HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
The Mulberry Street address where serial poisoner Anjette Lyles ran a popular Macon lunch spot while murdering two husbands, a mother-in-law, and her nine-year-old daughter with arsenic between 1952 and 1958.
524 Mulberry St, Macon, GA 31201
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior drive-by free; current Mexican restaurant on site operates independently
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown Macon sidewalk; flat and paved
Equipment
Photos OK
Site of Anjette's Restaurant, operated by serial poisoner Anjette Donovan Lyles, early 1950s through 1958 · Four confirmed arsenic murder victims: Ben Franklin Lyles Jr. (1952), Joe Neal Gabbert, Julia Young Gabbert, Marcia Ann Lyles (age 9, 1958) · 1958 trial described as the most publicized criminal case in 20th-century Macon · Lyles convicted of murder in Marcia's death; sentence later commuted; died 1977 at Milledgeville State Hospital
In the early 1950s, Anjette Donovan Lyles opened a restaurant on Mulberry Street in downtown Macon that quickly became a fixture of the local business lunch circuit. The location was well-placed near offices, courthouses, and professional buildings, and the establishment drew a largely white-collar clientele. Lyles was known as a charming and attentive host.
Between 1952 and 1958, Lyles poisoned four members of her own family. Her first husband, Ben Franklin Lyles Jr., died in 1952. A second husband, Joe Neal Gabbert, followed. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Julia Young Gabbert, died next. The final victim was Lyles's nine-year-old daughter, Marcia Ann Lyles, who died in April 1958. Toxicological examination of the bodies revealed arsenic poisoning in each case; the poison had been administered in small doses over extended periods, consistent with being mixed into food or drink.
In May 1958, Lyles was arrested. Her trial in October 1958 drew extensive regional coverage and was described at the time as the most talked-about criminal proceeding in Macon's 20th century. She was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter and sentenced to death, though the sentence was later commuted after Lyles was found to be suffering from severe mental illness. She died in the Milledgeville State Hospital in 1977.
The restaurant closed following her arrest. The building at 524 Mulberry Street has housed various businesses since; La Bella Morelia, a Mexican restaurant, currently occupies the space. The address is a documented stop on Macon ghost tour circuits.
Sources
US Ghost Adventures' Macon ghost tour describes 524 Mulberry Street as one of the city's most active haunted locations, attributing the reported activity to the Anjette Lyles murders. The specific phenomena are not well-documented in independent sources beyond tour operator claims — the building's paranormal reputation appears to have grown primarily from the notoriety of the case rather than any distinct historical event following the restaurant's closure.
The building is now La Bella Morelia and operates as a working restaurant, meaning access to the interior is limited to dining customers. The exterior at 524 Mulberry Street is the primary point of access for dark tourism visitors, most of whom arrive as part of organized ghost tours or in connection with general Macon historical tourism.
For the location, the documented history is more compelling than any attributed haunting: Anjette Lyles served food to Macon's professional class from the same kitchen where she was — according to the prosecution — planning the arsenic doses that killed her own child.
Notable Entities
The building at 524 Mulberry Street is the location of Anjette's Restaurant, where Lyles operated from the early 1950s until her 1958 arrest. La Bella Morelia currently occupies the space. The site is part of the US Ghost Adventures Macon ghost tour circuit.
US Ghost Adventures includes the former Anjette's Restaurant location on its Macon ghost tour as one of the city's most historically active haunted stops.
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