Episode 788: The Matamoros Devil Murders (Part 2) | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos. I'm Elena. >> I'm Ash. >> And this is Morbid. Did you just hear my stomach grumble?
Grumble. Lumble. >> It said. >> It's usually my stomach that's grumbling. >> I know. I don't know what's going on.
>> Mine's loud. I just had a tuna sub. >> You did? So, I'm not just >> It looked wild, but I
>> It wasn't good. >> Wasn't good. >> No. So, we'll see how that pans. >> [ __ ] I know. It wasn't bad. It was just
like It just didn't hit like you wanted it to. >> No. >> That's the worst. >> Yeah. I know.
>> I hate that. >> Hopefully, I don't have to run out of here in the middle of this.
>> Hopefully. Imagine. You won't know. Listener. >> Yeah. So, that's my lunch. >> That's That's my lunch. This [ __ ] over
here shoveled some cheese fries in. She said, "Whatever. I'm having cheese fries." I did
>> said I won't be joining you. >> I really wanted some. I was craving some since I've been sick and then I was
like, "Give me it." >> She wasn't sure how soon she could have cheese fries post Naro.
>> Yeah. So, I just I went for it. >> I feel good about it, you know. >> Not only that, can I just call you out
full blast? Spicy chicken nuggets. >> Yeah. >> Who is she? How do you live this life?
>> Who lives this way? >> I would if I could, but I cannot. I got a 6-in tuna salad. I'm like, hopefully
that's chill. Hopefully that's all right. >> Hopefully that stays there. Uh yeah, I
don't know. I I'm like my dad. >> I know that [ __ ] can eat anything. >> I'm just my dad. I can just eat things
at all hours of night. >> I know you're crazy girl. >> Spicy doesn't really bother me too much.
>> I love spicy, but spicy does not love me. >> And that's the saddest thing I've ever
heard because >> I did I do go spicy sometimes. Like last night, >> you pay for it. I got these little like
um like tater tot mac and cheese things that had buffalo sauce on them. They were good.
>> That sounds good. >> You know what though? I paid for them. >> Yeah, you pay.
>> I had to order Tums at 11:00 p.m. >> Damn. >> But they make chewable Tums, >> which Hey,
>> and let me tell you, when I got those, Drew said, "Aren't they all chewable?"
>> And I said, I meant chewy like chewy like like gummy. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. They're so good. I had to stop
myself from eating the whole thing. >> Yeah. You can't just eat Tums just as a snack.
>> No, there's a whole warning label on the back. >> There's a whole warning that you can't
use. >> You're not supposed to have more than six in like a 24-hour period. >> I had three.
>> In case you were wondering, >> it's like that um Melissa McCarthy and and Bridesmaids. I took nine.
>> I took nine. I think I've overcommitted. >> Me with Chewy. >> I took nine. Oh, so I mean in business, uh, buy the
Butcher Legacy. You can pre-order it anywhere you want to pre-order it. >> I'm going to finish it this weekend.
>> Yeah, there's a lot of there's some there's some little announcements and little fun things that might be
happening in the pre-order space. So, keep an eye on my socials next week. >> Yeah,
>> because there's some cool stuff I get to tell you. >> Perhaps a new series started.
>> Perhaps a new series that I'm going to do on socials. I don't know. Maybe. >> Could be. Who could be sure?
>> We're really good at um Easter eggs. >> Oh, yeah. So, just, you know, keep an
eye, >> keep an eye, you know, >> keep two and maybe it'll make you want to pre-order because some incentives
might be coming your way to pre-order. So, period. >> Give it a try. Give it a try. Hold on to
that receipt. Maybe. I don't know. Uh, but yeah, just go pre-order it wherever you want. Butlelegacy.com.
>> Yeah, it's really, really [ __ ] good. Like, and I know I'm biased, but like I'm not even being biased right now. I
like this one. I love the first two. I like this one a million times more. >> That honestly I love hearing that.
>> I like it's the vibe is perfect. >> And we're back in New Orleans. I think that's important.
>> We are back in New Orleans. >> We're back in New Orleans. Like it's the vibe and it's like having time.
>> I'm excited about that. >> It's the fall time. Like these are the things you got to tell people.
>> It's true. I know. I'm not good at selling my own book. >> I I'll help you. >> I appreciate it. That's why I need you.
And cuz >> we're in the morg a lot in this one. There's a lot of Morgan in this one.
There's a This one was the one I had a lot of fun writing this one. >> You can tell it it comes through.
>> And this one and that's I love hearing that. >> It does. >> And yeah, this one was really fun. This
one was like uh a long time coming. A lot of weird research for this one. >> I'm sure.
>> Yeah. >> I have to admit something. >> I love Jeremy. Honestly, that's okay. I feel so wrong.
>> I kind of wanted that. I wanted people to love him, but like >> I want to punch him. Like I wanted
people to not want him to go away, but like >> hate him. >> I'm like a little upset that he's behind
bars. >> Yeah. >> Like just let him live. >> Just let him live, you know? >> Don't obviously
>> don't. But you know, but he's fake. So just like don't get mad at me for saying
that. >> Yeah. He's not real. >> And I'm rooting for Ren at the same time. Of course you
>> like I want her to kick him in the kneecaps. >> Why wouldn't it? We love Ren.
>> I love her so much. >> My girl right now. >> She's such a baddie. >> And she's friends with K Scarbetta. So,
did guys, did you hear that? >> I know. >> Did you hear that? Like, I'll never get
over that. That Patricia Cornwell is like, I think Kay and Ren are are really good buds.
>> I think they are, too. >> And honestly, like May maybe that's true. >> Maybe.
>> And maybe if you pre-order the book, >> you can find out more about that. >> Maybe you can find out more about that.
>> All right. I think we plugged the ship. That was that was the best plug yet. >> I think we did good, guys.
>> I think we need to plug a little more like that cuz a lot of times we're just
like, order it. >> I don't know. But we we don't give any detail. realize that's not good enough
of an incentive to do anything is to just be like, "Pre-order this." You're probably like, "Shut the [ __ ] up. What
do you mean?" Like, >> I get it. So, hopefully that tickled your pickle a little bit.
>> I hope so. >> Yeah. >> Mikey said it didn't tickle his pickle. Mikey doesn't like
>> He gave us a thumbs up. >> I think that phrase is so funny. >> I do too. >> What do you like? Tickle your fancy.
>> Oh, he big eyes. No, he said yes. >> Or like blow your skirt up. Does that blow your skirt up? who loves to say
that you all. That didn't really blow my skirt up. I love that a lot. What are you going to say?
>> Tickle your pickle sounds really kind of perverse to me. It makes me uncomfortable when you say it out of
your mouth. >> I'm going to keep doing it then. >> I love that a lot. It does sound weird.
>> It does. Um, another thing that we should probably plug, don't stop your timer just yet, Carl, cuz we're still
going. >> So, >> not yet, Jason. >> Yeah, Jason. >> Is it actually Jason? >> I don't know. man. Uh, we are doing a
[ __ ] Radio City show. >> Yes. In case you didn't know, >> in June, June 27th. >> June 27th, I should say that
confidently. That's the date of my show. And yours? >> It's going to be awesome.
>> We just booked a special guest and I fear you're going to [ __ ] your dicks. >> Yeah. So, you got to get excited.
>> You got to book your tickets. We just booked um Can I just say something? We're having dresses made in Romania.
>> Yeah. And we've never done anything like that. >> We're getting Romanian dresses up in
this [ __ ] And we're going to shout out the maker once everything is like settled.
>> Coolest people. Coolest people. I can't wait to like sing their praises. >> Yeah. Honestly, because let me tell you,
>> book talk girlies and and friends, you'll love this girl. You'll love her. >> Oh yeah. So
>> Oh, yeah. Just put it out there. I don't want to say too much, but you So you
need to get your ticket. Y >> book your hotel. There's not too many tickets left, so go get them.
>> Yeah. And you know what? You don't even have to stay in New York for the night.
You could take a train. Yeah, you can back. >> The train is nice. >> I don't know how late it runs, but Yeah,
it's okay. >> Yeah, whatever. You know, wander the streets a little bit. >> I wouldn't go that far. That's insane.
>> Wander the streets until dawn and then leave. [ __ ] >> What the [ __ ] It's actually everything
we tell people not to do, man. >> I'm just kidding. All right, Carl. Jason, hit them.
>> All right, tell them the number. >> Yeah, let's go. So, we finished part one and the Mexican authorities had raided
the Hernandez ranch and took multiple people into custody. Everybody was being very cocky. Seemed to kind of think they
were untouchable. What like weren't really saying anything aside from the caretaker, Domingo Bamante.
>> Uh he pretty quickly folded and told investigators everything he knew, including the fact that a young American
man had been held at the ranch. And when he was shown a photo of Mark Kilroy, he
confirmed, "Yes, that was the man he was talking about." >> I fear this is going to get really bad.
I would like to warn you at the top, this is a very, and I will I'll give you another little warning right when we're
about to get into it. This is a very gruesome case. And >> from what I remember, Yes.
>> What happened to Mark Kilroy is unimaginable. >> It's heartbreaking. And I hate that his
family has to know that. >> Yeah. >> Like, it's awful. But I do think, like we were saying in part one, it's such an
important story to tell because these cases do become cautionary tales and if it helps one person be a little more
>> Yeah. >> you know, vigilant while they're traveling, >> they just have more knowledge going in.
>> Yeah. So, Domingo Bamonte's statement broke the case wide open. Less than an hour later, little Saraphene was dragged
from his cell and he was brought into one of the interrogation rooms. If you remember, he was the one who blew
through the checkpoint. >> Yep. This time, Commander Bonitez was in no mood for the 20-year-old's cocky
attitude and self-certainty. He had had enough. >> Yeah, I can't say blame them.
>> So, after slamming the soda water and hot sauce concoction down on the table,
he started rattling off every single detail they had learned about the operation at the ranch. From the moment
that little Saraphene had blown through that checkpoint all the way up to what had just happened in Domingo Bamante's
interrogation, he was like, "We know everything, so you might as well talk." >> Yeah. Like you're not having divine
protection. No. >> It might have been the bottle of soda water and the hot sauce on the table. Or
it might have just been Bonitez's unwillingness to tolerate any more lies. Whatever it was, mystical protection or
not, little Saraphene started talking. >> I feel like it was a good mix of all of
it. But I really think that soda bottle >> Yeah. >> maybe pushed it over the edge.
>> For me, it would for sure be the hot sauce. That would be it. >> The concoction of it all. So he started
talking. He confirmed what the agents already knew, that they were running the drug smuggling uh ring out of the ranch,
moving drugs back and forth between Madamoros and Texas. And then he confirmed what they already suspected.
They had murdered Mark Kilroy at the ranch. He told the commander, "It was our religion, our voodoo. We did it for
success. We did it for protection. He told us killing would bring us power. He told us our souls were dead. When that
happens, you can do anything to anyone." But you shouldn't want to. >> No. And I want to point out, I know that
what we're talking about here is not voodoo. I'm not super educated >> in voodoo at all, but that's a quote.
And I know that I'm sure this is vastly different what we're talking about today
than actual voodoo. >> Yeah. Like that this is this was a quote from this person.
>> Exactly. So the interrogation took a little over 5 hours. And in that time, Bonitez and the other agents in the
room, they learned everything that they wanted to know about the smuggling operation, but also a lot of stuff that
they were not prepared to hear. So the interrogation took a little over 5 hours. And in that time, Bonitez and the
other agents, they learned things that they needed to know like about the smuggling operation and everything going
on in that department. But they also learned a lot of things that they were not prepared for.
>> Yes. Which I'm sure we are also not going to be prepared for. >> I'm going to do my best to prepare you,
but even that will not be enough. >> Yeah. So after the death of his uncle Saul and his father, Saraphene, little
Saraphene, and the remaining members of his family's organization, they ended up
joining forces with another gang led by El Padrino. That might sound familiar. >> Yes.
>> El Padrino was referenced in that wire tap call. Yep. So El Padrino happened to
be Adalfo Constanzo, who we kind of touched on briefly in part one, but we'll get more into who he is in this
part. >> Okay. >> And this is the final part, just so you guys know. So it was Constanzo who
forced them to adopt his religious practices which were it was like a bizarre perversion of Paulo Mayomebe
which was an Afro Cuban religion. It honors the dead and engages in rituals that involve human bones and some other
things. >> Okay. Now Saraphene told the agents, "Adulo is very powerful, very smart. He
runs our business in Madam Moros. He has connections all over Mexico. Movie stars
go to him. Congressmen." So, this is like a well-connected guy. I don't know if Congressman actually went
to him. That was alleged by not mean. And when you hear that, you're like, "Oh, okay. Period.
>> Got it." >> And just to be clear again, like I'm describ I'm like naming specific
religions. The this what we're talking about today, it's not these religions. I don't know a lot about these religions.
>> These are religions that they referenced, not us. >> Exactly. But and like this is what
they're saying it is. I'm sure it's not that at all. I don't want anybody to think that I
think that's what it is or you >> Saraphene had a lot of respect for Constanzo, but there was also a lot more
to it. It seemed like he almost woripped him and also was terrified of him all at
the same time. >> Yeah, does seem like that. >> Yeah, he kept on telling investigators,
"We did whatever he asked. It's our religion and if we didn't do as he said, he would kill us or worse." That's so
scary to hear like it's our religion so we did it without being without question. It's like that's not what
religion is not at all. >> It's not what it's supposed to be. >> And I for me the scariest part of that
is he would kill us or worse. >> Yeah. It's like what the [ __ ] does that mean?
>> What's worse? Now among the things Constanzo asked of his men was to procure sacrifices for uh Allegua, which
is that trickster god that we referenced in part one. that God would give powers
and protections for in exchange for offerings, which I wonder, and again, I don't know anything about this, so this
is me just wondering out loud. A trickster god to me seems like you can't trust that,
>> I would think, >> cuz a trickster god is usually like >> tricky. >> Yeah. Like they're tricky. Like they're
you don't know if they're being for real or not. So, it's just it's an interesting thing here
>> that they're relying so heavily on it. >> I know it. Well, and that's the thing
like Dulo Constanzo, he he modeled his whole life over what he thought was >> appeasing this god.
>> Yeah. It's just interesting. >> Now, one of those quote unquote offerings ended up being Mark Kilroy.
>> Oh, that's awful. According to Saraphene, Constanzo had instructed him to go into Madamoros the night that Mark
went missing and he was to find somebody to sacrifice to the gods. This was not the first time they had done this.
He said, "Adulo told us told us we had to go get a white male, a young white male, like a spring breaker."
>> Oh, wow. >> So, they were like legitimately on the hunt for >> Mark Kilroy. It was getting late and
Hernandez and another gang member, Malo Torres, still hadn't found anybody. And then the bars let out like I talked
about and the streets were flooded with people. Saraphene was standing on the street and he actually saw Mark get
separated from his friends >> cuz when he had to like relieve himself. >> Yep. And they pounced on that. They
pretended to sympathize with him. They offered, "Oh, we'll drive you back across the border. What? We'll get you
back to your friends. No problem." >> Sad. >> And this is where things start to get
really rough. But there's another part where they do, too. So, I'm going to warn you for both.
>> So, this is when they kidnapped Mark. They jumped him. They tied a blindfold around his eyes. They duct tape his
mouth shut and just wrestled him into the Chevy Suburban. And as they stood there catching their breath, he actually
managed to get out of the car and make a run for it. >> Oh my god. >> Which I think is one of the worst parts
of this story, >> but they chased him down and dragged him back to the truck. So they brought Mark
back to the ranch and as Booe, the caretaker, had indicated, they left him in the truck overnight and they promised
him that as long as he complied with their demands, he was not going to be hurt, which was never the truth.
>> No, >> he was kidnapped to be a sacrifice. This is where it's going to get really bad,
just so everybody knows, like trigger warning. >> The next day, Adalf Constanzo arrived at
the ranch with about 12 of his followers, and they assembled inside the shack that they used as kind of like a
makeshift temple. Like, according to them, the outbuilding was actually so innocuous that agents who were involved
in the raid and who had been to the property passed by it countless times when they'd gone to the ranch, and they
had no idea what had taken place inside. And if they had only gone in there, they
would have seen >> he sure >> they may have they would have found evidence of what had occurred.
>> That's what I mean. Like they would have seen that something happened in there.
>> Yeah. >> So once everybody was gathered in the shack, somebody brought Mark from the
car. They threw him down onto a tarp that had been laid out in the out on the inside. He stayed blindfolded with his
mouth taped shut, but they stripped him nude. And then Constanzo beat, raped, and tortured him before finally killing
him with a brutal blow to the head using a machete. >> Oh my god. >> This is It's We're still not past the
worst of it. >> [ __ ] >> When Mark was dead, Constanzo reached into the wound that the machete had made
in his skull and pulled out pieces of his brain. >> Oh my. This is what they mean when they
say killed or worse. >> Yes. So, the pieces of his brain were then placed into a metal cauldron-like
receptacle that Constanzo referred to as the niganga. Um, according to Saraphene,
this was where the gods received their offerings. He told investigators he wanted to put his brains in because he
was going to give the spirits more power. >> Holy [ __ ] >> I'm sure that this religion is not this.
>> I I don't know anything about it, but holy [ __ ] Now, when they had finished
the quote unquote ritual, Constanzo instructed the men to remove uh Mark's body and bury him on the property. They
dismembered the body before the burial. And when Saraphene was asked if that was
part of the ritual, he was very blunt and told them, "No, it just made his body easier to bury."
>> Oh, yeah. >> Jesus. Uh Mark's grave was marked by a wire sticking out of the ground and the
other end of that wire was tied to his spinal column so that when his body had completely decomposed, quote, the cult
could pull out the vertebrae to make a necklace. Holy [ __ ] This is a human being. How
are you this devoid of humanity? This is a human being who was going out for probably his last spring break with his
best friends from high school who got snatched off the streets and this is what happened. I just don't get how you
get here. Like I don't get how you get so devoid of anything that makes a human being a human being. I don't understand
how that just seeps out of you or was never there to begin with. >> It's so scary to me. Like there's one
person involved in this who will talk a little bit about who she was before she got involved in this and she was just
normal. Like she was somebody that you might have hung out with after class or >> wow
>> known or like a friend of a friend. >> Holy [ __ ] >> And it's that's the thing. It's like how
do people become this deranged within the time frame that seems like overnight? >> Yeah. It's so incredible. Like how do
you just start seeing your fellow human being as a a sacrifice >> as nothing as something that's not you?
Like I don't I don't understand that. I'll never understand that with >> I think it's power and I think in this
case drugs. >> Holy [ __ ] >> So the next day, Bonita sat down with Saraphene again and this time he
recounted the details with um the details of his confession for a video camera. When the interview came to an
end, he told the investigators, "You won't be able to keep us here. You'll see."
>> Okay. >> Really? >> I don't know about that. >> You really think that your god's just
going to get you out of here for ripping somebody's brain matter out? >> So chilling, though, how confident they
are >> that this is real. Yep. >> And that they will not be punished for this. >> Yep. So later that afternoon, the feds
swarmed the ranch for a second time, arresting anybody who was found on the property, and they set up a perimeter to
search for more bodies. Because it turned out that while Mark was definitely the most high-profile victim
of the cult, he was not the only person who had been killed by these deranged animals. By the time they finished
search finished searching the property, investigators would exume 14 bodies. Holy [ __ ] 14 bodies of other men, all
of various ages. So they stood back while Saraphene worked at gunpoint, digging up one body after another from
shallow graves. Like Mark Kilroy, a lot of the other men had been chosen mostly for their physical traits or
characteristics that Constanzo believed would please the spirits. Uh including one boy who was a member of the
Hernandez family who had been sacrificed when he was mistaken for somebody else.
Wow. one of their very own family members. And we'll get into that a little bit. Wow. According to the
medical examiner, all of these 14 boys and men had been killed within the last 9 months. And in each case, the cause of
death had been a blow from a a sharp object, which was presumably that machete. >> Holy [ __ ]
>> Everybody showed signs of having been tortured and sexually assaulted, and all
had similar wounds to the ones that Mark Kilroy had. >> Jesus. Now, while several agents guarded
Saraphene and Martinez as they worked to unearth the bodies, countless others combed over the property, just
collecting any evidence they could, when they came to the shed, apparently even the most hardened detectives who had
spent years hunting down Mexico's most dangerous criminals, they were all shocked by what they described
unanimously as a human slaughterhouse. That is the scariest thing I've ever heard. Yeah. Now, Bonitez, I think I
mentioned it in part one briefly, he had grown up in a traditional indigenous community, so he was aware of some of
the characteristics of these different religions and >> folklore and stuff. >> And folklore. Yeah.
>> So, he had he grew up hearing about all this and that included all manner of spirits, magic, you name it.
>> Yeah. A lot of times he was teased at the precinct for having such a strong belief in the supernatural, but this was
the one time that most of the men who were working under him were incredibly grateful for his superstitious
upbringing. >> When he learned of the potential cult related activity in the murders, he
actually called on a doctor, um, a professor of anthropology, Dr. Anthony Zavaleta, and he was an expert in
AfroCaribbean religions. So if anybody was going to help them navigate this whole unfamiliar world, it was going to
be him. >> Yeah. >> Now, even with all of his experience, Zavaleta was horrified by what he saw on
the ranch that day. >> Oh, I can imagine. >> He told a reporter, "I've I have 40
years studying Bharia or witchcraft. And I've been to places and seen things that
ordinarily would make your hair stand on end, but I was not ready for what I encountered that day."
>> I don't think anybody could be. >> How I That's how you ever prepare yourself for This sounds completely out
of the realm of anything you could conjure. >> It really does. So, like the agents on
scene, Zavaleta was most disturbed by the shack where Constanzo and his cult members performed their I hate to even
call them rituals because quote unquote where they murdered people is what we should say.
>> They're murderers. Yeah. In the cauldron situated in the center of the shack,
there was what still appeared to be brain matter along with quote other organs and a mixture of slop and blood
just still sitting there. This is like [ __ ] you would hear about in a horror movie that you're like, "That's too
far." Yep. >> But this is real. Like this really happened. This is real. Now later when
the contents were analyzed, they would be identified as a combination of human brains, animal parts, chicken bones, and
other natural debris. >> Wow. >> Upon leaving the shack, Zavaleta approached Bonitez and told him, "This
is Palo Mayomebe. You need to look for a Cubano. This is a Cuban doing this. It's
not a Mexican." >> Oh. And that was actually valuable information. >> Okay. >> Now, like we know from part one, the
local authorities in Madamoros, they were familiar with the Hernandez family and we went over that. So, when they
learned of the activity at the ranch that involved Saraphene and the other members of the gang, most if not all of
the names were known to them. >> Yeah. >> All except one that kept coming up over
and over again, especially after Saraphene gave his confession. Adulo Constanzo.
>> El Padrino. >> El Padrino. Exactly. So, Adulo De Jesus Constanzo. He was born November 1st,
1962 in Miami, Florida to a 15-year-old single mother. >> 15. >> 15year-old. Her name was Dileia
Gonzalez, and she was a Cuban immigrant. So, obviously, he too was Cuban. >> Yeah.
>> So, so >> it's exactly what the the doctor said. >> Sorry, there might be a plane landing on
my house. I know. >> Dang, >> that was low. >> So, like many single parents, Dillia
spent a lot of her life just struggling to support her family, of course, >> because she didn't just have uh Adulo as
a son. She had two other children too. She baptized and raised her kids as Catholics, but she also exposed them to
voodoo and other AfroCaribbean langu religions that would eventually have as we know a very profound effect on Adulo
specifically. As a child, he was remembered as a very serious boy. People said he never laughed and that he was
obsessively neat. >> Like kind of like OCD it seemed like he had. Author Jim Shutzer wrote, "Even as
a very little boy, he was meticulous in ways that seem strange to the adults around him."
>> So, I'm sure he was not getting a lot of support for that. >> No, I don't think so.
>> At an early age, he had a preoccupation with his clothing and his appearance specifically. And everybody from
neighbors to strangers though, they were constantly commenting on his looks. They
thought he was beautiful. >> Oh, wow. >> Obviously, he was not. As he grew older,
the obsessive behaviors and his fixation on his appearance kind of became one of
the things that he got teased for the older he got, which inevitably brought on the more spiteful and aggressive side
of his personality. That's when it really started to come out. Uh Jim Shoots wrote, "On a few occasions when
fellow students made the mistake of teasing Adelfo about his weird habits, the response was swift and unnerving. No
one in Cuban, Miami needed more than a few seconds to figure out the meaning of bloody animal heads and other signs that
appeared the next day at the front door of the offending schoolmates's home. >> Holy [ __ ]
>> So, if you were I know I'm saying that a lot, but that's really like I'm just
incredulous. >> If you teased him, he left a bloody animal head staked outside your door.
>> And was anybody thinking that like, hey, these are red flags? I guess it was the 60s.
Whoa. I don't know. I don't know what the excuse is here for that. >> I don't I don't know what decade that
would not be a red flag to me. >> I don't know. Holy [ __ ] I I'm sure it was a red flag to Middle Earth.
>> Like that's the Game of Thrones is really only where that would be acceptable, I think.
>> And even then, it was kind of red flag. >> Even then, you're like, "Oh, something's
wrong here." >> Yeah. I feel like this is going to go ary. And it sure does. >> Holy [ __ ] Now, under normal
circumstances, his strange behaviors, aside from his retaliation, just like the fact that he was very meticulous and
that kind of thing, yeah, may have just been written off as like a phase that kids go through. But to his devoutly
religious mother and the superstitious community that she was kind of specifically steeped in, it was
something else. They saw his uncommon beauty and his ability to catch the attention of strangers and his
organization and all of it as some kind of divine gift. That's what they always said. He had a divine gift.
>> Okay. >> But at the same time, shoots noted most of the people in Cuban Miami who were
around Adulo and his mother for any length of time knew exactly what this little boy's demeanor meant and it
frightened them. >> So there weren't there were people who saw these red flags. Like
>> yeah, there were people who were like, "This is not right. >> It wasn't going unnoticed, but
apparently they had a strong community around them that was willing to protect him and maybe was unwilling to believe
that he was responsible for these kinds of things." Yeah. Also, neighbors had always thought that it was a little
suspicious how Adulo's father just disappeared one day about a year after they arrived in Miami. Huh. Yeah. His
mother and his grandmother said that the father had just run away. But there were
always whispers of Dillia's practices of black magic. Like how her new husband's
business had gone from failing to prosperous seemingly overnight. And how that same husband seemed to be afraid of
his eldest stepson, Adalfo. >> Mhm. and the spiritual role that his mom almost seemed to be grooming him for.
This was all talk in the town. >> Yeah. So, when Dia's successful husband died from a sudden mysterious illness in
1960 uh 1973, >> he left her and the children with a pretty decent inheritance that meant
that they didn't really have to work anymore to support themselves. Now, that didn't mean that Adula was now free to
just like focus on regular things like school work or spending time with friends. His mother assured him that he
was much too special to worry about those mundane things. >> Yeah. We don't we don't need to bother
ourselves with things like friends. >> Yeah. No, other human things, you know. No.
>> Now, here's the more thing. Speaking like >> it. I want I want to know what she
considered mundane and like not mundane because she always loved movies, especially since she was like a kid in
Cuba. She was very obsessed with like movie stars and going to the movies, that kind of thing. Yeah.
>> And she loved how American movie stars in particular like commanded attention
and wielded power with the public. She found that fascinating. >> And like movies aren't mundane to you,
but friends are. Like what? >> I know that doesn't make sense. You know what? There was this era though that I
feel like movie stars were otherworldly. >> Yes. >> You know what I mean? Like it was a
totally different kind of >> era >> thing. Yeah. Yeah. >> Well, she was confident though that her
son Adulo could command that same power. She said, "Movie star vibes. Just stop putting bloody animals on.
>> I was going to say there there is that one little thing though as he does. >> She wasn't worried that it was like
going to be a hindrance though. >> Yeah, she's not worried about that. >> No, don't worry about that.
>> Don't worry about the mundane things, >> you know. >> Now, by the time he was in his mid-
teens, uh Adula was providing spiritual services to the more superstitious believers in the Miami Cuban community,
which if he wasn't who he was, would be quite fascinating. >> Yeah, for sure. >> Like I'm into spiritual services,
>> not these kind for sure. >> No. Uh, Dileia assured everybody that her son had great powers and he could
see things others couldn't. He could communicate with the spirit world. At first, it was just like the occasional
housewife who went by Dileas to sit with Adulo and have her fortune told, which like, cool. But as months passed and
word got out, the visitors became more frequent and they brought money. >> So, he was really making money at doing
this. Now, when he graduated high school in 1980 with all his supposed gifts, he
saw no reason to go to college. He's gifted. >> No, that's mundane. Yeah, college. But
>> instead, he worked occasional odd jobs to make a little extra money beyond what
he got from the fortuneelling, but he mostly spent his time hanging out with his growing group of followers and
exploring his sexuality with men and women. Now, on a trip to Mexico City in 1981, he was actually arrested for
shoplifting, which is wild because he had money. >> You're making money. >> Not only is he making money, he was left
an inheritance where he really didn't have to work anymore. >> Oh, yeah. That's that's like thrill. He
just liked money thrill >> and it also it is the thrill of it because it became a regular habit
throughout the 80s >> because remember he doesn't like m mundane [ __ ] and he's been told all his
life you are not on this earth for mundane [ __ ] so he's looking for that extra thing
>> well and you're gifted you're talented like you're not you're you're protected
I'm sure he thought by these these gods that you're speaking to. So even though he had this like shoplifting stint and
that he was actually arrested for, he still managed to find success in Mexico, especially when he was offered a
modeling job >> to Dileia. The job was further confirmation that he had the power and
influence she always thought. So she moved with him to Mexico City to in hopes that he would fulfill his destiny
and she could be there to watch. >> Yeah, of course. Now, he actually did find a lot of success as a model, but it
was his supposed supernatural abilities that he really became known for in Mexico City first before he became known
for what he's known for now. >> Eventually, he started to offer his fortuneelling services to the wealthy
and elite of Mexico City. So, when little Saraphene earlier was saying like movie stars and congressmen,
>> Yeah. >> it could have been right here. >> Yeah, there you go. Now, his most popular services actually weren't his
fortunes, but instead became his curses. Oh, >> he offered to put curses on people's
enemies for a price. >> That's such bad vibes. >> It is. >> That's bad vibes. >> But this this service became
particularly popular, and it makes sense among the local drug dealers and the cartels.
>> Yeah. I mean, that makes sense. >> It makes perfect sense. Now, it's unclear how he really eventually
connected with these criminal gangs along the border, but it was probably the the services that he was offering
and his supposed gifts that drew everybody to him >> and he found them to be easily
manipulated through superstition. >> So, he saw his niche. >> Yeah, of course. >> It's a horrible niche, but he identified
it. >> He's jumping into it. Now, in 1988, after Saul Hernandez and Saraphene Senior were killed and the Hernandez
operation was in danger of falling apart, Elio Hernandez became the new deacto leader. He was pretty much as
ruthless as his brother had been, his brother Saul. Uh, but he was still taking over an organization that was on
the brink of collapse. So, he needed help. >> And he figured what they really specifically needed was good protection.
And there was no better protection than magic. So, Ilio set out to find the one that could guarantee their safety. And
it seems that he likely met Adulo Constanzo through Sarah Maria Adrete, who I mentioned was um Adulo's high
priestess. >> Oh, yes. >> In part one. She was a friend of Ilios, who dabbled in black magic. And of
course, as we know, she knew Adalfo. Now, at 22 years old, she was a college student just living in Brownsville,
Texas when an unexpected divorce had her move back to Madam Moros to live with her parents. She always talked about
wanting to become a teacher. >> Oh, so like I said, she was just a regular girly going to college wanting
to be a teacher and then she met Adalfo Constanzo. >> She's just going to mold young minds.
She was going to mold young minds. >> Whoa. Adulo and Sarah met one afternoon in the summer of 87 when he stopped his
car in the middle of a crowded street causing a traffic jam just to meet her. >> Whoa. Apparently, this was like a thing
in Madamoros, like men would put these big displays of affection on for women that they wanted to end up being with.
>> Okay. It's like a peacock situation. >> Yeah, very much so. Exactly. So, she was
familiar with this and she always found it kind of like repulsive. >> Yeah. She's like, "No thanks."
>> But for some reason, there was something about Adulo that she liked. She saw that
he was gifted and talented. Now, she didn't find him brash or overconfident. She said he was or she
felt like he was just magnetic. And it didn't take long before she was brought into the fold and familiarized with the
ways of his religion, his quote unquote religion. But she probably didn't know that she wasn't the first woman to join
his group. There had been actually two before her that served as high priestess.
>> Oh, yeah. Where'd they go? >> Uh, they mysteriously vanished within a year of meeting Adulo Constanzo. You
know what? It's not my business. >> Isn't it weird how people just mysteriously vanish when they know him
or his family? >> Yeah, it's very There's a lot of mysterious vanishing happening here and
it's making me very uncomfortable. >> Elena, it's just magic. >> I have anxiety listening to this.
>> It's a lot just cuz this world is like everything about all of this. >> It's so dark. Feels so scary to me. Like
I'm so anxious just thinking about it. >> Yeah. Now, at first, what brought the Hernandezes and the Constano and
Constanzo's followers together were the drugs and the money, not the religion. But in time, that changed because the
deeper that they all got into Pa May, the more the spiritual practices and beliefs took over their lives. Now, to
Tony Zavaleta, the doctor who actually knew Sarah well. >> Wow. Her rapid transformation from a
straight A student in his class. So, literally the the doctor that was brought in as an expert on this religion
ended up knowing one of these followers because she was in his class that he taught. That's incredible in the worst
way. It really is. He found her transformation to be almost unbelievable. >> Yeah.
>> He said, "She sat in my anthropology class all semester, an A student, always
present, always friendly. I never saw her wear an emblem, an amulet, a talisman, any sign of black magic. and I
am trained to watch out for such things. I never heard her ask a weird question even when we talked about weird
religions. So, it really was like switch. Yeah, light switch. >> Now, there's no way of knowing exactly
how many people unfortunately were murdered by the cult between 88 and ' 89. But according to Gary Cartrite, the
earliest victims were quote selected from the ranks of enemies, rival drug dealers or dirty cops who had gone back
on an agreement. >> Yeah. Now to Ilio Hernandez, this made sense. He could appease Constanzo and
also get rid of his enemies and rivals at the same time. Yeah, >> it was perfect for him.
>> It makes sense in that way, >> right? But soon the murders became much more cruel, much more sadistic, and very
reckless. >> This is horrific. And uh we lightly touched on this earlier. >> Oh boy. In one instance, when Ioia was
forced to shoot the man they planned to sacrifice before the ceremony began, so things went wrong, he sent out three of
his henchmen to find a replacement. And any replacement would do. They said they
just needed somebody stat. >> [ __ ] >> So the followers did as they were told, and they grabbed a 14-year-old boy.
>> Oh my god. >> He had gone out in the night to look for a lost goat. >> Oh. It was only later when the
sacrifice, aka the murder, was finished that Elio realized he had murdered his own nephew.
Oh my god. Because before that, they had a hood over his head. But once they lifted the hood, he realized they had
sacrificed quote unquote his own nephew. >> What are the [ __ ] odds of that? And
also, how do you put your head on the pillow at night doing what you do anyway? But it's so reckless now that
you've [ __ ] accidentally murdered your own family off the street. >> You have to be so detached from
>> because >> anything even slightly resembling humanity. >> They also just continued on doing the
same thing that didn't that wasn't like a wakeup call like shit's getting way too chaotic. Like we need to take a step
here. >> It's insane. But now by the time they killed Mark Kilroy, all of Adalfo
Constanzo's followers had come to see him himself as some kind of god, like some kind of divine being.
>> He commanded their respect. They were afraid of him. And as a result, they would do whatever he wanted, no matter
how heinous. And especially if there was something they thought was to be gained
from the brutality and the cruelty. Because that's the thing, the more cruel, the more brutal, the more
horrific these things, these these murders were, they thought they were getting more benefit from that, more
protection. >> I don't know how you rationalize that >> in your brain. >> That's what they I keep going back to
it. I'm like, how does this [ __ ] happen? >> You just have to you have to lose total
grip on reality. Like, you don't have any empathy for another human being. Like I just like I can't wrap my brain
around that >> and just like to be that untethered. I think like that's the word untethered to
reality. >> Untethered from humanity in reality cuz like there are people I can't [ __ ]
stand. >> Of course. Absolutely. >> But if I saw something horrible happening to them and they like cried or
were upset, something in me would feel empathy >> and intervene >> and have to like not be a part of that
and like not let that happen. It's like people I hate like you know what I mean?
Like it's I can't >> because that's humanity. >> Imagine like that's empathy. That's
sympathy. But some people just aren't equipped with those emotions >> and a stranger.
>> Yeah. >> Too. That's the other thing. It's like you know nothing about this person's
life or who loves them or who they love or what they're going through or what they had planned and you just
>> and you just don't care. >> Intervening and and removing it >> and you and you feel entitled to do so.
>> Yeah. You feel entitled and you feel like you get something out of that. It's
like that's so gross. >> I can't make sense of that. >> Yeah. Now, as soon as uh Commander
Bonitez saw the signs of witchcraft at the ranch and his suspicions were then confirmed by Dr. Zavaleta, he called the
investigation actually to an immediate halt. The search would not continue, he said, until the black magic on the
property had been neutralized >> because he knows about this [ __ ] >> He knows about this [ __ ] and it's it is
taken very seriously in the in these particular cultures. >> And you don't want to [ __ ] around with
that, >> honestly. I know it sounds a little out there, like what are you talking about?
You have to neutralize the scene before you investigate. And I do think there were some things that were done that
probably weren't great as far as investigation goes, but it works out. >> But like this is a this is a deeply
uh ingrained thing in these cultures. >> Well, you have to that's the thing. And
when a culture believes something to that extent and like the energy is put into it like that,
>> you have to take it seriously and you have to do the correct steps to make sure you're doing everything right.
Right. Like you have to allow them to do what they need to do at the end of the day.
>> Yeah. >> So Bonitez contacted and again I hope I say this right. I know I'm just a little
white girl. A Kirando which is a white witch to come to the property and cleanse the area. But they wanted to
wait until Sunday, which is the Lord's Day, when the cleansing magic would be the most powerful.
>> Okay. >> So, in the meantime, Bonitez and the American authorities poured over
Constanzo's journals and other evidence that they were able to get from the scene.
>> They managed to round up several members of his gang, but he himself, El Padrino,
and his high priestess Sarah were still unaccounted for and presumably at this point on the run.
>> What the [ __ ] The journals indicated that his activity was obviously not confined to the ranch. There were other
altars, quote unquote, around Mexico where sacrifices had been performed. Uh, Agent Raphael Martinez said, "Another
murder to appease the spirits and keep the fugitive free is not only a possibility, it's a probability." Damn.
Now, when Sunday finally arrived, the agents all gathered back at the ranch with several of their uh irritable
American counterparts, and they watched as the White Witch set about cleansing the property. The first step was to
destroy the shack where the rituals had occurred. M >> I could understand if you weren't
familiar with this religion or this culture being like why would you burn down >> crucial evidence?
>> Well, that's the thing that would be like you're just like I wouldn't quite understand that but you're on their soil
and you have to do what you have to do. >> What can you do here >> now? Once the flames had died and the
structure itself was just a pile of ash and rubble, the white witch crept up to the cauldron with a 2x4 in one hand.
Humes wrote, "He approached the thing as if it was a wounded animal capable of attacking anybody who entered its den,
and then to everybody's surprise, he rushed forward and smashed the cauldron with the club and then leapt back,
almost like he was waiting for a corresponding attack, like something to come at him,
>> retaliation." When nothing happened, he seemed satisfied that the black magic
had been neutralized. He spent a few more hours at the property cleansing with holy water and performing other
rituals and then gave Bonitz the allclear that allowed them to continue on with the investigation.
Now, as soon as the investigation really got back on track, the story hit the newspapers and all the sensational and
salacious details would continue to be front page news in the weeks that followed. Obviously, in the days after
the story broke, Brad Moore, who was Mark Kilroyy's one of his closest friends, told a reporter, "I'm still
really in shock about it. I know he's in a better place. I know that he was a very good person.
>> Just breaks your heart. >> Yeah, that's awful. Now, in the days that followed, investigators were able
to identify three more bodies that were unearthed at the ranch. There was Valenta Delierro, a local man in his 30s
who had been shot with a 9 mm. There was Gilberto Garza Sosa, a railroad security
guard whose neckbones were all broken from what the medical examiner believed was a hanging. And there was Cesar Caita
who was a former Matamoros police officer and his body showed signs of torture. >> Holy [ __ ]
>> Uh it was Ceada actually Seda who Elio had shot prematurely which required them
to find a new victim and that obviously resulted in the death of his own nephew,
his 14-year-old nephew. >> 14 years old. >> But unfortunately many of the other victims would remain unidentified.
>> That's really sad. >> It is. Now, while his family, Mark Kilroy's family, struggled to process
the revelation that he was dead, that he wasn't coming home, and the press had a
field day playing up all the shocking aspects of the story. Authorities on both sides of the border got to work
just trying to apprehend everybody who was responsible and obviously doing their best to hunt down Adalfo
Constanzo. By the time the agents were searching the ranch, they had many of the members of the gang in custody. But
like we said, as soon as he heard Adalfa Constanzo of the raid, he and Sarah escaped to Brownsville along with cult
members Martine Quintana Rodriguez, Omar Francisco Orakoa, and Alvaro El Dubie Deleon Valdez. And they were all wanted
for murder. Now, believing that Constanzo and the others might be hiding out at like a hotel or something like
that in Bronzeville, federal agents in the US assembled a team and they raided the hotel. But by the time they arrived,
the group had already caught a flight out of Texas to Mexico City, and that's where Constano actually had an
apartment. >> Wow. >> He had multiple places to stay on both sides of the border.
>> It took several weeks, but Mexican authorities finally caught up with the fugitive cult members in Mexico City at
the end of April. When they raided Constanzo's apartment, they found altars. They found candles and other
occult objects inside, but they didn't find any evidence that a violent crime had been committed there
>> in that location. >> In that location. So, that was a little tough. >> Yeah. >> Now, a week later on May 6th, a resident
of an apartment complex in Mexico City called the police to report a domestic disturbance. Now, the police thought
that might have been Constanzo and the others, so they brought reinforcements. And the report actually ended up being
unrelated to Constanzo. >> Oh wow. >> But it did result in gunfire between the suspect and the police. And in a b in a
bizarre coincidence, Constanzo was staying in an apartment complex nearby. >> What?
>> And when he heard the gunfire between the police and the suspect in the domestic dispute, he assumed that the
authorities had caught up with him. >> What are the [ __ ] odds? >> One of his followers who was on the Red
said he went crazy. crazy. He grabbed a bundle of money and threw it and began shooting out the window. Holy [ __ ] Now,
believing that he only had a matter of minutes before he was caught, he ordered one of the other cult members of Alvaro
Valdez to shoot him and his henchman, Martin Rodriguez Rodriguez, excuse me, who was also on the run. Wo. The story
was later confirmed by Sarah, who told police Adulo had made the order, quote, because it was the end and he wanted to
die with Martin. This is wild. It's bonkers. So, with Adalfo Constanzo and Martin
Rodriguez now dead, police took Sarah Aldrrete, Omar Francisco Ora Okoa, and Alvaro Deleon Valdez into custody,
bringing the manhunt for Mark Kilroy murderers to an end. >> A bizarre, wild end.
>> One of the strangest ends I think that we've actually had in morbid history. >> Holy [ __ ] So, it took some time to sort
everything out, but eventually everybody who played a role in the murders of those discovered buried at the ranch
were punished for their crimes. Good. Not long after his arrest, Oraoa was hospitalized and diagnosed with AIDS.
Um, as a result of the advanced stage of his virus, he spent the rest of his life
in a hospital and died in February of 1990. Alvaro Vadez was found uh Valdez, excuse me, was found guilty of the
murders of Adulo Constanzo and Martin Rodriguez and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Sarah Aldrrete, Saraphene
Hernandez, Elio Hernandez, and Sergio Martinez were ultimately convicted of multiple crimes, including the murders
of Mark Kilroy and the others found on the ranch. And they were sentenced to 67 years in prison. Wow. Um, I don't know
exactly why, but in 1998, a judge did reduce their sentences to 50 years each. Why? I don't know if it was good
behavior. I'm not sure. >> Seems crazy. >> Now, as of today, only Ovido Hernandez
and Malio Pon Torres have managed to evade capture. >> Wow. >> Yeah. >> As for the Kilroy family, uh, they
continue to support each other in the years that have followed since Mark's death. A few years after the tragedy,
they established the Mark Kilroy Foundation, and that's an organization dedicated to the prevention of substance
abuse among young people, which I think is really incredible that they were able
to to do something with it. Exactly. Since starting the organization, they provided countless teens and young
adults with the education and opportunities to avoid falling into addiction. And even though Mark himself
never struggled with drugs or alcohol, they obviously saw the connection to addiction and what happened here. In
2009, Mark's mother, Helen, said a lot of people weren't even alive when this happened to Mark. So, we do talk to
people about Mark's story. They need to realize that they have to be aware of what is going on around them anywhere,
not just in a foreign country. >> Exactly. Cuz that really is this kind of [ __ ] can happen anywhere. And you just
like stories like this are so shocking, but it's such proof that you do not know
what's lingering around the next corner. >> And you don't know. Strangers are strangers. You don't know them. You
don't know what they're about. You don't know if they have good intentions. You don't know anything.
>> Unfortunately, a lot of times people don't want to help you. >> No, >> they want to hurt you. And like that's a
horrible thing to have to believe. But >> but you have to at least have that in the front of your mind now.
>> Yeah. And if now we have the information, >> let them let them prove to you that
they're not that before you fully trust them. >> But honestly, like we were talking about
this the other day with just a group of friends. Anytime I've ever been helped like getting or offered help like
getting my groceries into my car or something like that. I No, thank you. >> Yeah. No,
>> I'm all set. I got it. >> I never want the help. >> A ride? Nope. You don't need a ride
anymore. Obviously, not at this point like when this story happened, but now Uber. Nope. I'm all set.
>> Don't need it. It's just it's an awful awful story. It's just awful that human
beings are capable of doing this to other human beings. >> That's honestly the thing that my brain
just never ever >> can even conceive of. No, >> truly. >> But I really do commend his family for
like making something, >> something positive come out of such a tragic loss >> cuz holy [ __ ]
>> Yeah, it's a horrific story. >> It really is. >> Do you have a fun fact for us as a
palette cleanser? I think it's your fun fact, honey. >> Is it my fun fact? >> I did fun fact last time.
>> I'll find a fun fact for us then. >> Okay. Sharks have been swimming in Earth's oceans for about 400 million
years, making them roughly 50 million years older than the earliest trees. >> That's so scary and incredible all at
the same time. >> It really is. >> Like that's the ocean isn't my business. >> No, it's just not.
>> I also just find it so scary that we just stopped exploring the ocean. >> Yeah, cuz I think we were like We have
we have more business up in space than we have down here. >> And I fully believe that.
>> Freaks me out. But we also scary >> ocean scarier. Unthinkable. >> But also like that's where our Wi-Fi
comes from. >> Yeah. >> Make it make sense. >> I know. >> Yeah. Mikey's looking at me like what
the [ __ ] Comes from like tunnels and [ __ ] underwater. >> It's weird. >> Fall into a rabbit hole about that on
TikTok. You lose your mind. Girls, let's do it. >> Do that. That's how you pallet. fall
into that rabbit hole. >> Fall into like a creepy rabbit hole, but like that's like technological and
chilling >> and we'll probably scare you as well. Yeah. But like in a fun way. Yeah. In a
fun way. >> So, with that being said, we hope you keep listening. >> And we hope you
>> keep it weird, but also weird that you don't go down a rabbit hole. >> One that makes you feel good. Yeah. Or a
little bit scared. Spooky. Spooky rabbit hole.

In March 1989, twenty-one-year-old University of Texas student Mark Kilroy and some friends traveled south of the border to Matamoros, Mexico to celebrate the end of spring break, along with thousands of other American students that year. After drinking all night at a bar on the night of March 10, Kilroy got separated from his friends when they decided to call it a night a little after 2:00 am. No one would see Mark Kilroy alive again.

As one of several towns bordering the United States, Matamoros was popular with American tourists; however, by the late 1980s, it was beginning to develop a reputation for drug-related crime. In fact, Mark Kilroy was just one of sixty people who went missing in Matamoros in just the first three months of 1989 alone. When Kilroy’s friends reported him missing to the Brownsville, Texas police a massive search began, with investigators fearing Mark might have been kidnapped by one of the local gangs. It turned out, the truth was far worse than anyone had feared.

Visit https://www.markkilroyfoundation.org If you would like to donate to the Mark Kilroy Foundation

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

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References

Associated Press. 1989. "Leader in cult slayings ordered own death, two companions say." New York Times, May 8: 14.

Assocoated Press. 1989. "Hypnosis tried in hunt for student." Fot Worth Star-Telegram, March 17: 24.

Bragg, Roy. 1989. "Cult 'godfather' ordered killing." Houston Chronicle, April 13: 1.

—. 1989. "Fateful party is re-enacted." Houston Chronicle, March 25: 1.

Cartwright, Gary. 1989. "The Work of the Devil." Tecas Monthly, June 1.

Douglas, Jack, and Major Garrett. 1989. "13th victim pulled from killing field." Houston Post, April 14: 1.

Garcia, Guy. 1989. "The Believers: Cult Murders in Mexico." Rolling Stone, June 29.

Humes, Edward. 1991. Buried Secrets: A True Story of Serial Murder, Black Magic, and Drug-Running on the U.S. Border. New York, NY: Dutton.

Kreps, Mary Ann. 1989. "Machete blow reportedly killed Kilroy instantly." Houston Chronicle, April 12: 1.

Mishra, Upendra Nath. 1989. "Police search properties owned by alleged cult leader." United Press International, April 20.

Perez-Trevino, Emma. 2009. "Remebering Mark J. Kilroy." Brownsville Herald, March 8: 1.

Sanders, Kathy. 1989. "Rumors of Satanists kidnapping children have parents terrified." Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 15: 1.

Schutze, Jim. 2023. Cauldron of Blood: The Matamoros Cult Killings. New York, NY: Open Road Media.

United Press International. 1989. "Parents of missing student seek help from state." United Press International, March 29.

Warren, Susan. 1989. "Kilroys say drug users 'to blame' for son's killing." Houston Chronicle, April 13: 1.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo

Brief Summary

Mark Kilroy's murder by a cult in Mexico reveals shocking brutality and the dark influence of Adolfo Constanzo.

Key points

The Grumbling Stomach. A humorous exchange about their lunch choices and stomach noises.
The Gruesome Case of Mark Kilroy. A warning about the upcoming dark story of Mark Kilroy's disappearance.
Constanzo's Dark Demands. Saraphene reveals the chilling instructions given by Constanzo regarding sacrifices.
Mark's Kidnapping. The moment Mark Kilroy is kidnapped after being separated from his friends.
The Confession. Saraphene recounts the details of the cult's activities during a chilling confession.
A Human Slaughterhouse. Detectives describe the scene at the ranch as a human slaughterhouse, shocking even seasoned officers.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

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Tension

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