After a long, cold winter, spring had finally arrived in Pleasant Valley, Iowa. Patches of brown grass, buried for months under snow and ice, were starting to turn green again with new life. Flowers began to bloom again in a vivid array of colors, splashing hues of bright blues, oranges, and reds across a […]
Wolves Like Sheep: The Murder of Mary Schultz Read More »
Shortly before Christmas 1946, 35-year-old Bessie Moore trip to bake cookies with a friend ended in tragedy. The events of that December day still echo 75-years later. Sources Conduct Search for Slayer Here. La Crosse Tribune, 12/18/1946, p.1 Love Theory Enters Murder of Waitress in La Crosse. The Journal Times, 12/19/1946 Still Seeking
Episode 61: Does Bessie Moore Haunt Wepp’s Tavern After Her Murder? Read More »
Bessie smiled to herself as she carefully wrapped her cookie dough in a large piece of wax paper. The paper made a thick crinkling sound as she manipulated it around, taking care to preserve the star shapes that she had already cut out. The afternoon light filtered through the windows of her small apartment, washing
Does Bessie Moore Haunt Wepp’s Tavern After Her Murder? Read More »
Heartrending events in the life of Margaretha Nehlsen had brought her to the very depths of despair. No one knew that she was about to cause an even more horrific tragedy.
Episode 60: Poisoned Chocolate: The Nehlsen Murder/Suicide of 1910 Read More »
Starting in about 1820 and ending at the turn of the 20th Century, cultural norms in Western Europe began to shift. At the same time, things were also changing in the United States. America began to experience an enormous influx of immigrants from the western portion of the European continent and the United Kingdom.
Poisoned Chocolate: The Nehlsen Murder/Suicide of 1910 Read More »
Mary Schlais was murdered on a cold February morning in 1974, just as a man named Randy was making his way to Wisconsin. Was this soft-spoken monster responsible for her death? Olson, Aaron. DNA Analysis could solve cold case mystery. The Chippewa Herald, 2/4/2009 (updated 2/4/2011) Collin, Liz. Could a Serial Killer And Former
Episode 59: ‘Call Me Randy:’ The Soft-Spoken Killer Read More »
When the residents of Dunn County, Wisconsin woke up on the morning of February 15, 1974, none of them expected to hear about a murder in their area, but they did. About mid-morning, police were notified that a body had been found in a ditch along a dead-end road. When they arrived, authorities found
‘Call Me Randy:’ The Soft-Spoken Killer Read More »
Mary Schlais was a beautiful young artist with her entire life ahead of her. A veteran hitchhiker, one bad ride in 1974 changed her life forever. Sources Stromberg, Joseph. The forgotten art of hitchhiking – and why it disappeared. http://www.vox.com, Jun 10, 2015 Ganzel, Bill. Wessels Living History Farm. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org, 2003
Episode 58: One Bad Ride: The Murder of Mary Schlais Read More »
The young woman walked slowly along the shoulder of the road, loose gravel crunching under her feet. Her oversized green jacket, a gift from her brother last Christmas, was a little warm for the weather. She tried not to let it bother her, but as the day got more humid, it became harder and harder
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The first time that I remember hearing about a place called “dead man’s” anything was when I was over at a friend’s house in Rock Island, Illinois. We were out riding bikes and one of them made mention that we were coming up on ‘dead man’s hill.’ Clueless, I asked what that meant. One of
Death Curve: The Legend of Julia Markham Read More »
