Jenny Ashford is a horror, true crime, and paranormal writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. Her most recent books are a three-volume true crime compilation collectively known as The Faceless Villain: A Collection of the Eeriest Unsolved Murders of the Twentieth Century. Volume One was published in 2017, Volume Two in 2018, and Volume Three in 2019. Her other books include four paranormal nonfiction books: The Unseen Hand: A New Exploration of Poltergeist Phenomena, The Mammoth Mountain Poltergeist (with Tom Ross), House of Fire and Whispers: Investigating the Seattle Demon House, and The Rochdale Poltergeist (both with Steve Mera); as well as three horror novels, Red Menace, Bellwether, and The Five Poisons; two short story collections, Hopeful Monsters and The Associated Villainies; and a graphic novel, The Tenebrist. A second edition of The Associated Villainies was published in 2019, featuring four new stories, an enhanced print layout, and an audio book version. A second edition of The Five Poisons was published in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Nightmare Collective, History Is Dead, 2012AD, ChimeraWorld #3, and ChimeraWorld #4. Her horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire, contains writing news, short stories and articles, and her reviews and opinions on horror films and books. She also co-hosts a podcast with Tom Ross called 13 O'Clock, on which they discuss true crime, unexplained mysteries, paranormal weirdness, horror movies and books, food, and other fun, creepy topics. They recently collaborated on a 13 O'Clock cookbook. Jenny's graphic design work can be seen on everything from books and business cards to posters and packaging. She runs an online store called Gravecake selling products with her designs, and also has a board-and-card game concern called Giallo Games, which produces games based around the beloved Italian horror/crime genre, among many other themes.
It was the first day of June 1981, and politics in Washington D.C. was chugging along in its usual way, until a grisly find in an apartment near Catholic University would set tongues wagging in the capitol. Raymond Nels Nelson was the son of Swedish immigrants, a fiercely intelligent and irreverent figure who had served … More Raymond Nels Nelson
Fifty-seven-year-old Wilhelmina Kruger had worked as a cleaning woman at the Piccadilly Arcade in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia for about three years. On the morning of January 29th, 1966, Wilhelmina began her shift at around two a.m., as she usually did. Two hours later, she was spotted by a group of people who were … More Wilhelmina Kruger and Anna Dowlingkoa
In the early fall of 1922, a scandalous case in New Jersey would gin up all the tabloid fodder an eager public could possibly wish for: a double murder, a salacious affair, and the possible involvement of a wealthy and jealous spouse. In fact, prior to the Lindbergh kidnapping of the 1930s, this particular case … More The Hall-Mills Murder
Ramona Jean Cox was originally a farm girl from Moravia, Iowa, but she had moved to the capital city of Des Moines in 1956, the same year she graduated high school. She had easily secured secretarial work in the big city, and by all accounts was a well-liked, socially popular young woman who had many … More Ramona Jean Cox
On July 15th, 1982, a gravedigger named George Kise at the Cedar Ridge Cemetery in Blairstown Township, New Jersey spotted something strange in a ravine at the rear of the graveyard. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was the corpse of what appeared to be a teenage girl whose face was so badly beaten … More Dawn Olanick: Princess Doe
The date was April 24th, 1981, and farmer Greg Bridenbaugh was driving along Greenlee Road near the city of Troy, Ohio, when he saw what appeared to be an incongruous piece of clothing in the dirt just off the shoulder. Upon stopping his vehicle and examining the scene more closely, he was shocked to discover … More Marcia King: Buckskin Girl
Sixty-two-year-old Clarence Raymond Case, called Ray by friends and family, was a veteran of World War I, and had worked as a welder for many years before retiring to go into business for himself. Along with his wife Edith, he opened a tavern in Davenport, Iowa called Ray and Edith’s Travel Inn, at which the … More Clarence Raymond Case
In the summer of 1980, a young woman would go missing from her hometown of Nashua, New Hampshire and later turn up dead in the deserts of Arizona. Though she remained unidentified for decades, referred to as Pima County Jane Doe or “Flower Girl,” she was finally given her rightful name in the summer of … More Brenda Gerow
July 29th, 1981 was a significant day in British history, as it was the wedding day of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, who would famously go on to become the much beloved Princess Di. London was thronged with spectators to the lavish event, and among the crowds was a small family known as the … More Vishal Mehrotra
On August 29th of 1960, a little girl in Oregon would disappear from a bean field, though her fate would not be discovered until weeks later. Seven-year-old Alice Louise Lee was playing in a field of green beans on that summer morning in late August. The field was part of Swan’s bean yard, north of … More Alice Louise Lee
Crime Immemorial 