Episode 12: Goodnight Nurse (Part One)

A trusted caregiver. A hidden pattern. And a case where medical knowledge was used to control life and death.

In Part Two of Goodnight Nurse, we move beyond the fictional investigation and examine a real historical case involving a nurse who exploited her position of trust to poison patients under her care. Operating in the late 1800s, she used combinations of drugs like morphine and atropine to manipulate symptoms—causing patients to decline, recover, and decline again—while closely observing the process.

Her victims were often vulnerable and dependent, and many deaths were initially attributed to natural causes. But as patterns emerged, investigators uncovered a cycle of controlled deterioration tied directly to her presence. She later confessed to multiple murders and described a desire to push the limits of how many people she could kill without detection.

This episode explores how access, trust, and a lack of oversight allowed a caregiver to operate undetected—and how a pattern hidden in plain sight ultimately revealed the truth.

~Know someone who loves true crime and a good mystery? Share this episode and see if they can solve it before the reveal.~

Resource Spotlight

https://theconsumervoice.org/

Billy's New Single https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/billylister/ill-see-you-in-my-dreams-tonight?ref=release

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deadgiveawaypodcast

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@deadgiveawaypodcast

Support the show https://www.patreon.com/cw/DeadGiveawayPodcast

ABOUT DEAD GIVEAWAY

The Premise: A two-part true crime podcast with a twist.

Part One: Carley presents a fictionalized version of a real case—changing names, locations, and key details. Billy has to solve it before the reveal.

Part Two – The Reveal: We uncover the real case, break down the investigation, and find out whether the truth was hiding in plain sight… or if it was a Dead Giveaway.

Topics: True Crime Mystery, Hospital Deaths, Medical Crime, Healthcare Investigation, Suspicious Pattern, Nurse or Doctor, ICU Case, Crime Scene Analysis, Investigative Podcast, Unsolved Style Mystery

Episode 12: Goodnight Nurse (Part One)

A routine overnight shift. A patient who should have recovered. And a pattern that doesn’t fully make sense.

Welcome back to Dead Giveaway, the murder mystery podcast where every detail matters—and nothing is ever as simple as it seems. In this episode, Billy walks through a fictionalized case set inside a mid-1990s hospital, where a series of patient deaths during the overnight shift begin to draw attention—not because of how they happen, but when.

At Chicago Lakeside Memorial, the Neuro-ICU is already a high-risk environment. Patients are unstable by nature, and complications are expected—especially overnight, when staffing is reduced and supervision is limited. But over the course of several months, a pattern begins to emerge. Patients who show signs of improvement during the day—stabilizing vitals, positive neurological response, plans for recovery—begin to decline overnight. Not suddenly, and not all at once, but in a way that repeats. Between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 AM, patients begin to shift. A drop in oxygen levels. A slowing heart rate. Temporary stabilization. Then a second decline that, in multiple cases, doesn’t reverse.

When hospital staff begin reviewing the cases, two names consistently appear in the same timeline: a contract nurse assigned to the overnight shift, and the attending physician responsible for treatment decisions. One is known for being reliable, calm under pressure, and trusted by both patients and families. The other is known for an aggressive approach to care, particularly when it comes to sedation and end-of-life treatment decisions. Individually, neither raises immediate concern. Together, they create a question. Because if something is wrong, it could be happening in two different places—at the level of decision, or at the point of care.

As the timeline is reconstructed, additional details begin to surface. Medication adjustments that fall within acceptable ranges, but consistently occur just before decline. Narcotics logs that don’t fully match staffing records. And at least one surviving patient who recalls being spoken to during an overnight event—but cannot clearly identify whether it was a nurse or a doctor at their bedside. What initially appears to be a series of unfortunate outcomes begins to take on a different shape. Not random. Not isolated. But possibly structured.

This is Part One of Goodnight Nurse. Listen closely. Every detail matters. Because by the end of the episode, you’ll have everything you need to decide: was this the result of aggressive medical treatment—or something happening after those decisions were made?

~Know someone who loves true crime and a good mystery? Share this episode and see if they can solve it before the reveal.~

Billy's New Single https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/billylister/ill-see-you-in-my-dreams-tonight?ref=release

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deadgiveawaypodcast

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@deadgiveawaypodcast

Support the show https://www.patreon.com/cw/DeadGiveawayPodcast

ABOUT DEAD GIVEAWAY

The Premise: A two-part true crime podcast with a twist.

Part One: Carley presents a fictionalized version of a real case—changing names, locations, and key details. Billy has to solve it before the reveal.

Part Two – The Reveal: We uncover the real case, break down the investigation, and find out whether the truth was hiding in plain sight… or if it was a Dead Giveaway.

Topics: True Crime Mystery, Hospital Deaths, Medical Crime, Healthcare Investigation, Suspicious Pattern, Nurse or Doctor, ICU Case, Crime Scene Analysis, Investigative Podcast, Unsolved Style Mystery

Episode 11: After Closing (Part Two)

The story didn’t add up.

A locked store. No forced entry.

• The 331 Physical Markers: Why the sheer number of injuries changed the entire direction of the case.
• The Size 14 Impressions: The truth behind the footprints that appeared inside the store but never led outside.
• A Staged Narrative: How investigators used bloodstain pattern analysis and behavioral cues to dismantle a perfectly crafted lie.
• The Neighboring Witnesses: What was heard through the walls and why those sounds didn't match the reported story.

~Know someone who loves true crime and a good mystery? Share this episode and see if they can solve it before the reveal.~

Billy's New Single https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/billylister/ill-see-you-in-my-dreams-tonight?ref=release

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deadgiveawaypodcast

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@deadgiveawaypodcast

https://www.patreon.com/cw/DeadGiveawayPodcast

The Premise: A two-part true crime podcast with a twist.

Part One: Carley presents a fictionalized version of a real case—changing names, locations, and key details. Billy has to solve it before the reveal.

Part Two – The Reveal: We uncover the real case, break down the investigation, and find out whether the truth was hiding in plain sight… or if it was a Dead Giveaway.

True Crime Mystery, Retail Murder Case, Workplace Crime, Small Town Crime, Suspicious Survivor, Crime Scene Analysis, Investigative Podcast, Unsolved Style Mystery