5 Creepy Houses and the Horrific Stories Behind them

It’s almost Halloween and what better way to get in the spirit than to read about these creepy houses and the terrifying things that happened there. Even better, many of these houses are reportedly haunted and have their own ghost stories.

1. The Chop-Chop House in Boise, Idaho

The “Chop-Chop” house is located at 805 W Linden Street in Boise, Idaho. It got it’s nickname from the horrible murder that took place there on June 30, 1987.

creepy houses: Chop Chop house Boise, Idaho — Chop-Chop House: Boise, Idaho

On this summer night, Daron Cox, Daniel Rodgers, and Preston Murr had been hanging out together. Recently, someone had stolen guns from Rodgers. The three men were out driving around looking for the person they believed had taken them.

Around midnight, the three of them returned to the house at 805 W Linden Street. An argument broke out between them, though it’s unclear what the disagreement had been about. Murr ended up being shot in the shoulder, but was able to escape. He ran to a neighboring house for help. He banged on the neighbor’s door, but no one answered.

The next morning, the neighbor called the police when he noticed blood on his front door. When the police arrived, they also noticed a trail of blood on the street leading to house 805. This was enough for them to be able to obtain a search warrant for the house.

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Jane Toppan, An Unusual Type of Female Serial Killer

“Jolly” Jane Toppan was quoted as saying that her goal in life was “to have killed more people—helpless people—than any other man or woman who ever lived.” Her career as a nurse gave her the perfect opportunity to carry out that mission. She had access to drugs that were lethal if given at wrong dosages and elderly patients, whose deaths may not raise much suspicion. Eventually “Jolly” Jane became too enthusiastic with her killings, murdering four members of a family she was supposed to be caring for, causing authorities to take notice.

When she was arrested, she claimed to have killed as many as 31 people, though only 12 were proven to have been connected to her. What made Jane Toppan’s case unusual is her motive. The majority of female serial killers commit their murders for financial gain, maybe even for attention, but not “Jolly” Jane. She did it for the sexual thrill she gained from holding and caressing them as they died.

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The Strange disappearance of Joan Risch Remains a Mystery

“Mommy is gone and the kitchen is covered in red paint,” four-year-old Lillian Risch tells her neighbor. This starts the search for 31 year old, Joan Risch of Lincoln, Massachusetts on October 14,1961. Despite many bizarre sightings around the time she went missing, we’re none the wiser to what happened to Mrs. Risch 57 years ago.

Who was Joan Risch?

Life started out tragically for Joan Risch, born Joan Carolyn Bard, in 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of nine, her family moved to New Jersey, and shortly after tragedy struck. One day while Joan was in school, her family’s home caught on fire and sadly her parents didn’t survive. She was sent to live with an aunt and uncle whom she barely knew. She found it difficult to adjust, but still managed to do well in school and go on to get an English literature degree from Wilson College in Pennsylvania. After graduating, Joan worked in publishing, first as a secretary, then worked her way up to editorial assistant. In 1956 Joan married Martin Risch and eventually left her job to stay home with their two children, David and Lillian. In April 1961, the Risch family moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts. Later that same year Joan would disappear.

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