The Bonebreaker Case

from Morbid · host Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

When the body of fourteen-year-old Chris Steiner was discovered floating in the Wisconsin River on July 10, 1994, it brought a heartbreaking end to the search for the boy who had mysteriously disappeared from his Baraboo, Wisconsin home a week earlier. Officially, the cause of death was drowning. His death was a tragic accident, and nothing more. But was it? A year later, a harrowing 911 call from 14 year old Thad Phillips would bring to light a monster in the boys' own neighborhood, one that would change the ruling in Chris Steiner's death and horrify the community forever. References Associated Press. 1997. Court awards $21M in torture case. October 14. Accessed April 6, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/5ded061aa228f6b8a597557fb8724258. —. 1995. "Teen-age suspect in kidnapping-torture was taunted by peers about 1994 death." Wisconsin State Journal, August 11: 24. Chickering, Pam. 1994. "Baraboo teen-ager missing." Baraboo News Republic, July 8: 1. Clark, Anita. 1996. "Expert: Clark is a sadist, not insane." Wisconsin State Journal, September 18. Dvorak, Rich, and Troy Laack. 1994. "Clue's sought in teen's death." Baraboo News Republic, July 13: 1. —. 1994. "Missing youth's body found." Baraboo News Republic, July 12: 1. Elbow, Steven. 1997. "Expert witness denied voice at Clark trial." Baraboo News Republic, November 7: 1. —. 1996. "Formal charges filed in Steiner case." Portage Daily Register, September 26: 1. Grunig, Tara. 1995. "Clark charged as adult in Phillips case." The Daily Register, September 8: 1. Jaeger, Richard. 1995. "Autopsy discovers broken bones." Wisconsin State Journal, August 5: 1. —. 1995. "Kidnapping-torture similar to year-old case." Wisconsin State Journal, August 3: 1. —. 1995. "Teen questioned in '94 drowning." Wisconsin State Journal, August 4: 1D-2D. O'Connell, Mike. 1995. "13-year-old boy kidnapped, tortured." Baraboo News Republic, August 2: 1. —. 1996. "Clark's defense." Baraboo News Republic, September 17: 1. —. 1996. "'Do you know Chris Steiner'." Baraboo News Republic, September 17: 1. —. 1996. "Jurors bring swift decision; Clark faces 110 hard years." Baraboo News Republic, September 19: 1. —. 1995. "Report confirms incident details." Baraboo News Republic, August 2: 1. Seely, Ron. 1994. "Teen's parents left to wonder." Wisconsin State Journal, August 7: 21. State of Wisconsin v. Joseph C. Clark. 1998. 97-3584-CR (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, September 3). State of Wisconsin v. Joseph C. Clark. 1999. 98-2402-CR-NM (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, March 25). Wisconsin State Journal. 1996. "Broken-bome assault case brings plea of no contest." Wisconsin State Journal, September 6. —. 1996. "Shooting delays murder hearing ." Wisconsin State Journal, October 11. —. 1997. "Teen killer who tortured victims gets life in prison." Wisconsin State Journal, November 21. Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 4, 2023

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

The Bonebreaker Case

0:00 1:10:16

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Paranormal Puffs and Murderous Mixology Stuff Marissa & Bob Introducing "Paranormal Puffs and Murderous Mixology," a hilariously twisted comedy podcast that delves into the realms of paranormal events, true crime stories, and all things morbid. Hosted by a married couple, Marissa and Bob, this show is a one-of-a-kind blend of spooky tales, cocktail drinking, and marijuana-induced discussions.With Marissa's insatiable love for mixed drinks, in each episode, she explores different cocktails to go along with the topics they discuss. Meanwhile, Bob's laid-back and comedic demeanor, often enhanced by his fondness for marijuana, sets the stage for hilarious banter and off-the-cuff remarks. As they dive into the bizarre and macabre, Bob brings his unfiltered opinions and humorous perspective, creating an engaging dynamic with Marissa.The show embraces both the lighter and darker sides of life, delivering an entertaining and thought-provoking experience. Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride of laughter, spine-chilling stories, and the perfect combina Explicit 109 Ocean Avenue Jack Blenk Jamie Harris Hunker down, grab your binoculars and join Jack and Jamie has they blindly stare into the morbid and macabre world of true crime and the paranormal. Where they’ll tangentially look at the facts without really knowing what’s going on. Explicit The Rewatcher Morbid Network Sink your fangs into The Rewatcher: True Blood the podcast where Ash, Alaina, and Mikie resurrect True Blood one ridiculous episode at a time. Join this unholy trio as they unpack the southern gothic chaos of Bon Temps — from vampire love triangles and questionable accents to every time someone dramatically says “Sookeh.” Expect passionate rants, psychic-level thirst for Eric Northman, wild tangents about supernatural etiquette, and a dangerous amount of Southern impressions.Want more vampy goodness?? Check our first season- The Rewatcher: Buffy The Vampire Slayer! "Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of The Rewatcher ad-free.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus." Explicit Frozen Head Audible Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid. When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera filled with dead pets, gold coins, grenades, fist fights, mysterious packages, family feuds, Hall of Fame baseball legends, and frozen heads — lots of frozen heads. From Wondery, comes a story about life, death, and what comes next. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Frozen Head ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Explicit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Morbid?

This episode is 1 hour and 10 minutes long.

When was this Morbid episode published?

This episode was published on May 4, 2023.

Can I download this Morbid episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!