AI Video Summary: The Creepy Murder In Room 1046
Channel: BuzzFeed Multiplayer
TL;DR
This episode details the unsolved 1935 murder of Artemus Ogletree, a young man found brutally tortured in Room 1046 of the Hotel President in Kansas City. Despite numerous clues including a mysterious associate named 'Don' and anonymous calls regarding the victim's funeral, the identity of the killer and the motive behind the crime remain unknown.
Key Points
- — A man named Roland T. Owen checks into the Hotel President in Kansas City, displaying strange behavior such as keeping the lights off and asking the maid not to lock the door.
- — The maid returns to find the room locked from the outside, and Owen is heard on the phone refusing food, claiming he is not hungry.
- — Hotel staff discover the room phone off the hook; upon entry, they find the victim naked and surrounded by dark stains, initially dismissing it as a drunken mess.
- — A second entry reveals a horrific scene: the victim is on his knees holding his head, with blood splattered on the walls, ceiling, and bed, indicating severe torture.
- — Medical examination reveals the victim suffered a fractured skull, multiple stab wounds, and strangulation, yet he was still alive when found and claimed he 'fell against the bathtub.'
- — Police find no record of 'Roland T. Owen' in Los Angeles, and the victim's real identity remains unknown until a year later when his mother identifies him as Artemus Ogletree.
- — Anonymous individuals send money for the funeral and flowers with a card signed 'Love forever, Louise,' suggesting a connection to the victim or the killer.
- — Theories emerge suggesting a man named 'Don' killed Ogletree alone, or that a 'commercial woman' and a man from the ninth floor were involved in the torture.
- — Sensational articles propose a motive of infidelity, citing anonymous calls claiming the victim was punished by a jilted fiancée for cheating.
- — The case remains unsolved to this day, with no definitive proof of the killer's identity or the true events that transpired in Room 1046.
Detailed Summary
The video recounts the chilling and unsolved murder of Artemus Ogletree, who checked into the Hotel President in Kansas City on January 2, 1935, under the alias Roland T. Owen. From the moment of his arrival, Owen exhibited bizarre behavior; he kept the room dark, refused to let the maid lock the door, and appeared terrified. Over the next two days, hotel staff observed increasingly strange occurrences, including the room being locked from the outside and Owen refusing food while on the phone with a mysterious person named 'Don.' The situation escalated on January 4th when hotel staff discovered the room phone off the hook. Upon entering, they initially mistook the scene for a drunken mess, but a second entry revealed a gruesome reality. Owen was found on his knees, severely tortured with a fractured skull, multiple stab wounds, and signs of strangulation. Blood was splattered across the walls and ceiling, indicating a violent struggle. Miraculously, Owen was still alive and claimed he had simply 'fallen against the bathtub,' a statement the hosts find highly implausible given the extent of the injuries. Owen died in the hospital shortly after, and his identity remained a mystery for months. Police found no record of 'Roland T. Owen' in Los Angeles. It was not until a year later that a friend of Ruby Ogletree identified the victim as her son, Artemus Ogletree, a 17-year-old who had left Birmingham in 1934. The discovery of typed letters sent to his mother after his death, despite Artemus not knowing how to type, added another layer of suspicion to the case. Following the death, the case became even more mysterious. Anonymous callers and senders began contacting the funeral home and newspaper. One caller insisted Owen not be buried in a pauper's grave, promising to pay for a proper funeral. Another sent flowers with a card signed 'Love forever, Louise.' A man called the funeral home claiming Owen had jilted a girl and was punished for his infidelity, stating 'cheaters usually get what's coming to them.' These messages suggested a motive of revenge, possibly from a jilted fiancée or an accomplice. Investigators proposed several theories. One suggests a man named 'Don' acted alone, possibly the same man Owen was seen with in a different hotel. Another theory involves a 'commercial woman' seen on the elevator that night, potentially accompanied by a man from the ninth floor, who may have been the perpetrators. Despite these leads, including female fingerprints on the phone stand, no one was ever identified. The case remains one of the most baffling unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, leaving the true story of Room 1046 forever unknown.
Tags: true crime, unsolved mystery, murder, 1930s, hotel murder, cold case, artemus ogletree