The Axeman of Appalachia: A Forgotten Butcher (Spooky Season True Crime #5)

🪓 The Axeman of Appalachia: A Forgotten Butcher

By Richie D. Mowrey · The Sassy Gazette

Between 1979 and 1983, a wave of murders swept through Appalachia’s forgotten trails mountain cabins torched, bodies butchered, and ritual symbols left behind. He was called the Axeman. But most outside the local counties never heard his name.

The Forgotten Files

In a manila folder buried in a forgotten precinct filing cabinet, investigators found faded Polaroids, handwritten case notes, and a map labeled “AX-RIT-79.” What they had was not a single murder but a pattern.

The Totem and Scar

At multiple sites, authorities found a strange wood-carved totem near the victims. In one case, the corpse bore a spiral-shaped scar at the wrist, carved after death. Locals whispered it resembled a “root marker.”

The Spiral Ritual Floor

One abandoned hunting cabin revealed what authorities dubbed “the ritual floor” chalk spirals layered with blood patterns, melted wax, and ash. Locals claimed the Axeman was part of a cult known as The True Seed.

The Trooper’s Note

In a yellowing envelope tucked into the case files, a note read:

“To whom do we offer the first root?”

Some believe it references child sacrifice or a twisted rebirth ritual feeding the land something pure in exchange for power.

Survivor’s Testimony

Only one person ever survived. A drifter, found trembling on the edge of a forest fire, claimed he “heard a choir inside the flames” and saw figures dancing with axes. He fled into the woods half-naked, covered in another man’s blood.

The Chalk Mountain Map

Dozens of Xs mark remote cabins, mine shafts, and fire sites. Connecting them reveals a perfect spiral, with the final site labeled “Root ⛧ Point” leading up Chalk Mountain.

The Final Whisper

No one’s officially been arrested. Files were quietly shelved in 1983. But hikers still report sightings a man in the fog, slinging an axe over his shoulder, near where the last X meets the trailhead.

“He waits in the rot. And the root remembers.”

Maybe the Axeman was just a man. Maybe not. But in the shadows of those Appalachian woods the story still breathes.

💀 Richie Digs Deeper: This post is part of the Spooky Season True Crime Series from The Sassy Gazette. Read the rest at thesassygazette.blogspot.com.

Comments

Who Killed Dr. David S. Bailey? The Lingering Mystery in North Huntingdon, PA

The Sassy Gazette Proudly Presents: Dicking Around With Richie A True Crime Feed Who Killed Dr. David S. Bailey? The Lingering Mystery in North Huntingdon, PA On the morning of November 29, 2019, a scene of unimaginable horror unfolded inside Bailey Family Chiropractic on Parkway Drive in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Dr. David S. Bailey a respected 54-year-old chiropractor, husband, and father of three was found dead in his office, just before the business was set to open for the day. His death was quickly ruled a homicide. And yet, here we are, nearly six years later , still with no arrest, no named suspect, and precious few details released to the public. Dr. Bailey’s murder has become one of Westmoreland County’s most troubling unsolved cases. It’s a wound that refuses to heal for his family, his friends, his patients, and frankly, for anyone who believes killers shouldn’t get away with murder. A Man Beloved by His Community “People say he’s the best chiropractor...

The Disappearance of Ruben Carranza – Missing from Greensburg, PA Since July 29, 2025

The Disappearance of Ruben Carranza: A Deep Dive into the Greensburg, PA Case Dicking Around With Richie – A True Crime Feed Executive Summary Ruben Carranza , 36, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has been missing since July 29, 2025 . His sudden disappearance has left his family, friends, and community desperate for answers. He was last seen after borrowing his grandfather’s 2002 white Toyota Avalon (PA plate HSG-7080) . On August 9, 2025 , the car was found purposefully concealed on private property in rural Acme, Donegal Township but only after being moved there on August 5 , the very day police first made public appeals for information. Investigators believe that timing is no coincidence . This is no longer just a standard missing person case. The deliberate concealment twice points toward third-party involvement and raises serious concerns about foul play. The Missing Man: Who is Ruben Carranza? Ruben is described as a talented tattoo artist with a distinctive style,...

The Sackler Curse

The Sackler Curse How One Family Helped Engineer a National Funeral By RICHIE D. MOWREY for The Sassy Gazette “Gentle with the grieving. Brutal with the guilty.” Table of Contents A Personal Note Introduction: A Nation in Mourning Chapter 1: OxyContin The Original “Oxi-Coffin” Chapter 2: How to Buy Silence in Washington Chapter 3: The Other Devils in the Room Chapter 4: Settled Doesn’t Mean Solved Chapter 5: What’s Been Done for the Victims? Final Words: From Empire to Eulogy A Personal Note I survived what has taken so many others. The opioid epidemic has shattered lives, broken families, and left behind trails of unimaginable pain. My own dependence nearly destroyed everything I held dear. I’ve watched good friends die, some after just one use. This crisis is complex. Yes, we as addicts must take accountability and fight for our recovery. But let’s not sugarcoat the truth. What Big Pharma did was calculated, ruthless, and devastating. Far to...

The Sassy Gazette

Search This Blog