Crime

The mysterious case of Elisa Lam – bizarre behavior caught on video prefaces drowning death in hotel rooftop water tank

// December 16th, 2013 // No Comments » // Unsolved

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In February 2013, after hotel residents complained of funny-tasting water and poor water pressure, 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a student from Vancouver, Canada, was found dead inside the Cecil Hotel’s rooftop water tank in Los Angeles. The coroner’s finding was surprising to many – accidental death by drowning – despite the fact that no drugs nor alcohol were found during autopsy of Lam’s body. Even more disturbing, an elevator surveillance tape recorded Elisa’s bizarre behavior just moments before her death.

The Axeman serial killer of New Orleans (1918-1919)

// November 18th, 2013 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

Map of New Orleans showing sites of the Axeman murders

During a period of several years in the early 1900’s, New Orleans teetered on the brink of panic after a string of murders that were as gruesome as they were terrifying. Reminiscent of an American version of Jack the Ripper, the ax-wielding serial killer known as “Axeman”, broke into homes across New Orleans in the middle of the night and savagely hacked his sleeping victims to death with an axe before quietly slipping away into the darkness. By the time the attacks mysteriously ended in October 1919, over a dozen people had been attacked with at least six people hacked to death in bloody fashion. The Axeman was never caught.

Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie – New Orleans socialite caged, tortured, and maimed her slaves for fun

// October 21st, 2013 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie haunted New Orleans mansion

Those who watched season 3 of American Horror Story may be surprised to learn that Kathy Bate’s character, Madame Delphine LaLaurie, is based on a real-life New Orleans tale of horror. In true-life, Mad Madame Marie Delphine LaLaurie, a prominent New Orleans socialite, was discovered to have caged and savagely tortured her slaves in a small room at the top of her Royal Street mansion. The LaLaurie Mansion is now considered one of the most haunted places in New Orleans.

African “muti murders” – Hospitals sell body parts and murderers harvest organs from live victims for witch doctor use in black magic spells

// October 11th, 2013 // No Comments » // Strange

African Muti Murders - taking body parts for black magic spells

It’s a dirty little secret in South Africa, one that as of 2010, is once again on the rise. Called “muti murders” or “medicine murders” (sometimes termed “ritual murder” or muthi-murder), it takes its name from the Zulu word “muti”, the term for traditional black magic medicines that utilize human body parts and flesh as critical ingredients in order to produce supposedly miraculous medicinal effects. The phenomenon is widely acknowledged to occur in southern Africa where it is estimated that from 50%-90% of the population believe in black magic and witchcraft. The Limpopo province alone once recorded 250 muti-murders in a single year. Body parts from dead corpses serve a valuable purpose but the best muti medicine ingredients are taken from body parts that are harvested while the victim is still alive.

Israel Keyes – meticulous serial killer’s body count may never be known

// August 14th, 2013 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

Serial killer Israel Keyes

Serial killer Israel Keyes is the type of serial killer the public – and police fear: one that is so wily and meticulous, a complete story of his murders may never be known. Keyes is believed to have embarked on a decades-long murder spree which may have included more than a dozen murder victims. The FBI has linked Keyes to at least 11 killings and feel that they may never know the true body count.

The Boston Strangler – serial killer terrorizes Boston killing 13 woman in unsolved crime wave (1962)

// July 11th, 2013 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

The 13 victims of the Boston Strangler

Between June 14, 1962 and January 4, 1964, 13 single women in the Boston area were victims of either a single serial killer or possibly several killers. While the police did not see all of these murders as the work of a single individual, the public did. All of these women were murdered in their apartments, had been sexually molested, and were strangled with articles of clothing. With no signs of forced entry, the women apparently knew their assailant or, at least, believing them to be an apartment maintenance man, delivery man, or some other service man, voluntarily let him in their homes. The victims were respectable women who for the most part led quiet, modest lives. Despite enormous media publicity that would presumably have discouraged women from admitting strangers into their homes after the first few murders, the attacks continued unabated.

Inside the Mexican drug cartels – how to live rich in a poor country

// April 4th, 2013 // No Comments » // Gangs and Organized

Map of the Mexican drug cartel territory

Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed primarily for the purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations (but have expanded into other areas including arms dealing, prostitution, and human slavery). Whereas they once agreed to cooperate with each other in the production and distribution of drugs, they now war with each other on a regular basis. It is estimated that the war against and between the Mexican drug cartels has cost 70,000 lives.

British celebrity Jimmy Savile – Britain’s most prolific sexual predator

// January 12th, 2013 // No Comments » // Strange, Strange Persons

Jimmy Savile

Long known to be an odd and eccentric character, famous British celebrity Jimmy Savile was accused of sexually abusing hundreds of children and raping more than thirty people during his tenure as Britain’s popular media personality. The abuse, in which nearly 75% of the victims were children, spanned a period of six decades from 1955 to 2009 and was carried out at children’s hospitals, schools, and on the sets of television productions.

Russian Business Network

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Gangs and Organized

Alleged home of the Russian Business Network (RBN)

The Russian Business Network, or RBN, has been described as “the baddest of the bad”. Based in St. Petersburg Russia, it offers web hosting services and Internet access to all kinds of criminal organizations who conduct objectionable activities such as (but not limited to) spamming, child pornography, malware, software piracy vaults, phishing, and yes, identify theft.

MS13 Gang

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Gangs and Organized

MS-13 gang graffiti

The MS-13 gang, aka Mara Salvatrucha 13, is one of the most violent, dangerous gangs in the United States – and one of the most organized. The MS-13 gang has cliques, or factions, located throughout the United States and is unique in that it retains is ties to its El Salvador counterparts. With cliques in Washington DC, Oregon, Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and several other South American countries, the MS-13 gang is truly “international” and on the verge of becoming the first gang to be categorized as an “organized crime” entity.

Spring Heeled Jack

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Strange

Spring Heeled Jack

Spring Heeled Jack – was he a creature, an alien, or a plain-old man wearing a strange costume and a powerful, hidden jumping apparatus? During the 1830′s, this ‘man’ terrorized England. Described as tall, thin, powerful, wearing a black cloak, the man could jump 20 to 30 feet vertical with ease. It was reported that he had large pointy ears and nose, with red (or orange) glowing eyes, and capable of spitting an odd white and blue flame from his mouth.

OJ Simpson Murders

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Strange

Arial view of Nicole Simpson's Home

On June 13, 1994, a couple in Las Angeles were surprised when their dog, a small white Akita, returned home with blood on his paws. They took the dog back outside and it led them directly to a neighbor’s home – Nicole Simpson. Peering inside the gate they could see Nicole’s lifeless body lying on the sidewalk.On June 13, 1994, a couple in Las Angeles were surprised when their dog, a small white Akita, returned home with blood on his paws. They took the dog back outside and it led them directly to a neighbor’s home – Nicole Simpson.

Bind, Torture, Kill

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Unsolved

BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill victim's bound legs

On January 15, 1974 shortly before 4:00 PM, three young children arrived home from school in Wichita, Kansas to find their father, Joseph Otero, mother, Julie Otero, and their two siblings Josephine (age 11) and Joseph II (age 9) strangled to death in their home.

Green River Killer – Gary Ridgway kills nearly 50 prositutes in the Seattle-Tacoma area [UPDATE]

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

Green River sign

The name of this case is derived from the Green River, a river that begins in Washington State and empties into the Puget Sound in Seattle. Near the river is the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, built in 1942. It was in this area that the Green River Killer, later identified as Gary Leon Ridgway, killed and disposed of nearly 50 victims, most of them destitute prostitutes.

Coral Watts

// December 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Serial Killers

On June 24, 1969, Coral delivered the daily paper of Joan Gave to her door. He knocked on the door and when Joan answered, he quietly handed the paper to her and stood on the step peering past her into the living room. His gaze returned to her and their eyes locked. For no apparent reason, Coral struck her in the face.

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