PODCAST

Southern Macabre

Aeryn Grey

Three times every week I will tell you about a missing person, true crime, or paranormal story from the South. I encourage listener feedback and if you have a suggestion then I want to hear from you. You will be credited in that episode description.
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Dealing with the Devil
Dealing with the Devil
Apr 30 2022
9 mins
Dealing with the Devil
Dealing with the Devil
Today I'm going to tell y'all about a Blues musician who may, or may not, have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi way back in the 1930s. Almost 100 years later you can still listen to him play guitar and sing. To read today's transcript you can visit the website.
Apr 30 2022
9 mins
Haunted, Abandoned Mental Hospital in Alabama
Haunted, Abandoned Mental Hospital in Alabama
Hey, y’all, and welcome to Southern Macabre. I’m Aeryn and I am so glad that you could join me today. I hope you’re having a fantastic week so far. Mine has been good. My birthday was last week and one of our cats surprised us with four kittens. We’re working on naming them since most people who want cats already have them so we’re figuring we have four new cats. I’m hoping to convince the kids to let me name one Edgar Allen Poe, but only my oldest child really appreciates his work. Anyway. Today we’re going to talk about mental health and I’m going to tell you about a hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This episode took two weeks for me to research and write, but I think it’s worth the wait. Also, I feel it’s important to tell y’all about mental health treatment beginning in the Victorian era (1880s to about 1910s) and how it changed through later decades. You may be shocked by what I’m going to tell you, but you will find sources to all of this information on the website. To start off, mental hospitals were once called asylums. It was supposed to give the feeling of a rest or break from one’s mental illness and during the Victorian era it actually was. I was surprised to learn that in the late 1800s most patients were well cared for in the UK and in America. William Ellis was the first superintendent of Hanwell Asylum in London and he believed mental illness could be cured through meaningful work. His successor, John Connolly, introduced the idea of a no restraint system at Hanwell. These two men likely influenced Dr. Peter Bryce, a twenty-seven-year-old psychiatrist from South Carolina. He had studied mental health in Europe and then worked in both New Jersey and South Carolina before being hired as the first superintendent of The Alabama Insane Hospital when it opened in 1861. Robert Jemison, Jr. donated his estate to the state of Alabama to build the state-run mental hospital. He was a senator and he was convinced to make the generous donation by Dorothea Dix, an advocate for the mentally ill. In the early years, African American patients were housed in a barn loft. All of the patients worked to provide food along with clean clothes and living quarters. This was considered part of their treatment and all patients were encouraged to spend time outside. The Jemison Centre was built in 1939 for African American patients and it housed patients until 1977. Dr. Bryce lived with his wife, Ellen, in the mental hospital and even ate with the patients in the hospital’s dining room. He dealt with budget cuts due to the Civil War, which shifted the patients working as part of their therapy to them working to make sure no one starved. His colleagues didn’t understand his model of treating patients with kindness and respect, viewing the practice as primitive and old-fashioned. This must have been infuriating to him after seeing how well it worked. While Dr. Bryce cared for patients medically, Mrs. Bryce beautified the grounds as well as the inside of the hospital. She agreed with her husband that the way patients were treated and their surroundings played a role in their ability to get better. They even brought in birds for long-term patients to care for and all to enjoy as part of their therapy. Sadly, Dr. Bryce died of kidney disease in 1892. The hospital was renamed in his honor in 1900. His wife, Ellen, passed away in 1929. They’re buried on the grounds of the hospital they devoted their lives to for so many years. I can’t help but wonder if they may still be there caring for patients unable or unwilling to leave, even in death. There isn’t any information on Bryce Hospital after his death until the lawsuit in 1970, we’ll get there in a moment, so I’ll tell you about “treatment” in the United States in general. I can’t prove or disprove that any of these things happened at Bryce Hospital or the Jemison Centre, but the likelihood is high. --- Ad --- Sigmund Freud came on the scene in 1886. He worked in Vienna, Austria, but was popular around the world prior to his death in 1939. He believed in talking to patients, but he also prescribed cocaine as a stimulant and pain killer. For a brief period of time, he believed it would cure a morphine addiction, but then his friend died from a morphine overdose about three years later. Go figure. The 1930s introduced electroshock therapy in mental hospitals around the world. It was, and still is, effective. Today it is performed while the patient has been given a muscle relaxer and anesthesia, to keep them from moving and feeling pain. Patients from the 1930s to 1970s were shocked to cause seizures which cured depression. As stupid as that sounds, there is documentation that it actually worked, but patients lost some of their long-term memories. Psychosurgeries, like lobotomies, became popular in the 1940s. This was where part of the frontal lobe of the brain was damaged or removed in order to cure certain mental illnesses. --- Everything came to an end when Bryce Mental Hospital’s sins were revealed in October 1970. Ricky Wyatt was a fifteen-year-old boy who was acting out; he did not have a mental illness. Due to his behavior, he was sent to live at Bryce by his probation officer and aunt who had custody. His aunt worked at Bryce when he was sent to live there, but was laid off with many of the other workers. This was when she first said anything about feces covering the walls, nurses betting on fights between patients, etc. He wasn’t the only person who didn’t need to be there either. Sweet Aunt Betty burned the biscuits the past five Sundays in a row? Send her to Bryce! Maw Maw keeps misplacing her car keys? They’ve got a room for up there! Daddy being a general pain in the rear?  He can go, too. The only requirement was a letter from a doctor, which was easy enough to get. The lawsuit was called Wyatt vs Stickney and it led to federal regulation of mental institutions across the United States. It was found that the state was only giving 50 cents per patient per day for food, clothing, and other necessities. There were 5, 200 patients and only one nurse per 250. A reporter said that the hospital reminded him of the conditions he had witnessed in German concentration camps! He claimed (and I believe him after doing research) that buckets of boiling water were poured on him to get him out of bed and he witnessed other patients being abused many times. I couldn’t find too many details, but maybe that’s not a bad thing? --- Bryce State Hospital has been closed since 2014 and was sold to the University of Alabama to be used as a pair of museums, one on mental health history in the state and the other of the history of the University of Alabama. They were supposed to be completed by 2020, but the buildings on the old Jemison plantation are derelict and condemned today. Of course, the buildings are haunted, in case you were wondering if this really was a paranormal episode or just a dark tale of mental health history. The history is what lead to the property and buildings being haunted. There was so much mistreatment and so many people who suffered at Bryce who were completely sane (or as sane as a person can be) and didn’t need to be there. People have been scratched by unseen entities, heard screams coming from empty corridors, etc. There are several YouTube videos about Bryce and the place is creepy during the day. That could be due to decay, but I wouldn’t go out there even if it was allowed. A small group of people who went there said they felt a cold spot and then noticed a clean spot on the floor with a shoe print in the middle. If you watch any of the YouTube videos, there aren’t any clean spots in any of these facilities. Also, there are cemeteries out there. Plural. Most aren’t marked and the documents have been lost. The first recorded burial was in 1861, but most from 1861 to 1922 are gone forever. It’s estimated that over 1,000 people are buried on the premises, but only 554 are listed on Find a Grave. That’s a lot of potential souls, am I right? --- I just found out about this as I was going to record, but there’s also an old nursing home back in there that was called S.D. Allen. It’s also said to be haunted. Visitors (trespassers, really) have heard what sounds like a mattress or a body being drug across the floor. --- I hope y’all enjoyed today’s episode. I’m sorry it took so long to research; I hope you can tell how much time I dedicated to this episode. I’ll confess that part of that time was wasted because I didn’t realize how many buildings were out there so a lot of my information was incorrect. Some may still be, but I did my best and that’s what matters. At least I hope it is. Come back on Friday. I’m not sure what I’m going to tell y’all about yet, but it’ll be good. I hope y’all have a wonderful day and I will talk to y’all tomorrow. God bless, y’all! --- Credits https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/victorian-mental-asylum https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7456315/Inside-haunted-ruined-remains-Alabama-State-Hospital-Insanes-Jemison-Centre.html https://news.ua.edu/2015/02/the-legacy-of-mental-health-pioneer-peter-bryce/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Hospital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud https://timeline.com/lucille-schreiber-forced-sterilization-e3987d304dc0 https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/26644/bryce-hospital-cemetery https://adap.ua.edu/ricky-wyatt.html
Apr 28 2022
14 mins
Where is Keisha Turner?
Where is Keisha Turner?
Hey, y’all, and welcome to Southern Macabre. I’m Aeryn and I am so thankful that you’re joining me today. I hope y’all are having a fantastic week! Today we’re going to visit a small community in West Alabama that just completed their first murder trial in over seventeen years. Before I tell you about Ms. Keisha Turner, I want to apologize for not posting an episode on Wednesday. Y’all know I’m not originally from Alabama so I don’t know all of the nicknames for places. That happened with a very spooky, sad haunted location I have been researching for two weeks. I finally know what I’m talking about so I will tell you about it on April 27th. Now back to Keisha. She was from Vernon, Alabama, a town of just under 1,500 people in Lamar County on the Alabama-Mississippi line. Despite its small size, it offers a lot in the way of restaurants, boutiques, and the largest antique mall in the area. Vernon is very proud of its mom-and-pop businesses and does a lot to support them. On Friday nights, everyone shows up for football or baseball games, depending on the season. Those mom-and-pop businesses sponsor the games, and you will see Bulldog banners in yellow and black around town. It’s like a Hallmark movie set. The town goes all out for Christmas with a parade, the businesses decorate trees on the courthouse lawn, and everyone stands outside sipping apple cider or hot chocolate. Nearby towns do this, too, but there’s something special about the one in this little town that brings people together. It’s also a very safe place to live. It’s not unusual to run into a store and the owner has stepped out for dinner or a customer has left their car running to grab groceries at the Shop ‘N Save. Before 2015, there hadn’t been a murder in Lamar County in twenty-some odd years. --- Keisha Turner left her home just outside of Vernon on February 19, 2015 to run errands. She was a twenty-nine-year-old mother of three who was divorced from Brandon Sykes, 40 years old. She had recently posted on social media that she had gotten engaged. When her family didn’t hear from her, her mom went to her home and found a back window busted in. She called Vernon Police to check her home and they discovered blood inside and part of Keisha out in the yard. They didn’t elaborate. Her 2001 Honda Civic was found burned about 35 miles southeast in New Hope Mississippi, another rural community, a few days later. People called the Vernon police to inform them that they had seen Brandon Sykes carrying a gas can in that area around the time the car was discovered. Sykes was charged three months later for her murder, even though her body has never been found. Police found enough blood in her home and in the bed of Sykes’s truck to prove that she had been murdered and that he was involved. Unfortunately, 2020 happened before he could go to court so it was postponed until February 2022. He was staying at Pickens County jail on interference with custody and aggravated stalking charges relating to Keisha’s disappearance. Those charges were dropped when he was charged with capital murder. --- Sykes was found guilty of capital murder on February 22nd and sentenced to the death penalty on the 23rd. The jury deliberated “briefly” before convicting him of murder in connection with a burglary, kidnapping, and robbery. I recently saw a News Break article condemning Lamar County, Alabama for sentencing a man to die without a body. How does that even happen? It’s simple to explain, but far more difficult to get a conviction. Evidence. Lamar County police found Keisha’s blood throughout her home and a piece of her flesh in her yard. There was enough of both to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Keisha was murdered and that Sykes did it. It's hard enough to prove that someone committed murder, but it’s nearly impossible without a body. All I am able to get ahold of are newspaper articles, but it sounds like the local police department has a lot of evidence against Sykes. Personally, I think it’s a good thing that a body isn’t required as long as there is enough evidence to prove that the missing person is deceased. I don’t necessarily mean that if no one has heard from him or her in a few weeks, I mean something tangible like blood. I hope and pray that Sykes will tell her family where Keisha is. The trial’s over, he’s been found guilty, and he’s the only one with that information. --- Now for a quick word from our sponsor. --- I just wanted to tell y’all how much it means to me that so many of y’all are listening. I sincerely hope that you get something out of Southern Macabre and I hope that you will pray for the families I tell y’all about. I will be back on Wednesday to tell y’all about a haunted mental health facility. I may spend a little time telling y’all about the history of mental health in the south. Thank y’all so much again for joining me and I hope y’all have a fantastic weekend!
Apr 22 2022
6 mins
Update and Announcement
Update and Announcement
This is just a quick update and announcement about the future of Southern Macabre.  From Ashes to Brush Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Apr 11 2022
2 mins
What Happened to the Whatleys?
What Happened to the Whatleys?
John and Faye Whatley disappeared without a trace in 1976 from Bastrop, Texas. What happened to them? Where did they go? This episode is brought to you by From Ashes to Brush. To read the transcript, you can click here. Like us on Facebook and make sure you follow Southern Macabre on Twitter and Instagram.
Apr 5 2022
8 mins
From Ashes to Brush: Immortalize Your Loved Ones in Art
From Ashes to Brush: Immortalize Your Loved Ones in Art
I had the honor of speaking to Jon Flannagan of From Ashes to Brush recently, which was a lot of fun! He told me about his artwork and what he uses to create his unique paintings. If you want to see his artwork, and trust me you do, then click here. You can find our website here.
Mar 31 2022
11 mins
Have These Children Been Trafficked?
Have These Children Been Trafficked?
Ten children have gone missing from a town of 20,000 since July 2021. All of them were children of Hispanic immigrants, mostly from Guatemala. Have they been trafficked? Or were they lured into a gang that's becoming more active in the area where they disappeared? Their pictures are included with today's transcript and will be on Facebook by the end of the day. You can reach me at Aeryn@Southern-Macabre.com or through social media. Transcript / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 25 2022
11 mins
Is Disney World Haunted?
Is Disney World Haunted?
Today I wanted to do something fun, so I researched hauntings at The Most Magical Place on Earth. I will tell you what I learned, but I'll let you form your own opinion. If you want to read today's transcript, you can find it here. Facebook / Twitter / Instagram --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 23 2022
6 mins
The Bloody Harpes
The Bloody Harpes
* Today’s story may not be appropriate for younger listeners, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. * This episode is about the first serial killers in America, Big and Little Harpe. They began killing men, women, and children after the Revolutionary War and continued for many, many years. They were constantly on the move between North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. The latter part of their lives were spent near Natchez Trace. Transcript / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 18 2022
11 mins
Have Southerners Seen UFOs?
Have Southerners Seen UFOs?
Today I'm going to tell y'all about UFO encounters in the south along with how each state ranks according to Stack.com. This episode was a lot of fun to research and hope you will enjoy it, no matter if you are a believer or a skeptic. Transcript / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Aeryn@Southern-Macabre.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 16 2022
10 mins
Missing in Virginia
Missing in Virginia
Today I am going to tell you about a few of the people who have gone missing in Virginia including two young girls who may have been murdered by a friend and about three young people who vanished from one town. Be sure to come back next Monday when I'll tell you about ten others who have disappeared from that small town since 2011. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please follow so you never miss an episode and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Goodpods. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and now on Instagram! If you want to contact me, my email is aeryn@southern-macabre.com. If you want to read the transcript, you can do so here. Thank you so much for listening today! Come back on Wednesday when I’ll tell you a new paranormal story and at the end of the week for True Crime Friday. I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope y’all have a fantastic week and I look forward to talking to y’all again soon. God bless, y’all! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 14 2022
8 mins
The Haunted Lorton Reformatory
The Haunted Lorton Reformatory
Lorton Reformatory, also known as Lorton Prison, had a horrific past that may have given it a spooky atmosphere that still lingers today with its modern subdivision sharing the property. I will tell you stories that my dad shared with me when he worked there in the 80s into the 90s as well as stories I've heard more recently. You can read the transcript here. Email me at Aeryn@Southern-Macabre.com Facebook Twitter --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 10 2022
13 mins
What Happened to Kaila Morris?
What Happened to Kaila Morris?
Kaila Morris was a 21-year-old Mississippi State University student who disappeared from her mother's home in 2009 and hasn't been heard from since. Her stepfather was the last person to see her and was arrested on unrelated charges at the beginning of the investigation into her disappearance. Did he play a role? Or was he just there when she was kidnapped? Listen to this episode and make your own conclusions! * Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I am not implying or stating guilt in Kaila's disappearance, just stating the unusual facts in this very sad case. If you want to read the transcript, it can be found here. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, or email me at Aeryn@Southern-Macabre.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 8 2022
12 mins
Where is Sara Nicole Graham?
Where is Sara Nicole Graham?
You may remember me talking about Sara in the episode What's Going on in This Town? Part One, but it's okay if you don't. I'll tell you about her and give you the information the FBI recently released. You can click here if you would like to read the transcript for this episode or if you would like to see a picture of Sara. If you know anything then you should call the Charlotte FBI at 704-672-6100. If you want to get in touch with me, my email address is aeryn@southern-macabre.com or you can contact me on Facebook and/or Twitter. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 4 2022
6 mins
Cold Cases Can Be Solved
Cold Cases Can Be Solved
Today I'm going to tell y'all about the freezing cold case of Eugene "Mike" Carmichael O'Boyle who was murdered in 1981 and about the cold case of the Durham family that was solved after fifty years. Y'all are not going to want to miss this one! If you know anything about Mike's murder, you should call the Columbia Police Department at 803-749-5836. If you want to read today's transcript, it is on the Southern Macabre website. If you want to get in touch with me, my email address is aeryn@southern-macabre.com, you can find the Southern Macabre Facebook Page here, or you can reach me on Twitter. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 4 2022
12 mins
The Grand Old Lady Inn
The Grand Old Lady Inn
Hey, y'all, and welcome to Southern Macabre! Today I'm going to tell y'all about the benevolent spirits residing at the Grand Old Lady Inn, also known as the Balsam Mountain Inn, located in Balsam, North Carolina. I'll tell you some history and a bit about the architecture, so you can get a feel for this majestic beauty that is open to the public. On Monday, I want to celebrate our 25th episode with a Q&A session, so please send your questions to aeryn@southern-macabre.com, ask on the Facebook page, or on Twitter. You can also leave your questions in the comments section of our website. The website is also where you can read today's transcript. You can find our Patreon here, if you're interested. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 2 2022
8 mins
What Happened to Mary and Diane?
What Happened to Mary and Diane?
Today I'm going to tell you about Mary Shotwell Little and Diane Shields, two cold cases from the 1960s in Atlanta, Georgia. There is a lot of speculation in these two cases and conspiracy theories abound. Mary has been missing since October 14, 1965 and Diane was murdered in 1967. Both worked at C&S National Bank and shared a roommate, but the similarities don't end there. If you want to read the transcript, you can read it at Southern Macabre. If you are interested in supporting this podcast and gaining access to bonus content, head over to the Southern Macabre Patreon page. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Mar 1 2022
21 mins
Southern Macabre (Trailer)
Southern Macabre (Trailer)
Episode description not available.
Feb 28 2022
51 seconds
How to Stay Safe in This Digital Age
How to Stay Safe in This Digital Age
This episode is about Apple AirTags, Tile trackers, and the new Samsung SmartTags. I'm going to tell you how they work and which ones a criminal can use to stalk you and/or your vehicle along with what you should do if you find one on you. Please share this with everyone you know, this is not a southern problem - it is a nationwide problem. If you want to contact me, I'm Aeryn Grey on Twitter and the Facebook page is Southern Macabre. You can also email me at aeryn@southern-macabre.com The Android link to find a tracker is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.trackerdetect You can read the transcript on the website Southern Macabre --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Feb 25 2022
11 mins
Haunted Dirt Road in the Middle of Nowhere
Haunted Dirt Road in the Middle of Nowhere
Today's episode takes place in Columbus, Mississippi on a dark, desolate dirt road. The old legend says if you follow three simple rules you will be chased by someone. Who is it? Well, you'll have to listen to find out! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Feb 23 2022
9 mins