Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Heinous Holcomb


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   speedy delete, obvious hoax. Like User:Gene93k, I find it hard to accept that a turn of the last century serial killer could kill 43 people and then be put down by a martial artist would exist without being better known. - Smerdis of Tlön - killing the human spirit since 2003! 19:45, 3 April 2013 (UTC)

Heinous Holcomb

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This article appears to be a subtle hoax. The post on its talk page by made me aware of this article. This article is typical of a hoax: it looks somewhat plausible because it looks good (with coordinates, source, wikilinks, and good section organization), but I am convinced that it is a hoax. I'm bringing it here since it's not obvious enough for CSD. The Anonymouse (talk &#124; contribs) 16:30, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
 * The article contains coordinates to some campground in California. Biographical articles do not normally contain coordinates.
 * The article contains only one unreliable source.
 * The article does not seem to be logical, just from reading it.
 * The user that created it,, only has two edits to this site: the creation of the article and unreliably sourced info on William F. Holcomb, removed by the aforementioned IP.
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of California-related deletion discussions. 16:35, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of History-related deletion discussions. 16:35, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Crime-related deletion discussions. Smerdis of Tlön - killing the human spirit since 2003! 16:35, 3 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Speedy delete, although not as an obvious hoax (it is unquestionably a hoax, but is far from obvious), but because I suspect this is a veiled attack page against someone with a name similar to the purported subject. All significant American serial killers have been the subject of substantial media coverage. The implausible vigilante martial artist aspect to this story would have ensured substantial attention; no reliable sources (or, really, unreliable sources) mention anything remotely like this. Furthermore, the psychiatric hospital named in this article does not exist. There are only a few references online to a "Malboro Psychiatric Hospital", and exclusively in unreliable sources. From context, however, it is obvious that all these uses are misspellings of the very real Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital. Despite the categories in this article suggesting that this all took place in California (or possibly Indiana), that facility is in New Jersey. But perhaps more to the point, groundbreaking for the hospital's construction didn't take place until a decade after this purported once-patient's death. Squeamish Ossifrage (talk) 17:06, 3 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 18:18, 3 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Delete as a hoax. The article's referencing is bogus. I can find no trace of this person outside the Wikipedia article. With 43 alleged kills, the subject would be one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Surely he would get some book or newspaper coverage. • Gene93k (talk) 18:35, 3 April 2013 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.