The devil’s trailer Part 3

Sorcery room

Interviews with Monica Lemen’s family and friends led investigators to a mobile home in Fairfield, Ohio.  Based on these interviews, detectives put a search warrant together and served the warrant on Wednesday, February 18 at a residence located in the Debbie Mobile Home Park, 124 Sammy Drive.  The trailer belonged to John Fryman, 24, who, according to Lemen’s friends, had been seen in the company of the young woman.  It was reported by those who knew the pair that the two shared an interest in the occult.  Police serving the warrant were taken aback at the scene they discovered.  “In one of the bedrooms, the walls, the ceilings, the floor, everything is painted black,” Fairfield Police Detective Eddie Roberts told reporters.  “He’s got a table made like a podium and on top of the podium is a granite headstone.  There are all kinds of black candles.  There’s a name on the headstone and it’s a legitimate headstone.”  Roberts also noted that satanic literature was found in the trailer.  Investigators discovered red stains that had been smeared on the floor of the room, a room they described as a satanic worship area.  Detectives speculated the stains could be blood and that an effort had been made to clean up the area.  Hoping to determine whether a crime had been committed at the location, evidence gathered at the scene was sent to the Hamilton County Forensics Lab for testing.  Other items seized during the search included a ceramic goat’s head, nine figurines, a book of magic and an animal’s jawbone.  Police searched for a circular power saw but were unable to find one.  They did, however, retrieve a butcher knife, a handsaw and a hacksaw.  

Investigators were adamant in their belief that Monica Lemen was not killed as part of a satanic ritual.  But there can be no doubt that occult involvement on the part of both Lemen and Fryman is what led friends and family members to suspect Fryman, and formed much of the basis for the search of his trailer.  According to the search warrant application, a friend of Lemen’s said Lemen told her Fryman had threatened to kill Lemen the previous November after a satanic rite performed in his mobile home.  The application states Lemen told the friend she “witnessed (Fryman) kill an owl during a satanic ritual in which he drained the blood on a sacrificial altar.  When Monica protested, he stated he could kill her, dismember her and paint the walls with her blood if she ever made him mad.  Monica told (the friend) that if anything ever happened to her John Fryman would be responsible.”  The search warrant application also stated that Fryman’s parents told police their son was a devil worshiper.

Despite this information, investigators continued to deny a link between Fryman’s apparent occult interests and the death of Monica Lemen.  “We’re not going to guess on motives.  There’s no evidence that any satanic ritual was involved in this homicide,” said Lt. William Fletcher, chief of the Cincinnati police homicide squad.  However, behind the denials to the press, investigators were taking seriously the apparent connections to the occult.  Officials in Indiana, where the severed legs were discovered, had been investigating occult activity in the area for the previous two years.  Reports of mutilated animals in fields, dead animals hung upside down in trees and pentagrams painted on road signs had been given by local conservation officers among others, according to Fayette County Sheriff George Zimmerman.  However, investigation into the incidents failed to make any connection to satanists.  “We’ve been doing some checking, but we haven’t been able to put our finger on anything,” said Zimmerman.  “We can’t find out where they’re having meetings.”  Additionally, investigators interviewed a parapsychologist and demonology researcher to see if any connections could be drawn between the severed legs and the items discovered in Fryman’s trailer.  Parapsychologist and witchcraft researcher Tim Patrie was skeptical that the trailer was home to “a dedicated satanist,” but rather the occupant probably had an interest in demonology.  “A lot of people claim to be devil worshippers, but they don’t know what they’re doing.  You’re not going to find a true satanic church in a trailer court,” said Patrie.  Patrie did say, however, that he believed a true coven of 13 satanists was operating in the area where the legs were discovered, adding that the satanists tend to practice their rituals in remote areas away from their homes and mark their territory with satanic symbols on road signs.            

Even as Fryman eluded authorities, a clearer picture was beginning to develop concerning the strange occupant of 124 Sammy Drive.  Neighbors at the Debbie Mobile Home Park described Fryman and his live-in girlfriend, Beverly Cox, as friendly and approachable, but hadn’t seen the pair for a week and had never noticed anything unusual at the location.  According to police, Fryman’s parents were divorced and the young man “floated around Cincinnati,” staying with one or the other parent.  “We think he attended Mount Healthy High School, but quit,” said Detective Roberts.  Reporters learned that Fryman had worked as an orderly at Cottingham Retirement Community in Sharonville, but walked off the job the previous November.  “He was always very attentive to residents’ needs,” said the executive director.  But Fryman also had a troubled past.  Until May 1986, he had resided at the Lebanon Correctional Facility where he served a five to fifteen year sentence for three counts of robbery.  He was paroled after just three years.  Lebanon visitation records show that Fryman was mostly visited by family members.  However, one other individual signed in five times to chat with the budding occultist.  That person was Monica Lemen.

Sources:

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dayton Daily News

The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis News

The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana)

The Brookville Democrat

Franklin County Historical Society

The devil’s trailer Part 2

Severed Legs

There could be no doubt that a sinister force had announced its presence that Valentine’s Day afternoon 1987.  The fact that it chose Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church to reveal itself was an indication it intended to mock a gathering place of life, joy and family with its offensive brand of gruesome handiwork.  The additional fact that it seemed to taunt the community by offering only the dismembered legs of the victim, making identification nearly impossible, was proof this evil desired to inflict maximum horror and anguish on the community for as long as possible.  State and local law enforcement wasted no time gathering available facts and casting a wide net in hopes of quickly capturing the elusive evil. 

Aside from the presence of the severed legs, the rest of the scene appeared mostly undisturbed.  The legs lay about thirty feet apart in a wooded area near an embankment off of U.S. 52, about two miles southeast of Brookville, Indiana.  Investigators revealed the legs were those of a white female and were severed about eight inches above the knee.  They were clad in blue jean pant legs, with the feet and lower part of the leg in red and white striped socks inside tan, suede cowboy boots size 8 ½.  “It is a pretty awful crime,” said Indiana State Police Cpl. Charlton R. Beard, “and right now, we don’t have lead one about it.”   

From the appearance of the scene and the lack of blood traces, investigators concluded the legs weren’t severed at the site but were transported there.  “It looks like someone just pulled off the road and threw them off an embankment.”  said Indiana State Police Detective Sgt. Philip E. Wietholter.  Authorities combed the area around Brookville, trying to uncover additional evidence or leads that might help them identify the victim.  Officers checked abandoned buildings and area motels.  They followed potential leads from local residents reporting suspicious looking cars in the area.  More than a dozen police officers fanned out across the countryside trying to track down clues, but an intensive search of the area along U.S. 52 between New Trenton and Brookville revealed no additional evidence.  

Plans were made to transfer the severed limbs from the state police post in Connersville, Indiana to the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis for a pathology examination.  Without the rest of the body, identifying the victim was going to be a hard task.  “Unless someone identifies the shoes or socks, it’s going to be a difficult situation,” Weitholter said.  Hoping the examination could determine where the victim’s boots were purchased, Detective Weitholter thought the information might lead to an id of the victim.  However, another sad but promising development had already begun to take shape.  The desperate parents of missing loved ones had been contacting local law enforcement agencies with information.  Some parents had even reported that their missing daughters may have been wearing a similar color and style of boots at the time of their disappearance.

While the medical examination did provide additional details regarding the victim, it failed to uncover information that would readily point to an identification.  According to Sgt. Reginald Brewer of the ISP, the examination revealed that the white female was between 20 and 30 years old.  She was approximately 5 foot 5 inches and weighed around 170 pounds, give or take 20 pounds.  Brewer said pathologists could not determine the color of the woman’s hair, or how long the woman had been dead.  However, investigators believed the legs had been present at the site for less than 48 hours.  Authorities surmised a very sharp object, such as a knife or a saw, had been used in the dismemberment, because it produced a clean cut.  Sounding a bit pessimistic, Det. Weitholter added, “There was no evidence of scars or deformities that would have made it easier to identify.”  

The search for the body of the young woman continued on Tuesday, February 17.  An air search had been planned for that day but had to be called off due to snowfall in the area.  It was around this time, however, that investigators caught a break.  The family members of a missing Cincinnati woman were able to identify the severed legs as belonging to Monica Denise Lemen, 21, who had been missing since February 9.  Family members recognized the socks and were able to identify distinct markings on the boots.  “They recognized the stains on her boots, the size is right, and they even told us where the boots were bought.  We checked the store, and the boots had their code on them,” said Detective Weitholter.  Lemen’s father had reported the young woman missing on February 10, after she failed to show up for work the previous day and had not returned home that night.  The worried parents called around to friends during the night, but no one knew of her whereabouts.  

Monica Lemen had been employed as a waitress at Busken Bakery in downtown Cincinnati, and had shared an apartment on First Ave. with her boyfriend, Dennis Whitt, who aided in the identification of the severed legs.  She had been a student at Cincinnati Technical College where she took management courses.  Co-workers at the bakery described her as quiet and dependable, and someone who aspired to make something more of herself.  A search of Dennis and Monica’s Price Hill apartment was conducted, but investigators discovered no evidence of foul play.  Dennis Whitt was never considered a suspect in Monica’s disappearance and apparent homicide.  However, investigators did focus on one person of interest in fairly short order.  According to Monica’s mother and friends, the young woman entertained an interest in the occult, and this interest had brought Monica into the orbit of a very dark character. 

Sources:

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dayton Daily News

The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis News

The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana)

The Brookville Democrat

Franklin County Historical Society

The devil’s trailer Part 1

A gruesome discovery

The Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church congregation was formed in 1806, not long after the Treaty of Greenville opened an area in the southeast of what would become the State of Indiana for settlement by European pioneers.  Lacking a permanent place of worship, the early residents of Franklin County would often meet in each other’s log cabins for services.  For five years the church community carried on like this, delaying the building of a permanent home for their church.  That is until 1811 when a not-so-subtle message was received by Little Cedar Grove’s dawdling congregants in the form of an earthquake that rocked the midwest.  According to a witness, the Rev. Allen Wiley, “The people ran to and fro, called for prayer meeting, exhorted each other to good deeds and repented of their sins as if Judgement Day was at hand.  Then they met in solemn conclave with the Almighty that if He would send no more earthquakes, they would build Him a church.”  So in short order they purchased land in Brookville Township, hired a carpenter and a mason, and set about building a sturdy little church made of brick, which has warded off comparable earthquakes ever since.  

The Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church held its inaugural meeting August 1, 1812.  The interior of the building contained a balcony accessible by two staircases.  A raised pulpit stood near the rear wall with a pastor’s bench behind it.  Wood pews faced the pulpit, and a charcoal pit in front of the pulpit was added in 1818 to heat the building.  It is not known if the congregants denied themselves heat for the first six years of the church’s existence as punishment for their procrastination, or if the church’s treasury simply lacked the funds for costly capital improvements like charcoal pits.  Additionally, at the northwest end of the property, a cemetery contained the graves of the original members of the congregation.  There a tombstone marked the final resting place of Elizabeth Tyner, who as the wife of the church’s first pastor, William Tyner, departed this life in 1810.  

On February 14, 1987, the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church was the site of a wedding.  Acquired by the Brookville Historical Society in 1910, and having undergone a number of repairs and renovations over the years, by 1987 the church had not been home to a permanent congregation for nearly a century, but instead had been used for special events.  On this Valentine’s Day Saturday, while the wedding party gathered inside the church, the children, presumably bored with the formality, wandered off to explore the grounds of the church and wooded area nearby.  Around 1:00 pm, while playing in the woods behind the church, the children made a gruesome discovery.  Among the snowy leaves and debris lay a pair of severed human legs.  Panicked, frightened and running to and fro, the frantic children hurried to alert the adults who followed them to the scene.  

In 1987, a destructive earthquake, while potentially devastating, would be an event wholly comprehensible to Cedar Grove residents.  Few would attribute such an event to their God expressing His anger over their lack of devotion.  Most would be able to maintain their composure and ride out the event.  However, very little offered by the modern era could prepare them for the evil that had been dropped into their midst.  No amount of reason or scientific clarity derived in the intervening 150 years since pioneers first settled the area could explain the savagery that lay in the woods behind the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church.  The shocking sight of the severed legs overwhelmed the mind with dread and sorrow, as if Judgement Day was at hand.

Sources:

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dayton Daily News

The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis News

The Star Press (Muncie, Indiana)

The Brookville Democrat

Franklin County Historical Society

Bobby Bare Jr. drops dynamite show on Indy

Duke’s Indy is located in an industrial area of Indianapolis teeming with transport companies and truck and trailer repair shops.  On a Saturday night, this area of town is mostly deserted as drivers and dockworkers enjoy a much deserved evening of rest at home with their families.  

In town to disturb the stillness on this night is Bobby Bare Jr. and his crew of Nashville musicians.  As I stroll through Duke’s parking lot, a familiar and welcoming fragrance emanating from parked vehicles accompanies me to the entrance.  Heads are getting correct and the table is being set for rock and roll time.  

Soon The Heart Bionic is cranking like a diesel in downtown traffic.  Bare Jr. sips Modelo between songs to cool his vocal cords and slows things down for I’ll Be Around.  A lovely song of varying tempos, the music gains strength and asserts itself, then pulls back and slows, reflecting the moodiness of the lyrics.  The song concludes with a rousing sing-along before Bare Jr. tells the audience, “That’s the best I got.”  While that may or may not be true, it is certainly the case that Bobby Bare Jr. has several more shiny gems and trinkets of gold in his rock and roll treasure chest. 

Don’t Wanna Know is a personal favorite of mine.  The guitar part brings out the tension of things left unsaid, hurt lurking beneath the surface.  Bare Jr. sings, “Please come back to Tennessee.  Second best is good enough for me.”  The band picks up the tempo and is really grooving through Bare Jr.’s guitar solo.  Towards the end of the evening, they play The Big Time and North of Alabama By Mornin’.  

I’m a little late to the music of Bobby Bare Jr.  But I haven’t heard too many albums, if any, in the past ten years better than 2014’s The Undefeated.  I’m glad he played a number of songs off that record.  Overall, the set was pretty informal and there was quite a bit of banter and tomfoolery between songs.  It kind of reminded me of the old days when bands didn’t take themselves too seriously and partied along with the crowd.  Here’s hoping he continues to tour and puts out another album soon.

China spy balloon sought American tater tot technology

United States officials confirmed Monday that the Chinese spy balloon which terrorized much of the country over the weekend was after America’s closely guarded tater tot technology.

Experts say this is just the latest example of the Chinese attempting to expropriate American intellectual property.

Developed during the cold war, the process for manufacturing tater tots has been a closely guarded national secret ever since their invention in 1953.  No other country in the world is capable of fabricating the unique extruded potato cylinders.

Countries like Israel, Russia and China have all claimed to be in possession of tater tot technology, but so far have been unable to produce a viable tater tot.  Most of the “tots” produced by these nations appear to more closely resemble irregularly shaped “bites.”

U.S. officials have confirmed that the Chinese spy balloon crossed into American airspace from Canada over Idaho.  Officials are claiming that the balloon was utilizing ground penetrating radar to learn more about our nation’s vast underground tater tot manufacturing capabilities.   

The manufacture of tater tots is a highly specialized process.  Located beneath vast potato fields, the Idaho facility sucks the potatoes from below into its underground operation, working around the need to transport potatoes into the factory and possibly reveal its whereabouts. 

American officials are also exploring the possibility that the Chinese may have been aided by spies working in Canada.  “The Canadians would love nothing more than tater tot technology to fall into the hands of the Chinese,” said an unnamed Pentagon source.

Strange scenes in the alley 2

A couple of nights ago, there was a car parked in front of my garage containing a young couple engaged in amorous relations.  My garage doors open almost directly into the alley, leaving not so much a driveway, but a small, car-width sliver of space between the garage and the alley.  Of all the thousands of discreet places in the city, it was in this space that the pair of youngsters, overcome by passion and desire, decided to dock their mid-size sedan to permit the male occupant the opportunity to dock something else.  

Inside the house, I was totally oblivious to the strange vehicle and the illicit love making going on outside.  That is until my wife came home and asked who was parked back by the garage.  Needing to take out the trash anyway, I decided to walk back there and investigate.  As I drew closer to the garage, I could tell that the car was running.  Although it was dark, I figured the driver would see me approaching and tear off into the night.  I rattled the trash cans a bit, hoping to get the driver’s attention, but still there was no discernible activity coming from the car.  In retrospect, if the car had been rockin, I might not have bothered knockin.  But I couldn’t see anyone sitting in the front seat, so I moved in closer to take a look.  It was dark, but I could just make out a figure laying down in the backseat.  I wondered if perhaps this was some homeless person who had pulled into this spot to take a nap.  Almost every conceivable explanation flashed through my brain as I knocked on the window. But it never occurred to me that the car’s occupants were making the beast with two backs until two figures popped up, startled at my tap, tap, tapping on their Chevy Malibu door.  The young man hurriedly hopped out the door on the opposite side of the car, struggling to pull up his pants.  

For my part, I was a little shocked at the scene I had stumbled upon and immediately began to flip out.  “What the fuck are you doing!?  This is private fucking parking!  You can’t do that shit here!  We run a clean damn family neighborhood around here!”  My wife later told me that from inside the house she could hear every word I shouted, which means my daughter and most of the neighbors could probably hear me as well.  Listening to myself cursing at this young man, I paused, collected my thoughts and began to calm down.  “Listen, son,” I said.  “We’ve all been in your situation before, but parking in someone’s drive is a real amateur move.  Any homeowner that sees a strange vehicle parked on their property is going to investigate.  You’re lucky it’s me and that I’m cool.  My wife wanted to call the cops.  Just go find a deserted parking lot, or park behind one of the bars downtown.  Nobody down there will give a second glance to a couple of lovebirds copulating in the backseat of a car.  Probably happens every night.  Now scram, you horny devil.”

As I stood there, proud of myself for reining in my irritation and using the situation as a teachable moment to impart some of my accumulated wisdom on the younger generation, the impassioned couple tore off down the alley and into the night, flipping me the bird and yelling “Fuck you old man” as their taillights disappeared into the darkness.  I just shook my head and smiled.  They may not realize it yet, but one day when they’re coupling in solitude, they’ll appreciate the wise advice that grouchy old man gave them.

Trump wins ‘free and fair’ golf club championship at Trump International

Former President Donald Trump claimed yet another club championship victory Sunday at Trump International Golf Club.  While it is impossible to know exactly how many titles the former president holds, Trump himself puts the number at more than 20.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to humbly accept his club’s honor as this year’s champion.   “A great honor to have won the Senior Club Championship at Trump International Golf Club…. Competed against many fine golfers, and was hitting the ball long and straight. The reason that I announce this on fabulous TRUTH is that, in a very real way, it serves as a physical exam, only MUCH tougher. You need strength and stamina to WIN, & I have strength & stamina – most others don’t. You also need strength & stamina to GOVERN!”

Tournament officials claim this year’s championship to be one the cleanest and fairset club championships in the history of the tournament with few irregularities reported.  This fact did not go unnoticed by Trump.  “Golf is a gentleman’s game, played by men of honor and integrity.  It is comforting to know that there is still an arena where the lying Democrats can’t steal victory out from under you.” 

However, there were some competitors and patrons at this year’s tournament who claim to have noticed some irregularities in the way the competition was conducted.  One aspect of the tournament that seemed out of the ordinary was that former President Trump did not play in the first round of the two round competition.  Trump was absent from the tournament on Saturday, attending the memorial service of Lynette “Diamond” Hardaway.  Officials report Trump was permitted to count a round he played earlier in the week as his first round score.  

Onlookers also report witnessing strange Secret Service men in suits and dark glasses lurking behind trees and bushes near where Trump’s shots came to rest.  The final resting place of his shots often seemed inconsistent with the path and trajectory of the ball’s flight as witnessed from where the shot was struck.  “He sure got a lot of lucky bounces,” said one onlooker.

Declining gym attendance indicates many Americans have already achieved their New Year’s fitness goals

As the first month of 2023 draws to a close, it has become apparent that many Americans who resolved to get back in shape this year have done so in record time.  Indeed, these gym warriors hit it hard for the first couple weeks of January, causing attendance at many locations to double or even triple.  Having transformed themselves in record time, many January gym rats are already hanging up their shorts and checking another resolution off their list.

“I set a pretty ambitious goal this year to get in better shape than I was last year,” said Cal Thomas, member at Fantastic Fitness.  “I managed to achieve that goal in about three workouts.  Needless to say, I was pretty inactive in 2022.  Next year I hope to double my current fitness level by going for six sessions.”

Gym memberships swelled the first week of January, leaving many year-round regulars having to adjust their fitness routines.  Access to facilities and equipment was temporarily hampered by the influx, but now seems to be opening back up again.

“We’re just cranking out healthy people right and left,” said fitness trainer Joe Buck.  “We’re all about rapid results.  It’s amazing what you can do with two weeks and a burning desire for a new you.”

Biden administration seeks ban on 4-slice toasters

Days after backing away from a pledge to pull every gas stove from every kitchen in America, Biden administration regulators have now set their sights on four slice toasters, which they maintain are wasteful and contribute to a culture of needless gluttony and excess.

The administration’s Domestic Food Prep Regulatory Task Force has recommended the abolition of four slice toasters be accomplished in four phases. The first phase would scale back to three slices by 2024. The second phase would require all toasters be two slices or less by 2026. If all goes well, regulations would require toasters to accommodate no more than one slice by 2028 and completely eliminate toasters by 2030, the target year for which the United Nations mandates all nations revert to a toastless dystopian hellscape.

Naturally, the plan has elicited outrage from toast lovers all across the fruited plain. Protesters clad only in strategically placed slices of toast were arrested outside the White House Monday, and traffic was disrupted for several hours when a truckload of toast was dumped in the middle of a busy DC interstate.

California has already signaled a willingness to comply with the regulations, promising a complete ban on all toast including French and garlic by 2026.

A piece of toast depicting an image of the Virgin Mary was reported to have wept at the announcement.

When pressed for comment, the president of the American Toast Federation warned, “From my cold dead hands.”

“Hey, brother, can you spare a square?” Business Insider drops explosive Twitter files bathroom bomb

Move over Matt Taibbi.  You’ve just been scooped by the princess of poop.  Business Insider’s Kali Hays today dropped a load so fetid and scandalous it’s sure to create some early P.U.litzer buzz.  

While Taibbi & Co. have been exposing efforts by the FBI and sitting U.S. Congressman to censor Twitter accounts and to have journalists removed from the social media platform, Kali Hays has been combing through troves of Twitter emails and explosive internal Slack messages that reveal a company on the brink of mutiny.

According to Hays’ two sources, Twitter offices in New York and San Francisco are dealing with clogged commodes and may be just days away from running completely out of toilet paper.  Conditions at these locations have become so desperate that employees are standing out on the sidewalk begging passersby to spare a square. 

In response, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has issued a companywide directive requiring all restroom visitors adhere to a strict two square per visit limit with a cap of three restroom visits per day.  This is said to be causing quite a hardship in New York, but sources in San Francisco say it’s not a problem because everybody’s allowed to just shit outdoors on the sidewalk anyway.

Hays also reports that her sources embedded inside the bathrooms at Twitter are noticing that the normally soft and fluffy two-ply toilet paper is being replaced with a coarser single-ply.  The result is that employees are finding it difficult to sit at their terminals for extended periods of time.

In response, Twitter CEO Elon Musk has issued a companywide directive that all employees shall be transitioned to stand-up terminals effective immediately.