Episode 125 Adam Benjamin Clark
Six year old Adam Benjamin Clark was born in 1977 with a rare condition called Cornelia de Lange syndrome. The condition made caring for Adam and keeping up with his needs difficult. But Adam's mom Joyce was up for the challenge. Despite juggling the breakup of her marraige, caring for Adam and his older sister, paying the bills, and going to school to become a nurse, somehow Joyce juggled it all. She was committed to providing Adam with care and love. But in 1983, tragedy struck.
Adam died while in the care of a man that Joyce thought she could trust, a man that said he would watch Adam so Joyce could attend classes. Joyce was heartbroken and devastated by the loss of her son. But things were about to turn into an even worse nightmare for Joyce. Investigators looking into Adam’s death would come to believe that Joyce had killed her son. In 1984, Joyce was indicted in her son's death, and her remaining child was taken away by CPS. While many people might just give up at this point and not have the courage to move forward, Joyce did just that maintaining her innocence.
Her name wouldn’t be cleared, and the real culprit punished until years later.
Adam's mom, Joyce Lefler published a memoir about this tragic case called, From Miracle To Murder: Justice For Adam. You can find the book on Amazon.
Also, be sure to check out Joyce's website to learn more about how she overcame this nightmarish scenario, and the work she does now as a result.
This episode of the Murder in My Family is sponsored by GEDmatch; the free genealogy website where you can learn about your ancestry and find members you’re related to thru DNA- not to mention, help catch the bad guys we talk about on this show.