The Misery Machine - The Case of Grace Packer

Starting point is 00:00:00 Norristown, Pennsylvania, just six miles outside of Philadelphia, is the place where life seems to unfold quietly. But on August 14, 2001, the birth of a girl named Grace brought both hope and tragedy to the small town. Grace was born to Rose and Rodney Hunsicker. Her favorite colors were purple and light pink, and she had a love of flowers. But Grace's story was marked by turmoil from the very beginning. Unfortunately, Grace and her brother were born into a destructive family to say the very least. Due to issues involving mental illness as well as intellectual challenges, the parents lost custody of both Grace and her brother in 2004.

Starting point is 00:00:45 Three years later, when Grace was only six years old, she and her brother were adopted through the Impact Project, which is a private children and youth agency in Pennsylvania. In 2007, Grace and her brother met their new foster parents for the first time, Sarah and David Packer. At the time, the Packers had already been caring for dozens of children at their home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Sarah was recognized by the state as a licensed caretaker and worked as an adoption supervisor for Northampton County in the Youth and Families Division. In 2010, when Grace was only nine years old, David was charged with essay and Grace along with one of the other girls' human and Sarah had been fostering. This came as a result of CSA material being discovered on David's

Starting point is 00:01:30 cell phone. David Packer ultimately pled guilty and was sentenced to 18 months to five years in prison and was required to be registered as an offender upon his release. But for Grace, the trauma was irreversible. After David's arrest, Sarah lost her job and was barred from fostering more children. But despite everything, Grace and her brother were able to remain under her care, even as suspicions grew regarding her involvement in her husband's charges. For a brief time, Grace managed to find solace in helping others. At school, she volunteered with special needs students, trying to escape her dysfunctional life at home. In 2013, Sarah Packer met Jacob Sullivan. Jacob was a man who would bring even more darkness into Grace's life. Soon, Jacob and Sarah packed up, took the kids,

Starting point is 00:02:15 and moved into a new residence in nearby Abington Township. Grace didn't get along with Jacob in the slightest. January of 2015, she had enough and moved to North Carolina to live with her adoptive father's cousin, where she would attend eighth and ninth grade. In North Carolina, Grace hoped for a fresh start, but her escape was sadly short-lived. Only one month after arriving down south, Grace's adoptive father, David, was paroled from prison in February of 2015. In the sake of avoiding the man who essayed her, Grace was forced to trade one toxic environment for another. So she moved back to Pennsylvania in November of 2015. Her 13-year-old Grace, the nightmare was just beginning.

Starting point is 00:02:59 July 4th, 2016, Grace attended a family picnic, and it was one of the very last moments that she would be seen alive. On Monday, July 11th, 2016, at precisely 6.45 p.m. Then 41-year-old Sarah walked into the Appington Township Police Department. She reported her 14-year-old adopted daughter, Grace, Packer missing. Now, according to Sarah, the last time she saw Grace was on Friday, July 8th, at around 9.30 p.m. after an argument over Grace wanting to visit a friend. Despite Grace's emotional state, Sarah claimed she sent her to her room, not knowing that this would be the last

Starting point is 00:03:39 time she would see the girl. Sarah described Grace as a troubled teen, one who had run away before, sometimes disappearing for days. This time, however, something felt different. Sarah said that When she was checking Grace's room the following morning, her daughter was gone, along with $300 in cash. The police subsequently entered Grace into the National Crime Information Center database as a missing person. But the case would soon take a much darker turn. Weeks following Grace's disappearance, Detective Petenado of the Abington Township Police Department made numerous attempts to contact Sarah for updates and more information. Sarah was elusive. She promised to provide recent photos of Grace, but she failed to do so.

Starting point is 00:04:25 She promised to keep the police informed, but she didn't return any of their calls. By September, Sarah and her family had moved from their home in Abington without notifying the authorities, leaving no forwarding address. When Detective Pettano finally managed to track down their new residence in Quaker Town, Sarah's behavior was odd, to say the least. She claimed she had informed all her relatives about Grace's disappearance, yet many family members, later told police that they had heard nothing of the sort. Sarah's lack of urgency and concern over Grace's well-being raised red flags, but there was still no trace of the missing teenager. Then, a gruesome discovery would reignite the investigation. In October 31, 2016, nearly four months after Grace Packer was last seen alive, a horrifying discovery was made in Bear Creek Township,

Starting point is 00:05:16 Pennsylvania. Along a remote road, a group of hunters came across. a human torso, it was discarded like trash. The remains were severely decomposed, with arms and legs forcibly removed from the torso. This body had been discovered, unclothed, and no jewelry was found on or near the remains, even though both ears were double-pierced. Lack of insect activity suggested that the body was stored elsewhere, possibly in a place where it was preserved before being dumped in the woods. Dr. Wayne Ross, who is a forensic pathologist, conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the remains belonged to a young female.

Starting point is 00:05:54 The process of identifying the victim was grueling on November 8, 2016, through the review of dental records. It was confirmed that those remains were those of Grace Packer. As investigators dug deeper, more disturbing details began to surface. Despite Sarah Packer's claims of concern for her missing daughter, evidence suggested otherwise. Sarah had continued to post on Facebook, sharing trivial details about her life, but never once mentioned that Grace was missing. Family members reported that Sarah seemed unfazed by her daughter's disappearance, even cold and indifferent.

Starting point is 00:06:31 It was around this time when Jacob and Sarah broke up. Jacob then began dating another woman named Catherine Albright. As part of the investigation, authorities were able to secure surveillance video from a local tractor supply. The video shows Sarah purchasing a bow saw in two extra blades on October 16th, three months after Grace was reported missing. Authorities were also able to recover Sarah's bank transactions. Most notable was a purchase made at a local target on July 8, 2016. The same day Sarah claimed that she last saw her daughter Grace. The purchase Sarah made at the target was for 32 Benadryl gel tabs as well as 24 capsules of timing.

Starting point is 00:07:15 at all p.m. And then on December 30th, 2016, a chilling twist emerged. Montgomery County Emergency Services received a 911 call from Catherine Albright, reporting that her new boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, had overdosed on pills and what appeared to be an attempt at removing himself from the earth. Catherine hinted at a dark secret to dispatch during the call. She said, and I quote, Um, there's, there are a lot of reasons he would do this.

Starting point is 00:07:45 where, oh God, where I don't know if you have watched the news lately. Our... Someone we were involved with was recently... It's a big mess. It's a big mess. And I don't really know how to explain it. But, oh, my God. When police arrived, they found Jacob unconscious with a note beside him.

Starting point is 00:08:05 In it, he confessed to being involved in something horrible, something so terrible that he could no longer live with himself. This handwritten note discovered by the police, reads as follows, and I quote, Dear babies, I love you all so much. You are the only people that I have always been able to count on. I'm sorry that I am taking the coward's way out, but I don't have any strength left in me.

Starting point is 00:08:30 People want to judge and lie and break me down. They have. I can't exist with Sarah in jail, and those fucking lying pigs, and the whole media have made it impossible for us to live. They don't care how many lives or laws they break. I know you will always know that we had no. nothing to do with this, no matter what lies they tell. I'm sorry to leave you. Remember all I've

Starting point is 00:08:50 taught you, be brave, stand tall, and do your best to be stronger than I was. I love you, Daddy, end quote. The elusive note only begins to scratch the surface regarding what actually happened to Grace. From Jacob's hospital bed, the full extent of that horror inevitably came to light. Following Jacob's failed attempt, he confessed to the murder of Grace Packer, implicating Sarah Packer as his accomplice. During his confession, Jacob told police that he and Sarah had begun plotting Grace's murder months before Grace returned from living with relatives in North Carolina. Told authorities, he viewed his girlfriend's daughter as an ideal target for multiple reasons. Jacob told police Grace was a handful that she stole from him and her mother Sarah constantly, that killing her was

Starting point is 00:09:37 his form of payback for what the teen had put them through over the years, in his words. He admitted, however, that revenge was not the sole motivation for this crime. He confessed to authorities that it was a closeted rapist, but in his own words, a coward who finally built up enough courage to act out his twisted fantasy. On July 8th, 2016, the day Sarah reported as the last time she saw Grace, she and Jacob had driven Grace to their new residence in Quakertown. There, they subjected her to unimaginable torture. He recounted that on the morning of July 8, 2016, he and Sarah transported Grace from their address at 819 Tennis Avenue in Abington Township to their new residence at 990 East Cherry Road in Quaker Town, Richland Township.

Starting point is 00:10:29 Grace, dressed in her pajamas, dozed off in the backseat of Jacob's vehicle during their journey. Upon reaching the Quaker Town House, they roused her from her sleep and led her inside. Jacob said that's when he violently struck Grace in the face multiple times splitting her lip. After the brutal assault, Jacob and Sarah took Grace's limp body up to the third floor attic. There, Jacob admitted that he and Sarah had discussed his intentions to essay Grace before killing her. In the attic, which had been converted into a living space, Jacob tore Grace's pajama top and bit her breast while Sarah observed. He confessed that Sarah was aroused by witnessing these acts. Before proceeding, Jacob admitted to taking Viagra to prepare himself.

Starting point is 00:11:17 He then forced Grace to endure a horrific assault. From his hospital bed, he explicitly described the act in graphic detail. Grace was conscious throughout the entire ordeal. Now, at this point in the confession, Jacob admitted to authorities that this was not the first time he assaulted Grace. He confessed to having S-Aid her on two prior occasions in the days leading up to her murder. Jacob revealed that after the initial assault, Sarah left the house to obtain medication intended to sedate her own daughter. When she returned, they gave Grace the pills, telling

Starting point is 00:11:55 her they would help ease the pain. Once drugged, Grace was bound and gagged before being left to die in a cedar closet within the stifling heat of the third floor attic. Jacob later told describe the attic as unbearably hot. After leaving Grace in this torturous environment, Jacob and Sarah returned to their home in Avington. Around 3 a.m., the pair returned to the Quaker Town residents, fully expecting to find Grace dead from the combination of the assault, the drugs, and the oppressive heat. They are surprised they discovered the teenager still clinging to life. We managed to spit out the gag and partially free herself from the bindings. Tragically, her escape efforts went no further

Starting point is 00:12:37 than that. In response to finding Grace alive, Jacob positioned himself behind her, wrapping his arm around her neck and face and methodically choked the life out of her. They were admitted that the act was far more physically demanding and time-consuming than he had anticipated. The horror did not end there. They dismembered Grace's body using tools purchased just days prior. During the search of the Quaker Town residents, authorities recovered a receipt from the tractor supply store in Bucks County, Pennsylvania dated October 16th, 2016. The purchase was for a bow saw and two extra blades. Authorities were unable to recover the tools that were used on Grace's body. Following the dismemberment, Jacob and Sarah stored Grace's remains in a box filled with kitty litter where she was left to

Starting point is 00:13:23 decompose for several months. During his confession to police, Jacob told authorities that he and Sarah were set to be evicted from their home at the time Grace was reported missing. The two adoptive parents came under increased public scrutiny regarding the disappearance of 14-year-old Grace. The couple ultimately decided dump Grace's remains in the woods, at which time they made a death pact. Clearly, the two failed in that part of their plan. However, when police asked Jacob his intent when it came to disposing Grace's remains, specifically, he stated the following, and I quote, just be as mindful as possible. It wasn't a good thing to do.

Starting point is 00:13:59 Obviously a huge mistake. Never again. I just don't want to be murder. in jail, end quote. The confessions of Jacob and Sarah shocked the community. How could a mother, someone entrusted with the care of a child, not only condone, but actively participate in such a heinous crime? Sarah Packer, who had once been a foster care advocate, was now a monster.

Starting point is 00:14:21 The details of this case were so disturbing that even seasoned investigators struggled to comprehend the level of cruelty involved. Sarah and Jacob were charged with first-degree murder. In January of 2017, Grace's funeral was held at the New Life Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Many of the attendees didn't know Grace personally, but came to pay their respects to the young girl who had lived a tortured life right up until the day she was brutally murdered. Four other mothers of students in the Abington School District where Grace previously attended school organized to GoFund Me. To date, the campaign has raised over $14,000.

Starting point is 00:15:02 The funds were used for Grace's Memorial, while the rest were donated to the nonprofit called On Grace's Wings, which is a group created to help children in the foster care system, as well as victims of DV, with a safe transition to a better life. The organization's mission is to recruit volunteers willing to serve as advocates for foster children, and to provide an extra layer of oversight as children transition into what will hopefully be a safe and forever home. The same year Grace was laid to rest, Northampton County announced that it had ceased placing children through the Impact Project after discovering that the agency may have been aware of reports of abuse of behavior by Sarah Packer more than a decade before she was charged in connection with Grace's death. On June 29, 2018, a complaint was filed in Philadelphia County on behalf of Grace Packers' estate. filing alleges negligence, negligence per se, wrongful death and survival act claims against Sarah Packer, David Packer, and Jacob Sullivan. The defendants who were wrongfully granted the

Starting point is 00:16:06 opportunity to foster, adopt, and administer behavioral health services to Grace throughout her life. As a result, an $8.9 million settlement was secured on behalf of the estate of Grace Packer prior to the case being listed for trial. Both Grace's biological parents as well as her adoptive grandparents have filed separate petitions and attempts to become beneficiaries of the now multi-million dollar estate. A Montgomery County court judge has since ruled that neither Grace's biological parents nor her adoptive grandparents will have control over her estate. As of the date of this recording, it is unclear who will gain control over Grace's estate. I'm a mother. I will protect my children and I feel very hurtful and very, you know, mad at myself

Starting point is 00:16:59 and not be able to protect Grace. When she, you know, was in that hot addict dying by herself, she was alone, taking her last breath. She was alone, you know, being raped. She was alone, you know, I couldn't even imagine the feelings that that little girl was feeling. I can't imagine any feeling that that little girl was feeling. Well, from my perspective, you know,

Starting point is 00:17:22 So as being a biological mother that lost their child, you know, it's hard. I want people to realize that I'm not, you know, the bad parent person that Sarah, or excuse me, Ms. Packer, put me out to bay. I was young. I was a teenager, you know, I made mistakes as a parent. You know, and there's not one perfect parent out there. There's not one person, perfect person out there. Everybody makes mistakes. And, you know, if I could go back in time and have a time.

Starting point is 00:17:52 time machine, I would fix them mistakes. I would fix every mistake that I made, you know what I mean? Just so my daughter would be here today. And that tears me up with guilt. It tears me out with anger on myself. You know, I feel that I'm a failure as a mother, as a woman, as a, you know, because I wasn't able to protect my child

Starting point is 00:18:13 from any harm, you know, like a mother should protect the children from any harm and any danger. They come their way. And I feel, you know, I feel, you know, I feel guilt and I feel like I'm a failure for that. There's a lot of, you know, deep down emotions that I'm going through that I have to deal with to try to get through this. Like I've been trying to stay behind her for everything. Like it's hard for me to do it.

Starting point is 00:18:40 See, I'm the father of the child and I'm going through the same thing. I just got to stay strong for her, you know. Like she cries and I see her cry. I try to back it off. Like, I try to keep it in and it's hard for me to keep it in. She's crying. It's like it's hard for us to do everything. It's just the saddest thing that I ever had to endorse.

Starting point is 00:19:03 I got through my mom's death like a little champ, but this one, I don't think I'll be able to get through. It's going to take many, many, many years, if I ever do, get through this, many years. In February of 2019, Jacob Sullivan formally pled guilty to S.A., murder in the district, dismemberment of 14-year-old Grace Packer. A month later in March, the jury recommended the death penalty for him. The judge accepted the death penalty recommendation and added a life sentence for good measure, plus an additional 44 to 88 years. In the end, both Sarah Packer and Jacob Sullivan were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following the proceedings, the Bucks County District Attorney addressed the media where he was quoted as saying that,

Starting point is 00:19:56 You could not write a horror movie with a worse script than that which was done to Grace Packer. Grace's story is one of the most tragic and horrifying cases in recent memory. If there is any karma to be had, 47-year-old Jacob Sullivan died in prison as a result of cardiac arrest in the spring of 2020. As we close this chapter on this week's episode, we remember Grace Packer, a young girl whose life was cut tragically short. her story is a stark reminder of the importance of protecting those who cannot protect themselves, especially when it comes to the responsibility of the state.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Grace Packer

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