Chelation Therapy (EDTA) infusions (this stopped after 8 infusions because the California Board of Pharmacy banned it from the State of California despite the fact that it’s the only recommended form of treatment by the CDC in the United States)
Replaced all teeth after chronic lead poisoning went untested and untreated for over 20 years and created Burton’s line
This is the Burton’s Line that showed up in 2019 around 15 years after leaving a toxic military base. Jennifer’s lead levels were 12x higher than what’s acceptable in the body. Jennifer experienced long term exposure to lead contaminated water and soil while stop lossed for four years at Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, also an EPA superfund site still under the supervision of multiple agencies.
“…The symptoms emerged one by one throughout the pages: stomach cramps, incessant headaches and extreme exhaustion. By the time [Mark] Jackson made it back to Melbourne, Florida, in April 2004, the former marathoner said he could barely walk up a flight of stairs.”
“Jackson filed for disability compensation for all his ailments but said he only got approved for the thyroid disease. He is among many veterans who say they are waiting for the government to recognize that their illnesses are related to military toxic exposure, advocates say.”
“A report released Wednesday found that sick veterans have waited an average of 31.4 years from when they first made contact with dangerous toxins on duty to when the government acknowledged they were exposed.”
“Most recently, in August 2022, lawmakers passed the PACT Act, which expanded benefits to millions of veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan and other toxic substances. Before then, advocates said it was challenging for veterans to prove their sickness was related to their service in order to receive disability compensation. ‘In both those instances, and for many other military toxic exposures, it took decades for the VA and Congress to finally act,’ Wednesday’s report said. ‘Some died before achieving justice.'”
“Veterans exposed on U.S. soil have had to wait even longer.”
“In one of the largest water contamination cases in U.S. history, up to 1 million people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 may have been exposed to a drinking water supply contaminated with chemicals that have been linked to severe health problems, including cancers and birth defects, federal health officials said.”
“The agency [VA] said it is conducting a scientific review to determine whether there is a relationship between toxic exposures and three conditions — acute leukemias, chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma outside of the head and neck — for service members who deployed to Uzbekistan and other locations.”
Two young women are shot and left for dead on a beach in Texas. After one miraculously survives, she is determined to find out who the attacker is. When a young man is eventually convicted, the long road to justice seems to be complete until a stunning twist raises a question – could the wrong man be in prison? Josh Mankiewicz reports. -Dateline NBC (June 7, 2019)
Trailer: When a dancer is murdered in her Virginia home, investigators are hopeful they can crack the case. But after interviewing a series of suspects, detectives realize the case is much more complicated than previously thought. Could an unexpected tip lead them to an unlikely person? -Dateline NBC (S27,E32)
On April 10, 2008, Navy sailor Chris Shortt discovered his step-daughter Meghan Landowski stabbed to death in their Portsmouth, Virginia home. Meghan was 16 years old and from the looks of the crime scene, there was a struggle; Meghan fought back. Investigators learned the killer used a knife from the family’s kitchen. They found it in a gutter down the street. The police didn’t know who committed the murder but they believed it was personal and Meghan knew her attacker. Chris and Angie Shortt believed Robert Hickey killed Meghan and they called NCIS at Naval Station Norfolk to let them know what happened. NCIS questioned Hickey. Robert Hickey was a military officer who was on his way to the rank of Captain when he was accused of sexual assault by Meghan. Robert was a close friend of the family and NCIS believe he groomed Meghan for a sexual relationship. Meghan said Rob began touching her when she was 14 and by age 15, Meghan was having a sexual relationship with a 30-year-old man.
The family supported Meghan as she pressed charges against Robert but they learned from civilian investigators that Hickey’s crimes amounted to a misdemeanor in Virginia; he would spend 12 months maximum in prison. But Robert Hickey was a Navy sailor and subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Navy was investigating and planning to prosecute the case. When NCIS questioned Robert Hickey about Meghan’s murder, he invoked his right to silence. NCIS considered Hickey a person of interest because he had a lot to gain if Meghan died. Meghan feared Hickey because he had a lot to lose. But Hickey’s DNA didn’t match the DNA collected at the crime scene and NCIS had no proof that Hickey committed the crime. Nonetheless, Hickey was given an other than honorable discharge from Navy. The police also suspected Meghan’s high school friend Donald because they dated in the past but the DNA didn’t match him either. At least 80 people volunteered DNA. Investigators sent the DNA for further testing to determine the geographic ancestry identity and learned the DNA belonged to an African American.
This changed the direction of the investigation and detectives began looking for African Americans in Meghan’s life. One person who became a person of interest was a counselor at Norfolk Naval Station but this individual wouldn’t cooperate with the investigation. Five months after Meghan’s murder, every lead dried up and fear was building in the community. Then a community member planned a memorial walk to help generate new leads. It was at this point someone came forward with Robert Barnes’ name. Investigators learned Meghan and Barnes were on the same bus and both participated in an exclusive arts program at school. Robert played the violin and was on his way to becoming a success story. Robert was described as a nice guy who blended in; he was fully committed to his violin music. A friend suspected Robert liked Meghan and when she asked him, he admitted it. Detectives went to the school to speak to Robert Lee Barnes and asked for a DNA sample. Eventually he acquiesced and gave investigators a used piece of gum.
The DNA was tested and the crime scene investigators reported the DNA submitted by Robert Barnes actually belonged to a girl; the police needed to talk to Robert again. In this interview, Robert Barnes admitted he was in Meghan’s house on the day of the murder. He said he went to Meghan’s house and climbed through the window after no one answered the door. He said he walked into a crime in progress; the perpetrator was wearing a mask and holding Meghan at gun point. Robert said the masked man asked him to have sex with Meghan, asked him to stab Meghan, and cut him to leave his DNA at the scene. The police believed that Robert Barnes was making this all up and arrested him. Robert’s DNA matched the DNA at the crime scene. Given the mountain of evidence against him, Robert’s defense attorney asked for a plea deal. Robert Lee Barnes pleaded guilty to first degree murder, attempted rape, aggravated sexual battery, abduction, and statutory burglary. In return, Barnes will be eligible for early release from prison in 42 years. Meghan’s parents were relieved there would be no trial.
This was indeed a very touching Dateline. Vietnam veteran Jim Heintz learned inadvertently that he had a fathered a child in Vietnam. Jim’s daughter submitted a DNA sample to an ancestry registry and a few weeks later she learned she had a half-sister in Vietnam. As it would turn out, Jim did in fact have a brief affair with a Vietnamese woman who worked as a “house girl” for him. They were mostly friends and made a connection right before Jim left Vietnam, a place he vowed never to visit again. Jim didn’t hesitate to connect with his new found daughter. He had fond feelings for her mother and it was obvious that he had great respect for her. He still had pictures of her in his collection of photographs taken in Vietnam. She never told him that she fathered his child; the first time he learned of it was from his daughter. He went to Vietnam with his second wife to meet his Vietnamese daughter and her family. She had done well for herself despite facing criticism from fellow Vietnamese that she was a ‘half breed’ in her own country.
Jim’s daughter Lynn wanted to join him in the United States. It was important to her to be with the only living parent she had. Lynn’s mom passed away a few years after meeting Jim and having their daughter. Jim’s daughter was orphaned when she was seven years old. It took them a while to work out the immigration issues but eventually Jim’s daughter, her husband, and his granddaughter moved to the USA. They all are appreciating the precious time they have together. Jim’s love for his daughter and her love for him is genuine and was one of the happiest ‘Father’s Day’ endings a dad could have. Amerasians Without Borders (AWB) is a non-profit in Washington state and they assist with the reunification of US service members and children in Vietnam. They also submit DNA samples to various DNA ancestry sites to assist with the reunification process. In the course of this programming, we learned that Congress passed a law ‘American Homecoming Act’ allowing Vietnamese children fathered by American GIs to come to America legally so they can reunite with their family.
The American Homecoming Act or Amerasian Homecoming Act, was an Act of Congress giving preferential immigration status to children in Vietnam born of U.S. fathers. The American Homecoming Act was written in 1987, passed in 1988, and implemented in 1989.[1] The act increased Vietnamese Amerasian immigration to the U.S. because it allowed applicants to establish mixed race identity by appearance alone. –Wikipedia
If you or someone you know wants to find a child that may have been fathered in Vietnam, you are encouraged to contact AWB and submit a DNA sample with ancestry sites.
Editor’s Note: You can watch the full episode of Dateline for a limited time on the NBC app. Download the app and binge on the last couple years of programming.
Keith Morrison follows a cold case for nearly 10 years, as a father in Hawaii fights to bring his daughter’s killer to justice despite one setback after another. -Dateline NBC
Sandra Galas
On June 15, 2018, Dateline premiered ‘The Other Side of Paradise’ on NBC. It’s the true crime story of Sandra Galas and her father’s quest for cold case justice. Air Force retiree Larry Mendonca’s daughter Sandra was found strangled to death in her car in the garage of her home on January 25, 2006 in ‘Ele’ele, Hawaii. The case went unsolved for years and if not for the efforts of her father Larry, the case may never have been solved. For years, Sandra’s estranged husband Darren Galas was the prime suspect. Darren had a history of domestic violence and it was rumored that he was angry Sandra was dating someone new. It wasn’t until 2012, investigators were able to pin Darren to the crime with the use of new forensic techniques, specifically touch DNA from evidence at the scene of the crime was a match to Darren Galas. In January 2018, twelve years after the murder, Darren Galas entered a no contest plea in court for a charge of first degree assault, a class B felony. The judge accepted his plea and he was found guilty. In March 2018, Galas was sentenced to a ten year open prison term for his connection to the crime, the maximum that could be imposed. Unfortunately, due to parental alienation, Sandra’s father Larry has no relationship with her two children. He claims Darren has brainwashed them to hate both their mother and her family.
Editor’s Note: You can watch the full episode of Dateline for a limited time on the NBC app. Download the app and binge on the last couple years of programming.
Darren Galas, 40 of Kalaheo was arrested for the 2006 murder of his estranged wife, Sandra Galas. -KHON2 News (2012)
A 2006 Kauai case has new witnesses and interviews. -KITV (2012)
The body of Sandra Galas was found in her garage in Eleele on Jan. 25, 2006. -KHON2 News (2018)
Kauai man Darren Galas has been sentenced in connection with his wife’s 2006 murder. -KHON2 News (2018)
Preview: A former marine, who once was the hero for a woman in an abusive marriage, is back on ‘Dateline.’ But this time, has his desire to help gone too far? -The Night of the New Moon, Dateline NBC
Trailer: A young Army medic based at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina goes missing. Police have a suspect, but can’t solve the case, until an unorthodox private investigator steps in to help. -Dateline NBC (S26,E17)
The cold case of missing US Army soldier Kelli Bordeaux was featured on Dateline ‘Deep in the Woods’ on NBC. Kelli was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina when she disappeared in 2012. The Army contacted the local Fayetteville Police Department and asked them to check on her in her off-base housing because she didn’t show up for work. She was considered Absent Without Leave (AWOL) which is an arrestable offense in the military. She was not located at her home and eventually considered a missing persons case. Her family, friends, and volunteers searched tirelessly for her around the Fayetteville area. Detectives continued their investigation while private investigator David Marshburn began conducting his own investigation. After a lengthy investigation by both the Fayetteville detectives and Marshburn, it was determined that she was murdered by Nick Holbert. Read more here.
Two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. These Deadly Women think they’ve committed the perfect murders when they “Hit and Run.” -Hit and Run, Deadly Women (S11, E6)
Dateline:
Preview: The death of a beloved Tennessee man is believed to be a suicide. But when a son questions his mother, he uncovers a dark family conspiracy. Keith Morrison reports. -Secrets in the Smoky Mountains, Dateline NBC (October 24, 2016)
Oxygen:
Preview: Robert McClancy was found dead in his home, but was it suicide triggered from his PTSD, did his best friend who found him turn out to be the one who killed him, or was it his seemingly loving wife behind it all? -Martha Ann McClancy, Snapped (S21, E2)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Preview: When shots ring out at a home in Saco, Maine, Rachel Owens is found shot in the head. Police launch a complex investigation that involves three states, all holding pieces to the puzzle. -The Intruder, Dateline NBC
On December 18, 2014, an intruder wearing a ski mask broke into a Saco, Maine home, went straight upstairs and shot Rachel Owens three times, once in the head. Rachel was still alive when paramedics arrived and she was quickly transported to the hospital. Initially, police suspected this was a home invasion and a shooter was still at large. They needed to inform Rachel’s husband Gregg Owens, who was a decorated veteran from the first Iraq war and a military contractor. The police contacted Gregg Owens in New Hampshire to inform him of what had occurred. Gregg didn’t appear to take the news well and was eager to get to his wife, but first the police wanted to question him. According to Gregg, Rachel was visiting their friends in Maine. He said she had been struggling with her health and needed a getaway. Gregg admitted to police that he worked in counter terrorism and was involved with sensitive security issues. He wondered if his job lead to his wife’s shooting. When the police asked Gregg where he was during the time of the shooting, he said he was at his house all night working on the computer. He also left his home a couple times to go to the store.
Rachel Owens was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a few days before she stabilized. She had a long road to recovery but she made it despite a bullet that remains in her head. Rachel said she was sleeping when the shooting started and doesn’t remember anything except a “Jamaican hat.” Police had few clues but they did have a footprint outside a window, a hair caught in between two glasses of a window pane, and some bullet casings. After combing the home for forensic evidence, the police theorized this was a targeted shooting and Rachel Owens was the intended victim. They weren’t sure what had happened and then they got a tip from a woman named Betsy in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin. This woman claimed she met Gregg Owens on a flight. They stayed in touch as friends for three years and then when Betsy got divorced, Gregg and Betsy started an intense love affair. Gregg told Betsy he was married and stayed in the marriage because his wife’s health was failing. Meanwhile, Gregg and Betsy dated for five years and Gregg even helped Betsy start her own business called Warrior Princess. Then Betsy discovered that her boyfriend Gregg lied to her when he told her he was going to Afghanistan. Gregg butt dialed her and she learned he wasn’t in Afghanistan, he was with his wife Rachel. Betsy called Gregg and confronted him but he denied it.
Betsy didn’t believe Gregg and told him she was done unless he got a divorce. She said Gregg didn’t take the news well and kept calling her insisting he was going to leave his wife. Once Betsy learned that Gregg’s wife was shot, she called him because she was concerned about him. He told Betsy that he believed someone was targeting people he loved. Greg asked Betsy to “go dark” meaning don’t talk to anyone because they were both “in danger.” Betsy was skeptical but wanted to be safe so she contacted her local police. The investigators in Wisconsin called investigators in Maine because they thought it was important they know that Gregg Owens had been living a double life. And after this revelation, it became clear to federal investigators that Betsy was the motive for the attempted murder. When Rachel and Gregg were due to leave the hospital together and go home, the police arrested Gregg because they were fearful he would finish her off. Gregg Owens was charged in federal court for crossing state lines to commit domestic violence. While imprisoned for his wife’s attempted murder, Gregg reached out to Betsy in the hopes they could continue their relationship after he got out of jail. Gregg professed his undying love for her and told her she was the one. Betsy didn’t believe him and knew that he was playing on her emotions, again.
About a year after the shooting, the court proceedings for Gregg Owens began. In a search of Gregg’s house, the police found a ski mask and bullets that matched the casings at the scene. The DNA recovered from the crime scene was also a match to Gregg. Prosecutors theorized that after Betsy learned the truth about Gregg’s marriage and gave him an ultimatum, Gregg decided he needed out of his marriage to Rachel. The defense illustrated to the courts that there was no identification of Gregg, Gregg’s e-mails appeared to be sent during the time in question, investigators never recovered the gun, and police also couldn’t put Gregg on the highway from New Hampshire to Maine. The defense said Gregg couldn’t have committed the crime and arrived back to Dunkin Donuts in New Hampshire when he did. The DNA was also explained away because Gregg had been to the home before. As it turns out, investigators discovered Gregg tampered with his computer time stamp so he could use it as part of his alibi. The jury wasn’t buying any of it and Gregg Owens was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Today, Betsy admits she feels embarrassed that she was connected to Gregg in any way considering her business was created to empower women. Rachel lives with her son and his family. And Gregg is sitting in federal prison appealing his conviction.
Source: ‘The Intruder’ Dateline NBC
In the News:
Police from New Hampshire and Maine are investigating a violent home invasion in a quiet Saco, Maine, neighborhood. -WMUR TV (December 18, 2014)
Police responded early Thursday morning to a home invasion on Hillview Avenue. -WMTW TV (December 18, 2014)
Rachel Owens and Steven Chabot were shot multiple times during a home invasion as Chabot’s Saco home. -WMTW TV (December 19, 2014)
Police have secured the home of a Londonderry woman who was shot and injured in Maine on Thursday. -WMUR TV (December 19, 2014)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it has made an arrest in connection with a home invasion and shooting in Saco last month. -WMTW TV (January 12, 2015)
A Londonderry man accused of shooting his wife in Maine feigned a heart attack when he was told his wife had been shot, according to court documents. -WMUR TV (January 15, 2015)
A Londonderry man was found guilty on charges connected to a home-invasion shooting in Saco, Maine, on Dec. 18, 2014. -WMUR TV (February 16, 2016)
Owens was found guilty of interstate domestic violence for a violent home invasion in Saco back in 2014. -WMTW TV (February 16, 2016)
An Army veteran convicted of trying to kill his wife and another person in Maine will spend the rest of his life in prison. -WMUR TV (July 12, 2016)
WMTW’s Katie Thompson reports live from Portland with reaction from Owens’ former wife and son about the judge’s ruling on a life sentence. -WMTW TV (July 12, 2016)
When the 19-year old wife of a Marine vanishes without a trace in the California desert, investigators launch a massive search. They soon uncover a secret love triangle and a mystery with multiple suspects. Andrea Canning reports. -Dateline NBC
Marine Corps spouse Erin Corwin, 19, was reported missing on June 29, 2014 by her husband who was stationed at Camp Pendleton near Twentynine Palms in California. After an extensive investigation and search, Erin’s body was found in an abandoned mine shaft on August 16th, 2014. During the investigation, authorities learned that Erin was having an affair with another Marine. This Marine was identified as Christopher Lee, 29, who was arrested in Alaska after Erin’s body was recovered from the mine shaft. Christopher admitted that he killed Erin but said it was because he became angry after she confessed to molesting his daughter.
The prosecution theorized he killed her to silence her and hide the pregnancy from his wife. He tricked her into believing that he was going to propose to her and instead he approached Erin from behind and strangled her for at least five minutes with a garrote made up of two pieces of rebar and a cord. After Lee was satisfied Erin was dead, he dragged her body to a mine shaft in the desert and pushed her in head first. Christopher Lee was found guilty of first-degree murder by civilian authorities and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Christopher Lee, U.S. Marine Corps, and Erin Corwin
Editor’s Note: You can watch the full episode of Dateline for a limited time on the NBC app. Download the app and binge on the last couple years of programming.
In the News:
Investigators are searching for the beautiful, pregnant wife of a U.S. marine corporal who was last seen over a week ago. 19-year-old Erin Corwin was reportedly last seen leaving her Twentynine Palms, CA home around 7 a.m. on June 28 to go to nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband of a year and a half Jonathan reported her missing the next day. Days after she disappeared, Erin’s mother Lore Heavilin found out that her daughter was about 3 months pregnant. -HLN (July 7, 2014)
An eyewitness spoke out Wednesday, describing the last time he saw the pregnant Marine wife who’s been missing for more than two weeks.Michael Beasley said he saw Erin Corwin get into a red car with another man and drive away. He added that it didn’t appear she was being forced into the car in any way.Corwin was last seen on June 28 leaving a home she shares with her husband, headed to Joshua Tree National Park. Her husband, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Corwin, reported her missing a day later when she never returned. -HLN (July 16, 2014)
According to a new search warrant affidavit released this week, homicide detectives now believe that — on the day she vanished — missing Marine wife Erin Corwin went on a day trip with a neighbor and ex-Marine whom she was romantically involved with. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
New police documents reveal Erin Corwin was having an affair with her married neighbor and told her friend the two were spending the day together when she went missing. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Erin Corwin was last seen leaving her home on June 28, and was reportedly heading to Joshua Tree National Park. -HLN (July 22, 2014)
Following the discovery of Erin Corwin’s remains, friends and family father to honor her memory and begin healing. -WATE 6 On Your Side (September 19, 2014)
Part 1: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 2: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
Part 3: Erin Corwin vanished after having a miscarriage and growing distant from her husband. She was allegedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance. -Crime Watch Daily (May 3, 2017)
48 Hours (CBS):
“48 Hours: NCIS” takes you inside the real-life investigation of a 19-year-old Marine wife who vanished in the desert. “The Marine’s Wife” uncovers the story of Erin Corwin and her disappearance. – CBS News (June 12, 2018)
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 