Episode 164: Joan D'Alessandro (Part 1)

Suffer the Little Children

Suffer the Little Children Pod

True Crime, Social Sciences, Science, Society & Culture

4.6 • 937 Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2024

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On April 19, 1973, seven-year-old Joan D’Alessandro left her family’s home in Hillsdale, New Jersey to deliver her last two boxes of Girl Scout cookies. She never returned. After a massive search and an intensive investigation, police zeroed in on the family’s neighbor, 27-year-old high school science teacher Joseph McGowan, who soon confessed that he had sexually abused and murdered Joan before dumping her body in Harriman State Park, just over the border in New York State.

For decades, Joan’s mother, Rosemarie D’Alessandro, has led a charge to change laws, both state and federal, to better protect victims’ families. She has also created a nonprofit foundation focusing on child safety and programs for underprivileged youth. It is my great honor to help Rosemarie tell the story of her beautiful daughter, Joan, and how her memory has inspired decades of important work.

This is part 1 of the horrifying but incredibly inspiring story of Joan D’Alessandro.

Joan’s Joy website: https://joansjoy.org

Rosemarie D’Alessandro’s book, The Message of Light Amid Letters of Darkness: https://www.amazon.com/Message-Light-Amid-Letters-Darkness-ebook/dp/B0CQRNWHXV/

Joan’s Joy Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/joansjoypage/

The Killer Across the Table by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker: https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Across-Table-Unlocking-Mindhunter-ebook/dp/B07G76Q6BG/

Photos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod

You can also follow the podcast on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/STLCpod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpod

My Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod

Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com.

Please help make the show my full-time gig to keep the weekly episodes coming! By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive rewards. Visit www.patreon.com/STLCpod.

You can also support the podcast on www.Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod.

Merch is available at www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com/shop.

This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

Music for this episode is licensed from https://audiojungle.net.

Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711
Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/suffer-the-little-children
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_site
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KE
iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/
...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ah, she's brilliant. Miss, I finally got plans out the group chat. We get it. Four votes for a festival,
0:05.9	three for a city break. It's hard to adhere to everyone's needs. There's Betty with her
0:09.6	oversized tent. Sarah and her six foot eight boyfriend.
0:13.0	All right.
0:14.0	Roger Junior and his dog, Roger Senior.
0:16.0	And don't get us started on Mel.
0:19.0	But, like a marriage counselor, she's the one keeping things together.
0:22.0	All aboard, Miss I finally got plans out the group. a marriage counselor, she's the one keeping things together.
0:22.6	All aboard Miss, I finally got plans out the group chat.
0:25.6	Keep everyone's plans alive when you travel with us.
0:28.0	P, and O'Ferees, there is another way.
0:30.0	She said, present his innovation,
0:32.0	one day in protection solid
0:34.0	formulated with simple repair technology
0:36.0	the protection solar that
0:38.0	in contact with the Agua the Calor and Affiction
0:40.0	with the moment the protection
0:42.0	Conflictions are to the bello protector,
0:44.3	with color's potential the formula that's
0:46.1	more quite a beneficiary of sanity, with more of a 6.4% of ingredients
0:50.3	of treatment.
0:51.1	This podcast contains descriptions of violence against children and adult language and is not suitable for all audiences.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -426 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Suffer the Little Children Pod, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Suffer the Little Children Pod and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.