Leroy Carter Jr.

In 1981, a 24-year-old man was murdered in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. He had been decapitated, with a chicken stuffed inside his corpse. A detective who was familiar with the occult believed that it was a ritual murder, related to the voodoo like practice of Palo Mayombe. She theorized that, if correct, the head would return to the same location in 42 days. Fellow officers scoffed at her claims, but sure enough, 42-days-later the head turned up at the scene of the murder. They never caught the killer.

West Memphis Three

In West Memphis, Arkansas, the butchered bodies of three local boys were found on the banks of a creek. The positioning and mutilation of the bodies lead the police to believe that it was part of a satanic ritual. Authorities and townsfolk quickly turned their attention on three local teenagers, who liked to wear black and listen to heavy metal music. The teenagers were quickly accused of murder, found guilty, and sentenced to death. But there was no evidence to indicate that they were responsible. After they were found guilty, new DNA evidence disproved their involvement with the murders and they were freed after 18 years in prison. The real killer was never found.