. Murder Mystery: The Path of a Psychopath, Pt. : Allison Cunningham of Mountain Home who was arrested in Hidalgo County, Texas with another person accused in connection with . MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. Thatwas the case with the Texas Slave Ranch, one of the state's creepiest stories. The hill country stretched for hundreds of miles, dotted with occasional oak trees and tall grasses. | Courtesy: Baxter County Sheriff's Office Read Less For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people. Caldwell, who now lives in a mobile home on San Antonio's South Side, said that after a fire destroyed the factory, workers chopped wood to be sold in San Antonio. The charts below are detailed crime statistics for . A 44-year-old man has been arrested in Oregon in the cold case murder of a young woman in Arkansas 16 years ago. They even slept chained in the dirt. He later was indicted, along with the Ellebrachts, for his role in Bates' torture and death. theYear=theYear+1900 These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Access is provided by easement road from highway. FREDERICKSBURG He was only 9 when the law raided his family's Kerr County homestead in 1984 and their surname, Ellebracht, became synonymous with kidnapping and torture, and their sprawling property given the nickname Texas Slave Ranch.. Mountain Home, Texas, is nearly as isolated today as it was in 1984. I've separated my life from my ex-husband, Esensee said. Moravec covered the 2015 Texas legislative session for the Associated Press and has freelanced for local, state and national news outlets, including the New York Times and The Washington Post. The Ellebrachts, descendants of Germans who settled the Hill Country in the 1880s, had inherited land with a robust spring. Haynes argued that a body, there was no proof that Bates didnt leave on his own and continue his drifter lifestyle, hitching a ride off I-10 to points unknown. Hall was sentenced to death by electrocution in May 1945 and executed on January 4, 1946. yesmagazine.org. 5-23-1986. theYear=now.getYear() Ranch for an experience you wont forget! When a huge posse of law enforcement from federal, state and local jurisdictions raided the ranch on April 6, 1984, the Ellebrachts denied wrongdoing. Everybody says I'm a strong person for what I've been through. Individuals from all over travel to visit the Y.O. Survivors reported being shackled at the end of each work day, and being put to bed in a metal barn. People who live in Mountain Home generally consider the north part of the city to be the safest for this type of crime. They offer 3-hour guided tours of the 50,00 acre ranch. 38-year-old Robert Finch was charged with attempted murder after . Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. The family-owned ranch started back in 1880 as a program to important exotic species from Africa. The decision to change his name in hopes of distancing himself from the ranch didn't last long, Walls said. They needed labor to keep their key-chain factory going. Erica Hernandez is an Emmy award-winning journalist with15 years of experience in the broadcast news business. Mountain Murders | iHeart Mountain Murders Play Newest Follow Not your typical Appalachian True Crime Podcast hosted by marrieds Heather & Dylan. West Memphis ranks second highest in violent crime and 12th highest in property crime. if (theYear < 1900) In 2006, Glen Stephens directed the film Hoboken Hollow, which is loosely based on the events that occurred at the Texas Slave Ranch. Wes Sr. received probation. A Mountain Home man who was charged with failing to report his wife's death last month has now been charged with her murder and extradited to Idaho from Texas, where Related stories from Idaho Statesman Crime Mountain Home Murder-Suicide Death of James Wilmans and wife Marcy Wilmans - Obituary 43-year-old James Wilmans and his wife, 52-year-old Marcy Wilmans have died in a Mountain Home, Ark murder-suicide that occurred on Monday, October 11, 2021. . Learn about the East Mountain, TX housing market through trends and averages. (Baxter County Sheriff's Office) MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. The ranchers were later arrested on multiple charges including aggravated kidnapping and murder in Bates death. Its not known just how many victims were part of the Texas slave ranch. Mountain Home Tourism: Tripadvisor has 128 reviews of Mountain Home Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Mountain Home resource. Ellebracht key chains were selling at a premium, $2. By upholding our Values, we promise to diligently uphold the laws that protect both life and property of the citizens of Mountain Home through fairness and consistency. Some of the torture sessions were even audio-recorded, and played later in court during the trial. Year over year crime in Mountain Home has decreased by 50%. More than a dozen cassette tapes with about 40 hours of recorded torture sessions were seized during the raid, along with guns, machetes, an ax, knives, ropes chains, padlocks, bone fragments, the cattle prod and business papers. Wes was always trying to see the good in people., The Rap Sheet blog: More stories from the 'Texas Slave Ranch', One killed, one injured in Gillespie County crash. Their deaths have been ruled as homicide. According to ranch records, at least 75 people had been employed there at one time or another. The bodies of James Butler, 48, and his wife Michelle, 46, were found buried on a Corpus Christi beach last week. He always wanted me to invest in his key chain idea, but I never did. Some former neighbors still defend the family, despite the 1986 convictions of Ellebracht Sr., Ellebracht Jr., his only child, and Caldwell for conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping and murder for the death of Bates, a one-eyed drifter from Alabama. These types of crime include burglary, petty theft, and theft of motor vehicles. I knew what I was doing; I had options. To donate, send a check to: PO Box 471, Fredericksburg 78624. . East Mountain, TX Real Estate & Homes For Sale. He takes the reader on a journey to 1980s Texas in the small town of Mountain Home, where the Ellebracht family are abducting hitchhikers to be forced laborers making keychains to be sold to businesses. Research historical aggregate crime statistics in two categories; violent crimes and property related crimes. 8 beds 9 baths 6,900 sqft. During their court appearances Thursday, 38-year-old Skylar Brazil of Mountain Home and 35-year-old Ashley Nicole Hendricks of Siloam Springs entered not guilty pleas to the charges against them. Population:96 (2000) It is a mystery that will remain unsolved. Caldwell, the foreman, got the same but only served four years, becoming a free man in 1988. I tried to teach him right from wrong.. 17.28% HIGHER. Violent crimes in Mountain Home are 8% lower than the national average. They were only found guilty of the organized crime charge. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Victims reported they werent allowed to leave, and violence was a normal course of everyday life. I wanted to put it in my past. Ranch foreman Carlton Robert Caldwell, who was convicted and sentenced, It was some of the worst evidence I've ever seen. This analysis applies to Mountain Home's proper boundaries only. Nine years ago, her son won custody of Elizabeth and embraced single parenting, Esensee said. MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. All Rights Reserved. The town of Hawkins was shaken during the first week of May when 18-year-old Suzanne Harrison, Bryan Boone, 19, and Gina Turner, 20, went missing during a routine trip to the lake and later were. Texas Hill Country. He was just a young boy when his father and grandfather were arrested and their so-called Texas Slave Ranch was raided in 1984. A Mountain Home woman has been charged in the stabbing death of her 16-year-old son. All rights reserved. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. He was told he wasnt going anywhere, then chained up along with two other men. In the 1989 settlement, she received 43.1 percent or 1,318 acres, then valued at $1.7 million and has since sold the property in pieces. Calculated annually per 100,000 residents; National. HOME; ABOUT; MISSING; TRUE CRIME. West Memphis. The average temperature in January is 33 and 78 in July. 155 RANCHLAND DR , TX 78058. In the background is Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. in front to the left is Walter Wesley Ellebracht Jr. in the middle is Richard "Race Horse" Haynes and to the left is Joyce Ellebracht. Caldwell and another worker built a funeral pyre and, as a cassette tape of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire played, burned Bates' remains. Walter Ellebracht Sr. received probation, Walter Jr. remained free while his 15-year sentence was appealed and Caldwell served less than three years of his 14-year sentence. By Maria Cramer. The jurors compiled their favorite recipes, called it the Slave Ranch Cookbook, had it printed at the Kerr County Courthouse and sold copies. Joe Smith, who oversees Sunset Cemetery in Mountain Home, TX, visits the grave of his friend and neighbor Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. Ellebracht is the grandfather of Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, who was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. The men involved might have been found guilty, but they barely saw any jail time. Murder and torture comes to light when one man escapes his fate and the Ellebracht family are brought to trial for their heinous crimes. However, their dream of starting a new life quickly turned into a nightmare when four of the Dowdy children were brutally murdered. The 1986 trial lasted three months, made national news, featured the celebrated Texas defense attorney Richard "Racehorse" Haynes and resulted in the conviction of ranchers Walter Wesley Ellebracht, 55, Walter Ellebracht Jr., 33, and ranch foreman Carlton Robert Caldwell, 21, on charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping but acquitted of murder in the death of Anthony Bates, an Alabama man who worked on the ranch in 1984. Jim Haynie, a neighbor and friend of Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr, sits in his home office where he runs his water well drilling business. In addition to the cattle prod, they found various guns, machetes, and axe, knives, chains and padlocks. We used old inner tubes, cedar and gasoline, Caldwell said. The ranchers were arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and the case became widely known as "the Texas Slave Ranch.". Assault. Besides the torture tapes, also entered into evidence was one worker's poem, titled The Shack, and other recordings of the Ellebrachts putting workers on trial in the bunkhouse. Brynn Rainey, 27, vanished . , Text-to-Speech News & media website More Home Groups Reviews Videos About See all An Appalachian True Crime Podcast 25,050 people like this 25,863 people follow this https://linktr.ee/mountainmurders [email protected] News & media website Mountain Murders Photos See all Videos See all 18:56 We used cedar because it burns fast and strong. Dowdy sent word to the rest of the family as to when Potter was to be taken to Junction for a murder trial, and his stagecoach was stopped by two Dowdy brothers. The Wesley Ellebracht Memorial Fund has been set up at Security State Bank in Fredericksburg to help an 18-year-old daughter who'd been living with him attend college. Read More Students in Texas are being sent home with child ID kits Texas Mountain Home I-10 source: Bing 3 views Oct 24, 2022 5:32pm Mountain Home, TX. 259 BROKEN SPUR DRIVE , TX 78058. 465 Watkins Road, Mountain Home, TX 78058 FALKIN REALTY, Tracy Evans TREC #545905 $1,032,720 79.44 acres lot - Lot / Land for sale 136 days on Zillow 191 Sky Harbor Rd, Mountain Home, TX 78058 $1,750,000 6 bds 4 ba 3,451 sqft - House for sale Price cut: $100,000 (Nov 28) 205 Big Buck Cir, Mountain Home, TX 78058 $335,000 The positive identification of the remains of the victim was made by the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's Office in Little Rock. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1996, 911 dispatchers in Rowlett, Texas received a panicked call from 26-year-old Darlie Routier. They finished their lunch around 11 a.m. and headed to the spot where the Dowdy girls and their brother were tending the sheep. They told stories of how the man who'd managed restaurants, waited tables and worked at odd jobs helped them through complicated situations. Other slaves were ordered to dig holes they were told would be their graves. , X-Ray They offer 3-hour guided tours of the 50,00 acre ranch. 99.04 acres $999,995. Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, was killed in an automobile accident earlier this month on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. Photos: Skylar Brazil and Ashley Hendricks All of the suspects are now in jail in Baxter County, except for Hendricks. Texas by officers with Texas Department of Public Safety who had been working . Just . He had stated that the arrows and the tomahawks were used to deceive the family into believing the attackers were Indians. When Texas police raided the Ellebracht ranch in 1984, they found five men and one womanliving in a barn there. Now, over 35 years later, police say they have definitely identified her now-deceased killer by using DNA evidence. 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