The Hendricks County Grave Robberies Part 2

As Halloween 1987 approached, reports of grave robberies in Hendricks County continued to pour in.  On October 27, the remains of four people were discovered missing at the Weaver-Dillon Cemetery, bringing the total number of grave robberies to ten.  A resident who lives nearby discovered the open graves while walking in the wooded area northeast of Pittsboro, Indiana.  Lt. Stephen G. Golden expressed doubts about a Halloween prank, as the work involved in opening the graves required a great deal of digging and the location was very secluded.

The largest hole was marked by a headstone inscribed with the names Joeann F. Dillon, Judith M. Dillon, James W. Dillon, Abia Dillon and Flemingo Dillon whose deaths occurred between 1852 and 1919.  Golden commented that the freshness of the dirt indicated the hole had been dug sometime within the previous two months.  Another hole lay at the base of a headstone with the inscription “Emma V., wife of S. A. Surber.”  Nearby another large hole with no headstone marking the grave had been dug and filled back in.  

With no apparent motive and little to go on other than the profile of an extremely fit and prolific hole digger, the theory that the crimes were motivated by satan worship moved to the forefront.  An 8-inch-long bone resembling a femur discovered at the most recent site, bolstered the satanic angle.

“What’s significant is that it was found near a bonfire site.  In rituals, they usually have a bonfire near the cemetery,” Lt. Golden told reporters.  

For Sheriff’s Lt. Michael J Nelson, who had been working on the grave robberies since they first began appearing, the satanic cult angle had always been at the top of his list.  Investigators believed that almost anything found in the hundred-year-old graves would be of value to a group of satan worshippers.  Items discovered in these ancient graves would bond members to the group, investigators thought.

Needless to say, residents of this part of Hendricks County were becoming very nervous indeed.  Grave robberies and allegations of devil worship would send a chill down anybody’s spine in 1987.  But Lt. Golden assured the public it was too soon to start worrying.

“Sure, it’s unusual, but people shouldn’t be scared.  Hopefully, we’ll find out who’s doing it and they’ll be arrested,” Golden said.   

However, the grave robberies continued.  On Halloween 1987, an Indianapolis Star headline announced “5 more graves disturbed in Hendricks County.”  According to the article, attempts had been made to steal the remains of five more people, but it could not be determined whether the thieves were successful in their endeavor.

Meanwhile, additional reports of graveyard malfeasance flooded into the Hendricks County Sheriff’s office.  In Avon, a woman reported that a private cemetery on her property had been targeted.  A four foot deep hole had been dug at the site of one grave, but no remains removed.  Two other cemeteries in the Pittsboro area showed attempts to open graves that were abandoned after two feet of digging.  In one instance, it appeared the robbery had been attempted several months earlier, as the hole showed signs it had been dug earlier in the spring.

“What is getting strange now is, for some reason, they’re digging part of the way into these graves and then quitting,” Lt. Golden told reporters.

Could there have been a copycat on the loose who didn’t have the stomach to finish the job, or could the older abandoned attempts show a grave robber who was just getting started but lacked the confidence to see the gruesome task through?

Whatever the case, Lt. Golden called up a number of local reservists to patrol the area on Halloween night in hopes of catching a grave digging ghoul in the act.  After all, what twisted creature of the night or sick satanic cult could resist communing with the dead on Halloween night?

At the time and given the circumstances, Golden’s plan was necessary and had to be undertaken.  But imagine being a local citizen called up to stake out a remote, ancient cemetery on Halloween night.  In retrospect, it sounds like a movie premise with loads of comedic potential, something like Abbott and Costello Meet the Body Snatcher.

At any rate, with the level of weirdness in Hendricks County cranked up to 11, it seemed impossible that events could get any weirder, but as Hunter S. Thompson used to say, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

Sources:

The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis News

Artificial Impersonators

Used to be you’d turn on the old boob tube and watch some comedian like Rich Little, Dana Carvey or Darrell Hammond do impressions of famous figures that were so spot on they sounded like the real thing.  Only they obviously weren’t because the voice was clearly coming out of a different person and the content was entirely farcical.  

Recently, I was consuming content on the internet’s most prominent boob tube channel when I realized I was being taken for a ride by one of its artificial impersonators.  I’ve been watching Bishop Robert Barron’s channel since way back when he was only Father Barron and his content featured movie reviews in which he’d insert some relevant christian theology.  The other day I’m listening to one of his messages on a channel I’d never heard of before when I became curious about the YouTube account and the channel’s background.  The thumbnail featured Bishop Barron’s image and the audio sounded like a message or sermon he’d possibly recorded privately or perhaps spoken publicly at some time or another.  Here’s a direct quote from the video’s description:

“In this 21-minute morning message, Bishop Robert Barron reflects on the power of morning prayer, gratitude, and surrender to God’s plan.

“Through Scripture, prayer, and reflection, Bishop Barron reminds us that when we start our day with thankfulness and intention, we align our hearts with divine peace and purpose.”

I immediately wondered if this channel represented some new offering from Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Ministries, so I read on.  After scrolling through chapter titles, hashtags and descriptions of what I would learn from “Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholic insights,” I finally arrived at this disclaimer:

“This message includes public theological reflections and prayers inspired by Bishop Robert Barron.”

Because I’m not super bright, and I’m old and not very clever when it comes to the ways of technology, the internet and social media, I still did not get the hint.  

The message included “public theological reflections and prayers.”  So, Bishop Barron spoke these words publicly and someone recorded it and here it is, right?

If, at that moment, someone would have smacked me upside the head and said, “Do I need to spell it out for you?” I would have deserved it.  Instead, there is this:

“Altered or synthetic content:  Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated.”

As much as I wanted to believe that I hadn’t been duped by an artificial impersonator, it became abundantly clear that I had.  Apparently, many others had been as well, because there were lots of comments thanking Bishop Barron for the message.

The channel is called “The Divine Motivation,” it’s on YouTube and it’s fake.  It is not Bishop Barron, and it doesn’t matter if it has some ambiguous disclaimer buried deep within the show notes, it is deliberately deceptive.  Some additional searching immediately revealed two other artificial impersonator channels:  “Bishop Barron’s Motivations” and “The Faith Journey.”  

I know I sound like an old man yelling at technology.  I can imagine someone countering, “Where have you been, old timer?  This is the world we live in.”  Fair enough.  But this old man can’t abide while dull-witted content creators harness technology to impersonate authentic, exceptional, thoughtful and inspiring human beings.  

Using someone else’s name, likeness and voice to create artificial messages without being upfront about it is massively deceptive.  And you can never motivate, inspire, reveal truth or instill hope through fakery and deceit.

The Hendricks County Grave Robberies Part 1

On Monday, September 28, 1987, Hendricks County Sheriff’s deputies followed up on a report of a recently reopened grave in a remote cemetery plot north of Plainfield, Indiana.  A hiker discovered the disturbed area near a tributary of White Lick Creek while exploring the surrounding farm fields and wooded areas.  A six foot deep hole had been dug at one grave site and the remains removed, while several inches of topsoil had been cleared from two other plots.  

The site was an old family cemetery belonging to the Carters, an early pioneer family who in 1823 settled 240 acres in that part of Guilford Township.  One grave belonged to Ruth Hadley Carter, who died at the age of 68 on April 24, 1869.  Another grave belonged to a two-month-old infant, and the third grave was unmarked.

Regarding what would motivate an individual to remove centuries old remains from a remote and obscure settler grave, there weren’t many good theories.  Hendricks County Sheriff Lt. Stephen G. Golden speculated that the robbers could have been looking for antique jewelry, or the disturbance was possibly just a sick prank.   

Christopher S. Peebles, director of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University, was also uncertain of what the vandals would have found in the grave other than skeletal remains.  “I don’t know what would have been left in this case, but it all comes down to thievery, pure and simple.  It’s pretty sick for someone to dig up graves for no apparent purpose.  I suspect it’s someone with a screw loose,” Peebles said.

There was one thing investigators did know for sure, the present scene of a recently looted grave in Central Indiana was not an isolated incident.  Only a month earlier, residents of nearby Brownsburg and Greenfield, Indiana, went to clean up an ancient family cemetery near Brownsburg and discovered one of the graves dug up and the remains missing.  Walker Cemetery, as it is known, sits along 56th street near Brownsburg about a mile west of the Marion County line.  The missing remains belonged to Ann Walker, a member of one of Brownsburg’s founding families.

Whether it was someone with a screw loose, a thief in search of valuables, or some twisted, rogue member of the local historical society was anybody’s guess.  However, in 1987 there was one theory that explained a lot of grisly and macabre behavior: devil worship.  In the climate of the time, it was difficult to understand a series of grave robberies as having any explanation other than dirty deeds done in service of the dark arts.  And as the discoveries of disturbed graves and missing remains continued, and tales of strange hooded figures deepened the mystery, the spectre of Satanism spread like a fever until all became infected with its delirium.

Sources:

The Indianapolis Star

The Indianapolis News

Celebrity owners left with only ‘seeds and stems’ after pot shop pilfered

It was a rude wake and bake for Bill Maher and Woody Harrelson after their Hollywood pot shop was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery over the weekend.  

Witnesses say the pair arrived Saturday morning at The Woods WeHo to discover the shop had been looted and only a handful of seeds and stems had been left behind by the robbers.

Harrelson was heard to exclaim, “I think I feel something,” as the pair puffed away on what little cannabis remains could be scavenged from the carpet and between couch cushions. 

The co-owners then attempted to brew some tea from the leftover seeds and stems.  However, it is unclear if the pair were able to “catch a buzz.”       

Surveillance video of the incident shows a vehicle struggling to parallel park moments before the robbers emerged from a smoke-filled SUV and staggered to the door.

According to KTLA5, “The video shows them shattering a glass window, rushing into the store, filling bags with merchandise and then fleeing within seconds.”

However, the video later shows the trio fleeing on foot after they realized they’d inadvertently locked the keys in the vehicle.

Local man backs out of Met Gala invite at last minute

City resident, Ed Brush, took to his favorite social media app, MySpace, today to explain his last minute decision to back out of Monday night’s Met Gala extravaganza.

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I was unable to attend this year’s Met Gala event at New York’s famed Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Ultimately, a number of considerations led to this very difficult decision.

“Firstly, I did not have time to make it to J.C. Penney to pick up my suit for the event.  Organizers suggested I’d be fine wearing nothing more than a tasteful blazer.  When I explained that I can’t get any of my old blazers to button anymore, they suggested I accessorize with a strategically worn white tube sock.  When I realized that all my tube socks have holes and the elastic is worn out, I decided to ditch that idea,” Brush said.

Having settled on a blue blazer over a flesh colored bodysuit, Brush next set about arranging transportation to the event.

“The second thing that happened was I learned that I would not be able to catch a ride on AOC’s Fighting Oligarchy tour jet, and that if I wanted to rub elbows with the champagne socialists, I’d have to ride coach.  Being a man of the people, I had no problem travelling coach.  However, apparently wearing a flesh colored bodysuit through the airport tends to attract the attention of TSA, and they detained me for questioning.  Strangely enough, telling them who I was and where I was going failed to hasten the proceedings.

“Anyway, sorry AOC, Kamala, Alex, Whoopi, Rihanna, Nicole, Lisa, I’ll have to catch up to you next year,” Brush concluded his message.

City council approves resolution to buy man’s living room

The city council of Dowagiac, Michigan approved a resolution last evening to proceed with the purchase of a city resident’s living room.  Despite protestations from the owner, Ted Lunsford, the resolution passed by a 7-0 vote. 

The city of Dowagiac is planning to add a turn lane and expand a high traffic intersection.  Unfortunately for Lunsford, his living room sits squarely in the middle of the proposed turn lane.

“Tell me, what am I supposed to do without a living room?” Lunsford asked the council during public comments on the motion.  “Where am I gonna put my recliner and how am I gonna watch football?  I already got cars passing four feet outside my window.  Some smartass motorist stops and asks me the score of the Lions game.  Now you want to take that whole corner of my home.”  

“It’s in the way of progress, Mr. Lunsford.  We made you a very generous offer based on the market rate per square foot.  Additionally we’ve offered to cover the cost of moving your living room to a place of your choosing,” the council president said shortly before calling for a vote.

“Where am I gonna put it?”     

“That’s your problem, Mr. Lunsford.  We’re all tired of waiting in traffic at that congested intersection just so you can sit in your cozy recliner and watch tv.  Now, all in favor of turning Mr. Lunsford’s living room into a right turn lane say ‘Aye,’” the council president said and the measure unanimously passed.

Per the resolution, Lunsford has 30 days to vacate his living room.  With no long term solution in sight, Lunsford plans to relocate his three-piece sectional, La-Z-Boy recliner, 46-inch flatscreen and 30-gallon exotic fish aquarium to the garage for the time being.  However, city officials have warned him not to get too comfortable, as they are already eyeing his driveway and garage for a potential future offramp.

Masters patron left hanging on attempted McIlroy fist bump

Masters patron Phil Rickle left The Masters golf tournament in a huff Sunday after tournament champion Rory McIlroy left him hanging on a congratulatory fist bump.  Claiming to be one of McIlroy’s biggest fans, Rickle told reporters he’d never root for the Northern Irishman again after being rebuffed on national television.  

A highly emotional McIlroy had just sunk the winning putt and was sharing an embrace with his wife and daughter when the snubbing occurred.

“Look, I get it that McIlroy wanted to share the moment with his family and all, but he can’t take a second while he’s hugging his wife to reach out and knuckle bump his biggest fan while I’m standing there offering it. I mean, he left me hanging in front of the whole world.  I looked like the biggest boob.

“I followed the dude around all day Sunday and yelled out ‘MASHED POTATO!’ and ‘BOOM SHAKALAKA!’ after every shot.  I shouted ‘DESHAMBLES!’ every time Bryson screwed up.  I was there for Rors.  I don’t see why he couldn’t spare a quick bumpy knuckles with his homie,” Rickle said.

Following the tragic Masters experience, Rickle is currently weighing his options.

“I’ll probably start following Bryson.  Maybe I’ll get a little more appreciation over at LIV.”

Snapchat teachers arrested

Morgan County, Indiana public school teacher Brittany Fortinberry faces up to 10 counts of child molestation, 9 counts of dissemination of matter harmful to a minor, 6 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 4 counts of sexual misconduct with a minor following accusations that she forced multiple teenage boys, some as young as 13, into group sex with her.  

According to 13WTHR, court documents allege, “one of the victims, a middle school boy, accused Fortinberry of drugging him repeatedly and having sex with him when he was 13. He said Fortinberry would have him bring his friends to her house, where she would allegedly give the teens drugs and then have sex with them…Fortinberry was paying teen boys between $100 and $800 for photos of their genitals…All of the teens said Fortinberry would send them nude and explicit photos and videos on Snapchat and an app called Session.” 

FOX59 reports, “Detectives interviewed a woman who claimed to be friends with Fortinberry since 2022, court documents said.

“The woman went on to state that Fortinberry supported her as she went through a divorce by helping with her children. The woman reportedly told detectives that she noticed Fortinberry would allegedly act differently around one of her children.

“Some of Fortinberry’s alleged actions included purchasing expensive gifts for the teen, according to court documents. After observing this behavior change, the mother decided to prevent her child from interacting with Fortinberry any longer. However, she later learned that Fortinberry had reportedly added the minor on Snapchat and the two had continued communicating on that app.

“The woman went on to state her child said Fortinberry had allegedly sent him videos of her using vibrators and engaging in sexual activities with other men.

“The minor added that Fortinberry allegedly drugged him with ‘shrooms, weed, and that she would make him drink a bottle,’ when they were together.

“The victim said it tasted like alcohol and that he had difficulty remembering anything after consuming it. The victim said Fortinberry would purchase vapes and marijuana for several other victims.

“The victim added that Fortinberry allegedly forced other victims to watch her engage in intercourse if they refused to participate, court documents show.

“Detectives spoke with another victim who informed them that he was in 7th grade when he met Fortinberry.

“This victim recounted Fortinberry ‘snapping’ him all of the time after meeting her. Fortinberry is also alleged to have purchased vapes, marijuana and THC cartridges.

“Court documents show that the victim remembered Fortinberry supplying capsules containing shrooms and that it would make him feel ‘funny.’ The victim reported there were four other people there during this particular interaction.

“The victim said Fortinberry would then begin to touch him and the others inappropriately. The victim recounted another experience where Fortinberry allegedly made him watch as she had sex with another underage victim.

“In another instance, one of the victims reported that Fortinberry invited a group of teens to her home and had sex with all of them while making one wear the mask from the horror film ‘Scream.’”

Once again the Snapchat app appears to have been instrumental in enabling a predator to groom and abuse multiple victims, all of whom lived in her community.  

“All of the teens said Fortinberry would send them nude and explicit photos and videos on Snapchat” and a “victim recounted Fortinberry ‘snapping’ him all of the time after meeting her.”

If the allegations are true, a single individual was able to devastate multiple children and families and an entire community by utilizing a smartphone and a social media app.  We’re not talking about Jeffrey Epstein or a coordinated child sex ring, we’re talking about a lone public school teacher.

The scale of the damage is incredible, but if you think this is an isolated incident, representing one bad apple in the classroom, think again.

The Miami Herald reported on January 30, 2024, “Miami-Dade teacher posts inappropriate video on Snapchat…Wesly Alvarez, 45, was charged with computer pornography…The video shows him exposing himself in front of a school bathroom mirror.”

Northern News Now reported on January 2, 2025, “Former Duluth teacher charged for messaging minor over Snapchat ….  Scott Johanik, 32, of Duluth was charged with messaging a minor that related or described sexual conduct.” 

Valley News Live reported on January 16, 2025, “Snapchat data reveals communications between former Fargo teacher and minor in court….  Investigators took the stand on day three of a criminal trial against a former Fargo school teacher.

“Ashley Peterson is charged with promoting a sexual performance by a minor and contributing to the deprivation of a minor. Snapchat data was at the center of the courtroom Thursday.”

The Valley News Live site featured another pair of child predators, one of whom was employed by the local public schools, and, of course, Snapchat featured in the story.

On March 24, 2025, Valley News reported, “Former Lake of the Woods school employee and husband accused of having sex with teen….  A couple from Williams, Minnesota, is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a teen girl.

“Kraig and Jennifer Stokke are each charged with one count of 3rd degree criminal sexual conduct in Lake of the Woods County. According to court records, Jennifer Stokke is an employee at Lake of the Woods Public Schools….  The victim told investigators that Jennifer has gone to great lengths to hide their previous communications to include, changing phone numbers and phones and by deleting her Snapchat account.”

Fox11 reported on February 12, 2025, “Former Logan County teacher charged with soliciting student through Snapchat, records say….  A former Logan County Schools teacher has been criminally charged after being accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a student on social media, court records said.

“Charles Stephen Wallace, 32, of Chapmanville has been charged with soliciting a minor using a computer, according to a criminal complaint filed in Lincoln County Magistrate Court.

“The complaint identified the victim as a 17-year-old female from Lincoln County attending classes at Chapmanville Regional High School where Wallace worked as a choir teacher and director.”

10WBIR reported on December 9, 2024, “Former KCS teacher charged with sending sexual content to boy via Snapchat….  A former Knox County Schools teacher is accused of sending sexual material to an underage boy via Snapchat.

“A Knox County grand jury indicted Kristin M. Brown, 34, earlier this month on five counts of exploitation of a minor by electronic means. She originally was due in Knox County Criminal Court on Dec. 6; the date was changed to Dec. 11, records show.

“The crimes are alleged to have occurred between December 2023 and March 5, records state. The counts specifically state the alleged victim was under age 13 and that she exposed the boy by electronic communication to ‘material containing sexual activity’ for her own gratification.”

News12 Brooklyn reported March 3, 2025, “Ex-Brooklyn math teacher pleads guilty in student Snapchat sexting case….  A Brooklyn high school math teacher pleaded guilty to convincing students to send him sexual pictures and videos.

“Winston Nguyen, a former teacher at St. Ann’s in Brooklyn Heights, accepted the charges that included one count of inducing a minor to engage in a sexual performance, as well as five additional counts of actions that were injurious to a minor.”

A simple Google search of “Snapchat teacher” without quotes opened up this horror show.  This list only draws from the first two pages of results.  Despite the fact that the search terms don’t include any mention of “abuse” or “sex abuse” or “sex material,” these accounts are almost exclusively all that is contained in the search results as far as the eye can see.  It seems if you put “Snapchat” and “teachers” together, you’re going to get a whole lot of depraved and felonious behavior.  To be fair, if you put “coach” and “Snapchat” together, or you put “pastor” and “Snapchat” together, you’re most likely going to get similar results.  So one common denominator that makes all this deviance and perversion possible appears to be Snapchat.  It’s the perfect DIY tool for a would-be predator, streamlining all the features a predator needs into one easy-to-use app.

Granted, no one makes the news for “snapping” images of a beautiful cake they baked, so news about Snapchat is going to skew towards its worst abuses.  However, the sheer volume of instances of adults using the app to prey on minors is staggering and should cause Snapchat’s corporate leadership to take greater steps to track predators or to remove features that enable criminality to thrive on their platform.  Additionally, the app represents such a public nuisance, it should be within the scope of federal authorities to force the company to put a stop to the criminal behavior on its app.

Local business owner calling on Pentagon to remove him from group sext chat

The owner of a local bakery is pleading with the Trump administration today to remove him from a group sext chat that he maintains is adversely affecting his mental health and physical well-being.  Cake baker, Kevin Krinkle, says he’s been so repulsed by the message content that he’s having trouble sleeping and his business is suffering. 

“It’s hard to believe that a group of such depraved individuals is responsible for our national security.  I’m having nightmares after reading what they plan to do to our allies and some of the messages have caused me to become violently ill at work.  Nobody wants to buy a cake from a vomiting baker.”   

Krinkle is unaware of how he came to be added to the group chat, but he’s decided to speak out after viewing a thread called “Roofie the Houthis.”

“I won’t go into the unspeakable things they plan to do to these individuals.  I’m no fan of the Houthis, but I’m pretty sure the Pentagon’s plans would constitute a war crime and make Abu Ghraib look like a summer day camp.” 

The violent sext chats don’t just focus on terrorists and adversaries, but also include America’s allies.

“What they talk about doing to the French is beyond disgusting, and there are even plans afoot to conquer Canada and rename it ‘The Gimp.’” 

The Pentagon says they’re looking into the matter and officials promise to maintain the highest security regarding all future group sext chats.

Terror In The Shrubbery

Jack Hayward is reeling today following a report by his insurance company that his landscaping presents a clear and present danger to his home and property. 

Up until today, Jack thought he was pretty much crushing it, and then in one brief moment his whole life was turned upside down when a group of insurance underwriters informed him that among his shrubbery lurk heretofore unimagined terrors. 

Apparently, a seemingly innocent shrub, situated under a window, can serve as a launching pad for a criminal caper that could potentially undo everything Jack’s ever worked for. 

While it’s true that neighborhood kids like to utilize his shrubs to hide and seek, and on at least one occasion some homeless person may have spent the night curled up behind his lilac bush, it never occurred to Jack that shrubs are especially useful for concealing nefarious deeds. 

Nevermind the alarm system and security cameras Jack installed to thwart potential break ins, an accomplished second story man can utilize a pyramidal arb to launch himself like a pole vaulter onto a lower roof and quickly gain access to upper story windows. 

Apparently, the thieves take advantage of the shrub cover to cart off your 55 inch television and exercise equipment, because the whole point of the danger shrubs pose is that the bad guys can do all this without attracting the attention of neighbors or passersby.

A skilled burglar disguised as a juniper bush can enter and exit a house undetected by cloaking stolen merchandise in bush clippings.   

Tree limbs, too, are nothing to trifle with, according to the underwriters. A tree limb, it seems, is nothing more than a bony hand reaching out to dismantle a house one shingle at a time. 

One never knows when an angry oak will lower a wooden fist and severely scratch or dent one’s guttering.  

The news filled Jack with such revulsion and dread that he immediately climbed out on his roof and stood atop the peak risking life and limb in an attempt to prune away all tree limbs encroaching on his home’s airspace.  

With bushes yanked and tree limbs tamed, Jack was finally able to rest easy, at least until the next alert of impending catastrophe comes along.