true crime

I do not condone the actions of the criminals on this blog

[the-penny-dreadfuls]

Diena Thompson, with her two children by her side, smiled as she watched firefighters control the flames that had encased the modest Orange Park home. It is a good day; a day for healing. The house that had been set ablaze was once the setting for the Thompson family’s real life horror story. It was the location where Somer, their beloved daughter and sister, was sexually assaulted and murdered after Jarred Harrell kidnapped her in October, 2009. Somer was seven-years-old.

Five years after the killing, the house went into foreclosure and was given to Diena Thompson. Diena knew that the house needed to be destroyed, but she wanted to make it count. During the search for her daughter, first responders remained one of her core sources of strength. She wanted to repay them. Diena donated the house to Orange Park Fire Department so that it could be used for hands-on training. As the house burned down, members of the community, who too had mourned for little Somer Thompson, honked their horns in support for the firefighters.

In a 2015 interview with News 4 Jax, Diena expressed her appreciation for the support the Orange Park community had shown her family through the years. “You can get through this by yourself and I said from the beginning it takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to help a mother who lost a child.”

Once the house had been reduced to little more than ash, the Thompson family was ready to breathe life into that area again and turn it into a place where neighbors could come together to celebrate, rather than mourn. In 2016 the Somer Sunshine Foundation turned the lot into a public garden, where people could visit to plant or harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It was a fitting tribute to the little girl who had her life stolen from her. Somer loved the outdoors, especially when she could enjoy it with her friends. With her affectionate nature and boundless imagination, Somer was never short on friends, and was considered to be the “community hugger”. Now, rather than a place to grieve, her community had a place where they could smile together and remember Somer’s life, just the way she would have wanted it.

[morbidology]

Bridgewater Triangle, an area of around 200 square miles within Massachusetts, is the site of an abundance of paranormal phenomena. Among many other oddities, this site has been subjected to numerous cryptozoological sightings, stretching back from the colonial times. There was been reports of UFO’s, giant snakes, bigfoot sightings, thunderbird sightings, orbs, ghosts, and balls of fire to name just a few. Some of these claims have even been corroborated by local authorities. 

In the centre of the triangle sits Hockmock Swamp, a largely untouched swamp which means “the place where spirits dwell.” This swamp was originally called “The Devil’s Swamp,” and is said to be site of an 8,000-year-old Wôpanâak Native American burial ground. When archaeologists discovered this burial ground, it was said that the photos they took would mysteriously not develop. There have been a number of reports of mutilated animals and in 1976, somebody claimed he saw a giant, red-eyed, dog like creature rip the throats of two of his ponies. 

Another bizarre sighting that many people have reported is that of a black helicopter which seems to float around the sky over Bridgewater Triangle aimlessly.

[morbidology]

St. Anne Chapel in Normandy lies within the hollow trunk of a 1,000- to 1,300-year-old Yew tree in the cemetery at La Haye-de-Routot village in the Brotonne Regional Park in France

[morbidology]

It was the 15th of November, 1977, when 13-year-old Megumi Yokota and her friend were walking home from school in Niigata, a seaside town in western Japan. As the duo approached Yokota’s home, the two said goodbye and went their separate ways. Yokota never made it home.

For the next 25 years, Yokota’s family searched in vain for her. Finally, in 2002, there was a break in the case. North Korea admitted that they had been operating a state-sponsored abduction program in which Japanese civilians had been kidnapped and brought to North Korea to teach spies Japanese language and culture so that they could successfully infiltrate the county. North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, publicly admitted to the practice and apologised. He allowed a few abductees to return to Japan but stonewalled the rest, claiming that the victims - including Yokota - had either died or killed themselves.

Japan estimated that around 17 of its citizens had been abducted during the 1970s and 1980s. The cremated remains of eight kidnapping victims were flown back to Japan and it was claimed that one urn contained the remains of Yokota. However, DNA testing proved that the remains weren’t Yokota. Yokoto’s family believe that she is still alive today.

[morbidology]

Stull Cemetery is located in the small Kansas town of Stull. Inside the cemetery stands a small abandoned church and a number of gravestones. Many creepy tales surround this cemetery and it is said to be one of the seven gateways to hell. An article written in 1974 claims that this cemetery is one of the two places on the earth that the devil appears twice a year. In fact, it’s said that the abandoned church is his gateway, with many locals claiming that even though the roof has been missing for years, rain does not land inside. Shrouded with tales of witchcraft, devil worship, and Satan himself, this cemetery is on the bucket list for most paranormal chasers. Is is even said that that when Pope John Paul II was flying to Colorado in 1993, he had his pilot divert around the cemetery because even the air surrounding Stull Cemetery is tainted by evil.

[morbidology]

On 7 August, 1973, New Mexico CB radio operators heard the disturbing pleas and cries for help from a little boy by the name of Larry. He said he was trapped in a red and white pickup truck with his father who had died, possibly of a heart attack. He said he and his father had been rabbit hunting when his father collapsed on the steering wheel and as a result, the truck had flipped into a ravine where the doors became jammed, making it unable to escape. The signal died but Larry was heard in Arizona, California, and Wyoming. He was switching between channels, desperate for somebody to help him. A search and rescue team was set up but they were unable to locate Larry who said he didn’t know where he was located. Those that spoke to Larry are adamant that it was not a hoax because of the emotion and terror in his voice. Eventually the battery in Larry’s radio died and he was never heard from again.

[morbidology]

‪17-year-old Juliane Koepcke was a German high school student studying in Lima; she dreamed of becoming a zoologist like her parents. On the 24th of December, 1971, Juliane and her mother, Maria, boarded a flight in Lima to fly to Pucallpa to meet her father.‬ ‪

‬ ‪During the flight, the airplane was struck by lightening and obliterated mid-air. The airplane plummeted to the ground, killing all 91 on board except for Juliane who fell to Earth still strapped to her seat. She suffered a broken collarbone, a laceration to her arm and a swollen eye. Juliane landed in the dangerous Amazon forest. ‬ ‪

‬ ‪Over the forthcoming 11 days, Juliane used her knowledge to survive. She located a small stream and waded through the water deducing it would eventually lead to civilisation. She received numerous insect bites which subsequently became infected. She came across a boat and took the gasoline from the fuel tank to pour over her wounds to get rid of the maggots in her wounds. “I remember having seen my father when he cured a dog of worms in the jungle with gasoline,” she recalled. Juliane decided to stay with the boat hoping somebody would arrive and rescue her.‬ ‪

‬ ‪Eventually, three lumbermen arrived. They took Juliane to the lumber station which was a seven hour canoe trip away and from there she was airlifted to hospital. Following the ordeal, Juliana had numerous nightmares about the death of her mother. ‬She went on receive a doctorate from Ludwig-Maximilian University and subsequently returned to Peru to conduct her research in mammalogy. In 2011, she wrote a biography on her experiences.

[morbidology]

The map at the top shows peculiar cases of people vanishing without a trace. The map at the bottom shows America’s largest cave systems.

[morbidology]

William Utermohlen was an American artist diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In response to the illness, he began to paint a series of self-portraits. The result is a crushing depiction of his descent into dementia. They provide a stark insight into the devastating effects that the disease has. As he struggled to keep in touch with the world surrounding him, his works became flatter and more abstract. They lacked the details and spatial sense that his art had early on in his diagnosis. By 2000, his memory and technical skills had deteriorated so much that his final heartbreaking portrayal was little more than a scribbled skull. He passed away in 2007 “but it wasn’t him by then,” said his widow, Patricia. 

[morbidology]

My dad found this downstairs. It was with my grandmothers stuff and she most likely got it from her parents who were born in the 1910's. I can't find any exact information online but I would guess it's pre-1920. Submitted by @casuallyceltic

Oh wow, what an amazing find! I think it’s a portable hypodermic kit. I was able to find a similar one which says it was made after 1885!

https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/532a2f002162ef0e482fb0c4

Kit comprises a thin metal case with rounded corners and flip top cover. Within it is housed an ornately decorated glass and metal hypodermi

[spidaerman]

To all my black followers and friends, stay safe.

Also, I would like to add that black lives have always mattered, will always matter.

It’s awful that we even have to say that because it should be a given. However, we need to say it loud and clear for the racists.

We cannot be silent. 

[morbidology]

[morbidology]

A letter from schizophrenic patient Emmy Hauck to her husband. It consists only phrase “Herzensschatzi komm” (darling please come) and “komm komm komm” (come, come, come ) repeated over and over.

[morbidology]

Dr. Arthur Duperrault had always promised his family that one day, he would take them sailing. That day finally arrived on the 8th of November, 1961, when Arthur, his wife Jean, and their three children, 14-year-old Brian, 11-year-old Terry Jo, and 7-year-old Renee, departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to sail to the Bahamas. Also in attendance was WWII and Korean War veteran, Julian Harvey and his wife, Mary Dene. Julian was there to skipper the yacht on behalf of Arthur.

While the trip started as an idyllic getaway, it soon turned to horror. One night, Terry Jo was awoken by deafening screams. As she came up to the deck, she was met by a bloodbath - her entire family and Mary had been brutally murdered. Standing at the other side of the deck was Julian. He ordered Terry Jo to stay on board as he escaped on a dinghy. Terry Jo soon realised that the yacht was quickly sinking. She managed to untie a small cork float which she launched into the ocean.

Four days later, Terry Jo was rescued by a passing ship. She had been floating on the cork float with no food or water. Meanwhile, Julian was picked up by a different ship and spewed some tale about how the yacht had mysteriously sunk, killing everybody on-board. Unbeknownst to him, however, Terry Jo had survived and was able to refute his claims.

As it turned out, Julian had killed his wife to pick up the insurance money and killed Terry Jo’s family as a way to cover up the murder. Terry Jo later said she believed that Julian hadn’t killed her because he expected her to sink with the yacht. After discovering that Terry Jo was still alive, Julian committed suicide.

[morbidology]

This skull of a 14-year-old girl was the evidence that the first settlers in Virginia’s Jamestown  Colony practised cannibalism during the “Starving Time” winter of 1609. The remains of this butchered teenager was discovered in 2012. She was buried along with a number of butchered horse and dog bones. There had always been rumours and speculation that the settlers resorted to cannibalism is a means to survive but this was the first ever proof. The scratch marks from where the flesh was sliced from the face is evident. The trauma in the front of the skull is from where he skull was bashed open for the brain to be removed, according to Doug Owsley, a forensic anthropologist.

[morbidology]

[morbidology]

I imagine that at least once in your life you have been warned not to “take candy from strangers,” but did you know that this common admonition came from a real life kidnapping case? This same kidnapping case was the inspiration behind the name of The Charley Project.

4-year-old Charley Ross lived in a lavish house on Washington Lane in Germantown, Philadelphia. It was the 1st of July, 1874, and Charley and his 5-year-old brother, Walter, were playing in their front garden when they were approached by a horse-drawn carriage. The two men inside the carriage offered the young boys candy and fireworks for the upcoming Fourth of July celebrations. The keen brothers hopped into the cart. They drove to a store in Kensington where the two men gave Walter some money and send him inside to purchase the goods. When he came back out, the carriage carrying his brother and the two men was gone.

Kidnapping was virtually unheard of during this time period and police assumed that he had been abducted by “drunks” who would return him once sober. It would soon become apparent that this wasn’t the case and Charley’s life was in grave danger. Three days after the abduction, Charley’s father, Christian Ross, received the first of several ransom notes. It demanded $20,000 for the safe return of his son. A hefty sum at the time, he couldn’t afford it. Moreover, he didn’t want to pay the random because he didn’t want to negotiate with terrorists, he said, and worried about the outcome. Would this inspire other criminals to abduct children in return for ransom? This unleashed a cloud of suspicion over Christian among the townsfolk who circulated a rumour that Charley wasn’t even his. He was the product of an affair, people jibed. It wasn’t true, however.

Five months later, Bill Mosher and Joe Douglas were caught robbing a house. Mosher was shot dead while Douglas died hours later from wounds sustained in gunfire. As he clung to life, he relayed how he and Mosher had abducted Charley. His speech was slurred and several witnesses believed he said that Charley was still alive and would be home shortly while others heard him say they had killed him. Walter viewed the bodies in the mortuary and was adamant that these were the two men who had lured him and his brother into their carriage before disappearing.

Over the forthcoming years, numerous people came forward to relay the belief that they were Charley, all of which turned out to be false. Christian Ross and his wife continued to search for Charley until the day they died. They followed each and every lead they uncovered and interviewed hundreds of people. They spent their entire fortune on trying to uncover what happened to their son. No leads ever panned out and what became of Charley remains a mystery.

[morbidology]

Cerro Sechin, an archaelogical site in Peru, was discovered in 1937. Shrouded in mystery, it’s still unclear who build it, but one thing is clear: it’s extremely morbid - the carved figures on the wall surrounding it show human sacrifice. The carvings show “warrior-priests” surrounded by dismembered bodies. There have been many interpretations of these carvings. One such interpretation is that of a battle scene which was carved into the stone to commemorate the victory. Another interpretation is that the site was an area for anatomical studies, hence the dismembered body parts and exposed organs.

[morbidology]

Sheila Frederick is not only a flight attendant. She is a hero. In 2011, she was working on a flight from Seattle to San Francisco when she noticed a 14-year-old girl with an older, well dressed man. According to Sheila, the teenager “looked like she had been through pure hell.” When she tried to speak to the man and girl, the man became defensive and the girl refused to speak. 

The response set off alarm bells so shields left a note in the bathroom addressed to the girl and whispered at her to go to the bathroom. The girl responded to the message in the bathroom with the words: “I need help.” Sheila rushed to the cockpit and informed the pilot of the situation. They contacted San Francisco police who arrested the man as soon as the flight landed.

As it transpired, the man was sex trafficking the teenager. Because of Sheila, the unnamed girl went on to college and still remains in contact with the woman who saved her life.