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Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal is a Hulu series that explores criminal cases intertwined with paranormal theories, like the one of Sarah Saganitso. Season 1 episode 6, titled The Shape-Shifting Defense, shows the mysterious 1987 murder of Sarah Saganitso, a Navajo woman whose unsolved case reopened with a bizarre twist, involving claims of supernatural elements.
In June 1987, Sarah Saganitso, a 40-year-old Navajo single mother and housekeeper at Flagstaff Medical Center, Arizona, was reported missing after her evening shift. Hours later, her body was discovered in a wooded area adjacent to her workplace.
The autopsy revealed that Sarah Saganitso had been strangled to death, with additional lacerations on her breast and pubic area, indicating a violent assault. Despite taking measures for personal safety, such as carrying defensive tools due to prior unsettling encounters, her precautions turned out to be insufficient.
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Initial investigations by local police, prompted by her family's urgent concerns, struggled with delays and procedural hesitations. Sarah’s family, having adapted to her new work schedule, quickly realized her disappearance and engaged with hospital security for assistance, yet faced critical delays in police response.
The discovery of her body, marked by disturbances at the scene and peculiar evidential placements, like graveyard dirt and a stick in her neck, pointed to a sinister and personal attack.
Details of Sarah Saganitso's case, explored
In the summer of 1987, Sarah Saganitso was working as a housekeeper at the Flagstaff Medical Center in Arizona, when she tragically became the victim of a brutal murder. Saganitso, who had been employed at the hospital for 17 years, was accustomed to the day shift, which allowed her to spend evenings with her family.
However, her routine was disrupted when she was reassigned to the evening shift, raising concerns among her siblings about her safety, especially after she had previously encountered a suspicious man at her workplace.
On the night of June 12, 1987, after clocking out at around 11 PM, Sarah Saganitso never made it home. Her family, alarmed by her absence, initiated a search. Her body was discovered hours later in a wooded area next to the hospital.
She was found without clothes and had visible injuries, including lacerations and signs of strangulation. The autopsy confirmed asphyxiation as the cause of death, with additional disturbing evidence of bite marks on her breast and pubic area.
The initial response from local law enforcement was sluggish. Her family's immediate pleas for help were met with procedural delays, as police stated that they could not launch a search until she had been missing for over a day. Despite these setbacks, hospital security cooperated with the family, only for them to find Sarah Saganitso deceased on the opposite side from where her truck was parked.
Investigative leads were sparse, but the crime scene was noted for its peculiarities, including disturbed ground and graveyard dirt near her vehicle, suggesting a struggle or ritualistic elements. The family provided the police with a list of potential suspects, which included people Sarah had known, but they felt the authorities did not follow up adequately.
The case took a strange turn when George Abney, a local poet and part-time English professor, became a person of interest after a priest reported that Abney had confessed to knowing details about the murder. Under police interrogation, Abney confessed to the killing, describing a chance encounter with Saganitso at the hospital.
He claimed to have blacked out during the attack, driven by deep-seated psychological issues stemming from childhood traumas. According to Abney, the nature of the wounds he inflicted post-mortem was a way to externalize his internal sufferings.
Despite his confession, and forensic evidence that matched the bite marks to him, Abney’s trial introduced controversial defenses by his attorney, suggesting his actions were influenced by mental health issues and coerced confession claims.
An anthropologist introduced the notion of a skinwalker, a shape-shifter from Navajo culture, suggesting the murder could be tied to indigenous beliefs and rituals, further complicating the case. Ultimately, the jury acquitted Abney, swayed by arguments regarding his mental state and cultural explanations, telling him to leave Flagstaff and live quietly elsewhere.
Audiences can delve into the case of Sarah Saganitso on Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal, available to watch on Hulu.
