Ever wondered what secrets the Appalachian Trail might be hiding among its stunning vistas? Prepare to be escorted through its less-traveled, shadow-laden paths, as I expose the true-crime tales that stain its natural splendor. From the tragic demise of Janice Balza at the hands of Paul Bigley to the heinous acts of Paul David Cruz, I'll recount the harrowing stories of lives tragically cut short amidst this picturesque backdrop. Our narrative takes a dark turn with the chilling fate of hiking enthusiasts Jeffrey Hood and Molly LaRue, and the stark reminder of the woods' unpredictability with the story of veteran Ronnie S. Sanchez Jr.
Shrouded in the mystique of the great outdoors, the Appalachian Trail's beauty belies the potential danger within. As your Master of Creep, I illuminate the trail’s darker history, intertwined with the raw human element that can transform a peaceful expedition into a survival ordeal. We'll dissect the solitude and exposure one faces when miles from help, all while sharing a macabre chuckle over the strategies I’d personally employ to stay safe on the trail. Join me for an episode that promises an eerie blend of beauty, tragedy, and survival—just remember to keep an eye out on your next wilderness jaunt.
Ever wondered what secrets the Appalachian Trail might be hiding among its stunning vistas? Prepare to be escorted through its less-traveled, shadow-laden paths, as I expose the true-crime tales that stain its natural splendor. From the tragic demise of Janice Balza at the hands of Paul Bigley to the heinous acts of Paul David Cruz, I'll recount the harrowing stories of lives tragically cut short amidst this picturesque backdrop. Our narrative takes a dark turn with the chilling fate of hiking enthusiasts Jeffrey Hood and Molly LaRue, and the stark reminder of the woods' unpredictability with the story of veteran Ronnie S. Sanchez Jr.
Shrouded in the mystique of the great outdoors, the Appalachian Trail's beauty belies the potential danger within. As your Master of Creep, I illuminate the trail’s darker history, intertwined with the raw human element that can transform a peaceful expedition into a survival ordeal. We'll dissect the solitude and exposure one faces when miles from help, all while sharing a macabre chuckle over the strategies I’d personally employ to stay safe on the trail. Join me for an episode that promises an eerie blend of beauty, tragedy, and survival—just remember to keep an eye out on your next wilderness jaunt.
Well, hello, my little creepies. Oh, yes, it's that time again. We talk about UFOs and Bigfoot, paranormal true crime and conspiracy stories and all things creepy. Yes, this is the Creepy Show. You can find us online at creepyshow and I'm your host, the Master of Creep.
Speaker 2:Well, hello again my little creepies. It is I, the Master of Creep. Today we're going to talk about the Appalachian Trail murders. Before we do that, let me tell you a little bit about the Appalachian Trail. It's a footpath, really, and it extends from Georgia to Maine in the United States. Each year about a thousand people complete the through hike on the Appalachian Trail. That means they're walking the entire 2,192 miles of the path. Now about three million more people follow, will follow shorter distances, with different starting and ending points. So the trail attracts millions of people every year.
Speaker 2:The idea for the footpath was conceived by Benton McKay back in 1921. 1921. The trail itself was completed in 1937, more than a decade of work later. The trail passes through 14 different states, from Georgia to Maine. So you might be wondering who owns this thing? Well, more than 60% of the trail passes through private lands, largely as a result of a web of formal easements or handshake agreements between local trail clubs and landowners. It is maintained by 31 different trail clubs and multiple partnerships and managed by the National Park Service of the United States Forest Service and the non-profit Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Most of the trail is in forest or wildlands, although some portions of the trail venture through towns, across roads and farms. Two entities work together to oversee the entire length of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the entire length of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a private, non-profit organization established in 1925. And then, of course, the National Park Service are both working together to keep the trail open.
Speaker 2:People ask me Mastiff Creek, is the Appalachian Trail safe? Well, for the most part, the Appalachian Trail is much safer than any major city in America, than any major city in America, when you compare the fact that more than 3 million people visit the trail each year. There are only two or three deaths, and almost all of them are due to the environment, such as accidents and lightning strikes, exposure to extreme weather conditions. Most crimes on the Appalachian Trail would be considered misdemeanors. However, there have been cases of murder, and that's what we are going to be talking about in this episode.
Speaker 2:Let's jump in. The first murder I want to talk about is Janice Balza. It was 1975, in April, and Janice was attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail. This is called a through hiker. She found herself sitting at a resting shelter in Tennessee, just one of the more than 250 shelters along the way from Georgia to Maine. Also on the trail that morning was a mental patient by the name of Paul Bigley, and, unfortunately for Janice, the pair of hikers met on the trail at Iron Mountain close to the Watagua Dam Road. Probably the worst place to meet a mental patient is deep in the woods, wouldn't you agree? Well, anyway, paul apparently was interested in Janice's backpack and while Janice was facing the campfire having her breakfast, paul thought it would be a good idea to pull out his hatchet and start whacking away. Well, I guess the combination of a mental patient, the deep forest and a hatchet can be problematic. Now, the only details that we have about this murderer were provided by the killer, paul, himself, as no one else was around to witness the event. After hacking Janice to death, he hid the body in some brush and walked out of the woods into a nearby town, and Paul simply walked up to a home. It was the home of Miss Ethel Whitehead. He asked her if she would call the police and when the Tennessee Carter County Sheriff arrived, paul confessed to the murder. Arrived, paul confessed to the murder. The sheriff and his deputies escorted Paul back to the crime scene where they found the body of 22-year-old Janice Balza. They also found the murder weapon, a bloody hatchet. Paul eventually died in a Nashville state prison.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about another murder, the murder of Jeffrey Hood and Molly LaRue. Now, jeffrey Hood was 26 years old and his friend Molly LaRue was 25 years old, and they decided to walk the Appalachian Trail together, starting at the north end of the trail in Maine. Their journey started on June the 4th 1990. The pair was expecting to spend about six months on the trail from Maine to Georgia. Now, on September the 12th 1990, the couple stopped and slept at the Thelma Marks shelter near the top of Cove Mountain. This was a three-sided lean-to, about 30 feet from the trail, surrounded by trees. Well, while sleeping in their sleeping bags, jeffrey was shot in the head and the back at very close range. Molly was tied up with the rope looped around her neck. She was raped and stabbed to death by slashing her throat and she was stabbed in the back about eight times with an eight and three quarter inch double edge bladed knife. Their bodies were found later that same day by other hikers. It was reported that Molly was face down in a pool of blood and Jeffrey was found nearby pool of blood and Jeffrey was found nearby.
Speaker 2:Many of the other hikers in the area were interviewed and some of them reported seeing a man in the near area and they said that he had been carrying two red Marlboro gym bags. He looked out of place, he was wearing jeans and work boots and he was described as looking lost. Nine days later, two hikers saw another person on the trail and they were wearing Jeffrey's backpack and boots. They reported him to the police and he was apprehended as he tried to cross Harper's Ferry in West Virginia about 8 pm. Now the man that was arrested was confirmed to be wearing Jeffrey Hood's backpack boots and his watch boots and his watch. Plus, he had the two murder weapons the knife and the .22 caliber Winchester pistol. He claimed that his name was David Horn and he said he was from South Carolina, which was a lie. The police later determined that David Horn was actually Paul David Cruz and he had been on Florida's most wanted list since 1986 when he was indicted for a murder he committed in Bartow the Murder of Ronnie S Sanchez
Speaker 2:Jr. Ronnie had served three tours in Iraq, with a 16-year career in the US Army, and during that time he had several combat-related injuries that slowed him down a bit. He also suffered from PTSD. He didn't like to talk about it, but he also didn't like to be around big crowds. He used the Appalachian Trail as therapy. He found peace and clarity by walking on the
Speaker 2:trail. But during a hike in May of 2019, ronnie met up with three other hikers who were on the trail in Jefferson National Forest located in West Virginia. While the four hikers were settling down for the night, another hiker by the name of James Jordan showed up and he had his dog with him. He claimed that he had been on the trail for several months. He seemed very displaced and was acting disturbed and unstable displaced and was acting disturbed and unstable. The other four hikers didn't want anything to do with him, so they packed up and they moved their camp down the trail a little further and they ended up in Wythe County, virginia, near the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Well, I guess their reaction to Jordan pissed him off and he caught up with them, and he threatened to set them all on fire in the middle of the night by pouring gasoline on their tents and burning them to death. He also produced a machete-style large knife and started terrorizing the
Speaker 2:group. Two of the hikers ran north on the trail to escape. They called 911 about 2.30 in the morning saying that they were being chased by a madman with a knife. Jordan ran after the two, but then returned to the camp and he started harassing Ronnie and the other woman. Ronnie used his cell phone and started to call 911. But that is when Jordan attacked Ronnie with the knife and stabbed him several times in the chest. The woman who was with Ronnie started running down the trail with Jordan right behind her in hot pursuit, and then he chased her down and she turned around and raised her arms to surrender. Jordan started stabbing her repeatedly, so she dropped to the ground and pretended to be dead. Jordan left and returned to the campsite, thinking that he had killed both of them without actually finishing her off. So after Jordan left the scene, the female hiker who was stabbed got up and continued to run down the trail, eventually coming upon some other campers who were just off of the trail, and they helped her hike six more miles to a trailhead, and there they called 911 to report the stabbings. She was transported to a nearby hospital in Bristol, tennessee, and on May, the 11th 2019, at 6.14 in the morning, the police arrived at the campsite where the first attack occurred, they found Sanchez's body, who had died from his injuries, along with the dog that Jordan had brought For. The dog led them to him. Jordan and the deputies found blood on Jordan's clothes and arrested him. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity the Murder of Louise
Speaker 2:Chaput. Louise enjoyed hiking and getting away off on her own to enjoy nature. She was a psychologist and was known to go into the woods for days at a time she was a very experienced hiker and camper. In November of 2001, louise left home in Quebec, canada, to join the Appalachian Trail near Mount Washington. The area that she wanted to hike was very scenic and on November the 15th, at 3 pm, louise was seen alive for the very last time at the Appalachian Mountain Club Visitor Center in Pinkham Grant, new Hampshire. The clerk reported that Louise spoke with a French accent and said that she wanted to get in a quick hike before the dark set in. The clerk recommended Lost Pond Trail on Route 16. This was a short trail that started close to the center. Louise was seen for the last time alive when she left the center, but on Sunday, november the 19th 2001,. Louise was reported missing by her partner and a search party was formed and they found her car, a silver Ford Focus at Glen Falls parking area. And a few days later, on Thanksgiving Day, louise was found deceased about 200 yards from the Glen Boulder Trail. The death was ruled a homicide. She had several stab wounds and several items sleeping bag and her car keys. This case has never been
Speaker 2:solved. You know, when you think about camping in the deep woods, many things come to mind. People often ask about the dangers of bears and mountain lions, perhaps wolves or even coyotes. Yes, it's true, the forest is home to these animals and they can be dangerous in some circumstances. However, the biggest threat is man, and when you think about it, it's a wonder that these kind of things don't happen more often. Living in the woods is probably the best place for criminals to hide. What could be creepier than meeting a strange person in the middle of a forest who seems deranged or evil? No police around, probably no call signal either. Well, even if you did call, when do you think they're going to get there the next day? Personally, if I decide to try the Appalachian Trail, I can tell you you can bet on it, the master of creep will be packing a lot more than just a tent or a can of beans in a sleeping bag.
Speaker 1:As the casket closes on another creepy episode, we bid you farewell to the shadows that danced upon your fears. Oh, and thank you for joining us on this creepy journey into the unknown, where the darkness whispers secrets and the silence echoes within your soul. Find us online for some extra creepy content at creepyshow and if you happen to make it through the night, don't forget to share this podcast with someone you want to terrorize. Good night, my little creepies. Sleep with one eye open, for the night is long and full of horror.