Few murders have gained as much notoriety as the Villisca Axe Murder House. The unsolved case still haunts investigators and detective work enthusiasts until now. No one has solved the crime and until now people are still searching for answers.

More than 100 years ago, long before the age of serial killers and murderers, there was one event in Villisca, Iowa which shook the town to its core. It made headline news or quite some time and until now it still intrigues people.

The Villisca house has been investigated several times and various paranormal investigation shows have filmed there. Many teams have spent the night in the house and have reported the same experiences. They reported a feeling of heaviness from the main stairwell of the house up to the rooms upstairs. Various videos and pictures have been taken showing orbs. Numerous EVP or electronic audio phenomena have also been recorded.

At 2.00 am the train passes through the town of Villisca and it is thought that the whistle of the train triggers the residual events of the murder. Many people have noticed a light fog filling up the bedroom just after the train whistle. It moves from one room to another and once it dissipates, the sound of dripping blood can be heard.

Brief History

The Villisca axe murders happened between the evening of June 9, 1912 and the early morning of June 10, 1912. It happened in the southwestern Iowa town of the same name. Six members of the Moore family, as well as their 2 guests died that day. They were bludgeoned to death and they all had severe head wounds from an axe.

A lengthy investigation happened afterwards. There were several suspects rounded up, one of whom was tried twice and acquitted. The crime remains unsolved until now.

The Moore family consisted of the father, Josiah; the mother, Sarah; and their four children, Paul, Boyd, Katherine and Herman. The Moore family was a known, affluent family who were well-liked in their community. At 7am in June 10, one of the Moore’s neighbors, Mary Peckham became concerned after she noticed that her neighbors did not come out to do any of their morning chores.

She knocked on the door and when no one answered. The door was locked so she called Josiah’s brother. He opened the door with his copy of the house key. Ross Moore went inside the house while Mary stood on the porch. To his horror, Ross discovered the people in the house bludgeoned to death. He asked Mary to call Villisca’s primary peace officer. The search of the house revealed that the murder weapon, an ax, was in the guest room where the Moore’s guests, the Stillinger girls, were staying.

There were lots of accusations and intrigues thereafter. People started locking their doors started openly carrying weapons to protect themselves. Even bloodhounds were brought in and law enforcement agencies from nearby towns even helped in the search. Several movies and books have recently reignited interest in the unsolved crime.