Black Market Organ Harvesting and the Death of Ryan Singleton

We are taking y’all through a journey of the world’s soft white underbelly: black market organ harvesting. Alongside exploring the macro component of organ trafficking in this episode, we will be focusing on the micro component of the case of model Ryan Singleton. In September of 2013, two months after seemingly vanishing into thin air, Ryan's body was found in an area that had already been extensively searched by law enforcement officials, less than two miles from where he was last seen and missing most of his internal organs. Is it too crazy to believe that Ryan Singleton was murdered, his organs harvested, and then sold on the black market in some underground organ trafficking ring? Due to his sexual orientation, was he murdered as a hate crime? Did he get into some trouble with the wrong people and was the victim of a terrible crime? One thing is for sure, though: a young, healthy, up-and-coming star did not just collapse in the Mojave Desert. Ryan's family are adamant that foul play was surely involved. Ryan Singleton’s puzzling death is still an open case in the state of California and Ryan’s family and friends are still desperate to find out what happened to their beloved son, brother, and friend. If you have any information about what may have happened to Ryan Singleton, please contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office at 909-884-0156 to help bring closure to Ryan’s family. 

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​​Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen. Editing/Production for the podcast by BLTZWOLF - Bltzwolff@gmail.com

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REFERENCES 

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BBC News. (2013, April 29). Medicus: Five guilty in Kosovo Human Organ Trade Case. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22343589 

Corbin, C. (2015, November 30). Mystery in death valley: Few answers in case of Atlanta man found dead in California desert. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/mystery-in-death-valley-few-answers-in-case-of-atlanta-man-found-dead-in-california-desert 

Garcia, A. (2017, June 6). Questions continue to surround Georgia man’s disappearance and death. Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/news/2017/06/06/questions-continue-surround-georgia-mans-disappearance-death/ 

Gonzalez, J., Garijo, I., & Sanchez, A. (2020, May 5). Organ trafficking and migration: A bibliometric analysis of an untold story. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7246946/  

Graham, R. (2017, May 25). Mother still searching for answers four years after her model son, 24, was found dead in the California desert with his heart, lungs, kidney, liver and eyes missing. Daily Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4541828/No-answers-four-years-man-dead-no-organs.html 

International Society for Human Rights. (2023, November 15). Organ harvesting. International Society for Human Rights (ISHR). https://ishr.org/organ-harvesting/  

Jasurek, C. (2017, December 26). Body of missing Georgia model found, some organs still missing. The Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/body-of-missing-georgia-model-found-some-organs-still-missing-2396277?welcomeuser=1 

Jean Allain, Trafficking of persons for the removal of organs and the admission of guilt of a South African hospital, Medical Law Review (2011), 19 (1): 117-122, Oxford University Press. 

Martial, T. (2023, July 24). Harvesting vulnerability: The challenges of organ trafficking in armed conflict. Lieber Institute West Point. https://lieber.westpoint.edu/harvesting-vulnerability-challenges-organ-trafficking-armed-conflict/  

Myers, B. (2022, December 10). Disturbing details found in model Ryan Singleton’s autopsy. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/1126896/disturbing-details-found-in-model-ryan-singletons-autopsy/ 

Mohamed, H. (2019, June 19). Atlanta man found dead and missing organs in California desert. NewsOne. https://newsone.com/2744177/ryan-singleton-atlanta-found-dead-missing-organs-california-desert/ 

Shaw, A. R. (2023, April 26). Black man’s body found in California desert without organs. Rolling Out. https://rollingout.com/2013/10/23/young-black-males-body-found-california-desert-without-organs/ 

Sidley, P. (2005, September 3). South African doctors arrested in kidney sale scandal. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1199016/ 

The Department of Homeland Security. (2022). What is human trafficking?. What Is Human Trafficking? | Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking  

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). State v. Netcare Kwa-Zulu limited. SHERLOC: Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime. https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/case-law-doc/traffickingpersonscrimetype/zaf/2010/state_v._netcare_kwa-zulu_limited.html?tmpl=old