It’s almost Halloween and spooky season is in full swing! Let’s bring the spooky to the area we all know: Ohio. Here are five serial killers you didn’t know had ties to Ohio, just in time for Halloween.
- Donald Harvey
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At the beginning of the 1950s, Harvey began working at Marymount Hospital in Garfield Heights, Ohio (which is now a Cleveland Clinic hospital). He first began killing patients to “ease their pain.” After a short time at Marymount and getting fired for stealing medical equipment, Harvey moved to the Veterans Administration Medical Centre where he continued to kill 18 more patients. On his last spree, he moved to Cincinnati Drake Memorial Hospital, eventually getting a hearing in Toledo. Harvey called himself the “Angel of Death” because he would kill his hospital patients. If you would like to learn more about Harvey’s case, click here.
- Ed Edwards
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Talking about Ed Edwards is hard because not only is his case confusing, but there is still so much information missing! Edwards was born in Akron, Ohio and although he moved across the country for many years, he always made his way back to his home roots. At a young age, Edwards was a witness to his mother committing suicide, sending him to an orphanage in Parma. Edwards was convicted of many crimes in his early teens and was sent to prison in Akron multiple times. Once released, he began to write a book called “Metamorphosis of a Criminal” talking about his evolution into a good person. Edwards has only been charged with murdering five people, including two in Ohio, but is believed to have killed many more. If you would like to read more about his case, click here.
- Ariel Castro
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A Puerto Rico native, Castro moved to Cleveland, Ohio at a young age. In 2002, Castro started kidnaping young girls in Cleveland and by 2014 had kidnaped and held three young girls hostage. He held Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus chained in his basement, while he continued to live his everyday life. In 2013, Amanda Berry escaped the basement and got authorities to arrest Castro. Castro was charged with these kidnappings, but also murder and rape. Read more about it here.
- Jeffrey Dahmer
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Although he was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jeffrey Dahmer moved to Bath, Ohio as a young child. Dahmer would take dead animal heads and hide them in his backyard, and as a teen attended Ohio University. Dahmer killed his first victim in Bath, Ohio. Across his killing spree, Dahmer murdered 17 men. Read more about it here.
- Cleveland Torso Murderer
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In the early 1950s, there was a serial killer on the loose identified as the Cleveland Torso Murderer. This killer caused fear in Youngstown and Cleveland. Most victims were never identified, and the killer has never been caught. The killer murdered 40 people in the cities of Cleveland and Youngstown. They believe the killer was a male, but there are no further suspects. Read more about it here.