I sent an email to the Sheriff at Francois County, Missouri and asked him the status on Mabel Woods and the arson fire case. Here is his reply:

Heather,

Mabel Woods is still alive and kickin, she is in a local nursing home and no longer runs the Kennels east of Bonne Terre. The farm she lived on has just this last year been sold to a local business man. I was working for the sheriff in St. Francois county when the kennels burned and in fact was on the show along with some other deputies. Several leads came into our office for a while but nothing ever panned out. If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Sheriff Dan Bullock

I'm probably going to cop an earfull for this; but what about her assistant guy? Does he check out? I'll hafta check my DVD. All I can say is living with 60 dogs barking all night that weren't mine would give me...ideas...

Thanks for post!

I'm glad to know that Mable is still "kicking," but it's very depressing to hear that the b*stard who killed all those dogs never got punished.

I'm probably going to cop an earfull for this; but what about her assistant guy? Does he check out? I'll hafta check my DVD. All I can say is living with 60 dogs barking all night that weren't mine would give me...ideas...

The only problem with this is that the trouble began before she hired an assistant. Remember, two dogs were shot to death shortly before the incident with the fire.

The only problem with this is that the trouble began before she hired an assistant. Remember, two dogs were shot to death shortly before the incident with the fire.

Yeh I remembered that 2 dogs where shot, just didnt remember the exact timeline of events and stuff. Im struggling to find someone else and a reason why they would have done this. She was living miles from nowhere as I understand.

Mable Woods was another one of this top cases that always stuck in my mind, I know the update is now two years old and I hope Mable is still 'kickin'!

Thanks for the update, CD!

This is sort of off topic, but what the assistant said when he saw the fire on the UM re-enactment still makes me laugh. He said, "What the hell?" but with such a tone that it sounds hilarious. At least to me. Maybe you had to be there. I'll shut up now. :D

Sad animal stories always upset me and this was no acception. Sad to hear that the bastard was never caught but I'm glad Mabel is still Kickin'

I thought that the assistant too was the most likely one to start the fire.

Thanks for the update, CD!

This is sort of off topic, but what the assistant said when he saw the fire on the UM re-enactment still makes me laugh. He said, "What the hell?" but with such a tone that it sounds hilarious. At least to me. Maybe you had to be there. I'll shut up now. :D
Haha, that part makes me laugh too seeing that toothless wonder saying that line.

This case has always bothered me. Why would someone go through the trouble of killing the dogs? Mabel seems like a sweet old lady, and I just can't put a finger on why someone would do this to her. She never hurt anyone; and she lived in a rural area so the dogs couldn't have disturbed neighbors with barking or anything. My best guess is it had to be someone that held some kind of grudge against Mabel personally. Someone who had something bad enough against her to do what they did. I really don't think this case will ever be solved unfortunately.

This case has always bothered me. Why would someone go through the trouble of killing the dogs. Mabel seems like a sweet old lady, and I just can't put a finger on why someone would do this to her. She never hurt anyone; and she lived in a rural area so the dogs couldn't have disturbed neighbors with barking or anything. My best guess is it had to be someone that held some kind of grudge against Mabel personally. Someone who had something bad enough against her to do what they did. I really don't think this case will ever be solved unfortunately.

I agree that it will never be solved. Too much time has gone by and not enough evidence.

I, too, find it hard to understand why someone would want to do this to such a kind, compassionate woman. But with that said, there are a lot of kooks out there that don't see things the way most of us do. My best guess is that even though the area was rural, someone lived close enough to hear the dogs barking and it probably drove them nuts. Or possibly the smell of a dog kennel carried a long way in the wind (it's amazing how far scents can go sometimes). I'm certainly not implying those are valid reasons but it seems the most logical.

They had a story on the news here about a year ago where a girl living in a suburban yet rural area had a single cow in barn area on her property. The closest neighbors sued her because they said the cows "mooing" bothered them a great deal. The girl said the thing hardly ever mooed but the neighbors said it was horrible. So it could be a matter of perspective.

I bet some a-hole either didn't like the occasional barking, smell, etc. but took it to another level. You notice that the events kept escalating up to the fire. Maybe they were trying to give her a hint to move.

The only other possibility in my mind is that she did it to herself for sympathy but I find that so remote that I almost feel bad even mentioning it.

Mabel Woods passed away on September 23rd, 2008. She was 90 years old.

She seemed like such a great lady. She really loved her animals. :)

This was one of the saddest UM segments for me, especially when Mabel starting crying and saying how bad she felt because she told her dogs she'd always be there to protect them :(

I was so angry after watching that story at the time. I agree that it was probably a neighbor who was sick of the dogs barking all the time. Constant barking (even if a mile away) can make someone slowly lose their cool; the problem though, is that I would think that if this theory were true, the cops would have easily determined who did it.

I thought about the assistant too, but I'm sure he was thoroughly checked out. Plus, it would be counter-productive for him to have done it: The kennel was his livelihood, both in terms of salary and housing.

Very very sad.

This was one of the saddest UM segments for me, especially when Mabel starting crying and saying how bad she felt because she told her dogs she'd always be there to protect them :(

I was so angry after watching that story at the time. I agree that it was probably a neighbor who was sick of the dogs barking all the time. Constant barking (even if a mile away) can make someone slowly lose their cool; the problem though, is that I would think that if this theory were true, the cops would have easily determined who did it.

I thought about the assistant too, but I'm sure he was thoroughly checked out. Plus, it would be counter-productive for him to have done it: The kennel was his livelihood, both in terms of salary and housing.

Very very sad.
To bad someone didnt help her before she was moved into a home and was left her farm to continue what she was doing. I would of for her... that farm was big enough to house enough people to protect the rescue animals and offer more help to other species. Sad, I see a local biz man bought it. Wonder if he had anything to do with the stuff that was going on to push her off the land to get it faster... Just a thought...

Mabel Woods passed away on September 23rd, 2008. She was 90 years old.


Rest in peace Mabel, she had such a kind heart.

I was so angry after watching that story at the time. I agree that it was probably a neighbor who was sick of the dogs barking all the time. Constant barking (even if a mile away) can make someone slowly lose their cool; the problem though, is that I would think that if this theory were true, the cops would have easily determined who did it.

Excellent point.

1. You would think that a neighbor with such a grudge revealed himself at some point to Mabel and others. An angry confrontation, vicious words to other neighbors, complaints to the police about Mabels, dogs. I find it hard to believe he jumped to violent activity without some sort of pretense.

2. How many neighbors could there be that live within earshot of those dogs?
Can;t be that many. Suspect list can;t be that large.

Excellent point.

1. You would think that a neighbor with such a grudge revealed himself at some point to Mabel and others. An angry confrontation, vicious words to other neighbors, complaints to the police about Mabels, dogs. I find it hard to believe he jumped to violent activity without some sort of pretense.

2. How many neighbors could there be that live within earshot of those dogs?
Can;t be that many. Suspect list can;t be that large.

Mastermind, your current avatar really freaks me out...whom is it...or what?:eek:

This story really saddens and sickens me. I honestly feel anyone capable of hurting animals in such a violent manner is capable of hurting a person/child. I think a lot of times, animals are just the beginning. While I feel the "neighbor holding a grudge" theory is compelling and viable, I almost think this sounds like something a bunch of punk kids would do. A neighbor kid I grew up next to was notorious for animal abuse/killing, and this is something I can see teenagers like him doing for kicks. No motive except for "fun". JMHO.....

KAMY I can answer that one the Original Night Stalker / East Area Rapist / Bed Room Basher its from another website there it even groans like the Rapist turned serial kill its on of the most amazing case and quite the unsolved mystery . If he had not killed anyone the statute of limitations would have run out on the 50+ rapes he did . He is far more sadistic evil and mysterious then Zodiac.

Well, the whole animal abusing thing is true from what I have seen, in terms of the behavior escalating. There is a guy in my local area, he gosh, two or three years ago, he killed a cat. Except he did not just kill it, he tortured it. It was not like he put a bullet in his head and ended it. Oh no, he was drunk and at a party and he picked up a cat that was not even his, but the hosts cat and put it in the microwave.

After wards, everyone at the party, all of whom were drunk, were sickened by this to say the least, but the cat was not dead. So what does he do? He takes it out and in front of all these people strangles the cat to death. I mean truly sick, cops were called. He later pled out to felony animal cruelty and he was given five years probation. He violated probation numerous times including being cited more than once for underage drinking and also being arrested after he turned legal age for drunk driving.

Anyway, this story takes another twist. This year, in April he was driving under the influence with his girlfriend and two friends 'ditch hopping' which is popular among people, particularly under the influence under here where they like to take junker cars out to the ditches and try to do jumps. Anyway, he ended up a river across the street from the road. Him and the two passengers got out, but his girlfriend was swept away, she is presumed dead. Anyway, he was found to be legally drunk at the time, as two hours after the accident when his blood was tested he had a .12 blood alcohol level.

However he has yet to be charged and is evidently not broken up. He has been seen in local bars and acting like nothing happened. However now his two passengers have started to tell different stories. Their story is that while he did not intentionally kill his girlfriend, what happened was this. That he crashed the car into the water on purpose. That his girlfriend overdosed on drugs he had given to her and that he panicked and decided to stage an accident.

KAMY I can answer that one the Original Night Stalker / East Area Rapist / Bed Room Basher its from another website there it even groans like the Rapist turned serial kill its on of the most amazing case and quite the unsolved mystery . If he had not killed anyone the statute of limitations would have run out on the 50+ rapes he did . He is far more sadistic evil and mysterious then Zodiac.

Very true.

Zodiac got all the publicity because of his bulls#@t codes and letters.

Well I will say, the EAR, just listening to his voice. 'I'm gonna kill you, I'm gonna kill you' I mean wow, it just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. For EAR, it was a psychological game like it was for Zodiac, but to both it was a different type of psychological game. Zodiac liked drawing attention to himself. EAR liked to use psychology to continue to terrorize not only his victims year later but also enjoyed taunting the police. Like when that one guy at the meeting said, I don't know how these men can let their wives be attacked, that would never happen to me. That guy and his wife were later victims, it could be a coincidence but I do not think it is. I think EAR did it on purpose, EAR did not like the 'arrogance' of that guy and decided to slap him down sort of speak. Plus, I think the EAR liked basically sitting in this room, listening to people talk about him and be afraid of him and there he is sitting out in the open, under the cops noses and they have no idea he is there.

That is why in particular the military angle always made sense to me that the EAR very possibly could have been in the military. The Air Force especially as at that time in particular there were Air Force bases all over the Sacramento area and in the Bay area and down the coast, some are still there but many have since been closed.

Well, the whole animal abusing thing is true from what I have seen, in terms of the behavior escalating. There is a guy in my local area, he gosh, two or three years ago, he killed a cat. Except he did not just kill it, he tortured it. It was not like he put a bullet in his head and ended it. Oh no, he was drunk and at a party and he picked up a cat that was not even his, but the hosts cat and put it in the microwave.

After wards, everyone at the party, all of whom were drunk, were sickened by this to say the least, but the cat was not dead. So what does he do? He takes it out and in front of all these people strangles the cat to death. I mean truly sick, cops were called. He later pled out to felony animal cruelty and he was given five years probation. He violated probation numerous times including being cited more than once for underage drinking and also being arrested after he turned legal age for drunk driving.

Anyway, this story takes another twist. This year, in April he was driving under the influence with his girlfriend and two friends 'ditch hopping' which is popular among people, particularly under the influence under here where they like to take junker cars out to the ditches and try to do jumps. Anyway, he ended up a river across the street from the road. Him and the two passengers got out, but his girlfriend was swept away, she is presumed dead. Anyway, he was found to be legally drunk at the time, as two hours after the accident when his blood was tested he had a .12 blood alcohol level.

However he has yet to be charged and is evidently not broken up. He has been seen in local bars and acting like nothing happened. However now his two passengers have started to tell different stories. Their story is that while he did not intentionally kill his girlfriend, what happened was this. That he crashed the car into the water on purpose. That his girlfriend overdosed on drugs he had given to her and that he panicked and decided to stage an accident.

What the ****?

I'm guessing and hoping that the reason they haven't charged him for anything is they're gathering up evidence to nail him for something bigger. Please be doing this, and wanting to make sure he doesn't get out and do something like that again.

Good points, kardama.

This is a great discussion.

We should perhaps move this to the EAR/ONS thread, since this is for Mabel Woods.

Mastermind, your current avatar really freaks me out...whom is it...or what?:eek:

This story really saddens and sickens me. I honestly feel anyone capable of hurting animals in such a violent manner is capable of hurting a person/child. I think a lot of times, animals are just the beginning. While I feel the "neighbor holding a grudge" theory is compelling and viable, I almost think this sounds like something a bunch of punk kids would do. A neighbor kid I grew up next to was notorious for animal abuse/killing, and this is something I can see teenagers like him doing for kicks. No motive except for "fun". JMHO.....


I agree with Kamy, I think it was random teenagers that enjoyed watching animals suffer :-(

I used to live just outside of Bonne Terre, MO (from 98-99), and I lived just outside of town on the East side. Much like most communities in that part of Missouri, it has some really nice people. However, like most semi-isolated rural areas, it also has a lot of trashy people who would do something like this either out of spite, or for fun. About the only things to do in and around Bonne Terre are go to the surrounding lakes on the weekend, go to the 3 local bars, and sit around and watch cars rust. Let me qualify that, I made a lot of friends there and had a blast while I was there...I have nothing against people just because they love rural life, it's just not for me, so I'm not making the 'trashy' statement out of cliche'.

As for the case, I'm really shocked that the person(s) who did this have not been caught. Bonne Terre is really small, as are the surrounding towns, and word travels fast. As I said, most people there go to the bars in town because there isn't much else to do, and everyone pretty much knows everyone else with only a couple degrees of separation. It's still one of those places where "men are men", and looking at their truck wrong will start a brawl.

I agree that the person/persons who set the kennels on fire are really sick and twisted. But I also think that whoever did it could have never presented himself/herself to police or tried to confront the kennel owner.

He/she could have stewed and decided NOT to confront, just to burn the kennels as to NOT have trail to lead the police to them.

I never thought it was the kennel assistant.

Has this case aired on the Farina episodes?

Has this case aired on the Farina episodes?

Yes and there is no update and they did not mention that Mabel passed away. As to who was responsible? A disgruntled neighbor, or some teenagers who lived close by. Wasn't there a message left that said something to the effect of "Keep Quiet"? That just screams some sicko who was annoyed by all of the barking going on at the kennel.

I agree with Kamy, I think it was random teenagers that enjoyed watching animals suffer :-(
Never thought it was teens. I think it was an angry middle aged man with a love of guns and a hatred of the dogs barking.

I wonder if it could have been some enemy Mabel had...I mean people say...oh she was just a nice old lady.....she had no enemies...she could have...we just dont know about it...and maybe it was an enemy Mabel didnt know she had

I know it happened in the mid 80s and all but I wonder if Mabel or the police ever suggested putting cameras on and around her property to hopefully get some type of footage of the creep. I'm sure Mabel had the money to do so but than again it was the 1980s and not 2011. Seems like all the only evidence they had was a tire track near the property. Too bad that this one will probably never be solved. A heartbreaking case if there ever was one. Maybe someday Mabels hired hand my find this thread and post...

I am not suggesting it was him because I do not know, but is it possible that assistant that she hired after the first incident, was the person who *did* the first incident, and responded to some classified ad she left? Gained her trust and then set fire? What was his alibi?

To me this is a no brainer. Someone who lived around her was probably sick and damned tired of listening to dogs bark day and night. I live in a populated area and have idiot neighboors that let their dogs stay out and and bark all the time. Sometimes instead of calling the city and complaining i'd like to just shoot the damn things.

To me this is a no brainer. Someone who lived around her was probably sick and damned tired of listening to dogs bark day and night. I live in a populated area and have idiot neighboors that let their dogs stay out and and bark all the time. Sometimes instead of calling the city and complaining i'd like to just shoot the damn things.

UM said the closest neighbors were a mile away. That's pretty far to be complaining about dogs.

UM said the closest neighbors were a mile away. That's pretty far to be complaining about dogs.

It doesn't necessarily have to be her neighbor per se, but it could have been some teens who had a particular "party spot" that was being disrupted by the barking dogs. Or some disgruntled middle aged man who heard the dogs when he was walking/hiking in the area. If this town was as small as others have suggested, LE should have at least had a pretty good idea of who did this just not enough evidence to prosecute.

It doesn't necessarily have to be her neighbor per se, but it could have been some teens who had a particular "party spot" that was being disrupted by the barking dogs. Or some disgruntled middle aged man who heard the dogs when he was walking/hiking in the area. If this town was as small as others have suggested, LE should have at least had a pretty good idea of who did this just not enough evidence to prosecute.

I don't know, I think sometimes partying teenagers are stereotyped as evil when most of the time they are just out for a good time. I could see them maybe shooting at one or two dogs for kicks........... but setting fire to a kennel and burning fifty or sixty alive? I don't think thats the work of partying teenagers or people who are simply irritated by their barking. Thats an evil, cruel, and sadistic thing to do, something more in line with what Satanists might do.

Besides, as loud a music as teenagers usually have at their parties, I doubt barking dogs would be all that disruptive.

I would have been curious to know if their were any cults operating in the area at the time.

I don't know, I think sometimes partying teenagers are stereotyped as evil when most of the time they are just out for a good time. I could see them maybe shooting at one or two dogs for kicks........... but setting fire to a kennel and burning fifty or sixty alive? I don't think thats the work of partying teenagers or people who are simply irritated by their barking. Thats an evil, cruel, and sadistic thing to do, something more in line with what Satanists might do.

Besides, as loud a music as teenagers usually have at their parties, I doubt barking dogs would be all that disruptive.

I would have been curious to know if their were any cults operating in the area at the time.
Satanist?? Are you kidding me? I thought we where done with fairy tales like this. Do you even know what a santanist is? Provide some examples of so called "Satanists" killing large amounts of animals by burning them alive or people for that matter. Christians use to burn people at the stake so maybe we should investigate some of the churches around there. Your post reminds me alot of the mindset that caused the west memphis 3 to sit in prison for 18 years on a crime they had nothing to do with. All this cult crap and satanic ritual nonsense is made up by christians and used to scare people.

UM said the closest neighbors were a mile away. That's pretty far to be complaining about dogs.
This is true but there is a big difference between a city mile and a country mile. You may not hear dogs barking a mile away in an urban area but you would in the country. Also didn't mabel get some threatening letters from people complaining about the dogs?

I'm surprised no one has suggested she staged the whole thing for attention. :rolleyes:

Satanist?? Are you kidding me? I thought we where done with fairy tales like this. Do you even know what a santanist is? Provide some examples of so called "Satanists" killing large amounts of animals by burning them alive or people for that matter. Christians use to burn people at the stake so maybe we should investigate some of the churches around there. Your post reminds me alot of the mindset that caused the west memphis 3 to sit in prison for 18 years on a crime they had nothing to do with. All this cult crap and satanic ritual nonsense is made up by christians and used to scare people.

Wow. Just wow. I was throwing a theory out there, never expected an attack on my religion.

But as for examples of people involved with Satanism doing violence, I guess you never heard of the Son of Sam cult, Richard Ramirez, not to mention the Redwood City Arsonist making references to it on that tape, and I know for a fact there were several other cases on UM which involved it.

If you think Satanic cults don't exists then I don't know what to tell you thats absurd. But I will concede that they have the right to practice Satanism as long as it doesn't interfere with anything else, but if you honestly think they haven't done bad things at time you got your head buried in the sand. Maybe they aren't that common but anyone who suggests they don't exist is being highly foolish.

Your post earlier about how you felt like shooting your neighbor's dogs sometimes says a lot about you to be honest.

Bottom line is it was an evil and sadistic thing to do and I think thats possible.

Wow. Just wow. I was throwing a theory out there, never expected an attack on my religion.

But as for examples of people involved with Satanism doing violence, I guess you never heard of the Son of Sam cult, Richard Ramirez, not to mention the Redwood City Arsonist making references to it on that tape, and I know for a fact there were several other cases on UM which involved it.

If you think Satanic cults don't exists then I don't know what to tell you thats absurd. But I will concede that they have the right to practice Satanism as long as it doesn't interfere with anything else, but if you honestly think they haven't done bad things at time you got your head buried in the sand. Maybe they aren't that common but anyone who suggests they don't exist is being highly foolish.

Your post earlier about how you felt like shooting your neighbor's dogs sometimes says a lot about you to be honest.

Bottom line is it was an evil and sadistic thing to do and I think thats possible.
The bottom line is that Satanism was created by Christians so they would have a false enemy. For one to call themselves a Satanist is to acknowledge that Chritianity is real. If you want to look at evil doings you dont have to go and search out some odd ball so called "devil worshipers" just look at the catholic church. How many Priests have been sued for molesting children now??? Or look at jonestown, 900 killed by a christian leader. Look at the crusades, The salem witch trials, etc I could go on all day. Those of us who are capable of critical thinking, logic and reasoning know who the real evil doers are.

BTW... What cult was Richard Ramirez in?? Who where the other members and who was the leader of the satanic cult?? Same question on Son of Sam, What cult? name other members and leadership. In fact why don't you site just one example of Satanic cult ritualistic killing ever in this country or anywhere else for that matter. I'll be waiting..................

The whole cult thing is a little much ...really, UM used that storyline of cults too much, I'm glad it wasn't part of this story.

The bottom line is that Satanism was created by Christians so they would have a false enemy. For one to call themselves a Satanist is to acknowledge that Chritianity is real. If you want to look at evil doings you dont have to go and search out some odd ball so called "devil worshipers" just look at the catholic church. How many Priests have been sued for molesting children now??? Or look at jonestown, 900 killed by a christian leader. Look at the crusades, The salem witch trials, etc I could go on all day. Those of us who are capable of critical thinking, logic and reasoning know who the real evil doers are.

BTW... What cult was Richard Ramirez in?? Who where the other members and who was the leader of the satanic cult?? Same question on Son of Sam, What cult? name other members and leadership. In fact why don't you site just one example of Satanic cult ritualistic killing ever in this country or anywhere else for that matter. I'll be waiting..................

Ok I am not going to get into a debate on religion here, the only comment I will make on all the people you pointed out like the Catholic priests and others is that I don't condone any of those things and neither does any true Christian, those people are just posers and know better. Jesus did not molest children or kill anyone, nor did he encourage others to do so, and he is the central figure of the faith who should be looked at, not anything these people did.

As for Ramirez, he was a proclaimed Satanist, he said so a number of times in interviews, its common knowledge and I don't believe anyone would try to dispute it.

Berkowitz who is a born again Christian said repeatedly as well he was into Satanism as well. UM mentioned the Carr brothers who were into it as well. This again is common knowledge that Berkowitz was part of a cult.

The young man who set the Redwood City Fire was as well, he made several references to it on tape.

Not to mention the Manson family cult, even though technically they weren't proclaimed devil worshipers, Manson was known to make references to it.

I honestly am astounded someone would try to deny Satanism exists. It was just a theory of what I believe was an evil and sadistic thing for someone to do. You sound almost as bad as that nut in Iran that tried to say the holocaust never happened.

Ok I am not going to get into a debate on religion here, the only comment I will make on all the people you pointed out like the Catholic priests and others is that I don't condone any of those things and neither does any true Christian, those people are just posers and know better. Jesus did not molest children or kill anyone, nor did he encourage others to do so, and he is the central figure of the faith who should be looked at, not anything these people did.

As for Ramirez, he was a proclaimed Satanist, he said so a number of times in interviews, its common knowledge and I don't believe anyone would try to dispute it.

Berkowitz who is a born again Christian said repeatedly as well he was into Satanism as well. UM mentioned the Carr brothers who were into it as well. This again is common knowledge that Berkowitz was part of a cult.

The young man who set the Redwood City Fire was as well, he made several references to it on tape.

Not to mention the Manson family cult, even though technically they weren't proclaimed devil worshipers, Manson was known to make references to it.

I honestly am astounded someone would try to deny Satanism exists. It was just a theory of what I believe was an evil and sadistic thing for someone to do. You sound almost as bad as that nut in Iran that tried to say the holocaust never happened.

The whole idea of satanism as its own religon was a fraud that was concocted by Alistar Crowley and he only did it to prove what fools people are and how they will follow anything. He became very rich doing this just as many con men using the christian faith have. Atleast Crowley was openly a scoundrel.

And as expected you proved nothing. So and so was "said" to be into satanism or this guy was in a cult blah blah blah. Whats next? dragons and goblins?? Again you cannot show that any murder has taken place as part of a so called satanic ritual. Get this through your head, Santanism is part of the christian faith. It was made up just like christianity was and by the same people. Why don't you get that?

And your whole idea of separating the pedophiles and con men from the religon itself is absurd. It is the blind faith that religon pushes that allows people to act in this way and operate with impunity. You think its just a few bad apples?? Look a little deeper. Just one example is all those pedofile preist that the church hides and covers up for as a whole. You go and give your money to the church and they use it to pay legal bills for this scum. So ya the entire religon can be blamed. There is no magic man in the sky watching everything you do and reading all your thoughts. Wake up.

There is no magic man in the sky watching everything you do and reading all your thoughts. Wake up.

Easy man, people are allowed to believe in whatever they want to believe in. It's a free country. Can we get back to the Mabel woods discussion?

Easy man, people are allowed to believe in whatever they want to believe in. It's a free country. Can we get back to the Mabel woods discussion?
Cars,
If you go back and read Im not the one who injected religous hocas pookas into this. Im not going to sit here idle while someone makes comments like that. That kind of thinking has costs millions of people their lives and to this day continues to hold us back as a species. Anyhow yes lets move on with the topic and maybe people can leave their cookey religous beliefs out of the UM discussion.

Cars,
If you go back and read Im not the one who injected religous hocas pookas into this. Im not going to sit here idle while someone makes comments like that. That kind of thinking has costs millions of people their lives and to this day continues to hold us back as a species. Anyhow yes lets move on with the topic and maybe people can leave their cookey religous beliefs out of the UM discussion.

I don't see where anyone injected anything religious into this discussion. The only thing that was stated was that this was something along the lines of "what a satanist would do". I didn't take that to be anything religious, just to speak of the sadistic character of the person who set the fire. We don't need another cocytus on this forum.

I don't see where anyone injected anything religious into this discussion. The only thing that was stated was that this was something along the lines of "what a satanist would do". I didn't take that to be anything religious, just to speak of the sadistic character of the person who set the fire. We don't need another cocytus on this forum.
Claiming that there are satanic cults going around setting dogs on fire is religous crap. There are no known cases of satanic ritualistic killings. Look at the case of the west memphis three and you will see just how dangerous this type of attitude is. Satanic and Sadistic have nothing to do with one another either and this board has suffered since Coctypus has been gone.

Claiming that there are satanic cults going around setting dogs on fire is religous crap. There are no known cases of satanic ritualistic killings. Look at the case of the west memphis three and you will see just how dangerous this type of attitude is. Satanic and Sadistic have nothing to do with one another either and this board has suffered since Coctypus has been gone.

Suffered from awesomeness.

The whole idea of satanism as its own religon was a fraud that was concocted by Alistar Crowley and he only did it to prove what fools people are and how they will follow anything. He became very rich doing this just as many con men using the christian faith have. Atleast Crowley was openly a scoundrel.

And as expected you proved nothing. So and so was "said" to be into satanism or this guy was in a cult blah blah blah. Whats next? dragons and goblins?? Again you cannot show that any murder has taken place as part of a so called satanic ritual. Get this through your head, Santanism is part of the christian faith. It was made up just like christianity was and by the same people. Why don't you get that?

And your whole idea of separating the pedophiles and con men from the religon itself is absurd. It is the blind faith that religon pushes that allows people to act in this way and operate with impunity. You think its just a few bad apples?? Look a little deeper. Just one example is all those pedofile preist that the church hides and covers up for as a whole. You go and give your money to the church and they use it to pay legal bills for this scum. So ya the entire religon can be blamed. There is no magic man in the sky watching everything you do and reading all your thoughts. Wake up.

You are not going to alter my beliefs if thats what you are trying to do. Like I said I don't condone anything priests or anyone else does wrong because they are Christians, Christians are sinners like anyone else but are merely forgiven, and anyone who does the things you describe do not have the spirit of Christ strong in them, they are usually posers or have drifted one of the two. You want to know what its about, you look at Jesus, not anyone else.

I didn't even really want to say that much because I don't come on here to debate my faith as I've learned that unless someone has an open mind which you obviously don't, you won't change their mind. But I said that much because I will defend myself and beliefs when I feel someone is wrong about them.

But the bottom line is, your contention Satanism does not exist is absurd. I gave you several examples and you dismissed them without any reason why. I've heard both Ramirez and Berkowitz in interviews and both have admitted they practice Satanism. Thats not just hearsay, they themselves have admitted that, go to youtube and watch any interview with them. I have known people personally who have expressed belief in it, you hear it in music as well.

You don't believe in God or the devil, I get that. And thats your right. But to act like there are no others who practice these beliefs whether you believe it or not is just denying the truth.

And thats the last words I will say on the subject, so please do not bother attacking my beliefs anymore, because you will not alter them if thats what you are shooting for.

We will resume discussing the dog kennel fire.

You are not going to alter my beliefs if thats what you are trying to do. Like I said I don't condone anything priests or anyone else does wrong because they are Christians, Christians are sinners like anyone else but are merely forgiven, and anyone who does the things you describe do not have the spirit of Christ strong in them, they are usually posers or have drifted one of the two. You want to know what its about, you look at Jesus, not anyone else.

I didn't even really want to say that much because I don't come on here to debate my faith as I've learned that unless someone has an open mind which you obviously don't, you won't change their mind. But I said that much because I will defend myself and beliefs when I feel someone is wrong about them.

But the bottom line is, your contention Satanism does not exist is absurd. I gave you several examples and you dismissed them without any reason why. I've heard both Ramirez and Berkowitz in interviews and both have admitted they practice Satanism. Thats not just hearsay, they themselves have admitted that, go to youtube and watch any interview with them. I have known people personally who have expressed belief in it, you hear it in music as well.

You don't believe in God or the devil, I get that. And thats your right. But to act like there are no others who practice these beliefs whether you believe it or not is just denying the truth.

And thats the last words I will say on the subject, so please do not bother attacking my beliefs anymore, because you will not alter them if thats what you are shooting for.

We will resume discussing the dog kennel fire.
No your not gonna get the last word and then deem that the discussion go back to what it was before you injected fairy tale beliefs.
A religous person that has their thoughts spoon fed to them by other humans telling me to "open my mind"??? LMAO now thats just great. Nothing more to say. Too much gut busting laughter

No your not gonna get the last word and then deem that the discussion go back to what it was before you injected fairy tale beliefs.
A religous person that has their thoughts spoon fed to them by other humans telling me to "open my mind"??? LMAO now thats just great. Nothing more to say. Too much gut busting laughter

You silly devil.

No your not gonna get the last word and then deem that the discussion go back to what it was before you injected fairy tale beliefs.
A religous person that has their thoughts spoon fed to them by other humans telling me to "open my mind"??? LMAO now thats just great. Nothing more to say. Too much gut busting laughter

You wouldn't feel such a need to get in the last word if you had said anything of value to begin with. :rolleyes:

All you've really done here is grasp at straws that I'm injecting religion into a discussion when all I did was bring up a very real possibility regardless of what anyone believes in. You really posted nothing to refute the examples I gave you except things that were in themselves hearsay.

You say I posted nothing but hearsay, but even if what I said was hearsay, (which it wasn't), you can't disprove hearsay with more hearsay, it doesn't work like that.

The theory I brought up, you are saying its impossible for no better reason than you say so.

I mean really lets just drop it, you don't believe in God, I do, and nothing is going to change my mind. If it is so stupid and a fairy tail like you say, why does it bother you so much? Why do you feel the need to attack me? Its really getting pathetic if you want to to know the truth.

You wouldn't feel such a need to get in the last word if you had said anything of value to begin with. :rolleyes:

All you've really done here is grasp at straws that I'm injecting religion into a discussion when all I did was bring up a very real possibility regardless of what anyone believes in. You really posted nothing to refute the examples I gave you except things that were in themselves hearsay.

You say I posted nothing but hearsay, but even if what I said was hearsay, (which it wasn't), you can't disprove hearsay with more hearsay, it doesn't work like that.

The theory I brought up, you are saying its impossible for no better reason than you say so.

I mean really lets just drop it, you don't believe in God, I do, and nothing is going to change my mind. If it is so stupid and a fairy tail like you say, why does it bother you so much? Why do you feel the need to attack me? Its really getting pathetic if you want to to know the truth.
Ok you say you brought up a real possibitly?? I will argue that all day long. Real based on what??? You cant provide one example of satanic cult burning up dogs so how is this a real possibitly? Was there satanic activity in the area? Do you know that? Has anyone ever suggested that? Are you just buying into hype and nonsense? I think so. But again please explain why it's a real possibility that some scary satanic cult set Mabel's dogs on fire.

Old thread, but I was thinking of this case today. Mabel is gone, and to my knowledge, there have been no further clues, which is depressing. As an animal lover, particularly of dogs, I was hoping some kind of justice could have been delivered. I get being annoyed by the barking, but I just don't get why anyone would brutally kill dogs like that.

The most obvious answer is this was the result of some disgruntled a*hole who either lived or worked in the area. Maybe there were homeless people camped in the surrounding woods she was unaware of.

While I think the disgruntled neighbor theory is way more plausible, I do think there is a possibility it might have been done by a satanic cult. Religion has nothing to do with it,. History has proven throughout time that people are ****ed up, and will use things like religions of various sorts as an excuse to do sick and twisted crap, even if what they are doing is technically against that religion. They will twist it to justify their actions. Years back in my hometown, there was a case where the trees in the local cemetery had dead mutilated cats hanging from them. There were about 20 bodies in various states of decomposition. It was discovered not long after, it had been done by a group of local satanists. They admitted to the whole thing. So yeah, while I think the kennel arsonist was probably just some trigger happy, dog hating jackass, it very well IS a possibility a cult was behind it as well. Also, black cats being stolen on Halloween night to be "sacrificed" is NOT a myth. I use to work for the ASPCA.... It happens every year, all over the country. Far more than what is talked about. There are some seriously sick people in this world.

I highly, highly doubt Mabel herself was behind it. Why spend $60,000 on a brand new kennel just to burn it down and kill your dogs for attention? That makes no sense to me. She might of had more enemies than she knew about, but otherwise I don't believe she had anything to do with it.

Sadly, whatever happened, I don't think we'll ever know. All I can hope for is whoever did it is eaten alive with guilt for the rest of their lives.

Suffered from awesomeness.

:clap

While I think the disgruntled neighbor theory is way more plausible, I do think there is a possibility it might have been done by a satanic cult. Religion has nothing to do with it,. History has proven throughout time that people are ****ed up, and will use things like religions of various sorts as an excuse to do sick and twisted crap, even if what they are doing is technically against that religion. They will twist it to justify their actions. Years back in my hometown, there was a case where the trees in the local cemetery had dead mutilated cats hanging from them. There were about 20 bodies in various states of decomposition. It was discovered not long after, it had been done by a group of local satanists. They admitted to the whole thing. So yeah, while I think the kennel arsonist was probably just some trigger happy, dog hating jackass, it very well IS a possibility a cult was behind it as well. Also, black cats being stolen on Halloween night to be "sacrificed" is NOT a myth. I use to work for the ASPCA.... It happens every year, all over the country. Far more than what is talked about. There are some seriously sick people in this world.

I agree there exists a possibility.

I think what tends to be left out of a lot of discussions about so-called satanism is that there are people who call themselves satanists when they are in fact merely sadists, and LaVeyan Satanists--the former of which far exceeds the latter in terms of number of appearances in media reports about "satanic" activity. I'm certainly not arguing that the Church of Satan does not espouse and encourage anti-social views and behavior, because it certainly does, but a self-described satanist isn't necessarily a member of an organized group with clear philosophies and beliefs. As Shakou perfectly summed it, it is a common and convenient name for some people--both perpetrators and victims--to give to sadism and the propensity for anti-social behavior.

The problem with confirming the existence of satanic cults seems to be that no one has apparently clearly defined exactly what "satanism" is, with the exception of LaVey and his organization. I can see why: one faction finds such beliefs and the people who adhere to them unsavory at best and evil at worst, and the other flat-out denies either actually exists. Thus the difficulty in pinning down what words "satanism" and "satanist" even really mean.

To me this is a no brainer. Someone who lived around her was probably sick and damned tired of listening to dogs bark day and night. I live in a populated area and have idiot neighboors that let their dogs stay out and and bark all the time. Sometimes instead of calling the city and complaining i'd like to just shoot the damn things.

man that's cold. The segment stated that Mabel was more than a mile from any neighbors, so that dispels that theory right there.

man that's cold. The segment stated that Mabel was more than a mile from any neighbors, so that dispels that theory right there.

Kind of. The echoes of barking can travel long distances in the country. There might have been someone who REALLY didn't like dogs that was hearing it. Also, to my knowledge, her place was surrounded by woods. It's possible there were homeless people or transients camping out in the vicinity that they were unaware of who did this.

Kind of. The echoes of barking can travel long distances in the country. There might have been someone who REALLY didn't like dogs that was hearing it. Also, to my knowledge, her place was surrounded by woods. It's possible there were homeless people or transients camping out in the vicinity that they were unaware of who did this.

I doubt it would travel more than a mile, but if it did, there are other steps the person could have taken. Namely a) politely talking with Mabel about it, and if that doesn't work b) calling Animal Control. If a transient person didn't like it, they could very easily go somewhere else. They're mobile.

I doubt it would travel more than a mile, but if it did, there are other steps the person could have taken. Namely a) politely talking with Mabel about it, and if that doesn't work b) calling Animal Control. If a transient person didn't like it, they could very easily go somewhere else. They're mobile.

These would have been the reasonable sane things to do, but not everyone is reasonable or sane. I've known people who would have done this. People who have no regard for human life, let alone the life if animals. Its the prime reason they isolate themselves in the country, because they despise anything and everything beyond themselves. As good ol' Kane said, it's easier to just "shoot the damn things" than it is to confront the property owner or have the city deal with it, or just move.

These would have been the reasonable sane things to do, but not everyone is reasonable or sane. I've known people who would have done this. People who have no regard for human life, let alone the life if animals. Its the prime reason they isolate themselves in the country, because they despise anything and everything beyond themselves. As good ol' Kane said, it's easier to just "shoot the damn things" than it is to confront the property owner or have the city deal with it, or just move.

Nah, I had to deal with that exact same problem myself. I just went over to the neighbors house and kindly asked them to take care of the problem. They immediatley took care of it. It's the owner's fault, not the dogs.

Nah, I had to deal with that exact same problem myself. I just went over to the neighbors house and kindly asked them to take care of the problem. They immediatley took care of it. It's the owner's fault, not the dogs.

Yes, but again, not everyone is stable enough to deal with it that way. This was also an animal sanctuary, not just a yard with a couple of mouthy pet dogs who could be brought inside at night. I have a mouthy pet dog. I do what I can to keep him from being to obnoxious, but he's naturally a very vocal dog and likes to bark, and I'm not going to inhibit his quality of life (forcing him to wear a muzzle/bark collar 24/7, or simply never let him outside) because of the neighbors. If they don't like it, they can always move. Thats one dog, where as in.Mabel's case, it was 100s. It's impossible to keep that many dogs quiet, but as Mabel said, it was her land and she could do what she wanted with it. I'm glad she chose to stay.

Yes, but again, not everyone is stable enough to deal with it that way. This was also an animal sanctuary, not just a yard with a couple of mouthy pet dogs who could be brought inside at night. I have a mouthy pet dog. I do what I can to keep him from being to obnoxious, but he's naturally a very vocal dog and likes to bark, and I'm not going to inhibit his quality of life (forcing him to wear a muzzle/bark collar 24/7, or simply never let him outside) because of the neighbors. If they don't like it, they can always move. Thats one dog, where as in.Mabel's case, it was 100s. It's impossible to keep that many dogs quiet, but as Mabel said, it was her land and she could do what she wanted with it. I'm glad she chose to stay.

I don't recall the segment saying she had hundreds, the only number I remember was 50, 49 of which died in one of the fires and only 1 was saved.

Homeowners should prevent their dogs from being an irritant to neighbors, but as I said before, the segment explicitly stated there couldn't have been any noise issues as Mabel didn't have any neighbors.

Yeah- unless I missed something on the show (don't think so, as I just saw it as a rewind...and with DVR...;), this was disturbing enough to me, personally, to get online, search the web for updates and local info...and do some investigatory surmising myself...not to mention set up this acct and blabber my fingers off via iPhone... But I digress:
#1: RIP to a sweet lady.
#2: I don't think anyone (at least on forums's 1st page) here or on show has even touched the factors REALLY behind this (besides perhaps the few folks inquiring about the man who subsequently bought the property...)- and that would explain why all this time, apparent opportunities to secure some solid leads or theories...etc, have not come up or any closure to come in the future apparently. Since everyone seemed genuinely concerned for her and helpful, I believe they fulfilled due diligence in investigation...I don't want to say they did a poor job, esp since so little is KNOWN on my part...but I think perhaps it was so unusual a case, or done so craftily, that they eluding any/all detection.
#3: Dont buy the theory on her help...all he needed to do was quit the job he had SOUGHT OUT (presumably) if the dogs bothered him...and esp wouldn't continue to harass...

So, it seems to me that either a personal beef, under-the-radar value of property...or another outside the box motive that just wasn't explored was at hand. It'd be very smart to pull this apparent "hick-crime" w a clearly established motive if your intentions were none of the above...to cover tracks. The "Quiet or Die" sign is honestly the best piece of evidence in my mind, but for opposite reason than one would normally think. Clearly noise would be the first idea on an investigstor's mind, not to mention that she- an elderly lady living alone, at the time- probably would have at least gotten the point that someone wanted her out after the first couple of violent, gun related incidences...

I have a full theory, but is completely based on imagination and circumstantial evidence (at best) but if my soon-to-be-done evaluation of a few facts about the property and getting feel for the local community... I'll post it then, rather than sound too tooooo looney.
***Writing "Quiet or Die" - after at least 4 incidences with deadly weapons and so on...would be an indictment on any of the (presumably) FEW rural neighbors- and I'm almost sure that would have wrapped this up well before TV ran an episode...the toothless trash w 18 priors and no self control would have been cuffed and locked up immediately.
This was a cover- for something---unless I'm wrong about the integrity and assumed intelligence of any capable investigatory unit/community, not to mention the helpful exposure that so often yields results from Unsolved Mysteries.

Oh my goodness I keep thinking this is talking about the dog show lady who dressed as a man that I think was found murdered....

This is my first post in this forum. I just saw this program today and did not realize it had been so long since the fire. I totally agree with Carson87. The "Quiet or Die" sign meant that the perpetrator was "positively within hearing distance" of the kennel. While having no more information than what was on the program - and not even remembering that totally - I don't know how much weight was put on that single piece of evidence in the official investigation. While the perpetrator may very well have passed by now - it is unfortunate that his identity will probably never be known. Although as stated in the program - killing an animal (or 59 dogs) was evidently only considered a misdemeanor - I personally believe the person/persons responsible for such an inhumane act should have spent the rest of their life in prison with no possibility of parole had they been identified and apprehended - - -

Is her last name WOOD or WOODS? Her find a grave says Mabel Wood but UM says Woods?

The "Quiet or Die" sign meant that the perpetrator was "positively within hearing distance" of the kennel.

Even though the segment stated that her closest neighbors were around a mile away, it's possible that someone in the vicinity had an underlying motive besides irritation at potential noise. I've never believed that the assistant was involved. Someone might have wanted the land Mabel owned. As well, some hunters hate the noise that dogs make, and there have been incidents where farm dogs were shot at by hunters, as dogs running around or simply barking would potentially scare off prey. This could have been the case if there was poaching or other criminal activity (marijuana cultivation) going on.

Is her last name WOOD or WOODS? Her find a grave says Mabel Wood but UM says Woods?

It's "Wood". Unsolved Mysteries changes people's names for some odd reason. If you look at her obituary, it says she spent most of her life taking care of animals and her relatives live in Bonne Terre, where she had lived when the kennel was attacked by the arsonist. Sad that Mabel died without any justice. I think the number of dogs involved was 62, with only one being saved, if I remember correctly.

It stopped in the end, even if it remained unsolved. One theory is that the villain got scared off by all the publicity and increased police surveillance. Or maybe he was the one who moved. Or he could even have died.

I just watched this episode again and then found this discussion. I absolutely believe it was a neighbor. As others have pointed out, noise (especially from 100+ dogs) travels much further in the country, and also some of the neighbors may have used the surrounding woods for hunting and other activities and felt that the noise intruded on them.

There are some sick people in the world who would do things like this. Let me share a story... I grew up in the country and my father was a very sick and evil man. Our nearest neighbors were a quarter mile away. Still, my father sometimes had disagreements with them or harbored anger towards them for making noise or doing other things that triggered him. My father would retaliate in disgusting ways. For example, he would collect his poop in a bag during the day and then wait until nighttime after everyone had gone to bed. He would sneak out and dump the poop on a neighbor's front porch, in front of the door, where they might step in it on their way out of the house. Of course my mother knew this was going on, but she was terrified of my father and would never have told anyone what was going on. My sister and I were just little kids, and my mother always told us, "Never talk to anyone about your father's problems or about anything that goes on in this house."

I'm just saying that not everyone who lives in the country is there because they are good country folks. Some people (like my father) choose to live in the country because they hate people and want to get as far away from people as they can. My father had no social skills and did not know how to resolve differences with people through any other ways besides terrorizing them and taking revenge on them. So, personally, I feel that the person who terrorized Mabel was probably a sick bastard like my father who lived in the country and hated the noise of the dogs, and whose wife and family were also afraid of him and would never speak up about what they knew. Also, my father had two dogs who he loved (more than the people in his family, in fact). But that didn't mean he wanted to hear anyone else's dogs barking. Sick bastards can be like that. He would go outside and howl along with his dogs (huskies), trying to teach them to howl at the moon. But he certainly had no tolerance for anyone else's dogs (or kids) making any noise around him.

So, honestly, that is what I think happened to Mabel. Watching that show, I just thought one of her neighbors was a sick bastard like my own father and did this to "teach her a lesson" (as my father would have said). Ugh! :mad: I'm so sorry my own father was a sick human being like that, and I'm so sorry there are other sick people like that in the world. Mabel never deserved to be treated like that at all!!!! :(

I just watched this episode again and then found this discussion. I absolutely believe it was a neighbor. As others have pointed out, noise (especially from 100+ dogs) travels much further in the country, and also some of the neighbors may have used the surrounding woods for hunting and other activities and felt that the noise intruded on them.

I initially thought the same, but her closest neighbors were over a mile away. Plus, to my knowledge, no incidents occurred after the fire. IMO, a neighbor annoyed by the dogs would've continued harassment since she built a new kennel after the fire.

Was it ever said if any neighbors moved shortly after the fire?

I just watched this episode again and then found this discussion. I absolutely believe it was a neighbor. As others have pointed out, noise (especially from 100+ dogs) travels much further in the country, and also some of the neighbors may have used the surrounding woods for hunting and other activities and felt that the noise intruded on them.

There are some sick people in the world who would do things like this. Let me share a story... I grew up in the country and my father was a very sick and evil man. Our nearest neighbors were a quarter mile away. Still, my father sometimes had disagreements with them or harbored anger towards them for making noise or doing other things that triggered him. My father would retaliate in disgusting ways. For example, he would collect his poop in a bag during the day and then wait until nighttime after everyone had gone to bed. He would sneak out and dump the poop on a neighbor's front porch, in front of the door, where they might step in it on their way out of the house. Of course my mother knew this was going on, but she was terrified of my father and would never have told anyone what was going on. My sister and I were just little kids, and my mother always told us, "Never talk to anyone about your father's problems or about anything that goes on in this house."

I'm just saying that not everyone who lives in the country is there because they are good country folks. Some people (like my father) choose to live in the country because they hate people and want to get as far away from people as they can. My father had no social skills and did not know how to resolve differences with people through any other ways besides terrorizing them and taking revenge on them. So, personally, I feel that the person who terrorized Mabel was probably a sick bastard like my father who lived in the country and hated the noise of the dogs, and whose wife and family were also afraid of him and would never speak up about what they knew. Also, my father had two dogs who he loved (more than the people in his family, in fact). But that didn't mean he wanted to hear anyone else's dogs barking. Sick bastards can be like that. He would go outside and howl along with his dogs (huskies), trying to teach them to howl at the moon. But he certainly had no tolerance for anyone else's dogs (or kids) making any noise around him.

So, honestly, that is what I think happened to Mabel. Watching that show, I just thought one of her neighbors was a sick bastard like my own father and did this to "teach her a lesson" (as my father would have said). Ugh! :mad: I'm so sorry my own father was a sick human being like that, and I'm so sorry there are other sick people like that in the world. Mabel never deserved to be treated like that at all!!!! :(
that's some good ensight. I think the neighbor situation is possible. it would be very risky for a neighbor to set the fire. I wonder if the neighbors were questioned or investigated at all. Certainly possible though. With neighbors there are all kinds of possibilities from property value, to personal conflict, and even downright boredom or just sick people like you said. Another issue in the country is dog roaming. If her dogs ever got loose and caused problems that could be an issue. It's hard to know with this case unless there are key clues that were left out of the segment. It really could have been anyone that knew her or of her. Animal activists or someone with invested business that was being impacted...especially in small towns/rural areas.

I have a lot of family who grew up living in the country. it is a great lifestyle in my opinion and the overwhelming majority of people you encounter are great people and are very friendly even to strangers. but there are some people that do not relate well to others and the more they are isolated the more extreme they can be. My aunt had a neighbor that told her ex-husband that he would shoot someone if they came too close to his property line. A frank casteel type if you will. This guy would get drunk outside with his gun(by himself) and he would shoot late at night when you could not see anything. I always thought he was just talking a big game and just blowing off steam. but come to find out he was a convicted felon and made good on shooting at someone who was walking by his house on the main road. he got arrested for it and lost his property.

As others have pointed out, noise (especially from 100+ dogs) travels much further in the country, and also some of the neighbors may have used the surrounding woods for hunting and other activities and felt that the noise intruded on them.


Agreed. It might not have been the neighbors who lived closest to her but someone who owned surrounding property and allowed non-residents onto it. Whoever it was, someone was keeping tabs on Mabel's property, but the investigation and media attention after the arson might have scared them off.

My aunt had a neighbor that told her ex-husband that he would shoot someone if they came too close to his property line. A frank casteel type if you will. This guy would get drunk outside with his gun(by himself) and he would shoot late at night when you could not see anything.

I could see a Frank Casteel or Omar arsonist type doing this.

Definitely a neighbor.

It reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine got Kramer to help her kidnap her neighbor's dog who kept keeping her up at night.

Like that x 1000.

I'm surprised no one has suggested she made it up for attention.

I'm surprised no one has suggested she made it up for attention.
Yeah, that's happened from time to time here. Just take a look at the Wackers thread (BTW, I don't think they made all those incidents up).

Mabel came across as a very sincere woman who loved her dogs and just wanted to take care of them. It appears someone out there, perhaps a neighbor or a hunter familiar with the area, felt her sanctuary was disruptive and sadly chose the most heinous way of dealing with what they felt was her encroaching their countryside and/or lifestyle. I don't buy the cult angle or the rabid animal activist, because of the "quiet or die" sign and continued threats. It had to have been someone living in the area.

I'm surprised no one has suggested she made it up for attention.

There's a difference between a mistaken eye witness, and a case like The Wackers vs. killing a bunch of dogs.

I get the goofy cases like The Wackers, or the Magic Rock for attention, but would she kill a bunch of dogs for attention? Two extremes.

Agreed. It might not have been the neighbors who lived closest to her but someone who owned surrounding property and allowed non-residents onto it. Whoever it was, someone was keeping tabs on Mabel's property, but the investigation and media attention after the arson might have scared them off.



I could see a Frank Casteel or Omar arsonist type doing this.

+1

I am thinking that she may have rubbed someone the wrong way when she was in town. Maybe, she was one of those do-gooders (now we call them animal rights activists) that would stop at people's home's to inform them that they were unfit dog owners due to lack of water or food. Maybe, she would threaten to relocate them to her rescue kennel. That might motivate people to harass her.

I am thinking that she may have rubbed someone the wrong way when she was in town. Maybe, she was one of those do-gooders (now we call them animal rights activists) that would stop at people's home's to inform them that they were unfit dog owners due to lack of water or food. Maybe, she would threaten to relocate them to her rescue kennel. That might motivate people to harass her.
I do wonder if that were the case why would it not be mentioned by L.E.... in small towns people talk and gossip(ugh :rolleyes:) but seriously that may have been widely known if that were the case. in the segment they made more of an effort to mention the locals loving their dogs...even joked about it as moreso than loving their spouses. With that many dogs on her property... she had to be known in the nearby community. There are a number varieties in play. I tend to think it was a random act of violence by someone who was just looking to have a go at some dogs for no reason at all.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93452628/mabel-marie-wood
this says she died on July 4th 2012

Just saw the UM episode with this case, which is still Unsolved (and will probably never be solved at this point). Sad that so many dogs were killed in the fire.

I haven't read all of the responses in this thread, but as other have said I strongly suspect a neighbor/neighbors of having done this. Apparently Mabel was living far from other people, but the noise of the dogs could easily have carried over a distance - especially since there were so many of them. The "Quiet or Die" sign is the dead give-away that it was either someone who was bothered by the dogs barking, or else someone who wanted to make the crime look like it was done for that reason.

The dogs were probably barking all day & night. I live in the city & if even one neighbor's dog barks a lot, that can be very disruptive. Imagine this with 50-60 dogs continuously barking; the noise would be exponentially worse/louder. I'm not excusing this horrific crime whatsoever - just trying to show that whoever did this was probably bothered by the noise.

That being said, it's also possible that the kennel was burned because:

-Someone wanted Mabel to move so they could buy/have access to her property.

-A sick, malicious person/persons wanted to kill the dogs/burn the kennel just because they could.

-A person/persons who had a bone to pick with Mabel due to a past encounter/slight/etc.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93452628/mabel-marie-wood
this says she died on July 4th 2012

Unintentional comedy - someone uploaded a shot of her from UM to that memorial site. Also can't help myself ... what the hale!

In retrospect I still find it hard to believe this was never solved. I think this is one of those cases where the local authorities and probably the local people had a good idea who did this and just couldn't prove it.

I mean really, how many people could have done this? Mabel Woods lived out in the middle of nowhere, it had to be a nearby neighbor. The chances of some sophisticated sadistic criminal from parts unknown going out in the middle of nowhere and burning up a harmless old lady's dogs is laughably unlikely. How many people could have even known she was out there?

I can't imagine that whoever did this was a nice guy in his everyday life either. No one heartless enough to do a stupid, evil, and pointless crime like this is going to be Mr Rogers to people in his daily life. You are looking for the local bully and butt wipe who threatens people off his property with a shotgun or something of that nature, kind of like a Frank Casteel. This is not a sophisticated criminal, its just a foul tempered and heartless creep with probably something like sly animal cunning more than anything.

Only thing I can figure is there must have been two or three people around who fit that description. Otherwise this would have been solved. I would say the neighbors they interviewed who said they didn't know MAbel was nearby were probably just lying, at least one of them anyway.

Random thought that I had when I rewatched this one for the first time in a long time: what if the person/s who did this were hunters, and were used to hunting regularly near her property, and the barking from the dogs disrupted that? The forty pounds of nails seems to be a big clue as to who was responsible. Who would have access to that many nails? And how would this person be able to spread out forty pounds of nails throughout her driveway without being noticed? IMO, this person was very familiar with Mabel's comings and goings, which fits in with the disgruntled neighbor theory.

Random thought that I had when I rewatched this one for the first time in a long time: what if the person/s who did this were hunters, and were used to hunting regularly near her property, and the barking from the dogs disrupted that? The forty pounds of nails seems to be a big clue as to who was responsible. Who would have access to that many nails? And how would this person be able to spread out forty pounds of nails throughout her driveway without being noticed? IMO, this person was very familiar with Mabel's comings and goings, which fits in with the disgruntled neighbor theory.

Obtaining 40lbs of nails isn't as unusual or as difficult as you would think. My parents are remodeling their home and my dad has at least two 30lb buckets of nails at their house. I assume 40lb buckets can also be bought.
Any ham-and-egger (thanks, Bobby Heenan) can buy them in large quantities like that (they generally come in square plastic containers with a flip lid). They could have easily been ordered through a hardware store. Spreading them without detection is a different matter. Since they were spread out, it is unlikely the bucket was just dumped. I suppose somebody could have tossed the nails as one would toss water out of a bucket. Since the nails are dense they still wouldn't spread very easily. Spreading them by taking out handfuls of nails would be time consuming, not to mention painful unless one was wearing heavy gloves (I know from experience that reaching into a bucket of nails isn't pleasant. It is also unlikely to grab a large handful without jabbing yourself in the hand). I am also in agreement that the perpetrator would have to be familiar with Mabel's schedule.

On a lighter note (this is a sad case, though), the officer interviewed in this case cracks me up. His line about people being more likely to shoot you for hurting their dog than their spouse is classic. The fact that he says it in such a serious tone makes it a UM classic.

Yeah, that's happened from time to time here. Just take a look at the Wackers thread (BTW, I don't think they made all those incidents up).

Mabel came across as a very sincere woman who loved her dogs and just wanted to take care of them. It appears someone out there, perhaps a neighbor or a hunter familiar with the area, felt her sanctuary was disruptive and sadly chose the most heinous way of dealing with what they felt was her encroaching their countryside and/or lifestyle. I don't buy the cult angle or the rabid animal activist, because of the "quiet or die" sign and continued threats. It had to have been someone living in the area.

You know, I just re-watched this case for the first time in forever, and this was my immediate impression. This quite simply SHOULD have been solved - but wasn't. A pattern of harassment that no one ever saw, somehow.

I don't know, I would take a look at her. I mean, at this point it is all moot (she is passed and so has the statute of limitations), but it's just too weird they couldn't identify the perpetrator. She lived in the middle of nowhere. Limited suspect pool. Somehow no solution and no one ever saw anything.

Just saw the UM episode with this case, which is still Unsolved (and will probably never be solved at this point). Sad that so many dogs were killed in the fire.

I haven't read all of the responses in this thread, but as other have said I strongly suspect a neighbor/neighbors of having done this. Apparently Mabel was living far from other people, but the noise of the dogs could easily have carried over a distance - especially since there were so many of them. The "Quiet or Die" sign is the dead give-away that it was either someone who was bothered by the dogs barking, or else someone who wanted to make the crime look like it was done for that reason.

The dogs were probably barking all day & night. I live in the city & if even one neighbor's dog barks a lot, that can be very disruptive. Imagine this with 50-60 dogs continuously barking; the noise would be exponentially worse/louder. I'm not excusing this horrific crime whatsoever - just trying to show that whoever did this was probably bothered by the noise.

That being said, it's also possible that the kennel was burned because:

-Someone wanted Mabel to move so they could buy/have access to her property.

-A sick, malicious person/persons wanted to kill the dogs/burn the kennel just because they could.

-A person/persons who had a bone to pick with Mabel due to a past encounter/slight/etc.

UM said in the segment that the closest neighbor lived a mile (or farther) away? it seems far away, but at night time or other quiet times, sound can travel a very far distance, enough to still be disruptive.

I've been re-watching UM episodes and this is one that stuck with me.

I agree with most here that it had to be someone close to the kennel that was disturbed by the barking. They said she was far away from neighbors but also mentioned a neighbor called in the fire (before them, which is very odd) and the fire set off alarms in her neighbors home (once again odd if she was so far away). This leads me to believe, she was close enough to the public that the barking could be heard.

I tend to feel a neighbor hired a contract killer to do these jobs.

UM said in the segment that the closest neighbor lived a mile (or farther) away? it seems far away, but at night time or other quiet times, sound can travel a very far distance, enough to still be disruptive.

But then they said a neighbor called in the fire before she did due to alarms going off in the neighbors home.

I find it very odd a neighbor called in the fire to the police before Mabel or her assistant, especially if she was so far away.

How sensitive is that alarm to go off from a fire from a mile away?

I can’t believe I completely forgot about this case. I feel so bummed that the sadistic b****** has never been caught for the terror they inflicted on Mabel. I definitely believe a neighbor was behind this.

Animal murderers deserve a special place in hell. I can’t help but think about how terrified those dogs must have been, unable to escape their cages as they were burned alive.

Pure evil.

I’m thankful to be a vegan. My lifestyle is cruelty-free.

I've always wondered why whoever did this stopped after the kennel fire. She rebuilt the kennel within months of the fire. If the person who did this was so bothered by the sound of dogs barking, why stop? That's why I think they were some local teens who did this.

A very disturbing suggestion but needs to be asked.

Is it possible that the fire was accidental or even deliberately set by Mabel?

I know that it's absurd to think that an animal lover would do such a thing but look at other unsolved cases- Wackers come to mind.

Anyone can spray paint threatening messages on their own property, mail themselves nasty letters and throw nails in their own driveway.

It's crazy to suggest that she would do this, but didn't she kennel around 100 or more dogs? I don't think that's normal. There's not enough time to adequately spend "quality" time with every animal in my opinion.

I think some people enjoy the recognition of being a hero, perhaps similar to the Münchausen Syndrome. Perhaps she needed people to know that she rescued unwanted pets.

A very disturbing suggestion but needs to be asked.

Is it possible that the fire was accidental or even deliberately set by Mabel?

I know that it's absurd to think that an animal lover would do such a thing but look at other unsolved cases- Wackers come to mind.

Anyone can spray paint threatening messages on their own property, mail themselves nasty letters and throw nails in their own driveway.

It's crazy to suggest that she would do this, but didn't she kennel around 100 or more dogs? I don't think that's normal. There's not enough time to adequately spend "quality" time with every animal in my opinion.

I think some people enjoy the recognition of being a hero, perhaps similar to the Münchausen Syndrome. Perhaps she needed people to know that she rescued unwanted pets.

Mabel ran a dog adoption agency, so the 100 dogs weren't her pets per se, but were waiting to be adopted.

I don't understand why'd she do this to her dogs, just to turn around and buy another kennel with more dogs.

Also don't understand how this fire could be an accident, because a few dogs were shot before the fire

I personally think whoever did this wanted her land. She had a 110 acre farm with a lake. I think someone wanted her farm and tried to scare her off so they could get it

A very disturbing suggestion but needs to be asked.

Is it possible that the fire was accidental or even deliberately set by Mabel?

I know that it's absurd to think that an animal lover would do such a thing but look at other unsolved cases- Wackers come to mind.

Anyone can spray paint threatening messages on their own property, mail themselves nasty letters and throw nails in their own driveway.

It's crazy to suggest that she would do this, but didn't she kennel around 100 or more dogs? I don't think that's normal. There's not enough time to adequately spend "quality" time with every animal in my opinion.

I think some people enjoy the recognition of being a hero, perhaps similar to the Münchausen Syndrome. Perhaps she needed people to know that she rescued unwanted pets.

The officer in the segment said that they patrolled her house very often after the first fire, so it's a possibility that whoever was doing this saw the cops and got deterred

I've always wondered why whoever did this stopped after the kennel fire. She rebuilt the kennel within months of the fire. If the person who did this was so bothered by the sound of dogs barking, why stop? That's why I think they were some local teens who did this.

Likely security was improved at the site-there was a further attack in 1994 though. Unsolved. In October 1994, Mabel's dogs were targeted once again. One was shot dead, while another was beaten. A third one was missing; it is not known if it was ever found. It is also not known if these incidents were related to the previous fire or shooting.

As others have suggested, the noise from her kennel must have been louder than Mabel would be willing to admit. I think it must have been an adjoining property owner that was fed up with the yapping- if anyone has ever visited their local animal shelter- it is very loud with every dog barking over each other.

I think Mabel may have let a dog or two roam free. That may have caused the dog(s) to be shot- I don't condone hurting animals by any means.

Likely security was improved at the site-there was a further attack in 1994 though. Unsolved. In October 1994, Mabel's dogs were targeted once again. One was shot dead, while another was beaten. A third one was missing; it is not known if it was ever found. It is also not known if these incidents were related to the previous fire or shooting.

I find this very odd. I do not think Mabel is guilty of anything, but something is off. In the first kennel fire it was so intense that it set off her neighbors fire alarm from a mile away, but Mabel didn't notice anything until her helper knocked on her door.

After the first kennel fire she had the kennel connected to her house with a tall brick wall surrounding it. So I wonder how did someone manage to get over the wall and shoot and beat her dogs without her noticing?

I find this very odd. I do not think Mabel is guilty of anything, but something is off. In the first kennel fire it was so intense that it set off her neighbors fire alarm from a mile away, but Mabel didn't notice anything until her helper knocked on her door.

After the first kennel fire she had the kennel connected to her house with a tall brick wall surrounding it. So I wonder how did someone manage to get over the wall and shoot and beat her dogs without her noticing?

Well that might be explained by prevailing wind. It could have carried the smoke to the neighbor and away from her place. If I recall the segment it was late when the fire happened, she might have been asleep with the drapes closed and not noticed.