forgive them for what they did because
01:03:29
forgiveness is the right thing to [Music] [Music] do e