Joseph Douglas Ball, also known as Joe Ball, was born in 1896 in San Antonio, Texas, to Elizabeth Hart Lawler and Frank Xavier Ball. He was the second of eight children in a family that was well-off. His father, originally a farmer, later became a general store owner. Ball's family had local prominence, with his brother Raymond Ball serving as the first mayor of Elmendorf, Texas.

After completing his early education, Joe Ball enlisted in the military and served on the frontlines in Europe during World War I. The traumatic experiences of war would later be considered a possible influence on his violent tendencies. When he returned to Texas, Ball began his post-war life as a bootlegger, supplying illegal alcohol during Prohibition. Once Prohibition ended, he transitioned into a legitimate business, opening a saloon called the Sociable Inn in Elmendorf. To attract customers, Ball built a pond on the property and filled it with five alligators. Visitors were charged to watch the alligators, particularly during feedings, which involved live animals such as cats and dogs.

The true extent of Joe Ball's crimes emerged in the late 1930s, after several women, including barmaids from his saloon, went missing. In 1938, suspicions about Ball escalated, prompting two Bexar County deputy sheriffs to question him. When the officers confronted Ball, he pulled a handgun from his cash register and shot himself through the heart, ending his life instantly. Reports differ, with some stating he shot himself in the head.

Following his death, the authorities uncovered disturbing details about Ball’s actions. A handyman named Clifford Wheeler, who had worked closely with Ball, confessed to helping him dispose of the bodies of two women. Wheeler admitted that Ball had murdered Minnie Gotthardt, a barmaid, in June 1937, and later killed Hazel Brown, another barmaid who had wanted to leave her job after falling in love with a customer. Wheeler led authorities to the remains of both women. For his role as an accessory to the murders, Wheeler served two years in prison.

There were rumors that Ball had fed victims to his alligators, but his wife, Dolores "Buddy" Goodwin, denied these claims in a 1957 interview. She asserted that only two murders had occurred and dismissed the stories about the alligator pit as exaggerations. Ball's nephew later suggested that his crimes might have stemmed from the psychological toll of his World War I service.

In the years since his death, Joe Ball’s story has become part of Texas folklore. While some details remain unverifiable due to limited written records from the era, journalist Michael Hall conducted an extensive investigation in 2002, uncovering the dark truths and myths surrounding the so-called "Alligator Man."