Show Notes
September 2018, 26-year-old Shawn Sinisi landed at the Pittsburgh Airport after a late-night flight from Arizona. No one was there to pick him up — he was alone with a simple suitcase of belongings, having been abruptly kicked out of one of the top drug rehab facilities in the country. He was supposed to be recovering from an addiction that had consumed most of his young life. Instead, he hit the streets to score then walked into a McDonald’s bathroom and dialed a friend to talk him through his misery while he shot a needle into his arm. She remembers his voice trailing off. The dope was laced with fentanyl. That night, Shawn became the first known and documented victim of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse to die.
Most of the last decade has been about accurately recognizing and dealing with sexual abuse — bringing it to light, and holding people accountable. What’s missing is treating those who are struggling with the effects. As a society, we talk about drug abuse and we talk about sexual abuse, but often those are in silos – separated from one another. Shawn’s story brings both together and highlights the complexities of this trauma and the system failures that are not being addressed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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When police saw what was left of Carol Ryan’s body, dumped in the driveway of a suburban compost site in September of 1996, they wondered what weapon could cause that level of devastation. The truth was grislier than anyone imagined, and the unsolved mystery of Carol’s murder has haunted Central New York for 27 years. From Syracuse.com, this six-part series outlines how Carol spent the hours leading up to her murder, how first responders bungled the crime scene, the challenges police have faced in trying to find her killer, and how DNA technology could break open the case any day. “Firecracker” is available exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Return to Maple Avenue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
And Josh said, "Mom, he's gone." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
"You told me yourself on Wednesday that he would die. He would not survive on the outside if he did not have the proper detox. And you yanked that from him, and now you're telling me you're just going to boot him out and send him back with no trauma help whatsoever?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the past, Shawn had been very careful to hide the gory details of his addiction from his family. But today is different. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices