Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - A Fake Death, a Facebook Message, and the Mystery That Nearly Broke a Blind Woman’s Heart #21

Episode Date: August 11, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #digitalhorror #socialmediamystery #blindwomanstory #psychologicalthriller #emotionalhorror  This story follows a blind woman who faces a cruel deception: a fake death announced via social media. As she tries to piece together the truth, she confronts emotional torment and the dark side of online manipulation, questioning what’s real and what’s a nightmare.  #horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #scarystories #horrorstory #creepypasta #horrortales #socialmediahorror #blindnessandfear #digitaldeception #emotionaltrauma #psychologicalhorror #mysterythriller #fakedeathstory #darksecrets #onlinehaunting #emotionalpain #horrorfanfiction #chillingstory #twistedlies #heartbreakhorror

Six years ago, I packed up my life and moved across state lines, to a place where I didn't know anybody. Back then, I was living in a big West Coast city, surrounded by millions of people and a million reasons to stay busy. But I decided to leave it all behind and landed in a brand new state, a state where everything was spread out. There's one big metro area split across three counties, but beyond that, nothing. No bustling towns, no big suburbs, just, wide open spaces and a lot of quiet. I knew I needed to build a new life, new friends, new routines, some sense of belonging. That's when I found myself drawn to organizations for blind people. See, I'm legally blind, I can't read printed text, can't make out street signs,

addresses, anything that requires fine detail. But I can get around fine. No cane, no problem. I navigate sidewalks, buses, and even get to places without getting lost. My vision is limited, but I'm confident in my abilities. I joined two local groups that organize outings and gatherings for blind folks. When I saw an announcement about a trip to some developed hot springs, complete with swimming and a picnic, I signed up right away. I thought it'd be a great chance to meet people and escape the loneliness of my new surroundings. On the van ride to the Hot Springs, I met Fiona and Tom, names changed for privacy.

All three of us were in our late 30s or early 40s. Fiona lived in my city, while Tom was visiting for the summer from a big California town. We hit it off instantly. It felt easy to talk, like we'd known each other longer than just an hour. A bit about Fiona, she'd been blind since childhood, after getting the measles. It's wild to think that measles are making a comeback nowadays, so seriously, please vaccinate your kids. But that's going off on a tangent.

Fiona's sight was completely gone, and she used a cane. Tom had Usher syndrome, which affects both hearing and vision. He wore hearing aids and also traveled with a cane. His vision was minimal, like piecing together vague shadows. We ended up hanging out a few more times that summer after. the Hot Springs trip. We bonded over shared experiences and chatted about everything under the sun, movies, tech, blind culture, accessibility, and I felt like I'd found friends who get it. But eventually, Tom had to go back to California. He was working on his PhD in physics and

assisting with teaching at the university. We all said our goodbyes, but not knowing what would come next. After Tom left, Fiona and I stayed in touch. We met up for occasional coffee or walks, but a few months later, I got a phone call that changed everything. Fiona told me she needed to find Tom and asked if I'd go with her to California. My heart sank. I didn't know what to expect. She explained that Tom had been murdered and she needed to find out what happened. Her voice was shaky, her words rushed. She said someone had reached out on Tom's Facebook profile, someone named James, claiming to be Tom's reader, who told her Tom's body was found, shot in the head, stabbed multiple times in a campus bathroom near the university. The message said Tom had gone

for lunch, never returned, and James was relaying this because Tom's written wishes required notifying Fiona in case of his death. It all sounded haunting, surreal. I was stunned. I couldn't drop everything and fly to California. I'd just gotten a new puppy and had no one to look after it. But I promised Fiona I'd do everything I could from afar. I needed time to process how surreal this was, Tom, the Bright Physics grad student who'd laughed with me just months ago, may be dead. Murdered.

And all Fiona had was a chilling Facebook message from someone claiming to speak for him. So I started digging. First stop. The county coroner's office website. Many counties list recent deaths online. I found the county that hosts the California University and checked the death listings for that time frame. NADA. No Tom, no listings that matched.

I even looked back several months, still nothing. I called the coroner's office to double check. A kind receptionist verified that Tom didn't appear in their records and there were no unidential. identified bodies matching his description. I felt a bit better, but also more confused. Something didn't add up. Next, I asked Fiona to send me the message she got from, James. She did, and what I read made me even more skeptical. Here's the gist. Dear Fiona underscore underscore underscore underscore, underscore, I am James underscore underscore underscore underscore underscore your boyfriend Tom underscore underscore underscore underscore underscore S reader.

It is with great sadness that he has been found dead with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and multiple stab wounds in a public restroom stall, a short distance from his university campus at around 140 p.m. local time. University officials located him after he didn't show up for lunch with another graduate student at a Japanese restaurant earlier today. We don't know what happened, but we believed someone broke in and killed him. His personal cell phone, ID card, and possibly other belongings were stolen. I'm notifying you per his written wishes for unexpected death.

Thank you. James underscore underscore underscore underscore dot. It read like a horror movie script. But the more I thought about it, the more it screamed fake. Fiona was devastated, her boyfriend, gone in an instant. But my gut said, time out. Maybe Tom faked it. Peter Pan syndrome. Extreme breakup text. Then again, why would it come from his account and disguise as a reader? I called up the university's security office next. I asked, listen, I'm checking on a rumor, any deaths, shootings, stabbings,

anything at campus. The polite voice on the other end said simply, no. Nothing more. Nothing more. reported. Not even a stab wound emergency, much less a homicide. I pressed gently, but they insisted no violence had occurred around campus. All right. No body, no coroner listing, no police or campus alert. What did we have? One letter from someone named James, claiming Tom died. Nothing to support it. So I called Fiona again and suggested she request a welfare check at Tom's home. She gave me his address, I called the city's non-emergency police line. They showed up later that day. An officer called me back to report they'd knocked on Tom's door, no response.

They left a notice and said someone would follow up later, but I didn't hear back from them. At the same time, I realized, maybe Tom's okay, just ignoring us. Or something stranger. Then in the evening, I got a text from Fiona. She said Tom had reached out. He was alive. Gulp. Apparently, James had been mistaken or confused, or maybe fired, and Tom apologized for the chaos. That night, Fiona went to bed thinking her boyfriend was stabbed and shot in a public restroom stall. She woke thinking she'd been gaslit. And that's how it ended, no missing body, no murder.

Just a cryptic message and a lot of unanswered questions. Did James mess up royally? Was it a malicious hoax? A prank? A breakup ruse taken too far. Tom didn't clarify, or at least Fiona didn't press him. She chose to accept his apology and move forward. For me, this story became one hell of a ride,

from Innocent Hot Springs friendships to fake murder scares, interstate travel offers, late-night phone calls, and welfare checks. It shook all of us. But it also highlighted something real, how well-meaning intentions, technology, and confidence in assumptions can spiral out of control, and nearly destroy someone's psyche. Six years later and I still think about it. I wonder what actually happened. Did James really work for the university? Was Tom okay but overwhelmed?

Did Fiona rebuild her trust? Did my puppy grow up? Most days it's just a weird distant memory. But once in a while, I replay it in my head, in the shower, on a late-night walk, while staring at my current team of animals, and I'm reminded, truth can be stranger than fiction, but fiction can wear the mask of truth so well it nearly convinces us. So that's my story, long, messy, and laced with hope, confusion, fear, and friendship. I hope you found it engaging, easy to follow, and that it hits the mark in tone and style. Let me know if you want tighter pacing, lot cut down parts, expanded dialogue, or an alternate ending. The end.