Just some deeply disturbing things that got into my brain this week

Hello friends! I’m Crystal and I write the That got dark newsletter, BuzzFeed’s weekly roundup of everything spooky, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you love this type of content, you should subscribe to receive your weekly dose of ghoulish dopamine DIRECTLY to your inbox.

Here’s what the newsletter covers this week:

1. Did you know there’s a real place in Tennessee where human bodies are left to rot… on purpose? It’s called Body Farm, and it’s where forensic scientists study how bodies decompose under all possible conditions: under the sun, submerged in water, and even sealed inside cars. All in the name of solving murders and understanding death a little better. So, you know, if you miss the chance to solve a case in life, maybe you can still help in death.

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2. Recently, newsletter reader Alex Auen wrote to me about a man named Daniel J. LaPlante, a murderer with one of the most disturbing stories I’ve ever read. Here is the grim story.

In 1986, LaPlante, a teenager from Massachusetts, contacted a girl named Tina Bowen posing as someone else. They went on a single date, but Tina immediately became concerned: LaPlante was nothing like she had described and behaved strangely throughout the night. When she decided not to see him again, LaPlante began sneaking into his family’s home, hiding inside its walls, moving things, and terrifying them in ways that seemed straight out of a horror movie. He was eventually captured and charged with criminal trespass. But the nightmare didn’t end there.

Just a year later, at age 17, he murdered a pregnant woman named Priscilla Gustafson and her two young children in their home, a crime so brutal that it shocked the sleepy Massachusetts town of Townsend. After a massive manhunt, LaPlante was found hiding in a dumpster and later convicted in 1988 of three counts of first-degree murder. He is currently serving three consecutive life sentences.

3. The existence of the “creepy town” of Pella, Iowa.

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“Super conservative, cult-like vibes. People here live in a bubble where they believe their views are the same everywhere. They are stunned when opposing views are expressed. So much so that those who disagree are afraid to speak up. Plus, there’s a small ‘members only’ church with guards at the door to keep non-members out.”

—Submitted by BuzzFeed Community User susans4176e6f6a

4. This spooky Wikipedia page about something called the Toynbee Mosaics, one of the spookiest unsolved mysteries that literally lurks beneath our feet.

These are basically cryptic messages embedded in the streets of American cities since the 1980s, and they all carry the same creepy phrase: “THE IDEA OF TOYNBEE IN THE 2001 FILM RAISES THE DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.” Theories link them to the ideas of British historian Arnold J. Toynbee on the resurrection of the dead, the ideas of Stanley Kubrick 2001: A Space Odysseyand even beliefs of marginal cults. They have often appeared overnight, deepening the mystery of these haunting handmade messages.

Related: These WTF Facts Are So Creepy, Dark, and Tragic Only Adults Should Read Them

5. The shocking and tragic death of Aaron Carter on November 5, 2022.

The pop singer and former teen idol was found unconscious in his Lancaster, California, home in November 2022. Carter, who had struggled for years with addiction and mental health issues, accidentally drowned in his bathtub after inhaling compressed air and taking the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax).

The combination caused him to become incapacitated and slip underwater. He was later pronounced dead at age 34, and his death was officially ruled an accidental drowning with substance use as a contributing factor.

6. Finally, the story of Randy Greenawalt, an American serial killer from Missouri who became famous for his role in one of Arizona’s most brutal prison breaks and killings.

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Originally convicted in 1974 of murdering two truck drivers during separate robberies, he was serving a life sentence when he escaped from prison in 1978 with fellow inmate Gary Tison and Tison’s three children. During their 12 days on the run, the group murdered a Marine sergeant, his wife, his young son and his teenage niece, as well as a newly married couple, before being captured after a police chase.

Greenawalt was later found guilty of multiple counts of murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in 1997, at the age of 47.

His last meal: two cheeseburgers, fries with extra salt and coffee with milk.

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Do you have a strange, creepy or shocking story you want to share? Maybe there’s a weird Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@buzzfeed.com and who knows, maybe it will appear in a future issue of That got dark!

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