1984 Texas Slave Ranch case revealed forced labor and abuse at remote ranch

In April 1984, authorities investigated a remote ranch near Mountain Home, northwest of Kerrville, Texas, uncovering allegations of forced labor, torture, and abuse, according to 965kvki.com and KSAT.

The 3,500-acre property belonged to Walter Wesley Ellebracht Sr. and his son, Walter Jr., who recruited hitchhikers and men with promises of work and shelter but subjected some to forced labor and physical abuse, 965kvki.com reported.

Survivors described being chained at night and threatened, with one man, Anthony Bates, reportedly tortured after failing to perform labor. Investigators found chains, a cattle prod, chilling recordings, and charred human bone fragments on the property.

In 1986, Walter Ellebracht Sr., Walter Ellebracht Jr., and ranch foreman Carlton Robert Caldwell were convicted under Texas' organized-crime law for kidnappings related to the case. The elder Ellebracht received seven years' probation; the son's sentence was not fully detailed in the source.

The disturbing case inspired the horror film Hoboken Hollow and remains one of Texas' most notorious criminal cases, highlighting severe human rights abuses at the ranch.