Clara Crane
Case Facts
Abductions Linked To Clara Crane
Serial killer Clara Crane, who goes by the internet alias “Candy Lady”, was born in Terrell, Texas, 1871, where she lived a simple farm life before being driven to madness by the accidental death of her only daughter, Marcella. The tragic loss of her child was blamed on her late husband, Leonard Gilbert Crane, a known alcoholic, and after years of a growing psychosis Clara secretly fed Leonard poisoned caramel pieces in retaliation. The murder was soon reported to the local Sheriff Dixon and after a short trial, Clara was deemed insane and committed to Terrell State Mental Hospital where she was subsequently raped and abused for years under Warden Dr. Vernon Matthews and his staff.
In 1903, Clara was released back to her home due to overcrowding, and within weeks she vanished from sight. Soon after the townsfolk began finding caramels left on their window sills at night with messages inside telling them to “come and play”. Kids started to go missing, the children of the very people who tormented her during her stay in the lunatic asylum, leading Sheriff Dixon to conclude that Clara must be responsible for the abductions. A search party was formed, driven deep into Clara’s corn fields by the blood thirst of a witch hunt. Sheriff Dixon was found days later with forks stabbed into his eyes, and the only evidence gathered of the missing children were their small bloody teeth nestled inside paper caramel wrappers.
Published by the Terrell Tribune, 1895
“Dearest Aggie, I am elated! I have been informed by Doctor Matthews that Marcy and I will be returning home in less than three weeks! As you can imagine, Marcy can barely contain her excitement. Every night she asks “Is tomorrow the day when we go home, Mother?” Very soon I will be able to tell her “Yes”. Our stay here has been somewhat of a trial, though I have been grateful to the good Doctor and his staff in their dedication to our treatment and recover. Leonard’s death had put us in such a severe state of melancholy that I feared we would never escape it. These past few years have been more difficult than any in my life. And my dear Marcella, after all that she has had to endure, has become my strength, my flame of hope…”
– Written by Clara Crane, 1899
