As the fall season is upon us, folklore and tales are revitalized and recycled once again. True crime and its rising popularity opens doors to romanization and embellishment that functions only to entertain. Thereby, the integrity of the reported crime is trivialized to cause fear. When looking back at the historical obscurities of campus, many may rightly question the ethics of these retellings, especially when it comes to the possible dehumanization of victims.
Labeled as the ‘X’ files, the Texas Woman’s University archives department stores both true crime stories and conspiracy theories attributed to campus. The Virginia Carpenter case is perhaps the most recognized. The attempt to solve the case garnered widespread attention throughout the country. With the case’s attention, her disappearance became sensationalized as time passed.
On June 1, 1948, Virginia Carpenter departed from Texarkana towards the Texas State College for Women, TWU’s former name. Whilst the exact details of her case remain unknown, gaining ambiguity by becoming a commercialized story, she was thought to have met Majorie Webster, another girl who was soon to enroll in TSCW. Upon their arrival to the train station in Hickory St., both took a taxi to TSCW. The driver, Edgar Ray Zachary, would later become the main subject of the case.
As the last one to see Virginia alive, Zachary became the focal point of the investigation. The accepted narrative of her story is significantly influenced by Zachary’s recollection. After arriving at Brackenridge Hall, a previous dormitory that is currently undergoing renovations, Virginia realized she left her suitcases. Returning to the train station, she was allegedly informed that her luggage would arrive the next morning and Zachary promised to drop off her belongings to Brackenridge. Zachary claims that upon returning her to the hall, he saw two boys in a white car that she recognized. The next day, he returned the luggage outside of Brackenridge where it would sit for three days.
As the last to see Virginia, Zachary’s narration of the story is most accepted, but also cannot be challenged. News of Virginia’s disappearance became a nationally recognized search, and as the case rose to popularity, so did the suspicions of Zachary’s guilt. Despite passing several lie detector tests, popular opinion believed him blameworthy, leading him to eventually move out of the city. In 1957, he was accused of rape, but the charges were dropped. His ex-wife, who was married to Zachary at the time of Virginia’s disappearance, later stated that he had forced her to corroborate his story to police. She stated that he came home very late, not at the early time that she had told Denton police. Former Texas Ranger, Lewis Rigler, who attempted to solve her case and later wrote a book mentioning Virginia, believes Zachary and his claims of innocence.
Multiple theories emerged about her whereabouts. Virginia knew victims of the Texarkana Phantom Killer. With the local newspapers coining the name in 1946, the Phantom Killer murders remain unsolved today. “The Town that Dreaded Sundown” airing in 1976 massively dramatized the murders, which would make the story a scandal across the U.S. Similarly, a horror movie rendition aired in 2014, modernizing the obsession with the crimes. There is no factual corroboration to Virginia’s disappearance and the Phantom Killer.
Archives of The Lasso newspapers reveal that her remains were attempted to be found on June 7, 1978 after an anonymous tip came to the sheriff’s department. “Denton County Sheriff’s deputies and county heavy equipment operators worked at the site on Loop 288,” stated former reporter Donna Fielder. “Thirteen hours of digging under a torrid, merciless sun turned up a few animal bones and a small rubber boot Monday, not the hoped-for remains that would lay a 50 year old mystery to rest.” The excavation was a failed attempt. Virginia’s case went cold again.
The disappearance of Kelli Cox reignited rumors of a connection between her and Virginia. Kelli Cox, a mother and student from the University of North Texas, vanished with no witnesses on July 15, 1997. Her remains were found in Brazoria County. William Reece, a serial killer who murdered several women in the Texas-Oklahoma area, pleaded guilty to her murder. DNA evidence linked him to Cox, as he admitted to other murders in prison.
As multiple heinous crimes and tragedies are linked to Virginia’s case, her whereabouts remain unknown. Multiple theories have been made as years have gone by, alongside videos, podcasts, and articles that describe a sensationalized story rather than an actual crime. True crime has risen in popularity among Americans.
“A recent study shows that more than 50% of Americans enjoy true crime content,” reported the Criminal Law Practitioner. “That same study found that 35% of Americans consume true crime content (e.g, podcasts, movies, television shows, books, etc.) at least once a week.”
Whilst the voyeuristic curiosity in crime has affected Virginia’s disappearance, the mystery involved in her case replaces Virginia’s memory. This occurs throughout the discussion and further amusement of true crime stories. The fixation with crime is a phenomenon centralized on the nature of death rather than the victim’s past. The memory of victims is defined by the crime committed against them, which is emphasized by a true crime narrative. Audiences may question the ethics of true crime as an entertainment genre. The portrayal of the victim and the perpetrator are influential and suggestive of the recollection of the crime.
Virginia’s disappearance and its proximity to TWU’s campus has fed into student inquiry, but more as a ghostly caricature rather than the young woman she was. The romanization with crime has spread to the questions surrounding Virginia and her whereabouts. The media coverage, as well as the fixation surrounding her may cause dispute over inherent disrespect. Virginia, as other victims, have been remembered by her circumstance, rather than herself as a person.
Annalise Soto-Serrano can be reached via email at annalisesoto@twu.edu
Be First to Comment