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.
Thirty-nine-year-old Josephine Backshall lived in Witham, Essex, England, with her husband and three young children. She had been looking for part-time work in the area, and had placed an ad in the local newspaper, the Maldon and Burnham Standard, offering her services. Much to her surprise, she got a response to her ad almost immediately: … More Josephine Backshall
Seventeen-year-old Deborah Kozlarek and her thirteen-year-old friend Carolyn Vandermolen were seen several times on the evening of September 23rd, 1972, near their homes on the south side of Chicago. Deborah washed some clothes at a laundromat on 51st Street, and both girls were seen by multiple witnesses walking around the vicinity, as well as sitting … More Debbie Kozlarek & Carolyn Vandermolen
In the autumn of 1972, there was a disturbing massacre of an entire family in the Midwestern United States for which a motive has never been determined. Retired Army colonel Bill Peak had formerly served as a military attaché to Russia and Hungary, but by the time 1972 rolled around, he had decided to retire … More The Peak Family
In the summer of 1972, a recent high school graduate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania would meet a ghastly end at the hands of a probable gang of savage killers. Seventeen-year-old Dolores Della Penna had been an honors student at St. Hubert’s Catholic High School, though she had received her diploma only a little more than a … More Dolores Della Penna
It was approximately six p.m. on Friday, December 17th, 1971 and a man named Werner Schmidt had just dropped off his daughter Patricia—also answering to the nickname Susi—at the home of her friend, sixteen-year-old Frieda Piechnick. Mr. Schmidt then went on to his job as a bartender at the German Club in Adelaide, South Australia. … More Patricia Schmidt
It was approximately five p.m. on the evening of November 21st, 1971 when Kathy Lynn Gloddy decided to walk to a convenience store near her home in Franklin, New Hampshire to purchase some treats. She set out with her beloved German shepherd Tasha trotting faithfully along beside her. At the store, she bought some potato … More Kathy Lynn Gloddy
It was very early on the morning of September 18th, 1966. All was quiet in the posh, stately Kenilworth home of the Percy family, occupied by Bell & Howell executive and U.S. Senatorial candidate Charles Percy, his second wife Loraine, and his five children, three of whom were a product of his first marriage to … More Valerie Percy
It was Saturday, November 24th, 1973, two days after Thanksgiving. Thirty-year-old Ethel Higonnet, a fellow of Radcliffe Institute and the wife of Harvard professor Patrice Higonnet, was walking in Longfellow Park only a few blocks from her home when she was suddenly set upon by an unknown assailant at around five-forty-five p.m. According to a … More Ethel Higonnet
It was September 2nd, 1973, and ten-year-old Brian McDermott was playing in Ormeau Park near his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He never came back home, and despite a massive search, his fate would be unknown until a week later. On September 9th, the child’s burned and mutilated body was found in a sack in … More Brian McDermott
On August 23rd, 1973, a fifteen-year-old boy named James Teta vanished from his home in Revere, Massachusetts. Two days later, his nude body was found in a wooded area off Route 119 in Rindge, New Hampshire. He had been raped and strangled. The investigation into his death remained stagnant for years, until an unsettling clue … More James Teta
