One soul-shattering entry from forensic detective Karen Smith's journals

Karen Smith has been a CrimeCon superstar at nearly every CrimeCon event since she first joined us at CC18 in Nashville. She’s an engaging speaker who can’t hide the emotion in her voice; she’s a forward-driving force that inspires those around her to action; and now she’s a podcaster.

In the podcast, based on the detailed journals she kept during her eleven years as a forensic detective in Jacksonville, Karen describes the stories of overlooked victims in a way that will tug at the hardest of hearts.

“These are the cases and the victims that have--” Karen pauses and takes a deep breath, as if to find the right word, and when she does, she emphasizes, “ haunted me. For years.” Indeed, episode one opens with a chilling description of a recurring nightmare that has plagued Karen since she arrived at the scene of a crime fifteen years ago.

The cases themselves are heartbreaking: a young woman who suffered a violent, prolonged, excruciating death; a promising young man gunned down in his family’s business behind what should have been bulletproof glass; a beloved retired cop murdered for money.

In Shattered Souls , Karen doesn’t shy away from the pain and emotion that forensic detectives feel while investigating these horrific crimes. In fact, while most investigators repress or deny those emotions, Karen embraces them and allows them to fuel her work. What results is a Golidlocks-esque balance of the victims’ stories, Karen’s often absurd or harrowing experience at crime scenes, and insight into the forensic process.

Throughout season one of Shattered Souls, Karen will tell the heartbreaking stories of six victims, the investigations, and the results of the cases. Karen graciously agreed to open her diaries and let us share an entry with CrimeCon readers:

Victim: Stacy Replogle

Date: February 2005

Stacy was murdered at a construction site in remote area of JAX. At a woodline. We had no idea how she got there, who she was, or who did it. Unidentified whodunnit = worst case scenario.

I got the call in the early morning hours of February. It was cold, raining. Arrived at scene to find evidence was being destroyed by weather. Since we could hardly reach her due to weather and mud, firefighters put me on the ladder and swung me over her body to photograph the scene. The ladder bounced and creaked. I was terrified.

Stacy’s body was discovered by a steamroller operator who called it in. Nobody had disturbed her body. Victim was lying on her back fully clothed with severe injuries to her head and neck. A small patch of hair had been pulled from her scalp. There was no evidence of sexual assault, but with such severed injuries, it doesn’t look like a one-off. Not the first time this guy has killed. Scares the fuck out of me.

Interesting about case: this is the first one that I’ve brought home. I had a nightmare about Stacy. Don’t know what that’s all about. I’ve worked lots of murders before but first time I’ve had this reaction. Sounds like almost everyone who worked it took it home.

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Today, fifteen years later, Karen says Stacy still visits her dreams on occasion. “It plagues me,” she says. “It’s the same dream, never changing.” She pauses and I can hear her choke back the lump that threatens to crack her voice. “And I never know when to expect it.”

Shattered Souls: A Forensic Detective's Diary is now available here or your favorite podcast platform.