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Vampire Grave
Thirty years ago, two young boys were playing in a sand and gravel pit in the eastern Connecticut town of Griswold. Suddenly, they saw a human skull roll down the side of the pit near them. Then, a second.
They ran home to tell their mothers, who didn’t immediately believe them. Upon further inspection, the mothers phoned the police.
Police cordoned off the area, thinking it was a crime scene. After all, a serial killer in that area had recently killed four young women from that town and the bodies of several suspected victims had yet to be recovered.
Eventually, the State Archeologist’s office was brought in, as evidence indicated they needed to review the scene.
Dr. Nick Bellantoni arrived and made an observation that turned the case on its head. What he would uncover is something unique in New England – the only archeological evidence of the past practice of digging up, dismembering, and reinterring suspected vampires.
That’s right, actual evidence of the tampering of a grave because of suspicions of vampire activity. It was a common concern until the late 1800s, particularly in rural areas such as Griswold. But, no one had ever found any specific proof of the rumored activity.
It’s a frightening story to hear. Who was the man whose remains were found altered in that grave – a man known initially only by his initials “J.B.”? Why were his remains dug up, reconfigured, and then reinterred? What were Dr. Bellantoni and his team able to surmise about the case with modern investigative techniques?
Click this link to hear the story on the podcast Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut’s Beaten Path, with your host Mike Allen:
"Listeners can now tune in to WICC Radio (600 AM and 95.9 FM) every Saturday at 5:00 pm to hear all about the Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut's Beaten Path."
