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 January 13th, 1996 in Arlington, Texas. Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman and her five-year-old brother Ricky were spending some time at their grandparents’ house on a Sunday afternoon when they decided to take a bike ride around the neighborhood. They set out at about three p.m., heading for the parking lot of an abandoned Winn-Dixie … More Amber Hagerman
On Saturday, June 14th, 1997, a twenty-two-year-old woman named Bilynda Williams was planning on going for a night out with her sister Kadee to a friend’s birthday party not far from their home in Moe, Victoria, Australia—a relatively small town about 80 miles from Melbourne. Bilynda had two children: Breehanna, who was two-and-a-half, and Jaidyn, … More Jaidyn Leskie
Twenty-year-old Nyoka Brice hailed from the small town of Salem, New Jersey, and in February of 2000 was six months pregnant, though the identity of the child’s father is unclear. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nyoka was seen alive on February 9th, spending time with a girlfriend, but evidently her whereabouts were unknown after that … More Nyoka Brice
Fifty-one-year-old Frank Morris owned a shoe repair and dry goods shop in the poverty-stricken town of Ferriday, Louisiana, and also lived in a small room in the back of the store. He was a well-liked and respected businessman in the area, catering to both black and white customers who appreciated his fine handiwork and his … More Frank Morris
In September of 1973, a free-spirited young woman would meet a grisly end in a cemetery in small-town Derbyshire, England, and her murder would lead to what was initially considered to be one of the longest miscarriages of justice in Britain’s legal history, though complications have arisen in the case in the years since. Thirty-two-year-old … More Wendy Sewell
It was the late fall of 1923. Three men, Edward Nickols, Roy Wilson, and Dewey Morris, were heading out from their homes in Bend, Oregon to spend the winter fur trapping at a cabin near Little Lava Lake. The cabin was owned by a logging contractor named Edward Logan, who had agreed to let the … More The Lava Lake Murders
In the summer of 1993, in Los Angeles, a well-known club promoter and record executive would be found brutally butchered in his apartment, in a crime that some have sought to link with one of the most high-profile murder cases in American history. Twenty-five-year-old Brett Cantor was originally from New York, but moved with his … More Brett Cantor
About a week into the month of April, a hard-working immigrant doing a favor for a family member would be savagely slain by someone who authorities termed, “a straight psychopath.” In the year 2000, thirty-seven-year-old Shailesh S. Patel was living in Locust Grove, Georgia with his wife and two children. Shailesh had moved to the … More Shailesh S. Patel
In the summer of 1980, the Dumois family was heading out for a vacation from their residence in Tampa to a rented cottage on Anna Maria Island, a beautiful seven-mile stretch of land off the west coast of Florida. Forty-seven-year-old Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatrician, was accompanied by his wife Maria and the couple’s four … More The Kingfish Boat Ramp Murders
It was the afternoon of Friday, November 13th, 1992, and three friends—sixteen-year-old Antonia Gómez Rodriguez, better known as Toñi; fifteen-year-old María Deseada Hernández Folch, better known as Desirée; and fifteen-year-old Miriam García Iborra—met up at the home of a fourth friend, a girl named Esther Diez, in the town of Alcàsser, in Valencia. Toni, Desirée, … More The Alcàsser Girls
