Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. [SPOOKYPEDIA]

Join the Patreon family!! You'll get AD FREE episodes, merch discounts, exclusive content, behind-the-scenes, private group chats, and much more! (www.Patreon.com/PsychopediaPod) You know the legend: say his name five times in the mirror and Candyman appears. But before the hook-handed ghost ever terrified you in your nightmares, there was a real woman in Chicago whose screams went unanswered.  In 1987, 52-year-old Ruthie Mae McCoy called 911, terrified that someone was breaking into her apartment through her bathroom mirror. Hours later, Ruthie Mae was dead. What followed was a horrifying chain of neglect, systemic failure, and indifference that would later inspire one of horror’s most iconic stories.  This episode uncovers the real tragedy that birthed the Candyman myth, which was Ruthie Mae’s fight for safety inside Chicago’s most dangerous public housing project, the police who didn’t listen, and the killers who slipped through the walls like ghosts.  Before there was Candyman, there was Ruthie Mae McCoy....and her story is far more terrifying than fiction. Patreon: www.patreon.com/psychopediapod Instagram + TikTok: @investigatorslater  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices