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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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website married couple Steven and Carol Baxter lived on Mery Island along England's East
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Coast both were aged in their 60s and Carol suffered from an autoimmune disease that was slowly stripping away
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her ability to fully function as a result the couple's loved ones regularly checked in on them via calls messages
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and emails when the backers didn't respond to any of their incoming Communications
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throughout Saturday April 8 2023 and the morning of Sunday April 9 concerns for their welfare
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grew when there was still no word from them by midday the couple's 22-year-old daughter Ellie Baxter went over to pay
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them a visit Ellie who was 4 months pregnant arrived at her parents two-story house
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in West Mery with her partner Marcus the pair immediately sensed something was wrong the first thing Steven Baxter did
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every morning was open his window blinds but the blinds were still closed and the
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lights were on inside Ellie knocked on the front door but there was no answer she headed
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around to the other side of the house to try the back door peering Through the Windows of the
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conservatory Ellie saw her parents sitting bolt up right in their favorite recliner
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chairs they were unresponsive their hands had turned blue and liquid was trickling out of Carl's
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mouth a spare key wasn't in its usual place so Ellie and Marcus desperately tried to break
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in a neighbor overheard the couple violently banging against the conservatory's door while Ellie
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frantically yelled they're not moving [Music] [Music] 18 years earlier in 2005 Carol Baxter
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was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease the autoimmune disorder affects the thyroid gland at the base of the neck
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which is responsible for regulating many functions in the body for individuals with the condition
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their immune system cells wrongly attack the thyroids hormone producing cells resulting in a decline in hormone
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production the disease progresses slowly over years resulting in varied symptoms
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from brittle nails hair loss and swelling to fatigue muscle pain and a decline in cognitive
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function in 2021 a close family friend who had observed Carol's ongoing Health struggles began researching ways to help
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her they eventually found a renowned endocrinologist named Dr Andrea Bowden who specialized in the diagnosis and
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treatment of hormone related diseases and conditions although Dr bodden was based
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overseas in the US state of Florida she was able to communicate with Carol online
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Carol sent her videos and emails explaining her illness and was given medical advice in
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return Dr Bowden soon introduced Carol to another patient of hers named Cheryl Harring believing the two women would
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benefit from sharing their experiences over emo Carol and Cheryl relayed their health fears aired their
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Grievances and helped ease one another's anxieties a close friendship was quickly
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established with the pair bonding over more than just their shared medical condition Cheryl had a sister named
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Jenny trencher who was a theater producer in London this was a big deal to Carol as her daughter Ellie was an
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aspiring singer she put Ellie in touch with the Jenny who encouraged her to send through
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some vocal samples in case she could help her get a contract or professional lessons in a message to Ellie Jenny
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wrote I was talking to your lovely mom last week and we had a nice chat on a day she was feeling well today would it
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be possible to have recordings sent they don't need to be perfect Ellie appreciated the
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opportunity and recorded herself singing a song requested by Jenny I'd do anything from the musical
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Oliver in time Carol backer was introduced to two other patients of Dr Andrea Bowden who had Hashimoto's
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disease Linda Edwards and Manny Pantry along with Carol and Cheryl the four women formed a small support group
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on instant messaging application WhatsApp Dr Bowden had a series of strict rules for how the women should
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treat and manage their conditions she favored Herbal Remedies and nutritional supplements over modern medicine
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recommending her patients drink natural tonics like lemon in boiling water and smoothies with kale and flax seed
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she also advised them to avoid anything that could be overexerting while Cheryl Linda and man
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were sticklers for the rules Carol divulged to the group that she was doing housework against Dr Burton's
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advice Cheryl responded you are completely ignoring the rules no washing no dishwashing don't even bother making
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excuses for it I had you down for a smart lady I really did Carol get a grip please play by the rules and stop trying
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to do things you are seriously [Music] ill at one stage Carol also confided in her support group that Dr Andrea Bon's
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more holistic approach to treating her thyroid condition clashed with the advice given by her general
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practitioner in contrast to Dr bowden's recommendations Carol GP prescribed her pharmaceutical drugs that substituted
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her missing thyroid hormones and had her blood tested annually to keep track of things when Carol told her GP about the
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herbs vitamins remedies and routines advised by Dr Bowden he was incredulous he had never come across
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that type of treatment for Hashimoto's disease and felt it was a load of rubbish he was surprised that an expert
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in endocrinology would offer Health advice that had no scientific Merit when Carol told her support group
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this they called gp's [ __ ] wits and stood firmly behind the care provided by Dr Andrea Bowden in a message to Carol
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man Pantry wrote honestly Carol I have my life back listen to Andrea stop fighting it I do not know what you are
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going through only that we are very similar and you were stuck in the same phase I was 8 months ago
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I was ill and one day I finally listened use my experience and whatever Andrea says stick to the rules
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[Music] Carol Carol valued the input of those in her position and found herself drifting
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away from her GP and relying more on Dr Andrea Bowden over time Carol opened up to Dr
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bden about her life at home including her family and work her husband and daughter also
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emailed the doctor with occasional updates about how Carol was coping as Dr Bowden learned more about
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the backers she was able to provide more personalized advice on how to minimize stress in the household by addressing
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specific problems they had with each other and the people around them she told Carol that seeing family
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members quote released too many chemicals in the adrenal gland and advised keep contact less regular why
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not take your family out weekly one at a time you can't avoid seeing your family
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but you have a serious illness and you need to be sensible moderate seeing family it's that
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simple do not do anything that produces too much cortisol which is one way to the Grave it's that
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simple despite her illness Carol maintained a zest for life and persevered as best as she could by
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taking regular walks and visiting the gym she continued to drink the health tonics recommended by Dr Bowden even
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when they tasted foul still her overall Wellness continued to deteriorate she lost weight struggled
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with fatigue and her memory started getting foggy on Tuesday February 8 2022 Carol
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was hospitalized after complaining of abdominal pain to everyone's horror x-rays revealed a 17 mm metal nail was
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lodged in her colon Carol had no idea how it got there by 2023 Carol's confusion had
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worsened and she became racked with the Tremors her symptoms were extreme for Hashimoto's disease and More in line
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with a dementia patient or someone who had suffered a stroke Carol was referred to several
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Specialists but her unusual symptoms left them puzzled it was hard for Carol's loved
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ones to see her suffer one day her daughter Ellie found her ironing a shirt on the kitchen
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cooktop while foam Spilled Out from the overloaded dishwasher nearby Carol had no idea what she was
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doing Ellie had never seen her mother in such a state and it brought her to tears Steven Baxter did the best he
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could to help his wife but he too felt helpless her decline was taking its toll on him
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too Carol made plans to meet with the Cheryl Haring from her support group in person for the first time Steven drove
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her over 3 hours away to a luxury hotel in the village of warshire for the meeting but Cheryl wasn't
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there Steven texted his daughter Ellie with an update saying no sign of that Cheryl not even answering mom's texts
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Ellie replied what is it with these women hopefully Cheryl is okay and turns up Steven wrote back not bothered
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messing Carol about too much complete radio silence is poor I will update you tomorrow much to Carol's disappointment
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Cheryl never turned up explaining later that she had a medical emergency despite continuing to follow
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Dr burden's instructions Carol's condition continued to worsen before she could seriously
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question whether the holistic approach was right for her Dr Bowden put Carol in contact with another doctor named Alan
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Mandel Dr Mandel supported Dr bodden's professional opinion and offered Carol his own guidance he provided the recipe
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of a health drink he asserted would cleanse Carol's liver he suggested that Steven AER drink it too for his own
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benefit but warned that the drink wouldn't taste nice and would cause drowsiness on Wednesday April 5th 2023
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Dr Andrea Bowden emailed Steven Baxter to express her concern about Carol's deteriorating condition she
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wrote Carol has to accept I am worried if something may happen not just to her any of you man's husband nearly got
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stabbed because she left a knives out if anything happens to anyone it would be on you her nearest it would be why have
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you let her Steve sorry Steve but I fear the worst now you need protecting from what can
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happen unless you destroy this illness once and for all please let me help read this email out to her Carol cannot
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rationalize it was 4 days l later on Sunday April 9 that Ellie Baxter arrived at her parents' home to find them both
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unresponsive in their separate reclining chairs a neighbor who overheard the commotion rushed over with a claw hammer
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that Ellie's partner Marcus used to smash their way inside Carol and Steven were both cold
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to the touch Ellie began stroking her mother's hair pleading with her to wake up an ambulance rushed to the scene but
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it was too late both Steven and Carol were dead neither Carol nor Steven had sustained any visible injuries and there
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was no obvious cause of death or weapons found nearby their house was Immaculate and
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nothing appeared to be missing this raised the obvious question of how two people could have died
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peacefully in their chairs at the same time forelli Baxter the first thing that came to her mind was that her parents
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could have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning carbon monoxide is a gas used
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in household appliances that is odorless tasteless and colorless therefore when it leaks it
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often goes undetected when there is too much carbon monoxide in the air it replaces oxygen
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in the body's red blood cells symptoms appear flu like and escalate into movement problems memory
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loss and personality change es those severely poisoned can lose Consciousness and die and it's the most
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common cause of accidental poisoning in the UK when Ellie had discovered her parents' bodies she threw open a set of
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exterior bfold doors to wear out the house on her call to Emergency Services she said we need an ambulance right now
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my mom's been poisoned she's not very well they're poisoned they're dead however careful examination of the
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backer home failed to uncover any carbon monoxide leaks Carol Baxter wore a pacemaker a
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small device that was implanted to her chest to regulate her heartbeat analysis of the pacemaker
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revealed that her heart had stopped between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday April 8 the day before her and
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Steven's bodies were discovered this narrowed down the time of death but provided no further
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explanation as to what had happened to the couple all it did was rule out the possibility that Carol had died of a
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coronary issue as the device would have recorded an abnormal heart rhythm an autopsy failed to uncover any
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suspicious injuries signs of abuse or defensive wounds the couple's medical histories
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didn't contain any clear answers either Steven had recently undergone n replacement surgery and Carol had her
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thyroid condition but neither of these explained their sudden deaths the Baxter's case was ruled
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unexplained but not suspicious and an inquest was scheduled for a later date in the meantime the police and
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coroner continued their search for answers at the time of their deaths 64-year-old Carol and 61-year-old Steven
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were self-made millionaires they lived comfortably in a 1 million 5-bedroom home and had been
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members of the West Mery yach club for nearly a decade Steven was a senior executive
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with a multi-billion pound International property firm but in recent years the couple had also established a business
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of their own the idea came to Carol after they did some renovations to their bathroom
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and she was unable to find the right bath mat to fit new space and so cazsplash was born a
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business selling bespoke microfiber mats to fit around curved and corner showers
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and baths while Steven had the business Acumen Carol did the designs and took on
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the role as kash's managing director a dramatic but exciting pivot from her previous career in adult
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education for all their hard work the backers always put family first Steven and Carol's relationship was
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described by those who knew them as perfect Steven was dedicated to his wife who he referred to as his driving
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force while Carol told others that her husband worked too hard she was never bitter about it Steven was a Content
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gentle and quiet man whose personal motto was there are no shortcuts in life it motivated him to work hard every day
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to proved for his family the couple's two adult children Ellie and Harry described their parents
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as loving and generous Ellie considered her mother to be her best friend and biggest supporter
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and the pair enjoyed mother daughter day's shopping and going to the spa Carol also doted on her young
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grandchildren buying them toys and taking them on walks at the time of their deaths the
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couple's hard work had almost paid off they'd been discussing downsizing into a bungalow traveling overseas and
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retiring to spend more time with their family carol looked forward to taking art classes while Steven was excited to
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play more golf news of their deaths came as a complete shock to their small close-knit
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community who viewed Carol and Steven as friendly and helpful people who were always there for
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others by all accounts the the backers were kind-hearted and selfless people with a lot to live for and exciting
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plans for the future together that made the news of their untimely deaths all the more
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devastating the mystery of how Carol and Steven Baxter had died persisted until the results of their postmodern blood
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tests came in in a Twist no one saw coming both Steven and Carol had died of a fentanyl
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overdose fentanyl is a drug that acts on the opioid receptors in the brain creating feelings of
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euphoria pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed legally for chronic pain relief as it's 80 to 100 times stronger
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than morphine but it is also illicitly manufactured and sold illegally usually as a lowcost additive to increase the
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potency of other illicit drugs like heroin in excess fentanyl can reduce and disrupt the user's breathing rate
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resulting in what is called respiratory depression drug induced respiratory depression is potentially fatal
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requiring specific medicines to reverse the drugs effects and restore breathing abilities without them the user can fall
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unconscious and die fentanyl is so powerful that just 2 Mig of the drug can cause overdose or
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death neither Steven nor Carol Baxter had a prescription for fentanyl or a history of taking illicit
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substances there were no injection marks on either of their bodies Carol's blood
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was also found to contain potentially fatal levels of Promethazine a sedating antihistamine used in many
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over-the-counter medications it was difficult to imagine a scenario where two individuals who
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were not prescribed fentanyl could accidentally overdose on the drug with that in mind investigations shifted
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into far more Sinister [Music] territory investigators considered whether the Baxter's deaths were the
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outcome of a suicide pact or a decision led by one onto the unsuspecting other the couple hadn't left behind notes or
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anything else to indicate why they would want to prematurely end their lives an acquaint of Stevens described him as
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being very happy into jovial in the week before his death yet Carol's Health had
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taken a sharp decline in recent years and was becoming increasingly harder to manage it was also discovered that by
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April 2023 Steven and Carol's business Cas spash was over £60,000 in debt and failing Cas spash also owed a further
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£18,000 to the owner of the warehouse from which the business operated the last time the couple was seen alive
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was on Friday April 7 a close family friend had dropped in at the backer home and left shortly before 8:00 p.m. at
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which time Carol was asleep and Steven Was preparing to make dinner Carol's pacemaker established
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that her heart had stopped beating the following day though it couldn't be ascertained when exactly Steven had died
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no one had heard from the couple in the leadup to their deaths and to nothing suspicious was noted in or around their
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home from any of their neighbors a security camera that filmed the front of the backer's property
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confirmed that no one had entered or exited the house on Saturday April 8th the next time the camera recorded a
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visitor was on Sunday April 9 when Ellie Baxter arrived and found her parents dead still investigators couldn't rule
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out the possibility that someone had snuck in through the back of the property bypassing the camera's line of
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sight a cursory examination of the backers house on the day their bodies were discovered failed to uncover
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anything significant as the investigation shifted towards Foul Play a more thorough search
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took place investigators located a wicker box that contained Carol's prescription
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medication lying flat at the bottom were four empty packets of Fentanyl patches these patches are typically
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prescribed to patients who have trouble swallowing the fentanyl inside the patch
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is in a gel form it accumulates in the skin below the patch before gradually entering the user's circulation
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providing pain relief for 72 hours the patches were a curious find given that neither Steven Carol nor
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anyone else in their immediate circle had a prescription for them their bodies didn't feature any
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markings indicating they'd applied the patches in the leadup to their deaths stranger still the evidence
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suggests that the couple had ingested the Fatal fentanyl doses orally it wasn't unusual for Fentanyl
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patches to be misused in this way people were known to cut them into pieces and suck on them While others removed the
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gel and let it dry into a powder that could be consumed in different ways given that fentanyl doesn't have a
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taste or smell it can be concealed in nasal sprays drops and small candies another method colloquially
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known as fentanyl infusion involved dissolving the drug in a cup of tea for a longer lasting
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effect it couldn't be ascertained what state the fentol was in when the backers ingested it such as powder or
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liquid none of the couple's cookware utensils or glassware contained traces of the drug and not even a single cup
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was out of place this raised the question of how the drug had been prepared served and
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consumed without any evidence being left behind the way the patches were positioned in Carol's medication box was
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also strange while the rest of the box was neatly arranged the patches stood out as
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loose First Responders had inspected the box when they were called to the house to determine if Carol's medication could
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be linked to the deaths they didn't see the Fentanyl patches at the time during a more thorough search of the
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Baxter's home an item was found in Carol's home office that hadn't been noticed the first
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time it was a printed document that featured uppercase text spread out over multiple dot
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points the top of the page read in the event of our deaths followed by the names Steven and Carol
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Baxter it was determined to be a ctisle a document that acts as a supplement to a final will in
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Testament it allows people to make changes to their will without the time consuming task of having to rewrite the
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entire original document although ctools are typically more common for hand written Wheels
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they're still considered useful to make small updates the backers cotur went on to
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explain what to do with their house and belongings as well as their desire to have their wake take place at the West
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Mery yach Club the document also addressed the couple's business explaining cazsplash is to continue
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trading in whichever way is planned our daughter Ellie Baxter is to be the 100% shareholder and complete
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owner there is no financial gain to this our dear friend Luke dwit is to be the director and person with significant
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control all business making decisions are down to him apart from an agreed and respected wage there is no financial
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gain to this when Ellie Becomes of the age of 30 the directorship is to be split 50/50
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between Ellie and Luke Ellie is to then become the person of significant control
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but cannot remove Luke of his directorship business decisions are to be made jointly between the
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two Grant of £60,000 from the estate of Steven and Carol baxer is to be given to
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the business to develop new ideas and continue the support of the business the document ended with the
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date of November 22 2022 almost 4 and A2 months before the baers died along with
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the line agreed by Steven and Carol the document was intriguing at no point did it refer to
00:28:24
the Baxter's existing will which had been approved and signed in in September 2021 in that will they'd left all their
00:28:32
money to their children the two they had together and two more Carol had from a previous
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relationship while the original will didn't include specific arrangements for the running of CPL it designated Carol's
00:28:46
sister and her husband as Executives of the business furthermore a csol has to follow formalities laid out in the wills
00:28:55
act 1837 yet Steven carols did not in fact the document fulfilled none of the required
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criteria neither Steven nor Carol had signed the codol and it didn't feature the necessary signatures of two
00:29:11
individual witnesses as such the document purporting to be a cotol was not legally
00:29:18
binding and therefore not a cotol at all in the words of Steven and Carol's solicitor who had drafted their original
00:29:27
will the the cotol had no logic to it he said the document is odd the wording is
00:29:35
odd it is not signed it is not laid out in a legal format and it doesn't read as
00:29:40
a legal document I haven't seen the document before Carol nor Steven had attempted to
00:29:47
change their will with my firm there's no record of anyone making contact in order to make changes to Wills
00:29:59
aside from Steven and Carol the cotol only named two other people one of whom was Ellie
00:30:05
Baxter Ellie admitted there had been arguments within her family about her parents will in recent times and the
00:30:12
cotol was along the lines of conversations she had with her parents prior to their
00:30:18
deaths text messages seemed to confirm this in one Carol told Ellie that cazsplash would quote be all yours at at
00:30:28
some point yet in the same messages Carol expressed frustration at how little interest Ellie had shown towards the
00:30:37
business over the past year Ellie had only worked 4 days and she often needed to borrow money from
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others Carol was concerned about her daughter's ability to manage finances and she sent her a message which read
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you don't look after money when you get it Ellie claimed that she was unaware that spash was in debt since her
00:31:00
parents' deaths she had been in contact with a solicitor named Martin Ellison who confirmed that he'd constructed the
00:31:07
codol and supported its authenticity the only other person mentioned in the document was a man
00:31:15
named Luke DeWit Steven and Carol had met Luke in 2014 after he responded to an ad seeking
00:31:23
help setting up a website for their business with the Masters in computer sence science and a reputation for being
00:31:29
honest and reliable Luke dwit was a worthy hire Luke was a lifelong resident of Mery where he lived with his parents
00:31:39
worked for the local Carnival and volunteered at a soup kitchen introverted and Mild mannered he
00:31:45
preferred playing simulation video games and attending comic book conventions over socializing with his peers or
00:31:52
climbing a corporate ladder he showed no outward interest in money or a culating wealth instead using
00:32:00
his passion for it to design and manage the websites of several local businesses
00:32:04
and Charities including the Lions Club who helped the less fortunate in the area although Luke was the type to sit
00:32:13
quietly in the corner during work meetings colleagues found him considerate and always willing to offer
00:32:19
his support he was very Community orientated well-liked and involved in lots of projects on the
00:32:26
island one colle said of Luke if you need help he is there he's the first person to say right what can I do he
00:32:35
lives to be involved where people need help Luke was introduced to the backers through a mutual friend before he was
00:32:46
taken on board as Cas splashers it consultant he was paid around £15 an hour for 2 days a week work in time he
00:32:55
became heavily involved and invested in the business Steven and Carol came to feel
00:33:01
that CPL was in good hands with Luke he was given access to emails and bank accounts and participated in discussions
00:33:08
to take things in a New Direction Carol financed a different training courses for Luke so that he
00:33:15
could further his skill set while at one stage Luke loaned Cas spash 15,000 to Foster its
00:33:23
growth when Luke's father passed away in 2021 after a long battle with cancer he
00:33:29
seemed to become incredibly lonely the backers took him under their wing including him in their family
00:33:36
dinners and other special occasions he paid back their kindness by becoming somewhat of a carer for Carol a
00:33:44
role which alleviated pressures off others and gave Luke purpose it was a privilege he took
00:33:51
seriously he was given the security code to the backers front gate as well as the
00:33:56
location of a key safe so he could check in on Carol at any time he began visiting their home daily
00:34:03
to help with chores and manage Carol's symptoms he administered her medication escorted her on her walks and took her
00:34:11
to the gym it was Luke who had done the research that led Carol to renowned endocrinologist Dr Andrea
00:34:20
Bowden the backers came to rely on Luke immensely he told others that he felt like their adopted
00:34:28
son when lukee confided in the couple that he had been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer they rallied around him he
00:34:36
was given the support and flexibility needed to attend all his chemotherapy appointments without fear of losing his
00:34:43
job when he came back from the hospital complaining of headaches and fatigue the
00:34:48
backers took care of him by April 2023 34-year-old Luke had been in the Baxter's life for 9 years
00:34:58
and was considered to be a part of the family therefore Luke's presence in the cotol wasn't all that unusual he had
00:35:06
earned Steven and Carol's trust and was a major part of cpl's day-to-day workings more so than anyone
00:35:16
else Ellie Baxter had known Luke dwit since she was a teenager and had come to view him like a brother if she asked to
00:35:24
borrow money from him he never said no over the years Luke had loaned Ellie over
00:35:32
£7,000 on the day that Ellie had discovered her parents lifeless bodies Luke was the first person that Ellie's
00:35:39
partner Marcus had called Luke only lived a short distance away and he'd rushed to the backers home
00:35:46
to find Ellie on the phone to Emergency Services frantically screaming their dead they're
00:35:53
dead Ellie had been so distraught that the operator on the other line couldn't understand
00:36:00
her Luke had taken over the call introducing himself as a friend of Steven and carols before calmly
00:36:08
explaining we've just turned up to the house we hadn't heard anything from anyone for about a day and a half we
00:36:14
came around and their daughter got here first got to their conservatory and they
00:36:19
were sitting in their armchairs not moving we smashed the window to get in but they're just cold
00:36:27
Luke said that Steven and Carol appeared to be beyond help he described Ellie as
00:36:33
being devastated and was overheard telling the others it could be gas or something when paramedics arrived Luke
00:36:43
gathered all of Carol's medication in a box for them to assess he also willingly provided a
00:36:49
comprehensive statement to police that was recorded on an officer's bodyw warn camera while Luke described himself as
00:36:57
Carol's closest friend he said Steven mostly kept to himself pondering the possible cause of
00:37:04
their deaths Luke told police about the medication Carol took for her thyroid condition
00:37:10
explaining unfortunately with Carol you don't know what she's taken sometimes she forgets and she can take it six or
00:37:18
seven times she doesn't know Luke said he'd visited the couple on Friday evening and had left at around
00:37:27
7 7:55 p.m. he locked the front door behind him and went straight home to watch television he didn't visit the backers
00:37:36
the next day because they'd wanted time to themselves instead he'd spent the day
00:37:41
going to the gym catching up with a friend and taking his mother out for ice cream that night he went out for dinner
00:37:48
with Ellie and Marcus although the lack of communication from the backers was making him uneasy Luke said he didn't
00:37:56
return to their house until Sunday when Marcus summoned him there the backers outdoor security
00:38:04
camera confirmed Luke's account having recorded him leaving the house at 7:55 p.m. on the
00:38:11
Friday with their time of death the termined to be between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday April 8 this made
00:38:18
him the last person to have seen Steven and Carol alive Luke's whereabouts for the
00:38:25
Saturday were checked and verified prompting investigators to view him as just a witness and not at all
00:38:32
[Music] suspicious but when the police spoke to the Baxter's neighbors they divulged
00:38:41
something odd Luke dwit had apparently asked if they had any CCTV footage that captured
00:38:48
the backer's house he said he wanted to see it because he was expecting a delivery at their address that hadn't
00:38:56
arrived this raised immediate suspicions for the police what if the real reason Luke wanted the footage was because
00:39:03
there was something on it that he didn't want anyone else to see meanwhile the pregnant Ellie Baxter
00:39:11
felt as though her insides were on fire the trauma of finding her parents' bodies had caused her to begin bleeding
00:39:18
heavily she feared she was having a miscarriage but a checkup confirmed her baby was
00:39:25
okay in the during weeks as the police continued their investigations into how the deaths occurred Ellie took Extra
00:39:33
Care to avoid stress to prevent harming her unborn child she set about organizing her
00:39:40
parents funeral with help from Luke DeWit who joined her as she spoke with the celebrant he helped pick out the flowers
00:39:48
and even looked after Ellie's other young son so she could attend anti-natal appointments according to Ellie Luke was
00:39:56
a tower of strength during those difficult times although she was grateful for his
00:40:03
support Ellie knew that the relationship between Luke and her parents had been fraught for all the good he did the
00:40:10
backers and their loved ones found Luke's oververt and controlling presence in their lives to be weird he made
00:40:17
excuses to visit their house daily sometimes arriving completely unannounced despite being told not
00:40:24
to they also questioned his work ethic despite the backers giving Luke the opportunity to grow and develop with
00:40:32
cazsplash he didn't seem interested in doing more than the basics Steven Baxter had been getting
00:40:39
particularly fed up with Luke and how upset he was making his already frail wife Steven sought advice from one of
00:40:47
the only people who knew the personal ins and outs of their family Dynamic and a chronologist Dr Andrea
00:40:54
Bowden in emails to Dr Bowden Steven wrote that Luke overstate his welcome took advantage of their hospitality and
00:41:03
played silly mind games with Carol he was always asking what Carol was doing and where she was going and sometimes
00:41:11
Carol felt Luke was following her while acknowledging that Carol really loved Luke Steven admitted that
00:41:19
the two men weren't as close and had a different relationship Steven told Dr Bowden that
00:41:25
they needed a break Dr Bowden responded I'm aware of Luke's faults but he does seem like a lovely lad I did
00:41:36
tell him to avoid you both for a few days to have some time away from him he has messaged me before to say he stays
00:41:43
with Carol sometimes to give you a rest so he clearly cares for you he is one reason you still have a wife he is
00:41:51
changing as a person and you have a newfound relationship prior to their deaths Steven and Carol had started distancing
00:42:00
themselves from Luke they asked Ellie to collect all their business passwords that were in
00:42:06
Luke's control because they intended to fire him they feared he'd react poorly and
00:42:13
shut down Cas spashes it Network destroying years of records and data even with police suspicion being
00:42:23
geared towards Luke dwit investigators were keeping an open mind the non-legal codol had also drawn
00:42:31
Reasonable Suspicion against Ellie Baxter police theorized that the two could have been plotting together to get
00:42:39
Steven and Carol out of the picture so they could benefit financially from their
00:42:44
deaths given that Ellie had been with her partner Marcus at the time the deaths occurred police also suspected
00:42:51
that he could be an accomplice in June 2023 two months after the deaths of Steven and Carol Baxter
00:43:01
police arrived at Ellie's front door and placed her under arrest for the murder of her
00:43:06
parents her partner Marcus and Luke dwit were also arrested Ellie who was 6 months pregnant
00:43:15
was distraught she firmly denied having any involvement in her parents' deaths insisting she didn't even know they died
00:43:23
as a result of a fentanyl overdose until police told her during her arrest interview after 6 hours of questioning
00:43:32
Ellie and Marcus were released from custody Luke dwit however remained behind unbeknownst to the trio police
00:43:42
had been doing multiple searches and had made some major discoveries at the time of his arrest
00:43:54
Luke dwit was in possession of a ruck sack that contained multiple opened and unopened Fentanyl
00:44:01
patches the patches had been prescribed to his late father during his battle with cancer 2 years
00:44:07
prior a search of Luke's Home turned up even more Fentanyl patches Luke explained he'd been going
00:44:15
through his dad's belongings very very slowly and had been collecting the patches whenever he found
00:44:21
them he claimed he intended to dispose of them at a pharmacy but hadn't gotten around to
00:44:28
yet the patches were compared to the ones found in Carol Baxter's medicine box and they all featured the same batch
00:44:36
number Luke's fingerprints were also found on the packets in Luke's Ru saac police also
00:44:43
found an abundance of feran and overthe counter antihistamine that contained promethazine the drug found in excessive
00:44:51
amounts in Carol Baxter's blood the fugan tablets had been crushed into a pow using a makeshift pesle and
00:44:58
mortar found amongst Luke's belongings Luke asserted that he had ground up the feran so he could mix the
00:45:05
powder with a cream to treat eczma investigators weren't convinced another bag was found at the
00:45:14
foot of Luke's bed which contained multiple empty pill capsules Luke insisted the bag wasn't
00:45:21
his he claimed he'd taken it from the cazsplash office implying it belonged to where either Steven or Carol
00:45:29
Baxter but with all this evidence coming to light police believed the most likely
00:45:34
explanation was that Luke had placed the crushed feran into the capsules creating
00:45:39
a potent and deadly pill that contained four times the therapeutic dose of Promethazine the bag found in Luke's
00:45:48
bedroom also contained dozens of metal nails they were a match to the one that had inexplicably been found in Carol
00:45:57
colon the year before her death it appeared that Luke had secured the nail inside a capsule and somehow
00:46:04
fed it to Carol a move that could have very well killed her police uncovered 80 electronic
00:46:15
devices belonging to Luke dwit including multiple mobile phones SmartWatches iPads laptops computers hard drives and
00:46:23
USB sticks some of the phone phones were unregistered and featured SIM cards that
00:46:29
enabled the user to buy telephone numbers from over 80 different countries these foreign numbers could
00:46:36
then be used to make calls and send texts as though they were coming from that country it took thousands of hours to
00:46:44
meticulously analyze the extensive data across all of Luke's digital devices investigators were astounded at
00:46:52
what they uncovered it turned out that Luke had created at least 20 online personas that
00:47:00
he'd been using to communicate with Steven Carol and Ellie Baxter over several years it was clear from the long
00:47:07
history of interactions on both WhatsApp and in emails that the Baxter family had
00:47:12
no idea that were actually messaging Luke thewit that entire time the first and most abhorent Persona
00:47:21
Luke had created was renowned endocrinologist Dr Andrea Bowden who used to exert complete control over
00:47:30
Carol characters such as Cheryl Harring Linder Edwards and mani Pantry had been created to verify Dr bowden's
00:47:38
credentials and to persuade and pressure Carol to follow her rules Dr bowden's instructions started
00:47:45
out innocuous enough like advising Carol not to overexert herself by doing house
00:47:51
workor but they gradually became more calculating with Luke acting as the Puppet Master Dr Bowden steered Carol
00:48:00
away from her GP family friends and support network when Carol started having doubts
00:48:07
about Dr bodden's treatment at one point Luke invented Dr Alan Mandel to get her
00:48:13
back on side Ellie Baxter had watched as her already fragile mother was severely
00:48:20
harmed by Dr burden's influence explaining mom felt so alone and lost and there was nothing I could do other
00:48:28
than give her my shoulder to cry on and cuddle her Ellie had encouraged Carol to go
00:48:35
back and see her GP but she'd refused in Ellie's words her mother was completely brainwashed by Dr
00:48:44
Bowden it didn't stop there Luke had also created friends and family of these fake women to further bolster his con
00:48:53
such as Jenny trencher the theater producer based in London Luke's online browsing history showed
00:49:00
that he'd once searched for instructions on how to change voice on a live call audio recordings found on his phone
00:49:08
captured him practicing a voice for Jenny seemingly in preparation for having to speak to Carol over the phone
00:49:14
while using the Jenny Persona hi Carol it's jelly it's Jenny hi Carol it's Jenny it's Cheryl's
00:49:24
sister yes oh so nice to find speak to you after all these messages we've been doing Ellie Baxter had formed a close
00:49:32
friendship with the Jenny trencher on the misguided belief that she could further her singing
00:49:37
career at one point the pair exchanged messages daily in which Ellie disclosed the difficulties her family were facing
00:49:45
regarding her parents' will all the while she was completely oblivious to the fact that she was actually passing
00:49:52
on this personal information to Luke DeWit when Carol and Steven died Ellie informed Jenny who replied in a message
00:50:03
oh no my darling sweetheart I'm so sorry Ellie continued to receive communication from the online identities
00:50:11
right up until Luke the wit's arrest at which point they stopped abruptly when she learned the truth
00:50:19
about who was behind the personas Ellie was beside herself Jenny was a trusted person she
00:50:26
said said I thought she was there to help I thought she was a real person for investigators Luke to Wit's
00:50:36
complex and devious Web of Lies was quote phenomenal it went beyond the online personas
00:50:45
too Luke didn't earn a computer science degree from the tertiary institution he claimed he'd also told the backers that
00:50:53
he'd been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer there were no records of this either the extent of Luke's deceit
00:51:02
wasn't just limited to the lies he told a search of his home also turned up items of jewelry belonging to Carol
00:51:10
Baxter that Luke had stolen from [Music] her while Luke used his online personas
00:51:20
to manipulate Carol he'd been equally persistent in real life he constantly pushed Carol to follow the doctor's
00:51:28
rules particularly when it came to drinking the health tonics they recommended over time he convinced
00:51:35
Steven and Carol to drink whatever concoctions he made them until they no longer questioned
00:51:41
it Carol came to refer to Luke as her mixologist who made all of her potions it was this behavior that led
00:51:50
investigators to conclude that Luke had been spiking Carol's Health tonics for 2
00:51:55
years this timing coincided with Carol's well-being taking a sharp and devastating turn for the
00:52:02
worse it wasn't Hashimoto's disease that was causing Carol's rapid mental and physical decline but
00:52:11
promethazine when taken in excess promethazine causes drowsiness agitation nervousness confusion disorientation
00:52:20
depression and delirium a detective who worked on the case said Carol's Behavior became erratic because
00:52:29
we now know she was being poisoned on a regular basis on one occasion Luke inconspicuously fed Carol the capsule
00:52:38
that contained the nail that was later uncovered in her colon what Carol endured was described
00:52:45
as nothing short of torture CCTV footage taken from the backers outdoor security camera
00:52:53
confirmed that Luke had arrived at their house at 102 a.m. on Friday April 7 2023 investigators believed this is when
00:53:02
he dipped several of his late father's Fentanyl patches into a so-called Health tonic before serving it to Steven and
00:53:10
Carol Luke then left but returned to the house at 400 p.m. he likely used this time to check
00:53:17
how the couple's overdose was progressing and to clean up the scene including whatever he had served the
00:53:24
fentanyl in shortly before leaving the premises that Night Luke transferred £6,000 from
00:53:31
the Baxter's personal bank account to the business account he handled which he labeled as
00:53:38
loan he also used Carol's phone to search for holidays to Disneyland later on he researched how to
00:53:46
delete footage from home security cameras police believed he was endeavoring to destroy the footage from
00:53:53
the backer house to cover his tracks police also discovered that Luke had downloaded a home surveillance
00:54:01
application on his phone that enabled him to watch a live video feed from the camera of another
00:54:07
device images were recovered from Luke's phone that showed Steven and Carol slumped in their armchairs in the
00:54:14
conservatory it appeared that he'd set up a camera in the conservatory and used the home surveillance application to
00:54:21
watch the couple die on his phone in real time this meant that as he'd gone about his
00:54:28
errands and social events on Saturday April 8th he was spying on the backers while they were
00:54:36
dying this added a Sinister overtone to the dinner he had treated Ellie and Marcus to that night the trio had
00:54:44
socialized happily with nothing about Luke's Behavior indicating that anything was out of the
00:54:51
ordinary when the bodies of Carol and Steven were discovered the next day Luke played the convincing role of a shocked
00:54:58
and concerned family friend even the police had no reason to doubt him at one stage Luke inconspicuously
00:55:08
slipped the used Fentanyl patches into Carol's medicine box likely in an attempt to bolster the theory that the
00:55:15
backer's deaths were the result of a murder suicide but at 6:54 a.m. the very next
00:55:23
day records showed he drafted the cotur on his phone making himself the beneficiary and inheritor of CAS
00:55:31
spash he then left a copy of the document in Carol's Home Office the cotur was supposedly crafted
00:55:39
by a solicitor named Martin Ellison but unsurprisingly he was found to be yet another one of Luke's fake
00:55:52
identities when Luke dwit was arrested he offered innocent excuses and explanations to the allegations leveled
00:55:59
against him he denied drugging and killing Steven and Carol baxer before receiving advice from a solicitor after
00:56:07
which he responded no comment to all questions Luke was ultimately charged with two counts of murder possession of
00:56:16
a Class A drug and theft in relation to Carol's jury Luke dwit pleaded not guilty before
00:56:24
his six week trial commenced in mid-February 2024 the defense endeavored to prove
00:56:31
that Luke played no part in the Baxter's deaths and eluded to a cover up at one stage they tried to implicate Ellie
00:56:39
Baxter explaining that she too stood to benefit financially from her parents' deaths they referenced a statement
00:56:46
provided by a neighbor of the baers who had reported hearing Carol and Steven having a heated aril with Ellie on the
00:56:53
evening of Saturday April 8 however Carol's pacemaker had registered no activity that night proving she was
00:57:01
already dead at the time this alleged argument occurred Ellie vehemently denied having
00:57:07
any involvement in the murders telling the court all I'm guilty of is loving my parents Luke dwit took the stand in his
00:57:18
own defense where he attempted to frame the deaths as a murder suicide perpetrated by Steven Baxter
00:57:26
he asserted that the health drinks he served to Steven and Carol were harmless and did not contain any drugs or
00:57:33
poisons he also claimed that Dr Andrea Bowden and the other online personas were actually Steven's
00:57:41
idea according to Luke Steven had instructed him to create the identities as a means of supporting Carol and to
00:57:48
give her someone to talk to the prosecution argued that at no point in the extensive Communications St
00:57:56
had with the identities did he show any indication that he knew Luke was behind them they asserted that Luke had
00:58:03
murdered the backers calmly cooly and in a way which had been entirely planned maybe for some
00:58:11
while the obvious motive was financial gain given that Luke had Insider knowledge of kash's finances he knew the
00:58:20
business had effectively ceased trading due to debt and had no means of repaying
00:58:26
the £5,000 he had loaned to Foster its growth the prosecution argued that Luke also received sadistic satisfaction from
00:58:36
the infliction of pain and suffering in the words of the prosecution Luke fooled
00:58:42
everyone he knew by portraying himself as an upstanding and kind member of the community when in reality he was one of
00:58:49
the most dangerous men that police had ever come across it was clear that Luke sought
00:58:56
control and deciding whether a person lives or dies is its ultimate form as far as the case detectives were
00:59:05
concerned it was Luke's arrogance that led to his downfall he didn't cover his tracks well
00:59:12
and was deluded into thinking that fentanyl could be used to kill two people without arousing
00:59:19
suspicion while the defense had called several witnesses to attest to Luke's good nature the prosecution told the
00:59:26
jury you may be tempted to be beguiled like others there are Legions of people that have fallen for his manipulation
00:59:34
and lies after 3 days of deliberation the jury unanimously found Luke to wit guilty of the murders of Steven and
00:59:44
Carol baxar Luke remained straight-faced when the verdict was read in his sentencing remarks the
00:59:53
presiding judge called Luke's actions cruel and senseless quote you ended Carol and Steven Baxter's lives and you
01:00:02
brought grief and misery to the lives of others especially their children you have given them years of pain and
01:00:11
Trauma for the murders of Carol and Steven Baxter I impose on you concurrent sentences of life imprisonment with a
01:00:19
fixed term of 37 years Luke dwit never offered any explanation as to why he turned against Steven and
01:00:31
Carol Baxter after years of friendship he wasn't found to have suffered from any Behavior altering
01:00:38
mental illnesses Ellie Baxter said she sensed a change in Luke after the death of his
01:00:44
father a case detective concluded ultimately the only person in this world who knows why he acted this
01:00:53
way is Luke the wit and he has proven time and time again to be a manipulator what we do know is the
01:01:01
significant sentence handed down is entirely fitting for the pathological liar that he
01:01:08
is given the way that Luke had been hoarding Fentanyl patches police believed he would have gone on to kill
01:01:15
again had he not been caught they have since been looking into the possibility that Luke could have
01:01:21
been involved in the deaths of his father and grandfather according to Steven and Carol's son
01:01:29
Harry his family were simply dolls in Luke dewit's dollhouse speaking of his mother's
01:01:35
heart-wrenching decline Harry said I feel great sadness looking back on the videos of her when she was acting
01:01:43
strangely and seeing Luke in the background giggling and smiling knowing he's the one inflicting this
01:01:50
pain he completely destroyed everything we held close to our hearts and every memory and future dream we could have
01:02:01
shared in the months after her parents' deaths Ellie Baxter gave birth to a healthy baby girl her parents absence
01:02:09
during this time was particularly painful Ellie later told the Daily Mail they never got to meet their baby
01:02:17
granddaughter I'm still young and there are so many times when I just want my mom it's one thing people passing but
01:02:26
for them to be taken like that there are no words really my parents had worked hard all
01:02:32
their lives and saved up and they were really looking forward to retiring and that got taken away by someone that they
01:02:40
cared for and trusted like a son Ellie has since reflected on her time with Luke dwit and recalls
01:02:48
instances during her pregnancy when he offered her energy drinks although Ellie only ever took a
01:02:55
sip the drinks gave her an adverse reaction and she became overly drowsy her health improved whenever she
01:03:03
took a break from seeing Luke and her issues disappeared entirely once he was arrested Ellie has been left with the
01:03:12
chilling realization that Luke might have been poisoning her too [Music] [Music]
01:03:55
for