POST#11: Urban Legends: Urban Legends That Were Somewhat to be True

Apparently, there are still a lot of Urban Legends that are circulating around the net or even in the real life, but we never know if they are real or not. Although Urban Legends have different types, it basically lies on two categories, a Fact, and a Hoax. However, there are some stories that look like fake, but it really has an actual truth of explanations behind them.

As for additional examples, while researching, I happened to find this particular article by Jill Harness that explains some of the popular Urban Legends which was entitled “5 Horrific Urban Legends That Have Some Truthbehind Them.”It is quite a mystery, right?

The Top 5 Urban Legends that turned out to be true in some events were:

Dead Bodies under the Mattress

Dead Bodies under the Mattress, or commonly known as The Body under the Bed.

The story is about when someone who checks in into a hotel room and noticing that there’s an unusual rotten smell, and eventually found out that the smell came from a corpse under the bed. The story has been circling around for years and has even been featured in some movies and the hotel maid must have been notice the smell before a hotel guest enters the room. And the disturbing fact is it often happens.

Some cases also happened that is somehow related to this Urban Legend. Like in 1982, a few auto thieves killed an accomplice and left him under the bed in their hotel room in New Jersey, four days later, someone discovered the corpse, and the weird part is, the room has been rented three different times and they have no idea that they are sleeping above a dead body.

In 1987, a drug user was overdosed and he was stuffed by his high friend under the bed and then ran away, three days later, the family reported a nasty odor in their room as they discovered the dead body.

In New York, 1988, a murderer was clever enough that he put the body inside the box spring. However, the smell still gave away and has been found after few days. This time, two guests slept on the bed without knowing what was beneath them.

There are more stories like this. Apparently, hotel staffs just ignore these problems until the guests complain about it. Jill said that if there is anything to be learned, never stay in a hotel room with an unusual smell. And if you notice something off, better check your bed.

Spooky Acts Resulting in Death

The tale revolves about someone who is dying while audiences watch, which is they thought that it is part of the act. After the show, they will be shocked after learning that the performer is dead.

As the story has been told over and over, it also often happens. The case is has even used in an episode of Tales from the Crypt. And here are some events that happen to be related to the urban legend.

In 1984, a magician/comedian Tommy Cooper had a heart attack while performing on a variety show. Unfortunately, because the act of him, dying, was also a part of his magic, everything gone wrong. Everyone thought that it was a part of his performance until it was too late.

In October 1990, Brian Jewell died while performing a hanging stunt to entertain guests. Six days later, a teen, William Anthony Odom, also died while performing a gallows scene as the noose tightened on his neck, and choking him to death.

Days later, Joseph Burrus performed an act where he have to break free in a plastic coffin, buried underground and covered in concrete, as they watched the concrete being poured down, everyone noticed that the concrete suddenly dropped and the coffin was crushed, and the time that Burrus was taken out from the coffin, he was dead.

In 2001, haunted hayride worker, Celeb Rebh died when he decided to take place as a skeleton placed in a noose tree as a substitute. When he struggled on the rope, and the guests thought he was acting, he died from suffocating.

Dead Bodies Mistaken for Spooky Decorations

There have been several events where someone thought that something was a Halloween decorations, but it was a really dead body.

One in 2005 and the other in 2009, the two victims hung their selves in October and has been left for hours, even days, because people mistook them for a real Halloween decorations.

Also, a story involves the corpse of Elmer McCurdy where he was killed in a shootout. His undertaker went ahead and embalmed him, dressed him up, and charged locals $.05 to take a look at the bandit. As the time goes by, two men claimed that the they were the brother of McCurdy which are they were actually a carnival promoters who took the body for themselves and toured the body until it ended up In a wax museum in Los Angeles. Eventually, people realized that the body is not just a prop, but a real corpse, and soon, the body had a proper burial afterwards.

Kidney Thieves

Have you heard a story about a person who actually woke up in a tub full of ice, without knowing that their kidney has been taken away?

As what has Jill said, this events happened in India, where a 1995 law requires organ donations to come only to close relative family members, creating a thriving black market for organs.

In 1998, three surgeons and seven accomplices were arrested for tricking people and for taking their kidneys away without permission. The criminals will tell the victims about a certain job and tell them that they have to undergo a medical exam first, telling them that they are required to have a small surgery. While doing the procedure, the doctor will remove the victim’s kidney and then the victim will hear nothing more about the job. In 2008, a similar case was also discovered by the authorities.

Intentionally Infected with AIDS

This urban legend has become popular lately.

The common version of the legend was about a young girl who was dancing at a club when she felt that something pricked on neither of her leg nor arms, and then she heard someone whispers “Welcome to the wonderful world of AIDS.” Eventually, she discovered a needle with blood at her feet and went to a hospital to confirm that she is now infected with HIV.

Another version was about a girl who went to a theater and discovering a note about her new status before she leaves.

The earliest version of the story was about a man who slept with a woman whom he just met at a bar, then wakes up, seeing the message written on the mirror with a lipstick saying “Welcome to the world of AIDS”

While the story of the urban legend of a random people injecting on random places and telling them “Welcome to the world of AIDS,” this current urban legend has become popular and has actually have numerous stories. In 2006, a woman in England got arrested for having an unprotected sex with a man as revenge after her being infected with the certain disease.

Also, an AIDs activist, named Bryan Jackson was infected by the disease when he was just 11-month baby intentionally by his father, who did not want to pay his child support. By the time he was five, the infection was discovered and the father was soon caught by the authorities and sentenced to life in the prison. And now, the nineteen years old activist was doing just fine.

Scary right? Knowing that legends that we happen to doubt whether they are real or not, has cases that is related to it. We don't know, maybe we'll encounter some cases as well that is related to a legend, without us, knowing that a certain legend is actually happening to us.