Content warning: this episode contains detailed discussions of domestic violence, strangulation, gun violence, and intimate partner homicide.

In this week's episode of Cocoa Crimes, we tell the story of Mariah Samuels: a vibrant mother, athlete, and adventurer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who was known for lighting up every room she walked into. Mariah was a devoted mother of two sons who was her absolute world, but behind the warmth and life she poured into everything around her, she was navigating a dangerous situation that would force her to repeatedly reach out to law enforcement and the courts for protection. This episode is a deeply important conversation about intimate partner violence, institutional failure, and what happens when a woman does absolutely everything right and the systems designed to protect her still fall short.

This episode explores the murder of Samuel Johnson Jr., a kind and hardworking father from San Antonio, Texas, told through the lens of family dynamics, manipulation, and greed.

This week on Cocoa Crimes, we discuss the heartbreaking story of Iyana Sawyer, a 16-year-old girl with big dreams, a close-knit family, and secrets that would eventually unravel into one of the most disturbing cases to come out of Jacksonville.

This episode discusses grooming, manipulation, family betrayal, and the warning signs people sometimes miss until it’s too late.