Joe Ball, infamously known as “The Alligator Man,” was a suspected American serial killer active during the 1930s in Elmendorf, Texas. A World War I veteran, Ball opened a bar called the Sociable Inn, where he kept live alligators in a pit behind the establishment to entertain patrons. He became the subject of a gruesome legend after several women connected to him—barmaids, girlfriends, and even his wife—began disappearing under mysterious circumstances. Rumors spread that Ball was disposing of the bodies by feeding them to his alligators. Although no conclusive evidence was ever found in the pit, human remains were later discovered elsewhere, and a handyman claimed Ball confessed to multiple murders. As law enforcement closed in on him in 1938, Ball died by suicide, leaving behind a legacy of horror and macabre folklore that still haunts Texas true crime history.
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