Strain Theory

One of the biggest news stories in Southwestern Ohio in decades took place in August 2006. On August 15, 2006, a news story broke regarding a three year old autistic child who was missing. The child, Marcus Fiesel, was a foster child who was placed in the care of David and Liz Carroll. Marcus was reported missing by Liz Carroll, his foster mother. Liz Carroll reported to authorities that she and Marcus had been playing at a park in an eastern suburb of Cincinnati. Liz Carroll reported that she went unconscious due to a medical condition. When she regained consciousness Marcus was nowhere to be found. Liz Carroll’s report led to a multi- day search for Marcus. Hundreds of volunteers searched for Marcus without success. It wasn’t until another member of the Carroll household notified authorities that the true explanation of Marcus’ fate was recognized. The truth was that Marcus was murdered by David and Liz Carroll. The Carroll’s were due to attend a family reunion in Kentucky and didn’t want to take autistic Marcus with them because he was hard to deal with. Instead of taking Marcus, the Carroll’s wrapped Marcus in a blanket, taped him up, and left him in a closet for the duration of their trip to Kentucky. When they returned they found that Marcus was deceased. The Carroll’s then burned Marcus’ body several times and scattered his ashes in the Ohio River. The Carroll’s then concocted the story of Marcus disappearing at the park. The Carroll’s were indicted on numerous charges including murder. Liz Carroll’s case was the first to be heard and she went to trial. She was found guilty of all charges and received a sentence of fifty-four years to life in prison. David Carroll decided to take a plea and pled guilty of murder and was sentenced to sixteen years to life in prison.

What would cause a couple to kill a child that was placed in their care? Was love and concern even a reason as to why the Carroll’s assumed care of Marcus Fiesel? The main reason for the Carroll’s taking Fiesel into their home was for the benefits they would receive from state and federal government for care given to him. The Carroll’s were a couple of fairly low resources who were trying to live a lifestyle higher than what they were capable of. The way they chose was through the means of caring for foster children. Marcus Fiesel was not the only foster child in their care. It is still difficult to come up with a reason or theory as to why the Carroll’s would do what they did to a defenseless child who was developmentally disabled.

Robert Merton in his Strain Theory (1938) stated that “unrestrained ambition as a prime cause of crime and that the pressure of achieving success may eliminate effective social constraints on the means employed to this end” (Winfree and Abadinsky pg.166). The Carroll’s’ strong desire to be viewed as successful and become financially well off led them to do whatever was necessary to achieve these goals. It was never brought out through the duration of this case that the Carroll’s killed Marcus Fiesel intentionally but their overwhelming urges to do what brought them pleasure was a deciding factor in the result. The Carroll’s were considered law abiding people but the pressure to be successful and the pressure of caring for the autistic Marcus Fiesel caused them to make decisions that they wouldn’t have normally made. The potential for economic success for the Carroll’s was limited due to David Carroll being unable to keep employment causing them to resort to defrauding the welfare system and using their roles as foster parents for money making reasons exclusively. Liz Carroll was a college drop-out who was trying to live out her dreams for social success in an improper manner. One of the key arguments in Merton’s theory is that normlessness arises out of the disjuncture between goals and means.