10 Creepiest Discoveries in Murder Investigations

10 Creepiest Discoveries in Murder Investigations


Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most chilling pieces of evidence found during murder cases.

Refrigerated Heads

What started as a welfare check ended in horror. Though Charles Rogers had a promising career, he abruptly quit in 1957 and moved back in with his parents. In 1965, officers were called to the home after another relative reported not hearing from them. At first, their search seemed normal– save for a stack of unidentifiable meat sitting in the fridge. It wasn’t long until they noticed the heads of his parents– and realized that the meat they’d found were parts of their bodies. Charles – who was already long gone by that point – was named the main suspect. He was never found, leaving the case unsolved to this day, though some forensic scientists are adamant that he was involved.

A Cell, A Treasure Map, & Home Videos

Though the main suspect died shortly after being apprehended, what was found in the aftermath made his involvement clear. Leonard Lake and his associate Charles Ng[a] were responsible for the kidnapping, torture, and eventual murder of almost a dozen people. Investigators traced a stolen truck back to Lake’s bunker, where they made a shocking discovery– a makeshift cell near a burial site containing several pounds of human remains. As if that wasn’t enough, they also discovered a hand-made map that led them to containers filled with evidence. The information ranged from their victim’s names to videotapes detailing their plans. With Lake having taken his own life, Ng took the fall– and was placed on death row after being found guilty of eleven homicides.

Human Remains & Unsent Letters

One of America’s first serial killers is also one of the most insidious. After planning to fake the death of a friend for the insurance payout, H. H. Holmes betrayed him and took his life. He then manipulated the victim’s wife into relinquishing custody of three of her children to him– leading to their fates and his downfall. In 1894, an investigator was tasked with searching Holmes’ house in hopes of finding the missing minors, but was instead met with two corpses. He also found undelivered letters written to their mother, revealing another dark layer of Holmes’ deceitful ways. The officer was then able to track Holmes down and apprehend him, finally bringing an end to his violent spree.

A Mirror Message

A murderer being self-aware makes their crimes even more chilling. While the violent acts committed by The Lipstick Killer – later identified as William Heirens[b] – were horrific enough, what made them worse was his lack of control. This was made apparent following the 1945 death of Frances Brown when officials discovered a message scrawled in lipstick. It was a plea to be caught before he could strike again, alongside a claim that he couldn’t stop himself. That note unfortunately came true less than a month later in 1946, when Suzanne Degnan was kidnapped and murdered. Heirens was questioned later that year, where he confessed under duress. Though he later claimed innocence, he received three life sentences and spent the rest of his days behind bars.

A Written Rant & Punishment Map

Though he wasn’t apprehended until 2018, authorities first got a look into his twisted mindset 40 years earlier. Joseph DeAngelo – more commonly known as the elusive Golden State Killer – had dropped several handwritten documents at the scene of one of his crimes. Though they couldn’t trace it back to him then, what they did find were his vindictive ramblings blaming his sixth-grade teacher for the crimes he committed in adulthood. He claimed that writing lines caused him to suffer and grow ashamed of himself, which later morphed into anger. The motifs of discipline were also found in a map he had drawn of a neighborhood with the word “punishment” written on the back – indicating an area he may have intended to attack.

A Corpse-Filled Crawl Space

As one of the United States' most infamous serial killers, every detail of John Wayne Gacy’s terrible misdeeds is enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. His confession is no different. He drunkenly admitted to killing at least thirty victims, who he then buried beneath his crawl space. Though he was intoxicated, officials were able to get a warrant to thoroughly search his home – and within minutes, found decaying human remains. The more they searched, the more they found, identifying four different bodies in the first dig alone. A subsequent search led to the discovery of twenty-six other victims in his crawl space. The sheer magnitude of his crimes – and how easily he’d hidden them – shocked both his community and the country as a whole.

A Macabre Poem

To this day, the Zodiac Killer is one of the most prolific and elusive murderers in modern times, with his identity still remaining a mystery. Known for his communications with police – including a series of ciphers, the search for him proved to be fruitless. Though he had sent an anonymous letter following the death of Cheri Jo Bates[c] in 1966, it was a discovery made two months later that truly alarmed authorities. Scratched within a library desk was a disturbing poem, detailing the sight of a woman’s blood spilling onto her dress. The handwriting matched that of the letters sent by the killer. Though it didn’t aid in his capture, it did add extra insight into his potential mindset during his sprees of violence.

Polaroids & A Human Head

All it took was one failed murder to apprehend one of the worst killers of the 20th century. After nearly losing his life, Tracy Edwards escaped the clutches of Jeffrey Dahmer and went straight to the police. Later that night, the near-victim and two cops returned to his apartment, where they found the knife nearly used to slay him. That was only scratching the surface. They also noticed an open drawer filled with photos of Dahmer’s dismembered victims. Upon those being found, the killer attempted to fight back, only to be subdued. To top it all off, one investigator opened the fridge and was met with a head – the first of several body parts that would later be discovered.

Letter to Victim’s Mother

Seeing physical evidence is awful enough – but somehow, having the exact details written out is even worse. While Albert Fish claimed several lives, it was the murder of Grace Budd in 1928 that eventually led to his capture. In 1934, he penned an anonymous letter to Budd’s mother. In the message, he opened with anecdotes about an acquaintance who introduced him to the idea of cannibalism. He then wrote out exactly what he did to Grace, from his technique to the way he prepared her to eat. The disgusting note was corroborated by him at his arrest, where he shared even more gruesome details. More of his crimes were unearthed, leading to a swift trial in 1935 and his eventual execution in 1936.

Decorations Made of Human Remains

Though he doesn’t have the same level of notoriety as other killers, he’s still one of the most disturbed. After being traced back to the disappearance of a hardware store clerk, Ed Gein was arrested, and his farm searched. Once there, not only did officers find his latest victim’s eviscerated body – they found a slew of depraved homemade decorations. His house was reportedly full of macabre items crafted from human remains, primarily consisting of bodies he’d stolen from graves. He even admitted that he targeted the corpses of women who resembled his mother, adding another sick layer to his grotesque misdeeds. A decade later, Gein was finally tried, where he was ruled to be insane and spent the rest of his days institutionalized.

Which of these discoveries do you find the most disturbing? Let us know in the comments below!

[a]ing
[b]HYE-rins https://youtu.be/DRil__X5MZs?si=qXpbGN6nLVLf85Re&t=1674
DEG-nin https://youtu.be/qR3UwpFtX0I?si=M9qHebFWyybFfG-p&t=1354
[c]sherry https://youtu.be/7l49K2sh-gc?si=_MjQ_7lzXteWCzOA&t=172