Tennessee Serial Killer 1902 Penny

Jeremiah Lexer (June 6, 1826 - July 5, 1902), was a

19th-century East Tennessee plantation owner who, along with

The Phantom Killer is an unidentified serial killer. He is Texarkana's only serial killer and is credited with a number of attacks in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas between February 22 and May 3, 1946.

Hezekiah Hamblen, was a key factor in establishing Hamblen County,

Tennessee before becoming controversially involved in

disappearances and murders of local residents and travelers at the

turn of the century. Lexer lived on a massive plantation on the

outskirts of Hamblen County in Talbott, Tennessee with his extended

family from 1826-1902. Records show that he was a seemingly

upstanding member of the community. In 1887, missing people cases

began to be reported to Hamblen County Sheriff J. F. Hayes and

continued until 1902. These reports were considered unlinked and

Canfitpro interactive. attributed to dangerous mountainous wildlife or becoming lost in

the massive Appalachian Mountains. On July 5, 1902 Jeremiah Lexer

took his own life after a brutal killing-spree that left his entire

family slain. After his plantation was searched, the gruesome

discoveries of over 30 bodies was a shock to the community. It was

later discovered that in his old age, Lexer suffered from

undiagnosed Bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia. With the economy of

Hamblen County struggling, and a push by government officials to

populate the under-funded county, local media and law enforcement

were bribed to cover-up the murders, so as not to dissuade

potential residents and business owners from moving to the county.

Once the bribes were received, most information and evidence

collected from the plantation was destroyed by law enforcement and

the remaining bits were sealed. The local newspaper, The Morristown

Gazette, wrote almost nothing about the story. The Lexer files were

officially released in 1987 with a court order from The Tennessee

Open Records Act. His home is now the site of the haunted

attraction known as Frightmare Manor.