This week, Dr. Shiloh & Dr. Scott review the Sandra Birchmore case and then examine the problem of sexual abuse in America Police Explorer programs. They look at sexual crime power bases, behavioral drift, how this is similar to the research on teacher-student sexual abuse and what can be done about it; before looking at two other high profrile cases.

This week the docs take a brief jaunt OUT of Los Angeles to the sunny and gorgeous sands of Hollywood’s Desert Playground - aka  Palm Springs. Although a year round destination for relaxation and glamour, there are dark aspects among the glittering sapphire pools of the Oasis of the Desert’s past. After all, a place with golden age ties to Hollywood is bound to have some sordid stories to tell - case in point: the tumultuous life of Tom Neal, a promising Hollywood actor in the late 1930s, groomed to be the next Clark Gable. Despite several attempts to reinvent himself over the years, his desperation and addiction led to business failures, scandal and a brutal murder.

This week the docs dive into the murky pool of "Body Language Experts" to discuss the explosion of self proclaimed subject matter experts on a field that lacks empirical evidence. The success of the 2009 American television series "Lie To Me" brought widespread attention to the dubious field of deception detection through body language, facial expressions, and micro-expressions, encouraging many people with both legitimate science, law enforcement and military backgrounds to present as experts:  Since 2009, the world has seen an explosion of body language experts writing books, charging exorbitant fees for speaking engagements and popping up as talking heads on info-tainment shows that have a nexus with true crime. But, is it a thing? Like a REAL thing? Join the docs for a review of the evidence for and against this emerging field.

Bullying in American schools from elementary education through the college years has gained a LOT of traction over the past few decades: attention that is much needed and very much delayed due to characteristics of a culture that has accepted these terrible behaviors. Mental health and risk assessment professionals have brought more light to this topic making difficult and complex conversations more likely to occur than in the past. From threatening and coercive behaviors to outright criminal acts, bullying has morphed into a hybrid set of actions that take place IRL AND in the digital world of e communication and social media.

Today we are covering a very misunderstood disorder and the very small space it has overlapped with the criminal justice system. We explain what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is NOT and review the many faces of OCD including Harm OCD, Pedophilia OCD, and Relationship OCD. We also get into some interesting cases in which defense teams' experts have tried to use OCD as an excuse for criminal behavior.

In this episode, the docs refer back to their original episode #28  on the phenomenon of shared delusion.  What do the Slenderman attack, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybed and Ruby Franke have in common? All of them exhibit significantly altered thinking and beliefs that unfortunately caused tragedy and trauma to the children in their path.