The Disappearance of Jean Elizabeth Spangler

Jean Elizabeth Spangler was born in Seattle, Washington on September 2, 1923 and was an American dancer, model, and bit-part actress in Hollywood films and early television. She mysteriously disappeared on October 7, 1949 at the age of 26.

Spangler was a divorcee and had a daughter, Christine Louise Benner, with her ex-husband Dexter Benner. Christine was born April 22, 1944 and was five years old at the time of her mother’s disappearance. When the divorce was finalized, Dexter was given custody of Christine partly because of Jean’s infidelity during the marriage and also because he claimed she put her partying lifestyle ahead of the needs of her daughter. Dexter denied Jean the right to see her daughter many times. It’s also been said that Dexter threatened Jean, saying he could make it to where she would never see her daughter again. Jean took him to court and after a long custody battle, Jean won custody of Christine in 1948. The judge had ruled that Jean’s questionable behavior was in the past and that the little girl’s place was with her mother.

On October 7, 1949, Spangler left her home in Los Angeles where she lived with her mother and daughter at about 5 pm. Spangler’s mother was out of town at the time visiting family. Spangler left her daughter in the care of her sister-in-law, Sophie, and told her that she was going to meet with Dexter to talk about a late child support payment and then she was going to do work on a movie set.

A clerk at a store near Jean’s home is the last person believed to have seen her. The clerk said that it appeared Jean was waiting for someone. There has been no confirmed sightings of her since.

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AMY ARCHER-GILLIGAN: Murder at the Nursing Home

“Sister” Amy Duggan Archer-Gilligan was born in Milton, Connecticut on October 31, 1873. She was somewhat of a pioneer in the care of the elderly. During her time, not many nursing homes existed because up until then it was considered the family’s obligation to care for their loved ones. She was the owner of “Sister Amy’s Nursing Home for the Elderly,” and later, “Archer Home for the Elderly and Infirm.” Pioneer she may have been, but these are no nursing homes where you would have wanted to send your loved ones. “Sister” Amy was later proven to have murdered at least five people, though that number is likely much higher.

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6 Year Old Tried for Murder

In Paintsville, a small eastern coal-mining town in Kentucky, Carl Newton Mahan became the youngest person ever tried for murder.

On May 18, 1929 Carl, age 6 and his friend Cecil Van Hoose, age 8, found a scrap of iron that they planned to sell to a junk dealer for a little extra money. Cecil took the scrap from Carl and hit him in the face with it. Carl got his revenge by running home and grabbing his father’s 12 gauge shotgun. He ran back to Cecil, pointed the gun at him and yelled “I’m going to shoot you!” And he did, killing the boy.

He was tried for murder, and got up on the stand to tell the court what happened. For the rest of the day long trial he sometimes laid and slept on the defense table. After 30 minutes of deliberation, the jury decided that manslaughter was more fitting in this case. Carl was sentenced to 15 years at a reform school and released to his parents on $500 bail.

A circuit judge issued a “writ of prohibition” that kept the boy from being sent to reform school because it was against procedure to try a person of that age in front of a jury so the jury had no authority to convict. Ultimately Carl was just sent home.

This is all I’ve been able to find on this case, but I’m very curious as what kind of life Carl Mahan lived after the trial.

Serial Killer H.H. Holmes and his Famous Murder Castle

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was born May 16, 1861 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. He was one of the first recorded American serial killers.

Mudgett had a difficult childhood, growing up with a violent alcoholic father. His mother was a devout Methodist who read the Bible to him. He claimed that, as a child, once his classmates discovered he was afraid of the local doctor they forced him to look at and touch a human skeleton. The bullies just wanted to scare him, but some believe that instead this is where his fascination and obsession with death started.

In June of 1884 Mudgett graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. While attending school he stole bodies from the laboratory, disfigured them and then claimed the people were killed accidentally so he could collect insurance money from policies he took out on each deceased person.

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Frankie Silver Murders Husband in 1831

Frances “Frankie” Silver was born in 1815. She was hung in Morganton North Carolina on July 12, 1833 for killing and dimembering her husband, Charlie Silver. She was only 18 years old at the time of her death.

Frankie married Charlie at the age of 14. A year later she gave birth to their daughter, Nancy. The couple’s happiness did not last for long, however. Charlie began drinking heavily and abusing Frankie.

Just days before Christmas of 1831 Frankie reported her husband missing after he did not return from a hunting trip. Many people residing in Mitchell County helped search for Charlie, but they never found any sign of him. Finally, Jack Cullis who was a local hunter, discovered burnt human remains in the fireplace at the Silver’s cabin in the mountains. There were more body parts found around the property, including underneath the cabin’s floor.

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The Lawson Family Murder: A whole Household Lost

Lawson Family photo taken just hours before the murders.Top Row: Arthur, Marie, Charles, Fannie, Mary Lou.Bottom Row: James, Maybell, Raymond, Carrie. — Lawson Family photo taken just hours before the murders.
Top Row: Arthur, Marie, Charles, Fannie, Mary Lou.
Bottom Row: James, Maybell, Raymond, Carrie.

Charles Davis Lawson was a tobacco farmer from Stokes County North Carolina. The Lawson family owned a farm on Brook Cove Road near Germantown. He lived there with his wife, Fannie (37), and their seven children:

Marie (17)

Arthur (16)

Carrie (12)

Maybell (7)

James (4)

Raymond (2)

Mary Lou (4 months)

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