Casefile Extra: The Tunstall Family

*** Content warnings: Child victims*** On September 15 2006, detectives began investigating the sexual assault of 24-year-old Tiffany Hall from East St. Louis, Illinois. The assault had caused Tiffany to miscarry her 7-month old foetus. A week later, police received a tip-off that would break the case wide open, revealing unimaginable horrors that devastated a family and an entire community. Casefile Extra features bonus episodes exploring compelling cases, stories and topics beyond our regular weekly releases. --- Narration – Anonymous Host https://www.instagram.com/caseys.snaps/ Research & writing – Holly Boyd Production & music – Mike Migas http://mikemigas.com/ Music - Andrew D. B. Joslyn Audio editing – Anthony Telfer Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casefile-true-crime/id998568017?ign-itscg=30200S&ign-itsct=casefile_podcastsSpotify Premium https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9gSwcv7USsbPatreon https://www.patreon.com/casefileFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/casefile-archives-8-the-tunstall-family The Tunstall Family case was originally released as a premium episode in May 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  From journalist Olivia LaVoix, the creator of the hit investigative series The Bakersfield Three, comes the new Case File Presents series, Ada. In 2011, the body of a woman was discovered in a California vineyard. For more than a decade, she was known only as Jane Doe. Then detectives finally discovered her name. But identifying her was only the beginning. Listen to Ada wherever you get your podcasts.

• 0:34Speaker 01

  Soft, cushy, plush, cozy. Soft, smooth, buttery, marshmallow-y, warm. Soft. Socks, underwear, tees and more. Bombas. Everyday comfort worth obsessing over. Visit bombas.com/audio and use code AUDIO for 20% off your first purchase. That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash AUDIO. One purchase equals one donated, always.

• 1:04Speaker 02

  This message is brought to you by today's sponsor, Walden University. Set a course for change. Now is the time to make a real change in your life, career and community. At Walden University, we give you the support and flexibility to get the W. Walden's online programs are designed for working professionals like you. You'll gain hands-on skills to take on real-world challenges and succeed. Your future is waiting and Walden is here to help you achieve it. Take the first step to make your impact. Visit waldenu.edu. Walden University. Set a course for change. Certified to operate by CHEV.

• 1:43Speaker 00

  Today's episode was originally a premium-only release, meaning it was only available for our paying subscribers. Given that we never intended to keep premium episodes behind a permanent paywall, these remaining episodes are now being released to all listeners as part of our Case File Archives series to mark our 10-year anniversary. If you're interested in supporting the show, you can still find our subscriber channels on Patreon, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. However, please note that moving forward, we will no longer be producing premium-only episodes. Paid subscribers will continue to receive new Casefile episodes one week early and ad-free, as well as episodes of Behind the Files, where the Casefile team answers your

• 2:28Speaker 00

  questions and discusses the recent cases we have covered. As always, I'd like to offer a huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has listened and supported the show over the years, especially our Patreon and premium subscribers. We appreciate each and every one of you.

• 3:02Speaker 00

  Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.

• 3:28Speaker 00

  In the mid-2000s, there wasn't much that could shock first responders in the Illinois city of East St. Louis. The once-thriving industrial city had been hit hard by the Great Depression, after which it struggled to recover. From the 1950s onwards, the loss of industry and the declining economy prompted residents to flee East St. Louis in the tens of thousands. This led to a sharp decline in city services and employment opportunities. Many of the remaining citizens lived below the poverty line, with little assistance, and scraped to get by. Substance abuse and violence were ongoing issues, and the murder rate was more than 10 times the national average.

• 4:12Speaker 00

  On the edge of East St Louis is the Frank Holton State Park, a 1,000-acre expanse of woodland, fields and lakes. With wild deer roaming freely and ample fishing opportunities, the park is an urban escape where families can picnic and enjoy the outdoors. For many, it's a place where they can forget their hardships for a few hours.

• 4:37Speaker 00

  But on the afternoon of Friday, September 15, 2006, paramedics were called to the Frank Holton State Park after receiving a distressing 911 call. The park was just starting to get busy as they pulled up at the entrance at 5:30pm. The paramedics parked the ambulance and scanned their surroundings until they found what they were looking for. The young woman was standing still and holding something close to her chest. When they approached, she held out her arms and raised the bundle for them to see. It was a newborn baby, clearly deceased.

• 5:41Speaker 00

  The woman was taken to the hospital where detectives arrived to take her statement. She told them her name was Tiffany Hall and she was 24 years old. Tiffany said that earlier that day, she'd been at the home of a man named Tony. The two had only known each other for a few weeks, but they were getting to know one another. Then, without warning, Tony pinned Tiffany down and raped her. Tiffany explained that she was seven months pregnant and the trauma of the sexual assault caused her to prematurely go into labour. She gave birth, but the baby girl wasn't breathing. Tony cut the umbilical cord, bundled Tiffany and her stillborn baby into his car,

• 6:26Speaker 00

  and dumped them in Frank Holton State Park.

• 6:31Speaker 00

  The calm nature in which Tiffany recounted her ordeal indicated to the detectives that she was likely in shock. She didn't know Tony's last name and couldn't remember exactly where he lived, but she was able to provide the detectives with a general description of him, his car, and his house.

• 6:53Speaker 00

  Using the information she provided, the detectives tried to track Tony down. After four days with no success, they requested that Tiffany Hall join them to retrace the route she'd taken to get to Tony's house. Tiffany agreed. Riding in the police vehicle, she directed the detectives up and down several different streets, but after forty-five minutes, she still didn't recognise any of the houses.

• 7:22Speaker 00

  The detectives took Tiffany back to the station and urged her to remember any further detail she could about her ordeal. Tiffany insisted she didn't know anything more. She started to get defensive and shut down the questioning, asking if she needed a lawyer.

• 7:40Speaker 00

  This wasn't the first instance where Tiffany had been dismissive towards investigators. When she was taken to the hospital, she had also refused a rape kit.

• 7:51Speaker 00

  The detectives could understand why Tiffany was reluctant to assist them. At the age of fourteen, Tiffany was charged with domestic battery after she kicked her mother in the legs. She was given one year's probation but refused her mandatory drug tests, continued to skip school, and regularly stayed out past curfew. Consequently, she was sent to a juvenile detention facility for six months. By the age of seventeen, Tiffany had given birth to two daughters. The second was dropped on her head as a baby, resulting in irreversible brain damage. Child protection authorities became involved when they found evidence that Tiffany's youngest daughter had also been physically abused.

• 8:36Speaker 00

  Both of her children were taken into protective care but returned to Tiffany two years later.

• 8:43Speaker 00

  At the time she regained custody, Tiffany was under investigation for arson.

• 8:49Speaker 00

  Two fires had been started in her then-boyfriend's home, the second of which destroyed the house entirely. On both occasions, Tiffany had been the only one there.

• 9:02Speaker 00

  Five years had passed since then, but Tiffany Hall was still on the radar of local police. Just one week before she was attacked by Tony, police received a tip that she was neglecting her two daughters. On the afternoon of Friday, September fifteen, two thousand and six, officers had arrived at Tiffany's home to perform a welfare check on her children. The girls were there, being cared for by Tiffany's mother. Unbeknown to all of them, it was around this exact same time that Tiffany was being assaulted by Tony. The detectives decided not to press Tiffany for any further information for the time being. She requested to be left alone for at least one day.

• 9:47Speaker 00

  Tomorrow was her baby's funeral.

• 9:54Speaker 00

  The father of Tiffany's stillborn baby was her boyfriend Keith Horn, a navy sailor stationed nine hundred miles away in Norfolk, Virginia. The news that Tiffany had been assaulted and their baby had died as a result had left Keith heartbroken. He'd been granted a few days of shore leave to attend his daughter's funeral.

• 10:16Speaker 00

  Keith arrived at the funeral home on Thursday, September twenty-one. The service was scheduled to commence at midday, but as the clock ticked past twelve, nothing was happening, and Tiffany was nowhere to be seen.

• 10:32Speaker 00

  The funeral director approached Keith and told him that Tiffany was running a little late. She'd called a few minutes earlier to ask if the service could be rescheduled to another day, when more of her relatives would be able to attend. The director was unable to accommodate her request, but agreed to wait for Tiffany before commencing the service. Tiffany arrived about ninety minutes later. A short service was held for the baby, whom she and Keith had named Taylor. The coffin was then taken to the nearby cemetery for burial.

• 11:10Speaker 00

  Keith was still processing his grief as he and Tiffany walked away from their daughter's grave. Moments later, Tiffany turned to him with a revelation. She admitted that Keith was not the father of the baby. In fact, it wasn't even her baby.

• 11:33Speaker 00

  After receiving a frantic phone call from Keith Horn, police officers were dispatched to Tiffany Hall's weatherboard home on North 56th Street, where she lived with her mother and two daughters. They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The house had only one neighbour, about 15 feet to the right. The rest of the house was surrounded by a large expanse of trees, dense scrub and weeds. Based on the information Keith had given them, police commenced a search of the property.

• 12:07Speaker 00

  About 10 minutes later, an officer was searching behind the house when they came upon a disturbing sight. Lying amongst the thick bushes and weeds was the body of a young woman. She was wrapped in a shower curtain and damage to the surrounding foliage indicated that she'd been dragged there from Tiffany's house. Next to her body was a pair of scissors. The young woman had clearly been pregnant, but there was no baby. There was only a large gaping hole in her abdomen.

• 12:49Speaker 00

  Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.

• 12:58Speaker 00

  The holidays are always such a busy time of year, and between work, socialising and everything else going on, the last thing I want to be thinking about is what I'm going to make for dinner every night. With fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door and easy recipes to follow, Home Chef takes the stress out of dinner. There are more than 30 meals to choose from each week, with options for different tastes and dietary needs, including calorie-conscious and GLP-1-friendly meals. And there's something for every schedule. Whether you want a 30-minute meal, an oven-ready tray, or a quick microwave lunch, Home Chef has you covered. Olivia LaVoix from the Case File Presents series The Bakersfield 3 says Home Chef is

• 13:41Speaker 00

  one of her go-to options when life gets busy. She loves that it's convenient, uses quality ingredients, and lets her try new meals without spending hours planning. So this holiday season, give yourself one less thing to think about. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off and free shipping for your first box, plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.com/casfile. That's homechef.com/casfile for 50% off your first box and free dessert for life. Homechef.com/casfile. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

• 14:59Speaker 03

  When you're running a growing business, the right systems can unlock your full sales potential and make fulfilling every order effortless. Switch to ShipStation before peak season so you're prepped and ready before the rush hits. ShipStation connects Shopify, Amazon, TikTok Shop, and over 200 more marketplaces with one platform that does it all. You can manage orders, sync inventory, track returns, all automatically. Everything your operation needs, all in one place. Upgrade your shipping operations to stress-proof your biggest sales days and capture every bit of potential revenue. Go to shipstation.com and use code AUDIO and get 30 days free.

• 15:32Speaker 00

  Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case File to continue to deliver quality content.

• 15:49Speaker 00

  Tiffany Hall and Jamela Tunstall had been close friends since a young age. Although they weren't biologically related, they referred to each other affectionately as cousins. Like Tiffany, Jamela had a troubled upbringing and was considered a bit of a social outcast. She was a quiet and shy girl who didn't make friends easily. A car accident had left her with a large scar across her eye, which other children made fun of and called her ugly.

• 16:21Speaker 00

  Having been placed in foster care at a young age, all Jamela ever wanted was to be part of a stable, loving home. When she became pregnant at sixteen, being responsible for providing such a thing for her baby was a terrifying prospect for Jamela. But a month later, her best friend Tiffany had an announcement: she was pregnant too. Not only could they raise their children together, but this would be Tiffany's second child, so Jamela could benefit from Tiffany's experience.

• 16:54Speaker 00

  In June of 1999, Jamela gave birth to a little boy, and a few weeks after that, Tiffany welcomed her second daughter. The two supported one another, eating meals together, taking their children to the cinema, and babysitting for one another. Determined to give her child the best possible life, Jamela persevered through high school as a single mother. In the years that followed, she had two more children. She worked two jobs while attending college classes to become a photographer, and in time, she managed to put together enough money to buy a car and rent a small apartment.

• 17:35Speaker 00

  In early 2006, Jamela was delighted to discover that she was pregnant for the fourth time. She'd come a long way from the scared teenager she used to be, and although she had some ups and downs during her parenting journey, she'd worked hard to be a good mother. She had a job and an apartment and was in a loving, long-term relationship. She'd even built a good relationship with her own mother. When considering her fourth pregnancy, Jamela realised there was really only one thing reminiscent of her first: Tiffany Hall was pregnant again too.

• 18:17Speaker 00

  Tiffany and Jamela had remained close into adulthood, and even their mothers had become best friends. But while Jamela was dedicated to her children, Tiffany continued to spend most of her time with her friends and going to parties. Tiffany's two daughters were often cared for by their grandmother, while Tiffany sometimes stayed at Jamela's apartment for days at a time. Although Tiffany helped Jamela around the house during these days, Jamela sometimes got the feeling that Tiffany was just using her.

• 18:51Speaker 00

  By early September 2006, the two friends were both heavily pregnant when they got into an argument over the phone. After hanging up, Jamela decided she needed a break from their friendship. Tiffany called back immediately, but Jamela ignored the call. She didn't answer the next few times Tiffany called either. Whatever Tiffany wanted to say, Jamela didn't want to hear it.

• 19:20Speaker 00

  On September 21, after Tiffany and her boyfriend Keith buried their stillborn baby, Tiffany admitted that she'd never been pregnant at all.

• 19:31Speaker 00

  The baby they'd just buried was Jamela Tunstall's.

• 19:36Speaker 00

  Tiffany said she'd cut the baby from Jamela's womb before dumping her body in her backyard.

• 19:45Speaker 00

  When police found the body of 23-year-old Jamela Tunstall, the search for Tiffany Hall began immediately. Her image and a description of the car she was likely driving was released to news outlets as officers went to check Jamela's apartment in case Tiffany was hiding out there. Jamela lived only four miles away, so police arrived quickly on scene. They gained access to the apartment, but a quick scan revealed each room to be empty.

• 20:16Speaker 00

  Given that Tiffany lived with her mother Beverly, police also considered that Beverly might have somehow been involved with Jamela's murder. They tracked her down and told her that she was being questioned under suspicion of murder. Beverly appeared to be genuinely confused, saying she had no idea what the officers were talking about.

• 20:39Speaker 00

  When they told her that Jamela Tunstall had been killed and Tiffany was the prime suspect, Beverly was in shock. Jamela's mother and aunt were her dearest friends, and she considered Jamela to be like a daughter.

• 20:55Speaker 00

  Unable to comprehend the news, she said she had no idea where Tiffany could be hiding.

• 21:03Speaker 00

  It was evident to police that Beverly was telling the truth. The search for Tiffany continued, and a few hours later, she was traced to a housing project just a few streets away from Jamela's apartment. Tiffany was placed under arrest and taken into custody, where she began to talk.

• 21:24Speaker 00

  According to Tiffany, it all began when her boyfriend Keith Horn was stationed away as part of his naval duties. She didn't want him to go, so she concocted a plan to get him back, saying she was pregnant with his child.

• 21:40Speaker 00

  For months, Tiffany faked her own pregnancy alongside Jamela's real one. She bought baby clothes and toys and shared the news with her friends and family. However, Tiffany knew that at some point her ruse would be discovered unless she could somehow produce a baby. Tiffany confessed to the detectives that she had,

• 22:04Speaker 00

  "contemplated taking Jamela's unborn baby for quite some time."

• 22:10Speaker 00

  In early September, the pair had a falling out, at which point Jamela started ignoring Tiffany's calls. Around the same time, Tiffany started putting her plan into action. She bought rubbing alcohol, a pair of scissors, and a nasal aspirator, which she intended to use to clear the baby's airway after she cut the child from Jamela's womb.

• 22:37Speaker 00

  By Friday, September fifteen, Tiffany and Jamela were back on speaking terms. Tiffany had the house to herself, so she convinced Jamela to swing by. At some point during the visit, Tiffany grabbed a chair leg and used it to beat Jamela over the head twice. It was enough to incapacitate Jamela while Tiffany bound her hands and feet with duct tape.

• 23:03Speaker 00

  When Jamela struggled to free herself, Tiffany hit her over the head again, knocking her unconscious. Tiffany then dragged Jamela into the bathtub, where she used the scissors to remove Jamela's baby.

• 23:18Speaker 00

  Neither the baby nor Jamela survived the attack. Tiffany wrapped Jamela's body in the shower curtain, dragged her into the backyard, and dumped her among the bushes. She then took the baby and made her way to Frank Holton State Park, where she called for an ambulance. While she was out, Tiffany's mother and daughters returned home, unaware that Jamela's body lay hidden only yards away.

• 23:48Speaker 00

  While detectives were taking Tiffany's confession, the question arose: where were Jamela's three other children? Officers began interviewing members of the Tunstall family, and learned that on the day Jamela was killed, her kids had been staying with their father, Ivan Collins. While Ivan and Jamela were in a committed relationship, they lived separately and shared the care of their children.

• 24:17Speaker 00

  Jamela's eldest child was seven-year-old Damon, a kind-hearted and intelligent boy who loved superheroes and always let other kids play with his favorite little green ride-on tractor. Ivan Collins was not Damon's biological father, but he had quickly come to love Damon as his own.

• 24:37Speaker 00

  Ivan and Jamela's second son, Ivan Junior, was only a week away from his third birthday, and their daughter, Janella, was twenty-two months old.

• 24:49Speaker 00

  The couple had been looking forward to welcoming their fourth child in just two months' time. In fact, when police phoned Ivan to tell him about Jamela's murder, her baby shower had been scheduled to start in just a few hours.

• 25:05Speaker 00

  Ivan told the police that his children weren't with him. Four days prior, he'd answered a knock at his door. It was Tiffany Hall. She said that Jamela had sent her to pick up the kids. This was a common occurrence, so Ivan hadn't thought anything of it. He knew how close Jamela and Tiffany were, so he rounded up the children and watched as they happily went with their aunt Tiffany. Ivan told the police he hadn't seen or heard from them since.

• 25:48Speaker 00

  Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. This episode is sponsored by Vinted. We all hold on to things we know we're never going to wear again. I've got band t-shirts and hoodies tucked away in my wardrobe that no longer fit, and I know that some of them haven't seen the light of day in a very long time. It's a shame to have perfectly good clothes sitting there when someone else could get plenty of wear out of them, and if you can make a bit of extra money in the process, even better. Thankfully, there's an easy way to pass those clothes on. Vinted is a second-hand marketplace app that makes it easy to sell the clothes you no longer wear,

• 26:32Speaker 00

  find great deals, and give quality items a second life.

• 26:37Speaker 00

  All you need to do is add some photos, a description and a price. When something sells, Vinted creates a prepaid shipping label for you, so there's no complicated postage process. Plus, there are no seller fees, so you keep what you earn from every sale. Whether you're clearing out your wardrobe or making room for something new, Vinted makes it easy to turn those unworn clothes into extra cash. And, the app is free to download. Give your clothes a second life with Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start selling with no seller fees, so you keep everything you earn.

• 27:17Speaker 04

  Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie. When you use Angie for your home projects, you know all your jobs will be done well. Roof repair? Done well. Kitchen sink install? Done well. Deck upgrades? Done well. Electrical upgrade? Done well. Angie's been connecting homeowners with skilled pros for nearly 30 years, so we know the difference between done and done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at angie.com.

• 27:51Speaker 00

  Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Casefile to continue to deliver quality content.

• 28:10Speaker 00

  When the detectives interrogating Tiffany Hall about the murder of Jamela Tunstall and her unborn child were informed that Jamela's three children had last been seen in Tiffany's care, they changed the focus of their interview.

• 28:25Speaker 00

  They needed to know where the three children were as a matter of urgency. Tiffany refused to tell them anything.

• 28:33Speaker 00

  Officers were dispatched to Jamela's apartment to collect photographs of the three children. Missing person posters were quickly produced and the local news stations broadcast the details as police immediately began their search. Every inch of the land surrounding Tiffany Hall's house was scoured. Within a few short hours, the search had expanded to nearby Frank Holton State Park. Dozens of officers, firefighters, local volunteers, and sniffer dogs scoured the expansive wooded area on foot. Jamela's loved ones joined the search while mounted police surveyed the fields on horseback and police divers searched the lake.

• 29:17Speaker 00

  The Illinois State Police Captain told news outlets that the priority was to find the children alive. But, time was running out. A severe storm was approaching East St. Louis. Heavy rain and strong winds began to batter the park as lightning split the sky and thunder clapped overhead.

• 29:39Speaker 00

  By 3pm, a tornado was on its way and the police had no choice but to suspend the search.

• 29:47Speaker 00

  One of Jamela's cousins told the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "I'm praying that they are not out there, that they are with someone, and that person will return them."

• 30:00Speaker 00

  The search for Damon, Ivan Jr., and Janella recommenced at first light the following day, with the FBI also getting involved. More volunteers joined in, checking vacant houses in Tiffany's neighborhood and dumpsters all around the city. As the hours ticked by, concerned citizens of East St. Louis became more and more frantic, desperate for news that the children were safe and well. The state police chief held a press conference to reassure the public that they would not stop searching until the children had been found, stating, "These children are from East St. Louis, they know how to survive."

• 30:44Speaker 00

  Detectives continued to hound Tiffany Hall for information, but she refused to tell them anything about the children.

• 30:53Speaker 00

  That was, until 7 that evening, when she finally broke her silence.

• 31:02Speaker 00

  Officers had been to Jamela’s apartment the day prior to grab photos of their children, and had briefly looked inside the day before that when searching for Tiffany Hall. They had not seen the children or noticed anything unusual during either visit. But based on Tiffany’s latest revelation, officers re-entered the apartment for a third time. This time, they were immediately struck by a strong odour coming from the laundry. One officer lifted up the lid of the washing machine. Inside was the semi-naked body of seven-year-old Damon. Next to the washing machine was a dryer.

• 31:45Speaker 00

  They pulled open the door to find the naked bodies of two-year-old Ivan Junior and one-year-old Janella. Police officers wept openly as they lifted the children out and covered them in sheets. Many of the officers were so traumatised that they later needed counselling, with one being put on medical leave. Hundreds of onlookers gathered in the fresh night air to watch as the children were taken away. The people of East St Louis had seen more than their fair share of violence and tragedy. Yet, the murders of the three Tunstall children devastated the entire community.

• 32:27Speaker 00

  One local citizen told reporters: “These were our children. They didn’t even have a chance to live.” Tiffany Hall spared no details when giving police her confession. She admitted that days after murdering Jamela and her unborn child, she’d gone to Ivan Collins’ home to pick up Damon, Ivan Junior and Janella. At the time, Tiffany’s own daughters and mother were staying with a friend, so she took the Tunstall children back to her house. There, she gave each of them a dose of cough medicine to make them sleepy, before drowning

• 33:07Speaker 00

  them one by one in the bathtub, the same tub in which their mother and baby sister had been killed only days earlier. Tiffany said she then wrapped the three children up and carried them to her car. She drove the four miles to Jamela’s apartment and dumped their bodies in the washing machine and dryer.

• 33:29Speaker 00

  Autopsies on all three children, as well as on Jamela and her unborn baby, supported Tiffany's version of events.

• 33:38Speaker 00

  Jamela's post-mortem revealed she'd suffered blunt force trauma to the head, but died from blood loss. The medical examiner described Jamela's death as "very graphic and very brutal", and confirmed that her baby had not lived to take a first breath.

• 33:57Speaker 00

  Tiffany Hall was charged with the first-degree murders of Jamela Tunstall, Damon Tunstall, Ivan Tunstall Collins, and Janella Tunstall. She was also charged with the intentional homicide of Jamela's unborn baby.

• 34:14Speaker 00

  Tiffany was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. While the results revealed she suffered from some unresolved mental health issues and had a lower-than-average IQ, the conclusion was that she was fit to stand trial.

• 34:30Speaker 00

  In a blow for Jamela's family, Tiffany pleaded not guilty on all counts. In response, the state prosecutor announced that he would seek the death penalty.

• 34:44Speaker 00

  In relation to Jamela and her baby, Tiffany Hall had perpetrated what is known as a Caesarian kidnapping, or a fetal abduction. This type of crime is exceedingly rare, with Tiffany's case marking only the 12th recorded fetal abduction in US history. In each of the previous cases, the abductors were women who needed a newborn to pass off as their own. All had faked their own pregnancy, either entirely, or after miscarriage. Most had done so, at least in part, to manipulate their partners into remaining in a relationship.

• 35:24Speaker 00

  It was clear to law enforcement that Tiffany Hall had killed Jamela Tunstall to gain access to her baby. However, that didn't explain why she murdered Jamela's living children three days later. Tiffany never revealed her motive for killing the children, nor did she express remorse for any of her actions. She maintained her not guilty plea for nearly two years, until June 2008, when she changed her position just before her trial was scheduled to begin. In exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table, Tiffany pleaded guilty to all charges.

• 36:04Speaker 00

  For the first-degree murders of Jamela, Damon, Ivan Jr. and Janella, she was given four-life sentences without the possibility of parole. For the intentional homicide of Jamela's unborn baby, Tiffany received a concurrent sentence of 60 years. Jamela's family were satisfied with the outcome. One of her cousins commented: "I just think she should be in prison the rest of her life to think about what she did. God's gonna have the upper hand." Jamela's mother said: "I have to forgive her.

• 36:44Speaker 00

  I believe in putting justice in God's hands." Just over a month after her sentencing, Tiffany Hall claimed she'd been coerced into pleading guilty and filed a motion to withdraw her plea on all counts. Jamela's loved ones adamantly opposed the motion, with her aunt stating: "We want to heal. We thought everything was enclosure. I believe Tiffany did it, and we need to put this behind us. I love Tiffany as though she were my blood niece. I still love her. But Jamela can't speak, so I have to speak for her."

• 37:28Speaker 00

  Ivan Collins' mother told reporters: "Tiffany massacred a whole family. Before I would see that woman walk free, I will go to prison myself." Tiffany's motion to change her plea was denied.

• 37:47Speaker 00

  After the deaths of Jamela and her children, their loved ones faced another heartbreak. Neither Ivan Collins nor Jamela's family could afford the cost of a funeral. Word of this reached the people of East St. Louis and, within a matter of days, the community had raised thirty-five thousand dollars for the cause. More than seven hundred mourners gathered at the church to attend the service, with Tiffany's mother among them. The pastor told the congregation: “This is not a time for contemplation of revenge, but a time for healing.”

• 38:27Speaker 00

  He encouraged those in attendance to lean into their faith and to use the tragic deaths of Jamela and her kids as fuel for change.

• 38:37Speaker 00

  After the funeral, Ivan Collins sat beside the graves of his children in tears. He clutched two white teddy bears, but they provided no comfort. Ivan was consumed by guilt at having handed his children over to Tiffany Hall. He’d been plagued by nightmares every night since their bodies were discovered.

• 39:00Speaker 00

  It was too painful for Ivan to remain in East St. Louis. Shortly after the funeral, he relocated, but his guilt followed him across state lines. Every day was a struggle.

• 39:15Speaker 00

  Two years went by before he returned to East St. Louis. There was one last thing he needed to do. Ivan and Jamela’s stillborn baby had been buried under the name Taylor, as though she was the child of Tiffany Hall and Keith Horn.

• 39:34Speaker 00

  On Wednesday, October 8, 2008, the baby girl was exhumed and reburied alongside her real mother and siblings. After the funeral, Ivan told reporters: “It’s very tough. I am happy, though, that my family is all together.”

• 39:54Speaker 00

  Ivan found comfort in knowing that his daughter was finally buried under her real name. Before all of the tragedy that befell their family, Ivan and Jamela had chosen a name for their baby girl. Harmony.

• 40:38Speaker 03

  When you're running a growing business, the right systems can unlock your full sales potential and make fulfilling every order effortless. Switch to ShipStation before peak season so you're prepped and ready before the rush hits. ShipStation connects Shopify, Amazon, TikTok Shop and over 200 more marketplaces with one platform that does it all. You can manage orders, sync inventory, track returns, all automatically. Everything your operation needs, all in one place. Upgrade your shipping operations to stress-proof your biggest sales days and capture every bit of potential revenue. Go to shipstation.com and use code AUDIO and get 30 days free.