Hey everyone, welcome to the show. You know,
it's just, it's hard to even grasp, right? Decades
passing, families holding on to hope, not knowing
the fate of their loved ones. And the truth is,
their loved ones are gone. Victims of this horrible
person who just seemed to disappear. It's chilling.
We're going deep today into Lisa Olson's book,
The Scientist and the Serial Killer. It's true
crime, yeah, but it's so much more than that.
Olson takes us into Dean Corll's horrific crimes
in 1970s Houston and the incredible efforts to
identify his victims even decades later. Yeah,
you really hit on something there. I mean, the
darkness of the story, it's undeniable. But what
struck me was Olson's ability to also illuminate
the dedication, the absolute commitment of these
individuals who refused to let these young lives
just... fade away. Right. And that's something
we loved about this book, like reading about
Sharon Derrick, this forensic anthropologist
and her team, how they just wouldn't give up
years, sometimes with just fragments of bone,
trying to bring answers to these families to
give them some kind of peace. It's powerful stuff.
It is. And it underscores just how crucial forensic
anthropology is. It's basically using skeletal
analysis to identify human remains, often in
legal cases. And in this case, it's well, it's
essential to understanding the scope of Coral's
crimes and giving a voice back to his victims.
Totally. And what's amazing is how. Olson shows
us the evolution of forensic science over time.
Derek and her team, they weren't just looking
at old bones. They were using cutting edge techniques,
things that could reveal details about a victim's
age, their health, even where they might have
lived. Right. Analyzing bone density, looking
at the chemical isotopes within the bones. These
were advancements that really pushed the investigation
forward. They were able to unlock stories that
had been buried for years. And that's huge. And
then there's this other layer to the book that
really got to us, which is this. societal context,
the Houston of that time, it's disturbing to
think that so many young men could vanish, especially
from marginalized communities, and it wouldn't
cause this massive uproar, this sustained police
investigation. Exactly. And that's a crucial
point. Olson doesn't shy away from that. She
forces us to confront this indifference, this
lack of attention, really. And it makes you think,
right, about whose disappearances matter, whose
stories get told. Yeah. It's like, these were
teenagers. often labeled as runaways yeah and
that label it almost made them invisible and
that's something that allowed corell to keep
doing what he was doing for so long it's a chilling
reminder of how societal biases can have these
These really devastating consequences. Absolutely.
And it makes you wonder, are there similar vulnerabilities
in our society today? Whose stories are we still
overlooking? Whose disappearances aren't getting
the attention they deserve? It's a question we
need to keep asking ourselves. You know, shifting
gears a bit, one thing that really impressed
us was Olson's ability to balance the science,
the really detailed forensic work, with the deeply
personal stories of the victims and their families.
Yeah, she does that incredibly well. You understand
the complexities of the identification process,
but it never feels cold or detached. It's always
rooted in the human impact, the emotional weight
of what these families went through. Right. You
get both the meticulous science and the raw grief,
the desperate need for answers. And what's interesting
is how the science, in a way, becomes this tool.
For reclaiming the identities of those who were
so brutally dehumanized. Exactly. It's like through
the science, their stories are finally being
told. Their voices are being heard. And that's
a powerful, powerful thing. Now, talking about
the difficult parts of the book, I'm trying to
be careful here not to spoil anything about the
specific crimes or the outcomes of individual
cases. But the sheer scale of this tragedy. It's
immense. It's hard to wrap your head around the
number of victims, the years that passed between
the murders and when some of them were finally
identified. The timeline is definitely a key
part of the story. Olson meticulously lays out
the years of silence. the dead ends, the slow,
painstaking progress in identifying these young
men. And it makes you realize, right, the immense
challenges investigators faced, especially before
DNA technology became widespread. And you feel
the agonizing uncertainty, the limbo that these
families were trapped in for so long. Yeah. And
even though Olson handles the details with respect,
the nature of Coral's crimes is... Well, it's
undeniably disturbing. It's a harsh reminder
of the capacity for evil that exists in the world
and the devastating ripple effects of violence.
Right. It's a heavy subject matter, no question.
But Olson doesn't sensationalize it. Her focus
is on the impact on the victims, on the efforts
to bring them home. And that's what makes it
so powerful, so important. It's a testament to
the gravity of these crimes and the importance
of uncovering the truth. So to sum it all up,
The Scientist and the Serial Killer is a powerful
book, a really important book. We're giving it
a 4 .5 out of 5. The meticulous research, the
way Olson tells the story, the focus on the fight
for justice. It's a read that stays with you.
It really does, and it leaves you thinking about
so many things. Societal vulnerabilities, the
power of forensic science, and that basic human
need for answers, even when faced with something
as horrific as this. Think about it. The dedication
of these investigators, these scientists, contrasted
with the initial indifference. It's a stark contrast.
And it tells us something about the long, difficult
road to justice. Couldn't have said it better
myself. So if you found this deep dive into the
scientist and the serial killer interesting,
hit that like button and subscribe. There's a
link to buy the book on Amazon down in the description
if you want to explore this story further. And
let's keep the conversation going. What resonated
with you the most? Share your thoughts in the
comments. We love hearing from you. Absolutely.
Thank you all so much for joining us today. We're
unpacking a tough, a really tough part of true
crime history here. But it's important to remember
these victims, to acknowledge their stories,
and to recognize the incredible work done to
bring them some measure of peace. Share this
deep dive with anyone you think might be interested
in true crime, in forensic science, or in the
ongoing pursuit of justice, even for those who
have been forgotten. It's a reminder, isn't it,
that even in the face of darkness, there are
people fighting for truth, for justice. And those
stories deserve to be told. They absolutely do.
Thanks again for being here with us today. We'll
see you next time for another deep dive. See
you then.