I am planning to take Prof. Sarah Scott BIOL1 Course for fall, however, when I checked her on rate my professor, all of her reviews are from Anatomy. Has anyone taken her for BIOL yet? If so, how is she?

hi all, been reading this thread for a long time and been looking forward to applying for mba for some time now. would really appreciate some insights on my profile, any blind spots and strengths/weaknesses!
WE:
2 years at an IP law firm as a privacy analyst mostly doing research on upcoming legislation and helping counsel advise on deals accordingly. got promoted once as well and got award for good performance.
2.5 years at big 4 in information governance, forensic analytics and recently deals analytics. also working on generative AI solutions in the regulatory/legal space. got promoted as well to SA.
Education:
Top Public School studied humanities. 3.7 gpa
MS in business analytics from top 25 bschool. focus on ML and text analytics. i got a partial scholarship for this program and it’s also partly firm sponsored. helpful in my daily work actually. 3.5 gpa
Test Scores:
GRE 329 165v 164q
ECs:
I volunteer as a tutor to kids in my area through a local org. have been doing that for 4 yrs now.
Serve as an advisor at a charity hospital my great-grandfather started in the middle east. Helped make a successful fundraising pitch — not to my family lol — to build out resources in childcare area. been there a couple times now.
post-mba goal:
i’d like to work in digital strategy at a consulting firm and work to create solutions that are conducive to growth and protective to users/audiences. i think online safety is a growing space and will become more important to platform strategy and in TMT generally.
schools:
Kellogg, Tuck, NYU, Sloan, SOM, Booth
i am mainly worried about how feasible it will even sound to say that i want to go into consulting post mba. maybe i’m just worrying too much but given how recruiting has been going this year for consulting hopefuls, i wonder if applying w the goal of getting a gig is gonna hurt w adcom? also generally confused about where t15 mbas go if mbb/t2 and MANGA have dramatically slowed down hiring and the deals space is getting colder for IB ppl. not saying this as a prognostication or anything i just do not know. sorry for the digression.

I have been waiting for a couple months now (applied on the second deadline on Feb 15th) and saw on Gradcafe that some people have been rejected. My portal status page still says my application is under review for Fall 2023.

My father-in-law is extremely hard to buy for, and this year his birthday falls on father's day, so, double whammy. I had an inspired idea, and found a seller who executed it beyond my wildest dreams and well within my price range.
I plan to buy from this seller as much as possible going forward and, of course, leave a rave review. But is there any other way I can say thanks? He already has my money, obviously, but I cannot over emphasize the care that went into the production of my order. I am in awe. I am in love. Is there anything else I can do to give back?
(I plan on posting the purchase to my social media after father's day for word of mouth but outside of that I'm stumped -- I really cannot over-emphasize the quality of the my purchase)

Starting a graduate program at GW this coming fall, and I noticed the Statesman is in a pretty decent location. I was wondering if anyone could chime in on the quality of the complex. Reviews seem mostly decent compared to a place like Varsity on K, but I know there's always way more to a community than just positive reviews.
How's the community? Is the parking garage decent? Any crime? Are the buildings well kept? Any issues with people being in the building that shouldn't be (homeless people in lobbies, etc)?
It says WiFi, but are we allowed to setup our own internet connection?
TIA!

This is going to be yet another "woe is me" story. Feel free to skip.
I graduated with CS undergrad degree from a top Uni in India in 2021. My research interest is in ML which is super competitive and I didn't have much in the form of a profile except 2 pubs in Indian conferences. So I spent the next ~1.5 years beefing up my resume. I took up a full-time job at a startup while also working remotely as a research assistant. During this period I was easily working 80hr weeks, and was extremely burnt out. But it all paid off when I got a Neurips pub. I thought that with 3 pubs, with one of them in Neurips, and 3 more papers under review, I will easily get a PhD. Armed with this confidence, I left my job in November and started sending out applications.
Reality hit in January when I got a single interview out of my 11 applications. And that single interview was from my undergrad thesis advisor at Harvard, so I only got it because he knew me (he was also one of my LoR writers). Unfortunately he had a single opening and almost 200 applicants (got to know this from a postdoc at the lab), and I didn't get through. By March I had 11/11 rejects, with $1000+ down the drain.
I didn't want to get another job, so I thought, I will try again after improving my profile for a year. Now the bulk of my application is already set in stone. My GPA is kind of low (8.72/10), can't fix that anymore. My LoR writers will be the same, can't change that. The only thing I can do in a year is add more papers, so that's where I focused my efforts. Back in November, when I had quit my job, I started working with LAION, an open source research group on discord, run by volunteer researchers. I became one of the core contributors for one project and that led to another paper submitted to Neurips this year. In the meantime, out of my 3 under review papers, 1 got accepted to another top conference. Apart from this, I also got an ex-postdoc from my Harvard lab, who is now a Professor, to give me an RA contract.
For my open-source project I was working with a postdoc at Princeton. He said that for his PhD (he is from a bio background) he met with all his potential PIs beforehand and recommended me to reach out to profs as well. Now I had heard this advice before but didn't really pay heed to it because most CS profs have it clearly mentioned on their profiles to not contact them regarding admissions. The way around this is to apparently meet them at conferences, but that is prohibitively expensive for me (going to Neurips would have cost me $2500 when factoring in visa+flight+living costs). Since the Fall '24 deadline is quite a bit away, I thought I would reach out to potential PIs anyway and offer to be an RA at their labs, while clearly mentioning my intent to do a PhD with them. Basically giving PIs an option to try me for ~6 months before committing... except I got 0 responses from my cold emails. But hey, you only need one admit right? So I asked the Princeton postdoc about his lab. He said that the lab was indeed looking for PhDs and asked me to email his Prof with my interests and details about our previous work together. But, my mail was met with a one liner response asking me to apply directly to CS/ECE PhD programs.
It is now beginning to set in that literally nothing will change for me by the end of this year, except having 1-2 more papers, meaning the upcoming application cycle will not be any different. Cold mails are a shot in the dark, getting an answer is like winning a lottery. But even with warm intros, which take months of (unpaid) work to setup, I am being told to fuck off.
So here I am, burnt out, kinda depressed and with no sense of direction, coming to terms with the possibility that academia may not be for me. On top of that my field keeps moving at an unforgiving pace. Oh you are doing self-supervised learning? Diffusion models are the new cool thing. You mastered diffusion models? Too bad we moved on to LLMs. I am dreading writing a new SoP for this year. You are expected to portray a happy and hopeful image in SoPs, how you are going to change the world with your research... I am way too jaded to pull that off. I could also apply to lower tier colleges, but I really need an EB1-B visa after I graduate and for that you have to prove to the US Government that you are "an extraordinary individual". Kind of hard to do if you are going to a low-tier college. Also after the amount of work I put in, I really don't want to apply to Profs who have fewer pubs than I have. At that point it might be better to sell my soul go back into industry. At least I will have money.

Hello! We are planning our wedding in Medford area this coming fall and our caterer is being flaky and making us increasingly nervous that they’ll even show up on the day. We don’t live there nor have any family in the area, so yelp reviews are all we have to go off of.
While it is originally Mexican food we ordered, we are open to all types of food - pretty much anything except BBQ or pizza. Are there any food trucks that anyone can recommend that do events or even bring a grill out to make some tacos? The event is around 80 people so I’m hoping it isn’t too big - and even recommendations in the greater area is helpful. ☺️
Please and thank you, any help is super appreciated!

What are some of your interesting encounter?

• Getting rob at gun point late at night when a stranger asked for a ride home. There was a "surrender" pop up, but I didn't click it and the stranger begin shooting my character to death. (map Donner Fall)
  
• A distress girl asking for help in the middle of the road with a lantern on the ground. When I got off my horse, I saw 2 red dots appear behind me on the mini map and they begin shooting. (map Saint Dennis around the manor area)
  

This is my first playthrough. I'm on a quest to gather perfect pelts to craft legendary of the East satchel. The badger is the toughest to find. The good thing is that it allows me to explore places I won't usually go.

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark, when out of the blue, my wife called me at work. "We're going to Niagara Falls for the weekend. I got us an awesome deal!"
We had both been working at our first "full-fledged" jobs for a year and had reached that moment after graduation when you suddenly realize you can't make that impact on the world your student enthusiasm once promised. At first, I just sighed. It was the dead of January, and I had already expended all my energy on a week of inconsequential stress. I just wanted to collapse on the couch for two days. Sarah felt a similar weary exhaustion. I could tell. Her tone was more hopeful than excited, but she had dreaded the routine we were sinking into and was trying her best to pull us free.
I looked to the ceiling and adjusted my telephone headset. At that time I was working at Stats Canada on the tele-query desk. I took a deep breath and, as convincingly as possible, said, "Sounds good." I don't think she bought it, but we went nonetheless.
This was Niagara Falls before the casinos when there was a very distinct off-season. When we got to the hotel, we were given the details of our "lovers' special". One dinner to be used either Friday or Saturday, two breakfasts, a roll of tokens for the arcade, 10% off some "4D" movie ride experience, and a 2-for-1 coupon to Max Tussaud's. I guessed it was Madame's nephew? We also got a bottle of sparkling wine in our room and chocolate treats on our pillows. I was impressed. It sounded good.
When we got into our room and saw the "bottle" of wine - basically an aeroplane-sized glass and half - and the chocolates - "fun wrapped" Oh Henry's left over from Halloween - we both started to laugh. The tone for two wonderful days had been set. We decided to cash in on our dinner coupon right away.
The restaurant off the lobby had hopes of being better. There were huge panoramic windows that promised a view of the gorge. Unfortunately, they had some winter moisture problems that day, and it felt like we were defrosting amid the dripping streaks and foggy patches. The decor was your standard booths and tables though the "romantic" lighting was unique. Dollar store battery-powered tea lights were lodged inside thick tumbler glasses and shed a muted pleasantness in a "what a great idea for a craft" sort of way. I had a feeling they were created by our waitress since she was the one who always seemed to be fussing with them. Only one other couple was in the dining room, so she attended to us immediately.
"Can I get you something to start?"
"Sure." "Thank you, that would be nice." We both responded simultaneously.
"And what would the lady like this evening?"
Sarah smiled at the flattery. "I think I'll have a glass of white wine." She glanced over at me to see my reaction. This was a subtle cue of the mood to follow. Diet Coke was usually the beverage of choice. She didn't normally drink alcohol. One glass numbed her nose and made her giggle far too easily. When she did drink, however, it meant she was comfortable with my company and open to anything to follow. I raised my eyebrows in a debonair way.
"And for the gentleman?"
"Do you have Foster's on tap?"
"Yes we do."
"I'll have a pint please."
Sarah smiled at the happy memories I invoked. At university, Foster's was my signature beer. It was at a time when Crocodile Dundee was a known name, and Australia was inexplicably cool. 15 cent buffalo wings and a pitcher of Foster's was the Tuesday night special at the London Arms pub. There the Classics Club would meet and, as a group, circle the wagons and drink ourselves into extroverts.
As soon as the waitress left, Sarah smiled at me. She reached out and held my hand across the table. With my gaze on hers, she slipped her foot from her shoe and slowly began sliding it up my pant leg.
"I got a pedicure this morning." She announced seductively.
I nodded and pretended I didn't notice her invitation. "What colour?" I asked.
"I'm not telling." She teased. "You'll just have to find out later." Her devious little smile was gorgeous.
"Mmmm. I can't wait."
When the waitress returned with our drinks, we immediately retreated to our personal spaces as if we had been discovered by the chaperone. Sarah opened the menu and began to salivate at the variety.
"Can we add an appetizer to the package dinner?" Her question seemed innocent enough.
"You're on the package?" Our friendly waitress disappeared, and we were no longer a lady or a gentleman. She ripped the menu out of Sarah's hand and took mine before I had even opened it. She then scurried to her podium and brought back a tattered, grease-stained, photocopied page that we had to share. We both burst out laughing.
The waitress was flustered that we were not as bothered as she was. "The drinks are NOT included!"
"What choices do we have?" I asked, expecting the usual chicken or fish. I had been on many packages before with my parents.
"Coffee or tea." The waitress snapped.
Sarah and I looked at each other in amused disbelief.
"I'll have coffee please." I didn't even flinch at the ridiculously limited package. I was eager to get my order in early.
"And I'll have the tea!" Sarah followed my lead. "Can I have some milk with that?"
"Yes." The waitress snarled.
"Fantastic!" I enthused.
"Yes, great! I'm glad we got the package, Honey." Sarah joked.
The waitress stormed off and returned sometime later with our lettuce-only salads drowned in Kraft's Italian dressing and our chewy chicken dinners, which she had thoughtfully allowed to cool. She tossed the plates on the table and left us to peacefully devour our deal. We didn't see her again until we requested the bill. For some reason, we found it amusing to leave a generous tip, which of course, defeated the purpose of the package, but we didn't care. It was fun.
The rest of the holiday was marred with similar off-season products and services. The wax museum was only half open, so we couldn't see the pop stars of the seventies. I didn't think it was a problem, but Sarah pouted playfully. She really wanted to see young Bowie. Meanwhile, the arcade was particularly stingy about spitting out coupons. So much so that Mike, the scraggly-haired repair guy, ended up escorting us from game to game and repairing the devices on demand. In no time, he was acting like an old drinking buddy. He joked and laughed, then, out of the blue, revealed that working at the Niagara Falls Fun Centre wasn't his career choice, that his dream was to be part of a travelling carnival. He desperately wanted to see more of the world, he explained and socialize with a greater variety of "wildlife." Mike winked at Sarah to punctuate his meaning, then began advising her on which games to play.
Sarah was partial to Skee ball and clearly had career potential in the sport, but Mike quickly pointed out that the token-to-coupon payout was not the best. In a furtive whisper, he revealed that The Storm Stopper was your best bet, provided the arcade had left it on its original factory settings. He assured us the ones here were "cool." The game had lights that ran around the outside in opposite directions and you had to hit the button at just the right spot to win. It looked impossible, but Mike was right; if you calculated tokens in versus coupons won, it was the best deal. It only took a little practice to win a minor jackpot every 5 or 6 times.
We would cheer each win as if Toronto had won the Stanley Cup. I would give a quick fist pump and a full lung "Yes!" while Sarah would jump up and down screaming, "WhoooHooo!" Of course, in the end, when we cashed in, "Mike's secret" only bumped us up from a key-chain flashlight to a "deluxe" nail beauty set. Mind you, it did come complete with clippers, scissors, a file AND a cuticle scraper. Not only that, it was all neatly packaged in a paisley-patterned pink and green plastic vinyl case. Mike was so pleased to give us our prize and to be honest, we were thrilled to win it if only to see his broad chicletted smile. It was more of a trophy than a grooming set.
That night, I made reservations for us at a fancy Chinese food restaurant - the Bamboo Garden. When we arrived, we had half-expected renovations of some sort. Instead, the place was immaculate. Gentle pools teeming with goldfish highlighted the epic black and red Ming dynasty decor. Real candles flickered on crisp white tablecloths. Again, the restaurant was virtually ours. The reservations on my part were entirely unnecessary. In fact, as soon as we entered, they knew us by name and guided us directly to our table. A live lounge piano caressed the air, its notes danced vaguely around familiar harmonies until finally, as if prompted by our presence, a song emerged immediately accompanied by the velvet voice of oriental karaoke. It was our song remastered

I flew down to Kentucky from boston on Wednesday to visit my cousins, and popped to KK for a day because why not.
After an hour of driving, getting confused while parking, and a surprisingly quick entrance, we ran, er, speedwalked, to lightning run. I spent the rest of the day getting extremely confused on where stuff is, and bouncing from storm chaser to Kentucky flyer, to roller skater, and then back to storm chaser.
Ride Count/Reviews
Mile High Falls x1 8.5/10 2 boats
Great drop and huge splash. That’s about it but I don’t need much more.
Fearfall x1 9/10 Awesome drop, good airtime and view, but one thing keeping it off of a 10. People always rave about how good the stomach-dropping sensation is on the Larson towers, but I didn’t get much. Oh well, still a great ride.
Roller Skater x1 5/10 1 train Basic Vekoma junior coaster with some slightly questionable profiling. Good for what it is.
Kentucky Flyer x2 7.5/10 1 train Decent airtime and relatively smooth, but it has weird bars next to the seat that are annoying and somewhat uncomfortable when you get laterals. Otherwise fun.
Thunder Run x2 4/10 1 train Some very nice airtime, but this thing will beat you up if you ride in a wheel seat, and even not in one it’s somewhat shaky. The seat divider will also dig into your hip, which is a problem given this ride’s lateral jolts.
Skycatcher x2 7/10 Bit on the shorter side (in height) but a nice breeze, long cycle, and a nice view.
Lightning Run x2 9.5/10 1 train
Great airtime and pacing. Only (slight) issues are a lack of sense of speed, and slightly underwhelming first drop. The finale is incredible though. However, what is a big issue is the one train ops with 5 minute dispatches. It’s why I rode a certain other coaster a lot more…
Storm chaser x27 10/10 2 trains
Relentless, varied, and violent. At it’s best, it hit -1.77 Gs according to ride forces. Has an awesome combination of laterals, hangtime, violent pops of ejector airtime, sustained ejector airtime, airtime and laterals, etc. My new favorite small scale RMC.
Additional notes:
Park operations were mixed. Mile High Falls and Lightning Run were both pretty bad, while Storm Chaser and Kentucky Flyer were pretty good. I also had a nice chicken parm sandwich, and overall staff were very friendly and seemed cheerful all day. Overall, I really liked this park and it definitely gives me a good incentive to come here. And so does Holiday world, which I’ll be posting a trip report of (no HWN) tomorrow.

Hello everyone,
Ideally, I want to apply next cycle so I can matriculate right after finishing my SMP, however I feel like that might be a pipedream. Let me explain my current situation.
I recently graduated last fall taking one extra semester to graduate with a double major. My CGPA wasn't atrocious at 3.4, but my SGPA is quite low at only 3.1-3.2. While I do have a strong upward trend and some valid reasons for having such a low gpa (dealt with some serious mental health issues and a close family member became seriously ill) they are well below the median of any of the schools I'd love to get into (aiming for top 50 and ideally my state school which is top 30). Because of this, I decided to do some post-bacc work. After applying to a few different programs and (thankfully) getting accepted to almost all of them, I ended up deciding on an SMP program which I will be starting this august. It has a direct linkage to one of my dream schools and guarantees an interview provided you meet certain undergrad and grad gpa criteria + attain an MCAT score above a 515.
Great-However, this is where the problems start. Currently, I have taken the MCAT only once and scored a 502 (124/129/125/124). I know I can do much better- I studied a fraction of the time I should have. The number of hours I actually studied is embarrassingly low- like only in the tens of hours (its quite hard to study when you're working full time at a very labor-intensive job) and the studying I did do involved very little practice problems and was mostly just content review.
Why even take it you might ask? Well, I was stupidly overconfident as I've always been a very great test taker. Even in the midst of my mental health struggles in undergrad where I rarely if ever went to class and the only studying I could bring myself to do without breaking down was cramming the night before, the worst grades I got were C+'s in physics 1 and 2 as well as OCHEM 1, where the only graded work was exams. ( I did get lots of Bs though, hence my GPA). Nevertheless, I now understand how much work this exam actually requires, and plan to spend far, far more time studying in depth for it.
Ideally, my plan is to take the MCAT next may so I can use it on my applications and to start studying around January or February. Unfortunately, this means I would have to study while in the midst of a rigorous SMP program. Is studying for the MCAT while in the midst of an SMP an absurd thought? Anyone else have any experience trying this?
That isn't my only problem though. I'm short when it comes to ECs. Unfortunately, when covid hit, I was forced to live with my parents who are in the middle of nowhere with near-zero opportunities for three semesters of remote learning. While I have ~50 hours shadowing various specialties, outside of one club and working during the summers (not science related- not sure how this looks on apps? anyone know?) the only other EC I have is some clinical volunteering I started last semester. Now the good news is that this is a really astounding clinical volunteering experience- I've been told it was looked at very, very highly by interviewers by some fellow volunteers who were accepted into MD programs. I worry though that by only having this one experience I will be locked out of any schools I'd like to go to and if not them then just most MD programs in general. By the time I start my SMP, I will have somewhere around 150 hours of volunteering in- I of course plan to continue volunteering while in my program to boost this of course (ideally, I'd up this to 8 or so hours a week to hit 300-400 by the time I apply, and also have plenty of projected hours of course)
So with this in mind, In order to boost my application further I was hoping to get involved in research this upcoming semester, and if I don't have any luck with that, then the SMP does have an extracurricular course where you can perform clinical research, so I am at the least guaranteed something. I'm also considering entering some weightlifting competitions as I have been an avid weightlifter for years and have some mildly impressive numbers ( 345 bench, 425 squat, and 495 deadlift)- at least this way I can upgrade my hobby to an EC and maybe score some brownie points if I end up doing well :)
However, assuming all of this goes to plan, I worry it's still far too little EC hours for medical school. on top of that, is it even humanly possible to plan on taking the MCAT in May and have enough time to study where I can score 515+?
Obviously the simple and easy answer is to just apply in two cycles instead of next cycle, but I'm not anxious to go to medical school at 26 years old, especially when I have friends who will be in their third and fourth years by the time I'm just starting. On top of that I worry medical schools will look down on me if I wait to apply until then.
Overall, I'm just feeling overwhelmed and a bit defeated- I could really use some advice :/

23yo F, 5’4”, 140lbs. PMHX - Graves’ disease Reg meds - Carbimazole, Norimin 1, prophylactic aspirin Non smoker
Fall from approx 3m height 2/52 ago - sustained a minimally displaced (2mm) tibial pilon # to L leg. For non op recovery w/ CAMboot, minimum 6 weeks strict NWB.
Post initial injury NV intact, PCRT on the slower side, some slightly altered sensation - slight numbness and tingling. Since then, when dependent, the affected leg becomes quickly poorly perfused, gradually worsening, cap refill slowing, PCRT this morning was 20 seconds. The limb quickly returns to natural colour with elevation - around 1 minute. Just looking for some advice on if I need this reviewed soon or just something to mention at my # clinic v in a few weeks. The video attached was taken after I had been standing / sitting without leg elevated for approx 20mins after waking up.
Thankyou in advance!
https://imgur.com/a/HoFOCRo

Nestled in northern Lawrence County, Indiana, just six miles from Bedford, lies Ramsey Ridge Road. Just under three miles in length, the rural pathway once referred to as “Skin Ridge'' winds through the sparsely populated area’s dense woods atop a hill overlooking Little Salt Creek and nearby Bartlettsville. In the 1970’s, two completely unrelated deaths occurred within the confines of a modest green house that once stood along the ridge. Referred to by locals as “The Mysteries of Skin Ridge,” this is the story of the unusual deaths of Dennis McArthur, and Gerry Lee.
Dennis McArthur
On April 11, 1976, 44-year-old Pearl McArthur returned home after a lengthy stay at Madison State Hospital. Pearl, who would later be diagnosed with schizophrenia, had committed herself to the hospital in early December, leaving her 18-year-old son, Dennis, to care for the house in her absence. Accompanied by her 23-year-old daughter, April, who lived in nearby Bedford with her husband Gary, Pearl made her way inside the small two-story farmhouse.
Inside, Pearl and April found the home in complete disarray. Trash laid strewed about, lamps and furniture were overturned, and the stove was caved in, its exhaust pipe torn from the wall. It was unusually cold inside as though no heat had been recently used, and a strange smell permeated the air.
Alarmed, Pearl and April began to frantically search for Dennis. As they made their way over to a small couch located in a bedroom on the second floor, they noticed a pile of blankets lying on the sofa. As Pearl peeled back the layer of quilts, she was met with a horrific scene; Dennis’s decomposed body lay beneath the bedding. They immediately summoned police.
Dennis was found in a fetal position on the couch, facing inwards. Although covered by quilts, he was nude from the waist down. The coroner estimated he had died one to two months prior, however the cold weather had, in part, delayed the decomposition process making it difficult to give an exact time of death. During an autopsy, it was discovered that Dennis was severely emaciated, to the point of starvation. No evidence of external or internal injuries were found.
Police discovered several bottles of pills in the home; vitamins used for energy, an antidepressant, and a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. All of the pills were prescribed to Pearl, and were still relatively full. A toxicology test was conducted and proved negative, however the state pathologist who performed the test admitted that the test was incapable of detecting substances such as LSD. He also explained due to the amount of time that had passed since his death, the tests might not be one hundred percent accurate. Dennis’ cause of death was listed as malnutrition and exposure.
Investigators found several clues at the scene that struck them as odd. Although the cabin appeared ransacked, nothing seemed to be missing, including a small amount of money that was found within the disheveled home. Along with money, a small amount of, now spoiled, food was found in the cabinets and refrigerator. An upstairs window was found to be broken from the inside. Also upstairs, investigators discovered several large pools of blood, including one beside the couch where Dennis’ body was found. They also found blood on the backside of the couch, on a rug, and on the kitchen door frame, along with splatter on a wall. Testing confirmed the blood to be human.
Dennis was well known to both police and the county’s social workers. His mother, Pearl, was frequently in and out of mental institutions leaving Dennis and his two siblings to fend for themselves. The children’s father, Walter, had abandoned the family and moved to Georgia years prior. In 1972, Dennis was arrested for theft and truancy. That same year, he was expelled from school and never returned.
He was again arrested in 1973, this time for driving without a license, fleeing from police, possession of alcohol, and curfew violation. After his release, Dennis was sent to live with a man named Al Hagopian, a case worker for the Youth Services Bureau. Al was quoted as saying; “Finding him a place to stay was hard. The house where he had been staying was pretty grubby, and the state thought he was too young to live alone. His mother was in and out of hospitals a lot and he worried about her constantly. He didn’t want to return home, but said he had to go back to help care for his mother.”
Al discovered that Dennis “read and wrote backwards,” and was “practically illiterate.” After reviewing Dennis’ school records, he found multiple instances where teachers labeled Dennis as having disciplinary problems when it came to schoolwork, however not once did they mention he had a clear learning disability. Al further explained that attempts to secure employment for Dennis were nearly never successful. Aside from being unable to read or write, he had no vehicle. He also had no stable address or phone number and was oftentimes dirty and dressed in near rags.
Dennis’ unfair hand he had been dealt did not stop him from trying to act like an average kid most of the time, Al added. He explained that Dennis had an interest in cars, enjoyed hanging out with his friends, and was always chasing girls. He had also told Al he wanted to someday save up enough money for a new guitar, as he loved to play music. Al admitted that Dennis was also into the “street scene” and had dabbled in drugs and alcohol. Dennis returned home after two months of living with Al.
In 1974, after another arrest and his subsequent release from a youth detention center, Dennis went to live with his father for a short time. Dennis’ arrest had made headlines when it was learned the young man had been kept with adult men for a long period before being transferred to the youth detention center. Dennis and Walter reportedly couldn’t get along, however, and Dennis ran away to Florida. He lived there for a few months, washing cars to make money, before returning to the home on Ramsey Ridge in Indiana in 1975. He was again arrested, this time in Bloomington, Indiana for carrying a concealed weapon, alcohol consumption, and curfew violation. At the time of Dennis’ death, the charges against him were still pending.
According to his sister, April, she had gone to visit Dennis at the home on Ramsey Ridge on Christmas Eve. April said Dennis was sitting on the couch, playing his guitar. He also showed her a new rug he had purchased for the home. According to her, he seemed his usual self and the home was clean. April offered him some money, however Dennis refused claiming he had enough to get by.
Lucy Lively, an aunt of Dennis’ who lived “within hollering distance,” claimed she entered the home on February 1st to turn off a lamp that had been left burning. While she did not see Dennis, she claimed the home's interior was in normal order. Joe McArthur, Dennis’ paternal grandfather who also lived nearby, said it was not unusual for Dennis to disappear for long periods, so he thought nothing of the youths' absence as of late.
When Walter, Dennis’ father, was informed of his son's death, he informed police that Dennis, along with two male friends, had come to visit him in Georgia in mid December. He gave a description of the two teens and told police they had been introduced to him as “John Boy'' and “Blonde John.”
Police were able to track down “Blonde John” who was identified as 18-year-old John Fonk of Bloomington, Indiana. John told investigators that he and Dennis had driven to Florida together in October, not December, as Walter had stated. John explained they had stopped by Walter’s home in Georgia on their way back home. He was confident in the date as he had joined the Air Force in December. He also explained that “John Boy” had been a hitchhiker they had picked up along the way. According to John, “John Boy” rode back to Indiana with the pair, but he had not seen him, or Dennis since. He described him as being in his mid 20’s. After learning of the discrepancy in Walter’s story, police again tried to contact him, however phone calls and letters went unanswered. Unfortunately, they were never able to identify “John Boy.”
Further questioning of social services showed that Pearl had filled several grocery orders provided by state services, however the orders ceased when she had been again hospitalized. Eventually the Lawrence County Welfare Office had taken control and promised to look in on Dennis, however they could provide no evidence they had followed up on the case. They suggested that Dennis, overwhelmed with his impoverished lifestyle, had simply starved himself to the point of being comatose, before succumbing to the harsh cold of winter. They were quoted as saying “We were aware of him of course, but he never came to us. We don’t go looking for people if they don’t come to us for help. Now if he had, we would have done something.”
The local sheriff as well as members of Dennis’ family were unsatisfied with Dennis’ listed cause of death and continued to pursue the investigation for several months. Unfortunately due to a lack of funds, more elaborate tests that may have presented some clue as to how Dennis died could not be conducted. Sheriff Robbins was quoted as saying, “This is a very disturbing mystery, because even if someone confessed to killing him, I doubt we would have the evidence to prove it. But it sure is hard to believe he could kill himself like that, by just laying down and dying. We aren’t closing the case, it will remain open. But until we have something more to go on, there’s not much more we can do at this point.”
Dennis was laid to rest at Heltonville’s Gilgal Cemetery. Few attended the modest closed casket funeral and subsequent burial. One journalist gave a last description of Dennis’ final resting place,
“The dogwood trees are in full bloom on the hillsides of Gilgal Cemetery, and though Dennis’ body now rests peacefully beneath a carpet of fallen petals, his soul will surely never rest until the reasons behind his death are discovered.”
Pearl, Dennis’ mother, passed away in 2000 at the age of 67. Walter, Dennis’ father, died in 1988. His sister, April, passed away suddenly in 2006 at the age of 53. Dennis also had an older brother, Gordon, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 42.
Gerry Lee
On the evening of May 28, 1978, police were again summoned to the little green house on Ramsey Ridge. The home was now occupied by 27-year-old Gerry Lee, a divorced self employed carpenter, and his roommate, 25-year-old Michael Davis. When police arrived, Michael informed them that Gerry had committed suicide.
Gerry was found hanging from a maple tree located 20 feet from the home's front porch. The rope had been tied off to a branch approximately 10 feet above the ground and fashioned into a noose. His feet were found to be touching the ground, and his knees were bent. Blood was discovered on Gerry’s hands and pants, despite having suffered no visible wounds. An autopsy would reveal that Gerry had died of asphyxiation as a result of a fracture to his cricoid cartilage located at the base of his larynx. The coroner stated this was not an injury normally associated with suicidal hangings, but instead blunt force trauma to the throat. Inside, more blood was found on a television set, the phone, and on the kitchen floor. A window on the home's back door had been broken from the outside, leaving shards of glass lying on the kitchen floor.
When questioned, Michael gave an explanation for the unusual findings. He claimed that he, Gerry, and two other friends, Mike Oakly and Roberta Chandler, had spent the day in nearby Bedford before the foursome returned to the home on Ramsey Ridge. There, Michael told police that he and Gerry got into a “friendly scuffle” that resulted in Michael falling into the window in the kitchen. He suffered a deep laceration to his forehead that left him bleeding profusely.
According to Michael, Roberta and Mike accompanied him to seek medical treatment in Bedford, while Gerry stayed behind at home. Michael returned home alone from the hospital, having left Roberta and Mike in town. It was then he discovered Gerry’s body and summoned police. He added that that evening Gerry had threatened to shoot himself multiple times with one of the loaded guns kept in the home.
When Roberta and Mike were taken in for questioning, they gave similar accounts of the night's events. Both were released. Aside from having a visible wound, medical staff confirmed Michael had been to the hospital that evening, having sought treatment for a laceration to his forehead.
Still, both the prosecutor and the county coroner stated they were not entirely satisfied with a verdict of suicide. The coroner stated “Some things have not fallen into place like they should with a suicide case. Although it looks as though it could be a suicide, there are so many angles that do not fit in with the suicide verdict.” The prosecutor agreed, “I’m not satisfied with how the investigation was handled,” he said, “and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Several months later, Gerry’s case was brought before a grand jury who ultimately returned a verdict of “probable suicide.”
Gerry was laid to rest in Bedford’s Breckenridge Cemetery. Despite his death being declared a suicide, many locals, including Gerry’s friends and neighbors, continued to believe that something more sinister may have happened that evening, and the suicide was in fact staged. The community’s more superstitious elders shared a similar belief, however adding that a “strange ethereal force” inhabited the room where Gerry once slept, and where two years prior the body of Dennis had been discovered.
Whatever your opinion may be, it seems for some the books will never fully be closed on “The Mysteries of Skin Ridge.”
Sources
Newspaper Clippings, Death Certificates, Photos- https://imgur.com/a/4kQ3rEl
Find a Grave Dennis- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63100083/dennis-scott-mcarthur
Find a Grave Pearl- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/254365281/pearl-m-mcarthur?createdMemorial=Yes
Find a Grave Walter- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80652726/walter-rufus-mcarthur
Find a Grave Gerry- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47074796/gerry-wayne-lee
National Library of Medicine- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22442828/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20neck%20structures%20fractures%20were,the%20cricoid%20cartilage%20of%2020.6%25.