The Misery Machine - Mother Believes Her Son is The Devil

Starting point is 00:00:00 They saw what appeared to be a blood trail to the front door and then looked in and saw something very disturbing. Fearing the other children who live at the home might be in danger. Police forced entry. Because she was in such extreme mental distress, she did a series of things that were very disturbing. Police say the boy was decapitated. Officers saw blood on the porch, the woman's hands, and on knives inside the home. It just takes on a different depth of despair. Kansas City sits on Missouri's western edge, straddling the border with Kansas. It's known for its barbecue and jazz heritage, but it's also known for something else, crime. Statistically speaking, you have a 1 in 64 chance of being the target of a violent crime in Kansas City,

Starting point is 00:00:46 versus the 1 in 184 chance for the entire state. In fact, Kansas City is rated safer than just 2% percent. of all U.S. cities, if that tells you anything. As of the date of this recording, the Kansas City Police have recorded 41 homicides in 2022 thus far, with only a 54% clearance rate. So if something were to happen to you in Kansas City and a suspect wasn't easily identifiable, there is a decent chance your case would go unsolved for some time, maybe even for good. Kansas City's CPS also aren't the best, as you'd recall from last week's coverage of the Adrian Jones case.

Starting point is 00:01:25 We cover a lot of fairly heavy cases, and anytime we do research, the area police departments always have a habit of dubbing the newest case as the worst case they've ever seen. I will say this one is pretty bad. It covers topics such as mental illness, the death of a minor, and the family pet. If you're sensitive to these topics, please listen with discretion. Just two months ago from the date of this recording, February 15th, 2022, shortly before midnight, Kansas City police responded to a 911 call where a woman told dispatchers that she needed help, and that the devil was trying to attack her. After arriving at the woman's home at 7312 Indiana Avenue in Kansas City's noble and Gregory Ridge neighborhood on the southeast side,

Starting point is 00:02:13 police observed apparent blood on the sidewalk and front steps of the light brown single family home with white trim, as well as apparent blood and hair on the front screen door. Police were aware that three minors were associated with the residents, as a burglary had been reported only five days prior. As they approached the house, officers could hear a woman singing from within. However, when they knocked in the door, the woman wouldn't answer. Instead, the singing grew progressively louder and louder. Concerned, one of the officers peered inside a window and observed the severed head of what appeared to be a little boy near the front of the threshold. Due to their belief that the woman inside, as well as the other minors there could be in danger, officers breached the rear door of the home to gain entry.

Starting point is 00:03:02 Once inside, officers found 35-year-old mother Tasha Hapes on the kitchen floor. She was barefoot in a black dress and her hands and feet were coated in blood. And beyond the kitchen, near the doorway, was the head of six-year-old Carvel Stevens, Tasha's youngest son, and a student at Spring Valley Elementary and Ray. his small body was found nearby. After further search of Tasha's rented home, officers located the family dog, who had also met the same fate as Little Carvel. Evidence collected from the scene of the crime included a knife, a knife handle, and a screwdriver found on the kitchen table, as well as a second knife recovered from the basement of the home, all of which were covered in blood and tissue. Police also collected DNA from Tasha to compare with DNA evidence found at the scene.

Starting point is 00:03:52 Police also observed that Tasha had scratches and lacerations on her hands and a puncture wound on her right thigh. Tasha was taken into police custody without incident and was brought to the seventh floor of the Kansas City Police headquarters for questioning. She was offered food and water and agreed to speak to police without a lawyer present. Tasha provided a detailed statement of the events that had transpired, including admitting to killing Carvel in the bathtub and then decapitating him. Tasha grew up in a relatively troubled home in Sioux City, Iowa. Her mother, now 64-year-old Sherry Haifes, spent time in federal prison when Tasha was young for possessing illicit substances with the intent to distribute. She was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in 2001 and also spent time in Iowa jails for similar offenses. For a time, Tasha Hafts lived with her father and lived in Iowa's foster care system moving from place to place.

Starting point is 00:04:49 Eventually, she moved in with a family of her friend Javon Crittenden, whom she had met in sixth grade. The Crittenden family raised Tasha as their own daughter, and Javon later became the godmother to all of Tasha's three kids. Tasha also had earlier brushes with the law, including traffic offenses and possession charges in Iowa. She also struggled in the past with an addiction to harder substances. At one point, Tasha faced the possibility of losing parental rights in Iowa after the state's family services department became involved. But in recent years, she had worked hard to get clean and maintain a stable job to provide for her family. Tasha had almost always been a single mother, and all of her kids were born in Iowa. This was due to the fact that Tasha seemed to engage in relationships with men who also had trouble

Starting point is 00:05:36 with the law. Her two eldest were from the same father who had spent the last 11 years in federal prison, but is currently living in a halfway house. Carvel's father is also in prison. In recent years, Tasha decided to move to Kansas City to be closer with the extended family of her two oldest, after she rekindled her relationship with her father. While under the influence of meth, Tasha would often complain about hearing voices, but the voices seemed to go away when she was clean, for a time. According to her mother, Sherry, her relationship with her daughter has mostly been over the phone as she still resided in Sioux City.

Starting point is 00:06:14 She noted that she had witnessed Tasha display warning signs that something was wrong. But she didn't believe that she ever sought counseling. Sherry stated that Tasha spent years working through addiction, depression, and severe trauma. According to Sherry, her older grandson confided to her about a recent incident that was fairly troubling. Tasha had shown up at a relative's home and began ranting about a straight-up devil house that was full of the devil. Tasha allegedly looked at her son and stated, Like this devil. She also began yelling at a relative about putting her and her kids in the same.

Starting point is 00:06:49 a bad situation. Sherry stated that she recently spoke with Tasha's boyfriend by phone. She stated, quote, he enlightened me with a lot of problems that Tasha was having that he was helping her with, end quote. She also noted that in recent weeks Tasha had been dealing with family strains and that she was experiencing hallucinations and breaks with reality. She noted that she'd made the four-hour trip down to Kansas City on many occasions when Tasha had difficulty describing what was happening with her thoughts. However, according to friends and other relatives, Tasha seemed relatively fine to them

Starting point is 00:07:21 in the days leading up to Carvel's death. According to Javon Crittenden, quote, she was a very loving person, a very loving mother, and then for it to, you know, spiral to this, it's just not right, end quote. She said that she had never believed that Tasha would harm her own kids, and she wondered if she was even aware of what happened.

Starting point is 00:07:42 She also stated that she hoped that Tasha's other two kids will be able to get the help they need to live normal lives. She stated that she wants to be there for them, as well as Tasha. In close, Javon also stated, quote, I'm not turning my back on her, the kids, none of that shit. Because we all go through things. And the Tasha I know would have never in her rightful mind

Starting point is 00:08:03 touched a hair on that little boy's head, end quote. Carvel's uncle, Mark Williams of East St. Louis, said he would have driven hours if he knew his nephew is in danger. He said his nephew was a bright light in his life. Williams first learned of the news after Carvel's father, who was currently incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections, contacted him. Quote, I answered the phone and he was crying.

Starting point is 00:08:26 I'm like, what's wrong? Well, what's going on? At first, I couldn't understand him at all. I understood that she killed my son, and it took me back, end quote. Carvel was described as a happy, loving, and beautiful young boy. He loved the outdoors, going to the park, and playing in the snow. Carvel enjoyed watching toy reviews on YouTube, his favorite being Ryan's world, and he loved going to school. His favorite food was the classic Popeye's chicken sandwich with fries, and he'd always eat the whole thing.

Starting point is 00:08:58 His family found the surprising because when he'd have McDonald's, he'd always leave some behind. Tasha Haifes is currently being held at the Jackson County Detention Center, where she has been charged with first-degree homicide and armed criminal action. She has been scheduled for virtual bond hearings before a judge and subsequently has not shown up for them. She is currently being represented by a public defender who ultimately waived her bond review. Sherry Haves has stated that her and Tasha's boyfriend are currently working on getting Tasha further legal assistance. Tasha has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation to determine if she is competent and was scheduled to be back in court on April 15th. As this case is still developing, we'll be keeping an eye out for updates as they come in.

Starting point is 00:09:43 We've spoken quite a bit about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, and I'm sure some folks are wondering if Tasha could have possibly been suffering from it. While we should be clear that we're not medical or mental health professionals, it is our understanding that given the fact that Carvel was six years old at the time of his death, this probably isn't the case, as mothers who suffer from those conditions tend to show symptoms up to a year after birth. As we've noted in many earlier cases, if you see something, say something. Please contact your local family services or simply call 911 if you suspect someone is in danger.

Starting point is 00:10:22 Kids in these situations often have no voice and no way to get help, so it's up to us to be advocates for them. Your one act could save the life of someone in need. Carvel's family has set up a go-fund me in his name, which will have linked in the show notes. To date, it has raised more than $8,000 for his funeral experience. and to support his siblings. If you appreciate what we do, know that we spend a lot of time researching the cases, getting things factually accurate, and getting the audio and video ready for you. The best thing that you can do to help us is to hit that subscribe button.

Starting point is 00:10:57 We appreciate it so much as we close in on 100,000 subscribers. Also, if the audio sounds different than before, we just got a new mixer, so let me know how it sounds. We're still fine-tuning it, and this will be a work in progress. So thank you for being patient with us. We also have a very wonderful group of people going that extra step to support us on Patreon. I want to say welcome to four new patrons, Mike, Sarah and Dave, Amber and Bonnie. Very, very special shout out to our new $69 tier patron Dom.

Starting point is 00:11:30 You chose the $69 tier. Girl, you nasty. Yes, we actually had to bleep a number because that's banned on YouTube. And special shout out to our Levi-tier patrons, Levi, Holly, Chaka, Amelia, and Casa de Cadejo. There's their lovely pictures right now. And very special shout out to Kiki, our highest tier, Patreon supporter. There's her lovely picture right now. And if you two want to support us on Patreon, patreon.com slash the misery machine, where you get access to all of our secret episodes.

Starting point is 00:12:02 And you may even get a postcard. A haunted one. Patreon.com slash the misery machine. Also, there's Halls and Dolls, Holly's Mask Store. If you want access to the best quality masks we've ever worn, please go to Holly's Etsy link down below. But until next week... We love you. We love you.

Starting point is 00:12:19 Bye. Bye!

The Misery Machine - Mother Believes Her Son is The Devil

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.