Texas True Crime: Decapitation Murders | Full Documentary

Description

Some of Houston's grisliest murders may be crimes you've never heard of. In 1979, a series of horrific killings terrified the city and left detectives baffled. Five young people were violently attacked - and in some cases, their bodies were left headless. For more than 45 years, the families of those five victims have lived with the heartache of not knowing who killed their loved ones in such a gruesome way. Sister Margaret Ann Calcutta says she is still searching for answers in her sister Mary's murder. Mary Calcutta moved to Houston from Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, looking for adventure. "Mary was always very happy, you know," recalled Sister Margaret Ann. "We used to call her princess." Mary, 27, accepted a clerk job in Houston and got her own place at the Orchard Apartments, a sprawling complex that catered to young, single working professionals. But in July of 1979, her best friend in Pittsburgh remembers getting a frantic call from her. "It popped right out of my mouth - why are you calling me on a weeknight?" said Beth McKinstry, who was Mary's best friend. "She explained that there was a murder in her building and she was afraid." A couple floors below Mary, a 33-year-old single mom, Alys Rankin, had been found stabbed to death and sexually assaulted. But perhaps most disturbing, she had been decapitated - and her head was missing. Beth McKinstry recalls how frightened Mary sounded on the phone. "We talked about all the precautions that she could take," she said. "We talked about not letting anybody in that you didn't know. We talked about walking the halls and making sure you look over your shoulder." But two weeks after Alys's murder, police were called to another gruesome scene at the Orchard Apartments - this time, at Mary's place. Mary's body was found on her bathroom floor. She had been stabbed to death so many times that she was nearly decapitated. Police say she, too, had been sexually assaulted. "I couldn't process it," said Beth. "But I remember that the detective called me and asked