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.
Fifty-eight-year-old widow Minnie Lawson was a beloved figure in the small village of Ogle in Northumberland, England. Known by the locals as “Aunt Minnie,” she ran a candy shop out of her home and encouraged young people in the village to use the shop as a gathering place. On August 12th, 1935, a sixteen-year-old neighbor … More Minnie Lawson
It was Monday, February 25th, 1924, and eleven-year-old Vera Hoad was spending time with a friend in the afternoon. She had a music lesson that day, as she did every Monday, so at some point she bid goodbye to her friend and went to keep her appointment. She did her lesson as usual, leaving the … More Vera Hoad
Seventeen-year-old Gabriel Egharevba was described as a “gentle giant,” a tall but fairly shy young man who was nonetheless engaging and funny once people got to know him. According to friends and family, he was a good person who would never have been involved in anything untoward. At around ten p.m. on the night of … More Gabriel Egharevba
Sixty-three-year-old retired veteran William Howe lived alone in a first-floor flat on Victoria Road, Worthing, West Sussex, England. On Monday, January 8th, 1990, police were summoned to his residence, at which point they found the man dead, lying face down on the floor with his arms and legs tightly bound with electrical cords. William Howe … More William Howe
Forty-six-year-old James “Jimmy” Adams worked at the New Beehive pub in Westgate, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. At fifteen minutes past midnight on Tuesday, May 26th, 1981, Jimmy finished his shift and began walking toward home. He stopped at the public toilets at the intersection of Carlisle Road and Bavaria Place, and after leaving the facilities, … More James Adams
Fifty-five-year-old Renee McGowan was a divorced woman who lived alone in a corner flat on the top floor of a fourteen-story building called Evans Towers in Ternhill Grove, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. According to neighbors, she was always well-dressed, friendly, and pleasant, but was reserved and mostly kept to herself. She had told acquaintances she … More Renee McGowan
Fourteen-year-old Judith Roberts was a pretty, intelligent schoolgirl who lived with her family in the village of Wigginton, in Staffordshire, England. On the early evening of June 7th, 1972, she had a minor argument with her parents and decided to go out for a ride on her bicycle along Comberford Lane. She set out around … More Judith Roberts
Seventeen-year-old Mariella Lennie had a four-month-old baby, and lived with her parents in Tulita, in the Northwest Territories, Canada. But somewhere around the autumn of 1991, she moved to the larger city of Yellowknife to live with her aunt Bert and attend high school. Not long afterward, she left her aunt’s home and moved in … More Mariella Lennie
Thirty-nine-year-old Derek Grain had been living in Hertfordshire, England, but in the late summer of 1980, had moved to Bristol for work. Friends described him as something of a loner who enjoyed his drink, but nonetheless a cheerful, friendly fellow who was generous to a fault. Derek had been staying at the Unicorn Hotel, and … More Derek Grain
Thirty-four-year-old Stephanie Whittaker lived with her husband and their three children in Newport, Wales. On the night of Friday, March 23rd, Stephanie planned to go out for a drink with a female friend, but never arrived there, and was henceforth never seen again. Although Stephanie’s body has never been found, foul play is suspected. Her … More Stephanie Whittaker
Crime Immemorial 