Rasputin, a self-proclaimed magician and cult leader, wormed his way into the palace of the Romanovs, Russia’s ruling family, around the turn of the last century. He did so by telling stories to the heir to the throne, a boy named Alexis. His stories kept Alexis calm and sedate. This was important to the royal…
This twentieth-century urban legend haunted residents of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The legend had it that a figure with a severely burned face lurked around an abandoned train tunnel at night and made electricity go haywire with his very presence. Curious teenagers would sneak out to the tunnel to try to catch a glimpse of him. Well,…
According to this creepy tale, “Cropsey” lurked beneath the abandoned Willowbrook State School for children. In some versions of the tale, Cropsey was an ax murderer; in others, he was a monstrous boogeyman. In both, he was a murderous creeper hunting for lost children. And, sadly, he was based on a real murderous creeper. His…
Name: Robert Jeffrey (“Jeff”) Pelley Date of Birth: December 10, 1971 Claim to Infamy: On Sunday morning, April 30, 1989, four members of his family were found shot to death in their home. More than seventeen years later, Jeff Pelley was found guilty of their murders. His only known motive was that he wanted to…
Name: Michael Dean Overstreet Known Aliases: (none) Date of Birth: November 18, 1966 Claim to Infamy: On September 7, 1997, Overstreet abducted, raped, and murdered 18-yr-old college student Kelly Eckart. Her partially-nude body was found four days later in a ravine at Camp Atterbury. Indiana Connection: A native of Boggstown, Kelly had just finished her…
Name: Herbert Richard “Herb” Baumeister Known Aliases: Brian Smart, Brian Stats Date of Birth: April 7, 1947 Claim to Infamy: Eleven bodies were found on Baumeister’s estate. He also suspected of being the I-70 Strangler. Indiana Connection: Herb was born and raised in Indiana, where he continued to live and hunt humans until shortly before…
April 28, 1978 – Divorced mother Terry Lee Chasteen was taking her three small children – Misty (5), Stephen (4), and Mark (2) – to the babysitter when another driver motioned for her to pull over. Terry pulled to the side of I-465, and the man pulled in behind her, explaining something was wrong with…
On the night before Ted Bundy was executed, he spent most of his time crying and praying. At 7 a.m. on January 24, 1989, Bundy was strapped into the electric chair at Starke State prison in Florida. Superintendent Tom Barton asked Bundy if he had any last words, to which he replied: “Jim and Fred,…
Jim Sullivan was a cult folk-rocker in the ’60s and ’70s who was just days away from his big break when he disappeared. This was a man who had all the talent, all the right connections, and had just landed a gig in Nashville, Tennessee, that would have been his big break … if he…
The Zodiac Killer is one of America’s most infamous serial killers. During the 1960s and 1970s, Zodiac murdered at least five people, often couples in secluded areas, near San Francisco. His first victim was Cheri Jo Bates. He wrote a confession about her, including a message to “beware…” The media has been captivated by the Zodiac…
