Erica Green: Murdered 25 Years On This Day

Erica Michelle Marie Green (1997 - 2001)

WARNING: This post contains details relating to child abuse, murder, and decapitation. Viewer discretion advised!

A few blog posts ago, I discussed the disturbing case of St. Louis Jane Doe, a pre-teen Black girl whose decapitated body was found in a Missouri house. It's a rather haunting unsolved case to do this day. This is a case I mentioned with it as a comparison, as it also involved a decapitated Black girl found in Missouri.

Thankfully, unlike Precious Hope, this precious girl- aptly nicknamed Precious Doe, would eventually get justice. That girl would be Erica Michelle Marie Green. Today's case will be heavy, so only read if you have a strong stomach.

Before we begin, I would just like to mention that Erica Green was actually coincidentally born on May 15th (1997), which some of you may know is my birthday! Every time I celebrate my birthday, I will also celebrate Erica, knowing she should be celebrating it to, and she tragically won't be able to, due to the monsters we'll be talking about today. Let's get into it.

Erica's Life

As mentioned, Erica Green was born on May 15th, 1997, in McLoud, Oklahoma to her mother, Michelle Johnson, and father, Larry Green; she was the youngest of 9 children. At the time, Michelle was incarcerated, so already Erica had a tough start in life. Erica would soon be placed in foster care and be raised by her great-grandmother's friend, Betty Brown, in Oklahoma.

Like many toddlers, Erica was described as innocent and fun-loving, as she loves to dress up. Betty Brown also described her as self-reliant for a young girl.

Erica Green

However, on April 4th, 2001, things would soon go south for Erica again. Michelle was released from prison, and took her back to Kansas City, Missouri. At the time, Michelle had a new boyfriend, Harrell Johnson. Later reports from Johnson's cousins would say Erica had a miserable time living with her mom, and wanted to be return to Betty.

Both Harrell and Michelle were heavy drug users. Harrell was physically and verbally abusive towards Erica, and repeadtly beat her over minor accidents. What is even more abominable is that her mother didn't do much about the abuse. Eventually, this abuse would soon end poor Erica's life.

Erica's Death

One evening in late April (mere weeks before Erica's 4th birthday), Erica had refused to go to bed, her parents were enraged. Reportedly, Harrell was high at the time.

Her step-father then repeadtly beat her with an ashtray and kicked her, until she stopped responding. Once both he and Michelle realized what happened, they began to panic. They tried to revive her, and hours passed, but it was too late. Erica Green had passed. However, they weren't going to go to the police to report what they had done, and instead try and conceal their crime in a horrendous way.

Her step father used a pair of hedge clippers to behead her, and her "mother" assisted in disposing her daughter’s remains. Initally they tried to dispose of Erica near a church, but they decided on the woods as it would be harder to find the body.

Afterwards, Michelle would lie about what happened to Erica, claiming she went back to live with Betty Brown, and for years, Michelle and Harell would hide the truth of the girl's death. Soon enough however, Erica would be found...

Precious Doe

Kansas City, Missouri. On April 28th, 2001, police were searching for a missing elderly man and going through the woods. While conducting the search, one officer found something unexpected and gruesome. 

It was the headless body of a young Black girl, about 3 - 6 years old. Her cause of death was repeat blunt force trauma, done by being kicked and beaten with an ashtray found near the crime scene. She had signs of previous abuse and had been dead for at most a day. She also had a distinct birth-mark on her right shoulder.

News of the girl's murder was broadcasted, shocking and sickening many. A few days later, on May 1st, the victim's head was found not too far from the rest of her remains. It was wrapped in a plastic bag and was badly decomposed. Despite this, it still revealed the young girl had a fresh set of cornrows in her black hair. The murdered girl was nicknamed Precious Doe.

Reconstructions of Erica were produced in an attempt to identify her. Here are some of them:

NCMEC Reconstruction of Precious Doe (Erica Green)

Reconstruction by Frank Bender

Sketch

Identification

Eventually, with the help of Betty Brown (Erica's former caretaker) speaking up, and testimonies from Erica's step-fathers' cousin, Precious Doe was identified as Erica Green, and her "parents" were arrested for her murder.

On October 8, 2008, Harrell was sentenced to life for murdering Erica, and Michelle received 25 years in exchange for a plea deal. Erica has since been laid to rest in Missouri.

Ending Thoughts

This was a painful case to write about. I find child abuse to be one of the evilest things to do in the world, because children are so innocent and they haven't done anything that would warrant that. I don't get why Erica was returned to her mother and step-father when Betty was caring for her already.

The fact anyone could genuinely abuse and even decapitate a young girl is horrible to think about. What's also disgusting is how her excuse of a mother, Michelle, acted in all this. Michelle took her daughter away from someone she liked, and helped conceal her murder. How could you do that to your own daughter, someone you birthed, someone you should have loved? Personally, I think she also should have gotten life. 

Thankfully, with how dedicated forensic scientists were in this case, and Betty opening up about Erica, we were able to bring justice to Erica after her death. Despite what tragically happened to her, there were people who cared about this young girl, not her "parents". I hope they rot away in prison for the rest of their lives.

Sweet Erica, I hope you fly high. You looked very adorable and I think you could have grown up to be a lovely woman if you didn't get screwed over this early in life. I wish you a happy early birthday in Heaven!

Erica Green

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Cold Case Files

Paranormal Catalog

Unidentified Wiki

The Cinemaholic

Wikipedia

Find a Grave

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2026

The Davis Family: The WORST FAMILY On Supernanny (Pt. 3)

[Foreword: Sorry this took a long while to get out, and I haven’t been posting as much as of late. Things behind the scene happened. Still hope you enjoy!]

Last time on the Davis Family saga, Supernanny tried to rescue a dysfunctional toxic family that was being ruined by a misogynistic, foul-mouthed father. And her results seemed...decent, actually.

But will these actually stick when we take a look at the family in the last act of the episode?...let's take a look.

PART 3: A.W.F.U.L. at His Behavior

That title stands for A Worrisome Fucking Ugly Look at his behavior. Ok, it's not entirely that, but...it's still awful. And you'll see why in a second.

So Supernanny return a week later- oh, wait,...she actually arrives earlier, 3 days later, not 7 days. She says she's worried that Phil's behavior could escalate. Which...is concerning, because it tells me she doesn't trust this family. But can we really blame her?

We learn the parents thoughts again: the mom is scared to watch (you shouldn't have to be scared to watch, Debbie), while the dad thinks he's made a good change. Hmmm....

Round 3 for the Davis Family reel!

Unexpected Improvement

Now isn't that nice?

So the video starts, and we actually see for once Phil has made some progress. Phil actually plays around with his daughters and talks with them. Finally, one hint of love between them! But again, keep in mind, this is him on his best behavior on camera, so who knows how long this will last, or how genuine it is.

This is what a (step)father and daughter relationship should be!

We then see a scene of Phil and Morgan, outside on the sidewalk, talking about Morgan's boyfriend. If that description gave you flashbacks to the AWFUL slut-shaming scene from earlier, I don't blame you.

Thankfully, this time, the conversation is actually constructive. We see Phil joking around with Morgan about Chris (her boyfriend), and not shaming her. It's genuinely a bit touching to watch, especially considering so far all we've seen is Phil bully her.

But...you might notice how this almost seems too good to be true. Has Phil really changed for the better or is this just temporary?

The Davis Family: The WORST Family On Supernanny (Pt. 2)

Welcome to Part 2 on the Davis Family saga, where we observe one of the most dysfunctional family to ever air on Supernanny.

I highly suggest you read Part 1 first for more context, but let's recap from last time. What's wrong with this family?

• Phil is lazy and misogynistic, forcing his wife and daughters to do all the chores.
• Phil has anger problems and will scream swear words and slurs at his children.
• Phil is violent and "punishes" his kids via the belt or his bare hands.
• Phil makes weird comments sexualizing his teen daughter's clothing and slut-shames her.
• Debbie does jackshit seeing her children being abused and bullied.
• Morgan is parentified in her own house and is failing school as a result of it.
• The younger girls and Phillip witness unfiltered abuse everyday and are suffering.

...hmm...there's a LOT wrong with this family, and I don't think Jo alone can fix this. We should get CPS here. Or the police, preferably someone else. But let's see what she does.

PART 2: Fixing This Family 

Jo begins her meeting, and she starts it by saying "There are some...serious issues that need to be adressed..." That's one way to put it.

The Cathartic Call-Out

Jo immediately comes for Phil and calls him out for his outdated household expectations for women, and his blatant lack of responsibilities in the household. Starting off strong, I see. By the way, the whole time, he has this weird annoying smirk like he wants to argue, but he knows he's not in the right to. 

Why are you smiling, you weirdo? She's calling you out on being misogynistic!

She then addresses the fact he slut shames Morgan, to which he has a GENIUS excuse for...

Jo: "The man who raised her, since she was 3 years old...calls her a SLUT and called her a HOE yesterday!" 

Phil: "No, what I was saying I didn't want her to dress like one-" (?)

Jo: "That's what you called her."
Phil: "I'm not saying I called her a slut, I said if you want to dress like one, is what I said." (!!!)

Jo: "I was there."

Phil: "That's what I said-" (shut your mouth)

Jo: "Phil".

Phil: "That's what I'm saying, you can't, that's what I'm trying-" (T^T)

Jo: "Phil. Phil. I don't even think you know what you say when you're angry."

WOW. Just-...wow. The gaslighting he tried to do to undermine his atrocious behavior is disturbing. In what universe would saying your daughter dresses like a slut be better?! I feel like he's used these manipulation tactics on his wife and Morgan in the past. Thankfully, because Jo won't stand down, Phil's attempt at gaslighting are broken down, and he's realizing Jo-...well, he said it, has put him in his place. But he still tries to argue, and-

Jo: "You fly off the handles, you're like a bull-"

Phil: "You think she should show her cleavage at 14-"

Jo: "She wasn't."

W JO! GET REKT PHIL!

For once someone in his life is telling him off instead of giving in to his control. She then calls him out on his abusive discipline methods, and how they have the ironic opposite effect. Instead of teaching these kids to be smart, respectful, and improve themselves, he's teaching them to tolerate violence and be violent themselves. As she puts it, the kids are being raised in "constant earthquakes", and it's "breaking their spirits". He has nothing to say for this. Good. You shouldn't. Jo describes Phil perfectly:

"Overpowering, dominating...fueled by anger, you are a bully. And all you're doing is breaking down your relationships, your marriage, and causing more and more destruction."

Exactly. He's not a father, he's a bully. Bullies want control. They feed on humiliating and being seen as bigger than others. From Phil's perspective, he demands respect, but never wants to give respect either. If no one intervenes, it's going to destroy this household. One day, when their children grow up, they'll want no contact with them, and it'll be entirely their fault.

After calling Phil out, she rightfully turns to Debbie and says "and you allow this to happen", as the mom says nothing and dips down in the light shame she has, on the verge of tears. GOOD.

You know what this image personifies? Shame. Really. It's just shame.

I'm glad the mom got called out as well, because once again: although I blame a lot of problems in this household on Phil's abusive behavior, and I sympathize with Debbie, at the same time it's almost equally abusive to not stand up for your own children and let this go on for years, making both you and your family absolutely miserable. As Jo puts it:

"And the reason you gave me? 'Because I want my family to be together.' That's the price your prepared to pay is it? Just to keep your family all under one roof, you're prepared to DESTROY and BREAK the SPIRITS?"

Exactly x2. Even if she is a still victim in this abusive household, at the end of the day, your children should not be a last priority. She keeps getting back with Phil, she refuses to finalize a divorce, all so things can just stay the same. And even if it's easier, it's going to destroy these kids' mental health so bad that once again- they will probably avoid contact with their parents and be damaged for years to come.

"I expect 100% commitment, I expect an open mind, I expect you to accept the change, I expect you both to listen to me, and HARD WORK. Cuz trust me, this ain't gonna be no walk in the park..." - Jo

So, with that, it's time for Jo to start intervening. Now, before we examine her attempts to improve the family, I have to admit: I am sadly not that optimistic Jo can save this family. Jo already has to go through a lot to improve basic families, like teaching proper discipline, teaching parents to be confident, and establishing routines. 

..So, how are you going to fix a horrifically abusive father, a permissive apathetic mother, a teen girl clearly parentified and in a bad situation because of this, and all the younger girls who are being traumatized by all of this?...and...Phillip Jr, we can't forget him. It's gonna take a lot of work. We'll go through 5 exercises Jo does to improve this family, ranging from "unique" to constructive. Let's give this whole thing a shot. Speaking of which...

The Davis Family: The WORST FAMILY on Supernanny (Pt. 1)

Child abuse.

These two words are very upsetting and triggering to many people. Abusing, torturing, and hurting anything is bad. 

But to abuse a child, a poor, innocent, extremely vulnerable person who has never done anything wrong to you...is a special type of an evil. An evil that no one should justify or understand. An evil that must be stopped.

An evil that's sadly more common than we think.

Which brings us to one of the most infamous examples of real child abuse seen on live television: The Supernanny episode:

The Davis Family.

WARNING: This episode contains possibly triggering content relating to child abuse, both verbal and physical. There's discussion relating to toxic home environments, domestic abuse, slut shaming, and misogyny. Viewer discretion advised!

Yes, I have to put this warning on a SUPERNANNY episode! 

FWI...

If you don't know what already know what Supernanny is, it's a reality TV-show based from Britain about a woman named Jo Frost, who specializes in helping broken families, struggling parents, and misbehaving kids. Most often or not it's portrayed as if she's fixing "bad children", when in reality she's fixing bad parents. 

The episode we'll be discussing, "The Davis Family", is no different. It was the 14th episode of Season 5. You can learn more about the episode, it's reception, and etc. by visiting the Supernanny wiki: https://supernanny.fandom.com/wiki/The_Davis_Family_(Season_5)

You can also watch the full-episode (uncensored) here:

Already, looking at the thumbnail of a girl about to cry, and the title "Foul-mouthed father ruins all family relationships", you can tell this episode's going to be heavy.

Here's a drinking game (that applies to all parts). Take a shot anytime I say:

• toxic
• misogyny / misogynistic
• abuse / abusive
• wow / woah
• stop
• apathy / apathetic
• hell
• abuse / abusive
• parent / parentified
• sexualize
• shame
• poor

Stalling aside, let's begin, shall we?

PART 1: Meeting the Family

All Supernanny episodes begin with Jo riding a car and watching a Demo Reel of the family, submitted by the parents. Today's no different, as we meet the Davises from Florida.

Family Preview

Trust me, you're going to hate seeing these faces soon. Especially his.

Let's introduce ourselves to the family. The parents are Debbie and Phil respectively, and they have 5 children:

• Morgan (14) - eldest daughter
• Phillip Jr. (9) - only son
• Madison (4)
• Tiffany (3)
• Tori (2)

The Davis Family (excluding Debbie)

The younger 3 daughters, who are absolutely adorable by the way, Madison, Tiffany, and Tori, will frequently be grouped together as simply "the girls". Morgan will also have an important role in this story. And for Phillip Jr, we actually don't really get to meet him. Aside from seeing him on camera and him being mentioned occasionally, he doesn't even speak a single line the episode. Which could either be interpreted him as being shy or...scared. We'll talk about that later.

Anyway, Phil is a water-plant operator and Debbie is a commercial-insurance sales producer. Seems like an average American family household.

For at least 10 seconds, until the drama already begins. We immediately learn that Phil is actually Morgan's step-dad, not biological dad, which already gives you a hint their relationship might not be the strongest. This is quickly supported by the first of many infuriating scenes in the episode:

"Morgan was up here watching 'em and look what she let them do!" Uh...your referring to you.

Phil is on the couch, and Debbie notices the girls' got their toys all over the floor, so she tells Phil to help clean up. However, he then says that's Morgan's responsibility, which- no, it's not? Your the DAD, you're the one supposed to be helping? Also, notice how on the right, it appears Morgan is doing her homework. She should be focusing on that, Phil.

Phil then hints at his misogyny by explaining what he thinks his wife should do:

"First thing a wife should do is she should have the house cleaned before she leaves, she should have the kids ready in a decent time, when she gets home from work, which, ey-, you sitting on your rear end all day."

Yes. He actually says this about his own wife. Hey, Phil, what do you do? Your WIFE is the one who cleans, your WIFE is the one who gets the kids ready, but what do YOU do, other than...well..."sitting on your rear end all day"? You can tell this man has seriously outdated and kind of sexist opinions on what women are supposed to do. And look at Debbie, stuck in this awkward marriage.

They Debbie talks about how the mornings here are awful. It takes over an hour just to get a sleepy Morgan ready, and at the same time, she has to help get her sisters ready for daycare. No one cooperates, and it often means the family is late to everything.

"Morgan does help me do that, she complains about it, whines about it, but it's what we have to do."

Wait...what do you mean WE?! Morgan's 14! While it's great for older siblings to help around the house, imagine Morgan having to do such work to get her sisters ready and under control when her parents should be doing most of that. She has to get to school herself, mind you.

This all tells me how much Morgan is parentified in this house. Instead of being able to focus on what she needs to do, she's essentially parenting her sisters all the time. She has to pick up their toys, she has to help get them ready, she probably has to get them to bed as well. No wonder Morgan takes forever to wake up, she's probably always tired from helping his sisters all the time!

Not only is Morgan stressed out from essentially being her sister's 2nd mother, but her constantly being late, having trouble sleeping, and not being able to catch up with her schoolwork is even causing her to fail school.

"I'm a straight A student, but I'm failing my first period because I'm always late.

How do you allow this?! Poor Morgan should be focusing on school, not her younger sisters.

Teen Mom ENDANGERS Her Daughter's Life Over SMURFS

WARNING: This post contains possibly triggering content relating to child abuse and neglect. Viewer discretion advised!

I can't believe I even have to warn people on a story as ridiculously insane as this one.

Just by reading that title, you probably went...

"What the fuck?!"

Yep. This actually happened. About 2 weeks ago, it seems. And it's as preposterous as it is, it's also disturbing, and shines a serious reminder that not all people deserve to be parents.

Mugshot of Tipora Merriex, 18

Yeah. She's eighteen. Even though she looks around 30. This is the mom in question responsible for such a stupid incident. And here's exactly how it happened. Our story takes place in-...oh. Florida. I see.

Tipora took her 2-year-old daughter and younger siblings to watch the recently released Smurfs movie. Now, immediately, I would like to point out: I haven't watched Smurfs (and I probably never will), but reviews for it seem mainly mixed and negative. However, reception on the movie won't even matter that much, I'd just like to bring that up so you can consider what the mom nearly killed her daughter over.

Anyway, what happened was that the 2-year-old girl (who appears unnamed) kept crying. Now, if your child was crying, it is your duty as a mother to figure out why they're crying, comfort them, and make them feel better. But apparently, the crying was so annoying to Tipora, she-...well...

...she allegedly went back to her car and left her daughter in it! I'm not joking! On that own that tells me a lot on how the mom doesn't care about actually comforting her daughter, just pushing her to the side. But further context of the story just makes it worse!

You see, at the time, there was a heat advisory, and police reported that it was 94 degrees with a 107 degree heat index! That's hot! And whenever it's really hot outside, it's very dangerous to keep a child in a car for a long period of time. The inside of a car heats up even more, which can cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke in children, sometimes fatal. You've probably seen it a lot on the news. And low and behold, that's what happened.

Tipora said she went to check on her child multiple times, and soon made her younger siblings do it as well. However, once the movie was over, she found out she accidentally locked herself out of the car. WOW. The child was stuck in the car for at least half an hour.

Police arrived and broke the car window to retrieve the girl. Her skin was flushed and sweaty, along with obvious crying, indicating heat exhaustion. Her mom just watched by, nonchalant, as if her daughter wasn't in danger. She was taken to a medical facility, and thankfully, she survived.

Of course though, the dumbass mom got herself an arrest warrant for basically child neglect. Her husband (who didn't attend the movie) was also found, and he himself admitted his wife had a history of irrational management of their daughter's tantrums, along with patience problems and stress. Yeah, I bet every parent does, but that is NO EXCUSE to put your child in a hot car! Merriex has been placed on $50,000 for her charges.

Thoughts

The moment I read the headline (which one of my friends sent me), I really couldn't believe it. I mean, each word just made it worse and worse...

• "Florida"
• "teen mom"
• "endangers"
• "crying 2-year old"
• "Smurfs"

I really can't get over how RIDICLOUSLY HIDEOUS it is to put your child in harm's way just so you can watch a movie in peace. And you did this over SMURFS?! Absolutely unacceptable. I also hope custody of her child was removed from her, because if this is what she does over a movie, I'm scared to know what else she would do just so her child would stop crying.

Imagine being the daughter, and in a few years from now you know you could've DIED because your biological mother couldn't care enough for you. That would be heart-breaking. I hope the daughter ends up living with better relatives, who actually care about her.

This story should also serve as a sign some people aren't mature enough to be parents. If you're leaving your child in a hot car at the age of 18, you're a lost cause. It's almost like we shouldn't let immature teenagers in responsibility of young child, because they themselves are children.

I'm just so angered by this, and again, I hope that excuse of a "mother" never sees her child again after this. Be grateful for the good mothers out there. And if you ever see or suspect child neglect or abuse, don't just ignore it. Take action!

(By the way, 3 blog posts in a row? I'm on a roll!)

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Perezhilton

TheBlaze

American Faith

TooFab

Law and Crime

Facebook

Fairfax County John Doe (1972): Identified as Carl Bryant

WARNING: This case involves details of child abuse and murder. Viewer discretion advised!

Oh my god. Another Doe identified in 2025. I get so delighted whenever I find Does reunited with their names. We've had many these last few years and this year especially, Pamela Walton (Julie Doe), Tanya Jackson (Peaches), even Doris Girtz (The Girl with Turquoise Jewelry), and I hope there will be even more.

Just yesterday, another Doe, a young boy, got his name back after 53 years of mystery. That boy would be Carl Matthew Bryant, aged 4.

There exists only one reconstruction of this young soul, a rather memorable and unfortunate post-mortem derivative by the NCMEC.

Carl Matthew Bryant (May 26, 1968 - June 13, 1972)

Alongside getting his identification back, we also found out details of his life leading up to his murder, which we'll get into now.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carl was living with his mother, Vera Bryant, and six-month year old brother, James Bryant. Vera recently got a boyfriend, James Hedgepath. (To prevent confusion between his brother and the mom's boyfriend, I'm going to use "Jamie" for his brother.)

According to the Unidentified Wiki, James Hedgepath "had a violent criminal history and was previously convicted of murder," which automatically makes him the prime suspect in what happened next.

On June 13th, 1972, Vera and James drove to Middlesex County, Virginia to visit James' family, with the boys. However, when they arrived, the boys weren't there. When they returned to Pennsylvania, Vera told her relatives they left the boys in custody of the Hedgepath family.

Carl and James were never seen by the Bryant family ever again.

Later the same day, in Lorton, Virginia, a horrible sight was found in the river. It was the body of a young African American boy, about 3 to 6. He had been beaten to death, with extensive blunt force trauma injuries on his head. He also was nude, and none of his clothes have been recovered.

The victim, who couldn't be identified, would be dubbed Fairfax County John Doe.

The connection between the decedent and Carl wasn't made for decades, until this year. The NCMEC and Innovative Forensic Investigations worked on the case and located a maternal aunt of the victim. The woman said that her sister, Vera Bryant, who died in 1980, had two sons, Carl and Jamie, who she last saw in 1972.

Investigators quickly realized the similarities between Carl and FCJD, and further investigation into the DNA connection between the decedent and Vera Bryant was made in 2023. In April 2025, it was confirmed the child was the son of Vera Bryant, and ultimately, Carl Bryant himself.

After 53 years, he finally had a name.

Despite the amazing identification, there's sadly still some mystery that needs to be solved. Vera Bryant and James Hedgepath are currently deceased, and they are obviously the prime suspects in Carl's murder- and the disappearance of his brother, Jamie. His remains haven't been located yet, and as of writing, no unidentified boy has been linked to possibly being Jamie.

Map showing possible path Vera and James took, where Jamie's body may have been left

I mentioned earlier James was "previously convicted of murder", which astonishes me- what was it for, and how did he get out only to possibly harm more people? How was Vera Bryant involved in the murder? These are questions I hope can be somewhat resolved one day.

For now though, I am so tremendously glad genetic genealogy has come in clutch once again and reunited a young, poor boy who didn't have a chance in life with the name he so rightfully deserves. Calling Vera and James his "parents" is an excuse. They just murdered and discarded him like he was an inconvenience. 

Rest in peace, Carl Matthew Bryant (and presumably, Jamie Bryant).

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

NCMEC Blog

Unidentified Wiki

- ninesevenpotatoes, 2025