Turlock Unburied

A quarter-mile walk down a canal. A white farmhouse overlooking the Merced River. No flashlights. No adults. No good reason to be there. In this Season One finale of Turlock Unburied , Scott revisits one of the abandoned places that fascinated local teenagers decades ago. What happened at the Turner House has remained a topic of conversation ever since—and some questions about that night still don...

For more than a century, the name Horace Crane has been woven into the fabric of Turlock. His name appears on streets, parks, businesses, and in the pages of local history. But who was Horace Crane—and why do some people believe he never truly left? In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we explore the remarkable life of one of Turlock's most influential pioneers. Banker, businessman, developer...

In January of 1980, a rare tornado tore directly through Turlock, leaving behind twisted metal, shattered homes, destroyed businesses, and a town struggling to understand what had just happened. For twelve terrifying minutes, the funnel carved a path across the city — from open fields near Linwood Avenue to neighborhoods and industrial blocks near South Avenue and Golden State Boulevard. Residents...

In this episode of Turlock Unburied, we travel back to a quiet summer morning in July of 1973, when gunfire shattered the silence across from one of Turlock's most beautiful neighborhoods. In Four Shots Before Sunrise, a marital separation spirals into tragedy on Yosemite Drive near Crane Park. Neighbors awaken to gunshots, a young tenant witnesses a horrifying scene unfold in her own backyard...

A quiet two-story house on East Canal Drive became the setting for years of unexplained experiences — footsteps in empty rooms, doors moving on their own, strange feelings in the basement, and encounters that followed multiple families across decades. In this episode of Turlock Unburied, Scott shares the true story of the house he lived in from 2000 to 2007 and the disturbing events that unfolded...

In 1986, Patterson became the center of an unbelievable true story when a teenage boy predicted his own death—and said he wanted his heart given to a dying girl. It happened exactly as he said. But that’s only the beginning. In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we tell the heartbreaking true story of Donna Ashlock and Felipe Garza… then turn to two terrifying road encounters from the same region:...

In the 1890s, two devastating fires nearly erased the young town of Turlock. Businesses burned, fortunes vanished, and some residents never recovered. In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we explore the 1893 Front Street fire, the destruction of the Farmers Hotel, and the human tragedies left behind in the ashes. Then, in a special second segment, the host of Still Unexplained joins the show with...

In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we uncover two unforgettable local stories—one ripped from newspaper headlines, the other whispered through neighborhood legend. First, we revisit the shocking 1908 scandal of Reverend James Hilbish, the anti-saloon preacher publicly horsewhipped and beaten on Main Street after accusing women tied to the Palm Restaurant of vice and liquor dealing. The assault...

In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we revisit the unsolved killing of Raymond Gustafson—an 80-year-old Army veteran found stabbed to death inside his Angelus Street home. A quiet man who had lived there for more than 50 years, Gustafson’s murder shocked the neighborhood… and left investigators with few answers. Days later, the house would burn—twice—under suspicious circumstances, deepening the...

A deadly shooting inside Pete Nolan’s saloon… and a man who lingered before death. Then, a chilling encounter: someone—or something—outside a window in the night. Two unsettling stories from Turlock’s past and present, told the way they should be—unburied. Audio credit: Sound by Audiomirage via Freesound.org. Creator page: https://freesound.org/people/audiomirage/SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com...

A series of fires. A brutal killing. And a family consumed by something no one could explain. In 1931, the Anderson case shocked Turlock—ending in murder, arson, and confinement to California’s early insane asylums. But just beyond the valley, in the Orestimba wilderness, another story was unfolding… one involving a mysterious figure seen moving through the hills at night. Two local stories—one do...

In this episode of Turlock Unburied , we explore two haunting stories pulled from the pages of local history. First, the devastating 1937 Fresno Flyer train crash , a tragedy that unfolded near downtown Turlock and left a lasting mark on the community. Through eyewitness accounts, survivor testimony, and the stories of unlikely heroes—including a former train engineer turned postmaster—we revisit...

A boy accused of starting fires without touching a match. A boarded-up shack with no power—and something inside watching back. Two Turlock stories separated by time, both difficult to explain. Audio Credits: Scary Piano for Haunted House Atmosphere 2 by Lolamoore -- https://freesound.org/s/760738/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Creepy Atmosphere With Piano And Pad by Muyo5438 -- https://freesound.org...

A quiet melon patch becomes the scene of a disturbing 1920 shooting involving two young boys. Decades later, on the edge of town, an abandoned house draws teenagers, rumors, and something far more unsettling—what locals came to call “Hell House.” Audio Credits: Scary Piano for Haunted House Atmosphere 2 by Lolamoore -- https://freesound.org/s/760738/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Dark Crime Piano Dr...

In June 1987, Turlock attorney William Cullens was last seen alive in his downtown office around lunchtime. The following afternoon, he was discovered brutally beaten to death inside that same space. Nearly four decades later, the murder remains unsolved. In this episode of Turlock Unburied, we examine the timeline of Cullens’ final day and the unanswered questions that continue to surround the ca...