Category: RABBIT HOLE
-
ROBERT WADLOW: WORLD’S TALLEST MAN
Robert Pershing Wadlow, the tallest person in recorded history died on this day in 1940, he was just 22 years old. Born in Alton, Illinois he was often referred to as ‘The Gentle Giant’ and at a height of 8 feet 11 inches and a weight of 439 pounds, you can see the name was…
-
CYNTHIANA, KENTUCKY AND BIRTH OF THE WALKING DEAD
It’s a wrap. The 193rd issue of ‘The Walking Dead’ comic book was published last week. Both the comic and the TV series have brought quite a bit of attention to the small town of Cynthiana, Kentucky. You see, Cynthiana (which is just an hour south of Cincinnati) is home to both the creator of…
-
THE SELF PROCLAIMED SERIAL CRIMINAL
Avedis Ralph Seaward is due in front of the Ohio parole board next month. He is currently serving up to a 50 year sentence for aggravated robbery at Pickaway Correctional Institution. In both written and verbal confessions, he has admitted to serial murders, rapes, robberies, arson and fraud in multiple states. In the photo’s you’ll…
-
THE MURDER OF MARILYN SHEPPARD
People have often said this notorious case out of an idyllic Cleveland suburb was the inspiration for the popular 1960’s television series turned feature film, The Fugitive. It was in the early morning hours of July 4th, 1954 when Marilyn Sheppard, the wife of prominent Ohio neurosurgeon Sam Sheppard was bludgeoned to death in the…
-
THE DEATH OF A BOMBSHELL
It was on this day back in 1967 when Jayne Mansfield died in a tragic auto accident just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, she was just 34 years old. Jayne was at the height of her career; the actress, dancer, singer and legendary beauty had five young children, three of whom, were travelling with her that…
-
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PATRICIA ADKINS
It was on June 29, 2001, exactly 18 years ago today that 29-year-old Patricia ‘Patti’ Adkins packed her bag and headed to her job at the local Honda Plant in Marysville, Ohio. The single mother of one young daughter was looking forward to her last shift before what she thought would be a romantic getaway…
-
CONJOINED TWINS: THE DEATH OF PEARL AND RUBY
On this day in 1889 conjoined twins Pearl and Ruby Jones were born in Indiana. Sadly the girls wouldn’t live long, passing on February 19, 1890 from complications that arose after contracting measles. It was reported that little Ruby was “bright and hearty” up until the moment of Pearl’s death and succumbed just 45 minutes…
-
THE KENTUCKY GIANT
Martin Van Buren Bates, was a giant amongst men. Literally. Hailing from Letcher County, Kentucky he was born average size but when he reached the age of six a growth spurt ensued and by the time he was thirteen, he was 6’ tall and weighed over 200 pounds. As he neared adulthood he would reach…
-
CINCINNATI JOHN DOE: NAMUS #UP7739
Did you know that in the United states over 600,000 individuals go missing each year? Fortunately, the majority of these adults and children are found alive and well. However, tens of thousands of these individuals remain missing for more than one year, and when that much time elapses many law enforcement agencies begin to refer…
-
THE FORGOTTEN ONES
On this day in 1981 the skeletal remains of nine unknown John Wayne Gacy victims were properly laid to rest. The service was held at a funeral chapel in a western suburb of Chicago. The unknown young men laid in matching copper-colored caskets, positioned in a half circle and adorned with flower arrangements. The caskets…
-
SUPERMAN’S STINT AT SPRING GROVE
Did you know that television’s original Superman, George Reeves, resided in Cincinnati? Well, he was dead…but he was here. When the man of steel passed away on this day back in 1959 he was at the height of his career playing the lead role on TV’s “Adventures of Superman.” Speaking of adventures you will see…
-
PLAYING WITH FIRE
June 6, 2006. 6-6-6 was the date Jason Moss chose to take his own life. Many speculate Moss never fully recovered from his time spent delving head first into the lives of Serial Killers. You see, when Jason Moss was an 18-year-old college freshman at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas he had one goal-…
-
BEAR BROOK
While every true crime afficianado has heard about the Golden State Killer case and is probably aware of how the use of genetic genealogy was imperative in solving the multitudes of crimes committed by Joseph DeAngelo. Many have not heard of the woman behind the scenes, the lady who cracked that case, Barbara Rae-Venter. Barbara,…
-
THE MYSTERY GIRL IN THE RIVER
The articles below detail the grisly murder of a young woman, found decapitated, floating in the Ohio River in early May, 1936. There was speculation for a brief time that she was Evelyn Hatfield from Cincinnati, but detectives later determined that missing young woman was alive and well, she’d actually run off to join the…
-
OHIO STATE REFORMATORY
Built in 1886 The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield is known for a heavy presence of paranormal activity, it is frequently rated as the single most haunted location in the state. Not only was the Ohio State Reformatory featured prominently in the film The Shawshank Redemption, it has been featured on countless ghost hunting shows…
-
BURKE AND HARE: THE ORIGINAL BODY SNATCHERS
‘Burking’ is defined as the crime of murdering a person, ordinarily by smothering, for the purpose of selling their corpse. The word ‘burking’ is derived from a man who perfected this method, one William Burke. Along with his partner William Hare, the pair wreaked havoc for a ten month period in 1828 throughout the city…
-
CHASING THE TRUTH
A behind the scenes look at my friend, Laura Brand as she works on her long awaited book that delves into the heinous crimes of Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, the pair often referred to as the ‘Tool Box Killers.’ It seems after years of research and multiple prison visits, Bittaker keeps throwing wrenches into…
-
MAGIC AND MELODRAMA
Now through August 18 at The Taft Museum of Art, “Magic & Melodrama: Cincinnati Posters from the Gilded Age” You will see vividly colored large format posters advertising favorites such as ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Peter Pan’, to name a few. In total there are seven theater posters on loan from the collection of…
-
JAKE LEG BLUES: THE RISE AND FALL OF ADULTERATED GINGER
Back in 1930, at the height of Prohibition, Cincinnati was ground zero for the Jamaican ginger epidemic. Jamaican ginger elixir also known as ‘Jake’ was a commonly used tincture available in pharmacies across the United States. It contained potent amounts of alcohol and when used in small doses, was a safe pain reliever. However with…
-
THE CASE OF JOSHUA LEE WRIGHT | TIMELINE OF EVENTS
So a couple weeks ago I was contacted by a man named Kenny, he is the brother of a local, missing man named Joshua Wright. I had posted a couple articles about some unidentified skeletal remains that were found in the South Fairmount area of Cincinnati and Kenny had seen the posts. He contacted me…
-
BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY: SPIRITS IN THE SPIRITS
Local lore has it that there is more than one kind of spirit residing at Buffalo Trace Distillery. The grounds are said to be a hotbed of paranormal activity and was even featured on Ghost Hunters. The most notable apparition at Buffalo Trace Distillery is that of it’s founder Colonel Blanton who died in his mansion on…
-
LEFT AT THE STATION
I came across this interesting old story from The Cincinnati Enquirer, August 11, 1925. Can you imagine a coffin just sitting out at a subway station, unclaimed for days? COFFIN LOST IN TRANSITBody Lies on Station Platform fore Removal To Cincinnati.After having been sent from Chicago to Marinette, Wisconsin, by mistake, and later lying outside…