On February 27, 1994, Olivia Mabel's body was found in her secluded Texas ranch house sitting upright in a rocking chair in front of a mysterious altar dedicated to her deceased son. This is the unsolved story out of Celina, Texas.
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Who Killed Olivia Mabel?
Pieces of the press conference held by Investigator Terry Goldscher. February 28th, 1994.
The mysterious discovery of Olivia Mabel’s body is at the heart of Celina’s first and only unsolved case.
Olivia Jane Mabel was a proud stay-at-home-mom, living with her husband Travis and their son, Aiden, on 12.77 acres of property in the quiet town of Celina, Texas. In 1990, tragedy paid an unexpected visit to the Footlights Ranch as young Aiden was found dead in the small seasonal pond on the property.
Aiden Mabel at 6 years old. 1 year before his death.
Olivia was heartbroken. Suffering this unimaginable tragedy threw her into a deep grief, filled with self-blame and a refusal to believe the facts. She eventually pulled away from her friends, her work and her husband, which eventually lead to a divorce in early 1991. Ex-husband Travis has happily remarried and moved to New England, losing touch with Ms. Mabel after a matter of months. With no other family members, Olivia was last seen in September 1991.
At roughly 9:30pm on February 27th, 1994, police respond to several silent 911 calls coming from the usually still Mabel house. What they found was all but unseen for this small town.
In a neglected and dust ridden house, seemingly not touched in years, the body of Olivia Mabel was found inside the bedroom of her late son. The room was clean and well taken care of, in stark contrast to the dirt and disrepair contained in the rest of the home. Against the far wall of the room there was a crudely constructed and decorated altar, surrounded by hand drawn images and hundreds of heartfelt letters to her child. Pasted to the front of the altar were words written in Tibetan and Sanskrit languages, translating as “Construct” or “To Build"
Her body was found sitting upright in a rocking chair clutching an eery hand crafted stick doll, of her lost child.
Doll found clutched in the hand of Ms. Mabel at the scene.
In a 1999 magazine article, Sgt. Terry Goldscher, lead investigator for the case, had this to say about the curious circumstances surround the discovery of Olivia Mabel.
“Nobody had seen her in years. Almost 3 I think. She clearly passed her time in some pretty unhealthy ways. The negligent damage to the house, the obsession with her deceased son, and the clearly pagan symbols and altar were all signs of something seriously wrong with her mental health. Which is understandable after the death of a child like that, but she just balled up. Ran her husband out. Never went back to church. See if she had reached out, her brothers and sisters in Christ would have supported her. But she left the flock and became the devil’s prey, plain and simple.“
After a thorough investigation, the case was closed with an unsolved outcome. Local rumors have become legend regarding what happened to Olivia; the most popular being that Ms. Mabel attracted or created something evil.
The first officer on the scene, Francesca Santiago, describes what she witnessed entering the residence,
“I spent a lot of time in El Paso and had an uncle that was into some really dark occult stuff. I recognized it immediately. When I walked in that room and saw the symbols and the photos on that altar I felt a strong angry presence looming over me. It was honestly the last thing I expected to see in this town.”
The people who have read into the case have their own theory of what happened to Ms. Mabel. Based on translations of the Sanskrit found on the altar, local legend now holds that she might have created a entity of her son, a sentient being based in Tibetan Buddhism created through the power of the practitioners thoughts. It is known in Tibetan as a Tulpa, or in English, a “thought form.”
Years after the discovery of Ms. Mabel’s body, rumors that the house was inhabited by evil spirits grew so persistent that current landlord, Christopher Hagen, hasn’t been able to sell the property. In 2005, in an attempt to debunk these tales, Mr. Hagen hired Austin-based paranormal investigator, Drew Navarro, to determine the validity of this legendary tale.
“I’m not even sure this was even ever on our physical plane. In the hundreds of locations I’ve studied I’ve never felt such an imposing force. I couldn’t breathe, my heart was constantly racing. It’s energy kept changing, but none of it felt inviting. Whatever is in there, it’s extremely possessive and behaves so erratically, like a jealous child throwing a tantrum. As far as I’m concerned, that house and that entire property should be avoided. It needs a serious intervention, because I’m not sure what we’re dealing with.”
This only added fuel to the fire surrounding the rumors of a living Tulpa inhabiting the The Footlights Ranch.
“One of the oddest parts for me,” says Officer Santiago, “is the date on the last letter we found. Dated the very day we kicked that swollen door down. The city concluded that she post-dated everything but I don’t believe she was alone in that house. And I don’t believe her spirit wasn’t still in the room with us that night. But then that makes me the crazy one, right?”
The thirteen-acre property still sits vacant as 22 years since the mysterious discovery surprised the sleepy North Texas town.
Letter written by Olivia Mabel, dated February 27th, 1994
2-27-94
My Aiden,
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
I should have never let it get like this.
I’m leaving.
I will not let you keep me you ViLE, EViL CREATURE.
Mommy’s coming for you, Aiden, my sweet Aiden.
Mommy loves you.
