True Crime & Cryptids

On February 10, 1998, a maintenance worker noticed a foul smell coming from an apartment on East Kentucky Avenue in Glendale, Colorado. He decided to investigate, and that’s when he found a body, surrounded by a large sum of cash. There had been evidence of drug paraphernalia. He was found wearing a bright blue t-shirt with “WORLDWIDE NETWORK/ 1019 NGX 2397” written on it, and beige shorts. The man alerted authorities, who continued the investigation. The unidentified male, known as Arapahoe County John Doe or Glendale John Doe, was a Hispanic male between the ages of 25 and 30, stood at 5′8″ (172 cm), weighed 196 pounds (88 kg), and had black hair and brown eyes. His hair was described as thick and curly. He had two tattoos, one on his right arm of an owl with the word “OWL” above it, and a tattoo described as “illegible” on his left arm consisting of a circular hyperpigmented area. 

While alive, John Doe had numerous contacts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At the time, however, it was called the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The images that are shown came from his contacts with immigration officers throughout the years. He also used numerous false identities, which included Diego Perez, S. Franco, and Julio Costa-Laso. He used a fake ID card from Texas under the name Diego Perez with the date of birth June 10, 1970. It is unknown what country he came from, but he has never been identified. If you have any information regarding the true identity of Diego Perez, please contact the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office at 720-874-3625.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

These photos were taken by Sam Jacobs while he and his girlfriend were out playing the game Pokemon Go in August of 2016. The two were walking between Loveland Madeira Road and Lake Isabella in Loveland, Ohio, when they spotted the creature. Jacobs claims that this creature is what is known as the Loveland Frogman. He is very adamant about what he saw though many claim it to be a hoax. He estimates the animal stood at least four feet tall.

Jacobs wrote in an email about his sighting, “I realize this sounds crazy, but I swear on my grandmother’s grave this is the truth”.

The Yucca Man is said to be an alleged Bigfoot found in California, Arizona, and Nevada. The Yucca Man is described as a Bigfoot that is said to be at least 10 feet tall and slightly less hairy due to it living in the desert. The Yucca Man is said to be reported closet to government facilities and has been know to play pranks on people. Another popular name for the creature is called the Sierra Highway Devil as it has been seen walking along hat stretch of road.

Legend has it that a Black Dog guards the Ivelet Bridge in England. The dog can reportedly be heard barking at night despite the fact that it is normally described as being headless. Like most Black Dogs of the UK, the one on Ivelet Bridge is said to be an omen of death. Those whose deaths are attributed to it, typically die within a year of seeing it. 

Bella Neveah Amoroso Bond was born August 6th, 2012. But only lived till about May or June 2015, police suspect. A body was found washed ashore wrapped in a black trash bag on Deere Island, Dorchester, Massachusetts.  A woman walking her dog discovered Bond’s remains on June 25th, 2015. She only wore a pair of polka dot leggings, but a zebra print blanket was also found inside of the bag.  At first, Bella was unidentified and was known in Massachusetts and across the country as “Baby Doe.”

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children facially reconstructed Baby Doe’s face (pictured: right) for the public with an estimate of how old she was hoping someone could identify the baby girl. The public sent in countless tips of the little girl who was eventually identified of Bella Bond. Investigators at first believed that Bella had died within days of her being discovered, but upon further investigation, it was suggested that Bella’s body had been placed in some sort of fridge for as long as a month before she was disposed into the water.

Bella Bond’s mother, Rachelle Bond and her boyfriend, Michael McCarthy were arrested and charged in the murder of Bella “Baby Doe” Bond.  Even though the original autopsy did not show the cause of death, authorities confirmed that she had been murdered. Rachelle was charged with being an “accessory after the fact” in regards to her daughter’s murder while her boyfriend, Michael was charged with second degree murder. Rachelle pleaded guilty (because of a plea deal) while McCarthy was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of future parole.

The night of January 1st, 2013, found Noelle Paquette (first picture) upset and alone on the streets of Sarnia, Ontario. She had left a new years party, at approximately 2 am, upset after having a fight with her boyfriend just minutes before. According to a friend that walked with her for a few minutes, she had set her mind on walking home after being unable to find a cab. Unfortunately she did not make it home and this would be the last time she was seen alive. 

Just minutes after 2:30 am Paquette’s phone died, this also coincides with eyewitness reports of Paquette being followed by a man. This man was Michael Macgregor and they were followed closely behind by Michelle Bogdanovich in her white Grand Prix. Macgregor and Bogdanovich had been fantasizing about and prowling for the perfect victim yet ultimately when the couple failed to abduct a teenager, they found Paquette, the perfect victim of opportunity. Pacquette was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”(Michael Carnegie, 2016)

Macgregor and Bogdanovich had met on an online forum for those interested in BDSM in June of 2012. Despite Bogdanovich being in a committed relationship with the father of her children, the relationship between the two quickly became intense, the focus being on the idea of abducting, raping, and stabbing a teenage girl. Over the 7 months that they were entangled, they made countless drawings, writings, and videos focused on that idea. 

Bogdanovich pulled up beside Paquette and offered her a ride home that night, yet once Paquette got into the car, Bogdanovich then reversed and picked up Macgregor. From there they took  Paquette to a forest, approximately 25 kilometres away, where they fulfilled their fantasy of a “forest rape”. Paquette was raped and stabbed approximately 49 times. Perforating her heart, lungs, and liver. Paquette eventually succumb to her injuries alone in the forests of Sarnia.

A few hours later, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were found by police in their car not far from the crime scene. The car had run out of oil and when the police examined Macgregor they noticed a stab wound on his hand. The couple told the police that they had been experimenting with knife play when the car ran out of oil. At the hospital, the couple was seen kissing passionately and giggling.

Paquette’s body was found on January 2nd in a woodlot near where the police discovered the couple. With this discovery, the couple immediately became the prime suspects, and less than 2 days later, they were both arrested for Paquette’s murder. 

In December of 2015, the odd couple pled guilty to the murder, and in February of 2016, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were both sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

The night of January 1st, 2013, found Noelle Paquette (first picture) upset and alone on the streets of Sarnia, Ontario. She had left a new years party, at approximately 2 am, upset after having a fight with her boyfriend just minutes before. According to a friend that walked with her for a few minutes, she had set her mind on walking home after being unable to find a cab. Unfortunately she did not make it home and this would be the last time she was seen alive. 

Just minutes after 2:30 am Paquette’s phone died, this also coincides with eyewitness reports of Paquette being followed by a man. This man was Michael Macgregor and they were followed closely behind by Michelle Bogdanovich in her white Grand Prix. Macgregor and Bogdanovich had been fantasizing about and prowling for the perfect victim yet ultimately when the couple failed to abduct a teenager, they found Paquette, the perfect victim of opportunity. Pacquette was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”(Michael Carnegie, 2016)

Macgregor and Bogdanovich had met on an online forum for those interested in BDSM in June of 2012. Despite Bogdanovich being in a committed relationship with the father of her children, the relationship between the two quickly became intense, the focus being on the idea of abducting, raping, and stabbing a teenage girl. Over the 7 months that they were entangled, they made countless drawings, writings, and videos focused on that idea. 

Bogdanovich pulled up beside Paquette and offered her a ride home that night, yet once Paquette got into the car, Bogdanovich then reversed and picked up Macgregor. From there they took  Paquette to a forest, approximately 25 kilometres away, where they fulfilled their fantasy of a “forest rape”. Paquette was raped and stabbed approximately 49 times. Perforating her heart, lungs, and liver. Paquette eventually succumb to her injuries alone in the forests of Sarnia.

A few hours later, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were found by police in their car not far from the crime scene. The car had run out of oil and when the police examined Macgregor they noticed a stab wound on his hand. The couple told the police that they had been experimenting with knife play when the car ran out of oil. At the hospital, the couple was seen kissing passionately and giggling.

Paquette’s body was found on January 2nd in a woodlot near where the police discovered the couple. With this discovery, the couple immediately became the prime suspects, and less than 2 days later, they were both arrested for Paquette’s murder. 

In December of 2015, the odd couple pled guilty to the murder, and in February of 2016, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were both sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

In September 1981, a mysterious Beast of Truro was starting to attack pets and livestock in the small community of Truro, Massachusetts. At first this baffling creature began to kill local feral cats, leaving them for locals to discover the bodies. When the beast moved to bigger animals, it attacked a 175 pound hog. This hog was so brutally mauled that it had to be euthanized. There were deep claw marks on its flanks and its throat was torn up. After a couple days, another hog was killed, and then two more after that. Despite the locals claiming to hear cat-like screams and the tell-tale marks on the hogs that could be feline or ursine; experts claim that it was a dog or group of dogs. 

On January 15th, 1996 Amber Hagerman, the namesake behind the AMBER Alert, was abducted by an unknown man while she was out riding bicycles with her little brother, Ricky. Amber’s kidnapping shook the quiet down of Arlington, Texas to its core. A local station called WFAA-TV played a crucial role in covering the case. They followed the story from start to finish, working side-by-side with the Hagerman family. Donna personally invited them into most private family moments during their fight to bring Amber home. Her hope was that the significant media focus would help bring in vital information regarding her daughter’s whereabouts. Two days after the kidnapping, WFAA-TV sat with Amber’s parents and grandparents in their home as everyone watched news coverage of the body being recovered, waiting for confirmation on whether or not it was their darling Amber. For the staff of WFAA-TV, this story was personal.

In the year prior, WFAA-TV filmed a special about single mothers struggling in poverty. Donna Norris, Amber’s mother, was featured in the story. The camera crew followed the little family around for several months, documenting their joys and their struggles. Amber loved school and received multiple awards for her academic achievements and for being a good, thoughtful student. During an interview, the little girl proudly displayed her album of accomplishments. WFAA-TV was also with the family on November 25th, 1995 for Amber’s ninth birthday. Donna adorned their home with pink balloons and Lisa Frank party decorations. Amber was able to invite a few of her close friends, and together they celebrated her special day alongside her mother, Ricky, and the camera crew. The highlight of the party was when Amber opened up a gift that her mother excitedly saved up for: Pocahontas bedding. It would become Amber’s last birthday.

Lisa Renee Irwin was only 10 months old when she vanished from her home in Kansas City, Missouri on October 3, 2011. She was last seen by her mom at approximately 6:40 pm that night in her bed. However, when her father came home from his job early the next morning, many home lights were on, the front door was unlocked, several cellphones were missing, a window was open, but most importantly, Lisa was nowhere to be found, and authorities launched an extensive investigation. Witnesses claimed to have seen a man carrying a baby down the street the night Lisa went missing, however, they disagree on what the man looked like. When Irwin’s home was searched, a dog picked up the scent of a dead body near the mother’s bed, however, her mom denies any involvement in her disappearance, which remains unsolved. 

Lisa Renee Irwin was 10 months old when she vanished, stood at 2′6″ (76 cm), weighed around 30 pounds (13 kg), and had blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a birthmark on her right thigh. Lisa was last known to be wearing purple pants and a purple shirt with kittens on it. If alive, Lisa would be 7 years old. A $100,000 reward is being issued for Lisa’s return. 

If you have any information regarding Lisa Irwin’s abduction, please contact the  Kansas City Police Department at 816-474-8477 or submit a tip to the FBI here

Further readings/sources:

FBI Poster

Find Lisa Irwin

Websleuths Discussion

Wikipedia

The SS Californian and the Titanic Scandal

On April 14th, 1912 around 11:39 PM the infamous RMS Titanic struck in iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic. As a result of large gashes torn into her hull, causing large amounts of water to rush into her lower compartments. As the Titanic slowly sank over the next two and a half hours, the crew haphazardly attempted to evacuate all women and children from the ship. Most modern depictions of the sinking, James Cameron’s film “Titanic” for example, depicting a forsaken ship all alone in the middle of the ocean. In reality, while the Titanic filled with water and dipped below the waves, off in the near distance a bright light was in view. That light was the British steamer SS Californian, which was located a mere ten miles from the sinking ocean liner. Over the next two and a half hours of tragedy the Californian watched as the Titanic slipped below the sea. The question that remains to this day is why didn’t the captain and crew of the Californian do anything to help the beleaguered passengers of the Titanic?

The SS Californian was a British merchant ship commanded by Captain Stanley Lord. Roughly a half hour before the Titanic struck an iceberg, Lord ordered the Californian to halt due to a large icepack and scattered icebergs ahead. Lord decided that the Californian would remain there for the rest of the night and make way again in the morning once conditions were safer. He also ordered the Californian’s wireless radio operator to broadcast a warning that icebergs were directly ahead.  Wireless sets at the time had a greater signal the closer they were from the origin. Since the Titanic was only ten miles away, the warning message blasted the ears of Titanic’s wireless operator, Jack Philips, forcing him to throw off his headset as the unintelligible message blasted his ears. At the time Philips was clearing a backlog of wireless messages from Cape Race, Newfoundland, and greatly annoyed sent the message to the Californian, “Shut up, shut up, I’m working Cape Race.“ 

The wireless operator of the Californian, most likely annoyed with the response, shut off his set and retired for the night.  As a result the warning that a pack of icebergs were immediately ahead was never delivered to the bridge crew of the Titanic. As history would have it, the Titanic would strike on of those icebergs. With water filling the ship, the Titanic’s crew began to evacuate the passengers, women and children first. A common myth that lifeboats were underfilled in order to increase passenger comfort. In reality they did this to increase patient safety, decrease the likelihood of the lifeboats capsizing, or overweighing the life boats. This did not seem like a big deal to the crew at the time because, hey, over there the SS Californian was just ten miles away and in no time she would arrive to ferry all the Titanic’s passengers aboard. The lifeboats were ordered to row toward the Californian and after offloading, return to pick up more passengers.  

The Titanic constantly sent messages with a Morse lamp while also firing emergency rockets to signal the Californian for help.  In addition, Jack Philips signaled the Californian with his wireless set.  On the Californian the crew could not see the Titanic’s Morse lamps, however they were well aware of the rockets being fired.  Captain Lord, who had turned in after 17 hours without rest, was awoken, but dismissed the rockets as being company rockets (rockets used to signal ships of the same company) or celebratory rockets.  The fine points of Captain Lord’s reaction to the rockets are not truly known, as Lord often changed his story. In the meantime no one had the notion to awaken the Californian’s wireless operator in order to contact the Titanic. Thus the Californian never received Titanic’s radio distress signals. As the ship began to sink below the waves, it appeared to the Californian’s crew that the ship was steaming away. By 2:30 AM it appeared that Titanic had left the area. In reality the Titanic had sunk.

At 4:00 AM the RMS Carpathia arrived on the scene to rescue the survivors. The Californian didn’t arrive until 8:30 AM.

Shortly after the sinking, investigations were conducted by both the United States and British Governments. Incredibly no mention of Titanic’s sighting or the firing of rockets was entered into the Californian’s official log. Captain Lord especially came under scrutiny, and his story changed constantly when questioned about the incident. He often claimed that the rockets were not distress rockets or that no rockets were fired at all, his account on weather conditions constantly changed, he claimed the Californian was twenty miles away, not ten, and in some cases he testified that a third ship was present which was firing rockets. Both American and British inquiries into the sinking found that Captain Lord was negligent in his handling of the situation, however neither brought formal charges against Lord. However Lord was fired from his position with the Leyland Line, the owner of the Californian, but would be hired by another shipping company less than a year later.

The SS Californian would be sunk in 1915, however at the hands of a German submarine rather than an iceberg.

Manananggal

The Manananggal is a mythical creature in the folklore of the Philippines. It is in appearance to a western vampire, but unlike vampires, it can detach its torso. The Manananggal primarily targets pregnant women. It detaches its torso from its lower body and uses an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck the hearts of fetuses or the blood of an unsuspecting, sleeping victim. It is known to whip its hair in urban forests, causing hurricanes all over the globe. The severed lower torso is left standing, and it is said to be the more vulnerable of the two halves. 

Sprinkling salt or smearing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal to the creature. If the bottom half is destroyed then the top half would be unable to return to its full body at dawn and will ultimately die.

The night of January 1st, 2013, found Noelle Paquette (first picture) upset and alone on the streets of Sarnia, Ontario. She had left a new years party, at approximately 2 am, upset after having a fight with her boyfriend just minutes before. According to a friend that walked with her for a few minutes, she had set her mind on walking home after being unable to find a cab. Unfortunately she did not make it home and this would be the last time she was seen alive. 

Just minutes after 2:30 am Paquette’s phone died, this also coincides with eyewitness reports of Paquette being followed by a man. This man was Michael Macgregor and they were followed closely behind by Michelle Bogdanovich in her white Grand Prix. Macgregor and Bogdanovich had been fantasizing about and prowling for the perfect victim yet ultimately when the couple failed to abduct a teenager, they found Paquette, the perfect victim of opportunity. Pacquette was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”(Michael Carnegie, 2016)

Macgregor and Bogdanovich had met on an online forum for those interested in BDSM in June of 2012. Despite Bogdanovich being in a committed relationship with the father of her children, the relationship between the two quickly became intense, the focus being on the idea of abducting, raping, and stabbing a teenage girl. Over the 7 months that they were entangled, they made countless drawings, writings, and videos focused on that idea. 

Bogdanovich pulled up beside Paquette and offered her a ride home that night, yet once Paquette got into the car, Bogdanovich then reversed and picked up Macgregor. From there they took  Paquette to a forest, approximately 25 kilometres away, where they fulfilled their fantasy of a “forest rape”. Paquette was raped and stabbed approximately 49 times. Perforating her heart, lungs, and liver. Paquette eventually succumb to her injuries alone in the forests of Sarnia.

A few hours later, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were found by police in their car not far from the crime scene. The car had run out of oil and when the police examined Macgregor they noticed a stab wound on his hand. The couple told the police that they had been experimenting with knife play when the car ran out of oil. At the hospital, the couple was seen kissing passionately and giggling.

Paquette’s body was found on January 2nd in a woodlot near where the police discovered the couple. With this discovery, the couple immediately became the prime suspects, and less than 2 days later, they were both arrested for Paquette’s murder. 

In December of 2015, the odd couple pled guilty to the murder, and in February of 2016, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were both sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

The night of January 1st, 2013, found Noelle Paquette (first picture) upset and alone on the streets of Sarnia, Ontario. She had left a new years party, at approximately 2 am, upset after having a fight with her boyfriend just minutes before. According to a friend that walked with her for a few minutes, she had set her mind on walking home after being unable to find a cab. Unfortunately she did not make it home and this would be the last time she was seen alive. 

Just minutes after 2:30 am Paquette’s phone died, this also coincides with eyewitness reports of Paquette being followed by a man. This man was Michael Macgregor and they were followed closely behind by Michelle Bogdanovich in her white Grand Prix. Macgregor and Bogdanovich had been fantasizing about and prowling for the perfect victim yet ultimately when the couple failed to abduct a teenager, they found Paquette, the perfect victim of opportunity. Pacquette was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”(Michael Carnegie, 2016)

Macgregor and Bogdanovich had met on an online forum for those interested in BDSM in June of 2012. Despite Bogdanovich being in a committed relationship with the father of her children, the relationship between the two quickly became intense, the focus being on the idea of abducting, raping, and stabbing a teenage girl. Over the 7 months that they were entangled, they made countless drawings, writings, and videos focused on that idea. 

Bogdanovich pulled up beside Paquette and offered her a ride home that night, yet once Paquette got into the car, Bogdanovich then reversed and picked up Macgregor. From there they took  Paquette to a forest, approximately 25 kilometres away, where they fulfilled their fantasy of a “forest rape”. Paquette was raped and stabbed approximately 49 times. Perforating her heart, lungs, and liver. Paquette eventually succumb to her injuries alone in the forests of Sarnia.

A few hours later, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were found by police in their car not far from the crime scene. The car had run out of oil and when the police examined Macgregor they noticed a stab wound on his hand. The couple told the police that they had been experimenting with knife play when the car ran out of oil. At the hospital, the couple was seen kissing passionately and giggling.

Paquette’s body was found on January 2nd in a woodlot near where the police discovered the couple. With this discovery, the couple immediately became the prime suspects, and less than 2 days later, they were both arrested for Paquette’s murder. 

In December of 2015, the odd couple pled guilty to the murder, and in February of 2016, Bogdanovich and Macgregor were both sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Shy’Kemmia Shy’Rezz Pate has been missing since September 4, 1998. On that day, she was last seen by her sister near where they lived on Crumpler Avenue in Unadilla, Georgia at approximately 7pm. Her older sister left to go get gas for her car so they would be able to go to a local football game, but when she returned, her sister was nowhere to be found. At first, the family assumed that she either went to a friends house or gotten a ride from someone else to the game, but when they could not find her anywhere, Shy’Kemmia Shy’Rezz Pate or “Shy Shy” was reported missing. 

Investigators searched homes around where Shy Shy was living at the time, but the police turned up empty-handed. Authorities believe that she was abducted, but no evidence has been found to help solve this case. Her family has been cleared of any suspicion, but investigators still believe that she was abducted by someone that she knew. Despite all the effort made by investigators, family, friends, and sleuthers alike, Shy Shy remains missing.

Shy’Kemmia Shy’Rezz Pate is a black female who was 8 years old when she vanished. She has black hair and brown eyes and stood at 4′4″ (132 cm) tall and weighed approximately 59 pounds (26 kg). When she went missing, Shy Shy suffered from numerous medical conditions, including severe asthma, a weak bladder, one underdeveloped kidney, and she wore a leg brace due to a misplaced kneecap. Due to her bladder problems, she had to wear Pull-Ups or else she would have to go to the bathroom every ten to fifteen minutes. She has a surgical scar along her waistline from a kidney surgery and has pierced ears. She was last seen wearing a neon green button-down Atlanta Braves jersey with “Braves” on the front in red, Levi’s jeans, white K-Swiss sneakers, and a leg brace. At the time of her disappearance, she had braided hair extensions and her hair twirled in the front with gold beads. If alive, Shy’Kemmia Shy’Rezz Pate would be 29 years old. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Shy Shy Pate, please contact the Dooly County Sheriff’s Department at 229-268-4128.

Sources:

Buzzfeed

Charley Project

NamUs

Websleuths