EP. 151: MEXICO - The SATANIC CULT MURDER Of Mark Kilroy
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Warning. The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

Hello everyone, it's Courtney here. And if you haven't already noticed by the title, this episode is actually the first of a brand new series we are doing called Murdered Americans. As you already know by now, Murder in America covers cases of people murdered on US soil.

But we've decided to change it up a little bit and do a series covering the cases of Americans who have been murdered internationally. And the first case we have for you is one that has haunted us for years. It's about a young man who went to college at the University of Texas, where Colin and I actually met.

The young man's name was Mark Kilroy. And in March of 1989, Mark was really looking forward to spring break. Midterms had finally come to an end and all of the students on campus were ready to set their textbooks aside, forget all of their schoolwork and embrace a world of relaxation and adventure. 21 year old Mark decided that he and his friends were going to spend the week in South Padre Island.

a popular border town in South Texas. And something they were really looking forward to was crossing over the border at night and visiting all of the bars along the main strip in Matamoros, Mexico. It was supposed to be a week filled with fun, girls, drinking, and laying out in the sun.

But sadly, Mark's trip into the cartel-controlled border town in Mexico would be anything but fun and relaxation. In fact, it would quickly turn into anyone's worst nightmare. So this is the story of Mark Hilroy's abduction, torture, and murder. I'm Courtney Browen. And I'm Colin Browen. And you're listening to our new series called Murdered Americans.

Mark James Kilroy was born in Cook County, Illinois on March 5th, 1968. His parents, Jim and Helen, grew up in the bustling metropolis of Chicago, and both were Catholics.

The two would meet in 1963 and they'd date for the next three and a half years until they decided to tie the knot in 1967. At the time, Jim was just finishing up his chemical engineering degree at the University of Illinois. And shortly after he graduated, Helen would give birth to their first child, a son they named Mark.

Mark brought so much joy into their lives, and about two years later, their family would be complete with the birth of their second son, whom they named Keith. But with too little mouths to feed, Jim decided to take a leap of faith and start a job at a new company called UOP as a technical advisor.

The job paid well, but the only problem was that he constantly had to travel to New Mexico and Texas, which meant more time away from his family. But Helen did a great job at staying home and taking care of the boys. And on the side, she volunteered at public schools to help children with their reading and math.

Now, early on in Jim's career, Helen and the kids would sometimes travel with him, but once the boys started school, this became more difficult. So eventually, in 1974, they made the decision to move their family from Cook County to Santa Fe, Texas. The boys were still young, so the move went pretty smoothly, and they all settled into a modest brick home on five acres of land.

Mark and Keith actually loved their life in Texas. Living on land, the boys spent a lot of time outside in the country. Their father also purchased cows, chickens, and goats, and he even planted a large garden for them to enjoy. And while Mark and Keith started public school, their mother, Helen, got involved within their community by volunteering as a paramedic and teaching religious education classes at their family's church.

called Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in nearby Hitchcock. The Kilroys were a good Catholic family who regularly attended Mass, and they even helped foster young children from Catholic charities. They were good people with big hearts and strong work ethics. Both of the Kilroy sons did excellent in school,

From an early age, Jim and Helen knew that their oldest son, Mark, would go on to do great things. He had always been a go-getter who took his education very seriously, and he never got into any trouble. As Mark made his way through school, he ended up being an honor student at Santa Fe High School. People who knew him there said that he was very friendly and never met a stranger.

Mark was the kind of person where you could put him in front of anyone, and he had no problem carrying on a conversation and making that person feel comfortable. He was popular, handsome, and a good kid. He was also very involved in his school's athletics, playing baseball, basketball, and golf, and all of his coaches had nothing but great things to say about him.

By the time Mark graduated in 1986, he was top of his class, ranked 14th out of all 210 students.

After graduation, he decided to enroll at Southwest Texas State University. He only went there for one semester, but he really prioritized his studies and ended up making the Dean's List. But following that semester, Mark actually received an academic scholarship to Tarleton State University, and he was offered a spot on their basketball team. So he transferred over and would go to school there for the next two years. Mark enjoyed his time at Tarleton State. He made a lot of friends and even joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

but towards the end of this second year, he wanted to leave athletics behind and start focusing more on his future. Mark was very smart, and it's at around this time when he decided he wanted to go into pre-med. He even applied to transfer to one of the best schools in Texas, the University of Texas. And to his excitement, he was accepted. In the summer of 1987, Mark packed up all of his things and made his way to Austin for the fall semester.

he didn't really know a lot of people in austin but that didn't matter to him he made friends easily and austin is arguably one of the coolest cities to live in in your early 20s courtney and i can both attest to that because that's where we met and fell in love so anyways mark was excited for the journey ahead at september he started his pre-med classes and he ended up having a successful semester

Mark's parents, Jim and Helen, couldn't have been more proud of him. He was a clean-cut, blonde, and handsome young man with a bright future. And now that their boys were older, both of them had really good heads on their shoulders. Mark was at a prestigious university, and Keith was also in college. He was living at home at the time, but he worked when he wasn't in class so he could save up money. And the Kilroys were very happy with the direction their sons' lives were going.

After the Christmas break of 1988, Mark made his way to Austin for the spring semester. With one successful semester at UT under his belt, he felt like he had finally got the hang of things, and he even made some friends along the way. But like always, once the semester started, Mark hit the ground running.

After syllabus week, his pre-med classes intensified. And before he knew it, he was spending hours upon hours in the library studying. And if you've ever gone to college, you know that the two most stressful times of the semester are midterms and finals. Midterms occur about halfway through the semester, and they're basically these big exams in each of your classes to make sure you're understanding all of the material.

And for the University of Texas, midterms take place right before spring break in early March.

So around that time, everyone on campus is filling the libraries and staying up late cramming for exams. They are running on too much coffee and too little sleep. But one by one, you finally get through all of your midterms. And by the end of that week, you're exhausted. But the one thing everyone is looking forward to is spring break.

A whole week of no school, no homework, just relaxation and fun. For most students, they get their friends together and plan a trip.

which is exactly the case for Mark Kilroy. Ever since the semester started, he and his best friends from high school had been planning the perfect spring break getaway, a trip to South Padre Island. Now, South Padre is a very popular spring break destination on the southern coast of Texas.

and it's right near the border of Mexico. Many people who stay in South Padre will usually cross over the border, experience the nightlife of Mexico, and then once the night is over, they will walk back over to South Padre. So you really do get the best of both worlds. The island is also very popular for young adults, especially if you aren't 21.

As you know, if you want to drink in the US, you have to be 21 years old. But in Mexico, you only have to be 18. So many underage college kids like to go there because all you have to do is cross over the border and you're free to legally drink as much as you want. So when Mark and friends started planning a trip, South Padre sounded like the best place to go. It's beautiful, cheap, and there's a lot to do.

Even further, not everyone in the group was 21, so they knew they could just cross the border and have fun without having to worry about getting denied from bars or, worse, arrested. So, on Friday, March 10th, Mark's friend, 20-year-old Bradley Moore, drove from Texas A&M to Austin to meet him. He ended up arriving at Mark's apartment at around 2 p.m., and from there, they made their way to Mark's parents' house in Santa Fe.

All of the boys that were going on this trip were from Santa Fe, so they all planned to meet up in their hometown and then take off on their adventure. Later that night, Mark and Bradley would meet up with their other two friends from high school, 20-year-old Brent Martin and 21-year-old Billy Huddleston. The four boys had been friends since grade school. They all met through their love of sports and over the years, despite parting ways and living in different cities, they all maintained a close friendship.

Now, at around 7.30 p.m., Mark had his mom, Helen, wash some clothes for him before his trip, which she was more than happy to do. Helen absolutely loved when her family was all together in one room, which was rare these days now that Mark was off at college. So that night, she couldn't help but smile as they all sat around the dinner table.

Keith talked to his brother about his new red sports car, and Jem planned a golf day for him and the boys when Mark returned that following Wednesday. While the family chatted at the table and caught up on their lives, Helen brought out a cheesecake with a single candle to celebrate Mark's 21st birthday that had been five days earlier. All was right in the world.

But unbeknownst to everyone, this would be the very last time the Kilroy family would all be together. And no one could have ever prepared for the nightmare that was in front of them. But for now, they enjoyed their time together, completely unaware of the impending tragedy ahead.

Hours later, it was nearing midnight, and the boys started gathering their stuff to take off on their trip. Helen insisted that they spend the night and leave early that next morning, but they were eager to get on the road. So, with that, Mark loaded up the car, hugged his parents goodbye, and walked out of his family home for the very last time.

Once they left, Mark, Bradley, and Brent stopped by Billy's house to pick him up, and from there, they took off for South Padre Island. Along the way, Mark and Billy slept in the back seat, while Brent and Bradley drove through the night. The weather that day was pretty bad, with a dense fog that reduced visibility. So, they took their time driving, ensuring that they got there safely. They ended up arriving at South Padre Island right as the sun peaked over the horizon.

And even though it was early in the morning, the beach was already filled with young partygoers. The boys were tired, but they were so excited to get out there and start having fun. So they quickly checked into the Sheraton Hotel. After putting their things away, each of the boys took a quick shower, put their swimsuits on, and eagerly made their way out to the beach. As Mark stepped foot onto the white sand beach, he felt a sense of relaxation wash over him.

The water was beautiful. Although the hot sun was beating down, there was a slight breeze, making it the perfect weather for laying out. There were also hundreds of beautiful women all around and young adults all throughout the beach drinking beer, playing volleyball, and having a good time.

Mark and his friends quickly found themselves drawn to the Miss Tanline competition, where every day beautiful women would be judged on who had the best tanline. Now after a few hours of hanging out on the beach, the boys decided to browse some local shops, hang out at their hotel's pool, and then eat some dinner. By the time their festivities ended, they were exhausted.

That's what a fun day at South Padre Island will do to you. But as they made their way back to their hotel, they would end up running into a group of girls that had come down from Purdue University, and they happened to be staying in the room right next to theirs. So even though the boys were tired, they pushed through, and they ended up partying with the girls into the early morning hours of March 12th.

Mark, Brent, Bradley, and Billy ended up sleeping in that next day, which was much needed. But by the time they woke up, they were refreshed and ready to hit the beach once again. And like the previous day, they found themselves front and center at the Daily Miss Tanline competition. After that, they laid out on the beach and grabbed a quick lunch. Now, at this point, some of the boys decided to go back to the room to take a quick power nap, in preparation for the night ahead.

You see, later that night they planned to cross the border into Matamoros, Mexico. Matamoros was known for its exciting nightlife, cheap alcohol, and an abundance of restaurants, shops, and bars off the main street.

It was also legal for 18-year-olds to drink there, so 20-year-old Brent and Bradley would have no problem getting into the local bars. So after their naps, the guys stopped by a Sonic to get some dinner, and while they were there, they met a group of girls from the University of Kansas, who also planned to cross the border into Matamoros that night. So after they ate, the boys piled into Brent's Oldsmobile, and they drove 24 miles into Brownsville with the girls following close behind. Their

Their plan was to park their cars on the US border and then walk over the international bridge into Mexico. Now, as they walked over, there were hundreds of other spring breakers doing the exact thing. And as soon as they stepped foot into Mexico, they knew they were about to have the time of their life.

Every single bar along the main street was absolutely filled with people. Mark and his friends, along with the group of girls they met, decided to stop into a bar called Sergeant Pepper's. And they'd stay there for hours, drinking, dancing to music, meeting new people, and having an absolute blast. But at 2 a.m., sadly for them, the bar closed and the group, along with all the other partygoers, made their way back over the bridge into America.

The following day, Monday, March 13th, the guys woke up and got ready for another beautiful day on the island. And as they stood on their balcony at the hotel, they could already see hundreds of people flocking to the beach.

So like clockwork, they made their way out to watch the Daily Missed Handline competition. This time, Mark even struck up a conversation with one of the contestants, a beautiful young woman from Southwest Texas State University. After that, the guy spent some time on the beach, where Mark ran into a couple of friends of his from his old fraternity at Tarleton State.

It was exciting to catch up with them and they even invited Mark and his friends to a party at their condo later that night. So after the beach, the guys went back to their hotel, got ready, and then took off once again for a fun night. The group visited the condo party for about an hour before they ultimately decided to go back into Mexico to hang out at the bars.

It was around 10:30 p.m. when the guys crossed over the bridge. And believe it or not, the main strip was even busier than it was the night before. In fact, there were about 15,000 spring breakers filling the streets. Mark, Brent, Bradley, and Billy walked along the crowded sidewalk in search of the bar with the shortest line, which happened to be this bar called Los Sombreros, with bright neon lights and loud music.

Unbeknownst to the tourists in the area, Los Sombreros was one of the shadier bars along the strip, and it was a known hangout spot for cartel members. In fact, the year prior, in 1988, there had been a shootout at the bar involving the son of a local nightclub owner and a gang member. Now, the locals all knew to steer clear of this bar, but many of the tourists had no idea of the dangers and violence that lurked just nearby, under the shadows. Maybe if they'd known, they would have kept their distance.

But to Mark and his friends, it looked harmless. After all, how can such a fun looking atmosphere with bright lights, drinks, music, and dancing be dangerous, especially with all these people around? So completely unaware of the dangers around them, the boys spent the night living in the moment and having fun. - Inside the bar, Mark's easy and friendly going personality eventually got the attention of a group of girls. And one of the girls thought he was very attractive.

The two ended up flirting and dancing together for a while. But after a few hours, the group decided to change things up a little bit and go to another bar. Once they stepped outside, there was a large crowd of people walking away from the main strip and going even deeper into the city of Matamoros. So the boys decided to follow suit. Along the way, they passed a lively bar called the London Pub.

which looked a lot like if the Hard Cafe was a club. So the group went inside and ordered some drinks. From there, Mark and Billy continued to dance with the girls they met. By now, it was well past midnight and most of the people there had been drinking for hours.

Like the last bar, there was a lot of loud music and dancing as well. So all of the people on the dance floor were pretty drunk. And you know that feeling when you're out at a bar, it's super late, everyone has been over served and is getting rowdy, and you're just ready to call it a night? Well, that's how Brent and Bradley were feeling. While Mark and Billy were still on the dance floor having the time of their lives, Brent and Bradley were getting tired.

The last couple of days had been filled with drinking and partying and it had started to take its toll. So they finished up their beers and let Mark and Billy know that they were ready to leave soon. Not long after, the group would pay their tab and make their way outside. As they stumbled out of the bar, Mark continued talking to the girl he had met that night while his friends walked closely ahead.

Now, eventually, the girl's friends caught up with her. And from there, she and Mark split ways, and he started walking with his friends back to the International Bridge, which was right up ahead. Now, like we mentioned, Brent and Bradley were ready to go back. So they kind of walked ahead while Mark and Billy dragged behind.

And it's at this point when all of the beers caught up to Billy. He desperately needed to use the restroom and he couldn't hold it anymore. So Mark decided to wait with him as Billy stepped into the darkness behind some bushes. Meanwhile, the large crowd continued towards the bridge. Soon enough, Mark and Billy were all alone on the streets of Mexico. And at one point, while Billy was relieving himself,

He looked up to see Mark off in the distance, talking to someone in a truck. Now, Mark never met a stranger, so Billy wasn't at all concerned. But once he finished using the restroom and emerged from the bush, Mark was nowhere to be seen. However, he wasn't freaking out just yet.

Surely Mark just ran up ahead with Brent and Bradley. So Billy quickly runs towards the bridge, catching up with his friends. But to his surprise, they hadn't seen Mark either.

From there, the guys walked over to Brownsville, thinking maybe somehow Mark got ahead of them. They waited around for a while, scanning the crowd, but they didn't see him. And it's here where they start going through all of the possibilities of where he could be. Maybe he met back up with that girl he had met.

Maybe they stopped at another bar. So the guys end up going back into Matamoros to look for him. They even retrace their steps from that night, going to all the bars they visited. But still, no one could find him. And as each minute passes, they're growing more and more worried. It wasn't like Mark to just leave and not tell anyone where he was going.

The boys even looked in nearby restrooms to see if maybe Mark got sick. But again, no luck. The guys ended up finding a student from Texas A&M who knew the area well. And he offered to drive the group up and down the streets of Matamoros to search for their friend. And they did, but there was still no sign of him. By now, it was close to 4 a.m. And the once crowded drag was now abandoned and empty.

The boys were definitely worried, but surely there was an explanation to all of this. Maybe Mark already got a ride back to South Padre Island and was waiting for them at the hotel. So not knowing what else to do, they made their way back over the border into the United States and anxiously drove back to the Sheraton Hotel.

By the time they stepped into their room, it was about 5 a.m. and Mark wasn't there. So Billy, Brent, and Bradley lay down in the bed and they tried their best to go to sleep. Hopefully, Mark just went home with the girl and would be there when they woke up.

But hours later when they did, Mark's bed was empty and they knew at that moment that something was terribly wrong. Their friend, 21-year-old Mark Kilroy, had vanished into thin air in a foreign country and no one had seen a thing.

As soon as the guys woke up, they immediately made their way to the U.S. Embassy, where they spoke with Vice Counsel Mike O'Keefe. But after explaining the situation, Mike didn't seem to be that concerned. He even tried telling the boys that their friend had likely been arrested. He promised them he would call around to the local jails and hospitals. And once he got word on what happened, he'd get back in touch. But when Billy, Bradley, and Brent left the U.S. Embassy that day, they felt dejected.

They didn't buy this theory that Mark had been arrested. So they crossed back over into the US and contacted the Cameron County Police Department, who held jurisdiction in Brownsville. And the police there gave them a little more hope. They assured them that they had a great relationship with Mexican authorities, and they would try to get to the bottom of what happened to Mark. But that whole day, the guys felt sick to their stomachs. They were supposed to leave the following morning, and Mark still hadn't turned up.

So at around 10.30pm, they were forced to make the phone call that they had been dreading all along. A call to Mark's parents and

in Santa Fe. As you can imagine, they were devastated to hear that their son was missing. The boys told Jim and Helen that they had done everything in their power to report him missing, including going to the American Consulate in Matamoros and reporting it to the Cameron County Sheriff's Department. But it seemed like there wasn't any progress being made. It was obvious that there might be a power struggle between the Mexican and American authorities. So,

So immediately, Helen and Jim got to work doing everything they could to help find their son. - Now like the officials at the US embassy, Jim and Helen were also thinking that maybe Mark was just in a Mexican jail somewhere. And sadly, that was the best case scenario at this point. They also had to consider that Mark may have gotten mugged or even worse, crossed paths with someone in the cartel.

Now, luckily for them, Jim's brother Ken was an agent for US Customs. So he quickly stepped in to help. It was now 36 hours into Mark's disappearance and everyone was still holding onto hope that he was alive.

However, by that Thursday, March 16th, their hope was running thin. Not knowing what else to do, Jem Kilroy decided to drive to Matamoros to speak with the locals and pass out missing persons flyers, while Helen stayed back at home in Santa Fe, just in case Mark called. But it's around this time when the media caught wind of the American college student gone missing in Mexico.

And as you can imagine, the story was huge. Mark was this young, attractive, all-American college student who vanished while on spring break with his friends. And people everywhere were speculating on what they thought happened.

Most of the whispers were about the cartel. The constant media coverage really slowed down tourism in Matamoros, and eventually the businesses there began to suffer. Meanwhile, the Kilroys continued to pressure law enforcement on both sides of the border. But unfortunately, there were no leads on what happened to him. The Kilroys spent a lot of time driving to and from Mexico, trying to search for Mark.

And they even offered up a $15,000 reward for anyone who could provide information on his whereabouts. But sadly, days would turn into weeks and there was still no sign of Mark Kilroy.

Throughout the search, Border Patrol agents were instructed to fly their helicopters over the Rio Grande in hopes of finding a clue or even a body. U.S. Customs agents and Mexican police interviewed hundreds of people and even showed Mark's picture to anyone who had recently been arrested. However, no one had any answers, and the search for Mark Kilroy was extremely stressful due to the fact that two separate countries were involved.

As we know, Mark was staying in America at the time of his disappearance, but he went missing in Mexico. So the Kilroys ran into a lot of problems having to do with jurisdiction. But luckily for them, the media was keeping Mark's story alive. Huge media outlets like A Current Affair and John Walsh's TV show America's Most Wanted broadcasted the story.

But despite the extensive media coverage, it didn't seem to make a difference. The U.S. Customs Chief Oren Neck Jr. and Cameron County Chief Investigator George Govito were constantly met with dead ends, but they refused to give up. The Kilroys also enlisted the help of everyone they could, including Texas Congressman Lloyd Criss, State Attorney General Jim Maddox, and San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros.

But even with all of these eyes on their son's case, no one was coming forward with any information, so it felt like their hands were tied behind their back.

Desperate for leads, the investigators even suggested that they put Billy under hypnosis since he was the last person to see Mark alive. And Billy was so distraught over Mark's disappearance, he agrees. So US Customs agents brought Billy in and while he was under hypnosis, he started talking about the last image he had of Mark.

Like we mentioned, while he was peeing behind that bush, he looked up and saw Mark speaking to a man in a truck. And now he's saying that the mysterious man had a circular scar on his cheek. He also says that the man spoke to Mark in English, right outside of the restaurant called Garcia's. Now, although this isn't much, this is the most they've had to go on in weeks.

So immediately, investigators start looking through mugshots and police files to see if they can find anyone matching this description. But sadly, they were unsuccessful.

So from here, the American investigators decided to enlist the help of Juan Benitez Ayala, who worked for the Federal Police Force in Mexico. Now, unfortunately, a lot of Juan's colleagues were corrupt cops. In fact, the entire force was actually shut down in 2002 because it was so corrupt.

But Juan was a very honest man, unlike some of his colleagues. He actually assisted the US Customs and DEA prior to this, so the American investigators knew he could be trusted. In early April, they approached Juan and asked him to look into Mark's case, and he was happy to help.

However, nothing would come of it until Sunday, April 9th, 1989. That day, Juan and a few other federal officers had set up a drug roadblock on a desolate dirt road east of Matamoros on Highway 2. And this was pretty common. Officials would set these up so they could stop drug trafficking from the Rio Grande into the United States. And this day was just like any other.

It was a hot afternoon with the sun beating down. They were just a few hours into their shift and it had been a pretty slow day with rarely any traffic. But soon enough, there was an excited energy in the air when the investigators saw a silver Chevy pickup speeding in their direction. The man could tell that the driver had no intention of stopping.

And he didn't. The truck ended up blowing through their barricade, quickly speeding down the road. And moments later, the Mexican officials started following him.

And to their surprise, he ended up turning onto a narrow dirt road surrounded by cornfields, leading the police directly to a 100-acre ranch named Rancho Santa Elena. When the man stepped out of his truck, the police quickly surrounded. And it's here where they learned that he was 22-year-old Seraphine Hernandez-Garcia. They also searched his truck.

and found a 38 caliber pistol in a bag of marijuana. But now that they were on this property, the investigators wanted to search the ranch as well. They believed that it was the scene of a drug smuggling operation and they were right. Later that day, they got a search warrant for the property. And as they made their way through, they uncovered about 225 pounds of marijuana

180 grams of cocaine, fake police uniforms, and red flashing lights that were put in their cars to make it look like they were undercover police officers. So for the Mexican authorities, it was a pretty successful day. From there, they arrested four other men that were on the property. Their names were Elio Hernandez, Sergio Martinez Salinas,

David Serna Valdez and the ranch's caretaker, Domingo Reyes Bustamante. But what the investigators didn't know was that as they continued the raid of the property, they were about to uncover something far more sinister. In the back of the ranch was this storage shed. And when the investigators stepped inside, it was dark and there was a strange smell in the air.

The ground was littered with chili peppers, empty bottles of rum, smoked cigars, and burned candles. In the corner, there were ceramic replicas of Catholic saints, empty clay bowls, and black pots. To the average person, you wouldn't really think anything of it. It would just seem like your average messy shed. But when the Mexican investigators walked in, their eyes widened.

They were very familiar with what they had just walked into and they were afraid. It was clear to them that someone had been in this shed practicing black magic. When they took a closer look, there appeared to be blood spatter on the ground and sitting near a window was a bird's nest made from what looked like human hair.

Next to that was a severed goat's head and a machete that was caked with blood. This was not your average drug bust. In fact, they had just stepped foot into the Devil's Temple. And before they could even continue their search, Federal Agent Juan Benitez Ayala wanted to cleanse the property. He did not want to take his chances with black magic and all of the danger that came with it.

So he called in a shaman to walk through the building and cleanse the property of any evil spirits. And the authorities wouldn't even continue their search until the following day. Soon enough, word got around to American investigators that there was a huge drug bust on a ranch outside of Matamoros. So they quickly contacted Juan Benitez Ayala and asked if there was any way that any of the men arrested had a connection to Mark Kilroy.

So, Juan goes to the jail where the men were located, and he speaks to the ranch's caretaker, Domingo Reyes Bustamante. In a small room of the Mexican jail, Juan pulls out a picture of Mark Kilroy and slides it over to Domingo. "Was this man on your property?" he asks. Domingo looks at the picture, and after a few moments, he nods his head.

He went on to admit that some of the men in their gang brought Mark onto the property and bound him with duct tape.

And he said that on the morning of March 14th, he even made Mark some eggs, but that was the last he saw of him. So from here, Juan approaches one of the other men, Serafine, the one who was arrested after driving through their roadblock. He tells Serafine about Domingo's confession and how he confirmed Mark Hilroy was at their ranch. And from there, the floodgates open.

Over the next few hours, Serafine admitted to everything. As it turns out, Mark Kilroy had been murdered. And according to him, their leader, Aldolfo de Jesus Constanzo, participated in human sacrifices. Serafine told investigators that on the night of Mark's disappearance, Aldolfo had ordered his men to go out into the streets of Matamoros and kidnap a college student visiting for spring break.

And so they did. But before we walk you through exactly what happened to Mark Kilroy on the night he was abducted, we have to tell you about the life of the 26-year-old cult leader known as the Godfather of Matamoros.

Adolfo de Jesus Constanza was born on November 1, 1962 in Miami, Florida to a 15-year-old mother named Delia. Unfortunately, Adolfo's parents would divorce less than a year after his birth and from there, Delia would take her infant son to Puerto Rico.

Eventually, she would meet and marry a wealthy, successful businessman who gave her and Adolfo everything they needed in life. And Adolfo's new stepfather was Catholic, so shortly after they met, he was baptized into the Catholic faith and even spent a few years of his childhood as an altar boy.

According to author Clifford Lindaker in his book titled "Hell Ranch", throughout Adolfo's life, he was very fascinated with Catholicism. He liked the robes, candles, and the Latin phrases that were often repeated by the priests. However, his mother Delia was more interested in other religions. Behind her husband's back, Delia actually practiced Santeria, which is a religion that mixes West African Yoruba beliefs and Catholicism.

Santeria is known for its rituals, cleansing and healing, sometimes their animal sacrifices, and their offerings to deities. But there are branches of this religion that are considered darker, one being Palo Mayombe. According to Tata Reggie, a high priest of Palo Mayombe in Queens, New York, "Palo Mayombe is essentially the dark side of Santeria.

It's the most feared form of black magic. The difference between the two religions is Santeria uses forces of light, while practitioners of Palo Mayombe use the forces of darkness to achieve their goals." And before we get into everything, I do want to practice that Palo Mayombe is not necessarily a bad or evil religion.

Like with any spiritual practice, there are peaceful, loving people out there who practice the religion. And there are bad people. And on the other hand, there are bad people who practice it.

But Palo Mayombe originated in the African Congo, and it made its way to Cuba and Puerto Rico during the slave trade in the 1500s. People who practice Palo Mayombe are often referred to as Ningongaleros. Now sometimes, during their black magic rituals, they will sacrifice animals, usually chickens and goats, and they will put their skeletal remains inside of a cauldron called a Ningonga, and

And again, not all people who practice this religion sacrifice animals, but there are many people who do. And the sacrifices are supposed to please and nourish the spirits, so that they'll do what you want.

So usually, they will do a ritual with an animal sacrifice and the energy from that animal will feed the spirit and in turn the spirit will help you out with whatever you need, whether that be protection, healing, or even darker things like harming your enemies.

So, Adolfo's mother was very into these practices. So much so, she would often take Adolfo on trips to Haiti to secretly have him blessed by Haitian priests who practiced Palo Mayombe.

Delia thought her son was very special. He was different from other kids his age, so therefore he needed extra protection. So as you can see, Adolfo was exposed to this at a very young age, something that would have a lasting impact on the rest of his life. But by 1972, when he was just 10 years old, Adolfo's family would move back to Miami, and just one year later, his stepfather would die after a short battle with cancer.

Now, like we mentioned, his stepdad was a strict Catholic. So once he passed away, Dalia and Adolfo were now free to openly practice Palo Mayombe.

And eventually, Adolfo would even shadow a Haitian priest in town. It was during this time when Adolfo got to learn everything there was to know about animal sacrifices. And he loved it. His desire to please the spirits was strong. And by the time he was a teenager, he didn't want to just please them with animal sacrifices, but with human skeletal remains.

In the late 1970s, Oldofo and his mom would actually go to cemeteries at night and they would dig up human skeletal remains to use in their rituals. In their minds, human bones would feed the spirits way more than animal bones. So after robbing the graves, they would bring the bones back, put them in their cauldron, and then spend the night performing rituals so that the spirits would curse their enemies.

So as you can see, Delia didn't mind breaking the law. In addition to robbing graves with her teenage son, she had also been arrested numerous times for shoplifting, trespassing, check fraud, child neglect, and grand theft.

Although for most of the charges she got off on probation. And because she never had to face any strict consequences, Delia believed that Palo Mayombe was protecting her. In her mind, these rituals helped her escape prosecution, which only pushed her deeper into the religion. Delia was known to perform her rituals in rented properties around town.

And then when she was finished, she would leave the place vandalized with animal blood all over. Soon enough, Delia earned a reputation throughout town for being a witch and her son was following in her footsteps.

Like his mother, Aldolfo also spent his time doing black magic and getting involved in petty crime. By the 9th grade, he decided to drop out of school and get his GED. And it's around this time when Aldolfo realized he was bisexual. After dropping out, he frequented the gay bars around Miami, just enjoying his life being young and free. But eventually, he decided that he wanted to go to college.

Adolfo ended up enrolling at Miami Dade Community College where he wanted to study psychology, but it would be short-lived. In 1981, he was arrested for shoplifting for the second time, and after that, he dropped out of college completely. From there, he focused all of his attention on his religion, Palo Mayombe.

Now, his mom Delia really put him on a pedestal. She even said her son could predict the future. Delia claimed that Adolfo came up to her one day and prophesied that President Ronald Reagan would be shot and would ultimately survive his injuries. Then, when that actually happened, Delia went around telling everyone that her son had psychic abilities.

It's around this time when Delia found a new boyfriend. He also practiced Palomeombe and he was a local drug dealer. And one day he offered up some information to Adolfo that would stick with him forever. He said, quote, let the non-believers kill themselves with drugs and we will profit from their foolishness, end quote.

And that he would. But in the meantime, Adolfo spent his time doing black magic with his mom and cruising the Miami gay scene. He was very popular in the area. Adolfo was well-dressed, charismatic, and attractive.

He also spent a lot of time at the little Havana shops that would sell religious relics. Adolfo would help sell merchandise that customers could use during rituals. And he really made a name for himself. When customers would come in, he would do tarot readings. He would boast about his powers, telling everyone that he could summon spirits, cure illnesses, and even cast curses on people's enemies.

And after a while, he would profit from this. People from all over would come to these shops and pay Adolfo for his services. And it seemed to be working because they continued to come back. After a while, Adolfo started making a lot of money. And from that moment on, he was often seen driving sports cars, wearing expensive fur coats, and gold jewelry. He started living such a luxurious lifestyle.

He even caught the attention of local law enforcement. Now they assumed that he was involved in the local drug business. And it's very possible that he was, considering his mom's boyfriend was a known drug dealer. But once he started feeling the heat of law enforcement, Adolfo decided it was time for a change of scenery. And in 1983, he packed up all of his belongings and moved to Mexico City.

Well, in Mexico, he spent some time modeling. He ended up moving to the upper middle class neighborhood of Zocalo and spent a lot of time shopping in the infamous Zona Rosa, where the richest people in all of Mexico City were known to visit. This area was not only known for its high-end boutiques and expensive restaurants, but it also had a big LGBTQ community, which was pretty rare in Mexico at the time. Soon enough, Adolfo would be rubbing elbows with the elites. He'd even be featured in magazines modeling the latest designer clothing.

but his true passion wasn't modeling. It was his religion, Palo Mayombe. Later that year, Adolfo fully pledged himself to Cadium Bembe, which is Palo Mayombe's version of Satan, and he even started working towards becoming a priest. After establishing himself in Mexico, he started charging people a very hefty amount for limpias, which is a ritual he would do where he claimed he could heal people, cleanse their bodies of negative energy, and provide spiritual protection.

In addition, he would also perform tarot card readings and predict people's futures. Now, some people think these practices are bogus, but Adolfo's customers really loved it. He left people feeling refreshed and cleansed. And afterwards, some people claimed that his rituals actually worked. Some came into a lot of money after his cleansings. Others were reportedly healed miraculously from illnesses. Some people even saw their enemies fall on hard times.

So it wasn't long before the word spread about the young man in town who could grant all your wishes. Soon enough, Adolfo had famous and powerful people in Mexico knocking at his door for his services, including police, crime lords, and people in the entertainment industry. One of his famous clients was a model named Maria Del Rosio Cuevas Guerra. Maria was getting older, and she noticed that she wasn't getting as many jobs because of it. So she reached out to Adolfo to bring her youthfulness, luck, and beauty.

During his multi-session ritual, he had Maria bend over at the waist while he traced mysterious designs on her back and chanted. He then took a small animal and passed it over her back before tracing the markings with alcohol. She later reported back to Adolfo and claimed that the ritual had worked, which was pretty common with his clients. And because of this, he began charging people anywhere from $500 to $50,000 for his services.

As Odolfo's services became more popular throughout Mexico, he even began doing rituals for drug lords and smugglers. He claimed that his ritualistic cleansings could protect them from the police and prosecution. Word began spreading that his powers were so strong, his magic could even prevent a bullet from going through someone's flesh.

So obviously, in the dangerous world of drug trafficking, many men started using his services for protection. And before he knew it, Adolfo was rolling in money. All before he was 25 years old, he was traveling to cities all over, like Brownsville, Miami, and Mexico City.

And while there, he would do rituals on his clients and he would also help set up drug deals, which got him even more money. Then on his downtime, he would blow through all of it, going on extravagant spending sprees while also entertaining multiple lovers. You see, not only was Adolfo wealthy and attractive, but he was also very charming. It was easy for him to seduce both men and women. And when he found someone he liked, he

he would spend tens of thousands of dollars buying them clothes and jewelry. But like we mentioned, Oldofo had a dark side. And at the flip of a switch, he could go from spoiling his lovers to abusing them. He once got involved with a person named Edgar Baez,

who was a drag queen in the city who sometimes went by the name Claudia Yvette. And one afternoon, the two got into a heated argument and it ended with Edgar throwing a vase at Adolfo while on his porch. And sadly, just a few days later, the police would find Edgar's dismembered body in the Zampango River.

Now, Adolfo was never officially linked to Edgar's murder. And that's because he likely didn't do it. You see, by this point, he was so powerful, he already had a group of men that were known to do his dirty work. One of them was named Omar Oria, and the other was a psychic named Martin Quintana.

And they both started off as Adolfo's lovers. They actually all lived together at one point and Adolfo would call Martin his husband and Omar his wife. And in the mid-1980s, Martin and Omar started recruiting people into their little group, a group that some people would later call a cult. According to Adolfo's journals, where he documented his practice,

He was charging people around $4,500 for a cleansing ritual. And like we mentioned, a huge part of these rituals included animal sacrifices. It was $6 for a rooster, $30 for a goat, $450 for a boa constrictor, $1,100 for zebras, and $3,100 for lion cubs.

His two disciples, Martin and Omar, were in charge of getting the animals.

and on some occasions, they would even rob graves to gather up human bones for the rituals. But once everything was prepared, Uldofo would put the nganga in the center of the room, which was essentially this big cauldron. He would then kill the animals, dismember them, and put their blood, organs, and bones in the cauldron, amongst other things. And from there, he would chant different spells that would please the spirits.

But throughout his years of practice, Uldofo learned that human bones always worked better than animals. There was more energy attached to them. And as time went on, he felt the need to create the most powerful Nganga in existence, not only for his clients, but for him and his men as well. By now, they were participating in very illegal ventures, so they needed all of the protection they could get.

And sure, getting human bones from grave robbing was one way to do it. But eventually, Oldofo came up with the idea to start taking humans that were alive. The energy they could conjure up from a live, breathing human would be like unlike anything they had seen before.

and it would surely give him and his men protection from any threat that came their way. So one by one, Oldofo and his men started kidnapping people around Mexico City to use them as human sacrifices and their rituals. In the beginning, there was no specific preference for their victims. They could be men, women, prostitutes, drug runners, random civilians,

or even members of Adolfo's own group if they didn't follow the rules. They were all crimes of opportunity. And once they selected their victim, they would be brutally tortured. The pain and suffering they inflicted on these people made for an even stronger ritual. So once they were captured, the group would tear their limbs off their bodies. They would rip them open and pull their organs out one by one.

The dismembered and mutilated body parts would then be put in the cauldron for the ritual.

Adolfo convinced his followers that if they participated in these rituals, they would have everlasting protection, wealth, and success. And they believed him. In fact, many of the men looked at Adolfo as a god, even calling him El Padrino, which meant godfather. Believe it or not, members of Mexico's federal police even joined his cult, including the head of the narcotics division, a man named Salvador Garcia, and another retired agent from the federal police named Florentino Ventura.

In 1986, Florentino introduced Adolfo to the Calzada family, one of Mexico's dominant drug cartels at the time. And of course, the Calzada family was drawn to Adolfo's promise of protection. So he did rituals for them, rituals that included human sacrifice. And afterwards, the crime family truly believed that they were working, so they started paying him a lot of money.

So much money, in fact, that Adolfo spent hundreds of thousands of dollars here in buying condos and luxury cars. Now, because of his extravagant lifestyle, he wanted a more secure job within the cartel. He even asked the Calzada family to hire him as a full-time business partner in their drug smuggling operation. But the family wasn't interested.

To them, the only thing he was good for was protecting them with his rituals. They didn't want him as a business partner, so they rejected him. And Adolfo did not take it well. Not long after that, in April of 1987, seven members of the Calzada household vanished without a trace. They were officially reported missing on May 1st. And when the police went to investigate,

They found some very odd items inside the home. It appeared that it had been the site of a ritual with melted candles and other strange religious items. Then, just six days later, the police located the seven mutilated bodies of the Calzada family in the Sampango River, the very river where Adolfo was known to dispose of bodies. The seven members of the Calzada family had been brutally tortured.

Their fingers, toes, and ears were missing from their bodies. Some of the victims had been castrated.

Their bodies had been torn open with their organs removed. And shockingly, one of the victims even had their vertebrae ripped from their back. Now, the police didn't know who was responsible for their murders, but whoever it was, was extremely dangerous. This was a prominent cartel family who most people would never even dare to mess with.

let alone kill. But Adolfo and his crew weren't afraid of the cartel. They weren't afraid of the police. They weren't afraid of anyone or anything, because they had the devil on their side. Around this same time, police were beginning to notice that the waterways around Mexico City were being flooded with mutilated bodies, and it appeared that they had all been murdered in the same odd ritualistic manner.

So, the police began to suspect that there was a serial killer in the area. The bodies of men and women were found shackled to cement blocks and thrown into the water. They were often found without hearts, brains, and their vertebrae had been torn from their backs. Authorities didn't know exactly why the bodies were missing bones and organs.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being used for Adolfo's human sacrifices. By then, Adolfo's crimes were quickly escalating. He not only wanted to be known for his rituals, but he also wanted to become a powerful drug lord. Now, like we mentioned, Adolfo had connections to Mexico's lead narcotics investigator, Salvador Garcia.

And he helped introduce Adolfo to another drug cartel in the area, the Hernandez family. Saul Hernandez had established a name for himself by smuggling drugs across the border into the United States. However, he had been shot and killed outside of a bar in Matamoros in 1987. And ever since then, the organization had been in disarray. So Adolfo met with the two Hernandez brothers.

Elio and Ovidio, and he promised them protection with his black magic, which sounded appealing to them. Slowly but surely, he was working his way into another drug cartel.

with the promise of a lot of money. And at the same time, he also found another love interest. 22-year-old Sarah Aldrete was born and raised in Mexico, but at the time of our story, she was actually living in the United States, studying physical education at a college in Brownsville.

And on a hot July afternoon, Sarah and her sister had taken their father's car out in Matamoros when she was suddenly cut off in the middle of the road by a handsome man in a Mercedes Benz. It was Aldolfo.

He had spotted Sarah driving and immediately had to have her. So he got out of his car and approached her. The two struck up a conversation. Oldofo even asked to do her tarot reading and she was immediately enthralled. Not only was he handsome and wealthy, but he was also incredibly charming. So from then on, the two would spend a lot of time together. Now, Sarah was already established within the drug world.

In fact, at the time she met Adolfo, she was already dating another drug dealer named Gilberto Sosa. But that didn't matter to him. After weeks of hanging out, Adolfo called up her boyfriend to let him know that Sarah was cheating on him and that she was his girlfriend now.

And Sarah didn't even seem to mind. She was obsessed with Aldolfo and all of his abilities. He spent weeks reading her tarot cards and showing her all the magic he could do. And his manipulation tactics worked. Soon enough, she was drinking the Kool-Aid and fully involved in the cult. Eventually, she even earned the title of High Priestess and La Madrina, which means the Godmother. And the weirdest part of all was that Sarah was very normal.

By day, she was a 22-year-old student at a university who looked very much like your average girl. But by night, she was the witch of Matamoros. She also helped Adolfo get even deeper into the cartel business with the Hernandez brothers. Before he knew it, he and Sarah were moving tons of marijuana and cocaine both in Mexico and across the border into the United States. Sarah even helped recruit new members into their cult.

luring men with her beauty and telling them all about Adolfo's powers. Now, interestingly, when the new men would be recruited into the cult, Adolfo would force them to watch a film called The Believers, which is about a cult that became powerful through human sacrifice.

But one problem the cult ran into was that they didn't have a designated place to perform these rituals. Doing it at a condo was messy and there were a lot of witnesses nearby. So that's when Oldolfo and the Hernandez brothers decided to move to a ranch in the middle of Matamoros. The ranch was named Rancho Santa Elena and it was the perfect place for their cult. Not only could they perform their rituals there,

But they could also just bury the human remains on the property afterwards, instead of having to dump them around Mexico. Even further, they could also store all of their drugs there, making it even easier to grow their drug empire. And of course, everyone who moved onto the property would be under the protection of Adolfo's rituals. He assured his members that no threat would ever be able to come against them.

and because of that, they would be able to take over the world. But in return, the members had to follow very strict rules. For instance, no one was ever allowed to get high on their own supply.

In fact, during one of their meetings, Oldofo noticed a man named Jorge Gomez snorting some cocaine. And right there in front of all of the other members, he killed him on the spot. So no one would ever make that mistake again. In another instance, Oldofo suspected that two of their members had been speaking with the police. And even though he didn't have any evidence,

Aldofo tortured and killed them for his human sacrifice that night. After that, members didn't dare disobey him. And as brutal as he was to some, he was incredibly loyal to others. He truly made them believe that he was God, and that his powers protected them from rival gangs, police, and even bullets.

But he also convinced them that in order to keep that protection, they needed to be regularly sacrificing humans. One gang member would later say, "We believed. We were too scared not to believe." So anytime Uldufo would come to them and say that he needed another human sacrifice, the Hernandez brothers and their members would immediately set out to the streets of Mexico to kidnap another innocent victim.

One of their known victims was a 25-year-old man who had been hitchhiking on the Reynosa Highway. As the man walked down the road, the members pulled up in the car beside him and asked if he needed a ride.

And he did, so he asked them to drop him off at the Matamoros bus station. The man got into the car, having no idea of what was ahead. And it didn't take him long to find out that they were not driving him where he needed to go. Sadly, the members dropped him off at Rancho Santa Elena, and they brought him out to the back shed, where Adolfo had been patiently waiting. Over the next few hours, the men bound him with duct tape and tortured him. Sadly, a lot of the torture included sodomy.

And once this extreme torture session was finished, Adolfo slashed his throat and then put all of his blood into the cauldron for the ritual. After it was completed, the men would bury his body on the property. And over the next year, over 20 people would meet the same fate. Now, one of Adolfo's right-hand men was 20-year-old Alvaro de Leon Valdez,

And the reason he was so high up in the group was because he was ruthless. He also wasn't afraid of anything, and his fearlessness and loyalty quickly earned him the nickname Al-Dubi, which means godson.

Adolfo knew that if he needed anything, Aldubi would get it for him. So, on May 28th, 1988, he sent Aldubi and a few other men to go out and kidnap their next human sacrifice. And the victims they happened upon were local drug dealer Hector De La Fuente and a farmer named Moises Castillo. Like all of the others before, the men were brought back to the ranch, where they were then tortured and murdered. But Adolfo wasn't satisfied.

In his mind, the men didn't face enough torture before their deaths, which meant that their sacrifices wouldn't officially nourish the spirits. The ritual had failed, and shortly after this, the group would experience a stroke of bad luck.

On August 12th, one of the Hernandez brothers, Ovidio, and his two-year-old son would be kidnapped by a rival gang. And in everyone's mind, the reason this happened was because their last ritual had failed.

So that same night, Adolfo ordered his men to quickly go out to the streets and kidnap someone else. By now, they needed protection more than ever, and there was a lot of pressure on Adolfo. If he couldn't get Ovidio and his two-year-old son back, the gang would start to doubt his powers. So this time, they made sure to torture their victim as much as they could.

Over the next few hours, they would put their remains in the cauldron and summon the spirits through their ritual. And what do you know, the very next day, Ovidio and his two-year-old son were released. Uldofo used this opportunity to sit his men down and say, "You see, my ritual brought Ovidio and his son back home. This is why we do what we do."

Our human sacrifices are putting a shield of protection over our group. The men listening were in awe. Oldofo was right. They needed him. And so the human sacrifices would continue. But they quickly discovered that every victim they kidnapped was different. Some were very obedient. Others were aggressive and combative.

If one of their victims tried to run away, the group would have to shoot them. And if that happened, they couldn't be used for the ritual. And the way the victim behaved while in captivity also determined whether or not they could be used for human sacrifice. For instance, one day, Uldufo wanted to cast a spell of youth onto his followers. So he instructed them to kidnap a child.

The group quickly went out and found one. They brought the child back to the ranch and Adolfo approached the young boy and slit his throat. But instead of bleeding out and dying, the young boy began to cry. I guess his throat wasn't slit properly. And because he started crying, Adolfo refused to use him for the ritual.

In another instance, some of the gang members kidnapped a 14-year-old named Jose Garcia, who had been riding his bike around the streets of Matamoros. When they brought him back to the ranch, Oviedo Hernandez realized that it was his cousin. However, Adolfo didn't care. After speaking with Oviedo, he convinced him to not care either. The life of a 14-year-old family member was nothing compared to their group being protected.

So, with that, they tortured and killed him. By now, Adolfo's men were completely brainwashed into believing that human sacrifice was essential for their well-being. So no one in Matamoros was safe, not even children. By March of 1989, the group was regularly kidnapping people in the area, and the bodies were buried all over their property.

The group had also started storing large amounts of marijuana and cocaine, but they weren't scared about getting caught. You see, they were protected, apparently, by Adolfo's black magic.

On March 13th, 1989, another innocent victim was brought to the ranch to be sacrificed. But like we mentioned, in order for the rituals to work, the victims had to experience intense pain and agony before their deaths. For this victim, the men spent hours torturing him, but for whatever reason, the man wouldn't scream or plead for mercy. So in their minds, the ritual just wasn't going to work.

Adolfo prayed to Caddy and Pembe, Palo Mayombe's version of Satan. Many of their rituals hadn't been working, so he wanted Satan's guidance on the type of victim they should choose next. According to Adolfo, Caddy and Pembe spoke to him and said that they needed to sacrifice a white man with intelligence.

So, Adolfo gathered his men and they started coming up with a plan. Luckily for them, this week was spring break. So, the main drag in Matamoros would be filled with American college students. The students would also be drunk, so their inhibitions would be lower, making them easier to kidnap.

So later that night, Adolfo's men took to the streets of Matamoros to find their perfect victim. One of the higher ups, Seraphine Hernandez-Garcias Jr. had spotted two different men that night that seemed like a good fit. But every time they tried to kidnap them, something got in their way. By 1:00 AM, the men had been out there for hours. It had been a lot more difficult than they anticipated because almost everyone was traveling in groups.

But then suddenly, Seraphine spotted 21-year-old Mark Kilroy leaving the bar with his friends. He was young, handsome, exactly the kind of victim Adolfo was looking for. So the group kept their distance, carefully watching Mark as they sat in their truck. At the time, Mark was speaking to the girl he had met that night. And as they walked to the international bridge,

the men slowly crept up behind. Eventually, the girl would leave with her friends and Mark began to walk with his group. But luckily for the gang, Mark and his buddy Billy were lagging behind the large group of people walking towards the bridge. The men knew it would be tricky to kidnap him since he was walking with someone else, but they continued to follow close behind.

And then suddenly they saw their opportunity. Mark and Billy stopped walking and Billy stepped into the dark bushes to relieve himself. At that moment, the men saw that Mark was all alone on the streets and there were no witnesses around. So they drove their truck right up next to him. Serafine and another gang member named Melio Ponce Torres rolled down their window and struck up a conversation with Mark.

"Do you need a ride?" they asked. Mark flashed a smile and said, "Oh, no thanks. Me and my buddies are just crossing the bridge and then heading back to our hotel. But, you know, thanks for the offer." Mark Kilroy was very friendly. He never met a stranger. The men then asked, "Are you sure? We don't mind driving you back to your car." But again, Mark politely declined. However, as he turned to walk away, Malio and the others quickly jumped out of the truck

grabbed Mark Kilroy and threw him inside. Then from there, they would take off down the road, headed back to the ranch. Sadly, no one on the streets of Matamoros had even seen a thing. Moments later, Mark's friend Billy would step out from the bushes to find that Mark had disappeared. He and his friends spent the next couple of hours looking everywhere for him, but it seemed as if he vanished into thin air.

They all knew deep down that something bad had happened. After all, he was there one minute and then gone the next. But no one could have ever guessed the true horrors of what Mark went through that night. After being shoved into their vehicle, the men drove out of the busy streets of Matamoros and further out into the country. It's horrifying to think about what was going through Mark's mind along that drive.

I can imagine he was confused, begging for mercy. The men assured him that if he just did what he was told, he would be okay. But they were lying and Mark knew it. Along the way, Seraphine actually pulled over to let one of the men get out and urinate. And Mark knew that this would be his only opportunity to make it out alive.

So when the men weren't looking, he bolted from the truck and took off running as fast as he could.

But sadly, Rodolfo's gang members caught up to him. Mark kicked and screamed and did everything he could to escape his kidnappers, but they quickly overpowered him. Once he was brought back to the truck, they tied up his wrist and ankles and placed a blindfold over his eyes. And from there, they made the 25-mile journey back to Rancho Santa Elena.

Once there, the men escorted Mark out to the shed where they stored their marijuana. And just to be safe, they put extra duct tape around Mark's wrists, ankles, and also across his eyes. Moments later, Adolfo would walk into the room to meet his new human sacrifice. And in his mind, Mark Kilroy was the perfect victim.

Oldofo and his men then began preparing the area for the ritual. They lit candles, arranged ceramic Catholic saints on the altar, and then they filled the cauldron with mysterious liquids and powders. Another part of the ritual included putting chili peppers around the front of the room. The preparation took several hours. Everything had to be perfect. And by the time they were finished, the sun was already well above the horizon.

Now, at some point, Mark was actually brought inside where the ranch's caretaker fed him scrambled eggs, bread, and water. And he ate it while still being bound by the duct tape. By the time the men put Mark back into the shed, it was nearing 1:00 PM and it was time to start the ritual. Wearing a long white robe, Adolfo lit up a cigar and blew it into Mark's face.

He then took a sip of Mexican rum, spit it onto Mark, and started chanting in a low voice, summoning the spirits. Moments later, the men surrounded him, and it's here where they began to torture him. It was reported that Mark was beaten and sodomized by the men in the group for hours. Throughout the torture, Mark screamed. He hoped that someone out there would be able to hear him and call for help.

But unbeknownst to Mark, they were out on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. No one would hear his screams and no one would be coming to help. Once Adolfo was satisfied with the torture, he forced Mark onto his stomach and grabbed a machete. He then lifted the weapon above his head and slammed it down onto the back of Mark's skull. Two of his followers would later say that it sounded like someone was opening a coconut.

Once you break the hard exterior, you hear the sound of liquid coming out, which is exactly what was happening with Mark. After breaking into his skull, Oldofo used his hands to pull out Mark's brain. He then placed it into the cauldron, which was already filled with animal blood, rooster feet, a goat's head, and a turtle.

Next, Adolfo used the machete to cut open Mark's torso and pull out his heart. He then severed his genitals and then finally cut off both of his legs mid-calf. From there, he put Mark's blood and organs into the cauldron and completed the ritual. And once everything was finished, the group felt a collective sense of relief.

knowing the spirits were nourished and could now protect them. But they weren't finished with Mark just yet. After mutilating his body, the men cut open his back and threaded a thin wire into his spinal column. They actually did this with all of their victims. Afterwards, they would bury them in the ground with the wire sticking out of the dirt. And after that, they would wait a couple of months for the skin and flesh to decay.

Once it did, they would pull on the wire and out would pop their victim's vertebrae. And from there, Oldofo would make necklaces out of them.

So, that's exactly what they did with Mark. They carried his body out to a shallow grave and then buried him with the wire sticking out of the ground. Meanwhile, his friends and family desperately searched the area still trying to find him, but they were coming up empty-handed. Weeks would pass and Mark's family still had no answers. And the thoughts that lingered in their minds were that Mark crossed paths with someone in the cartel.

Never in a million years did anyone think that he fell victim to a murderous satanic cult. Now, interestingly enough, early on in the investigation, a psychic in the area reached out to investigators and said that she had received a vision from the spirits of Mark's dead body next to a witch's cauldron. But they didn't seem to take it too seriously. And as time went on, everyone was concerned that Mark's case might not ever get solved.

But then, on April 9th, 1989, federal police in Mexico set up that roadblock in Matamoros on Highway 2. Like we mentioned earlier, they set it up to catch drug smugglers. But as luck may have it, Seraphine Hernandez Garcia happened to be driving down that highway.

He was also the one who helped kidnap Mark on the night of the disappearance. Serafine would later tell investigators that he saw the roadblock, but he decided to drive through. And he genuinely thought it would all work out, because he had Adolfo's protection. This is exactly the kind of situation that the black magic protected him against. So instead of stopping, he just drove right through it. It's unclear whether or not Serafine knew that the police had been following him.

because he ended up leading investigators right to the ranch where they had huge stashes of drugs and a plethora of mutilated bodies buried out back. - Soon enough, the police arrested the five men who were on the property and the men quickly came to terms with the fact that Adolfo's black magic wasn't going to protect them anymore. So they came clean. After the property was cleansed, Seraphine was actually brought back to the ranch

where he casually pinpointed each location of where they buried a body. One by one, investigators began digging the Colts victims out of the ground. Some had been decapitated. Others were missing various organs, including hearts, brains, and genitalia. Serafine eventually led them to Mark Kilroy's grave.

He explained to the officers that the wire sticking out of the ground was so that they could later pull up his spine and make a necklace out of it. When they finally dug up Mark's body, they saw that he had been folded in half.

Serafine said that there was no real explanation as to why they did that. It was just easier to bury him that way. But hour after hour, investigators would unearth the body, bring it over to a designated spot on the property, and then place it into a body bag.

At the end of it all, and the amount of bodies that were found on the ranch varies depending on the source you're looking at, but it was anywhere from 15 to 27 bodies based on all of the various bones that were found. And sadly, not all of them would be identified.

With all five men at the ranch now arrested, they knew that their leader, Adolfo de Jesus Costanzo, had lied to them. For years, he had promised that they were completely immune to prosecution. But that clearly wasn't the case since they were all sitting in the jail cells of the Federal Judicial Police Department in Matamoros.

So they told investigators everything about their roles in the cult. Elio Hernandez admitted that he had been given the title of executioner priest by their godfather and leader, Adolfo de Jesus Costanzo, and he had personally witnessed the execution of Mark Kilroy.

He added that the sacrifices were important to feed the powerful Nganga in order to maintain a layer of protection from outside forces. As the television cameras zoomed in on the four men outside the Federale headquarters, Elio proudly displayed satanic symbols on his arms, back, and chest that had been branded on him with a hot knife. Seraphine also told the media that when he first joined the cult, he believed that they were practicing a good religion.

However, after he witnessed the first murder, he realized the dark aspect, but it was too late to get out. When asked specifically about Mark Kilroy, Seraphine said, I'm guilty. I was ordered to dig the graves and bury him. And as you can imagine, the media had an absolute field day with this story, quickly labeling the group as the Narco-Satanists. Meanwhile, the Kilroys were left with the devastating news that their son had been sacrificed and murdered by a satanic cult in Matamoros.

the kilroys had always been a family of faith and when they learned about the fate of their son helen tried to grapple with it she believed that the men who killed her son had been possessed by the devil would one day have to answer to god for what they had done she said those men will have to go before god's court and answer for what they did it's up to them if they want to be forgiven if we try to do anything evil to them then we're just going to stoop to their level after the horrific discovery at the ranch

There was now a massive manhunt to locate the cult's leader, Oldofo de Jesus Constanzo. The only problem was by now, news had spread quickly about all of the bodies on his ranch and Oldofo was long gone. Investigators raided his upscale homes around Mexico where they found ritual paraphernalia, spell books, and a lot of pornography.

They also found journals of his that listed all of his high profile clients. Now, just in case Adolfo came back, armed guards hung out around his homes.

but he was smart enough not to come back. As it turns out, Oldofo and a few of his men, along with his girlfriend, Sarah, had been staying at the Holiday Inn in the American border town of Brownsville when the police raided his ranch. And as soon as they got word of it, they flew to Mexico City and started hiding out at an apartment complex.

While there, Odofo called his mom who was living in Miami and he told her not to believe anything she saw in the media. Delia allegedly told him to turn himself in, but he was adamant that he was innocent and that he would not be going to jail.

Back at Rancho Santa Elena, people from all over were driving out to the property to get a good look at the evil that had transpired there. One man was interviewed and he said, "Curiosity brought me here and nothing more. I don't have any interest like this. These are unbelievable things."

Meanwhile, tips continued to come in from people reporting sightings of Adolfo, and some were as far away as Chicago, Illinois. But Adolfo and his crew were not in the States. They were still barricading themselves inside of the apartment in Mexico City. Now, his girlfriend, Sarah, would later claim that she feared for her life while they were hiding from the authorities.

So much so, she said she wrote a letter and dropped it out the window, hoping someone would find it. The letter read: "Please call the police and tell them that in this building are those that they are seeking.

Give them the address, 4th floor. Tell them that a woman is being held hostage. I beg for this because I want most is to talk or they're going to kill the girl." Unfortunately, one of the neighbors found the letter but thought it was a joke so they didn't call the police. Luckily though, investigators were able to get a lead that would bring them right to their suspect's front door.

It was May 6th, 1989, the day after Cinco de Mayo, and the residents of Mexico City were unwinding from the previous day's celebrations. But this would not be a day of rest for the police. They had received multiple tips about a tall, light-skinned woman who had been seen at the grocery store. Residents thought that it might have been Sarah Aldrete, although it hadn't been confirmed.

There were also reports of mysterious men carrying large amounts of food into an apartment. And these men were seen flashing around American $100 bills, which to the residents was suspicious. So they called the police. Soon enough, a team of investigators made their way over to the apartment and Oldofo saw them coming from his bedroom window.

According to his men, when he knew everything was about to come crashing down, he started going crazy. He even began throwing stacks of cash out the window, thinking the police would just take it and leave him alone. But they weren't going anywhere.

So from here, Rodolfo takes a machine gun and fires a few rounds towards the officers outside. Glass shattered on the streets. People started running and screaming. And there was chaos everywhere. Now, miraculously, no officers or civilians would get injured in the gunfire.

And once the shooting stopped, the police started making their way inside. And it's here where Adolfo started panicking. He knew it was all over and he had no intentions of going to jail. So he turns to his right-hand man, El Duby, and he orders him to shoot him and his best friend, Martin Quintana. Of course, El Duby refused, but Adolfo slapped him in the face and said that he didn't have a choice.

So, Adolfo and Martin stand together in a closet side by side. Adolfo then nods that he was ready to die. And over the next few moments, gunfire echoes throughout the apartment complex. At the end of it all, Martin and Adolfo were dead on the closet floor, just as police broke through the door.

I'll do be told the officers. He told me to kill him and Martin. I told him I couldn't do it, but he hit me in the face and threatened me that everything would go bad for me in hell. Then he hugged Martin and I just stood in front of them and shot them with a machine gun.

From there, Aldoobi was arrested, along with Sarah and three other members of the cult, and it was pretty eye-opening for his followers. Like the other men who had been arrested, they truly believed that Aldolfo's powers would protect them from prosecution. Another leader was dead, and they were being brought to jail. But interestingly, there is a compelling conspiracy behind Aldolfo's murder.

Many people believe that it wasn't El Duby who actually killed him, but rather the Mexican authorities. As we mentioned, El Dolfo had a lot of high-profile clients, including corrupt government officials and police officers. And if El Dolfo would have survived this ordeal, it only would have been a matter of time until he started releasing their names. Hmm, reminds me of another recent story that continues to unfold here in the United States.

But we can talk about that another time. Many people suspect the police killed Adolfo to keep him quiet. But in the eyes of the law, Aldubi would be the one who was convicted of his murder.

Today, investigators from South Texas spent a second day in Mexico City. They're trading information with the Mexican authorities who cornered the alleged drug smuggling gang members at this apartment building Saturday. Witnesses say the fugitives started throwing money from the windows as police surrounded the place. Captured suspects say as the shooting began, leader Adolfo De Jesus Constanzo ordered his own death and that of his closest companion at the gun of fellow gang member Alvaro de Leon Valdez.

Mexican authorities identified the dead man, but now a DEA official wants fingerprint verification from Constanzo's hometown of Miami. Sunday, the cult's alleged priestess denied taking part in sacrificial murders and apologized to the parents of slain Santa Fe College student Mark Kilroy. I'm sorry.

If I would have known that it was like this, I wouldn't be in it. De Leon says he killed only people who were out to kill him. Fifteen mutilated bodies were found at a ranch outside Matamoros, Mexico, where Mark Kilroy disappeared in March. News of the slayings and now the gang's violent end have left the border town stunned. People hope to lose the dark cloud cast on their city by the murderous drug cult.

This thing will be forgotten like other things have been forgotten. Yet the tale still may not be finished. Mexican police suspect the gang may be responsible for other murders dating back perhaps two years, and the sheriff in Brownsville fears there may have been victims on his side of the border. People on both sides only hope this gang's violence is over. In Matamoros, Ken Kaltoff, Channel 2 News.

In August 1990, Aldubi would be convicted of murdering Adolfo and Martin and ultimately sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime. Serra, Elio, and Seraphine were all convicted of multiple murders and cult activities. Serra received 62 years and Elio and Seraphine received 67 years. According to official documents, if they're ever released early from Mexican prison, American authorities will be ready to prosecute them for the murder of Mark Kilroy.

Now, Sarah denied knowing about the murders and human sacrifices, and she attempted to portray herself as a victim. However, there aren't many people that believe her.

as for Rancho Santa Elena was eventually burned to the ground. It was reported that on the evening of May 6th, 1989, the same day Adolfo was caught in Mexico City, Commander Juan Ayala had approached a practitioner of white magic and in an effort to cleanse the black magic and evil spirits from the property, the practitioner had instructed the investigators to burn the sacrificial hut not only to cleanse the area but also to drive Adolfo out of hiding.

according to Gary Cartwright for an article in Texas Monthly, one quiet Sunday afternoon when no one was looking. The Federale slipped out there with the curandero. He went inside the shed, mumbled incantations, sprinkled salt on the floor, and made the sign of the cross. Then, Federale sloshed gasoline all over the shed and burned it to the ground.

In the aftermath of the horrific tragedy, Sarah Aldrete told reporters about their religion, saying, quote, I don't think the religion will end with us because it has a lot of people in it. They have found a temple in Monterey that isn't even related to us, so it will continue, end quote.

As for the actual number of victims that Adolfo murdered, investigators are still uncertain, but it can be assumed that the number is as high as 30. This cult, gang, whatever you want to call them, harmed so many people throughout the years. All for their own selfish reasons. Clearly, the rituals didn't work.

Up to 30 people were raped, tortured, mutilated, and sacrificed. All so Adolfo and his men could be protected. But now, all of them are either dead or rotting in prison. And although that justice brought the victims' families some form of closure, they still had to come to terms with the fact that their loved one died a horrific death at the hands of a cult.

Many of the families couldn't even get their loved ones back home in one piece. Most were missing their heads or limbs, and some of their vertebrae had been made into necklaces. How do you even come back from that? For the Kilroys, they were forced to try and rebuild their lives without their firstborn son. Mark was eventually cremated.

and on April 19th, 1989, a memorial service was held at St. Luke's Catholic Church in San Antonio.

with over 1,000 people in attendance. And in an effort to carry on his legacy, Jim and Helen established the Mark Kilroy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to prevent drug violence, educate at-risk youth, and promote safety in areas where there is high criminal activity, which is still very useful today. Here are Mark's parents speaking to the Channel 2 News in Santa Fe.

The Kilroy's say this is the beginning of their nationwide crusade to eliminate drugs in this country. Impossible? Not so, say the Kilroy's. Just monumental. There's a war going on. It's just overcoming our country and we want people to individually

you know, get together. They are trying to make something positive out of something negative. The body of their son, Mark, was found last month on a ranch outside Matamoros, Mexico. Investigators say Kilroy and others were kidnapped and killed by drug smugglers who practiced satanic rituals. Mark's murder on March 14th

was clearly a great warning. At this town meeting in Santa Fe, the Kilroys and other speakers said it was time for this country to unite and get tough. I think we have to redirect our efforts. We're spending, what, $350 billion or something like that on defense, and we're losing the war right here. It's a national issue.

We've gotten a lot of support from the citizens of Texas, the United States, and we fully support these efforts. The Kilroys have some sweeping proposals like mandatory sentences for drug users, using abandoned military bases for drug sellers, and an all-out assault by the federal government. You see, the Kilroys still believe that government is run by the people. And they believe that if enough people respond, politicians will stop talking and start taking more action.

In Santa Fe, Bill Pounders, Channel 2 News, Nightcast.

Just last year in 2023, Mark Kilroy's old friend Ryan Fenley spoke to the media about Mark's case. He said he was actually supposed to go on that trip with Mark, but decided to go skiing instead. Decades later, Ryan used this opportunity to warn Americans about the dangers of human trafficking and drug cartel activity in the area. He said even in the southern region of Texas, they still talk about Mark's death every spring break.

The warning came after four Americans from South Carolina were kidnapped by a group of armed men in broad daylight back in March of 2023, almost 34 years to the day that Mark Kilroy was kidnapped. In that case, Shied Woodard, Zindel Brown and Eric James Williams were joining their friend Latavia Taye McGee, who was there to get a tummy tuck operation. It's believed the cartel thought the group were drug smugglers of some kind.

So in broad daylight on camera, they were kidnapped. Sadly, two of the Americans were later found dead and the others were wounded. So when this news hit the media, Mark Kilroy's old friend Ryan told reporters right now it's considered a red alert about American travelers going over the border, going to hot destinations. Be careful of the drug trafficking and the human trafficking involved.

It's just not a good safe destination for fun. All it takes is one time. Now, we aren't saying you shouldn't travel to these areas. We want to make that very, very clear. For most of the people that go to Matamoros, they get to experience the beautiful culture, support local businesses there, and they have the time of their lives without ever being harmed or being put in danger. But I think that Mark Kilroy's case is a great example of how you have to be aware of your surroundings wherever you go.

And for me personally, this is one of the more interesting cases that we've covered in the show. A satanic cult out in the Mexican desert sacrificing people to attain some sort of mystical power. I know for a fact when I visited South Padre Island, I found the story of Mark Kilroy and I couldn't believe that something like this had happened so close to where I was standing.

but it is a good lesson because no matter where you travel no matter where you are you never really know who's lurking in the shadows prowling hunting searching for their next victim

Hey everybody, it's Colin here. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. Courtney and I are so excited to be doing this Murdered American series. This has just opened up the gates for all sorts of different stories that we're going to get into. We have some really, really crazy, wonderful episodes coming up.

This has just been fun to work on, I know, especially for Courtney behind the scenes, getting all these stories pulled together. We have some choices that both of us have picked out that we, stories we really wanted to tell. And yeah, I remember hearing about Mark Kilroy for the first time and

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Hey everyone! I'm Joe. And I'm Trace. And we're the HorrorQueers. Every week we do a deep dive into a different horror film and look at it through a queer lens. This could mean pointing out queer creatives that worked on the film. Or applying a queer reading to some of your favorite horror movie characters. Episodes can be serious and academic. Or fun and frivolous. It depends on the movie! And no movie is off limits. The film could have explicit queer themes. A high camp quotient. Or both. Or not at all!

We believe that representation matters, and since queer folks haven't always had the best representation, we're here to help fix that. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to start getting your weekly dose of queer horror. Horror Queers, available wherever you get your podcasts. Or find us online at bloody.fm.

Welcome to the All 80s Movies Podcast. I'm Bill. And I'm Jason. And this is the podcast where we talk about the blockbusters, the flops, and everything in between from one of the freshest decades for movies, the 1980s. So whether you're a brain, a jock,

a valley girl, or a Jedi, we've got some 80s classics for you. Do these movies stand the test of time? Are we discovering something new? Is there an 80s movie we are finally watching for the first time? Join us each week as we dive into the cinematic nostalgia that inspired and influenced a generation. From the hits to the cult classics, we'll discuss our earliest memories, favorite scenes, fun facts, and our not-so-favorite movie moments, too. You can find the All 80s Movies Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Please follow, and happy listening. Hey there, are you in need of a new weekly fix of horror gaming discussions? Then look no further than Saferoom, Bloody FM's horror video gaming podcast. I'm your host Jay Krieger, and I am the other one, Neil Boe. And every week, Neil, myself, and the occasional guest get together to chat about classic and contemporary horror games, and the elements that make them a standout amongst the hordes of horror games being released seemingly every day now.

In addition to celebrating anniversaries and new releases, we also interview influential horror developers such as Amnesia the Bunker's creative lead, Frederick Olsen, and even the maestro of lo-fi horror, Erdorf, the developer behind the Faith trilogy. And finally on Thursdays, we release episodes of Horror Bytes, our bite-sized indie horror showcase in which Neil and I share a game that we discovered on Itch.io from an up-and-coming developer.

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