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Buzz Feed
12 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
What's A True Crime Case No One Talks About?
There are a lot of true crime stories that are so infamous it feels like evveeeerrryone knows about them — Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and D.B. list goes on. But on the flip side, there are actually many true crime stories not a lot of people have heard about before. For example, have you ever heard of the "Hangman" or "Killer Cop," aka Gerard John Schaefer Jr.? He was a former sheriff's deputy and suspected serial killer active in Florida during the '70s who killed two teen girls. It's suspected he actually had dozens more victims. Or did you know about the unsolved Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders that took place from 1972–1973 in Northern California? There were seven confirmed killings, but possibly a lot more. Perhaps you've gone your whole life not knowing that the R.E.M. song, 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?' is a reference to the 1986 crime where CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather was attacked and mugged by two men while one of them repeatedly said, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?' Basically, what I'm saying is, there are A LOOOOOOT of unbelievable, true crime stories out there, especially ones people don't talk enough about. So we wanna know: what's a lesser-known true crime story that we haven't already heard?! Tell us in the comments or via the totally anonymous form below for a chance to be featured in a future BuzzFeed Community post or video! Do you love all things scary, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox!
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
Creepy, Dark, And Seriously Messed-Up Things I Learned This Week
Hello! I'm Crystal, and I write the That Got Dark newsletter, BuzzFeed's weekly roundup of all things creepy, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you looooove this kind of content, you should subscribe to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! Here's what the newsletter is covering this week: The 1987 sleepwalking murder case of Kenneth Parks in Toronto, Canada. One night, ALL while sleepwalking, Parks got out of bed and drove almost 15 miles from his home, where he killed his mother-in-law, then attempted to kill his father-in-law. Parks, who said he was unconscious through the whole ordeal, had entered his in-laws' home with a key he'd been given in the past. He bludgeoned his mother-in-law to death with a tire iron, then attempted to choke his father-in-law to death, who miraculously survived the attack. In an extra surprising twist, Parks then drove straight to a police station (still covered in blood), and told the cops, 'I think I have just killed two people.' Parks would even go on to say he was fast asleep when he surrendered. A year later, he was acquitted of murder and attempted murder using a rare legal defense known as 'non-insane automatism,' supported by evidence of parasomnia (a sleep disorder). The existence of Heritage USA, a massive Christian theme park and resort complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina, that was built in 1978 by televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. At its peak, Heritage USA drew 5–6 million visitors annually, billing itself as the third most-visited park in the US and being called a "Christian Disneyland." It closed in 1989 after a major financial scandal, the loss of its tax-exempt status, and damage from Hurricane Hugo. Today, some structures remain, with parts repurposed by a church ministry, but nearly everyone who's seen it since says its abandoned state and sketchy history make it very creepy. Above is "Praise the Lord" board chairman Rev. Jerry Falwell sliding down the 52-foot water slide at Heritage USA. And here's what one Buzzfeed Community member had to say about their IRL experience with the eerie theme park: 'In the mid-'80s, my brother returned to school as a journalism major at the University of South Carolina. One of his assignments was to write a story about the newly opened theme park. So, one weekend, off he went. He later told me that the whole time he was there, he felt like he had to keep looking over his shoulder because he felt like a couple of guys were going to come up behind him, grab him, and say, 'You don't belong here.' Wish he was still here to tell the story himself.' —Anonymous The horrible case of Genie, a 13-year-old feral child who was discovered in Arcadia, California, in 1970 after years of horrific abuse. Genie (which was a pseudonym) was discovered after being brutally isolated and starved, strapped either to a potty chair or a crib, and forbidden to speak by her abusive father for almost her entire life. Her treatment had been so bad, it resulted in severe physical and linguistic deprivation. She was subsequently placed under intensive study and gained some vocabulary and basic communication skills, but failed to acquire normal grammar. Genie's case became known as one of the "worst cases of child abuse" in the US, and ultimately raised ethical concerns about the treatment of vulnerable subjects and their rights. The tragic death of actor Angus Cloud, who died of an accidental drug overdose — a lethal mix of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, and benzodiazepines — on July 31, 2023, in his family's home in Oakland, California. Cloud had reportedly been staying with his mother following the death of his father in May. In an interview with People, Cloud's mother, Lisa, said that she found her son in the morning slumped over his desk. She tried to resuscitate him, but by the time first responders arrived, it was too late, and they later determined Cloud had already been deceased by the time they'd even been dispatched. Lisa explained to People, "He got tired from lack of oxygen. Everything just slowed down, and eventually his heart stopped and he went to sleep. But he didn't kill himself.' Finally, the case of gruesome serial killer William Bonin, known as the 'Freeway Killer,' who raped and murdered at least 21 teenage boys and young men in Southern California between 1979 and 1980. Bonin would lure victims into his van, often with help from accomplices, then assault and kill them, dumping their bodies along freeways. Caught in 1980, he was convicted of 14 murders and died by lethal injection in 1996 — California's first to be carried out by that method. His last meal: Two large pepperoni and sausage pizzas, three pints of coffee ice cream, and three six-packs of Coca-Cola. I think that's just about enough unsettling stuff for the week, don't you? In the next issue, we'll tackle the story of the 'Twitter Killer' and the infamous murder of Sharon Tate. Love this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Do you have a weird, creepy, or shocking story you want to share? Perhaps there's a strange Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@ and who knows, maybe it'll be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark!
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Health
- Buzz Feed
21 Body Horror Wikipedia Pages
Obsessed with the macabre?! Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! Fatal Familial Insomnia — An extremely rare genetic neurological disorder that causes progressive insomnia, leading to total sleep deprivation and death. At the most basic level, FFI affects the part of the brain that controls sleep. People with this rare disorder slowly lose the ability to sleep, and this leads to serious problems like confusion, trouble moving, body changes (like sweating a lot or having a fast heartbeat), and eventually death — usually within a year or two. Currently, there is no cure or treatment. Doctors can test for the gene, but they can only treat the symptoms to keep the person as comfortable as possible. Guatemala Syphilis Experiments — Unethical medical studies conducted by the US government in the 1940s, where researchers intentionally infected prisoners, soldiers, and mental patients in Guatemala with syphilis and gonorrhea without consent. Without the people's knowledge or permission, researchers deliberately infected hundreds of Guatemalan prisoners, soldiers, sex workers, children, and even mental hospital patients with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases to test if antibiotics like penicillin could prevent or treat them. Many of the people were never treated, and some suffered serious health problems or died. These experiments were kept secret for decades and only became public in 2010, when the U.S. government formally apologized for the abuse and wrongdoing. Unit 731 — Japan's WWII biological and chemical warfare research unit that conducted live human experiments. Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, based in occupied Manchuria (present-day China). Operating under the guise of epidemic prevention, it conducted brutal human experiments on civilians and prisoners of war, including vivisection, forced infection with deadly diseases, and frostbite testing. These experiments led to the deaths of an estimated 300,000-plus people. After the war, the U.S. granted immunity to many Unit 731 members in exchange for their research data, allowing key figures like Ishii to avoid prosecution. The unit's atrocities remain one of the most horrifying examples of wartime human experimentation. The Monster Study — A 1939 unethical speech experiment that was conducted on orphaned children in Iowa. Some were psychologically abused to induce speech problems. Led by a researcher named Wendell Johnson, this controversial experiment set out to find out if telling kids they had a speech problem could actually make them stutter. They worked with 22 children from an orphanage — some who already stuttered and some who didn't. The researchers told some of the kids with normal speech that they spoke badly and needed to be careful, even though that wasn't true. As a result, some of those kids became shy, nervous, and had trouble speaking, even though they hadn't stuttered before. The experiment caused lasting emotional harm, and it was later called the 'Monster Study' because of how unethical it was. In 2007, a lawsuit filed by former test subjects and estate representatives of those who have since died was settled for $925,000. Radium Girls — A group of young women in the 1910s and 1920s who worked in factories painting watch dials with glowing paint that contained radium, a radioactive element, ultimately leading to their horrifying deaths from radiation. The young women were told the paint was safe and were even encouraged to lick their brushes to get a fine point. Over time, many of them became very sick — losing teeth, suffering from broken bones, and developing terrible jaw problems — because the radium was poisoning them from the inside. When the companies refused to take responsibility, some of the women fought back by taking them to court, winning a settlement in 1928. FOP (Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva) — An extremely rare condition where a person's soft tissues — like muscles, tendons, and ligaments — slowly turn into bone over time, essentially turning people into 'living statues.' Because of this condition, parts of the body that are supposed to move and bend can become locked in place by extra bone growing where it shouldn't. Even small injuries, like bumps, can trigger this bone growth. As FOP gets worse, it can become very hard to move, eat, or even breathe because of extra bone forming around the rib cage, restricting expansion of the lungs. There's no known cure yet, and doctors try to help by avoiding anything that might cause flare-ups and by managing symptoms as best they can. Tuskegee Syphilis Study — A racist and unethical 40-year medical experiment carried out by the U.S. government where Black men with syphilis were deliberately left untreated. From 1932 to 1972, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study involved hundreds of poor Black men in Alabama who had syphilis but were never told they had the disease. Instead of treating them, doctors studied how the illness would progress if left untreated — even after penicillin became the standard cure in the 1940s. The men were misled and denied proper care for decades, which caused serious harm and death. The study only ended after a news report exposed it, leading to public outrage and a formal government apology in 1997. Teratoma — A type of tumor that commonly contains teeth, hair, fat, or muscle. They can even contain a liver, lungs, eyes, or even a brain, though it's not as typical. Teratomas are sometimes mistaken for parasitic twins. This type of tumor happens when certain cells that are supposed to develop into any part of the body grow in a confused or mixed-up way. Teratomas can be found in places like the ovaries, testicles, or even the chest or brain. Most are harmless and can be removed with surgery, but some can be cancerous and need more serious treatment. Even though they can sound strange or scary, many teratomas are treatable, especially when found early. MKUltra — A highly secretive human CIA experimentation program that tested mind control techniques, often without subjects' consent. MKUltra began in 1953 and ran through the 1960s. The program consisted of a series of projects that experimented with mind control techniques — often without people's knowledge or consent. They tested drugs like LSD, hypnosis, and other methods on prisoners, hospital patients, and even regular citizens, hoping to learn how to control thoughts or extract secrets. Many people were harmed, and some were permanently affected or died. The project was kept hidden until the 1970s, when it was exposed by journalists and government investigations. Body Integrity Dysphoria — A rare condition where a person feels like a part of their own body — such as a leg, arm, or even their vision or hearing — doesn't belong to them, sometimes giving them a desire to amputate healthy body parts. Even though the body part is healthy, the person might feel very distressed and strongly believe that they would feel better or 'whole' if it were removed or disabled. This condition is not well understood, and it can be very upsetting for those who experience it. Treatment is challenging, and doctors usually try to help through therapy and support, rather than surgery, since the condition is more about how the brain sees the body rather than something physically wrong. Exploding Head Syndrome — A harmless but startling condition where a person hears a sudden loud noise — like a bang, crash, or explosion — just as they're falling asleep or waking up. Even though it sounds real, there's no actual sound and nothing is physically happening when people experience this. It doesn't cause pain, but it can be scary and confusing. Some people also see flashes of light or feel a jolt in their body. Experts aren't sure exactly what causes it, but it may be related to how the brain shuts down for sleep. Lobotomy — A once-popular psychosurgery technique involving destruction of the brain's frontal lobe, often resulting in severe personality changes. Though it's since been discredited, at the time, this brain surgery was used to treat severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and depression. It involved cutting connections in the brain's frontal lobes to reduce symptoms, but often caused serious side effects such as personality changes, cognitive impairment, and emotional dullness. Popularized in the 1930s through to the 1950s — especially by neurologist Walter Freeman's 'ice-pick' method — it was eventually abandoned due to its harmful effects and the rise of psychiatric medications. Resignation Syndrome — A rare and mysterious condition where children, usually refugees, fall into a coma-like state after experiencing extreme stress or trauma — often related to uncertainty about asylum or fear of deportation. Children with this condition will stop talking, eating, walking, and responding to the world around them, as if they've completely shut down. It has mostly been seen in Sweden among children from war-torn countries. Recovery can take months or even years, and often begins once the family's asylum situation becomes more secure. Necrotizing Fasciitis — Also known as 'flesh-eating bacteria,' is a rare but very serious bacterial infection spreads rapidly and is often fatal. Necrotizing fasciitis spreads quickly and destroys the body's soft tissue, especially under the skin. It's sometimes called a "flesh-eating disease," though the bacteria don't actually "eat" flesh — they release toxins that kill tissue. It often starts from a small cut, bruise, or surgery site and can rapidly cause swelling, severe pain, redness, and fever. Without fast treatment, like antibiotics and surgery to remove dead tissue, it can become life-threatening. Harlequin Ichthyosis — A very rare and severe genetic disorder where babies are born with thick, hard skin that forms large diamond-shaped plates separated by deep cracks. This tight skin can pull on the eyelids, lips, and chest, making it hard to move, eat, or even breathe. It's caused by a gene mutation that affects how the skin forms a protective barrier. Babies with this condition are at high risk for infections and dehydration. While it was rare for affected infants to survive the newborn period with this condition, today babies with it now have a much better chance of living to childhood and early adulthood. Morgellons — A controversial and poorly understood condition where people feel like they have bugs crawling on or under their skin and often report finding strange fibers or particles coming out of their skin. For people affected by this condition, these symptoms are usually very distressing and can include itching, sores, and pain. Many doctors believe Morgellons is linked to a mental health condition called delusional parasitosis, where a person mistakenly believes they're infested with parasites. However, some patients and researchers argue it's a physical illness that hasn't been fully explained yet. Brain-Eating Amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) — Sometimes called the "brain-eating amoeba," it is a rare but deadly microscopic organism found in warm freshwater like lakes, hot springs, and poorly maintained pools. This amoeba can enter the body when water goes up the nose — usually during swimming or diving — and then travels to the brain, causing a severe and often fatal infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). Symptoms start with headache, fever, and nausea, and quickly progress to confusion, seizures, and coma. It's almost always fatal, but very rare, and you can't get it from drinking water — only from water entering the nose. The Thalidomide Scandal — A major medical disaster in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where a drug called thalidomide was given to pregnant women to treat morning sickness and help with sleep, but actually caused birth defects. At the time, the drug was thought to be safe, but it caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies across the world. Many were born with shortened or missing arms and legs, and some had problems with their ears, eyes, or internal organs. It took five years for the connection between the drug and the birth defects to be made. The tragedy led to stricter drug testing and approval rules in many countries, especially during pregnancy. Randy Gardner sleep deprivation experiment — Randy Gardner was a high school student who, in 1964, stayed awake for 11 days straight (264 hours) as part of a science fair experiment — the longest scientifically recorded period of sleep deprivation. During the experiment, he experienced mood swings, memory problems, trouble concentrating, and even hallucinations, but surprisingly had no long-term health effects. Researchers used the experiment to learn more about how important sleep is for the brain and body. Afterward, Randy recovered by sleeping for about 14 hours and then returning to a more normal sleep pattern. Trepanation — The oldest surgical procedure known to man, which was the practice of drilling or cutting a hole into the skull to treat head injuries, relieve pressure, or for spiritual reasons. Evidence shows trepanation (trepanning) was practiced over 7,000 years ago in many ancient cultures. Surprisingly, some people survived multiple procedures. Today, it has evolved into modern craniotomy — a safer, more precise surgery used to treat brain injuries, remove tumors, or relieve pressure, performed with sterile tools and medical imaging. Finally, Biosphere 2 — A sealed greenhouse-like structure built in Arizona in the early 1990s to test whether humans could live in a self-sustaining environment, like a mini Earth, for space travel. Although it sounded cool, people ended up starving and "gasping for breath." Inside, the structure had different ecosystems — like a rainforest, ocean, and desert — and was meant to recycle air, water, and food for eight people living inside for two years. While the idea was exciting, the experiment faced major problems: oxygen levels dropped significantly, food became scarce, and people argued, making it hard to live and work. Obsessed with this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss.
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Buzz Feed
Obscure True Crime Stories
Do you love all things scary, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! A little while back we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about a more obscure true crime story they felt more people should be talking about. Here are their bone-chilling responses: The shocking case of Katherine Knight, who was convicted for the gruesome murder of her boyfriend, John Charles Thomas Price in February 2000 in New South Wales, Australia. She became the first one in Australian history to be given a life sentence without parole. "She stabbed her partner at least 37 times and then tried to feed him to her kids. If you're wondering skinned him, took off his head, chopped him into pieces, cooked him, and served it to their kids with potatoes..."—Anonymous The disappearance of Ann Mineko Racz in Newhall, California in 1991. Although Ann's body has never been found, she is believed to have been murdered by her estranged husband, a former LA County Sheriff's sergeant, John Racz. "She was a mother who was in the process of divorcing her (former) sheriff's sergeant husband to be with her high school sweetheart. Her body has never been found, but even her oldest child is convinced the dad/husband is guilty."—laurenenriquezIn August 2007, John Racz was convicted of murdering Ann from circumstantial evidence. Although Racz denied his guilt in the courtroom, the conviction was upheld by an appeals court in 2010. The cryptic case of Franchesca Alvarado, who disappeared while on a trip to Atlantic City with an unidentified older man in 2012. "Franchesca Alvarado, was a 22-year-old single mom from Philadelphia who went to Atlantic City with a male friend in 2012 and never returned. The male acquaintance and her roommate were suspected but nothing ever came about. Her family never got answers from the police, no search party, nothing. They had to Google search constantly "body found" or "human remains" to get answers. Several months after she disappeared they got a hit, a fisherman found her shoe with her foot fully intact inside. They continued searching eventually finding her tibia and femur after which they would personally request with each medical examiner to see if it was their sister's. That was the last they found of her and had to bury what they could. Still to this day, no arrests have been made. She was a beautiful bright girl, I'll never forget her smile, she went to school with some friends of mine who had nothing but good things to say about her. So sad her daughter and family never got answers."—lisect The highly disturbing case of seven-year-old Ondrej and nine-year-old Jakub Mauerova who were severely abused by their mother Klara (pictured below), which included feeding their flesh to relatives, in the Czech Republic in 2008. "It's scary how this was only discovered because a baby monitor at a neighbor's house showed video from the wrong house (the Mauerova house), and that neighbor saw the boy naked and tied up and then called police. It's way too long and complicated to explain thoroughly in a single comment, but basically, a mentally unwell woman adopts a 13-year-old child who was actually in her 30s, gets into a cult, abuses her two sons because people tell her to do so — this abuse includes locking them up in cages where they were eventually discovered and partially skinning at least one of the sons. The mother had set up a baby monitor to watch them suffer."—sperkeles The violent murder of Katie Janness and her partner's dog Bowie who were found stabbed to death outside the entrance to Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia in 2021. "How have there been no updates on a Jack-the-Ripper-style murder that happened in Atlanta's most popular park?!"—curiouspamelaAfter going out for a walk with Bowie and not returning home, Janness' partner Emma Clark allegedly tracked them with her iPhone and found them dead near the park entrance. Clark then called police who arrived around 1 a.m. Unfortunately, the park's security cameras were inactive reportedly because of outdated technology. So, there's no footage of what exactly to an autopsy report, Janness died from "sharp force injuries of her face, neck, and torso" after sustaining more than 50 stab wounds. It was also reported that the letters "F", "A", and "T" had been carved into her torso.A necropsy was also done on Bowie to see if any DNA could be extracted, however, the results of that have not been publically there have been many tips, the case remains unsolved. The ongoing case of Dahlia Bolin, a 16-year-old teen in rural Illinois who is facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, solicitation of murder for hire, solicitation of murder, and conspiracy to commit murder in the deadly shooting of her mother, Rebecca Bolin on Oct. 22, 2021. "No one has heard about this yet because it's still going to trial, but in a small town near where I live, a girl hired hitmen to kill her parents. They wouldn't let her date, but she had an OnlyFans account. This girl was 15 at the time. She paid the 'hitmen' $150. They did kill her mother, but her father survived. When this goes to trial, it'll be a Dateline story for sure!"—Anonymous The appalling death of five-year-old Logan Marr in Maine in 2001. Logan, and her younger sister Bailey, had been in the care of a woman named Sally Schofield (pictured below) at the time. Schofield was eventually convicted of manslaughter in Logan's death. "She was removed from a good home then murdered by her foster mom. She was acting out, upset she had been removed from her mother again for bogus reasons. Maine placed her with a DHS (Department of Human Services) employee, Sally Schofield. Schofield wrapped her in duct tape and taped her to a high chair then left her alone in the basement. After a bit, Schofield checked on her and Logan was dead. Schofield is currently out and free."—AnonymousAccording to News Center Maine, "It was later discovered that the girls should never have been at Schofield's home in the first place because she was a supervisor in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and the placement violated state rules." The strange disappearance of 16-year-old Ruth Wilson in Box Hill, Surrey, England in 1995. "It is still unsolved, her parents afterward acted in such a weird way. It's also knowing who to believe, the taxi driver, her friends, her parents..."—staceyleighkLeading up to her disappearance, there's conflicting information that Ruth was unhappy at home. Ruth had discovered that her mother had died by suicide after her father had told her she fell down the stairs, and she allegedly did not have a good relationship with her stepmother. On the day she disappeared, she had skipped school, went to a flower shop to buy flowers for her stepmother (requesting they be delivered the following week), and was last seen by a taxi driver who dropped her off near a pub that night. According to the taxi driver, Ruth appeared to be waiting for someone to pick her up, as she "stood still" in the rain. It is unknown what happened to her after that.A documentary on her disappearance, Vanished: the Surrey Schoolgirl, was released in 2018. The controversial and highly suspicious death of Private First Class LaVena Lynn Johnson who was found dead in her tent in Iraq in July 2005. Although her death was ruled a suicide by the Department of Defense, her family argues there was evidence suggesting she'd been raped and murdered. "They murdered that young woman and the details are pretty awful."—stabbycrackerAccording to NPR, "Investigators concluded that Private Johnson shot herself in the mouth with her M-16 rifle in a contractor's tent on the military base in Balad, Iraq, where she was stationed. The report included witness testimony suggesting that she may have been depressed over a recent breakup."However, Johnson's father, John, did not believe any of it, and believes his daughter was raped, murdered, and the murder covered formed his own investigation and they studied the investigation documents, photos, and witness statements. He even had her body exhumed for an independent NPR story continued, "Johnson disputes practically everything about the Army's conclusion. He says her commanding officer described her as happy and healthy. He contends that her arms were too short; that she couldn't have shot herself with her rifle, and that the wound in her head was too small to have been made by an M-16. He says the pictures tell him that LaVena had been beaten. There was no suicide note; the bullet that killed her was not found." The Port Arthur massacre, a mass shooting that happened in Tasmania, Australia on April 28, 1996. The killer, Martin Bryant, killed 35 people, including children, and wounded 23 more. —qtrayvnAfter an 18-hour standoff with police, Bryant barricaded himself in a house with a hostage (who he eventually killed) and then lit the house on fire, which in turn set himself on fire. He came running out of the house on fire where authorities extinguished is currently serving 35 life sentences plus 1,652 years in prison. The gruesome triple homicide of an elderly couple, who were tortured before their death, and their deaf and nearly-blind son in the Boise foothills of Idaho in 2015. "There is very little information on it but I am so curious and want to know and understand everything. It was an older couple in a nice home who lived with their adult son who was deaf and killer broke in to 'steal,' but savagely killed the couple while their son couldn't hear anything and then went to his room and killed him too. To think that he didn't know what was going on while his parents were screaming.I just remember the press conference the chief of police just looked stunned and said it was the most gruesome and bloody crime scene he has seen in his 25-plus years on the police force."—grimchbettahavemymoneyThe perpetrator, Adam Dees, was caught not long after and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The case of Anna Maciejewska from Malvern, Pennsylvania who has been missing since 2017 and whose case is being investigated as a homicide. "Her husband and his family are clearly involved, but they are no longer cooperating with the police. She lived in my neighborhood and I would pass her missing poster each day. Her husband was even seen at the townhouse at night removing something in trash bags. Her parents live in Poland and have not received any answers about their daughter. She also has a son who is being raised by her husband (the main person of interest)."—sprescott93 The terrible Parker-Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand in June 1954, which actually inspired the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures. "16-year-old Pauline Parker and 15-year-old Juliet Hulme (pictured above) had a very close and obsessive friendship. Juliet was being sent to South Africa for health reasons, and the girls were being separated. Both of them saw Pauline's mother as the obstacle in their path, so they went on a walk to Victoria Park. They dropped a stone, and as Pauline's mother bent over to pick it up, the girls bludgeoned her to death with a half brick in a stocking. They made a story up about an accident when they were questioned by the police, but it fell apart quickly. As they were too young for the death penalty, they were sentenced to 5 years in separate prisons and were released in 1959."—mollyredsull The mysterious and upsetting death of a young girl named Sara Keesling in Riverside, California in 1988 that didn't get enough attention. "Her body was found decomposing on a hillside two weeks after she was reported missing. To this day, no one has ever been suspected, charged, or arrested, nothing. It barely even made the local news at the time. Someone murdered this child and has gotten away with it."—keetawnandon The horrifying case of mass murderer John List who methodically killed his wife, three children, and mother at their home in Westfield, New Jersey in 1971 believing it was "the only way to ensure their safe arrival in heaven." "Probably a more popular one but I'm still fascinated by John List. Killed his entire family and mother and went on the run for 18 years to 'save them from damnation.' As a note, his father who had passed before the murders, and his mother whom he killed are buried in my in-laws' hometown. There is a blank spot on their headstone and local lore says he's buried right next to her in an unmarked grave."—thegassygoose The unthinkable and extremely violent killing and dismemberment of Aliahna Lemmon, a nine-year-old girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Michael Plumadore, a family friend who was babysitting her in 2011. "This is one that I feel has a much larger story that isn't even being looked in to. This happened in my town, down the street from where I lived, and this little girl was in my son's class at school. Michael Plumadore was charged with murder in the death of Aliahna Lemmon."—dianah44221ccb5According to CBS News, "Plumadore was allegedly looking after Aliahna and her six-year-old sisters on Dec. 22 at his mobile home while their mother was said they found the girl's head, hands, and feet in the freezer at the mobile home where Plumadore lived with Aliahna's grandfather, who died about three weeks earlier. The other remains were thrown into trash bags and discarded at a gas station. The other girls weren't harmed."Plumadore pleaded guilty in court and agreed to a life sentence without possibility of parole. David Parker Ray, aka the Toy-Box Killer, who was active in the '90s in New Mexico. The moniker came from the fact that he would chain and torture women in his soundproofed "toy box," a semi-trailer. "The Toy-Box Killer was a suspected serial killer who would abduct, rape, and torture his victims. He would drug the women his accomplice would abduct and keep them in a trailer on his property (hence the name). When the victims regained consciousness, he would play them a tape, laying out exactly what was going to happen to them for however long the killer would keep them there. When he was done with them, he would either (presumably) kill them or 'wipe [their] memories' with another drug cocktail before setting them loose on a desert road, naked. He was caught after one of his victims managed to escape. He died in jail before his trial started so his victims never got justice."—flipswhitefudge The tragic case of Keith Warren, a Black teenager who was found hanging from a tree in Maryland in 1986, and whose case was believed to be mishandled and "erroneously ruled a suicide." "His mother is still seeking justice. The police are still ignoring her. The bizarre details of the case and the (in my opinion willful) inaction of the police make it a memorable one. The docuseries I watched about it, Uprooted, was heart-wrenching and I was so struck by his family's anguish."—mollyh40d9072ac The horrible case of Seth Privacky, who shot and killed his parents, grandfather, brother, and his brother's girlfriend in November 1998 in Muskegon, Michigan. "Several motives were offered by Seth and other individuals, but something enraged him on November 28th. After his dad (a 5th-grade teacher) left to pick up his grandfather for a delayed Thanksgiving meal, Seth shot his brother in the head as he watched TV. When his father and grandfather arrived home, Seth shot and killed both in the driveway. He then went upstairs and killed his mother as she got out of the shower. His brother's girlfriend then arrived unexpectedly and saw the bodies in the driveway. Seth then killed her as well. He got a friend to help try and cover up the crime and then fled. The cover-up failed, and Seth was caught, arrested, and sentenced to life in prison. He was killed in 2010 during a failed prison escape attempt."—jenniferr4786d9525 The deplorable case of Marcus Wesson, a mass murderer, abuser, and rapist — including the rape of his own underage daughters and nieces — who is responsible for one of Fresno, California's most horrific crimes. His crimes spanned several decades, from the 1970s until the mid-2000s. "Marcus Wesson ran a cult-like household in the middle of Fresno, California. When authorities got involved after multiple, repeated reports of child abuse, he killed most of his family, including nine of his children, seven of whom were under the age of nine and had been born out of incest."—AnonymousAccording to ABC 30 News, "Wesson believed he was Jesus and if anyone tried to separate the family, then they would all go to heaven. He even went so far as to purchasing caskets from a local antique store months before the mass murder took place."Wesson was convicted on June 17, 2005, on nine counts of murder, and 14 counts of rape and molestation. He was sentenced to death and remains on death row at San Quentin. The awful case of Jeff Pelo, a former Bloomington Police Sergeant who was convicted of repeatedly assaulting four women and stalking a fifth woman in Bloomington, Illinois from 2002–2006. "He used his training and influence as a respected police officer in his community to stalk and assault women and then watched as he made them clean off all evidence making it impossible for detectives to find him. Super creepy guy, makes me glad my dog is not in love with strangers."—silvership35Pelo was sentenced to more than 400 years behind bars for the series of brutal rapes. The case of Robert Garrow, a serial rapist and spree killer who was active in upstate New York in the 1970s. The case turned a bizarre twist when his lawyers refused to disclose the location of the bodies of two of his victims in what became known as the "Buried Bodies Case." The horrifying case of Anthony Sowell aka "The Cleveland Strangler" or "The Imperial Avenue Murderer," a serial killer who was active in Cleveland, Ohio in 2009. "A literal monster in every sense of the word. His victims included 11 women (11 were identified, but could be up to 14) and a local sausage shop that was blamed for the foul smell in the neighborhood. In reality, the odor was from the decomposing bodies scattered throughout Sowell's residence next door."—meghanr4bda0d31dSowell died of a terminal illness while in prison in 2011. The disappearance of Wetumpka, Alabama resident Traci Pittman Kegley in 1998. Her car was found abandoned with her unharmed two-year-old daughter, purse, and ID still inside. "She was due to start a new job the next day and it's noted that her divorce was finalized 16 days before her disappearance."—Anonymous The nightmarish case of Allan Legere, an arsonist, rapist, and serial killer who was active in New Brunswick, Canada in the 1980s. —AnonymousLegere, aka the "Monster of the Miramichi," was initially imprisoned for the murder of a local shopkeeper and the rape and assault of his wife. However, he escaped prison and then went on to four more people over seven months before finally being caught. The awful case of Thomas Koskovich & Jayson Vreeland, aka the "Pizza Killers," who committed their crimes in Franklin, New Jersey in 1997. —AnonymousNew Jersey teens Koskovich and Vreeland were just 18 and 19 years old, respectively, when they killed two randomly chosen pizza deliverymen — Georgio Gallara and Jeremy Giordano. The deliverymen were lured to an abandoned house in a remote location and violently shot to death, multiple times, in their car. According to law enforcement at the time, the teens' motivation was that "they just wanted to see what it would be like to kill somebody." The horrible case of the "Hangman" or "Killer Cop", aka Gerard John Schaefer Jr., a former sheriff's deputy and suspected serial killer active in Florida in the '70s. "I just recently learned about this horrible horrible man. He is responsible for the murders of many women, which were carried out in such horrific ways. If you love listening to True Crime, I recommend listening to a podcast about this guy. My jaw was on the floor that someone could carry out such horrific acts."—Anonymous The case of Bruce McArthur, a serial killer active in the 2010s in Toronto, Canada who targeted marginalized people, primarily gay men of color. "He buried their body parts in landscape pots at a client's home that he landscaped at, and police arrested him right before he was about to murder his next victim. They found the victim tied up when they entered his home."—Anonymous The Ant Hill Kids cult, formed by Roch Thériault in Canada, which was active from the '70s to the '80s. "Honestly, the WORST cult I have ever read about. A few members were brutally tortured and murdered. One even got away after Roch cut her arm completely off. There are so many details but be prepared if you read into it."—AnonymousFounded by Thériault in 1977 as a doomsday cult, Thériault had multiple wives and impregnated all female members of the cult as a "religious requirement." He fathered 26 children. The cult dissolved in 1989 and Thériault was eventually convicted of murder in 1993. Finally, the terrifying case of Gary Lee Bullock, who had only been out of jail for a few hours when he committed the violent murder of a beloved priest in Eureka, California in 2014. "Gary Lee Bullock is my husband's cousin and he bludgeoned a priest to death in Eureka, California on New Year's Day 2014."—AnonymousA jury found Bullock "guilty of first-degree murder with special allegations that the crime was committed while engaged in torture, residential burglary, and carjacking. Bullock was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Is there a lesser-known true crime story you think more people should know about? Tell us in the comments below or via this anonymous form: Are you obsessed with this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox!
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21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Murder Of Junko Furuta, A Man "Eaten Alive" By A Sinkhole, And A Bunch Of Other Terrifying Things You Should Know About
Hello! I'm Crystal, and you've landed on my weekly roundup of creepy, macabre, and horrible AF things I really wanted to share with like-minded folks (like you)! And if you looooove this kind of content, you should subscribe to my official That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre delivered RIGHT to your inbox! Now, fair warning, because this is a weekly newsletter, just know this article won't be formatted like your typical ~BuzzFeed style~ list. Related: Each week, we'll be highlighting these topics: 💀Terrible, Dark, and Shocking Things I Learned This Week 👀Creepiest Towns Across America 👽Weird Wiki of the Week 🪦Famous Death Anniversary 🔪Your Weekly Horror Movie Recommendation 🍕An Original Illustration of Serial Killers' Last Meals, by Yours Truly So, lock the doors and turn on a flashlight, it's time to dive into some dark stuff... If you need to add a new fear in your life, I have the perfect one for you: being eaten alive by a sinkhole. In 2013, a man in Florida named Jeffrey Bush was 'swallowed alive' by a 17-foot-wide SINKHOLE that had formed under his bedroom in the middle of the night, while he was sleeping. And, yes, you read that right…UNDER. HIS. BEDROOM. Apparently, the floor collapsed beneath Jeffrey, and he fell down into the void along with a dresser, TV, and most of his bed set. His brother, Jeremy, tried to save him, but said it was too late by the time he rushed in to help. Jeremy told reporters that all he could see was cable wire running from the TV down into the sinkhole, and a corner of Jeffrey's Bed. Jeffrey's body was NEVER recovered. Related: Occasionally, I like to ask the BuzzFeed Community to tell me about the most mysterious, cult-like, bad-vibes towns in the United States they've ever been to. And you'd be shocked at how many responses I get each time (or maybe not). This week's spotlight: Mack, Colorado 'Once we had to stop here for do this! Real The Hills Have Eyes vibes. We immediately turned around because of the bad vibes, but got stuck by a passing train. When we returned, a woman, rail-thin with missing teeth, yelled, 'Fill up, I'll open up!' So I started getting gas and noticed the 1980s-style pump had a piece of tape tripping the price. I go past the foul garbage can with flies everywhere and open the door to a horror movie. To my right, a boy eating cereal at a table stops and stares desperately at me. All the store racks were covered with plastic, and dolls were hanging from the rafters. As the woman started yelling, 'You didn't fill up!' I noticed a paper saying, 'Where are you from?' I dropped a 20 to cover my gas. We drove off only to be stopped by the train again. Just as it cleared the road, I saw the woman with other devil's reject types running after the car. Luckily, we got out of there, so I can warn you all!" —Anonymous Related: Wikipedia is like the Wild West. It's vast, lawless, and sometimes you can find some extremely weird (and horrifying) things out there. This week's spotlight: The murder of Junko Furuta. Warning: This is an extremely graphic story. Junko Furuta was a Japanese high school student who was abducted, raped, tortured, and then subsequently murdered in 1989 by four teenage boys over the course of 44 days. Some of the horrific acts she was subjected to included being repeatedly burned, beaten, forced to drink her own urine, and set on fire. Her case was often referred to as the "concrete-encased high school girl murder case," because her body was discovered packed in concrete inside a dumped oil drum. The case became widely known not only due to the extremely graphic nature of the repeated beatings and sexual assaults she endured, but also the belief from the public that the perpetrators received lenient sentences. Bruce Lee — Died: July 20, 1973. Cause of Death: Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain). How he died: Lee died on July 20, 1973, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong after being found unconscious on the floor of his apartment. He was 32 years old. Interestingly, at the time of his death, Lee had been in the process of working on a film called Game of Death. Because Lee had only shot roughly 40 minutes of footage before he died, the filmmakers opted to finish the film by using stand-ins, recycled scenes from some of his previous works, and even used real-life footage of Lee in his casket (as seen above) for a scene where the character in the film fakes his own death. Related: Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021) What it's about: A four-part true‑crime documentary miniseries covering the terrifying 1984–85 murder spree of Richard Ramirez, infamously known as the 'Night Stalker.' Why you should watch it: This is from a few years ago, but if you missed it, I HIGHLY recommend you get on that. It's a deeply fascinating story told through the eyes of the detectives who actually chased Ramirez. Where you can watch it: Streaming for free on Netflix. David Alan Gore Gore was a serial killer who committed six brutal murders in Florida between 1981 and 1983. He was often accompanied by his cousin, Fred Waterfield, and together they were given the moniker the "Killing Cousins." They would abduct, rape, and murder women and teenage girls, often using Gore's position as an auxiliary sheriff's deputy to lure victims. Gore was arrested after a failed escape attempt by 17-year-old Lynn Elliott, whose murder led to his capture. He was executed by lethal injection in 2012 after spending 28 years on death row. His last meal: Fried chicken, French fries, and butter pecan ice cream. Well, I think it's time we shut it down for the week. In the next issue, I'll talk about a sleepwalking killer and the tragic story of a feral child that will scar you for life (so be sure to subscribe below)! Until then, stay safe, keep the lights on, and I'll see you for another horrifying trip down the rabbit hole… Do you have a weird, creepy, or shocking story you want to share? Perhaps there's a strange Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@ and who knows, maybe it'll be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark! Love this kind of content? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get a weekly post just like this delivered directly to your inbox. It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Also in BuzzFeed: Also in BuzzFeed: Also in BuzzFeed:
