There is still debate over whether Potter really had a hand in the raid or not. After that first brush with the law, he had other criminal cases opened against him in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and last year. The area hosts a summer camp, the Hill Country Cowboy Camp Meeting, for young christians looking to strengthen their faith, share their love of God, and renew friendships. The feds pulled a mountain of incriminating evidence from the Ellebracht ranch, including the audiotapes, witnesses, human remains and various weapons. On April 6, 1984, Texans learned a horrifying secret in the tiny town of Mountain Home. WebOn April 6, 1984, more than 30 federal, state and local lawmen raided a 3,500-acre (14 km 2) ranch near the Texas Hill Country town of Mountain Home. 
But not organized crime, not conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping, not conspiracy to commit murder. His criminal history goes back to 2010, when he was a teenager. Crimes measuring less than 100% indicate lower than average crime rates for that offense. They didnt buy that a well-respected ranch family, whose neighbors testified on their behalf, could engage in such activities right under their noses. Federal, state and local authorities raided a 3,500-acre ranch about 20 miles northwest of Kerrville, where they found that a father-son duo had been kidnapping, torturing and killing hitchhikers. It is a great christian family environment for those interested. Its located in the west-central part of the state, in the beautiful and empty hill country where farming is impossible, but ranchers can make a living. Wes Sr. received probation. But the Ellebrachts didnt produce cattle or, like many ranchers, offer their land for deer hunting. One of the slave ranch victims, Mark Allen Hamilton, claimed in a court deposition that even some of the victims participated in the tortureof fellow prisoners. In 1878, the family packed up their belongings and headed off to start their homestead in the hills of the Texas Hill Country. You have permission to edit this article. Find directions to Mountain Home, browse local businesses, landmarks, get current traffic estimates, road conditions, and more. The fourth suspect in the murder of 35-year-old Cody Stradford in mid-December last year is back in Arkansas. MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho The Mountain Home Police Department is investigating a suspicious death that police say may involve an estranged husband who was arrested in Texas. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. WebMurder Mountain: With Billy Honsal, Kerry Ireland, Braden Brawner, John Gordon. And even if the man died there, there was no direct evidence he was tortured to death. WebMurder Mountain: With Billy Honsal, Kerry Ireland, Braden Brawner, John Gordon. The Ellebracht men and Caldwell were convicted in 1986 of aggravated kidnapping but were acquitted of murder in the death of a worker named Anthony Bates due to authorities failure to find a body or murder weapon. WebThe City of Mountain Home is located in Kerr County in the State of Texas. This historical marker was erected in 1979 by Texas Historical Commission. Authorities believed him, and they mobilized to rescue five men and one woman from the ranch, strewn with 55-gallon drums and trash. In the early 20th Century, the town was known as Eura. Idaho State Police and the ISPs Criminal Investigations Division and Crime Scene Processing Unit were called to the scene of the death to assist in the investigation. Eric Monroe Hooker. According to ranch records, at least 75 people had been employed there at one time or another. 
Gary Wayne Mitchell. The Best Original Streaming Shows Of The Last Few Years. Bates was shocked by the cattle prod sometimes more than 30 times in a torture session, including shocks administered to his genitals and tongue. We are born and bred in The Walter Ellebracht, along with accomplices, had kidnapped, enslaved, and tortured people on the property. The Ellebracht family and their foreman,Carl Robert Caldwell, went to trial in 1984 accused of running a sadistic ranch where drifters met their end. 
Potter was hung in a nearby tree. William Lesley Rushing. Population:96 (2000) They all claimed that they had been brought to the property with the promise of a hot meal. Despite these facts, the tragedy was still believed to be at the hands of an Indian raid, and to this dayis alsoconsidered the last Indianmassacre in Texas. She won, receiving nearly half the ranch, about 1,300 acres, which was then valued at $1.7 million. He Denies Client Was Involved. Dont San Francisco My San Antonio: Petitions on rise in S.A. 20 years ago, two battles sealed fate of Saddam and Iraq. The atrocities reported by survivors of the slave ranch were numerous, yet Haynes pulled off another brilliant victory. No charges against deputies in Hazelton officer-involved shooting, OUR VIEW: We can either row together for Idaho, or sink in the sea of anger and fear, Canal company gets set for spring with opening of Murtaugh Lake head gates, MOON: Do not let violence become the norm Make HB71 law in Idaho, Angel Reese defends gesture toward Caitlin Clark after LSU title win, calls out double standard, A Florida toddler found in an alligator's mouth was put in the lake by his father, police say, Richfield insurance agent convicted of insurance fraud. Despite the fact that the Ellebracht family was known to go barefoot even when in town, according to My San Antonio News, they were sophisticated enough to know they were fighting for their lives, and put their ranch up as collateral. There were no bathroom facilities, either,so theyhad to sleep in their own filth. Gary Wayne Mitchell. The attack occurred on Oct. 5, 1878, at a site about 3.5 miles northwest of present Ingram. The two lured hitchhikers to the ranch with the promise of work and then forced them to stay without compensation or freedom by threatening them with death, news articles said. 
A few include K-3 Ranch, Deer Li Hunting Services, Crenweldge Ranch, Y.O. It was well into the next day before the battered, partially clad body of a young woman was found around noon Monday at Barnwell Mountain, a remote roadside park off State Highway 155 north of Gilmer. 
Follow her @TaylorPettaway. The report does not indicate, for example, if Lindsey and Cunningham were actually staying at the Comfort Inn at the time they were arrested on Dec. 17 last year. There are several day-hunting services in the aera. The building wasfreezing in the winter and burning hot in the summer, and the captives were denied pillows and blankets. Travis Boyd, a 38-year-old construction worker from Las Vegas, was hitchhiking when Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. picked him up and offered him a job on his ranch. Hill Country, and we welcome you to our family. The Ellebrachts forced him to write a suicide note and told him: Welcome to your nightmare, newspaper articles about the trial said. 295 RANCHLAND DR , TX 78058. Mr. Haynes, representing the senior Mr. Ellebracht, whose voice was not heard on the tapes, said his client had no role in any of the offenses. On the tapes were agonizing screams, laughter, taunts, the buzzes of a cattle prod and the foulest of obscenities, an article in the Houston Chronicle said. Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History, NearMountain Home in Kerr County, Texas , Photographed By James Hulse, October 31, 2020, The Dowdy Tragedy of 1878. . The prosecution said the Ellebrachts regularly picked up hitchhikers, brought them to their 1,500-acre ranch, and then chained, tortured and terrorized them into doing ranch work. Shortly thereafter, the three men were forced at gunpoint to dig ditches, during which they were randomly shocked with cattle prods. I totally thought we were screwed. 
Two Texas ranchers and one of their workers were convicted today of criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated kidnapping in the torture and death of a worker on their ranch. 
In the 1970s and 80s, the Ellebrachts recruited the men knowing they wouldnt be missed, and wouldnt be believed. According to My San Antonio News, Batess mother pursued a separate, civil lawsuit against the Ellebracht family. Boyd arrived at the ranch after hitchhiking, but he wasnt the only traveler picked up by Wes and Junior that day. The name of the deceased was not released as of Tuesday evening. theYear=theYear+1900
Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. Well, look no further. Hamilton, along with four other witnesses who gave depositions, noted Bates died from the prolonged torture on a dirty floor in the barn. But something strange began happening on their ranch in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. Law enforcement officials said Bates injured his leg and was unable to work, so he was allegedly tied up, kicked, beaten, starved and shocked with an electric cattle prod until his death, according to a 1986 Houston Chronicle article. The area was settled in 1856. Cunningham was in a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. 100 AVVA Dr LOT 16, TX 78058. Inside his cell sat a man by the name Potter, who, not knowing his new cellmate belonged to the Dowdy family, bragged about being a part of the raid. The new workers often stayed because they had no way out and had no one to contact or believed conditions might improve. They all claimed that they had been brought to the property with the promise of a hot meal. What happens when California dreaming becomes a nightmare? Details on how the suspects came together and why they are suspected of killing 34-year-old Cody Stradford have yet to be disclosed by prosecutors. According to victim testimonies, inmates at the Texas Slave Ranch knew to keep their mouths shut and to keep working, no matter how exhausted they became. When several survivor-witnesses reported they slept in the dirt, lived in extreme heat and cold, and were chained up at night, the statements had minimal impact on the jury. William Lesley Rushing. Killed in a car crash at age 38, Wes went to his grave an Ellebracht, one who overcame the nightmares of his childhood. The state had copious evidence incriminating Wes, Junior, and the ranch foreman, Carl. Hey, what's up? The Ranch is an authentic 19th century ranch housing a variety of exotic animals. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Texas Hill Country. Ellebracht Sr. died in 2003, and his son followed in 2017. Ranch, the Sunset Inn B&B, Crazy Horse RV Park, and Johnson Creek RV Resort. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Idaho resident found dead in Mountain Home, estranged husband arrested in Texas. Prosecutors have sealed the details of how the four people came together and what might have motivated the alleged crime. A few lodging options in Mountain Home are the Flagler Ranch Guest House, the Y.O. Both parents are buried next to them as well as other Dowdy family members. The graphic testimony about events at the ranch near the Texas Hill Country town of Mountain Home has shocked and troubled residents throughout the farming, ranching and resort area 60 miles from here. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. July 1986, Deaths at Austin's Lady Bird Lake lead to serial killer theories, John Jay High student killed in near-campus stabbing identified, Police: Man zip-tied woman, let others beat her, 'River Walk Ketchup Bottle' case to proceed against hotel, Sears stores across San Antonio are being filled with new tenants, As cold front arrives tonight, thunder and hail in forecast, DOJ agrees to pay $144.5 million to victims of Sutherland Springs, forced them to stay without compensation or freedom, an article by the online publication Ranker. Others alleged that after Bates died, his body was doused in gasoline and set on fire while the father and son listened to Johnny Cashs Ring of Fire.. The attack occurred on Oct. 5, 1878, at a site about 3.5 miles northwest of present Ingram. The Mountain Home time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). WebMOUNTAIN HOME Police in Mountain Home are investigating a suspicious death after a body was found inside a home in the southwest area of the city. Charges against the four individuals in Arkansas vary but include murder, kidnapping, battery, arson and being a felon in possession of a weapon. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. True stories from Mountain Home lay out the chilling details. Boyd stayed the night, but decided to leave the next day. You can cancel at any time. He would die within months on a dirty floor in the barn, his screams forever captured on audiotape. Her $500,000 bond was cut in half Jan. 28, and she was released into the custody of a relative. Investigators reported the vehicle appeared to have been there for several days. Ranch. According to ranch records, at least 75 people had been employed there at one time or another. Two of the four people charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Mountain Home man appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday. The fourth suspect in the murder of 35-year-old Cody Stradford in mid-December last year is back in Arkansas. 155 RANCHLAND DR , TX 78058. The actual prod was discovered when police entered and searched the Ellebrachts' ranch in 1984. His son, Junior, received 15 years in prison, but served less than 10 years. Cunningham and two other suspects, 38-year-old Skylar Brazil of Mountain Home, and 35-year-old Ashley Nicole Hendricks of Siloam Springs, have all been formally charged with being involved in the Stradford murder. On April 6, 1984, Texans learned a horrifying secret in the tiny town of Mountain Home. All of his criminal cases were opened against him in Baxter County, although he apparently had been living in the Little Rock area in the recent past. If you or someone you know has information regarding this case, contact Detective Corley at the Mountain Home Police Department at 208-587-2101. The status on that vehicle listed in the report does not indicate if it had been reported stolen. He stopped reporting to probation and parole and was declared a fugitive only 100 days after his release. WebMurder Mountain: With Billy Honsal, Kerry Ireland, Braden Brawner, John Gordon. Wes Sr. received probation. TEXAS RANCHERS GUILTY OF KIDNAPPING IN TORTURE-DEATH OF DRIFTER, https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/17/us/texas-ranchers-guilty-of-kidnapping-in-torture-death-of-drifter.html, Peter Applebome, Special To the New York Times. The Ranch is an authentic 19th century ranch housing a variety of exotic animals. The graph is based on the national average score of 100%. Copyright 2008 -
Men held as slaves at the ranch endured a variety of tortures. When people head to Humboldt County, California in search of quick riches in the form of marijuana. The men involved might have been found guilty, but they barely saw any jail time. 4. Individuals from all over travel to visit the Y.O. While the jury deliberated many local people waited in the courtroom or milled around the courthouse. Walter Wesley Ellebracht III, was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 20 on Highway 290 just out side Fredericksburg. Through the years, Lindsey has been accused of possessing a defaced firearm, being a felon in possession of a weapon, residential burglary, theft of property, possession of contraband in the Baxter County Detention Center, theft by receiving and possessing illegal drugs. Richard and his friendarrived back at the homestead and informed his parents the children were missing and the sheep were scattered about. All of the suspects are now in jail in Baxter County, except for Hendricks. When Texas police raided the Ellebracht ranch in 1984, they found five men and one woman living in a barn there. It is a mystery that will remain unsolved. Their pool of cheap labor in the surrounding area was small, so they found crews from nearby I-10. Tuesday night the spectators stayed until 7:30, when the jury retired for the night. The ranch hosts controlled hunting programs, a kids summer camp, and on site lodging and cabins. And the victims were unsavory types whose testimony was suspect. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The torture sessions would last up to two hours and were usually supervised or carried out by Junior. Prior to winning the NCAA championship, Jordan Hawkins complained of some bad calamari he had at Mastro's over the weekend. We also run the premiere real-estate site in the hill country at HillCountryRealestate.com.We are born and bred in The Texas Hill Country. She has degrees in journalism and criminology. He called the state's witnesses ''baby-rapers, burglars, con artists and thieves.''. Bates did not survive, and his body was doused in gasoline and set aflame - apparently while his captors listened to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire.". Investigators believe the persons death could be a result of domestic violence involving an estranged husband, the news release says. Bates had injured his leg while working on the ranch, and was mostly incapacitated. WebOn April 6, 1984, more than 30 federal, state and local lawmen raided a 3,500-acre (14 km 2) ranch near the Texas Hill Country town of Mountain Home. Sign up to receive breakingFront Page Detectivesnews and exclusive investigations. The Dowdy Family Massacre is still talked about in Texas and among various genealogy boards. Officials claimed at their trial that they started torturing the workers after Ellebracht Sr.s wife ran away with one of them years before. On April 6, 1984, Texans learned a horrifying secret in the tiny town of Mountain Home. Our Lady of the Lake University notifies victims of data Amazon wants your help thwarting scammers, 1995 original report: Singer Selena killed in a Corpus motel, Brutal tactics: Behind the uptick in horrific migrant deaths. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 100 AVVA Dr LOT 16, TX 78058. Stradfords body was found in a burned car off Old Arkana Road Dec. 16 last year. WebMountain Home, Texas is an unincorporated community in Kerr County. The defense did not deny that the torture sessions went on. They hired the best attorney money could buy, and hired Richard RacehorseHaynes. According to online jail records, in addition to being held for Arkansas authorities in the murder case, Lindsey has been charged in Texas with unlawful possession of a weapon. theYear=now.getYear()
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