Dead Strange

In 1969, California musician Jim Sullivan released his album titled U.F.O. Many of the song lyrics were about him leaving his family behind after being abducted by aliens in the desert. On March 4th 1975, Jim left for Nashville alone in his VW Beetle.

The next day, the singer-songwriter was pulled over by highway patrol for his erratic driving. Later that day, he checked into the La Mesa Motel in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Even though he paid for his room, according to hotel staff he did not sleep there but left his key inside the room. A liquor store employee states that he bought vodka late at night.

The next day, he parked his car around 26 miles away, near a remote ranch in the desert owned by the Gennitti family. He was seen by witnesses walking walking away from his vehicle, and he was never seen again.

Search parties scoured the desert for any sign of the missing musician. Months after his disappearance, a decomposed corpse matching Jim's description was later found in a remote area several miles away, but despite such a striking resemblance, DNA determined it was not him. To this day, the case remains a mystery.

English serial killers, Fred & Rose West. Fred had already killed two people before meeting his wife, Rose. While he was in prison for a burglary, Rose killed Fred’s stepdaughter because she didn’t want Fred to have any kind of contact with his ex wife (the mother of his daughter, Charmaine.) The majority of the 13+ victims were killed between May 1973 and August 1979, at the couple’s appropriately nicknamed home “The House of Horrors.” In 1992, Fred West was apprehended after filming himself r*ping one of his daughters. After an intense investigation, police finally learnt of the horrific murders.

In an act of cowardice, Fred committed suicide before his lengthy trial could even begin. His wife was given a life sentence in November 1995, after having been found guilty on 10 counts of murder. Their infamous house was demolished in 1996 and turned into a public footpath.

After almost a year of exorcisms, sometimes lasting 4 hours at a time, Michel worsened physically and mentally. She was aggressive, would mutilate herself, and hunted and ate insects like a starved animal. In November 1973, she started taking her antipsychotic drugs regularly again. Despite taking these medications, Michel’s psychosis worsened and she began speaking only in gutteral growls and claiming she saw demons. On July 1st 1976, Michel died at home.

She weighed just 67lbs due to severe starvation and her death was caused by extreme malnutrition and dehydration. A post-mortem revealed her knees were broken due to only crawling around on all fours for months, and she had contracted pneumonia. Her parents, along with two Catholic priests, were charged with negligent homicide as investigators agreed her death was preventable. Sadly, a lack of mental health awareness at the time and an obsession with demons meant that it was too late for Anneliese Michel, and this once happy girl had her life cruelly cut short.

On 21st of November 2021, grandmother June Fox-Roberts was brutally murdered in her own home. Her killer had simply walked through the front door of her South Wales home and bludgeoned her to death. Then, he decapitated her and dismembered her body, before going into her bathroom and dying his hair. June's daughter returned home to the gruesome sight of her mother's dismembered corpse in the hallway.

After two days of searching, police found the killer. A container yard had reported that a "dirty man" was sleeping rough inside containers and police identified him as 26-year-old student, Luke Deeley. Weeks prior to the murder, Deeley had been hospitalised for Paranoid Schizophrenia before being released onto the street. Police found him sleeping rough and living off sweets before they arrested him and he confessed to the murder.

Known as The Human Caterpillar, Prince Randian was a man from Guyana who suffered from Tetra-Amelia Syndrome. The syndrome is incredibly rare, and is characterized by the absence of all four limbs. For this, Randian was "recruited" by American circus performer P.T Barnum, and was made to perform at many carnivals across the land.

Despite his disability, Randian was able to shave, roll cigarettes, and use a pencil to write legible messages. Randian wore a one-piece wool garment that fit tightly over his body, giving him the appearance of a caterpillar, and would move himself around the stage by wiggling his hips and shoulders.

He lived a long life in New Jersey and even fathered 3 children.

Hattiesburg John Doe

Do you know this John Doe? On December 1st, 1998, a tragic incident occurred just north of Highway 49 on the ramp to I-59 in Hattiesburg. The victim, who was hitchhiking at the time, was struck by a drunk driver. Regrettably, the driver fled the scene, but was later apprehended. The victim managed to relay his name and origin to the responding paramedics before losing consciousness.

He said his name was Steve Hicks (possibly Hex) and was from West Virginia. Despite receiving medical attention, the victim’s condition worsened over time, and he eventually passed away in hospital on May 1st, 2002. The cause of death was determined to be complications resulting from the hit and run accident. The true identity of the man remains a mystery to this day.

The Black House- The home of Anton LeVey, the founder and leader of The Church of Satan. The house was demolished in 2001 and a duplex was built in its place.

A mugshot of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer after his arrest for lewd behaviour and indecent exposure. Before Dahmer was charged for the gruesome murders of 17 young boys, he was arrested in 1986 for a disturbing incident witnessed by two 12-year-olds, Richard Kohn and John Ostwald.

On the night of September 8th, the two friends were standing on a bridge overlooking the Milwaukee River when they saw a man below them with his pants down. The boys were amused to see that the man was pleasuring himself and even shouted "Are you having fun down there?" to which the nonplussed man replied "Yeah, I'm having a great time." The boys left the scene and went to the local police station where they told officers what they'd seen. An alert was placed across the police radio and the man was apprehended at the scene. The man was identified as Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, and he was arrested and charged for his perverted behaviour.

Kajavia Globe was murdered in December 2015. Her body was found stuffed in a trash can and found by a horrified homeowner a day later. These unsettling images of an unknown person driving her car and using her credit card were captured just hours before she was found. The vehicle was later found abandoned. Although her boyfriend was charged with the murder, he claims that this was not him in the skeleton mask and was said to be “freaked the fuck out” by this surveillance footage.

Between 24th August 2020 and 11th April 2021, three people were killed by 'Jack the Knife'- a mystery slasher who still remains at large. Larry Eugene McChristian, Jeff Welch, and Marlon Anthony Franklin were all randomly stabbed by a man in Little Rock, Arkansas. Another victim, 41-year-old Debra Walker survived, and was able to give a description of the killer.

It quickly became obvious to detectives that they were looking for one suspect, who was acting alone. Motives were too similar for the crimes to just be random stabbings. Although the victims' profiles differed somewhat, the timing, location and pattern of behaviour were clearly a pattern. What's more, CCTV captured the assailant after one of the murders. He appears to casually walk away from his dying victim as if nothing happened.

After the fourth and final murder, a $20,000 reward was issued for any information, but nothing solid has led to an arrest yet. Surviving victim, Debra Walker was able to give police a partial description. According to her, her attacker was ‘a young, black male with a slender build, over six feet tall’.

The murderer is still at large, and it's unknown whether or not he's likely to strike again.

To celebrate their three week wedding anniversary, Miranda Barbour and her husband, Elyette, decided to do something they'd always dreamed of. But instead of going on a romantic holiday or sharing a once in a lifetime experience, the couple wanted to indulge in a spot of murder.

On November 11th, 2013, Miranda met up with Troy LaFerrara, a man she'd been talking to on Craigslist. Miranda offered Troy sexual favours in exchange for $100. They met in Miranda's car and parked up in a mall car park. Little did Troy know, Miranda's husband was lurking in the back seat. As soon as Miranda gave the signal, Elyette sprung into action, wrapping a cord around Troy's neck whilst Miranda brutally stabbed him over 20 times. After dumping his body in somebody's backyard, the couple went for a romantic meal.

When the homeowner made the horrifying discovery of Troy's body the next day, the lovers were arrested in no time. Miranda confessed that she had been a Satanist since she was 13 and that she is responsible for the murders of 22 people. Her claim, however, was has never been proven. The couple were both sentenced to life without parole in September of 2014.

On January 27th, 2023, Nicola Bulley was walking her dog when she seemingly vanished into thin air. After dropping her two daughters off at school, Nicola took Springer Spaniel, Willow, for a walk. At some point, Nicola disappeared whilst walking along the River Wyre. Police believe that Nicola fell into the river and drowned after trying to retrieve her dog’s ball, although her close friend claims that Nicola never took a ball on her dog walks.

Nicola’s phone was found abandoned on a nearby bench, and it had been used recently to send a work email and join a Teams conference call. Two people, also dog walkers, saw the 45-year-old and her dog, but within a 10 minute window, she was missing. Willow was found at 9:33 a.m, running between the path and the bench where her owner’s phone had been abandoned. Despite searching the river and surrounding areas, no trace of Nicola has been found.

On June 15, 1989, a disturbing Polaroid photo was found in a Port St. Joe, FL convenience store parking lot. The photo was of an unidentified young girl, bound and gagged. A suspicious white cargo van with no windows was seen in the parking lot on the same day. Investigators now had to determine the girl's identity, and whether or not the photos were consensual or if she was taken against her will.

There have been speculations that the girl in this case file is Tara Calico , who disappeared from New Mexico in 1988.

Today, November 29th 2022, Law Enforcement announced that the case was closed, releasing no further information. The case continues.

What happened to Levi Davis?

Spanish police are still searching for England Rugby star, Levi Davis, who vanished without a trace on October 29th. Davis, who also appeared on the celebrity version of The X Factor, left The Irish Pub in La Rambla, Barcelona, alone at around 10:05 pm. He had traveled to the tourist hotspot from Ibiza just a day before, only carrying a small backpack. The grainy image of him leaving the bar is the last confirmed sighting of Levi.

Levi’s family had apparently received a tip that he was seen in Placa Sant Agusti Vell, a homeless area and a square just minutes away from Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf monument. However, nothing has been confirmed. Police have since confirmed that Levi’s passport was found by a member of the public. This is a worrying update as you cannot book into a hotel or even rent somewhere without one. His phone and two bank accounts have been untouched since he disappeared and so this is another blow for his family. The case is ongoing.

A convicted sex offender was found dead on an industrial estate in North Wales, UK, after he had bled to death due to his genitals being cut off. Reginald Alan Roach, 63, was discovered by a dog walker on the vacant Bryn Cegin near to the town of Bangor on November 6th. Roach had been convicted of indecent exposure after he exposed himself to staff at a hotel in August. He was due to appear in court on the day of his death.

The coroner explained how Roach was found “unresponsive” and a postmortem determined that the cause of death was "shock and haemorrhaging due to incised wounds removing genitalia". His killer, being hailed a hero by the general public, remains at large.

(it's now believed that Roach killed himself in this violent manner)

On November 12, 1966, 18-year-old Benjamin Smith entered the Rose-Mar college of beauty in Mesa, Arizona and killed 5 women and two children. Smith’s only motive was fame- He was a loner and spent most of his time reading about serial killers. He was also obsessed with president John F. Kennedy, and fell into a deep depression when he was assassinated.

Upon reading about the horrific crimes of Richard Speck and Charles Whitman in the newspaper, Smith decided he wanted the same infamy. When he entered the college on a Sunday morning, he was disappointed to find only a few people in the shop. After he shot them dead and was arrested at the scene, he did not put up any resistance. He laughed and said that he had killed five women in the back room and then pointed to the brown paper sack that contained his pistol and ammunition. When questioned as to why he committed the act, he simply said, “I wanted to make a name for myself.”

The disappearance of Ann Marie Burr

Ted Bundy was a main suspect of the abduction and possible murder of eight year old Ann Marie Burr after she disappeared in 1961. Records show that Bundy lived close to the Burr family home, and also had a paper route along their street, so he would have been familiar with the family and their vulnerable young daughter. If Bundy was the murderer, she would have been his first and youngest victim- what’s more, it would mean that he started killing at the age of 14, long before any of the suspected psychological “triggers” (such as the end of his relationship with his long-time girlfriend,) had happened to him.

Above is an extract from the responding letter written to the mother of Ann Marie from Bundy. In the letter, he goes on to say how at the time of her disappearance in 1961, he was “A normal 14-year-old boy.“and he did not “wander the streets late at night.”

His main statement in the letter reads: “I do not know what happened to your daughter, Ann Marie. I had nothing to do with her disappearance”