Mark J. Kilroy
Encyclopedia
Mark J. Kilroy was a University of Texas at Austin
student who vanished in March 1989 on the streets of Matamoros, Mexico along the Texas/Mexico border across from the city of Brownsville, Texas.
Kilroy had traveled to South Padre Island, TX with several of his Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity
brothers for what was known as "Texas Week." This specific week got its name from the time period when the major Texas universities had the same week off for Spring Break
; it had become the single busiest week of Spring Break for the community of South Padre Island.
During Texas Week, college students from across Texas would often visit Mexico during spring break due to its proximity to South Padre Island and its less stringent laws on alcohol and entry into nightclubs.
On March 13, 1989, Kilroy and his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers traveled from South Padre Island to Matamoros, Mexico
. The following day, Kilroy's fraternity brothers notified Brownsville law enforcement authorities that he had disappeared the previous evening. Authorities on both sides of the border began a massive search for Kilroy without success.
The case opened up when a Mexican national named Serafin Hernandez went through a police checkpoint without slowing down. Authorities gave chase and Mr. Hernandez led investigators to a remote homestead known as Rancho Santa Elena. Authorities arrested Serafin and four other men including the ranch's caretaker after approximately 250 lbs of Marijuana was found in Serafin's car. While interrogating Hernandez, authorities learned that Kilroy and several others had been murdered and their bodies buried at the ranch.
On April 11, 1989, investigators discovered the mutilated body of Kilroy and 14 other victims in shallow graves at the ranch. All the victims had been sacrificed by Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo and Sara Maria Aldrete, leaders of a cult which combined Palo Mayombe, Santeria, and Mexican Brujeria practices and utilized human sacrifice to feed their spirits and protects the members of the cult.
In 2007, After Dark Films
released the horror
film, Borderland
, which is loosely based on the Kilroy disappearance and murder case.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
student who vanished in March 1989 on the streets of Matamoros, Mexico along the Texas/Mexico border across from the city of Brownsville, Texas.
Kilroy had traveled to South Padre Island, TX with several of his Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
Fraternity
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
brothers for what was known as "Texas Week." This specific week got its name from the time period when the major Texas universities had the same week off for Spring Break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
; it had become the single busiest week of Spring Break for the community of South Padre Island.
During Texas Week, college students from across Texas would often visit Mexico during spring break due to its proximity to South Padre Island and its less stringent laws on alcohol and entry into nightclubs.
On March 13, 1989, Kilroy and his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers traveled from South Padre Island to Matamoros, Mexico
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
. The following day, Kilroy's fraternity brothers notified Brownsville law enforcement authorities that he had disappeared the previous evening. Authorities on both sides of the border began a massive search for Kilroy without success.
The case opened up when a Mexican national named Serafin Hernandez went through a police checkpoint without slowing down. Authorities gave chase and Mr. Hernandez led investigators to a remote homestead known as Rancho Santa Elena. Authorities arrested Serafin and four other men including the ranch's caretaker after approximately 250 lbs of Marijuana was found in Serafin's car. While interrogating Hernandez, authorities learned that Kilroy and several others had been murdered and their bodies buried at the ranch.
On April 11, 1989, investigators discovered the mutilated body of Kilroy and 14 other victims in shallow graves at the ranch. All the victims had been sacrificed by Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo and Sara Maria Aldrete, leaders of a cult which combined Palo Mayombe, Santeria, and Mexican Brujeria practices and utilized human sacrifice to feed their spirits and protects the members of the cult.
In 2007, After Dark Films
After Dark Films
After Dark Films is a horror film production company and distributor founded by Courtney Solomon.-History:The company is the organizer for the annual independent horror film festival After Dark Horrorfest, also known as 8 Films to Die For, which is currently in its fourth year...
released the horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film, Borderland
Borderland (film)
Borderland is a 2007 horror film written and directed by Zev Berman. It is released as one of the 8 Films to Die For at Horrorfest 2007. It is very loosely based on the true story of Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, the leader of a religious cult that practiced human sacrifice...
, which is loosely based on the Kilroy disappearance and murder case.