These horrific true crimes changed these small towns forever. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most shocking and disturbing crimes to strike otherwise peaceful and largely unknown small towns.
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00:00 All they want is some money, and then they'll go away.
00:04 Please, don't hurt the children.
00:10 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most shocking and disturbing crimes to strike otherwise peaceful and largely unknown small towns.
00:21 If your rights are violated to the point that you fear your life or your friend or family's life, then you're going to take somebody else's. That's basic law of nature.
00:32 Number 10. The Investor Fishing Boat Murders. Craig, Alaska.
00:39 The small town of Craig, Alaska has largely thrived off of commercial fishing.
00:45 It was this business that attracted Mark Colthurst and his crew from Blaine, Washington on September 5th, 1982.
00:52 Just two days later, Colthurst's boat, the Investor, was found burning just outside the town.
00:58 Inside, a grim discovery was made. Colthurst, his pregnant wife Irene, their two children, and four crewmen had been murdered.
01:07 Witnesses reported seeing the perpetrator docking the boat, but it wasn't until two years later that an arrest was made.
01:14 John Peel, a former employee of Colthurst, faced two criminal trials for the murders, but was acquitted in 1988.
01:22 The case thrust the usually quiet Craig into a media frenzy and remains one of Alaska's most shocking unsolved murders.
01:30 Number 9. Killing of Ken McElroy, Skidmore, Missouri.
01:36 Skidmore, Missouri is a tight-knit farming community with a population that has never exceeded 600.
01:42 So when Ken McElroy, a notorious local criminal, was shot and killed in broad daylight before at least 30 witnesses, how come no one could identify the assailant?
01:52 McElroy had terrorized the town's residents for years and was even convicted of attempted murder for shooting a grocery store owner.
02:00 People don't understand what drove a whole town to the point where they felt like they had no other choice.
02:08 While out on bail, pending his appeal, he continued his reign of terror.
02:12 And the sheriff drove out of town, and just as he drove out of town, McElroy drove into town.
02:19 The town's frustration finally boiled over on July 10, 1981, when McElroy was murdered in his car while a crowd of people watched.
02:27 Shockingly, no one could pinpoint the killer. The bizarre incident pulled Skidmore into the global spotlight, yet the murder remains officially unsolved.
02:37 I am scared that they will do the same to us that they did to McElroy, if you open your mouth too much.
02:43 8. The Theorette Family Triple Homicide, Berks Falls, Ontario
02:49 A triple homicide where the perpetrator also takes their own life can leave even a big city shaken, let alone a tiny village like Berks Falls, Ontario.
02:58 I just know the family and they were great people. They were the first ones to come over and welcome us to the community.
03:04 On February 23, 2018, Berks Falls witnessed the horrifying murders of Ula Theorette, as well as her son Paul, and her mother, Raya Turanen, in their home.
03:14 The fourth person was not murdered. They were found deceased at that residence.
03:18 The three had been shot and killed by their neighbor, Mark Jones, who turned the gun on himself afterwards.
03:24 Jones had reportedly stalked Theorette while trying to date her and even sexually assaulted her at one point.
03:31 Seemingly angered by her refusal of his advances, Jones carefully planned and executed the murders.
03:38 Although the case is essentially closed, the horrific loss still hangs over the small community.
03:43 It is such a shock because you come to a small, small community where everybody knows everybody and well you think you know everybody.
03:51 7. The Clutter Family Murders, Holcomb, Kansas
03:56 Let's pull out of here. Now, before it's too late.
04:01 During the early hours of November 15, 1959, multiple gunshots rang through the tranquil farming community of Holcomb, Kansas.
04:09 Prominent farmer Herb Clutter had been murdered in his home, alongside his wife Bonnie and their kids Nancy and Kenyon.
04:17 The killers, Richard Hickok and Perry Smith, had heard a false rumor about a safe in the Clutter home and set out to rob them.
04:25 They believe we have money hidden in the safe. I don't know what we did with it.
04:28 Didn't I tell you to shut up?
04:30 He's telling the guy the truth, there isn't any safe.
04:34 However, after finding nothing on the property, they executed the entire family.
04:39 The senseless nature of the crime deeply rattled the small town, which hadn't seen anything like it before.
04:45 Years later, it would become the basis for Truman Capote's groundbreaking novel, In Cold Blood, thrusting the case, as well as Holcomb, further into the spotlight.
04:55 He started yelling what a greedy, selfish bastard I was.
04:59 He yelled and yelled until I grabbed his throat, I couldn't stop myself.
05:04 6. Murderer of Gregory Villemin, Lepage, Sainte-Vologne, Vosges
05:10 For decades, the rural town of La Ponce, Sainte-Vologne, in Vosges, France, has been haunted by the mysterious murder of a young boy.
05:17 On October 16th, 1984, Gregory Villemin was found in the river Volon.
05:23 In the years preceding this tragedy, Gregory's parents, Jean-Marie and Christine, had received ominous threats from an anonymous man with a thirst for revenge.
05:33 After their son's murder, they received another letter stating, "I have taken vengeance."
05:38 A few family members were considered suspects in the case, including the boy's own mother, Christine, and Jean-Marie's cousin, Bernard Laroche.
05:46 "Four or five people, among the Villemin family, remain highly suspicious."
05:51 "We can see that the photographers have trouble resisting the close-up."
05:55 "We call it a racket."
05:56 Jean-Marie would later go to prison after murdering Laroche, believing he was his son's killer.
06:02 Despite numerous investigations, the question of who killed little Gregory remains unanswered.
06:09 Number 5. The Death of Nicole Lee Hattemer, Holcomb, Wisconsin
06:14 In 1989, the town of Holcomb, Wisconsin, was gripped by the strange death of an infant, Nicole Lee Hattemer.
06:22 Late in the night on December 26th, Hattemer vanished from her grandparents' house only to be discovered lifeless in the snow just hours later.
06:31 Subsequent investigation revealed that she may have been thrown to the ground, succumbing to either a chest injury or cold exposure.
06:39 Two special hearings were held in 1990 and 1998, but neither yielded any substantial leads.
06:46 It is worth noting that during the first hearing, Hattemer's grandparents invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, and the family reportedly showed little interest in the case afterwards.
06:56 Even with FBI involvement in the investigation, no criminal charges have ever been filed.
07:03 Number 4. The Axe Murderers of Saxtown, Millstatt, Illinois
07:08 Saxtown, a small farming hamlet close to Millstatt, Illinois, was home to several German immigrant families.
07:16 Back in 1874, a horrific tragedy befell one of them.
07:20 Carl Stelschreda, as well as his son Friedrich, daughter-in-law Anna, and their two sons were all murdered with an axe.
07:28 From all indications, the perpetrator was someone close to the family.
07:33 The incident struck fear into the tight-knit community and caused growing distrust among its residents.
07:38 A lot of people living here still live here, and you know, was it this family or that family involved?
07:43 Multiple suspects were arrested in connection with the murders, with one of them being tried and ultimately acquitted.
07:49 Today, the Stelschreda's barn still stands in its original position, bearing the marks of the fateful night that forever haunts this small town.
07:58 Number 3. Belo Supermarket Slayings, Windsor, North Carolina
08:04 On June 6, 1993, an armed robbery at Belo grocery store in Windsor, North Carolina, ended in the worst way imaginable.
08:13 After forcing the manager to hand over the cash, the assailant tied up the store's employees and arranged them in three separate piles.
08:21 Then, he opened fire.
08:23 We believe that they were, the person or persons were hidden in the store when they did close.
08:28 The gunman took the lives of three people and inflicted severe injuries on two others before disappearing into the night.
08:35 Investigators jumped on the case, pursuing every lead and developing a detailed profile of the suspect.
08:42 Despite these efforts, the search for the perpetrator has proven unsuccessful.
08:47 But because it is such a heinous and so terrible of a crime, it is very frustrating.
08:53 A $30,000 reward is still available for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the mysterious gunman.
09:00 Police released this sketch of the suspect months after the crime. They hope someone knows who he is.
09:06 Number 2. The Kuntz Family Killings, Athens, Wisconsin
09:12 In July 1987, three siblings, Marie, Irene, and Clarence Kuntz, along with their nephew Randy, were found dead in their Athens, Wisconsin home.
09:22 As an investigator, it's a very humbling experience when you have a crime scene with very little evidence and everyone's looking at you.
09:31 Everyone's looking for answers. There's all kinds of pressure.
09:35 Randy's mother, Helen, was missing from the house, and her body would be discovered nine months later in a swamp.
09:41 Christopher Jacobs III, a farmer with previous business ties to the family, soon became the prime suspect.
09:48 Jacobs was charged with being a party to the murders, but was ultimately acquitted by a jury.
09:54 Just as the town was starting to put the incident behind them, it was thrust back into the headlines years later when Jacobs was charged with Helen's kidnapping.
10:02 This time around, he was found guilty and sentenced to 31 years in prison.
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10:22 Number 1. Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders, Mays County, Oklahoma
10:29 I've met two new friends, Michelle Gousset and Denise Milner. I'm sharing a tent with them.
10:35 In 1977, the serene Camp Scott in Mays County, Oklahoma was forever marred by a horrendous crime.
10:42 The bodies of three Girl Scouts, Lori Farmer, Michelle Gousset, and Denise Milner, were discovered outside their tent area.
10:50 The girls had been sexually assaulted and murdered.
10:54 This tragedy resulted in the camp's evacuation and ultimately its permanent closure.
10:59 About a year later, Gene Leroy Hart, a local criminal, was arrested and charged with the murders but was unanimously acquitted by a jury.
11:09 Hart later died in prison for a previous offense, although subsequent DNA tests seem to suggest he had a hand in the murders.
11:16 The case remains officially unsolved today, leaving the aggrieved families and the local community without closure.
11:24 I would like people to think of us as ordinary, with a life of ups and downs, and good and bad.
11:33 What haunting small town crimes have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below.
11:38 It's something you don't really expect way up here. I mean, it's God's country up here and you certainly expect it more so in the city. It is such a shock.
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