“Killer Legends” On Chiller TV: True Crimes Behind Popular Urban Legends

1. The legend:

This urban legend originated in South America where citizens would warn visitors of fearsome Pishtacos. This group of shadowy figures stalked unsuspecting individuals along dark roads and eventually killed them and drained them of their fat.

This creepy occurrence led people to associate the killings with vampire-like beings since they stripped the bodies of fat much like a vampire would empty a body of blood.

What really happened:

A gang that operated deep in the jungles of Peru was arrested by the police. Once the gang members were in custody, police examined the area in which they resided and hung out. The police were shocked when they came across a pile of human thigh bones, ribs and a decomposing head. However, they were even more surprised when they found two coke bottles full of human fat.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the gang was acquiring the human fat to sell on the black market for a reported $15,000 per liter. The gang, in an attempt to appear as fearsome as they were once assumed, claimed they sold the fat to local shamans for use in satanic rituals.

Moral of the story:

Tourists shouldn’t roam around near the jungles of Peru or they could come face-to-face with the “fat vampires.”

2. The legend:

Almost everyone would agree that public pools are gross, and this urban legend only adds to the chilling factor felt by many when swimming in them. The legend says that a dead body was found in a public pool days after the person’s demise without anyone who was splashing and playing realizing.

What really happened:

Yes, this urban legend is rooted in truth. The disturbing event occurred in Fall River, Massachusetts, where some unsuspecting teenagers hoping to sneak in a night swim at their local public pool noticed a woman’s body floating up to the surface.

It turns out, the woman, who was identified as 36 year old Marie Joseph, had been trapped just below the surface in a very cloudy public pool for three days, all while many swimmers unknowingly swam around and above her.

Marie apparently drowned at a time when six lifeguards were on duty. However, the pool was packed and apparently no one missed Marie when she didn’t come back after going underwater.

Moral of the story:

Check below before jumping into a public pool, especially if the water is cloudy, because there might just be a body stuck underneath the water.

3. The legend:

The urban legend surrounding victims being buried alive are too numerous to list. Most of these tales end with, “when they finally dug her up, they found her dead face frozen in a scream, or scratch marks on the coffin lid.”

Some urban legends go further and tell the story of the victim being buried alive and then digging themselves out of their early grave to freedom.

What really happened:

Marcin Kasprzak, a Polish man, decided his girlfriend of six years and current fiancé Michelina Lewandowska, was no longer pretty enough for him. His solution was to get the help of his buddy and do away with Michelina. The men tased her first, and once she was subdued,they taped her hands and feet, crammed her into an old television box and loaded her in the trunk of a car.

Karsprzak and his buddy then buried his fiancee alive in a remote location in the woods. Thanks to her sizable and sharp engagement ring, Michelina was able to cut through the tape that was binding her and then clawed her way out of her grave.

Moral of the story:

Ladies should be sure that their engagement ring is nice and sharp, just in case they ever find themselves buried haphazardly in an old TV box in the middle of nowhere.