Marie Laveau led an everyday life, giving birth to many children, before her partner, a white man named Christophe Dominick Duminy de Glapion, passed away in 1855. After his death, Laveau ceased working as a hairdresser and became a homemaker, allowing her to devote more time to her children. She then embarked on a new…
The 1987 Carowinds Wave Pool Shooting
On June 7, 1987, a horrible tragedy unfolded at the popular Carowinds amusement park on the North and South Carolina state border when two girls were struck by stray bullets while playing in the wave pool in the Ocean Island section. A 16-year-old from Rock Hill was killed in the incident, while a 6-year-old from…
Serial Killer Michael Rian Torrence Sees Red
Michael Rian Torrence was born on April 15, 1961, in Pine Ridge, South Carolina. Torrence had a reported mean streak, and in 1987, he would ultimately snap. In early 1987, Donna Torrence was a topless dancer at a strip club called “The Carriage House,” near Fort Jackson. Donna was married to Michael’s brother, Thomas John…
The Cold Case of Brooke Leigh Henson in Travelers Rest
On July 4, 1999, Brooke Leigh Henson went missing from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. It is believed that her boyfriend at the time, along with several other persons of interest, is suspected to be the last people to have seen Brooke. In April 2025, a task force was established to locate Henson. Twenty-six years may…
The Cold Case of Cora Campbell in Rock Hill
Rock Hill, South Carolina resident, Cora Campbell, was found deceased in her home in December 2012 on S. Jones Avenue. At the time, Campbell was 76 years old, and her case remains cold. Terrance Staley, who worked odd jobs for Campbell, was arrested in 2012 after he admitted trying to take $600 from her bank…
Serial Killer Larry Gene Bell: Murder in the Midlands
Serial killer, Larry Gene Bell, believed he was Jesus Christ, and forced his victims to pen a “Last Will and Testament” before they died. Bell was born on October 30, 1949, in Ralph, Alabama, and had three sisters and one brother. The family frequently moved before Bell arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, to attend Eau…
The Ghost of Fannie Heldmann still haunts this Upstate South Carolina Cemetery
Springwood Cemetery in downtown Greenville is rich with history. Over the years, the old cemetery has been associated with several ghostly tales, including the tragic story of Fannie Heldmann. Heldmann died at just 25 years old, when she drowned herself in a section of the Reedy River, known as “ten-foot hole.” The story is a…
Dallen Forrest Bounds’ Murderous Crime Spree in Greenville, SC in 1999
Dallen Forrest Bounds was born on August 9, 1971, in Washington State, but later relocated to the Greenville, South Carolina area after a failed marriage ended in Arizona. His crime spree left four people dead between June and December 1999. Sometime in early 1998, Bounds and some friends rented an apartment in Greenville. Over the…
Henry Gatling and his Flying Contraption
Many believe the Wright Brothers were the first to fly, but that is not entirely true, depending on how one defines flight. James Henry Gatling, also a North Carolina resident born in Hertford County, conducted numerous ground and air trials of his aeroplane in 1873. Gatling was able to achieve a 100-foot flight from a…
The Interstate Killer
Sean Patrick Goble was born on November 1, 1966, in Asheboro, North Carolina. The Goble family eventually moved to Illinois; however, Sean would end up living with his mother and sister after his father was arrested on multiple charges of assault. Sean Patrick would attend Auburn High School in Rockford, but he later dropped out…