The Skeleton Key Chronicles

21 hours ago

This Fourth of July marks 37 years since Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly disappeared after spending the holiday together in San Angelo, Texas. After months apart, the two reunited to watch the annual fireworks display at Lake Nasworthy. By the following morning, Shane's Camaro had been found abandoned near the lake with the keys still sitting on the dashboard. Fast-food wrappers were scattered across the front seat, but there was no sign of either of them.

At first, investigators believed the couple may have simply run off together. But as the hours turned into days, it became clear that wasn't the case. Their families reported them missing, and what began as a search for two missing teenagers stretched on for the next four months. Then, in November, hunters made a discovery in a remote pasture near Twin Buttes Reservoir, about 17 miles from where Shane's car had been left. Shane and Sally's skeletal remains had been found, bringing the search to an end. Time and the elements had erased much of the physical evidence, leaving investigators with very little to work with as the investigation eventually reached a standstill.

As detectives retraced Shane and Sally's final months, they learned the couple had become involved with a close-knit group that friends and investigators said were reportedly involved in ritualistic gatherings, and difficult to leave. According to people who knew Shane and Sally, the two had recently told others they wanted out and were trying to completely separate themselves from the group.

A few months before they disappeared, Sally contacted a Tom Green County sheriff's deputy and said she and Shane were frightened. After meeting with the couple and checking into what they had shared, investigators began taking their concerns much more seriously. Just a couple of weeks before they disappeared, Sally also confided to a friend that she didn't think she was safe. Those conversations would take on new meaning after the couple vanished.

Nearly three decades later, the investigation took another unexpected turn when investigators searched the home of John Cyrus Gilbreath, who was publicly identified as a person of interest. Court records said the search uncovered notebooks, cassette tapes marked "SS," and other items investigators believed could be connected to Shane and Sally, but despite the renewed attention, no charges have ever been filed.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

1 day ago

Sixteen children are now safe after authorities made several disturbing discoveries at a home in Hamden, Ohio, a small community southeast of Chillicothe. The children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old, are now in state custody, where they're receiving medical care and support as the investigation continues. Authorities said during the press conference they are all "part of the same family".

At a news conference, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said it was one of the worst environments he's seen in his career. Sheriff Ryan Cain said investigators believe the children appeared to have been kept within roughly a 12-by-12-foot area for much of the past four years. Wilson said several of the children needed immediate medical care, with seven taken to hospitals in Columbus, two transported by helicopter, and one child admitted to the ICU. Investigators also said the oldest child, an 18-year-old, was unable to spell her own name. That detail alone gives you an idea of just how isolated the children may have been.

Four adults have now been charged: Elizabeth Siders, 33, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders II, 36 and Gary Siders, 73. All have pleaded not guilty, and a judge has ordered they have no contact with one another or with the children while the case moves forward.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

2 days ago

A Las Vegas social media creator who films himself walking around and trying to pick up women may have unknowingly captured one of the last known videos of missing Australian traveler Sally Grace Contarino before she vanished.

The video was recorded on June 17th outside a 7-Eleven on Boulder Highway, just days before Sally was due to fly home to Australia. In the brief interaction, the creator approaches the woman and asks for her phone number. She politely replies, "I have a boyfriend." He then asks if she's waiting for him before the conversation ends. The creator later turned the original footage over to Las Vegas police.

The video gives investigators another possible look at Sally just days before communication with her family. Nothing released so far that suggests the creator had anything to do with Sally's disappearance but the video adds another confirmed stop in Sally's timeline leading up to her going missing.

Sally, 26, had been traveling alone through the western United States and was due to fly home to Australia on June 21st. Instead, she never boarded the bus that was supposed to take her to Los Angeles for her flight, and she hasn't been heard from since. Police say she was last in contact with her family on June 20th when she sent them a picture from the Mount Charleston area about 45 miles outside Vegas. She has not been seen or heard from since.


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