Between 1970 and 1971, a series of brutal murders terrified the streets of Bucharest. The victims were mostly women — attacked at night, bitten, and mutilated. Their killer became known as The Vampire of Bucharest.

His crimes were frenzied and disturbing, leaving investigators to wonder whether they were dealing with a deranged killer or a man driven by superstition and obsession. He broke into homes, assaulted his victims, and sometimes drank their blood. When police finally caught him, the case exposed deep social anxieties in communist Romania — about violence, repression, and the darkness beneath a society that demanded silence.

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Wikipedia – Ion Rîmaru

“Tatăl și fiul – criminali în serie” – Libertatea.ro (RO)

“Vampirul din București” – Realitatea.net (RO)

Interview with Dr. Tudorel Butoi – TVR Info

“Ion Rîmaru – the Vampire” – Evenimentul Zilei (RO)

Historic Mysteries – The Vampire of Bucharest

Romania Insider – "The Butcher of Bucharest"

In 1994, a custody dispute in South Carolina ended with a mother vanishing with her infant daughter. Dorothy Lee Barnett, accused of violating a court order, disappeared without a trace — along with 11-month-old Savannah.

For nearly two decades, the pair lived under new identities across the world — first in Europe, then South Africa, then Australia — as authorities searched for clues. In 2013, an international investigation finally uncovered the truth. Dorothy had been living as Alexandria Maria Canton, and Savannah, now a young woman, had grown up unaware of her past.

The case became one of the most remarkable parental abduction stories in modern history — a tale of love, fear, deception, and the long reach of justice.

Read collections of The Evidence Locker Files, available in print and digital editions.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network, solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit: https://www.doenetwork.org/

NBC Dateline: "Finding Savanna" 

CBS 48 Hours: "Dear Savanna" 

Web

Family Abduction Watch

Articles

Dorothy Lee Barnett: Where is the Kidnapper Today?

Savanna Todd: Where is Dorothy Lee Barnett's Daughter Today?

Woman who kidnapped her own daughter during bitter divorce shares tales of nearly 20 years on the run

48 Hours' to feature baby Savanna abduction from Isle of Palms

Unsolved Mysteries Wiki: Dorothy Barnett Case

Between 1996 and 1997, the dismembered remains of at least five women were found stuffed in garbage bags and dumped inside suitcases around the Belgian city of Mons. The killer, who came to be known as Le Dépeceur de Mons — The Butcher of Mons — has never been identified.

The murders shocked the quiet provincial city and left investigators chasing one of the most disturbing unsolved serial murder cases in Belgian history. Decades later, questions still linger: Who was the Butcher of Mons, and why did he choose to scatter his victims’ remains along roads with names that translated to words like Hate, Fear, and Anxiety?

Read collections of The Evidence Locker Files, available in print and digital editions.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network, solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit: https://www.doenetwork.org/

YouTube – Le mystère du dépeceur de Mons

Wikipedia – Dépeceur de Mons (French)

Wikipedia – Butcher of Mons (English)

L’Avenir – Le dépeceur de Mons: 20 ans après

Le Monde – Morgan Vanlerberghe, l’enquêteur amateur qui veut confondre le dépeceur de Mons

TeleMB – Il est moins cinq… Enquête sur le dépeceur de Mons

TeleMB – Vers un nouveau souffle dans l’enquête du dépeceur de Mons ?

Fifty-One Mons-Levant – RS893 : L’affaire du dépeceur de Mons

In celebration of Halloween, this week’s episode is a re-release of one of our first episodes - still chilling...

Adolfo Constanzo, also known as El Padrino (or the Godfather), was the leader of a cult that believed that Black Magic would shield their drug cartel from being busted. Adolfo encouraged human sacrifice, and countless people fell victim to the cult, later dubbed the Narcosatanists. When American medical student Mark Kilroy disappeared after a night out in Matamoros, the cult’s sadistic activities finally came to light.

Books: Read collections of The Evidence Locker Files, available in print and digital editions.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network, solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit: https://www.doenetwork.org/

http://www.markkilroyfoundation.org/

Serial Killers and Cult Leaders: Adolfo Constanzo “El Padrino”  - The Black Magic Torturer and Murderer

Wikipedia

Biography.com

Murderpedia

Lost to the Darkness

On Halloween night in 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Brien came home from trick-or-treating in Deer Park, Texas, excited to sample his candy haul. Among the treats was a Pixy Stix — one that would become infamous in American true crime history. Within hours, Timothy was dead, poisoned by cyanide.

Investigators soon discovered that the killer wasn’t a mysterious stranger slipping poison into Halloween candy. It was someone much closer to home — his own father, Ronald Clark O’Brien. His crime forever changed the way parents across the United States viewed Halloween, giving rise to decades of fear over tampered sweets.

Read collections of The Evidence Locker Files, available in print and digital editions.

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For more information, visit: Evidence Locker Website

For ad-free content: Visit our page at Patreon

25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network, solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

In 1974, 'Candyman' turned Halloween truly terrifying in Pasadena, Texas - ABC13 Houston

The Man Who Killed Halloween - Fort Worth Weekly

'Man Who Killed Halloween' still haunts holiday - Houston Chronicle

The Haunting Legacy of Ronald Clark O'Bryan, the Man Who Killed Halloween - A&E True Crime

50 years ago, a Houston killer dubbed the 'Candyman' poisoned his son's Halloween candy - KHOU

Looking into the eyes of evil: The day I covered the execution of Texas' infamous Halloween killer - Breckenridge Texan

The True Story of the Notorious Trick-or-Treat Murderer - Vice

Halloween Horrors: The Poisoning of Timothy O'Bryan - Criminal

The ex-wife of Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI Archives

The neighbor who accompanied condemned killer Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI Archives

Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Wikipedia

Timothy Marc O'Bryan - Find a Grave Memorial

Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Murderpedia

Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Alchetron

1984: Ronald Clark O'Bryan, candyman - Executed Today

THE CASE OF THE HALLOWEEN CANDY KILLER - Harris County District Clerk

Ronald Clark O'Bryan Murder Trial (1975) - KPRC-TV Collection

For nearly two decades, a nondescript farm outside Pretoria was the epicenter of South Africa’s most covert and brutal campaign of state-sponsored terror. Known as Vlakplaas, it served as headquarters for a police death squad targeting anti-Apartheid activists. Under the leadership of Colonel Dirk Coetzee and later Eugene de Kock – dubbed “Prime Evil” – Vlakplaas was responsible for countless abductions, torture, and murders masked by secrecy and political protection.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network - solving international cold cases. To learn more, visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

Resources

Know more about Vlakplaas where Prime Evil operated

The gruesome truth behind Vlakplaas and Eugene de Kock

TRC – Final Report – Volume 2

State v Wouter Basson

Wikipedia

Foundation for Human Rights - Nokuthula Simelane 

Lothar Neethling

The odd couple: why an Apartheid activist joined forces with a murderer

Vlakplaas and the history of Apartheid’s Death Squad

Olof Palme assassination: The South African connection

Anna Anton thought she'd found safety in small-town Nebraska, living below a police officer who had sworn to protect and serve. Instead, she became the victim of the very person she trusted most. In this episode, we uncover the shocking betrayal that shattered the peace of Lyons, Nebraska, and explore how one man's abuse of power led to a seven-year international manhunt.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network - solving international cold cases. To learn more about it visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

Unsolved Mysteries Season 2, Episode 4

Find a Grave Memorial

Flatwater Free Press investigative report

Nebraska Public Media coverage

In the 1980s, the MS Viking Sally ferry became synonymous with tragedy and terror on the Baltic Sea. What began as a luxurious passenger vessel soon earned a sinister reputation when two brutal murders occurred on board just one year apart—in 1986 and 1987. The ship that was meant to provide safe passage between Finland and Sweden instead became the scene of unspeakable violence, earning it the nickname "the cursed ship." But the Viking Sally's dark legacy didn't end there. 

The vessel would later be renamed the MS Estonia and become the site of one of Europe's worst maritime disasters, claiming 855 lives in 1994. In this episode, we explore the chilling murders that haunted the Baltic waters, the botched investigations that followed, and the tragic fate of a ship that seemed destined for disaster from the very beginning.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network - solving international cold cases. To learn more about it visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

1987 Viking Sally murder - Wikipedia

Murder on the Upper Deck - ForenSeek

Finnish News Coverage - Aamulehti

Court dismisses charges in Viking Sally murder case - Yle

Finland: Dane acquitted of 1987 ferry attack on backpackers - AP News

Danish man on trial in Finland for 1987 ferry attack - Reuters

The Curse of the Viking Sally - Atlas Obscura

Cursed Ship. The Sinking of the 'Estonia' - Medium

Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle is an area around Dublin from where multiple women have mysteriously vanished in the 1990s. Most of the cases have the same characteristics and remain unsolved. Were they taken by a serial killer? Irish Police created Operation Trace in 1998 to actively solve the disappearances but have not been able to do so. A €10,000 reward has been offered for information resulting in the recovery of a body, as it is presumed that the victims are no longer alive.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network -- solving international cold cases. To learn more about it visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

The Disappearance of Annie McCarrick

Wikipedia – Ireland’s Vanishing Triangle

Wikipedia – Deidre Jacob

Wikipedia – Jojo Dullard

Garda.ie – Eva Brennan

Gardie.ie – Annie McCarrick

Cliff’s Edge

Beyond the Vanishing Triangle - catching a killer

Paul Williams: How Larry Murphy became the prime suspect in case of missing Deirdre

Between September 2003 and July 2004, Seoul was terrorized by one of the most brutal serial killers in Korean history. Yoo Young-chul, known as the "Raincoat Killer," murdered at least 20 people in a shocking spree that exposed deep social inequalities and reignited debates about capital punishment. In this episode, we delve into the chilling details of his crimes, examine the psychological factors that drove him to kill, and explore how his case continues to influence Korean society today.

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25% of Evidence Locker Patreon proceeds are donated to support the Doe Network -- solving international cold cases. To learn more about it visit their website at: https://www.doenetwork.org/

The Raincoat Killer: Chasing a Predator in Korea (Netflix, 2021)

Yoo Young-chul - Wikipedia

Korea Herald - Serial Killer Coverage

All That's Interesting - Yoo Young-chul Profile

Esquire - Where Is Yoo Young-chul Now?

Simply Forensic - The Brutal South Korean Raincoat Killer

The Korea Herald - Korean serial killer 'haunted by victims' ghosts' in prison