L.A.’s Spookiest Historical Tales Unearthed: Outlaws, Ice-Preserved Girls, and Failed Experiments

Los Angeles has a history steeped in unusual and unsettling events, with stories ranging from a traveling mummy to a decades-long attempt to defy death, resurfacing this Halloween.

The tale of Elmer McCurdy, a hapless outlaw killed in a 1911 shootout, is particularly bizarre. After his death, the unclaimed body was mummified with arsenic by a mortician and subsequently spent years traveling as a circus sideshow attraction. In 1976, a crew member on the television show The Six Million Dollar Man discovered human bones inside what was believed to be a prop, leading to McCurdy’s identification. He is now displayed at a sideshow museum in West Adams, a unique memorial to L.A.’s most-traveled mummy. This case highlights the often-unforeseen afterlife of historical figures.

Another chilling story involves Willa Rhodes, a 16-year-old who died in 1925. Her foster parents, members of a cult awaiting divine instructions, preserved her body with salts, spices, and ice for four years, believing an angel would reveal the location of Earth’s mineral wealth. Investigators discovered Willa and seven dogs in a Venice cottage after a disgruntled cult member alerted authorities to alleged fraud. The remarkably well-preserved state of the body, despite years of unusual preservation, underscores the lengths to which grief and belief can drive individuals. For more information on unusual historical preservation techniques, see Smithsonian Magazine’s coverage of historical embalming practices.

Finally, the story of Cyril Thorn, who took his own life in 1953 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, reveals a desperate attempt to prove the existence of the afterlife. Thorn, obsessed with contacting his deceased wife, used carbon monoxide in a planned experiment overseen by psychic Hereward Carrington. The experiment failed when objects placed on his coffin did not move, and the incident serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked grief. You can learn more about the history of Hollywood Forever Cemetery and its notable residents.

Authorities continue to study these cases as examples of the darker side of Los Angeles history, reminding us of the enduring power of the past.