Gateways To Hell, Nude Slaves, And Other Disturbing Secrets About Kansas
(Warning: The following content may be upsetting to some.)
On the surface, Kansas is a pretty safe and wholesome state complete with friendly residents, wide open spaces, and happy memories to be made. However—like most places—if you scratch the surface and search long and hard, you are bound to find some deep and dark secrets, including these 6 that you may have never known:
In 2004, Newton residents Arlan and Linda Kaufman were arrested after reports of abuse of mentally handicapped residents who lived in their group home emerged. Upon investigation, numerous video tapes were found of residents doing housework and chores completely nude, which was thought to have been part of the couple's private pornography collection. The Kaufman House was soon shut down and the Kaufman's were hit with more than 60 federal charges including involuntary slavery, Medicare fraud, and conspiracy.
The famous "Bloody Benders" were a German immigrant family who owned both a general store and small inn in the early 1870s in Labette County. According to historic accounts, the family of four gruesomely murdered at least 11 patrons before scattering the bodies throughout their property and county. When word spread that the mysterious tourist disappearances may be linked to the Bender family, they fled town, never to be seen or heard from again.
The small and quiet town of Stull is said to contain one of the "seven gateways to hell" via a hidden set of steps within the cemetery. As if that wasn't creepy enough, the cemetery was once a (reported) meeting place for witches and cults as well, leaving the grounds cursed for all eternity.
Here is something you may not know: During the 1990s, a majority of the United States's LSD was manufactured in a former Cold War-era Atlas E missile silo located just outside of Wamego. The operation was shut down in 2000, after one of the manufacturing partners turned himself in and worked as an informant for the DEA.
One of the most shocking murders in Kansas history is that of Sandy Bird, an Emporia pastor's wife whose body was found floating in the Cottonwood River in 1983. The death was originally ruled a car accident, but was later revisited after the body of Pastor Bird's lover's husband was found shot to death along a Geary County highway. The murders inspired the 1987 television mini-series, "Murder Ordained" (pictured).
Originally opened in 1879, Topeka State Hospital was at one time well renowned and respected, but became tainted upon reports of rape, torture and neglect. Up until an investigation by then-Kansas Governor Frank Carlson in the 1940s, the abuse continued to escalate, but soon ceased due to an increase in state funding and the dismissal of several corrupt faculty members.
For even more creepiness, check out These 9 Urban Legends In Kansas That Will Keep You Awake At Night!
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