Fan Favorite - "You Can't Leave That Way"

126.465 - 142.897 Mr. Ballin

The sun shined bright on her face, but it was surprisingly cold for March, and there was a chill in Carrie's room. She wore a heavy flannel blue dress and slippers, but she still shivered as she stood by the window. Carrie heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw a young woman standing there.

143.878 - 164.461 Mr. Ballin

Carrie smiled, exposing her gold filling and several false teeth that she barely even noticed anymore. The young woman smiled back and then put her hand on Carrie's shoulder. To someone walking by, this might have looked like two friends enjoying the view outside the window. But that's not what was happening here. Because the building where Carrie lived was not her home.

165.102 - 188.072 Mr. Ballin

It was the Union State Hospital, a turn-of-the-century sanitarium, which today would be called a psychiatric hospital. Carrie was a patient, and the young woman standing with Carrie was a nurse, whose job was to keep an eye on Carrie basically all the time. And Carrie hated it here. Up until a year ago, Carrie had been a schoolteacher, saving money and building a life for herself.

188.542 - 207.029 Mr. Ballin

But over time, Carrie had become overwhelmed and sad, and she couldn't even explain why. She felt tired, but she struggled to sleep, and there were days when she just felt sort of frozen, like she couldn't leave the house. Doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with Carrie other than some problems with her vision and her teeth.

208.19 - 229.095 Mr. Ballin

So, the doctors did something that was unfortunately pretty common at this time for women. They diagnosed Carrie with hysteria and told her family to put her in an institution. That was how Carrie had lost her teaching job and her freedom and ended up living here at Union State. Now, in Carrie's room, the nurse told her that she had to go check on another patient.

1249.517 - 1269.519 Mr. Ballin

But the murder scenario Rufus had outlined was something the detectives themselves had considered. And in the weeks following that interview, the detectives actually had Rufus lead them, along with Carrie's brother Joseph, to the house where Rufus claimed the murder took place. And there they would find a club, as well as pieces of women's clothing.

1270.901 - 1292.077 Mr. Ballin

So, although Manning and Ash still remained skeptical of Rufus' story, the King of Ghouls had given them just enough evidence to finally close the case. Carrie Selvidge was officially declared dead. But there was just one problem, and that was that Carrie's brother, Joseph, absolutely refused to believe it.

1293.8 - 1311.347 Mr. Ballin

Now, Joseph didn't have a good alternate theory about what happened to his sister, but the grave robber story made no sense to him. Carrie had bad eyesight and she was generally nervous and unhappy, but she wasn't stupid. She had grown up in the city and knew not to wander alone at night down country roads.

1312.168 - 1331.185 Mr. Ballin

Plus, he knew Rufus had gotten a lighter sentence in return for his story and cooperation, so how true could it really be? And also, part of Joseph just wanted to believe that his sister had escaped the hospital and found the freedom she so desperately wanted and was now off living happily and choosing not to let anyone find her.

1332.329 - 1361.904 Mr. Ballin

And Joseph would hold onto this belief for a long time, until... On April 26th, 1920, so over 20 years after Carrie's disappearance. On that day, Joseph got an urgent and confusing telephone call from the police at his home. An officer said he'd heard from a construction company that was working on a building in town.