The Benders (Kansas, 1871-1873)

The Bender family operated a small inn and general store in Labette County, Kansas, where they murdered at least 11 travelers before disappearing. The family - consisting of John Sr., Ma Bender, John Jr., and Kate - would invite weary travelers to dinner, seat them in a place of honor with their backs to a canvas curtain, then kill them with a hammer from behind. They would then rob the victims and bury their bodies in their apple orchard. The murders were discovered when prominent doctor William York disappeared while searching for other missing persons in the area. When investigators finally searched the Bender property, they found a house of horrors with bloodstained cellar and multiple bodies in the orchard, but the family had already fled. Despite one of the largest manhunts of the era, none of the Benders were ever definitively found, though various theories emerged about their fate.