Meet the Bloody Benders: America’s First Family of Horror

Long before modern serial killers haunted headlines, a quiet family on the Kansas frontier earned a name soaked in blood: The Bloody Benders.

From the outside, they seemed like any other homesteaders in the 1870s—German immigrants running a small roadside inn and general store just off the Osage Trail. But behind the canvas partition that separated the dining area from the family’s living quarters, a nightmare was taking shape.

The family consisted of Pa Bender, a gruff and silent patriarch; Ma Bender, rumored to be a spiritualist and herbal healer; their brooding son, John Jr.; and the captivating, sharp-tongued daughter, Kate Bender, who posed as a psychic medium, healer, and might have been a witch! Locals came for food, conversation, or spiritual readings—but many were never seen again.

Their method was as brutal as it was effective: guests were seated with their backs to a canvas curtain. As Kate distracted them with her womanly charms, Pa or John Jr. would strike from behind with a hammer. Then, the victim’s throat was slit, and their body dropped through a trapdoor into the cellar below. Under the cover of night, they were buried in the orchard.

Over a dozen bodies were eventually found on the Bender property, though many believe the real number is far higher.

When suspicion finally turned to the Benders, the family vanished, leaving behind bloodstained floors, empty graves, and unanswered questions. They were never captured.