The world is prettttyyyy big place, and oftentimes you don't even have to look that far to find a wild true crime story. In fact, I'm willing to bet many of you have a truly shocking one from your very own hometown.
![Forensic team in protective suits examining a crime scene behind yellow caution tape](https://cdn.statically.io/img/img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2024-03/8/23/asset/7b24851f17b3/sub-buzz-1318-1709942164-1.jpg?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
For example, maybe you lived in a gated community — which seemed safe and idyllic — but little did people know, there was actually a dangerous serial killer living among them, like the case of Dana Sue Gray.
![Dana sue gray in court, standing trial](https://cdn.statically.io/img/img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-03/10/21/asset/cd21699cd6d2/sub-buzz-1442-1678484763-8.png?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
Or perhaps you grew up in a bucolic fishing town where, to everyone's shock, there was a MASSIVE drug bust that saw hundreds of DEA agents sweep the streets. (Which actually happened in Everglades City, Florida in the '80s!)
![police officers standing by as a car drives by](https://cdn.statically.io/img/img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2023-03/10/21/asset/2ff0f7d95708/sub-buzz-7626-1678484902-1.png?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto)
Heck, maybe your town's true crime story actually involved a sex cult that did truly horrible things involving brainwashing, abuse, and all kinds of cover-ups.
![Sign for NXIVM Executive Success Programs outside Karner Woods with a logo on the left](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2024-03/8/23/asset/af2a08a941fc/sub-buzz-505-1709942216-1.jpg)