In 1987, Ruthie Mae McCoy made a frantic 911 call. Someone, she claimed, was trying to get into her apartment – through the bathroom cabinet. Two days later, Ruthie was found murdered. Her death was all too real. But the horror didn’t end there. Five years later, a new nightmare was born on the big screen. With the chilling command “Be my victim,” the legend of Candyman took hold – a vengeful spirit with a hook for a hand, summoned by saying his name five times into a mirror.
But what if the story behind the legend is even more terrifying?
Join Fruitloops as we delve into the eerie true crime that inspired Candyman – the life and tragic death of Ruthie Mae McCoy. Who, or what, is the real Candyman? Is he a supernatural killer… or a reflection of something far more sinister lurking in plain sight?
Looking for listener letters, shout-outs & tips on how not to get murdered? You’ll now find them tucked away in our Love You, Bye episodes.
This episode was researched & scripted by Wendy & Beth Williams and edited by Minnie Williams.
Thanks for listening! This is a weekly podcast and new episodes drop on Thursdays, so until next time… look alive guys, it’s crazy out there!
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Footnotes
Articles/Websites
Dunn, Morgan. (08/11/2022). The True Story Of Candyman That Inspired The Horror Classic. All That’s Interesting. Retrieved 09/20/2025 from https://allthatsinteresting.com/is-candyman-real
Dixon, Mike. (n.d.). The “Lynching Bee”: Coming to Terms. Maryland Lynching Memorial Project. Retrieved 09/20/2025 from https://www.mdlynchingmemorial.org/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). ABLA Homes. Retrieved 09/20/2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABLA_Homes
Margitoff, Marco. (02/28/2020). Congress Passes Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act To Finally Make It A Federal Crime. All That’s Interesting. Retrieved 09/25/2025 from https://allthatsinteresting.com/emmett-till-anti-lynching-act
Cohen, Sharon. (11/01/1992). Duck the Bullet: How Children Survive Chicago’s Cabrini-Green. LA Times. Retrieved 09/26/2025 from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-01-mn-1692-story.html
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States. Retrieved 09/26/2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_United_States
Bogira, Steve. (09/03/1987). They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror. Chicago Reader. Retrieved 09/26/2025 from https://chicagoreader.com/news/they-came-in-through-the-bathroom-mirror/
Bogira, Steve. (03/14/2014). How a story about the horrors of housing projects became part of a horror movie. Chicago Reader. Retrieved 09/26/2025 from https://chicagoreader.com/blogs/how-a-story-about-the-horrors-of-housing-projects-became-part-of-a-horror-movie/
Kass, John. (04/27/1987). Suspect Charged in Slaying of Widow. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 09/26/2025 from https://www.newspapers.com/image/388947988/
Encyclopedia of Chicago. (n.d.). Chicago Housing Authority. Retrieved 09/29/2025 from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/253.html
The National Archives. (n.d.). The Great Migration (1910-1970). Retrieved 09/29/2025 from https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/migrations/great-migration
Bogira, Steve. (06/12/1990). Cause of Death. Chicago Reader. Retrieved 09/30/2025 from https://chicagoreader.com/news/cause-of-death/
Hawley, Rachel E. (04/16/2025). Rewriting the Narrative on Public Housing. The Progressive. https://progressive.org/latest/rewriting-the-narrative-on-public-housing-hawley-20250416/
Podcasts
Pongo, Dometi (host). (10/03/2024). Candyman: The True Story Behind the Bathroom Mirror Murder http://podcast. 48 Hours & CBS News.
Music
“Abyss” by Alasen: ●https://soundcloud.com/alasen●https://twitter.com/icemantrap ●https://instagram.com/icemanbass/●https://soundcloud.com/therealfrozenguy●
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
“Late Nights” by Marlene Miller. Used with permission. Find her Facebook and Instagram under SEMNCHY or marlenemiller138@gmail.com
“Jeopardy” by Yung Kartz https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Yung_Kartz Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
“Born Again” by Jorge Hernandez https://youtu.be/DLHtFN_hr_s Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
“Furious Freak” by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/full_list.php Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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