Digging Up the Past: Devilish Deeds Podcast

Devilish Deeds podcast explores the story of the Servant Girl Annihilator.

Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Baptiste Despois

Oakwood Cemetery stands as a solemn reminder that what is past is not forgotten. Austin’s oldest city cemetery is not only the resting place for a list of notable figures, but it’s also the final stop for many victims who fell in the wake of the Servant Girl Annihilator. Although, until recently, few knew that to be the case.

Of the eight victims of the 19th-century serial killer who prowled the streets of Austin, the majority are buried at Oakwood Cemetery according to Katey Outka, assistant director at The Drag Audio Production House and the producer of the podcast Devilish Deeds, which tells the tale of the serial killer that terrorized Austin in 1885.

In an open, unmarked grassy area in Oakwood Cemetery lie thousands of anonymous graves that the City of Austin is working to identify. Some of those remains, according to Katey, have the same names as those whose lives were brutally ended in the final aughts of the 19th century. “I met with someone from Save Austin’s Cemeteries who said, ‘You know, they’re buried in this section,’ and he gestured to that open grassy area in Oakwood…[Now] they’re finding these people with the same last names. I’m [thinking] that’s gotta be them.”

The identification of these victims is taking some investigation. In the meantime, Katey, who has been following this story as a journalist for nearly a decade, helped develop Devilish Deeds to highlight these Austinites—primarily domestic servants for Austin’s wealthy residents—and give life to their perspective.

While many have theorized about the identity of the culprit and their motives, one rarely-explored story is the accounts of the victims. Under Katey’s guidance, The Drag picked up the yarn in its newest podcast series and wove a narrative focused on this angle. However, it was not an easy trail to follow.

“[It was] really difficult and inconsistent and especially hard when you’re telling a story about primarily Black victims because so often they didn’t name these people,” says Katey who spent hours combing through the archives of the Austin History Center as well as periodicals from the Austin American-Statesman.

This heavily-researched podcast slices its own path through this muddy Texas true crime story, giving voice to those who were silenced and prompting a sometimes-brutal introspection of Austin’s evolution as the state’s capital and the home of the country’s first-known serial killer.

“It’s one of those things that just kind of sticks with you,” explains Katey. “It’s one of those stories.”

Did You Know?
The Drag Audio Production House has produced several notable student-led podcasts, including The Orange Tree, a podcast recounting the story of the 2005 murder of 21-year-old Jennifer Cave. The series reached Apple Podcast’s and Spotify’s Top 10 charts following its release.

More Podcasts from The Drag Audio Production House:
*Story Submarine
*The Orange Tree
*Devilish Deeds
*Request Pending
*Darkness
*Crooked Power
*35

Contact:
thedragaudio.com
300 W Dean Keeton St.