Mysterious Events Puzzle Durham Police
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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA. DECEMBER 16th (AP) – A month-long
series of unexplained events and disappearances has the Durham
Police Department searching for answers. “Like any proud and
growing city, we have had our share of problems and crimes. But
I’ve never seen anything like this in my 35 years on the
force!” said Edward R. Chalmers, III, Durham’s Chief of
Police.
Chief Chalmers was
addressing a large audience of reporters, local leaders, and
concerned citizens at City Hall following the disappearance of a
teacher from Durham Central High School. Mrs. Ophelia Snowden had
been a beloved English teacher at Central High for many years,
known for her reliability and enthusiasm. Last seen entering
Pender’s Grocery, her whereabouts are unknown.
For several weeks before her disappearance, students at the school
had noticed strange changes in Mrs. Snowden’s behavior. She
frequently arrived late for morning classes, seeming disoriented
and anxious. Her teaching style changed, her lectures began to be
filled with references to obscure symbols, calculations, and myths.
She spoke frequently of fear and darkness. Students brought this to
the attention of the school’s Headmaster following a shocking
incident during which Mrs. Snowden actually grabbed and shook a
student. “I am surprised to say that she yelled aloud!
Something about a labyrinth or the moon, I don’t know. I
couldn’t understand it all, she shouted several rather
peculiar things. Before that, perhaps last week, she had drawn some
of those symbols on the board. The symbols that have been appearing
around town, painted on walls, and that were in your newspaper. The
ones in the story about that poor professor that was killed. She
appeared to have come unhinged over the last month, it’s just
so sad ...” said a student who asked not to be named.
Mrs. Ophelia Snowden
Missing Durham Central School
Teacher
The student was
referring, of course, to one of the most bizarre events in this
series of seemingly-related incidents. Dr. Michael Pynchon’s
body was found by City maintenance workers in the garden of the
First Presbyterian Church last week after he had been missing for
several days.
Dr. Pynchon had been a pillar of stability in the Durham community
for decades and was a respected lecturer in ancient languages at
several local universities. Two days before his body was
discovered, he had delivered a disturbing lecture in which he
ranted at length of a mysterious global organization, an ancient
“language of symbols”, a buried maze, and what
“they” know. A university official, speaking on
condition of anonymity said (continued, next column):
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“Dr. Pynchon had clearly been working too hard for quite a
long time, spending far too much time with his strange, old books.
All of us on the Faculty Senate knew he needed some rest. But then,
to have him found like that, murdered, with all of those markings
on his body ... it’s just too much to
understand.”
Bizarre Markings Found
on Body of
Murdered Professor Dr. Pynchon !
Police Chief Chalmers
sought both to warn and to reassure the crowd. “We are asking
all citizens of Durham to be alert and to report any suspicious
activity to their local police. Rest assured, we are looking into
these matters. If you see any symbols like those that appeared on
the wall of Pender’s Grocery last week, please - please! -
inform us immediately.”
Strange Symbols Appeared on
Pender’s Grocery Store Last
Week
Many in the audience
were not convinced this was enough. Charlton Dolane, head of the
Oak Grove Citizen’s Council, challenged Chief Chalmers
“How can you say that, Sir?! In the last month we’ve
had a teacher vanish, a local professor promise his students
“secret treasure” from underground and then show up
murdered the next day, and all of these strange symbols appearing
... in fields, on transients who say they’ve been attacked
but can’t remember any details, on the murdered professor.
What’s going on here? What aren’t you telling
us?!”
County Farmers Have
Experienced Bizarre Crop Damage
Chief Chalmers promised
that he would update reporters if any new information became
available. He then quickly stepped away from the podium.
See related stories in today’s edition:
“Some Tattoos on Murdered Professor Match Recent Crop
Circles” page A2
“More Bizarre Crop Circles Appear in Nearby Counties”
page A3
Other local news in today’s edition:
“University Library Can’t Explain Thefts of Rare
Manuscripts” page D1
“City Council to Vote on Funding for Expansion of Stormwater
Drainage System” page A5
“Sun, Sun, Sun: No End in Sight for Drought” page
B1
“Meet Your Sister-City! Arkham, Massachusetts” page
C3
“Bear Runs Rampant in Local Forest” page
D9
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