People Who Crossed Paths With Well-Known Criminals And Victims Shared Their Unsettling Encounters

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about the time they met or interacted with someone connected to a well-known crime case. Here are their bone-chilling tales.

Warning: Disturbing content ahead, including mentions of sexual assault and murder.

1.The Zodiac Killer (serial killer): "My father had his medical practice in the city of Richmond, California, during the '60s and until he died in 1982. He truly believed that he had the Zodiac Killer for a patient. This patient always made sure he was the last one to be seen, always talked about the case to my dad, bragged about all his weapons, and even resembled the famous sketch. Now, my dad was a first lieutenant, infantry, in World War II and did not scare easily, but this man gave him the creeps. My dad eventually sent a copy of this patient's handwriting to the cops, and the guy stopped being treated by my dad. Shortly after that, petty acts of vandalism began to occur around our house. I was around 4 years old when this went down, and after that, my parents would not let me out of the house to play by myself."

2.Dennis Rader (serial killer): "Growing up, I lived next door to a kid a few years younger than me, who lived with his dad. He told me when he was a baby, his mom was found murdered while he was in the house. His dad has always been the top suspect, but they never convicted anyone of the murder. I spent years side-eyeing that man. One January, the most famous serial killer from my state suddenly resurfaced. And how did he do it? He mailed my neighbor's mom's driver's license to our local newspaper. That's how we found out my neighbor was innocent and his wife was murdered by Dennis Rader, aka BTK."

"My dad is one of the detectives who caught BTK. He has been on numerous TV shows talking about the case and continues to travel the country discussing it with other law enforcement agencies!"

3.Rose West (serial killer): "Not me, but back in the day, my friend's mother was offered a lift from Rose West when she was on her bicycle. IF she had accepted...my friend probably wouldn't even exist. I was speechless."

4.Camille Cléroux (serial killer): "I lived a few floors below Camille Cléroux. He murdered a woman who lived in our building for her apartment and buried her in the train yards not far from us. She was such a nice woman. I watched him throw her things in the dumpster, trying to get rid of evidence before it was discovered that she was missing. Two days later, our entire building was taped off and surrounded. His ex-wife and ex-girlfriend were his other victims. The story is awful and hard to believe. He died in prison a couple of years ago. You know what they say about karma."

5.The Branch Davidians (cult): "My cousin in San Antonio had a house that was basically a party house. One of his friends was an EMT, and this friend and his partner would hang out with us while on duty. They would get calls to go to car wrecks, etc., and then come back and tell us all the gruesome details. His partner later joined the Branch Davidians (and believe it or not, his last name was Branch). He left the compound before the fire but was arrested for being one of the shooters on the day of the raid. He has since been released from prison."

6.Alex Murdaugh (killer): "When the whole Alex Murdaugh murders occurred here in South Carolina, everyone was shocked. Turns out my stepsister was friends with Paul, the son who was killed. He was at her birthday party just a few months before. Apparently, the FBI even called their circle of friends asking questions about Alex."

7.Burke Ramsey (victim JonBenét Ramsey's brother): "I work at a Pilates studio, and a lot of older people come in to stay in shape because it’s a low-impact form of exercise. Recently, an older man (I’ll call him Eric) came in and was talking about his son. Eric ended up telling me that when his son was in college, he was best friends with the brother of JonBenét Ramsey, Burke Ramsey. The son and Burke were so close that Burke moved to the same city as the son after graduating, and Eric even helped Burke find a job."

8.Ted Bundy (serial killer): "In the late '70s, when Ted Bundy was on his killing spree, I was a little kid playing in the same house that he had played in 20 years earlier. We found out recently that my grandparents bought their house in Tacoma, Washington, from Ted’s great-uncle Jack. Ted and Jack were very close — he was kind of a mentor and father figure — and Ted spent a lot of time at his house when he was young. I’m still creeped out by it."

9.John Taylor (convicted killer): "The mom of a girl I went to school with dated John Taylor, who turned out to be a killer and sex offender. Around the time Leanne Tiernan went missing, he attended a parents evening with my friend's mother. I don't remember much, but my mom thought he was a creep."

10.Luka Magnotta (convicted killer): "My dance teacher went to school with Luka Magnotta, whom you may know from the Netflix series Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer. He used to think he was meant to be famous, but I don't think this is how he thought it would go down."

11.Richard Ramirez (serial killer): "Luckily, we didn’t meet him, but I was about 6 months old when the 'Night Stalker' (Richard Ramirez) attacked someone near our home in Orange County, California. My parents and I slept in the living room with a baseball bat until he was caught. My dad’s best client lived a few doors down from another one of the victims, too. So scary!"

12.Casey Anthony (mother of victim Caylee Anthony): "I live in Orlando and crossed paths with Casey Anthony several times in various circles. Thankfully, I drifted away from that group of friends before the death of her daughter, but it still creeps me out when I think about it."

13.Drew Peterson (killer): "I lived 10 minutes away from Drew Peterson. I was in seventh grade when his wife, Stacy, went missing and he was being investigated for her disappearance and then for his third wife’s death. We’d come to school each Monday and talk about where we’d seen him out and about, since he was super cocky and thought he’d get away with it because he was a cop. We’d see him at McDonald’s, Best Buy, etc., in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Luckily, he was convicted of his third wife’s murder, but to this day, Stacy has yet to be found."

14.John Wayne Gacy (serial killer): "One of my best friends was dating a guy in high school. They really liked each other. He suddenly disappeared from her life. She found out years later he was a victim of John Wayne Gacy."

15.Joseph James DeAngelo (serial killer): "We lived three streets away from Joseph James DeAngelo, known as the Golden State Killer, for many years, and we didn't even know it! My daughter babysat for a neighbor who lived three houses down from him. My two sons and my daughter used to ride their bikes by his house every day. He was also known as the 'grumpy old man' yelling at neighborhood kids to get off the sidewalk or get off his property. Before he was caught, he was very able, not confused, and walking, not in a wheelchair."

"My little sister worked at a horse supply store near Sacramento, and the 'Golden State Killer' would regularly come in with his daughter and granddaughter. Apparently, all the workers thought something was off with the family, and he seemed to be a bit overbearing, but when it came out who he really was, it was a shock to the community how he was living such a 'normal' life after everything he did."

16.Jennifer Cave (murder victim): "I knew Jennifer. When I lived in Austin, we had sociology together at Austin Community College. We would talk before and after class, and I remember I once had to give a presentation, and she was sitting at her desk listening and smiling and silently encouraging me. Everyone always says of those who died tragically, 'He/she was such a good person.' With Jennifer, it was true. We weren't best buds or anything, and I didn't know her that long, but from what I knew, she was a truly sweet person."

17.William Andrews (convicted killer) and Arthur Gary Bishop (serial killer): "My stepmom was an executive officer at the Utah State Prison and sat on death watch for the execution of William Andrews (the Hi-Fi murders) and Arthur Gary Bishop, who was a serial killer of small boys. She hated having to look through the love letters they received."

18.Paul Bernardo (serial killer/rapist): "I was a legal assistant for Paul Bernardo's current lawyer. He was not his lawyer at the time I worked for him. But when I read an article that mentioned my old boss as his parole defense, my jaw dropped. He was always an advocate for people and their rights, which made sense. Some of his clients were guilty of minor or accidental crimes. Some were convicted felons who he felt deserved more access to treatment and their families, etc. I understood his stance. But Paul Bernardo? I'm glad not to have taken part in that defense."

19.The Symbionese Liberation Army (militant organization): "We lived next door to the SLA in North Oakland. This was before the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, when it was in the planning stages. It was also before Russell Little and Joseph Remiro killed the Oakland school district superintendent, Marcus Foster. My mother dated Russell for a while, and another member, Willie Wolfe, was our babysitter. He was always very kind to us, and he was good at entertaining the kids. He even grew vegetables in our yard. The one thing that stands out in my memory is when I went to their house to ask if one of the kids could come play outside."

20.Gabe Watson (husband of victim Tina Watson): "Not exactly directly related, but my seventh-grade biology teacher married Gabe Watson, the man who was charged with murdering his wife during a scuba expedition in Australia. They were dating/engaged while he was on trial and while I was taking her class. When I came back for eighth grade, her name was Mrs. Watson. My ex-teacher looks a lot like his former wife, and I'm pretty sure they are still married to this day."

21.Patricia Stallings (wrongfully convicted mother): "My older sister was best friends with Patricia Stallings. She used to be around all the time. When news broke that she was being charged with killing her baby, I knew it was false. Watching that whole thing unfold was so unbelievable because I literally grew up with her around me my entire childhood and into my early teens."

22.Peter Sutcliffe (serial killer): "My late mom swears she met the 'Yorkshire Ripper,' Peter Sutcliffe, at a gas station in Cheshire. He asked her something along the lines of, 'Where do people go for a good time around here?' She was scared for me, a baby, left in the car. She went home and told my dad about him. Months later, he was arrested and she recognized him. Reading up now that there is evidence he visited Cheshire and that the unsolved murder of Jacqueline Ansell-Lamb could be attributed to him."

23.Andrea Yates (drowned her five children): "My parents were at a NASA picnic and were next to this family of five kids. My mom and the woman were talking and hit it off. Turned out it was Andrea Yates, and a month later she drowned her five kids. Still gives me chills."

24.Kelley Henderson Howard (missing person): "My cousin was working for a dental office. They were closed during lunch. She was there and was on the phone with her mother. Someone had knocked on the door. She put the phone down and never returned; her purse and car were still there. Her boss was later indicted for fraud and embezzlement charges. She has never been found. Her boss was released and opened a church in the same building as the dental office. About two years ago, he and his wife tried to set it on fire and went to jail for arson. He died in jail. Still do not know where my cousin is, if she is dead or alive. Her name is Kelley Henderson Howard from Anniston, Alabama. She went missing in Pell City, Alabama."

25.The "PS4 murder" (stabbing death case): "This kid, Ian, whom I’ve known since I was young, moved to Florida. One time, I went down for an EDM festival, and even though it had been some years since we had hung out, my buddy Mac and I stayed with Ian and his roommates — Jake Bilotta and another person whose name I’ll leave out — to save money. While we were there, they kept getting angry about this kid, Josh, who they were convinced stole their PS4. We left, and it turned out that less than a month later, they murdered Josh and cut him up into pieces when the other roommate came home. We didn’t think it would get a lot of attention, but you can look up 'PS4 revenge murder.'"

26.Ángel Maturino Reséndiz (serial killer): "So back in 1999, we lived in an industrial area in St. Louis, 100 yards from the railroad tracks. My mom and sister lived right next door to each other. One day, my mom called out to me from the front porch and I went outside. There was this guy out there, and she asked me if I could get him some water. So I went into the house, grabbed this guy one of those big, plastic takeaway cups you would get from fast-food places, full of ice water."

27.Dan Markel (murder victim): "I worked with Dan Markel and Wendi Adelson, his ex-wife, at the time Dan was murdered. At first it seemed like a random hit, but turns out it was a murder for hire due to a nasty divorce and custody battle. Ten years later, this case is ongoing. Wendi’s brother was recently convicted, and her mother is awaiting trial. Hoping that they finally get Wendi soon and that Dan and his family get justice. Through Wendi, I also met Jeff Lacasse, Wendi’s boyfriend at the time of the murder. Based on all the facts, it looks as if Wendi and her family were trying to set Jeff up as the killer."

28.Diane Downs (convicted killer): "I was incarcerated at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla from 2013 to 2016. I met and knew quite a few infamous female murderers. One day, I was walking alone in the back of the prison to go to a medical appointment when Diane Downs started walking toward me. It was just the two of us. She said something to me about the weather; it had just started sprinkling. I didn't hear her, so I looked at her face and saw the most evil eyes I have ever seen. She is scary evil."

29.Ariel Castro (kidnapper and rapist): "I had a friend in high school whose mom and stepdad were both FBI agents. They were some of the agents who responded to Ariel Castro's house. For those who don't know, he kidnapped three women and held them for around 10 years before one of them, Amanda Berry, escaped and got help. On a sidenote, knowing my friend's mom got my brother out of jury duty once, since she was a witness in the case he was called in for."

30.Stephen Epperly (convicted killer): "In high school, I had Steve Epperly as a substitute teacher. He was charged and convicted of killing a girl the following summer in Virginia. It was the first case in Virginia to get a murder conviction without the body being found. He seemed very erratic and asked at least one junior girl out that year in our class."

31.The DC sniper attacks (coordinated shootings): "I had a month off between jobs and decided to work out at the local YMCA every weekday before starting working full time at a desk. One day I walked in, and a horrible odor of old sweat in the air greeted me. After scanning my ID card, I walked toward the back where the locker rooms were. Sitting on a bench near the women’s locker rooms were two males, one middle-aged and one a teenager or in his early 20s, both looking at me. The older man nodded, then the younger one said hello and I said hello back as if he was just another person I had known all my life. They left the gym shortly after, and the bad odor slowly dissipated."

32.Vincent Gigante (mobster): "In the late 1970s, I lived in Greenwich Village off Bleecker Street in New York City. Next to my building was the 'Triangle Social Club.' It was the headquarters for Vinny 'the Chin' Gigante, head of the Genovese crime family. In the summer, you could indeed find 'the Chin' walking the block in his pajamas and robe. But contrary to reports, he didn't seem 'crazy' but carried on conversations outside the club with a variety of characters. You could look inside and see a poster up on the wall that said, 'Don't talk in here, the place is bugged.' I would also see his consigliere, Bobby Manna, an impeccably dressed man, who went to jail for plotting to kill John Gotti. Needless to say, it was an incredibly safe place to live."

33.Larry Eyler (serial killer): "My father was acquainted with Larry Eyler in the '80s. Eyler was roommates with my dad's good friend Robert Little, whom Eyler implicated in one of the murders. Little was acquitted, though his reputation never recovered. He remained a longtime family friend who sent us birthday cards and attended our graduations until he passed away."

34.Finally, Christopher Watts (murdered his family): "My friend's husband was best friends with Chris Watts. They grew up together — they had sleepovers, played baseball on the same Little League team, etc. After high school, they shared an apartment in college. Her husband was also a groomsman in the wedding of Chris and Shanann. On the Netflix special, you can even catch a glimpse of my friends dancing at their wedding. They drifted apart when the Watts family moved from North Carolina to Colorado. After two decades of friendship, I asked her, 'Did your husband EVER have any inkling Chris was capable of doing something so horrific?' She said no. He never knew him to be anything but genuinely nice. Something inside him just snapped. They have had zero contact since the killings."

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 (HOPE), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here. 

Have you ever met or interacted with someone connected to a well-known crime case? Tell us in the comments below or via this totally anonymous form, and who knows, maybe there will be a Part 2.