This podcast details true crime cases.

It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children.

Listener discretion is advised. Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime. This is part two-part episode, so if you haven't yet

listened to episode 270, you'll want to start there. For those of you who have come back for

part two, thank you.

When we last left off, we learned that 32-year-old Barbara Screlova was posing as the adopted

12-year-old daughter of Clara Morova.

Barbara, who was going by the name Anika or Anna at this time had succeeded in

manipulating Clara and her sister Katarina into locking up Clara's two young

sons holding them prisoner in their own home, and then carrying out a series of

escalating forms of deprivation, torture, and abuse. It was only by a random stroke of luck

that the boy's plight was discovered and they were saved. I'll start

part two by giving you more details of the bizarre unfolding events in the Marova

home and then tell you the unbelievable tale of how Barbara Screlova almost escaped all responsibility

for her part in this horrendous abuse case. This is part two of the girl who cried orphan,

Barbara Screlova. The new father who had inadvertently witnessed a little boy without clothes dirty

dishevelled and alone in a small dark room like a caged animal on his baby

monitor was named Edward Trudy.

Trudy called the police to report the strange image he'd seen by chance on this video

monitor and just in case he lost the feed before they Trudy would not have been able to pick it up on his monitor.

They began knocking on doors and inquiring of the neighbors whether a small boy was present in their

...