Murderous Roots with Denise & Zelda Murderous Roots

In Part 2 covering Jeffrey Dahmer, we go deep into the stories of his family history from immigrant origins to broken families. Not only did we find a history of mental illness in his family, but we also discovered that Jeffrey had some famous cousins.

By the evening of July 23, 1991, the evening news in Milwaukee came out regarding the arrest of a man, the night before, with various body parts found in his apartment. Soon, the world would read in horror of the atrocities committed by Jeffrey Dahmer, soon coined “The Milwaukee Cannibal.” Each day after his arrest more details would emerge of his monstrous crimes.

In Part 1, with their guest, Mira Manni, Denise and Zelda discuss all the events that would lead to Dahmer’s arrest and what happened once he went to prison. Then, they discuss what happened next with his mother and father. Over the years, Dahmer’s mother has been demonized, but is it really all that simple?

Come back next week for Part 2 when we go deep into his family tree, a tree filled with secrets and surprises.

After being gone for several months, Murderous Roots is returning! The lives of Denise and Zelda got hectic. This is particularly true for Denise who not only researches the trees but also produces the podcast. Both Denise and Zelda have missed sharing stories about the lives and family histories of their subjects. They hope you join them as they kick things off again next week!

Julie Dixon Jaxson, genetic genealogist and host of CutOff Genes, joins us to share a shocking story she discovered while researching her family tree. This story takes place on the gold fields in Victoria, Australia and appeared in The Bendigo Advertiser on 1 April 1861. Listen to learn what happened to her distant aunt and uncle. It’s a shocking tale of murder.

In Part 2 of Georgia Tann, Julie Dixon Jackson, from CutOff Genes, Zelda, and Denise continue their conversation about the corrupt head of the Tennessee Children’s Home in Memphis, Tennessee. They explore Georgia’s family tree continuing with their conversation about Tann’s mother Beulah Yates, learning about a murder in the family lines and what happened with her partner Ann and their children.

For close to thirty years, Georgia Tann helped families adopt babies. But the truth was much darker. As the person in charge of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis, Tennessee, Georgia used her position to adopt out children to families outside of Tennessee. In doing so, she was able to “sell” the babies and line her pockets. Due to demand, she often stole babies from poor and struggling families.Adoptee rights advocate, Julie Dixon Jackson, from the podcast Cut Off Genes, joins us as we discuss the horrific deeds of Ms. Tann. Then we begin exploring her family tree starting with her father, a judge in charge of adoptions. We’ll be back in two weeks with Part 2.