Watching the Karate Kid and reminding myself...

...why I am so excited to be getting back into martial arts and gymnastics in 2013...

 

 

Thank you Billy Housh

My amazing Christmas gift from my dear friend William Hooshmandi came today. Simply amazing! It's a watercolor painting of my cat Murphy by the talented Joanna Barnum from Baltimore, Maryland.

 

 

 

Just beautiful! I absolutely love it! Actually "we" (as in me and Murphy) love it! Thank you so much Billy!

12-12-12

 

We will never see a number like this for another hundred years. What are two things that I love aside from family and friends? Zebra print and candy, especially lollipops. To show dedication for this special day, I have decided to present you with 12/12/12 in candy.


Latest hate comment regarding Toni Ingram

Today I received the following message today regarding Toni Ingram. I am going to respond cordially to whoever you are. 

First of all, I have read the police reports, the autopsy reports and even watched the interrogation video with Keenan Vanginkel. I was also able to see other information that is unavailable to the public. 

I believe Mrs. Ingram has every right to question what happened to her daughter, Morgan Ingram. I also believe Morgan Ingram was murdered based on what I have read and observed. There are no inconsistencies, just questions from Mrs. Ingram that haven't been answered. Why are you refusing to accept foul play when there is proof there is?

Riddle me this, how does a 115 pound girl get 7,909 ng of Amitriptyline in her blood when 900-1,000 ng is lethal? How can Amitriptyline be in both her gastric fluids and blood? Why was the horse Amitriptyline kept in the refrigerator at the horse ranch found missing? Why are you saying Keenan was in another state when there is proof he was in Colorado the day and night of Morgan Ingram's murder and death? Answer these questions please. 

And lastly, please tell me how is it unfair? Because I disagree with your suicide theory? Because there is more proof she was murdered? 

If you want to respond to this post, you are more than welcome to. But hate messages about Mrs. Ingram and Morgan will not be tolerated. 

Exclusive Interview with Toni Ingram, a mother with a voice and a message

Imagine waking up one day to news that your daughter is dead. About a year ago, Toni Ingram received just that. Her daughter Morgan Ingram was murdered in their Colorado home just months after her 20th birthday and several weeks before Christmas, on December 2nd 2011. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Toni Ingram about Morgan life and life after Morgan's death. 

Hello Toni. Tell me about Morgan and the type of person that she was...

 Morgan was a sweet, quiet, Bohemian, and Zen Buddhist type of girl. She loved animals and had as many as we would let her have. Everything from dogs to cats to horses to rabbits to ferrets to birds and much more. There was always two at a time. One summer she had a mouse that traveled with her.

 Growing up in the computer age, she was driven to learn and explore the World Wide Web. She considered games to be more of a distraction, but was quick to point out as she grew, that we had to learn that everything was done through social media these days.

 She was extremely close with me and Steve, as parents. Even more so than our older two. They both had sports that took them away regularly, whereas; Morgan preferred to stay-at-home and engage in the arts, where she taught herself how to sing and play piano. Morgan also loved knitting, crocheting, and painting. She told us that the best things in her life were her family and that some of her best memories were traveling with us.

 Morgan grew up in Colorado, where she loved the outdoors. Whether a short hike to a quiet place where she could write in her journals or a hike somewhere where she could paint, Morgan appreciated everything artistically. Winter sports never garnered her interest, but she decided to take up rock climbing. When her life was cut short, she never had a chance to get into it, as much as she wished she would.

 Although she missed her first two years of high school, as a mysterious illness which was promoted by carbon monoxide exposure found its way into her life, Morgan went on to Junior College instead. At just 18, Morgan was only a few credits shy of graduating with a two year, Associates degree, when most of her friends were just coming out of high school.

 We encouraged her to slow down and enjoy trying new things before heading off to the University for her Bachelor's degree, so she decided to take up ballet and jazz dance. Morgan bought cookbooks and learned pastry chef 101. She also discovered photography, which became almost an obsession. I'll never forget the day Steve bought her two 16GB memory cards for her camera. She was just so happy. It was simply the best gift she could have ever asked for.

 My daughter was a strong, intuitive, and confident woman. She was a Leo and very knowledgeable about horoscopes, as she possessed an amazing ability to tell people what sign they were just by talking to them. She studied chakras and taught herself Lithuanian from an ever growing stack of index cards she made with both languages on them and was turning to mastering French when the stalking begun.

 Morgan loved deep conversations and learning. Her goal was to be a lawyer for women's rights. She believed strongly in causes that caught her attention over the years. She loved children and always enjoyed volunteer work. She had many close friends. At one time we thought she had no enemies, however; she did have one...and sometimes, that is all it takes.

　
She truly sounds exceptional. Taking you back to the day that your daughter was "murdered", what went through your mind when you were told "your daughter is dead"...

 We knew before we were told. Steve had an experience three weeks prior which consisted of finding a very dear friend dead on his couch and while he tried not to believe it, here he was now doing CPR on Morgan. He tried everything he could to revive her. He shared his worst fears with me before the first responders arrived.

 The reality was numbing. I could not focus or think. This was a horrific dream. This was never something to happen in real life. Steve was yelling for Morgan to take his last breath. He was yelling for me to move my car from the driveway for the ambulance. Somehow I was able to do that. I could follow instructions and respond if I had to, but otherwise things were distant to the immediate truth and reality of it all.

 I saw so many things that I will never forget. She appeared blue for an instant. I told my husband that she was suffocating. He tried mouth-to-mouth and told me her jaw was locked. I felt her and she was warm. Her eyes were open and I wanted them to blink, just once. I wanted her to jerk and to spit out a mouthful of water, but she never moved.

 The first responders were asking us to leave and talking about her rigor. I saw one shaking his head, as he looked like he wanted to cry. I burst into tears and just stopped. As more people kept arriving, the urgency that had filled my house died. I remember holding my husband Steve and asking why. What could have happened? How could this happen?

 Once Morgan was pronounced dead, I don't have a real clear memory. If that was shock, it was my first experience with it. I don't want to remember it, but I will never forget that morning. I do remember one thing I was thinking, when they actually said the words that "our daughter was dead". I started telling myself over and over again, please let me have a do-over, let this be yesterday, and I will take her far, far away and none of this would have ever happened. I kept telling myself this for a very long time.

　
I am sorry to hear about your loss. Morgan was a beautiful soul and didn't deserve this at all. I am curious, what were you told?

My husband Steve was told that our house was now a crime scene and that we needed to get dressed and leave the house for a while. They asked if there was a place we could go nearby. Steve talked to our next door neighbor who agreed to allow us to use their house. Friends of ours that lived nearby arrived on the scene to help me with my things. Luckily our next door neighbor had a fully stocked vacation home, so we didn't take much and just went.

 When we left, there was already crime scene tape across the front yard. It was so surreal. They were helping me under the tape, as I continued to cry off and on. I found myself settling into a chair next to Steve. I received numerous calls from friends. I knew we needed to tell her brother and sister right away. My husband was having trouble talking on the phone, so he decided to text people. I remember going through my contacts and naming the ones that had to know right away. Godparents, cousins, etc. Nobody could believe what we were telling them and basically that is how the next few hours went. Watching my husband and my friends convince people of something, I did not believe myself.
After weeks upon weeks and then months went by, did anyone contact you? If so, what did they say? What were you told again?

 Actually, I was the one doing most of the contacting. The very first morning, a dear friend of mine showed up with absolutely shocking information. A neighbor down the street had confessed that he knew who the stalker was and had known for some time. He confessed this to a client of his and his client called my friend regarding the strange confession, but had no idea who it was that he was talking about. Then, my friend knew instantaneously that it was Morgan. When she heard about it, she did not hesitate to tell me about it. I passed this information on to the lead detective, in an effort that he would follow right up on it, but that never happened.

 A few days later, it happened again. At the first service for Morgan, my sister noticed Morgan's nails were torn and proceeded to show me. We were not investigating at all, at the time because we were surviving more in shock than anything else. But once again, I asked the lead detective about the torn nails. I mean, how could this be? We were told there was no sign of struggle. I kept getting this feeling like things weren't happening in the investigation, as things were certainly not adding up.

On the morning we found Morgan, the lead detective was so broken up at first, as he was weeping as bad as Steve and I were. Both detectives were really upset over Morgan's death. First, I told him about the confession and the nails. He said he was going to check into both. Then, as we were packing up her room we discovered more red flags. Things were simply not adding up.

These things include: her costume jewelry was still there, however; her valuable jewelry was missing. Her panic button was torn off at the end table it was mounted to. The pajamas she was wearing to bed that night were missing. Steve noticed scrapes on her hand, a red spot on her forehead, and what he thought could have been blood, but was not, on the side of her lips.

 I spoke to the detective about all of this. We thought the authorities took the pajamas and they messed up the end table, but they didn't. I kept asking, but I was not getting answers and I didn't really know how this all worked. I really expected that they would move towards an investigation in which her death would become an extension of her stalking. I never even questioned the fact that it would not be. I didn't see any other way for it to be. Unless it was for another reason. Did something coincidentally kill her during her stalking other than her stalker? It seemed obvious to me that the most likely thing to look at was the stalker and their stalking as the responsibility for her death.

Up until the first toxicology report, we were told it was officially a mystery. We were told there was no signs of suicide, no signs of any forced entry, and no foul play. Steve and I accepted this as the temporary explanation. When the toxicology report did come back, the first thing we saw about her toxicology screen was that it was completely clean. This meant for days before her death, whether 2 days or even 5 days, her levels were all zero. No illegal drugs, no alcohol. Morgan was not a party girl. In fact, she was considered the designated driver. Then, the cause and manner of death was delivered to us and it made no sense.

 Her cause of death was "Pulmonary Edema" and "Porphyria" and her manner of death was of natural causes. First, there was no investigation into her death. This was troubling enough to us. Morgan did not take any prescription medications. "Oh, the parents are always the last to know", I was told. I corrected them, as I said no. We make the appointments, we pay for the appointments, we go the pharmacy, and we pick up the medications. Somehow this logic did not work for the investigator. It was easier for him to believe that she took something and lied to me about it more so than asking me the truth. My concerns started to grow as more red flags started to arise.

 I sent all of the information we had to Morgan's doctor at UCLA and started asking more questions. I scheduled a conference call with the detective and the pathologist. My husband Steve was there and we went over the following concerns...

 First, Morgan did not have Porphyria. Did he find something to indicate that she did? If it were natural causes, could this be something our grandchildren could die from? After all, it was a worrisome subject. Where do we go from here? We are going out to California to review all of this with Morgan's doctor, who was also very surprised at her sudden death.

 This was the first time that we spoke with the forensic pathologist. We had never spoken with the Coroner yet, but we did notice that the forensic pathologist seemed to be getting rather "testy", like he didn't want to answer too many questions. It was all becoming odd and we waited for answers in Los Angeles.

 At her doctor's house, we went over how well Morgan had been doing and how she continued getting stronger every year. How masterfully she had taken on a strict diet and exercise program to build her system back up beautifully only to have this stalker in her life completely stress her out. After reviewing all of the reports, there was no doubt in her doctor's mind that this was a homicide. This completely floored Steve and I. To be honest, we didn't know what to think until that moment, but we had not thought homicide. It was a complex medical matter and she wanted to talk it over with the pathologist in Colorado. She wanted to explain it to him and assured us that she would take care of it.

Steve and I are not exactly medically educated. He is an artist and I am an executive assistant. We had to believe that Morgan's doctor was correct because she had the credentials and she never failed our daughter. We also started to include other doctors into the mix that we knew well. They all agreed that the pathologist had it all wrong. I didn't know the direction this was going, but I did know that it was happening.

 Only the pathologist was unhappy with this new information. In fact, when we spoke with the pathologist, he started saying that if we continued to pursue the homicide theory, he would have to look again at suicide or accidental overdose. All we could think is - an accidental overdose of what? This became just another question in the ever-growing list. He also said he did not find any pills or even fragments of pills in Morgan's stomach.

 Meanwhile, our daughter-in-law read an article in the local Glenwood Springs newspaper that had an arrest report for Morgan's #1 stalking suspect. Morgan's suspected stalker was arrested on a warrant for selling stolen jewelry. Morgan had missing jewelry. Her stalker was also arrested on felony distribution charges, so everything was only getting more complex.

 I called our detectives about the arrest and they had no idea. The arrest occurred within the Glenwood Springs city limits, so they do not share that kind of information. Our detective now wanted pictures of all of Morgan's jewelry. Steve was very upset with this because he felt like on top of the all of the half answers we were getting and the other tribulations we had to endure, they now wanted us to go through 40,000 pictures and find every single piece of jewelry Morgan had. Steve thought that was insane asking me to do that. So, we started taking matters into our own hands and went directly to the "Cash for Gold" store with what pictures we did have.

 It turns out that the "Cash for Gold" store is very lax. They quickly recognized Morgan's #1 suspect as a customer of the establishment, but as for matching up pictures we had with pictures they had of the jewelry he (the stalker) sold them, well they had no pictures. So, why did the detective insist that we supply pictures instead of descriptions, when not one person, nobody had pictures to compare them with anyway?! Just more work for nothing. Just more complexity.

 Then, Morgan's doctor in California said the pathologist had turned completely "unruly". First, he wanted to help with the case. Then, he was apprehensive and now he is unruly?! I called him and he announced that he would no longer talk to our doctors because they knew nothing and could not testify in court anyway. I corrected him and said that they could. In fact, they were being specifically selected because of their experience in court. He said "no". I said "OK" and then asked him politely who could help us get to the bottom of this because nobody agrees with your position and that this is a problem. I just kept thinking to myself, as long as Morgan's manner of death remains "natural causes" her killer goes free to kill again.

 The pathologist finally said that we should find another forensic pathologist, preferably someone in our state and added that at least they could testify in court. He then said that he might have to look at accidental overdose again because the dose was quite high. I proceeded to ask him what dose because the only medication that showed up on her toxicology screen was "insignificant" up to this point in his opinion.

 We found a great forensic pathologist in Colorado who offered his help for no charge in Morgan's case. He had done the second opinion in the Jon Benet Ramsey case, as well as, many other high profile cases. It was perfect because he was giving us our second opinion and he was very well qualified and respected in Colorado. He looked it all over and I asked about the possibility of a suicide or accidental overdose. He proceeded to ask why. I explained how it kept becoming a bigger and bigger issue with the original forensic pathologist and at this point, I was beginning to believe it was truly a threat. He said with everything he had seen, he could not understand why any pathologist would call this a suicide. He said this case needed an investigation and then he quickly came to the conclusion that the amitriptyline level in her body was anything but "insignificant" as it was massive. He also mentioned that it was probably administered in a liquid form and it could have been possibly used for equine use. Death would have been certain and also relatively swift.

 Of course, this became another twist into the justice for Morgan saga. She was killed with a prescription drug that she did not take and the original forensic pathologist had no excuse for not knowing this from day one and was jeopardizing Morgan's chance for justice with his egregious errors.

 I called for a meeting with the detectives. They said the patrol house would be the best place to meet. That should have been a clue for me and Steve, but we did not see it coming. Steve and I went to tell them that Morgan had been killed with a massive dose of horse medication (which can also be taken by people, but in a pill form with doses nowhere approaching the one that killed our daughter). Steve had a "punch list" of all of the as of yet unanswered questions. The meeting did not go well at all. They tried to explain to us that no one could have been in the house. Steve asked if they ever found the container that contained the lethal dose of liquid equine medication.

 They changed the subject and started to accuse Morgan of recreationally snorting Amitriptyline. I questioned the possibilities of such and asked how could one snort prescription pills and why? They continued saying "The parents are always the last to know". The victims' rights coordinator stood through all of this. As her arms were crossed in silence, and the lead detective spewing out insinuation after insinuation about our daughter, we were disgusted. It could have been a 1950's rape trial and the victim would continue to be accused of her hemline shortness, her leading on, and the popular inability to say NO fast enough. But it is indeed 2012 and Morgan was indeed dead. Were they trying to bully us and scare us away with lies?

 Steve touched me on the shoulder and indicated it was time to go. He has that uncanny knack of knowing when the time is not now. I'm a proud Italian and I thought a good argument had just started and I just knew that Morgan wanted me to finish it. As we stood there, they told us the investigation had been dropped due to lack of leads. Steve quickly questioned about the stolen jewelry, the equine medication, and they still had NOT questioned the client who heard the confession of our neighbor. This was a sad day for the victim.

 Months later the Coroner's office called. This was the first time they called us. They had a new manner of death and wanted to fax it over. I thought they were going to carry through on their threat and change it from natural causes to accidental overdose. This would be going backwards, not just for Morgan, but because I started my blog which was a center, a source for other stalking victims who were contacting me mostly because they did not know where to turn.

 Well, I was wrong. A reporter from Glenwood was receiving his copy at the same time I was receiving mine. Morgan was not an accidental overdose - she was a SUICIDE?! Based on no new evidence. But wait, it does not end here. A new toxicology screen emerged from her gastric fluid. We are not medical people and even if we thought we knew what it meant, we would have a professional interpret for us. We learned later that her sample had been exhausted during this testing. Despite everything else they knew, Morgan's doctor at UCLA wanted to run various tests had they decided to do more testing, but they didn't care. Instead, they tested without consulting us.

 The re-testing indicated even worse things for poor Morgan. In fact, this test showed a veritable date rape cocktail had been mixed up for her. Either of the two drugs would have killed her on their own. The others showed positive, but did not have any levels because the sample was split between three labs, making them fully exhausted before more levels were established. Morgan never had a chance. She was murdered, while we slept across the house. No wonder there was no desire to answer any questions that Steve and I had. These questions include:

 Where was the container that held the date rape cocktail? Where were the PJs Morgan wore when Steve last talked to her? Who pried Morgan's panic button off of her nightstand? Who tore three of Morgan's nails? Who scraped 1/8" to 1/4" abrasions into her hand? Who put a flesh burn into her forearm? Who bruised her forehead? What caused her lips to bleed? What were the contents of the fine spray on her chest? (This was noted by the officer with the black light on the scene) What happened to all of Morgan's expensive jewelry?

Why was there no rape kit when she had an active felony stalking case on the day she was killed? Why were the next door neighbors, who witnessed odd behaviors consistent with an intruder that very night and wished to tell law enforcement, completely ignored? Why was the person who confessed to a client the identity of the stalker after Morgan was found dead never interviewed? Why was the Chief Deputy Coroner who assumed control of the death scene not properly credentialed as per Colorado Revised Statute? Why were deputies with no training nor experience in death scenes investigating allowed into the actual death scene? Why is it that numerous official sheriffs' reports refer to Morgan's medications, when in fact she was not prescribed those medications? Why do those same sheriff's reports purport the reason she took those medications, when in fact she never took medications for those reasons?

 Why, why, why...the questions continue to grow faster than any answers. Her official cause of death is now suicide, but it is not supported by any facts at all. As I have often said, we are not medical people; we just know what the experts who have volunteered to help Morgan have told us. Would it really be that hard to listen to them? Any of them?

To tell you something completely different and to associate that with suicide is not only horrible, but outrageous. For everyone who knew Morgan, they said she was not that type of person at all. In fact, if she contemplated suicide there would be signs. What do you think of the accusations?

 Morgan was not a suicidal person. Everyone that knew Morgan for years would tell you that. All of her close friends have become furious over the accusations. Even for a moment, to even think Morgan would think to take her own life...what would be the reason? Morgan was scared and stressed over her stalker, but is that a good enough reason? If that is the case, the stalker still contributed to her death. She has never in her life been diagnosed with depression. She was never on medication for depression.

 After Morgan's death, I was approached by one of her friends that actually said Morgan saved her life because that friend was depressed and considered suicide. It was Morgan with her gentle and influential spirit that helped her. Morgan was a very spiritual being, so as far as we are concerned, she would have been the last person on earth to commit suicide. Ironically enough, the summer before Morgan and I attended a forum to see the guest speaker, the Dali Lama at the Aspen Institute. I told her that the only thing I did not agree with was his stance about pure evil. I believe it does exist, but Morgan tended to agree with the Dali Lama.

 Morgan also loved animals. She had a new puppy "Wylah May" that was only 5 months old at the time Morgan was murdered. She absolutely adored that puppy. She would have never taken her life and abandoned that little baby.

 When the Coroner's office (basically the Forensic Pathologist) changed her manner of death to suicide after 8 months, it was extremely upsetting for my husband Steve, but I knew the Forensic Pathologist was going to do that. He had threatened me on three different occasions, every time I told him that doctors, specialists, and other Forensic Pathologists had reviewed all of Morgan's medical records and the autopsy results proved that this was not a natural death, but actual murder. It's very evident that Morgan died under suspicious circumstances and the prescription drugs that showed up in her system in the toxicology reports were NOT anything that she was taking.

 3 out of the 4 drugs discovered in Morgan's system were NEVER in the house, ever. In total, they all contributed to what people would dub a "date rape cocktail". According to the Sexual Assault Panel, these drugs were listed. The Forensic Pathologist requested that her labs be run only with the comprehensive panel, not the sexual assault panel. Two of the date rape drugs were in such large quantities, that they showed up instantaneously. The other two found in her system showed up, but not in the exact quantity. The one drug that Morgan was given was in such a large amount, which was either transdermal or liquid, that it passed through her bloodstream and killed her long before the other drugs could even be absorbed.

 If Morgan wanted to take her own life, she could have easily walked into our room and taken as many sleeping pills as she wanted to, but she did not. Morgan wanted to live because she had many things she wanted live for. The reality is it was a human predator(s) that ended her life. These same people took her PJs, the container for the date rape cocktail, and her valuable jewelry because it certainly was not Morgan fresh off a suicide leaving with all of those.

 After speaking with other Forensic Pathologists, the lab folks who had done her toxicology results, etc. I finally realized that this was overkill and how any Forensic Pathologist, Coroner, or Sheriff's Department could overlook it and call it suicide goes far beyond incompetence. As the FBI tells me, there is no law against incompetence, but all of the signs I am seeing lead me to believe that this something more insidious?

I just have to ask you, after your daughter reported the stalking, what kind of action was taken by the authorities? How did they treat her case?

 For the first 7 and a half weeks, they said they were not allowed to collect evidence because it was considered misdemeanor trespassing. The Colorado law reads different they stress urgency and recognize the danger. The patrol officers that came to our house every time we called them really cared. They found footprints up against the house, right under her bathroom window and called their office to see if they could take castings or pictures. They were told no.

 This was beyond crazy. Our daughter was in danger, so we decided it was up to us to protect her. The sheriff decided quickly that the perpetrator had to be in our neighborhood, which was the only way he could get away so fast. They asked us to refrain from sharing any information with the neighbors, as they didn't want to tip him off. It was a big mistake, as that was the first thing we should have done in the beginning because we could have had more witnesses and people watching out for mysterious behavior, someone walking around in the middle of the night, etc.

I know that individual police forces vary upon state and everyone will have different experiences, etc., however; I have noticed the same pattern of incompetence. I can't decide whether it's neglect or just laziness. They claim they care, but yet they do not help you.

 That is a very good question. On one hand, I have people tell me it is laziness, on the other hand I tend to think that they are not taught the correct way to deal with these types of situations and they are not taken seriously. I believe officers always echo what comes from the top of their precinct. Whether it is the police, or sheriff, or whatever law enforcement. It seems to always be that the actual seriousness of how the crime should be treated comes from the top and affects every patrol officer that deals with crime.

 I have had many; many past and recent stalking victims contact me with some experiences with law enforcement. Some good, some bad. I don't believe it was an individual concern of the officers, as much as pure knowledge of how to deal with the actual problem at hand. Writing tickets by comparison is relatively easy and I have yet to witness an officer who has not mastered that. Stalking is complex and the skill set to deal effectively is equally complex. I don't have all of the answers, but I do seek to gain as many as I can to share with law enforcement in the future.

Then, when they do offer to help you, it is too late. What message do you have for these types of police officers?

 One of the best things I have learned from Morgan's case is that stalking is not a reactionary crime. The call or complaint comes in and you react, most often with presence first. Stalking is a crime of prevention. Comparing it to terrorism, if we wait until the Twin Towers are on fire, it is too late. If the stalker has terrorized its victim and you are twenty minutes away, it is too late this time. How will you change that next time?

 Who is the stalker? Where does he work? What does he drive? What does he look like? What time did he come? Do you know where he is going to be? Fill me in, when you have him. Use water, rake the soil, and you will have his prints. Put up multiple wildlife cameras and you might catch his image. Bring in tracking dogs if you have just missed him. Take your stalker seriously because he takes the victim seriously. He is willing to risk everything just to stalk. React with equal seriousness.

I think police officers need to wake up and recognize that not all criminals are bank robbing thugs. To be stalked for months and after reporting it numerous times, nothing is done and as a result, the woman that reported the stalking is now dead. I am seriously sick to my stomach...

 It is really sickening to think that in a felony stalking case that has gone on for four months which resulted in the death of a 20 year old woman, under suspicious circumstances, that they did not call the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to help. This is what the CBI is used for. With all of their expertise and equipment. Did the sheriff just not care? Are they trying to protect someone? Do they just not know how to do their job?

 They needed to evaluate Morgan's stalker, but they did not. Lumping all stalkers into one bucket is the worst thing you can do, considering everyone is different and every stalker is a different kind of predator. There are many factors to look for.

 In Morgan's case, the injustice never ends. After completely blowing the investigation of her stalking, they overran her death scene. Not a single officer is certified in death scene investigation, so what exactly were they doing there? Destroying key evidence and failing to collect important evidence is what comes to mind. They did not take any evidence to be tested, such as sheets or pillows. All they took were her electronics (phone, computer, camera, and iPod) plus one of her older journals. Her current journal was right there in her bathroom, but they didn't take it.

There was no Medco legal investigator as required by state law. The sheriff's office had officers walking all over taking notes and basically contradicting each other, as they are not trained death scene investigators. It was such a nightmare because they don't take stalking seriously. They just assume that this is just a young person who died of too much alcohol or illegal drugs, which is incorrect. How could my daughter have a stalker for four months, that they were powerless to stop and think that her stalker was incapable of her murder? What did they do when the toxicology screen came back and Morgan was a clean living young woman? Drop the case? Are they really trying to stop stalking or promote it?

What reason and/or reasons do you believe that she was murdered?

We knew that it was very frightening for her to be woken up at all hours, in the middle of the night with loud bangs to her window or weird lower scratching noises. Being followed, being watched, having her stalker show up in the dark at 5:30 am dressed in black when she went to put her puppy out to go potty, etc. Her doctor at UCLA first thought that Morgan was frightened to death. She was very healthy, so she thought it was really incompetent to think she died of "natural causes" during this stalking. Some of the facts from her death scene include:

No container for the date rape cocktail found. No PJs that Morgan wore the night of her death found. No jewelry found. Very awkward yet staged appearance on the opposite side of her bed from where she always slept. Dressed in street clothes (which she NEVER slept in) and they were not the same clothes she came home in, the night before. Missing panic button. The overall condition of her room. The bedside tables swiped clear, folded clothes knocked to the floor. You just cannot look at a photo of her room and say there were no signs of a struggle.

This all indicated the presence of someone who entered and simply left her after she died. Other signs and clues include:

Torn nails, abrasions on the same hand, and a flesh burn on the wrist. A thumb sized bruise on her forehead, blood on her lips, and fine spray of bodily fluids on her chest. These are all consistent clues that support the fact she was murdered, as it makes perfect sense that Morgan was forced to ingest a date rape cocktail. The stalker was well aware that we were moving and therefore; knew his window of opportunity was closing, so the motive was growing also.

The stalker had many motives, but one of the most evident is that Morgan rebuffed him at their only meeting in public. The stalker's girlfriend had been heard saying inappropriate things in reference to Morgan and was heard by many individuals at different times in different settings.

None of the drugs were found ever in her room nor would she ever have garnered access to them. It makes no sense how she would, all of the sudden have access to them. I think it's very obvious that she did NOT commit suicide.

They did not find any of the drugs that killed her in her room. They didn't even find any prescription drugs in her room. Steve was asked by an officer, the morning we found her body if he had any recent or old medications for Morgan. Steve proceeded to go into the bathroom, where he had a box taped up with old medications for the three of us and gave the officer a bottle of an old medication she use to take over 2 years ago.

The officer wrote it down and then put the medication on Morgan's nightstand. According to sheriff reports that I read months later, another officer went through her room and wrote down that Morgan had that bottle of medication on her nightstand, so she was obviously taking it. And this is how the entire investigation went. So many discrepancies, so many mistakes. How could they ever come to a correct conclusion?

We independently checked with every one of her doctors and found that not one single doctor ever wrote a prescription for Morgan. We checked every pharmacy and none of them filled a prescription for Morgan. Morgan saw a doctor in 2010 for the express reason that she no longer wanted to take any prescription medications and as a result, she succeeded.

Not a single person has ever interviewed Steve or myself to find out who her current doctors were. Not a single person questioned whether or not Morgan took any medications. The last doctor to see Morgan was 36 hours before her death. We offered this information to the forensic pathologist, but he never contacted her. She contacted him, when we informed her about what was going on. She thought that Morgan was "positive and upbeat" when she spoke with her about the detectives being close to making an arrest of her stalker. She offered sleeping aids, as well as, anti-stress medication, but Morgan declined, as she would rather not take any medications, as ballet was her release. Was this another reason why the stalker had to get rid of Morgan? Because the following week the detective was supposed to get his hours and overlay them on top of our detailed timeline and would possibly be able to make an arrest at that time?

The detectives collected evidence that met their needs and basically fabricated the rest. It is not true, what else can I say. Legislation was passed in May of 2011 in Colorado to correct rampant problems with death scene investigation and all of the new statutes that were in force and should have been followed were completely ignored in the investigation of Morgan's death.

Based on everything you have told me and my own intuition (which never fails me) I think she was murdered, as well. I also agree with you about the suspects, as your story is so consistent. Everything you have said to me makes so much sense. Plus, based on observing the case fully rather than one dimensionally, there are more flaws in their stories than the finest cheese in Lucerne. It has definitely created a lot of emotional turmoil in your life, I am sure.

It took time for me, time for us. It was hard for me and Steve to accept that someone could have been in our daughter's room and killed her. This was a mountain for Steve to climb. Once I gave in to my intuition, I have only had my initial beliefs reinforced. Morgan was murdered. I usually always trust my intuition and my intuition has always told me who was involved, but my brain kept overriding what my intuition told me, so I kept thinking of other possibilities. Crazy I know, especially after Morgan had told me herself who was involved before she was killed. She also told her felony stalking detective and many friends the name of who was involved, as well.

Only the stalker that did this to Morgan had help from others that were trying to cover for him. Now on the surface, this sounds a little crazy, but when I started to do research in this area it was not crazy. It happens, as it has been shared in books. For example: one time in the beginning after the patrol officers came to our neighborhood (and Morgan wasn't home at the time, she was staying at a friend's house and called to say she would be home in the morning) a rock or something was thrown at the window I was standing in front of. I was startled and began to get angry, understanding exactly what Morgan would experience every time it happened to her.

I called 911 and four officers showed up at the house quick. As they surrounded our house, they began to move quickly to the house about three houses down from us. It was about 10:30 pm. As they surrounded that house, they knocked on the front door. At first, no one came to the door, but they were very persistent. Finally, a woman answered and said she would not let the officers in without a warrant. Then continued to mention that the person they were looking for was there, but sleeping and she was not going to wake him up because he worked the night shift at work.

The officers finally left and for the next hour, the perpetrator ran by the back of our house. This was where our bedroom was located and Steve and I were trying to sleep. This same person was setting off the motion lights and alarms that we had installed. They did this seven times, as if they were playing games. This was the type of criminal we were dealing with. He also got excited when the law enforcement would show up and not catch him. As if he were sticking up his middle finger to law enforcement.

The next morning this same girl's mother called a neighbor to say that the sheriffs visited her to question her daughter about Morgan's disappearance. Morgan did not disappear. This was just one of the many lies this mother told neighbors over the four months about the stalker, but when she was interviewed by the detective, she says she gets all of her information from her daughter. When her daughter is interviewed, she says she gets all of her information from her mother. The interviews ended there.

As Steve and I were totally stressed, trying to protect our daughter, the felony stalking detective assigned to our case was doing a few interviews of his own with no follow up. Just denial and spin from people who were involved in the death of my daughter. Later, the detective told me that if someone wants to lie to him there is nothing he can do about it. Well, that makes it sound like law enforcement can't do anything for us, unless the perpetrators will sit on the lawn in front of our house and wait for law enforcement to arrive.

Two weeks before Morgan was murdered, she stopped by a house in Carbondale to visit some friends that were there. Much later, when telling me about this incident, she said she never drank out of anything except her own water bottle. She didn't know what happened to her, but she felt really strange, dizzy, and sick so she tried to get out of there as soon as possible. She did end up at another friend's house that was close by and stayed the night there.

He used her phone to send me a text about what happened to her. We just thought she had been hit with the flu or something. It wasn't until a week later that she thought she had been dosed, but did not know how. Was the stalker able to slip something into the water bottle while she was there? We have so many questions and we know there are people out there that know the truth. Without a real investigation, we are trying to find out the truth.

It has been a year since my daughter has died. Steve and I, as well as, our blog readers have been searching for answers. The sheriff department continues to do nothing. The main purpose of starting Morgan's website and blog was to let others know who Morgan was and what happened to her. We wanted to let people know, so we could help others too. Others who are enduring the same thing. I truly believe that Morgan came through to us and told us this is what she wanted. She wanted to save others. As a result, Steve and I decided to start the Morgan Ingram Foundation which will provide tools for stalking victims, solutions, and a source others can use in the battle against stalking.

Tell me about the footprints in the snow...

This unbelievable! We had not had any real kind of snow that would stick to the ground until late that night. A storm blew in and we all slept through the night. The next day, when I walked down the driveway I saw footprints off to the side of the driveway. I called Steve to tell him. I called the sheriff's office to have an officer come look at the prints. The officer showed up and walked around the house, as well as around the neighborhood with Steve, as the prints slowly melted.

When the tapes were reviewed, it was very obvious to everyone including our felony stalking detective that the girl in the images was the same girl that would not allow the authorities to question her boyfriend. The same girl that marched around the house and made sure she was caught on the cameras except on the side of the house where Morgan's room was. The footprints lead back to the suspect's house. Steve also found it very revealing that a few days later; this same girl stated that she knew there was a video recording exonerating her boyfriend as the stalker.

Tell me more about the cameras outside...

When the stalking started, we realized in the first 7 and a half weeks that it was considered only misdemeanor trespassing. We were worried about Morgan's safety. It was very obvious that the sheriff's office was not allowed to do anything except show up when we called them and look around for the stalker. We bought a wildlife camera that captured a blurred image of the stalker, which was then broken by the stalker. As the stalking progressed, we bought a camera system and then more wildlife cameras before settling on a system that we installed on the house. The system was active 24 hours a day, every day. When the stalker was caught "off guard" he appeared on the camera. This was proof that a stalker existed, but not conclusive enough to prove who the stalker was.
It is interesting that our sheriff's department spent a summer capturing photos of a man who was exposing himself to women on a hiking trail down the road from our house and they thought they had a great photo of his face and published it in the paper. There are a lot of rumors about what happened, but no individual was ever charged with the crime.


Some people can say you are crazy, but at the end of the day, everything you have said is true and makes so much sense. I think I would rather be dubbed as crazy than a liar.

The more Steve and I do not give up, the more a select group of people want us to go away. They will do everything they can to distract everyone from the truth we are telling, however; that is to be expected. All you ever have to do is ask these people what their goal really is. Are they trying to stop stalkers and expose those responsible for Morgan's death or do they just want to protect the guilty parties? We are not going to give up. We want justice for what they did to her. We are only human after all and we are dedicated to seeking justice for Morgan and others who have endured the same thing.

I have to ask, what psychics did you speak with? I am a firm believer in psychics (although not all) simply because that is how I met a good friend of mine. She approached me with information that no stranger would have ever known nor had access to. Tell me what the psychics had to tell you in regards to Morgan's death. Did they say she was murdered?

 The psychic medium that helped us with this case since March is Jennifer Shaffer. Jennifer is amazing and she took the time to share her thoughts with us about Morgan. Interesting enough, when we first met Jennifer, Steve and I were very skeptical, however; Jennifer started telling us so many specifics that a stranger would not know. Everything from pictures, names, descriptions, and stuff she would have never known. Even our mutual friend who introduced us did not know this stuff, even our eldest daughter (who was with us at the time) did not know one of the things Jennifer mentioned.

 On March 2, 2012 Jennifer came in contact with us. She was not aware of anything before she visited except the fact that our daughter died and we were suffering. Jennifer mentioned that she thought we were a very strong family unit with love for our children, but knew we suffered an incomprehensible loss.

 As Morgan's spirit emerged, Jennifer recognized it almost instantaneously. Jennifer began to mention that Morgan was flooding her with her words, feelings, pictures, and names. She told Jennifer - "I want to be there with them. Tell them, I didn't want to go. I want to be next to them. I love them so much. I didn't want to leave. Please don't cry." This screaming whisper came directly from Morgan that penetrated Jennifer's whole being.

 Jennifer mentioned as Morgan contacted her that she has never felt this much so quickly. As she was able to channel Morgan images appeared in her head. She found herself being guided to the actual death scene. As Jennifer continued, she was shown more images that are so graphic they would make your blood boil.

 It was clear, Morgan was murdered. Morgan's color appeared yellow and she was poisoned. She was then shown horses. She went from poison to horses all over again. Morgan held Jennifer's heart as she showed her more scenes from her death. Jennifer said that Morgan was such a loving soul and quite possibly one of the nicest spirits she has ever worked with. Morgan mentioned that she misses being in physical form.

 Morgan showed Jennifer how the stalker (which included a description followed by a name) would climb up a tree to get onto the roof. Jennifer felt water and then showed Jennifer the poison, as if the poison were in liquid form. Morgan showed Jennifer a girl (and Jennifer gave us the name) involved with the stalker and then finally mentioned his name. Jennifer said she believed the girl was manipulated into doing things. Morgan expressed compassion for her.

 As the entire reading continued, Jennifer said that Morgan showed her a neighbor that lived nearby, who has information. She was also shown cameras of where the stalker worked that showed him leaving, when he was not clocked out. This continued with him coming and going several times.

 Jennifer shared Morgan's story with three other psychics and they all have confirmed the same findings. I have also had a reader of my blog offer to contact the Long Island Medium, which she did, and she told us the same things that the three other psychics mentioned. The information was very specific yet crucial. This is a total of four mediums who have offered their services and all have said the same exact thing. The information is so key to this case. It is also graphic and has yet to be shared. The reality of it all was Morgan was murdered and they saw it all. 

How did the psychics help the case?

 Because of Jennifer, we are given the strength to push forward and do whatever we can to try and get Morgan's case opened. In March, shortly after I met Jennifer Morgan's felony stalking case was still opened, but it was going nowhere. Some of the details that Jennifer told us were passed onto detectives.

 The details were not followed up on. In the case of our neighbor, he moved about one week before they went to his house to interview him (even though we warned the detectives that this might happen). The details that Steve and I were able to follow up on did turn out to be true. We were so amazed! This information was given to the detectives and for whatever reason, in mid-May they told us that a higher level person in their department was telling them they had to close the felony stalking investigation and because the "forensic pathologist" hired by the Garfield County Coroner had concluded "natural causes" as the manner of her death, they could not open a murder investigation.

 We are going to continue to push forward and with the help and guidance of Jennifer and we will never give up the quest for justice for Morgan. We want to raise awareness for other stalking victims. There are people that want us to stop and just go away, but that is not going to happen. We are all in this together and we are going to give a voice to those that cannot speak for themselves. 

Have you been harassed by those people that you suspect to be responsible for the death of Morgan or based on what the mediums said are responsible for her death? Tell me more about the harassment...

 Absolutely! When the blog, the re-calling of details of what happened to Morgan on a daily basis began, I started to receive anonymous email submissions through the website with threats. Then, the emails that were actually showing the person and the person's names that were threatening me. The people were related to the actual suspect.

 The other suspect and her family decided to take out temporary restraining orders against me and my husband because they wanted to obtain our new address. We moved out of our original home and neighborhood about one month after our daughter was killed. After they obtained information of our new address, some of the readers of my blog sent me an array of screenshots of the threats these people made over the internet on various websites towards me.

 These TROs stated that they were afraid for their safety because of my blog. First and foremost, I must mention that I spoke with and sought out the opinion of three attorneys before starting my blog. They all said that it is protected by Freedom of Speech, the first amendment. My blog details the truth of what happened to Morgan and my family last year and this upsets them. Their goal is to shut down my blog because it speaks the truth. 

They are angry because you have exposed the truth and that is one thing they fear most of all. Tell me about the emails and links, as well as, screenshots sent to you...

 The guilty parties are very angry. Just like a cornered wild animal they are reacting viciously. I expected this, so I will continue to remain fierce and to never give up. The readers of my blog that want to help have been sending me screenshots of the "others" Facebook accounts, as well as, things they have said on several internet websites.

 I do not have the time let alone the stomach to search the internet and find where these "others" are. Most are using incognito aliases and false identities to attack my daughter who is not even here to defend herself and myself. They have also attacked my husband.

 I am very thankful for everyone helping us. We have had former MEs, police officers, private investigators, former sheriffs, plus many more trying to help with reviewing, assimilating, and retrieving evidence. This has helped guide us in the right direction and what to do next. The outpouring of help has been huge and quite unexpected. There are many good people in this world and they all want to make the world a better place for families, children, and all of humanity. Without our website and blog, people would not know the truth about what happened to Morgan and would not be able to help us. This is critical because law enforcement is not helping.

For those people in the world today that are being stalked. That are being bullied, harassed, and intimidated. What advice do you have for them?

 The first thing I would say is to speak up. Tell everyone about what is happening. Do NOT keep it to yourself. You need others around you to be aware of what is going on, so they can watch out for you. This is so important. Some people may feel like others do not understand or they may think you are the one with the problem. You are NOT the problem! The problem is the person/people doing this to you. Do NOT be shy. There is someone that is doing something very wrong to you. Remember that you are not the problem, they are.

 Next, I would call your law enforcement agency every single time something happens. You need to have them record everything. They need to do their job and document everything, as it is their duty to protect you. Ask questions and pry as much as possible. As the stalking progresses the key is to have as many witnesses as possible to support your claims. Interview everyone you can.

Keep a detailed timeline of everything that happens using the date, the time, and the description. Use cameras. Wildlife cameras work great in combination with motion detectors. They are a great choice. I have had many women and yes, even a man write to me about their stalkers. These stalkers were arrested and prosecuted.

 Empower yourself. Whether it is with self-defense classes or martial arts or whatever can make you feel strong, so you can feel in control. Find out what resources are in your area to help you. Is there a safe house in your area or someone nearby that you trust? Go to a place that you know will help you immediately if you know the stalking and the violence is about to escalate.

 Evil can only exist when good people stand by and allow it to happen. SPEAK OUT! We can come together as a nation and decide to protect our neighbors, our neighbor's children, and anyone else that needs protection. If we see someone that looks suspicious or your intuition tells you that something is not right, approach them and ask them who they are. What is the worst thing that can happen?

Contact the person they are watching and make sure the parents are aware of any suspicious activity. Fear is what prevents people from speaking up. Whether it exudes from the victim or family, friends, and other loved ones of the victim. If you know it is wrong, please do speak out. In Morgan's case, I believe and know it to be true that there are other young adults that know something about what happened to Morgan, but are either a) too scared to come forward for their own safety or b) they are afraid to get caught up in the legal implications of the whole thing. It is very sad to me because they have managed to stay quiet and as a result, they have to suffer and live with this for the rest of their life with knowing someone is dead due to their fear. 

How has your life changed since her death? What have you done differently?

 Morgan taught us very much in her short life and in her tragic death. She taught us how important it is to always tell the people that you love how much you love them. I talk to our oldest daughter and our son on the phone almost on a daily basis and we always remember to tell each other that we love each other.

 Morgan has taught me that people are the most important thing in this world. Our life on earth is not about money or possessions. It's all about what you can do to help others. That life has to be lived to its fullest and you have to open your eyes to all of the beauty that surrounds you. From the smallest drop of rain on a leaf to the amazing hawk swooping down from the sky...don't miss a moment of it!
I feel that since Morgan's death, I was awakened with a purpose, a purpose that I never really knew before her death. My purpose now in life is to try to make sure that this doesn't ever happen to another girl and another family. Laws need to be changed, as well as, enforced. Law enforcement agencies and authorities across the country and around the world need to take stalking seriously. 

What is the message you are trying to spread? What would you like others to know?

 I want people to know that stalking is an abhorrent crime. It is soooo serious and it is dangerous. It is also pervasive and it creates a living hell for victims. It destroys and sabotages relationships. It forces people to move. It causes victims to become hyper-vigilant for the rest of their lives, always looking over their shoulder.

 Most children that have been kidnapped were stalked first. Most women that were raped were stalked first. Most serial killers stalk their victims. Stalking has to be taken seriously and our law enforcement agencies need to have the proper training to deal with this crime - and they do NOT! Stalking is the most underreported crime in this nation. If predators are not stopped in time, they will continue to hurt others. They may not stop until the victim is dead. We need laws to place protection on the victim.

 There is a lot of misconceptions about stalking. According to the United States Department of Justice, most stalkers are in their late teens to middle-aged. You are most likely to be stalked by offenders of similar age. Morgan's stalker was a year younger than her. Nearly half of victims from age 21 to 29 were stalked by offenders who were the same age.

 There are also stalkers that use others to help terrorize their victims. These accomplices will not only help cover up the crimes they have committed, but they will lie for them and spread untruths as facts in horribly misguided efforts to deflect attention from the stalker and the truth. My daughter was a victim of this particular defamation. As Morgan's stalking was happening the mother of the girl the stalker was living with tried to paint Morgan as having disappeared, saying that Morgan had gone missing. She also tried to tell others the stalker had been caught and that the stalker was Morgan's ex-boyfriend. Rumor after rumor, even after Morgan was dead.

 The Coroner's office had put down that Morgan died of natural causes for eight months, so why were these people spreading the suicide theory? The laws do very little to protect the victim. The victims deserve better laws that protect them and their rights as Americans. Current laws give the stalker the advantage, as well as, protection. Morgan's case started as a misdemeanor trespassing and after 7 and a half weeks, it finally moved up to a felony stalking case. Critical evidence was never collected. We believe this stalker knew what to expect and he is most likely going to do this again.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. There is nothing in this world that will replace what was lost, especially a loss of a loved one. What else would you like others to know?

 When a crime with a similar MO is happening in the same area, I feel that law enforcement has a duty to inform the citizens of that area. Community involvement not only raises awareness for people, but it also is an enormous tool for law enforcement. It utilizes so many more eyes and ears and will help law enforcement catch these predators much faster. Law enforcement cannot be everywhere at all times, so everyone needs to watch out for each other.

 This doesn't even take into account that within an hour's drive of us, we have nine different law enforcement agencies that do not share this type of information. A stalker can drive 15 minutes away and do the same crime and none of the other law enforcement agencies will know there is a similar MO happening just down the road. A lot of states are starting to develop more laws to help, but we have a really long way to go.

 We need to all believe in our intuition. It will never fail you. If everyone watches out for those around them, then I will believe a lot of these crimes cannot be committed. As a whole, the good people in this world need to stand up and do something to stop these horrors from happening to another family.

What are your future plans and goals?

 We will be launching the Morgan Ingram Foundation shortly. We envision the Foundation's goal as a resource for stalking victims to find answers to their questions, give direction for assistance, as well as, develop tools to help the victims of stalking. Our goal is to raise awareness, which we believe is greatly needed. Steve and I went to bed one night with broken hearts, and woke up the next day with a purpose. We will NEVER stop working towards justice for Morgan and will do whatever it takes to develop new ways to help future stalking victims. 　

Morgan is now a force, a power, and a face to change something so unethical and with your help, justice will be served. If anyone has any information about the stalking and death of Morgan Ingram, please please come forward. Imagine if this were your daughter, your mother, your wife, your son, your sister, your brother, or any other loved one in your life, imagine if this were YOU! WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

For more information, visit http://www.morganingram.com today.

"Winning is the aptitude of talent, wisdom, ambition, and genius, but it is the content of your character that allows you to repeat it" - Sarah Afshar

Murphy says hi

My adorable yet very vocal cat says hi...

 

 

Interview with Womens MMA icon, Elaina Maxwell

Training in the heart of Dublin, California at CSA Gym under trainer Kirian Fitzgibbons, Elaina Maxwell remains to be one of the best women's MMA fighters in the world today. I discovered Elaina when I watched her face Gina Carano on Strikeforce: Triple Threat and became a fan almost instantaneously.  
With her first title win in 2002 as a Gold medalist at the Born to Fight II, her professional MMA title win in 2007 as the Golden State Light Middleweight MMA Champion to her latest win in 2012 at the Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Maxwell is making many waves in the MMA world.

Elaina discovered martial arts when she fell in love with kickboxing. As an athlete, it was a workout trend and completely worked as an off-season workout. It was then that Elaina discovered her love for contact sports, as she loved the intensity and competitive environment. While finishing her volleyball career and pursuing her educational goals at San Jose State University, Maxwell made the USH! Fight Team in 1997. Since then, her career as a martial artist took off.

To Maxwell, martial arts consists of many different elements. When I asked her what martial arts she currently trains, she told me - "I currently train MMA, but since it consists of so many different elements, I practice boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Strength Training, Conditioning, Clinch, and Running."

There is always a memorable fight. When I asked Elaina about the toughest woman she fought she told me "Sun Li of China". When I asked her why, she said "I fought her at the 2005 Wushu Sanshou World Championships in Hanoi, Vietnam in the finals. She captured the gold that night, as she won by decision. I walked away with a silver medal & from Sanshou that day. With every ending, there is a new beginning, so with that said...I discovered MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the next year. Since then, I have gone on to win titles in MMA, BJJ, and look forward to my return to the cage in early 2013."

Even the toughest women on the planet get intimidated and scared of a fight. When I asked Elaina if she has ever been intimidated or scared of a fight, she told me "Yes, but it is the fear that makes you perform."

Maxwell told me that her favorite MMA fighter is "Anderson Silva" saying "He is very humble yet very successful."

When I asked her what her favorite food was, she was not hesitant to tell me - "They call me BEEF for a reason. My absolute favorite food is steak, especially the filet." She went on to tell me - "I know red meat is hard to digest, so I eat it sparingly. Maybe once a week, along with dairy."

 

Is dieting during the holidays possible? I asked Elaina if she thought dieting during the holidays was possible. She told me "Yes, I believe in cheat meals." When I asked her if she followed a diet, she directed me to the "Dolce diet."

There are many women all over the world that struggle with their weight. I asked Elaina what tips she had for women who are struggling with their weight. She told me "Take one day at a time, write down what eat, weigh yourself the first thing in the morning and repeat this once a week. Believe in yourself and see yourself at your ideal weight. If you can dream it, you can achieve it!"

Outside of MMA, Elaina loves spending time with her husband. She said "My absolute favorite thing to do is spend time with my husband. He is from South Africa, so there is always something new and fun to do in the Bay Area/Northern California."

We can appreciate the past and admire it for developing us into who we are today. I asked Elaina what her plans were for the future. She said "I plan on being the new Invicta FC Featherweight Champ in 2013 and look forward to spending the rest of my days with my new husband."

Elaina would like to thank KNOXX, Tussle, CSA, Gracie Fighter, Main Street Chiro, and my family, including her twin sister and her husband for all of their continued support, both in and out of the cage.

For more information about WMMA fighter and icon Elaina Maxwell, please visit:

http://www.elainamaxwell.com
http://www.facebook.com/elainabeefmaxwell
http://www.twitter.com/elainamaxwell