One Of The Most Acclaimed TV Shows Of All Time Was Based On A Capital Region Crime

Not many television shows have stood the test of time quite like David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks. Following a small Pacific-Northwest town that's rocked by the murder of one of their own, the program has garnered critical and fan acclaim.

While the surrealist masterpiece feels like something from another realm, the core of the story is actually based on a real-life crime here in New York's Capital Region.

The Death of Hazel Drew

At the center of Twin Peaks' story is the death of Laura Palmer. The show starts with her body washing up on a local shore, and sending the town into a frenzy. This was based, almost verbatim, on the death of Hazel Drew in Sand Lake, NY.

On July 7th, 1908, a group of boys on a camping trip at Teal Pond saw a woman pop out of the water. This was Hazel Drew, a 20 year old local. Dead. The death sent shockwaves through the community, and began to unearth a hidden, dark underside of the idyllic Upstate town.

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The Mystery Goes Deeper

Much like Twin Peaks, the insanity didn't stop there. It was eventually discovered that Hazel had been working for the most influential families in the town since she was 14, stumbling into a web of sex, crime, and corruption.

The theory goes that Hazel learned too much, and the families were anxious to avoid a scandal. As such, two notables in the area "took care of her", and ended her story in tragedy. It was a tragedy that would not be forgotten, and is now immortalized within your television screens as part of one of the greatest TV Shows of all time.