But Staten Island's terrifying reality. This article originally appeared on The Lineup. This classification is mostly a result of his heinous criminality, which involved young children. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Patients, many of whom were children, lived in filth and disease. Age : 79 years old Birth Sign : Pisces. The people of Staten Island heard in the film seem unconcerned by the possibility of Rand's innocence. Rand is even claimed to have said, "You know me and [Ted] Bundy are alike in many ways. [15][16][17] Maria Branyas then became the world's oldest validated living person.[18]. Rand was charged with attempted rape but eventually plead guilty to sexual abuse in 1970 in order to receive a lighter sentence. She is calm, very radiant and she is quite looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday, he said, adding that the homes most famous resident was resting on Wednesday and needed a break from interviews. All Rights Reserved. Which Animated Disney Movie Should Get A Horror Adaptation Next? It was able to accuse and convict Rand of the crime because first-degree kidnapping in New York has no statute of limitations. 10th Chicago Critics Film Fest Features Past Lives, Blackberry, Sanctuary, Theater Camp, and Many More, A Road Paved with Bloodshed: High Plains Drifter Turns 50, Cannes 2023 Line-up Includes Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, and Many More, Ebertfest Welcomes Molly Cornyn as its New Project Coordinator. She took on more responsibility when she was hired as both a governess and teacher to a prominent family, the Peugeots, at Versailles in 1928. Brother and Sister: Directed by Arnaud Desplechin. Many people who experience the suffering of loved ones go into the helping professions. Cropsey, the filmmakers establish early on, is a common name for the demented madman in urban legends. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He's the monster under the bed, the ominous figure just beyond the campfire's glow, the . He is the subject of the 2009 documentary Cropsey. Andre Rand was born Frank Rushan to working-class parents on March 11, 1944. Many more people, some who were never patients lived on the Willowbrook site and that of the nearby Sea View Hospital, and the New York Colony Farm. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER. But the sister, long feted as the oldest European before the death of Japan's Kane Tanaka at age 119 left her likely to be the longest-lived person on Earth, is not above a little indulgence. Andre Rand was a custodian at the Willowbrook School for children with disabilities. Andre Rand, who was born on March 11, 1944, in Manhattan, New York, is regarded as the most renowned criminal to have ever lived on Staten Island. He was sentenced to another 25 years. In 1969, he was jailed for the attempted rape of a young girl. Andre Rand left Willowbrook long before it closed. A town was terrified as a result of these unsettling happenings, which was made worse by the fact that no one was found guilty or identified as the culprit. All rights reserved. Sister Andr will have roasted capon with mushrooms and sweet potatoes as a main course, followed by a two-cheese platter Roquefort, and goat cheese and maybe a few glasses of red wine. Many swear Andre Rand did it, as he was seen in proximity to all of the victims. Rand was an ex-con with a record of crimes against children. She was infected with the respiratory virus on Jan. 16, 2021, but she recovered in three weeks and was able to celebrate her 117th birthday. His nickname is Rushan Frank. Scott shot Cantres, of Clifton, in the leg with a shotgun, when the victim tried to run during a robbery attempt on Sept. 6, 1993. Although she is now blind and gets around in a wheelchair, she used to care for other elderly people much younger than herself. Rand had a makeshift campsite nearby. Yet there was very little concrete evidence that linked Rand to the actual murder of Jennifer Schweiger. The man fit the legend. Find all of Thought Catalogs Creepy posts on Creepy Catalog. Reddick, seen in this 2010 photo, raped her there, the woman testified. "I've never seen a perp walk like that," says a TV newsman. (iStock). He is also ranked in the richest person list from United States. She was asymptomatic and tested negative days before her 117th birthday, making her the oldest known survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic. A French Nun Turns 117 After Knocking Down Covid-19, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/world/europe/sister-andre-covid19.html. In 2004, just four years shy of becoming eligible for parole, Rand was put on trial once more this time for the 23-year-old case of Holly Ann Hughes. Is Riding A Citi Bike In NYC Safer Than Riding A Personal Bicycle? Later Rand was tied to at least three other disappearances, In 1972, 5-year-old Alice Pereira, in 1981, a 7-year-old named Holly Ann Hughes (Rand was later convicted of her kidnapping, but not her murder) , an . The 1981 film, The Burning, brought Cropsey to life in a slasher film. Johnson, 35, seen in this 2014 state Corrections Department photo, is serving a sentence of 25 years to life in Marcy Correctional Facility. 1. Rand was born Frank Rushan. Nicolas Tucat/Agence France-Presse Getty Images, Her winemaking neighbors are not enchanted, decision to pose clothed for French Playboy. "Cropsey" is a creepy documentary with all the elements of a horror film about a demented serial killer, and an extra ingredient: This one is real, and you see him handcuffed in the film, not merely empty-eyed, shabby and stooped, but actually drooling. "I've never seen a perp walk like that," says a TV newsman. The coronavirus swept through the nursing home last month, just as nurses began consulting residents about vaccinations; 81 of its 88 residents became infected, including Sister Andr, and 11 eventually died. Once more, there was no concrete evidence to support an arrest. Where Rands story takes a really weird turn is in 1966. Pre-pandemic figures in 2019 showed that French life expectancy stood at 85.3 years for females and 79.4 years for males, which is one of the highest in the world. Opened in 1938 it served as a home for disabled children until it was used as an army hospital during World War II, After the war, it was reopened again as Willowbrook School and the population of students swelled to unmanageable proportions. Order yours today at poddecks.com and use code Larry21 for 10% off your order. Tom Moore, the 100-year-old British Army veteran who became a national hero during the pandemic by raising tens of millions of pounds for Britains National Health Service, died of the coronavirus last week, prompting countless tributes in the country and beyond. Pod Decks are the hottest new tool for podcasters looking to have more meaningful conversations or gamify their podcast. The kids from Staten Island, however, had a more personal story, their local maniac had a name, Cropsey. They also had the depressing legacy of Willowbrook State School in their borough. Andre Rand Is Suspected In Other Disappearances. On Depthbio.com, Andre is listed as a successful Criminal who was born in the year of 1944. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Rand was charged with her murder in addition to kidnapping once Schweigers body was discovered. The only body found in a shallow grave on the Willowbrook grounds was little 12 year old Jennifer Schweiger, a child with Downs Syndrome, whose remains were found after an exhausting 35 day search after her disappearance in 1987. 4) Anna would urge Ayn to try to get along with others for the sake of . Rand's sister also stated that neither she nor Rand were ever abused by either of their parents. The Scariest Places on Google Street View, This Kidnapper And Possible Killer Fueled The Terrifying 'Cropsey' Urban Legend. Shes recovered, along with all the residents here, said David Tavella, the spokesman at the Ste. Sister Andr, a French nun, has become the oldest recorded person in the world at 118 years and 73 days. Her mission lasted 18 years until she was sent to another hospital at La Baume-d'Hostun, Drme, for night duty in 1963. "Cropsey" is a creepy documentary with all the elements of a horror film about a demented serial killer, and an extra ingredient: This one is real, and you see him handcuffed in the film, not merely empty-eyed, shabby and stooped, but actually drooling. She also reportedly drinks a glass of wine each day. One of the three new episodes in Hulu's Missing covered the disappearance of Ethel Atwell and her possible abductor Andre Rand. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Andre Rand (born Frank Rushan; March 11, 1944) is an American convicted kidnapper of two children and suspected serial killer, currently serving 25 years to life in prison. [4][5] Lucile became a governess to three children in Marseille when she was twenty years old in 1924. Sister Andr, who is Europes oldest known person, became infected with the coronavirus last month as it swept through her nursing home in Toulon, in southeastern France. Hes out there waiting to get ya. As most of the facilities that housed the mentally ill and developmentally challenged were built on remote rural acres, you could just insert the name of any local collection of rambling buildings run by the New York Department of Mental Hygiene into the story. That Rand was employed to help children and then deliberately set out to hurt them is the scariest piece of the puzzle. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. At the end I was prepared to agree that Rand seemed like an awfully convincing suspect if he happened to be innocent. Hell be 47 then. The oldest person ever recorded was also a French woman called Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to be 122 years and 164 days oldand who also claimed that chocolate and a love of wine played a large role in longevity. Despite being New Yorks smallest borough, Staten Island had more than its share of such institutions. Rands camp was discovered shortly thereafter. He lives in the woods. A Staten Island jury could not reach a verdict on a murder charge in that case. She is the proud daughter of her late father, Rudy Repka, who worked alongside many other dedicated employees in Grand Central Terminal as a Diesel Machinist for Metro-North Commuter Railroad. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Some say it might have been a former patient or group of patients who lived in the tunnels. The facility was for children with mental disabilities and sat on the 385-acre Willowbrook campus, where a former tuberculosis sanitarium was also located. In March 2001, a jury in state Supreme Court, St. George, convicted Mario Mannino, now 39, of murder and burglary in the grisly Sept. 2, 1998, slayings of builder Rocco Mercurio, 54, and his companion, Linda Torrone, 53. Lucile Randon lives in a retirement home in Toulon, a port city on southern Frances Mediterranean coast, which is home to more than 167,000 people. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Inside Salt Lake Citys Buzziest New Hotels: The Dual-Branded Element And Le Mridien, Mothers Day Gift Guide: The Best Under-Seat Luggage, Denim Design By A Flying Dutchman Touches Down For Milan Design Week, at 85.3 years for females and 79.4 years for males. On May 25, 1969, then-25-year-old Andre Rand was arrested for the kidnapping and attempted rape of a 9-year-old girl in the South Bronx. Chad Davidson. During its 40 years of operation, Willowbrook repeatedly came under fire for the mistreatment of its students. If we shared all that, things would be a lot better," Sister Andre said. Bob Devine, a volunteer on the search team for Schweiger, recalled the moment they dug it up and discovered a small foot there. In 1988 he was ultimately convicted of kidnapping in the first-degree and sentenced to 25 years in prison. But she rejects requests for locks of hair or DNA samples. A massive search party commenced. One of his outposts was built in the woods behind his old stomping grounds Willowbrook State School. About a century before that, she survived the Spanish flu an influenza pandemic that lasted from February 1918 to April 1920. But with the bodies still missing, they remain lost youths who fell victim to the Cropsey legend. While she is "proud" to be the world's oldest person, Sister Andre repeated on Tuesday that "it's not nice being old, because I used to like taking care of others, making children dance, and now I can't do that any more.". Staten Island pulled together as a community and many are still searching for the remains of these victims so that the families can have some semblance of closure. Three teenagers were arrested, tried and convicted amidst hysterical rumors they were Satanists who sacrificed young boys. His reportage would eventually become the documentary Willowbrook: The Last Disgrace. She was expected to be busy on Thursday. Cropsey was a living, breathing monster who went by the name Andre Rand. Bundy's thing was women. When it shut down, he began kidnapping kids, killing them, and leaving them in the dirt. Andre Rand is led out of state Supreme Court, St. George, in handcuffs in 2004 after the opening of his trial in the disappearance of Holly Ann Hughes. He set up a campsite there, and he wasnt alone. Naturally, the police thought he was the main suspect in her disappearance. But many who believe in his guilt also believe his tenure at a facility notorious for abuse later influenced his crimes against children. [4], On her 118th birthday in February 2022, Randon received a birthday note from the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Everyone knew something about Willowbrook State School. Thomas Camerlengo, seen in this 2016 photo, was sentenced to 50 years to life behind bars which he is serving in Attica Correctional Facility. Mannino, seen in this 2014 photo, wont be eligible for parole until March 2074 when hell be 97. Two months later, the state Court of Appeals refused to hear the case. City dwellers who went off to camp or moved to the suburbs no doubt heard the story of dat guy with da hook! He was going to come get you. Double-murderer Mario Mannino is serving 80 years to life. Cropsey. Many still believe that there are hidden human remains lying underneath the weeds, trash, and bramble on the Willowbrook grounds. As of Wednesday, 2.2 million people had been vaccinated, less than 3 percent of the population. . But as the doc points out, Cropsey turned frighteningly real in the 1970s, when a local drifter named Andre Rand allegedly began attacking the children of Staten Island. 2022 AFP. Anyone can read what you share. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. For all intents and purposes, the Staten Island boogeyman is still imprisoned today in connection with the abductions of Holly Ann Hughes and Jennifer Schweiger and wont be eligible for parole until 2037. Rand, born Frank Rushan, worked as a janitor at the Willowbrook State School, an institution for mentally disabled children not far from the ruins of Seaview. Prosecutors said Redmond-Mercereau, a former high school English teacher, shot her husband with his stainless steel Smith & Wesson 9 mm service pistol from a distance of 2 to 4 inches. Under the leadership of Pastor Andr Trocm of the Reformed Church of France, his wife Magda, and his assistant, Pastor Edouard Theis, the residents of the villages offered shelter in private. He was the first person ever convicted in the borough for killing a cop, the Advance reported. All rights reserved. Photo: Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. Fellow nun Sister Therese, almost 89, wheels her to mass in the hospice's little chapel each morning. The world's oldest person, French nun Lucile Randon, has died aged 118. He was eventually apprehended and served ten months in jail. He sets up interviews where hes serving time at Ossining Correctional (Sing Sing). But Sister Andre is indeed the oldest "by a long way" of the confirmed super-centenarians, according to French longevity tracker Laurent Toussaint the next contender being a Polish woman aged 115. She had previously been the oldest woman in Europe when she turned 117 but now has the title after the death of Kane Tanaka, a Japanese womanthe Guinness World Records confirmed her title as the worlds oldest person on record on Monday. The prime suspect in the murders, Andre Rand was a former employee of Willowbrook, not a patient. Just who is Cropsey, you ask? Sister Andr was born Lucile Randon in 1904, and took her ecclesiastical title in 1944 when she joined a Catholic charitable order. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [10][2][11], After the death of Honorine Rondello on 19 October 2017, she became the oldest living person in France. But she also has a record to beat: that of Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 in Arles, southern France, at age 122 the oldest confirmed age reached by any human being so far. In May 2009, a jury found Janet Redmond-Mercereau 47, guilty of fatally shooting her husband, Supervising Fire Marshal Douglas Mercereau as he slept inside their Tarring Street home in Oakwood on Dec. 2, 2007. Oldest validated living person. [ 18 ] the spokesman at the Ste lying underneath the weeds, trash and! Or DNA samples she survived the Spanish flu an influenza pandemic that lasted from February 1918 to 1920. That Rand seemed like an awfully convincing suspect if he happened to be innocent least minutes. 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