Whether in bustling cities or the quietest suburbs, the capacity for evil knows no bounds. Yet, even the serene countryside or the most isolated rural areas can be the backdrop for profoundly disturbing events. From quaint small towns to picturesque farmlands, these rural true crime tales are sure to unsettle. As always, due to the nature of the content, be prepared for discussions of unsettling topics before delving into these stories.
1. The Rhoden Family Massacre
The 2016 murders of the Rhoden family were a meticulously planned attack, executed with profound malice. On the night of April 21 and continuing into the early hours of April 22, eight family members were brutally gunned down in their homes. The victims included Christopher Rhoden Junior, Christopher Rhoden Senior, Clarence “Frankie” Rhoden, Dana Lynn Rhoden, Gary Rhoden, Hanna May Rhoden, Hannah Hazel Gilley, and Kenneth Rhoden.
The grim sequence of events unfolded across four separate crime scenes. It began when Bobby Jo Manley, Dana’s sister, arrived to feed the pets at one of the homes and stumbled upon the first scene of carnage. She immediately called 911 and proceeded to discover more bodies in the second home on the property. Shortly thereafter, her brother James Manley arrived and uncovered the third crime scene with additional victims. Later that day, another 911 call led authorities to find yet another victim in a residence in Piketon, a nearby village.
It wasn’t until 2018 that the Wagner family, implicated in the killings, was arrested and formally charged with the murders of all eight individuals. The investigation revealed that a central motive behind the heinous acts was a bitter custody dispute involving Hanna and Jake’s then two-year-old daughter.
2. The Grimes Sisters
In the 1950s, America witnessed significant technological advancements and societal growth in the aftermath of World War II. However, amidst the era’s prosperity, dark and sinister events still cast shadows over American streets.
A poignant example occurred on the night of December 28, 1956, when Barbara and Patricia Grimes, two sisters from Chicago, set out from their home for what would tragically be their final outing. The sisters attended a screening of Elvis Presley’s movie Love Me Tender at the Brighton Theater. After the film ended, they left the theater together, never to return home.
A massive search ensued for the missing sisters, culminating in the discovery of their bodies on January 22, 1957, near a rural road in Burr Ridge, Illinois. Despite extensive investigations and questioning of several suspects, the case of the Grimes sisters’ abduction and murder remains unsolved to this day. The tragic fate of Barbara and Patricia Grimes stands as another unresolved chapter in American true crime history.
3. The Keddie Murders
In the early 1980s, the quiet town of Keddie in Northern California was shattered by a horrifying crime that left its residents reeling. The scene of this tragedy was a modest cabin in Keddie Resort, where the Sharp family had recently settled. Sue Sharp, a divorced mother, lived there with her children – John, Sheila, Tina, Rick, and Greg. Little did they know that their idyllic surroundings would soon become the site of their untimely deaths in April 1981.
On the night of April 11, Sheila had stayed overnight at a neighboring cabin with the Seabolt family. She returned home the next morning to retrieve clothing for church, expecting to find her family nearby. Instead, she stumbled upon a nightmarish scene in the cabin’s living room. Her mother Sue, brother John, and John’s friend Dana were bound with medical tape and electrical cords, lifeless. Tina, Sheila’s younger sister, was missing from the cabin. Tragically, Tina’s remains were discovered three years later, approximately 100 miles away from Keddie.
Despite extensive investigation, numerous theories, and several potential leads, the perpetrators responsible for the Keddie murders have never been definitively identified. The case remains unsolved, haunting both the local community and those who have followed the chilling story over the years. The Sharp family’s brutal deaths in their own home have left lasting scars on Keddie, a town once known for its serene atmosphere but forever marked by this tragic and unresolved crime.
4. The Ken and Barbie Killers
Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka appeared outwardly ordinary, blending into Toronto’s suburban landscape with ease. However, beneath their unremarkable facade lurked deeply disturbed minds that would unleash a reign of terror across the city.
Before meeting Karla, Paul Bernardo had already gained notoriety for his violent sexual assaults in Scarborough, Ontario, beginning in 1987. Karla, drawn to Bernardo’s dark and sadistic tendencies, actively participated in and encouraged his deviant exploits, contradicting her outward appearance.
Their depravity reached a horrifying zenith in 1990 when they committed one of Canada’s most infamous crimes. Together, they drugged, assaulted, and ultimately killed Karla’s 15-year-old sister, Tammy Homolka. This tragic event marked a turning point, revealing the depth of their brutality and the twisted dynamic of their relationship.
The couple’s spree of violence continued until early 1993, when a violent altercation prompted Karla to leave Bernardo. Subsequently, DNA evidence linked Bernardo to his earlier crimes in Scarborough, leading to his arrest. Both were eventually brought to trial, but their shared history of atrocities drove a wedge between them during legal proceedings.
In a bid for leniency, Karla struck a plea deal with prosecutors, offering testimony against Bernardo. This decision not only exposed the full extent of their crimes but also sparked widespread public outrage and disbelief over the couple’s heinous acts. The case of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka remains a chilling reminder of the depths of human depravity hidden behind ordinary appearances, leaving an indelible mark on Canadian criminal history.
5. The Villisca Axe Murders
True crime narratives have captivated audiences since the early 1900s, exemplified by the tragic tale of the Moore family and their two visiting friends, Ina Mae and Lena Gertrude Stillinger, who met a gruesome end one fateful summer night in 1912.
Josiah and Sarah Moore, along with their four children, and the Stillinger girls, had spent a pleasant evening at the local Presbyterian Church before returning home to sleep. Little did they know that their peaceful night would turn into a nightmarish ordeal. During the early morning hours, an unidentified intruder entered their home and committed unspeakable acts of violence.
The next morning, concern grew as Josiah’s clerk noticed missed communications and the family’s absence from their usual activities. Neighbors alerted the town marshal, who forcibly entered the Moore residence, only to discover a scene of unimaginable horror. The victims, brutally slain in various rooms, lay amidst the aftermath of the attack. An axe, stained with blood, was found at the scene, along with a peculiar sight of bacon and clothing draped over mirrors within the house.
This tragic event, forever etched in history as the Villisca Axe Murders, remains an unsettling reminder of the darkness that can invade even the most serene of rural communities.
6. The Sodder Children Disappearance
On Christmas Eve in 1945, while many families anticipated the joy and wonder of Christmas Day, the Sodder family faced a night of unimaginable horror. As they retired to bed with thoughts of holiday cheer, their peaceful evening soon turned into a nightmare as their home erupted in flames.
Earlier that night, a mysterious phone call from a woman with an unsettling laugh had unsettled the family. Later, Jennie Sodder was awakened by noise on the roof, and within moments, a fierce fire engulfed their house, throwing the family into panic. Jennie, George, and four of their children—Marion, Sylvia, John, and George Jr.—managed to escape the blazing inferno. Tragically, their five other children—Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty—remained trapped inside.
Despite frantic attempts to rescue them, the fire consumed the house, leaving the family devastated and fearing the worst for their missing children. However, when the fire department sifted through the debris in the aftermath, they found no trace of the children’s remains among the ashes. In the years that followed, speculation and theories abounded regarding the fate of the five missing Sodder children, their whereabouts, and what truly happened that fateful Christmas Eve.
7. The Butcher of Plainfield
Ed Gein, like numerous notorious serial killers, was profoundly shaped by his environment and upbringing, particularly under the influence of his intensely religious mother, Augusta. From his early years in Plainfield, Wisconsin, Ed was perceived by many as an eccentric yet benign figure. However, beneath his reserved exterior lay a disturbing and deranged psyche.
Ed was obsessed with his mother, committing his life to taking care of her after she’d suffered a debilitating stroke and up until she died in 1945. Her death seemed to flip a switch in Ed who began a dual hobby of grave robbing and fashioning human remains into clothing. Following his murder of Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner, police swarmed Ed’s home where they’d discovered, not only Bernice’s corpse in the barn but Ed’s handiwork as well. This included chairs made of human skin, faces, skulls, noses, and even a belt made of severed nipples.
Ed’s gruesome acts swiftly captured headlines, instilling fear in the public and sparking creative inspiration in numerous individuals. His legacy can be discerned in the themes and narratives of several iconic horror films, such as Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs.
8. The Lawson Family Murders
Let’s delve into the rural landscape of North Carolina and the unsettling tale of Charlie Lawson, a tobacco farmer. Unlike some of the other crimes mentioned earlier, where the perpetrators’ motives were clearer, the reasons behind Charles’ actions remain a perplexing mystery to this day.
It was just a few days before Christmas, 1929, and Charlie Lawson had taken his entire family into town for some brand-new clothes and a family photo portrait. This included his wife Fannie and his seven children – Marie, Arthur, James, Maybell, Raymond, Carrie, and Mary Lou. However, in a horrific turn of events, it appears Charles made this day as pleasant as possible to offset the atrocity he was poised to commit. On Christmas Day, as the family was getting on with their day Charles went to work killing all of them one by one. In quick succession, Charles executed his family with a 12-gauge shotgun and blunt force trauma before eventually shooting himself in the nearby woods.
Charles’ eldest son, Arthur, was the sole family member spared from the brutal murders, having been running an errand at the time of the tragedy. Speculation surrounding Charles’ motives has centered on a theory suggesting he may have been trying to cover up alleged acts of sexual abuse committed against Marie. However, these claims have never been fully substantiated with concrete evidence, remaining largely based on familial gossip and hearsay.
9. The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders
A crime this horrific is something that should’ve probably been left in the fictitious world of the Friday the 13th film franchise. Sadly, what occurred in Mayes County, Oklahoma, in June 1977 was far from fictional, it was quite real and aggressively disturbing.
When the young girl scouts of Camp Scott went to bed on June 12, none of them could’ve expected the horrors that would await them at daybreak. Early the next day, en route to the showers, a camp counselor discovered the first of what would soon be confirmed as three dead bodies. As the morning progressed, the bodies were identified as ten-year-old Denise Milner, 9-year-old Michele Guse, and 8-year-old Lori Farmer. In a stomach-churning revelation, it was later confirmed that the girls had all been sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled. The neighboring community was horrified and Camp Scott was immediately closed off, with all remaining campers being sent home.
Following an extensive and highly publicized investigation, a suspect, Gene Leroy Hart, was arrested in connection with the case, albeit on unrelated charges. However, the lack of definitive DNA evidence prevented conclusively identifying Hart as the perpetrator. His death just two years after the murders added to the uncertainty surrounding the Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders, leaving the question of who committed the brutal crimes unanswered.
10. The Gainesville Ripper
In late August of 1990, Rolling made Gainesville his personal hunting ground as he would claim the lives of five college students. The victims were Sonja Larson, Christina Powell, Christa Hoyt, Manuel Taboada, and Tracy Paules, all having their lives snuffed out in the most horrific ways possible. Rolling’s disturbing deeds didn’t end with simply killing the girls, as he would go as far as to arrange their bodies in ritualistic and intentionally shocking ways. This included placing the head of Christa Hoyt on the shelf opposite her decapitating body that was left sitting on the edge of her bed.
The next month, Rolling was arrested on unrelated charges in Ocala, Florida, but would still end up confessing to his five murders in Gainesville. 16 years later, Rolling was finally sentenced to death and was executed by lethal injection on October 25, 2006, at Florida State Prison.
