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Most Famous Crime Scene Photos of All Time

You won't believe what was in Jeffrey Dahmer's refrigerator. Check out the famous crime scene photos that will literally stun you. Be warned, some of these photos are pretty graphic.

By Greg BondPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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We always hear stories of certain crimes that were committed. From murders to mass shootings and suicide, many of us have read up on the news that follow up these crimes. As horrifying as these crimes sound, reading the articles literally puts a mental image into our heads and we can't help but shutter and squirm in horror. But do you know what's worst than reading these stories? Actually seeing their crime scene photos...

The majority of crime scene photos are usually mild to safe when it comes to how much they're showing. They wouldn't want to expose too much to frighten the readers, plus police and detectives behind the cases don't give out the more graphic photos to journalists. However, from the famous crime scene photos ever, the majority of widely popular crimes had their scene photos leaked. While some of them are fairly fine to look at, the rest are actually pretty graphic. Be warned!

The Most Beautiful Suicide

'The Most Beautiful Suicide', Evelyn McHale, 1947 photo by Robert C. Wiles

Probably one of the most upsetting crime scene photos ever. Evelyn McHale was a California girl who committed suicide by jumping off of the Empire State Building’s observation platform on May 1, 1947. While plummeting fast midair, she crushed the roof of a parked car on the street below. While she completely destroyed the car, she was instantly killed by the fall.

This photo was actually taken by photography student Robert Wiles during the time and it came out to be a distressed, but beautiful photo as a whole. In the photo, Evelyn doesn’t look dead at all, but taking a nap on top of a car with her ankles slightly crossed. However, Evelyn left a note before jumping reading “He is much better off without me… I wouldn’t make a good wife for anybody,” perhaps targeting a fiancé of hers. She killed herself at the age of 23. Wiles labeled his photo “The Most Beautiful Suicide” and was published in Time magazine a month after the incident.

Black Dahlia

I apologize before hand for the very, very graphic photo, but this is among the famous crime scene photos ever. Elizabeth Short was found dead on January 15, 1947 in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. Her body was discovered naked and completely cut in half, mutilated, and was even placed posing in the grass.

While the blood was drained out of her entirely, her skin was scrubbed, too. With this, it appeared that her murder happened somewhere else as well as her mutilation. As horrendous and shocking the murder was, the murderer was never found. Local newspapers even called the whole situation the “Black Dahlia.”

Lynching of Two Indiana Men

On August 7, 1930, two Indiana black men Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were accused of killing a white man and raping a white woman. Even though they were thrown into the town’s jail for the “crime,” a lynch mob took them out, tied nooses to their necks, and hung the two on the same tree.

While the two were hung, the mob spared life for the third accused man, James Cameron, who was kept in prison at the age of 16. For the racial tensions constantly occurring in the early 20th century, this incident was among the most well-known and is also one of the famous crime scene photos. The photo actually shows the two still hung from several hours while the mob continued to linger around them.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Nope, this isn’t the type of Valentine’s Day you’re probably thinking of, but the total opposite. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred on February 14, 1929 where there was a rival mafia gang war between Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran. While the two gangs fought over the same turf in the city of Chicago, the two handled rival bootlegging operations during the moment, too.

With so much rivalry happening, it’s believed that members of Capone’s gang forced seven of Moran’s men to line up, side by side, against a brick wall. Then those seven men were all shot to death by a machine gun; about 70 shots wounded and slaughtered the men. As crazy as it sounds, the murders are unsolved to this day.

Columbine High School Massacre

High schooler seniors Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris started one of the worst school shootings in the country on April 20, 1999. The massacre was planned and involved a fire bomb to distract the firefighters, propane tanks, 99 explosive devices, and even car bombs. The entire event resulted in killing 12 students and one teacher. There were also 21 people injured and three others injured while attempting to escape the school.

As for one of the most eerie famous crime scene photos ever taken, this photo was taken from a security camera. It shows the two seniors at the time, Klebold and Harris roaming their school’s cafeteria ground with powerful guns in their hands.

The Murder of Sharon Tate

Sharon Tate was a stunning American actress and model during the 1960s. While she played small roles on television, she began to appear in films, and was also featured in fashion magazines regularly as a model. Through her success, she’s become a huge icon during the time and even received positive reviews for her amazing acting. When the actress married her director and co-star Roman Polanski, she shared a home with him and was also eight months pregnant with his son.

But then several of Charles Manson’s followers broke into their house, killing her and five of her friends. In an attempt to start a race war, members of the Manson family brutally murdered them while Tate was pregnant. The crime scene photo shows pools of blood on the carpet, making this one of the most famous crime scene photos. Charles Manson is also known as one of the most notorious criminals of all time.

Attempted Assassination of William J. Gaynor

Former New York City mayor William J. Gaynor was only mayor for less than a year before a major incident occurred. Discharged city employee James J. Gallagher was pretty upset about losing his job, and decided to take revenge. During the time, Gaynor was on vacation and right when this photo was being taken, Gallagher shot Gaynor right in the neck in attempt to assassinate him.

It took place on board of the Europe-bound SS Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse, that was docked at Hoboken, New Jersey. While Gaynor’s survival of the attempted assassination was a miracle, he died three years later from a heart attack. As for Gallagher, he died in prison in Trenton, New Jersey, on February 4, 1913—the same year as Gaynor’s death.

Jonestown Massacre

Among the disturbing famous crime scene photos ever, the Jonestown mass suicide is certainly all things horrifying. Jonestown, also known as the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, was created by the Peoples Temple which was an American cult under the leadership of Reverend Jim Jones located in north Guyana. The place became a notorious destination when 918 people died at a nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma in Guyana’s capital city on November 18, 1978.

Seen as the largest mass suicide in history, 918 people immediately died after drinking Kool-Aid that was laced with cyanide. The poison kicked in within just five minutes, instantly killing those who drank it. Aside from being a mass suicide, it was also seen as one of the scariest cults that committed mass murders under Jones’ command.

Harvey Glatman Photos

There can be pretty creepy photographers out there, taking photos of people and telling them to pose certain ways. But no one beats this disturbing photographer. Actually, Harvey Glatman wasn’t an official photographer but a serial killer. He was known as the Glamour Girl Killer, who identified himself as a fashion photographer.

Glatman kept going to modeling agencies and told them that he needed women to pose for pulp fiction magazines. He would then lure the women to his apartment, tie them up, shot unsettling photos of them, and then sexually assaulted them before killing them. The fraud photographer was guilty for three murders in the years of 1957 and 1958. He was sentenced to death.

Jeffrey Dahmer's Refrigerator

Lastly, from the famous crime scene photos, the famous Milwaukee murderer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the most infamous serial killers ever to exist. His strategy of luring young men into his home involved brutally murdering, dismembering the bodies, and even sexually abusing the body parts as well as eating them… Most of us know who Dahmer was, and if you don’t, yes, a man did all of this.

However, he was actually the type to have “leftovers,” which included stashing away human body parts and organs into his freezer for later consumption. And this particular crime scene photo features Dahmer’s refrigerator that contains mysterious meats and even a human skull all wrapped up. Overall, Dahmer murdered 17 people and was caught guilty in 1991.

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About the Creator

Greg Bond

Will always catch him wearing a tux on the daily. Goes by Bond, hates his name Greg. You’ll find him in high-end New York City bars making conversation with strangers.

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