Why is Trail Creek, Indiana so murdery?

Trail Creek sits in La Porte County in northern Indiana, up near Lake Michigan and about an hour and fifteen minutes from Chicago: close enough to the city to be in its orbit, far enough away to stay small. The old Michigan Road came through in 1831, a dam and a sawmill followed in 1834, and the town was incorporated in 1924 with around 150 people. It holds 1,954 now.

Its league total is 7 murders within 25 miles, from just 2 episodes across 2 towns, 2 of them in Trail Creek itself. That is less a streak than two visits. Episode 35, about 10 miles away at La Porte, carries 5 of the 7 victims in a single case touching 1971 and 1983. Episode 384 supplies the other 2, dated 1981 and 1984. So one episode with many victims does most of the haul; many episodes do not add up to much at all.

And it counts the show's cases, not crime statistics. The show chooses the towns, so a rank of 195 overall, second in Indiana, says more about the running order than about life in La Porte County.