Damsel of Death Executed After 13 Years
After over a decade of being on Florida’s death row, Aileen Wuornos, also known as the Damsel of Death, was executed by lethal injection on October 9th, 2002. Wuornos was found to be guilty of killing seven men between the years of 1989 and 1990 across the counties of Florida. Her former lover Tyria Moore aided police in Wuornos’ capture in 1991 by cooperating with the investigation and eliciting a confession from Wuornos over the phone.
Richard Mallory, a shop owner, was Wuornos’ first victim, going missing on November 30th, 1989. He was not found until thirteen days later on December 13th that same year. Mallory was a 51 year old white man who picked up a prostitute along Interstate 75 in Florida to engage in sex for pay. Days later, a Volusia County deputy discovered his body several miles away from his now abandoned car. Upon inspection, it was discovered that Mallory had been shot several times in the chest.
Peter Siems, a retired merchant salesman, was Wuornos’ final victim. Siems's vehicle, a gray four-door 1988 Pontiac Sunbird, was found wrecked and abandoned off State Road 315 in a rural area near Orange Springs, Florida. The car was inspected on July 4th, 1990. There was blood and a large amount of broken glass found inside of the vehicle, and the license plate had been removed. Siems was last seen on June 7th, 1990. While Siems’ body was never found, Wuornos and her girlfriend, Tyria Moore were seen fleeing the crash site of this stolen car, leading officers and investigators to the killer. Wuornos later confessed to the murder of Peter Siems.
After being arrested on January 9th, 1991 Wuornos confessed to the murder of seven men, her argument being that she did it on account of self defense after they attempted assaulting her during her job as a prostitute. Wuornos’ victims are the following: Richard Mallory, David Andrew Spears, Charles Edmund Carskaddon, Troy Eugene Burress, Charles Richard Humphreys, Walter Jeno Antonio, and Peter Siems.
Information on the other victims of Wuornos is listed below:
David Andrew Spears, who was a construction worker, went missing on May 19th 1990 and was found naked and shot to death in Citrus County on June 1st that same year. The day of Spears’ finding was the same day that his 18 year old granddaughter, Deanna, graduated high school. Spears was 43 years old when he died.
Charles Edmund Carskaddon, who was a rodeo worker, went missing on May 31st, 1990. He was later found on June 6th that same year. When Carskaddon was found in Pasco County, it was found that he had been shot in the chest and stomach nine times, killing the 40 year old man.
Charles Richard Humphreys, who was a retired police chief, does not have a for-sure missing date, though experts estimate that he was killed on September 11th, 1990. This was the day before he had been found in Marion County. Humphreys’ body was fully clothed and had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso. His car was later found in Suwannee County.
Walter Jeno Antonio, who was a trucker, was last seen alive on November 19th, 1990. He was found later that day in a remote part of Dixie County. The 62 year old man had been shot four times in the back of the head, and his body has been described to be partially disrobed, or clothed. Antonio's car was found five days later in Brevard County.
Before the murders committed by Wuornos, she had been convicted of various minor crimes through the years of the 1970s and 1980s. These crimes included but were not limited to DUIs, disorderly conduct, prostitution, physical assault, armed robbery, check forgery, shoplifting, and the pawning of stolen goods. Common patterns that Wuornos exhibited during her murder spree were the robbery and shooting of her victims, as well as the theft of their cars after the murders.
The Bell Witch Haunting
The Bell Witch is a spirit that haunted John Bell and his family in Adams, Tennessee in the early 1800s. John Bell had bought farm land along the Red River, where he and his family lived in a cabin. Not far from the Bell family’s cabin was a cave, now known as the Bell Witch Cave. Above the cave is a Native American burial ground, believed to be a hot-spot for supernatural activity.
Some people think that the Bell Witch was the spirit of Kate Batts, an unfriendly neighbor of John Bell, although no one knows for sure. The Bell Witch was said to be able to speak, affect the physical environment, and shape-shift. She was also known to be clairvoyant, offering gossip of the neighbors, giving accurate predictions of the future, and reciting sermons from two different churches at the same time. She was well versed on Biblical ideas, and enjoyed religious arguments. Neighbors and travelers showed skepticism towards the Bell Witch, but she would prove herself by mimicking phrases in the accent of one of the skeptic's family members.
The Bell Witch has tortured the Bell family since 1817. The haunting started with the family seeing strange animals like a rabbit-headed dog and a huge bird. Then, they started hearing strange sounds inside their cabin, like chains dragging against the floor and dogs fighting. John then began having paralysis in his mouth. Eventually, the Bell Witch started talking to the family. She also scratched and pulled the hair of the Bell children, even beating and bruising John Bell’s youngest daughter Betsy. The Bell Witch vowed to kill John Bell, and on December 20, 1820, John Bell was found dead with a vial of a poisoned liquid next to his bed. John Bell’s death is the only one to be attributed to supernatural causes. During John Bell’s funeral, the Bell Witch interrupted with drinking songs.
Even though the Bell Witch was clearly aggressive towards John Bell and most of his children, she was also known to be kind at times. She was particularly fond of John Bell’s wife, Lucy. The Bell Witch would sing to her and give her fruits. She also showed some level of respect to John Bell’s son, John Bell Jr.
Now, the Bell Witch Cave offers tours of the cave and a reconstructed Bell cabin, where they share the story of the Bell Witch. Visitors can also see a museum containing things from the Bell family and the Bell Witch cave. They can tour the farm on hayrides, where a guide will give facts about the property. They also host events like lantern tours, paranormal investigations, and haunted hayrides. Many claim that the Bell Witch still haunts the caves, and visitors are advised not to take rocks from the cave because those who have later experienced tragedies like car wrecks and house fires. The Bell Witch Cave is a prominent piece of Tennessean folklore that has inspired many pieces of media, including books, plays, and documentaries.
Mythical Yokai Returns to Japan
Recently, a mythical yokai was spotted on the coast of Japan after nearly two centuries of not being seen. Umidebito, the famous snail girl of Fukushima Gata, Japan, had not been seen since 1849. In April of 1849, she brought the Japanese people a warning of the future. However, this year in 2025, she was recently sighted, giving another warning.
The last sighting of the Umidebito in 1849 has an interesting story. During the evening, a bright light had been spotted off the shore with the mysterious voice of a woman calling out to whoever could deliver her message. None of the citizens would approach, but a brave samurai by the name of Shibata Chūsaburō would eventually take the task of delivering her message. She would tell him that an unusually large and abundant harvest would start and last the next five years. However, with her telling of the future came tragic news that, in November, an illness would spread and kill off 60% of the population, and that the only way to survive was to see her. After that, she had vanished back into the sea, remaining unseen until this year.
Locals state that the new Umidebito beached herself onto the Boso Peninsula’s beach and forewarned of a plentiful harvest for rice and a devastating illness outbreak. She said that the only way to survive the outbreak was to see her or take a picture of her.
After her warning, her popularity on the internet blew up. Hundreds of hashtags and videos related to the yokai skyrocketed. In fact, this year, one of top hashtags on X (formerly Twitter) was #umidebito while hundreds of videos on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok were uploaded of people dressed up as the yokai, celebrating the return of the Umidebito. There are hundreds of video essays on documentaries on these platforms, discussing the famous history of the snail yokai.
There are hundreds of video essays on documentaries on these platforms, discussing the famous history of the snail yokai.
Descendants of the samurai that had met the first Umidebito described meeting the new Umidebito as “amazing” and “life-changing.” They expressed shock and happiness to have met the same yokai their ancestor met almost two hundred years ago.
Currently, there are many others expressing their desire to see the famous Umidebito again. Talking with locals, we found that many of them wanted to meet the Umidebito to express their happiness and praise for the yokai’s return. However, it has been found that this Umidebito is a bit shy, often found withdrawing into her shell when crowded around. Despite this, locals are still praising and adoring the yokai, thanking her for the warning, and the Umidebito returns their love, expressing gratitude, despite the harshness of her warning. Doctors and pharmacies are now preparing themselves for what the Umidebito has warned the Japanese people for.
The Horrors of McKamey Manor
America’s scariest haunted house, otherwise known as McKamey Manor, is a haunted house attraction founded by Russ McKamey. During this haunted house players will experience a survival horror-style game where employees and scare actors will put you in the face of your greatest fears. The haunted house is considered a pioneer of “extreme” haunted attractions. Russ McKamey, the founder of McKamey Manor, was arrested on felony charges in July of 2024. In September 2024, the charges were dropped and McKamey walked as a free man. Later, after facing backlash for his “attraction,” McKamey attempted to move to Illinois, upon discovering that this would not be an acceptable location, he attempted to try moving to Arizona. This, however, did not work either due to the backlash stretching so far across states that he was not able to even open the McKamey Manor before being forced to flee. After much hunting, McKamey finally settled in Summertown, Tennessee, which ended up being the manor’s final resting place.
Upon the manor’s opening in Tennessee, it quickly generated controversy and media attention after visitors’ reports of extreme physical and psychological abuse was left in public eyes. McKamey Manor never truly operated as a traditional haunted house, but rather as a sort of “survival-horror boot camp” that was used to subject participants to physical and psychological torment by putting them through activities such as waterboarding, severe beatings, and even more horrendous crimes that many wouldnever be able to imagine themselves or their loved ones going through. In order to become a participant in the McKamey Manor sign-ups must undergo an extremely extensive screening process in order to unearth their worst fears, which would later be used against them for up to ten hours at a time. The screening process also included a check for mental and physical health, as well as to determine if participants were “easy to manipulate”. Participants were also required to fully read and sign a forty-page waiver before being allowed to take part in the events.
Participants and former employees of McKamey Manor have alleged that the attraction's “safeword” was often ignored or manipulated by McKamey, and his actors. In its early years, McKamey Manor reportedly did not allow safewords at all, relying on a lengthy waiver and the owners discretion to end the experience. Laura Hertz Brotherton, a victim of the McKamey Manor, claimed that on her visit to the Tennessee Manor, staff ignored her safeword for several minutes while she was waterboarded, tased, and whipped. Amy Milligan spoke to the San Diego Union-Tribune about her traumatic experience at the Manors former California location. She said that actors repeatedly pushed her head underwater, despite her pleas to stop. Lastly, Kris Smith, in the 2024 podcast Inside McKamey Manor, described a harrowing experience in which he was lowered into a well and threatened with being buried alive.
After the felony charges in 2024, McKamey Manor had an investigation launched into it. A Hulu documentary aired, and McKamey fought it with a lawsuit of his own. The original lawsuit from the Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was dismissed on August 22, according to court records.