EP. 229 - WISCONSIN - The Baraboo Bone Breaker
1/16/20261 hr 45 min
At first, police in Baraboo, Wisconsin, thought the 9-1-1 call was a prank. 13-year-old Thad Phillips claimed he had been kidnapped, tortured, and left for dead with shattered legs. This is the story of Joseph Clark, the Baraboo, they realized it wasn’t a joke at all: It was the most devious crime they had seen in their entire careers.
Thad’s feet were twisted backwards, his thighs swollen to the size of basketballs, and his body just hours from death. But, in spite of the pain, Thad told them everything: That his attacker was just 17. That he lo...
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsColin Browen· Host0:00
Warning. The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.
Courtney Shannon· Host0:11
Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
Colin Browen· Host0:18
This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:22
[dial tone] 911, what's your emergency?
Courtney Shannon· Host0:25
At first, police in Baraboo, Wisconsin thought the 911 call was a prank.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:30
I just got a call. Yeah. Said, "He's kidnapped. He's in a house on Highway U. Both his legs are broken and his ankle." Yeah, it better not be a joke. I'm sorry I got at you. He says, "No, no, just get me out here as soon as you can."
Courtney Shannon· Host0:41
But when they entered the home, where a 13-year-old boy claimed to have been held captive and tortured, they realized they had an unprecedented crime on their hands. Busting down the door to the home, they were immediately overwhelmed with the stench of rotting food, sweat, and mold. The air was simmering with the humidity of a Wisconsin summer night, so thick and unbearable that the officers found themselves choking on it. They were surrounded by mounds of trash, dirty dishes, and laundry, and they weren't sure exactly what they were going to find in it, but nothing, not even the 911 call itself, could have prepared them for the boy lying on the kitchen floor. 13-year-old Thad Phillips looked like a broken doll in the dim light.