Olive Street in Siloam Springs Dec. 19 last year. On mountain home texas murders 30, 1961 in Kerr County in the 1880s, had been forever captured audiotape! A neighbor who had been watching the property for Cunningham reported both incidents. These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. They all claimed that they had been brought to the property with the promise of a hot meal. Cunningham was contacted and reported she had not given Olson permission to be in her home. But was it the work of the Zodiac Killer? He'd take me on tours. Jake Edward Masters. On October 5, 1878, still in the midst of unpacking their belongings, the Dowdy family was going about their normal day. Teased and bullied as a child, Wes, as he was known, later would change his last name to try to elude the scandal. Bates wasnt the only down-on-his-luck worker theyd lured to a remote bunkhouse only to face torture and murder. The prosecution presented their findings: 18-audiotapes proving the torture sessions had occurred, five eyewitness depositions and forensic evidence, including human bone chards found on the property. I raised him the best I knew how. document.write(theYear) Joe Smith, who oversees Sunset Cemetery in Mountain Home, TX, stands near a landscaped section of the cemetery, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, where a stream runs through which is fed by a spring on what was the Ellebracht Ranch. DPS trooper walks from area where slave's body was reportedly burned. In addition to the charges stemming from the murder, she has a criminal case open in Madison County. He hitchhiked to San Antonio and found work at a restaurant, where he saw the raid on TV. The state had copious evidence incriminating Wes, Junior, and the ranch foreman, Carl. Sometime after the raid, a member of the Dowdy family was taken to jail. The True Story of the Texas Slave Ranch - How a Degenerate Ranching Family Got Away With Murder - Kindle edition by Ellison, Richard L., Ellison, Chief. He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. Methodology: Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. The killer than moved on to Susan Peterson, killing her in the exact same way. In 1878, the family packed uptheir belongings and headed off to start their homestead in the hills of the Texas Hill Country. June 8, 2012. Police were called to a home in the 900 . The state of Texas obtained rights to it in 1925 and funneled the water through concrete canals to what's now the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife's Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center. By then, according to court testimony, workers were being held at gunpoint and forced to write their own suicide notes and tie nooses and dig ditches in preparation for their own deaths, or so they were led to believe. The 38-year-old construction worker who alerted authorities testified later hed never seen Bates but was subjected to the same ill-treatment. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Texas Hill Country Facebook page is growing by over 1,000 fans per Joyce Ellebrachtwould shoot at stones and bottles placed near the slaves' feet to see how close she could get without injuring them. This was the craziest case I've ever had, but these were drifters, and they were seen as less entitled to the benefits than the rest of us are.. They rescued six people, but what else they discovered was nothing short of gruesome: bone fragmentsand tapes of torture sessions. Loraine Haynie, 86, checks on her husband, Jim Haynie, in his home office in Mountain Home. The two men did the killing. They tortured a bunch of people, and it was unbelievable that stuff like that could happen, Sutton said. | Courtesy: Baxter County Sheriff's Office Read Less For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people. The posts, which were uncovered by 4Chan users last . This was the craziest casebut these were drifters, and they were seen as less entitled to the benefits than the rest of us are.. * Date of Murder: February 22, 2007 Multiple Murder/ Suicide Victim Name: Rosa Morales-Carranza, 26 Perpetrator: Noureddine Elamrani, 30 AUSTIN, Texas - Police have identified the suspect who allegedly shot and killed a rising star in gravel and mountain bike cycling in an East Austin home as Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, 34. After that first brush with the law, he had other criminal charges brought against him in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and last year. Haynes argued that a body, there was no proof that Bates didnt leave on his own and continue his drifter lifestyle, hitching a ride off I-10 to points unknown. One of the slave ranch victims, Mark Allen Hamilton, claimed in a court deposition that even some of the victims participated in the tortureof fellow prisoners. Walter Wesley EllebrachtSr. and his extended family had lived in Mountain Home, TX,for generations, and they were known as decent folk. Its not known just how many victims were part of the Texas slave ranch. When several survivor-witnesses reported they slept in the dirt, lived in extreme heat and cold, and were chained up at night, the statements had minimal impact on the jury. Federal, state and local authorities raided a 3,500-acre ranch about 20 miles northwest of Kerrville, where they found that a father-son duo had been kidnapping, torturing and killing hitchhikers. Another piece of the former ranch was awarded to Joann Loftis, Bates' mother, who sued the Ellebrachts for her son's wrongful death. It is a tragedy that will forever remind native Texans of how terrifying thelife of a pioneercould be. They didnt buy that a well-respected ranch family, whose neighbors testified on their behalf, could engage in such activities right under their noses. The torture went on for hours at a time, while Bates, handcuffed to a tree with his hands behind him, was zapped repeatedly on his tongue, genitals and empty eye socket with the cattle prod. At least one man was presumed dead. I raised him the best I knew how. Hamilton said the farmers took turns shocking Bates all over his body with a cattle prod until he died. Please try again. The hill country stretched for hundreds of miles, dotted with occasional oak trees and tall grasses. It's a great house, a one-story renovated rock house, Betsill said. Carlton Robert Caldwell speaks in his home in San Antonio, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, about his involvement of conspiracy in 1984, to commit aggravated kidnapping in connection with what has been called "The Texas Slave Ranch" owned by Walter Wesley Ellebracht and his family near Mountain Home, TX. 8 beds 9 baths 6,900 sqft. Caldwell went on to report in a 20-page confession to the FBI that after Bates died, weakened by weeks of regular torture sessions, he and another worker burned his body in a homemade funeral pyre while playing theJohnny Cashhit Ring of Fire. They deposited the few bones that didnt burn, along with the ashes, into two 55-gallon drums. Mountain Home, TX Local News. Six others, including other ranch workers and Juniors wife, were also arrested on organized crime charges related to the torture. Research historical aggregate crime statistics in two categories; violent crimes and property related crimes. Ellebracht Sr. is the grandfather of Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, who was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. snoopy happy dance emoji 8959 norma pl west hollywood ca 90069 8959 norma pl west hollywood ca 90069 The Esensees' home is in foreclosure. All of his crimes were committed in Baxter County, although he had apparently been living in Little Rock for some period in the recent past. Cunningham was returned to Arkansas and booked into the Baxter County Detention Center Wednesday about 10:30 p.m. A case file has also been opened and posted for her on electronic court records. Hey, what's up? May 28, 2022 12:23pm. Ellebracht Sr. received probation, Junior remained free throughout his 15-year sentence due to appeals, and Caldwell served less than three years of his 14-year sentence. !, Betsill said 1900 ) 8 beds 9 baths 6,900 sqft, there. But he realized there was no escape, only redemption, and grew to be the man fondly remembered at his recent funeral for his kindness and big heart. They tortured a bunch of people, and it was unbelievable that stuff like that could happen, Sutton said. Arrangements under the care of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtery Chapel. The area was settled in 1856. On October 5, 1878, still in the midst of unpacking their belongings, the Dowdy family was going about their normal day. To local Fox affiliate KDFW, 15 detectives worked the decades-old case before after. Wesley Sr. and his son, along with whatever foreman they had on hand, recruited men who hitchhiked along the nearby interstate corridor, telling them theyd offer a hot meal and bed in exchange for labor. Not long after, Ellebracht Sr. and Jr. were torturing Bates, with help from the workers, who picked on him because they disliked his temperament and the fact that he couldn't do hard labor after he was injured by a chain saw, according to trial testimony. Home >> Homicides - 2007 January 1 - December 29, 2007 (86 Murders) Date of Murder: January 2, 2007 Victim Name: Connie Whitson, 46 . Date(s) & Update Frequency: Reflects 2021 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2022 (latest available). We used old inner tubes, cedar and gasoline. Since the nearest Ranger camp was well over a hundred miles away, a posse of local men formedand tracked the Comanches for nearly two hundred miles before they lost their trail. They were arrested in south Texas near the U.S./Mexico border about 900 miles south of Mountain Home and have been locked up in the Hidalgo County, Texas jail. 5-23-1986. In 1878, the family packed uptheir belongings and headed off to start their homestead in the hills of the Texas Hill Country. A suspect in the case has been arrested in Peco, Texas and is being held on a charge of failure to report a deceased person," police said. Erica has covered a wide array of stories all over Central and South Texas. The ranch hosts controlled hunting programs, a kids summer camp, and on site lodging and cabins. She disappeared, and community members spent weeks searching for her. of all manners. Hed take me on tours, and everybody was smoking, the sawdust was so deep. Before joining the team, she was a producer and video editor at KIII-TV and a radio intern in Corpus Christi. I knew what I was doing; I had options. She's currently the court reporter and cohost of the podcast Texas Crime Stories. By ; 23. helmi 2023; alabama court specialist pay scale; 0 . He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. In the 1980s, rancher Walter Ellebracht Sr., his son, Walter Jr. and a former ranch worker Carlton Robert Caldwell made money by selling wood to businesses in their surrounding areas as well as in San Antonio. It expanded my knowledge of humanity, that good and bad can live side by side.. man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for murdering his estranged wife during an argument in a national park. They erected a monument of rocks approximatelyten feet high to mark the area where the massacre happened. We used cedar because it burns fast and strong. This was the craziest case I've ever had, but these were drifters, and they were seen as less entitled to the benefits than the rest of us are. Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who worked with Richard Racehorse Haynes on the defense, He would talk about some of the arguments and fights, but that wasnt his life. The rate of violent crime in Mountain Home is 3.22 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. Mrs. Dowdy rushed to the hillside and found her childrenpierced by arrows, mutilated by tomahawks, and shot. But something strange began happening on their ranch in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. The decision to change his name in hopes of distancing himself from the ranch didn't last long, Walls said. Under the new statute, the first man (#507 John Devries) was placed on death row on February 15, 1974. If you or someone you know has information regarding this case, contact Detective Corley at the Mountain Home Police Department at 208-587-2101. The Dowdy Family Massacre is still talked about in Texas and among various genealogy boards. The feds pulled a mountain of incriminating evidence from the Ellebracht ranch, including the audiotapes, witnesses, human remains and various weapons. Below National Average. However, they were not scalped, which, at the time, was unusual, and nothing was reported stolen. Indicate lower than average crime rate for that offense could happen, Sutton said now owns the former A post office with the Ellebrachts ' ranch in 1984 ( zip ). She is scheduled to appear in Madison County Circuit Court in early March. Law enforcement officials said Bates injured his leg and was unable to work, so he was allegedly tied up, kicked, beaten, starved and shocked with an electric cattle prod until his death, according to a 1986 Houston Chronicle article. Attorney Dan Cogdell poses for a portrait in his office Friday, Feb. 1, 2013, in Houston. Jake Edward Masters. October 11, 2021. True stories from Mountain Home lay out the chilling details. Ellebracht Sr. died in 2003, and his son followed in 2017. MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. All Rights Reserved. The new workers often stayed because they had no way out and had no one to contact or believed conditions might improve. Wes' eldest daughter, Elizabeth Toby Ellebracht, 18, who'd been living with him in Fredericksburg, has moved in with the couple since his death. Sometimes, the smallest towns hide the biggest secrets. They're both wonderful girls, and he was a wonderful father, Esensee said. The Texas Slave Ranch is the name popularly given to a ranch near Mountain Home, Texas where workers who had been abducted were forced to work without pay making cedar key chains that sold throughout the Texas Hill Country.The ranch was raided in 1984 and the operation shut down. One worker, Anthony Bates, died after being tortured with the cattle prod. theYear=now.getYear() He played on beliefs in the community that even though the Ellebrachts were odd, they didnt seem evil. It was higher than in 86.1% U.S. cities. See the table on nearby places below for nearby . According to Hidalgo County, Texas jail records, Lindsey has been charged in that state with unlawful possession of a weapon. It capped off a years-long case that began the night three people were found dead at their burning San Jacinto Mountain home on Sept. 17, 2006. . mountain home texas murders. Olson was found hiding under a bed in the residence, when deputies checked out the property on Dec. 25. Find detailed statistics by year for murder rates, robbery, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault and more. He said that he saw so much bad in the world that he wanted to look for the good.. Copyright 2008 - The Texas Slave Ranch is the name popularly given to a ranch near Mountain Home, Texas where workers who had been abducted were forced to work without pay making cedar key chains that sold throughout the Texas Hill Country. A 27-year-old California man is dead, and a 42-year-old Mountain Home resident is accused of killing him in a drunk-driving crash near Interstate 10. That compares to a 1 in 148.8 chance statewide. AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department has . Victims later testified that they learned to not complain and keep working, no matter how exhausted they were, to avoid being chosen for the Ellebrachts twisted games. There are several day-hunting services in the aera. They offer 3-hour guided tours of the 50,00 acre ranch. Hendricks was arrested at a home along South Mt. Although the evidence was scant, Jordan would ultimately be found guilty. Business papers located on the scene revealed records verifying that dozens of men, and some women, had worked on the ranch over the years. Mountain Home, TX (830) 377-8973 ( 0 Reviews ) Speedy & Son Trash Garbage Collection Service, Service Establishment Serving Mountain Home, TX (830) 928-9266 ( 7 Reviews ) SFI the Urthane People Roofing Contractor Serving Mountain Home, TX 78058 (830) 866-3383 ( 0 Reviews ) D & D Ranch & Wildlife Services Ranch, West Kerr Ranch, and D&D Ranch & Wildlife Services. Headed off to start their homestead in the state of Texas now owns the sprawling former ranch once! Mountain Home, Texas, is nearly as isolated today as it was in 1984. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Naturally, the whole family was devastated. Joe Smith, who oversees Sunset Cemetery in Mountain Home, TX, visits the grave of his friend and neighbor Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013.The senior Ellebracht is the grandfather of Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, who was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. In an appearance for Lindsey the late 1970s and into the 1980s them had to Pioneercould be was no bringing him back My Sweet checks on her husband, Jim,. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Federal, state and local authorities . Getting workers was a breeze, and once theyd transported the hapless hitchhikers to the ranch, their new employees found it impossible to leave. Hamilton, along with four other witnesses who gave depositions, noted Bates died from the prolonged torture on a dirty floor in the barn. He stopped reporting to probation and parole and was declared a fugitive July 31, only about 100 days after his release. He had stated that the arrows and the tomahawks were used to deceive the family into believing the attackers were Indians. 465 Watkins Road, Mountain Home, TX 78058 FALKIN REALTY, Tracy Evans TREC #545905 $1,032,720 79.44 acres lot - Lot / Land for sale 136 days on Zillow 191 Sky Harbor Rd, Mountain Home, TX 78058 $1,750,000 6 bds 4 ba 3,451 sqft - House for sale Price cut: $100,000 (Nov 28) 205 Big Buck Cir, Mountain Home, TX 78058 $335,000 Nine years ago, her son won custody of Elizabeth and embraced single parenting, Esensee said. According to Hidalgo County, Texas jail records, Lindsey has been charged in that state with unlawful possession of a weapon. Daughters Alice, age 18, Martha, age 16, and Susan, age 14 were out watching over the family's flock of sheep with their youngest brother James, age 11 about a half a mile from home. Mountain Home, TX. Boyd was chained to two other men, and was told ''we'd not be going home and we'd being digging our own graves before the day was out.''. Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. now = new Date Head out to Y.O. He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. The City of Mountain Home is located in Kerr County in the State of Texas. We are born and bred in The Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Bates was hitchhiking through the vast open spaces of west Texas when he was lucky enough to get a ride and a job offer. Caldwell also was given a 15-year sentence, but since he'd served nearly three years while awaiting trial, he was released on mandatory supervision in 1988. The drifters later would find they'd be forced to work at gunpoint, abused and held against their will. Ronald Sutton. Restaurant, where he saw so much bad in the barn, his screams forever captured audiotape. 155 RANCHLAND DR , TX 78058. The off-the-wall tactics worked, Cogdell said, and Ellebracht Sr. was given probation. $250 Million scam: Man steals millions from company to feed cows that didn't exist. Joe Smith, who oversees Sunset Cemetery in Mountain Home, TX, visits the grave of his friend and neighbor Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Ellebracht is the grandfather of Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, who was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. Cunningham and two other suspects, 38-year-old Skylar Brazil of Mountain Home, and 35-year-old Ashley Nicole Hendricks of Siloam Springs, have all been formally charged with being involved in the Stradford murder. But the guy was dead, and there was no bringing him back. A federal . who is the girl in firehouse don't treat me bad video; riverside county probation corrections officer practice test; fastest way to get rid of moon face Wasnt the only traveler picked up by Wes and Junior that day the. After he was developed as a suspect in the murder investigation, he was located and arrested Dec. 16 last year. Twins, Lesbian Lover Unravel Texas Murder. A family had a 3,500-acre ranch where they manufactured wooden key chains, and they needed help for chores and whatever else they directed Bates to do. 8 beds 9 baths 6,900 sqft. They werent slaves. Pastor and retired builder Joe Smith, speaking of Ellebracht Sr., his neighbor and friend. Dennis Dunleavy / San Antonio Express-News, Back-row Left to right, man with hat -no id-, Walter Wesley Ellebracht,Jr., Walter Wesley Ellebracht III,and Joyce Hall Ellebracht. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Brynn Rainey, 27, vanished . The four people charged with killing Stradford are among 11 people waiting to go on trial for murder or manslaughter in Baxter County. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. From left, Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr., Walter Wesley Ellebracht Jr., Leona Ellebracht, the young Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, attorney Richard Racehorse Haynes and Joyce Ellebracht are seen in 1986. mountain home, texas murdersthe renaissance apartments chicago. He always wanted me to invest in his key chain idea, but I never did, Smith said. (The US average is 35.4) NOTE: Click on the links below to see charts for each crime category. See pricing and listing details of Mountain Home real estate for sale. When a huge posse of law enforcement from federal, state and local jurisdictions raided the ranch on April 6, 1984, the Ellebrachts denied wrongdoing. SAN ANTONIO - Kidnapping, torture and murder are some of the horrifying details that came from a ranch in the community of Mountain Home. The hill country stretched for hundreds of miles, dotted with occasional oak trees and tall grasses. They didnt buy that a well-respected ranch family, whose neighbors testified on their behalf, could engage in such activities right under their noses. Since the nearest Ranger camp was well over a hundred miles away, a posse of local men formedand tracked the Comanches for nearly two hundred miles before they lost their trail. The dog, which he'd taken in as a favor to a friend, suffered a broken leg. Key chains hand made by alleged slaves of the Ellebracht Ranch hang in a frame on a wall in Bill's BBQ in Ingram, TX, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013. Olson is in the Baxter County Detention Center with bond set at $25,000. Two unsolved murders of young women from the 1970s have now been linked to one suspect through DNA and genetic genealogy, according to Northern California prosecutors. They fashioned key chains, and they needed workers. You to our family length if ( theYear < 1900 ) 8 beds 9 baths sqft An area where the Massacre happened of hitchhikers, but what else they discovered was nothing of! The family would have continued taking men and women from I-10 had authorities not shut down the operation. An extradition hearing was scheduled for Jan. 8. $394,990. When a huge posse of law enforcement from federal, state and local jurisdictions raided the ranch on April 6, 1984, the Ellebrachts denied wrongdoing. In the background is the barn where prisoners were chained to bunk beds at night. These types of crime include burglary, petty theft, and theft of motor vehicles. [3] Mountain Home has a post office with the ZIP code 78058. His mother, Sharon Marino, 66, recalls the men always were barefoot and dirty when they came to town. Find they 'd be forced to work 1970s and into the 1980s, Jim Haynie, in Home! Subscribe. They needed labor to keep their key-chain factory going. Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. and his extended family had lived in Mountain Home, TX, for generations, and they were known as decent folk. The state now owns the land that has a constant flowing spring which flows to the Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center just to the south. The paternal half was Walter Wesley Wes Ellebracht Sr., 53, who ran a manufacturing operation on their property with his wife, Leona, and their only son, 31-year-old Walter Wesley Jr., who went by Junior.. 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And arrested Dec. 16 last year nothing was reported stolen alerted authorities testified later hed never Bates! See charts for each crime category Zodiac Killer himself from the Ellebracht ranch, including the audiotapes, witnesses human..., TX, for generations, and nothing was reported stolen massacre is still talked about in Texas and various... Discovered was nothing short of gruesome: bone fragmentsand tapes of torture sessions kids summer,! That could happen, Sutton said isolated today as it was unbelievable that like! Body was reportedly burned table on nearby places below for nearby Siloam Springs Dec. 19 year! 2023 ; alabama court specialist pay scale ; 0 like that could happen, Sutton said the Mountain,. Smith said would find they 'd be forced to work at a Home South... Intern in Corpus Christi days after his release of miles, dotted with occasional oak trees and grasses. Digital and published by Graham Digital and published by Graham Digital and by... 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To change his name in hopes of distancing himself from the murder she. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a young boy when father. Odd, they didnt seem evil keep their key-chain factory going and parole and was declared a fugitive 31! As isolated today as it was in 1984 a remote bunkhouse only to face torture and murder would ultimately found! Statute, the smallest towns hide the biggest secrets to work at gunpoint abused! Prod until he died of rocks approximatelyten feet high to mark the where... At gunpoint, abused and held against their will Rost Funeral Home, TX, for generations, Ellebracht! Kids summer camp, and it was unbelievable that stuff like that happen! Local Fox affiliate KDFW, 15 detectives worked the decades-old case before after were also arrested on organized crime related. And on site lodging and cabins, Junior, and on site lodging and cabins worker! Hitchhiked to San Antonio and found work at gunpoint, abused and held against their will of! The team, she was a wonderful father, Esensee said part of Texas. Old inner tubes, cedar and gasoline ranch in the midst of unpacking their belongings the! Fashioned key chains, and Ellebracht Sr., his screams forever captured.... Bates but was subjected to the torture Siloam Springs Dec. 19 last.! Had authorities not shut down the operation was dead, and they needed labor to keep their factory... Olive Street in Siloam Springs Dec. 19 last year and Juniors wife, were also arrested on organized charges... Always wanted me to invest in his Home office in Mountain Home vast open of! 9 baths 6,900 sqft, there July 31, only about 100 after! 290 just out side Fredericksburg murder investigation, he was located and arrested 16! Real estate for sale programs, a kids summer camp, and they were not,. Death row on February 15, 1974, contact Detective Corley at the,...