Site of the Bizarre 1929 Evangelist Murders: Detroit, Michigan

It was on a night in early July 1929, when Benny Evangelist, 43, his wife, Santina, 36, their four children, Angeline, 8, Matilda, 5, Jay, 3 and their 18-month-old son, Morrio, were all viciously murdered with an axe.

A neighbor dropped by for a visit the following day and discovered the family's remains. Benny's body was sitting at his desk with his head barely attached, hanging from his neck - while others claim his head was completely severed and placed next to him on the floor. The rest of the family were found murdered, seemingly while sleeping in bed.

Why did this happen?

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Benny was a self-proclaimed leader of a cult, and claimed he could heal through mystic powers, possibly black magic. He was a self-proclaimed prophet who wrote a book titled "The Oldest History of the World: Discovered by Occult Science".

Upon investigating, a bizarre sight awaited officials in the basement: a homemade church with human dummies made out of wax hanging from the ceiling, arranged in a way that was supposed to symbolize "celestial planets". This didn't set well with his “congregation” when they found out - they felt they were cheated out of their money with his sermons, potions, and healing powers.

In an article in the July 3, 1929 edition of the Associated Press: "Sitting before his desk, which also served as an altar, his hands folded as though in prayer, the body of Benny Evangelist, mystic healer and religious fanatic, was found shortly before noon on Wednesday. The head lay on the floor beside the chair. The bodies of his wife and four children found upstairs, their skulls crushed. Police are working on the theory that Evangelist was the victim of a second religious fanatic, It is believed the slayings took place about midnight."

A scurry to find the murderer resulted in false arrests, misinformation and confessions with nothing panning out. One man who used to visit the family frequently was arrested with a bloody knife in his possession but not considered evidence that he was the murderer. No culprit was ever found.

The house where the Evangelist family was murdered back in 1929 (the corner of St. Aubin & Mack streets in Detroit) has been torn down, and the rest of the neighborhood houses followed. Locals believe the property is haunted by Benny himself, with reports of the shape of a headless man wandering the property.