Joe Ball: The Alligator Man of Elmendorf Pt.1
6/8/202642 min
In 1930s Elmendorf, Texas, tavern owner Joe Ball built a reputation for wild alligator feedings and a revolving door of female employees who kept disappearing without explanation. Reportedly a descendant of notorious slaveholders, Ball graduated from bootlegger to killer, and when the women in his life became inconvenient, they simply vanished.
If you’re new here, don’t forget to follow Serial Killers & Murderous Minds to never miss a case! Want all 2 parts of every case all at once? Join Crime House+ and get both parts of each case dropped together on Monday ad-free. Join at crimehouseplus.com or if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap “Try Free” at the top of this show’s page. Serial Killers & Murderous Minds is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios.
🎧 Need More to Binge?
Listen to other Crime House Originals Clues, Crimes Of…, Murder True Crime Stories, Crime House 24/7, and more wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow me on Social
- Instagram: @Crimehouse
- TikTok: @Crimehouse
- Facebook: @crimehousestudios
- YouTube: @crimehousestudios
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsVanessa Richardson· Host0:00
Crime House exists because of listeners like you. Wanna support the show and get the best listener experience? Join Crime House Plus and get both parts of every Serial Killers and Murderous Minds story dropped on Monday, completely ad free. No more waiting days for part two. Plus, Crime House bonus episodes every month exclusive to subscribers. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com, or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap try free on the top of the Serial Killers and Murderous Minds show page.
Speaker 20:30
[tense music] This is Crime House.
Vanessa Richardson· Host0:39
We've all known someone who likes to put on a show, whether it's the high school class clown or even an influencer who makes a living performing stunts. Some people are just drawn to outrageous behavior, and they thrive on the attention. Usually, that kind of behavior is relatively harmless, but sometimes it can be a sign that something troubling lurks beneath the surface. And in 1930s Texas, in the case of a man named Joe Ball, his antics were just a precursor for extreme violence. And when women linked to Joe started to go missing, people realized he may have found the perfect way to cover up his gruesome crimes, with his pet alligators.
Unknown speaker1:27
[tense music]