The 1897 Aurora, Texas UFO

On April 17, 1897, around 6 a.m. early risers in Aurora, Texas were surprised by the sight of something crashing from the sky. The UFO was seen flying over the town and was only going twelve or ten miles per hour. It slowly started descending as if there was something was wrong with the machinery. It eventually hit Judge Proctors windmill in the north of town.

There were pieces of destruction for several acres. The windmill was demolished, the UFO was also demolished, and the judge's flower garden and water tank were destroyed from the crash.  

The only casualty was the lonely pilot of the ship. Even though he was badly mutilated it was obvious that he was not of this world. There were also papers from the wreckage in an unknown language that was similar to hieroglyphics. 

The next day they gave the spaceman they assumed to have been from Mars an Earthly funeral.

In the Aurora Cemetery the body of the "pilot" they then named Ned. In 1972 scientists wanted to dig up the body and investigate. The cemetery association blocked their requests because only the next of kin are allowed to give permission to exhumations. Even though there was no known next of kin or if Ned was a spaceman or even a poor animal casualty of the supposed crash. At this same time, the grave marker was stolen.

It's believed that the whole event may have been a hoax by the townspeople. They had previously had many tragedies happen in the town. The cotton fields were destroyed by a boll weevil infestation, a fire on the west side destroyed some building and killing some people, and a spotted fever that caused some to be quarantined. It didn't help that the railroad was 27 miles from Aurora. So it's possible that in threat of dying out caused the townspeople to create a hoax that would attract many to their small town.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Texas Hill Country
Roadside America
Mutual UFO Network
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Aurora Texas

Murder of Donnell Coleman

On April 17, 2011, 27-year-old Donnell Coleman was at his apartment on 7711 North La Porte Ave. in Columbia, Missouri with a 25-year-old woman and a 4-year-old.  Around 11:35 and 11:40 p.m. multiple unknown black males forced entry into the apartment. The men then shot Donnell in the chest and then fled and possibly left in a sedan.

SOURCES:

Boone County Missouri

Crime Stoppers

Columbia Tribune April 18, 2011

Missourian April 19, 2011

Columbia Tribune 

Murder of Deborah Lee Shelton

On Jan 3, 1969, 12-year-old Deborah Lee Shelton asked her mom to go bike riding with other kids. Her mom told her yes and then told her to be back before noon because she had a dentist appointment. At 9:30 a.m. Deborah would leave her home in Aptos, California and was supposed to meet friends near the Aptos railroad bridge. She would be last seen on Rio De Mar Blvd. around 11 a.m. 

No one would see Deborah alive again. But unbeknownst to her mother, she didn't know this was the case. When her mom and sister came home from an appointment Deborah wasn't there. Someone would call the house "The phone rang and there was a young man's voice that said, ‘We have your daughter. We want $500. Drive out to Trout Gulch Road." She would hang up thinking it was a joke.

On March 8, 1969, a young boy was out shooting his bb gun in a wooded area in Aptos. He would stumble upon Deborah's body in the wooded area around 100 yards from the bridge.

The scene was suggestive of a sexual assault, but because her body was badly decomposed it was undetermined. Clothing and other evidence at the scene suggested she was strangled with her underwear. She was also bound with her hands taped together with masking tape behind her back. There were remnants of tape found on her neck suggesting her mouth was also taped.

A friend of hers stated that around Christmas Deborah mentioned to her a boy who was a little older. The boy's name was Sherman and they were planning to ride a mini bike together. It's believed this was who she was meeting with. The supposed "Sherman" was never identified. Deborah never described him to her friend other than he was really cute.

SOURCES:
County of Santa Cruz
Find a Grave
Santa Cruz Sentential 
Huffington Post

Murder of Eddie Verdugo and Joyleen Chavez

On April 16, 2004, an anonymous tip came to the police that two people were badly injured at 27 Dean Lane in Los Lunas, New Mexico. When police arrived they found 48-year-old Eddie Verdugo and his girlfriend 44-year-old Joyleen Chavez. When they were discovered by police Eddie was in an entryway near the front door. Joyleen was found in an adjoining room. They were both were alive and sent to the hospital, Eddie died a few hours later and Joyleen two days later.

Neighbors stated that they didn't hear or see anything at the time of the murders. Police believed that it had happened at least 30 minutes before they arrived.

SOURCES:

New Mexico Department of Public Saftey 

Albuquerque Journal

News Bulletin 

WANTED: I-80 Rapist

The I-80 rapist has three confirmed cases of sexual assaults this does not mean there aren't more that was committed, but these 3 have been connected by DNA. The first one occurred on September 9, 2013, at 4:20 a.m. as the victim was walking near I-80 and Madison Ave. in Sacramento, California. The second attack would happen on December 10, 2013, at 9:15 p.m. and this victim was also walking in the same area as the first. The third attack happened on January 8, 2014, around 4:30 a.m. The victim was walking near Greenback Lane and Auburn Blvd. when she accepted a ride from a man. He would take her to the I-80 and Maddison Ave. area to assault her.

He was described as a black male between 20 and 40-years-old He has a shaved or short afro style haircut. He was clean-shaven with a large build and wore rectangular eyeglasses. He was driving a red-colored box style 4-door vehicle.  

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Sacramento County Sheriff's Office

Disappearance of Steven Paul Newing

On 2 September 1969 11-year-old Seven Newing was last seen around 3 p.m. at his home on Lee-Warner Ave. in Fakenham, England. His little brother and a male friend were the last people to see him. He left without money and his pedal cycle but did leave with his satchel. His mother knew that he was supposed to be home by 8 p.m. and when he still wasn't home by 10 she called the police.

Police searched for Steven, but could not find him. The family home was searched twice to make sure he wasn't hiding. Later his satchel would be found. There were supposed sightings of him, but he still wasn't found. It was possible that he was abducted, but it was also thought he may have fallen down a disused well shaft.

Steven is a white male and 11 at the time. He has a freckled complexion. He was wearing a blue roll neck sweater with a green and yellow sweater over the top, blue jeans with a cubs leather belt, a green anorak, and baseball boots.

There was a hostel in Fakenham dedicated to Steven. It's for young homeless people between 16 and 25-years-old.

SOURCES:
Norfolk Constabulary
Doe Network
BBC
Eastern Daily Press
Fakenham News

Murder of Jada Simone Rankin

At 2 a.m. on October 16, 2016 at the 14300 block of Ardmore St. near Six Mile Rd and Schaefer Highway in Detroit, Michigan a birthday party was still going. 15-year-old Jada Rankin's older brother was celebrating his birthday at his grandmother's home.

At the time a car was speeding up and down the road. Her brother would ask the driver to slow down. This apparently angered the driver and opened his car door and shot into the crows. One of the bullets would his Jada in the abdomen and she would die a short time after arriving at the Sinai Grace Hospital. 

Police do not have a good description of the gunman, but he's an African American man in his late 20's and early 30's. The vehicle involved was a gray or silver sedan, possibly a mid-2000 Chevy Impala or Lumina. Below is an image of the possible shooter.

A playground has been named after Jada in Detroit. It is called the Jada Simone Rankin playground. 

SOURCES:

Michigan Cold Cases

WWJ News Radio

Fox News

Murder of Kenneth and Anjanette Murphy

On April 14, 2000, someone kicked in the door of  31-year-old Kenneth and 30-year-old Anjanette Murphy home on Montecrest Ave. in Richmond, Virginia. The killer or killers had shot and killed the couple. 

SOURCES:
Richmond Virginia
Find a Grave (Kenneth)
Find a Grave (Anjanette)

Murder of Harold "Murph" Murphy Cohen

On November 3, 1949, 38-year-old Harold" Murph" Cohen was reported missing to the Denver, Colorado Police Department. Murph would leave a note stating he wouldn't be seen for several days. He had also told his wife that he was going to a special dinner. He reportedly attended a ceremonial dinner at Gaetano's in Denver prior to his disappearance. At the time he was a known gambler and was a fight referee. 

It wasn't known what had happened to him as he went missing for months, but on Feb. 11, 1950 His body was found in Blue Lake located south of Highway 58 at Indiana St. He had been hit in the head and then tied up and tied to railroad iron and tossed into the lake alive. He was likely attacked during the dinner or right after. They intended for his body to sink to the bottom of the lake, but it landed on a ledge. 

SOURCES:

Colorado Bureau of Investigations

Jefferson County, Colorado

Fort Collins Coloradoan Feb. 13, 1950 

Greeley Daily Tribune Feb 13, 1950

St. Louis Post-Dispatch April 17, 1950

Murder of Laura Jean Donez

In April of 1983 16-year-old Laura Jean Donez skipped school in Houston, Texas. She went to get a hamburger at a nearby restaurant. She did arrive and had her hamburger, but was never seen again. It wasn't until a week later that any sign of her was found.

On April 18, 1983, an oilfield worker spotted a fire burning in a wooded area near a logging road around 400 yards west of FM 149 in Montgomery. What he found was the body of Laura Jean caught on fire. She had been strangled, raped, beaten about the head, and her body burned after death.

Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder, but he made several false confessions at the time. 

SOURCES:
Find a Grave
Montgomery Sheriffs Office
Montgomery Sheriffs Office (PDF)

Who's Carly Simons song You're So Vain about?

On November 8, 1972, Carly Simons released her song You're So Vain. It would soon reach number 1 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Carly Simmons had come out about writing the song about three different men one of whom she revealed that the second verse was about Warren Beatty. The other two men are still unknown to the public, but people can still guess who the other two vain men the song was about. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Smooth Radio

People

Rolling Stones