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In the fall of 1998, a tight-knit Florida neighborhood came together with a single mission: find missing eight-year-old Madelyn Clifton. Flyers covered telephone poles, search parties combed the streets, and worried neighbors opened their homes to help. A chilling truth was hiding in plain sight. The person who knew exactly what had happened to Maddie wasn't a stranger lurking in the shadows - it was a boy from just down the street.

Almost thirty years later, this case is still making headlines. In May 2026, Josh withdrew his resentencing application in a bid to work on and prove his rehabilitation after being incarcerated. Do you think Josh Phillips should ever be freed?

Read our blog for this case

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Timestamps:
(9:02) - Mackenzie / The crash
(29:20) - Matthew Hertgen Update
(34:13) - Sam Nelson
* Note - Timestamps may slightly vary due to dynamic ads

The AI tool ChatGPT is used by over 800 million people per week. In a recent poll, a majority of 13- to 17-year-olds said they use AI chatbots, with 28% saying they use them daily.

Sam Nelson (19) started using ChatGPT when he was in high school. He began initially using it for general questions and homework help.

Over time, it is alleged that Sam began to use the chatbot to get information about taking illicit drugs. In the early morning hours of May 31, 2025, Sam told the chatbot about drugs he had ingested and asked for help with the side effects that he was experiencing. ChatGPT’s last alleged message to Sam was “If you’re still nauseous after an hour, I can help troubleshoot further (Benadryl combo, timing, food intake, etc.). Just let me know your symptoms and how intense the nausea is right now.” Sam’s mother would find him dead in his bedroom hours later.

In May 2026, Sam’s parents filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. They allege wrongful death and the unauthorized practice of medicine. Sam’s family are asking for financial damages and for the court to pause the operation of ChatGPT Health.

In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss the case of Sam Nelson - did AI contribute to his death?

Read our blog for Sam - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2026/05/20/did-ai-contribute-to-the-death-of-sam-nelson/

In this episode, we also discuss the case of Mackenzie Shirilla, subject of the new Netflix documentary The Crash. We first covered this case on our podcast in 2023 and we will be re-releasing that episode this week. Be sure to check it out before listening to this episode for context!

Be sure to check the timestamps to get straight to the episode section that you want to listen to.

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Ohio teen Mackenzie Shirilla had been dating Dominic Russo for years and their relationship was described as tumultuous. A friend overheard an argument between the two in July 2022 where Mackenzie threatened to crash the car she was driving, with both of them in it.

A few weeks later, Mackenzie did exactly that. Early one morning, after a night of partying, she crashed her vehicle into a wall at 100mph. Dominic died along with a friend of the pair, Davion Flanagan. Mackenzie was injured and taken to hospital, where she recovered.

By October 2022, Mackenzie was well enough to dress up as a corpse for Halloween, despite just losing two of her closest friends.

Mackenzie was eventually arrested and her case has just gone to court. She was convicted and is currently serving a minimum of 15 years in prison.

This episode of the True Crime Society Podcast was first released in 2023. We are re-releasing the episode due to renewed interest in the case following the release of the Netflix documentary ‘The Crash’.

Be sure to check the timestamps if you want to get straight to the case:

TIMESTAMPS:
Mackenzie Shirilla - (6:04)
BTK Updates - (50:56)

Read our blogs for these cases - Mackenzie Shirilla & BTK Updates

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