Lost Media: Tragic Death of Colin Scott

On June 7th siblings 23-year-old Colin Scott and his sister Sable would travel to Yellowstone National Park. At the time Colin had recently graduated from Pacific University and was visiting his sister from Portland, Oregon. The two planned to have a day trip to Yellowstone.

They would park not far from the Norris Geyser Basin in the Wyoming part of the park. Sable would record their trip and when they found that there was no one there with them on the boardwalk route they decided to venture off it. 

The two planned to hot pot which is the prohibited exercise of swimming in hot springs. They would pass by warning signs and venture into a forbidden area. This area was prohibited due to the heat and acidity of the hot springs. These areas were dangerous and deadly and since 1890 there have been 22 known deaths from hotspring accidents. 

The siblings would venture and a terrible accident would happen. Collin would slip into one of these hot springs. Sage would try to save her brother, but it wasn't possible. She would then run to the museum and beg for help. The whole accident would be caught on her phone. 

By the time help arrived, it was obviously too late to save the young man. The only thing they could see was his head hands and upper torso and he was unmoving. It was too dangerous at the time to try to retrieve his body with the oncoming lightning storm and the volatile temperatures of the pools. The hotspring would completely dissolve his body overnight due to the heat and acidic nature of it. Only his wallet and flip-flops were found.

His death was tragic and left a warning to others about the dangers of going into prohibited areas. The recording is considered lost media and it would be best that it's left that way. 

SOURCES:

Lost Media Wiki

The Guardian

The Mirror June 10, 2021

December 11, 1957 Florida City, Florida "H. Daniels"

On December 11, 1957, skeletal remains were found in a homeless camp located 100 feet south of Lucy Street and 11th Avenue in Florida City, Florida. There was no form of identification at the scene, but there was a laundry slip with the name "H. Daniels". According to the scene, it's believed that he had died from wood-alcohol poisoning as there were sterno cans found. It's believed he died weeks prior to discovery.

John Doe was a black male between 40 to 50-years-old. He was 5'5" and had black hair. He was wearing Dark colored pants and a khaki shirt. There were other pieces of clothing at the scene. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

Doe Network

October 25, 1874 Jo Daviess County, Illinois

On October 25, 1874, the body of an elderly woman was found beneath the bridge that spans the Big Menominee about four miles south of Dunleith, Illinois. She must have been walking on the bridge at night and was struck and killed by the train that left Dunlieth at 7p.m. Her body had been mangled by the train. It's believed that "Her clothing denoted a person in the humble walks of life". 

She was believed to have been in her mid 60's. Her hair was grey. In her pockets was a string of prayer beads, and around her neck was a scapular.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

August 29,1924 Mackinaw, Illinois John Doe

On August 29,1924 an unknown man was found on the river bank in Mackinaw, Illinois. It's assumed he was riding the train and fell off landing in the river or on the bank.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

June 1, 1924 Bronx, New York John Doe

On June 1, 1924, a deckhand fell overboard a boat and drowned in or near Bronx, New York. The location is unknown or unstated. He is buried at Hart Island in the Bronx, New York.

John Doe is a man around 32-years-old.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

April 19, 1877 Floyd County, Indiana Unknown Man

 On April 19, 1877 an unknown man was found in the river opposite of the Meeken Farm in Floyd County, Indiana. It was believed that he had died accidently drowning. He had nothing on himself that could identify him. He would be buried on April 20th in Fairview Cemetery in New Albany. 

The man was believed to be around 25-years-old.

SOURCES;

Find a Grave

Disappearance of Everett William Loveitt

 On the morning of April 5, 1974, 78-year-old Everett Loveitt was seen on a ferry heading to Cliff Island in Portland, Maine. At 6:30 am he would be seen entering the boathouse, but when the boat docked 5 minutes later he was not on board. A witness stated that they saw someone fall off the boat about 200 to 300 yards before getting to shore. 

Everett is a white male and was 78 years old at the time. He was 5'9" to 5'10" and 160 to 165 lbs. He has white hair and blue eyes. He had bloodshot eyes with red bags under them due to a recent gasoline accident. He was wearing Khaki trousers, an olive green trench coat, and rubber fisherman boots that were turned down.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Lost Film: The Death of Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee is a movie actor and martial artist much like his father Bruce Lee. He would start acting in 1986, but his break-out role would not happen until 1994 with the movie The Crow. This however would be his last movie as he would, unfortunately, die on set at the young age of 28-years-old. 

On March 31, 1993, Brandon Lee was filming a scene for the movie The Crow. In this scene, he was shot and killed by thugs. Brandon Lee's character Eric Draven walks into the apartment and finds his fiance had been beaten and raped. Micheal Massee's character, Funboy, shoots and kills Eric. This scene however would become a cruel reality.

The gun used in the scene was a prop (a real revolver) and was loaded with improperly made dummy rounds. The special effects crew made the dummy rounds were improvised from live cartridges that had the powder charges removed. This was so that in close-up shots the rounds would look realistic. However, they had made a mistake by not removing the primers from the cartridges. 

At one point the gun was shot and because the primers were left it left enough energy to separate the bullet from the casing and pushed it part-way into the gun barrel. This is where it was unknowingly stuck known as a squib load. Before the scene, the dummy cartridges were replaced with blank rounds. The blank rounds contained a powder charge and primer, but no solid bullet. This was to have sound and flash effects with no chance of projectile. However, the unknown squib load made this a deadly combination.

When it came to the scene Michael Massee would shoot the gun from  12 to 15 ft toward Brandon Lee. When the gun was shot the dummy bullet would propel forward and hit him in the abdomen. This would cause him to fall backward instead of forward like he was supposed to. The director would end the scene. 

Brandon Lee's stillness was thought to have been acting or him playing around. But when Jeff Imada checked him he was unconscious and breathing heavily. A medic would come forward and see if he hit his head, but no one realized he had been shot since there was no visible bleeding. His pulse would be regular, but within a few minutes, it slowed down dramatically and stopped. 

Brandon Lee would then be rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. There were attempts to save him, but after six hours he would be pronounced dead at 1:03 p.m. It was an unfortunate and sad accident. 

Michael Massee would be traumatized by the accident. He would take a year off from acting and never watched the movie. In 2005 he would state he had nightmares and "I don't think you ever get over something like that."

It is said that the film from the set this day was destroyed. There are some rumors that there were copies of the scene, but these are unfounded. To this day the film has not been released and that's for the best.

SOURCES:
Lost Media Wiki

Wikipedia (Brandon Lee)

Wikipedia (Michael Massee)

IMDB

March 9, 1924 Aston, Delaware John Doe

On March 9, 1924, a man's body was found on Concord and Bridgewater Rd in Aston, Delaware. He was frozen to death due to exposure.

John Doe was a black male around 55 years old.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

January 16, 1998 Amsterdam, Netherlands Catherine or Karen

On January 16, 1998, a houseboat on the Jacob van Lennepkade, at the corner of Nicolaas Beetstraat in Amsterdam, Netherlands broke out in a fire. It was unknown if it was accidental or on purpose, but there was one causality in the fire. 

 

The woman who had died's identity could not be found. She was going by Karen or Catherine and seemed to have only spoken English meaning she may be from an English-speaking country. It's unknown if these were her name though as it's believed she was using a false identity at the time. 

Jane Doe was a white female between 25 to 35-years-old. She was 163cm (5'3"). She has brown hair and green eyes, it is however possible her hair was dyed. She had eczema and had many warts around her knees. She has pierced ears. She was wearing gold earrings and two thin chained gold necklaces one of which had a small gold heart pendant.

SOURCES:
Interpol

Wikipedia

Unidentified Wiki

Suspicious Death of Elsie Payne

 On December 7, 1923, 12-year-old Elsie Payne was out on an errand in Cardiff, Wales by one of her neighbors. Elsie was walking with a friend, 14-year-old Susie Phillips, but the two separated and Elsie proceeded down Iron St. Soon after at 8:40 pm Elsie would enter her aunt and uncle's shop on Clifton St. 

She was bleeding from the throat and said "A man asked me where Clifton Street was" before collapsing. By the time she was at the hospital she had lost too much blood and even though family members wanted to donate it was too late and she died before they could. 

There was a blood trail that led 103 years down the street across from some railings on the other side of the road in Iron St. off Clifton. Susie stated that she did not see anyone following them, and didn't notice anything when she left Elsie. 

It was stated that her injury likely was caused by a knife or piece of glass, but it was also possible that it was caused by falling on the railings or onto broken glass. The wound was up and forward. Another girl was injured similarly by slipping and landing on the railings on her chest. In several articles, it states there was no evidence of what had happened to her. 

It was believed however that she had been murdered as her last words mentioned of a man looking for directions. There seemed to be no evidence at the scene of the accident. 

One article claims that there were two witnesses of Elsie on Iron Street. One man, a painter, saw a man with his hand on a girl and ran away. This made the painter think the man had stolen something and chased after him, but lost him. The second witness stated that they saw a man and a girl and heard the girl screaming and running across the street thinking the man had hit her.

The family would receive a 3-page letter from a man claiming to kill the girl. He claimed he used a corkscrew, but evidence showed that she was not killed with one.

SOURCES:

Daily Mirror December 10, 1923

The Gloucestershire Echo December 11, 1923

The North Star December 21, 1923

Daily Mirror December 21, 1923

Evening Express December 31, 1923 

GHOSTS: Maggie's Bridge

             Facebook / Haunted Eastern Shore

In the late 1800s, Maggie Bloxom was going down Woodland Church Rd around a mile south of Woodland Ferry landing in Delaware. She was traveling by horse and buggy. Some say that she was pregnant at the time and was planning to marry her lover. She was leaving because she did not want to be judged by her parents let alone people she knew as she was not married yet.

When the carriage was crossing the bridge that went over a small branch on the Nanticoke River the horse was spooked. This would cause the horse to rear up and bring tragedy. Maggie and her carriage would go over the side of the bridge into the water. The accident was so bad she was decapitated.

It is said that if you go to the bridge and follow a ritual you can meet the spirit of Maggie. Most say that between midnight and 1 am, you should start the ritual. You will call out "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie" and you might hear a horse coming towards you. You will call again "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie" and you might see a woman-shaped shadow. A third and last time you will call "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie" and Maggie will come out of the woods holding her head asking to be put together again and be alive.

Sometimes people chant "Maggie Maggie we have your baby!" instead of "Maggie, Maggie, Maggie"

Some say that Maggie can be seen best on the night of the blue moon. A breeze will come and little flashes of firefly-like lights can be seen. These lights are known as ghost pits. The lights come closer and closer with each flash.

Sometimes it stated that Maggie can also mess with cars on the bridge. It's stated that cars have been known to stall on it.

Did Maggie actually exist? Maybe. There is a grave nearby with her name on it. I couldn't find anything about her death in newspapers, and could not find any information on her.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Chesapeake Ghosts

Only In Your State

Urban Legends: Hippo Eats Dwarf

Image belongs to Stephan Steinbauer

In 1988 The National Lampoon Magazine would post an article. In the article, an Austrian circus dwarf would die in front of 7,000 people. Franz Dasch was jumping on the trampoline for the show but accidentally went sideways. He landed in the mouth of Hilda the Hippo, and because of the animal's gag reflex, she swallowed him. This horrified others who were in the circus, but the crowd cheered and clapped thinking it was a part of the show. The magazine would claim that they had gotten the article from the Las Vegas Sun. This would begin to spread around.

The thing is, this story was made up. In the 1990's this same story appeared again, but this time it happened to a Thailand performer called Od. Newpapers would start posting this story as truth, being tricked. This urban legend would then be spread about and believed.

SOURCES:
Snopes
Wikipedia

September 6, 1923 Bellevue, Michigan Unknown Boy

On September 6, 1923, at 4:15 a.m. a young man who was also stealing a train ride found the body of another young man stealing a train ride. He made the discovery and stated that he remembered seeing him boarding in Lansing at the freight yards, but did not see him after that. He was further back on the train and had seen the body notifying the train staff. The Eaton County Sheriff and coroner were called to view the body of a young man near the train tracks in Bellevue, Michigan. 

It was believed that the boy was a hobo who had died when he fell from the top of the train car when the train lurched. The automatic airbrakes set and brought the train to a sudden stop throwing the boy to the ground causing his death instantly. He had a broken neck, crushed ribs, broken hip, and a fatal wound from a gun. It was not a bullet that killed him, a loaded .22 caliber in his pocket had been pushed 6 inches into his chest from the impact. 

He was a white male around 17-years-old. He was 5'6" and 125 to 135lbs. He had light brown or sandy hair and blue eyes. He had 2 scars between the fifth and sixth intercostal spaces, and these scars may have been left from drainage tubes that were inserted, and 2 marks on his right arm indicating vaccination. His hands were soft but looked like he worked in a machine shop or garage with grime under his nails. 

He was wearing common blue overalls, blue workshirt, jacket, shoes, socks, and brown textured cap. His clothes were dirty. His pockets had no wallet or money and only a few items. He had a Chicago subway token and bullets. 

It's possible that he had recently become a hobo as his body did not show the signs of living that type of lifesyle. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Find a Grave Newspaper Article

Bellevue Historical Society

Battle Creek Enquirer September 8, 1923

Urban Legends: The Baby in the High Chair

 The baby in the high chair is a tragic Urban Legends to have parents think twice about leaving their children behind.

A young couple was ready for a trip and a little bit of time away from their bundle of joy. They had hired an older woman they knew to watch their baby for the duration of the trip. When it was time to leave for the airport the babysitter did not arrive. They telephoned her home and learned that she was on her way there and would be there in about 15 minutes. 

Knowing that the babysitter was close they decided to leave. They placed their baby in the highchair and left the back door open for her. However, before the woman was to arrive she would have a heart attack and die.

No one had contacted the couple thinking that they would figure out that she was not coming. No one had a clue for the duration of the trip that the baby was alone. The parents got no updates or calls from the babysitter but figured that maybe she did not like phones as she was older. 

When the couple came back they saw a horrible a tragic sight. Their baby was still sitting in their high chair.

There are other variations of the story of what happened to the babysitter. The babysitter may have died shortly after getting to the home, or in a car wreck on the way there. In some variations the couple are Norweigen. 

SOURCES:

Snopes

Urban Legends Online
Urban Legendpedia

Urban Legend Wiki

Disappearance of Donald George MacVicar

 

 On July 20, 1956, 26-year-old Donald MacVicar would go into a boat in Chandler Lake in Kotzebue, Alaska. The boat would sink and it was presumed that he had drowned. Searches continued for around 10 days but had to be stopped as it was too dangerous for searchers. 

At the time Donald was a Yale geologist working towards his doctorate. This was the second summer in Alaska that he conducted field studies. Two years later another Yale geologist would name Mount MacVicar after him. Mount MacVicar is located 4 miles Southe East of the South end of Chandler Lake and 15 miles North West of the headwaters of John River, Brooks 

Donald was a white male and was 26-years-old at the time. He was 5'11" and 165 lbs.

SOURCES:
NamUs
International Missing Persons Wiki
Alaska Guide

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner July 23, 1956

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner July 31, 1956

Girl of the Uchter Moor

 

In 2000 the body of a teenage girl was found in a bog by a peat cutter in Uchte, Germany. The person was using a backhoe at the time and dismembered the body. Leaving more than 100 body parts to recover. The girl was found to be from the iron age and was called Girl of the Uchter Moor or Moora. 

Her remains were dated to 650 B.C. and she was around 16 to 19-years-old. It's believed that she lived as a laborer and had chronic malnutrition throughout her life, underwent two partial skull fractures, and suffered from different diseases. Due to her malnutrition, she suffered from bone decay and lack of bone growth, and she had a benign tumor in her skull.

Her death is believed to have been accidental. There had not been any violent injuries to her body that would have caused death. It's theorized that she may have been picking bilberries (intoxicating berries) at the time she died. She may have slipped and fallen to her death . She may have also been nude at the time she was mummified. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mumipedia

Archeology

Ancient Origins

Turning Angel Statue of Natchez

It's said that the angel watching the graves of 5 young women in Natchez, Mississippi moves on its own. That it will turn and watch cars driving by. It's said to be most noticeable at night as headlights shine on it around the bend of the road. On June 23 2020 someone vandalized that statue rocking it back and forth until it fell off its pedestal estimating the damage to be $40,000. 

The story behind the deaths of the women start at the Corner of Main and South Union St. in Natchez,  where the Natchez Drug Company was. It was originally the Temple Opera House but was purchased by John H. Chambliss and made into the Natchez Drug Company. An accident will bestow the five-story building.

On March 14, 1908, a gas explosion caused the whole building to collapse. That morning workers of the company complained about a gas smell and a plumber, Sam Burns, arrived that afternoon to look for the leak. He had used a candle and searched the basement. The light from the candle would cause a gas explosion.

The shock from the explosion could be felt for several blocks, and buildings shook. Some even thought it was some sort of earthquake. A second and third explosion would follow crushing the adjoining buildings.

There were still people in the building and many would survive, but 9 people would lose their life. Those who lost their lives were Cleaveland Laub (25), Uriah Hoskins, Eliza Kitteringham, John Carkeet, Luella Booth (teenager), Mary “Lizzie” Worthy (12), Carrie O. Murray (22), Inez Netterville (teenager) and Ada White (teenager). 

None of the deaths were easy. Cleaveland a pharmacist for the Drug Company would be found under a mattress likely trying to protect himself from the flames that would eventually kill him. Uriah a carpenter working on the third floor died when he jumped out of the window to escape the fire. He had died from impacting the ground. Eliza and John were both bystanders who had died due to the explosion. John was standing in front of his own building and flying timbers would penetrate his legs later causing him to die in his home.

John Chambliss would feel guilty about the explosion and tried to share condolences with those who lost their loved ones. He would buy a lot in the Natchez Cemetary and pay for 5 of the girl's burials. Luella, Mary, Carrie, Inez, and Ada would be buried together. The tombstones would simply state their last names, but he would commission of a stone angel to watch over the young ladies. 

SOURCES:

Atlas Obscura

Historic City of Natchez

The Vintage News June 30, 2022

And Speaking of Which

February 21, 1990 Brooklyn, New York John Doe

Around 7:30 p.m. on February 21, 1990, an unknown man was on the northbound platform of the 77th Street station in Brooklyn, New York. He was allegedly exposing himself to several women and when police officers approached him he jumped off the platform. He would start running south on the tracks into a tunnel and was struck by the northbound R train. 

John Doe is a white male and was between 18 to 30-years-old. He was 5'4" and 141 lbs. He had black 3" wavy hair and brown eyes. He sported a short mustache.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

Daily News February 21, 1990

January of 1872, Whitwood, England Stranger

 In January of 1872, someone died in or close to Whitwood, England. The person died falling down a pit. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave