Hidden in the tall grasses and shallow waters of the Florida Everglades are true tales of mysterious deaths, clandestine crime, and disasters, both natural and manmade.

Desperados fled here after escaping from prison, rum runners gunned down their enemies, and killers slipped their prey into canals as food for reptilian wildlife. Commercial airlines crashed and burned in the sawgrass, while smaller planes vanished from view. Hurricanes tore through the region, forcing Lake Okeechobee to overrun its banks and wipe out entire towns. And every once in a while, an alligator made someone its lunch. Collected here are some of the most gripping accounts in Everglades history, caused by natural forces, crime, operator error, or human folly.