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A true crime YouTuber who goes by “Zav Girl” is facing backlash for selling autopsy photos of a preteen boy from Colorado on her Patreon account.
NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin reported Tuesday that Zav Girl obtained the gruesome photos of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who was stabbed and shot by his stepmom, Leticia Stauch, in 2020, by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.
Entin said whoever ran Zav Girl’s Patreon account then released the photos on her page, charging her followers $3 to see them.
Her Patreon account has since been removed.
A Patreon spokesperson told The Post on Thursday: “We removed Zav Girl from Patreon for violations of our Community Guidelines for Violent and Graphic Content. To create a safe environment for users, Patreon does not allow content glorifying or promoting violence of any kind.”
“It’s sick. It’s deranged, and you should just own up to it,” Entin said on Tuesday.
While Zav Girl has revealed her face to her 89,600 YouTube subscribers, her real name remains a mystery.
“Whoever you are, wherever you live, maybe get out from behind your computer screen, go to the local courthouse, and actually sit through a murder trial and see what it’s like for the families in real life,” Entin urged her.
The Post has contacted Zav Girl for comment.
Zav Girl addressed the criticism in a lengthy statement posted to the community section of her channel.
“The reality of the situation is that different people feel differently about this. Some people genuinely think making a video including the autopsy photos is bad and I respect their opinion and feelings,” she wrote.
“Other people, like myself, think of autopsy photos and the coroner discussing/explaining them as interesting and informative and are able to view it all in a more scientific detached way. It’s just one of those things where it depends on the person.”
Zav Girl also denied that the autopsy footage she distributed showed Gannon’s genitalia.
“I understand some of you have issues with me charging money on my [P]atreon for the video. If I was charging money for the autopsy files alone or something like that I think I’d see your point,” she continued.
“But in this case I spent a lot of time and worked hard putting together a video lining up the coroner’s audio and descriptions along with the appropriate part of the photos she is describing and editing it together to try to make it as informative as possible for the viewer. That is what I am charging for, which I would hope you can agree is understandable.”
Entin also spoke with Michael Allen, the district attorney who tried Stauch, according to Newsweek.
“It is just completely disrespectful to the family members that have had to live through this horror,” Allen said.
Entin said he will speak to Gannon’s father Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on NewsNation.
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