It’s true crime time again on the show, kids, and today we’re discussing a particularly gruesome and infamous series of unsolved murders that also makes an appearance in Jenny’s brand new book, The Faceless Villain. The Cleveland Torso Murders were exactly what they claim on the tin: they happened in Cleveland in the 1930s, and most of the victims were found in varying states of grisly dismemberment. Many of the victims were never even identified, and the killer never was either, so hopefully that makes you sleep better at night. Gird your loins or other appropriate anatomy, because this one’s a tad icky, and if you’re watching on YouTube, I’ll slap a GROSS PHOTO WARNING right down here. Try to keep all your limbs attached as you settle in for episode 60 of 13 O’Clock.
Also, if you have a TRUE creepy story that happened to you or someone you know (it doesn’t have to be paranormal, just scary), please email it to me at gravecake@gmail.com and we might feature it on our special Halloween episode!
Jenny Ashford is a horror, true crime, and paranormal writer, graphic designer, and podcaster. Her most recent books are a three-volume true crime compilation collectively known as The Faceless Villain: A Collection of the Eeriest Unsolved Murders of the Twentieth Century. Volume One was published in 2017, Volume Two in 2018, and Volume Three in 2019.
Her other books include four paranormal nonfiction books: The Unseen Hand: A New Exploration of Poltergeist Phenomena, The Mammoth Mountain Poltergeist (with Tom Ross), House of Fire and Whispers: Investigating the Seattle Demon House, and The Rochdale Poltergeist (both with Steve Mera); as well as three horror novels, Red Menace, Bellwether, and The Five Poisons; two short story collections, Hopeful Monsters and The Associated Villainies; and a graphic novel, The Tenebrist. A second edition of The Associated Villainies was published in 2019, featuring four new stories, an enhanced print layout, and an audio book version. A second edition of The Five Poisons was published in 2020.
Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, including The Nightmare Collective, History Is Dead, 2012AD, ChimeraWorld #3, and ChimeraWorld #4. Her horror blog, Goddess of Hellfire, contains writing news, short stories and articles, and her reviews and opinions on horror films and books.
She also co-hosts a podcast with Tom Ross called 13 O'Clock, on which they discuss true crime, unexplained mysteries, paranormal weirdness, horror movies and books, food, and other fun, creepy topics. They recently collaborated on a 13 O'Clock cookbook.
Jenny's graphic design work can be seen on everything from books and business cards to posters and packaging. She runs an online store called Gravecake selling products with her designs, and also has a board-and-card game concern called Giallo Games, which produces games based around the beloved Italian horror/crime genre, among many other themes.
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