Craig Zablo

If you get queasy reading about grisly murders you’ll want to skip this blog post about 7 Unsolved Murder Mysteries to Keep You Up at Night.  They include…

1. Hinterkaifeck… six residents of Hinterkaifeck, a small farmstead in Germany, were murdered with a mattock (a tool similar to a pickaxe)…And days before the murder, Andreas told neighbors he’d discovered a strange set of footprints in the snow leading from the forest to the home, but not back. He’d also heard footsteps in the attic, and a set of keys went missing.

2. Villisca Axe Murders… A string of axe murders across the country prior to and following the Villisca murders closely resembled each other (mirrors in the house were covered; gloves were worn by the killer; a basin in which the murderer washed himself off found in the kitchen), but were never officially connected…

3. The Axeman of New Orleans… an axe murderer killed eight people in New Orleans and surrounding communities, with more victims suspected… The Axeman published a chilling letter in the newspaper which, in part, read: “I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman. When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of he whom I have sent below to keep me company.” …

4. The Moonlight Murders… unknown serial killer called the “Phantom Killer” shot 10 people (five of whom died) in and around Texarkana…

5. Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run… The official victim count is 12, but investigators believe the true number is likely higher. The Mad Butcher was so named for beheading and dismembering his victims…

6. Jack the Ripper… Several letters purporting to be from Jack himself were publicized around the time of the murders, including the one that appointed the name “Jack the Ripper,” though this one was later said to be a hoax. Another letter, known as the “From Hell letter,” in which the author claimed to have fried and eaten half of a victim’s kidney, was thought to be authentic. Delivered with the letter was a small piece of human kidney in a box…

7. The Zodiac Killer… Among the correspondence sent by the Zodiac killer to newspapers were four cryptograms, only one of which has been definitively decoded. It reads, in part: “I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROU[S] ANAMAL OF ALL” (sic)…

Read the full article for all the facts… if you dare!