The Villisca Axe Murder House property lies in Villisca, Iowa. The home is where the six members of the Moore family and two of the guests were found bludgeoned (clubbed) to death in mass murder. The residence has since become a tourist site for fans of paranormal experiences, complete with creepy children’s voices, tour guides, and spookily moving furniture.
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The Moore family was affluent and well-liked in their town of Villisca. Sarah Moore and her family husband Josiah Moore had four children: Herman Montgomery, Mary Katherine Moore, Arthur Boyd, and Paul Vernon, aged 11, 10, 7, and 5 years old. On June 9, 1912, the family was to attend the Children’s day program at the Presbyterian church. Mary Katharine invited some friends, Ina Mae Stillinger and Lena Gertrude Stillinger, to attend to and for an overnight stay. The program ended around 9:30, and by 10, the family was home in their beds.
The following day, the Moore family hadn’t come out to do their morning chores by late morning. So, their kind next-door neighbor, Mary Peckham, went to check on them. When they didn’t answer to her knocking, she tried it only to in dit was locked. It was a small town, and they were fairly well acquainted, so she let out their chickens and called Josiah’s brother, Ross Moore. With his spare key, Ross went into the house and saw the crime scene in the guest room. Immediately, he told Peckham to call the peace officer. The officer determined that an ax belonging to Josiah Moore had been used to slaughter the entire family and was found in the Stillinger girl’s room. Only Josiah had been used with the ax end, everyone else, the club end.
So, What happened?
It is assumed that the killer waited in the attack for the family to fall asleep. Two cigarettes in the attic led investigators to this determination. They estimated that the murder occurred around 5 am. they started in the master bedroom with the parents, inflicting the most pain on Josiah Moore. Then went to the Moore children’s rooms, then back to the master before going down to the guest room. It is assumed that everyone aside from Lena Stillinger had been asleep at the time that they were killed. There were signs of a struggle and possible sexual assault.
Investigation and Trials:
Many suspects were claimed as investigations came and went. Some of the suspects were Frank F. Jones, William Mansfield, Henry Lee Moore (of no relation), and Reverend George Kelly, who was tried twice. They ended in a hung jury, acquittal, and no one was ever charged for the crime. This wasn’t the first time that someone had slashed an entire family. There had been slight trend in this activity, leading middle America to believe there was a serial killer terrorizing families. OIthers believed these were caused by demonic possessions. Today, the house lies quietly and possibly haunted. Many TV shows, podcasts, and paranormal investigators come to take a look at it and see if the spookiness still holds true.