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 afternoon of April 9th, 1953 in Rome, Italy. The mother and sister of twenty-one-year-old Wilma Montesi invited her along to the movies, but Wilma declined, not particularly wanting to see the film in question. Wilma was quite a beautiful young woman, and had aspirations of her own to be an actress; she … More Wilma Montesi
Maria Hsiao had just turned twenty-one years old, and by all measures, had a bright future ahead of her. She had grown up in San Leandro, California, where she still lived, and was attending college at the California Academy of Art in San Francisco, where she was studying to be a digital effects designer. According … More Maria Hsiao
As the summer of 1954 faded into early fall, England would see a young woman fall victim to a faceless assailant in the night-time city streets. Jean Townsend was twenty-one years old, and worked as a costumer for many of the theaters around London’s famed West End. On the evening of September 14th, Jean had … More Jean Townsend
As June of 1978 neared its end in Scottsdale, Arizona, a crime occurred which still holds a fascination for the public more than forty years later, not only because of the violence of the killing and the sordid details which emerged in its wake, but also because of the immensely famous victim. Boyishly handsome actor … More Bob Crane
In the late spring of 1970, in Norman, Oklahoma, a double homicide with decidedly Zodiac-like characteristics would take place on a remote lover’s lane. It was the evening of Saturday, May 9th, 1970, and twenty-one-year-old David Sloan had taken his nineteen-year-old girlfriend Sheryl Lynn Benham to a party at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house … More Sheryl Lynn Benham & David Sloan: The Ten Mile Flat Murder
Only weeks before Christmas of 1984, a young schoolgirl would be waylaid on the way home from a holiday party in England, and her murder would remain unsolved nearly four decades later. Fourteen-year-old Lisa Hession had been attending a small celebration with friends, as well as her sixteen-year-old boyfriend Craig Newell, in the town of … More Lisa Hession
A few days before Christmas of 1970, an Iowa woman would turn up dead in circumstances that involved a nasty divorce and an illicit affair. Thirty-seven-year-old Mary Bernice Lange worked as a clerk at the Burlington Municipal Court and was also the mother to three children aged eleven, fourteen, and eighteen. In 1970, Mary and … More Mary Bernice Lange
Only a couple of days after Christmas of 1966, two boys enjoying their school holidays were happily scrounging through some abandoned buildings on Spa Lane in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. In a derelict warehouse that had once been part of the Scarsdale Brewery, the boys suddenly came upon an appalling sight: the mostly-nude body of a … More Mavis Hudson
In the winter of 1995, a little girl in Ohio would vanish while walking to school. She would not be found until two months into the following year. Thirteen-year-old Barbara Barnes was a quiet, conscientious child who volunteered at the Salvation Army and was a favorite of her teachers at Harding Middle School in Steubenville, … More Barbara Barnes
Fifty-eight-year-old Alma Preinkert had been the Registrar at the University of Maryland campus in Washington DC since the mid-1930s, and was much loved by the student body, who referred to her affectionately as “Miss Preink.” It was Saturday, February 27th, 1954, and Alma and her sister Margaret had been out at a friend’s house playing … More Alma Preinkert
Crime Immemorial 