Case 215: The One-Man Crime Wave

DESCRIPTION
** Warning: This case involves a child victim **
On May 26 1978, four-year-old Eric Christgen suddenly disappeared while playing in a park in St Joseph, Missouri. The next day, his body was discovered near the Missouri River, sparking a manhunt like the small town had never seen before.
CREDITS
Narration - Anonymous Host
Research & writing - Jessica Forsayeth
Creative direction - Milly Raso
Production and music - Mike Migas
Music - Andrew D.B. Joslyn
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[@rhondamcewananderson3968]

Narration is so compelling!

[@wildgr33n]

ahhhhhhh yes gotta love it when the cops try to drug you to get you to talk to them without a lawyer.

[@jerrymarshall2095]

Go join a police force or shut up.

[@Y0uTubeCommentPoster]

@@jerrymarshall2095 Go lick a boot, you fascist fuckwit.

[@sheryldalton8965]

I'm glad that sheriff did twice as much time as Melvin.

[@blackkittens.]

Listened to Casefile 154 - Steven Stayner the other day. Brilliantly told. This channel is one of the very best ☆☆☆ Thx for the Saturday weekly uploads ♡

[@oneoflokis]

LOOKS like I need to subscribe! 🙂

[@texastea5686]

If I had to take my boss' kid with me to run an errand, I'd have that kid handcuffed to my hand.

[@VladRadu-tq1pg]

lol yep

[@kaywinder7773]

I love this channel but OMG when it's playing in the back ground and your home town is playing. I about fell out of my chair.

[@bartoszrejmoniak3175]

Poland loves Casefile

[@MR-pv7qg]

Agreed!!!

[@grottybt5006]

Post scientific proof lol

[@laurabuehler]

At first I was thinking, why was an 11-year-old allowed to go to the dentist on her own. Then I remembered, I was babysitting other people's children when I was 11.

[@dennish3962]

I was running the streets when I was 3. One time a stranger brought me home and lectured my mom. At seven I was almost abducted by a carny. Thinking back it seems insane that my mom let me run the neighborhood that young, but times were VERY different in the 70's . I NEVER let my son leave my site in today's world.

[@carolball5764]

I was babysitting my 4 younger siblings at the age of 9, by babysitting I mean I was made to take my siblings out to play , or anywhere else we happened upon , my father would force us out the house shouting , “don’t come back till dinner time “then after dinner, “don’t come back till tea time “. Over the years , I was was propositioned by many a dirty old/ young man.All the while I was being SA by my own father at home ..This was around late 1960’s onwards .. different times ..

[@missychan63]

I grew up in the '70s and I was riding my bicycle to the dentist in first grade, in a city with 75,000 people. We weren't New York but we weren't a tiny farming town by any means. My little sister and I would ride the bus down town on Saturdays, spend all day there and ride the bus home- we were 11 and seven and never once did we feel unsafe. Kids should be able to be kids. If adults want to kill each other then so be it but leave the kids alone! 💔

[@mollyhorse]

@@missychan63oh yeah… I am sure the paedophiles will read your comment and stop abducting children🙄! Do you not realise that they are sick and perverted and can’t control themselves? Lead therapy is the only option for children to be safe…

[@Jessamyn208]

I was 10 when I began babysitting our neighbor’s very young infant and toddler who we also went to church with and whose families had been well acquainted for generations. I often think about how different things were 30 years ago and while I was only two houses away from my mother who was always home while I was babysitting my little charges, and I was extraordinarily mature and responsible for my age, I still am blown away at the fact that anyone even considered me babysitting material at such a young age! I suppose the combination of my mother being close by, the responsible and old soul, as well as my eager and willingness to learn how to care for young children around me made them comfortable at that point that I was capable and knowledgeable enough to be left in charge, and in the event I felt like I was in over my head or uncomfortable they were confident I would be sure to call for help or communicate my concerns appropriately. In the defense of the family who hired me, I was a regular visitor at their home a few evenings a week so I could play with and learn how to care for little children and babies. I knew the family well enough I remember going for a walk with the kid’s Mother and Grandmother on my birthday that year as she was hoping a little exercise would make her go into labor soon because she was a bit past her due date and was ready to be done with pregnant life lol. I remember being hopeful that their son would be born before midnight so we would share the same birthday, but he was born ten days later which I also remember vividly. I absolutely loved babies and he was the smallest baby I had ever spent a lot of time around because I was the youngest in my family for a very long time and I jumped at the opportunity to be their Mama’s shadow and helper when they would get home from work. She probably wasn’t always in need of a shadow, but I am sure she was able to get a lot more housework accomplished the evenings I was there because I mentally took notes on how she cared for the boys and would gladly takeover feeding, changing, or entertaining the boys while she would cook dinner or do laundry etc. so maybe looking back she was not crazy to trust me to watch the boys in her absence, because she had personally taught me how to care for them the way she did so I was kind of a custom order babysitter in a way and I am grateful that she was always so patient and willing to let me spend time with them because when I babysat for other families later and even evolved into a daycare worker and private nanny while I was in nursing school…I am certain it was the skills she had taught me many years prior that made me overqualified and quite experienced compared to my competition. Then when I became a mother I was such a hovercraft I didn’t even leave my son overnight with my mother until the night before his first birthday and only then because I picked up an extra shift overnight and then had to shop, cook, and get everything ready for his party immediately when I was off work the next morning so it would all be done in time lol.

[@jerryoconnor4572]

Thank you Casefile.

[@dizzieblonde]

Another episode with great narration and presentation of the facts. Thanks Casefile!

[@HereticInTheHills]

It's wild because I read a book based on these crimes several years ago. It came to mind out if nowhere a few minutes ago and I find this episode.

[@actuallynotsteve]

Google is creepy with how much they can tell what you're going to be thinking

[@Aozziegamer99]

Such an apt title for Case 215. Man, for someone to have to fight the urge to kill is just beyond me.

[@user-hb5je1pl1v]

Chief Hayes should be imprisoned for manipulating the investigation and putting an innocent man in prison...happens WAY,WAY TO MUCH!!! Sick of hearing it over and over with these over zealous D.A.'S!!!!! Gets OLD!!!

[@cathybassett6432]

How is it that you're arrested over and over and your identity isn't checked?!!! Police chief Hayes should have been fired.

[@Aozziegamer99]

Thank you for the great listen. Unique case, enthralling and, dare I say, entertaining in a true crime way. It sets you apart from the rest. Well done.

[@donnawatmore5415]

just love to listen to all the cases that come up

[@albertawuensch3601]

Another very interesting case. Great told! I really like this channel a lot!

[@burrator8291]

I wish for Hell to be a real place thanks to men such as Charles Ray Hatcher…

[@VladRadu-tq1pg]

oh hell is very real don t you worry

[@danrobinson572]

This guy needed prison justice done to him immediately.

[@danrobinson572]

Just another awesome 👏 Saturday morning. Thanks 🙏 Casefile.

[@ChrisCre8tor]

* Saturday night

[@SarahM-jz5hx]

Thanks

[@danrobinson572]

@@SarahM-jz5hx welcome 🙏

[@rachellemoleski1938]

Absolutely Love your podcasts! Thank you! I have a suggestion for a podcast, don't know where to request this?

[@rachellemoleski1938]

My request is for a Podcast about the Watts' family murders. So sad, disturbing. In 2018, August, Chris Watts went from being a husband, a father, then murdered his pregnant wife, and his two girls...

[@cazc5200]

@@rachellemoleski1938 That story makes me so a angry.! The only story i have ever hesrd covered anywhere that hits me more is of Christain Ferguson.

[@CyndraMystic]

That plot twist at the end. Made me question what I know. No character is certain anymore.

[@belladonna5904]

He was just saying that to be manipulative. If you recall, he liked toying with people, knowing only he had the answers. I think it's obvious he alone was responsible and not guy with the intellectual disability.

[@belladonna5904]

The narrator is illustrating how short sighted Hayes was by believing Melvin was responsible merely by a two sentence line penned by convicted killer Hatcher. That was the whole point.

[@brandyjean7015]

@@belladonna5904 I agree. The player just had to play one more gullible person.

[@roadwarrior528]

He lied in that letter to mess with the m0r0n police detective. The physical description and awkward body motion was the evidence that he was indeed guilty.

[@CL-we8tn]

22:11 yeah cause you wouldn't want an innocent man to die of a heart attack while detectives are interrogating him.

[@sidstovell2177]

Thanks for the warning.

[@AngelXO96]

Im usually against the death penalty but man people like Charles are just the exception, dude even was a threat to prisoners

[@romystumpy1197]

I dont know how detectives restrain themselves from a bloody onslaught on the likes of hatcher,they probably didn't before recordings and cameras.

[@RED-cy7ig]

The court of public opinion sent an innocent man to prison. The guilty one used psychiatrists to get him free. The police chief believes the murderer. This story can't get any crazier.

[@jenmb2679]

Thanks for the warning.cannot stomach more child abuse videos. The youtuber i watch has about 250 episodes and almost all are about torture and abuse. Thats worse than murderers imo. Ive listened to so many videos it seems abusers are more common than killers

[@KathleenCalhoun-em6ys]

The investigators may have done a good job in following up on the leads and apprehending the guilty man, but they were also indirectly responsible for the death of that one innocent janitor.

[@triggerhappy8872]

Keep’m coming..

[@samw363]

Gonna be honest guys I love this podcast. But because of my old job crimes against children really trigger me. I can't listen to these episodes so when you do like 3 consecutive episodes about it in a row I have to go 3 weeks without a case files. Other than that love the show and much love.

[@SpicyTexan64]

They trigger you? We really are growing weaker by the day

[@romystumpy1197]

Hatcher was a bad to the core, How did his brothers turn out,they witnessed the death of the brother but dont think they all went on to commit atrocities.

[@hevtruthseeker]

Truth serum doesn’t work the way the movies portrayed it. 😂

[@wiebkescantick947]

I believe he killed himself because he could no longer control those around him. He had become as powerless as his victims and that's what he couldn't live with.

[@brendajstevens3719]

👏👏👏

[@icequeen9417]

Children would be a lot safer if the death penalty was imposed .

[@mollyhorse]

And if idiotic left leaning snowflakes didn’t pronounce them”cured” and well behaved and let them out of jail. It’s still happening nowadays.

[@BDBee81]

****YES**** Thanks *Team CF* >8-D

[@littleredsubmarine]

Not another crimes against children gauntlet 😢 can’t listen to them. Thank you for all your hard work though. I have been a subscriber on apple podcast app since the start x

[@ilewtf2234]

Based on the tittle i wondered if this was going to Be about Me, but Not this time. My spree was a bit lighthearted eventhough a ton of offences was committed, but if only murders make their way to most true crime podcasts i dont think that my story will Be heard soon. : (

[@belladonna5904]

Elaborate...

[@ilewtf2234]

@@belladonna5904 A life of crime i managed to turn around. The police was queted saying that im a one man crime wave, so i thought that what if im in for a treat. But perhaps some other time.

[@mausilw]

@@ilewtf2234 Right, sure.

[@ilewtf2234]

@@mausilw Just because you are a loser who cant get out of the house doesnt mean that everyone is.

[@howdareyouexist]

@@ilewtf2234 you are a 12 year old who plays minecraft

[@shadquirk607]

Honestly hard to fault a guy for exploiting a broken system. 'How do you stop a guy like that' With policing, durr.