Case 123
Mark Kilroy
*** Content Warning: extreme violence, sexual assault, animal cruelty ***
When 21-year-old Mark Kilroy and a group of his friends headed to South Padre Island in Texas for Spring Break, all they had in mind was sun, sand and celebration. However, when they crossed the border into the Mexican city of Matamoros to party with their fellow college students, things soon took a dark turn.
Mark Kilroy became separated from his friends and couldn’t be found. A large scale search commenced in both Mexico and the United States as authorities feared Mark had fallen victim to a drug-related robbery. What followed was an international manhunt that took detectives into the grisly world of Palo Mayombe rituals, sinister cult practices and human sacrifice.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Erin Munro
Writing – Elsha McGill and Milly Raso
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
DOCUMENTARIES
Passport to Murder: Mark Kilroy
Deadly Cults, season 1, episode 4: Palo Mayombe
BOOKS
Buried Secrets: A True Story of Serial Murder – Edward Humes
Deadly Cults: The Crimes of True Believers – Robert L. Snow
ARTICLES
The Believers: Cult murders in Mexico – Rolling Stone, June 29, 1989
The Work of the Devil – Texas Monthly, June 1989
Spring Breaker vanishes – The Monitor, March 17, 1989
UT student disappears in Mexico – Austin American-Statesman, March 17, 1989
Father joins in search for missing UT student – Austin American-Statesman, March 18, 1989
Reward tripled for student – Austin American-Statesman, March 22, 1989
Re-creation of UT student’s disappearance airs tonight – Austin American-Statesman, March 26, 1989
Show on missing UT student spurs calls – The Monitor, March 27, 1989
Show sparks 1,300 phone calls about Kilroy case – The Galveston Daily News, March 28, 1989
Victim mourned in home town – The Monitor, April 12, 1989
Cult slaying uncovered in Matamoros mass grave – The Marshall News Messenger, April 12, 1989
Friends end weeks of waiting – Austin American-Statesman, April 12, 1989
Family, friends mourn SF man – The Galveston Daily News, April 12, 1989
Family of cult victim praying for suspects – The Victoria Advocate, April 13, 1989
Ringleader sought in satanic killings – Chicago Tribune, April 13, 1989
Five arrested for trying to dupe Kilroys – The Galveston Daily News, April 28, 1989
Kilroy’s mother asks for prayers for murderers – The Galveston Daily News, April 14, 1989
More than 1,000 attend funeral Mass for Kilroy – The Galveston Daily News, April 16, 1989
Cult victim’s funeral held – The Victoria Advocate, April 16 1989
Suspect digs up body of 13th victim – The Galveston Daily News, April 14 1989.
2 bodies unearthed at Mexican Farm – Austin American-Statesman, April 17 1989.
Cult leader ordered his own death – Austin American-Statesman, May 8 1989
Mexico massacre: Potent mix of ritual and charisma – Los Angeles Times, May 16 1989
Satanic cult leader orders follower to kill him – The Kerrville Times, May 8 1989
Cult ‘godmother’ says she was held hostage – The Paris News, May 9 1989
Drug awareness comes out of son’s slaying – El Paso Times, March 8 1990
Spring breakers urged to be careful – The Monitor, March 8 1990
Breakers invade Padre Island – The Monitor, March 7 1990
5 sentenced for ritual slayings – Austin American-Statesman, May 4 1994
Cult members get long prison terms – The Odessa American, May 4 1994
Mexico reduces cultists’ jail time – The Brownsville Herald, March 26 1998
Judge lowers sentences in Kilroy cult murders – The Monitor, March 26 1998
U.S. Attorneys Office abruptly halted prosecutions in 1993 – The Brownsville Herald, March 7 2009
Rumors about cult frighten parents – The Galveston Daily News, April 25 1989
Parents of slain Texan keep up war on drugs – New York Times, July 17 1989
20 years after son’s death, Santa Fe couple runs foundation in his honor – Houston Chronicle, March 24 2009
Kilroy family carries on without Mark – The Brownsville Herald, March 7 2009
Kilroys thank Valley, Matamoros for their help – The Brownsville Herald, March 7 2009
Remembering Mark J. Kilroy – The Brownsville Herald, March 7 2009
Nature reclaiming death ranch a year after bodies found – AP News, April 11 1990
Helen Kilroy obituary – Galveston County The Daily News, January 1 2015