Killer in the Crypt

The Grim is opening the gate and entering Pine Grove Cemetery located in Truro, it might seem just another quiet New England burial ground—modest in size, overlooked by tourists, and far from the summer crowds drawn to nearby beaches. But appearances deceive. Since its establishment in 1799, this two-acre plot has become a repository for some of Massachusetts' darkest mysteries and most gruesome crimes.

We begin with the haunting tale of the Commerce, a fishing vessel that drifted into Truro harbor one September Sunday in 1844, perfectly intact but eerily empty. Captain Solomon Lombard and his nine crew members had vanished without explanation, only to wash ashore days later along a 30-mile stretch of coastline. These experienced sailors, strong swimmers all, somehow drowned on a calm sea within sight of land. Seven now rest in Pine Grove, their broken headstones still whispering "drowned in Cape Cod Bay" to those who know where to look. What happened to these men in their final moments? The sea has kept this secret for nearly two centuries.

More than a hundred years later, Pine Grove Cemetery became the backdrop for unimaginable horror when the woods behind its granite-posted fence became the hunting ground of Anton "Tony" Costa. Behind his clean-cut appearance and helpful demeanor lurked a monster who lured young women to their deaths. The 1969 discovery of four victims—Patricia Walsh, Marianne Wysocki, Sydney Monzon, and Susan Perry—buried behind the cemetery shocked the Cape Cod community to its core. Costa's connections to other disappearances and deaths across multiple states, combined with his interest in the occult, transformed Pine Grove from a place of peaceful rest to a site of nightmares.

Whether you're fascinated by maritime mysteries, true crime, or the paranormal phenomena reported within Pine Grove's boundaries, this episode unearths the secrets that lie just beneath the surface of this seemingly ordinary place. Listen now and discover why some say the woods beyond the headstones still feel heavy with unresolved tragedy—and why Pine Grove Cemetery continues to be a place where the past refuses to rest in peace.

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