WillowBrook State School and the Urban Legend of Cropsey
Explicit content warning
03/17/23 • 42 min
Willowbrook State School... a now abandoned institution in Staten Island, New York for persons with mental and physical disabilities that NYS opened in 1942. We'll talk about the tragic circumstances that residents at Willowbrook lived in- including some being subjected to confirmed human experimentation. Dr. Saul Krugman, a pediatrician and professor at New York University and Dr. Robert W. McCollum a virologist and epidemiologist at Yale School of Medicine performed studies at Willowbrook on the residents from 1956-1971, intentionally giving children hepatitis to try to work on a vaccination. This case help lead to the regulations around human experimentation that we have today. Dr. Michael Wilkins, a physician who worked at Willowbrook had been advocating to parents of residents within his wards to demand better care and conditions for the residents within. He was let go from his position and reached out to news journalist Geraldo Rivera and a print journalist Jane Kurtin. In February of 1972, Geraldo Rivera with help from Jane Kurtin, would release an expose on Willowbrook, titled “Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace”. We'll tie in the urban legend of Cropsey, an urban legend in the Staten Island area that was turned into a documentary film released by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, two Staten Island filmmakers. This will segue into the topic of the second episode, where we'll be discussing the connection to Andre Rand, a convicted sex offender and suspected serial killers, also known as the 'Pied Piper of Staten Island'. Andre Rand worked for a time at Willowbrook and lived on the grounds after the school closed.
All resources used for this episode are available on my website which you can find following this LINK.
Check out our Patreon Page!
Don't forget you can also follow the show on the following Social Media Platforms
Facebook: New York's Dark Side
X: @NYDarkSidePod
Instagram: @NYDarkSidePod
Have feedback or want to get in contact with Amanda? Reach out via email at [email protected]
The intro theme for this podcast is a section of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Willowbrook State School... a now abandoned institution in Staten Island, New York for persons with mental and physical disabilities that NYS opened in 1942. We'll talk about the tragic circumstances that residents at Willowbrook lived in- including some being subjected to confirmed human experimentation. Dr. Saul Krugman, a pediatrician and professor at New York University and Dr. Robert W. McCollum a virologist and epidemiologist at Yale School of Medicine performed studies at Willowbrook on the residents from 1956-1971, intentionally giving children hepatitis to try to work on a vaccination. This case help lead to the regulations around human experimentation that we have today. Dr. Michael Wilkins, a physician who worked at Willowbrook had been advocating to parents of residents within his wards to demand better care and conditions for the residents within. He was let go from his position and reached out to news journalist Geraldo Rivera and a print journalist Jane Kurtin. In February of 1972, Geraldo Rivera with help from Jane Kurtin, would release an expose on Willowbrook, titled “Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace”. We'll tie in the urban legend of Cropsey, an urban legend in the Staten Island area that was turned into a documentary film released by Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, two Staten Island filmmakers. This will segue into the topic of the second episode, where we'll be discussing the connection to Andre Rand, a convicted sex offender and suspected serial killers, also known as the 'Pied Piper of Staten Island'. Andre Rand worked for a time at Willowbrook and lived on the grounds after the school closed.
All resources used for this episode are available on my website which you can find following this LINK.
Check out our Patreon Page!
Don't forget you can also follow the show on the following Social Media Platforms
Facebook: New York's Dark Side
X: @NYDarkSidePod
Instagram: @NYDarkSidePod
Have feedback or want to get in contact with Amanda? Reach out via email at [email protected]
The intro theme for this podcast is a section of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Previous Episode
Andre Rand- The Pied Piper of Staten Island
Andre Rand, born Frank Rostum Rushan is a convicted sex offender and suspected serial killer that drifted around Staten Island. He was convicted of first the 1987 kidnapping of Jennifer Schweiger, and then in 2004 the 1981 kidnapping of Holly Anne Hughes. Staten Island filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio who both grew up in Staten Island with the urban legend of Cropsey- the urban legend of an escaped mental patient who lived in the abandoned tunnels and buildings of Willowbrook State School felt that the legend became real to them with Jennifer's disappearance. The documentary Cropsey covers the case of Andre Rand and his conviction in both cases, but leaves the viewer with more questions than answers.
This episode covers not only the disappearance of Jennifer Schweiger and Holly Anne Hughes, but also other cases linked to Rand including Alice Periera, Tiahease Jackson, Hank Gafforio, Sylvia Alice Lwowski, Audrey Lyn Nerenburg, Shin Lee, Ethel Louise Atwell, and Brenda Cecilia Crowley.
Check out our Patreon Page!
For all episode sources and additional information about this case, please check out our episode page following this LINK.
Don't forget you can also follow the show on the following Social Media Platforms
Facebook: New York's Dark Side
X: @NYDarkSidePod
Instagram: @NYDarkSidePod
Have feedback or want to get in contact with Amanda? Reach out via email at [email protected]
Theme music for this podcast comes from a portion of: Nightmare Machine Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Next Episode
The Rochester, New York "Double Initial Murders" Part One
In the early 1970's the Rochester, New York community was rocked by the abduction and murder of three young girls in a three year span. Carmen Colon was the first victim in 1971, followed by Wanda Walkowicz and Michelle Maenza in 1973. This case remains unsolved despite some high profile connections to other serial killers with ties to the Rochester area. This episode covers the lives of the victims, part two will give a deeper dive into the suspects in this case.
Check out our Patreon Page!
For all episode sources and additional information about this case, please check out our episode page following this LINK.
Don't forget you can also follow the show on the following Social Media Platforms
Facebook: New York's Dark Side
X: @NYDarkSidePod
Instagram: @NYDarkSidePod
Have feedback or want to get in contact with Amanda? Reach out via email at [email protected]
The intro theme for this podcast is a section of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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