Laurie Dann’s Upbringing In An Affluent Chicago Suburb Appeared Unremarkable At First Glance. However,

The Borley Rectory Haunting

Borley Rectory was a house that gained infamy as “the most haunted house in England”. It had been alleged to be haunted ever since it was built in 1862. These reports multiplied suddenly in 1929, after the Daily Mirror published an account of a visit by paranormal researcher Harry Price, who wrote two books supporting claims of paranormal activity.

One of the most interesting manifestations of the haunting were the writing on the wall. It is believed the writings had come from a young deceased catholic woman who wanted her body to be discovered and receive a proper christian burial ceremony. she was trying to communicate with Marianne, wife of the reverend Lionel Foyster, the couple living in the rectory in October 1930. 

The scribbled writing is allegedly from the ghost while the writing below is from Marianne’s attempt to communicate with it.

What I can read: -Marianne light mass prayers -Marianne please help get -

The house burned down in 1939 and was later demolished in 1944. LIFE photographer David Scherman was on hand to cover the event. While covering the demolition of England’s most haunted house, Scherman photographed a brick that rose from the ruins and floated in the air for several seconds.

Teenage Drama Turns to Death: The Tragic Murder of Skylar Neese

June 26, 2022

Skylar Annette Neese was born on February 10, 1996 in West Virginia and was the only child of Mary and Dave Neese. At 16 years old Skylar was attending University High School, worked at Wendy’s, got excellent grades and wanted to be a criminal defense lawyer.

Skylar had two best friends, Shelia Eddy (born September 28, 1995) and Rachel Shoaf (born June 10, 1996). Skylar and Shelia had met when they were 8 years old and had been inseparable ever since. Rachel became friends with the two girls a few years later, but the three of them were best friends, you would rarely see one of them without the other two. 

On July 5, 2012, Skylar had returned to her home in Star City, West Virginia, after working her regular night shift at Wendy’s. The Neese family lived in an apartment building and later on surveillance video showed Skylar leaving her apartment from her bedroom window at 12:30 am on July 6, getting into a sedan. 

Skylar’s father Dave Neese later said that Skylar had clearly planned on coming back later that night, as she didn’t take her phone charger with her and she had left the window open. 

Skylar was at first considered a runaway by authorities and there was no Amber Alert issued for her disappearance because it was clear from the video footage that she had willingly left on her own accord. Skylar’s parents posted flyers about their missing daughter, hoping that someone would know her whereabouts. 

Police soon found out that the sedan that Skylar was seen getting into that night belonged to Shelia Eddy so they brought her in for an interview. Shelia did admit that she picked up Skylar that night, but they had only driven around for about an hour before she dropped her back off at her apartment. 

Rachel and Shelia were interviewed by the police several times, but their stories always remained the same. Shelia even helped the Neeses’ distribute missing persons flyers, and would come over to their house to cry with them about missing Skylar. 

As time went on, Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf began to become suspects to the police, as other schoolmates were claiming they had heard the girls talking about committing a murder at school. One of the girls’ teachers even contacted the police to tell them she had also heard of them talking about murder. 

About 6 months after Skylar had disappeared, Rachel Shoaf admitted that her and Shelia Eddy had been plotting to kill Skylar for 9 months. Rachel claimed that the reason the girls murdered Skylar was because they didn’t want to be friends with her anymore. 

The seemingly perfect friendship the trio shared was anything but, as Skylar would often tweet about how Shelia and Rachel would leave her out of things. It seemed the girls would fight a lot, and Skylar had even written in her diary that Shelia and Rachel had a sexual relationship with each other, and would make-out or have sex in front of Skylar, making her extremely uncomfortable. 

Skylar’s body was found on January 16, 2013, less than 30 miles away from her home. 

Rachel told the police the whole story, claiming that on the night of July 5, 2012, Sheila and her had invited Skylar to go drive around with them. Apparently, Skylar was hesitant of this, as she had recently had a falling out with them, but after the girls texted and called her a few times she eventually agreed to sneak out. 

Rachel told police that her and Shelia had prepared “a serial killer kit” which included kitchen knives, paper towels, bleach, clean clothes, cleaning cloths and a shovel. They had hid the knives in their hoodies. 

When Skylar got into the sedan with the girls, they headed northwest from Star City toward Blacksville, on U.S. Route 19. Rachel and Shelia had originally planned on travelling along W.V. Route 7, but they changed their route once they saw a state police car in that direction. 

They arrived across the Pennsylvania state border, where all three of the girls would occasionally smoke weed there. When they got out of the car, they told Skylar that they had forgotten to bring a lighter with them. Skylar then volunteered to go back to the sedan to get her own lighter, and once she turned her back, Rachel and Shelia both counted to three, which they agreed would be their signal, and began to stab Skylar.

Skylar had attempted to run away, but was only able to get a few feet before Rachel got her on the ground and continued to stab her. At one point during the attack, Skylar had managed to get the knife away from Rachel and stabbed her in the leg, which caused Rachel to back off and stop the attack, though Shelia kept going. 

It was admitted that Rachel and Shelia stopped counting how many times they stabbed Skylar once they got to 50, and Shelia had stabbed Skylar until there was silence and her neck stopped making gurgling sounds. 

The pair attempted to bury Skylar’s body, but the soil was too hard and rocky to dig a hole, so they decided to hide Skylar’s body with rocks, fallen branches and dirt. They then returned to the sedan, cleaned themselves up, changed into clothes, and left. 

On May 1, 2013, Rachel pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Rachel actually got a plea deal because authorities believed she had cooperated with them, so the recommended sentence for her would be 20 years of incarceration. 

On September 4, 2013, the prosecutors identified Shelia Eddy publicly as the second perpetrator in Skylar’s murder and stated that she would be tried as ana adult. Sheila was indicted on September 6, 2013, on one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. She pleaded not guilty. 

The trial date was set for January 28, 2014. Shelia was facing additional charges from Pennsylvania authorities so she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. During the trial, Shelia expressed no remorse and did not cry at all. She was sentenced to life in prison and is eligible for parole after 15 years. Because of her plea deal to plead guilty to first-degree murder, Pennsylvania did not file charges against her. 

On February 25, 2014, Rachel received a sentence of 30 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after 10 years. Both Shelia and Rachel are incarcerated at the Lakin Correctional Center in Mason County. 

Due to an Amber Alert not being issued in Skylar’s disappearance due to a waiting period of 48 hours before a teenager is considered missing and the fact that Skylar had left on her own accord and was not considered kidnapped, a new bill was introduced called “Skylar’s Law” which modifies West Virginia’s Amber Alert plan to issue immediate public announcements when any child is missing and in danger, regardless if the child is believed to be kidnapped.

Rachel Shoaf will be up for parole next year, with the hearing on May 1, 2023, though according to WV DOC she will likely be paroled on April 28, 2028. Shelia Eddy will be up for parole in 2028.

Titus Andronicus: performed in Japanese, it is a 2006 production by the Ninagawa Company staged in Stratford-upon-Avon. There was no stage blood used in this production, instead ribbons of red silk come out of mouths, throats and hands.

Fourteen-year-old John Hron was a spirited teenager from Sweden who held no tolerance for bullies or racists. Despite attending school with individuals falling into those categories, he remained resolute in his convictions. 

On the afternoon of August 17, 1995, John and his friend Christian were camping by Ingetorpssjon lake near Kode, Sweden. Their peaceful outing took a horrifying turn when four neo-Nazis approached their tent. Among them was Mikael Fjalljholm, a notorious bully from their school whom John recognized immediately. 

John and Mikael had clashed in the past due to Mikael’s racist and cruel behavior. John was known for standing up to him when provoked. This time, however, Mikael was accompanied by three friends: Daniel Hanson, John Billing, and BM, as he was known in the media.

The group approached the tent and launched a senseless attack on John. They demanded that he proclaim his “love for Nazism,” to which John adamantly refused, enduring further beatings. Kicks and punches rained down on him while beer bottles were smashed over his head. The sadistic assailants subjected him to hours of relentless violence, intermittently feigning remorse and offering him drinks before renewing their assault. It was a vicious game of cat and mouse. They even burned him with fire and seared his neck with a scorching piece of wood.

At some point during the ordeal, John managed to break free and plunged into the nearby lake. In response, the group threatened to murder Christian if John did not return. Despite barely clinging to life, John swam back, and the torture continued. When he eventually lost consciousness, they callously tossed his lifeless body into the lake, where he tragically drowned. Christian managed to hitch a ride home and promptly alerted the police, providing them with the names of John’s killers. When John’s body was recovered, the extent of his injuries was likened to those of a train collision victim.

The appalling murder of John shocked the nation, but the sentencing of his killers proved equally distressing. Daniel was released after serving only six years, while Mikael received a five-year sentence in institutional youth care. The other two perpetrators received mere months in prison. 

In recognition of his commitment to free speech and world peace, John was posthumously honored with the inaugural Stig Dagerman Prize.

On 15 July, 1974, 29-year-old Christine Chubbuck informed co-workers that she was going to read a newscast to open her talk show, Suncoast Digest, which wasn’t something she normally did. Her guest for that day’s show sat in the studio while Christine went and sat down at the news anchor’s desk. 

The cameras began rolling and Christine began reading from her news report. She covered a news article on a local shooting in a restaurant. She then began reading a piece on suicide. During the reading, she explained that she would be declared dead within eleven hours and followed this by saying: “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide.” 

She then produced a .38 revolver that she had concealed throughout the news report and shot herself in the head. The entire thing had been aired and members of the public began to ring 911 while others rang the station asking if it was fake. 

Christine was rushed to hospital but was declared dead 14 hours later.

Albert Fish

March 30, 2023

***Trigger Warning: Lots of graphic nature and abuse of children***

Albert Fish was born Hamilton Howard Albert Fish on May 19, 1870 in Washington, D.C. to Randall and Ellen Fish. Randall was 43 years older than Albert’s mother Ellen, and was 75 years old when Albert was born. The pair had multiple children together, with Albert being the youngest. 

Albert began using the name Albert as a child, named after his dead brother so that his peers would stop calling him “Ham & Eggs” a childhood nickname he despised. 

Many of Albert’s family members suffered from different mental illnesses. Albert’s mother, Ellen, had what was known as “aural and/or visual hallucinations.” Albert’s father, Randall, had a heart attack and on October 16,1875 he died when Albert was only 5 years old. 

Ellen, being overwhelmed with her husband now gone placed Albert in the Saint John’s Orphanage where Albert was abused regularly. Albert would later begin to enjoy the pain he endured at the orphanage, the beginning of him experiencing sexual pleasure during pain or inflicting pain. 

In 1880, Ellen got a better paying job and was able to get her son back from the orphanage. In 1882, Albert had begun a relationship with a boy who introduced Albert to drinking urine and eating feces. Albert also began visiting public baths where he could watch young boys undress. 

Albert also began to write obscene letters to women who he would see their names in classified ads in the papers. 

In 1890, at the age of 20, Albert moved to New York City where he was a male sex worker and began to rape and molest boys, most of whom were under the age of 6. In 1898, Albert married a woman named Anna Mary Hoffman, who was 9 years younger than him. This was an arranged marriage Albert’s mother had set up. Albert and Anna had 6 children together: Albert, Anna, Gertrude, Eugene, John and Henry. 

In 1903 Albert was arrested for grand larceny and incarcerated in Sing Sing. Albert later said he had gone to a wax museum with a male lover once and became fascinated by the bisection of the human penis, which led to an obsession with sexual mutilation. 

In 1910, Albert met a man named Thomas Kedden. It was said that Thomas was intellectually disabled. The two began a sadomasochistic relationship, it is unclear whether Albert forced Thomas to do any of the acts. After 10 days, Albert took Thomas to an old farm house where he tortured him for two weeks, tying him up and cutting off half of his penis. 

Albert’s original plan was the kill Thomas and cut up his body. Albert feared he would be noticed if he tried to bring Thomas’ body back to his house, so he poured peroxide over the wound, wrapped it in a Vaseline-covered handkerchief, and left him $10. 

Albert never contacted or tried to contact Thomas again and does not know what happened to him after that. 

In January 1917, Albert’s wife left him for another man who had been boarding with them. Albert was then left to raise his children on his own, saying that his wife had taken almost everything they owned with her. 

Albert often began having auditory hallucinations, once wrapping himself in a carpet saying he was following instructions from John the Apostle. 

Albert began to self harm by embedding needles into his groin and abdomen areas. After he was arrested, the X-rays showed that Albert had at least 29 needles in his pelvic area. He would also hit himself with a nail studded paddle and would put wool covered in lighter fluid into his anus and light it up. 

It was never reported that Albert ever abused his own children physically, however it is said that Albert would encourage his children and their friends to hit him in the buttocks with the nail studded paddle. 

Around 1919, Albert had stabbed an intellectually disabled boy in Georgetown. Fish claimed he would go over intellectually disabled or African-American people because he did not think they would be missed. 

On July 11, 1924, Albert saw 8 year old Beatrice Kiel playing alone on her parent’s farm in Staten Island, New York. Albert offered the little girl money to come help him look for rhubarb. Beatrice was about to leave the farm when her mother chased Albert away. Albert later returned to the Kiel farm where he tried to sleep in their barn, but was discovered by Beatrice’s father. 

During 1924, Albert was suffering from psychosis and claimed God was commanding him to torture and sexually mutilate children. Three days after the Kiel’s, Albert murdered Francis McDonnell on Staten Island. 

Francis McDonnell

On July 14, 1924, 9 year old Francis McDonnell was reported missing when he did not return home from playing with friends. A search began and his body was found, hanging by a tree in a wooden area near his home. 

Francis had been sexually assaulted and then strangled with his suspenders. His left hamstring had been almost entirely stripped of flesh. Albert denied responsibility for this but did say he planned to castrate the boy but heard someone approaching so he ran off. 

Francis’ friends told police Francis had been taken by an elderly man with a grey moustache. A neighbour also claimed to have seen Francis with a similar looking man walking towards the woods. 

Anna McDonnell, Francis’ mother, said she also saw that man earlier in the day, claiming he had been coming up the street mumbling to himself and making motions with his hands. Anna said the man appeared faded and grey, this description eventually leading to “The Grey Man” nickname Albert was dubbed. 

Francis McDonnell’s murder went unsolved until Grace Budd. Albert denied the charges until March 1935, after the trial of Grace Budd’s murder, where he admitted to killing Francis and another boy, Billy Gaffney. 

Billy Gaffney

On February 11, 1927, 4 year old Billy Gaffney was playing in their apartment hallway with two other boys, ages 4 and 12. When the 12 year old left, the two smaller boys disappeared. 

The 4 year old, a boy named Billy Beaton was found on the roof of the apartments. Beaton said that the “bogeyman” had taken Billy Gaffney. Gaffney’s body was never recovered. A man named Joseph Meehan, a motorman on the Brooklyn trolley eventually recognized a picture of Albert, claiming that was the man he saw on the day Billy went missing. 

Meehan claimed the man had been trying to quiet a little boy on the trolley. The boy was not wearing a jacket and was crying for his mother. It was found that Albert had been working a few miles from the location Billy was taken at the time. 

Albert later confessed he had taken the boy, tied his hands and feet, and gagged him. He burned his clothes and left. The next day he went back with his tools and whipped Billy, cut off his ears, nose and slit his mouth from ear to ear. Albert also gouged out his eyes, and drank his blood. Albert cut off the head, arms, hands, legs and feet, and threw them in sacks with stones, throwing them into water. 

The rest of the boy Albert took home with him and ate. Billy’s mother travelled to Sing Sing to ask Albert about her son’s death but he refused to speak with her. Albert began to weep and asked to be left alone. After two hours of asking questions through his lawyer, Billy’s mother gave up and was not convinced he had killed her son. 

Grace Budd

On May 25, 1928, Albert saw an ad in the paper by a young man who wanted work. The young man was 18 year old Edward Budd, who lived at 406 West 15th Street. 

On May 28, Albert went to see the Budd family in Manhattan, claiming he wanted to hire Edward but was really planning to tie him up and mutilate him. Albert introduced himself as Frank Howard, a farmer from Farmingdale, New York. Albert told Edward he would take on him and his friend Willie, and would come back for them in a few days. 

Albert never showed up a few days later, sending a telegram that apologized to the family, setting up a new date for when he would return. 

When Albert came back, he met Edward’s little sister Grace, who was 10 years old at the time. Albert knew he immediately wanted to take Grace instead of Edward, so made up a story about going to his niece’s birthday party, asking Delia and Albert Budd if Grace could come along with him. 

Albert took Grace to an abandoned house, a house he had previously picked out for his next victim, before his plans changed and he took Grace instead. Albert murdered Grace Budd and claimed he ate her after as well.  

The police arrested a man named Charles Edward Pope on September 5, 1930 for the murder of Grace Budd after his estranged wife accused him. He spent months in jail and was his trial began on December 22, 1930. He was found not guilty. 

In November 1934, an anonymous letter was sent to the Budd family, claiming that whoever wrote the letter had murdered Grace and detailed how they had tortured her and then taken 9 days to eat her body. The letter did say that Grace had fought back, and that the writer, who was obviously “Frank Howard” had let Grace die a virgin. 

The letter eventually led police back to Albert Fish, who did not deny the murder of Grace Budd. He actually told police his original plan was to kill her brother, Edward. Albert claimed he had no intention of raping Grace, but when he was strangling her he had two involuntary ejaculations. 

This was used in trial to determine Grace’s kidnapping was sexually motivated, and it avoided the cannibalism. 

Albert’s trial for the murder of Grace Budd started on March 11, 1935. The trial lasted 10 days, where Albert pleaded insanity, claiming he heard God telling him to kill children. It was said that Albert was a “psychiatric phenomenon” and that there was no other individual in medical records who had this many sexual abnormalities. 

The jurors all believed that Albert Fish was insane, but they believed he should be executed anyway. So they found him sane and guilty and he was sentenced to death by electrocution. 

Albert Fish was executed on January 16, 1936, in the electric chair in Sing Sing. It was said that Albert had actually helped the executioner position the electrodes on his body before he died. He last words were, “I don’t even know why I’m here.” 

According to a witness, it took two jolts before Albert died, and rumours circulated that it was due to the needles that he had inserted into his body for years. These rumours turned out to be untrue, as it was claimed that many individuals in the electric chair take more than just one jolt to die. 

After Albert’s execution, his lawyer, James Dempsey said he had Albert’s final statement, which was multiple pages of hand-written notes that Albert had written hours before his death. When journalists asked Dempsey to say what Albert had written, he replied, “I will never show it to anyone. It was the most filthy string of obscenities that I have ever read.” 

"S'Accabadora" is a figure from Sardinian culture. Until a few decades ago, euthanasia was practiced in Sardinia. It was the task of the female "accabbadora" to bring death to people in agony. Detailed studies and analyses of documentation found in Sardinian curiae, dioceses, and museums have confirmed the existence of this figure.

The "s'accabadora" was a woman who, called upon by the relatives of a terminally ill patient, would provide a compassionate death, ending their suffering. It was an act of mercy towards the dying person and also a necessary act for the survival of the family, especially for the less privileged social classes. In the rural areas of Gallura and in small towns far from a doctor, it served to avoid prolonged and excruciating suffering for the patient.

The "s'accabadora" would arrive at the house of the dying person always at night. After the family members who had called her had left, she would enter the room of death. The door would open, and the dying person, from their bed of agony, would see the "s'accabadora" dressed in black, with her face covered, and understand that their suffering was about to end.

The patient would be suffocated with a pillow, or the woman would deliver a blow with "su mazzolu" causing death. The "s'accabadora" would then leave quietly, as if she had completed a mission. The family members of the patient would express deep gratitude for the service she had rendered to their loved one, often offering her agricultural products in return.

Usually, the blow was directed at the forehead, which likely gives rise to the term "accabbadora," from the Spanish word "acabar" meaning to finish, literally giving a blow to the head.

"Su mazzolu" was a kind of specially constructed stick that can be seen in the Gallura Ethnographic Museum. It is a 40-centimeter-long and 20-centimeter-wide piece of olive wood, with a handle that allows for a secure and precise grip. The "su mazzolu" found in the Gallura museum was discovered in 1981. The "s'accabadora" had hidden it in a dry stone wall near an old farmhouse that had once been her home. The Su Mazzolu in questione see here is made from a single piece of wood (probably a fig tree) and is manageable and robust at the same time. It bears three notches engraved in the upper part, probably referring to the number of victims.

The practice of the "s'accabadora" existed in Sardinia until a few decades ago, mainly in the central-northern part of the island. The last known cases of "accabbadura" occurred in Luras in 1929 and in Orgosolo in 1952. In addition to documented cases, there are numerous stories passed down through oral tradition and family memories. Many people remember a grandfather or great-grandfather who had some connection with the woman dressed in black.

In Luras, in Gallura, the "s'accabadora" killed a 70-year-old man. The woman was not condemned, and the case was closed. The Carabinieri, the Public Prosecutor of Tempio Pausania, and the Church all agreed that it was a humanitarian act. In fact, everyone knew, and everyone remained silent. No condemnation seems to have ever been carried out against this missionary woman who physically and morally took it upon herself to end the suffering of the sick.

Her existence was always considered a natural fact. Just as there were midwives who assisted in childbirth, there was the "s'accabadora" who helped in dying. It is even said that they were often the same person, distinguished by the color of their clothing (black if bringing death, white or light if bringing life into the world).

This figure, representing a socio-cultural and historical phenomenon, is the practice of euthanasia. In the small rural communities of Sardinia, it was linked to the Sardinian approach to death. In the Sardinian community's culture, there has never been a real fear when facing the final moments of a person's life. It can be said that Sardinians had their own personal management of death, considering it a natural cycle of life.

In December of 1927, 12-year-old Marion Parker, who was the young daughter of banker, Perry Parker, was abducted from her school by William Edward Hickman. Over the next few days, Hickman contacted Parker and sent multiple ransom notes. Parker agreed to pay the $1,500 and met the man in a parked car. When Parker paid to ransom, he was allowed to see his daughter who was sitting on the passenger seat. She appeared to be wrapped up in a blanket up to her neck, rendering her unable to walk. Or so Parker thought.. Hickman threw the little girl out of the car and sped off with the money. It was immediately discovered that the little girl was already dead. When she was unwrapped from the blanket, he was horrified to see that her arms and legs had been cut off and she had been disembowelled. Her eyes had also been wired open. Hickman later admitted to strangling and slitting the throat of Marion and confessed that she was still alive while he disembowelled her. Hickman was quickly apprehended and hanged in 1928.

The Martinez Dog Demon

is a paranormal entity (commonly believed to be a demon) captured in an infamous photograph from Joe and Patty Martinez during their friend's 50th wedding anniversary - it is a striking example of a phenomena in which unseen entities appear in photographs but have not been spotted by anyone during the time, what's even more striking in this particularly creepy case is that the subject the creature apparently stood behind and his trouble background. While many attempts have been made to figure out what the true cause of the phenomena may be it remains a largely mysterious and unsolved paranormal case.