Buzz
For many, the church is a sacred refuge offering peace and solace. Yet, it might be surprising to learn that such holy grounds have witnessed bizarre and unresolved incidents, ranging from murders and vanishings to supernatural occurrences and inexplicable divine acts.
10. The Enigmatic Suicide of ‘Wm L. Toomey’
On December 4, 1982, a deeply tanned stranger walked into the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boise, Idaho. Appearing to be in his early forties, he waited patiently for the confessional, which was in use at the time. Moments later, he was discovered lifeless on the church floor.
Investigators later discovered he had ingested a cyanide capsule. Despite carrying $1,900 and a note requesting the money be used for his burial, he had no identification. The note was signed “Wm L. Toomey,” a name linked to a company producing priest attire, casting doubt on its authenticity. Efforts to uncover his true identity failed, though a chilling theory about his suicide persists.
On December 21, 1981, Father Patrick Ryan, a Catholic priest, was found murdered in an Odessa, Texas motel. Discovered naked with his hands bound, the investigation revealed he had a sexual encounter with James Harry Reyos the night before. Reyos drunkenly confessed to the crime, leading to his conviction and a 20-year sentence before parole. However, he later retracted his confession, and evidence suggests he was likely not in Odessa that night.
This theory gains credibility from a similar crime the following year. In November 1982, Father Benjamin Carrier, another Catholic priest, was murdered in a Yuma, Arizona motel. Like Father Ryan, he was found naked with his hands tied behind his back.
The distinctive belt buckle worn by “Wm L. Toomey” was traced to an Arizona gift shop, leading some to speculate he was behind both priests’ murders. It’s theorized he planned to die in the confessional after seeking absolution but misjudged the cyanide’s lethal timing.
9. The Vanishing of Father Henryk Borynski
Father Henryk Borynski relocated from Poland to Bradford, England, where he served as the Catholic chaplain for the local Polish community of 1,500 residents. He had been appointed to replace Canon Boleslaw Martynellis, a previous priest who had lost favor with the community and harbored significant resentment over his dismissal.
After 10 months as chaplain, Father Borynski received an enigmatic phone call on the evening of July 13, 1953. The conversation, conducted in Polish, ended with Borynski saying, “All right, I go,” as overheard by his landlady. He then left his home, abandoning all his possessions, and vanished without a trace.
Many of Bradford’s Polish residents at the time were refugees escaping communist rule. It was widely believed that spies from the Polish secret police operated in the area, and Father Borynski was known for his strong anti-communist stance. Speculation arose that Canon Martynellis, resentful of being replaced, may have collaborated with communist agents to orchestrate Borynski’s abduction and murder.
Just before his disappearance, Borynski reportedly received a call from Martynellis requesting a meeting at his home, though Martynellis later denied making the call. A month later, Martynellis claimed he was assaulted by two men who warned him to stay silent about Borynski’s disappearance. Martynellis died of a heart attack two years later, and the mystery of Father Borynski’s vanishing remains unresolved.
8. The Haunting of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Constructed in 1868, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is a historic landmark in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Beyond its historical significance, it is also famed for its rumored haunting, with a ghost whose origins are as strange as they are unsettling.
In 1886, the church commissioned the construction of a new tower, hiring two Swedish stonemasons for the task. However, both men vanished under mysterious circumstances before the project could be completed. This unexplained disappearance delayed the tower’s completion until 1927.
The delay was compounded by a series of eerie occurrences and sightings of a spectral figure within the church. Workers tasked with completing the tower often became too terrified to continue. To address the disturbances, they were even allowed to build a secluded room to appease the ghostly presence.
Years later, Reverend Eugene Todd, then pastor of St. Mark’s, received an unexpected revelation about the church’s supernatural events. He was called to a Denver nursing home where an elderly man on his deathbed sought confession. The man revealed he was one of the two Swedish stonemasons who had disappeared decades earlier while working on the church.
According to the man, his partner had tragically fallen to his death in the unfinished bell tower. Fearing blame, he concealed the body in a wall by encasing it in cement before fleeing. Though the body was never recovered, many found the man’s account believable, leading to the belief that the stonemason’s ghost lingers in the church.
7. The Killing of Father Alfred Kunz
On March 4, 1998, the quiet town of Dane, Wisconsin was rocked by the murder of Father Alfred Kunz. The 67-year-old priest, who had dedicated 32 years to St. Michael Catholic Church, was discovered in the church’s parochial school with his throat slit. The case has sparked numerous theories, including the sensational claim that he was killed by a group of enraged Satanists.
Kunz often worked closely with Malachi Martin, a renowned exorcist and author of several books on the topic. Martin revealed that Kunz had been preparing to conduct an exorcism on a Wisconsin man suspected of demonic possession in the weeks leading up to his murder. Kunz had expressed fears for his safety, and Martin believes the nature of his death bore hallmarks of a ritualistic killing by Satanists. Another contentious rumor suggests Kunz was involved in intimate relationships with female parishioners and may have been killed by a scorned lover.
Despite numerous theories, the Dane County sheriff’s office has identified a primary suspect. However, the individual fled the area soon after the crime, and authorities lack sufficient evidence to press charges. As a result, Father Kunz’s murder remains an unresolved and perplexing case.
6. The Papua New Guinea UFO Encounters
In April 1959, Father William Gill, a respected Anglican missionary in Boianai, Papua New Guinea, observed an unusual light moving across a distant mountain. The light reappeared on June 26, and this time, Father Gill and several others witnessed it up close. As it approached, they saw a massive disc-shaped object supported by four legs, with four alien-like figures moving on its upper surface.
The unusual craft lingered in the area for 45 minutes before vanishing, only to reappear an hour later accompanied by additional glowing objects. After hovering for four hours, they disappeared once more, but the craft and two smaller objects returned the next evening. This time, Father Gill and a companion waved at the figures on the craft, and to their astonishment, the figures waved back.
On the following night, eight UFOs appeared over the village, marking their final visit. Before departing, a loud metallic noise was heard on the mission’s roof, though no damage was found. Over three dozen witnesses, including Father Gill, corroborated the events, making this one of the most credible UFO sightings ever recorded.
5. The Killings of Harold and Thelma Swain
In 1985, Harold Swain served as deacon of the Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Waverly, Georgia. On March 11, during a Bible study session, a stranger arrived at the church. When Harold approached the man in the vestibule, the stranger drew a gun and shot him multiple times. Thelma, Harold’s wife, rushed to his aid but was also fatally shot by the assailant.
The individual escaped from the location, leaving behind nothing but a set of spectacles. In the year 2000, Dennis Perry was found guilty of the Swains' murder and sentenced to two life terms back-to-back. Perry had reportedly made death threats against Harold a fortnight prior to the incident, yet indications point towards his potential innocence.
During the period of the murders, Perry asserted his presence at his workplace in Atlanta, which is a six-hour journey away, making his involvement in the crime seem highly unlikely. A person who witnessed the shooter directed the authorities towards another individual, Donnie Barrentine, who was later heard boasting about the Swains' murder at a social gathering.
Critical evidence, such as the murderer's glasses, was misplaced by the police while filming for Unsolved Mysteries. Given that Perry had 20/20 vision and never used glasses, this evidence might have cleared his name. Nonetheless, Perry chose to forgo his appeal rights to escape a death sentence, leaving him imprisoned while the actual perpetrator could still be at large.
4. The Desertion of Infant Jacob Gerard
On the morning of February 27, 1994, after Sunday service, members of the Holy Counselor Lutheran Church in Vernon, New Jersey, stumbled upon a horrifying sight: the lifeless body of a newborn boy lying in the snow near a church window. The baby, weighing around 3 kilograms (7 lb), was found naked, wrapped only in a thin blanket.
Tragically, the infant was completely frozen, delaying the autopsy until the body thawed three days later. It is believed the baby was left outside the church overnight, succumbing to hypothermia and exposure in the frigid cold. The umbilical cord, still attached, appeared torn rather than cut, indicating the child was not born in a medical facility.
The church organized a memorial service for the unnamed child and laid him to rest in North Hardyston Cemetery behind the church. Coincidentally, the sermon that morning was about the biblical story of Jacob, and St. Gerard, the patron saint of newborns in Roman Catholicism, inspired the name Jacob Gerard. Since the baby seemed healthy before being abandoned, the case was deemed a homicide. DNA was collected from the blanket in hopes of identifying those responsible, but even after two decades, Jacob Gerard's identity remains a mystery.
3. The Astonishing Survival of the West End Baptist Church Choir
On March 1, 1950, the West End Baptist Church in Beatrice, Nebraska, was obliterated by an explosion caused by a natural gas leak. While the cause of the explosion was clear, the miraculous survival of the 15 individuals who should have been inside remains an extraordinary tale.
The church choir had planned to gather for practice at 7:20 PM that evening. Known for their punctuality, every one of the 15 members was unexpectedly delayed that night. Consequently, none were present when the church exploded at 7:27 PM.
The choir director and her daughter, the pianist, intended to arrive 30 minutes early but were delayed when the daughter fell asleep. The pastor and his wife were late after their daughter stained her dress. Two members faced car troubles, while others were delayed by ordinary activities like writing a letter, listening to the radio, or completing homework. Even a member living across the street was late. Remarkably, every choir member was spared from what could have been a devastating tragedy, leading many to see it as either an incredible coincidence or divine intervention.
2. The Killing of Irene Garza
On April 16, 1960, Irene Garza, a 25-year-old schoolteacher and former beauty queen, attended confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas. She vanished afterward, and her body was discovered five days later in a nearby canal. She had been brutally attacked, raped, and suffocated after being struck on the head with a blunt object.
Soon after, a slide viewer connected to a long cord, possibly used to restrain Garza, was found in the canal. The owner of the slide viewer came forward, revealing a shocking connection: it belonged to Father John Feit, the priest who had taken Garza’s confession before her disappearance.
Just weeks before Garza’s murder, Father Feit had been accused of attempting to rape another woman inside the church. He pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and was fined $500. On the night Garza went missing, Feit’s glasses were broken, and he had scratches on his hands, which he attributed to locking himself out of his home.
Despite the incriminating evidence, many refused to believe a Catholic priest could commit such a heinous act. Feit was transferred to a monastery in Missouri. Years later, two witnesses claimed Feit confessed to the murder, but the district attorney deemed the evidence insufficient. One witness died shortly after, and Feit, now in his eighties, denies any involvement, though he remains the primary suspect in this unsolved case.
1. The Rothwell Bone Crypt
Holy Trinity Church, a 13th-century medieval structure in Rothwell, England, holds a chilling secret beneath its floors: a charnel chapel filled with human bones. This eerie room, stacked with skeletal remains, is one of the most unsettling sights found in a place of worship.
Dubbed the “Bone Crypt,” the chamber houses the unidentified remains of around 1,500 people. The room was sealed for years until, according to legend, a gravedigger accidentally fell through the church floor in 1700 and uncovered it. The shocking discovery reportedly drove him mad. Later, the bones were sorted and displayed on shelves, turning the crypt into a local tourist attraction.
The origin of the bones remains a mystery. Some believe they belong to plague victims, while others suggest they are soldiers from the 1645 Battle of Naseby. Another theory posits that the remains were relocated from the church graveyard when Jesus Hospital was constructed over a burial site in the 16th century.
Scientists aim to use carbon dating to uncover the identities of these individuals. Until then, the Bone Crypt stands as one of England’s most fascinating and unresolved enigmas.
