HOUSTON – Houston, and Texas can be a strange place where strange things happen. We’ve collected some of the most disturbing, bizarre and downright creepy stories in recent memory.
Former Texas peace officer sentenced to 10 years for sexually assaulting at least 2 women during ‘ghost hunting’ trips
A former Texas reserve peace officer, deemed the “ghost hunter,” reached a plea deal in August in the sexual assault of two Houston women, but prosecutors said there were more victims.
David Lynn Turner, a serial rapist, was sentenced in San Jacinto County to serve 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Turner was unique in his targeting of victims and the story he used to lure them, investigators described. Read more here.
This headline is correct! Emu on the loose leads Houston police on low-speed trot in Greenspoint area
In the bizarre file is this one -- an emu led Houston police on a low-speed trot in July - yes, you just read that correctly - before the big bird was taken into custody and reportedly returned to its rightful owner. Only in Houston! Read more here.
Dean ‘Candy Man’ Corll: One known victim of Houston serial killer remains unidentified; this is what experts say he looked like
Dean Corll is perhaps the most notorious killer in Houston’s history.
It may all seem like history, but the tendrils of his three-year killing spree extend to present-day with one set of unidentified child-size remains, still lacking a name since they were found nearly 50 years ago. Who was he? Revisit the case here.
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Did you see that? What lit up the sky in southeast Texas night?
Around 10:00 p.m. on July 24, a mysterious light was seen in the sky over southeast Texas. Was it a comet? Was it a shooting star? Take a look at what it was in the video at the top of the story here.
🔒Here are 100 wacky, cool and totally true things you never knew about the Houston Zoo
A hundred years ago, the Houston Zoo was founded. In celebration of the institution’s centennial, we dug through history books and archives to unearth some wild and wonderful facts about the Houston Zoo.
Scroll below for a glimpse of the zoo through the years. Some details --perhaps most of them -- are bizarre and downright creepy. Read more here.
Did you know the Houston Zoo has its own resident ghost?
The Houston Zoo opened in Hermann Park in the 1920s and acquired its first ghost just two decades later. The adventurous, German-born lion-tamer Hans Nagel was the institution’s first zookeeper. During his tenure, Nagel, a media darling who’s wild antics were fodder for local newspapers, would become a well-known figure about town.
He met his untimely end in 1941 when he was shot and killed in Hermann Park under strange circumstances. Some say his spirit still roams the park grounds. Read more here.
Did you see it? Mysterious orange light spotted in the sky over Houston area
Residents in and around the Houston area in March sent in pictures to KPRC 2 of an interesting orange light seen in the sky. Do you remember it? Read more about it here.
Stranger in Walmart checkout line arrested after allegedly offering mother $500K cash to purchase her baby
A woman attempted to buy another woman’s infant son as they stood in a Crockett Walmart checkout line, authorities said.
According to the mother, an unknown woman, later identified as 49-year-old Rebecca Taylor, approached her shopping cart, which had her two kids inside, as they waited to purchase their items.
Taylor allegedly started making comments about the smallest of the two children before asking the mom if she could buy him for $250,000.
The mother refused, causing Taylor to grow louder and up the ante, offering $500,000 while threatening that she would take the infant. Read more here.
Bond denied for man accused of killing 2 people, injuring 1 because he thought they practiced witchcraft, judge says
A man accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring another person in northwest Houston in September has been charged with capital murder, authorities said.
Nathan Bryan Miller, 33, declined to appear in court. A judge denied the suspect’s bond, saying that the suspect could still be a risk to the community.
Police said it happened in the 1300 block of Neiman Lane near West Tidwell Road at around 8:10 a.m.
According to officers with the Houston Police Department, Miller confessed to shooting the victims because he thought they were practicing witchcraft. The victims were reportedly living in shipping containers. Read more here.
Grave mystery: Officials seek answers after casket found buried on woman’s property in Crosby
Using ground penetration radar in September, Texas EquuSearch uncovered the first hard evidence of something buried below the surface of the ground on a piece of land in Crosby that one woman purchased for her family.
Miriam Soza said what looked like a freshly-dug grave in the 500 block of Barrett Road just appeared on her property last November.
She has always feared it was an unmarked grave that was dug by someone to hide someone else who either died naturally or was murdered.
“It looked like a grave, but it also looked like it was leftover dirt, like a pile of dirt, fresh mud, dirt,” Soza said.
Now, proof has been found that something big is buried there. Read more here.
Human skeleton found burned inside barbecue pit at southeast Houston home, HPD says
A human skeleton was found burned inside a barbecue pit at a southeast Houston home in July, according to the Houston Police Department. Read more here.
3 children, including skeletal remains of 9-year-old, found inside abandoned apartment in west Harris County, sheriff confirms
Three children and skeletal remains from another child were found inside an apartment in west Harris County, HCSO said in October 2021.
Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office did a welfare check at an apartment complex located at 3535 Green Crest, near Addicks Clodine and Westpark Tollway around 3:15 p.m., after a 15-year-old called and said his 9-year-old brother had been dead for a year and was in the next room. Read more here.
Man who walked around Galveston beach dressed as Michael Myers with fake bloody knife cited by police
A man who was seen walking around Galveston beach Monday dressed as Michael Myers with a fake bloody knife has been cited by police, according to Galveston Police Department.
Photos of the suspect, identified as Mark Metzger, went viral online. Police said Metzger was wearing what was described as a “Jason” costume in the 3700 block of Seawall Boulevard.
Police said responding officers found Metzger walking along the Seawall Boulevard wearing the Michael Myers costume from the horror movie “Halloween” and detained him. Witnesses told police they were frightened by the size of the knife and concerned that someone would do something like this in this day and age, officials said.
Upon further investigation, it was determined the knife and blood were fake, police said. Read more here.
Woman lights gaming machine on fire after losing, shot by fellow gamer who couldn’t play anymore, HPD says
A woman was injured during a shooting in northeast Houston, according to Houston police.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting located in the 4700 block of Rand Street around 2:30 p.m.
According to Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson, two women were using a gaming machine at the location when a woman got mad because she was losing and started pouring lighter fluid on the machine.
When the machine caught fire, a second woman got mad because she couldn’t play it anymore.
Police said both women ended up arguing in the parking lot, and the woman who started the fire was shot.
Galveston ghost caught on camera? Video shows fridge door opening seemingly on its own at island business
A Facebook video shared in August 2021 on Maureen’s Galveston Coffee Table Book showed surveillance video of a refrigerator door opening on its own at La King’s Confectionery on The Strand.
Historically, Galveston is well known for its haunted areas; from pirate tales, to voodoo and tragic death. Read more here on where you can experience the supernatural for yourself with Visit Galveston.
See the video below and prepare to be spooked! Read more here.
Unexplainable ghost stories from Houston-area residents
It’s inevitable to sometimes become startled when you hear a weird noise around the house or feel a presence in the room when you’re alone.
Occurrences like that often happen, but these Houston-area residents have had some real-life spooky ghost encounters.
Below are ghost stories shared by KPRC viewers.
Read on if you’re brave enough and make sure your lights are on. Read more here.
What local stories do you remember that we missed? Let us know in the comments and we could include them in an update to this report.