A true crime YouTuber is facing severe backlash for selling autopsy photos of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who was brutally murdered by his stepmother, Your Content has learned.
The YouTuber, known as ‘Zav Girl,’ obtained the images through a Freedom of Information Act request after Stauch was stabbed and shot in 2020.
After receiving the autopsy pictures, ‘Zav Girl’ charged her followers $3 on the membership platform Patreon to view them. However, this decision has resulted in widespread criticism, leading to the deactivation of her Patreon account by the company.
During an appearance on ‘Dan Abrams Live,’ Michael Allen, the lead prosecutor on the Stauch case, expressed his concerns.
He stated that sharing the images on Patreon was not only disrespectful to the family members who endured the horror of this tragedy, but it also denied Gannon the dignity and respect he deserved in death.
Allen emphasized that alternative methods, such as using body diagrams included in the autopsy report, could have been employed instead of displaying the actual photos of Gannon’s broken body, which only highlighted the depravity and horror he experienced.
In response to the controversy, ‘Zav Girl’ posted a statement on her YouTube account’s community page.
She acknowledged that some people find sharing autopsy photos objectionable, while others, like herself, perceive them as interesting and informative in a detached, scientific way. ‘Zav Girl’ further mentioned that she would consider taking down the video if people were genuinely unhappy with it.
Despite her remarks, the YouTuber faced significant criticism from viewers, who considered her actions unfathomable and lacking empathy.
Some commenters pointed out that sharing the autopsy photos was unnecessary since the cause of Gannon’s death was already known.
Patreon confirmed the removal of ‘Zav Girl’s’ account, stating that it violated their Community Guidelines against violent and graphic content.
The platform aims to provide a safe environment by not allowing content that glorifies or promotes graphic violence, sadism, or real-world suffering.
Letecia Stauch, Gannon’s stepmother, was found guilty in May of multiple charges, including murder in the first degree, murder of a child under 12, tampering with a deceased human body, and tampering with physical evidence.
Gannon had been reported as a runaway in January 2020 but was later found deceased under a bridge in Pace, Florida, after Letecia stabbed him 18 times, beat him across the head four times, and shot him in the jaw.
Prosecutors revealed that Letecia harbored resentment towards Gannon, considering herself a glorified babysitter. She had even searched online using the phrase ‘I hate my stepson.’
Her defense attorneys attempted to attribute her behavior to mental illness but were unsuccessful. As a result, Letecia Stauch received a life sentence without the possibility of parole for this brutal murder, according to DailyMail.