Evil Stepmom Claims Boy, 5, Never Got Off School Bus

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime, News

3.9 • 7.6K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2024

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Friday, March 3rd: Pamela Turner waits for her stepson to get off the school bus. When Justin Turner doesn't, the stepmom calls the school.

The staff tells her that Justin was marked absent that day. The sheriff's office is called and deputies come to the Turner home. Justin Turner, 5, has been missing for hours.

The search for Justin Turner includes multiple agencies and volunteers from the area. For two days, WCBD News video cameras follow the searches. Video shows volunteers side-by-side with police and sheriff's deputies, walking nearly shoulder to shoulder through fields, checking under back decks and sheds.

The Channel 2 cameraman is filming as Victor Turner goes into a camper on their property, and quickly comes back out saying, "My son's in there."

The body of Justin Turner is found hidden inside a cabinet in the pickup truck camper, parked close to the family home. An autopsy and forensic analysis are done on the 5-year-old, and investigators determine that the boy had been placed inside the camper shortly after his strangulation death. A forensic pathologist report indicates the boy died a short time after eating his last meal.

The Berkeley County Sheriff at the time, M.C. Cannon says accidental death is ruled out. The coroner's autopsy report reveals the boy was sexually assaulted with some kind of cylindrical object, and strangled to death. The case is officially ruled a homicide.

Joining Nancy Grace Today:

Amy Parsons - Cousin of Justin Turner; FB: Justice for Justin Lee Turner
James Shelnutt – Attorney – The Shelnutt Law Firm, P.C.; 27-year Atlanta Metro Area Major Case Detective and Former S.W.A.T. Officer; X: @ShelnuttLawFirm
Dr. John Delatorre – Licensed Psychologist and Mediator (specializing in forensic psychology); Psychological Consultant to Project Absentis: a nonprofit organization that searches for missing persons; X, IG, and TikTok – @drjohndelatorre
Dr. Kenny Kinsey- Kenny Kinsey & Associates LLC, Forensic Expert in Murdaugh murder trial; Orangeburg County Chief Deputy, Crime Scene Reconstruction Expert, and Former SLED Special Agent; X: @DrKennethKinsey
Dr. Michelle Dupre– Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & “Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide”, Ret. Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department
Nick Reagan - WCSC Journalist and Morning Breaking News Anchor; X Twitter: @NickReagan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
0:08.0	A dad literally bent over in half sobbing, wailing in grief at the discovery of his five-year-old son dead.
0:27.4	Just crying out loud, tears running down his face, wailing in grief? Or was he? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Crime
0:46.3	Stories and on Series XM 111. First of all, take a listen to this.
0:52.4	A local TV crew is on hand on Sunday First of all, take a listen to this.
0:52.8	A local TV crew is on hand on Sunday March 5th as law enforcement and volunteers gathered a
0:57.4	search for five-year-old Justin Turner.
0:59.6	A cameraman from W.C.B.D. Films as Justin Turner's father Victor looks into a pickup truck
1:05.2	camper on the property. The camper has been searched before to no avail, but this time
1:10.3	Victor Turner leans into the camper on one knee, looks into one specific place, and the
1:16.0	search is over.
1:17.0	My son's in there.
1:19.0	No camera, no camera.
1:20.4	What did he at?
1:21.4	What did he at?
1:22.4	What is the end of the year. According to Sheriff Duane Lewis, Victor Turner doesn't check for a pulse or signs of life.
1:29.0	He doesn't touch his son at all.
1:31.0	The horrible moment, a five-year-old little boy is found dead.
1:37.6	He's found dead in a camper, and the first search of the camper reveals nothing, but we're learning more.
1:46.0	Take a listen to Sheriff Duane Lewis with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department.
1:51.0	Justin Turner was reported missing on March 3rd at 3.12 PM from his home here in Berkeley County. Deputies arrived. James Gather, first deputy on the scene,
2:09.3	requested assistance and got help from other deputies and members of the rescue squad,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.