Decades later, the Isdal Woman mystery continues to transfix investigators across the globe. The Eerie Coincidences of the Erdington Murders, Theres a dark chapter to Erdington, Englands history that continues to haunt its residentsthe unsolved murders of two young women with details too similar to ignore. Here are48 of the most bone-chilling talesof unsolved disappearances, perplexing deaths, baffling murder mysteries, and more. DNA testing confirmed that Ridgway was the Green River Killer and he was arrested on November 30. The next unsolved mystery: November 24, 1971. The 18-year-old's body was found three weeks later in Miller's Bay . Ridgway eventually pled guilty to murdering 48 women. Lady Vanishes: The Mysterious Agatha Christie Disappearance, She was the reigning queen of detective fictions Golden Age but Agatha Christies most intriguing mystery is her bizarre disappearance in 1926. The new owners showed the detectives that, in the basement, Stevens had a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf. 907, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Photos: Everett Collection, Shutter Stock ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps, PHOTO: Columbia Pictures; Courtesy Everett Collection. Nicknames: No known nicknames The mystery is captivating on its own, but the post-case update adds a whole new wrinkle. Or draw attention to them abusing other kids? READ MORE, The body of a suspected Soviet spy was found propped up against a wall on Somerton Beach in Australia. 27.07 - MU Plus+ Podcast - Flames of Prophecy, 29.07 - MU Podcast - Contract with the Goddess, 27.06 - MU Plus+ Podcast - Secret Vaults of Time, 29.06 - MU Podcast - Italian Disco Abductions, The Mystery of New York's Renegade Subway Psychic, Forget About What We Know About Roswell: It's What's Missing About the Case That We Need to Look For, Archeologists Discover Another Secret Corridor Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, A Boat-Swallowing Sea Monster of Norse Legends Still Lives Today, Ghosts, Fairies, and a Spectral Hag on Canada's Most Haunted Island, More on the Matter of the Most Dangerous Creature of the Mind: The Slenderman, Scientists Identify 7-Billion-Year-Old Stardust As Oldest Material On Earth. READ MORE, 16. The case would go on to be notably featured on the TV show Unsolved Mysteries, and it has remained a mystery that has never been solved. 8 Strange, Unsolved Crimes That Are Sure to Haunt You, These unsolved mysteries will give you the creeps. This has changed my views on the segment a bit. He used my parents as his alibi.. It turned out he wasnt. Maybe they thought Sharon was going to allege abuse? "Bill" Stevens, a petty thief; in 1981, he casually walked away from a minimum security facility while doing time for burglary. Who held the poison pen to this handwritten mystery? Thanks to a prison arts program, the two had been spending a lot of time together as Dial helped convert Parkers garage into a ceramics studio. Once again she finally felt safe with them. 1,269, This story has been shared 1,071 times. Bill and Dorothy were in an Unsolved Mysteries episode. The state medical examiner said the boys had been under the influence of marijuana and he ruled the deaths accidental. The person or persons responsible for this is a literal hero. Into the Storm: The Vanishing of Ambrose Small, December 2, 1919: after signing the biggest deal of his life, Canadian theatre impresario Ambrose Small walked into a snowstorm and was never seen again. Privacy | Terms | DCMA | FAQ. READ MORE. READ MORE, 43. The baffling case of The Circleville Writer is one of the most complex, intriguing segments in the history of Unsolved Mysteries. The DNA evidence and dogged detective work helped solve the case. "One . Ridgeway is most likely the actual killer. When investigators searched his house, they discovered a medical appointment card that belonged to a prostitute who had been murdered in Portland, Oregon. Real Names:Bill and Cynthia Zelinski He was described by passengers and flight. READ MORE, Deep in the heart of southern Spain, eerie faces have appeared on the kitchen floor of one familys home. When Government Agencies Secretly Work in the Field of the Supernatural and the Occult, About That Time Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Supposedly Saw Aliens on the Moon. Yes! Authorities believed the youngsters died in the blaze, but surviving family members thought otherwise. Stream this episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Amazon Prime. Countless 90s kids lost thousands of hours of sleep thanks to this televised beacon of justice, freedom, and frightening cases of unexplained phenomena. Sign up for The Lineups newsletter, and get the strangest stories delivered straight to your inbox. Covering crimes, tales of lost love, unexplained history and. Dale Wells, Wells soon after committed suicide with a letter in his typewriter saying he knew another Ted Bundy He stated to investigators that this fueled his hate for prostitutes. Bodies on the Hill: The Enduring History of the Lead Masks Case, On a hill in Brazil were the bodies of two men, dressed in formal suits with homemade lead masks draped over their eyes. From a phantom barber to disappearing blimp and ship crews, these lesser-known yet totally creepy unsolved mysteries will terrify and confound you. A few weeks later, she returned home late from a friend's house to find her brother waiting. Roderick Thorp died in 1999 of a massive heart attack, not living to see the outcome of this case. READ MORE, 35. Before going to the Zelinskis, she had a very low self-esteem, but she feels that they were able to bring it up and make her feel loved. Real Name: Elizabeth Fuentes Ortiz Aliases: Unrevealed Wanted For: Attempted Murder and Abduction Missing Since: March 17, 1992 Details: On the afternoon of March 11, 1992, paramedics were called to a toy store in Redwood City, California. When I see that the stalker then continues to call them after they changed their phone number, I am fairly certain that this person had an 'in' somehow with the Wackers. Spawned from a series of prime-time missing-persons specials in 1985, the original "Unsolved Mysteries" laid some of the foundation for the modern true-crime phenomenon, turning . Adding to the mystery, the odd occurrence also happened at a restaurant Decker visited later that night. It was also featured on the series Deranged. Georgia claimed that she had strange visions since she was a child about a woman and the 1900s. They had lived in this town their entire lives and in their modest home together for nearly 48 years, were well-liked by their neighbors, had no known enemies, and had never had any trouble here until one day in 1984 when they came home to find their house ransacked. When: Sept. 9, 1974. Almost all of them had worked along the Sea-Tac strip near the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. One theory has always been that the perpetrator was someone the family knew, a friend, relative, or even Bill Wacker himself, but there has never been any evidence for this and no suspect has ever been apprehended. Luckily, Dorothy was found to not be seriously injured, just a bit shaken by the whole ordeal, and she was lucid enough to give a detailed description of the attacker to police, who made a sketch. You guessed it, the creature smells like a skunk. Face on the Milk Carton: What Happened to Johnny Gosch? (writer) (2 episodes, 1989-1993) John Cosgrove Probably not. He wanted to cut them up, dissect them. Officially, the murders stopped in 1984. His wife, Dorothy Jean Wacker, was born on April 21, 1927, where the two grew up in Massillon, a small quaint town in Stark County, Ohio. READ MORE, 30. However, some believe that the killer has not stopped. Extremely accessible opening jokes aside, the peculiar case of Don Decker centers around a man who, according to multiple witnesses, fell into a trance-like state as water began dripping from the ceiling (and walls, even traveling horizontally) of his friends house. Her father was arrested and she was sent to several other foster homes. A young girl goes for a walk in the woods, only to vanish without a trace. 7 Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the World, From the Shroud of Turin to Stonehenge, These mysteries will make you believe in the impossible. Billy the Kid, Age 19 Brushy Bill, Age 17 CASE DETAILS Billy the Kid was easily the most notorious desperado of the Wild West. In it, he claims to have been adopted and abused by a couple named Bill and Cynthia Zelinski in California (location stated in UM). It was at this time that the remains were identified thanks to a woman who believed the skeleton might belong to her deceased grandfather, Joseph Mulvaney. 1,712, This story has been shared 1,610 times. What part do all of the various players have in this, if any? defenders who are ourfirst, last, and only line of defense against the worst scum of the universe, Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? A neighbor later told investigators that Stevens had brought her into the room. Unearth the mysterious case of Haitis real-life vodou zombie. READ MORE, 34. Gone in the Night: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Rudolf Diesel, Rudolf Diesel is perhaps best known as the inventor of the diesel engine. One intriguing support for the angle that this was done by someone close to the family comes from a poster on Reddit, who writes: What is odd is that despite receiving a blow to the head that knocked her out, she didn't have serious injuries. What We Know About Her Continued 'Today Show' Absence, 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", 'Jeopardy!' What We Know, The 8 Best Soundbars To Buy In 2023, Per Experts, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report, Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Break Up After He Reportedly Cheated With Raquel Leviss. A fourth season episode of Unsolved Mysteries that focused on "Diabolical Minds" explored the unsolved case of the murders of an Ohio woman and her two teenage daughters after their bound and weighted-down bodies were found floating in Tampa Bay. Two quick points before we move on. Over the years, investigators have followed hundreds of leads and looked into dozens of suspects. He was a Private First Class. Their bodies dumped in the river at first completely nude, and often re-visited by Ridgway so he could fornicate with the dead bodies, normally until they started to show signs of rot. Later that day, his mother Grace reported that he had not. I found that rather odd but I didn't think much of it until now. During none of this did the stranger return, and before long the authorities had arrived with an ambulance. It is a very mysterious and tragic tale that has been featured on such hit shows Unsolved Mysteries and America's Most Wanted. These 50 strangest unsolved mysteries are seriously creepy, from old cold unsolved cases to famous unexplained death mysteries and more. But this wasnt an open and shut abduction. One February day in 2004, Maura Murray climbed into her car and drove away from her dorm room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. READ MORE, 19. They were overjoyed to learn that Sharon was looking for them and contacted the telecenter. The boys' bodies were terribly mangled. Thousands of leads were investigated. Also rather bizarrely was found a message scrawled on a wall in crayon that merely said "cheaper, but will do." An entire American colony disappears completely, with only mysterious tree carvings as evidence. They discovered that they had the DNA of suspect Gary Leon Ridgway on file. After his appointment, he began nibbling on some chocolates that were left out by reception. For years, all the passionate Unsolved Mysteries fandom had were memories. Ridgway first became a suspect after a boyfriend of one of the victims identified him as the man she was last seen with. Details: Between 1982 and 1984, forty-nine young women, most of them prostitutes, were found murdered and dumped near the Green River near Seattle. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the November 22, 1989 episode. He was raging to his friends about how the prostitutes of the Sea-Tac Strip were spreading the AIDS epidemic.. 13 Weird and Mysterious Old Hollywood Deaths, These stars made headlines for their work on stageand their untimely, tragic deaths. Can't Wait Any Longer: The Disappearance of Jean Spangler, On October 7, 1949, aspiring Hollywood actress Jean Spangler kissed her daughter on the cheek, then vanished into the night. Host Robert Stack was like Batman and the world was his Gotham City. Although their belongings were strewn about everywhere and the place had been left a complete mess, nothing seemed to have actually been stolen, so they kept it to themselves and did not notify police. As Sharon foretold, her father gave her one of the worst beatings that night. Everyone in the neighborhood knew to let her be and allow her to recover, so she was surprised when there was a loud knocking at her door. Days later, the crew and their belongings had disappeared. In 1959, she was finally able to escape her house but was placed in a foster home where she was cold and bitter to her first set of foster parents. They talked to her and showed that they cared about her. See if you can crack the code on these bewitching cases. However, Bob now believes that his brother got away with murderat least 48 times. Premiering in 1987, the series produced over 500 episodes. If you ever want to know more about an Unsolved Mysteries case, you should definitely visit the shows gallery (which boasts a truly insane comments section) and/or Wiki page, which posts modern updates. READ MORE 5. Marshals To this day the Vanishing Triangle cases remain unsolved. He was a Dallas RV dealer and owner of Western RV Center who dabbled in restoring classic cars. After the visit, Bill and his parents continued on a cross-country trip. Bob produced receipts which seemed to prove that his brother was still traveling with their parents when the first five victims were murdered. Sharon went on to have two children when she was a teenager. To this day Amy Billig has never been found, her fate unknown. They dared to think that things were back to normal, and for 6 months they were, but this would change and the next chapter of their evolving nightmare would begin. There is one tangible piece of evidence that connects Stevens to the killings. Searching for chills? Tensions between the siblings were high, due to a dispute over how their parents' estate had been split. Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancers first intellectual loves. Perhaps you may be able to help solve one of these extremely weird mysteries. I decided to search for them and Sharon online to see if there was additional information on them, maybe to see if they kept in contact. 987, This story has been shared 947 times. Is it all in their minds? Specifically, he was visiting Bob in Connecticut in 1982 when the killings first started. 1,610, This story has been shared 1,390 times. Is there a scientific explanation? Not only that, these classic episodes included new updates on old cases. 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Episode Guide: When Do New Episodes Premiere? However, investigators claim that Bob never contacted them with information contrary to what he initially gave them in 1989. Nearly 50 years later, their fate remains a mystery. On some occasions, he would join them in certain places and then leave again. Dan Cooper was a passenger on Northwest Airlines Flight 305, from Portland to Seattlea 30-minute flight. Unsolved Mysteries is an American mystery documentary television show that began with a series of television specials, airing on NBC from 1987 to 1988. Details: Sharon Stevens, whose mother died when she an infant, was frequently abused by her father when she was a child. He invited her in to see this room, and, in the room, as I remember it, there was a bed, and on the bed was a mannequin. However, some believe that the killer has not stopped. READ MORE, 9. That summer, Stevens was also publicly named as a prime suspect in the Green River killings. The Sudden, Unsolved Disappearance of William and Margaret Patterson, Aside from the family cat, the Patterson household was eerily devoid of life. At least 45 deaths of young men are attributed to the Smiley Face Killer, and yet most police departments say he doesnt exist. Roderick Thorp believes that investigators are not re-investigating Bill Stevens because he was a police informant. Spy in the Bag: The Mysterious Death of Gareth Williams, When an MI6 worker's body was found padlocked inside a duffel bag, the case could only get stranger. "The dude from Australia! To this day, no one knows what happened next. However, she was not placed in the Zelinskis' home and never saw them again. A full investigation was launched, but no suspect was found and no reason for the crimes could be ascertained. The two victims were identified as 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives, best friends and popular seniors at Bryant High School. One was William J. Later investigations on Ridgways early life said that when he was younger, around 11 I believe is what they said, that he was a frequent bed wetter and for one reason or another his mother insisted on hand washing his genitals with a clothe. Triangle of Sadness Ending Explained: Does Abigail Kill Yaya? Skunk Ape? skip forward a couple of years, young Ridgway was able to lure a younger child from his street into the woods where proceeded to stab the young boy non-fatally with a pocket knife. He was divorced and had five grown children. But was it really Pauline? The event triggered a massive manhunt across England. 2. Stream "The Men In Black" episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Amazon Prime. READ MORE. Berkeley. The man then went to make the call and she could hear him talking from the next room, after which he said goodbye and she could hear him heading back out of the house. The case followed Charlie, a man who visited his doctor in the hopes of curing his recent bout of insomnia. READ MORE, 42. What was the fate of the five Sodder children? Links: None. Over the next eight years, he avoided the authorities, spending time in Seattle, Spokane, and Portland. it is around this time that Ridgway started his rampage with one of the easiest, in a cruel sense of the word, victims any serial killer could find. SitcomsOnline, a message board with extensive discussions on Unsolved Mysteries, pointed out the blog entry of a man named Mark Schumann. READ MORE, 15. Tragically, her second child was later killed by an abusive relative. Subscribe for new episodes announcements, latest news, featured cases, and more! When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? In exchange for the plea, he was given life without the possibility of parole. The Real Story Behind Edgar Allan Poes Death, Was it alcoholism, rabies, or a violent election day scam? The Sinister Mystery of the Circleville Letter Writer, For years, the residents of a sleepy Ohio town were plagued by messages that exposed their darkest secrets. As many as 50dogs have thrown themselves off the cursed overpass to the craggy rocks below. This continued until they decided to put up a security light to ward off the unseen trespasser, but this only invoked a mocking note left on their doorstep that read, your lightz are a laugh. This would be the first of many more notes left at the front door, ranging from the creepy and unsettling to the downright terrifying, all of which were written in a childish scrawl and devoid of fingerprints. Henderson Nicknames: Bill Location: Washburn, Texas Date: May 16, 1991 Case Details: On May 12, 1991, sixty-six-year-old Washburn, Texas resident Bill Henderson said goodbye to his wife, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter as they left to go on a trip to visit relatives in Austin, 400 miles away. In 1959, she was finally able to escape her house but was placed in a foster home where she was cold and bitter to her first set of foster parents. He wanted to fill them with concrete. Is there any evidence that Ridgway and Stevens were working together? He also cut her across her face. READ MORE, 14. After all, there's something about the untold, unanswered, and all sorts of unexplainable happenings around the world that deeply captivates us. 1,750, This story has been shared 1,712 times. Bob Stevens, Bills adopted brother, claimed his brother told several people how he wanted to murder women: He wanted to torture them. Her body was discovered almost a month after her disappearance, and only after guests at the hotelthen the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angelesbegan reporting problems with their water. READ MORE, 28. Other than killing them. Dial said his relationship with Bobbie was never romantic and that she lived in fear that hed harm her or her family if she tried to leave. The green river killer is still at large. They uncovered a cache of guns and police badges. It was during this time of escalating creepy phone calls that the items that had been stolen began appearing on the doorstep, each time carefully wrapped in a plastic shopping bag and wiped clean of fingerprints. One of the most terrifying cases ofUnsolved Mysteriesis the decade long psychological torment suffered by Dorothy and Bill Wacker at the hands of an unknown assailant. I have recently discovered the case after looking for Bill's enlistment records. In a concealed pocket, they found a scrap of paper with the words: Tamam Shud. 1,066, This story has been shared 987 times. Episode, Tiffany Valiante On 'Unsolved Mysteries': Everything We Know About "The Mystery at Mile Marker 45", episodes included new updates on old cases, our own Brett White wrote about the top 15 UFO episodes, which boasts a truly insane comments section, but the post-case update adds a whole new wrinkle. Despite a massive search, her trail went cold. The case started when a series of threatening letters were sent to a bus driver, Mary Gillispie, who was allegedly having an affair with the school superintendent. There in her doorway was a young, Caucasian blonde man she had never seen before, and when she asked through the door what he wanted he informed her that his car had broken down in the area and he needed to use her phone. He is currently a suspect in several other unsolved murders; investigators believe he may have killed up to ninety women. In another room, they found several pornographic tapes and fraudulent credit card receipts from 1981 to 1989. Stream the "Skunk Ape" episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Amazon Prime, This story has been shared 4,758 times. Pauline Picard: The Unending Mystery of a Little Girls Disappearance, When Pauline Picard vanished in 1922, her family was devastated. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Patrick Mullins On Netflixs Unsolved Mysteries: Everything We Know About The Bizarre "Body in the Bay" Episode, Josh Guimond On Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries': Everything We Know About The Perplexing "What Happened to Josh?" The only difference? Does anyone have more information on this case. Two years, 48 victims, and all young women. The update ended with the news that Dial had died in 2007 and that Parker had been reunited with her family. Chocolate Aphrodisiacs. These are the most fascinating unresolved mysteries Redditors have dug up. Pay close attention. Also available on YouTube with Dennis Farina. The campaign of terror orchestrated by this devious phantom intruder continued all the way up until Bill Wacker passed away on July 9, 1999, followed by Dorothy on July 22, 2010, without ever having any closure or knowing who was doing this to them or why. One could also argue that the ability of the intruder to slip past the stakeout to leave that note could point to one of them being the perp, but even if it was someone in with the family, we still dont know why they would have so relentlessly terrorized the couple over the course of years, and indeed we dont really know anything at all. According to Roderick Thorp, an author who has written extensively on the Green River murders, Stevens was an alienated individual who never held a job: He fit all the FBI profiles of serial killers. Is it a tragic act of suicide or abrutal execution? Why Do Dogs Keep Killing Themselves at Scotlands Overtoun Bridge? However, within a few months, the police cleared him, partially due to an alibi. One case like this comes from a small town in Ohio, where a couple found themselves at the mercy of a nameless, faceless phantom stalker with inscrutable intent, and it is a disturbing case which has never been solved. 33. This part feels personal. The case is heartbreaking, and made all the more unsettling by the strange theories that now seek to explain his disappearance. Update:The Unsolved Mysteries wiki reports that in October of 2010, University of Michigan scientists determined that chupacabras were probably just diseased coyotes. Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? It could be a coincidence butwhat are the odds of another couple named Bill and Cynthia Zelinski in California who also fostered/adopted children? READ MORE, 41. That summer, he was also publicly named a suspect in the Green River killings. After this harrowing incident, the couple began receiving harassing phone calls at all hours of the day and night, with the person on the other end sometimes remaining silent, at other times breathing heavily, and more frighteningly swearing, saying threatening or offensive things, and mocking them before hanging up. He also wanted to fill them with rocks and tape his crimes. The frenzied Unsolved Mysteries fanbase still hasnt given up hope on the possibility of all-new episodes, but until the day this true-crime trailblazer is finally paroled, Decider is here to share a few of our favorite cases. And while Agatha survived, the true story behind her vanishing remains unresolved. The case is thepersonification of cruelty. I decided to do a google search on them and came across this blog. Stream "The Taos Hum" episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Amazon Prime. Bob now believes that Bill used their parents as his alibi. Stevens killed her and set up a classmate The 19th century instructor was haunted by a spectral twin, whose mirror-like movements terrified all those who saw it. the clothes and jewellery or shoes were sold in Ridgways many garage and yard sales, his father had many too so it was no surprise to the neighbourhood for him to have them, or jewellery left around work for co-workers to find and wear. How? But history's been even more unkind, blaming Harrison's death on pneumonia he's. She remembers another happy moment when they bought her a new dress for a birthday party. READ MORE, 47. Bill Stevens was a petty thief, in and out of trouble with the law for most of his life. All images are from Unsolved Mysteries unless otherwise noted. Want more unsolved mysteries? An intelligent serial killer who evaded police? Ridgeway IS indeed the green river killer. 1. Nine witnesses (including multiple police officers) saw streams of water materialize out of thin air for hours on end. No one had any idea of who was doing this or why, and it would become even more critical that the perpetrator be caught when Dorothy was once again physically attacked in her own home, when on October 27, 1993, a surprise attack by an unseen assailant in her home knocked her to the ground and left her with a concussion and lacerations to her skull.