Telling Lives

The Kelly and Cumberland families had a lot in common. Both “old Coast” families whose roots dated back decades in the Orange Grove area of Gulfport. Coincidentally, both had homesteads on the same rural road in the county. Unfortunately, years of the lack of accountability for the choices of one would have deadly consequences on the other.

More than 35 years have passed since the crash that would go down in history as the worst DUI in American history. Thankfully, safety protocols have been installed since to prevent the type of horrific explosion that was ignited by a drunken driver that May 1988 day. However, all 67 people aboard the Ratcliff First Assembly of God’s Church bus lives were altered for eternity. Listen to Karolyn, Janet and Mandy tell you their memories of that day—and how their lives have been impacted by impaired driving.

We all blame the driver in a DUI crash that injures or kills people or damages other’s property. But sometimes the problem isn’t just one person. With a DUI crash, we typically turn the other way if we aren’t directly affected. We read stories and we get angry at the person who was driving drunk. In this case, it was Shelley Rose who drove drunk and killed innocent people. It’s her fault, right? Well, the story is so much more complicated than that. No one dreams of growing up and becoming an alcoholic and killing people in a drunken or impaired car crash. But some of us—all of us, actually, at times in different circumstances of life—need roadblocks, boundaries, mentors, tough love—to save us from ourselves. Instead, Shelley Rose was her own worst enemy. Unfortunately, she had several partners in crime, including those sworn to protect us. This is the story of how Shelley Rose arrived at that fateful Thanksgiving Day 2018.

The second season of Telling Lives, I chose to explore the continued societal problem of DUI and impairment in American culture and examine how to affect change. I’ll share stories from around the country—in Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Kentucky and other states—going back to the worst DUI crash in American history that killed 27 in 1988—to a police chief and father who lost his own daughter weeks before her wedding—and a father out walking who was killed—and his own daughter was left without her father to walk her down the aisle at her wedding this year. I’ll also share stories of the good that can come from choosing the right course before tragedy strikes and what taking that path leads to—I talked to a nationally-renowned chef whose DUI at age 21 made him seek rehab and redemption in Christ and he hasn’t touched alcohol since. I have looked at data from a dozen states and talked to people involved in DUIs from every angle—victims, survivors, perpetrators, police, friends, doctors, bartenders and more. These stories bear witness to America’s drinking and drugged driving problem and how we got here—why don’t we treat impaired driving like the serious crime it is after the first or even second offense—and why we must, especially in the current political climate of more states every year legalizing the use of marijuana. My prayer is that listeners will empathize and be encouraged to make choices that don’t hurt themselves or kill others—-that choosing to do the right thing will become the American thing again. This season is dedicated to the memory of Jada Bright.

Angela’s best friend shares her memories of Angela’s terrifying visit to the Mahned Bridge and the last few weeks before she went missing and the weeks afterward when it seemed so many mistakes were being made. Also, Debra has encounters with Stephen Lindsey and Larry Posey years after Angela’ disappearance, which couldn’t have been more different. Finally, where Angela’s case stands today and what law enforcement is currently doing in the case. Contact the podcast team at tellinglivespod@gmail.com

Join us for an in-between episode round table discussion! We take answer your questions and provide a couple of points of clarity about the content previously released. Contact the team at tellinglivespod@gmail.com or visit the website at tellinglives.blubrry.net.

Join us as we answer questions related to the disappearance of Angela Freeman. If you have questions about the podcast, or would like to share your thoughts on Angela, send us a message at tellinglivespod@gmail.com. We might answer your questions on a future episode! tellinglivespod@gmail.com www.tellinglives.blubrry.net

One of the interesting things that seems to happen anytime a person goes missing or is killed in a mysterious way and the case remains unsolved for any length of time is the interest from psychics or people who believe they can help solve the case with help from otherworldly means. Angela Freeman’s case has been no exception. In Episode Six we will explore what psychics over the years have brought forth in the Freeman case, and we will discuss some cases where law enforcement has actually solved cases seemingly from evidence uncovered through psychic phenomena. Listen closely because some of the new evidence we will introduce in a forthcoming episode will require us to retrace some of the psychic visions from more than two decades ago. Contact us at tellinglivespod@gmail.com

Just 20 months after Angela Freeman went missing, two friends from work disappeared after leaving McAlister’s Deli in Hattiesburg. The next afternoon their truck and broken butcher knife were found at the Mahned Bridge. Four days later, three bodies were found in shallow graves nearby, catapulting this rural community and the Mahned Bridge into national news and putting the mystery of Angela’s disappearance back on the front page. Contact the podcast team at tellinglivespod@gmail.com, or visit our website at tellinglives.blubrry.net  

Angela turned 17 in January and broke up with her longtime boyfriend, though she continued to carry a torch for her first love. She dropped out of school and started working at fast food restaurants in Hattiesburg, where she met and began dating a black man, which at the time in Mississippi, was still frowned upon by many, including her soon-to-be stepfather. She found out in May that she was pregnant. Angela also discovered who her biological father was—and one of her classmates was in fact her half-brother. Two weeks before Angela’s disappearance on September 10, her mother Debra married her stepfather. She was in the process of moving in with a co-worker the weekend she went missing. The co-worker found a note from Angela saying that she’d be back soon. Her car was discovered hours later at the Mahned Bridge in rural Perry County. Visit our website at tellinglives.blubrry.net Contact us at tellinglivespod@gmail.com with questions about the podcast.

Telling Lives is a reported podcast series looking at old cases in a true way. This season we will investigate the disappearance of a teenager from Mississippi, Angela Freeman, who went missing Sept. 10, 1993. She has never been found. Law enforcement initially tagged her as a runaway, which caused evidence to be lost or not collected. Many theories have surfaced over the years, and several bizarre coincidences exist. Most importantly, this podcast series will tell you the truth about a teenager whose dreams–of becoming a mother and a nurse–were cut short 25 years ago. And prayerfully, we will help bring answers and resolution to a family who has suffered the worst tragedy imaginable. Contact us at tellinglivespod@gmail.com with information or questions about the case. Visit our website at tellinglives.blubrry.net