Lords of Death - Culpable - 'The Kid in the Cornfield'

Episode Date: September 9, 2025

17-year-old Danny Violette vanished in the fall of 1998. 11 days later, his body was found in a cornfield with signs of foul play. His case has gone unsolved for over 25 years, but some renewed intere...st could help unravel this mystery. Follow Culpable on our socials @CulpablePodcastVisit the website at ⁠culpablepodcast.com⁠For early access and ad-free listening, subscribe to Tenderfoot+ at ⁠https://tenderfoot.tv/plus To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:52 Free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Hey, Lords of Death listeners, it's me, Thrasher. I have an exciting announcement about one of my personal favorite true crime podcast. The hit Tenderfoot series, Culpable, is back with an all-new season that you don't want to miss. I've been a fan of Culpable since season one. And since then, I worked closely with host Dennis Cooper on my podcast, Lords of Death. In this newest installment of Culpable, Dennis investigates the suspicious death of 17-year-old.
Starting point is 00:01:30 Danny Violet, who went missing in the fall of 1998, and was later found in a cornfield with a ligged remark around his neck and an entire impression across his bare torso. More than 25 years later, Danny's case remains unsolved, but renewed interest has provided a rare look into years of investigative work and an opportunity to finally piece together this mystery. And now, here's the first episode of Season 4 of Culpable. culpable is released every Monday and brought to you absolutely free but for early binge access ad free listening and exclusive content subscribe to tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on apple podcasts the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the individuals
Starting point is 00:02:26 interviewed and participating in the show and do not represent those of those of of Tenderfoot TV. All individuals described or mentioned in the podcast should be considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law. This podcast contains subject matter, such as violence, drug use, and other graphic descriptions, which may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. So you see the Willard City Limit sign, right? Yeah. where it ends and then here's the field you guys want to get out and see what we can find I'm standing at the edge of a cornfield.
Starting point is 00:03:32 At least, that's what it used to be, some 25 years ago. Of course, things change with time. Right now, it's a barren wasteland. Nothing to be harvested here. Can you give me a hold it, boy? Yeah, take this. Okay, just to the edge? Yeah, what is the measurement?
Starting point is 00:03:53 21 and a half feet. As we get further from the road, The sound of roaring engines fade. It's quiet now. I can hear the weeds crunched beneath my feet, and the more stubborn ones latch on like Velcro, slowing momentum, but only briefly. How far away did it say from the shed?
Starting point is 00:04:14 It said 210 feet from the shad. I'm going another 100 feet. I'm going to be in the woods. If you weren't from around here, you'd probably wonder why we're walking this empty field, with industrial size measuring tape in hand. But any of the locals passing by should have an idea. You see, this area is far more significant than it appears.
Starting point is 00:04:40 All right, let's reel this up. We're in the spot. Many years ago, a farmer made a gruesome discovery right here within feet of where we're standing. May marks 26 years since 17-year-old Danny Violet went middle. His family still wants to know how he ended up dead in a Huron County cornfield. To this day, no one knows how Danny ended up dead in that cornfield, or who's responsible. They say the older the unsolved case, the less likely it'll ever be solved. People age, their memories fade, even evidence degrades over time. In other words, the odds are stacked against you.
Starting point is 00:05:26 But what if we could go back? to the moment it happened. We found Danny this afternoon, about 12.30. Every compound finding the field that found me. Danny has been very badly assaulted and been lost out there. Did you know anything say at all? Tell me then.
Starting point is 00:05:53 What if, for the first time, we could read the original police reports and see the crime scene. photos. Every time I would go to Huron County, I would say, hey, what about the kid in the cornfield? Nothing. So you've never seen those? Oh, look at that. What if after more than two decades, we could sift through the entire investigation, piece by piece. Maybe we could tip those odds. We have evidence. We have witnesses. We have suspects. So we have I have a lot of solvability fact that's it.
Starting point is 00:06:32 This case has remained a mystery for far too long. But sometimes, a fresh look can make all the difference. So did we have an idea of where all the broken stocks were then? 22 feet north of the body. Nobody knew of people to hang out here, though, right? We haven't heard that from anybody. But I still don't get. Why not in the woods?
Starting point is 00:06:54 Why in the field? Did you think the company would... We aren't the first people to wrestle with these questions, but you could say we're the latest in a long and drawn-out line. As I stood in that field, I wondered what it might take to get some answers all these years later. Now, I have a pretty good idea. It has taken time, a lot of it, in fact.
Starting point is 00:07:19 But I myself, a couple from a neighboring town, a fellowship of college students, and several of Danny's friends and family can all tell you What it's really taken is persistence. A trait Danny was known for, though most would have described it as stubbornness. Either way, it's proven to be more effective than waiting. From Tinderfoot TV, I'm your host, Dennis Cooper. This is culpable.
Starting point is 00:07:57 You know, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you know, and I'm going to do it. Our story begins in the summer of 2023. That's when I first learned about Danny Violet. At the time, I had just wrapped up season two of Culpable, a story about an unsolved murder in Ohio, and I was actively looking for that next story to chase. That's when I stumbled on an email that would essentially lead me right back. It was a case submission about a suspicious death in another small Ohio town,
Starting point is 00:08:52 sent in by a listener named Danielle Allen. Her message read. I am writing on the off chance that you may be able to help with a case in my area. A 17-year-old named Danny Violet was found in a cornfield in 1998. All I know is he was shirtless and had ligature marks around his neck and some sort of tracks across his body. Strangely enough, there's hardly any information out there. I had never heard of it until my husband told me about it.
Starting point is 00:09:26 He went to the same school as Danny. It's close to the anniversary date, and it's been on my mind to submit this to your team. I honestly can't tell you why I was so intrigued by this. Her message was brief, and she wasn't kidding about the lack of information out there. A quick Google search provided practically nothing. But looking back, maybe it was the lack of information that I found so interesting.
Starting point is 00:09:54 A 25-year-old cold case. and no one's talking about it. No news articles, no podcasts. It was as if this kid died and had been forgotten about. That didn't sit right with me. So I messaged Danielle back and asked if she could help me get in touch with the family. Danny's younger brother, Drew, was the first to reply. We exchanged emails, and a few weeks later, we'd sit down for the first time.
Starting point is 00:10:26 So I was in, I believe, seventh grade when this all happened, and Danny was found in the field outside of our town. You know, it's been 25 years, so if you have what you think is a hard question, just ask away. You don't have to tip you toe around or anything. I'm very open to discussing whatever, so don't feel like you have to be sensitive or anything like that. Drew is what I would consider a straight shooter. Don't get me wrong.
Starting point is 00:10:52 He's cordial and happy to engage in small talk. But when it comes to the subject of Danny, he's very blunt and prefers that others broach the subject with that same candor. When I asked him to tell me more about his brother, here's what he led with. He was one of those kids who just got into a lot of trouble. You know, he started as a teenager. In all my years of doing this,
Starting point is 00:11:18 I'd never heard a lead in like that. You see, we have a tendency to want to protect the image of the people we love, but one thing I respected about Drew was he saw the value in giving an honest depiction of Danny, scars and all. Sure, Danny was far from perfect, just like the rest of us. But Drew only had admiration for him.
Starting point is 00:11:38 He and I were very, very close. You would think that an older brother would not have his younger, uncool brother come around, but he would bring me to his friend's house, he'd have his friends over to the house. I think his best quality was his protective nature. So he was a really genuinely good guy that just looked out for his friends and looked out for me and my brother and sister.
Starting point is 00:12:02 Danny was the best person to have in your corner, according to Drew. He described his brother as freakishly strong and athletic, two traits he'd put to good use after joining his high school wrestling team, which he quickly proved to be a natural at. His all-time goal was to be the state champ, and we had kids on the team that were state placers, state qualifiers and danny would just like throw them around like ragdolls after he passed the wrestling coach coach todd fox named an award after him called the danny violet most improved wrestler award because he went from like never doing it to becoming basically the best kid on the team quickly like within a year or two and he wrestled his freshman and sophomore year and what would be his last year book
Starting point is 00:12:43 there's a black and white photo of danny looking proud as can be in full wrestling gear cap and all with his fists raised high in celebration. Above it is a quote. My goal for the season was to have a winning record. Wrestling wasn't very fun at first, because I lost my first five matches. The best thing was when I decided to stick it out and finish the season.
Starting point is 00:13:09 Danny was capable of just about anything. The challenge was getting him to apply himself. Drew admits that was always a struggle for his brother. It wasn't like he was an awful kid, but he was definitely troubled in the sense of didn't really give a shit about much. It wasn't the best student. One thing that really affected me for a very long time was I was in probably 6th or 7th grade, and there was a big party, you know, kids being stupid. And Danny sat me down and said, he goes, you do not need to do any of this. It looks like I'm the cool, popular kid, but I'm not.
Starting point is 00:13:52 These drugs and alcohol and everything that I'm doing, because I can't help it. Don't do any of this, like ever. So I went until I was 35 before I had a single sip of alcohol based specifically on that conversation that he had with me. From what I gathered, Danny sounded like a typical teenager, trying to find himself and getting into some trouble along the way. If anything, I wondered if he was misunderstood, at least by some.
Starting point is 00:14:23 Drew told me about the rumors he'd heard over the years, the loudest being that Danny died of an accidental overdose. And if there was evidence to support that, he could accept it. But therein lies the problem. If that evidence exists, he hasn't seen it. On the contrary, he tells me most of the information he's gathered seems to paint a different picture as he picks up a rather thin three-ring binder and starts reading from it so from what i know he had lacerations around his neck he had tire marks across his chest he had a pair of jeans on
Starting point is 00:15:00 and no shirt he had either dollar bills and or a note ripped up and laid on his body and then his cause of death was asphyxiation. While I would need to withhold any judgment until seeing an official autopsy report in a description of the crime scene, still, I couldn't help but think the same thing that Drew was thinking. Danny died of asphyxiation. He had a ligature mark around his neck, but no ligature was found at the scene. There were markings across his chest that resembled tire tread, as if he'd been run over
Starting point is 00:15:39 with something. On top of all that, his shirt was missing. and there was torn up money found near his body. I'm sure there's more to learn. But based on this information, it's hard to imagine anything other than foul play. According to my notes here, it says one or two scenarios is where it was left at. Drew and I would end up talking for three hours that day.
Starting point is 00:16:08 We discussed theory surrounding the case and all the individuals who had been linked to it, friends, investigators, persons of interest, you name it. And by the end, I realized that he'd gathered a decent amount of information over the years. The problem was he didn't know what to make of it, or how to separate fact from fiction, because most of it was based on rumors he'd heard. So I asked about the rest of his family, what they might know. I really was debating on discussing a little bit more in depth of my family.
Starting point is 00:16:38 I saw it's been probably five plus years since I've even spoken. to them about it. We'll say our few words on his anniversary of his birthday and his anniversary of his death, but that's about it. Drew admits that his brother's death never really became a topic of discussion amongst the family, or anyone for that matter. But he hoped that with some renewed interest in him taking this first step to open up about it, maybe the rest would follow. Turns out, they were ready to talk about it and share what they remember from the last days of Danny's life.
Starting point is 00:17:29 After talking with Drew, I'd gained a much better understanding of who Danny was as a person, as a brother, and flipping through his binder was eye-opening. It motivated me to keep digging, to look into the many theories he shared and start to piece together a timeline of events. Thankfully, our conversation opened the door to the rest of his family, who could help describe Danny's final days. Here's what his father, Daniel, had to say about their last interactions. It was at night.
Starting point is 00:17:59 It was getting ready to go to bed. And, you know, I told him, I said, Danny, if you want to wrestle, you got to really pick up your graves. And, you know, he told me he was trying. and you just said good night, and I love you, and that's the last time I saw him. That was on a Thursday.
Starting point is 00:18:18 And then I called him on Friday night after school. You know, he's 17 years old. You're not going to come home at a Friday night. You're just going to go out with your friends, go see a football game. And I said, hey, maybe I'll see you at the football game. And he said, okay. And that's the last time I talked to him was on that Friday.
Starting point is 00:18:40 Danny would end up spending that Friday night with some friends. But in a rather uncharacteristic move, he never let his parents know his plans, leaving them to worry about him. When he finally came home the following afternoon, his mother, Jane, immediately grew concerned. And I said, Danny, where have you been? You didn't come home last night. Where were you? And he said, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:19:06 Just not very coherent. And so I had him come up into the kitchen. And I touched him, and he felt clammy. He didn't feel right. So I had him sit down, and I got him a bowl of cereal because I wanted to see if he could eat. And I went in to get his dad because I knew something was wrong. And when I got back, he was gone.
Starting point is 00:19:34 Before Jane could even make it back to the kitchen, Danny had already bolted out the back door. The last person to see him would be his brother Ross. He was playing out in the backyard as Danny exited the house. I don't remember him storming out the door, like slamming the door, nothing like that. He just kind of said by Ross, and he went forward, went to the right down the neighbor's alley. I do remember just looking at him until he was out of sight. But that's the extent of what happened that morning.
Starting point is 00:20:08 But he did, like he acknowledged you, you said that. Yeah, he said by Ross, like any other day. Just saying bye and I'll see you later. So I'm thankful for that because you don't know when's the last time you're going to see someone. Jane and Daniel would spend the rest of the day searching for Danny, driving all around Willard, checking his favorite hangout spots and asking his friends if they'd seen him. But there was no trace. Come Sunday, the fear really started to set in.
Starting point is 00:20:40 The longer it went, the more worried I was, because he never disappeared like that. You know, he didn't just take off all the time. He didn't do that. I would know where he was going. But this time, he was just gone. I didn't know. I called a friend who was on the police force, and I said, I don't want Danny to be in worse trouble when he gets back.
Starting point is 00:21:08 Should I report him missing? He said, yes, you need to report him missing. And so I did. I called then and made that report on Sunday. The missing person's report is pretty straightforward. It lists all of Danny's personal information, along with what he was wearing that day. A gray Michigan University t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black Nike sneakers. It was also noted that he may have been carrying some cash on him.
Starting point is 00:21:36 After filing the report, the family tried their best to maintain hope. hope, waiting for that call to let them know their son was okay. And four days into his disappearance, they'd receive what appeared to be an encouraging tip from his school. They had reported him as being there. And so we drove to pioneer to go get him. And so we're waiting in the office and they come back and they say he missed that he was absent. He reported him as present.
Starting point is 00:22:08 and it was just so awful. It was devastating. It was devastating. I just sat in that office and cried. Because we finally had some hope. You know, he was there. A simple yet tragic mistake. But the family didn't give up.
Starting point is 00:22:32 They continued their search for Danny, putting up flyers around town and following up with his friends in the Willard Police Department. And meanwhile, they tried to carry on with everyday life because they didn't really have much of a choice. And that was extremely difficult. As if missing a child isn't hard enough,
Starting point is 00:22:48 imagine going to work or school and trying to act like everything's normal. Or worse, imagine trying to celebrate one of your kids' birthdays. Caroline, Danny's sister, turned six on the sixth day of his disappearance. Before they knew it, more than a week had passed. And by that point, they were praying for a miracle. But sadly, it would never come. Instead, on the afternoon of November 4th, 1998, 11 days into Danny's disappearance, their worst fears would materialize.
Starting point is 00:23:24 One of the police officers from Woodard came to my house, knocked on my door, and said, we found Danny. He's not alive. And just like that, a week's long missing person's investigation had officially turned into a death investigation. trouble did you I don't know what it was do you know everything that's going on so forth know where you're up there I have hurt but they've got some of my court fit okay how old did you know being about what good huh real good real good when's the last time you saw diane I had anybody
Starting point is 00:24:38 Five. What Friday? The day before he was three. Have you heard anything about where he went or what went on? Got someone hurt. He woke up next morning and he seemed all right. Then he went home. I guess his mom did something wrong where he looked kind of messed up.
Starting point is 00:25:01 So his mom asked him to stay home and soon she turned his back. He took off her and out the back door. Danny's friends already knew of his last whereabouts, as they, too, had been searching for him ever since he disappeared that Saturday. Now, they learned that the search was officially over. The reason that you brought up here is because you were one of the, you know, a friend of Danes, okay? The rumors that you heard about us finding the body out of the cornfield trip, okay?
Starting point is 00:25:35 Somebody's assaulted him before they left him out. Somebody's assaulted him, okay? You guys are his friends. You guys are the only ones are going to be able to find out who did this. It was a lot to put on a bunch of teenagers, kids, really. Not only had they lost a friend,
Starting point is 00:25:57 authorities also made it clear that they wouldn't be able to solve this without their help. After all, they knew Danny better than anybody. All I can tell you right now is we've us assaulted quite bad, okay? We don't know yet anything else. You don't know, like, with or anything? No.
Starting point is 00:26:17 We won't know until they do an autopsy. Anybody contact his parentship? Yeah, we've already been down there. Okay. If you hear anything, you're going to let me know, right? Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Starting point is 00:26:35 Tragedies like this don't happen in Willard all too often. Before Danny's body could even be identified, word had already spread to the nearly 6,000 residents. Jane tells me, Danny's death shook the whole town, though none were more affected than his friends and family. They had so many questions, but authorities were keeping everything close to the vest. They need to let the investigation play out,
Starting point is 00:26:57 and instead shift their focus to Danny's funeral. In my extended conversation with Drew, a man who came across to me is nearer, nearly unflappable. This was the one moment he broke. And it wasn't just the finality of it all, having to lay his brother to rest. Sure, that was a lot to process. But for him, the hardest part was seeing how Danny's friends reacted. I remember going to his funeral and I didn't even shed a tear. Jessica Dickerson was there. I remember she was one of Danny's really good friends and I remember looking over it at her and she was just bawling and there's a ton of people
Starting point is 00:27:40 there and I had to look away that's about the only thing I remember from danis funeral was looking at her and just like sorry just having to block her out so you know how upset she was his friends were very devastated they've all been impacted a lot I couldn't believe at the funeral how many kids were there I mean it just was amazing to me how they just kept coming there were so many so many people there and I just had to think
Starting point is 00:28:26 he was loved. Even though so much is a blur, so much I can't remember, I remember those individuals coming to that funeral. It meant a lot. It really did. Jane always knew that Danny was the best friend a person could ask for. but it didn't really sink in until after he was gone. And she saw the way his friends responded.
Starting point is 00:29:01 They searched diligently for him in the days he was missing. And after learning of his death, they continued to show up in many ways, not just attending his funeral, but also paying visits to the house, sharing stories and writing journal entries, memorializing him. Here's one from his friend Jessica. The girl Drew mentioned seeing at the funeral. She wrote, Danny was a very good friend.
Starting point is 00:29:25 he was easy to talk to he was like another brother because he lived at my house he was there every day I remember one night he woke me up and just started talking about how he met a famous wrestler who showed him moves and other things
Starting point is 00:29:38 he also shared with me how he knew he was going to go to state this year I believed in him and knew he could I love Danny like a brother and will never forget him and he's always with me and all that I do
Starting point is 00:29:52 I will miss him forever. Jane also took the time to write some journal entries in the days following her son's death. I want to take a moment to just read her opening passage. It says in part. Danny was always an extremist, living on the edge. As a child, he was so energetic, all boy, we used to say,
Starting point is 00:30:20 and he could never believe that anything could hurt him. He wanted to do exciting, daredevil things, ride roller coasters, go bungee jumping, race cars. He told me once that he couldn't wait to get to heaven so that he could jump from the buildings. I hope he's doing that now. In December of 2014, 16 years after Danny Violet was discovered dead in a cornfield just outside of Willard City limits, his parents gathered at the Huron County Sheriff's Office
Starting point is 00:31:09 for this press conference. We as the family of Danny Violin plead with anybody who knows anything to come forward. It's been a long time. We haven't known over these years what happened to him. And I think of his brothers and a sister who were young when he died, and all this time they haven't known. And I would love to be able to give them some information so that they can have a better understanding.
Starting point is 00:31:46 Along with us, we don't understand either. As you've probably gathered, this wasn't a press conference to announce a break or anything like that. Frankly, this case hasn't experienced many of those over the years. The reason Jane and Daniel were there was to plead for new information that could help solve their son's case.
Starting point is 00:32:07 I just reiterate what she's saying. I agree with everything she says. The kids really need to know, we need to know, and I can't really say much more than Jane said other than whatever information, how little you think it might be, How maybe, you know, if they get sick enough, I'd let the police figure that out.
Starting point is 00:32:28 Whatever information you can give them would really be appreciated. It's clear that the family had learned very little up until this point. You can hear in their voices just how distraught they were. And watching the video of this press conference, courtesy of the Norwalk Reflector, makes it all to more obvious. To put it bluntly, they look defeated. It's terrible to lose it. child under any circumstances, but it just compounds it when you don't know what happened
Starting point is 00:32:59 when it's a mystery and you talk to somebody and what do you say. What happened to your son? I don't know. It just makes it that much worse. The Norwalk Reflector released an article on the heels of this press conference, which seemed to indicate that the authority were feeling equally defeated by what had now become a cold case. The article, published on Christmas Day, couldn't have come at a stranger time, as this was clearly no day of celebration. Former here-on-county prosecutor Russell Leffler was quoted several times, but his words would not bring good tidings.
Starting point is 00:33:40 He said, I think it's one of the most disturbing cases of the ones I've handled. It's an unsolved homicide as far as this office is concerned. I'm not sure it's solvable because it's old. And when asked about Danny's family, Leffler added, quote, It's been an ongoing thing. We'd like to help them. This is the one case that is stuck in my crawl.
Starting point is 00:34:06 If Danny's case weighed on the prosecutor as much as he claims, then you can imagine how hard it's been for the family. After all, it's one thing to lose a loved one, especially a child. But it's another thing to go that many years without ever knowing why. When I first learned of this story, it had been nearly a decade since that press conference. And sadly, Danny's family was no closer to the truth. I said before that time changes things, and that is true, at least in some instances. But time alone won't find you the answers to a 25-year-old cold case.
Starting point is 00:34:43 Instead, you have to go find them yourself. Your destination is on the left. This would be it. In the summer of 2024, my producer John and I pull up to an aged, white, farm-style home in the neighboring town of Greenwich, Ohio, just 15 minutes outside of Willard, the home of Danielle and Eric Allen. Hi. Hello.
Starting point is 00:35:17 All right. Hey. Hi, everybody. How about it? Not too much. Hello. How you doing? Hey, I'm Eric.
Starting point is 00:35:24 Hey, John. I'm Danielle's husband. Oh, nice. It's good to see you again. Nice to meet you. She's right here, actually, Dennis. That's up, man. Good to see you again.
Starting point is 00:35:36 If you remember, Danielle was the woman who originally submitted this story to us through that email I shared at the beginning. What I assumed would be the extent of her involvement in this. But I'm happy to say I was wrong. The reason we've gathered here is to review some. documents that were recently obtained. But not just any documents, an entire case file, which up until now has never been seen outside of law enforcement. We have an idea what's in there because there is a cover sheet. But we haven't looked at them. Okay. Wow. I can't thank y'all enough for waiting and let this be here for this. Well, she's told me, she's like,
Starting point is 00:36:16 it's been killing me to not look at this. And I'm like, well, it's been like such a fight to get them too. It's like what's in there, you know. Getting Danny's case file was no easy feat, but it was something Drew felt strongly about. He'd grown tired of all the uncertainty and tired of watching his brother's case collect dust. He wanted to see all the work that went into solving it and thought maybe with that knowledge, we could make a difference. After months of back and forth with the sheriff's office, thousands of dollars in attorney fees and a lot of help from Dan. Danielle, they made it happen.
Starting point is 00:36:55 He had a lot going on in his life, but this was important to him, and he needed help. Now, you know, it's part of my day to see, like, is there anything we need to do for Danny's case, anybody we need to follow up with? I don't think we would be at this point if it weren't for Danielle. And sometimes it's just the simplest things as submitting a case. they have very little information to a podcast. All as it takes is one little thing, and it's kind of like this.
Starting point is 00:37:29 If you just keep a steady pace, something else will come along. Well, and at this point, we're no stranger to roadblocks. They have been no stranger to roadblocks for 25 years before I became involved in it. But at this point, it doesn't stop. We just are looking for the next way around. The same with the cops, too. Like, it's no more waiting for you to wake up one day and decide,
Starting point is 00:37:54 today's the day I'm going to actually look into Danny's case. Like, that's not happening. So no matter what they do or don't do, we're just going to keep doing our own thing. Whatever happened, Danny, he can't stick up for himself. Only we can do that for him now. And that drives me to get the right people and to combine together and be his voice because he can't. Danielle's passion for this case is infectious. It's a big reason why I'm telling the story
Starting point is 00:38:25 and why so many people in the town are talking about it again after all these years. A domino effect that all started with one simple email. And as I stare at this mound of information, I realize the work is really just beginning. There's a lot to unpack here. Hundreds of pages and hours worth of tape.
Starting point is 00:38:46 I'm going to do my best to lay it all out for you, one piece at a time. Together, we can help solve a mystery that has haunted one family and the small town they held from for more than a quarter of a century. Coming up on this season of Culpable. It's a 17-year-old kid, right?
Starting point is 00:39:13 He asphyxates in a cornfield? Come on, dude. You can't hang yourself from a bullpably. corn stalk. He did not overdose. He did not go out there high off his mind and freeze. Danny was strangled to death. We had verification from two or three other people that Danny stopped breathing the night before. There's something happened the night before. Did they get scared and have to dump the body? Was this just all good fun that went bad? Because if you are doing acid, God knows the different possibilities.
Starting point is 00:39:48 There's definitely something fishy going on. Somebody's protecting somebody. But why? Culpable is a production of Tenderfoot TV in partnership with Odyssey, written and hosted by Dennis Cooper. Our senior producer is John Street. Our producer is Jamie Albright. Edit, mix, and sound design by Dayton Cole. Sources used for this episode include News 5 Cleveland and the Norwalk Reflector. You can follow us on social media at Culpable Podcast.
Starting point is 00:40:46 And lastly, if you have any information about the death of Danny Violet, please fill out the form on our website, culpablepodcast.com, or contact the Huron County Sheriff's Office at 419-668-6912. A new episode of culpable will release next Monday. But you can binge additional episodes right now, add free by subscribing to Tenderfoot Plus on Apple Podcasts or at Tenderfootplus.com.

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