# Cases and true stories that just creep you out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 14, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573 "2022-09-14T18:20:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/21 "2022-09-15T13:33:21Z")
A couple more creepy AF stories that just came to mind. Random lake in the Himalayas that contains 100s of bodies (including some from [Greece](https://greekreporter.com/2022/08/25/mystery-greek-skeletons-india-roopkund-lake/)!) for no obvious reason: > **[The mystery of India’s ‘lake of skeletons’](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56116533)** > > The remains of up to 800 people date back more than 1,000 years and they make a diverse group. Various creepy mysterious unidentified bodies. e.g.: > **[English murder mysteries that have baffled detectives](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29604413)** > > Five unsolved murder mysteries in England that have baffled detectives and communities. Though one of the most mysterious was apparently identified recently: > **[Mystery of Australia's 'Somerton Man' solved after 70 years, researcher says](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-62314555)** > > The identity a man found dead on an Australian beach has baffled authorities for over 70 years. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/22 "2022-09-15T13:46:09Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Recently there was a possible explanation put forth based on, of all things, the CGI snow animation from Disney’s _Frozen_. I refuse to read the article so will assume going forward that the Dyatlov pass deaths were caused by Elsa going rogue with her ice powers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/23 "2022-09-15T14:01:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > At this point, with the law starting to close in on her, Stacey Castor decided to frame her daughter for murder, forging a confession/suicide note and mixing a medication overdose into her daughter’s drink. Fortunately the daughter survived (barely), the forgery was discovered and Stacey Castor was convicted of murder. I recall this case from an episode of Forensic Files. The forgery was identified as such because the mother had spelled “antifreeze” as “antifree”, which was the same way she had pronounced it in recorded police interviews. Another interesting case I’ve just recalled, which occurred in my own back yard, is the “tube sock killings” - two (or possibly three) married couples who were murdered while camping in rural Pierce County, WA in the ‘80s, a tube sock tied around the throats of the women. The truly bizarre part is that the 2-year-old daughter of one of the murdered couples was found in the parking lot of a Target in Spanaway, a good 30 miles away from where her parents’ bodies were eventually found, on the same day that they went missing, and was only able to say “mommy is in the trees” when asked what had happened to her parents. Presumably, the person who killed her parents must have taken mercy on her, driven her into the city, and dumped her in the parking lot of the Target. What has become of that woman in the intervening decades is not documented, and I can only wonder what memories of that episode still linger in her mind. > **[Mineral, Washington murders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral,_Washington_murders)** > > The Mineral, Washington murders, dubbed by the media as "the Tube Sock Killings," is a series of unsolved murders that occurred in remote areas of Lewis and Pierce County, Washington, near the remote community of Mineral, Washington, in 1985. The murder cases were widely publicized, and were featured on the television series Unsolved Mysteries in 1989. > On August 10, 1985, Steven Harkins, 27, and his girlfriend, Ruth Cooper, 42, left their Tacoma, Washington home for a weekend camping trip at Tul... ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/24 "2022-09-15T14:35:46Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > To me personally there is nothing exactly creepy per se about terrible serial killers, like BTK. Their crimes are horrific and shocking, but not fascinating and don’t give me any desire to know more (in fact I’d happily know less if that was an option). People like **BTK** are pure evil, and that creeps me out. Like the OP said, pure evil provokes me, really gets to me how people can be pure evil. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/25 "2022-09-15T14:41:53Z")
[This book](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5B3PI2/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title) is a pretty good accounting. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/26 "2022-09-15T14:46:09Z")
The limited series **The Act** is a pretty creepy adaptation of [the true story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Act_(TV_series)) of a mother who dreamed up all manner of illnesses for her daughter (none of which she had), kept her confined to a wheelchair, fed her through a tube, and scammed money and prescriptions using her fake illnesses. The mother had what used to be called Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/27 "2022-09-15T14:52:55Z")
Not sure it crosses the line from weird to creepy, but there is also the Max Headroom incident: > **[Max Headroom signal hijacking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_signal_hijacking)** > > The Max Headroom signal hijacking occurred on the night of November 22, 1987, when the television signals of two stations in Chicago, Illinois, were hijacked, briefly sending a pirate broadcast of an unidentified person wearing a Max Headroom mask and costume to thousands of home viewers. > The first incident took place during the sports segment of independent TV station WGN-TV's 9:00 p.m. newscast. Like the later signal intrusion, it featured a person wearing a mask swaying erratically in front... ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/28 "2022-09-15T14:54:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > The limited series **The Act** is a pretty creepy adaptation of [the true story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Act_(TV_series)) of a mother who dreamed up all manner of illnesses for her daughter (none of which she had), kept her confined to a wheelchair, fed her through a tube, and scammed money and prescriptions using her fake illnesses. The mother had what used to be called Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. I view attorneys who specialize in defending Munchausen by proxy parents/caregivers are particularly creepy. It’s one thing to take an isolated case if you think the defendant might be innocent, but trying to get such people acquitted (and free to potentially abuse or kill more kids) as a major part of your practice is another matter. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/29 "2022-09-15T15:02:32Z")
Are we not mentioning actual theories in this thread? If not, the “Elsa” theory for the Dyatlov Pass deaths makes the most sense to me. Explains everything without wild plots or aliens. I also read _The Man from the Train,_ and the German killings were very similar to the U.S. killings. Believable to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/30 "2022-09-15T15:07:33Z")
The Act story reminds me of another one that I think I read here but cannot find either here nor on the Web. The next door neighbor of a girl would sneak into the girl’s house and perform mischievous acts of vandalism and the girl’s mother would blame it on the girl. This went on for years and all the while the neighbor constantly “consoled” the mother over her constantly misbehaving girl, who all the while denied that she was the culprit. This seems like quite the horror movie plot, considering the length of time and that neither mother nor daughter knew who was causing the problems. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/31 "2022-09-15T15:13:06Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Though one of the most mysterious was apparently identified recently: That’s one I like, I hadn’t heard he had been identified. Science FTW! ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/32 "2022-09-15T15:23:38Z")
OK one more (turns out there are many things that both creep me out and fascinate me at the same time). Its not really a story per-se but the concepts of “terminal burrowing” and “paradoxical undressing” are pretty creepy: > **[Get Naked and Dig: The Bizarre Effects of Hypothermia](https://www.livescience.com/41730-hypothermia-terminal-burrowing-paradoxical-undressing.html)** > > Severe hypothermia can cause people to lose consciousness, and may result in death. But before losing consciousness, people suffering from hypothermia have been known to exhibit some bizarre behaviors Basically the final symptoms of terminal hypothermia are that the victim will take off all their clothes and try to burrow into the ground. But no one knows why for sure (despite hypothermia being a fairly common cause of death), as no-one who has ever reached that stage of hypothermia has survived to explain why. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/33 "2022-09-15T16:02:02Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Another interesting case I’ve just recalled, which occurred in my own back yard, is the “tube sock killings” Never heard of this but is gave me the chills. Myself and many family members use to go camping on the Nisqually River near Elbe. This isn’t very far from Mineral. This was back in the 80’s when these murders happened. We never had any problems where we camped, this is likely because we had to pass through private property to reach the river. We also use to camp near Mineral Lake on the opening weekend of fishing season. But on those weekends, the area around the lake was packed with people going fishing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/34 "2022-09-15T16:51:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I view attorneys who specialize in defending Munchausen by proxy parents/caregivers are particularly creepy. It’s one thing to take an isolated case if you think the defendant might be innocent, but trying to get such people acquitted (and free to potentially abuse or kill more kids) as a major part of your practice is another matter. I agree. In this case the daughter’s mentally deranged boyfriend who she met online, killed the mother. He’s in prison for life, but the daughter got ten years. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/35 "2022-09-15T19:24:19Z")
I found the Turpin case pretty creepy. 13 children starved for years, so much so that even the ones well into their 20s looked like children. Those photos of the family at the Elvis impersonator were so freaking odd. > **[Turpin case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turpin_case)** > > The Turpin case concerns the maltreatment of children and dependent adults by their parents, David and Louise Turpin of Perris, California, U.S. The ages of the 13 victims ranged from 2 years old to 29. On January 14, 2018, one of the children, 17-year-old Jordan Turpin, escaped from the family home and called local police, who then raided the residence and discovered disturbing evidence. Given the number of dependents involved, the degree of abuse, and the protracted nature occurring over dec... ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/36 "2022-09-15T19:35:00Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I found the Turpin case pretty creepy. Is it just me that distinguishes between “woah that’s weird and creepy I want to know more about this” and “that’s just f\*cking horrific and I wish I didn’t know about that” ? I’m not sure the right term to use to distinguish them (I guess creepy vs horrific?) This case very much in the latter for me. Things like the Dyatlov pass incident or the Lead masks case are the former. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/37 "2022-09-15T19:41:22Z")
Very good point, and I agree. Some of these instances are fascinating and very much creepy mysteries. Mine example is horrific and something I wish I never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/38 "2022-09-15T21:03:58Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > We never had any problems where we camped, this is likely because we had to pass through private property to reach the river Bit of a sidetrack but, feel I should point out, that the reason you didn’t have any problems with a serial killer (in common with almost all the many many thousands of people who visited that location) is being killed by a random stranger, anywhere let along in a remote sparsely populated location, is spectacularly unlikely. Threads like this one (and true crime TV) may make it seem otherwise but its a vanishingly small risk. It always amazes me when people say things like they won’t get out of a car on the highway if they break down on the hard shoulder, in case they are attacked by a serial killer, when the chances of that versus getting rear-ended and killed are so small as to be ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/39 "2022-09-15T22:24:16Z")
I read a book a while back which suggested that this was perpetrated by the same person who did the Villisca axe murders. I personally thought that was quite a stretch. > **[The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery:...](https://www.amazon.com/Man-Train-Solving-Century-Old-Mystery/dp/1476796254)** > > The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery \[James, Bill, James, Rachel McCarthy\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573/40 "2022-09-15T22:30:35Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Is it just me that distinguishes between “woah that’s weird and creepy I want to know more about this” and “that’s just f\*cking horrific and I wish I didn’t know about that” ? I’d have been happy to never have heard of Albert Fish. Do not Google Albert Fish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-and-true-stories-that-just-creep-you-out/971573.md?page=3)