Episode 70: Lucas Call Revisited

A few weeks ago, in episode 65, I told you the story of two-year-old Lucas Call, who died from blunt force trauma in 2018. His foster mother, Lisa Jo Vanderlinden, took a plea agreement that amounted to a slap on the wrist and was released after just nine months in county jail. After I released that episode, I heard from a lot of listeners who expressed sympathy for and outrage on behalf of Lucas’s biological mom, Shelby Call, whose learning disability was one of the reasons the state of Utah used to justify removing her children from her care in the first place. For this episode, I was honored to speak with Shelby, who is honestly one of the sweetest people I’ve ever had the privilege of encountering. You’ll also hear my candid conversation with Shelby’s husband, Lucas’s father, David, whose arrest for possession of child pornography set off the chain of events that ultimately led to Lucas’s death.This is the heartbreaking story of Lucas Call, revisited.Huge thanks to today’s sponsor:Smile Brilliant provides teeth whitening and oral care products customized just for you! Use my coupon code CHILDREN to save 30% by clicking here: https://www.smilebrilliant.com/?coupon=children#podcastPhotos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook and Instagram:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodYou can also follow the podcast on: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/sufferthelittlechildrenpodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/STLCpodTumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sufferthelittlechildrenpodPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpod My Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com. Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive gifts! (www.patreon.com/STLCpod) This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine. For more stories like this one, visit https://sufferthelittlechildrenblog.com.Music for this episode is from https://audiojungle.net. Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-childrenPandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_siteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KEiHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/ ...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support.If you see something, say something. https://childhelp.org