Murder in the Mourning

Marc Dutroux's name still haunts the country of Belgium. Convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault in the 1980s, he was released after only three years. Le Monstre, as the media dubbed him, went on to commit much more heinous crimes–including but not limited to building a soundproof torture dungeon in his basement. Plus we cover a breaking news story involving Scott Peterson! The L.A. Innocen...

If I were to believe in curses, I'd be certain the Stayner family held one. In the 1970s, Steven Stayner was kidnapped off the street at age 7, held captive for years, and sexually abused countless times. His older brother Cary, never dealt well with the loss of his brother. Two decades later, he would become known as the Yosemite Killer. Plus an update about the recent Becky Bliefnick murder....

Mothers are the protectors of their children, the creator and caretaker. What happens when that one person begins to abuse, manipulate, and emotionally abandon you? Muchausen by proxy is a serious condition where a caretaker, usually a parent, will hurt or create a false sense of danger for their child as a means of attention-seeking. Today I bring you the case of Priscilla Phillips. Let's Mou...

The dream of most justice systems is to take in a criminal and release them back into the public a better person. This is the story of the so-called reformed murderer Jack Unterweger, and how he manipulated the entire nation of Austria into believing he had changed. Sources: The Cecil Hotel: Where Dreams Go to Die . Book Ghost Tours Across America. (n.d.). https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articl...

English-born William MacDonald is often referred to as Australia's first true serial killer. Rivaling even Jack The Ripper, the ferocity of MacDonald's crimes earned him the title The Mutilator. Before his undoing, this English-turned-Australian murderer would take the lives of five men. Let's Mourn. Sources: Arlington, K. (2016, June 9). Death of serial killer William “the mutilator”...

Twenty-two years ago, a monster living among children, committed one of England's most heinous double murders. Jessica Chapman and Holly Marie Wells, both 10 years old, disappeared after leaving their home in Cambridgeshire for snacks. Their bodies would be discovered days later, leading to one of the largest manhunts in history. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Ian Huntley: Mur...

A young college student never returns home after a night out. All evidence points to her murder. The only problem–investigators can’t find her body.  Can her killer still be brought to justice? Let's Mourn. Sources: 40 years later, some of Gina Hall’s remains found in Pulaski County . https://www.wdbj7.com. (2020, July 13). https://www.wdbj7.com/2020/07/13/40-years-later-some-of-gina-halls-rem...

The FBI describes long-haul truckers as one of the most successful serial killer occupations... Once beaten for confusing tomato salad with potato salad, Fautenberry was responsible for at least 5 brutal murders across 4 states during the 1990s. Let's Mourn. Sources: Guardian News and Media. (2007, September 6). Polish author jailed over killing he used as plot . The Guardian. https://www.theg...

Fritz Honka was a German serial killer active during the 1970s and his crimes were particularly gruesome. Honka's victims were often vulnerable women, whom he lured back to his apartment and murdered. He then proceeded to...well, do what butchers do best. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Fritz Honka: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers . Fritz Honka | Murderpedia, the enc...

Many people feared for nearly three decades that detectives would never catch the killer responsible for the Steeltown Murders. Having taken the lives of three young girls in the 1970s, this monster is the first ever documented Welsh serial killer. Let's Mourn. Sources: John, G. (2023, May 15). Steeltown murders: How saturday night strangler was caught . BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-w...

In 1940 a woman's oddly preserved body floated to the surface of Lake Crescent in Washington State–thus beginning a years-long murder mystery. She had been hog-tied, wrapped in blankets, weighed down with rocks, and left to rot at the bottom of the lake. However, Fate had its own plans. Let's Mourn. Sources: Crime, P. C. (2022, April 24). The lady of the Lake . Medium. https://medium.com/s...

50TH EPISODE SPECTACULAR! Three states, three murders, and almost three decades without answers. Thanks to the improvements in DNA science, families of these victims can begin to grieve properly, finally knowing the name of the killer. Let's Mourn. Sources: Fulton resident reminisces on homicide investigation . Fulton Sun. (2020, November 19). https://www.fultonsun.com/news/2020/nov/19/fulton-...

When Monika Rizzo went missing early in May of 1997, her husband Leonard never reported her missing. It wouldn't be until June that a neighbor called in an anonymous tip when he noticed Leonard's dog playing with a human jawbone . This would be the first of HUNDREDS of bones to come. Let's Mourn. Sources: Hernandez, E., & Waldman, L. (2022, May 4). “The Bone Yard”: Who killed Monik...

Three murdered women, six missing eyes, and one man obsessed with taxidermy. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Texas. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Charles Frederick Albright: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers . Charles Frederick Albright | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers. https://murderpedia.org/male. A/a/albright-charles.htm Braden, B. (2022, August 1). A Te...

Bodies behind wallpaper, bones under the floorboards, and a wife in the garden? The result of a decade of murder. Often forgotten among other notorious serial killers, England's Whispering Killer took the lives of no less than 8 women. Let's Mourn. Sources: Black Histories: Race & Racism: Notting Hill in the 1950s . Visit Plymouth. (n.d.). https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/whats-on/black...

On Christmas Eve 2007, Wayne and Judy Anderson prepared for another family dinner as they had done countless holidays before. Unbeknownst to them, someone close to the family had been planning their murder for weeks. However, these two were only the first of six victims to come on that snowy Seattle evening. Also, Derek Chauvin got shanked in prison lol. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n....

The Axe Murderer of Berrima, perhaps Australia's most prolific killer, wasn't even Australian at all. Over one hundred years before the term serial killer existed, Irish-born, lifelong criminal, John Lynch confessed to as many as ten brutal tomahawk attacks. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). John Lynch: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers . John Lynch | Murderpedia, th...

The McStay family went missing on February 4th, 2010 in California. For years, no one had heard from or seen the family. Initially ruled a voluntary disappearance by authorities, the case went cold. Then in 2013, a child's skull was found in the Mojave desert. Nearby, in two shallow graves, the rest of the family's skeletal remains were found. But the question remains, who killed the McSta...

Three young women disappeared from a crowded beach along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in July of 1966. Patricia Blough, Renee Bruhl, and Ann Miller boarded a large boat captained by a mystery man and were never seen again. Almost six decades later, we still don't have a definitive answer. Theories range from spree killer Richard Speck to the powerful people of a horse empire. Let's Mourn...

You've heard of the Bloody Benders... But have you heard of Charles Kennedy?! Only five years before the Benders started murdering travelers in 1870, this massive mountain man began his years-long killing spree. It has been rumored that this serial killer may be responsible for up to five times more deaths than the Bender Family. Let's Mourn. Sources: Harmer, A. (2023, November 18). New “2...

Young girls began disappearing around Scotland in the early 1980s, three of them showed up deceased within 20 miles of each other. The girls, aged 15 or younger, fell victim to a man unknown to police at the time. It wouldn't be until a fourth attempt years later on another girl's life, that this monster would be put to rest. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Robert Black: Mu...

Would you kill for your best friend? Or better yet, WITH your best friend? John Duffy and David Mulcahy, aka The Railway Killers, were childhood best friends. Sometime during their upbringing in London, the two realized they shared the same dark fantasies. After a string of rapes and murders in the 1980s, London police launched a massive manhunt, not seen since the Yorkshire Ripper. Let's Mour...

Finland's most infamous unsolved homicide case is that of the Lake Bodom Murders. In the summer of 1960, four Finnish teenagers were brutally slain while camping on the shores of the lake. Dozens of suspects and over half a century later, we still have no answers. This cold case is truly a reminder of how some secrets will always find their way to the grave. Let's Mourn. Sources: 10 bone-c...

Charles Raymond Starkweather was an American spree killer active during the 1950's. He and his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, were held responsible for the murders of 11 people ranging from two to seventy years old. Charles and Caril is the inspiration behind Natural Born Killers starring Woody Harrelson and many other adaptations. Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Charles Starkwe...

Gary Schaefer was an American kidnapper, rapist, and murderer who terrorized the small town of Springfield, Vermont during the late '70s and early '80s. Although only convicted of one murder, he is suspected of killing, in total, three young girls. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Let's Mourn. Sources: Blanco, J. I. (n.d.). Gary Lee Schaefer: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers . Gary Lee Sc...