Monstrum Athenaeum Tearing open the cryptid world of werewolves, vampires & zombies.
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Canada, a country famous for its vast expanse of wilderness, wildlife, and seemingly endless stretches of highway, including endless side roads leading into the northern backcountry.
Among those highways and byways in British Columbia lies the infamous Highway of Tears. This five-hundred mile stretch of desolate road is home to more wildlife than vehicles. Unfortunately, it’s also home to many unsolved murders; spanning some forty-plus years.
The R.C.M.P. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officially puts the number of unsolved cases, at least the ones it knows of, at eighteen. According to locals, however, there are scores of other unsolved murders numbering dozens upon dozens. While some of these murders have been solved, most by mere chance, these 18 are a grim reminder that many remain as cold as ice. The killer(s) still at large.
One theory, raising many eyebrows, suggests perhaps a vampire is luring unsuspecting women to their early demise. The number of cold cases in this equation gives merit to this seemingly far-fetched theory.
The murders started way back in 1969 before most of us were even born. Young women began disappearing without a trace, only to be found in advanced stages of decomposition years later by hunters and outdoorsman stumbling through the thick underbrush of the Canadian backwoods. Some of the areas in which these unfortunate souls were dumped would be too hard for a mortal man to achieve with any expedience. The difficulty of placing a body in these locations has partially given rise to the theory something supernatural, such as a vampire, is responsible.
Another piece of this mysterious puzzle is the bizarre time frame with which these victims keep turning up, after their murders, some forty to fifty years later. Some of the victims were found dumped along the edge of the road while others were discovered far back into the woods.
Finally, while some of the cases have been solved, other cases continue to come to light many years after other murderers have been proven guilty. Are dozens of murders over half a century really the work of a numerous killers, all acting independently? More likely, many of these killings have been falsely attributed to one particular killer. The real Highway of Tears killer, coincidentally matching the hunting pattern of a vampire, has never actually been caught.
One private investigator told a reporter he had traveled the Highway of Tears quite extensively and discovered the amount of side roads leading off the highway was staggering. Numbering in the hundreds, these side roads would give a killer, either mortal or supernatural, natural opportunity to murder, hide the evidence and escape undetected. If this theory is correct, it would only mean the number of cases will continue to grow as the years go on, leaving authorities perpetually baffled to the actual identity of the perpetrator.
Sadly, the Highway of Tears is dotted with missing person signs warning hitchhikers to beware. This warning holds especially true for any women seeking a ride from a stranger. At first glance, the landscape looks like a beautiful backdrop for a fantastic adventure. However, those giant, milk carton-like warning signs are a grim reminder that even in this day and age we are not safe from predators; either mortal or supernatural.
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