December 24, 1945 Fayetteville, West Virginia Five children from the Sodder family die in or disappear following a house fire On Christmas Eve, George and Jennie Sodder awoke to find their home engulfed in flames. They brought their 2-year-old daughter Sylvia, whose crib was in her parents’ room, from the house, and three other children…
Fire at Christmas festival kills 41, injures 16
December 24, 1894 Silver Lake, Oregon An accident causes the fiery deaths of 41 and the injuries of 16 The fire started when a man attempted to get a better view of a Christmas festival. As the man stood on a bench, his head struck an oil lamp and sent the flaming liquid on the…
Woman kills husband by lighting penis on fire to “purify” it after he had an alleged affair
December 8, 2008 Adelaide, South Australia Rajini Narayan kills her husband after she attempted to light his penis on fire for allegedly having an affair Rajini allegedly suffered physical abuse by her husband Satish within three weeks of their arranged marriage in 1986. When Rajini discovered Satish was having an affair, she purchased an “angel…
Man sets fire to, kills his 2-year-old daughter
December 2, 1999 Near Apache Junction, Arizona Shawn Ryan Grell drives his 2-year-old daughter to a remote location, douses her with gasoline, and sets her on fire For reasons that remain unclear, Grell signed his daughter, 2-year-old Kristen Salem, from her daycare, drove around the Mesa, Arizona area with the toddler in his vehicle, purchased…
Woman kills son, sets body on fire to cover tracks
August 27, 2003 Lorain, Ohio Nicole Diar murders her 4-year-old son Jacob before setting his body on fire to hide evidence On August 27, firefighters responded to a call regarding a burning house. Once the fire was extinguished, they found the body of Jacob, charred to the point Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Cuevas remarked “At…
