Hidden away in Upstate New York lies the town of Dryden, a quiet community of just over 13,000 where life moved at a slow, trusting pace. Doors were often left unlocked, windows open, and neighbors watched out for each other. Crime felt like a distant concept, something that happened elsewhere. But beginning in the early 1990s, that sense of security was shattered. Over the course of a decade, Dryden was hit by a wave of brutal crimes and heart-breaking tragedies that shook its residents to the core. What some dismissed as a rare cluster of misfortune, others believed was a sign the town had been cursed, a dark cloud looming over every street, every home. In this two-part series, we’ll look back at the horror that erupted in a town once defined by innocence. We’ll explore how the community grappled with the terror and discover how, eventually, they found a way to heal. Join us, as we untangle the unsettling story behind Dryden’s darkest decade. How one community’s perseverance shaped how others viewed the otherwise small Upstate New York town.