Monsters: Tsurube Otoshi (Falling in Well Bucket)

"Nishioka no Tsurube-oroshi" (The Tsurube-Oroshi of Nishioka) from the Kokon Hyakumonogatari Hyōban written by Yamaoka Genrin, edited by Yamaoka Motoyoshi

Tsurube Otoshi (Falling in Well Bucket) is a yokai from Japan. It is a gigantic disembodied head of either a human, a tengu, or an oni and sometimes appears as fireball flames with facial features. Its size is the typical size of a human head to two meters in diameter. They live and spend most of their time in the tree tops preferring taller trees like pines, kayas, and other such conifers. The trees they live in are typically deep along paths in the forest and outside of towns where travelers are likely to be. The places they are known to be is the Wakayama Prefecture, the Kyoto Prefecture, the Shiga Prefecture, the Gifu Prefecture, and the Aichi Prefecture.

At night they wait in the treetops for unspecting creatures and travelers. When they need to eat they will quickly fall to the ground to trap their prey. This is how it got its name. They enjoy this kind of killing and let out a laugh as they hunt and eat their meal. Sometimes when they are not hungry they will come down and do the same crushing people to death for fun. Sometimes they don't use themselves, but large rocks or well buckets and enjoy the damage dealt. After they are done feeding and or having their fun they will slip back into the trees laughing and challenging others to pass underneath their tree.

Travelers are warned to not pass under the tall trees at night because the Tsurube Otoshi might get them. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Yokai

Yokai Wiki

Murder of Henry Edward "Ed" Northington

On March 1, 1999, 3 young adults found the head of 39-year-old Henry "Ed" Northington on the walkway on the south end of the bridge on the 1900 block of Texas Ave. in Richmond, Virginia. The head was sitting in an upright position and was obviously placed there by somebody. 

Several hundred yards away Ed's body was found at "the tubes" a homeless site upriver from Hollywood Cemetery anchored by twin drainage tunnels. Homeless people would use these tunnels as sleeping shelters. Apparently, this is the area Henry had been staying in. His clothes were thrown into the James River. It's also covered in heavy stones and boulders one of them could have been the murder weapon. Ed at the time was also gay. The place where his head was found was a cruising spot for gays at the time and police suspected it possibly been a hate crime. 

He was killed by acute crush injury to his chest and abdomen breaking several ribs. His ribs had lacerated his lungs, diaphragm, and spleen killing him. His killer or killers then decapitated him with a knife between the 3rd or 4th cervical vertebrae.

At the time Henry was suffering from alcoholism and depression and HIV. His alcoholism caused him to isolate himself from friends and family. Some of his family didn't entirely accept him when he came out as gay and this caused him to search for acceptance. He was also not well-liked in the gay community as he was seen as pushy and had frequently been kicked out of gay bars. 

SOURCES:

Richmond Virginia

Find a Grave

WTVR

Janurary 30, 2001 Mesa, Arizona Augustino Doe

His face is swollen due to medical treatment. 

Early January 24, 2001 a man was sleeping in a dumpster in Mesa, Arizona.  He was then accidentally transferred from the dumpster into a compacting garbage truck. The man driving the truck heard the man screaming and quickly stopped the truck and called 911. He had suffered internal injuries and had been revived at the scene, he had been brought to the hospital where he died from crushing injuries six days later on January 30, 2001. Police were told his name could possibly be Augustino.

He was a Hispanic male between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. He was around 5'3 and 155 lbs. He had black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a ring with a crucifix on it.

Fingerprints, DNA, and Dentals are available.

SOURCES:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14837839/jan_30_2001_john_doe/
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/1970