约瑟夫·“乔-乔”·金三世的神秘死亡

每个谜团都有答案，但有些谜团却有多种可能性。

Every mystery has an answer, but some have way more than one possibility.

我是伊薇特·詹蒂勒。

I'm Yvette Gentile.

我是她的妹妹，拉莎·佩科雷罗。

And I'm her sister, Rasha Pecorrero.

在我们的播客《如此超自然》中，每周我们都邀请你探索未知，并思考每个未解之谜背后的多种理论。

Every week on our podcast, So Supernatural, we invite you to explore the unknown and to consider the many theories behind each unsolved mystery.

我们将引导你通过调查令人毛骨悚然的灵异事件、无法解释的遭遇、奇怪的失踪案件等，重新质疑你自以为了解的世界。

We'll guide you as you question the world you think you know through investigations into spine chilling hauntings, unexplainable encounters, strange disappearances, and so much more.

所以，如果你准备好被那些未解之谜和未知故事所困扰，就勇敢地每周五收听《So Supernatural》吧，无论你在哪个平台听播客。

So if you're ready to be haunted by stories of the unsolved and of the unknown, listen, if you dare, to sow supernatural every Friday wherever you get your podcasts.

嗨，犯罪爱好者们。

Hi, Crime Junkies.

我是你们的主持人，阿什莉·弗劳尔斯。

I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

我是布里特。

And I'm Brit.

今天我要讲的故事，我得先提醒你，听起来会很难受。

And the story I have for you today, I'm gonna warn you, it's gonna be hard to hear.

但当人们不愿面对这些艰难的真相时，正是这种漠视让那些无法保护孩子的系统得以延续。

But when people don't listen to the tough stuff, that is what lets a system that doesn't protect kids perpetuate.

所以我恳求你们听一听今天的故事，关于一名德克萨斯州格兰德草原市的一年级男孩被发现在家中失去意识的事件。

So I beg you to hear today's story about a first grader found unresponsive in his own home in Grand Prairie, Texas.

他的继父解释说，孩子被困在了一个玩具箱里，怎么也出不来，窒息而亡。

The explanation his stepfather gives is that he got trapped inside a toy chest and just couldn't get out, couldn't breathe.

但当这个说法被实际验证时，却经不起推敲。

But when that theory is put to the test, it doesn't add up.

然而，至今没有人为此名男孩的死亡承担责任。

Yet no one has been held responsible for this young boy's death.

因此，他的父亲决心确保没有人忘记他儿子的名字。

So his father is making sure that no one forgets his son's name.

这是约瑟夫·乔乔·金三世的故事。

This is the story of Joseph Jojo King the third.

就在我们其他人被封锁和全球大流行冲击前几周，约瑟夫·金二世的世界崩塌了。

Joseph King Junior's world collapsed a few weeks before the rest of us were rocked by lockdowns and a global pandemic.

2020年2月23日，午夜前他的电话响了。

It was 02/23/2020 when his phone rang just before midnight.

那个时间打来的电话都不会是好事，所以他接电话时已经做好了心理准备。

No good call comes at that hour, so he was bracing himself when he answered.

但没有任何事能让他准备好接下来听到的内容。

But there was nothing that could have prepared him for what was said.

他的六岁儿子，约瑟夫·金三世，他的乔乔，已经失去意识，被送往医院。

His six year old son, Joseph King III, his Jojo, was unconscious and at the hospital.

当时他并没有得到更多详细信息。

Now there wasn't much more information for him at that time.

这都是最近的事，但他，父亲，住在佐治亚州。

This is all pretty recent, but he, dad, lives in Georgia.

乔乔和妈妈及继父住在德克萨斯州，所以他必须立即搭乘最早的一班航班赶去陪儿子。

And Jojo lives with his mom and stepfather in Texas, so he needs to get on the first flight out to be with his son.

约瑟夫在赶路途中心乱如麻，却依然对情况知之甚少。

Joseph is in knots as he makes the trip, and he still doesn't know much.

我的意思是，就在前一天，他还和儿子通过视频通话呢。

I mean, he had just FaceTimed with his son the day before.

那时孩子完全健康，心情愉快，正兴奋地准备开始打棒球。

He was perfectly healthy and happy, pumped about starting baseball.

这怎么可能发生呢？

Like, how could this possibly be happening?

他怎么会突然住进医院了？

How could he be in the hospital now?

当他在第二天早上终于抵达达拉斯儿童医疗中心时，情况比他想象的还要糟糕。

And when he finally arrives at Children's Medical Center in Dallas that next morning, it is even worse than he imagined.

乔乔不只是昏迷了。

Jojo is not just unconscious.

他正在使用生命维持系统。

He is on life support.

医生说，他因缺氧导致脑损伤，很可能是被卡在玩具箱里时发生的，他的继父就是在那儿找到他的。

Doctors say that he suffered a brain injury from lack of oxygen, likely from being stuck in a toy chest where his stepdad found him.

就像一个玩具箱那样的东西？

Like a like a toy box thing?

他是爬进去后不小心被卡住了？

Like, he climbed in and accidentally got stuck?

这是他继父的说法。

That is what his stepdad is saying.

继父布兰登·黑尔表示，事发时他和乔乔在一起。

Brandon Hale, the stepdad, says that he was home with Jojo when it happened.

乔乔的母亲杰西卡大约在下午2:30离开了家去参加婴儿派对。

Jojo's mom, Jessica, basically left for a baby shower at around 02:30PM.

当天下午某个时候，布兰登小睡了一会儿，但没过多久就被唤醒了，就在快到下午5点时，他收到了妻子发来的短信，提醒他给乔乔吃药。

And then at some point that afternoon, Brandon took this short nap, but he was woken up not too long after, just before 05:00, because he got a text from his wife reminding him to give Jojo his medication.

所以他称自己搜遍了整栋联排别墅，但到处都找不到乔乔。

So he said he searched the townhouse, and he couldn't find Jojo anywhere.

于是他甚至在五分钟后又给杰西卡发了条信息，问乔乔是不是在她那儿。

So he even text Jessica back, like, five minutes later asking if Jojo was with her.

这说不通，因为如果她带着乔乔，不可能还发信息提醒你给他吃药。

Which doesn't make sense because she's not gonna text you about giving him medicine if

是的。

Yeah.

她明明带着他。

She has him.

我不知道他在想什么，但显然乔乔不可能和妈妈在一起。

I don't know what he was thinking, but, no, he is obviously not with mom.

于是布兰登下楼去检查前门，确认乔乔有没有在他睡觉时跑出去，但他发现门还是锁着的。

So then Brandon went downstairs to check the front door, make sure that Jojo didn't leave while he was sleeping, but he saw that it was still locked.

所以他回到楼上，不知为何，决定去检查乔乔卧室里的玩具箱。

So he goes back upstairs and for some unknown reason, he decided to check-in the toy chest in Jojo's bedroom.

他就躺在那里，没有呼吸。

And there he was, not breathing.

现在，乔乔的父亲约瑟夫正站在儿子的病床旁，听着布兰登的解释。

Now Jojo's dad, Joseph, is standing there beside his son's hospital bed listening to Brandon's explanation.

对他来说，有些地方听起来不对劲。

And to him, something just doesn't sound right.

他不仅仅是以一个父亲的身份这么想。

And he's not just thinking that as a dad.

他还是以一名侦探的身份在思考，因为约瑟夫恰好是亚特兰大的一名凶杀案侦探。

He's thinking that as a detective because Joseph just so happens to be a homicide detective in Atlanta.

听到儿子和布兰登独处时出了事，他立刻警觉起来，因为他知道一些你不知道的事。

And hearing that his son was home alone with Brandon when something went down immediately sets off alarm bells because he knows something you don't.

让我把时间倒回将近一年前，2019年3月。

Let me rewind almost a year back to March 2019.

有一天，乔乔上学时，根本坐不下来。

One day, Jojo showed up to school, and he couldn't sit down.

老师注意到他走路有点跛，于是把他叫到一旁。

Teachers noticed that he had a bit of a limp as well, so they, like, pull him aside.

近距离一看，发现他两条大腿背面都有多个环状的淤青。

And what becomes visible up close is that there are multiple loop shaped bruises across the backs of both of his thighs.

当他们问起时，乔乔告诉他们，他的爸爸——也就是继父布兰登——用皮带打了他。

When they ask him about it, Jojo tells them that his dad, meaning his stepfather, Brandon, beat him with a belt.

于是警察来了。

So police came.

他们做出了响应。

They responded.

德克萨斯州家庭保护服务部（DFPS）展开了调查。

And the Texas Department of Family Protective Services, which is DFPS, they opened an investigation.

布兰登承认他使用了皮带，而且他和杰西卡都描述过使用某种体罚作为管教方式。

Brandon admits that he used a belt, and it sounds like he and Jessica both describe using some forms of corporal punishment as discipline.

但DFPS最终认定有合理理由相信发生了身体虐待。

But DFPS ends up ruling reason to believe for physical abuse.

这已经正式记录在案了。

That's officially documented then.

是的。

Oh, yeah.

“有理由相信”意味着DFPS认定虐待确实发生了。

Reason to believe means that DFPS determined abuse did occur.

因此，布兰登被指控伤害儿童。

And so Brandon gets indicted for injury to a child.

但事情在这里变得复杂了。

But here is where it gets complicated.

约瑟夫，乔乔在佐治亚州的亲生父亲，并没有立即被告知这些情况。

Joseph, Jojo's biological father living in Georgia, isn't notified about any of this right away.

尽管他一直积极参与儿子的生活，每年夏天和假期都会见他，几乎每天都会和他通话。

Even though he had been active in his son's life, he saw him over summers and during holidays, talked to him nearly every day.

但一旦他得知此事，他就告诉我们，他立即开始争取监护权。

But as soon as he does find out, he told our team that he started trying to get custody.

我的意思是，他直接去找了DFPS，就是那些声称有理由相信这个小男孩在家遭受虐待的机构。

I mean, he goes right to DFPS, the very people who say that they have reason to believe that this young boy is being abused in his home.

但他表示，他们告诉他，在这种情况下不会带走孩子。

But he says that they told him they don't remove children in situations like this.

在这种情况下

In situations like this

他们就是这么说的。

That's what they said.

所以他转而尝试通过家庭法院处理。

So he tried going through family court.

他去找了大草原市警察局的侦探，但他们却把他直接打发回DFPS。

He tried going to detectives at Grand Prairie PD, but they point him right back to DFPS.

因此，作为最后的手段，为了在远方保护他的儿子，他为乔乔申请了保护令。

So as kind of a last resort, a way to protect his son from far away, he applied for a protective order on behalf of Jojo.

但据他所说，法官拒绝签署该保护令，因为乔乔和他要求保护其免受伤害的人——也就是布兰登——住在同一个屋檐下。

But according to him, a judge wouldn't sign it because Jojo lived in the same home as the person that he was asking for him to be protected from, aka Brandon.

家庭暴力经常在家里发生。

Domestic abuse happens in the home all the time.

我的意思是，'家庭'不就是这个意思吗？

Like, that's what domestic means?

我知道。

I know.

这说得通。

That makes sense.

甚至很合理。

Even logical.

我知道。

I know.

所以，基本上，如果约瑟夫想把乔乔从那个家里带出来，他们留给他的唯一选择就是绑架乔乔，然后逃亡，因为他作为非监护家长会成为逃犯。

So, basically, if Joseph wanted to get Jojo out of that home, the really only option that they left him with is to kidnap Jojo, and they'd have to go on the run because he'd be a fugitive as the noncustodial parent.

但这根本不是一个可行的选择，

Which is not much of an option,

不是吗？

isn't it?

布里特，正是这部分一直萦绕在他心头。

And, Brit, this is the part that stays with him.

约瑟夫说，他记得曾 literally 问过官员：我的儿子必须死，才会有人来帮我们吗？

Joseph said that he remembers literally asking officials, does my son have to die for someone to help us?

这个问题如今也在重症监护室里回响，因为那个承认用皮带击打儿子的人，正是在孩子停止呼吸时独自与他在一起的人。

That question now echoes in the ICU too because the man who admitted to striking his son with a belt is the same man who was home alone with him when he stopped breathing.

而他之所以能在2020年2月那天站在医院里，是因为尽管DFPS曾表示他们有理由相信布兰登在2019年虐待了乔乔，但他们还是关闭了此案，并记录风险等级为低。

And he's able to stand there in that hospital on that day in February 2020 because even though DFPS said that they had reason to believe Brandon abused Jojo in 2019, they closed the case documenting that the risk level was low.

他获得了四年缓刑判决。

He got four years deferred adjudication probation.

也就是说，只要他遵守缓刑规定，就不会有正式定罪。

Translation, no formal conviction as long as he complies with his probation.

这意味着他不会入狱。

That is zero jail time.

所以，布兰登当时独自和乔乔待在家中，而事故发生时他们正住在一起——这些情况，在法院和DFPS看来，完全符合规定。

So the fact that Brandon was home alone with Jojo, back living in the house with him at the time that this happened, apparently, all of that is by the books as far as the court and DFPS were concerned.

医生解释说，乔乔的大脑因长时间缺氧而严重肿胀。

Doctors explained that Jojo's brain had suffered severe swelling from prolonged lack of oxygen.

他们告诉约瑟夫，接下来的48到72小时将决定乔乔的一切，但他现在只能等待。

They tell Joseph the next forty eight to seventy two hours are gonna determine everything for Jojo, but all he can do now is wait.

但在等待的过程中，他忍不住反复回想自己的那个问题。

But as he waits, he can't help replaying his question.

我的儿子必须死，才有人愿意帮我们吗？

Does my son have to die for someone to help us?

他也在反复回想布兰登告诉他的那个故事。

And he's also replaying the story he heard from Brandon.

随着这个故事在他脑海中不断回放，加上他从医生和警察那里收集到越来越多的信息，布兰登的说法在父亲约瑟夫和侦探约瑟夫看来，越来越站不住脚。

And the more times it loops in his brain and the more information he starts collecting from doctors and from police, the less Brandon's story makes sense to Joseph the dad and Joseph the detective.

从一开始，布兰登提供的的时间线就让约瑟夫感到可疑。

From the very start, the timeline Brandon gave seems shaky to Joseph.

最初，布兰登讲述的故事让人觉得他只是小睡了一会儿，大概三十分钟左右，但这对约瑟夫来说说不通。

Initially, the story that Brandon told made it seem like he just took this quick little catnap, like thirty minutes or so, But that doesn't make sense to Joseph.

医生告诉他，乔乔之所以变成这样，是因为长时间缺氧。

The doctor told him Jojo was like that because of prolonged lack of oxygen.

现在，布兰登的故事随着时间推移悄然改变了。

Now conveniently, Brandon's story morphs over time.

那三十分钟的小睡变成了‘我不知道睡了多久’，最后甚至说他整个下午都在睡觉，而当时他本该照看乔乔。

That thirty minute nap changes to, I don't know how long it was, to eventually saying that he was sleeping nearly the entire afternoon while he was supposed to be supervising Jojo.

还有关于心肺复苏的这一整件怪事。

And then there is this whole weird thing with CPR.

起初，布兰登的说法是他把乔乔从椅子上抱下来，做了心肺复苏，然后拨打了911。

At first, Brandon's story was that he pulled Jojo from the chest, performed CPR, and called 911.

但约瑟夫发现，当布兰登在下午4点58分拨打911时，接线员不得不告诉他把乔乔放在地上并开始按压。

But Joseph finds out that when Brandon called 911 at 04:58PM, the dispatcher had to tell him to put Jojo on the floor and begin compressions.

但当她后来谈及此事时，说从电话里听上去，似乎他根本没在做心肺复苏。

But when she has spoken to, she says from what she could tell, like, over the phone or whatever, it didn't seem like he was actually doing it.

当急救人员在5:11到达时，他们记录到他并没有进行胸外按压。

And when EMS arrived by 05:11, they documented that he is not doing CPR compressions.

急救人员发现乔乔没有呼吸、没有脉搏，而布兰登只是大喊‘天啊，不’，哭着、摇晃着、捶打墙壁。

First responders find Jojo not breathing without a pulse while Brandon is just screaming, god, no, and crying, rocking, hitting the wall.

但这可能只是恐慌的表现。

Which could just be panic, though.

当然。

Sure.

但这个你怎么看？

But how about this?

据我们所知，布兰登的叙述中从未解释过为什么乔乔是湿的。

As far as we know, nowhere in Brandon's story does he offer up an explanation for why Jojo is wet.

我说的不是那种因为长时间被困在狭小空间里出的汗。

And I'm not just talking just, like, sweaty from being stuck inside a constricted space for a long time.

而是从鼻子一直到臀部都湿透了。

Wet from his nose all the way down to his hips.

警方还记录了浴室里有一条湿毛巾，床也是湿的。

And police also document a wet towel in the bathroom, and the bed is wet.

我的意思是，到底湿到什么程度？

I mean, how wet are we talking here?

我不太确定，因为截至这次录音时，我们还没有收到大草原警察局根据我们的信息自由法案请求提供的任何照片或随身摄像头录像。

I don't know exactly because as of this recording, we haven't gotten any photos or body cam footage from the Grand Prairie Police Department in response to our FOIA.

但我要说的是，至少乔乔身上的部分潮湿是尿液。

But I will say, at least some of the wetness, at least the some of the wetness on Jojo himself is urine.

因为出警的警员说他身上有尿味，这对我来说是合理的。

Because responding officers say that he smells of urine, which makes sense to me.

我的意思是，尤其是对于一个被困或即将死亡的小孩来说。

I mean, especially for a little kid trapped in any way or dying.

你的身体会处于恐慌状态。

Like, your body is panicking.

或者当你逐渐失去意识时，有时会失去对身体功能的控制。

Or as you, like, lose consciousness, you sometimes can lose control of bodily functions.

但报告并没有完全解释为什么其他东西也会湿。

But the reports don't fully explain why that other stuff would be wet.

但在布兰登的版本中，这一切根本说不通。

But in Brandon's version of events, none of this makes sense anyway.

因为即使乔乔失去了对膀胱的控制，他身上的所有潮湿都来自尿液，这也很可能发生在他在胸腔里的时候。

Because even if Jojo lost control of his bladder and all of the wetness on him was urine, that would probably happen when he's in the chest.

对吧？

Right?

是的。

Yeah.

就像布兰登的陈述中根本没有提到，乔乔之前刚洗过澡。

Like, there's nothing mentioned in Brandon's statement like, oh, Jojo had just taken a bath earlier.

也不是说，我在试图救他时打翻了水。

It wasn't like, oh, I knocked over water while trying to save him.

只是说他在玩具箱里，仅此而已。

It was just he was in the toy chest, like, full stop.

而且他根本没打算解释关于潮湿的问题。

And it doesn't even appear like he tries to address the wetness stuff.

所以暂且不管潮湿的事，假设布兰登真的在小睡，而乔乔因为某种原因把自己和周围的东西弄湿了。

So putting the wetness aside for a sec, say Brandon really is napping, and Jojo is getting himself and other things wet for, like, whatever reason.

我有个一年级的孩子。

I've had a first grader.

我有个二年级的孩子。

I have a second grader.

孩子会做出一些疯狂的事情。

There are wildness that happens.

我很难理解的是，如果他不小心进了玩具箱，为什么不能自己出来？

The thing I'm having a hard time understanding is that if he accidentally goes in the toy chest, why can't he get himself out?

他都六岁了。

Like, he's six.

他可不是婴儿，甚至也不是小幼儿。

Like, he's not like a baby or even a little toddler.

所以看起来，这个特定的玩具箱一旦关上，就会自动上锁。

So it does seem with this specific toy chest that if it shuts, that it would automatically lock.

也就是说，他根本无法从里面自己把箱子打开。

So, like, he wouldn't have been able to open it back up on his own from the inside.

只有从外面才能操作。

You can only do that from the outside.

但你说得对，我仍然想不通，即使真的发生了这种情况，他为什么不能寻求帮助呢？我们知道这确实是它的运作方式，但即便如此。

But to your point, like, I'm still trying to figure out why he couldn't have gotten help even if that I mean, we know that's, like, that's how it worked, but even if that's what happened.

因为约瑟夫，他可是个身材高大、很健壮的孩子。

Because Joseph I mean, he's like this big athletic kid.

你可能会觉得，至少他能敲打、大喊、尖叫，制造一些声响。

You would think that he would at least be able to bang, yell, scream, make some noise.

而且这也不是什么很大的联排别墅。

And this isn't a huge townhome or anything.

我的意思是，我知道布兰登在睡觉。

I mean, like, I I know Brandon's sleeping.

我不知道他睡得有多沉

I don't know how hard a sleeper he

是的。

is.

是的。

Yeah.

而且他可能整个下午，或者部分时间都在睡觉。

And he's, you know, out for maybe some or all of the afternoon.

但约瑟夫想到另一个可能性，那就是乔乔可能以某种方式失去了行动能力。

But another thought that crossed Joseph's mind is that maybe Jojo had been incapacitated in some way.

约瑟夫提到，他的前妻杰西卡曾提出一种猜测，说乔乔可能从床上跳下来，撞到了玩具箱顶部，盖子突然关上，然后他因此昏迷了之类的。

Now the suggestion that Joseph said, his ex Jessica, kinda threw out there, was that maybe Jojo had jumped from the bed, hit the chest, the top, like, slammed shut, and then he got knocked out or something, somehow.

这听起来已经有点不太可能了。

Already feels kind of improbable.

是的。

Yeah.

这和他的已知伤情不符。

And it doesn't line up with his known injuries.

根据约瑟夫的医生所说，他们告诉他，似乎没有严重的头部损伤能解释乔乔突然昏迷的原因。

According to Joseph's doctor, they tell him there doesn't seem to be any significant head injuries that would explain Jojo's, like, falling unconscious.

而且他的气道也没有被堵塞，比如他没有因为吞下小玩具之类的东西而窒息，从而无法呼救。

And there was no obstruction blocking his airway either as if he had choked on a small toy or something while he was in there that, like, kept him from crying out for help.

所以我不知道哪种情况更糟——是想象他被困在里面失去意识，还是被困在里面拼命呼救却无人相助。

So I don't know what's worse thinking of him, like, trapped in there unconscious or trapped in there, like, crying to get out and no one's helping him.

同样的问题再次浮现。

The same question echoes.

对吧？

Right?

我的儿子必须死去，才会有人来帮我们吗？

Does my son have to die for someone to help us?

当你的儿子正在接受生命支持时，你并不希望得到这个问题的答案。

This is not really a question that you want to get an answer to while your son is on life support.

但日子一天天过去，Jojo大脑的肿胀并未消退，他也始终没有恢复意识。

But days pass, the swelling in Jojo's brain doesn't go down, and he never regains consciousness.

2020年2月27日，医生宣布Jojo死亡。

On 02/27/2020, doctors pronounced Jojo dead.

Joseph在儿子去世后决定捐献他的器官，因为这是他唯一能做的、能从如此可怕的事件中带来一丝善意的事。

Joseph made the decision to donate his son's organs when he died because it is the only thing he can do that makes him feel like some ounce of good could come out of something so horrific.

之后，他开始为儿子奔走，因为所做的尸检报告将死亡方式定为‘不明’，死亡原因列为全脑缺氧性脑病。

And then after that, he went to work for his son Because the autopsy that was performed came back as a manner of death undetermined, with the cause of death listed as global hypoxic encephalopathy.

他们表示，这是由于在密封的玩具箱内长时间被困，导致窒息缺氧所致。

And they say it was due to smothering with absence of oxygen following prolonged entrapment in a sealed toy chest.

这听起来像是一个悲剧性的意外。

That sounds like tragic accident territory maybe.

如果落在错误的人手里，我想确实会这样。

In the wrong hands, I think it would be.

但Joseph不会因为一个‘不明’的裁定就轻易放弃。

But Joseph isn't gonna just walk away because of an undetermined ruling.

他声称，他不得不敦促大草原市警察局指派另一位侦探重新审视他儿子的案件。

He claims that he had to push for Grand Prairie PD to have a different detective put fresh eyes on his son's case.

幸好他这么做了。

And thank God he did.

幸好他们听进去了。

And thank God they listened.

因为在这次重新审查中，他们决定重新检验艾米的结论。

Because as part of this fresh look, they actually decide to test the Emmy's ruling.

就是关于他被困在密封玩具箱里导致缺氧的那部分说法。

That whole part about lack of oxygen because he was in a sealed toy chest.

但那个箱子真的密封了吗？

Because was it even sealed?

等等。

Wait.

我以为他们已经检查过这一点了。

I I thought they already checked that.

而且，他们知道如果盖子关上，它会自动锁上。

And, like, they know it locks if it shuts, like, automatically.

他们知道一旦盖子关闭，它就会自动锁上。

They they know that it automatically locks if it shuts.

但在乔乔尸检时，似乎没有人实际测试过当盒子关闭并上锁时，空气是否还能流通。

But by the time of Jojo's autopsy, it doesn't seem like anyone had actually tested whether or not air could flow through when it was shut and locked.

上锁和完全密封是两回事。

Locked versus, like, airtight.

你猜怎么着？

And guess what?

他们用一盏灯放进盒子里测试，发现光线能从缝隙中透出来，这意味着如果光能透过缝隙，

They test this thing by putting a light inside, and light shines through the cracks, which means if light can get through the cracks,

那空气也一定能够通过。

that means air's gotta be able to pass through too.

没错。

Precisely.

所以，实际情况并没有像尸检报告所说的那样完全密封。

So it was not sealed like the autopsy said.

与此同时，调查人员还尝试还原现场情景。

Then while investigators are at it, they also try to recreate the scene.

他们使用了一个与乔乔体型相似的假人，但这个假人几乎塞不进箱子，因为布兰登说他进去时，箱子里并不是空的。

They use a mannequin similar in size to Jojo, and this thing barely fits inside the chest at all because the chest wasn't empty when Brandon says he went in there.

箱子里放着一些玩具。

There were toys inside of it.

特别是有一个很大的蝙蝠侠玩偶，占了相当大的空间。

Specifically, there was this large Batman doll that took up a significant amount of space.

有了这些新信息后，法医实际上回去修改了报告。

So with all of this new info, the medical examiner actually goes back to amend the report.

用非医学术语来说，报告现在写的是乔乔死于缺氧，但他们无法确定具体原因。

In nonmedical jargon, it now says that Jojo died from lack of oxygen, but they just can't say how.

原因不明。

Undetermined.

仍然无法确定，但这份报告中又增加了一条信息，让约瑟夫瞬间呆住，仿佛在说‘我就知道是这样’。

Still undetermined, but there is one more addition to this report that makes Joseph stop cold in his tracks and just have this, like, almost like I freaking knew it moment.

对吧？

Right?

就是那种瞬间的感觉。

Like this moment.

布里特，这里我干脆让你来读一下，因为你能完全理解他当时的心情。

And here, Brit, I'm actually just gonna have you read it because you'll know exactly what he was feeling.

到场的警员报告称，死者被发现时身上是湿的，因此有人担心可能是他杀性溺水。

Responding officers reported the decedent was wet when they arrived on the scene, and there was concern for possible homicidal drowning.

这还不是最终结论，只是对可能的他杀性溺水表示担忧。

Now it's not a ruling, just a concern for homicidal drowning.

但这一担忧已足以让调查人员重新审视所有线索，回到起点，试图弄清楚：如果乔乔不是死于被困在玩具箱里，那到底是什么杀死了他？

But it's concern enough for investigators to reassess everything, to go back to the drawing board and to try and figure out if Jojo didn't die from being trapped in a toy chest, then what really killed him?

约瑟夫无法与调查人员并肩工作，去寻找这些答案。

Joseph couldn't be side by side with investigators as they work to find the answers.

他们必须与他保持距离，以保护他们的调查。

They had to keep him at an arm's length to protect their investigation.

因此，他不得不等到2023年，才能听到任何关于他儿子遭遇的其他可能解释。

So he would have to wait until 2023 to hear any other possible theory about what could have happened to his son.

这一次，约瑟夫回到了德克萨斯州，不是在医院，而是在塔兰特县的一座法院。

Now this time, Joseph is back in Texas, not at a hospital, but in a courthouse in Tarrant County.

布兰登将在那里接受法官的审理。

That is where Brandon is going before a judge.

但他并不是因为谋杀罪出庭受审。

And he's not going before a judge for murder charges.

这并不是一场审判。

This isn't a trial.

这是一场听证会，目的是判定他是否违反了缓刑规定。

This is a hearing to determine whether he violated his probation.

什么？

What?

乔乔2020年去世时，他仍因2019年的皮带事件处于缓刑期间。

He was still on probation for the 2019 belt incident when Jojo died in 2020.

所以，检察官基本上认为

So, basically, prosecutors believe

当这件事发生时

That when this happened

2020年2月，这违反了那起事件所导致的缓刑规定。

February 2020, that that violated the probation from that, like, that incident.

但现在是2023年了。

But this is 2023.

他们花了三年时间才把这件事带到法庭上？

It took them three years to get to court on this?

我不知道为什么花了这么长时间。

I don't know why it took so long.

侦探和检察官办公室没有就这一集与我们沟通。

Detectives and the DA's office didn't talk to us for this episode.

但别忘了，正是另一位侦探深入调查这个案子，才得到了一些答案。

But remember, I mean, it did take a different detective digging into this case to even get some of these answers.

所以我猜，整理这些信息花了一些时间。

So I assume that took some time to get sorted.

然后约瑟夫认为，可能是因为死因尚未确定，我不知道，也许他们最终觉得，以违反缓刑为由来对付这家伙会更容易。

Then Joseph thinks maybe because the manner of death was undetermined, I don't know, like at some point, like they probably just figured that a probation violation would be much easier to get this guy on.

就像，好吧，让我们都努力找点什么罪名把他关起来。

Like, okay, like let's all try to put him away for some time for something.

是的。

Yeah.

但简单的方法并不总是正确的。

But the easy thing is not always the right thing.

而约瑟夫本人从事执法工作，他说，到2023年时，他们没有采取更进一步的行动，这让他感到非常惊讶。

And being in law enforcement himself, Joseph says that he is certainly surprised that they didn't go for more by the time 2023 rolls around.

因为一旦他听到他们在宣誓下所呈现的内容，他就更加确信，他的儿子并非如布兰登所声称的那样去世。

Because once he hears what it is that they presented under oath, he is even more sure that his son did not die in the way that Brandon claimed.

在这次听证会上，州方无需证明超出合理怀疑的证据。

At this hearing, the state doesn't have to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.

他们只需说服法官，布兰登在缓刑期间犯了新的罪行。

They just have to convince the judge that Brandon committed a new offense while on probation.

就这样。

That's it.

为了做到这一点，他们再次梳理了证据。

And to do that, they walk through the evidence again.

一些约瑟夫之前听过的内容，包括时间线存疑、尽管911指令要求实施抢救措施却未予执行的可能性，以及布兰登自己承认他确实这么做了的陈述。

Some of the same things that Joseph heard before, information regarding questionable timeline, the possibility that life saving measures weren't attempted despite instructions from 911 to do so, and Brandon's own statement that he did.

现在，布兰登作证说他用一只手进行了人工呼吸和胸外按压。

Now Brandon ends up testifying that he did give breaths and compressions with one hand.

但后来，据称他表示，他认为乔乔已经死了，觉得这么做没什么意义。

But then later, he reportedly stated that he felt Jojo was already dead and didn't really see the point.

所以，再次说明，他的陈述并不一致。

So, again, statements don't quite line up.

但接着出现了新的情况，这一切主要聚焦于这个案件中最奇怪、最显而易见的异常部分。

But then comes the new stuff, and it all mainly focuses on the weirdest and most glaringly strange part of this case.

那就是乔乔和现场某些部分都是湿的。

The fact that Jojo and some parts of this scene were wet.

现在，最初到场的警员上庭了，我们终于听到了他目击的细节。

Now the initial responding deputy takes the stand, and we finally get details about what he witnessed.

在浴室里，他看到浴缸里的玩具是湿的，马桶底部也有一条湿毛巾。

In the bathroom, he saw that the toys in the bathtub were wet, and there is a towel at the base of the toilet that is wet too.

根据这个场所的平面图，马桶紧挨着浴缸。

Now based on the floor plan of this place, it looks like the toilet is right up next to the tub.

虽然无法确定浴缸里的东西是怎么弄湿的，但他注意到马桶本身——也就是里面的水——看起来像是半满的，仿佛有什么东西被放了进去。

And while there's no way to tell how the things in the bath got wet, what he does notice is that the toilet bowl itself, like, the water in it, it appears like it's half full as if an object had been placed into it.

他就是用这样的措辞描述的。

That's the language that he uses.

像玩具这样的东西？

An object like the toys?

我不知道它们是否真的进过马桶，但我认为要让马桶里一半的水位发生变化，需要一个更大的物体。

I don't know if they were ever in the toilet, but I think it would have taken something larger to displace half the water in the toilet.

我觉得不需要福尔摩斯就能看出，他通过描述Jojo想要暗示什么。

And I don't think it takes Sherlock to see what he's trying to suggest here based on how he describes Jojo.

记住，他说Jojo从鼻子到臀部都是湿的。

Now remember, he says that Jojo is wet from the nose down to his hips.

湿的部位并不是遍布他全身。

The wetness isn't around his whole body.

显然，只是他身体正面的一条带状区域是湿的。

Apparently, it is just this strip down the front of him.

他是说Jojo被 somehow 塞进马桶里淹了一次吗？

Is he saying that Jojo was somehow, like, dunked in the toilet?

或者不是。

Or No.

他只是在陈述他所看到的情况。

He is just saying what he saw.

马桶里的水被排开了，而他前面的身体是湿的。

The toilet water is displaced, and he is wet down the front of him.

现在，布兰登的妻子、乔乔的母亲杰西卡作证说，如果毛巾和浴缸玩具是湿的，那可能是前一天晚上洗澡造成的。

Now Brandon's wife, Jojo's mom, Jessica, testifies that if the towel and the tub toys were, like, wet, it might have been from a bath the night before.

但约瑟夫通常在晚上六点到八点之间洗澡。

But Joseph usually bathed between six and 8PM.

这已经过去了将近二十四小时。

This was nearly twenty four hours later.

好的。

Okay.

我们还没怎么讨论过杰西卡。

We haven't really talked about Jessica that much.

她在这整个事情中处于什么立场？

Where does she stand in all of this?

她是在站在布兰登一边吗？

Like, is she siding with Brandon?

根据我们手头的一份DFPS文件，其中指出，杰西卡和布兰登聘请了律师，并在乔乔去世后，或至少在该文件起草时，拒绝与DFPS或执法部门合作。

Well, in a DFPS document that we have, it states that Jessica and Brandon got an attorney and refused to cooperate with DFPS or law enforcement following JoJo's death or at least, like, at the time that this document was prepared.

但老实说，根据我们所了解的情况，她似乎仍然和布兰登在一起，并支持他。

And honestly, from what we can tell, yeah, she seems to still be with Brandon and supporting him.

她的看法似乎是，这一切都是一场非常可怕的悲剧性意外，而杰西卡本人并未因儿子或其死亡而面临任何指控。

Her belief appears to be that this was all a very terrible tragic accident, and Jessica faces no charges related to her son or his death.

我们曾试图联系她参与本期节目，但她拒绝参与。

Now we tried to reach out to her for this episode, but she declined to participate.

事实上，她明确表示，她不希望这个故事被讲述。

In And fact, she made it clear that she didn't want this story to be told at all.

有意思。

Interesting.

假设浴缸、玩具和毛巾在前一天晚上洗澡后就一直是湿的，而不是二十三号在浴室里发生的状况，

So say the bath and the toys and the towel were all still wet from the night before when he took his bath and not something that happened in the bathroom on the twenty third.

那么他身体前部的湿痕会不会是乔乔尿裤子造成的？

Is it possible that the wet strip down the front of his body was from Jojo peeing himself?

比如，如果他当时倒挂在胸柜里什么的，尿液可能会顺着身体往上流。

Like, if he was kind of upside down in the chest or something, it might have, like Like, run up his body, like, while he was upside down.

我明白你的意思，但我可以肯定地告诉你，事情并不是这样的。

So I see what you're saying, but I can actually tell you for sure that's not what happened.

我的意思是，如果真是这样，那我们就得回到说玩具柜是密封的，导致他窒息，但我们现在知道这并不成立。

I mean, a, then we would be going back to saying that the toy chest, like, is sealed and suffocated him, which we now know that's not irritating.

但另一方面，在听证会上，我们听到了一个奇怪的细节。

But b, at the hearing, we get this strange detail that comes out.

在玩具柜内部，并没有发现任何潮湿或尿液的气味。

There was no documented moisture or smell of urine inside the actual toy chest.

当他们后来检测了里面那只蝙蝠侠毛绒玩具时，也没有发现任何尿液残留痕迹。

And when they later tested the Batman stuffed toy that was in there, it did not show residual traces of urine either.

阿什莉，他到底有没有进过玩具柜？

Ashley, was he ever in the toy chest at all?

这个问题，布里特。

This is the question, Brit.

我没有看到任何证据支持这一点。

I don't see any proof of that.

我的意思是，我们确实发现了尿液。

I mean, we have urine present.

听起来我们还发现了一些水迹。

It sounds like we also have some water present.

但这些都不在玩具箱里。

But not in the toy chest.

这些都没有出现在箱子里，而这正是布兰登整个说法的关键。

None of this is in the chest, which is the crux of Brandon's whole story.

是的。

Yeah.

让我再告诉你一件事，这件事对我来说，真正勾勒出了整个画面。

And let me tell you one more thing that for me, like, this thing is what really painted a picture.

当出警的警员在证人席上作证时，谈到床的情况，他说当他掀开被子时，发现床中央是湿的，正好是若乔乔躺在上面时臀部所在的位置。

When the responding deputy testified on the witness stand about the bed, he said that when he pulled the covers back, he found that it was wet in the middle about where Jojo's bottom would have been if he was laying on the bed.

就那个区域。

Just that area.

是的。

Yes.

据我理解，他就是这个意思。

From what I can tell, that's what he's saying.

我现在不确定的是，那种湿润是水还是尿液，以及这种湿润是在马桶失水之前还是之后发生的。

Now the thing I don't know for sure is if that wetness was water or urine, and if that wetness happened before or after the toilet bowl losing water.

对。

Right.

意思是，乔乔是不是尿床了？

Like, did JoJo have an accident?

然后之后发生的一切都是由那次意外引起的。

And then whatever happened after that was prompted by that accident.

还是说浴室里发生了什么事，然后他被放到床上或自己去睡觉了？

Or did something happen in the bathroom and then he was put or or went to bed?

我以为他前面是湿的。

I thought but the front of him is wet.

对。

Right.

在我的想象中，好像他的脸被按进了水桶里，然后被拉出来时，水顺着身体前面流了下来。

As if his in my mind, as if his face were pushed into the bowl of water, and then the water ran down the front of him when he was pulled out.

但我搞不懂的是，如果他是溺水身亡的，那为什么艾米报告里没提到？

The thing I don't get, though, is if he had drowned, wouldn't that be in the Emmy's report?

这事儿明明很清楚啊。

Like, that's pretty, like, cut and dry.

我知道当时确实有人提出过他可能被故意溺死，但溺水本身是很明确的。

I know there was, like, a, quote, unquote, concern for homicidal drowning, but drowning is cut and dry.

他的肺里有没有水，到底有没有？

Like, was there water in his lungs or was there not?

如果有人是立即因溺水死亡的，那情况就很明确了。

It's cut and dry when someone immediately dies from drowning.

这个案子很复杂，因为乔乔并没有立即死亡。

This one is complicated because of the fact that Jojo didn't die right away.

对吧？

Right?

他被送进了

He was in the

在此次听证会上，法医作证称约瑟夫的气道中存在水分，但这并不一定意味着溺水，因为约瑟夫在去世前已使用呼吸机数日，法医指出，气道中的液体也可能与长期使用呼吸机相符。

hospital During for this hearing, the medical examiner testifies that there was water present in Joseph's airways, but that doesn't necessarily mean drowning because Joseph had been on a ventilator for several days before he died, and the ME testified that fluid in the airways can be consistent with prolonged ventilator use.

因此，根据这位法医的说法，在这类情况下，无法通过检测来确定是否为溺水，这意味着尸检只能认定为窒息，即他无法获得氧气。

So according to this ME, there is just no way to narrow down the list by testing for drowning in cases like this, which means the autopsy can say asphyxia, meaning he couldn't get oxygen.

它可以指出存在某种疑点，但无法说明缺氧是如何发生的。

It can say that there is a concern for something, but it can't say how the oxygen deprivation happened.

现在，检方的论点是，如果玩具箱理论不成立，溺水又无法排除，且没有外伤，那么唯一剩下的解释就是有人造成了窒息，而当时在房子里的唯一人就是布兰登。

Now the state's argument is that if the toy chest theory doesn't work and drowning can't be ruled out and there is no trauma, then the only explanation left is that someone caused the asphyxiation, and the only someone in that house was Brandon.

但辩护方认为，这是一起发生在玩具箱内的意外。

But the defense argues that it was an accident inside the toy chest.

我们怎么还在讨论这个玩具箱？

How are we still talking about this toy chest?

感觉这好像无关紧要，我想是这样吧。

Like, it feels, I guess Irrelevant

到这一步了。

at this point.

因为裁定结果尚未确定。

Because the ruling is undetermined.

也许正是因为‘孩子被锁在玩具箱里致死’这种说法，并非在这个案件中凭空出现的。

And maybe maybe because this idea about a kid dying by being locked in a toy chest didn't just come out of thin air for this case.

我的意思是，我快速搜了一下，确实有孩子——大多是比乔乔更小的孩子——被困在玩具箱里的报道。

I mean, I did a quick Google search, and there are stories of children, mostly younger than Jojo, getting stuck in toy chests.

我想很多都是那种经常作为传家宝传下来的旧箱子。

And I think it's a lot of these, like, old chests that are often passed down, like family heirlooms.

而且它们显然没有通过现代安全标准检查。

And they obviously don't pass, like, modern safety checks or anything