Biggest Unsolved Cases From Around The World

By Juliet Smith 1 year ago

1. Jack The Ripper

Image Source / ListverseJack the Ripper was a serial killer whose identity to this day remains unknown. He was active in the Whitechapel area of London, UK, where he preyed upon female prostitutes. His horrific crimes included cutting their throats and removing some of their internal organs. There were therefore rumours the killer must have surgical knowledge, but he was never caught.

2. The Zodiac Killer

Image Source / LSU Reveille
This serial killer operating in Northern California was never identified, and his victims included couples travelling alone and a lone cab driver. Two of his victims actually survived, while the killer claims to have murdered 37 people. His name comes from the taunting letters and puzzles he would send to police, two of which remain unsolved - alongside the identity of the killer himself.

3. The Tylenol Poisonings

Image Source / Hunt A Killer
The Tylenol Poisonings were a series of murders in Chicago, where a series of victims died due to poisoned drugs that had been tampered with. They had taken Tylenol-labelled capsules only for them to have been laced with potassium cyanide. 7 people were poisoned originally, while more people died due to copycat crimes. The person or people responsible were never found.

4. The Mysterious Case Of The Disembodied Feet

Image Source / Videos Index on TIME.com
Five human feet were washed up on shore near Vancouver, without any other body parts or clothes being found. The feet were all still wearing sneakers. Authorities still haven't solved how the feet ended up there, though there have been many theories such as remains of a plane crash to possible murder.

5. The Black Dahlia

Image Source / www.bulpapp.com
Elizabeth Short - later named the Black Dahlia - was found murdered in LA, where her naked body was found in two parts, severed at the waist. Her body had been drained of blood and subjected to gruesome cuts. The person responsible for Short's murder was never found.

6. JonBenet Ramsey

Image Source / Fox News

JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen, was found murdered in her home at the age of 6. Her father found her body in the basement, alongside a ransom note, where she had suffered a broken skull and been strangled. JonBenet's parents were originally suspected to have been responsible and for trying to stage the ransom note, but the murder was never officially solved.

7. The Murder Of Nicole Brown And Ron Goldman

Image Source / Oxygen
Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of O.J. Simpson, was found stabbed to death outside her LA home, alongside her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson was arrested and accused of both murders in a now-famous trial, but he was later acquitted, and it's still not fully known who was responsible for the murders.

8. The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

Image Source / Wikipedia
Edgar Allan Poe was a master of the macabre, but his own death is shrouded in mystery. Before his death, he was found wandering the streets in a nonsensical fashion before being taken to Washington Medical College where he died. The circumstances and cause of his death remain a mystery, and all his medical records have been lost.

9. The Women Of Ciudad Juaréz

Image Source / Healing Beauty
The phrase 'The Women of Ciudad Juaréz refers to the unsolved murders of a group of young women and girls based in the city on the Mexican border. It's estimated that over 370 women or girls were murdered over a course of around 10 years in this one city, but nobody has been brought to justice.

10. The Deaths Of Tupac Shakur And The Notorious B.I.G.

Image Source / bio. Biography.com
After attending a boxing match in Las Vegas, rapper Tupac was travelling in the passenger seat of a car when he was shot at during a red light. He later died in hospital. A few months later, while also waiting at a red light, The Notorious B.I.G. was also shot and killed. The murders have never been officially solved, while all manner of conspiracy theories have been explored.

11. The Jamison Family Disappearance

Image Source / StrangeOutdoors.com
The Jamison family consisted of Bobby, his wife Sherilynn and their daughter, Madyson. All three of them mysteriously disappeared, until what was suspected to be their remains were found a few years after their disappearance. Initially, their abandoned truck had been found with their malnourished dog still inside, and no sign of their bodies. The cause of their death and the manner of their disappearance remain a mystery.

12. The Taman Shud Case

Image Source / Wikipedia
A body was found in 1948 in Australia, in perfect condition, with no apparent injuries. All labels from his clothes had been removed, but in a secret pocket was the puzzle phrase 'Taman Shud'. The book that the paper had been torn from was found, with a strange puzzle code on the back of it. The case was never solved, and the man's grave reads 'unknown man'.

13. The Tara Calico Case

Image Source / People
Tara Calico was a teenager who disappeared in 1988. She had gone out for a bike ride, intending to return, but never did. The investigation ran only into dead ends, until a Polaroid was found in a parking lot showing a young woman of Tara's age, as well as a young boy, both bound and gagged. Tara's mother didn't believe the girl in the photo was her daughter, and due to the lack of evidence, the photo was dismissed. The case was never solved, Calico was never found and her parents passed away without knowing the truth.

14. Teresita Basa: A Murdered Woman Who Named Her Killer

Image Source / All That's Interesting
Teresita Basa was found murdered in her apartment in 1977, but police couldn't find any links or leads to her killer - until a woman who only vaguely knew Basa began seeing things. She would experience things in her dreams before she actually channelled Basa's spirit - telling her own husband all details of Basa's murder and how it had happened. The police managed to convict a man based on the details, but the mystery remains about whether it was truly Basa's spirit, or how the woman knew the truth.

15. The Boy Found In A Box

Image Source / All That's Interesting
The bruised body of a boy was found in a box by a hunter back in 1957. The hunter, worried police would confiscate his traps, didn't report it. The boy in the box was next found by a college student. The police were never able to find out who the boy was, or what had happened to him, despite a few different leads. He remains 'America's Unknown Child'.

16. The Case Of Jeannette DePalma

Image Source / Dread Central
The body of Jeanette DePalma, a 16 year old who had gone missing in 1972, was found after a dog brought home a decomposed forearm. The hill where her body was discovered was filled with occult symbols, and locals began to suspect human sacrifice by witches. It's said that police weren't able to identify cause of death because of how bad a state the body was in. What really happened to her was never discovered.

17. The Glico-Morinaga Case: The Monster With 21 Faces

Image Source / All That's Interesting
Glico and Morinaga were two well known Japanese companies. Men broke into the home of Glico's CEO, intimidated his family and took him hostage. They issued a ransom demand, but the CEO managed to escape. Glico then received further threats with cars set on fire and acid sent to its warehouse. A string of letters then came from a group calling itself 'The Monster with 21 Faces'. The threats abruptly stopped, and the group turned to terrorise other food companies. The police failed to find those responsible. The group sent a final statement to the media, and were never heard from again.

18. The Ghost Ship SS Ourang Medan

Image Source / Skeptoid Podcast
In 1947, more than one ship heard a distress call stating that a captain was dead and possibly the whole crew, too. An American ship called Silver Star answered the call, and found the Ourang Medan - with the entire crew scattered, dead, across the ship with a look of terror on their faces. The Silver Star attempted to tow the ship, but it exploded and sank, taking its secrets with it. Nobody knows what happened to those on-board.

19. The Home Intruder In Cape Elizabeth

Image Source / Daily Star
In 2005, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, it wasn't uncommon for people to keep their doors unlocked. But as a result, people would wake up to see a man staring at them. The man would flee the scene, without stealing anything, or injuring anyone. He just seemed to want to watch people sleep. The police never managed to catch whoever the Cape Intruder was.

20. The Disappearance Of D. B. Cooper

D.B. Cooper bought a one way plane ticket for a flight he boarded to then hand the flight attendant a note that explained he had a bomb in his briefcase. He demanded money and parachutes before letting all passengers safely disembark the plane. Somewhere between Seattle and Nevada, Cooper then jumped out of the plane with the parachute, taking the money with him. A manhunt spanning 45 years ensued, but he was never found or seen again.

21. The Death Of Elisa Lam

Image Source / CNN
Tourist Elisa Lam checked into the Cecil Hotel in LA, but never checked out. 18 days after she was last seen, her body was found naked in the hotel's water tank on the roof after hotel guests complained about the quality of water. Footage of her on hotel surveillance sees her acting strange. No drugs were found in her system, and theories included murder and drowning. No one knows for certain how she was able to climb the roof and get into the water tank herself.

22. The
Hinterkaifeck Murders

Image Source / Ranker
On Hinterkaifeck Farm in Germany, six people were murdered with a pickaxe, including a 2 year old in his crib. Their bodies were stacked on top of each other in the barn. After the family died, the farm animals were still being cared for, leading authorities to believe the murderer was still living on the farm afterwards. The maid who was killed had only been hired the same day. No murderer was ever found, and the house was demolished.

23. The Mystery Of The Mary Celeste

Image Source / Daily Express
A ship named the Mary Celeste was found abandoned in the Atlantic ocean. The cargo on board was intact, but no one who had been on board was ever heard from again. The cargo included expensive items, leading people to believe something seriously worrying must have happen to cause everyone to abandon ship and cargo. The ship's last entry revealed nothing out of the ordinary. The case of this ghost ship was never solved.

24. The Watcher

Image Source / Daily Mail
Married couple Maria and Derek Broaddus and their 3 children were preparing to move into their dream home in 2014 when they received a letter. The suspicious letter included comments about a family of people watching the house for years, and made references to the author knowing the family had children, and saying, 'I will call them and draw them to me'. The letters were signed 'The Watcher'. A police investigation was opened, as more disturbing letters arrived, but the police never found who was responsible. The family sold the house and it remains off the market.

25. T
he Circleville Letters Mystery

Image Source / Thought Catalog
The residents of Circleville in Ohio received threatening letters in the mail back in the 70s, alluding to secrets and lies, such as people having affairs. One of the residents died in mysterious circumstances. A man was arrested and accused of sending the letters, but the letters continued while he was in prison. He continued to proclaim his innocence until his death, and the true writer was never found.

26.
The Sodder Children Disappearance 

Image Source / RTD Documentary
George and Jennie Sodder and their 9 children were asleep at home when a fire started just after midnight. The two parents and 4 of the 9 children managed to escape. It took so long for authorities to finally get there, due to George's trucks not starting and operators failing to pick up, that the house was ash by the time they arrived around 8am. But no traces of the 5 children were found, not even bones. Even burnt to ash, there should have been some remains of them. The parents suspected kidnapping, and to this day, they've never been found.

27.
The Keddie Cabin Murders 

Image Source / People
The Sharp family and some friends went to sleep in their cabin at the Keddie Resort Lodge back in the 1980s. Sheila Sharp woke to find her mother, brother and family friend murdered, while her sister was missing. The sister's skull was found 3 years later, in another county. The investigation brought up suspects, but then the investigation stopped, and the murderer has never been found.

28. Room 1046

Image Source / The Dark Histories Podcast
In 1935, a man called Owen checked into the Hotel President in Missouri. His behaviour was strange, with the blinds drawn and lights off when staff came to clean, or lying on the bed fully clothed in the dark. Another time, the door had been locked from the outside, but Owen was still inside the room. Owen would later be heard talking on the phone, with sounds of arguing voices coming from the room. A bellboy later let himself in the room and found Owen bound, stabbed and with a fractured skull. He later died in hospital. No suspect was ever identified.

29. Roanoke: The Colony That Vanished

Image Source / Wikipedia
In 1587, an English colony settled on Roanoke Island, near North Carolina. The colonial governor left for more supplies, and returned 3 years later to find the colony abandoned. There was no indication they had been taken by force. Nobody knows what happened to the Roanoke colony, but theories include the colony being slaughtered by tribes.

30.
The Disappearance of Walter Collins

Image Source / The Des Moines Register
In 1928, 9-year-old Water Collins left home to see a movie, but never returned. His mother reported him missing 5 days later. Police searched, but no luck at first - until eventually they picked up a runaway who claimed to be Walter. He was sent back home, but after 3 weeks, Walter's mother was certain this boy wasn't her son. The police fought to prove that the boy was indeed Walter, but the mother remained adamant. She was then committed to a psychiatric hospital. The boy then later admitted that he wasn't Walter, and the mother was released, but spent the rest of her life looking for her real son, who was never found.

What To Read Next

Load More