[Horror/Monster Hunters] American Small Town Mystery

[Icelander]

I've made a Dropbox folder with pictures of PCs and NPCs in my adventure, mostly portrayed by actors*; as well as locations, local animals and equipment* carried by the PCs.**

*I do not own the rights to any of these pictures, they are used for fantasy casting and visual aid purposes only, in a non-commercial leisure activity, and all credits is still due to whomever owns the rights to each photo.
**So far, only guns, knives and cars, but I mean to add to it.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

The depiction of Vermont in Funny Farm is so unlike actual Vermont (where I lived while attending college) and so like stereotypical Maine (where I have spent many summers) that I actually forgot that it is nominally set in Vermont, and suspect that it was written by a New Yorker who was only passingly-familiar with either and didn't care about the distinction. Apologies for unintentionally misleading you.

No worries. I realise that northwest Aroostook County is a tiny cultural enclave, distinct from tne rest of New England and even most of Maine. It's hard to find source material in the form of Hollywood movies.

I'm considering 'Prophecy' (1979), which, though it refers to the wrong river by name, is also stated to be set in 'northern Maine' (while being filmed in British Columbia). Does anyone remember if it had evocative locals?

[Icelander]

The PCs are investigating the background of a serial killer. It is, therefore, relevant to them (and anyone interested in their adventure) to know who the suspect is and what the serial killer is supposed to have done.

Main Suspect (in NYPD custody)

Victor Jude Dufresne (23), dubbed the 'Werewolf of the Village' by sensationalist press, was born on the 22nd December, 1965, in Allagash, Maine. He was a quiet, introverted kid, very smart, religious and bookish. All sources agree that as a child, Victor was likable, if a bit quiet, handsome, kind, courteous and respectful. Despite spending most of his time with his nose buried in a book, Victor never lacked for friends and when he was older, girls with a crush on him. Investigators have only turned up reports of one early girlfriend in Aroostook County (and that one may have been merely a crush and not a relationship) and one short relationship in Chicago, but it is still early days of the investigation into Victor's background.

Unlike his father, Abel Dufresne, who is a decorated Marine veteran, the local lawman and used to be the most avid hunter in the county, Victor was not all that fond of sport, the outdoors or hunting. As a result, he did not share many activities with his father and from all accounts, they appear to have been rather distant. His mother died when he was five. Victor spent a lot of his childhood with his paternal grandmother, Celeste Dufresne, until she died when he was twelve. After that, he was probably closest to his two maternal uncles, Clayborn and Harvey Allen. All through childhood, Victor's most intimate friend near his own age was probably Clayborn's son, his cousin Courtney.

Victor was also very attached to Father Jerome Prudhomme, the priest of St. Charles Catholic Church in neighbouring St. Francis, and briefly considered becoming a priest, even attending a seminary for some months. Father Prudhomme is respected in the area, but not liked, as he is strongly against hunting for sport and condemns it frequently from the pulpit as a 'violent and vicious vanity'. Victor's father and uncles attend the smaller St. Paul's Mission Church in Allagash itself, with Father Andrew Hughes, a more easy-going and comfortable clergyman than his superior, as evidenced by Father Hughes' hobbies of deer hunting, fishing and convival dining with his parishioners.

After deciding that he did not have a religious vocation, Victor Dufresne was accepted into the University of Chicago as an anthropology major. He dropped out after a year and as far as his family knew, he went to New York City in order to pursue a career as an artist. After three years in New York, Dufresne was arrested for murder in Central Park and quickly became the lead suspect in the 'Werewolf of the Village' case, especially after his teeth conclusively matched bite marks on the last victim and appeared to match several others.

Notes on possible victims

The following (in the next post) is a list of deceased people that the law enforcement task force investigating the crimes of Victor Jude Dufresne suspects might be his victims. The possible victims number nineteen, with two of them positively identified as victims, five almost certainly and the rest with varying levels of credibility. The possible victims are 13 women, 6 men.

Victims are ordered by the date they were found. The first line lists the date the body was found, followed by the location. The time of death listed in the next line is usually an estimated range, sometimes quite a wide range. If the PCs have a more precise estimate from an investigator they have reason to trust, that will be listed in parenthesis.

A + symbol signifies that Dufresne is known to have killed the victim, in one case because he was apprehended in the act and in another because the wounds on the body have been matched to the knives found in his possession when he was arrested and his bite marks were reliably matched to those found on the body as well.

The * symbol refers to victims where there is substantial evidence that they were killed by Dufresne, either in the form of bite marks that are tentative matches with his dental records or wounds that closely fit the weapons he possessed and his apparent MO. One * marked victim, Michelle J. Anderson of Chicago, may rate a +, as blood found under her fingernails matches Dufresne fairly rare O- blood type, witnesses report a man fitting his description as her last boyfriend and several have now conclusively identified pictures of Dufresne as the man the victim referred to as 'Vic'. DNA matching of the blood would be able to confirm it, but the technology is in its infancy and when the PCs left for Maine, no reliable data had yet come back from the lab on DNA.

Victims of unproven status

The other victims on the list are ones were the investigating officers consider that they have a reason to believe that Dufresne was responsible, but evidence that would stand up in court remains to be recovered. In some of those cases, investigators in the task force may differ strongly on the probability that Dufresne was responsible.

For example, the lead homicide detective from the NYPD strongly believes that all the male victims on the list are wrongly attributed to Dufresne, as none of them are supported with conclusive forensic evidence and such a departure from his other victims would clash with the psychological profile of the suspect the NYPD was working with.

The psychological profile developed by the FBI's Behavioral Science Investigative Support Unit before the arrest of Dufresne is more equivocal on the subject, but in attributing sexual motives to the killings, seems to make male victims less likely. Dr. Samuel Chen, a civilian psychology professor at NYU on contract to the FBI as a behavioural analyst (and with the PCs in Maine to gather information on Dufresne’s early years for a book), concurs that it is unlikely that Dufresne killed both young, attractive women and middle-aged men of dubious health, but that the two young men might have been killed for similar sexual reasons as the women.

On the other hand, investigators from Chicago believed from the beginning that the murders were 'thrill kills' carried out on impulse, with target selection opportunistic more than anything. Homeless men, prostitutes and drug addicts were all part of the murderer's target group, individuals likely to be met with in vulnerable positions and less likely to trigger a law enforcement response if they disappeared.

[Icelander]

+ Theresa Lake (23)
14th of December 1988; Central Park, NYC, NY.
TOD 03:30, 14th December 1988.
White female, lived on Jackson Street, Hoboken, Jersey City, NJ. Librarian at Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. Last seen leaving her home by neighbours on the night of the 12th of December 1988, in the company of a man fitting Dufresne’s description.
Died of shock and blood loss before reaching hospital, discovered by police while being posed as prey in an ice sculpture hunting tableau by Dufresne in Central Park. Severe knife wounds on body, arms and legs, savage bite marks and tears around the knife wounds that match Dufresne. Body temperature was in deep hypothermia levels at the time of death, suggesting that victim had been exposed to extreme cold for longer than the time Dufresne spent in Central Park with her. Marks on thighs and back suggestive of freezer burns. Perimortem defence wounds on arms and left palm, severe bruising on face and neck which suggest physical altercation at least twelve hours before time of death.

+ Piper May Sullivan (19)
8th of December 1988; Central Park, NYC, NY.
TOD 01:00-02:00, 8th of December 1988 (est. 01:30, 8th of December 1988).
White female, lived in squatter's commune off East 11th Street, East Village. Worked at Go Go Katz, East 8th Street, East Village. Last seen on the 6th of December, when she had a shift at work, after which she apparently left alone for her home.
Crucified in Central Park. Cause of death hypothermia. Substantial cut of muscle missing from back, removed perimortem with knife and teeth apparently used in conjunction, causing massive trauma that bled less than it should have, probably due to extremely low body temperature. Stab wounds match knife carried by Dufresne and bite marks matched conclusively with Dufresne. Victim’s tongue removed with knife, expertly and without extraneous trauma, apparently at least 24 hours before death. No apparent defence wounds, suggesting overwhelming force or confinement of some sort.

[Icelander]

Brenda Taylor (31)
8th of August 1988; Hudson River, NYC, NY.
TOD 21:00-22:00, 7th of August 1988 (est. 21:30, 7th of August 1988).
White female, lived on Bank Street, Greenwich Village, no visible means of support, frequented W 42nd Street, Manhattan. Last seen around 15:00 on the 7th of August by a witness on 42nd Street, getting into a car with a man. Car was not a van, some kind of compact car, yellow in colour. No useful description of the man.
Body found floating in water with no evident attempt to weight it down. Blood loss from a cut throat was cause of death. Possible bite mark found on shoulder. Bite mark cannot be positively matched to Dufresne, but ME cannot rule out Dufresne on the basis of bite mark. Bite fainter and less violent than bite marks on the confirmed victims.

Kevin Jackson (21)
5th of July 1988; Upper New York Bay, NYC, NY.
TOD 1st-10th of May 1988 (est. 4th -6th of May 1988).
White male, lived on Avenue D, East Village, no visible means of support. Reports from witnesses indicate that Jackson may have been homosexual and involved in prostitution. On the 29th of April 1988, Jackson was diagnosed HIV positive and was already experiencing symptoms of AIDS according to the attendant physician. Last seen by flatmate on the night of 30th of April, distraught and apparently drunk or otherwise impaired. Went out without explaining where. Flatmate knew him to stay the night with one or more ‘love interests’, but could not state for certain whether it was a man or a woman.
Cause of death heart trauma from stab wound to heart. Multiple other stab wounds, human bite marks on neck and shoulder. Defence wounds on both arms, perimortem injuries that suggest forcible anal intercourse. Body considerably damaged by marine life, inconclusive evidence for butchery or torture. Bite marks cannot be conclusively matched to Dufresne.

Lisa B. Young (22)
6th of May 1988; East River, NYC, NY.
TOD 20th of November 1987 to sometime in January 1988 (es. 10th – 30th of December 1987).
White female, lived on a side street off Christopher Street, Greenwich Village, no visible means of support. Last confirmed sighting of her was by a barista in her neighbourhood, who remembers serving her coffee after dinner on the 20th of November 1987. Neighbours could not be certain whether or not they had seen her in December 1987, but one girlfriend claims to remember a phone conversation with Young over the weekend 5th – 6th of December 1987.
Found during ongoing underwater investigative efforts by NYPD and the Coast Guard. Body had been opened up (post-mortem, likely more than a week after death), cavities likely to trap air punctured and then chained to weights and wrapped in tarp before disposal in the water. Veteran investigator claimed that pure luck had guided the divers to the body, as most victims disposed of with that level of care are never found.
Cause of death exsanguination, multiple knife wounds on body, neck and arms. No defence wounds found, most likely confined when killed. Evidence of butchery on spine and ribs, cuts of meat probably removed from flanks and back. Condition of the body makes matching bite marks to Dufresne’s extremely difficult, but investigators believe that extensive tearing and abrasions around the cut and stab wounds are perimortem and result from biting or mauling. One investigators believes several wounds to be antemortem, made several days before death, based on a hairline fracture of a rib that appears to show signs of healing.

* Kimberly Parker (26)
23rd of April 1988; Upper New York Bay, NYC, NY.
TOD 9th of December 1987 to 1st of January 1988 (est. 12th – 22th of December 1987).
White female, no fixed address, frequented 14th Street 'Meat Market', Greenwich Village. Last seen around 22:00 on the 8th of December, on 14th Street, getting into a car with a ‘john’. The witness remembers the car as a ‘nice truck’, black in colour, fairly new. She thinks there were two men in the car and one of them might have been Dufresne, but no clear identification. The witness cannot positively swear that Parker did not return to the Meat Market that night or the next, but despite hundreds of man-hours, no witness has been found who has seen her since.
Found by Coast Guard divers responding to a tip in a case regarding a drug shipment. The discovery led to publicity and a much higher level of resources for the task force detailed to the serial killer case. It also led to efforts to search underwater in likely areas of the New York Bay and the East River for more bodies. The body had been carved up with a knife post-mortem to prevent gas build-up, wrapped in chains and a tarp. The tarp had been worked loose around one leg and marine life had caused severe damage to the cadaver.
Cause of death exsanguination. None of multiple knife wounds on the body, neck and arms were immediately fatal and even the removal of significant cuts of meat from thighs, buttocks, flanks and back were done with sufficient care not to cause death until at least eight hours after the first significant cut was made. Eyes and tongue missing from body, which could have been caused by marine life, but the ME report suggests that they could also have been removed immediately post-mortem. If so, however, the removal was done carefully enough not to damage the face significantly or puncture any part of the orbital cavity, which is unlikely except for a very deft person using surgical equipment and knowing where to cut. Bite marks on the thigh and buttocks have points of similarity with Dufresne’s, but the condition of the body prevents a positive match.

Jessica A. Price (24)
10th of January 1988; Upper New York Bay, Jersey City, NJ.
TOD 18th -26th of December 1987 (est. 21st -23rd of December 1987).
White female, lived on Avenue C, East Village, worked part-time as waitress in the Life Café, E 10th Street, East Village. Last positively seen working a day shift on the 18th of December 1987. Two witnesses in Alphabet City report thinking that they saw her at a party on the weekend of 18th-20th of December, but differ on which day the party is supposed to have been. Several witnesses report seeing Price in the company of a man more or less fitting Dufresne’s description in the weeks before her death and one neighbour believes him to have been her boyfriend, but the identifications are tentative and would never stand up in court.
On the 21st of December, Price had a night shift at the Café, but an hour before the shift began, a female voice claiming to be Price called in sick. The manager who answered barely knew Price and cannot swear whether or not it was Price who called, but says the voice sounded ‘funny’, drunk or drugged, there was music in the background and at first he simply thought that a part-time employee had blown off work to get high, not for the first or last time. When she didn’t show or call for her next shift on the evening of the 22nd, he made a note to fire her, replaced her shifts on the calendar and didn’t think about it again until the body was found.
Found floating in water, with post-mortem lacerations from a rope on her body that suggested attempts to weight the body down which had not been entirely successful. Cause of death was massive blood loss from a ruptured jugular, body bore marks of extreme violence, but no identifiable knife wounds could be found.
All wounds appeared to be caused by blunt force trauma and teeth, with many of them appearing to have been made post-mortem. There was evidence of sexual trauma, with the tissue around the genitals savaged with especial force. No semen was found, but with the water, it would not be expected to be recovered from the body even if it had been there upon disposal. Small perimortem lacerations and abrasions on the back suggest that the victim was lying down while being killed, but no trace evidence can be found to suggest on what material. One investigator claims that the lacerations are consistent with pushing against and sliding on ice, but there is no conclusive evidence for his claim other than a similarity to such wounds on hockey players. Many other surfaces could cause similar abrasions.
Investigators disagree sharply whether the teeth marks match Dufresne or not. While the official ME report finds many similarities where individual indentations of the teeth can be made out, the frenzied way the victim was mauled made it difficult to find any classical bite imprint suitable for comparison in the pulped flesh. One investigator does not believe the damage to have been inflicted with a human jaw at all, but believes that some weapon with teeth attached was used to fake a biting attack by a copycat killer. The weight of the evidence suggests that the wounds really are bite marks, but the killer may have worn something to add weight to his slashing bite attacks and protect his teeth and jaw from the force of the strikes.

[Icelander]

Cynthia Williams (29)
19th of September 1987; Leroy Street, Greenwich Village, NYC, NY.
TOD 22:30-24:00, 18th September 1987 (est. 23:30, 18th of September 1987).
White female, lived at Leroy Street, Greenwich Village, actress at Cherry Lane Theatre. Found dead at her apartment after loud altercation reported by neighbours at 22:00-22:30 on the 18th of December. Witnesses report two voices arguing at loud volume, a male and a female voice, with the female being identified as Williams by the next door neighbour, who claimed she knew her well. The argument devolved into a screaming match and then culminated in cries for help. It was punctuated throughout with loud crashes and broken furniture.
Williams’ boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, Richard Norton, is currently listed as a person of interest in the case. According to his attorney, Norton was in California at the time of the killing and did not hear about it until after boarding a plane to London, England. Norton is now living in Barcelona, Spain, and has not returned to the US since the murder. His attorney claims that Norton has no reason to give a statement to the police, as he has no first hand knowledge of any events that bear on the investigation. No warrant has been issued for Norton’s arrest in preparation for extradition proceedings, as no evidence links him to the crime and extradition of a witness that investigators cannot demonstrate is a material witness is highly unlikely.
Neighbours of Williams were imprecise on when they saw Norton last, but no witness can place him near Williams or her home in the days before the murder. Norton’s attorney claims that the relationship with Williams ended on the weekend before, on Saturday the 12th of September, and that Norton did not see Williams again before he left for California. According to Norton’s attorney, the relationship ended because Norton found out that Williams was seeing another man, but that he did not know anything about this other man, only that Williams warned him about going to look for him “because he’ll kill you if you **** with him”.
Cause of death was sharp force trauma to the heart, with one of six knife wounds on her upper chest finding the heart and aorta. Defensive wound on left arm, stab wounds indicate that the knife was held in an ice-pick grip. Sushi knife found at the scene which matches the wounds, handle had been washed clean of prints. Body had perimortem blunt force trauma and lacerations to the face, a broken nose and cheekbone, apparently caused by a blow from a glass ashtray that was found shattered at the scene. Bite marks on left breast and two on neck, one made perimortem, the other two post-mortem. Bite marks cannot be matched to Dufresne.

Paul Miller (54)
23rd of July 1987; Hudson River, NYC, NY.
TOD 20th to 21st of July 1987 (est. 00:30-06:30, 21th July 1987).
White male, divorced, lived on 159th Street, Overland Park, Kansas. Reportedly in NYC as a tourist. Left for NYC 18th of July according to ex-wife, she was unaware who he was travelling with, if anyone. Several mentions in Kansas and Missouri police records as a known associate of organised crime figures such as Nick Civella, ‘Cork’ Civella, ‘Tuffy’ DeLuna and ‘Willie Rat’ Cammisano, but no arrests and no convictions. A Kansas City organised crime squad detective stated to the ‘Werewolf’ task force that he belived that Miller was a valued associate for the Civella Family in Kansas City and that he carried out contract killings on their behalf, but the only evidence for this are unconfirmed rumours from informants.
Found floating in the river with several knife wounds and single .22 LR gunshot behind left ear. Feet and legs were lacerated, probably from a chain which had been worked loose. No clear perimortem human bite marks, but one on the right thigh that was antemortem by around 24 hours. Bite mark cannot be matched to Dufresne.

* Karen Ingall (25)
9th of May 1987; Hudson River, NYC, NY.
TOD 12th of December to ca 31st of January 1987 (est. 15th to 25th December 1987).
White female, lived on Morton Street, West Village, no visible means of support. Last seen alive on the 11th of December 1987, when she came by the apartment of Celine York, a casual acquaintance and neighbour, to drink a cup of tea and chat. Was there between 14:00-14:40 that Friday afternoon, appeared normal and did not mention anything out of the ordinary.
York states that she believes Ingall led “an active social life”; some other neighbours believe that she was an escort or call girl. Ingall did not mention having a specific social engagement to York, but when she left, she said something about picking an outfit and “putting her face on”, which York took to mean that Ingall had a date that Friday night.
York did not recognise a picture of Dufresne as someone who had visited Ingall. Several neighbours state that they “believe they saw him sometimes around her”, but none could be specific as to time and no identification so far made would stand up in court.
The body was found by the NYPD marine unit after an NJPD detective tried back-tracking the currents from the position of the Johnson body, trying to find out where she was dropped into the Hudson. Ingall had been weighed down with a large stone tied to her with rope, but the rope had loosened enough over the winter for the body to be floating semi-submerged.
Cause of death was hypothermia. The body was severely dehydrated at the time of death. The stomach was empty, but from the condition of the teeth, the ME concludes that Ingall had vomited extensively over her last days of life. There were several stab wounds on the body, one of the breasts cut almost completely off and the face had been mutilated with a knife that corresponded to one of the knives found on Dufresne when he was arrested. Part of one thigh had been removed and the butcher knife used was of a type also carried by Dufresne. All the sharp force trauma wounds are post-mortem, however.

Donna Johnson (23)
16th of April 1987; Hudson River, Jersey City, NJ.
TOD 4th of December 1986 to ca 6th of January 1987 (est. 5th to 15th December 1987).
White female, no fixed address, frequented 14th Street 'Meat Market', Greenwich Village. According to hospital records, HIV positive since at least 24th of May, 1986, supervising physician noted at check-up on the 10th of November, 1986, that her condition has advanced to AIDS, not receiving treatment at the time of death. Investigators have established that she was with a customer, Simon Carter (61) of St. Paul, Minnesota, at his hotel room from the night of the 3rd of December until around 06:00 on the morning of 4th of December 1986. The night concierge of the hotel remembers her leaving at around that time. Carter caught a 10:00 flight from JFK to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and has been cleared by investigators.
Body found by accident during underwater repair work of dock foundations, when workers dredging the area were suspicious to see chains around a derelict freezer on the river bottom. Cause of death asphyxiation, almost certainly from being trapped inside a large freezer, secured with chains, which was deposited into the Hudson River.
Antemortem wounds include what looks like a partial bite mark on the side of the neck and butchery to remove a significant cut of muscle from the rear of the upper thigh. The butchery was apparently unfinished and the muscle had been left hanging from the upper thigh. This wound had been inexpertly bound, possibly by the victim herself, with a white towel, a store brand bathroom towel sold at Ames Department Stores (widespread in New England, also exist in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania). The antemortem wounds were sustained some three to six hours before death. The partial bite mark cannot be matched to Dufresne, but with the state of deterioration of the body, it is unlikely to be matched to anyone.

[Icelander]

* Tammy Wilson (22)
4th of March 1987; Upper New York Bay, NYC, NY.
TOD 7th to ca 27th of December 1986 (est. 10th to 14th of December 1986).
White female, lived on Bleecker St, Greenwich Village, part-time waitress at White Horse Tavern, Hudson Street, West Village. Last seen on the 7th of December 1986 by co-workers and customers at the White Horse Tavern. After her shift, she went home with a young man matching Dufresne’s description. One witness reports that they got into a van, resembling the van that Dufresne was driving when arrested, but that both Wilson and the man she was with got into the back and the van then immediately drove away. Witness did not see who was driving and cannot state for certain that there was another man in the van.
Body found floating, had started the process of adiopocere in an unnatural position for a submerged body unless that body were disposed of in a container the approximate size and shape of a garage deep freezer and under the adiopocere layer had post-mortem lacerations consistent with having been forced into such a container.
Cause of death appears to be shock. Victim suffered an extreme number of knife wounds to many areas of her body and trauma to the face, neck and breasts that might result from mauling. Flesh of face around mouth, including lips, was completely missing from the body, removed with great violence, possibly with teeth. Several pounds of muscle tissue from thighs, buttocks and flanks missing, apparently removed with a sharp knife. Both calf muscles also missing.
Some injuries, including those to the calves, were clearly antemortem by at least several days, indicating that she was killed while in captivity and that the torture went on for a considerable period. Necrosis of extremities, fingers, toes and nose, consistent with serious frostbite, untreated for days before death. At the time of death, the victim had severe hypothermia, was dehydrated and had not eaten for at least three days. Bite marks on breasts tentatively identified with Dufresne’s, but the condition of the body makes a positive match impossible.

* Patricia L. Hall (22)
13th of February 1987; Avenue B; East Village, NYC, NY.
TOD 21st – 27th of December 1986 (est. 21st – 24th of December 1986).
White female, no fixed address, frequented Allen Street, East Village. Last seen on the morning of the 21st of December 1986, by Harold Sloane, an occasional boyfriend and suspected pimp. Harold Sloane was an early suspect and was interrogated three times, but was consistent in his denials and no physical evidence linked him to the murder.
Body found in an abandoned deep freezer in a trash heap on Avenue B, off Tomkins Square Park. Deep freezer visible in photo taken by reporter in the area on the evening of the 27th of December 1986, making it almost certain that she was killed before that time. Witnesses uncertain as to exact time freezer left behind. Most likely time just before Christmas, as two residents of the area report having seen it already on the morning of Christmas Day.
Cause of death massive trauma to the heart; which appears to have been removed with a sharp instrument. The ribcage was forced open with a knife or other tool, in a manner reminiscent of thoracic surgery, but the ribs are broken promiscuously and the wound is far larger than necessary. Indentations of teeth in at least one rib suggests that the attacker bit and worried at the exposed wound after making the initial incision. Several detectives believe that the heart was eaten while the victim was alive, but beyond the fact that the removal of the heart caused death and that teeth were used near the heart, this cannot be established for certain.
Victim’s body temperature very low at the time of death; probably low enough to cause death on its own through irreversible failure of temperature regulation mechanism. Significant organ damage from low temperature and the prevalence of red patches on skin indicates the beginning stages of hypothermia at least twenty hours before death. Tearing abrasions and cold injury lesions on back, thighs and buttocks.
Significant antemortem wounds that indicate sustained sexual assault over a period of at least one day, evidence of forcible vaginal and anal penetration and gruesome trauma to face, neck and torso area that indicates rough tearing around non-lethal knife wounds, probably caused by biting. Trauma to the face severe, all flesh around the mouth removed, apparently with the attacker’s teeth. Bite marks in cheek and jaw bones. Tooth marks tentatively identified with Dufresne, but no match that would stand up in court yet.

[Icelander]

More detail to come on these three.

Robert H. Edwards (63)
23rd of December 1986; East 5th Street, East Village, NYC, New York.
TOD 00:00-06:00, 22nd of December 1986 (est. 03:00-05:00, 22nd of December 1986)
White male, no permanent address, frequented Tompkins Square Park, East Village. Alcoholic derelict, known to some regulars of the neighbourhood. No one reports seeing him the last night of his life, but several witnesses remember him from the day, heavily wrapped in layers of old clothing, lurking in alleyways and approaching passerby asking for change for a cup of coffee.
Body was found in abandoned house, with blunt force trauma to the head the cause of death.
What appears to have been the initial blow broke the nose and jaw. No murder weapon found at the scene, but the weapon used to strike the initial blow was a very heavy rectangular object, perhaps a cabinet or table. The object would have been much too heavy for a convenient improvised weapon and the victim would have been the murderer carrying it well before the blow was struck. After the first blow, the head was slammed repeatedly into a stone wall, until the back of the head was caved in.
Tearing around mouth and nose could be bite marks, inconclusive whether they are human or animal. Lips entirely missing, apparently torn off. No match to Dufresne from the bite wounds, but at the time, no good analysis of them was performed and once the body was connected to the task force investigation, it had deteriorated to the point that matching would have been difficult or impossible. No knife wounds, no evident butchery.

Russel T. Washington (18)
11th of September 1986; South Carpenter Street, Englewood, Chicago, IL.
TOD June to July 1986 (est. 15th-22th of June 1986).
Black male, lived on 68th Street, Englewood, had not been home in several months. Several arrests for drug related offences, one stay in juvenile home. On the 10th of June 1986, accused of rape and attempted murder of Desiree Jones (13). Warrant issued for Washington’s arrest, but no sightings of him until the discovery of the body.
Body was found in abandoned car in Englewood, after a complaint about the odour emanating from that car from a local resident. Cause of death intracranial bleeding caused by blunt force trauma, also had multiple knife wounds and possible mauling wounds, suggesting torture. NYPD dismisses the possible bite wounds as dog bites and the attribution of the murder to Dufresne as a false positive by detectives eager to participate in the serial killer hunt, but the initial Chicago ME report is inconclusive on the cause of these wounds. The alleged bite marks are clearly perimortem, however, being most likely sustained within minutes of the head blow that eventually led to death. The wounds cannot be conclusively matched to Dufresne.

Carol Ann Tamblyn (21)
25th of April 1986; Granite Rail Quarry, Quincy, MA.
TOD 8th-15th March 1986 (est. 8th-9th of March 1986).
White female, no fixed address, frequented LaGrange and Washington Street. Last person to admit to seeing Tamblyn alive was Erica Andrews, a prostitute, who recalls seeing her “at Good Time Charlie’s or just around in the [Combat] Zone” (area of Boston known for prostitution and vice) on the night of the 7th of March 1986.
Body found in floating in quarry water. No weights tied to body. Cause of death loss of blood. 14 knife wounds to stomach, chest and sides. Massive blunt force trauma, suggesting severe beating. Severe trauma to left ear, caused by bite that ME determined to be human. Bite mark does not match Dufresne conclusively.

[Icelander]

Murphy C. Adams (43)
10th of November 1985; Chicago River, Near West Side, Chicago, IL.
TOD 00:00-07:00 9th of November 1985 (est. 04:00-05:00, 9th of November 1985).
Black male, no fixed address, frequented West Madison Street. Adams had an extensive police record; mostly for drug offences, but also for theft, mugging, assault and illegal possession of firearms. According to a witness, a man matching Adams’ description was seen having a loud argument with several other black males in public the day before his death. From the description of the men, detectives initially suspected members of the Diamond Dogs, an affiliate gang to the Four Corner Hustlers, but all suspects interviewed denied knowing Adams or having seen him that day. CPD now claims that they do not suspect gang involvement in the murder.
Body found in water after less than 24 hours. Cause of death loss of blood. Severe trauma on much of his body. Burn marks from cigarettes on face and arms, blunt force trauma to face rendering it almost unrecognisable, broken right arm, five broken ribs and serious internal damage. Wound that led to death a cut throat, very deep cut, made with great power. Body had several bites on his legs and arms, initially identified as dog bites. Official position of the CPD after the beginning of the serial killer investigation is that the bite marks are human, but no match has been found for them. Do not match Dufresne.

John Doe (59)
2nd of February 1985; North Clark Street, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL.
TOD 10th- 20th of January 1985 (est. 16th-18th of January 1985).
White male, no fixed address, frequented North Clark Street. Not identified by police despite great efforts, no fingerprints or dental records found on file. Several witnesses remember seeing Doe begging in the street, but none knew his name and none can remember when they saw him last, beyond a vague statement from one witness that he saw Doe “around the New Year’s”.
Body found in vacant house. Stabbed over sixty times. Severe mauling regarded as probably post-mortem by ME at the time and most likely caused by a dog trapped in the vacant house. This theory was bolstered by evidence that several calls were received by the authorities about a trapped animal in the house before responders went there and found the unidentified victim as well as evidence that an animal had spent days or weeks there before escaping through a torn board in a door. CPD investigators now officially disagree with the first findings, consider the mauling human and perimortem.

* Michelle J. Anderson (19)
29th of January 1985; Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL.
TOD 21st-27th of December 1984 (est. 16:30-17:00, 21st of December 1984).
White female, lived at Breckinridge Hall, 1442 East 59th Street, Hyde Park, Chicago, student at UC. Neighbours reported a loud altercation from her dorm room at around 16:30, but when the noise stopped around 17:00, the other students forgot about it. Witnesses report a man fitting Dufresne’s description as her last boyfriend and several have now conclusively identified pictures of Dufresne as the man the victim referred to as 'Vic'.
The body was found floating in Lake Michigan, apparently because the left leg came free of a weight tied to it. The body was wrapped in a plastic tarp. Cause of death massive trauma to the chest and neck, apparent mauling with teeth and some sharp objects. Ribcage and sternum broken when thoracic cavity was torn open. Teeth marks tentatively matched to Dufresne. Blood found under her fingernails matches Dufresne fairly rare O- blood type.

[Icelander]

I've finished the victim list above.

What would early FBI commentators have to say about the suspect in custody, Victor Jude Dufresne (some notes on his crimes), and the possibility of an accomplice or a mentor, Dufresne's cryptic 'Big Bad Wolf'?

Victor Jude Dufresne (23), dubbed the 'Werewolf of the Village' by sensationalist press, was born on the 22nd December, 1965, in Allagash, Maine. He was a quiet, introverted kid, very smart, religious and bookish. All sources agree that as a child, Victor was likable, if a bit quiet, handsome, kind, courteous and respectful. Despite spending most of his time with his nose buried in a book, Victor never lacked for friends and when he was older, girls with a crush on him. Investigators have only turned up reports of one early girlfriend in Aroostook County (and that one may have been merely a crush and not a relationship) and one short relationship in Chicago, but it is still early days of the investigation into Victor's background.

Unlike his father, Abel Dufresne, who is a decorated Marine veteran, the local lawman and used to be the most avid hunter in the county, Victor was not all that fond of sport, the outdoors or hunting. As a result, he did not share many activities with his father and from all accounts, they appear to have been rather distant. His mother died when he was five. Victor spent a lot of his childhood with his paternal grandmother, Celeste Dufresne, until she died when he was twelve. After that, he was probably closest to his two maternal uncles, Clayborn and Harvey Allen. All through childhood, Victor's most intimate friend near his own age was probably Clayborn's son, his cousin Courtney.

Victor was also very attached to Father Jerome Prudhomme, the priest of St. Charles Catholic Church in neighbouring St. Francis, and briefly considered becoming a priest, even attending a seminary for some months. Father Prudhomme is respected in the area, but not liked, as he is strongly against hunting for sport and condemns it frequently from the pulpit as a 'violent and vicious vanity'. Victor's father and uncles attend the smaller St. Paul's Mission Church in Allagash itself, with Father Andrew Hughes, a more easy-going and comfortable clergyman than his superior, as evidenced by Father Hughes' hobbies of deer hunting, fishing and convival dining with his parishioners.

After deciding that he did not have a religious vocation, Victor Dufresne was accepted into the University of Chicago as an anthropology major. He dropped out after a year and as far as his family knew, he went to New York City in order to pursue a career as an artist. After three years in New York, Dufresne was arrested for murder in Central Park and quickly became the lead suspect in the 'Werewolf of the Village' case, especially after his teeth conclusively matched bite marks on the last victim and appeared to match several others.