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Kendall Francois is one of the most notorious serial killers in recent American history. From 1996 to 1998, he terrorized a small area of Poughkeepsie, New York, murdering eight women in total. For his heinous crimes, Francois was sentenced to life in prison and remains behind bars to this day.
The story of Francois’ gruesome spree began with the disappearance of Wendy Meyers in October 1996. Meyers was 30 years old with hazel eyes and short brown hair. She was last seen at Valley Rest Motel in Highland, near Kingston. A month later, Patricia Barone reported her daughter Gina missing; Gina was 29 with an eagle tattoo on her back and “POP” on her right arm.
In January 1997, Kathleen Hurley disappeared after being spotted walking along Main Street in downtown Poughkeepsie; she had “CJ” tattooed on her left biceps. Around the same time, police placed Francois’ home under surveillance following an extensive investigation; they discovered that he was reportedly rough during sex encounters with local prostitutes. That same month, Catherine Marsh vanished from Poughkeepsie; she had blue eyes and a brown hair like the other victims reported missing so far.
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The list of victims continued to grow when Mary Healey Giaccone went missing in November 1997 after not being seen alive since February that year; then Sandra Jean French vanished in June 1998 with her daughters discovering her car three blocks away from Francois’ home; finally Catina Newmaster disappeared in August 1998 and was last seen on the same streets as many of the other victims at Francois’ hands.
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On September 1st 1998 everything changed: Kendall Francois strangled a prostitute who managed to escape his grip and alerted police officers nearby who were looking into Catina’s disappearance. Police quickly arrested him and uncovered seven bodies hidden inside his house – including all 8 victims of his killing spree – thus bringing it to an end for good.
This extraordinary case has been documented thoroughly by various news outlets such as The Guardian or HBO’s documentaries, which feature interviews with police officers involved as well as surviving family members of some victims – making for an incredibly compelling piece which paints a vivid picture into how one man caused so much pain and destruction within such a short amount of time without ever getting caught until it was too late. If you’re interested in learning more about Kendall Francois’ horrific crimes we highly recommend you watch any of these documentaries available online today!
