What’s the scariest unsolved mystery you know?

[Mimmy352]

Whether it’s personal or well known, which unsolved case makes your brain sound like dial up?

Yes was going to say this

She’d quit her job in 2001, though, and had spent time in a refuge for victims of domestic violence — the bedsit she died in was a property owned by a trust that was used to house domestic violence victims. And she seems to have had a lifelong pattern of moving on from situations and cutting all ties — she made friends in each new job and relationship, but dropped them when the job or relationship ended. Her sisters tried to trace her via the Salvation Army and hired a private detective, who found the right address, but as she was already dead, no one answered the door or letters.

It’s sad, but not that mysterious — I think what struck people was the contrast between what looked like a comparative glamorous previous life, and the pathos of her body lying undiscovered for two years.

Ohhh. Off for a search noe

Are there podcasts or shows for many of these? They all sound sad but fascinating.

100%. Have listened to the podcast since the beginning. Amazing what they've uncovered

I can't remember if it was casual criminalist or I could murder a podcast where I heard it. Both really good podcasts.

I'll give the one you mentioned a go!

The 'Mr Cruel' kidnappings/murder in Australia in the late 80's/early 90's. I was friends with one of the victim's sister, we worked together in a part time job as teenagers. I lived down the road from where the poor girl was abducted from home, it utterly freaked me out, along with most parents in Melbourne. She was released 50 hours later.

There are so many theories on Mr Cruel's identity, but they never got him and I doubt they ever will now.

There was an update to the Andrew Gosden case in 2021, when two men were arrested. They were subsequently released, and the police have said a couple of times that they are still investigating their electronic devices. It has gone quiet since then.

John Cannan has been named by the police as the probable murderer of Susy Lamplugh. He is a serial rapist and has been in prison for a long time.

A digger driver made a deathbed confession about accidentally killing Ben Needham. I seem to remember there was some evidence found at the scene, but the family has not been able to accept that's what happened. There’s plenty online about it if you want to read it - I'm not linking because I can't bear to look at it again.

My husband actually knew a man who this happened to. 😱

I've just looked up Poppi Worthington. That poor little girl. How on earth has that evil evil cretin of a man escaped without charge

Spontaneous combustion isn’t an unsolved mystery. Research has been that shows the likely reason is the persons clothes being set on fire (probably from them dropping a cigarette on themselves). They then burn like a candle with an external wick. The clothes being the wick, and the body/fat being like the wax.

I saw a tv program once. where they wrapped a dead pig in a blanket and set the blanket on fire to prove this. The results achieved were almost identical to supposed cases of spontaneous combustion.

Not scary but a couple from a small town that I once lived in.

Julie Pacey & Sharon Harper.

Judy Smith. Went to a conference in Philadelphia with her husband. He called out “goodbye” as she was in the shower and he went off to meetings. There were a couple of sighting of her that day with her red backpack, then she disappeared. A few years later a skeleton was found at the top of a hiking trail in a remote part of North Carolina.

Tests found the skeleton was Judy, was still wearing her wedding rings and knife marks found on the bones suggested she had been stabbed. Judy did suffer quite badly from arthritis and was overweight. How had she managed to climb miles up the hiking trail and why? What had brought her to North Carolina in the first place? She was found with expensive sunglasses - which was out of character for her, and her backpack was now blue.

Husband was ruled out as he spent years searching hospitals and putting up missing posters. He was not fit or healthy enough to get her to get her body there.

If you’re fascinated by these things - be like me and become a late night scroller of Unresolved Mysteries on Reddit.

Also, look up David Glenn Lewis, v similar case.

@AcesBaseballbat
"The Panama girls is the one case that everyone believes was an accident but I personally believe may have been foul play,"
I think it was an accident because the foot in the shoe that was found had a broken toe.
I believe they fell into a ravine, and were unable to get out. The broken toe could also indicate there were other injuries.
Searchers were out looking for them, but 5 days after they disappeared the searchers were out overnight. This coincides with the night time photos found on the camera, which I believe they were using the flash in an effort to attract attention.

LocalMystery I read about Julie Pacey - I would say that it is very scary!

Do you think she knew her killer?

For me - again - Andrew Gosden - too many unanswered questions - why the one way ticket ? Why take savings ? Why run away at all ? I expect he reached a grisly end - but how ? He had no phone - internet all checked - His family need answers for closure - Jon Benet ramsey for sure - And poor little Madeline her family must experience the worst nightmares

I agree @AcesBaseballbat. With a lot of these mysteries people don’t want to hear the explanation, or the initial events are out there and discussed but the solutions don’t get as much traction.

There was a case discussed on here a couple of months ago where a young woman in America saw a child alone at the side of a busy road and pulled over to help. She was on the phone to someone while she investigated. They heard a scream and then nothing else. She was missing but some of her things were found in the car. There was a thread on here about how she had been abducted as a sex slave and gangs were using children as bait.
She turned up at her home a few days later and it turned out it had been a mental health episode. As she was found quickly this story died down, but if this had taken longer then this would still be a mystery with all the hyperbole of toddlers being used as bait.

As for the Marie Celeste - it was an insurance job. The ship was meant to sink, but didn’t. The whole ‘meals still warm’ thing is just embellishments over the years.

So many videoed and body parts found but not identified each year!

www.thesun.co.uk/news/uknews/13338949/unidentified-bodies-database-uk-unsolved-murders/amp/

2021 - Currently there are 1,131 unidentified cases open on the database, with the reports dating from 1950-2020. A number of these cases will be historical partial remains.

Example and reconstruction photo -

Nude in the Nettles
On August 28, 1981, a police officer received a call claiming a decomposed body had been found "among the willow herbs" near Scawton Moor House in Yorkshire.
The mysterious caller refused to reveal his name and address for "national security reasons" and quickly hung up.

PC John Jeffries made his way to the area and eventually came across weathered human bones dumped in the undergrowth.
After several hours, police managed to find a decaying body tangled among the 6ft herbs exactly where the caller had described.

The woman was lying propped against a back wall - her remains mostly skeletal.
She was completely naked - leading to the chilling case being dubbed the "Nude in the Nettles".
Police began combing for clues in the area and discovered three fresh tracks leading to and from the body, and a yoghurt top lying beneath her dated 1979 - the year forensics say she died.
A huge investigation was launched to determine who the woman was and how she died.

They described her as around 5ft 4ins with dark brown hair and her toenails painted in Max Factor pale pink varnish.

Pathologists discovered she had given birth to two or three children but no wedding ring was found and a lack of other jewellery made identification impossible.
To add to the riddle, a black evening gown, bra and underwear were found hanging from a tree around half-a-mile from where the body was discovered that have never been claimed.
In an unprecedented move for the time, police used scientists and make up artists to create a waxwork reconstruction of her head in the hope someone would recognise her.

And her body was exhumed in 2012 so a DNA profile could be created and the case could finally be closed.
But 40 years on, the Nude in the Nettles still hasn't been identified with her remains laid to rest in a plain coffin with the inscription: "Name unknown".

Lee Boxell. DH is a Sutton United fan so this one is close to home. The appeals by his parents on the anniversaries have been heartbreaking.

Annie Borjossen (sp) the Swedish student found drowned on a beach in Prestwick, who was seen in an airport the night before and had her long hair cut between being seen on cctv and her body being found a few hours later

There’s a very interesting BBC Sounds podcast about this case.

Pretty sure I've found the thread with the poster that PP have thought may have been Ruth Wilson. But it can't be because on that thread the poster mentions that she went missing when the social media site Bebo was active, which ran from 2005. RW went missing in 1995.

I haven’t read the full thread , but the disappearance of the Bradley sisters, in Chicago in 2001 , is utterly chilling.

Dyatlov Pass and the Yuba County Five are both completely baffling and creepy.

Nora Quoirion. Bless her and her family. May she rest in peace.

@PurpleSneakers I have been invested in this podcast from the start - and if anyone else is interested in this sort of stuff it's called "The Lady Vanishes".

I think we all know half the story in Marion's case - why she was coming to the UK and withdrawing all her money. And I think we all know who was behind that. (No spoilers for those who haven't listened). But as frustrating as it is, I don't think we will ever find out exactly what happened to Marion as so long has passed, records/footage don't exist, key witnesses can't remember, others aren't talking.