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.
Not long after midnight on January 24th, 2000, emergency services were called to the scene of a fire in the parking lot of the College Avenue Baptist Church in San Diego, California. Once the fire was out, authorities were shocked to find a badly burned body amid the ashes. A post-mortem determined that the remains … More Nicole Weis
On Sunday, September 3rd, 2000, seventy-five-year-old Mary Rearden was shopping with her daughter Charlotte; the older woman purchased some tulip bulbs she planned to plant in her garden the next day, which was Labor Day. On Monday morning, Charlotte called her mother as she usually did, but became concerned when there was no answer after … More Mary Rearden
Elizabeth Swanson was thirty-eight years old and had a nine-year-old son with her husband Peter. The couple owned a coin laundry and dry-cleaning business called Palm Cleaners in Coquina Key, Florida. On February 11th, 2000, Elizabeth was working at the establishment, filling in for an employee who had called in sick. At around four in … More Elizabeth Swanson
Thirty-three-year-old Karen Boren was originally from Wisconsin but had moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1990. She worked part-time at the St. Petersburg Times and had a three-year-old daughter. She’d also had some problems with drug and alcohol abuse in the past and had been arrested in 1996 for drunk driving and domestic battery (though … More Karen Boren
Kenisha Dixon moved into a new apartment in Houston, Texas sometime around March of 2000, and though she didn’t have a boyfriend, she lived with a male roommate. Sadly, not much is known about her life leading up to the tragic event of her murder, but there is reason to believe she thought her life … More Kenisha Dixon
Paul Rogers was twenty-seven years old and the father of a nine-year-old son. He lived in a flat on Catherine Street in Toxteth, Liverpool, England. He was unemployed in the summer of 2000 but was known to sell marijuana in a small capacity, mostly to friends and locals. At around eleven p.m. on August 5th, … More Paul Rogers
Adam Matthews was twenty-five years old and led something of a troubled existence, having spent some time living on the streets and using illicit drugs. He had one child, but in the fall of 2000, he was living with his mother in Fawkner, Victoria, Australia, and trying to get his life back together. On October … More Adam Matthews
Forty-four-year-old Christos Saristavros was a self-made millionaire, a Greek Australian who made his fortune crafting handmade dips based on his family recipes. His company, Black Swan, eventually sold its popular products in supermarkets nationwide, and later diversified into yogurts, guacamole, and hummus. Christos lived with his beloved wife Tammy in a mansion in Black Rock, a … More Christos Saristavros
It was October 21st, 2000, and twenty-four-year-old Clay Benjamin was attending a blues party at a residence on Granby Street in Toxteth, Liverpool, England. At some point during the event, someone stabbed Clay in the heart. The victim was rushed to the hospital but did not survive his injuries. A thirty-four-year-old man named Eugene Weaver … More Clay Benjamin
Sixteen-year-old Tangor Gokkusu was a student at Stoke Newington secondary school, and an avid soccer fan, particularly of the Turkish team Galatasaray. He lived with his family on Heron Drive in Finsbury Park, north London. On October 3rd, Tangor was on his way home from class, taking the 141 bus from Stoke Newington as usual. … More Tangor Gokkusu
Crime Immemorial 