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.

@ notacooldad my friend said that a) there was no way you could see or hear the apartment from the restaurant and b) it was not a one- off that the adults dined without the children . Everyone knew that .

Thanks old
I'm really not surprised though, it is a terrible story.

@Oldbutstillgotit Do you mean not a one-off for them, or not a one-off generally for anyone staying at the resort? I've often wondered whether this sort of thing was more common than people made it out to be, I know my parents left me and my siblings alone and went across the road to the pub in the 80s, they absolutely weren't abusive or neglectful and are highly critical of the McCann until I remind them that they probably would have thought nothing of doing the same. Disclaimer - I didn't have kids till after MM, although I think regardless of that I wouldn't have done what they did because I'm way too paranoid and anxious.

Mary Boyle - does it not seem highly likely that Robert Black abducted her ? He was in the area, and the swift disappearance, her age etc, fit his chosen victims.

I don’t think it’s a secret that the M’s dined there every night leaving the kids is it? In fact it’s been stated that KM was dismayed to realise that in the restaurants list of bookings it was written very clearly, visible to anyone, that both families had made a block booking and wanted a certain time due to the children being left asleep in the apartments.

Damian Nettles.

Yes, I also thought that what Oldbut said was already quite well known. Such a sad, awful case. I feel so sorry for them, even if they made mistakes.

I would like to add though, that leaving children alone like that was not common prior to this either. My oldest are late 20s and neither we nor the other parents we knew at that time would ever had left young DC unattended in an apartment (or anywhere). It wasn’t a common thing at all.

Mary Boyle - does it not seem highly likely that Robert Black abducted her ? He was in the area, and the swift disappearance, her age etc, fit his chosen victims.
After listening to a podcast yesterday and one about Mary Boyle last night and this morning Robert Black was ruled out for various reasons. Apparently authorities have a very good idea who did it. A lot if information has been suppressed. I dont know any more than I've listened to on the podcast but it tore the family apart with people having different views.

If anyone us interested this us the podcast I listened to about Mary Boyle.
The podcast about Robert Black was on Mens Rea episode 54, the latest one released

Cockle

Agree it wasn’t considered standard at the time. I was in my late teens when MM disappeared and remember the outrage amongst my own, and my friends, parents about the children being left alone like that.

I have, and will always, think that the parents were treated better in the media due to their social class. Despite their obvious gross negligence as parents.

Semper it was my hairdresser that told me about MM, as I hadn’t seen the news that day. She was 22, I was 39 so different generations really, but we both had baby girls of our own. Both equally as outraged at the children being left. Everyone else in the salon - all ages of people - agreed. It annoyed me when KM was saying British parents are more laid back that European ones, so would do this sort of thing. No they bloody don’t, generally speaking.

I’m not sure if they got better treatment for being professional. No idea. They’ve certainly had some crap to deal with. I still feel sorry for them. If they were neglectful they’ve had a horrific punishment for it.

Alice

Absolutely. They behaved poorly regarding leaving the children, however they didn’t deserve that outcome. Nor did M or the twins, for whom a long shadow must have been cast over their entire lives.

I don’t think we’ll ever find out what happened to M, sadly.

@cjt110 do you believe the theory that Damien Nettles was killed by the drug dealer?

@Izzabellasasperella It seems the only reasonable explanation that Nicky Mac did it and his body was disposed of. I watched an iplayer documentary recently and it seems so she the police really had and have no idea and it appears so many of the local areas like the wooden havent been probed. So much so that his family and friends are personally digging themselves. Very sad.

The Oslo Plaza woman is the biggest rabbit hole of a case, I have ever gone down. Truely mind-boggling and fascinating. Can't recommend this article enough - www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/i/xRjoWp/mystery-at-the-oslo-plaza

Other true crime stories that have always stuck in my mind -

Keli Lane who was convicted of the murder of her secret baby Tegan, who vanished straight after leaving the maternity ward. Tegan was the second of three babies that Keli gave birth to in secret (the other two given up for legal adoption). Keli has always stridently protested her innocence.

Mr Cruel in Australia. He is abducted two girls and kept them captive in his home whilst always keeping his face hidden behind a balaclava. The girls were released and could give detailed descriptions of his bedroom, but little else. He showed remarkable knowledge of forensics considering this was late 80s/early 90s. He is also suspected of murdering a third girl.

The Alps murders really baffle me. I can't make up my mind who whether the family or the cyclist were the intended victims. The fact that the wife in the family had an ex husband that she kept quiet about who died on the same day, really gives me the creeps actually. She might have been still been legally married to him too.

If anyone is interested in reading some really good long-read articles about true crimes, I also totally recommend these -

Stephanie Lazarus and the murder of Sherri Rasmussen - www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/07/lapd-lazurus-murder-mystery-killer

The murder of Yara Gambirasio in Italy - www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/08/-sp-the-murder-that-has-obsessed-italy

@myshinynewusername wow! I have been reading about the case the whole morning ... there are some interesting threads on Reddit about it

Gosh hadn't head of Oslo Plaza woman before. There goes my Friday night!

The Oslo case has certain similarities to the Sligo case

I've looked up the results of cases from "disappeared" some have been found alive, some are dead, either from natural causes or murdered and some are still missing.

myshinynewusername That Oslo Plaza case is so strange. Just lost hours reading about it!

The Oslo Plaza woman also reminds me of the Somerton Man case. Two unidentified corpses with all labels and potentially identifying items removed. No one reported them missing, not have they in the decades after, although both seemed healthy, wealthy and nicely turned out.
Also, it's not known in each case if murder or suicide was the cause of death (I know Oslo woman is officially suicide, but there's plenty to make a person doubt!)

Also, not the crimes but the trials of Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson, still leave me baffled.

Stephanie Lazarus interview is so cringe, I’m sure she thought she had gotten away with it after 23 years.

Italian case very sad.

I heard a podcast on the Stephanie Lazarus/ Sherri Rasmussen case. Yes, SL was so rattled at being interviewed all that time later, absolutely pissing herself.
So glad they found the truth and got justice for Sherri.