What true crime has left you baffled?

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

I'm watching a show on sky crime called, "Who killed Garrett Phillips."

I'm baffled at how the police came to the conclusion that their main suspect did it. Apart from the fact, that he was on camera in his car at the school (he worked there) and the victim was also on camera 7 seconds later, nowhere near his car.

It is truly bizarre.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Alex_Sloley

@Sagradafamiliar

Ah, I see. Thank you, Pot.
Sadly in these cases of straightforward disappearance, I think the answer is usually the most logical one, as with Liam Smith last year :(

Regarding missing people some people do leave of their own accord to make a new life.

Some years ago we had an article on our local paper about a woman missing in town. Her DM and DB were featured all sad faced in typical style. The next week there was an update. Police had tracked down the woman, and she'd simply asked for a message to be passed on that she was alive and well, but wouldn't be making contact. After years of reading MN, I reckon she'd been in a dysfunctional family and had simply moved and gone NC.

It's easy enough to disappear from the average person, deed poll change of name and new location unconnected to anywhere you've previously been. It's just harder to disappear from authorities.

The disappearance of Alan Bryant

There's a lot of belief that the police, and people local to the family, know exactly what happened to Allan Bryant and who was responsible, but fear is keeping people quiet

That's another case that the police made an absolute hash of though. Them not obtaining the CCTV for months from various places means it'll never be solved properly imo, despite his father's campaigning.

Louise Kay. A lot of evidence to suggest it was Peter Tobin - a serial killer currently rotting in prison. He was in the area at the time but moved around a lot as serial killers usually do. He used to bury his victims in his back garden. Investigators are pretty certain that they know where she is buried, but the person who owns the land refuses to have it dug up to search for a body. Seriously, if you thought for one minute that there could be a murder victim buried in the backyard why wouldn't you agree to have it dug up? Knowing that it could bring closure to a family? That a serial killer would stand trial yet again for somebody else's life he robbed? That someone could be given a decent burial in a proper grave? Plus knowing that there could be a body buried in the garden would creep me out big time. I dont think i would be able to live in the house anymore, knowing tht it is where a murder dwelt and buried his victims.

It's madness that it's possible to say no to that kind of request.

I know it's the wrong way round for the thread, but I wonder just how many people Peter Tobin has actually killed. A lot more than he's in prison for no doubt, and probably will go to his grave with him

They suspect Peter Tobin is Bible John.

Wow some sad, gloomy and interesting cases here lots I knew and I have thought about from time to time and some I hadn’t heard before.

We have relocated to rural Devon around 2 years ago and while I love the idyllic lifestyle for our kids im really wary about the very quiet public foot paths, fields and country roads.

Kate Bushell, Lyn Bryant and a 3rd dog walker were all brutally murdered not far from here and not only has their murderers never been caught they have now linked the crimes saying they were likely all done by the same man.

The hammer attack on poor Josi and family was another one that has never left me and again in such a similar location/ school walk route and lifestyle to what we have. I have always found this case quite personal as it’s the 1st one as a teen that I remember reading/hearing about on the news as a young teen than made me take notice of the the evil in the world.

I’m really not convinced they got the right person for that but like a pp said they are never going to release Michael Stone as he’s an odd ball too.

I suspect the likes of Tobin, Robert Black etc killed far more than they were charged with. Jeanette Tate is one of several linked to Black.

Placemark!

@lyralalala I'm localish to the Bryants and have heard whispers of who was responsible and also where Alan's body could possibly be. Something is very wrong with the investigation and loads of mistakes were made - I believe the police are still classing it as as misper case as no firm evidence of foul play. I do worry that poor Alan Snr will let his emotions get the better of him and vocalise their suspicions publicly, possibly jeopardizing a conviction. There are people out there who know the truth but won't come forward which is incredibly cruel for the family in my book.

@DrScaryAlone from what I’ve heard people won’t come forward through fear of suffering the same fate. It’s incredibly cruel on the family, but given how incompetent the police have been so far I’m not sure I would be trusting them to keep me safe if I spoke up either.
I think there’s a bigger danger his poor father will end up ill through it all.

The Teachers Pet podcast is fantastic re Lyn Dawson. Her husband has now been charged. She was an utterly devoted mother to two very small DC. She would never have left them. The podcast really conveys the creepy attitude s of some male teachers in the 70s.
I grew up in Adelaide in the 60s and 70s. Feel so haunted by the Beaumont children.
When my cousin and I were very small 6? We walked 3 blocks up the street to Sunday school. We were intercepted by a man who invited us to go to his house for chocolate biscuits. Somehow I had the gumption to say no. It felt weird and I didn't mention it to my parents. Told DM a few years ago and she nearly fainted.

The best novel I have read on this theme is Ruth Gutcheon’s “Still Missing” . At least with a novel you can be gripped and invested with the knowledge that it is fiction.
The cases on here are so upsetting, some have preyed on my mind for decades.

You would think with things like ancestral DNA being so popular, being able to narrow down a killer will get easier if the police have DNA.

I am certain that Ronan Farrow is Sinatra’s son. The resemblance is so obvious, even though his has his Mother’s colouring.

Hmm, I feel that is unlikely, as Sinatra would have been 71, and it was twenty years after he and Mia Farrow had (acrimoniously) split up, and he had been married to Barbara Marx for over ten years when Roman was born. Mia Farrow was no ingénue by the 1980s, and I can't see her being in the slightest bit interested in the elderly Sinatra.

I think Mia Farrow has herself said that it is possible he is Frank’s son ?

Really? Interesting 🤔

I listened recently to the audible podcast about Suzanne Pilley. David Gilroy has been convicted of her murder and is in prison. However, her remains have never been found. It's interesting that there was very little speculation that she could have chosen to disappear. The podcast is investigating the case. David Gilroy is still maintaining his innocence and is appealing. There is no forensic evidence linking Gilroy to the crime. I feel uneasy about casting doubt in his conviction though.

@whitershadeofpale Did you look at the crime photos? Its very grusome but that was no accident. That boy had been beaten and put in that mat.

I don’t think it’s by any means certain he was beaten. The photos were after the post mortem which is why they were so awful.

The recent case of the missing woman in Cambodia make me think of this thread. Can you imagine if her body was never found? It seems like she was drunk and went swimming or something. No foul play. But, they had started to arrest people. You can see how easily these kinds of cases get blown up.

Re: Ronan Farrow

Mia was asked in an interview about it and said that she and Frank never really split up and Ronan was possibly Frank's child.

Ronan joked on Twitter that we are all possibly Frank Sinatra's son.

Woody said he thinks he's Ronan's father but wouldn't bet his life on it.

Ronan has always referred to Woody as his father, even though they are now estranged due to Woody's behaviour with his sisters.

Ronan said in an interview "You know, I wasn't there, so I don't have a lot more to offer than you," Ronan told Vulture at an auction for the Holocaust survivor charity, The Blue Card, at the American Museum of Natural History. "Of course, it is a distraction…But I take it in stride. Look, we all have, you know, our family histories to bear…so…."

But when pressed as to why he just doesn't take a DNA test to end the chatter once and for all, the 25-year-old lawyer and human rights activist dismissed the idea, preferring to talk about his new gig instead.

"I appreciate how hilarious it is. I mean, it's a ridiculous situation. That said, I'm pretty unfazed by it in substance, because it's been out there both publicly and privately for so long," said Farrow. "I have a relationship that I'm very happy with…with all parties involved. For me, the imperative is 'all right, we've talked about it, I get a kick out of it, everyone gets a kick out of it.' Let's move onto the substance, which is one reason I'm so excited to be rolling out this show."

So, yeah, I guess he's saying it's none of our business. I do wonder if he will speak more on it after Woody dies.

Haymin Lee!!!

@EmmiJay yes, it’s horrific but a body would look horrific when somebody had had an awful, panicked death and then their body had been decomposing, upside down, for 21 hour in a warm gym.

Lots of details here that overall I find plausible but warning it contains a post-mortem photo.

The OP in that link above casts aspersions on Kendrick’s parents motives. I’m not making a judgement on that, they may just be deeply in denial that something so awful could happen for seemingly no reason.

Re: Kendrick Johnson

It does seem like his death was just an unfortunate accident. Poor guy.