(Almost) Two Years Missing

Well, for a while the greatest unsolved mystery I had was: “Why did Marissa stop posting on her blog?” But I think I’ve cracked the case: She was stressed, depressed, and trying to be well-dressed for job interviews and work.

Yes, my friends, while I had envisioned a fabulous life of sitting in cafes blazing through cover letters and murder research in tandem until someone, anyone, called me back and I would finally be able to afford my apartment independently, life was a little more… lackluster than that.

Maybe It Was Jason - The Girl Scout Murders

Maybe It Was Jason - The Girl Scout Murders

Well, well well. Long time, no blog. I'll hopefully start holding myself to a schedule of a post every two weeks. It means more time for research and more time for me to apply for jobs! But, it has been much longer than two weeks since we had a bit of murder and mystery. And, considering it's summer, I think it's time that I bring you back to camp. I, personally, experienced Girl Scout Camp like in the murder I'll be telling you about. And what's a camp experience without some scary stories about how a ghost is going to get you or a murderer hiding in the woods?

Most of the time, you have nothing to worry about.

At Camp Scott in 1977 (June 13th, to be exact), there were signs that everyone should have been worried. They were the little details that normally were the sort of thing you embellished your urban legend with: scary notes, ransacked tents, a dark and stormy night, and one tent just a bit too far out of the way. But this scary story would become a scary reality when Michelle Guse, Lori Farmer, and Denise Milner were found murdered.

Trigger warnings in this story include: child death, rape, mutilation, racism

And while not a trigger, this is just a warning of how terribly heartbreaking this story is.

That's Not My Name - Kenneth, What's the Frequency?

That's Not My Name - Kenneth, What's the Frequency?

So, if you had no idea what I was referencing in last week's title, you get to find out! And if you already knew, get excited because we're going to dive right in! 

In this mystery, we get a brush with what I'm already studying: journalism. When R.E.M. or anyone mentions "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" we're talking about this very bizarre event that happened to Dan Rather, who was the CBS Nightly News anchor at the time, on October 4, 1986. I think the biggest thing we have to understand, though, is that's its one of those famous misquotes. When the man attacked Rather, he actually said, "Kenneth, what's the frequency," but thanks to R.E.M., we remember it a little differently.

Warnings for physical assault and violence!

What's the frequency of people on this blog, Kenneth? - Analytics

What's the frequency of people on this blog, Kenneth? - Analytics

I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled gore and mystery for a little bit of reflection on why I'm writing about all this gore and mystery.  However, to make up for this, take the title as a blatantly obvious hint of what is to come soon.

I didn't ever really do an introduction post, I just hopped right in to dead bodies in water. I tackled why I'm doing this in my about page, but I wanted to talk about why I'm writing about this spooky stuff before I get into some info on who is reading this spooky stuff. And, like most people who have studied abroad... I'm going to bring up the fact that I studied abroad. There's no avoiding it. It's part of the story.

Creepy Walkers - Salish Sea Feet

Creepy Walkers - Salish Sea Feet

As promised, I'm going with something a little less violent and gory.... But this is still a bit gross. Feet have been appearing on the shores of the Pacific Northwest since 2007. Not bodies. Not any other extremities. Feet. Still in the shoes. 

No one has any solid answers on how the feet are connected, or if they even should be in the first place. A lot of people see the Salish Sea Feet phenomena as a product of the media. But we'll get to that later.

Warnings for dismembered limbs (or really, just feet) and suicide mentions. This is a downright light one!

How to Be Afraid of Sleepovers - The Villisca Axe Murders

How to Be Afraid of Sleepovers - The Villisca Axe Murders

So, I know I said something less gory for this next post, but in a recent episode of My Favorite Murder, Karen mentioned watching a documentary that connected Villisca, Hinterkaifeck, and the Mad Axeman of New Orleans. I don't necessarily buy into the idea, but the conspiracy reminded me that Villisca was one of the first unsolved murders I learned about!

My favorite time of year is Halloween, and I have all of Travel Channel's Halloween specials practically memorized. A rather terrifying story from a list of most haunted places (all of which you could, for a hefty price, book a night in) was the Villisca Murder House. A family was brutalized after coming home from church (with two other children spending the night there as well), so triggers for violence, gore, and death (including child death). 

Don't You Know That You're Toxic - Moors Murders

Don't You Know That You're Toxic - Moors Murders

Before there was Netflix and Chill, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley had X-rated Films and Murder. And before you think this could be some sort of Bonnie and Clyde, romanticized musical: This is a story about wanting to "commit the perfect murder," obsession, a touch of Nazism, and body dumping. These are not the moors of a Bronte sisters novel. There are no musical numbers in sight.

It might be a Lifetime movie, though, now that I think about it.

Make Yourself At Home - The Hinterkaifeck Muders

Make Yourself At Home - The Hinterkaifeck Muders

This week, we have a murder mystery that gets very spooky. A whole family was murdered March 31, 1922, but no one found out for a few days because it looked like someone was living in their house for several days afterwards. Someone lit a fire, had some meals, fed the farm animals... All while the family was laying dead in the barn and in one room of the house.

Additionally, the family claimed to have heard mysterious footsteps, had things go missing and other strange things appear, and to have seen footsteps in the snow that suddenly stop. Their old maid had quit six months earlier because of the strange occurrences (the new maid's first day would also be her last, as she was slain with the family).

Ladies First - Magdalena Solis

Ladies First - Magdalena Solis

For my first true crime story, where we know who did it (although the why might be a little fuzzy), I decided to go with someone you probably haven't heard of.... And is a woman.

Male serial killers get a lot of attention, but Magdalena ended up with the title "High Priestess of Blood." The lesson here is: anyone can be a serial killer. And I would probably like to add the caveat that anyone can be a serial killer, especially when they're involved in a cult.

Once upon a time, deep in a YouTube conspiracy hole...

Once upon a time, deep in a YouTube conspiracy hole...

Do you ever just click one video and then let the YouTube autoplay take you down a weird dangerous route? Dangerous to your sleeping hours, that is. I think that was probably where I first heard about Cicada 3301 (and Thinking Sideways covered it, like Elisa Lam. I swear, I listen to other podcasts). But this one, while still unsolved, is a little more upbeat.

Well, if you consider dark-web puzzle solving upbeat.

Don't Drink the Water - Elisa Lam

Don't Drink the Water - Elisa Lam

So, when I first heard about Elisa Lam, I was studying abroad. And instantly became terrified of drinking any sort of water from any hotel. So, for this blog, I thought, why not start there?

As it often goes with unsolved murders, we're going to start with the discovery. The relative end of the story. Guests at the Cecil Hotel in the skid row Area of Los Angeles were having some issues with the running water of their room.