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‘Are you devoid of empathy?’: True crime YouTuber under fire for selling autopsy photos of murdered Colorado boy
YouTuber ‘Zav Girl' obtained disturbing photos of Gannon Stauch, 11, who had been stabbed and shot by his mom Leticia Stauch in 2020
A true crime YouTuber, known by the name ‘Zav Girl,’ has been slammed for selling autopsy photos of a murdered Colorado boyon her Patreon account. According to NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin, Zav girl obtained disturbing photos of Gannon Stauch, 11, who had been stabbed and shot by his mom Leticia Stauch in 2020. Zav Girl did this by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.
The photos were later released on Zav Girl’s Patreon account, with people being charged to pay $3 to view them. Her account has now been removed. Zav Girl’s real name is unknown, but she has revealed her face on YouTube.
“We removed "Zav Girl" from Patreon for violations of our Community Guidelines for Violent and Graphic Content. To create a safe environment for users, Patreon does not allow content glorifying or promoting violence of any kind," a Patreon spokesperson told Hindustan Times.
‘I spent a lot of time and worked hard’
Amid the criticism, Zav Girl released a statement on the community section of her YouTube channel. “The reality of the situation is that different people feel differently about this. Some people genuinely think making a video including the autopsy photos is bad and I respect their opinion and feelings. Other people, like myself, think of autopsy photos and the coroner discussing/explaining them as interesting and informative and are able to view it all in a more scientific detached way. It’s just one of those things where it depends on the person,”Zav Girl wrote.
“I understand some of you have issues with me charging money on my patreon for the video. If I was charging money for the autopsy files alone or something like that I think I’d see your point. But in this case I spent a lot of time and worked hard putting together a video lining up the coroner’s audio and descriptions along with the appropriate part of the photos she is describing and editing it together to try to make it as informative as possible for the viewer. That is what I am charging for, which I would hope you can agree is understandable,” she continued.
Zav Girl added, “I’m not against removing the video, and I care what you think. But it’s hard to make sense of it all while I’m getting some very seriously unhinged threats being made against myself and my loved ones, and those threats are coming from those who claim I’m doing something morally objectionable…”
‘What you did with Gannon's autopsy photos is appalling’
YouTube users criticised her after she released the statement. “One of my children died in 2005, so I'm responding as a parent. What you did with Gannon's autopsy photos is appalling. It's simply appalling. Did you ever think about how his parents would feel, or are you devoid of empathy? Gannon's murderer also lacked empathy. If you're so desperate for money, I suggest a Go-Fund-Me,” One user wrote. “Here's the thing. This isn't about what we think. Gannon's family has been through a hell that most of us will never comprehend. This case was closed already and his family have finally started trying to heal from those wounds. All this did was reopen those wounds for absolutely no reason other than greed. For all of you defending this because your thirst for morbid curiosity wasn't quenched or your quest for scientific knowledge was hampered, too bad. Here's some science for you Zav...the world doesn't revolve around you, thankfully,” another user said.
“Your not the victim here. What you did is unfathomable. You should be ashamed of yourself,” one user wrote, while another said, “Gannon was disrespected enough during his short life. Sharing AUTOPSY photos? And discussing them? Inexcusable. This is no True Crime podcast with videos like that. Unsubscribing now. NO ONE should see those. Disrespectful in SO many ways.” “I hope every single one of your patreon members leave one by one for what you’ve done,” one user said.
In May,Letecia Stauch was sentenced to life in prison without parole for Gannon’s murder. The 39-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder by a Colorado court, along with other charges including first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust and tampering with evidence, according to Associated Press.
