Sacrifices: Children of Llullaillaco

On March 16, 1999, the three mummified remains of children were found on the summit of  Llullaillaco on the Andes mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina.Because their names are unknown the three mummies were called, The Maiden (la Doncella), Lightning Girl (la niña del Rayo) and Llullaillaco Boy (el niño). The three were sacrifices for the Incas in the 1500s. The sacrifice was called Capacocha which typically involved the sacrificing of children. They were likely chosen because they were considered beautiful, unblemished, and talented.

The Maiden was around the age of  13 to 15-years-old. When she was found she wore a dress, and her hair was braided and she wore a feathered horned headdress. At the time she had a bacterial infection in her lungs.

It's believed that she was an aclla or a Sun Virgin or Chosen Woman. In the Inca Empire, the aclla may have been an adopted this tradition from earlier cultures. Each year girls not of noble birth between the ages of 8 to 12 were gathered as tributes for the state. They were typically chosen for their beauty and talents. These girls would then be raised in convents. These girls had taken a vow of chastity as the priestesses who raised them called Mamakuna, for preparation of their future roles. These girls would either be sacrificed, become Mamakuna's or sometimes became imperial concubines or wives of the noble. Unfortunately, in this situation, The Maiden became a sacrifice.

The Lightning girl was found to be the half-sister of The Maiden. She was likely around 4 to 7-years-old.  These two were not related to Llullaillaco Boy though. She was m She isn't believed to be an aclla as she did not have the same care as her older sister. Even though it showed that she had possibly been chosen for sacrifice around a year before. She did not have elaborate braids or a headdress. She did have an elongated skull. She had her head lifted high and facing toward the South-West. She was wearing a traditional light brown acsu dress and her head and body were wrapped in a wool blanket and then her body was wrapped with another that was a red and yellow embroidered.

The Llullaillaco Boy was likely around 4 to 7 -years-old had blood on his cloak, a nit infestation in his hair, and also had evidence of an elongated skull. He was the only one tied up. He was wrapped so tightly that his ribs and pelvis were dislocated. He may have been bound due to reluctance to being sacrificed. He was wearing a grey tunic, a silver bracelet, leather shoes, and was wrapped in a brown and red blanket.

For around a year all three had been taken from a village and may have lived in poverty as an analysis of their hair showed they had a diet of potatoes before. The Maiden showed that she had been fed better in the two years before her sacrifice. The other two were likely chosen within their last year. It was shown that they had ingested coca leaves (which makes cocaine) and alcohol.  Their ingestion of coca and alcohol was likely to induce altered states associated with the sacred.

It was shown that the Maiden's use of coca was high in the last year, and then there was a surge in her alcohol consumption the weeks leading up to her death. It's possible that the reason for this was because she knew of her fate coming closer. The children's use was lower than hers.

On the day they were sacrificed all three had a high protein meal. The Maiden was found to have chewed Coca leaves in her mouth and may have made her Docile and maybe end unconscious likely why she was found in a resting position. The other two did consume alcohol and coca, but not as much as The Maiden. They may still have been somewhat docile like her.

 It's believed that when the three got to the top of the mountain they were allowed to fall asleep. They were either put in the small tomb 1.5 meters underground and left to die. It's possible that The Boy was lying in a fetal position and likely died from suffocation instead of exposure like the other two. And unlike other Capacocha victims, they seemed to have died peacefully.


SOURCES:
Wikipedia
National Geographic
NBC News
Live Science 
Andes Specialists
Julia's Travels
Britannica (Chosen Women)

Missing: Elijah Gresham Cravens

In 1902 Elijah Gersham Cravens was a farmer who lived outside of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He had left on horseback sometime that year to go to a Woodmen of the World meeting. He was never seen again and little information in this case. He may have been around 30 to 40 years a possible birthday for him was 10/20/1867 which would have made him 35 if that was correct.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Murder of Ginger (Gebelein Man)

There were 6 bodies found in the Gebelein, Egypt dating around 3400 BC. They were excavated in the late 1800s by Wallis Budge. At this time that mummification Egypt is known for wasn't developed. The mummies were naturally mummified by being placed in a shallow grave in direct contact with hot and dry sand that would absorb the body's liquids. They were in a curled, fetal position because that was common practice at the time. One of the more notable mummies in this excavation was the Gebelein Man or Ginger as he was a murder victim.

Ginger was around 18 to 21-years-old when he died. He had notable red hair that was preserved with his body and this gave him his nickname. After some infrared scans on the body, it was found that he had a tattoo of a figure that looked like a smudge without the scan. Which may have been the oldest preserved tattoo of figures.

Through analysis, it was determined that he had had been murdered. He had injuries that coincided with a deliberate assault. His shoulder blade was damaged and the rib underneath shattered likely from a stab wound. He was likely surprised by the attack as he had no defensive wounds. The weapon used was a copper or flint blade at least 5 inches long.

His body is currently at the British Museum in London, England.

SOURCES:
Mummipedia Wiki
News Week
British Museum
Egypt Orgins
Wikipedia

Fictional Murders: La Llorona

There once was a beautiful Hispanic woman who lived somewhere in either Mexico or the Southwest of the U.S.A. After her husband died she had believed that she would never fall in love again. She believed that nobody would love her because she already had children.

She met a man and hid the fact that she had children from him. She knew that he wouldn't stay with her because of them. But she could not keep the secret forever so she admitted to him to have children. He gave her a hard ultimatum. It was either him or the children. She loved this man and did not want to be alone. So she did what she thought was best.

She went on a stroll with the children. They walked by the river and they didn't know why, but she did. She then drowned her children one by one. After the horrible deed, she went straight to her lover. She told him what she had done and the children wouldn't be a burden on them.

Horrified he rejected her. He didn't want her to murder the children, but to give them up.

This was when she realized what she had done. That she should have never chosen a man over her own children. She went to the same place she drowned the children and committed suicide by drowning. She was hoping to see them in her next life and live together in heaven. When she got to the gates of heaven they barred her. In order to come into heaven, she would have to find her children's souls.

Now she walks the night weeping loudly for her children. She searches all over for them. It had been so long that she doesn't remember what they looked like. Whenever she happens upon a lone child she thinks that they are one of hers. She then drags that child to the nearest body of water and drowns them when she realizes that they aren't one of hers.

There are other variations of this story.

Some say La Llorona had drowned her own children in a jealous rage. In order to get back at her husband for either stepping out on her or paying too much attention to the children. She then drowns herself.  In this version, she searches for her children in order to go to heaven or because she regrets it.

In others, it's the husband who kills their children by drowning them. They didn't have enough money to feed all of their children. After La Llorona found out she had drowned herself in the same body of water her children were killed in. What is known is that she wanders trying to find her children.

The legend is used as a warning to children in a form of curfew and not wander by bodies of water at night.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Legends of America

Murder of Aurore Gagnon

On May 31, 1909 Aurore Gagnon was the second of five children farmer Télesphore Gagnon and his first wife Marie-Anne Caron. They were Roman Catholics living in Fortierville, Quebec, Canada. Marie-Anne was hospitalized in 1916 for tuberculosis. This would cause Télesphore's widowed cousin Marie-Anne Houde and her two sons to move into the home for help. On November 6, 1917, 2-year-old Joseph (the youngest) was found dead in his bed. This death was found to have been natural.

The children's mother soon followed suit on Jan. 23, 1918 and died of tuberculosis at the Beauport Asylum. In the following week, Marie-Anne Houde and Télesphore married. There was evidence of abuse against the children. At 10-years-old in September of 1919, Aurore had been hospitalized for more than a month with a severe leg infection caused by abuse.

The poor girl seemed to have been tortured by her stepmother. Her stepmother would then lie to her father and her father would also reprimand her. Her stepmother would torture the girl in various ways including being flogged, and at one point forced to eat toast with lye on it. She would also gag the girl, strip her down, tie her to a table and brand her with a hot iron poker. This would lead to the girl's death.

On Feb. 12, 1920, Andronique Lafond, a physician living in Saint-Jacques-de-Parisville (Parisville), who was called to the Gagnon home. Aurore was laying on the couch with a pillow on her head and a spread up over her neck. She was found to be in a coma state when he arrived. He noticed she was covered in wounds and she would then succumb to sepsis (blood poisoning) and exhaustion. Bloodstains were also said to have covered the room the child slept in. She had an autopsy and it was found that she had 54 wounds on her body and 50 of them from blunt instruments. 

The Couple was then put on trial. At the time Marie-Anne was also pregnant with twins There were numerous witnesses for the fatal abuse and this included Aurore's stepbrother and sister. 

Marie-Anne went to trial first on April 13 to 21. At trial, the fact that she was pregnant was used as a defense. They changed her plea to not guilty due to insanity. Claiming because her pregnancy caused her to act like this to the girl, Out of 8 physicians, only 2 agreed with the defense. Regardless she was found guilty and was sentenced to hang on October 1st. Her sentence was later changed to life in prison. In July of 1935, she was released, but on May 12 of the next year, she died from cancer in Montreal.

Télesphore Gagnon’s trial was also held at Quebec, April 23-28. He was found him guilty of involuntary homicide, or manslaughter, He was then sentenced life in prison, but after five years he was released and went back to his home village. In 1938 he would marry his third wife and die in 1961.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

The Gazzette 

The Gazzette

Dictionary of Canadian Biography 

Murder of Lord Darnley and William Taylor

Henry Stuart better known as Lord Darnley came from a family that had both the Scottish and English thrones via ties with James II of Scotland and Henry VII of England.  He had the potential to claim either side. Lord Darnley met Mary Queen of Scots when he was 20 in Feb. of  1565.

The two became smitten with each other. They have soon married in July and he had become King of the Scots. Soon the bliss faded though. Lord Darnley had a bad temper and made enemies in a drunken and arrogant manner.

Mary Knew that he shouldn't succeed the crowd as he would make an awful ruler. She refused to grant him the Crown Matrimonial which would make him the successor if she was childless. Mary didn't have to worry about that as she became pregnant with her son James. Who would become the future James I of England.

Mary became close to her private secretary David Rizzio. He was stabbed 56 times on March 9, 1566, by Darnley and his confederates and Protestant Scottish nobles. This was all front of Mary whom people suspected was pregnant with David Rizzio's child.

In 1567 Lord Darnley was staying the Kirk o' Field in Edinburgh, Scottland. In the weeks leading up to Feb. 9, 1567, he was either suffering from smallpox or syphilis and stayed at the Old Provost's lodging at Kirk O'Field. He had formed pocks on himself. He was staying with his family in Glasglow before but Mary thought he'd do better there.

On Feb 10, 1567, around 2 a.m. an explosion could be heard. The place that Lord Darnley resided was in rubbles, but his body was not inside the home. He and his valet, William Taylor, were found in the orchard. Their bodies were found outside surrounded by a cloak, a dagger, a chair, and a coat. Darnley seemed

Two barrels of gunpowder were placed underneath Lord Darnley's room. Something had spooked him and he and William ran outside the place. It's believed that Lord Darnley had been asleep at the time because he was only dressed in a nightshirt. He had apparently been smothered there were no physical signs of violence, but he had internal injuries possibly from the explosion. It's not stated how William died and why they thought the items that were around them were around them.

Some suspect that it was Mary who had plotted his death. That she may have gotten revenge for David Rizzio's death or because she was in love with James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. She was a devout Catholic and believed that divorce was not an option.

It's unknown what had really happened that night.

SOURCES:
Tudor Society
Wikipedia
The History Jar
Historic Mysteries

The Black Donnellys

James and Johannah Donnelly decided to move from their homeland, Ireland, and settle in Canada. The couple settled on contested land near London, Ontario. The Donnelly's were a troubling family and seemed to have been in a feud with the community. In 1857 James Sr. killed Patrick Farrell a man who had a dispute with the family because they were squatting on his land.

Even though he spent time at the Kingston Penitentiary his 7 sons didn't learn from his mistakes. They had a bad reputation and they were known as troublemakers. Their reputation went from basic mayhem to grand larceny and arson. They were willing to fight, and because of their reputation, they were blamed for everything.

On Feb. 3, 1880, James Donnelly complained to the local magistrate that they were blamed for everything and the next day the farm burned to the ground. A mob had come to the home and James, Johannah, son Tom, and their niece Bridget was killed in the fire. There was a 13-year-old farmhand,  Johnny O'Conner, there that night. 

According to Johnny shortly after 1 a.m. was when the mob arrived at the home. He awoke to James getting dressed. Johnny joined him going out to the kitchen and seeing James Caroll the "Peace Society". Tom was outside handcuffed with around 20 men. Tom demanded to see a warrant, but there was none to be seen. The mob outside quickly came in and began to attack the family. 

James, Johanna, and Tom were all three beaten badly. Bridget was upstairs and the men barged up there and killed 21-year-old Bridget. Johhny hid underneath a bed. He witnessed that Tom was able to escape, but was dragged back inside and beaten some more. The members of the mob brought coal oil in and burned the house. He was able to escape the burning home. 

The mob then traveled to the second oldest William Donnelly's house and arrived there around 2:30 a.m. The mob screamed fire hoping to get someone to come out. John came to the window and was shot in the chest and pelvis. Thinking that it was William they killed the mob left. 

 The community knew who was apart of it, but no one was ever found guilty for the crimes. There were two trials for it, but all of the people prosecuted were either not guilty, or a hung jury.

SOURCES:

Canadian Mysteries 
Wikipedia

The Borremose Man

In 1946 peat diggers in the southern Borremose, Himmerland, Denmark found a body in the peat bog.  His body was found a half a meter below a layer of birch sticks. The body was well preserved and mummified due to the peat bog.

He was 1.55 m (5'1") and carbon dating done on the body showed he had lived during the Nordic Bronze Age around 700 BCE. He had two sheepskin coats and a woven cap beside him. His stomach contents had various seeds of different kinds knotweed, common spurrey, sheep's sorrel, lambsquarters and animal hair and peat moss leaves (these two likely being containments). It's likely he had been murdered. He had a 36 cm (14") rope with a slipknot around his throat. It was revealed with further examination of the body that he had a crushing blow to the back of his skull and his right femur had been broken.

SOURCES:
Mummipedia Wiki
Wikipedia
Tollund Man Den

Fictional Murders: S.S. Ourang Medan

In either June of 1947 or Feb of 1948, a distress signal was coming from a ship. It seemed that the person sending out the S.O.S. was terrified and stated that people were dying among the S.S. Ourang Medan and that "possibly the whole crew dead." What followed was indecipherable morse code or was it the madness taking over the panicked messager? Eventually, silence followed.

The ship was noticed by the American ship called the Silver Star believed the ship was in the Straits of Malacca. Noting the urgency in the message they sought out the ship and found it. When getting on the ship they noticed that there was no sign of life aboard.

Everyone they saw was laying down with their mouths and eyes wide open and their hands were reaching out as if trying to grasp something or protecting themselves. There didn't seem to be any wounds on any of the people. The ship's dog was found to be dead in the same horrifying state. The crew members under the deck were also found in the same horrifying state. They found the man who sen out the S.O.S. with his finger on the telegraph.

It was also noted that the ship was cold even though it was a scorching 110 degrees outside. After finding no survivors they quickly got off. They planned to pull the ship to shore, but that wasn't meant to be. Thick smoke began to rise out of the ship and the Silver Star had hardly enough time to cut the line away from the S.S. Ourang Medan before it exploded and sunk.

What was it that killed all those men on the ship and cause the ship to explode?

It's more simple than it seems. The ship most likely never existed in the first place. There were no records of the ship existing The ship Silver Star was named that, but that wasn't the name of it at the time. At the time the name was Santa Juana and its name changed later when it was bought by Grace Line Shipping Company.

If it did exist the ship may have come from the Dutch East Indies. In Indonesian, Ourang means ‘man’ and Medan is the largest city on the island of Sumatra making some think that the ship may have come from there. The ship's name literally means "Man of Medan". Some theorize that the ship itself may have been expunged from records because they were smuggling things for the war. It could be possible that the "smoke" that the rescuers were seeing was a nerve gas that was being transported to Japan.

It was theorized that several countries were involved with the cover-up such as Singapore, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, China, and the United States. As at the time the use of Lethal Gas and Chemicals was baned.

It's also theorized that even though they weren't found in records possibly they did exist. That a malfunctioning boiler caused everyone to die from carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

A third theory is that it was pirates that killed the crew and left them the way they did. Which how would the pirates kill the crew without any physical injuries though.

SOURCES:
Beyond Science T.V.
Mysterious Universe
Skittish Library
Historic Mysteries