On April 12th, 1946, three people who had been walking on the shore of the Willamette River not far from Oak Grove, Oregon found a burlap sack floating in the water not far from the bank. The bag had been bound tightly with wire and rope. Initially thinking someone had drowned a litter of kittens, … More Oak Grove Jane Doe – The Wisdom Light Murder

The year was 1903. Forty-year-old Edwin Burdick was a wealthy businessman, a part-owner of the successful Buffalo Envelope Company and living in a tasteful mansion at 101 Ashland Avenue in Buffalo, New York with his wife Alicia, the couple’s three children, and Alicia’s mother, Maria Hull. Despite his seemingly carefree life, however, some dark clouds … More Edwin Burdick

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

Fifty-three-year-old Mabel Harper was a widow and a mother of three grown children, two of whom were in the military. She lived on Aubrey Avenue in Victoria Park, Cardiff, Wales. On the evening of August 12th, 1943, Mabel had been visiting her sister in Gelligaer Gardens and left at about ten-fifty p.m., but she evidently … More Mabel Harper

It was the evening of February 4th, 1924 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Father Hubert Dahme, a well-liked priest at the St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, was taking his daily walk through downtown. Just as he was in the vicinity of the Lyric Theater, an unknown assailant ran up behind him and shot him once behind … More Father Hubert Dahme

It was around nine-forty-five on the evening of Sunday, January 26th, 1919. Eighteen-year-old John Bianchi, who lived with his parents and five brothers in a village called Bigges Maine on the outskirts of Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, was walking with his paramour Elizabeth Philipson, who was also his cousin. She worked at … More John Bianchi

On September 28th, 1939, four-year-old Joyce Cox was walking home from Whitchurch Infants’ School in Coryton, Cardiff, Wales, accompanied by her seven-year-old brother Dennis. The children stopped by their grandmother’s house briefly, then continued on their way. Upon arriving in the alley behind their house, they met their cousin Alan, and the three of them … More Joyce Cox

Vera May Glasspool was a tall, pretty fifteen-year-old who originally lived with her parents and eight siblings in Baybridge, Owslebury, Winchester, England. She worked as a scullery maid at the nearby Longwood House, and stayed there in the servants’ quarters for most of the week, though she was allowed to walk back to visit her … More Vera May Glasspool

On November 12th, 1948, a woman named Irene McNamara left her home in Middlesbrough, England, and went out to her job as a cleaner. She was a widow—her husband had died in 1946—and she worked hard to provide for her three children, which included a twenty-two-month-old toddler named Terence. She left the baby in the … More Terence McNamara