Joe Ball American serial killer Date of Birth: 06.01.1896 Country: USA

1. American serial killer
2. Early Life and Business
3. Mysterious Disappearances
4. Clifford Wheeler
5. 'Eaten Alive' and Legacy

American serial killer

He is known as the 'Alligator Man', the 'Butcher of Elmendorf', and the 'Bluebeard of South Texas'. According to reports, he is responsible for the deaths of at least 20 women in the 1930s. Joseph D. 'Joe' Ball was born on January 6, 1896, in San Antonio, Texas.

Early Life and Business

After serving on the frontline in Europe during World War II, Ball started trading alcohol during the Prohibition era, supplying liquor to anyone who could afford it. When the ban on alcohol was lifted, Joseph opened a drinking establishment called the 'Sociable Inn' in Elmendorf, Texas. He built a pond where he kept five alligators and invited people to come and admire his pets, especially during feeding time. The alligators' diet included live cats and dogs.

Mysterious Disappearances

After some time, women, including bartenders, former girlfriends of Joe, and even his wife, started to go missing in his area. In 1938, when two deputy sheriffs from Bexar County came to talk to Ball about the missing women, he pulled a gun from his cash register and took his own life. According to one version, he shot himself in the heart, while another claims he shot himself in the head. If Ball had stood trial and his guilt had been proven, he most likely would have been sent straight to the electric chair.

Clifford Wheeler

A laborer named Clifford Wheeler was an accomplice to Joseph. Wheeler helped dispose of the bodies of two women killed by the alligator owner. Wheeler revealed the location of the remains of Hazel Brown and Minnie Gotthard. He also informed the authorities that Ball had killed at least 20 women, but the alligators had consumed all the evidence. However, there is no irrefutable evidence that Ball fed his victims to the alligators. Several written sources confirm the existence of Joseph's crimes. Newspaper editor Michael Hall extensively researched the story of the 'Butcher of Elmendorf' in 2002 and published his findings in the American journal 'Texas Mont'.

'Eaten Alive' and Legacy

The horror film 'Eaten Alive' directed by Tobe Hooper was inspired by the story of Joe Ball. The actual existence of Joseph has long been questioned, but he remains a well-known figure in Texas folklore.