Frankly, society has always been heavily intrigued by spooky stories engulfed in unsolvable mysteries; and in many cases, these narratives come out even more dreadful than death itself. Gruesome murderers of little girls, ghastly butchers, and merciless rapists – the world has yet again proven itself as a spiteful place bursting with mentally ill creatures lacking any bit of humanity. Entirely fraught with perils, such sullen stories seem to be lurking around the street corners of our homes whilst awaiting their next listener. And just like any classic horror movie, our picks of the 15 most grisly crimes of all time can’t wait to put some dreadful vibes in the air, so intense and thick that they’ll have you running for the hills right away.

Indeed, after exploring our roundup of merciless evildoings of unknown individuals, you’ll surely be left with the feeling of reading a Stephen King horror masterpiece. The only difference, however, is that the following events were not brought to life by a phenomenal writer. As horrifying as they sound, these 15 wrongdoings were as real as life itself, and the worst part is that these crimes are still open cases. With that, feel free to accept our invitation into the unrelenting and bone-chilling world of ruthless criminals listed by the barbarity and brutality of their crimes.

15. Still Missing: Ashley and Lauria

There were two girls who were as tight as ticks and their names were Ashley and Lauria. Both of them had no idea that December 1999 would be the end of the line for them. Without having a hint of what would follow their exciting sleepover at Ashley’s – which was meant to celebrate one of the girls’ 16^th birthday – Ashley and Lauria simply disappeared after the party. And as if out of thin air, both of the girls went missing. When traveling back in time, nobody had a clue what might have happened. The only detail, as horrifying as the darkest night, is that Ashley’s parents were found dead in cold blood. As for the doer, he’s still the greatest mystery today.

14. The Haymarket Bombing Back in 1886

Have you heard of the Haymarket Square Riot in 1886? If not, then we’ve got the juicy details on this bloody event which ended in dozens of people being injured and killed. The world-known massacre that’s also known as the Haymarket Affair and Riot was actually the lunatic consequence of an anonymous man’s efforts to blast the police at the Haymarket Square in Chicago back 1886. The bombing was believed to take place at the same square.

Initially, what seemed to be a quiet rally supporting the workers’ strike who were fighting for an 8-hour workday quickly turned into a heated situation following an anonymous man’s efforts to blast the police by throwing a bomb at them. Apparently unaware of the possible aftermath of his evil doings, the bombing left dozens of people severely injured as there were many deaths later on.

13. The Body of a 6-Year-Old Boy Was Found in a Box

One day, there was a boy who never came home to his parents. The mysterious case of a little boy who seemed to be between 4-6 years old still sends chills down the spine. The dreadful year was 1957 and the victim – a little fair-haired boy who is often referred to as “America’s unknown kid”. What, where and how this ghastly crime had happened – there’s hardly anyone who could give you the creepy details on it. The point is that the victim’s body was, reportedly, ruthlessly battered. The ominous case went cold, however, the story still baffles the world. Whose child was that boy battered to death and thrown away in a cardboard box?

12. Meet the Mad Butcher

In the years 1934-1938 something terrible happened in Cleveland. An unknown man murdered 13 individuals in the span of a few years; and if you think that the worst part is over, just wait until we touch on the most brutal scenes of the story. The cruel murder didn’t only include the massacre of all those people in less than 4 years. This barbarian man decapitated his victims’ heads in the most ruthless way possible; some of them were still breathing. What’s even scarier is that he was believed to rape a few of his female victims. Between these years, there was a man who eventually got arrested, however, he committed suicide while still running his trial. Presently, no one can tell whether he was the brutal and “Mad Butcher” as the nickname goes.

11. The Victims Kept in Ice Boxes

Have you heard about this earth-shaking story? Back in 1965, there were two people, named Edwina and Fred, who were brutally murdered. Reportedly, it happened to be on Father’s day. The victims were two elder individuals who met their deaths after being ruthlessly slaughtered; and with this spooky intro, we haven’t even reached the peak of this terrifying horror. These two people were not only put to death but their bodies were kept in a refrigerator.  The elder lady, Edwina, was indeed ferociously beaten and then shot as the man got his head awfully crushed. His organs got flushed down the toilet. After the killer was entirely through with them, he supposedly put the bodies in “ice boxes”.

10. Elisa Lam: A Student Found Dead in a Hotel’s Water Tank

Who’s Elisa Lam? Or perhaps, who was she before she got murdered? Elisa was a 21-year-old student when she met her dreadful fate. The year was 2013 and the female victim happened to be a Canadian student. In early February, back in 2013, Elisa Lam went missing and nobody had heard anything about her disappearance. Just out of the blue, the girl was gone until 2 weeks later when she was found in a hotel room, specifically in the hotel’s water tank. And as if that isn’t scary enough, previous guests at the hotel complained about the black water coming from the faucet which bears a striking resemblance to the spooky movie Dark Water, sharing almost the same tragic events. Isn’t that bone-chilling?!

9. Ray Gricar Missing: A Prosecutor Who Never Returned

Here we go with another hair-raising crime that will certainly make you lose your sleep tonight. Meet the terrible story and fate of a prosecutor and an attorney who was supposed to get back to work after enjoying his day off. Supposedly, he couldn’t make the most of his break due to a terrible turn of his life. The locally famous prosecutor named Ray Gricar simply never returned from his planned getaway. A curious fact gave rise to several theories of him wanting to get away from his corrupted life, however, there are just as many theses considering the possibility of being murdered given his profession. Only God knows the truth of it.

8. A German Family Murdered in Cold Blood

Somewhere out there a murder stalked a German family only to put an end to their lives. The unfortunate event happened in 1922 in Bavaria, Germany. According to many sources and investigations which followed the tragic event, the German family, including the housemaid, was brutally slaughtered to death. Prior to their untimely deaths, one of the youngest members of the family had reported bizarre examples of unconventional things that had kept going on and then dying away eventually. The most frightening moment comes with the fact that the murderers didn’t leave the crime scene right away but decided to dwell in their farmhouse for a couple of days.

7. The Camp Killer of 3 Little Girls

It’s time to take the veil off another fearsome narrative that’s actually as real as you and I. This time, the dreadful story tells us about three cute little girls who, unfortunately, were mercilessly killed in June 1977. The ghastly occurrence took place in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, and included 3 beautiful fair-haired girls who were supposed to have the time of their lives at a lovely Girl Scout camp. Sadly enough, this was their last day on this earth. The three girls were Doris, Lorie, and Michelle – their bodies were found within a short distance of the trails leading to the showers.  The craziest part of the story is that there had been a note, supposedly left by the murderers, which had hinted about the oncoming heinous act.

6. Zodiac Killer – The Man Who “Liked Killing People For Fun”

As unbelievable as it sounds, there was actually a man somewhere out there who actually “liked engaging in evil doings”, to put it more delicately. If we, however, step aside from the elegance of speech, we’d probably say something like “this lunatic creature seemed to enjoy butchering people”. The anonymous and mentally ill man had a hideous nickname “Zodiac Killer” who, according to beliefs and rumors, killed more than 5 individuals and then taunted the police. The abominable act took place somewhere around 1968 as the self-proclaimed “Zodiac Killer” was notoriously famous for his letters sent to three newspapers in which he shared details about the heinous massacre.

5. The Disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley on a Cruise Ship

The horrifying month was March of 1998 and the unlucky’s name of the victim was Amy Lynn Bradley. Back in 1998, this young woman didn’t have the slightest clue of how dreadfully her life would end. She got herself on a cruise ship alongside her brother and parents. She was alone in her cabin. Presumably, she got up earlier that frightful morning to enjoy a cigarette or two as she was barefoot. Nobody else was with her that morning. Before her sudden disappearance, there had been various reports about people onboard who had been “looking at her” in a bizarre way. Presently, no one could say what might have happened but one thing is for sure – this young lady’s still missing.

4. Elizabeth Short’s Body Was Sliced in Half

Here we go with the hair-raising slaughter of a woman named Elizabeth Short. Her untimely death caught the world off guard back in 1947 when her body was found maimed and crippled. And with that, the story doesn’t end. The paralyzing detail comes with her mutilated body being cut in half at the waist. The creepiest moments keep going – her organs were pulled out from her body. Presumably, Elizabeth’s body was drained of her blood and set in a very, well, unspeakable pose. This awful act took place in Los Angeles in 1947 as the crime remained nothing more but a cold case.

3. Real-Life Monster: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Well, with the next creepy entry, we didn’t mean to scare the hell out of you. Nevertheless, the fact is that we had to do it. Frankly, there’s a well-founded reason for this crime to be nicknamed “The Real Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Have you seen the vile creature and his abominable acts in the crazy horror movie? Indeed, this case has something in common with the Texas Chainsaw terror. However, the only difference is that it’s a real story that has happened. The years were 1918-1919 where an array of murders appeared in the territories of Texas and Louisiana. The police couldn’t figure out whether this evil person was a man or a woman. All in all, the hideous massacre was carried out by what seemed to be an axe which was believed to be owned by the victim.

2. The Sharp Family Was Bludgeoned to Death

A vile human being committed a massacre leaving a whole family bludgeoned to death so remorselessly. The family was a Canadian one as the chilling crime was carried out back in 1981. Alongside a family friend, the Sharp family met a hideous death as its members were brutally and unspeakably bludgeoned to death. As for the bloody object, they were killed with what was believed to be a hammer and a knife with which the Sharp’s family friend was stabbed several times. In the end, all of the bodies were taped and left as they were.

1. Night Stalker – Scarier Than Death Itself: 50 Rapes + 10 Murders

Does it ring any bells to you? If not, then let us warn you about the spine-chilling details on this realistic horror that occurred between 1979-1989. Meet the Original Killer aka Night Stalker – a nameless man who raped more than 50 women and killed at least a dozen others. The Original Stalker, as his nickname goes, definitely sends chills down the spine only with his frightful image and bloody reputation. Moreover, the story got creepier and more petrifying when he was thought to be the one who had called their victims on the phone with the words “Marry Christmas, guess who is it again!” Oh, dear, isn’t that blood-curdling!