Brief Reports in Chronological Order
Date: November, 1960
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Pike County Fiery Deaths
The Legend:
In November 1960, five men were found charred beyond recognition in a car along a rural road in Pike County, Kentucky. Murder had to be ruled out because autopsies revealed a significant amount of carbon monoxide in their bodies, which proved the men had been breathing when they were consumed by the flames.
Theories
Joe Nickell, in his book Secrets of the Supernatural, gives an account of this event he compiled from two sources: John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard's Phenomena: A Book of Wonders (1977), and three articles from the Pike County News for November 23 and December 1, 15 (1960); I will locate copies of all. Nickell mentions some other puzzling details of the event: the right front door was open, and blood was found nearby. He also says that no tests were made for traces of flammable liquids such as gasoline, and that the coroner's jury ruled the deaths as accidental, though the cause of fire was not determined. Nickell suggests, since the car had "gone over a slight embankment" and "was badly damaged by fire," that the logical explaination is that the gas tank was ruptured and caught fire, killing the men.
Sources:
- Now available on Request.
See Also:
