Top 50 Normal Looking Things with Disturbing Backstories

Top-50-Normal-Looking-Things-with-Disturbing-Backstories

Welcome to WatchMojo and today, we’ll be counting down 50 Normal looking people, places, and things that ended up having disturbing and in some cases, downright terrifying backstories.


#50: The Dating Game Killer
Serial killer Rodney Alcala is one of the most depraved murderers in American history. He maliciously “toyed” with his victims, assaulted and even killed some of them. There were at least eight victims of his crimes —although some estimates place the toll as high as 130. In 1978, Alcala appeared on the game show “The Dating Game” and won a date with bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw. However, she ultimately declined to go on it and referred to Alcala as “creepy.” Another contestant called him a “very strange guy.” At this point, Alcala had already murdered numerous people and would go on to kill again. He died in 2021 while serving life in California State Prison, Corcoran.


#49: Lightning Strike
While the numbers vary, the odds of getting struck by lightning are relatively slim. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take lightning safety seriously, though. This photo of 18-year-old Michael McQuilken and his 12-year-old brother Sean has served as a cautionary tale ever since it was taken in 1975. Posing together at Moro Rock, the brothers were goofing around with their hair standing on end. Their static hair and those storm clouds in the background were more foreboding than either realized, as lightning struck them shortly after their sister took the picture. Another hiker died and while the brothers survived, Sean was left with third-degree burns and took his own life in 1989. Michael continues to spread awareness about the dangers and warning signs of lightning.


#48: Christopher McCandless
With a grin across his face, the man in this picture appears to be waving hello, but he was actually waving goodbye. This bearded explorer is Christopher McCandless, the subject of the 2007 biopic “Into the Wild.” Leaving his old life behind, McCandless decided to fend for himself in mother nature’s backyard, eventually seeking refuge in an abandoned Fairbanks Bus 142. In August 1992, the 24-year-old McCandless died at Stampede Trail, Alaska, most likely due to starvation. Based on the last self-photo he took, it’s evident that McCandless knew his days were numbered. While it’s hard to make out, the paper McCandless is holding is his farewell message, reading, “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!”

#47: David A. Johnston
While not a household name, David A. Johnston was a revered volcanologist who, along with the United States Geological Survey, helped save thousands of people through his on-site work. Tragically, Johnston lost his own life in the process. All seems well in this photo as Johnston sits in a chair outside, looking into the camera. Little did anyone know that within the next 13 hours, Johnston would perish in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The eruption, preceded by seismic activity, was first reported by Johnston, who radioed the message, “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” Within the next seconds, the signal went out and Johnston was never heard from again. While his remains were never found, it’s believed that Johnson died at Coldwater II, a post that wasn’t as safe as anticipated.

#46: Mark Jackson’s Basketball Card
For diehard sports fans, you’ll recognize the player on this basketball card as Mark Jackson, who started his NBA career with the New York Knicks and later coached the Golden State Warriors. At first glance, this card would likely blend in with the rest of your collection. Take a closer look at the lower left-hand corner, though. You see those two young fans sitting in the front row? They’re Lyle and Erik Menendez, two wealthy brothers who took the lives of their allegedly abusive parents on August 20, 1989. The brothers weren’t arrested for these crimes until March 8, 1990, and in between that time, they spent an extravagant amount of money. It appears some of that fortune went towards Knicks tickets before their apprehension.


#45: Joseph James DeAngelo Tape
Nicknamed the Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo’s spree lasted from 1973 to 1986, and he successfully eluded police capture. He was also known to make obscene phone calls to his victims, like in “Black Christmas.” The FBI released one of these recorded calls in 2018, which depicts DeAngelo breathing heavily into the phone and using crude and terrifying language against his victim. This is not the type of call you’d want to receive in the middle of the night. It wasn’t until 2018 that DeAngelo was arrested and charged, and he was sentenced to life in prison in August 2020. He was nearly 75 years old.

#44: Chernobyl Phone Call
Anyone who has watched HBO’s “Chernobyl” has heard the nightmare-inducing phone call that was placed shortly after the famous explosion. It starts with a very haunting beeping sound before panicked voices begin speaking to each other. The audio is obviously not in English, but the fear and anxiety in the voices are palpable. The call reportedly consists of an emergency service worker inquiring about the explosion before phoning the dispatchers and ordering them to respond. Many of these firefighters would die horrible deaths owing to the fatal amounts of radiation at the scene. It’s impossible to tell how many people died in the tragedy, but it remains the world’s worst nuclear disaster.

#43: Operation Wandering Soul
By all accounts, the Vietnam War was a neverending nightmare for both sides. The Viet Cong were subjected to psychological warfare by the United States Army, who broadcast the so-called “Operation Wandering Soul” from helicopters and bases. This recording is full of creepy sounds, including echoey reverb effects and ghostly vocals that were intended to represent the damned souls of the dead. The tape preyed on Vietnamese ritual, as it’s said that the unburied dead wander the Earth in pain and frustration, hence “Operation Wandering Soul.” Just imagine hearing this in the pitch-black jungle late at night.



#42:Ayano Tokumasu
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2

Remember that scene in “Superman II” where a little boy falls over the rail at Niagara Falls? Well, that sort of thing happens more often than you think, but Superman sadly isn’t around to save the day. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly special about this photo, which sees several people gathering at Niagara River. The woman in the red sweater is Ayano Tokumasu, an exchange student from Japan. If you think standing on that pillar seems kind of dangerous, you’d be right. Not long after the photo was taken, she lost her balance and fell over the edge, ultimately going down Horseshoe Falls. Tokumasu was swept from the river’s Canadian side to its American side where her lifeless body was discovered.



#41: Bear Photographer
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2

There are countless photos of bears out there and this one doesn’t look much different from all the rest. Since the picture was taken from a distance and the bear isn’t charging, the photographer seemingly isn’t in any immediate danger. After Darsh Patel snapped this pic using his phone, however, the bear started to follow him and his friends. The group split up as the bear began to close in on them, ultimately pursuing Patel. His phone was eventually found with animal teeth marks while Patel’s body was discovered at a nearby ravine. The bear was still hanging around the 22-year-old’s fatally mauled remains and the authorities took the wild animal out. This photo op came at a steep price for Patel and the bear.

#40:Dutch Girls of Panama
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2

Scrolling through Instagram, chances are you’ll stumble across a number of pleasant photos like these. Standing against a colorful backdrop with green hills and blue skies, 22-year-old Lisanne Froon appears to have a lovely day ahead of her. Froon was on vacation with 21-year-old Kris Kremers, a fellow Dutch student seen in another photo at the same spot. The two set out for a hike in Panama on April 1, 2014 when these pics were taken. This was also the day that Froon and Kremers disappeared, resulting in a grueling search. Ten weeks down the line, Froon’s backpack was uncovered with her camera inside. Froon and Kremers’ remains were eventually found scattered across the jungle with the cause of death still up for debate.


#39: Midlothian Church Murder Suspect
WM-Pop-20-Normal-Looking-Videos-With-Disturbing-Backstories_Y5X4F7
This security footage from Creekside Church in Midlothian, Texas shows a person in tactical gear patrolling the halls and opening various doors. Without knowing the story, this 2016 footage comes across as relatively harmless. It’s a little weird seeing a lone person in full tactical gear inside an empty church, but the police search and examine buildings all the time. This person was not examining, however. They were hunting. Inside the church was fitness instructor Missy Bevers, and she was murdered - with the evidence pointing to the person in the video. Unfortunately, nothing else is known about the crime. The suspect, and their motivation for killing Bevers, remain a mystery.


#38:“Two Tahitian Women”
Paul Gauguin
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
Sometimes, the darker parts of artist biographies are glossed over in favor of artistic praise. Paul Gauguin produced a large number of paintings during his time in Tahiti that featured bright colors, stunning vivid landscapes, alluring locals, and what the artist called a “primitive paradise.” However, the women depicted in the paintings were not always simply Gauguin’s muses; they were also his mistresses. In his time in Tahiti, Gauguin infected a large female population with syphilis, including three child brides. He named his home the “House of Pleasure,” took strolls with an erect-penis-handled walking stick, had a second-floor room plastered with lewd photographs, and so on. This makes us look at the women in paintings such as “Two Tahitian Women” a little differently.


#37: Radar
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
The World Wars in the early 20th century were also an arms race to see who could create the next deadly weapon. One idea that fascinated scientists and military leaders alike was the concept of a death ray. British scientists hoped to discover a way to use radio waves to kill foes at a distance. However, the power requirements were enormous. Ultimately, they hit on the idea of using the echoes of radio waves to detect incoming airplanes in the sky, which was arguably even better, tactically speaking. While many nations came up with the idea independently, Britain, with help from American factories, figured it out first. Thus, radar was born.



#36: “Judith Slaying Holofernes”
Artemisia Gentileschi
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
Artemisia Gentileschi was an Italian Baroque painter and a highly talented artist influenced primarily by Caravaggio. The majority of her works feature images from myth and religion. “Judith Slaying Holofernes” depicts the biblical story of Judith, who infiltrated the Assyrian army during the war with Palestine in order to take the life of General Holofernes. The painting is often seen as a sort of self-portrait, as Artemisia was sexually assaulted by family friend and painter Agostino Tassi, after which she threatened him with a knife for taking her honor. A closer look at the painting reveals that Judith wears a bracelet featuring the goddess Artemis, who guarded her virginity diligently and violently retaliated against anyone who threatened it





#35: Ammonia Fertilizer
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
Fertilizer is essential in crop growing and natural sources can often lack the nitrogen that leads to efficient crop yields. Enter Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch. These two German scientists created the Haber-Bosch method, which creates ammonia from nitrogen in the atmosphere. Most of the world’s annual food production comes as a result of fertilizer created from this process, and it’s likely the world couldn’t support as many people as it does today without it. However, the two of them also worked on weapons development during the First World War, with Haber being considered the father of chemical warfare, due to his work on chlorine gas. Something to think about the next time you’re doing yard work.






#34: “The Ghent Altarpiece”
Hubert & Jan van Eyck
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
The Ghent Altarpiece was commissioned by Ghent, Belgium’s mayor Jodocus Vijd and his wife Lysbette in the 1420s, and completed by 1432. It is a twelve-piece installment depicting religious figures, scenes, and symbols. The piece has a volatile history. In the 16th century, the great iconoclasm or Beeldenstorm, a movement to destroy religious iconography, would have seen the destruction of the Altarpiece had it not been for rapid clergymen hiding it. In 1781, Roman Emperor Joseph II viewed the piece, and declared the nudity of Adam and Eve to be offensive, causing those panels to be removed. It was also historically dismantled and separated, cut in half, narrowly survived a fire, was bricked into a wall, stolen, nearly blown up… it is currently in restoration.




#33:Vibrators
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
Let’s all try to be mature about this, okay? Vibrators are sex toys, yes, but they weren’t originally used with sex in mind… explicitly, anyway. The electric vibrator was invented in the 19th century and was used to relieve various maladies, including pain relief, tumors, and hysteria. The last of these was the most pertinent to vibrators’ eventual purpose, as it was essentially medical professionals misunderstanding women experiencing… frustration. And the fact that the relief of said frustration was considered a medical procedure at the time is just all kinds of disturbing.






#32: GPS
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
The Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a satellite system that can track signals all over the globe. It’s also owned and operated by the United State military. While some may find this disturbing, what’s arguably more upsetting is why the U.S. military began allowing use of it by almost anyone. In 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was flying from New York to Seoul via Alaska. A navigation error led to the plane flying into Soviet airspace and the civilian craft was shot down. While the tragic loss of life was awful and led to a rise in tensions between the two superpowers, President Ronald Reagan decided to make GPS available on a global scale to prevent similar avoidable losses of private aircraft.





#31: “The Charnel House”
Pablo Picasso
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
In 1937, Picasso painted “Guernica,” a depiction of the bombing aftermath of a small village during the Spanish Civil War. It’s an aggressive vision of chaos and a poignant anti-war statement. Around 1944, the artist painted something of a sequel to “Guernica” in “Charnel House.” Picasso was said to be apolitical, in that he did not concern himself with political affairs. However, the Civil War changed that, and his reaction is clear in the two pieces. “Charnel House” depicts a Republican family who was murdered in their home during World War II, turning (according to Picasso) their family home into a “charnel house” meaning a storage vault for bodies. Though the piece may initially not look striking, proper observation reveals the grotesque nature of the subject matter within.


#30: Bicycles
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
What do climate change, a volcano, and dead horses have to do with the creation of the bicycle? Everything! 1816 was the Year Without Summer. It was so-called, because a massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia the previous year coated the world in ash and clouds for nearly a year. This led to people slaughtering their horses for food when crops could not grow. And with horses being the primary mode of transport, the inventor Baron Karl von Drais was inspired the following year to invent the first hobbyhorse, or velocipede – known today as a bicycle. While cycling didn’t catch on immediately, his invention proved that a dark year for the world could lead to good things.



#29: “Portrait with Bandaged Ear”
Vincent van Gogh
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
Van Gogh was plagued with mental health issues throughout his life, and this self-portrait represents one of his most infamous fits. When he was roommates with fellow painter Paul Gauguin, the two got into an argument and Van Gogh had a mental seizure and threatened his fellow artist with a razor. Unfortunately, he only injured himself with said razor, slicing off a piece of his own left ear, which he then presented as a gift to a local lady of the night. He claimed to have no recollection of the episode. Van Gogh painted many self-portraits, but the couple featuring the bandaged ear (on the right side in paintings due to using a mirror while painting) symbolize the darker, psychological side of a troubled man, whether intentional or not.


#28: Treadmills
WM-Pop-Top10-Inventions-with-Disturbing-Backstories_I1N6I4
Treadmills have been around for thousands of years in some form or another. However, while their use as a man or animal power source for mills is well-documented, fewer people know about their connection to prisons. Like the treadmills connected to farms or actual mills, penal treadmills did power devices, but they were also a form of punishment for prisoners sentenced to hard labor. Most often seen in England, these torturous machines tormented prisoners in 6 hours shifts. Naturally, they were eventually abolished, but they were still used for most of the 19th century. Really puts your workout into perspective, doesn’t it?


#27: “Black Triptychs”
Francis Bacon
WM-Pop-Top-10-Normal-Looking-Paintings-With-Disturbing-Backstories_R8J2I4
Francis Bacon was, like some aforementioned artists, careful not to adhere meaning or stories to any of his works. He did, however, admit to narrative in his “Black Triptychs,” particularly “Triptych–August 1972” and “Triptych, May–June 1973.” Bacon had a romantic relationship with George Dyer, a man of unfortunate upbringing. Dyer became his artistic model and lover in the 1960s, though the relationship was ill-fated, mainly due to Dyer’s alcoholism. Dyer took his own life in an adjacent, connected hotel room in 1971 while Bacon was at the opening of his art retrospective. The “Black Triptychs” depict the way in which Dyer was found - one from the perspective of Dyer’s room, one from Bacon’s side. The paintings are admittedly a catharsis for Bacon’s emotional grief.



26-21 WM-Pop-10-Scary-Videos-That-Have-Haunting-Backstories_Z1I0K3

#26:The Trinity Test
The first time a nuclear bomb was ever detonated was on July 16th 1945 in New Mexico. Dubbed the Trinity Test, the event was carried out by the U.S. as part of the Manhattan Project, which sought to develop the first nuclear weapons. The videotaped recording of this test showcased the terrifying power of the nuclear bomb. Once detonated, the explosion produced a blinding flash followed by a massive mushroom cloud that reached over 7 miles in height. The project was initiated due to fears that the Nazis might develop nuclear weapons first. And this test became a precursor to the bombings of Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which left an estimated 129,000–226,000 dead.



#25:Rajaee Shareef Black’s Haunting Facebook Live
On December 11th 2021, 44-year-old Rajaee Shareef Black went on Facebook to confess to a horrendous crime. The session starts off pretty normal, with Black talking about the strained relationship with his ex-wife and the bitter custody battle they had been engaged in. He then reveals that he had just taken the life of his ex-girlfriend and was about to do the same to his former wife, Wendy, and then himself. According to reports, Black had mental health issues and was alleged to have been violent towards Wendy during their marriage. The divorced couple were found dead by law enforcement shortly after. Police also found their kids alive and well inside Black’s car, parked outside the house.




#24:The Murder of Elizabeth Barraza
Early in the morning of January 25th 2019, Elizabeth Barraza was standing in the driveway outside her Tomball, Texas home when she was murdered in cold blood. Barraza was setting up for an impromptu garage sale in order to fund an anniversary trip for her and her husband. Moments after her husband had driven out to work, a neighbor’s doorbell camera showed an unknown individual walk up to Barraza and shoot her. The killer then ran back to their car and sped off. Police believe that the same car returned to the scene later, seemingly to ensure their mission was accomplished. Even with a sizable reward put out by the Barraza family, her killer still remains on the loose.




#23:Long Island Missing Persons Shrine
A regular hike in the woods took an extremely disturbing turn for one New York man. While walking through the Berkeley Jackson County Park, James Rankin stumbled upon what could easily pass for a horror movie scene. In what appeared to be a rudimentary camp, someone had hung up several missing person posters of real-life cases. The hiker made a video of the strange site, which went viral on Facebook. Rankin also forwarded his findings to the police, who investigated the case and reportedly concluded that they were just decorations for a Halloween party. But with the “decorations” having been up long before Halloween, Rankin, as well as many online spectators, believe there could be a more sinister agenda at play.




#22:Mr. Fritz the Doll
Dolls can either be fun toys for kids to play with or really creepy creations that can give you nightmares. This one definitely falls in the latter category. Known as Mr. Fritz the Doll, this figure was filmed in the home of its owner, after they had noticed some strange occurrences. In the clip, the doll can reportedly be seen blinking and moving its mouth. Also, the cabinet in which it sits opens and closes, seemingly without any aid. While the video is creepy on its own, the doll’s unsettling history makes it even worse. Apparently, Mr. Fritz was made by an American prisoner at a Nazi camp during WWII. Who knows what despicable things its eyes have seen?





#21: Chalino Sánchez’s Death Note
After years of selling his music out of his trunk, Chalino Sánchez rose to become the voice of narcocorrido music. Sánchez had a particularly violent life, which culminated in his tragic murder on May 16th 1992. The night before, Sánchez performed to a packed audience at the Salon Bugambilias in Culiacán, Mexico. During his set, which was recorded on tape, someone handed the singer a mysterious note, widely believed to have contained a death threat. In the video, Sánchez reads the note and is immediately uneasy. He, however, crumples it and proceeds with his show. Hours later, Sánchez was abducted by a group of armed men claiming to be police officers. His body was found by an irrigation canal the next morning.


20-14 WM-Pop-Top-20-Normal-Social-Media-Posts-with-Disturbing-Backstories_M2T4Q5


#20: A Sinister Marriage Announcement
When Charlie Carver’s Facebook page announced his marriage to Kala Brown, his girlfriend, family and friends were more worried than excited. The day before, both Carver and Brown had mysteriously disappeared, and the fact that Brown had left her dog alone and unattended was suspicious. As days passed, several more Facebook posts appeared, some disturbing – such as news stories about the missing couple and violent messages. Police were able to track the location of Carver’s and Brown’s cell phones, which had ended up near the property of real estate broker Todd Kohlhepp. There they found Brown, tied up in a crate, and Carver’s body. Kohlepp had abducted them both, murdered Carver, and posted the Facebook messages in Carver’s name.

#19: Appearing Innocent Isn’t Enough
When Alan Hruby posted a picture of himself relaxing in a hotel with college roommates, probably no one who saw it guessed that his parents and sister were dead at home. The housekeeper found them the next morning; they had all been shot. In spite of the post on social media, which might have been an attempt to create an alibi, suspicion fell on Hruby pretty quickly. The young college student was a compulsive and extravagant spender, so desperate for money that he had previously stolen his grandmother’s credit card. As it turned out, Hruby had murdered his three family members in cold blood, believing he would then inherit their money.

#18: Posting While Flying
Amritpal Singh was an amateur pilot who liked to post pictures from the air to social media. While admiring his lovely photos, friends and family members probably never stopped to think about the possible danger to Singh himself; but sadly, it eventually caught up with him. In May of 2014, Singh’s plane crashed not far from the Front Range Airport in Colorado. He and his passenger, a friend, were killed in the crash. Evidence showed that both of them had been taking pictures and selfies with their phones; authorities believe that the flashes temporarily blinded Singh, making him lose control of the plane. Those old selfies feel different in retrospect.

#17: At the Red Lake
In 2017, when travel vlogger Sarah Funk visited the Mitsero Red Lake in Cyprus, she and her partner probably thought the place was creepy enough. A mining company excavated there long ago, then abandoned the site, leaving an acidic crater that fills with red water every winter. Funk posted a video on YouTube of herself at the lake, with what appeared to be an old suitcase floating in the water nearby. Two years later, a Cypriot army captain confessed to murdering several people, putting their bodies in suitcases, and throwing them into the Red Lake. So chances are, without realizing it, Funk was near one that day in 2017.

#16: Off the Road
Based on her social media posts, Gabby Petito’s travels across the United States with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie seemed idyllic. An aspiring influencer, she documented them hiking, camping, and having fun on the beach. However, all was not as it seemed. Witnesses told police that they saw an altercation between the couple; police found Petito distraught. About a month later, Laundrie returned to Florida in their van – alone. Not long after, Petito’s body was discovered in a national park in Wyoming. Laundrie, the prime suspect, was found dead in a swamp some time later. He had taken his own life, and in his notebook, he admitted to killing Petito.

#15: Dating Turned Deadly
When Sydney Loofe didn’t come to work one day in November of 2017, concerned friends and family contacted the police. Investigators saw that her last post to social media had been a selfie with the caption, “Ready for my date.” She had been in contact with a woman on Tinder named “Audrey”. They also found that her phone had pinged at an apartment near Lincoln, Nebraska. However, the apartment’s residents, Bailey Boswell, and Aubrey Trail, had disappeared. The couple posted videos on social media claiming they didn’t know what happened to Loofe, but had fled because the police were after them. After Loofe’s remains were discovered not long afterward, both were convicted of first-degree murder.

#14: A Scam, an Escape & a Murder
Our top pick is one of the most disturbing stories in social media history. Dee Dee Blanchard had a joint Facebook account with her daughter, Gypsy Rose, where she would post asking for donations. Rose was apparently suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and other ailments. As it turned out, however, Dee Dee had been lying to doctors and friends for years; Rose had no serious medical conditions, and had been confined to the house and forbidden to speak to anyone. When Rose was 20, she met a sympathetic young man online, and they hatched a plan to murder her mother. Once it was done, Rose announced the fact on their Facebook page. Although Rose is now in prison, she says she feels freer than before.




#13: The Boston Marathon Bomber Buys Milk
WM-Pop-20-Normal-Looking-Videos-With-Disturbing-Backstories_Y5X4F7
Security footage inside a Boston-area Whole Foods shows a man dressed in black entering, buying a carton of milk, and leaving without incident. Nothing at all out of the ordinary here. He was even buying the milk for his two-year-old niece. Except this man was an extremist, and his previous actions of placing pressure cooker bombs close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon had just killed three people and horrifically injured another 264. In fact, the time between detonation and milk-buying was less than half an hour. Perpetrator Dzhokhar Tsarnaev became the target of a massive manhunt - during which his fellow perpetuator and brother Tamerlan died - and was found four days after the bombing. He is currently incarcerated at supermax prison ADX Florence.


#12: Travis Alexander
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
Travis Alexander was 30 when this photo was taken of him in the shower. The person behind the camera was Jodi Arias, with whom Alexander had a shaky romantic relationship. This was the last photo ever taken of Alexander alive, as his friends found his body in the shower a few days later. It was only a matter of time until the authorities connected the dots and arrested his ex-girlfriend. Arias constantly changed her story, originally pleading innocence, later claiming that two intruders broke in, and ultimately testifying that she killed Alexander in self-defense. In the end, Arias was deemed guilty of first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence. Alexander appears caught off guard in this photo; he clearly had no idea what was coming.


#11: The Last Transmission of Vladimir Komarov
WM-Pop-Top10-Audio-with-Disturbing-Background-Stories_L1J7S2
Venturing to space requires an incredible amount of bravery, and it’s exactly because of disasters like this. Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov became the first person to die in space when his Soyuz 1 capsule failed to deploy its parachute during re-entry. Audio footage of his final transmission has been released, and it depicts an agitated Komarov yelling over a din of loud background noise with the full awareness of his impending death. A lot has been debated regarding this audio, including the translation and even the authenticity of the audio itself. But if it’s real, then this is truly one of the most disturbing things found on the internet.


#10: Chris Watts
WM-Pop-20-Normal-Looking-Videos-With-Disturbing-Backstories_Y5X4F7
By now, everyone knows Chris Watts as the subject of Netflix’s “American Murder: The Family Next Door.” But those watching Denver7 news on August 14, 2018 would have had no idea that he was a killer. Denver7 interviewed Watts about the disappearance of his pregnant wife and two young children. Aside from Watts’s curious lack of emotion, this seems like a typical news segment about a missing person. The very next day, Watts was arrested after failing a polygraph and admitting to killing his wife, Shannan. Watts initially claimed that Shannan had ended the lives of their children and that he killed her in retaliation, but he later admitted to committing their murders as well. The following November, Watts received five life sentences.


#9: The Happy Creepy Killer
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
Without any background information, the wide-eyed kid in this picture probably wouldn’t strike you as very threatening. When you know the whole story, however, that innocent smile of his will quickly turn into a ghastly grin. This curly-haired seventeen-year-old is Jeffrey Franklin, who killed his parents and attacked his three siblings. Following a car chase, the authorities cornered Franklin at a dead-end. The photo shows Franklin in the back of a police vehicle, not appearing especially distraught over the atrocities he’s committed or his impending future behind bars. Claiming he felt like an “evil being” had taken over him, Franklin pled guilty and received three consecutive life sentences.


#8: Tyler Hadley & the Red Solo Cup
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
Mere hours before raising his red solo cup in this pic, seventeen-year-old Tyler Hadley hid his parents’ cell phone and took three ecstasy pills. Hadley proceeded to end his mother's life with a hammer and then did the same to his father. After cleaning up the mess, Hadley shared on Facebook he was throwing a party that very night. At said party, Hadley told his best friend Michael Mandell all about his heinous actions. Using his phone, Mandell subsequently took this picture with Hadley, knowing it’d be the last time they ever saw each other. Leaving the party, Mandell hid the pills Hadley planned to commit suicide with and called Crime Stoppers. This led to Hadley’s arrest and life sentence without parole.

#7: The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel
WM-Pop-Top10-Audio-with-Disturbing-Background-Stories_L1J7S2
In the late 1960s, a German teenager named Anneliese Michel began experiencing seizures and depression. Michel grew worse as time wore on, and she began hearing voices. By the mid-’70s, Michel’s condition had not improved, and her parents turned to the Catholic Church for relief. Michel was deemed possessed and subjected to nearly 70 exorcisms. Audio of these exorcisms were recorded and eventually played in court, depicting a gravelly-voiced Michel making horrible noises and screaming with a ghastly howl. Unfortunately, Michel passed away at 23 from malnutrition, as she had not been eating throughout the ordeal. Both Michel’s parents and the priests faced trial and were found guilty of manslaughter for their roles in her death.


#6: The Stephen Mark McDaniel Interview
WM-Pop-20-Normal-Looking-Videos-With-Disturbing-Backstories_Y5X4F7
In this video, viewers can pinpoint the exact moment that murderer Stephen McDaniel realized that he was going to be caught. It’s incredible, and incredibly creepy. McDaniel lived next door to fellow law school student Lauren Giddings. Giddings had gone missing, and a few days after her disappearance, her dismembered torso was found covered in plastic in a trash bin outside the building where they both lived. McDaniel was not aware of this. While interviewing McDaniel about Giddings’s disappearance, the reporter mentions the recent discovery of her body. The criminal completely shuts down. His eyes glaze over, he loses his words, and it looks like he’s about to faint. He eventually goes to sit down, and while unknowing viewers may think he’s in shock, the truth is far more malicious.


#5: Goodbye, John Lennon
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
We’re all familiar with the music of John Lennon, as well as his tragic fate. Photographer Paul Goresh couldn’t have predicted it at the time, but this would reportedly be the last picture anyone took of Lennon. The image seems innocent enough as the former Beatle signs his autograph for an apparent admirer. Lennon’s impending demise was creeping up in the photo’s corner, however. The man standing next to him is none other than Mark David Chapman, the one responsible for Lennon’s untimely demise. Six hours or so after the photo was taken, Lennon and Yoko Ono encountered Chapman again outside of their apartment building, the Dakota. With Lennon’s back turned, Chapman drew his firearm and the music world would never be the same again.


#4: BTK at Graduation
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
Dennis Rader was his church’s president, a Club Scout leader, and an all-around pillar of the community. As you can tell from this photo, Rader was also a family man who seemed quite proud of his daughter Kerri at her college graduation. This would all be overshadowed, though, when Rader was exposed as the BTK Strangler, the letters standing for “bind, torture, preferred MO. Over the course of multiple decades, this seemingly ordinary guy took ten lives. In 2005, the authorities used Kerri Rader’s DNA to link her father to a crime scene, amounting to his arrest. Rader pled guilty and was subsequently sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences. About 14 years after her father was captured, Kerri released a book entitled, “A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming.”


#3: The Eternal Shadow
WM-Pop-Top20-Normal-Looking-Pictures-with-Disturbing-Backstories_P9J4H2
At face value, this dark outline of a person could be chalked up to some harmless graffiti. While we wish that were the case, this shadowy figure resulted from the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In August of 1945, the U.S. dropped two nuclear weapons, “Little Boy” and “Fat Man,” that resulted in anywhere between 129,000 and 226,000 deaths. Whoever this person was, it appears they were using a walking stick during their final moments when the blast hit. As a result of the bombing, an imprint of this unknown soul was left on the steps. This wasn’t an isolated incident, as numerous shadows can still be found around the bombing sites, forever immortalizing that horrifying day.

#2: The Jonestown “Death Tape”
WM-Pop-Top10-Audio-with-Disturbing-Background-Stories_L1J7S2
Perhaps the most disturbing bit of audio found on the internet is the Jonestown death tape. Back in 1978, Jonestown, Guyana was home to a cult known as the Peoples Temple. The cult was led by Jim Jones, and on November 18, 1978, 909 people died at Jonestown from cyanide poisoning. The event is now attributed entirely to Jones, and his victims are deemed just that. Running nearly 45 minutes in length, the tape depicts the terrifying event in full. Listening to this is certainly not for the faint of heart, as it’s a disturbing historical document that depicts one of the greatest tragedies in modern American history.


#1: Jeffrey Dahmer Home Video
WM-Pop-20-Normal-Looking-Videos-With-Disturbing-Backstories_Y5X4F7
When it comes to American serial killers, it doesn’t get much worse, or more notorious, than Jeffrey Dahmer. His very name is synonymous with serial killers, having killed seventeen people from 1978 to 1991. In this home video from the early ‘90s, Dahmer - who had already murdered multiple people by this point- can be seen speaking to his father and nonchalantly flipping through a magazine. They talk about Dahmer’s weight and eating out at McDonald’s, and Dahmer explains that he needs to start eating at home more often. He just looks like a typical Midwestern male, not the most notorious serial killer in American history. The “eating at home” comment is also made creepier by the fact that Dahmer cannibalized many of his later victims.


Which of these backstories still haunts you to this day? Let us know in the comments.