''He Lived In Constant Fear'': The Shocking & Tragic True Story That Inspired 'The Exorcist' | Second Instalment: Demonic Possession?

(Collage created by Caledonian Kitty. Picture credits: findagrave / mohistory / britannica)

*Please be aware that I will be discussing demonic possession in this post and some details may be offensive to some people. I have tried to be as sensitive as always when sharing details without taking away from the facts of the story* 


Just as the iconic movie 'The Exorcist' has remained on our minds and forever been a staple and very much a huge part of horror (as well as cinematic) history, the true story that inspired the late great William Peter Blatty 
to pick up his pen many decades ago, has remained a huge debate. A huge debate against good and evil, the belief or not in satanic forces, the possibility or not of demonic possession and it also opens up a huge discussion about mental health. 

I'm a huge horror fan and ever since I was a child I would hear people talking about the movie 'The Exorcist'. The movie had been banned in the UK for a long time and that made it seem even more exciting to me. As a child whilst other kids were watching Disney films, I was watching The Silence of The Lambs and 18 certificate horror movies. I saw a documentary about The Exorcist before watching the film itself and the whole thing had me gripped, the actors, the makeup artistry, the locations, the back story, the spooky things that happened on and off set which were connected to the film. Everything from start to finish, from production to screen just intrigued me and still does to this day. 

It was in the documentary that William Peter Blatty (Who, I just have to add in here, if you haven't had the chance to listen to the audiobook of 'The Exorcist' read by William himself. I advise you to stop what you're doing, click out of this post, come back to it later and grab some tea, put your feet up and indulge yourself in William's fantastic narration of his book. It is no short of incredible, anyone who's ever heard it will tell you. He brings the characters to life, he acts the roles out, does the voices. It's just pure brilliance) explained that he had heard from a University professor about a young boy who had gone through some sort of demonic possession. The story had William hooked and he set about doing some research into it. 

So became the masterpiece that is 'The Exorcist' book that has gone on to sell more than 13 million copies and that's just in the USA alone, the movie franchise has grossed over $661 Million worldwide. I have a physical copy of the book but I still purchased the audio of it just for the pure delight of hearing the man himself read the book (I also have the BluRay). To all horror fans and just anyone with good taste really, to have a copy of The Exorcist book, movie or both is a treasure to have and is enjoyed over and over again. To this very day, the film may have been made many decades ago and the book released a long time ago but both are still at the top of the list where horror literature and movies go (and I'm sure Stephen King would agree). 

I'm just thinking about how perfect The Exorcist book and the movie is and how it has stood the test of time. What they were able to create in that movie was extraordinary especially for the 1970s. Even the movie poster and the commercials for the film were and remain iconic. But that's enough about me raving about this masterpiece (both the book and movie), let's get into the shocking story that inspired William to write his book. 

So I'm sure a lot of people are aware that there is a true story behind 'The Exorcist', they might be aware that there was a case where a young boy was said to have been allegedly possessed by demons and that a exorcism on this boy had taken place. That was more or less the story that I was aware of over the years before I went down my little rabbit hole of research myself. Never one to leave a stone unturned, I set about finding as many books on demonic possession as I could (I'm so old school) as well as newspaper articles and whatever else I could find. I spent a considerable amount of time researching this story and I was shocked to say the least. Obviously in William's book, names were changed, some details changed, some details added for more dramatic effect so it wasn't a step by step mirror of what had happened to the young boy but there was a lot of similarities. 

The story of a young boy who was originally named 'Roland Doe' in the press because his identity was being protected (and it would remain protected right up until he passed away) was a true story. His real name was eventually revealed to be Ronald Erwin Hunkeler. Ronald had been born into a German-American family and his background has been the point of many discussions. He was brought up in a decent household, with a decent family who were religious but there was a lot of tension and negativity. Being an only child and a young boy, being stuck in the house with an overbearing mother and grandmother had it's difficulties for Ronald. There was a lot of bitchiness between his mother, grandmother and auntie Tillie and Ronald, I'm sure could obviously pick up on that sort of atmosphere. I couldn't find out any sort of reason why the women didn't see eye to eye but sometimes that can happen in families. Ronald absolutely adored his auntie Tillie, she wasn't uptight like his mother and grandmother, she was such a free spirited person who always had lots of stories. She was also into spirituality and the paranormal. For years, some people have claimed that Tillie had given Ronald a Ouija board and taught him how to contact spirits, this has never been confirmed. 

One of the problems when looking up this story is that you will get various versions of the events. I was surprised to have seen a number of mistakes made in certain newspaper articles which seemed to look like they had been copied and pasted by lazy journalists. It's not that hard to put the grind in and find out the true facts for yourself but that is the issue with this story, there's a lot of 'Chinese whispers' going on and the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred. It seems that the more this story is told, the more dramatic it becomes with new details thrown in for extra spice without confirmation or evidence. From what I have learned about Ronald was that he was quite a loner and didn't know how to really interact with other kids, in some cases he was reported to have been quite nasty to other children, he seemed to spend most of his time around adults. He struggled academically during his younger years but it seemed the older that he got he blossomed into a very intelligent young man. So back to what I was saying about him being very close to his auntie Tillie. Even though he had this close relationship with his aunt, things at home were not so great. As well as Ronald having behavioural issues, strange things were happening in the house. It reportedly began with noises such as a sound like squeaking shoes and scratching on the walls. 

Nobody knew what the noises were and assumed that there must be rats causing the noises. After further investigation, nobody could get to the bottom of it and no rats were found. So strange goings-on were happening before the sad death of his beloved auntie Tillie. Some people have reported that all the drama started when his auntie died but there was problems beforehand which only got worse with Tillie's death. 

Ronald spiralled out of control and was an absolute terror at age just 14, his parents were tearing their hair out trying to get psychiatrists involved, taking him to Doctors, trying to find an answer to what was going on with him and these strange things that just kept on happening. He underwent various physical and psychological tests at hospital and nothing untoward could be found. The situation grew worse and things would seemed to take place predominantly at night. There was the odd occasion where things would happen during the day and it didn't even have to be in the house. He was in his classroom at school when the chair he was sitting in began to shake. The teacher thought he was misbehaving but he tried to tell her that it was out of his control. That incident led him to drop out of school at that time. 

If Ronald laid down on his bed in the evening it would start shaking, sometimes he'd be thrown off the bed or the bed sheets would be removed. Objects would just suddenly fly across the room. This was witnessed by members of his family and nobody could understand why it was happening. His mother and grandmother came to the conclusion that all of this poltergeist-like activity must have been his auntie Tillie trying to haunt the family. 

Getting no closer to any answers, his parents discussed with priests the possibility of an exorcism. During my research into exorcisms, I found out that some exorcisms can take place over weeks, even months. I always thought the duration of an exorcism was maybe a day or two. So with Ronald, his exorcism which first took place on the 16th of March 1949, took a number of months and was conducted in different locations including a hospital. The majority of what went on was noted in a journal by the priest William Bowdern who allegedly conducted 20 exorcisms on Ronald. The journal, famously known as 'The Exorcist Diary' does have some of the details missing apparently, William Bowdern claimed that some things, like the offensive vocabulary were not noted down because they were too extreme. When Ronald was going though these 'trances' during the exorcisms, he would be covered in sweat and urinate all over his bed, he would also vomit continuously despite having nothing in his stomach as he hadn't been eating. His tone of voice would change from high pitched screeching to very deep and gravely. Like in 'The Exorcist' movie he shouted profanities at the priests and pretended to perform sexual acts. He would say sexually explicit things and spit in the faces of the priests. 

Every night this would happen, the constant urinating all over the bed, lying there in his own mess and vomit for hours on end. It mostly happened during the night but come the day, Ronald was acting pretty normal which was surprising. For someone who was supposed to be possessed, he was able to switch from what looked like normal behaviour to this absolute monster at night. The other thing I found surprising was that the priests involved were able to go about their everyday business during daytime hours. So the priests were going to church or to college and carrying out their normal duties, sometimes without any sleep at all and then when night came, it was back to continuing the exorcism. 

What I just stated before is part of the reason why some people began to find holes in the case and were finding it very hard to believe. How can all of that go on and then as soon as daylight hits, everybody's acting normal? This saga continued until eventually out of the blue, Ronald announced ''HE'S GONE'.

Apparently he had felt the demon leave his body finally and that he'd seen an angel with a sword in a vision. During the daytime after these disturbing nights, Ronald claimed to have no recollection of what had gone on. He claimed to have no memory of any of it. 

So with the possession finally over, Ronald and his family left town shortly after. The priests kept in contact with Ronald for a few years afterwards and claimed that Ronald still said that he had no memory of any of it. He went on to have a normal life and did incredibly well at school and university. He actually went on to work as a NASA engineer, had gotten married but sadly divorced in 1986. He had three children, a son and two daughters and retired in 2001. 

48 witnesses had signed a document to confirm that Ronald's exorcism had taken place and that they had witnessed some of the strange goings-on. As I mentioned earlier, his identity was protected right up until his death and none of the priests involved spoke publicly about what happened in 1949. 

The priests involved kept their silence for decades but began to speak towards the end of their lives, the majority kept their story consistent. The majority of the people involved believed that Ronald was indeed possessed because they could see no explanation for some of the things that happened which included red marks appearing all over his body and words such as 'Evil', 'Hell' and 'X' appearing on his skin. Some people looked back and questioned whether it could have been mental illness. 

There's been a lot of sceptics over the years who believe that Ronald created this whole thing himself, they argue that nobody checked his finger nails and that the priests were basically in with whole thing in an attempt to make a story and get some money. In the case of Ronald speaking Latin during the exorcisms, it was reported that he copied and repeated back to the priests what they had previously said to him. The question of why all the carry-on at night but everything being fine during the day? 

When sceptics visited Ronald's childhood friends and neighbours they painted a picture of Ronald as a notorious troublemaker who was always pulling tricks and stunts to get attention. Later on in life, Ronald was able to live quite low-key, started his own family and had an impressive career at NASA but reportedly told a friend that what happened in 1949 was all lies. He apparently told this friend that he made the whole thing up because he was just a bad kid. 

Ronald, although he had some successes in his life he was forever looking over his shoulder. Constantly paranoid that a friend or a work colleague would find out that he was the one who inspired The Exorcist. He was embarrassed and ashamed and refused to read the book or watch the movie. As far as he was concerned he claimed that he had no memory of what had happened, only the memories of what other people had told him. He claimed that his family never spoke about it again. 

A close friend who spoke to a reporter after Ronald's death at the age of 84 from a stroke, claimed that Ronald dreaded every Halloween because he was scared that people would discover who he was especially with the internet and the ways people have nowadays of tracking people down. 

Ronald died in sad circumstances, divorced and his three children were estranged from him. They didn't even attend his funeral. 

So the questions will forever remain about this story. Do we believe the 'friend' who claimed that Ronald had confided that he had made the whole thing up or do we believe that he was really possessed? Is it a case that he went through a period of very severe mental illness? Some people say that it could have been some sort of poltergeist activity that followed Ronald around and not an actual possession. 

Thinking about all that had occurred, to have made up a whole scam like this, every night for months, lying for hours in a urine, vomit covered bed, why would anyone do that for attention? A lot of the time he appeared to be in a lot of physical pain, he was just as exhausted as the priests were. And for it all to suddenly stop, never to be spoken of or experienced again. It just throws up so much confusion and questions. 

It would be interesting (although it's highly unlikely that it will ever happen) to hear what his children have to say about all of this. Did he tell them the truth? Did they experience any negative behaviour from him and that's maybe why they completely cut him out of their lives, who knows? It seemed to be that anyone associated with this story didn't want people to know, they didn't want their names attached to it. One priest said that on one hand people would be fascinated if you told them that you were involved in an exorcism and then on the other hand, some people would look at you like you were crazy and being an important figure in the community (ie priest) it wasn't seen as appropriate for a priest to go around saying such things. 

So, I hope that you've been able to take away a lot of information and knowledge from this post. I highly recommend the book The Devil Came To St Louis: The Uncensored True Story of The 1949 Exorcism by Troy Taylor

So many rumours and speculations about what happened to Ronald with the exorcism have done the rounds for years. Another question remains is why would he do all of that for attention and was he very mentally ill? Stories of possible sexual abuse by a relative have been mentioned but there's no evidence that Ronald ever said this or ever gave an indication of any abuse from relatives. 

Imagine a prank (a really massive, crazy, out of control one at that) going so out of hand that someone ends up writing a book inspired by you and then a movie is made and the whole thing blows up and never goes away. It's hard to imagine what he must have felt but we do know that he wasn't happy about any of it. When you think about it, himself and his children could have made a fortune writing books, doing interviews about the whole thing but they shunned it all. 

My personal opinion is that Ronald went through some sort of psychological breakdown for whatever reason, some breakdowns can last months, He was already vulnerable and strange things were happening but when his auntie died it was like that was the final straw. Some children can actually go through a brief period of schizophrenia and come out of it never to have had an episode again. Some people believe that he had a combination of psychiatric disorders including ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). I think this is the case too. Could something traumatic like sexual abuse have occurred before? It's quite possible but we don't know, if it was the case then it would explain a lot of his behaviours and what he was doing and going through. 

It's a really sad story and it ended really sad too but we don't know all of the details about what went on with Ronald and his children but RIP Ronald, as sad and horrendous as your childhood story was, your experience whether it was intentional or something that happened not of your own doing, you inspired an incredible writer to create a masterpiece which went on to become a huge part of history and you are very much a part of that and I'm sure many horror fans, including myself have a lot of sympathy for you. At the end of the day you were just a child and you did go on to do some incredible things with your life. 

Further Reading & Sources:

The Devil Came to St Louis | Book by Troy Taylor

The Exorcist | Book by William Peter Blatty

Demonic Possession & Mental Health | Book by J.N. Caputo

Dictionary of Demons | Book by Prayer M Madueke

The Penguin Book of Demonic Possession | Book by Joseph P Laycock

William Peter Blatty | Wikipedia

Exorcism of Roland Doe | Wikipedia

Ronald Hunkeler: Article | The Guardian

Ronald Hunkeler: Article | The New York Post

Ronald Hunkeler: Discussion | Reddit

Ronald Hunkeler: Article | Inside Edition

Ronald Edwin Hunkeler | Find A Grave

NASA.GOV

Georgetown | Wikipedia

St. Alexius Hospital | Wikipedia

So, this was a really long post and it's late as I finish typing the last few lines but I just wanted to mention that I will be taking a short break, just a couple of weeks because my birthday is coming up (5th of November!!). I will be continuing on with this series when my little break is done and I'm really thankful for all the positive feedback about it so far. I will be on my socials as usual so I'll hopefully see you on there and here when I return. In the meantime, if you enjoy my posts, please consider donating or buying me a cheeky birthday drink (here are some links for possible donations: My PayPal / Buy Me A Coffee (Kofi Page & Updates) / Buy Me A Coffee / Wishlist

All of my links to my socials are here!!

As always, let me know your thoughts about this story below or by email: jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

Take care & I hope to see you back here after my birthday, stay safe & shout out to Team Scorpio x

''He Had 40 Demons Inside of Him'' | The Failed Exorcism of Michael Taylor | First Instalment: Demonic Possession?

(Michael Taylor. Picture Credit: spiritshack)

*Please be aware that this post will contain some very disturbing details involving murder, domestic violence, mutilation, mental illness, animal cruelty, Suicide, exorcism and demonic possession. I will try my best as always to share the details of the story in a sensitive manner without taking away the details of the case*

On this blog I have covered many true crime and serial killer stories over the years but I have also covered some shocking history, mysteries and the paranormal. In this new series I will be looking at demonic possession. I know it's a bit of a change to what you are used to seeing here but the cases I will be sharing over the coming weeks tie into true crime in one way or another.

The first story in this series is one that I have wanted to write about for quite some time and I was reminded about it recently, so I thought, why not? I have just finished the Unsolved series and so a new series on my blog has just begun. I hope you will find this little bit of a different direction, interesting and as always, I welcome your thoughts.

So as I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, I will be talking about some very disturbing things. It will be a difficult story to read if you are unfamiliar with the case and if you already briefly know the details, it's no less disturbing than the very first time you heard about it. I will try my best to go into the details in as sensitive a manner as I can. 

This unbelievable but shockingly true story took place in a small town in Wakefield, West Yorkshire known as 'Ossett'. Ossett is a quiet area of Wakefield known for it's street market and town hall which often features local dramatic performances on stage. As it was in the 1970s until present day, a lot of people have lived there for most of their lives and there's very much a 'everybody knows everybody' vibe about the place. In the past I have spent a lot of time in Ossett myself and have always liked it. I was first told this story by the locals many years ago and I must admit that on the first hearing I thought it was one of those urban legend type of things. I wasn't sure if it was a true story or not. The details I have heard about it over the years have been shocking enough but when I did my own deep dive of research this past week, I was horrified to learn of the full exact details of what had happened. 

Before I begin, as you read along a couple of names might jump out at you especially if you are a horror fan. The names Michael Taylor and Peter Vincent might cast your mind back to the two iconic horror characters 'Mick Taylor' from Wolf Creek and 'Peter Vincent - The Famous Vampire Killer' in Fright Night (1985).  As an avid horror fan those names surprised me and did get me wondering if and how many writers and directors had read about this particular case and were inspired to create something? We know the story has reached as far as America with various people sharing their fascination with this case especially after the movie The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (which briefly mentioned the story) was released. A local writer, David Peace who was brought up in Ossett had taken inspiration from the case and written a book using some of the details whilst changing character names and other details. 

So with that being said, let's get into this rollercoaster of a nightmarish story..... 

Michael and Christine Taylor were just a normal, happy young couple living in the town of Ossett, Wakefield with their five children back in the early 1970s. They had the normal stresses of everyday life but lived comfortably well due to Michael's job as a butcher. With Ossett being a small town, the couple were well known to the locals and Michael had regular customers. They were living a comfortable, settled life with their five boys (who were all under the age of 12) until Michael became unemployed due to constant back issues he was having. He'd been placed on medication and had to take things easy. For a man who was so used to being out and about, looking after the family and seeing various people most days, it was a shock to the system. When it seemed that things were not going to get any better he sank into bouts of deep depression, often snapping at Christine. With more time spent in the house, it was inevitable that the pair would start arguing. 

Friends of the couple began to notice the difficulties that were arising and suggested that Michael and Christine join a Christian Fellowship group. At first they were against the idea but after hearing about how fun, free-thinking and sort-of 'new age' the group were, they decided to give it a go. They attended a first session and enjoyed themselves, getting along with everyone and in particular the bright, fun and bubbly leader of the group, Marie. Marie was just 21 but she'd already caught the eye of 31 year old Michael. 

Christine had found the group pleasant but wasn't in a hurry to go back, Michael on the other hand, couldn't get enough of it and didn't miss a session. Of course as time went on it became blatantly obvious what the real reason for Michael's enthusiasm was.....and that was Marie. Christine (who was only 29 herself) noticed that Michael had eyes for Marie and the arguments escalated again. It got to the point where Christine made a scene at one of the sessions and flat out asked the pair of them if they'd been having an affair and voiced her concern that their' relationship' was 'inappropriate'. In a strange turn of events, Michael flew into a rage at Marie after she had made it clear that nothing romantic was going to happen between them, which resulted in other members of the group having to restrain him. Eventually things calmed down and the Taylors went home. The next day, Marie actually came to their house declaring that she and the fellowship members had forgiven Michael. 

However, Michael's behaviour had continued to decline and the arguments just kept on getting worse. The Taylors went to visit Father Vincent and his wife at their family home for dinner and all hell broke loose. Michael was now at a point where he was lashing out in public not just at home. He smashed items that belonged to the Vincent family and threw their cat out of the window. Peter's wife (who was heavily interested in exorcisms and did a lot of reading on demonic possession) suggested to Peter that an exorcism be arranged for Michael. Running out of options, Christine and Michael agreed and so it was arranged that Michael was to have an exorcism.

On the 5th of October into the 6th of October 1974, Michael with a small group of people led by Father Peter Vincent, performed an exorcism on Michael that lasted several hours. It began on the evening of the 5th of October and lasted into the very next day. According to the group of men who had to physically tie Michael down due to him biting, kicking and scratching (the typical actions one would expect from someone who is allegedly possessed by a demon or demons), Michael allegedly had 40 demons within him. Wooden crosses were forced into Michael's mouth and he was regularly showered with holy water. By the morning hours on the 6th of October, everyone was emotionally and physically exhausted. Father Vincent claimed that they'd managed to cast out nearly all of the demons from Michael but that there had still been some left within him. The demons that remained within him were said to have been 'Insanity', 'Murder' and 'Violence'. 

A female witness was concerned and tried to warn Father Vincent that Michael could potentially murder someone if they didn't continue on with the exorcism but the men decided to throw in the towel. Father Vincent along with the others said that they were too tired to carry on and that the exorcism would have to be continued later. They decided it was perfectly fine for Michael to go home. 

Michael did indeed return home that morning to his family home where Christine and their dog was. The children were staying at their grandparents house. What followed was something so nightmarish that even the goriest of horror movies would never be able to replicate on screen. Michael went berserk and viciously attacked Christine in an incredibly gruesome manner. With his bare hands he gouged out Christine's eyes and ripped out her tongue. Her face and scalp were hanging off of the bone and there was blood all over the walls and the floor. He didn't stop there and focused his sickening attention on the poor dog who he strangled and ripped off the poor animal's limbs. The dog's eyes were also ripped out. 

Michael was naked and covered in blood as he stumbled out of the house and into the street, yelling loudly which attracted attention from the neighbours. The neighbours contacted the police and some people thought that Michael was covered in red paint. A policeman out doing his rounds, overheard the commotion and found Michael covered in blood. Michael led the policeman to the house where a police car was already there (from the neighbours who had called previously). A policeman stumbled out of the house on the verge of being sick. The other policeman went into the house to find the grizzly scene. 

Michael Taylor was put on trial and the court basically branded the Christian fellowship as a 'cult' that had played around with a very sick and disturbed man. They believed that the actions of Father Vincent and co had pushed Michael (who was already having a psychological breakdown) to the point of no return. The outcome of the trial was that Michael was found not guilty for reasons of insanity and was sentenced to two years in the infamous psychiatric hospital 'Broadmoor. After Broadmoor, Michael spent some time in the Bradford Infirmary and was quickly released. 

So, for the horrific murder of his wife and dog with his own bare hands, he basically got away with it. Michael seemed to be able to turn on the 'insanity' routine on and off whenever it suited him. In the years that followed his release from hospital he kept a relatively low profile. He was rumoured to have returned to Ossett but this was never confirmed. What we do know is that Michael had apparently attempted to commit suicide four times in the years that followed. The shocking story was practically forgotten about until the rise of the internet. Nobody knew where Michael Taylor was until 2015 when he popped up in the press due to being caught for indecent behaviour towards a young girl. He faced the law again for this and again, managed to somehow get away with it and given community service.

Since 2015, Michael Taylor's whereabouts are unknown but he would be 80 years old today if he is still alive. Could he be living back in his hometown of Ossett, who knows? One wonders what happened to the five young boys but I hope that in some way they were able to have gone on to have decent lives. I can't imagine what it must have been like for them growing up with all of that trauma. I'm relieved (as I'm sure you are) that the boys were not in the house when Michael Taylor unleashed his sickening rage out on his poor devoted wife and little dog. 

So, was Michael Taylor really possessed or was he having a nervous breakdown that was exploited by this group of people? Did they take advantage of a vulnerable man? Christine had been told by friends many times to take Michael to the Doctor but she didn't want to upset him any further? Was this just a case of severe mental illness or were there sinister forces at play? Leave your thoughts below or feel free to email me in private. 

I know this story was another hard one to get through but I hope that you come away from this with more knowledge about the case and maybe an interest to go down the rabbit hole of research yourself, maybe read up on exorcisms and demonic possession? Just don't read this stuff before bedtime.

RIP Christine and the Taylor's dog. 

Check out the links below if you're interested in delving more into this case and the subject matter of demonic possession: 

Further Reading & Sources:

The Penguin Book of Demonic Exorcisms | Book by Joseph P Laycock

The Big Book of Exorcisms | Book by Agostino Taumaturgo

The Devil Came to St Louis | Book by Troy Taylor

Ossett | Wikipedia

Michael Taylor | Wikipedia

Michael Taylor | The National Archives

Michael Taylor: Article | Grunge

Michael Taylor | The Sunday Post

Michael Taylor | Screen Rant

Michael Taylor: Discussion | Reddit

Michael Taylor | Vermont Law Review

Demonic Possession: Book List | Entertainment Weekly

Demonic Possession | Cambridge University

Popular Exorcism Books | Good Reads


I will be working on another case to bring to you next Sunday, so I hope you will find that one an interesting read too. 

In the meantime as always, you can find me on my socials and if you enjoy my weekly posts please consider buying me some Coffee to help support my work. Thank you!!

Stay safe & I hope you'll visit my blog again for the next post (Every Sunday) x 

Finally Solved 27 Years Later! | The Shocking Abduction & Murder of Jacob Wetterling

(Collage created by Caledonian Kitty. Picture credits: TwinCitiesABCNewsStarTribune)

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some sensitive information in this post regarding child abduction, sexual assault and murder. I have tried to be as gentle and sensitive as I can be whilst not taking away from the facts of the case. If anyone has any questions or enquiries, please feel free to reach out to me via my email or the contact form here on my page. Thank you*

I can't believe it has been 6 weeks since I started writing this series about Unsolved Cases over the decades and here we are in the final instalment. Obviously I will be continuing to feature more unsolved cases in future posts but for this series it has come to a close...for now. Next week I will be focusing on a different type of true crime case so I hope you will continue to join me for that? If you are new to my blog, I post new content here every Sunday!

So, first of all I would like to thank everyone who has commented about the cases covered in this series and the emails I have received. It was interesting to read that so many of you are personally familiar with these cases and were there first hand when the heartbreaking news first broke. I appreciate all the messages and emails received about the posts, it's a highlight of my day when a regular reader contacts me or someone has just discovered my blog and has kindly taken the time to communicate with me. I always find it fascinating when someone shares their memories of reading about a particular case in the newspapers or perhaps knew a victim or the perpetrator(s). People tell me they learn a lot from my posts but I also learn a lot from them too. 

In this post, I will be sharing the heartbreaking story of the beautiful little boy, Jacob Erwin Wetterling who, at the age of just 11 years old, was abducted and his case remained unsolved for an unbelievable 27 years! 

Jacob was born into a loving family in Minnesota, USA to doting parents, Patty and Jerry on the 17th of February 1978. He also had two sisters and a brother. he was brought up in a happy household and his parents often allowed Jacob and his brother to play outside on their bikes. The boys were always well behaved and knew not to talk to strangers. 

(Jacob Wetterling. Picture credit. ABCNews)

Jacob was like a lot of 11 year old boys of his age, he enjoyed playing outside on his bike, watching movies and one of his favourite things to do was ride to the video store to pick up movies. On the 22nd of October 1989 it was a Sunday and Jacob's parents were out at a dinner party while the children remained at home. It wasn't unusual back then for parents to leave their children home for a short period of time, the children had a phone number to call their parents in case of emergency. At around 9pm that evening, Jacob reportedly contacted his parents asking for their permission for he, his siblings and a a friend to ride their bikes to the local video store to rent out some movies. Jacob's parents were not to keen on the idea and didn't feel comfortable with the children being out at night. 

Jacob didn't give up though and contacted them again saying that they would wear reflective clothing and they would leave his younger sister with a trusted neighbour next door. Eventually the parents agreed as long as the boys came straight home. The boys agreed to their parents wishes and Jacob, his brother and friend (a boy by the name of Aaron) set off for the video store. 

Whilst at the video store, the boys excitedly browsed the aisles with so many movies to choose from. Video stores were so exciting and very much a highlight of the week for many people who fancied a night in with movies and some homemade popcorn. The boys decided on renting out the classic 'The Naked Gun'. When the three of them left the store, expecting to enjoy the rest of their evening cosy in front of the TV watching the movie and eating snacks, what happened next nobody could have foreseen. 

Out of nowhere a man appeared with a gun, ordering the three terrified young boys to get down on the ground and reveal their ages. Jacob's brother was ordered to run away and not look back or he would be killed. Without hesitation and full of fear, the frightened 10 year old boy ran for his life, never to look back. As soon as he got home he raised the alarm for help. Jacob and his friend Aaron were still on the ground, the gun pointing at their backs until the man holding the gun ordered them to turn around so that he could see what they looked like. 

The sick and evil man decided that he liked the look of Jacob the best so he ordered Aaron to leave. Aaron who was just a young child himself, in fear for his life, had no choice but to leave his friend behind. It was a very traumatic experience to have had to go through for all three of the boys but for Jacob, the ordeal wasn't to end there. The monster holding the gun stole the 11 year old boy away from his family, friends and all who loved him on that horrific night. 

Nobody wasted any time in searching for Jacob, authorities were contacted straight away, search helicopters flew overhead, police cars were on the streets as well as officers on foot, along with family members, friends and the local community were all out looking for Jacob. It was all sadly to no avail, not a trace of him was found and despite the constant incredible efforts by those who knew him, the questions would remain unanswered for 27 years. 

The heartbreaking fact that this case was left up in the air for so long is very difficult to take in. The police actually questioned and took DNA samples from a known child abuser/killer by the name of Danny Heinrich. Despite having his DNA on file just months after Jacob's abduction, forensics were not as advanced as they are today and so the case remained cold until a blogger who had seen Jacob's mother on TV taking about the case, became involved. This is another remarkable thing about the true crime community, sometimes a huge difference can be made to cases that are sadly, left on the files. 

Due to this blogger's dedication to the case, The police focused their attention back on Danny Heinrich who they knew was a monster when it came to children, but at that time the case that they were trying to nail him on had reached past the point of statute of limitations. Investigators didn't give up though, determined to get him and the DNA was tested and sure enough there was a match. Danny Heinrich was facing a sickening catalogue of charges and was offered a plea deal in exchange for information about Jacob and the location of his remains. The monster agreed to this and revealed the horrendous truth about what happened that night back in 1989. 

Danny Heinrich confessed that he had abducted Jacob Wetterling and drove the poor child to a gravel pit where he was subjected to being handcuffed before being physically and sexually assaulted. After this horrendous ordeal, Jacob was murdered by gunshot and buried. Then for 27 years his loved ones as well as Aaron (his friend who escaped that night) had to live with the constant pain of never knowing what had happened to Jacob and who was responsible. 

As part of his plea deal, Danny Heinrich agreed to take investigators to the burial site where Jacob's remains had been left undiscovered for 27 years. Sure enough, Jacob's remains were there and it was heartbreaking to see the shirt that Jacob had been wearing that night, all ragged. As was to be expected after such a long time, Jacob had to be identified by his dental records. It was confirmed to be him. 

(Danny Hienrich. Picture Credit: TwinCities)

Danny Heinrich was sentenced to 20 years for child p*rnography as part of the plea deal he couldn't be done for Jacob's murder. Everyone knew what a danger this guy was to children, an absolute sick monster who should never see the light of day. Heinrich was sentenced in 2016 and claims to be 'truly sorry' for his crimes. 

One of Danny Heinrich's victim's who thankfully survived his horrendous ordeal at this evil man, was awarded a considerable amount of damages for the absolute hell that he and his family went through. This brave survivor was sexually assaulted by Heinrich just months before he abducted, r*aped and murdered Jacob. Henrich didn't face proper justice for this crime or for Jacob because of the plea deal. 

Danny Heinrich is now 61 years old and is rotting in prison, hopefully suffering and never to have the luxury of walking the streets again. A lot of mistakes were made so many years ago which allowed this monster to slip through the fingers of investigators and he was then able to carry on his sickening acts to the point of murder. 

Jacob's amazing parents continued to honour their beloved son by helping set up a law in his name 'The Jacob Wetterling Act'. The purpose of the act that came into US law in 1994 was for a register that recorded all known sex offenders to be documented, monitored and for the general public to be kept safe and informed of any possible danger in their local area. The register also helps investigators with future crimes, abduction searches and possible links to other missing child cases. If a child goes missing in a particular area, anyone who is on that register near to that vicinity will be focused on straight away and the public will be notified. 

(Jerry and Patty Wetterling with a photograph of their beloved son, Jacob. Picture credit: startribune)

Jacob was finally laid to rest at Saint John's Abbey Friends Cemetery in Minnesota. There is a beautiful online memorial page for Jacob which you can view and lay virtual flowers & messages here.

Please check out the Jacob Erwin Wetterling Resource Center online here.

RIP Jacob, your beautiful legacy will forever continue through your loved ones, your incredible parents, those who were lucky enough to have known you, the incredible changes your loved ones have brought into the world in your name in order to help others, and to complete strangers like me who have been affected and moved reading your story and who I shall always remember as I do about all of the children and cases I have written about. 


Further Reading & Sources:

The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Cases | Book by Michael Newton

Jacob Wetterling: Case Timeline | APM Reports

Jacob Wetterling: News Article | ABC News

Jacob Wetterling: Article | Inside Edition

Jacob Wetterling | Wikipedia

JWRC - Jacob Wetterling Resource Centre

Jacob Wetterling | Find A Grave

Minnesota | Wikipedia

Danny Heinrich: Article | The Guardian

Danny Heinrich | Office of Public Affairs

Danny Heinrich: Article | MPR News

Jared Scheierl: Article | MPR News

Patty Wetterling | Wikipedia

Jerry Wetterling: Article | APM Reports 


As always, thank you for taking the time to read my latest post and I hope you will join me again next time. 

Stay safe & in the meantime, I hope to see you on my Socials x

Unsolved Cases Part 5: ''We Know It's Not Going To Be Good, We Would Like Some Answers?'' | Possible Suspect?, People Staying Silent, Bohemian Grove & Satanic Rituals? What REALLY Happened To Kevin A Collins?

(Collage created by the blog author. Picture credits: sfgatepeoplehelpfindmissingkevinandrewcollins)

*Please be aware that I will be covering some sensitive details in this post to do with child abduction and satanic rituals. As always I have tried to be as sensitive as I can with the details without taking away from the facts of the case. Please feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions or issues*

Kevin Andrew Collins might not be a name that jumps out at you when you first hear it but I bet you recognise the face?, I'm sure you've asked yourself ''where have I seen this little boy before?''. Well, 10 year old (the age he was back in 1984) Kevin unfortunately earned the title as the first missing child who's picture was placed on milk cartons across the United States. The missing poster of this beautiful little boy became somewhat iconic in a heartbreaking way. His poster was everywhere and even featured in scenes in classic movies such as 'The Terminator' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. 

Before the days of the internet this was how appeals and searches were done. These methods are still used but thanks to the internet, advances in forensic technology, AMBER Alerts and mobile phones, we are able to do a lot more nowadays than we could before and we are able to reach more people on a much bigger scale. Despite the lack of resources available in 1984 and in the first stages of the case (where the police were not as helpful as they could have been), Kevin's family did all that they could and literally walked the streets putting posters up everywhere, doing TV appeals, radio appeals, newspapers columns dedicated to Kevin were published and for the first time in American history, his picture and information was to be placed on milk cartons up and down the country. 

(Kevin Andrew Collins. Picture credit: helpfindmissingkevinandrewcollins)

Kevin was known as the first of the 'Milk Carton Kids' and as heartbreaking as this is, I believe the idea to include these appeals on milk cartons to have been a genius idea. Despite all of the trouble that Kevin's family had gone to, the public's support and the change of tune by the police who were now taking the matter more seriously, the whereabouts of Kevin were still unknown. That was over 40 years ago and today (2024 as I write this) we are no closer to knowing the truth of what happened to Kevin. 

With unsolved cases that have gone on for decades and in particular with missing cases, there is a tendency for some people's minds to run riot. People want answers and they want to be the ones who can solve the case. It is sad and disrespectful and to be honest I've seen a lot of disrespect when it comes to this case. It's insulting to the family of Kevin and Kevin himself that some people have been spreading wild stories about child sacrifice at Bohemian Grove of which they are claiming (by a so-called 'confidential source' that most probably doesn't exist) Kevin was a victim. Another strange man on YouTube (who's trying to sell his self-published books by the look of it) is pointing the finger at Kevin's mother and basically saying she is responsible for Kevin vanishing despite having not a shred of evidence or fact. When it comes to conspiracy theories, I listen to what people have to say, I'm interested and I admit that there are times when what they have said has actually turned out to be the case or an event they predicted eventually happened, I am open minded. But when it comes to a missing child and a devastated family who's grieving and has had decades of never-ending pain, it is just vile to make up fantasy stories.

Bohemian Grove is shrouded in mystery and it's a private club which is very secretive and the members are often people in the highest echelons of society, people with serious money and power. The group of men get together and what they get up to, nobody knows and it intrigues me but that's a whole different rabbit hole and a possible future post? There's a lot of things that I think actually go on (as I said before, I am a free-thinker) but I think that connecting Kevin to Bohemian Grove is in poor taste. I'm sure you would agree with me when I say, facts and evidence are very important and more important that just a rumour, a theory. If this so called witness (I watched a guy being interviewed and his eyes were darting about all over the place) actually viewed (as he claimed) Kevin being murdered at Bohemian Grove then why didn't he stop it? I'm sure if any of us saw a child being harmed we would do something about it there and then, police would be contacted etc. 

Kevin was quite a shy boy and he was a very well behaved child, the sort of boy that you would dream of having as a son. He was born in San Francisco on January the 24th 1974, one of nine children, to doting parents Ann and David. Kevin struggled with dyslexia at school but despite this he gave his school work his all. He was quite a sociable child and loved to take part in sports, particularly basketball of which he attended regular practice like clockwork. He'd often attend basketball practice with his brother but on that particular day he went missing his brother was ill so, as determined as he was to never miss a session, he attended on his own. The session didn't end until just after 7pm on that chilly February evening of the 10th which for a 10 year old boy to travel back on his own would nowadays raise eyebrows but back then it was seen as normal. Kevin walked to the bus stop and patiently waited to make his journey home back to the safety of his family. Instead sadly Kevin never made it home, it was like he vanished into thin air, never to be seen or heard from again.

Kevin was not the type of child to just run off, there was no problems at home, he was a happy child but he was a very trusting child too and would happily talk to anyone. Witnesses have claimed that he was seen talking to a man with a black dog, other witnesses have said that he was seen talking to two white men with a car. Nothing else has been reported since but the case was reopened again in 2013 when a decision was made to start looking back into historical cases which many have now been thankfully solved due to advances in forensics. We are sadly no closer to learning the truth of what happened to Kevin but his family have never given up although they do believe that the reality of the situation is that Kevin may no longer be with us. They just want answers, they want to know what really happened to him. His mother Ann has previously said that in one way she wants to know what happened and for his possible remains to be found for some sort of closure but on the other hand knowing the truth, discovery of remains would also be devastating because then that is the final chapter in this heartbreaking story and the hope of ever finding him alive completely gone. 

Speculation continues about what possibly could have happened to Kevin, I've mentioned the extreme theories and false accusations but could he have been abducted by the two men in the car? Could he have been abducted and brought up by another family as we have seen in previous cases? Kevin would be 50 years old today (at time of writing in 2024) if he had been abducted by a family you would have thought that at some point the truth would have revealed itself by now? 

I, like a lot of people including yourself as you read this, have some ideas and I'm sad to say but I have to be honest, it looks to me (and this is just my opinion) that Kevin may have been abducted and murdered. There was a 'Person of Interest' that the police had their eye on and he was a known child abuser who went by various aliases. As I mentioned previously, witnesses claimed to have seen Kevin talking to a man with a black dog, this suspect (real name Dan Therrien who was going by the name 'Wayne Jackson' at the time) was local to the area that Kevin went missing and also had a black dog. Dan was a sick monster who preyed on children as young as 7 years old, he had a history of horrendous crimes towards children. Despite him looking more and more like a suspect he was never arrested and the police basically let him slip through their fingers. They remained focused on him at the time and even searched his home where they found bones which turned out to have belonged to an animal. 

Despite the case being re-opened and investigators going back over the facts and looking at Dan Therrien again, it was sadly to no avail because Dan passed away leaving many questions unanswered. Investigators have been trying for years to get information out of a close friend of his who so far is saying nothing, they want to know anyone who could have possibly been around Dan back in 1984 and the following years incase they hold the key to vital information. 

(Ian Therrien. Picture credit: nbcnews)

As well as having to deal with not knowing what happened to Kevin, the malicious theories and the lack of media attention nowadays to this case, the family have had to deal with people pretending to be Kevin and attempting to contact them. It is a very sick world that we live in at times. 

After Kevin's disappearance, the family tirelessly looked for him and the stress became too much for his parents marriage, they sadly divorced and although his mother Ann remained in the area, his father moved out of the country. 

On the 10th anniversary of Kevin's disappearance, a decision was made to install a tribute bench to him at the Holy Cross cemetery in Colma, California. The bench includes the inscription: 'Forever in our hearts - Kevin Andrew Collins'. 

There's always a real sadness that comes over me when I think of this case and similar cases. I've mentioned before that although I study and write about a lot of different crime stories, when it is something to do with children I always find it particularly heartbreaking. I do hope that one day soon a miracle will happen and the family of Kevin Andrew Collins will get some answers we must also never give up on hope no matter how bleak the outcome may appear, there has been times when surprises have happened. 

When he was last seen, Kevin was 4'6, had brown hair and weighed around 70 lbs. His eyes are described as grey/green. He was wearing a school uniform, dark brown cord trousers. A white short sleeved shirt, a dark green sweater and a Giants jacket. 

If you have any information or may know someone who does, no matter how small please contact the San Francisco Police Department on 415 553 1071 (quoting case number: 840167303)

Further Reading & Sources:

State of California Department of Justice | Missing Information for Kevin Andrew Collins

Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes | Book by Michael Newton

Kevin Andrew Collins: Article | People

Amber Alerts

Kevin Andrew Collins | NBC News

Bohemian Grove | Wikipedia

Kevin Andrew Collins | Wikipedia

Kevin Andrew Collins | Reddit Discussion

Kevin Andrew Collins | Missing Kids

Kevin Andrew Collins | Child Find of America

Kevin Andrew Collins | ABC7 News

Kevin Andrew Collins | Find A Grave

Help Find Missing Kevin Andrew Collins | Facebook

Kevin Andrew Collins | & News


Thinking of Kevin and his family, please also keep them in your prayers. I hope you will join me next time for my last instalment of this unsolved series. 

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Take care until next time x 

Unsolved Cases Part 4: The Fager Family Murders

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When it comes to unsolved cases, I always like to try and be as positive and optimistic as possible that one day that particular case will be solved and hopefully the perpetrator or perpetrators will face justice. In this shocking story though, which is my fourth instalment in this Unsolved Cases series sees a difficult situation where the police believed that they had the right suspect but there just wasn't enough evidence. 

For such a shocking case, I'm surprised at the limited amount of information and pictures available but I will do my best to bring you this story from my research that I have conducted this week. So this case involves the horrific murders of a 37 year old accountant by the name of Phillip Fager (his full name was Melvin Phillip Fager) and his two daughters in Wichita, Kansas back in December (the 31st) 1987. The murders took place at the family home and Mary Fager (wife and mother) had been visiting relatives over the holidays and returned to her family to find the shocking discovery that someone had killed her family. 

Phillip had been shot twice in the back and her daughters were found in the basement hot tub. At first it wasn't clear how nine year old Sherri and 16 year old Kelli had died but it was assumed at first that they had been drowned. Kelli had been found naked with her hands bound with electrical tape. 

It was later determined that the girls had been strangled, some semen had been found at the scene too. Due to the girls bodies being in the water, a lot of evidence had been destroyed. Investigators had a struggle on their hands wondering who could be capable of such a thing. The family car appeared to be missing and Mary had mentioned that a workman had been attending the house to create a sun room but this man had gone missing himself. In amongst all of the horror and confusion a letter arrived addressed to the police by someone claiming to be the serial killer BTK 

At the time the police were still on the hunt for BTK who had still managed to avoid capture at that point but they began to believe there could be a possible connection to him and the Fager murders. BTK (who was later identified as Dennis Rader) had written in the letter that he had not been responsible for the Fager murders but that he did admire the real murderer. When Dennis Rader was eventually brought to justice he confirmed that he did indeed write the letter and again claimed no responsibility for the Fager killings. 

The police quickly turned their attention to the workman who had disappeared and went in search for the family's missing car. Soon enough, both the car and the workman known as William Butterworth were both tracked down. William had taken the Fager's car and claimed that he had been suffering from amnesia for he had no idea why he had the family's car or how he had gotten to that particular location in which he was found. 

Eventually during questioning, William began to piece bits of what had happened previously together, to some extent. According to him, he came over to the Fager's home as usual to work on a sun room and on that day things appeared to be normal. He claimed to have noticed that Kelli had a male friend with her and with the pair coming back and forth it was beginning to disrupt his work so he decided to leave and come back a bit later. 

He then claimed that he later returned and found the deceased bodies of Phillip, Sherri and Kelli. The last thing he claimed that he could remember was running out of the house in a panic and getting into the Fager's car and driving off. 

The police were not buying his story and the more they looked into their investigation the more they believed him to be their suspect. William, who was married with children and had always been well respected and liked in his local community, continued to swear his innocence but he was put on trial. 

The limited evidence that investigators had was presented at the trial and it was there that it was discovered that the semen that had been found in the hot tub did not match William Butterworth. So either he had an accomplice or somebody else was there entirely. It was a difficult case with a usually well admired and hardworking man claiming his innocence but on the other side looking guilty because he had been at the scene and ran off with the family car. The other side is that there were no witnesses, a lack of evidence and the DNA that they did have, did not match William. With everything being looked at the jury decided that William Butterworth was not guilty even though the police believed him to be responsible.

Outside of the courtroom after William was allowed to leave, he spoke to the media with his wife and proclaimed his innocence again. He said that he couldn't wait to put the whole ordeal behind him and for him and his family to be able to move on with their lives. 

Just for the record, the DNA found in the hot tub did not match BTK either, just incase you were wondering. 

So, William Butterworth was a free man and he and his family soon vanished, obviously not planning to hang around incase the cops showed up again (just saying). 

This may be the first time you've heard about this case or you might be familiar with it if you have ever done any research into Dennis Rader (BTK). The fact that there's nowhere else to go with this case is truly heartbreaking, the cops won't even consider looking or wasting police resources as they see it, looking for a non-existent killer when they felt confident that they had their guy. 

So who's DNA was in that hot tub? Could it be that someone else had visited the house that day? A secret boyfriend of Kelli? Could it have simply played out the way that William Butterworth described? And why would someone murder a father and his two daughters? Phillip was an accountant, could he have possibly gotten involved with the wrong people? Or is it all so simple, that William Butterworth was 100% responsible?

It appears we may never know the truth unless William turns up one day and confesses but is that likely to happen? You would think that as a so-called innocent man who was apparently falsely accused, that he would want to stay close to the case and help find the person or persons responsible? Not only to further clear his name in the public eye and in the eyes of the law but to also help Mary who basically had her family taken from her in such a devastating way. 

Could it be that William committed the murders as a first time killer and the trauma wiped out his memory of what he had actually done? Some murderers speak of 'blacking out' during their crimes but half the time you don't know if this is them being genuine or they are just trying to get out of being held responsible for their actions. 

This is certainly a case that divides opinion, will it ever be solved? The case is closed as far as the police is concerned and I fear that we may never see proper justice for the Fager family, your heart really goes out to Mary and I can't imagine how she must have felt all of these years. It's one thing to not know who is responsible for the shocking murders of your loved ones but what about the situation in which the cops believe they had the guy but the guy portrays himself as innocent and declares his innocence to the media and walks out of court free? That must be very difficult to come to terms with. 

I hope wherever Mary is now that she was able somehow to have some sort of positive path in life. And to whoever is responsible, possibly William Butterworth? or some unidentified killer, I hope they have lived every day with that huge burden of what they did and I hope that one day they find it in themselves to come forward and speak the truth, face what they deserve because in the end they will have to answer for their sins at the end of their life or lives (I sound all preachy here but you know what I mean). 


RIP Phillip, Sherri and Kelli.


Further Reading & Sources:

Encyclopedia of Unsolved Murders | Book by Michael Newton

The Fager Family Murders: Article | Genealogy Trials

The Fager Family Murders | Reddit Discussion

The Fager Family Murders: Article | Wichita Eagle

BTK - Dennis Rader: Article | True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

10 Facts You May Not Know About Serial Killer...Dennis Rader: Article | True Crime With Caledonian Kitty


What are your thoughts on this case? Please leave your comments below or email me in confidence at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

Thanks as always for your amazing support with my weekly content, I hope you will join me next time for the fifth instalment. In the meantime you can keep up to date with my latest posts or choose to buy me a coffee and help support my work on my Kofi page

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Unsolved Cases Part 3: What Happened To Actress Barbara Colby?

(Collage created by Caledonian Kitty. Picture credits: The Movie Database24 Femmes Per Second)

She was held in high regard as one of the most promising up and coming actresses to have ever graced the small screen, but Barbara Colby's name might not be familiar to a lot of us. Why is this the case? Well, sadly she is no longer with us because of a cruel, heartless and almost 'execution' like attack that took place involving Barbara and a fellow male actor just as they were leaving an acting class (of which Barbara was a Drama coach) on the 24th of July 1975 in Venice, California. To this day the case that shocked America remains unsolved. 

Barbara was just 36 years old and already had a glittering career behind her with many highlights to be proud of. Having shone on Broadway she found her comfortable place on the small screen and appeared in everything from The Mary Tyler Moore show to Columbo. She was a hit with TV viewers and it was not an unusual occurrence for Barbara to be asked to appear in a small acting role only to be offered a more prominent one or another opportunity elsewhere. She was versatile, professional and a joy to work with. She was married to the son of the famous stage legend Ethel Merman but at the time of her death, she and her husband were taking some time apart. 

Despite being a seasoned actress who'd starred both on the stage and small screen, Barbara was 100% committed to her craft and was always dedicated to growing as an actor through not only taking acting classes but also teaching drama sessions. 

At the time of her death she was on the cusp of becoming more well known with exciting opportunities that sadly she never got to pursue. 

On the 24th of July 1975, Barbara had been teaching an acting class with fellow actor and good friend, James Kiernan. As the pair headed out of the door along with other members of the class, they stopped to have a conversation which was often the case after they'd attended class. This was a regular routine and nothing seemed out of the ordinary on this day until out of nowhere, a car pulled up close to them and two African-American men suddenly pulled out a gun and shot them, Barbara was shoot once and so was James, nothing was said, it happened so fast and before anyone knew what was happening the two men sped away in their car.

Barbara sadly passed away at the scene but James was able to hang on just long enough to tell the police what had happened, James too, sadly passed away at the hospital. It all made no sense, two well respected and well liked actors who were not widely known but getting to an exciting phase in their careers, just attending their usual class which was routine, no bother to anyone and no hidden pasts or troubles with the law, why would two men just kill them? No robbery, no words were said and James didn't recognise the men. It was as if this was a targeted attack, like they knew that Barbara and James would be there at that time? Did someone pay hitmen to kill Barbara and James? Not to sound cheeky but why did the cops not look more into Barbara's husband? Could it be (and I'm just sharing a thought here) that he possibly thought that Barbara and James were seeing each other? Barbara and her husband had been going through a difficult patch at the time. Was he or someone else jealous of how successful Barbara was continuing to become in her career? Or was it just a case of mistaken identity or a random act? 

To me this case screams 'targeted' but who would set this up? It still baffles me to this day how cavalier the police used to be about certain murder cases in the past. For example, if they had a similar type of case which proved to have no leads but a wife was mysteriously murdered in what looked like a random, possibly targeted hit but the estranged husband happened to be a pillar of the community, there would be this attitude of that it couldn't have possibly been him. There was this attitude at times of not bothering to chase up any possibilities because a potential suspect or just someone of interest might be a famous person or someone with a lot of money. We have seen so many people get away with so much over the years simply because they have money (as I type this, rapper and record producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs is currently sitting in a jail cell after being denied bail on drug-trafficking charges after getting away with horrendous crimes for years due to his status and wealth). 

When news broke out about what happened to Barbara and James, everyone was shocked, scared and confused wondering why and who would do such a thing to two lovely, talented people?

As decades rolled on, the case just grew more and more colder to the point that (it's sad for me to say) it was mostly forgotten about. When we see documentaries about horrible things that have happened to celebrities over the years and a list of shocking stories is talked about, we never see any mention of what happened to Barbara and James. 

I hope that more people in the true crime community talk about this case and who knows, maybe one day we will finally get some answers.

Barbara was cremated and her ashes were reportedly scattered a sea but she does have an online memorial where people can leave virtual flowers and little notes: Barbara Colby: Find A Grave

I can't find any information about James's final resting place or if he was cremated but our hearts go out to him and his family too. It's very sad to think of what could have been for both of these talented people who's lives were so coldly taken. 

I hope one day that there is justice finally for Barbara and James and that their families finally have answers after all these years. I always say it is important to never give up hope, we've seen decades-old cases finally being solved in recent times let's hope that this case is finally closed soon. RIP Barbara and James. 

Further Reading & Sources: 

Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes | Book by Michael Newton

Barbara Colby Memorial | Find A Grave

Barbara Colby | Wikipedia

Barbara Colby & James Kiernan | Reddit Discussion

Barbara Colby | IMDb

James Kiernan | IMDb

Thank you for taking the time to read this third instalment of my unsolved cases series, I hope you found it informative and I hope you will join me for part four in this series. 

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Take care until next time & I hope to see you on my socials x