"S'Accabadora" Is A Figure From Sardinian Culture. Until A Few Decades Ago, Euthanasia Was Practiced

The Anatomical Machines, Giuseppe Salerno, c. 1756-64

In the Underground Chamber of the Sansevero Chapel, housed in two glass cases, are the famous Anatomical Machines, or Anatomical Studies, i.e. the skeletons of a man and a woman in upright position with their arteriovenous system almost perfectly intact. The circulatory system depicted on the anatomical machines was artificially fabricated with waxes, an iron wire and silk fibers, probably following techniques commonly used by anatomists of that time

These disquieting objects were kept in a room in the palace of the Prince of Sansevero called “the Apartment of the Phoenix”, as a number of travellers and the Breve nota di quel che si vede in casa del principe di Sansevero, an anonymous eighteenth-century guide to the Palace and the Sansevero Chapel, attest. This source describes the Machines in detail, from the blood vessels of the head to those of the tongue and adds that at the feet of the woman was placed “the tiny body of a foetus”, alongside which there was even the open placenta, connected to the foetus by the umbilical cord. The two anatomical studies were moved to the Chapel, and in this way saved from destruction or loss, long after the death of the Prince. The remains of the foetus were still visible up to a few decades ago, when they were stolen.

The Canonical Five: Mary Jane Kelly

April 02, 2023

Mary Jane Kelly is who is known as Jack the Ripper’s 5th and final canonical five victim, however, there is much less information known about her upbringing compared to the other four women. 

It is believed by many that the information we do know about Mary Kelly is embellished, with her having fabricated details that are known about her early life. 

The man Mary Kelly had most recently been living with before her murder was named Joseph Barnett, and he later claimed Mary had told him she was born in Limerick, Ireland around 1863 and her family had moved to Wales when she was a child. 

Supposedly Mary Kelly had told an acquaintance that she had been disowned by her parents, but she was close with her sister. It was said from Joseph and Mary’s landlady that she had come from a somewhat wealthy, good family. Joseph also claimed Mary confirmed she had seven brothers and at least one sister. 

Mary’s landlord, a man named John McCarthy claimed she had received mail from Ireland, but not regularly. It was also believed that Mary was illiterate, as Joseph claimed she would ask him to read her the newspaper reports of the Jack the Ripper killings. 

Though it’s been reported Mary had blonde or red hair, she went by the nickname of “Black Mary” suggesting she actually had quite dark hair. She also had blue eyes and some claimed to have known her as “Fair Emma.” It is estimated that Mary stood at about 5′7″ tall, and some said she was quite attractive. 

On November 10, 1888, the day after her murder,

the Daily Telegraph

described Mary as “tall, slim, fair of fresh complexion, and of attractive appearance.” 

In 1879, at around the age of 16, Mary married a coal miner named Davis or Davies who ended up getting killed 2-3 years later in a mining explosion. After this, Mary lived with a cousin in Cardiff, and this is where it is believed she started being involved in sex work. 

In 1884, Mary left Cardiff and moved to London, where she worked as a domestic servant while lodging in Crispin Street, Spitalfields. In 1885, it’s believed she moved to the district of Fitzrovia. 

Mary eventually began working in a high class brothel in the West End of London, becoming one of the most popular girls. She did quite well for herself and bought expensive clothes and hired a carriage at this time. Supposedly Mary had met a client named Francis Craig who took her to France, but she returned to London two weeks later, not having liked the France life. 

It is believed that in 1885 Mary Kelly began drinking heavily. She moved around quite a bit lodging with different women and different men around this time. 

It was on April 8, 1887, that Mary Kelly met Joseph Barnett, with the pair agreeing to live with each other after only knowing one another for a day. They lived in George Street, and soon a place called Little Paternoster Row, but were evicted for not paying rent and of drunk and disorderly conduct. 

In early 1888, the two moved into 13 Miller’s Court, a single room a the back of 26 Dorset Street, Spitalfields. Mary had lost her key to the door, so she would bolt and unbolt the door from outside, putting her hand through a broken window by the door. A neighbour claimed Mary had broken the window when she was drunk, and a man’s coat often was used to act as a curtain. 

It was said by Mary’s friend Lizzie Albrook, that Mary was sick of how she was living in 1888 and wanted to go back to Ireland. Her landlord said that she was a quiet woman when she was sober but very noisy when drunk. When Mary was drunk she often could be abusive to people, and was nicknamed “Dark Mary.” 

Joseph lost his job as a fish porter in July 1888 due to committing theft, and because of this, Mary turned back to sex work. Mary would often let other sex workers sleep in their room at night when it was really cold because she did not have it in her to refuse them shelter. 

It is believed that on October 30, 1888, Joseph moved out as him and Mary got into a fight about a sex worker named Julia sharing their room with them. Between November 1 and November 8, Joseph visited Mary almost everyday, sometimes giving her money. 

The last time Joseph visited Mary was between 7-8 pm on November 8, 1888. Joseph claimed Mary was with her friend, Maria Harvey and that he did not stay long. He also apologized to Mary for not having any money to give. It is reported that both Joseph and Maria left Miller’s Court at the same time. 

Joseph went back to his lodging house and played cards, falling asleep around 12:30 am. Before Joseph left Mary that night, her friend Lizzie Albrook also visited. Lizzie claimed Mary was sober. 

In the evening, Mary reportedly had one drink in the Ten Bells public house with a woman named Elizabeth Foster. Later on, Mary was seen drinking with two other people at the Horn of Plenty pub on Dorset Street. 

A sex worker named Mary Ann Cox, who also was a resident of Miller’s Court claimed to have seen Mary going home drunk with a stout, ginger haired man, around the age of 36 at 11:45 pm. The man was wearing a black bowler felt hat, had a thick moustache, had blotches on his face and was holding a can of beer.

Mary Ann actually had spoken to Mary Kelly, they both said goodnight. Mary Kelly then entered the room with the man. Mary Ann heard her singing the song, “A Violet from Mother’s Grave.” She was still singing when Mary Ann left her place at midnight, and when she returned an hour later around 1 am. 

Elizabeth Prater lived in the room directly above Mary Kelly. She reportedly went to bed at 1:30 am, and the singing had stopped. 

A man named George Hutchinson who knew Mary, claimed he had met up with her around 2 am on November 9, 1888 on Flower and Dean Street. Mary had asked George for a loan of sixpence, though he claimed to be broke. George said Mary Kelly walked toward the direction Thrawl Street when she was approached by a man of “Jewish appearance.” 

The man was looked to be about 34-35 years old and George said he was suspicious of him because while it did seem like Mary knew him, his appearance made him look suspicious in that particular part of town. It was also said that this man made an obvious effort to disguise his looks from George, having his hat covering over his eyes as he passed. 

George provided police with a very detailed description of said man, and told them he had overheard Mary talking with the man, complaining she had lost her handkerchief, and the mysterious man gave her a red one that he had. George heard Mary say to the man, “Alright my dear, come along. You will be comfortable.” And then the two walked into 13 Miller’s Court with George following them, though George never saw either one of them again. 

A laundress named Sarah Lewis also claimed she had been walking in the area to meet up with friends around 2:30 am, when she noticed two or three people standing near the Britannia pub, among the people was a nicely dressed young man with a dark moustache and he was talking to a woman. 

Both the man and woman appeared to be drunk and there was a poorly dressed woman standing near them. Opposite from Miller’s Court, Sarah said she saw a stout looking shorter man standing at the entrance to the courtyard. Sarah also saw an obviously drunk woman with a man further up the courtyard. 

Mary Ann returned to her room around 3 am that morning and claimed she did not hear or see any light coming from Mary Kelly’s room at the time. She did think she heard someone leaving at around 5:45 am. 

Elizabeth Prater who lived in the room above Mary Kelly and Sarah Lewis who was sleeping at 2 Miller’s Court that night both reported hearing a faint cry that said “Murder!” between 3:30 and 4 am, but didn’t do anything about it because this was common to hear cries in the area. Sarah Lewis said it was only one scream so she did not think much of it. She also claimed she did not sleep that night and heard people coming and going out of the court throughout the night. 

Elizabeth Prater said she left her room at 5:30 am to walk to the pub for a drink, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. 

On the morning of November 9, 1888, Mary’s landlord sent his assistant to collect the rent. Mary herself was 6 weeks behind, owing 29 shillings. Shortly after 10:45 am, the assistant knocked on her door but got no response. He tried to then turn the handle, but the door was locked. He looked through the keyhole but did not see anyone in the room. 

Using the broken window, he peered inside the room and found Mary Kelly, completely mutilated lying on the bed. She was estimated to have died 3-9 hours before she was discovered. 

The assistant ran to tell the landlord, and then went to inform the police. The assistant immediately told the police it was the work of Jack the Ripper. A surgeon came to look at the body, and police gave orders to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the yard (I know, impressive for 1888 police work.) 

Bloodhounds were sent in, but it appeared to be impractical. It appeared that women’s clothing had been burning, and authorities believed Mary Kelly’s clothes were burnt by the murderer to provide light so they could see what they were doing. 

Joseph Barnett identified Mary Kelly’s body, he could only identify her by the ear and her eyes due to the severe mutilation. 

The mutilation done to Mary Kelly was the most extensive of all of the Whitechapel murders, with many believing it’s due to the fact that the Ripper had more time to commit this one in a private setting. 

During the autopsy it was noted that it most likely took 2 hours to perform all of the mutilations on Mary’s body, the death was further estimated to have occurred between 2 to 8 am. 

Her body was found lying naked in the bed, her head turned on the left cheek. Her legs were left wide apart, the whole surface of the abdomen and thighs were removed and her abdominal cavity was emptied (but later said there was food found in it). Her breasts were cut off, her face was hacked beyond recognition, gashes occurring in all directions. Her ears were partly removed. 

Her neck was cut through the skin and her other tissues were cut down to the vertebrae. Her air passage was cut at the lower part of the larynx. Her heart was taken. There was also blood splatters on the wall, lining up with her cut throat.

She had a superficial cut on her thumb, which some believe was caused while she tried to defend herself from her attacker. 

It was believed during the autopsy that Mary Kelly had been killed from a slash to her throat, and the mutilations were performed after she had died. It was not believed that the murderer had any medical knowledge. 

The inquest into Mary’s death began on November 12, 1888. After testimony, the jury had a short deliberation and the verdict was that Mary Kelly had been murdered by a person or persons unknown. 

Police did house to house questioning trying to get answers as to who murdered Mary Kelly. A few people claimed to have seen Mary on the morning of November 9, after she had supposedly been murdered, though police could not find anyone to corroborate those sightings, as well as the descriptions of Mary didn’t match. 

On November 10, 1888, Mary’s murder was linked to four other murders: Mary Ann Nicholas, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes. There was also an offender profile made, which stated the killer was an eccentric person, who was in an extreme state of satyriasis while performing the mutilations on Mary and the four previous victims. 

There were no other similar murders after Mary Kelly’s and a lot of people believe she was the final victim of Jack the Ripper. Most believe these Whitechapel murders ended due to the killer dying or going to prison. 

Over 100 years after the Whitechapel murders, two authors named Paul Harrison and Bruce Paley theorized that Joseph Barnett, Mary’s partner, had actually murdered her during a jealous rage. They took the theory farther, stating that perhaps Joseph also murdered the other 4 canonical five, trying to scare Mary from engaging in sex work. 

Others believe Joseph did kill Mary, but only Mary and had tried to make it look like a Jack the Ripper killing to avoid being captured. The fact that Mary was found lying naked on her bed, with her clothes folded on a chair leads many to believe that her killer was someone she knew or who she thought was a client. 

Some people do not believe Mary Kelly was a victim of Jack the Ripper at all. Mary was assumed to be around 25 years old, much younger than the other victims who had all been in their 40′s. Also, her mutilations were more extensive than the other four, she was killed in a private location and her murder occurred 5 weeks from the previous killings which had all occurred within a month. 

In 1939, author William Stewart theorized that Mary might have been killed by a midwife, “Jill the Ripper” in which Mary was going to have an abortion. Stewart believed perhaps the midwife had burned her own clothes, putting on Mary’s and that’s why people the next morning believed they saw Mary after she had been killed. 

Mary Kelly was buried on November 19, 1888 in St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Leytonstone. None of her family members could be found to attend her funeral. The inscription on her grave reads, “In loving memory of Marie Jeanette Kelly. None but the lonely hearts can know my sadness. Love lives forever.” 

Mr. Cruel

August 18, 2021

Mr. Cruel is an unknown serial child rapist from Australia who was responsible for three attacks on young girls in the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. He is also the prime suspect in the abduction and murder of another girl named Karmein Chan. 

Mr. Cruel is unidentified and all of his attacks and potential murder have been unsolved due to this. He was given the name by The Sun newspaper, after police had described a serial home invasion rapist in November 1987 as “super cool and super cruel.” At that time police believed the same person was responsible for three rapes: a woman in 1985, a girl in 1987 and another woman in 1987.

It is believed he began his attacks on August 22, 1987 in Lower Plenty where he had broken into a family home around 4am, armed with a knife and a gun. Mr. Cruel then tied the parents by their hands and feet and locked them in a wardrobe. He cut the phone lines, raped the 11 year old daughter and tied the son to a bed. 

The next attack occurred on December 27, 1988 in Ringwood where he broke into the back door of a house around 5:30am, again armed with a knife and a handgun. Mr. Cruel bound and gagged the parents in the home and demanded money. He took the 10 year old daughter, Sharon Willis and put tape over her eyes, a ball gag in her mouth and abducted her. However, Mr. Cruel never kept his victims for good. He later released Sharon 18 hours later and left her by Bayswater High School. 

The third attack by Mr. Cruel occurred on July 3, 1990 in Canterbury where he broke into a house at 11:30 pm and tied and gagged 13 year old Nicola Lynas. He covered her eyes with tape, disabled the phones and looked for money. He then took Nicola to another house and molested her for 50 hours before he released her at a power sub-station in a suburb known as Kew. 

On April 13, 1991, in Templestowe, a man who was armed with a knife abducted 13 year old Karmein Chan, who had actually gone to the same school as Nicola. Karmein was found about a year later with 3 gunshots to the head. No one knows for sure if Mr. Cruel was responsible for Karmein’s death, since he had never been known to kill any of his victims before. The case remains unsolved.

Though we are unsure of Mr. Cruel’s identity, police believe he is a very intelligent person who carefully planned out all of his attacks, probably having watched the families and the victims before attacking. Mr. Cruel has never left any forensic tracings behind, and had his face covered at all times during each attack. The above picture is the only sketch they have of him, given by Nicola, one of the victims. He was also described as having a soft-spoken voice, his behaviour was calm and not rushed as at one point he had stopped to eat a meal during one of the attacks. Mr. Cruel apparently would threaten to kill his victims with a large hunting knife or a handgun. 

There is a reward of $200,000 for any information on two of the abductions. In April 2016, police upped the reward from $100,000 to $1,000,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of Mr. Cruel in the 1991 murder of Karmein Chan. 

It is believed that Mr. Cruel may have videotaped or taken photographs of his attacks and police believe that if he is still alive he probably has kept the tapes and photos, as well as collect child and maybe even swap child pornography. Police believe that he probably communicates with children using chat lines and collects porn through the internet. 

Mr. Cruel’s MO was always the same in home invasions and with the three attacks on victims, as these victims had all described their attacker in the same way. He would bathe all his victims carefully, with one of them saying it was almost “like a mother washing a baby.” During one attack, he had taken a second set of clothes from the victim’s home to dress her before he released her. In another attack, he had left the girl dressed in garbage bags so the police could not test her original clothing. 

Two of Mr. Cruel’s victims provided the police with details of the house they were kept while they were abducted. Both had been shackled to a bed with a rough neck brace and one told police she could hear planes landing, which police believe meant that the house was on one of the flight paths to Melbourne Airport. 

Police searched 30,000 homes and interviewed 27,000 suspects over the attacks, costing $4 million. There has been some evidence of the crime scenes that have been lost, including tape that was used to bind one of the victims. 

In April 2016, before the 25th anniversary of Karmein Chan’s murder, the Victoria Police released a 1994 dossier (nicknamed the Sierra files) to the Herald Sun newspaper which had details about the case that had never been released to the public before. The dossier, with the FBI, had contained information about 7 possible suspects. They had attempted to contact these suspects to varying degrees. The reward for any information has been increased to $1,000,000.

Juana Barraza (1957 -) is a Mexican former professional wrestler and serial killer, dubbed La Mataviejitas (The Old Lady Killer). She was born in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo, a rural area north of Mexico City. Barraza’s mother, Justa Samperio, was an alcoholic who reportedly exchanged her to a man for three beers. The man raped her repeatedly while in his care, and she became pregnant with his son. She had four children in total, although her eldest son died from injuries sustained in a mugging. Prior to her arrest, Barraza was a professional wrestler under the ring name of La Dama del Silencio (The Lady of Silence). She had a strong interest with lucha libre, a form of Mexican masked professional wrestling.

The first murder attributed to Mataviejitas has been dated variously to the late 1990s and to a specific killing on November 17, 2003. The authorities and the press have given various estimates as to the total number of the killer’s victims, with estimates ranging from 24 to 49 deaths. All of Barraza’s victims were women aged 60 or over, many of whom lived alone. Barraza bludgeoned or strangled them before robbing them.

Bernardo Bátiz, the chief prosecutor in Mexico City, initially profiled the killer as having “a brilliant mind, [being] quite clever and careful," and suggested that the killer probably struck after gaining the trust of the intended victim. Investigating officers suspected that the killer posed as a government official, offering victims the chance to sign up for welfare programs.

The search for Barraza was complicated by conflicting evidence. At one point, the police hypothesized that two killers might be involved. An odd coincidence also distracted the investigation: at least three of Barraza’s victims owned a print of an eighteenth-century painting by French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Boy in A Red Waistcoat. #destroytheday

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwHr2owhoju/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qhrlhxx3mjif

The Witches Chair from the Mermaid Inn, Rye, East Sussex.

Judith Blincow the owner of the Inn has this to say about it, 'It is a seventeenth century chair which used to belong to a witches’ coven and has a curse on it.' We always tell people not to touch it.’

On March 20, 2012, a concerned relative requested the police in Waller, Texas to conduct a welfare check on the Sesler family as they could not get in touch with them. 

Upon arrival at the family’s home located in the 2400 block of Farr in Waller County, the officers knocked on the front door and announced their presence, but no one answered. Upon further investigation, they looked through one of the windows and noticed that the house was in complete disarray. As they looked through another window, they saw a body, indicating that the home was now a crime scene.

The responding officers kicked in the front door and searched the rooms one by one. It took them just a matter of seconds to take in the gruesome scene. In the master bedroom, Lawton and Rhona Sesler were found surrounded by a pool of their own blood. In the bathroom, they discovered the lifeless body of their 26-year-old son, Mark.

One person was missing from inside the home, the couple’s other son, Trey Sesler, a 22-year-old successful YouTuber known as “Mr. Anime.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞:

https://morbidology.com/mr-anime-the-massacre-of-the-seslers/

Teenage Drama Turns to Death: The Tragic Murder of Skylar Neese

June 26, 2022

Skylar Annette Neese was born on February 10, 1996 in West Virginia and was the only child of Mary and Dave Neese. At 16 years old Skylar was attending University High School, worked at Wendy’s, got excellent grades and wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer.

Skylar had two best friends, Shelia Eddy (born September 28, 1995) and Rachel Shoaf (born June 10, 1996). Skylar and Shelia had met when they were 8 years old and had been inseparable ever since. Rachel became friends with the two girls a few years later, but the three of them were best friends, you would rarely see one of them without the other two. 

On July 5, 2012, Skylar had returned to her home in Star City, West Virginia, after working her regular night shift at Wendy’s. The Neese family lived in an apartment building and later on surveillance video showed Skylar leaving her apartment from her bedroom window at 12:30 am on July 6, getting into a sedan. 

Skylar’s father Dave Neese later said that Skylar had clearly planned on coming back later that night, as she didn’t take her phone charger with her and she had left the window open. 

Skylar was at first considered a runaway by authorities and there was no Amber Alert issued for her disappearance because it was clear from the video footage that she had willingly left on her own accord. Skylar’s parents posted flyers about their missing daughter, hoping that someone would know her whereabouts. 

Police soon found out that the sedan that Skylar was seen getting into that night belonged to Shelia Eddy so they brought her in for an interview. Shelia did admit that she picked up Skylar that night, but they had only driven around for about an hour before she dropped her back off at her apartment. 

Rachel and Shelia were interviewed by the police several times, but their stories always remained the same. Shelia even helped the Neeses’ distribute missing persons flyers, and would come over to their house to cry with them about missing Skylar. 

As time went on, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf began to become suspects to the police, as other schoolmates were claiming they had heard the girls talking about committing a murder at school. One of the girls’ teachers even contacted the police to tell them she had also heard of them talking about murder. 

About 6 months after Skylar had disappeared, Rachel Shoaf admitted that her and Shelia Eddy had been plotting to kill Skylar for 9 months. Rachel claimed that the reason the girls murdered Skylar was because they didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. 

The seemingly perfect friendship the trio shared was anything but, as Skylar would often tweet about how Shelia and Rachel would leave her out of things. It seemed the girls would fight a lot, and Skylar had even written in her diary that Shelia and Rachel had a sexual relationship with each other, and would make-out or have sex in front of Skylar, making her extremely uncomfortable. 

Skylar’s body was found on January 16, 2013, less than 30 miles away from her home. 

Rachel told the police the whole story, claiming that on the night of July 5, 2012, Sheila and her had invited Skylar to go drive around with them. Apparently, Skylar was hesitant of this, as she had recently had a falling out with them, but after the girls texted and called her a few times she eventually agreed to sneak out. 

Rachel told police that her and Shelia had prepared “a serial killer kit” which included kitchen knives, paper towels, bleach, clean clothes, cleaning cloths and a shovel. They had hid the knives in their hoodies. 

When Skylar got into the sedan with the girls, they headed northwest from Star City toward Blacksville, on U.S. Route 19. Rachel and Shelia had originally planned on travelling along W.V. Route 7, but they changed their route once they saw a state police car in that direction. 

They arrived across the Pennsylvania state border, where all three of the girls would occasionally smoke weed there. When they got out of the car, they told Skylar that they had forgotten to bring a lighter with them. Skylar then volunteered to go back to the sedan to get her own lighter, and once she turned her back, Rachel and Shelia both counted to three, which they agreed would be their signal, and began to stab Skylar.

Skylar had attempted to run away, but was only able to get a few feet before Rachel got her on the ground and continued to stab her. At one point during the attack, Skylar had managed to get the knife away from Rachel and stabbed her in the leg, which caused Rachel to back off and stop the attack, though Shelia kept going. 

It was admitted that Rachel and Shelia stopped counting how many times they stabbed Skylar once they got to 50, and Shelia had stabbed Skylar until there was silence and her neck stopped making gurgling sounds. 

The pair attempted to bury Skylar’s body, but the soil was too hard and rocky to dig a hole, so they decided to hide Skylar’s body with rocks, fallen branches and dirt. They then returned to the sedan, cleaned themselves up, changed into clothes, and left. 

On May 1, 2013, Rachel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Rachel actually got a plea deal because authorities believed she had cooperated with them, so the recommended sentence for her would be 20 years of incarceration. 

On September 4, 2013, the prosecutors identified Shelia Eddy publicly as the second perpetrator in Skylar’s murder and stated that she would be tried as ana adult. Sheila was indicted on September 6, 2013, on one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. She pleaded not guilty. 

The trial date was set for January 28, 2014. Shelia was facing additional charges from Pennsylvania authorities so she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. During the trial, Shelia expressed no remorse and did not cry at all. She was sentenced to life in prison and is eligible for parole after 15 years. Because of her plea deal to plead guilty to first-degree murder, Pennsylvania did not file charges against her. 

On February 25, 2014, Rachel received a sentence of 30 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after 10 years. Both Shelia and Rachel are incarcerated at the Lakin Correctional Center in Mason County. 

Due to an Amber Alert not being issued in Skylar’s disappearance due to a waiting period of 48 hours before a teenager is considered missing and the fact that Skylar had left on her own accord and was not considered kidnapped, a new bill was introduced called “Skylar’s Law” which modifies West Virginia’s Amber Alert plan to issue immediate public announcements when any child is missing and in danger, regardless if the child is believed to be kidnapped.

Rachel Shoaf will be up for parole next year, with the hearing on May 1, 2023, though according to WV DOC she will likely be paroled on April 28, 2028. Shelia Eddy will be up for parole in 2028.

In February of 1982 my folks and I went to helping my ailing uncle with his property that sat between Elmira NY and Ithaca. I was 14 at the time going on 15. Lots of wooded area at the time in the area. The small chicken farm we were on was encircled with woods. We were there for several months. One day my mom sent me to the store to get some milk and stuff. There was snow on the ground and the streets were just icy. It was bitter cold. That's kind of cold that bites at your bones and if you take in a deep breath it stung. The second way to get to the store outside of walking the winding roads was to cross through a wooded area and a couple of fields. I liked taking this route because I always saw deer and other wildlife.

I got all the way to the country store and was heading back. In the one field there was some old cut and abandoned trees scattered around and shattered limbs no one wanted to pick up. The ground was covered with snow and there were tracks about from deer, raccoons, rabbits and whatever else. Just animal tracks that cut cross the field. I stopped to lean against one fallen tree to warm my hands, blowing on them. The truck of this fallen pine was long, about 30' long. I was at the one end of it just leaning and doing all I could to warm up.

Just then the tree trunk started to rock and then roll. I jumped back and turned about. Thats when I saw. A hairy TALL, human figure. One ran was extended out and up, holding a thick limb of the tree and the creature was looking under where the trunk was.

I was scared so badly I started to urinate in my jeans which was rolling down my legs into my fleece lined boots. And I was tearing up for fear it was going to attack me. It was no more than 20 feet from me at the other end of the fallen tree trunk. It just kept that tree truck rolled back enough to see what was under there. I think he was looking for a rodent or something to eat. But he was holding it with one hand. Had he let go, the trunk would have moved back in place. I am not math wise when it comes to size and weight comparison but figure a trunk that was 20 foot long and about 4' in diameter. It was an old trunk and rotting but it was still heavy. I know I could not move it. If what I was looking at was a man in a suit looking to scaring me from crossing the field, he would have had to have sat for hours, if not days attaching hair to his skin. The wind was blowing and so I saw skin under the layers of hair. There were skin blemishes where there was no hair. I guess like pimples or warts or something like that. Its eyes were yellowish and pupils were dark, like brown. The hair varied in length around its body and head. On its face and neck it was very short and sparce. If this was someone in a suit, they did extensive research on how hair would lay throughout the body. Also his toes moved individually in the snow with tendons or veins that were moving under his skin. So, if this was someone in a suit, he was walking around barefoot with huge feet. Not wearing fake boots. I have seen people wearing monkey ape suits in movies and at Halloween. And this was NOTHING at all like that.

I am not sure if I made a noise or not but it looked at me. Then looked back under the tree. It was more curious what was under the tree. I have no idea how long I stood there just staring. Then there was a noise from across the field that startled me and when I looked there were two others along the tree line walking. They were much too far to make out details. Just two ash-brown hairy human figures walking along the tree line. Walking just like a person would but the snow was no hamperment at all for them. They never went down on all four and one even reached out and moved part of a branch that was in his/her way like a hunter or hiker would. Bears do not do that. The one close to me stopped looking under the tree, let it roll back in place and just walked off into the trees that was to the left of where I was facing. The two in the back of the field, I have no what happen to them. My focus was on the one near me. When I gain some courage (a good 2 minutes of not moving) I slowly walked up to where it was standing before, wiping the tears from my face and saw its footprints in the snow. And they were almost twice the size of mine, which at the time was size 8-9. I stood there shaking for a bit till I felt it was safe. I did not run but walked fast till I got close enough to home where I felt safe to run. Then I bolted like a bat out of hell. I remember the terror I had in my heart and praying "Please don't come back" over and over.

Mom was angry and not believing a word I said. I also got a butt tanning from my father later on. I lost my gloves and the groceries, and my pants and boots were "stained" That's all my folks cared about. I kept saying it was a "hairy caveman." No one would believe me. I lived in fear for two months after that, for fear of running into them again and I never crossed the woods and fields again. I never heard of bigfoot or sasquatch or anything like that before. Years later I learned what I saw when I was working at the library back on Long Island and found a book on Bigfoot (The Big Foot Casebook). To date I still get nightmares if I dwell on the topic too long. Being I am an artist, I have tried to draw it/them countless of times and yet my renderings never come close. The closest depiction I have ever seen to what I saw was the costumed actors on the documentary "Manbeast: Man or legend" with Peter Byrne. Just taller and a bit more wide. I remember the first time I saw the special and the whole encounter came flooding back to me and the nightmares increased. Today I volunteer at the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle. I spend some time with the gorillas, siamangs, colobus, patas monkeys, orangs and other simians but I can state that what I saw was none of these species.

You win. This was INSANE to read. First, I’m really sorry your parents reacted that way. If my kid came home sobbing with pissed pants, I’d at least think something happened. That’s pretty old for a spanking, too. And the nightmares that followed? Have you tried trauma therapy? If this is triggering I’m really sorry, but it sounds a lot like the most famous picture of Bigfoot, patty. The photo is still not explainable, for reasons I do not know because I haven’t looked them up… I believe in Bigfoot 100%. My mom saw it in the woods in Missouri (and ran the hell away) and sometimes when I’m out in the woods on my ranger, I hear things. The other night I heard a huge noise in the woods. It could have been a cougar or a black bear, but it sounded a lot bigger. There are Sasquatch sightings in Missouri, as well as all around America. Is working with primates kind of therapeutic for you? I hope, and I’m sorry you had that experience, though it’s very valuable to have and share with the Sasquatch community.

Laurie Dann’s upbringing in an affluent Chicago suburb appeared unremarkable at first glance. However, beneath her seemingly normal exterior lay a complex and troubled individual. 

Known for her insecurities, Laurie resorted to plastic surgery at a young age in an attempt to alter her appearance. Although she attended the University of Arizona for some time, she never completed her degree. It was during her stint as a cocktail waitress at Green Acres Country Club that she crossed paths with Russell Dann, scion of a wealthy family. The pair became inseparable, eventually marrying in September 1982 and fulfilling Laurie’s lifelong dream of residing in a grand mansion.

Yet, as their relationship progressed, Russell began to notice increasingly odd behaviors from his wife. Laurie’s idiosyncrasies included storing makeup in the microwave, randomly tossing money into her car’s backseat, and putting away wet clothes. Her eccentricities gradually worsened, leading to her complete withdrawal from the outside world. She refused to leave the house and neglected basic household chores. 

The once-promising marriage reached a calamitous climax in September 1986 when Russell awoke to the searing pain of an ice pick stabbing him. Convinced Laurie was his assailant, he promptly alerted the police. Adding weight to his claim, a store clerk testified that Laurie had recently purchased an ice pick. However, as Russell had not witnessed the attack while he slept, the charges against Laurie were eventually dropped. The couple divorced shortly thereafter. During the divorce proceedings, Laurie’s ex-boyfriend from five years prior became the target of threatening phone calls in which she falsely claimed to be pregnant with his child. The harassment ceased only when her ex-boyfriend’s lawyer intervened and contacted her parents.

Following her departure from the marital home, Laurie attempted to pursue a career as a babysitter. However, her venture quickly soured as she faced accusations of theft and vandalism, including slashing furniture, rugs, and curtains in clients’ homes. With this business idea in ruins, she sought refuge in a dormitory on a college campus. Unfortunately, her stay there was also fraught with erratic behavior. Laurie hid rotting meat inside furniture and deposited trash in other students’ rooms. 

Seeking a fresh start, she moved to another dorm in Madison, Wisconsin, where her presence earned her the nickname “elevator lady.” Witness accounts painted a disturbing picture of Laurie aimlessly riding the elevator for hours on end. She continued her pattern of leaving decomposing meat around the building and even startled onlookers by appearing naked in communal areas. Just one month after her arrival, a dorm room was set ablaze. Although suspicions were raised about Laurie’s involvement, no concrete evidence was found, and she was never charged.

By this point, Laurie’s mental state had deteriorated to a point of no return. Tragically, appropriate professional intervention was never sought. After threatening a fellow student and slashing his clothing, Laurie turned to a more sinister act. She baked buns laced with arsenic and distributed them to various fraternity houses and local residences. 

In a separate incident, she attempted to take two children from a former babysitting client to a fair, but fortunately, the children refused to consume the poisoned milk she offered them. The diluted arsenic in the treats she had distributed caused no harm. Laurie’s descent into chaos continued as she tried to set fire to a nearby daycare center before returning to the home of her former clients and setting it ablaze. The family managed to escape through a broken window just in time. 

Unfazed, Laurie proceeded to Hubbard Woods Elementary School armed with two handguns. Upon entering the building, she opened fire indiscriminately, killing 8-year-old Nicholas Corwin and critically injuring five others. After shedding her blood-soaked shorts and improvising a makeshift bag around her waist, Laurie fled the school. Her escape came to an abrupt end when she crashed her car into a tree. 

Seeking refuge, she broke into the home of Ruth and Phillip Andrews, holding the terrified family hostage for six harrowing hours. Laurie claimed she had killed her rapist and was now evading the police. In a desperate struggle, Phillip managed to wrestle the gun away from her, sustaining a gunshot wound to his chest in the process. Despite his injury, he staggered into the garden while his family sought safety. Alone in the Andrews’ residence, Laurie turned the gun on herself, ending her tumultuous life.