Annihilator: America's First Serial Killer

About this episode

The episode explores the chilling unsolved murders in Austin, Texas, attributed to America's first serial killer before the term was even coined.

Before Jack the Ripper ever stepped foot in London's East End, a killer was already prowling the unpaved streets of Austin, Texas — and no one knew what to call him, because the concept of a serial killer hadn't been invented yet. Between December 1884 and Christmas Eve 1885, eight people were murdered in their beds, dragged outside, and mutilated in what would become America's most chilling unsolved cold case. The victims — Mollie Smith, Eliza Shelley, Irene Cross, Mary Ramey, Orange Washington, Gracie Vance, Susan Hancock, and Eula Phillips — were mostly young Black women employed as domestic servants, their lives violently cut short while a panicked city demanded answers that never came. Follow us: linktr.ee/triggeredthepodcast Make sure to follow us on social media and check out everywhere you can listen at linktr.ee/triggeredthepodcast Contact us at triggeredthepodcast.444@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Chantal, Ashley

Topics covered

• serial killer
• true crime
• unsolved case
• historical crime
• Austin Texas
• murder victims

Keywords

• serial killer
• true crime
• Austin
• unsolved murders
• historical crime
• murder victims
• cold case

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Annihilator: America's First Serial Killer

Places: Austin, Texas

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