The Real-Life Vampire Murders – Connections To Elite Bloodlines?

By
Marcus Lowth
Published Date
September 7, 2018
Last Updated
September 30, 2021
Estimated Reading Time
16 min read
Posted in
Cryptozoology, Bizarre Entities

Most of us are familiar with vampires and the concept of a supernatural entity who hides away by day and emerges at night to feed on the blood of the living so that it might enjoy eternal life. We see such images each Halloween, for example. And such a notion has formed the plot for many a movie for decades.

A picture of an old castle with a vampire face superimposed over the top

Are claims of real-life vampires to be taken seriously?

However, the roots of “Dracula” are particularly bloody. And, if you believe the conspiracies, darkly intriguing and intertwined with an ancient extraterrestrial presence. Perhaps more on point, if there is any truth at all to the claims of connections between “vampirism” and ancient blood sacrifices, they are actively disturbing. What’s more, many “real-life” vampires, at least in their own minds, exist today in the modern world.

Before we look at the origins and the claims of connections to the alien-hybrid bloodlines of the elite stretching back to antiquity, as well as some of the modern “real-life vampires” check out the trailer of 1992 movie of Bram Stocker’s ‘Dracula’. As we will look at shortly, there are theories that suggest the original novel, written back in 1897, is another case of “fact hiding in fiction”.

The Origins Of Modern-Day Vampirism

The person we mostly associate with the origins of Dracula hails from what is now modern-day Romania near the Danube River valley, Vlad The Impaler (Vlad Tepes – born in 1428). Vlad, ruler of Wallachia (near the region once referred to as Transylvania in the Carpathian Mountains) on three separate occasions between 1448 and 1477 is still one of history’s most blood-thirsty people. His father was Prince of Wallachia, and perhaps more importantly in terms of influence within elite circles of the time, was a member of the Order of the Dragon, [1] a “secret military society”. From this association, he would become known as Vlad Dracul – or Vlad The Dragon.

With similar undertones to the Knights Templar several centuries earlier, as well as other “secret orders”, the unofficial-official duties of the Order of the Dragon was to seek out and confront heresy. They would also provide a fighting force against the forces of the Sultan of Turkey and, on occasion, against rival Christian kingdoms of Europe.

By the time Vlad The Impaler fully assumed his thrown in 1456 following years of internal political unrest and assassinations (of which his father, Vlad Dracul was a victim), his use of torture was well-known. In a bizarre twist, the two people perhaps responsible for instilling such a passion for spilling the blood of his enemies were two of his own worst enemies, John Hunyadi, who was heavily involved in the assassination plot of his father, and the Sultan of Turkey, Murad II (who had taken charge of Vlad and his brother at the behest of his father – an “arrangement” that led to his assassination for making such deals with the Turks).

Incidentally, according to record, in the first days of his rule, a “strange comet” appeared over the capital of Wallachia.

The Dragon’s Son

Whether the “strange comet’s” appearance was coincidence, an omen, or even something more “nuts-and-bolts”, shortly after the incident, Vlad The Impaler would earn his sobriquet in the fullest – and take firm control of the region in doing so.

While the person on the throne of Wallachia changed over the years, the real power lay with such people as John Hunyadi – the noblemen, or the “boyars”. While Hunyadi was killed in battle several months previously, many similar noblemen whose influence was used to authorize the assassination of his father were still alive. And what’s more, they fully expected the new “ruler” to be subservient to their desires. Vlad, though, had other ideas.

He would summon all five-hundred such noblemen to his main castle residence in Tirgoviste. With his audience gathered in the main hall of the castle, at his signal, his guards appeared from outside on all sides and apprehended them. They were then systematically impaled on large wooden stakes. While some were impaled through the stomach and died relatively quickly, others had the stake inserted into their rectum before being raised up. Their own weight then forcing them down the stake, the wooden pole slowly mangling their insides as it forced its way through their upper body. Some would take days to die.

All five-hundred stakes were taken to the main courtyard and left on display to any who dare to challenge him. This treatment of enemies and, on occasion, his own people alike, would be replicated many times during his reigns. During which, he would become known as Draculea or Draculya – eventually becoming Dracula – which, interestingly or not, translates as “Dragon’s Son” or “Devil’s Son”.

A picture of a vampire like face

Claims of blood-drinking beings go back thousands of years

A Display Of Brutality? Or Ritual Sacrifice?

The numbers of victims who would meet their ends at the hands of Vlad The Impaler, or Dracula, would be in the tens of thousands. And furthermore, their rotting corpses were often left on display for approaching armies as a testament to the grisly fate that would await them.

Perhaps the most disturbing reports, though, and likely where the association with “drinking blood” stems from, are the accounts of him sitting to eat among his impaled victims. Many of which were still alive although close to death. Not only that, he would dip bread in their blood, eating it along with his sickly meal.

Furthermore, on occasion, he would have the impaled victims arranged in very specific arrangements – often circular – and would stand and eat within them. This type of activity, particularly if we assume for a moment would take place on specific days, has all the hallmarks of ritual human sacrifice. Of which, the drinking of the blood is simply a part of. Might these rituals have their roots farther back in antiquity? Particularly if we think about the region of the Black Sea which is of such historical significance. As well as the mountain regions of the area. These would serve as one of the main routes from Asia, and the ancient mystery schools of Egypt and Babylon. Many of those making such journeys would become the monarchs and powerful families of Europe.

In fact, others, while they don’t doubt the authenticity of the accounts, believe the need for blood runs much deeper than mere brutal display. Before we look at those claims, though, we will examine briefly the most famous telling of the vampire legends. And more to the point, the author of it.

The Esoteric “Contacts” Of Bram Stoker?

While the apparent roots of the character we know as “Dracula” goes back to the 1400s, it was nineteenth-century writer, Bram Stoker, who brought the account, with a huge helping of fiction, to the wider world in his 1897 novel of the same name. Or did he? Many researchers in symbolism and esoteric knowledge claim that much of the “fiction” is disguising secret knowledge. And what’s more, according to such theories, clues of this reside within Stoker’s famous novel.

For example, Dracula’s ability to shapeshift or control the thoughts of others (possess?) is one of the most obvious similarities. The name, “Count Dracula”, is a clue of the activities of the noble and royal bloodlines. Or “the elite”. At least according to some. His need for blood is a reference to such elites and their accused secret sacrificial rituals. Most often, Dracula enters through a “window” which some believe is representative of a portal indicating an “unearthly” existence. This is a point that we will look at further in a moment.

Perhaps, though, most interestingly, as well as his intense interest in mysticism and the occult, he shared a close friendship with, J.W. Brodie-Innis, who was a member of the short-lived but highly influential “Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn”. [2] This order would share rituals dating back to the Ancient Egyptian era. Much like many of the Masonic rituals of modern times. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, then, to learn that several prominent members of this order were also Freemasons. And, given the claims of many conspiracy researchers of “secret esoteric Masonic knowledge”, and more importantly, how it is communicated, perhaps claims of fact intertwined with fiction are not as outlandish as they first seem.

A picture of a strange man running through a dark forest

Might fictional accounts of some basis in fact?

Vampires Are Reptilians Are Vampires!

There is an increasing number of researchers, albeit very much on the fringes, who believe that the roots of Dracula and vampirism go farther back than the fifteenth century. To some, the legends stretch right the way back to the dawn of time. The main drive of these theories is David Icke, who draws many comparisons with the legends of Dracula and vampires, and his claims of reptilian aliens who require blood [3] to keep their human form. There is, of course, an obvious comparison here to reptiles and their preference for eating live animals (or warm blood).

According to Icke, these reptilians, sometimes known as The Anunnaki, have ruled over humanity for hundreds of thousands of years. This rule stretches from the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt right the way through to modern times. Today, these are members of the royal families of Europe and afar, as well as those with significant political influence. Furthermore, these reptilians “assume human form” (essentially, they shapeshift), or even possess a person and do so from another dimension.

It is tempting to dismiss such outlandish notions. There is, however, a very definite connection between the rulers of antiquity and those who control us in modern times. Furthermore, as a constant backdrop to these ruling elites and their “secret societies” is a tradition of ritual sacrifice. As well as a constant referring to “the serpent” or “the dragon”. Even more intriguing, these reptilians hail from the Draco constellation. It doesn’t take a genius to see the comparison to the word Dracula.

Interestingly or not, Queen Mary, the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II, descends from the sister of Vlad “Dracula” The Impaler. With the claims above in mind, make of that what you will.

Numerous “Vampire” Accounts Throughout History

There are numerous other accounts of “real vampires” throughout history. Indeed, given the numerous such cases in the modern age (which we will look at shortly) combined with the mountain of historical accounts, we might ask just how common such activity is.

Perhaps one of the earliest in recorded history is the apparent vampire of Anantis Castle (some people claim it is Alnwick Castle). According to the historian of the 12th century, William of Newburgh, there was a vampire who resided in the castle. And what’s more, it would suck the blood of anyone who came across it. The body of the alleged vampire was in the graveyard itself, having once been a man from Yorkshire.

Eventually, local residents would dig it up and note how bloated it appeared – something they believed was due to the sheer amount of blood it had consumed. They would proceed to bash the body with their shovels, and so sending much of the blood flying in all directions. To ensure it was “dead” they would then cut out its heart.

A depiction of a vampire

A depiction of a vampire

Two centuries later in the 1500s, the village of Blau in Bohemia would also suffer from visits from a vampire – at least according to legend. The vampire was a shepherd named Myslata in life. However, after his death, he returned to the village and began targeting the local residents. It is said he had the power to kill just by saying his victim’s name. Eventually, his body was dug and removed the village before stakes were hammered through various parts of his body and he was set alight.

Another intriguing case of a vampire occurred the following century in the 1650s in Croatia. According to official records, a local man named Jure Grando was a vampire and he let loose a reign of terror in the town of Istria for 16 years after his death. The reports of the era claim that residents would complain of the undead man roaming the village as the locals slept, knocking on peoples’ front doors. What’s more, if such a knock should come, then the person inside the house would likely die shortly after. Records of the spree also state that one evening, led by a priest, Grando’s corpse was dug up and his head cut off.

Modern Age “Vampires”

While there is a mountain of claims of ritual human sacrifice and the so-called “elites” of society in conspiracy circles today, there are also several cases on record of individuals who have seemingly killed due to their uncontrollable urges for the taste of blood. [4]

Many of these didn’t profess to be “a vampire”. Nor were they part of some esoteric and chilling blood rituals. Their monikers, for the most part, are a reference to their particularly brutal bloodlust. Peter Kurten, for example, known as “The Vampire of Dusseldorf”, claimed to be “aroused” by drinking blood. He was put to death for the nine murders in 1931. He also admitted to killing and drinking the blood of swans from public parks.

Joshua Rudiger, on the other hand, very much believed he was a vampire. The California media would label him “The Vampire Slasher” during his killing spree in 1998. He would go on to claim he was a “2,000-year-old vampire” who required blood for “vitality”. Rudiger would also state during his trial that “prey is prey”. Perhaps this shows how far he had truly distanced himself from the murder. A crime he would receive a sentence of over two decades behind bars for.

“The Teenage Vampire”, Sean Sellers, also claimed to be distanced from the crimes for which he was executed in 1999. After shooting dead a store clerk, he would go on to murder his parents in 1986. He would claim to be under the possession of the demon, “Ezurate”. It would also come to light that he regularly cut his and others’ wrists to drink the blood from them.

Richard Chase – A Truly Horrific Vampire-Like Killing Spree!

There was no doubt of Richard Chase’s intense interest in vampirism. And in a month period in 1977, he would murder six people in order to drink their blood. As well as committing cannibalism and necrophilia.

Chase’s obsession with drinking blood actually started as a young child, at least by the age of 10. He would regularly kill animals – any animal – with the sole purpose of wishing to drink their blood. Even more bizarre, this would eventually progress to injecting animal blood directly into him. The reasons for this are thought to be his belief that it would cure the paranoid thoughts that seemingly plagued him throughout his life.

In fact, it was because of this obsession with injecting the blood of animals into himself that he was held in a mental institution following him suffering blood poisoning after injecting himself with the blood of a rabbit. Interestingly, it was during this time while incarcerated that the staff at the facility would nickname him “Dracula”.

Whether this contributed to him eventually progressing to killing humans in order to consume their blood is perhaps open to debate. By the time he was 27 years old, he had progressed to a desire for human blood.

Chase would simply select his victims by trying unlocked doors while prowling the streets of Sacramento, California. The murders themselves were all horrific in the truest sense of the word. Not only would he drink his victims’ blood, but he would often perform sexual acts on his victims’ bodies. One particularly harrowing victim was a pregnant woman who not only would chase kill, but would also eat parts of the flesh and organs.

Chase would ultimately be sentenced to death for the six murders. However, he would take his own life by saving up his antidepressant medication for several weeks and then intentionally overdosing.

Perhaps one of the most chilling aspects of the Chase murders – certainly from a perspective of how many more victims there could have been had he not been caught – was a discovery of a calendar at his home. On this, the word “Today” was written on several dates – they matched the dates of the six murders meaning Chase had purposely chosen days to go hunting for a victim. Even more worryingly, there were over 40 other dates with the word “Today” written on them stretching several months into the future.

Roderick Ferrell – Leader Of The Vampire Clan

In 1996, Roderick Ferrell would murder his girlfriend’s father by bashing him repeatedly over the head with a crowbar in Murray, Kentucky. Upon his arrest, he would claim to be a 500-year-old vampire by the name of “Vesago”.

In fact, Ferrell had met his victims’ daughter Heather Wendorf, after she had run away from him and joined the Vampire Clan. The group had several members and Ferrell was the leader of it. They would even meet in an abandoned building with the words “The Vampire Hotel” crudely painted on it. It was here where the group would carry out strange rituals, including drinking blood, which all members had to do to join. Ferrell would cut his own arm and then offer it to new recruits. Although only five of the group would be arrested and questioned over the murders, it is thought that their numbers swelled to at least 30 at the time of Ferrell’s arrest.

The killings that Ferrell was eventually found guilty of occurred during Thanksgiving week 1996. He, along with an accomplice, Scott, entered the home of Richard Wendorf and his partner, Naomi. While Richard was asleep on the sofa, Ferrell proceeded to rain down blows on his skull with the crowbar. Upon hearing the commotion, Ruth entered the room shortly after prompting Ferrell to attack her in the same way.

He was eventually arrested four days later and ultimately sentenced to death, at one point being the youngest person in the United States on death row. However, his sentence was eventually reduced to life without parole.

Whatever the reasons were for Ferrell’s intense interest and genuine belief in demonic vampires, it would appear many incidents during his upbringing sent him on his chilling path. Perhaps particularly an incident when his mother was arrested for sending inappropriate and sexually charged letters to a 14-year-old boy (she was 34 at the time). These letters made references to “vampires” and “eternal brides” and given Ferrell’s young age at the time it happened, it is not hard to see the damage that was clearly done through such actions.

Andrei Chikatilo – A “Mistake Of Nature”

Without a doubt, one of the most prolific vampire killers is Andrei Chikatilo, who would murder over 50 people over a 12-year span starting in 1978 across several regions of the Soviet Union. He would most often target young boys and girls, as well as women. He would not sexually assault them upon killing them, but would completely mutilate their bodies, remove internal organs, and, of course, consume their blood.

His first victim was a 9-year-old girl, Yelana Zakotnova, who he abducted and took to a seemingly abandoned house (although it would come to light he had bought the property with the expressed view of committing murders and rapes there). He would proceed to stab her several times before finally strangling her to death. He would then dispose of the body in the Grushevka River. Although it was only two days before her body was found, Chikatilo would continue to kill for over a decade. This in spite of witnesses and evidence able to place him at the scene of this first, brutal killing.

We might also mention here of a silent or indirect victim of Chikatilo, Aleksandr Kravchenko, who, despite a verified alibi, was arrested for the murder of the young girl (we should note that Kravchenko had previously been found guilty of the rape and murder of a teenage girl several years earlier). He would eventually confess to the murders, but only after threats were made against his wife of being charged with perjury, and as an accomplice to the murder itself. He would retract this confession in court, claiming he was forced into it. He was still found guilty of the killing, however. And despite the uncertainty, following public pressure from the family of the murdered girl, Kravchenko was executed in 1983.

Although it was over two years before Chikatilo would murder again, the pace and regularity of the killings would soon increase. When he was eventually captured and brought to trial, he was kept inside a cage in the courtroom. He was found guilty and executed in 1994. He started toward the end of the trial that he was a “mistake of nature, a mad beast”.

More “Vampire” Cases Than We Might Think!

Right through the modern age (the 20th century onwards), there have been a plethora of such vampire killers.

For example, in the late 1980s in Japan, Tsutomu Miyazaki would kill four young girls (aged between 4 and 7 years old) before mutilating their bodies and drinking their blood. He would even eat one of his young victim’s hands. Perhaps what made the murders even worse was that he would then send letters describing the killings to the families. He was eventually arrested for the killings just short of a decade later in 1997. He was sentenced to death and ultimately executed in 2008.

A picture of a man looking into a mirror with a vampire woman looking back

“Vampire murders” still occur today in the modern age

In the early 1990s in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Marcela de Andrade would embark on a killing spree that would leave 14 young boys dead. Not only had all of the victims been raped, but Marcela had also drunk their blood in order that he took on their beauty. The killer himself was the victim of sexual and physical abuse as a child and lived in absolute poverty. What perhaps makes the killings by Marcela de Andrade particularly intriguing is that he was, according to him, a devout Christian and avid churchgoer. He is currently incarcerated in a medical facility with little chance of release.

Around a decade before the above the killings in 1980, James Riva would shoot his grandmother with gold-tipped bullets as she sat in her home in Marshfield, Massachusetts. He would then begin stabbing the dying woman in her heart before lapping up the blood that pumped out. It was Riva’s belief that he was a 700-year-old vampire who had to satisfy his insatiable urge for human blood. If that wasn’t strange enough, though, he would further state that his grandmother was also a vampire. And what’s more, she would “feed” on him while he was asleep. Riva had a long history of mental problems dating to being a young child. Perhaps because of this, he was found guilty of second-degree murder, although it is unlikely he will be released despite several parole applications.

Cults, Satanism, And Pure Evil

Perhaps one of the earliest “vampire” killers of the 20th century is Fritz Haarmann who is thought to have killed around 27 people, the youngest of which was 10 years old and the oldest being 22 in Hanover, Germany. He would often dispatch his victims by biting their necks, drinking their blood at the same time. Some claims even assert that he would strip parts of the flesh from his victims and sell it, privately, to like-minded individuals. He was captured in 1924 and executed the following year. Interestingly, so shocked at the crimes, German scientists kept Haarmann’s head so as to study the brain and possibly understand what made him commit such grotesque and violent crimes.

Also in Germany, just short of a century later in 2001, husband and wife, Daniel and Manuela Ruda would stab a friend, Frank Hackert, over 60 times before finishing him off by taking a hammer to his head. They would then proceed to drink their victim’s blood. The couple would not give any real explanation for their actions. They would, however, reveal they were Satanists and had no regrets about the killing. Perhaps surprisingly, Daniel and Manuela would only receive jail sentences of 15 and 13 years respectively.

Just short of a decade later, in Kenya in 2009, Philip Oyancha would take the life of at least 18 people (possibly more) before drinking the blood of his victims. Upon his arrest, the 32-year-old would claim that “evil spirits” had forced him to commit the murders so that he could perform specific rituals and consume the blood. Most of the victims were women, with some being children. According to what he told police he was part of a “blood cult” which eventually drove him to murder. Even more chillingly, he claimed it was his intention to kill 100 women. Oyancha remains in prison today, although he claims to no longer be under the influence of the cult. He isn’t, however, looking to be released any time soon in case “because members of the cult could easily kill me for having betrayed them”.

Transfusions Of Young Blood To Keep People Young?

One of the most chilling cases of alleged vampirism occurred several centuries ago in the early-1600s. [5] Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary was known for the cruel manner with which she would treat women in her service. She would, for example, drench a maid in water if displeased with her and then cast them outside. On occasion, the unfortunate servant would freeze to death in the harsh Hungarian winters.

Even more disturbing, though, are the claims of her murdering over 650 women. Perhaps even more disturbing than that, are the alleged reasons for the killings. Believing it would give her “restorative powers” she would bathe in the blood of her victims. Authorities would ultimately charge her with eighty murders. However, under house arrest, she would die before answering for her apparent crimes.

Interestingly, historian, Raymond T. McNally would claim in his book Dracula Was A Woman that Bathory was at least as much of an influence in the famous Bram Stoker novel. She certainly would have shared a platform with other “elite” people of the time. And if recent research of trials of “transfusions of young blood” [6] in order to add years on to people’s lives is accurate, perhaps it is knowledge that these elites have been privy to for generations.

Are “Vampires” A Mix Of Legend And Fact?

We can see, then, that there are many accounts of real-life vampires throughout history. And while some of the older happenings are perhaps straying into local legend and folklore territory, as we have discussed before, many such legends tend to have some partial truths to them.

With this in mind, it is probably worth our time briefly considering some of the legends from around the world that, while all speaking of different creatures with different names, are all essentially describing vampires. Might these legends be based on a made, deranged killer from history whose real-life bloodthirst has now become mere legend?

Or might we find, if we could take a sneak look into the future that such vampire killers as Richard Chase or Roderick Ferrell might be remembered in the same blurred and distorted way? Perhaps the fact that we have accurate and intricate records in the modern age will prevent this from happening. And likewise, the lack of such records from centuries ago has resulted in the (perhaps) overblown retelling of the accounts over the centuries?

Of course, we should also consider, however unlikely, that such creatures as vampires really do exist. Perhaps they manifest themselves in the bodies of those who they then drive to kill. One thing is for certain, the very real desire in some to consume human blood comes from somewhere. And it has seemingly taken hold of numerous people over the years. Just where does that dark desire come from?

The short video below examines the claims that there really might be something to the idea of vampirism. And, in particular, the notion, at least according to some beliefs, that the consumption of blood leads to a longer and more youthful life.

References

References
1 The Order Of The Dragon: An Ancient Society Dracula’s Father Belonged To, History Daily, May 16th, 2020 https://historydaily.org/order-of-the-dragon-ancient-society-draculas-father-belonged
2 Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Crystal Links https://www.crystalinks.com/goldendawn.html
3 The Anunnaki, the Vampire, and the Structure of Dissent, Marcus LiBrizzi, Serendipity https://www.serendipity.li/eden/librizzi.htm
4 The Five Creepiest Real-Life Vampire Murderers of All Time https://lasheeda.tumblr.com/post/140163278295/the-five-creepiest-real-life-vampire-murderers-of
5 8 Real-Life Vampire Crimes, Jennifer M Wood, Mental Floss, June 15th, 2013 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51204/8-real-life-vampire-crimes
6 Young-Blood Transfusions Are on the Menu at Society Gala, Rebecca Robbins, Scientific American, March 2nd, 2018 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/young-blood-transfusions-are-on-the-menu-at-society-gala/

Marcus Lowth

Marcus Lowth is a writer with a love for UFOs, aliens, and the Ancient Astronaut Theory, to the paranormal, general conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries. He has been writing and researching with over 20 years of experience.

Marcus has been Editor-in-Chief for several years due to his excellent knowledge in these fields. Marcus also regularly appears as an expert on radio talk shows including Troubled Minds and Unexplained Radio discussing these topics.

Read Marcus' full bio.

You can contact Marcus via email.

Fact Checking/Disclaimer

Fact Checking

The stories, accounts, and discussions in this article may go against currently accepted science and common beliefs. The details included in the article are based on the reports, accounts and documentation available as provided by witnesses and publications - sources/references are published above.

We do not aim to prove nor disprove any of the theories, cases, or reports.  You should read this article with an open mind and come to a conclusion yourself.  Our motto always is, "you make up your own mind".  Read more about how we fact-check content here.

Copyright & Republishing Policy

The entire article and the contents within are published by, wholly-owned and copyright of UFO Insight.  The author does not own the rights to this content. 

You may republish short quotes from this article with a reference back to the original UFO Insight article here as the source. You may not republish the article in its entirety.

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to our free newsletter and join our subscribers. Receive the latest articles directly in your inbox weekly.

If you don't like what you read, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *