Sword and scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences.

Listener discretion is advised.

I had believed at that time that the search had ended,

and I specifically said to the dispatcher,

I can't believe a 14-year-olds life would be that bad that he would kill himself.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 87 of Sword and Scale,

a show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.

There are places where you expect bad things to happen, an abandoned house, a back alley.

And there are some jobs where you expect to see the horrors of human nature, like a cop

or a forensic pathologist.

But life has a way of throwing the unpredictable at us, and we never know if today

will be our last day on Earth. This is the story of someone who clearly didn't see this day

coming, and the sad tale of circumstance surrounding it.

Danvers, Massachusetts in Essex County, previously known as Salem Village, where some of the

Salem Witch trials were conducted.

This town is made up of predominantly whites, population over 26,000, with either of the black

or Hispanic populations making up less than 1%.

This is Carolyn Quigley.

Is Quigley, what town do you live in?

I live in Danvers.

She's the mother of four.

Erin is 17, Emma is 15.

...