The Fake Cancer and Fatal Betrayal of Kacee Terry

[00:00:00] Ich bin Charissa und meine Empfehlung an alle Entrepreneure startet mit Shopify erfolgreich durch. Ich verwende Shopify schon seit dem ersten Tag und die Plattform macht mir nie Probleme. Ich habe viele Probleme, aber die Plattform ist nie eins davon. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass Shopify ihre Plattform kontinuierlich optimiert. Alles ist super einfach integrier- und verlinkbar. Und die Zeit und das Geld, das ich dadurch spare, kann ich anderweitig investieren. Vor allem in Wachstum. Jetzt kostenlos testen auf shopify.de

[00:00:28] The case featured in this episode has been researched using police records, court documents, witness statements, and the news. Listener discretion is advised. All parties mentioned are innocent until proven guilty, and all opinions are my own.

[00:01:02] Hey everyone, my name is Nikki Young, and this is Serial Napper, the true crime podcast for naps. I'm back with another true crime story to lull you to sleep, or perhaps to give you nightmares. Tonight's story is twisted in a way that even I had to double-check that it was real and not the plot of some lifetime movie. It starts with a 911 call, made on August 12, 2024 in Lone Peak, Utah.

[00:01:31] Police arrived at a home to find 38-year-old Casey Lynn Terry unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital, clinging to life. According to her uncle, he had walked into her room to find Casey unconscious and barely breathing. And the only other person in the room at the time, a woman named Megan Randall Sundwall, a licensed registered nurse, which you'd think might have helped, but we'll get to that.

[00:01:59] While Casey fought for her life in the ICU, her sister dropped a bombshell. She told doctors that Casey had been battling terminal cancer for the last four or five years. But here's the thing. When doctors checked with her primary care physician, there was no record of any such diagnosis. None. Zip. Nada.

[00:02:23] Even more chilling, a full autopsy later confirmed that Casey never had cancer. Not even close. In fact, she didn't have any serious health conditions at all. Yet just three days later, on August 15, Casey was declared brain dead. And she was gone. So what really happened to Casey Terry? If you think it's wild so far, buckle up. It's about to get even stranger.

[00:02:51] So, dim the lights, put your phone down, and listen as I reveal the truth of what happened to Casey. A truth that involves betrayal, greed, a life insurance policy that didn't exist, and an unbelievable case of murder disguised as mercy. So, let's jump right in. Before we get into the tangled mess that led to Casey's death, let's talk about who she was.

[00:03:17] Because she was so much more than the suspicious circumstances surrounding her untimely demise. Casey Lynn Terry was born on May 30, 1986, to Michelle and Ronald Terry. She grew up in Alpine, Utah, a small, tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone's business, for better or worse. She went to Alpine Elementary, Mountain Ridge Junior High, and eventually Lone Peak High School.

[00:03:45] And if there was ever someone who lit up the hallways, it was Casey. She was your classic social butterfly. The kind of girl who made friends easily and held onto them for life. One of her best friends, Michelle, was by her side through all of the ups and downs. And there were a lot of both. Casey wasn't the type to burn bridges. If you were in her life, you stayed there. She loved the outdoors.

[00:04:14] I'm talking hunting, camping, and especially tearing it up at the sand dunes. That was her happy place. The desert, the dust, the chaos. It brought her peace, go figure. But if there was one thing Casey wanted more than anything, it was to be a mom. It was her dream, her purpose, her biggest wish. She loved babysitting, doted on her nieces and nephews, and treated every kid she met like her own.

[00:04:43] Even though she was never able to have children biologically, that didn't stop her from stepping into the role. To many kids, Casey was a mom. The kind who showed up, listened, and loved hard. After high school, Casey met Casey Tanner. Yeah, Casey and Casey. Try saying that ten times fast. He came into the relationship with Casey, with a young son. And to Casey, it was like the universe handed her exactly what she had been dreaming of.

[00:05:13] Her marriage to Casey didn't last long, but her bond with this boy? That was forever. Professionally, Casey found her calling helping others. She landed a job with a company that supported adults with disabilities. And she really thrived there. She'd often say that it didn't feel like work because she just genuinely loved being around the people. That was the thing about Casey. She made everyone feel seen and cared for.

[00:05:40] In the last few years, though, things started to get hard. Her health was declining. More on that in a minute. And she wasn't able to work the same way that she used to. But even then, she wasn't alone. She had her dog, Bella, who quickly became her entire world. That little pup was her best friend, her comfort, and her emotional support when things got tough. And they definitely got tough.

[00:06:06] So, how did a woman like this, someone kind, vibrant, and endlessly nurturing, end up brain-dead in a hospital, with a nurse in the room, and a fake cancer story surrounding her? Well, that's where the lies start unraveling. So, let's meet the other key player in this nightmare, Megan Randall Sunwall. She's a licensed registered nurse, which makes everything that much more twisted.

[00:06:33] Megan and Casey were roommates several years ago. They had a history. A complicated one. Now, one of the most disturbing parts of this entire case is just how deeply Megan embedded the cancer lie into Casey's life. And more specifically, the claim that Casey had leukemia. It was while living with Megan that Casey would tell her friends and family that she had been diagnosed with leukemia.

[00:07:00] I've read some reports say that it was actually Casey who went with this story, and Megan truly believed that Casey had cancer, but we don't really know the truth. Now, leukemia, it's a cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and lymphatic system. It can cause a whole range of symptoms, things like persistent fatigue, frequent infections, bruising or bleeding easily, unexplained weight loss, and bone pain.

[00:07:30] Basically, it can make a person feel like their body is slowly shutting down, which made it the perfect cover for what Megan was doing. Because to the people around Casey, her friends, her family, even her co-workers, she seemed sick legitimately. She looked tired. She wasn't really working anymore. She often said that she was in pain. And from what they could see, she was going to doctor's appointments and undergoing treatments.

[00:07:59] Nobody had any reason to question the story. Why would they? She wasn't just saying she had cancer. She was living like she had cancer. There were even fundraisers to help support her. People rallied around Casey, thinking that she was bravely battling this horrible disease. And through it all, Megan was right there, posing as the supportive nurse bestie, helping her through every step of a journey that may have never existed in the first place.

[00:08:29] It's unclear how all of this played out in the background. How appointments were faked, or if medications were tampered with to make Casey feel even worse. That part is still murky. But one thing is painfully clear. It appears that Casey genuinely believed that she was dying of cancer. And the person reinforcing that belief? The one whispering it over and over again,

[00:08:55] in between text messages about suicide and suffering and life insurance? It was Megan. Megan. This wasn't just manipulation. It was medical gaslighting, weaponized and dragged out over years. Megan didn't just convince Casey that she was sick. She convinced an entire community. And when you look at it that way, the end result feels less like a mercy killing and more like the final act of a long con.

[00:09:24] Casey's sister later said that she moved Casey out of their shared apartment and into her grandfather's house because Casey had been complaining about Megan bringing home insulin and pressuring her into treatments to, quote, end her suffering. So, wait, insulin? Here's the kicker. Casey was not diabetic. She had no reason to be taking insulin at all. But Megan, the nurse, convinced her friend that she was battling cancer,

[00:09:53] cancer that she didn't have. And that fake diagnosis? It became the perfect cover story. You probably already know this, but insulin? It's not a treatment for cancer. So, let's pause for a second and talk about insulin because this wasn't just a random medication Megan allegedly had lying around. It was calculated. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. For people with diabetes, it's life-saving.

[00:10:22] But for someone without diabetes, taking insulin can be incredibly dangerous, even deadly. It causes blood sugar levels to plummet, a condition called hypoglycemia. When blood sugar drops too low, the body goes into panic mode. You can get shaky, confused, dizzy, start sweating or slurring your speech. It looks a lot like being drunk or having a stroke. And if the levels drop far enough,

[00:10:51] you can lose consciousness, fall into a coma, or die. And the scary part? It can happen fast. Now remember, Casey wasn't diabetic. She had no medical reason to be taking insulin. But according to her family, Megan brought it into the home and tried to convince her it was part of a treatment plan to, quote, ease her suffering. In reality, it could have been used to slowly, or suddenly,

[00:11:20] shut her body down. And if that's not chilling, I don't know what is. It's been widely reported that Megan convinced Casey she had cancer. But things might not be quite that simple. According to police statements, the extensive communication between the two women suggests that Megan actually believed Casey was seriously ill herself. So was it manipulation, denial, or something more complicated? Either way, it doesn't give Megan the right

[00:11:49] to take control of Casey's finances or pressure her into ending her life. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it's clear that crossing those lines had devastating consequences. And that brings us to the events that happened earlier this year. Megan had recently lost her job, which, spoiler alert, plays a big role in what comes next. August 12, 2024. It started like any other day. Until it didn't.

[00:12:19] Around 9 p.m., Lone Peak police and firefighters were dispatched to a home on West Stevens Lane in Highland, Utah. The call came from Casey, Terry's uncle, who had just made a horrifying discovery. Casey was in her bedroom, unresponsive, barely breathing, and she wasn't alone. Sitting in the room with her was none other than Megan Sundwall. The uncle asked Megan how long Casey had been like that, and her answer, quote,

[00:12:48] a couple of hours. Just sitting there with someone barely breathing for hours. In his 911 call, Casey's uncle told dispatchers that she had major, major health issues and that the way that she was breathing made it, quote, sound like she's drowning. And when paramedics arrived, they jumped into action, immediately trying to stabilize Casey's breathing. She was rushed to Mount Point Hospital in Lehigh. But here's where things get

[00:13:17] even more disturbing. Megan told the uncle that Casey had a do-not-resuscitate order and that she did not want to go to the hospital, which, okay, might have made sense if it were true. But it wasn't. Hospital staff told police that there was no DNR order on file. And Megan, she didn't have power of attorney. She had zero legal authority to make those calls. Paramedics would find a diabetic needle at the scene,

[00:13:47] a huge red flag because Casey was not diabetic. But her blood sugar level when she arrived at the hospital? 14. Just to put that into perspective, anything under 40 is considered life-threatening. Doctors say Casey's level was so low, it could only have been caused by insulin administered from outside the body. And again, she didn't have a prescription for insulin. This wasn't a mix-up. This was deliberate. As Casey slipped

[00:14:16] into a coma in the ICU, her sister tried to help make sense of it all, telling doctors that Casey had been battling leukemia for years, a belief that, at this point, we know may have implanted by Megan years earlier or perhaps perpetrated by Casey herself. Sadly, Casey would never wake up from that coma. On August 15th, just three days after that 911 call, she was declared brain dead and she passed away.

[00:14:46] It's time for a quick break and a word from tonight's sponsors. Hang on, I'll be back before you know it. Lads, do you enjoy getting traumatised on a weekly basis? Well, neither does my co-host, Neil. People call me a victim more than a co-host. Anyway, welcome to the Mortal Musings podcast. I'm your host, Megan. Each week, we dive into truly dark

[00:15:15] and disturbing cases. Do you ever find yourself listening to these horrific tales and saying to yourself, Huh? No. Huh? What the actual f***? Why? Why did he do that? Solved it, mate. There's no need for that. They're just acting the f***s. Our episodes include cases of serial killers, the story of a socialite that was held captive for 25 years, prison riots, wrongful executions and scandals in the death industry. At the end of each episode,

[00:15:45] we throw in a tale of oddity. Anything from medical mishaps to the real-life weekend at Bernie's or Mike, the headless chicken. New episodes every Wednesday. Available wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, here at the Mortal Musings podcast, we like to take the cases seriously, but not ourselves.

[00:16:15] I'm Charissa and my advice to all entrepreneurs start with Shopify successfully. I use Shopify since the first day and the platform makes me no problem. I have many problems, but the platform is never one of them. I have the feeling, that Shopify their platform continuously optimizes. Everything is super einfach integriert and linkable. And the time and the money that I do so can invest in otherweights. Especially in Wachstum. Now test on Shopify.

[00:16:44] Now back to our story. The office of the medical examiner later confirmed the official cause of death. An overdose of promethazine, probable exogenous insulin, which means it came from outside her body and other drugs. There was no medical mystery here. Casey didn't just collapse, her body was shut down. Investigators brought in a forensic pathologist, who explained that there's simply no

[00:17:14] natural way for a person's blood sugar to crash that low unless insulin was intentionally administered. Well, there just so happened to be a blood glucose monitor found at the scene in Casey's bedroom. It showed 19 separate readings taken over a 10-hour window on August 12th, many of them simply reading low, meaning the levels were so low they didn't even register. But here's the kicker. Casey would have already

[00:17:44] been unconscious by the time many of those tests were logged. So who was testing her blood sugar over and over while doing nothing to help? You guessed it, Megan. According to the investigators who were able to build out the timeline leading up to that 911 call, Megan arrived at Casey's home just before 10 a.m. that morning. Later that night, Casey was found clinging to life at 9 p.m. And the hours in between, Megan texted Casey with chilling

[00:18:14] messages, including one that said, Do you want to take some promethazine when I get there so that you are asleep when this is happening? Yeah, that kind of text. Megan also texted her own mother just before 2 p.m. saying that she, quote, couldn't get Casey to wake up. But did she call for help, try to save her? No, she didn't. According to the arrest report, it would be another 7 hours before Casey's uncle found her and called 911.

[00:18:43] Megan, a licensed nurse, just sat there, watching her friend die slowly, quietly, and possibly intentionally. Once Casey passed, the mystery surrounding her so-called terminal illness, it started to unravel. Fast. Initially, investigators were told what everyone had believed for years, that Casey had been living with terminal cancer. Her sister even told doctors in the ICU that Casey had been battling

[00:19:13] leukemia for four to five years. It was something that the family had lived with, emotionally and financially, and Casey herself seemed convinced that it was true. But then things stopped adding up. Detectives from Lone Peak Police started speaking with Casey's doctors, including her primary care physician. That's when the first bombshell dropped. There was no cancer. There never had been. Not only was there no leukemia diagnosis, Casey's entire

[00:19:43] medical record showed no evidence of any major health conditions at all. And if it wasn't shocking enough, a post-mortem autopsy confirmed it. Casey had no cancer, no terminal illness, no health problems that could have caused her death. Just a concoction of medications in her system, including a fatal dose of insulin. Her family was stunned. For years, they'd watched Casey slowly deteriorate. They grieved, fundraised,

[00:20:13] supported her, and tried to wrap their heads around her suffering. But it had all been built on a lie. And not just any lie, a lie that may have been created or at least supported by the one person closest to her, Megan Sunwall. As police dug deeper, they uncovered a rabbit hole of disturbing revelations. Investigators discovered that Megan believed she was the beneficiary of a $1.5 million life

[00:20:42] insurance policy in Casey's name. And let's just say that she wasn't shy about it. According to arrest documents, over the span of four years, Megan sent Casey more than 28,000 text messages, many of which detailed exactly how Casey could end her life. And disturbingly, Megan didn't frame it as murder. She framed it as compassion, a mercy, a solution to Casey's fake suffering,

[00:21:12] and conveniently, to Megan's very real financial problems. The texts read like a step-by-step guide to grooming someone into believing that suicide is their only way out. Megan told Casey things like, quote, if I were you, I'd kill myself, and offered again and again to, quote, help her do it. Police say that these weren't just passing thoughts or one-off messages. They were repeated, detailed, and specific. She even discussed

[00:21:42] paying Casey's life insurance premiums herself, like it was an investment. And as much as Megan insisted that Casey had full agency over what happened, the evidence tells a different story. Because on the day Casey slipped into a coma, it was Megan who had brought the promethazine. It was Megan who had tested Casey's blood sugar 19 times as it plummeted to deadly levels. And it was Megan, the trained nurse, who sat there for hours

[00:22:11] without calling for help until it was too late. Police now believe that on August 12, 2024, Megan Randall Sunwall administered a lethal dose of insulin to Casey Terry, causing her death. This wasn't a mercy, it wasn't suicide, it was a long con that ended in murder, with a life insurance policy as the motive and years of manipulation as the method. Now, with all of the evidence laid bare, the text,

[00:22:41] the insulin, the lies, and the motive, police made their move. 47-year-old Megan Randall Sunwall was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail. She's now facing some of the most serious charges possible, aggravated murder, a capital offense, an obstruction of justice, a felony. According to the charging documents, if convicted, she could face the death penalty. And investigators say that her actions didn't end with Casey's death. After Casey was

[00:23:11] declared brain dead, Megan allegedly began frantically searching for Casey's life insurance policy, sending emails, making phone calls, trying to track down the payout that she believed she was owed. While she was doing that, she was also wiping her phone, deleting over 900 text messages, likely the very ones tying her to the planning of Casey's death. When asked why she deleted those texts, she told police that she didn't want it to look

[00:23:40] like what she was being accused of, murdering Casey. But despite all of the damning evidence, including four years of her own words laid out in black and white, Megan Sunwall denies killing Casey. In fact, her defense appears to lean on the idea that Casey made this choice herself, that it was suicide, and Megan was simply there, just a friend, a witness, maybe even a helper. But that version of events doesn't sit right with

[00:24:10] Casey's family or with investigators. Police say that there's no evidence that Casey ever attempted to take her own life or that she even wanted to. Her family says that she wasn't suicidal, not even close. In fact, they say that things were actually starting to look up for her. She had just undergone a successful knee replacement surgery, she had a car, she had a job lined up, and she had finally found comfort and stability living with her grandparents.

[00:24:41] Was her health perfect? No, it wasn't, but it seemed to be manageable, and according to her loved ones, Casey was doing well, hopeful even. This was not someone preparing to die. This was someone figuring out how to live. Now let's talk about assisted suicide and DNRs because there's a whole lot of legal fog around what's allowed and what's definitely not. In Utah, where this case happened, assisted suicide is completely illegal.

[00:25:10] There are no provisions for medical aid in dying, even for terminally ill patients. That means that anyone who helps another person intentionally end their life, even under the guise of mercy, can be charged with a serious crime, including homicide. Compare that to Canada, where I'm from, and the laws are much more structured. Medical assistance in dying, which is known as made in Canada, it's perfectly legal for those with a grievous

[00:25:40] and unhealable medical condition, but it does require a detailed, multi-step process involving doctors, written requests, waiting periods, and consent at every stage. It's heavily regulated and for good reason. They don't want someone taking their life in their weakest moment when they're in pain and suffering, and of course, you know, they might end up regretting it. They want to know that someone truly does want this, in every capacity,

[00:26:10] no matter how they're feeling, no matter what happens, that this is their decision. As for do not resuscitate orders, DNRs, these aren't just things that you say out loud or text someone. In Utah, a DNR must be a legal physician signed document, often issued as a physician orders for life-sustaining treatment. Without that paperwork on file, first responders must try to save a life. In Casey's case, no such legal document existed.

[00:26:41] Megan wasn't a legal guardian, she didn't have medical power of attorney, and she had no right to tell anyone not to help her. So when she told Casey's uncle to back off because of a do not resuscitate order, that wasn't just manipulative. It was meaningless in the eyes of the law. So what about nurses? What's their legal and ethical playbook when it comes to assisted suicide and DNR orders? Well, registered nurses have a pretty

[00:27:10] clear duty. They must follow the law and professional ethics, which means no helping anyone to die, especially in states like Utah where assisted suicide is straight-up illegal. When it comes to DNRs, nurses only honor those that are official and legally valid, signed by the patient or someone with power of attorney. Without that, they're required to give full life-saving care. Plus, if nurses see anything

[00:27:40] suspicious, like someone being given lethal doses without consent, they have to report it. Breaking those rules can cost them their license and even bring criminal charges. So, yeah, nurses are on the front lines, but their hands are tied legally and ethically when it comes to ending life outside of approved medical directives. The more you look at the picture police have painted, the emotional manipulation, the financial motive,

[00:28:09] the carefully controlled narrative, the harder it becomes to believe that this was ever Casey's choice. And with a charge like aggravated murder, prosecutors are making it clear. they believe that this was intentional, premeditated, and cold-blooded. We'll have to wait to see how it all plays out in court, but one thing is for sure. If the allegations are true, Casey Terry didn't just lose her life, it was taken from her by someone she trusted most,

[00:28:39] and all for money. So, what really happened to Casey Lynn Terry? The heartbreaking truth is that Casey did not die from leukemia. She wasn't quietly losing a years-long battle with terminal cancer. She died because someone she trusted, someone who called herself a friend, took advantage of that trust and used it to orchestrate her death for money. For four years, Megan Sunwall allegedly spun a web of lies so

[00:29:09] tight, so believable, that it wrapped around not just Casey, but her family, her friends, her entire world. Casey was absolutely convinced that she was dying, and then, when the moment was right, Megan made sure of it. Casey didn't need mercy, she needed truth, she needed care, she needed real support, not manipulation masked as friendship, and she deserved so much more than to be

[00:29:39] remembered as a victim of a twisted scheme. Instead, let's remember her as a woman who loved deeply, gave generously, and mothered everyone around her, whether she had children of her own or not. Casey lived for connection, and tragically, that's what someone used against her. Megan Sunwall now faces charges of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice. Whether or not she ends up convicted remains to be seen, but the devastation she's left

[00:30:09] behind is already clear. This case is a brutal reminder. Not every killer wears a mask or wields a weapon. Sometimes they come in scrubs offering comfort. Sometimes they smile as they slowly steal someone's life. Casey deserved better. That's it for me tonight. If you want to reach out, you can find me on Facebook at Serial Napper. You can find my audio on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[00:30:39] I post all of my episodes in video format over on YouTube, so go check it out. And if you're watching on YouTube, I'd love if you can give me a thumbs up and subscribe. I'm also on Patreon. If you'd like to get your Serial Napper episodes early and ad-free, hop on over and check out all the details at patreon.com slash Serial Napper. Until next time, sweet dreams, stay kind, especially in the comments. Bye.

[00:31:28] Ich bin Charissa und meine Empfehlung an alle Entrepreneure startet mit Shopify erfolgreich durch. Ich verwende Shopify schon seit dem ersten Tag und die Plattform macht mir nie Probleme. Ich habe viele Probleme, aber die Plattform ist nie eins davon. Ich