A woman has accused her late father of murdering up to 70 people over the course of 30 years, prompting the FBI to join the investigation.
Iowa woman Lucy Studey says her dead father murdered dozens of young women over the course of several decades and made his children help him bury the bodies.
She claimed that her father, who died in 2013, could have killed between 50 and 70 victims in the span of 30 years and says she knows because he made her help him dump the bodies of his victims down a well.
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Studey said she and her siblings were made to take the bodies to a spot where her father would hide his victims, using a wheelbarrow in the warmer months and a toboggan during the winter.
She said they would deposit the bodies in a well and cover them with dirt and lye to hide the human remains.
She told Newsweek that her dad might be one of the most prolific serial killers in history but nobody believed her at first.
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She said: "I know where the bodies are buried. He would just tell us we had to go to the well, and I knew what that meant.
"Every time I went to the well or into the hills, I didn't think I was coming down. I thought he would kill me because I wouldn't keep my mouth shut."
Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope said he believes her '100 percent that there's bodies in there', and sniffer dogs have alerted officers to the possible presence of human remains.
He said Lucy first called to alert them about potential buried bodies 10 years ago but officers were unable to find the well, though this time the cadaver dogs appeared to show a 'hit'.
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While the dogs immediately went to the spot where Studey said bodies had been buried, at the moment no remains have yet been uncovered and the investigation is ongoing.
Joining the investigation is the FBI, with some of their agents forming part of the investigation to determine whether there really are bodies buried where the dogs are barking.
Fremont County Sheriff's Office is still leading the investigation with FBI agents reported to be providing assistance to officers.
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However, Newsweek also reports that Lucy's older sister has denied claims that their father was a serial killer.
She said she believed the bones the dogs have sniffed out are animal bones rather than human remains and says her father was 'not the man' her younger sister 'makes him out to be'.
UNILAD have contacted Fremont County Sheriff's Office for further comment.
Joe Harker