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48 Hours

The Case Against Brooke Skylar Richardson

02 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What led to Brooke Skylar Richardson's charges?

9.008 - 29.368 Unknown

Investigators were tipped off about the possible remains buried in the back of this house here behind me. Brooke Schuyler Richardson had a promising future. The prosecutor says she gave birth in the family home and then killed her baby.

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29.388 - 34.313 Scott Richardson

Is there a way to describe this past year?

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34.793 - 38.897 Kim Richardson

The worst nightmare. Purgatory. Every day.

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39.535 - 42.92 Defense Attorney Charlie M. Ricker

The Carlisle teen is charged with killing her newborn baby.

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Chapter 2: How did Skylar's family react to the allegations?

42.94 - 48.669 Defense Attorney Charlie M. Ricker

I can tell you that Brooke Skylar Richardson did not kill her baby.

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48.689 - 59.607 Kim Richardson

I don't know when it hit me, but I was a grandmother, and I never had any of the benefits of it. Our lives have been completely turned upside down.

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60.869 - 67.399 Scott Richardson

What was the reaction to this story? How big did this become? I felt like Super Bowl level.

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68.392 - 84.33 Kim Richardson

It was like the world stopped. Everyone wanted to know what was going on in our backyard and what had happened. The sidewalk was lined with people sitting in lawn chairs. Oh, you're serious, right? Out here? Out here.

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Chapter 3: What were the circumstances surrounding the birth of Skylar's baby?

88.154 - 113.999 Kim Richardson

We have no privacy. We're followed, stalked. Facebook, to me, turned into hate book. I did not know she was pregnant. Here's her track photo. This was track season in April. And you can't tell. I mean, we missed everything. Seriously, we missed everything. We thought we were doing the right thing by cooperating.

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114.54 - 116.223 Brooke Skylar Richardson

I didn't try and kill my baby yet.

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116.243 - 121.011 Prosecutor David Fornshell

That turned out to be the absolute wrong thing.

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121.092 - 126.899 Unknown

She faces charges of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, endangering children.

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127.58 - 129.422 Scott Richardson

Are you scared? I'm very scared.

129.902 - 136.39 Kim Richardson

I mean, we're scared to death talking to you because we don't want things to come across wrong.

139.453 - 144.76 Defense Attorney Charlie M. Ricker

This is the case of the state of Ohio versus Brooke Skylin Richardson.

144.78 - 154.807 Prosecutor David Fornshell

The defendant, Brooke Richardson, murdered a baby that she didn't want and never intended to keep. This case is about a rush to judgment.

Chapter 4: What evidence did investigators find regarding the remains?

155.988 - 161.876 Kim Richardson

She had a stillborn, and she made a poor choice after that. Not telling anyone and burying the baby.

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163.458 - 166.081 Prosecutor David Fornshell

The court has been advised that we have a verdict.

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167.703 - 173.79 Scott Richardson

Are we ready for the jury? Yes, sir. Would the defendant please rise? What's your biggest fear at this point?

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175.052 - 175.973 Kim Richardson

Guilty conviction.

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185.707 - 189.793 Erin Moriarty

This is the case of the state of Ohio versus Brooke Schuyler Richardson, case number 2017.

189.973 - 220.271 Scott Richardson

Nothing has polarized Ohio's Warren County more than the trial of Brooke Schuyler Richardson. Do you feel that Schuyler's ever gotten the presumption of innocence? Never. Absolutely not. Now 20 years old, Brooke, known as Schuyler, is accused of killing her newborn daughter. If convicted, she could spend the rest of her life in prison. It's just changed our lives forever.

221.353 - 232.105 Scott Richardson

For more than a year, Schuyler's parents, Kim and Scott Richardson, gave us unique access to their story. But on the advice of their lawyers, Schuyler couldn't talk to us.

232.646 - 240.135 Kim Richardson

It is so hard to be living like this, thinking, but what if?

240.816 - 241.637 Scott Richardson

A lot of what ifs.

Chapter 5: How did the public react to the case of Brooke Skylar Richardson?

241.837 - 254.008 Scott Richardson

A lot of what ifs. In 2017, the Richardsons were living the good life in Carlisle, Ohio, population 5,000.

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254.108 - 259.455 Kim Richardson

It's Mayberry, small town, USA, I mean.

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259.695 - 288.088 Scott Richardson

It's so small town, most people don't leave. Their kids excelled in school and sports. Son Jackson plays on the football team. Skyler was a cheerleader. But behind the smiling photographs, the family was struggling with a serious issue, Skylar's eating disorder. How much do you think her weight and eating ruled her life?

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288.829 - 296.241 Kim Richardson

Oh, 95%. That is her life. This is her at a very scary point. Oh, my gosh.

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296.66 - 301.846 Scott Richardson

Kim says she first noticed a problem when her cheerleader daughter was in the sixth grade.

301.866 - 308.594 Kim Richardson

12 years old, she wouldn't buy gum because it had five calories. I didn't even know gum had calories.

310.496 - 313.94 Scott Richardson

She was so tiny, she was a perfect flyer.

314 - 324.793 Kim Richardson

You do a stunt in the air or you hold a very difficult stretching pose for a few seconds and then come back down to the ground.

325.685 - 349.291 Scott Richardson

But it also meant she had to be easy to lift and catch. Kim says it was the beginning of Skylar's battle with her weight. How would she lose the weight? She would throw up. And when cheerleading was over for the season, Skylar would binge, then starve again. Did you get afraid to even talk about her weight? Absolutely.

Chapter 6: What was the outcome of Skylar's trial?

407.797 - 410.682 Kim Richardson

I don't know, because she's this tall and he's that tall.

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411.483 - 421.3 Scott Richardson

Skylar was happy. She even seemed to be putting on some weight. Kim and Scott hoped their daughter's eating disorder was finally under control.

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421.32 - 425.687 Kim Richardson

We were actually pleased that she was finally gaining some weight.

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426.008 - 441.624 Scott Richardson

She looked healthy. A month later, she eagerly picked out her prom dress. and it was a tight-fitting dress that she needed to be laced up in. And then in late March, Skylar went on vacation with her family. She wore a two-piece. I told her she looked great.

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442.005 - 448.553 Kim Richardson

I mean, for the first time in my life, I thought, she's healthy. She's in a healthy relationship. She really cares about Brandon.

448.613 - 475.353 Scott Richardson

I could tell that she did. Kim knew Skylar's relationship with Brandon was heating up. That's why I wanted her to be on the pill. So in late April, Skylar went to her mother's gynecologist to get a prescription for birth control. She had just turned 18, so Kim waited outside. She came out. She had clearly been crying. Did you ask her why she was crying?

475.493 - 480.702 Kim Richardson

It was traumatic. She goes, your first appointment is. And I'm like, yeah, it is, as a female.

481.475 - 511.316 Scott Richardson

The real reason for the tears? The doctor had told Skylar she was pregnant. Eight months. She asked him not to tell anyone. She never said anything to either one of you about what the doctor told her? No. Nine days later on May 5th, Skylar and Brandon went to the prom. Despite being late into her pregnancy, she fit into her gown. She's wearing the same dress that she had tried on in February.

511.336 - 512.638 Scott Richardson

Purchased February 15th.

Chapter 7: What were the implications of the jury's verdict?

541.914 - 547.502 Prosecutor David Fornshell

And they said, hey, we just need to talk to your daughter about something she may have witnessed.

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548.203 - 550.707 Kim Richardson

She's not in any trouble. We just need to talk to her.

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551.328 - 556.015 Scott Richardson

Taking them at their word, Scott drove his daughter to the police station.

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557.699 - 561.398 Prosecutor David Fornshell

I mean, honestly, I can look back. That's the biggest mistake I've made in my entire life.

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586.1 - 613.373 Scott Richardson

On July 14, 2017, when Scott Richardson drove his daughter Skylar to the Carlisle police station, he had no idea that she had been keeping a secret. If she's going in to talk to the police, do you know what it's about? No, I have no idea. Lieutenant John Fain, who at the time was with the Warren County Sheriff's Office, wanted to question 18-year-old Skylar about a call they'd received.

613.488 - 622.418 Prosecutor David Fornshell

There's an allegation from an OB-GYN office that a patient there had delivered a baby at home, subsequently buried her in her backyard.

625.688 - 631.116 Scott Richardson

Skylar was put in an interrogation room. Her father wasn't allowed in with her.

631.156 - 633.339 Prosecutor David Fornshell

You have the right to remain silent.

633.359 - 635.282 Scott Richardson

As Fain read Skylar her rights.

Chapter 8: How has Skylar's life changed after the trial?

751.662 - 755.748

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mommy.

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759.435 - 760.877 Prosecutor David Fornshell

I'm sorry. You should have just told her.

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762.68 - 773.191 Scott Richardson

Skylar told her parents that she named her baby Annabelle and that the baby's father was that friend's cousin she dated very briefly before Brandon.

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774.733 - 783.362 Kim Richardson

I can't imagine the pain. It breaks my heart to think about her laying in bed, being scared, not being able to come down and tell me what had just happened.

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784.524 - 806.863 Scott Richardson

With the Richardsons still at the police station, coming to terms with their new reality, investigators descended on their home in search of human remains. Soon, Skylar's once closely held secret... Investigators were tipped off about the... ...was shared with everyone in town.

808.185 - 809.667 Unknown

Buried in the back of this house.

810.147 - 814.193 Scott Richardson

After more than five hours, Skylar and her parents were allowed to go home.

815.034 - 817.037 Lieutenant John Fain

You guys are good to go. Thank you.

819.498 - 824.707 Scott Richardson

But six days later, Lieutenant Fain called asking Skylar to come in again.

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