In this powerful season finale, host Melanie Perkins McLaughlin takes listeners through an emotional journey, recounting her own experiences as a child advocate and revealing how survivors transform their trauma into a force for change. We hear directly from survivor and advocate Billy Giblin, whose story of resilience and advocacy sheds light on the lasting impact of abuse and the urgent need for legislative reform. Joined by attorney and policy expert Kathryn Robb, and Massachusetts State Senator Joan Lovely, we discuss the systemic issues that survivors face and the critical role of advocacy in healing and justice. Bob Hoatson from Road to Recovery shares resource and support.

Topics Covered

• Survivor Stories: Billy Giblin shares his path from trauma to advocacy, detailing the support networks that helped him regain control and speak out.
• Advocacy and Law: CSA Survivors, Attorney Kathryn Robb and Senator Joan Lovely talk about the importance of removing the statute of limitations (SOL) on child abuse cases, enabling survivors to seek justice on their terms.
• Systemic Reform: Learn about the proposed legislation in Massachusetts aimed at SOL reform, improved reporting laws, and survivor support.
• A Call to Action: Melanie calls on listeners to join the advocacy efforts by contacting legislators to push for child protection laws.

Key Guests

• Billy Giblin - Survivor and advocate, shares his personal journey and his fight for justice and legislative reform.
• Kathryn Robb - Attorney, policy expert, and survivor, she provides insight into the legal battles for child protection and SOL reform across the U.S.
• Senator Joan Lovely - Massachusetts State Senator and survivor, actively working on SOL reform and legislative support for survivors.

Action Items
Join the movement to end the statute of limitations on child abuse cases:

• Contact Massachusetts Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov or call 617-722-2500 support for ending the SOL on child abuse cases.
• Find Your Legislator: www.pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator. Reach out to your local representative and senator, urging them to support SOL reform.

Resources and Links

• Open Investigation Website
• Road to Recovery
• SNAP
• Children’s Justice Campaign / Enough Abuse / Kathryn Robb
• Senator Joan Lovely Legislation
• Follow Us on Social Media: Linktree
• Support the Show on Patreon: Exclusive content and bonus episodes available for subscribers.

Be sure to download and subscribe the show for notifications of our next open investigation. Open Investigation Season 2: Clergy Abuse in Merrimack Valley. We'll host an in-depth investigation into clergy abuse in Merrimack Valley. At least 15 priests were credibly accused of sexually abusing under privileged kids in Lawre

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Follow: @openinvestigation
Support: Patreon.com/OpenInvestigation
Based on the HBO Emmy award-winning documentary "Have You Seen Andy?" - haveyouseenandy.com | @haveyouseenandy

In this episode of Open Investigation, host Melanie Perkins McLaughlin continues the journey into the chilling connections between child disappearances, abuse, and organized crime networks. Episode 7, "Connections," unearths disturbing details surrounding the missing and murdered children of the 1970s, focusing on how individuals within criminal circles, including pedophiles and traffickers, formed complex networks to perpetuate child exploitation.

Witness Testimonies:
Several survivors from different institutions recall vivid memories of abuse, including the presence of cameras, gang assaults, and darkrooms.

The Bigger Picture:
Early signs that the disappearance of Andy Puglisi was part of a much larger, interconnected network of child abuse.Eric MacLeish and Ernie Allen shed light on how the abuse wasn't isolated incidents but part of a broader, organized effort with little law enforcement action.

Charles Pierce's Confession:
Pierce, a convicted child murderer, provided a deathbed confession detailing the murder of several children, including a boy from Lawrence, MA. His ties to known child trafficker Wayne Chapman are explored.Pierce’s dark connection with other notorious criminals, such as Nathaniel Bar Jonah and Wayne Chapman, suggests a coordinated abuse network within the Merrimack Valley.

The Merrimack Valley:

The episode explores how neighboring towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire became hotspots for child abduction and abuse.

Case Details:

• Charles Pierce: Pierce's disturbing confessions, his ties to Andy Puglisi’s case, and his link to other criminals like Wayne Chapman and Nathaniel Bar Jonah, suggest the existence of a secretive, organized network of child abusers.
• Nathaniel Bar Jonah: Known for cannibalistic practices and sexual assaults, Bar Jonah’s criminal history intertwines with Wayne Chapman, who impersonated police officers to lure children.
• Missing Children: A list of over 29 children from Massachusetts who went missing or were murdered in the 1970s, including cases that remain unsolved, highlights the deep tragedy and widespread exploitation during that period.

Call to Action:

Don’t miss the next episode, where Melanie Perkins McLaughlin will explore ways we can help prevent child exploitation and protect vulnerable children. Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to support the podcast. For more updates, visit [website] and follow us on social media.

Additional Links & Resources:

Boston Globe 8-part series from 1999 on Melanie’s search for Andy

Nathaniel Bar Jonah (Wikipedia)

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Follow: @openinvestigation
Support: Patreon.com/OpenInvestigation
Based on the HBO Emmy award-winning documentary "Have You Seen Andy?" - haveyouseenandy.com | @haveyouseenandy

Ep 6: Trauma and Memory - In this powerful episode of Open Investigation, host Melanie McLaughlin dives deep into the profound effects of trauma, memory, and survival. The episode covers stories of child survivors of clergy abuse and other forms of childhood trauma, exploring the way memories resurface and the mechanisms the mind employs to cope. Melanie shares her own journey and how her search for answers in the disappearance of her friend, Andy Puglisi, led her into the dark underworld of organized child trafficking and abuse networks.

This episode is dedicated to the families of missing and murdered children, honoring the survivors who continue to fight for justice.

Key Topics

1. Witness Testimonies: Melanie revisits heartbreaking testimonies, including those from a victim of Father Gallagher, detailing the normalization of abuse in their community. Witness X’s story provides harrowing accounts of childhood abuse and murder he claims to have witnessed, describing chilling details uncovered through therapy.
2. Investigative Journey: Melanie recounts the making of her HBO documentary Have You Seen Andy? and the life-altering revelations that surfaced after its release. As she balanced her roles as a mother and child advocate, Melanie faced new challenges and connections related to Andy’s disappearance.
3. Dissociative Amnesia and Trauma: Featuring insights from renowned trauma expert Dr. Judith Herman, Melanie discusses how trauma impacts memory recall. Survivors like Witness X and St. Mary’s Victim experienced dissociative amnesia, a coping mechanism that allows victims to disconnect from the trauma to survive.
4. Peter Haskell Investigation: After years of investigation, a surprising turn of events saw FBI agents combing through Haskell’s property after his death. This long-awaited response seemed to validate Witness X’s claims, with evidence including child mannequins, disturbing items, and videotapes.
5. Healing from Trauma: Dr. Judith Herman discusses the critical steps for trauma survivors to find healing. She emphasizes the importance of community acknowledgment, support networks, and taking personal action to reclaim safety and justice.

Key Quotes

• Melanie McLaughlin: “The healing is in the telling. I’m doing this for the children of CSA—those who survived and those who didn’t. I believe you, and I’m sorry for what happened to you.”
• Dr. Judith Herman: “If secrecy and denial are the tyrant's first line of defense, then public truth-telling must be the first act of a survivor's resistance. And recognizing the survivor's claim to justice must be the moral community's first act of solidarity.”

Resources

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Trauma and Recovery and Truth and Repair by Dr. Judith Herman
• Articles: New York Times - Dr. Judith Herman on Trauma
• Crime and Memory by Dr. Judith Herman
• Peter Haskell Georgetown Search Affidavit
• National Center for Missin

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Follow: @openinvestigation
Support: Patreon.com/OpenInvestigation
Based on the HBO Emmy award-winning documentary "Have You Seen Andy?" - haveyouseenandy.com | @haveyouseenandy