The Vampire's Cult: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder by Hardin, Chet

A self-proclaimed vampire.

His harem of "witches."

And the small-town murder that shocked America.

When twenty-four-year-old Sydney Loofe disappeared after a Tinder date, the quiet town of Wilber, Nebraska was stunned. Days later, her dismembered body was found scattered across nearby fields--and the horrifying truth began to emerge. Sydney hadn't just met the wrong man. She had crossed paths with a deeply disturbed psychopath and his dangerous accomplice.

In The Vampire's Cult, investigative journalist Chet Hardin exposes the twisted world of Aubrey Trail, an aging con man who presented himself as an all-powerful being, and Bailey Boswell, the woman who called herself his "queen." Together, they lured vulnerable young women into a spiral of sex, theft, and psychological manipulation--with deadly consequences.

Through exclusive interviews, firsthand reporting, and chilling detail, Hardin unravels the making of a modern cult--and the social desperation that feeds it. In an era defined by false realities and toxic charisma, The Vampire's Cult reveals just how easily darkness can disguise itself as devotion.

Author: Chet Hardin
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 08/04/2026
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781464258930

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/01/2026 pg. 99
Booklist 07/01/2026