Buzz
Rest stops are essential for travelers on long journeys, offering a chance to rest and refresh. However, their remote locations often make them vulnerable to danger, as help can be miles away. These isolated spots have witnessed terrifying incidents, leaving behind unsolved mysteries that haunt those who hear the stories.
10. The Blind River Rest Stop Murders
In 1991, Gord and Jackie McAllister, an elderly couple from Lindsay, Ontario, embarked on a road trip in their RV. They stopped for the night at a secluded rest area near Blind River. Around midnight on June 28, a man knocked on their door, claiming to be a police officer. When they opened the door, a long-haired intruder forced his way in, armed with a .22-caliber rifle and a 20-gauge shotgun. He demanded their valuables, and after they complied, he shot them. Jackie died immediately, but Gord, though injured, managed to escape.
Gord sought refuge beneath the motor home, evading the killer. Before the assailant could locate him, another vehicle arrived at the rest stop. Bryan Major, a 29-year-old driver, was shot and killed instantly. The gunman then escaped in a van. Gord managed to reach the road and stopped a passing truck for assistance, later giving police a thorough description of the suspect.
The case went cold until 1999, when DNA evidence connected Ronald Glenn West, a former police officer, to the unsolved murders of two Toronto women in 1970. Investigators suspect West may also be linked to the deaths of Jackie McAllister and Bryan Major, as he lived near Blind River at the time. West’s wife even noted that the suspect’s composite sketch looked like her husband wearing a wig. Despite these connections, West, currently in prison, has never been definitively tied to the Blind River rest stop murders, which remain unresolved.
9. The Murder of Jane Snow
On May 15, 1979, Jane Snow, a 31-year-old nurse from Grand Rapids, Michigan, left her home with her two young sons, aged eight and nine. While driving north on Interstate 75, she stopped at the Loon Lake Rest Area near Gaylord. Jane went to the women’s restroom while her sons used the men’s. When she didn’t return, her sons entered the restroom and discovered her lifeless body, stabbed 23 times. They flagged down a passing driver for help, but the killer was never seen.
At approximately the same time, a state trooper traveling south on Interstate 75 encountered a hitchhiker less than 1 kilometer (0.5 mi) from the rest area. The trooper observed scratches on the man’s hands but was unaware of the nearby murder. After dropping the hitchhiker off, he recorded his name and address. The man, John McGawley, had an active warrant for a bad check charge in Rhode Island.
McGawley was later arrested and interrogated regarding Jane Snow’s murder. That evening, he had been at a bar in Indian River, where he had a heated argument with his wife. When police located him, he was wearing a bloodstained shirt, but forensic tests revealed the blood was not Jane’s. Insufficient evidence prevented charges against McGawley, leaving the case unsolved for over 35 years.
8. The Disappearances of Shaina and Shausha Henson
On April 20, 2001, Curtis and Christina Mayer were discovered dead at a Collier County, Florida, rest stop in what appeared to be a murder-suicide. Curtis had shot Christina before taking his own life. Investigators found a torn birth certificate for Kimyala Henson in the rest stop’s trash can, along with her wallet and credit cards in the Mayers’ car. Eight days later, Kimyala’s partially buried, decomposing body was found in the Nevada desert. Her two daughters, Shaina (2) and Shausha (4 months), were missing and never located.
Kimyala, originally from Portland, had intended to travel to British Columbia with her daughters. Christina Mayer, a friend of Kimyala, and her husband Curtis were supposed to join the Hensons on their journey. On April 4, the group traveled to Sacramento so Kimyala could collect her birth certificate. The last confirmed sighting of Kimyala and her daughters was at a Redding hotel the next evening.
Investigators later discovered that “Curtis Mayer” was actually Frank Oehring, a fugitive wanted in Missouri for attempting to murder his ex-wife. It is believed that the couple persuaded Kimyala to retrieve her birth certificate to facilitate crossing the border. They likely killed Kimyala so Christina could assume her identity. On April 9, Christina used Kimyala’s birth certificate in Las Vegas to obtain a fake ID under Kimyala’s name. The case ended with Frank Oehring’s murder-suicide, leaving the fate of Shaina and Shausha a mystery. The couple’s deaths ensured that the truth about the children’s disappearance would never be known.
7. The Wright City Rest Area Torso
On June 28, 2004, a maintenance crew working at a rest area near Interstate 70 in Wright City, Missouri, discovered a human female torso at the base of a hillside. The torso was found in a secluded area near a back entrance, typically secured by a gate. However, the gate had been left open the night before, suggesting the killer used this access point to dispose of the body. The victim, estimated to be between 20 and 45 years old, was missing her head, arms, and legs. She was wearing an ill-fitting bra, and her severed limbs were never found.
The exact cause of the victim’s death remains unknown. It is believed she was killed elsewhere approximately 12 hours before her discovery. The torso bore scars from both a C-section and an appendectomy, along with stretch marks suggesting she had been pregnant. Despite being in good physical condition with minimal body fat, she had a kidney infection and ovarian scarring. Despite these clues, investigators have never identified the victim, her killer, or the reason for her brutal dismemberment.
6. The Murder of Dexter Stefonek
In the fall of 1985, Dexter Stefonek, a 67-year-old widower from Wisconsin, visited his son’s family in Corbett, Oregon. On November 18, he decided to return home and began the long drive back to Wisconsin. The next morning, his car was found at the Bad Route Rest Area, about 34 kilometers (21 mi) from Glendive, Montana. The vehicle had been set on fire with gasoline, but Dexter was missing. Four months later, his body was discovered 27 kilometers (17 mi) away in a remote area. He had been beaten and shot twice in the back of the head.
Investigators concluded that Dexter likely encountered his killer at the Bad Route Rest Area. Two hours before his burning car was found, the rest area custodian arrived and noticed a Chevrolet pickup truck in the parking lot with no one around. As the custodian left, he saw Dexter’s car enter the lot, driven by an unidentified man carrying two cans of gasoline. This man likely set the car on fire and fled in the pickup truck.
A perplexing detail in this case is that Dexter’s suitcase was discovered at the landfill with his body. The suitcase still contained money, but his clothes were scattered around, appearing to have been placed there months after the murder. To this day, the identity and motive of Dexter Stefonek’s killer remain a mystery.
5. The Disappearance of Lee Cutler
On October 20, 2007, 18-year-old Lee Cutler, a high school senior from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, was supposed to work a noon shift at a local clothing store. He never arrived and didn’t return home that night. The next day, his car was found nearly 300 kilometers (200 mi) away at a rest area near Baraboo, Wisconsin. Inside the car was a receipt from Kettle Moraine State Park, timestamped the previous afternoon, showing Lee had visited the park after leaving Buffalo Grove. His reason for traveling to Baraboo remains unknown.
Surveillance footage from the day of his disappearance showed Lee at a Walmart buying cold medicine and a bottle of painkillers. An empty pill bottle and some of Lee’s belongings were later found near the Baraboo River. His pants, submerged in the water, contained his wallet, ID, and car keys. Despite searches, Lee’s body was never found, and fallen trees in the river prevented the water from carrying it far.
A letter to Lee’s mother was discovered, in which he wrote, “Finally, I’ll get to sleep,” sparking concerns about suicide. The letter was inside a copy of Into the Wild, a book about Christopher McCandless, a young man who died in the Alaskan wilderness. Some speculate Lee may have emulated McCandless’s journey, but no evidence of his fate has ever been found.
4. The Murder of Xavier Baligant
In the summer of 2011, Xavier Baligant, a 29-year-old divorced father from Pont-a-Celles, Belgium, took his two young children on a camping trip in France’s Rhone-Alpes region. On July 19, around 2:00 AM, while driving home, Xavier stopped at the Malvaux Rest Area in the French Alps. He left his sleeping children in the car to use the restroom. Moments later, a motorway employee heard gunshots and discovered Xavier’s body near the restroom. He had been shot four times, but the assailant had vanished.
At the time of the murder, several truck drivers were parked at a rest area across the motorway. They were questioned and tested for gunshot residue, but all results were negative. Xavier’s hands showed signs of struggle, suggesting he fought his attacker. Theories about his death ranged from a contract killing to a botched carjacking, but no conclusive evidence has emerged.
A year later, British tourist Saad Al-Hilli, his wife, and mother-in-law were shot and killed in their car on a remote road in the French Alps, while their two children survived. The proximity of this crime—less than 160 kilometers (100 mi) from Xavier’s murder—led to speculation about a tourist-hating serial killer. However, no definitive link between the two cases has been established, and both remain unsolved.
3. The Murder of Father Reynaldo Rivera
On the evening of August 7, 1982, Father Reynaldo Rivera, a Catholic priest at St. Francis Cathedral in Santa Fe, received a call from a man identifying himself as Michael Carmello. The caller claimed to need a priest to perform last rites for a dying person at a rest stop near Waldo. Father Rivera agreed and left the rectory, never to be seen alive again. Three days later, his body was discovered on a remote road about 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the rest stop. He had been shot and killed.
Father Rivera’s car was later found at a rest stop near Grants, wiped clean of any evidence. The only item missing was his last rites kit. Investigations into the name “Michael Carmello” yielded no results. The motive remains unclear, and it’s unlikely Rivera was specifically targeted, as he happened to answer the phone by chance that night.
Some theorize that Rivera’s murder may be linked to the 1984 disappearance of Father John Kerrigan, another Catholic priest. Kerrigan vanished after being transferred to Ronan, Montana, amid allegations of child sexual abuse. His car was found abandoned with significant bloodstains, suggesting foul play. While no definitive link has been proven, the similarities between the two cases raise the possibility that both priests were killed by the same individual.
2. The Disappearance of David Lovely
In the summer of 1985, Jackie Aubut planned to move cross-country from California to Massachusetts with her 19-year-old son, David Lovely, and 18-year-old daughter, Allison. While Jackie and Allison traveled in a moving truck, David chose to ride his motorcycle for the entire journey, following closely behind them.
The trip proceeded without issues until August 5, when they stopped in Evanston, Wyoming. David informed his family that his motorcycle needed repairs and agreed to meet them at a nearby rest area. However, when Jackie and Allison arrived, David was nowhere to be found. They waited overnight, but he never appeared.
Later, David’s aunt received a call from him. He explained that his motorcycle had broken down, so he pushed it to a truck stop in Fort Bridger. There, he met a rugged-looking man on a Harley Davidson who, despite David’s initial fear, repaired the motorcycle. David assured his aunt he would rejoin his family, but this was the last time anyone heard from him.
Nine days later, David’s motorcycle was discovered on a remote dirt road. The keys were still in the ignition, the tank was half-full, and the bike was in working condition. His knapsack and books were found nearby on the ground. Aside from the call to his aunt, there have been no verified sightings of David Lovely since he parted ways with his family, and his disappearance remains unsolved after 30 years.
1. The Willow Patch Rest Stop Suicide
On January 25, 1984, a 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air was found at the Willow Patch Rest Stop in White Pine County, Nevada. Inside was the decomposing body of a white male, believed to be in his forties. The cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, with a rubber hose connecting the exhaust pipe to the passenger-side window. The man carried no ID, but a suicide note, written as a prayer and signed “J,” was found. His wallet contained $201.40, and the note requested the money be donated to the Mormon Church.
It seemed the man had taken deliberate steps to hide his identity. Although the vehicle contained numerous clothing items, all tags had been removed. The car’s license plate was missing, but the vehicle identification number (VIN) was intact. Despite efforts, the VIN yielded no records for the Bel Air. The absence of the backseat suggested the man had been living in the car. A unique clue was a homemade electric component box in the glove compartment, connected to the starter, likely serving as a timing device to shut off the vehicle. Despite these clues, investigators have never uncovered details about “J” or the reasons behind his suicide.
