Shortly before one of the most terrible crimes in American history during the 20th century, the Lawson family portrait was taken.

Charlie Lawson, a farmer born in 1886, and his wife Fannie Lawson, born in 1897, led this working-class family from North Carolina.

After one child passed away in infancy, the parents had seven living children: Mary Lou, four months; James, four; Raymond, two; Maybell, seven; and Arthur, 19, Marie, 17, Carrie, 12.

In 1929, just before Christmas, the father brought his family to the nearby town to get new clothes and have a family photo done.

For a working-class farming family at the time, this was regarded as a somewhat uncommon and costly gesture.

Only a few years later, the Lawson Family image was interpreted by many as a possible portent of future events.

It was also described as “a strong candidate for the scariest picture ever taken” by Allthatisinteresting.com.

The Lawson family portrait

The Lawsons are dressed formally and are shown looking blankly into the camera in this black and white portrait, which was made at a studio in the nearby city of Winston-Salem.

In particular, Charlie’s severe expression might have been a subtle hint of what was to come.

Charlie murdered his daughters Carrie and Maybell on Christmas Day while they were on their way to see family members near a tobacco barn.

After that, he went back inside and shot his wife, Fannie, on the porch. He killed Marie inside, then James and Raymond, the two youngest sons.

At last, he killed baby Mary Lou by bludgeoning her.

What happened to Charlie Lawson?

Charlie took a firearm into the woods and killed himself after killing seven family members.

The only surviving child was Arthur, his oldest son. The father had sent him into town to get some ammunition after Charlie and Arthur had gone hunting in the morning.

Following the terrible death of his family, Arthur is thought to have kept a very secluded existence.

What was Charlie’s motive?

Some historians think Charlie was suffering from a brain injury or mental illness at the time, but most historians believe the riddle cannot be solved.

Jeff Cochran, the screenwriter of a documentary about the murder-suicide called Trouble Will Cause, told Yes Weekly in 2018, “It was a particularly brutal murder and I think the main reason it has resonated with so many people for so many years is that no one knows why Charlie Lawson killed his family.”

“People have come up with a dozen different theories and reasons to explain why Charlie Lawson did what he did.”

“Some of the ideas are extreme and far-fetched, but most of the ideas people have are logically plausible.”

“I think most of the theories people come up with are to satisfy their own need to know.”

“People see this brutal, senseless murder and think there must be an equally extreme explanation behind it.”