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Southern Gothic

The Unsolved Murder of Ethel Allen | Encore Episode

Southern Gothic

Southern Gothic Media LLC

History, Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.7975 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On Merritt Island, Florida, most visitors come for the Kennedy Space Center, where rockets have carried astronauts beyond the Earth. But tucked away on the south side of the island, down a crooked mile of oak trees draped in Spanish moss, sits a much older landmark—Georgiana Cemetery. It is one of the oldest graveyards in Brevard County, and among its weathered stones lies the grave of a young woman whose death remains one of Florida’s darkest mysteries. Her name was Ethel Allen. She was just nineteen when, in November of 1934, her body was discovered on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon. Brutally attacked, left nearly unrecognizable, and partially burned, her remains shocked the community. A ruby ring and a small tattoo were all the investigators had to identify her. And while suspicion quickly fell on a man calling himself William Wilson, the trail went cold when he fled town under another name. Decades later, the story of Ethel Allen is still unsettled. Some point to the man later unmasked as Willard Borton, a career criminal who lived by theft and died in prison. Others whisper that jealousy or betrayal may have driven someone closer to her to kill. No one was ever brought to justice, and her murder has never been solved. But in Brevard County, her memory lingers. Visitors to Georgiana Cemetery and to Ashley’s Restaurant, one of the last places she was seen alive, report unexplainable voices, phantom touches, and the apparition of a young woman in out-of-time clothing. Nearly a century after her death, locals say Ethel Allen still wanders, looking for answers the world has yet to give her. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Southern Gothic Premium on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Into History: History Without Interruption⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SouthernGothicMedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch Store:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pinterest:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @SouthernGothicMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @SouthernGothicMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @SouthernGothicMedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @SoGoPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Advertise on this podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press@southerngothicmedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

The Fall Line is a true crime podcast covering the coldest cases in the southeastern United States and occasionally beyond.

0:08.4

We focus on the missing persons, the unsolved murders, and the unidentified doze that don't get media attention.

0:15.7

Empathetic and intensively researched, the fall line will take you on deep dives into unsolved cases that you've never heard of,

0:22.8

and make you wonder why you haven't.

0:25.6

Find us wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:32.5

I'm Rob Kirkup, and I am the host of How Hounded, the podcast where we explore the dark history and terrifying ghost stories of some of the UK's most haunted places, with the occasional trip overseas.

0:47.9

Every other Friday, you'll hear tales of horror, chilling investigations with real audio from ghost hunts, and even the occasional

0:56.4

guest, or polter guest, as I prefer to call them. Every October, we go weekly for spooky season,

1:04.9

with a month of themed episodes building up to a huge Halloween spookacular. And at Christmas, I share your own real-life ghost stories

1:13.9

in the nightmare before Christmas special.

1:17.2

So search for How Haunted, wherever you get your podcasts.

1:21.5

And join me every fortnight as we ask the question.

1:25.8

How Haunted.

1:43.7

Thank you. as we ask the question, how haunted? Southern Gothic is a podcast that explores the history behind some of the American South's darkest days,

1:45.0

greatest mysteries, and most chilling ghost stories.

1:49.0

The The Marin Island, Florida is best known as the home of the Kennedy Space Center.

2:16.3

The NASA launch facility where dozens of historic missions have departed, including Apollo 11,

2:22.3

which was the first to take man to the moon, the shuttle discovery, and the Hubble Space Telescope.

2:29.3

But while this immense modern facility might define the island that sits just across the Indian River Lagoon from mainland Florida,

2:39.0

ghost hunters travel there for an entirely different reason to explore a graveyard that predates NASA by a century.

2:59.0

The Georgiana Cemetery sits on the south side of the island, on Crooked Mile Road,

3:04.5

and it's tucked away in a residential area as if it were a hidden portal to another time.

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