Turnbull Canyon Murders & Its Haunted History Over the Years

Ghosts of the murdered victims who met untimely deaths haunt the hills and ravines of Turnbull Canyon in California. Some eyewitnesses who survived their visit to the canyon swear that a satanic presence is hidden deep in the canyon, just waiting for its next victim.

Turnbull Canyon Curse

There are many stories of brave souls entering the Turnbull Canyon but never returning. Once they took those fatal steps into what has been described as a cursed canyon, they became victims of satanic worship, witchcraft, occult rituals, Native American spirits seeking revenge, or something more sinister. These are just some of the stories of Turnbull Canyon murders that have contributed to rumors of an unholy presence that lives in the canyon.

No one knows when this evil rooted itself in the canyon. Some claim it was summoned when settlers stole the land from Native Americans. The evil clawed its way out of Hell's Gates along with the spirits of the wronged tribes. Together, these restless spirits are now trapped in the canyon, seeking revenge on anyone brave enough to venture there.

These stories of avenging spirits may be little more than myth, since there's no documentation to support them. Some people believe the cursed canyon is a parable about the fate of Native Americans. There's little proof to substantiate the many paranormal claims. However, this lack of proof hasn't stopped the endless tales of Turnbull Canyon haunted by an unstoppable evil force.

Another story claims that the evil was first unleashed into the canyon in 1888 when a man was murdered. The canyon was named in honor of Robert Turnbull, a local sheep owner. Turnbull sold the canyon to a group of Quakers wishing to start a town. Months after making the deal, Robert Turnbull's body was found floating in the L.A. River. He'd been beaten and struck in the head. As a tribute to him, the Quakers named their canyon after Turnbull. This one act of evil was somehow personified with the name of the canyon.

Tales of satanic rituals being performed and gruesome stories of child sacrifices are rampant. Gruesome stories of babies being sold in secret transactions and their sadistic sacrificial deaths fuel its reputation of an evil lurking in the shadows, waiting for its next victim.

Strange, Creepy, and Eerie Encounters

The stories about Turnbull Canyon are filled with frightening sights of the ghosts of murdered, sacrificed children. Rumors of KKK members meeting in secret in the canyon valley are repeated. Stories of witches and Satanists performing rituals and even human sacrifices are common tales that warn folks against entering the canyon. Perhaps the most benign report is of hikers hearing phantom footsteps as they walk the canyon trails.

It's said that Native Americans avoided Turnbull Canyon, known to them as Hutukngna (Dark Place). There are all kinds of rumors and speculation about the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe and their avoidance of the canyon. These include warnings of witches and ghosts residing there.

There are persistent stories of cultists wearing black robes being responsible for kidnapping children from orphanages. One story tells of a local man coming upon a cloaked group with a young boy suspended upside down on a cross. Ghosts of the murdered children have been seen in the canyon at all hours of the day and night. Some visitors report seeing bodies hanging from what's been dubbed, The Hanging Tree. The body of a man is seen one moment and the next moment it's gone. These stories don't provide any proof and are often viewed as urban legends about the canyon.

One long-enduring story claims an asylum for the insane once existed in the canyon sometime in the 1930s. However, there's no record or any ruins to support the tale. This doesn't seem to matter, since the story persists. In one tale, partying teenagers burned the complex down, but not before one of the boys was electrocuted.

Path to Hell's Gates

The dirt path that lies between Skyline Drive and Descending Drive is said to be the way to Hell's Gates. One story claims that behind the gates lies the ruins of the asylum. However, the truth is far from ghostly, macabre, or one of a dilapidated building. The overgrown gated area is private property. It appears in the video below that interlopers and curiosity seekers forced the homeowners to take extreme measures to discourage trespassers. Beyond the gate lies their backyard, not the ruins of an asylum.

This video shows the fortification of the supposed entrance to the trail leading to Hell's Gate on private property.

Crash of Flight 416

The airplane crash of 1952 is often recounted as evidence of the evilness lurking in the canyon, drawing death and the macabre to it. When Flight 416 from New York City crashed in the canyon killing all 29 passengers, the stories of the evil canyon surged.

Over the decades, the story of the crash has morphed into several urban legends. These tales blame the evil living in the canyon for the crash in its hungry demand for human sacrifices. However, Forgotten Tales presents its investigative documentary, The Crash of Flight 416 West - A Forgotten Tale of Turnbull Canyon that ultimately discredits all these urban legends.

Turnbull Canyon Haunted by Evil

While the history of Turnbull Canyon is wrought with sadness and tragedy, the stories of paranormal happenings seem to be mostly urban legends. Still, many who venture onto the canyon trail report an eerie feeling and growing uncomfortable, feeling as though someone is watching them.