True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

(The Amityville house as it was. Picture credit: newsday.com)

I've always been fascinated with Amityville, not just because of the horror movies but the house itself has always intrigued me. It has a very haunting and unusual look about it especially with those two top windows, like eyes that look even more creepy when lit up at night. Obviously these windows have now been changed and the various owners who have since lived in the house have tried to change the look a little bit. It still doesn't stop thousands of horror fans making the journey every year to get a selfie next to the famous house, I've even read that previous owners have had psychics and paranormal investigators turn up on their doorstep as well as people trying to get into the house or steal patches of grass off of the lawn as souvenirs. 

When I first saw the Amityville movie which was many years ago, I had no idea that it was an actual house, I thought it was made up on a movie set like the Psycho Motel. Even creepier was when I found out that not only was the house real but there was a dark, horrific story behind it in which a family met their end. 

Amityville has had so many books, documentaries and movies made about it (there's a new movie coming out in 2020) that I couldn't possibly add anything new but what I hope to do in this post is share with you the real story that started all of what has become the legend of Amityville. 

Before I start, I just want to remind you that all of my weekly personal posts are now on my Kofi page as well as my updates and if you enjoy my posts, please consider buying me a coffee.

So here goes...

To those who may not know, Amityville is an actual place, it's a village in Babylon in New York. It's a beautiful town with a lot of affluent residents and it's very picturesque, the sort of place you would want to raise your kids in or retire too. Ronald DeFeo Sr must have thought the same because after starting a job working for his father in law's Buick dealership company (as a service manager and coming into some money) he moved his family to the beautiful and unusual house on 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville. 

Together with his wife Louise, sons, John, Marc, Ronald Jr and daughters, Dawn and Allison, it seemed that they had the perfect family and now had the perfect home to match but behind closed doors, all was not as it seemed. Ronald Sr would often raise his temper and the children were frightened of him, he would also be violent towards Louise. Ronald Jr who was the eldest of the children (born on the 26th of September 1951 in Brooklyn, New York) and also went by the name ''Butch'', he was always very rebellious and would cause his parents problems. He seemed to be spoilt and out of control, he was always involved in fights at school and the other kids felt nervous around him. He also attacked his grandfather when he was just 13 years old and was sent to a psychiatrist but it didn't seem to help matters. Ronald Jr left school without any qualifications and dabbled in drugs and petty crime. He would always rely on handouts from his father because he couldn't hold down a job and he would blow all of his money on drugs, women and alcohol.

Ronald Jr was a ticking timebomb and as he got older there were no signs that he was going to slow down, the year before events took a more horrific turn, he had tried to fire a gun at his father. 

A year after the incident with the gun (his father was luckily unharmed), Ronald Jr (who was 23 at the time) was at a bar near to his family home on the 13th of November 1974. He'd been there drinking for most of the day, he'd driven to the Buick dealership in Brooklyn earlier that day (as he'd been given a job there as a way to help straighten himself out) but it was quiet so he just drove back to Amityville and went to the local bar. Around 6pm he left for about 15 minutes before returning and shouting to the customers ''YOU GOT TO HELP ME! I THINK MY MOTHER AND FATHER ARE SHOT!'' 

(Ronald Jr with his father, Ronald Snr. Picture credit: theunredacted.com) 

(A painting of Louise DeFeo. Picture credit: imdb.com) 

Nobody knew if this was a joke or if he was just shouting random stuff because he was drunk but a group got together and went with him to the house. Sure enough, Ronald Jr's parents were found in their bedroom shot dead. His two brothers (John who was 7 and Marc who was 12) were found shot dead in their beds and sisters Allison (who was 13) and Dawn (who was 18) were also found dead. The police were called and what nobody knew at that time was that Ronald Jr himself had committed the killings around 3am that morning. He took a .35 Marlin rifle and shot his parents twice in the head as they slept, he then shot his two brothers and his sister Allison once in the head. Dawn was allegedly in a room in the attic and came to see what all of the noise was and it was there that he shot her too. The police claimed that there was evidence that, like Dawn, Allison was awake when she was shot.

After the murders had been discovered by the police, Ronald Jr was taken into custody for his own protection, At that point they believed a story that Ronald Jr had given them about a business deal that had gone wrong and the possibility that a notorious mafia hitman had carried out the murders as an act of revenge for falling out with his father. I think the police took him at his word in the beginning because he was from a wealthy family but it didn't take long for the police to see the cracks appear. Over the course of the day, Ronald Jr had given them various stories and tried to convince the police that the murders were carried out by various hitmen who were working for the mafia before eventually giving in and confessing. He told the police that afternoon: ''Once I started, I just couldn't stop. It went so fast.''

(Top from left: John, Allison, Marc. Bottom from left: Dawn and Ronald Jr DeFeo. Picture credit: historyvshollywood.com)

The police found various guns inside the DeFeo home and investigators removed them during their search that day. Reporters and members of the public continued to gather outside and the police would give nothing away about the investigation but what they were keeping quiet was that Ronald Jr was their number one suspect and that they were looking for the gun that was used in the killings. They knew that Ronald Jr had owned a .35 Marlin rifle and the bullets from that gun were used but it was nowhere in the house, the police found an empty box for the gun in Ronald Jr's closet. The police also discovered that Ronald Jr was on bail for suspected theft and was being treated for substance misuse at the time of the murders. 

(The Amityville house during the police search. Picture credit: topic.com)

After the confession and finding the empty box for the gun as well as other evidence, the police charged Ronald Jr for the murders of his parents and younger siblings. He told the police another story about his movements in the early hours of the 13th of November. He told the police that he woke up around 2 am and shot his parents first before going into Allison's bedroom and shooting her. As I mentioned earlier the police claimed that there was evidence to suggest that Allison was awake at this time which I believe to be true as she would have heard the noise from the gun. Marc and John were killed next (according to his statement) but they were said to be asleep when this happened (I'm not sure how they could have slept through that noise if Allison and Dawn were awake, unless they were already awake in their rooms? what are your thoughts?). Dawn was on the second floor in an attic room and he claimed that she woke up and he shot her, He would later share another story that Dawn was involved in the murders. 

After he carried out the murders he told the police that he wrapped up his blood stained clothes and cartridges in some pillowcases and drove to Brooklyn, he stopped on the way there to dispose of the gun in Amityville Bay. He dumped the rest of the ammunition boxes, rifle case and some more cartridges in a drain in Brooklyn. The police later found all of these items. The gun was also found after the police had done a thorough search of Amityville Bay. 

Ronald Jr appeared in court on the 15 of November 1974, at first he was being charged with the murder of his brother Marc but the police claimed that this was just a procedure and that he would be tried for the other murders too. 

Another sinister aspect of the case and one that often fuels rumours that the house is indeed possessed is that of the neighbours statements about the early hours of the 13th of November 1974, They didn't hear a sound. The only thing anyone heard was the sound of the family's dog barking outside. 

It was no secret that Ronald Jr had a tense relationship with his father but the police couldn't work out a motive especially for killing his mother and siblings too. He did allegedly ask the police whilst he was in custody how he would go about getting his hands on his inheritance from his father's estate.

On the 4th of December 1975, Ronald Jr was sentenced to six consecutive sentences of 25 years to life. 

There's been so many stories from Ronald DeFeo Jr that it's hard to believe what is fact and what is fiction whenever he speaks. He has claimed in one story that Dawn and another unnamed individual had killed everyone and that he had shot Dawn by accident after a struggle with the gun. There were people who actually believed some of this story because some gun powder was later found on Dawn's nightdress. 

He then changed his story again and claimed to have committed the murders with Dawn and her two friends. 

Louise, Ronald Snr, John, Marc, Dawn and Allison were laid to rest in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale. Someone posted a video of the gravesite on Youtube 

As you know, this isn't where the story of Amityville ends, this is just the beginning and that's a whole other blog post delving more into horror and paranormal. Not long after the murder had taken place, the Lutz family (George and Kathy Lutz and their three children) moved into the Amityville house in December of 1975. They also purchased what was left of the DeFeo furniture including one of the bedframes from one of the beds that had been present on the night of the murders. The family only lived there for 28 days and fled due to terrifying circumstances, they claimed that the house was haunted, that all kinds of terrifying things had been going on. 

(The Amityville house today. Picture credit: saturdayeveningpost.com) 

The story of their ordeal sparked a craze of books, horror movies, documentaries as well as obsessed fans and paranormal investigators descending on the house. Some people still believe to this day that the house is evil.

Allegedly when George Lutz first moved into the house he used an Ouija board as a way to contact the deceased DeFeo family. 

There's so much more to be said about Amityville and as I mentioned earlier ANOTHER movie is being made about it. I guess the obsession with that house will always remain.

What are your thoughts about the DeFeo case and do you believe that Amityville is haunted?

Oh and btw, would I stay in the Amityville house? Oh yes I would (but I'm a spooky girl lol). 

Thanks for checking out my latest case and thank you to Mike Ambrosino for requesting it! See you in the next post x 

UPDATE: Ronald Defeo Jr passed away on the 12th of March 2021, cause of death was undisclosed at time of writing. 

Further reading & sources:

- Amityville - Biography Article 

- Amityville - The Washington Post Article 

- The Amityville Horror 

- Amityville: Horror or Hoax? 

- Amityville: The Haunting 

- Ronald DeFeo Jr - Wikipedia 

(The Chip shop that Mavis and Geoffrey owned, Top right: Geoffrey Bran at his trial. Bottom right: Mavis Bran. Picture credit: cambrian-news.co.uk) 

If you follow me on social media you may have noticed that I shared a horrific story the other day on my Twitter page about a woman who was alleged to have had boiling hot oil poured over her by her husband of 38 years, Geoffrey Bran (71). 

(Marilyn McKenna and Stuart Drury. Picture credit: bbc.co.uk) 

Continued from part one

Thank you for checking out part one of this case which I'm sure you will agree was quite an uncomfortable read but in this post it won't get that much easier as I continue to tell you Marilyn's story. The details are horrific and such that I have never gotten over reading them the first time I had come across this case. 

I mentioned in part one that I completely understood if you would like to skip over this case as it can be quite difficult to digest the details. I will try in this post to be as gentle as I can in explaining what happened but I will give you the truth as devastating as it is. 

As I mentioned before, I am going to be mentioning some pretty heavy themes to do with attempted suicide, domestic violence and murder in this post so please be aware. 

So let's continue....

Marilyn and the kids were enjoying the peace and quiet for the first time in a long time. Was this it? Was Stuart Drury finally out of their lives once and for all? Weeks went by and there was no sign of him and Marilyn couldn't have been happier until the day she found him on her doorstep out of the blue.

He said he just wanted to have a talk, to apologise properly for everything he had put her and the kids through. Rightly or wrongly she let him into the house and made him a cup of coffee, she may have felt it was safe because he knew the police were aware of him and he did disappear for a few weeks, maybe he had realised the error of his ways. At first, he seemed to be genuinely sorry for all that he had done and they had a civil conversation over coffee. The kids were in the house too but they stayed out of the way, they couldn't bare to be near him.

At some point during the conversation, Stuart grew tired of playing the nice guy and got straight to the point, he wanted Marilyn to take him back. Marilyn stayed strong and told him that she would never be with a man who was violent and she had no interest in starting a relationship back up with him. It was over as far as she was concerned and it was about time that he had left. Marilyn got up and just as she was about to walk towards the door to direct him out, Stuart pulled out a knife and cut his wrists and throat in front of her. The scene was utter chaos and Marilyn was hysterical, the children ran into the room and were horrified at what they saw. Again the police and an ambulance was called. 

This incident didn't stop Stuart from returning to the house and hiding in the bushes outside. All the police did was caution him to stay away from Marilyn but he never listened, it was an endless cycle of him showing up, Marilyn calling the police and nothing getting done about it. Marilyn was at her wits end. The phone was constantly ringing at all hours of the day and night and he would leave abusive messages on her answering machine. 

On one of the occasions that he was outside the house, Marilyn had called the police who managed to get there straight away and remove him but that didn't stop him making a reverse charge call to Marilyn's house, when she picked up the phone, she could hear him say over the operators voice ''You're dead''.

She was so terrified, she gathered the kids together and fled to a woman's refuge hostel in another part of the city. She was too scared to stay in the house with the kids. The hostel was known for being secure and safe but Stuart somehow found out where she was and started making phonecalls there. She had no choice but to leave.

Marilyn's relatives had offered her and the kids a place to stay but for some reason she just wanted to go home. Maybe it was an act of defiance against Stuart? 

When Marilyn and the kids returned to the house they found that the house had been turned completely upside down, it had been wrecked, windows had been smashed and there was excrement all over Marilyn's clothes and the walls. The answer machine was full of messages from Stuart:

''Pick up the phone you f*cking bitch, pick up the f*cking phone or you are a dead woman. You can't hide from me. You won't ever get away from me''. 

Marilyn kept a record of every incident and reported each one to the police, at least 64 different police officers had been to her house but nothing was ever done. Marilyn began to lose hope that she would ever get out of this situation. Stuart knew everything about her, in the two years that they had been together, he know her routine, where her friends and family lived, private and personal details about her, it was like there was no escape. 

As a break from the abusive answer machine messages, Marilyn began to leave the phone off the hook. The kids helped her board up the windows and clean the place up. She put extra locks on the front door but she still felt unsafe in her own home.

She called Aileen and poured her heart out to her on the phone, she said ''I've had to leave the phone off the hook because he's been calling me every 10 minutes. I'm going to be found in a pool of blood and then everybody will be paying attention''. 

Despite everything Marilyn still had some fight in her, she was becoming more angry that nothing was being done by the police to protect her and the kids. She hated Stuart having control of her life and was determined that she was not going to let him win. She told Aileen that she wanted to see her on Friday night and that she really needed to let her hair down after everything lately.

A few days later, Marilyn was putting on her makeup and trying to put Stuart Drury out of her mind. She was determined that he was not going to stop her living her life. That night, she was sitting in a bar with Aileen, having a few drinks and was having such a good time that she forgot about Stuart instead her attentions were drawn towards an attractive man that she saw watching her from the other side of the bar.

At first they were just staring at each other but he soon came over and offered to buy her and Aileen a drink. He seemed nice and the three of them had a laugh and continued to enjoy the night. Aileen could see that Marilyn and her new friend were getting on really well and she didn't want to play gooseberry. She told the pair that she was going home but whispered in Marilyn's ear that she wanted her to call her the next day and tell her everything. Aileen was excited for Marilyn and it was great to see that sparkle come back into her eyes again.

Marilyn and her male friend continued talking and having a few more drinks and when the bar was starting to close, Marilyn suggested they go back to her place for a coffee. It was quite a risky move for someone to make considering everything she had been through but there was something about this guy that she just connected to and she was determined to move on with her life. Maybe in the back of her mind she was hoping that if Stuart was watching, that he would see her with someone else and finally get the message? being with a man she may have felt more safe? who knows what was going through Marilyn's mind but the pair got in a taxi and headed to her place. The kids were at their grandparents house so they would have plenty of privacy there.

Back at Marilyn's she put on some music and opened up a bottle of wine, she was getting on well with this new guy but then there was a loud thud at the door. Her heart must have sank because sure enough, it was Stuart. She opened the door, probably thinking it would be safe because she had a man with her. Stuart created a scene, shouting and swearing, asking her what was going on and who was this guy?

The man had no idea what to do and was quite intimidated by Stuart. To be fair to him, he had just met Marilyn and didn't know the background of her situation with Stuart. The man put his jacket on and decided it would be best if he left. Marilyn ran out the door after the man and Stuart followed, continually shouting and swearing.

At some point, the three of them stopped at Abbeyhill street where the arguing continued. The man left, leaving Marilyn and Stuart continuing to argue. A witness who was up feeding her baby in the early hours of the 5th of September 1998, claimed that she could see from her kitchen window the events that unfolded which she has never been able to put out of her mind. 

''What the f*ck were you doing with him?'' shouted Stuart in a rage at Marilyn, to which she replied ''What do you think?''. Stuart pulled a claw hammer from his jacket and smashed Marilyn over the head with it. She tried to protect herself but her short and petite frame was no match for him as he was broad and six foot plus. She tried to protect herself but the blows rained down, he kept smashing her over the face and head. Pathologists later said that there had been 7 blows to the head and one even claimed that Marilyn's injuries had been the worst they had ever seen. 

Marilyn was slumped over on the ground, bleeding profusely but he didn't stop there, he crunched the hammer into her neck and ripped her jaw out. Lying there in a pool of her own blood and still clinging to life, the coward and monster known as Stuart Drury fled the scene. 

The witness at the window was hysterical and called the police and an ambulance who arrived at the scene very quickly. The scene was horrific, there was blood everywhere. The ambulance crew had to remove Marilyn's smashed teeth from her airways in order to help her breathe but it was clear that this poor woman was dying. There was pieces of Marilyn's skin, jaw, blood and teeth scattered about the road. She was rushed to hospital where doctors did all they could to save her but she sadly passed away.

It didn't take the police long to figure out who was responsible and in just a few hours, they were at Stuart Drury's door. He was still wearing the same clothes which were splattered with Marilyn's blood. As the police searched his flat they found a stack of photographs of Marilyn which had either been ripped apart or her face had been scratched out. They arrested him and took him to the police station where they found another picture of Marilyn in his pocket which had been slashed in two with a knife.

35 year old Stuart was convicted of Marilyn's murder but he tried to appeal and for the next couple of years he put her family through hell through the court system. He tried to drag Marilyn's name through the mud by telling the court that she slept around and that they were having a sexual relationship. 

He managed to have his father and a friend speak on his behalf and they claimed to have seen Marilyn and Stuart together in a romantic relationship right up to her death. Stuart tried to play the part of the man who had been done wrong, he claimed that he loved Marilyn and was broken hearted when he saw her with another man and just exploded. His lies didn't wash though and he was convicted a second time for the murder of Marilyn Mckenna.

After he was jailed, it came to light that he had been convicted two years before Marilyn's death for assaulting a woman. He had tried to strangle the woman to death and she was severely beaten in her flat in Glasgow and for this sickening act he was sentenced to just 60 days in prison. 

The fact that this monster had tried to kill a woman, been handed a pathetic sentence, went on to terrorise another woman (whilst the police did nothing) and then murdering her in the middle of the street in cold blood, makes me sick. 

I feel anger for this utter lack of justice in these cases. In the UK I am often sickened at the ridiculous sentences that are handed down to people who have done the most horrendous things. 

Marilyn was only 37 when she died at the evil hands of Stuart Drury. She was a wonderful mother and friend as well as an extremely hard worker. Her three children have to live with the nightmare of what happened to their mother and the horrible memories of Stuart Drury. I think of Aileen too and how difficult it must have been and is for her, she could never have seen it coming, she left her sister that night with a man who she thought may have protected her. I think about that man too and the guilt he must feel but how was he to know what the real story was, Stuart was very manipulative and could get around people. 

The story of Marilyn Mckenna should be known everywhere, this can happen to any man or woman and these situations need to be taken seriously by police especially with someone who already had a previous conviction for attempted murder.

This is a case that haunts me and if you have made it this far in the post, I thank you and I appreciate it. As devastating as this is, Marilyn Mckenna deserves to be remembered.

UPDATE (January 2020) The authorities have ruled that Stuart Drury is not fit for release as of this time and is to spend another two years in prison. Let's hope he stays there. 

Thanks as always for your support. I'll see you in the next post. If you would like to comment below about this case, please do. If you want to talk more about it, feel free to message me on any of my social media platforms or email me at: caledoniankblog@yahoo.co.uk

Domestic Abuse Helplines & Information:

- National Domestic Violence Helpline - Website 

- 24 Hour Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247

- Woman's Aid - Information & Support 

- Supportline - Website 

- Supportline: 01708 765200

- Supportline Email: info@supportline.org.uk 

Further Reading & Sources:

RIP Marilyn x 

(Marilyn Mckenna and Stuart Drury. Picture credit: bbc.co.uk) 

This is one of those cases that still haunts me to this day. It was first brought to my attention by my all time favourite True Crime author Reg McKay in his brilliant and spine chilling book Murder Capital: Life & Death On The Streets Of Glasgow 

I've covered and researched a lot of cases and each one has been harrowing but there's something about this one that turns the blood cold. The images that one conjures up about the hell that this poor woman went through really is the stuff of nightmares. 

Before I begin I have to warn you that the details in this case are very disturbing and I will be talking about attempted suicide, self harm, domestic violence and murder. Some of the details are very gruesome and quite difficult to put out of your mind once you have read about what happened. If you feel like this post would be too much for you then please click onto another one of my true crime posts.

Don't forget to check out my Kofi page if you enjoy my work, there you will also find my personal posts where I share bits and pieces of my life and private experiences, a lot of the content is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18 and to have access to my posts you need to sign up as a monthly subscriber. 

I also share regular updates on my Kofi page about my blog. I also post pictures and you can request cases you would like to see me cover. You can also buy me a coffee to help keep my blog and research going, all of the details of how you can support me are on my Kofi page and you can find me elsewhere on social media here.

Check out Reg Mckay's books on Amazon 

Let's begin...

This case takes place in the late 1990s in Carntyne which is a suburban district in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Marilyn Mckenna was a single mother of three children in her 30s who did everything she could for her kids, even working three jobs to help put food on the table. Her life was busy and at times very hard, it wasn't easy having to juggle three kids, three jobs and manage a house but she did it. She worked as hard as she could as an assistant in the local chip shop as well as working as a dinner lady and school auxiliary. 

There just never seemed to be enough hours in the day for Marilyn but on Friday night's she made sure that she did treat herself to a girl's night out with her best friend and sister, Aileen. Marilyn and Aileen shared an incredible bond and could tell each other everything. It had been a long time since Marilyn had been in a romantic relationship and because of what she had been through in the past she was very careful of getting into another relationship. With such a hectic, busy life and having three kids, she did wonder if there was a chance that she would be able to find someone who would treat her right but also take on the kids too.

Marilyn and Aileen nicknamed their Friday nights ''Stress Busters'', they would go out, sometimes with some of their other friends and they would have a dance, a chat about their week and have a few drinks. Marilyn didn't get much time to herself so these Friday night ''Stress Busters'' were the highlight of her week. She would feel so much better after spending Friday nights just letting her hair down with Aileen.

During one of their night's out, Marilyn mentioned a guy called Stuart who she was getting friendly with and according to Aileen, Marilyn's face lit up every time she talked about him. Over the next couple of weeks whenever Aileen saw Marilyn or spoke to her on the phone she was constantly talking about how amazing Stuart was. Aileen was excited for Marilyn, she thought that this was just what Marilyn needed after all the heartache, she was excited to meet him.

The romance with Stuart blossomed very quickly and he was like the perfect gentleman, he would cook dinner for her and the kids, he'd insist on doing the washing up and in time he would be looking after the kids whilst Marilyn was at work. The kids got on so well with him, he seemed like the perfect guy. After a long hard day at work, Marilyn would come home to find that Stuart had done all of the housework, sorted out the kids school stuff and had dinner on the table for her, she couldn't believe it.

Marilyn continued to brag to anyone who would listen that Stuart was amazing. The time came for her to introduce Stuart to Aileen and she took him along to one of their ''Stress Buster'' evenings. From the moment Aileen laid eyes on him, she disliked him. It may have seem a bit judgemental but there was something about Stuart that she couldn't put her finger on. She knew Marilyn was over the moon with him and that he had done a lot to help her but Aileen couldn't help but think if this guy was just too good to be true. 

For a start, he would not take his eyes off of Marilyn, that could be seen as a romantic thing but to Aileen it seemed more like he wanted to control her. He watched every move that she made like he was making sure that she wasn't looking at other men. His whole body language was creepy but Marilyn was oblivious and thought he was Mr prince charming. 

A few days later, Aileen was on the phone to Marilyn and tried to find out a bit more about Stuart but Marilyn said that he didn't like to talk about his past . When Marilyn mentioned asking Stuart to move in with her, Aileen tried to persuade her sister not to. It was all moving a bit too fast, she suggested they get to know each other more before making any drastic decisions. Marilyn had made her mind up though, she wanted Stuart to move in. Aileen loved her sister and didn't want to fall out with her so she had to respect her decision and hope for the best, at the end of the day all she wanted was for Marilyn and the kids to be happy and if Stuart Drury was treating them properly, that's all that mattered.

With work and Stuart taking up most of her time, Marilyn reassured Aileen that their nights out on a Friday would continue no matter what. As the weeks went by, Aileen began to notice the sparkle in Marilyn's eyes begin to dim a little and the smile begin to fade. Marilyn would say that she was fine and that things were still going well but she had some things on her mind about Stuart. She told Aileen that Stuart had a very high sex drive and at first that was exciting but he wanted more and more. After a long day at work, she was exhausted but Stuart expected sex and on the days that she had off, he would want sex three or four times a day. If she said she was too tired, he would go into a sulk and accuse her of not finding him attractive or that she was seeing someone behind his back at one of her jobs.

The sex began to be a lot more violent, instead of tender lovemaking like before, Stuart was rough and Marilyn didn't enjoy that at all, she felt like it was forced, almost like rape. She'd find herself having to go along with things so that he wouldn't go in a bad mood. 

Aileen was waiting for Stuart to start showing his true colours, the honeymoon period was over and now that he had gotten his claws into Marilyn and moved himself into her house, he was starting to feel comfortable, so comfortable that he was starting to demand things from her. 

Stuart knew everything about Marilyn's life, she opened up to him about her past, her fears, her dreams and he knew her daily routine. He was very manipulative and knew the right words to say to gain her trust. For someone who was careful with her heart, she let her guard down with Stuart because she felt that he was different from all the other guys. 

Things began to take a more sinister turn one night when she got home from work after a really stressful day. All she wanted was a cup of tea, a nice warm bath and an early night, Stuart had other ideas. He demanded sex and when she refused, he erupted in a rage, smashing ornaments and accusing her of sleeping with other people. She told him he was being ridiculous and that she was exhausted, that if he had to work three jobs he would feel the same. The pair began to argue and the noise woke up the children. Stuart was acting like a madman and when Marilyn told him to calm down he punched her so hard in the face, he shattered her nose and her body was sent flying into a wall, there was blood everywhere and she was in shock. The kids were hysterical.

The police were called and Stuart was ordered to pay £400 in compensation. He was told to stay away from Marilyn and for the next few weeks she didn't see or hear a word from him and it was bliss. She'd had enough of his jealous rages and breaking her nose was the final straw, she realised he wasn't the man that she thought he was. She started to focus on putting her life back together making a fresh start for her and the kids but Stuart Drury wasn't about to let that happen.

Continued in part two 

(Highway of Tears: Photo credit: highwayoftears) 

So this is my third and final post in my unsolved series. I will do some more unsolved cases in the future so keep your eyes peeled for them. I usually post updates about what I'm doing with my blog on my Kofi page.

If you've just clicked on this page at random, don't forget to check out parts one and two where I cover the unsolved cases of Molly Bish, Holly Piirainen and Melanie Melanson who all disappeared from Massachusetts.

In this post I will be talking about The infamous 'Highway of Tears' in British Columbia in Canada where there has been a series of unexplained disappearances and murders of women dating back to 1970. A small number of the cases were solved but there are still a huge number of women who have never been found and what happened to them is a complete mystery.

Trying to cover all of the unsolved murders and disappearances related to the Highway of Tears would take a number of posts and possibly a couple of weeks to really research, in this series I was aiming to touch on each case briefly, If you are interested in me covering the Highway of Tears in more depth and go into each of the cases then let me know.

For this post I've decided to focus on one of the high profile cases that has the most information available from the authorities and that is the disappearance of Maddy Scott.

The Highway of Tears (which is 725 kilometres long (450 mi) is a very long stretch of highway that seems never ending. It seems to be the ideal place for killers to abduct people, murder them and bury their remains there because it is so remote, there are lots of trees, soft soil and not a soul to be seen for miles.

I've always been fascinated with the Highway of Tears, it was given that name back in 1998 during a vigil for four women who had been murdered and two who had gone missing. The highway has always had a bad reputation and people know, especially women to try to avoid it at all costs but it isn't always easy because some people have to travel on the road. Some women still hitchhike despite the warnings of the dangers.

The number of female victims connected to the highway differs, depending on who you ask. If you ask the police they will tell you the number is around 18, if you ask local people they will say the number of victims could be anything in the 20s to 40s whilst others think the number could be higher. The number is estimated to be between 18 and 83. I do believe that the number of victims is way more than 18. I think it could possibly be in the 100s.

Looking back over the history of the highway, going back to the 70s, hitchhiking was commonplace and women (and men) thought nothing of jumping into a strangers car. It baffles me that some people would do this but we never can know for sure if some of these women got into the vehicles of their own accord or they were dragged in.

With high levels of poverty and a lot of people not having the means to own a car but having to get medical attention, they had no choice but to use the highway.

Aboriginal women are said to have counted for more than half of the victims and it has led to theories that there is a serial killer who has been stalking the highway for decades. Going through my research, I believe that there is a serial killer stalking that highway and one day we may know for sure his identity.

(Highway of Tears, one of the warning posters along the highway. Picture credit: cbsnews)

There's been many heartbreaking stories about this haunting highway but I wanted to look into the Maddy Scott case first, I may look into more of the cases connected for a future post once I can gather all of the information but for now, I will talk about Maddy.

(Maddy Scott. Picture credit: madisonscott) 

Madison Geraldine Scott aka Maddy Scott, was 20 years old when she was last seen at Hogsback Lake in Canada (Hogsback lake is located 25 km southeast of Vanderhoof) in the early hours of the 28th of May 2011.

The pretty and popular Maddy was and is deeply loved by her family and friends who continue to hope that one day she will return to them and they will find out what exactly happened to her.

I've been looking a lot into Maddy's case this past week and it seems that everyone who met her and knew her on a personal level adored her and spoke of how she loved being outdoors and doing sports as well as working with her Dad as an apprentice heavy duty mechanic. She was a tom boy but had her girly moments too.

Maddy was close with her parents, Eldon and Dawn and was the sort of person who would go out of her way to help you and many people who have been interviewed since her disappearance have repeated this many times that she would ''give the shirt off her back to help someone in need''. She was born on the 29th of April 1991 and has an older sister and younger brother.

She could be spontaneous and do things at random so some of her friends thought that she may have just gone off somewhere else as she had a habit of changing plans at the last minute.

On the 27th of May 2011, Maddy and her friend Jordi attended a party at Hogsback lake. Jordi's boyfriend was also there as was a bunch of other people that just randomly appeared. The beginning of the night seemed to go well with everyone having a drink and chatting away but at some point Jordi got into an argument with some of the boys and she was pushed into the fire. She wasn't burnt but she and her boyfriend decided it was time to leave and asked Maddy to come with them.

Maddy was relaxed and didn't want to go so she told them that she would be fine where she was. Jordi would later say that she felt a lot of guilt for leaving Maddy there and that she did try and go back to get her the next day.

When Jordi and her boyfriend left, some of the other people who were there continued to have drinks and then a couple of hours later they decided to leave. Between 3 am and 4 am one of the attendees of the party approached Maddy and asked her if she would like a lift home but she refused. This was the last time anyone had heard or seen of Maddy scott.

At the time of her disappearance Maddy was described as having hazel eyes, weighing about 160 - 180 lbs and her height was 5 ft 4. She had ginger hair, her nose was pierced and she had a number of ear piercings. She also had a tattoo of a swallow silhouette on the inside of her left wrist.

Jordi came back the next morning to collect some of her belongings that she had left there and also to see if Maddy was ok. When she got there she saw that Maddy's tent was still there but the door to it was open and the bedding inside was pushed to one side.

The guy who's party it was said that he had seen Maddy's tent all zipped up when he was cleaning up after the party but didn't think to check as he assumed that all was ok and didn't want to disturb her privacy.

Because of Maddy's spontaneous personality, her parents and friends weren't too concerned at first but after two days of hearing nothing from her, they grew more and more concerned and her parents went to Hogsback lake to see what was going on with their daughter.

When they arrived they found Maddy's car which had valuable items in and around the vehicle, They also noticed that her clothes, an expensive camera and purse were still there. Some items were missing, such as her iphone and keys.

(One of the information posters appealing for help in the search for Maddy. Picture credit: cbc.ca)

There has been many theories over the years about what happened to Maddy, the serial killer Israel Keyes (who I wrote about a few months ago in this post) was looked at as being involved but after careful examination the police realised that he couldn't have been connected to Maddy's disappearance.

Other theories include that she ran away which according to her family and friends was very unlikely. Some people suggested that she may have been attacked by an animal but this was soon cast to the side as there was no evidence of a struggle or blood on Maddy's tent.

A lot of people have tried to connect Maddy's disappearance to the Highway of Tears but her family (for reasons best known to themselves) would rather that Maddy's name was not included in the list of people connected to that highway.

Apparently after Maddy's disappearance, two women went missing in similar circumstances with valuables being left behind and no signs of a struggle.

Today, Maddy's disappearance still remains a mystery and her family and friends have never given up hope or their search for her.

I think about all those women who have been murdered or have gone missing and their families. I imagine there will be people who have been abducted on the Highway of Tears who have never been reported missing or have been murdered around there but because of how big the area is, their remains have never been discovered.

I do hope and pray that there is a positive outcome for Maddy's family and the families of those who have gone missing, it's important to not give up hope because we have seen incidences where people have returned home after years, sometimes decades of being missing.

There's some documentaries on you tube you may be interested in about the Highway of Tears and Maddy Scott's disappearance I will include them below.

Thanks for checking out my recent post and I'll see you in the next one x

Further reading & sources:

- Highway of Tears - New York Times Article
- Highway of Tears - Website
- Highway of Tears - Canadian Encyclopedia
- - Highway of Tears - Vice Documentary
- Highway of Tears - 48 Hours Documentary
- Highway of Tears - Wikipedia
- The Vanishing Of Madison Scott
- Help Find Madison Scott - Facebook Group
- Madison Scott - Website
- Maddy Scott - Wikipedia