Yesterday I put a post on our page and group of a grave stone that belongs to Lily E. Gray located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The grave itself looks fairly unassuming until your look beneath her name and date of birth and death There lays a mysterious and sinister epitaph ‘VICTIM OF THE BEAST 666’.
Many who seen my post, decided to have look into the mysterious grave themselves and numerous theories and suggestions was made to why she would have had such a epitaph. It didnt just trigger me off to write this blog, it triggered others in the paranormal hauntings group to do blogs, vlogs and videos on the mysterious epitaph that lays upon Lilly. E Grays grave also.
Upon researching, I found that numerous other researchers have spend the best part of 10 years looking into the epitaph and what it could mean, so I thought id just do a round up summary and include a more detailed blog from two other sites who seems to have looked into Lilly’s life in some depth, if readers wish to delve further.
Why have such a epitaph? Had she died due to a possible possession?
The answer is no, she led quite a normal life and there is evidence to suggest she died of completely natural causes, a kidney failure to be specific.
The statement itself, ‘The Beast 666’ is linked to the bible and is mentioned in the book of revelation, of the new testament.
This states ‘ And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of the name. Here is the wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six’,
So of course with such a epitaph on ones grave, some would assume she must have indeed been a ‘victim’ of a ‘beast’ and such a epitaph must be linked to this reference from the Bible, but as research by others suggest, this is simply not the case.
Below is a article that has been released that contradicts this theory as it states, ‘she died of natural causes.
Others have suggested maybe she was mixed up with occultists such as Aleister Cowley, who was nicknamed the ‘The beast 666’, but again no evidence is available to suggest this.
The only real logical explanation to why this epitaph is upon her stone, could lay with her 3rd husband – Elmer Gray.
Lily married Elmer Gray in the 1950s.
Elmer had previously lost a wife and had clearly stated in a a Criminal Pardons Application in 1947, 3 years before he married Lily, which On the line that asks for “Address of parents,” Mr. Gray has written, “Booth dead. Died of grief when kidnapers murdered my Wife.” Later, he refers to his arresting officers and prison officials as “Democrat officials,” and “kidnapers.”, this suggests that he believed his first wife to be a victim of the law.
Elmers thoughts on the government and law were that they was clearly criminals and that they was a evil organization hell-bent on kidnapping, imprisoning and murdering innocent citizens without cause.
He had during his life had got on the wrong side of the law and had served jail time and had in previous years used many different names and had told many different stories about his life.
Elmers would have been the only living person to arrange Lily’s funeral and it is believed that during this time he had parkinsons.
Parkinsons is a complex disease and many may assiocate tremors and the loss of motor skills, but parkinsons can also cause non motor skills symptoms and conditions, such as hallucinations, delusions and dementia.
Could he have requested the epitaph to be put on Lily’s grave because during her time of death he was simply confused and had thought he was living through his first wife passing? Its quite sad but plausible.
I think no matter how much we look, the true fact is that we never really know the true meaning behind the eipitah, it is something that has clearly been taken to the grave by both Lily and Elmer. We can only look into the facts and look at what kind of life it seemed they lived to base a conclusion, but were there something more going off behind closed doors? I suppose the only people who knew are not here to be asked about it today.
Two sites I source my informarion from and delves into Lilly’s and Elmers history more can be accessed below:
https://www.thedeadhistory.com/lilly-gray-victim-of-the-beast-666-2/