Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley

by Sara Kaushal

The Miami Valley of Ohio has a rich but gruesome and bloody history. In Dayton, Christine Kett murdered her daughter and confessed seventeen years later on her deathbed. William Fogwell of Beavercreek clung to life long enough to name his killer before he died. Joshua Monroe, a Yellow Springs man, killed his lover--also his sister-in-law--in a jealous rage. Reputed serial killer Oliver Crook Haugh was accused of murdering multiple women over several years, but he was ultimately convicted of killing only his family. Author and founder of the Dayton Unknown history blog Sara Kaushal uncovers the violent and horrific crimes of the past.

130 pages, Hardcover

Published June 28, 2021

About the author

Sara is the author of Murder & Mayhem in Dayton and the Miami Valley, Dayton Ghosts & Legends, and Murder in Victorian Dayton: The Tragic Story of Bessie Little.

Sara is a Dayton native and the primary author of the local blog Dayton Unknown.

Reviews

[Jake Barney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this! The stories are presented as if written as long form newspaper articles and there's a ton of cool information and backstory to things I only ever heard in passing about murder and criminality in Dayton and the surrounding areas.
If you enjoy learning about parts of a city that aren't well known, and have ever lived or worked near Dayton, OH I would definitely recommend this book. The ending of the chapter The Return of the Prodigal Son kind of blew my mind. Great stuff!

[Richard Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very fascinating stories, particularly the mother/daughter murder as well as the Jeckyl and Hyde story. I do think too much was written about the listings of jurors and officials for most of the trials as it bogged down my reading experience. Still worth the read to know more about Dayton history!

[Robyn Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book filled with nuggets of interesting local history.

[Jeri Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always so interesting to read about local history!

[Katrina Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, and the stories in it were interesting, but the writing was definitely not my style. I had a hard time reading this as it seemed simplistic and overly conversational. That can definitely work for a blog, but for an informational book, I have a bit higher standards.

[Bill Millar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book.