Crimes & Curiosities

Freya - UK An informative blog dedicated to all things morbid and bizarre. You can also find me on:

[crimesandcuriosities]

The Eerie Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

On October 21st, 1978, a 20-year-old Australian pilot named Frederick Valentich made his last contact with air traffic control before disappearing from the earth without a trace. At the time, he was flying a light aircraft 125 miles over Bass Strait; a passage of water which separates the island state Tasmania from the Australian mainland.

Almost fifty years have since passed and there is still no certain explanation of what happened to Frederick. This case is considered one of the most eerie unsolved disappearances due to Frederick's bizarre last known moments. During his flight, he made contact with air traffic control and reported that he was being followed by an unknown aircraft, which was flying approximately 1,000 feet above him. He described the object as being shiny with green lights and long-shaped, then shortly afterwards reported that his engine was malfunctioning. His final transmission was a cryptic and chilling message: "It's not an aircraft."

Communication was lost and neither Frederick Valentich nor his small aircraft were ever found. Extra-terrestrial activity has often been discussed as the cause of his disappearance, although the Department of Transport has maintained a sceptical view when it comes to UFO theories. They instead suggested that Valentich must have become disorientated and began flying upside down, and what he actually saw was his own aircraft lights reflected in the water below.

[littlejazzydoodles]

“For it is plain, as anyone can see, we’re simply meant to be.” 💀🖤

Just out here trying to find my fellow Tim Burton/gothic romance lovers… 🥀

Prints available in A3/A4/A5 on my Etsy store here: 🛒 ✨

http://littlejazzydoodles.etsy.com

[crimesandcuriosities]

Hey everyone 👋🏻

I know this blog is usually all things true crime or curiosities, but I wanted to take a quick moment to share something a little different. 🎨✨

I've recently been putting more time into my creative side, and I have just started a separate Tumblr to share my artwork: LittleJazzyDoodles.

It’s a little space for cute illustrations that I’ve been working on - quite a shift from the usual content here! But if you enjoy cosy art or just want a splash of positivity in your feed, feel free to take a peek.

Everything I post is my own original work, and I’ve even just opened up an Etsy shop too. 🛍️

You can also find me on TikTok: @littlejazzydoodles - every like, follow, or kind word genuinely means the world while I build this little side project.

Thanks for helping a girl out! 🤍

[ultrafacts]

In 1973, near Nichinan City in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries initiated an experimental forestry project.

[centuriespast]

PICKLE SISTERS a vaudeville group from the 1920s.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured: searchers find the abandoned tent belonging to nine lost hikers in Russia's Ural Mountains, 26th February 1959.

The Dyatlov Pass Incident: A Chilling Mystery

In late January of 1959, ten hikers led by 23-year-old Igor Dyatlov set out to trek through Russia’s remote Ural Mountains. One member turned back early due to an injury, leaving nine to trudge on into the snowy abyss. When the group failed to return home on schedule, a rescue mission was launched, but the search ended in tragedy and mystery.

On 26th February, the search team found a tent abandoned and cut open from the inside, as though its occupants had fled in a panic. Nearby, the bodies of five hikers were discovered in various states of undress, suggesting hypothermia. Due to treacherous weather conditions, the remaining four hikers were found later in the year on May 4th, buried under 13 feet of snow. A closer inspection of the deceased is where this case takes a more alarming turn.

Some of the bodies bore gruesome and inexplicable injuries, ranging from fractured skulls, broken ribs, and in one case, missing eyes and tongue. Theories about the cause of the injuries have circulated, with the most plausible explanation being the group fell victim to an avalanche and foraging wild animals. However, several factors have cast doubt over this theory, including the sporadic placement and partially dressed state of the bodies, as well as the fact their tent and belongings were not buried in any recently displaced snow.

More sinister suggestions have ranged from murder to military experiments, and even alien encounters. Sadly, despite much speculation, the truth about what really happened remains unknown 66 years later, cementing the Dyatlov Pass incident as one of history's most enduring mysteries.

A longer and more detailed post about this case can be read here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

The Unsolved Double Murder of the Grimes Sisters

Teenage sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes spent an evening together at their local cinema but never returned home.

During the evening of December 28th, 1956, teenage sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes left their home in Chicago, Illinois, and headed to Brighton Theatre to see Elvis Presley’s new movie, Love Me Tender. Both girls were huge fans of Elvis and they had already seen the movie multiple times, so they had travelled this same route together on numerous occasions. However, this would be the last time they were seen alive.

Barbara (15) and Patricia (13) were due to return home by midnight, but when they failed to show up their mother began to worry. After three late-night buses went by and the two girls were nowhere to be seen, an unsettling concern that they were not coming home began to set in, so at 02:15 in the morning their panicked mother filed a missing persons report with the Chicago Police Department.

During the weeks that followed, thousands of police officers and volunteers searched extensively and Elvis Presley himself made a public plea via radio and television for their safe return. Canals and rivers were dredged, the authorities knocked door-to-door, and over 15,000 flyers were distributed around the local community. However, on 9th January, snow had begun to fall and blanketed the entire area, which significantly impeded search efforts.

The last person on record to see the sisters alive was one of Patricia’s school friends, a young girl named Dorothy, who came forward to state that she was at the same movie screening as the two sisters and was sitting in the row behind them. She claimed the last time she saw them was in a queue for popcorn, and they seemed relaxed and happy.

Sadly, on 22nd January 1957 — almost one entire month after they disappeared — the sisters’ bodies were discovered alongside a secluded road in Willow Springs, which is approximately a 20-minute drive from the theatre they attended.

You can read the full story here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured above is the first police composite sketch used to catch a criminal in the UK, dating back to 1881. The drawing was included on a wanted poster that was distributed to the public after a 64-year-old man was robbed, stabbed and fatally shot while aboard a train.

As well as a sketch of the attacker, the poster contained details of the crime as well as a thorough physical description of the perpetrator and a reward amount of £200 (valued at approx. £20,000 or $25,600 in 2023).

The poster resulted in a lot of public engagement, as nothing like this had ever been done before. Within one month, the man depicted in the sketch was identified as 22-year-old Percy Lefroy Mapleton, who was tried for the crime and executed by hanging.

[crimesandcuriosities]

The Psychotria Elata aka ‘Hooker’s Lips’ is a tropical plant found in some Central and South American rainforests. The flower is vibrant red in colour and maintains a ‘kiss’ like appearance in order to attract butterflies and hummingbirds for pollination, although it eventually opens up to reveal other white flowers which have bloomed inside.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured above are just some of Richard Ramirez’s female admirers, who would turn up to his trial and sit through court proceedings. Pictured bottom, Ramirez - more notoriously known as the "Night Stalker" - is shown waving to his 'groupies'. Some of the women photographed were interviewed outside the courtroom and admitted they found him "cute", and also claimed he was "a nice guy" despite the horrific nature of his crimes. Following a serial killing spree that terrified the state of California between 1984 and 1985, Ramirez was eventually convicted in 1989 of 13 murders, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. The woman pictured bottom left is Doreen Lioy, who Ramirez went on to marry in 1996 while imprisoned on San Quentin State Prison's death row in California. However, she divorced him in 2009 after DNA testing proved Ramirez was responsible for the 1984 rape and murder of a 9 year old girl named Mei Leung. In June 2013, Richard Ramirez died of cancer at 53 years old, therefore escaping the death penalty.

[crimesandcuriosities]

The Eerie Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

On October 21st, 1978, a 20-year-old Australian pilot named Frederick Valentich made his last contact with air traffic control before disappearing from the earth without a trace. At the time, he was flying a light aircraft 125 miles over Bass Strait; a passage of water which separates the island state Tasmania from the Australian mainland.

Almost fifty years have since passed and there is still no certain explanation of what happened to Frederick. This case is considered one of the most eerie unsolved disappearances due to Frederick's bizarre last known moments. During his flight, he made contact with air traffic control and reported that he was being followed by an unknown aircraft, which was flying approximately 1,000 feet above him. He described the object as being shiny with green lights and long-shaped, then shortly afterwards reported that his engine was malfunctioning. His final transmission was a cryptic and chilling message: "It's not an aircraft."

Communication was lost and neither Frederick Valentich nor his small aircraft were ever found. Extra-terrestrial activity has often been discussed as the cause of his disappearance, although the Department of Transport has maintained a sceptical view when it comes to UFO theories. They instead suggested that Valentich must have become disorientated and began flying upside down, and what he actually saw was his own aircraft lights reflected in the water below.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Ted Bundy Offered to Help Catch Another Serial Killer

Gary Ridgway (The Green River Killer) was finally captured after murdering at least 49 women — with some thanks to Ted Bundy along the way.

In the early 1980s, the Green River Killer was terrorising the Seattle and Tacoma areas of Washington state, with the bodies of young women turning up in and around the Green River. The killer’s modus operandi involved luring vulnerable women — often sex workers — to their deaths, leading to a prolonged and frustrating investigation for law enforcement. By 1984, the police were no closer to catching the elusive killer, who would later be identified as Gary Ridgway.

In a surprising turn of events, the police received an offer of assistance from an unlikely source: Ted Bundy; one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. Bundy, who confessed to killing 30 women and sat on Florida’s death row at the time, reached out to law enforcement and offered his insights into the mind of the Green River Killer.

The lead investigators on the case, Robert Keppel and Dave Reichert, believed that Bundy’s understanding of serial killers could provide valuable clues. In a series of interviews, Bundy drew on his own heinous experiences to provide a perspective on the behaviours and motivations of the Green River Killer, giving valuable insights that constructed a profile of the offender and suggested tactics that could help the police capture the perpetrator.

Read the full story here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured above are Victorian moustache cups, a quaint little invention first crafted around the mid-1800s by British potter Harvey Adams.

Throughout different historical periods, facial hair has fallen in and out of fashion. The 19th century in particular saw a boom in popularity, as the growth and preened appearance of a man's moustache became a symbol of his masculinity and prestige. Men would widely use wax, combs and other grooming tools to keep their moustaches in perfect condition.

Harvey created a 'moustache guard' inside the teacup, which is a ledge that run across the rim of the cup, leaving a small opening to sip the tea through. The moustache would rest on the ledge, allowing it to keep dry and also preventing the wax from melting into the hot tea!

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured above is the first police composite sketch used to catch a criminal in the UK, dating back to 1881. The drawing was included on a wanted poster that was distributed to the public after a 64-year-old man was robbed, stabbed and fatally shot while aboard a train.

As well as a sketch of the attacker, the poster contained details of the crime as well as a thorough physical description of the perpetrator and a reward amount of £200 (valued at approx. £20,000 or $25,600 in 2023).

The poster resulted in a lot of public engagement, as nothing like this had ever been done before. Within one month, the man depicted in the sketch was identified as 22-year-old Percy Lefroy Mapleton, who was tried for the crime and executed by hanging.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Jennifer Pan: The Girl Who Hired Hitmen to Kill Her Parents

Just before midnight on 8th November 2010, a panicked 24-year-old woman named Jennifer Pan made a call to emergency services from her family home in Markham, Ontario. While watching TV in her bedroom, Jennifer overheard multiple people break into the house and confront her parents downstairs, followed by multiple gunshots.

Jennifer told the dispatcher that one of the intruders had come upstairs, tied her hands behind her back and then bound her to the bannister. As she was restrained upstairs, she was unable to provide any eyewitness details on what was happening downstairs. Towards the end of Jennifer's 911 call, a series of gut-wrenching screams for help can be heard in the distance. Jennifer's father - Hann Pan - was alive.

Jennifer seemed genuinely frantic with worry and puts on a convincing performance to the dispatcher. You would not initially believe she had masterminded the entire attack.

The full story can be read here.

[unexplained-events]

These are Tuber Roots of Fleeceflower. You might think that these two pairs are the only ones that came out that way, but that is not the case. A majority of their roots look like this, some even creepier. I wonder why

[crimesandcuriosities]

The World's Most Evil Mother?

Theresa Knorr murdered two of her children after inflicting unimaginable torture.

Theresa Knorr murdered two of her children in a jealous rage after inflicting unimaginable torture.

Born in 1946, Theresa was only a teenager herself when she began bringing children into the world. Between 1963 and 1970, she gave birth to six children in total — three girls and three boys — to two different fathers.

In order of arrival, first came Howard in 1963, then Sheila in 1965, Suesan in 1966, William in 1967, Robert in 1968 and lastly Terry in 1971.

Despite being married a total of four times, Theresa’s relationships with men did not tend to last long and consequentially her children did not have a consistent father figure in their lives. A succession of failed marriages and short-lived flings meant that Theresa mostly raised her children as a single mother in their Sacramento, California home.

Although Theresa got along fairly amicably with her sons, she loathed her daughters. After her fourth divorce, Theresa’s mental health began to deteriorate and she irrationally blamed the teenage girls for her ageing and weight gain, which triggered her to become increasingly physically and psychologically abusive. Theresa eventually recruited her grown sons to assist her with carrying out acts of unthinkable violence towards the young girls — with fatal consequences.

You can read the full article here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Burglar Knocked Woman Unconscious and then Stabbed Her Teenage Daughter to Death 

On 2nd February 1990, Gail Chauviere returned to her home in Brazoria County, Texas, after a day of work and was confused to find an unknown vehicle parked on her driveway. Things then took a sinister turn when Gail walked through the front door and was confronted by an intruder standing beside her 15 year-old daughter, Christie.

However, the intruder was not a stranger. The man standing in Gail's home demanding money was Gary Etheridge, a man she had hired as a maintenance worker just two weeks earlier. Gail worked as a project manager at an apartment complex, and Etheridge was aware that she returned home daily with a bag of cash.

Gail pleaded for Etheridge to take the money and not harm her frightened daughter. Instead, Etheridge grabbed Christie by the hair, threatening to slit her throat if she did not stay quiet. He then proceeded to pull a knife and viciously stab Gail multiple times, before striking her so hard across the head that she passed out.

Read the full story here.