Phantasmal Crime

The Herald's cover story read "…if her death was accidental, it was as strange an accident as was ever conceived by the brain of Poe." Old Hollywood and mysterious deaths seem to go hand in hand, whether it's the case of the Black Dahlia or the mysterious "suicides" of Marilyn Monroe and George Reeves. In the same vein as the mysterious suicides of the latter stars, comes the tale of the mysterious death of movie star Thelma Todd. It is a story that contains all the elements of a perfect Hollywood drama: fame, fortune, gangsters, love and betrayal. Was she murdered, did she die by accident or did she die at her own hand? Whatever the truth may be, her spirit is at unrest. Blonde bombshells and Hollywood. They went together well in Hollywood's Golden Age, but many of those stories ended in heartbreak or tragedy. Thelma Todd was one of those promising starlets who came to an unhappy end in what has become one of Hollywood's enduring mysteries...

Los Feliz is a hybrid of nature and urban sprawl with a long history of Native American habitation, ranching, high-end living, curses, suicide, murder and hauntings. The enclave really has it all with Los Feliz Village offering boutiques and fine dining, Griffith Park featuring great hikes and views and the neighborhood hosting homes with architectural distinction, including the Sowden House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. Los Feliz is a charming neighborhood, but it is also a rich place to die! For thousands of years, the Chumash and Tongva Native American tribes lived in the area that would eventually become Rancho Los Feliz. The Santa Monica Mountains parallel the Pacific Ocean along the coast of southern California. The mountain range stretches from Point Mugu in Ventura County to the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. Spanish settlers arrived later and set themselves up near the banks of the Los Angeles River. One of the first land grants in California went to Corp...

The city of Chicago is notorious for crime. Even as a frontier town, Chicago was known for rape, theft, arson and murder. Today, the city is plagued with shootings. These details put into perspective how bad crime was in the town of North Platte, Nebraska during Prohibition. Many may not think of a place in Nebraska as being a hub of intense crime, but it was so bad in North Platte, that it came to be known as Little Chicago. North Platte would become a base of operations for an evil woman. There really is no other way to describe Annie Cook. Her crimes were mind boggling. The effects of her deeds have continued on to our present era through supernatural activity.   North Platte had been founded in 1866 and was named for the North Platte River. This town was established as the western terminus for the Union Pacific Railway. The railway would extend further west the following year to Laramie, Wyoming. Small towns with a railroad were attractive to criminals, particularly g...

The thought that some humans could be deemed as the throw away people of society is detestable. Drug addicts, the homeless and sex workers are usually classified in this way. And that, makes them easy victims. Particularly for serial killers. An unknown serial killer that wreaked havoc in the city of Cleveland back during the Great Depression was nicknamed "The Mad Butcher." His victims were the people that society had tossed aside. Their torsos were the only things left behind in this killer's wake.    James Kingsbury was the first resident of Newburgh, which was a township south of Cleveland. An area along the east side of Cleveland near Shaker Heights that stretched westward down to the Cuyahoga River was named for him, Kingsbury Run. This piece of land that separated Cleveland from Newburgh was a booming place. At least for a little while. The industry here collapsed during the Great Depression and poverty moved in hitting the immigrants and minorities the hardest. ...

Many of you have probably spent some time in a cabin in the woods. Or perhaps you have hiked on a nature trail somewhere. Nature is supposed to be a place of peace. But sometimes this can also be a place of danger. Remote natural places are favorite dumping grounds for murderers. The recent murder of Gabby Petito is proof of that. Natural places make easier hunting grounds. A mountain resort or lodge like the Keddie Resort became one such place in 1981. And the horrific murders that happened here remain unsolved today. Keddie really isn't a town. This was a resort that became a community. The resort started as a former railroad town that sat at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas and it was named for railroad surveyor Arthur W. Keddie. The area was so beautiful that it became a vacation destination. People could get out of the big cities and enjoy nature at the Keddie Resort, which was established 1910. The property had a two-story lodge that featured rooms for rent, a bar and a resta...