As legend has it, Turnbull Canyon in California is a site for occult rituals, devil worship, and even a common dumping ground for human remains.
Stretching from Whittier to Hacienda Heights, Turnbull Canyon’s cavernous ravines and mystifying forestry are said to conceal numerous amounts of crime.
It was there that in October 2002, the body of 17 year-old Gloria Gaxiola was found savagely murdered; shot to death and dragged by car almost four miles down the canyon road.
Following Gaxiola’s murder, local church members of the Agape Christian Center visited the canyon to perform spiritual acts of cleansing such as dancing, singing, and prayer.
Yet again in August of 2009, a 20-year old woman was kidnapped, beaten and left for dead along the canyon road.
According to Whittier police records, three men were arrested for the incident in January 2011, yet no motive was ever established.
“I heard they were part of the KKK, there’s a bunch of em hiding out there” said Albert Ramirez, a resident of Whittier for almost 15 years. Ramirez believes cult members are to blame for the murders in Turnbull Canyon.
“I wouldn’t doubt that there’s everything from devil worship to witchcraft there …it’s a spooky place…I just keep my distance and go along my way” Ramirez added.
Like Ramirez, many locals have accepted generations of rumors concerning Turnbull Canyon, some even dating back to the early 1900s.
Such ancient theories of Turnbull Canyon claim cult members formed a hidden community in the canyon during the Great Depression, where they concealed and killed orphan children.
Correspondingly, a second theory claims the spirits of cult members caused a plane crash in 1950, in which an American Airlines jet collided into the tallest hill of the canyon, killing all on board.
Another tale asserts that in 1940, a mental institution existed in Turnbull, which still contains the spirits of patients inside.
Residents differ on their opinions of such legends, for no evidence exists to neither prove nor disprove them.
Michael Bourdeis, a resident of Whittier who has lived at the foot of Turnbull Canyon for 6 years, states “I’ve heard it all…white supremacists, Nazi groups, satanic cults-something, at least one theory, has to be true.”
“I live right by it, I know better than anybody how creepy it is up there and I’ve had my own experiences, you know…hearing stuff, seeing stuff. Let’s just say I don’t go hiking up there anymore” Bourdeis said.
According to Bourdeis, at the top of Turnbull Road lies a tree where a man was once hung, one whose ghost he witnessed in 2009.
“I just saw a dark figure under the tree…it looked like it was floating. I swear. It was only there for a minute. [My friends] didn’t believe me…told me it was too dark to even see anything.” Bourdeis added.
Whittier Police Sheriff John Solis has served as sheriff for 21 years and is not so easily swayed by urban legends.
“Very little activity there is related to cult rituals or black magic” Sheriff Solis stated.
“It’s unfortunate that people have developed such negative ideas about the area. Yes there have been four occasions of heinous crime, but as of now the activity seems to be subsiding” Sheriff Solis added.
Activity nonetheless, it seems the extremity of crimes that have occurred in Turnbull have added fuel to the myths.
In March of 2011, the body of 41 year-old Claudia Tecuautzin was discovered ten feet below an embankment along the canyon road. Police found Tecuautzin’s body suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was missing its left arm.
“They keep certain parts…that’s what they did to her,” said Patricia Ern, a Hacienda Heights resident who believes Tecuautzin was killed by devil worshippers.
“Oh I absolutely think the rumors are true. I’ve seen people up there late at night, I’ve heard noises…you know I can see a lot from just my window so I know…it’s just a weird energy” Ern said.
In July of 2011, it was reported that a 47-year old man was stabbed in the face and neck by two other men in the 900 block of Turnbull Canyon.
Whittier Police Officer Aaron Gutierrez states he has been patrolling the area for 12 years and other than the crimes reported, he has had only one unusual encounter in Turnbull.
“It was probably 8 years ago…I was patrolling the northern district, off of Skyline Drive, when I stumbled upon this bowl in the road. It was fairly small and contained some items associated with Santeria” Officer Gutierrez said.
“It was an eerie encounter, but looking back at it now with a lot more experience on my belt, it seems to be a juvenile act just like any other” Officer Gutierrez added.
When asked whether he believed in the myths of Turnbull, Officer Gutierrez simply replied “I’m hesitant to believe in anything, but it definitely makes me think.”
Park Ranger Samuel Diaz has worked for the city of Hacienda Heights for 10 years and says “nothing about Turnbull is haunted except for the people who live there.”
Diaz is in charge of supervising the hiking areas of Turnbull Canyon, making sure to cite those who break the rules or trespass.
“We’ve had instances where kids trespass after hours, attempting to vandalize, but no aliens or Nazis yet,” joked Diaz.
“One thing I do believe, just based on what people have told me, is that there was a cult who lived within the canyon like in the 1930s and they practiced satanic stuff…but as far as recent stories go, I haven’t witnessed anything here to validate them” Diaz said.
It seems all locals have heard at least one theory of Turnbull’s mysteries and continue to stray in their opinions of which one holds truth.
For now, at least one truth is that Turnbull Canyon remains a popular place for So-Cal residents to take in sights, hike trails, and endeavor mountain biking.