Given the information provided, or at least yielded further useful information?

I'd like to nominate the one of the European woman who claimed to have rescued a plane full of Americans which went down in WWII. It should have at least yielded which planes could have gone down in that area during that time. If she could have identified photos of servicemen from one of those planes vs. similar random photos, it would have lent great credibility to her story and at least given a clue as to the fate of the crew of that particular plane. As it is, I wonder why absolutely nothing more came of this. It seems they've located people on far less.

Two words: Paul Pollis.

I think the Baskin children's case should have been solved, as well as Keith warren's death and Jeremy Bright's disappearance.

Given the information provided, or at least yielded further useful information?

I'd like to nominate the one of the European woman who claimed to have rescued a plane full of Americans which went down in WWII. It should have at least yielded which planes could have gone down in that area during that time. If she could have identified photos of servicemen from one of those planes vs. similar random photos, it would have lent great credibility to her story and at least given a clue as to the fate of the crew of that particular plane. As it is, I wonder why absolutely nothing more came of this. It seems they've located people on far less.

This is one of my favorite UM segments. I think time is the major factor against this one being solved. It's entirely possible that most or all of the men she saved were killed or had since died.

Fritz, the little German boy who had Christmas dinner with American and German soldiers, found one of his soldiers because the man had told the incredible story to his family who saw it on UM.

I remember my grandmother telling me that when her brothers came back from serving in WWII, they never talked about what happened. I'm guessing this was pretty common. Maybe the Czech girl's story was never retold.

I always thought that segment about the Grateful Dead fan should have been solved. That just drives me nuts; how could no one recognize him at all?

Given the information provided, or at least yielded further useful information?

I'd like to nominate the one of the European woman who claimed to have rescued a plane full of Americans which went down in WWII. It should have at least yielded which planes could have gone down in that area during that time. If she could have identified photos of servicemen from one of those planes vs. similar random photos, it would have lent great credibility to her story and at least given a clue as to the fate of the crew of that particular plane. As it is, I wonder why absolutely nothing more came of this. It seems they've located people on far less.


I've never even heard of this segment??! She rescued a plane FULL of Americans? How?

I agree with Paul Pollis. Also the Wendy Camp case, and Jule Caylor is guilty as sin.

Paul Pollis, for real. What a scumbag.

I also agree with another poster about the Baskin kids. That is one case that really frustrates me.

The Tracy Kirkpatrick murder also. It seemed like all the evidence pointed to the young man who called the psychic and wrote the letter, and people even said that his voice sounded like the caller on the confession hotline, but just because his name wasn't Shawn or Don they just let it drop? Come on.

Jim Boumgarten. This case was so cut and dry that it should have been solved within 5 minutes after airing.

Paul Pollis, for real. What a scumbag.

I also agree with another poster about the Baskin kids. That is one case that really frustrates me.

The Tracy Kirkpatrick murder also. It seemed like all the evidence pointed to the young man who called the psychic and wrote the letter, and people even said that his voice sounded like the caller on the confession hotline, but just because his name wasn't Shawn or Don they just let it drop? Come on.

I posted on another thread about Kirkpatrick. I use dto work with a MD state policeman who worke out of Frederick, MD. I asked him about this case. He said that the Frederick police should have contacted the MD state police immediately (because of the mall's proximity to a major highway) . If that had been done, the case likely would have been solved within days. He said the Frederick police were very stubborn and felt they were the be-all-end-all for everything in that area. They frequently botched investigations becaus eof their refusal to ask the state police for help.

I posted on another thread about Kirkpatrick. I use dto work with a MD state policeman who worke out of Frederick, MD. I asked him about this case. He said that the Frederick police should have contacted the MD state police immediately (because of the mall's proximity to a major highway) . If that had been done, the case likely would have been solved within days. He said the Frederick police were very stubborn and felt they were the be-all-end-all for everything in that area. They frequently botched investigations becaus eof their refusal to ask the state police for help.

I remember that post. I recently visited the Frederick police's website and found Tracy's case---still open and no recent developments. Ridiculous. :mad:

Fritz, the little German boy who had Christmas dinner with American and German soldiers, found one of his soldiers because the man had told the incredible story to his family who saw it on UM.

The people who took in Kristoff, a little war orphan, only to have him stolen by a family who immigrated to America, found him through UM. It seems someone with a special interest in American planes which went down in Czechoslovakia during WWII should have looked further into that woman's story.

I agree with Paul Pollis. Also the Wendy Camp case, and Jule Caylor is guilty as sin.

Obviously a lot of cases should NEVER have been Unsolved Mysteries, except that local law enforcement either screwed up or just couldn't produce the evidence. There are also cases like Kurt Sova and Jeremy Bright where a lot of people are just keeping quiet, and people like the Maples and Baskins who seem to just drop off the earth.

Jim Boumgarten. This case was so cut and dry that it should have been solved within 5 minutes after airing.

That's one of the few cases that I actually called the telecenter and have posted on repeatedly. What I'd like to know is, was he hoaxing the lady he claimed to be his aunt? Did her sister really only give away a little girl for adoption, and not twin boys? Or was she somehow in on the hoax? Someone should really do some research and see if this was ever followed up on locally and the findings just not aired nationally. :mad:

Jenny Pratt. Even though her boyfriend committed suicide a lot of people know but they aren't talking.

How about the young man during WWII who met a man on a train platform who looked just like him, had the same last name, and knew additional details of a family legend. Did they hear from ANYONE in that family?

What about the sack of undelivered "V-Mail" featured in an early episode? The one widow who got a letter from her husband moved us to tears. Were any of the other intended recipients or their next of kin found?

The young mother forced to give up her two daughters and sign fake death certificates--did they ever turn up?

Also, I know Resurrection Mary isn't popular here, but according to descriptions she was NOT Mary Bregovy. I've done some additional looking into this, one of the most fascinating cases for me, and know details not featured on the show if anyone's interested. To my knowledge, no one has done a photo lineup of all six or eight possible Marys, mixed in with photos of other young women of the same vintage and description, and shown them to real RM witnesses to see which looks most familiar. (Obviously, this wouldn't work with the people who saw only a glowing outline with a blacked-out face.)

Tracey Kirkpatrick is definately up there with the "ones that should of been solved". Exactly how is this is beyond me. I remember watching it thinking "how could this be an unsolved mystery??".

I wonder, what are the odds of the Baskin children being alive? Surely with internet and TV and easy access to information worldwide, surely one of them would have by now discovered who they are and that they are missing. Maybe the Grandparents at one point or another might have realised that living life on the run with two children who are going to ask about their parents was too much to handle, so the kids became expendable..? I mean, everywhere you go you'd leave a trail of people thinking "what are those young kids doing with those old people", even if you said "their parents died" or whatever, you are going to be remembered.

What about the sack of undelivered "V-Mail" featured in an early episode? The one widow who got a letter from her husband moved us to tears. Were any of the other intended recipients or their next of kin found?

The original NBC broadcast included a list of undelivered letters, or at least a list of the senders. Stack mentioned that postal regulations dictated they could not reveal the names of the recipients. Seems kind of pointless. I think this portion was edited out of the Lifetime reruns.


Also, I know Resurrection Mary isn't popular here, but according to descriptions she was NOT Mary Bregovy. I've done some additional looking into this, one of the most fascinating cases for me, and know details not featured on the show if anyone's interested. To my knowledge, no one has done a photo lineup of all six or eight possible Marys, mixed in with photos of other young women of the same vintage and description, and shown them to real RM witnesses to see which looks most familiar. (Obviously, this wouldn't work with the people who saw only a glowing outline with a blacked-out face.)

I always thought it was funny that UM was suckered by the old "vanishing hitchhiker" tale - an urban legend and sleepover story for many years.

I always thought it was funny that UM was suckered by the old "vanishing hitchhiker" tale - an urban legend and sleepover story for many years. "Why yes, we do have a daughter named Mary. But...she's been dead for ten years...."

DUN Dun duuuuuuuuunnnn!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Every town has a Resurrection Mary. I grew up in Dallas and ours was "The Lady of White Rock Lake." Every town has a wooded area where satan worshipers used to meet and every high school kid would drive by it while they were out after curfew and get creeped out. I'll admit, I'm not a total disbeliever in ghosts and paranormal activity, but some stories are more convincing than others.

How about the Lost Loves 1960's Piano Teacher? If the student remembered the name of the school, wouldn't the school have had any records of the full name of the piano teacher? It just seemed that that case could have been solved without UM- yet I've never heard that it was even with the program in the picture!

Regarding Resurrection Mary, one of the things I heard was that yes, Jerry Palus was lying. He incorporated into his story details of a folk tale which has come to be known as "Lavender" http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vortex/401/library/stories/lavender.html from the Ramapo region of New York, which was making the rounds by 1939. The neighborhood he named as the "mother's" address turned up nothing. This does not, however, make the Resurrection Mary case any less true nor even make it the only genuine phantom hitchhiker case--just, seemingly, the best known.

I am still shocked that all these years on such a high profile case, that nobody has yet identified who DB Cooper is (or was)

Especially if they believe he died during his jump...

..then that would mean there has been a person that has been missing for nearly 35 or so years.

Plus we have a pretty good composite photo of the guy, to boot!!!

Unless DB was a career criminal (like Alex Spencer) or a spy (or in a similar profession like William Bradfrod Bishop) ....i find it hard to believe that nobody has missed him for this long.

I mean someone hasn't paid there taxes, alimony, seen their family or showed up for work for at the same time Cooper makes his jump!!??? Wouldn;t someone say "hey Joe Schmoe hasn;t paid his bar tab yet, haven't seen him in my bar in a while. hey you know he kind of looks like that DB guy that jumped out of the plane. Come to think of it I haven;t seen him since he ordered that last bourbon and smoked those foul cigars in my bar a week before that thing happened. And Joe used to tell me some of his old Vietnam war stories a lot about how he used to fly DC planes in parachuting runs. Holy ^&) maybe he;s DB Cooper!!! I better call the cops! ;)

You mean to tell me there isn;t a Vietnam vet or commander that doesn;t remember a pilot he fought with or instructed that resembles that composite photo???!!!!

Of course if he survived and escape..he would not be a missing person.;)

Chaim Weiss was a case I thought could've been solved pretty quickly. Yeshivas are generally rather isolated, and the profoundly Jewish elements at the crime scene---the candles, the open window---would seem to point to either a student or an instructor (and who also would've been there late at night/early in the morning, when the murder occurred). The Orthodox Jewish philosophy of avoiding false accusation at all costs apparently prevented the investigation from moving forward, but I'm of the opinion that aspect may have been overemphasized in the UM segment. There has to be something else there. Otherwise, from a certain standpoint, the community would've still been committing a sin according to Jewish law by grossly obstructing justice or failing to preserve life in the name of obedience to God. That was definitely one of those segments that I wished delivered more information, and one that's haunted me for years.

Jenny Pratt and Stephanie Booker

If only people would talk...

Jenny Pratt and Stephanie Booker

If only people would talk...

Yes, and if some bozo is going to commit suicide or even die of natural causes, could they AT LEAST leave a letter naming names? :mad:

Chaim Weiss is an especially disturbing one. The candle being continually lit in a closed room seems almost supernatural and could point to someone with a key to access all rooms.

With no motive, one almost wonders if this was done by someone in some altered state of consciousness such as sleepwalking, where people do things and can actually pass a lie detector regarding them as they really don't remember them. :idea: :candle:

I am still shocked that all these years on such a high profile case, that nobody has yet identified who DB Cooper is (or was)

Especially if they believe he died during his jump...

..then that would mean there has been a person that has been missing for nearly 35 or so years.

Plus we have a pretty good composite photo of the guy, to boot!!!

Unless DB was a career criminal (like Alex Spencer) or a spy (or in a similar profession like William Bradfrod Bishop) ....i find it hard to believe that nobody has missed him for this long.

I mean someone hasn't paid there taxes, alimony, seen their family or showed up for work for at the same time Cooper makes his jump!!??? Wouldn;t someone say "hey Joe Schmoe hasn;t paid his bar tab yet, haven't seen him in my bar in a while. hey you know he kind of looks like that DB guy that jumped out of the plane. Come to think of it I haven;t seen him since he ordered that last bourbon and smoked those foul cigars in my bar a week before that thing happened. And Joe used to tell me some of his old Vietnam war stories a lot about how he used to fly DC planes in parachuting runs. Holy ^&) maybe he;s DB Cooper!!! I better call the cops! ;)

You mean to tell me there isn;t a Vietnam vet or commander that doesn;t remember a pilot he fought with or instructed that resembles that composite photo???!!!!

Of course if he survived and escape..he would not be a missing person.;)


DB Cooper is dead. He was killed by the FBI in the early 1970's. His name was Richard McCoy.

-The case of the speedboat driver in Texas who rammed the boatful of woman and then drove off should have been solved.

-Brad Bishop, the scumbag who killed his family in 1976, should have been caught as his story has been featured on UM and AMW countless times.

Actually, I'd be shocked if they ever figured out what happened to Brad Bishop. If anyone had the skills/means to disappear into the world and never emerge, it was he. He could have issued himself any number of passports under aliases before the murders. He spoke 5 languages, was extremely well traveled and well versed in the customs and bureaucracies of a number of countries. Alex Kelly managed to avoid detection for 8 years in Europe and his only skill was the ability to ski, so there's no reason to think that someone SO educated and so experienced could avoid detection for so long.

My guess is he's living in a small country house, somewhere in central Europe with a new wife and kids, and by now, grandkids.

True, I guess I just don't want to accept that someone responsible for such an especially heinous, heartless crime has gotten away with it for so long. I agree with you; I bet he's living a quiet, nondescript life somewhere with his "new" family. He was last seen in Italy in 1978, so he may have gotten spooked and left Italy, or even Europe. And he may have acquired cosmetic surgery to change his looks.

True, I guess I just don't want to accept that someone responsible for such an especially heinous, heartless crime has gotten away with it for so long. I agree with you; I bet he's living a quiet, nondescript life somewhere with his "new" family. He was last seen in Italy in 1978, so he may have gotten spooked and left Italy, or even Europe. And he may have acquired cosmetic surgery to change his looks.

Actually, he was last spotted in 1994 in Switzerland.
http://www.mcsheriff.com/wanted/bishop.asp

Judging by the places he's been spotted (even if only half of the sightings were him) I think it is safe to say that he has a well established alternate identity, as he crossed a lot of borders at a time when European borders were much tighter than they are now. In the almost two weeks before his family was identified, he probably had free reign to cross borders, as he had a diplomatic passport.

I hope I'm wrong and he is someday brought to justice. He gives a bad name to Foreign Service members.

-Necco

Actually, he was last spotted in 1994 in Switzerland.
http://www.mcsheriff.com/wanted/bishop.asp

Judging by the places he's been spotted (even if only half of the sightings were him) I think it is safe to say that he has a well established alternate identity, as he crossed a lot of borders at a time when European borders were much tighter than they are now. In the almost two weeks before his family was identified, he probably had free reign to cross borders, as he had a diplomatic passport.

I hope I'm wrong and he is someday brought to justice. He gives a bad name to Foreign Service members.

-Necco

I hope he's brought to justice too but at this point, I don't see that happening.

Another factor to remember is that it was a lot easier to forge an ID or passport in 1976 than it is now. If he had committed the crime now, he would have had a much tougher time trying to get that stuff past authorities.

Actually, he was last spotted in 1994 in Switzerland.
http://www.mcsheriff.com/wanted/bishop.asp

Judging by the places he's been spotted (even if only half of the sightings were him) I think it is safe to say that he has a well established alternate identity, as he crossed a lot of borders at a time when European borders were much tighter than they are now. In the almost two weeks before his family was identified, he probably had free reign to cross borders, as he had a diplomatic passport.

I hope I'm wrong and he is someday brought to justice. He gives a bad name to Foreign Service members.

-Necco
Thanks for the link. To my knowledge, that last sighting has never been cited in updates on either AMW or UM. According to that page, three acquaintances of his have spotted him separately over the years. Shame on them for not ensuring this despicable person's capture. The guy in Sorrento at least ran after Bishop in a driving rainstorm, losing him, but how do you run into this guy and not take drastic steps to prevent his escape?

Thanks for the link. To my knowledge, that last sighting has never been cited in updates on either AMW or UM. According to that page, three acquaintances of his have spotted him separately over the years. Shame on them for not ensuring this despicable person's capture. The guy in Sorrento at least ran after Bishop in a driving rainstorm, losing him, but how do you run into this guy and not take drastic steps to prevent his escape?

Do we know the circumstances? We know his colleague in Sorrento chased after him. We don't know what happened in the other two instances.

People being able to recognize him years later implies he didn't have his appearance surgically altered.

Do we know the circumstances? We know his colleague in Sorrento chased after him. We don't know what happened in the other two instances.


The Switzerland sighting was on a train platform and I believe that Bishop got on the train before the spotter could get to him. Of course, I can't find that link now. Murphy's Law, Google corollary :lol:

Also, keep in mind, that people are being cautioned not to approach/apprehend this man on their own as he is considered dangerous.

-Necco

Just in case anyone hasn't seen it, this is a link to an article from the Washington Post covering the Brad Bishop saga. It was written 2 years ago as part of the 30 year anniversay of the murders.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030102328.html

Chaim Weiss was a case I thought could've been solved pretty quickly. Yeshivas are generally rather isolated, and the profoundly Jewish elements at the crime scene---the candles, the open window---would seem to point to either a student or an instructor (and who also would've been there late at night/early in the morning, when the murder occurred). The Orthodox Jewish philosophy of avoiding false accusation at all costs apparently prevented the investigation from moving forward, but I'm of the opinion that aspect may have been overemphasized in the UM segment. There has to be something else there. Otherwise, from a certain standpoint, the community would've still been committing a sin according to Jewish law by grossly obstructing justice or failing to preserve life in the name of obedience to God. That was definitely one of those segments that I wished delivered more information, and one that's haunted me for years.

This is definitely one that should have been solved. Access to the building was so limited and the murder itself seemed very personal. I've been researching it off and on for years and the solution often seems so close and yet so frustratingly out of reach. :(

If you want more information that wasn't in the broadcast, I posted some of my findings in this thread: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=40393.

-The case of the speedboat driver in Texas who rammed the boatful of woman and then drove off should have been solved.

I agree!!!

I do have some theories though that would explain why this case hasn;t been solved:

1. It;s possible the boat may have been stolen or that the drivers are not the owners of the boat (juveniles???)
2. the boat may have been involved in some illegal activity such as drugs smuggling
3. The boat may have been sunk by the owner, has been locked up in a storage facility, or was destroyed in some way (possibly even burned)
4. The woman on the boat may not be the owner's wife or vice versa. Sad to say their may be a fidelity issue that is being covered up.

Heh, pretty obvious I'm watching UM on Spike right now ... the case of Richard Aderson, killed by a road rage maniac. I can't believe this guy hasn't been caught. There's a special place in Hell for people like him. He must have had some serious anger management issues to shoot an innocent person over a minor fender-bender.

I hadn't seen that segment in a long time, and I'd forgotten how mad it makes me!:mad:

DB Cooper is dead. He was killed by the FBI in the early 1970's. His name was Richard McCoy.
Well, some people believe that McCoy was D.B. Cooper (which is really a misnomer--he never called himself that, but rather said he was "Dan Cooper") because he pulled a very similar crime, but it was never established to be the case, and he was not the only Cooper copycat. Also, Cooper was described by all who interacted with him on the plane has appearing Latin. McCoy didn't fit that description. FWIW, Cooper also smoked heavily and drank during the hijacking, and McCoy was apparently a devout Mormom who did neither. After McCoy's conviction, he escaped from prison and was killed in a shootout with the FBI, so he can't tell us.

This is definitely one that should have been solved. Access to the building was so limited and the murder itself seemed very personal. I've been researching it off and on for years and the solution often seems so close and yet so frustratingly out of reach. :(

If you want more information that wasn't in the broadcast, I posted some of my findings in this thread: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=40393.

That's an awesome thread and tons of great info. Thanks! :wave:

Heh, pretty obvious I'm watching UM on Spike right now ... the case of Richard Aderson, killed by a road rage maniac. I can't believe this guy hasn't been caught. There's a special place in Hell for people like him. He must have had some serious anger management issues to shoot an innocent person over a minor fender-bender.

I hadn't seen that segment in a long time, and I'd forgotten how mad it makes me!:mad:
I was going to post this case as well after yesterday's broadcast. It's one of those that should have been solved long ago. It happened on a busy highway and there were dozens of witnesses, plus they know the offender's vehicle was a green 1997 Cherokee with New Hampshire plates. Surely the investigators scoured registration records.
I think I remember hearing on AMW that it was rumoured the perp may have been a member of law enforcement, which is one possible explanation as to why the investigation has come up empty.
The piece of trash needs to be nabbed and put away for good.

In the case of Stephanie Booker, I've always wondered about your quote, MegtheEgg86. Micheal Jordan's teammate on the Bulls in the mid to late 90s was Dennis Rodman. I read somewhere that he was being investigated as being involved in that incident. I guess he wasn't on the boat, but perhaps he owned it.

In addition to that case, here's some that should have been solved:

Tommy Burkett (EVERYBODY knows who did it)

Danny Casolaro (There has to be many who know)

D.B Cooper (It could well be McCoy, and a book called "The Real McCoy" implied that he was DB)

Brad Bishop (One of the top ten UM "Ultimate Scumbag. I remember thinking that he would be caught. What I didn't know is that how much time had passed between murders and UM broadcast. He did have a huge head start.)

Robert Hamrick (Everyone knows the Rock Creek gang murdered him)

In the case of Stephanie Booker, I've always wondered about your quote, MegtheEgg86. Micheal Jordan's teammate on the Bulls in the mid to late 90s was Dennis Rodman. I read somewhere that he was being investigated as being involved in that incident. I guess he wasn't on the boat, but perhaps he owned it.

In addition to that case, here's some that should have been solved:

Tommy Burkett (EVERYBODY knows who did it)

Danny Casolaro (There has to be many who know)

D.B Cooper (It could well be McCoy, and a book called "The Real McCoy" implied that he was DB)

Brad Bishop (One of the top ten UM "Ultimate Scumbag. I remember thinking that he would be caught. What I didn't know is that how much time had passed between murders and UM broadcast. He did have a huge head start.)

Robert Hamrick (Everyone knows the Rock Creek gang murdered him)


My quote is from the Sammy Wheeler murder segment. The deceased's brother, Danny, was the one who made that sarcastic statement.

I've been "on" the Burkett case quite a bit lately and I'm of the opinion it was definitely a murder, but who exactly do you think committed it? I really lean towards the possibility that the murder wasn't drug-related.

D.B Cooper (It could well be McCoy, and a book called "The Real McCoy" implied that he was DB)

But that would imply that Cooper survived and at least some of the money did.

Nearly every expert on parachuting believes their is no way DB could have survived his jump, much less the wooded area he landed in.

If McCoy is DB what did he do with the rest of the money?

Danny Casolaro (There has to be many who know)

I agree, but those that know probably only have a piece of the story. I think the people that ordered it or committed the act have done far worse than kill Danny Casaloro and will only talk when they are at their death bed.

Brad Bishop (One of the top ten UM "Ultimate Scumbag. I remember thinking that he would be caught. What I didn't know is that how much time had passed between murders and UM broadcast.

Especially if you watch it on Spike.

Chipper and Scotty, the two little brothers photographed in the bow ties whose sister was looking for them. Since they were in foster care, shouldn't there be some record of them? Wouldn't they recognize themselves or someone who knows them recognize them? Were they ever found?

Paul Pollis, for real. What a scumbag.


The Tracy Kirkpatrick murder also. It seemed like all the evidence pointed to the young man who called the psychic and wrote the letter, and people even said that his voice sounded like the caller on the confession hotline, but just because his name wasn't Shawn or Don they just let it drop? Come on.


I agree. I knew Tracy. We double dated once. She worked in the store right next to the one I worked in at the time of the murder. I still live in the area and it disgusts me that this case has still not been solved. I moved away and moved back to the area in 2002. I had nearly forgotten until I saw this episode (a repeat I presume), I was shocked at all the evidence they had and the "annonymous" call. :confused:

Jenny Pratt. Even though her boyfriend committed suicide
Whoa, when did that happen?

Jim Boumgarten. This case was so cut and dry that it should have been solved within 5 minutes after airing.




To all those interested fans I have the answer you have been waiting for

I am the neice of Jim Boumgarden.
My father is Rick Holder who also claimed to have seen Jim Boumgarden's twin brother. Anyways Jim found his sister that he never knew about. However Jim died and did not find his twin brother. It did seem like an open and shut case but unfortunately the case is dormant. Jim is missed by all his family. May he rest in peace.

The Leonard Rizzo case. Come on, 4 dead people in his yard (one of them his wife) who the anthropologists said hadn't been dead over a few months, yet he knows nothing about it? Surely someone somewhere has to know who the other 3 people could be. How about his son living there at the time? Did he not hear or see anything? Is he the one who made the anonymous tip? Surely there is something he (Leonard) can be charged with. The police claim he came to them after it all happened and was trying to make a deal for probation. This is one of those where everyone knows who dunnit and Leonard knows everyone knows, it's just it's hard to convict when they can't even identify 3 of the victims.

(Maybe I am behind the times and this case has since been solved? As of 2007 it hasn't been, according to Google).

The Leonard Rizzo case. Come on, 4 dead people in his yard (one of them his wife) who the anthropologists said hadn't been dead over a few months, yet he knows nothing about it? Surely someone somewhere has to know who the other 3 people could be.

I thought at the end of the segment, they verified that all the remains belonged to Monika Rizzo?

I thought at the end of the segment, they verified that all the remains belonged to Monika Rizzo?

No, they said during the episode that the police expected the bones to be hers but the first round of DNA tests said no. Then they brought in archaeologists to do a more extensive dig, and they unearthed a lot more bones and said they believe the bones were cut with a wood chipper. They did more DNA tests on those new bones and they also were not Monika. However, before the segment ended, Robert Stack gave one of his famous footnotes and said that even more DNA tests were done and finally it was proved that some of the bones were those of Monika. He said to date there are 4 dead people with one being Monika.

I am basing this solely off the DVD version and I have no idea if there were updates shown on Lifetime or Spike, etc..

No, they said during the episode that the police expected the bones to be hers but the first round of DNA tests said no. Then they brought in archaeologists to do a more extensive dig, and they unearthed a lot more bones and said they believe the bones were cut with a wood chipper. They did more DNA tests on those new bones and they also were not Monika. However, before the segment ended, Robert Stack gave one of his famous footnotes and said that even more DNA tests were done and finally it was proved that some of the bones were those of Monika. He said to date there are 4 dead people with one being Monika.

I am basing this solely off the DVD version and I have no idea if there were updates shown on Lifetime or Spike, etc..I could have sworn that on the DVD commentary of the segment, they later confirmed that all the bones belonged to Monika. I'm not quite too sure who did the commentary on that case.

On the topic, I felt the Jeremy Bright case could have easily been solved. It was obvious that the shady guys from the town were somehow connect to Jeremy's disappearance.

I could have sworn that on the DVD commentary of the segment, they later confirmed that all the bones belonged to Monika. I'm not quite too sure who did the commentary on that case.

You could be right, I am going to watch the commentary portion of the DVD and report back.

EDIT: Yep, you're right, John Cosgrove said in the commentary that the bones were eventually sent off to the Air Force in Maryland and all the bones were determined to be Monika's. He said that in 1997 DNA wasn't what it was today (obviously).

You know that Leonard had to be sitting there wondering if he blacked out and had killed 3 other people and forgotten about it! ;)

To all those interested fans I have the answer you have been waiting for

I am the neice of Jim Boumgarden.
My father is Rick Holder who also claimed to have seen Jim Boumgarden's twin brother. Anyways Jim found his sister that he never knew about. However Jim died and did not find his twin brother. It did seem like an open and shut case but unfortunately the case is dormant. Jim is missed by all his family. May he rest in peace.

I'm sorry your uncle never solved the mystery he set out to solve, but it sounds like he solved one he didn't know existed.
Thanks for the update.
-Necco

I think the Kurt Sova should have been solved. The Tommy Burket case should have solved if the police had done their job.

I think the Kurt Sova should have been solved.

The blame goes to the kids that were to scared to help him and just left him in that ditch. The very least they could have don

Even if they did find the suspects, I'm not sure what they could be charged with? Unless it's murder, everything else has passed statute of limitations.

The Tommy Burket case should have solved if the police had done their job.

As with the Keith Warren case, there may be a practical reason why this case was not pursued. If Tommy was a snitch, they may not want to prosecute anyone in order to protect other operations by the DEA.

I'm still puzzled why "Bonnie Wilder" is still on the loose. She wasn't that hard to recognize. :p

The Leonard Rizzo case. Come on, 4 dead people in his yard (one of them his wife) who the anthropologists said hadn't been dead over a few months, yet he knows nothing about it? Surely someone somewhere has to know who the other 3 people could be. How about his son living there at the time? Did he not hear or see anything? Is he the one who made the anonymous tip? Surely there is something he (Leonard) can be charged with. The police claim he came to them after it all happened and was trying to make a deal for probation. This is one of those where everyone knows who dunnit and Leonard knows everyone knows, it's just it's hard to convict when they can't even identify 3 of the victims.

(Maybe I am behind the times and this case has since been solved? As of 2007 it hasn't been, according to Google).

I agree that this case should have been solved by now. Domestic dispute, telling her friends about a troubled marriage, black eyes and then all the bone fragments in the backyard are finally identified as that of Monika Rizzo. Leonard Rizzo definitely killed her and its ashamed that he gets to walk the streets.

The Tracy Kirkpatrick murder also. It seemed like all the evidence pointed to the young man who called the psychic and wrote the letter, and people even said that his voice sounded like the caller on the confession hotline, but just because his name wasn't Shawn or Don they just let it drop? Come on.

A confession is useless if it cannot be corrobated by forensic evidence. As much I am certain that under pressure of a closer interrogation he would have stopped his "pleading the 5th" nonsense, the problem with Shawn/Don is that nothing was found in his home that linked him to the crime scene, or even with Tracy herself, and unknowingly he did the "right" thing by shutting up and refusing to answer questions by investigators.

There have been cases of attention-seekers confessing to crimes they haven't committed. The DA probably thought Shawn/Don was one of them, which throws his confession out of the window, and the remaining evidence was insufficient to present the case to a grand jury.

The one I keep coming back to is the young woman in some Eastern European country--Czechoslovakia or someplace--who claimed to have hidden an American plane crew shot down in the area and wanted to know if any survived. Even if they didn't...isn't there a record of where every plane lost in WWII was last seen? Wouldn't somebody be all over this? If not, can it be definitely proven untrue?

A confession is useless if it cannot be corrobated by forensic evidence.

Not necessarily the case at all. Circumstancial evidence can be sufficient for corroboration in either the absence or simultaneous consideration of forensic evidence.

I hate to say it, but it is true what Meg the Egg is saying. In fact in this country, it is quite common for confessions to be the lynchpin of a conviction even if the suspect's confession is completely off base with the actual physical or forensic evidence. Even if a suspect is excluded or not linked via physical evidence if they provided a confession, 9 times out of 10 they will be convicted because of the common thought of 'why would you confess to something you did not do?' plus society in general not being willing to look at the deeper reasons why a suspect might falsely confess.

Kurt Sova and Jeremy Bright's cases. To this day, I don't know if authorities or family members (Kurt has a lot of siblings and the people of interest weren't considered as bad as the people in the Bright case) have ever interviewed or talked to them.

Kurt's case: someone would've had to question or talk to Samuel C. Carroll (the person Kurt supposedly walked to the duplex party with), Kurt's girlfriend (supposedly he had one in some capacity, per a newspaper article about the case), Debbie Sams (lived at the duplex/was at the party), Clayton Sams (lived at the duplex/was at the party)

Jeremy's case: someone would've had to question or talk to David Steinhoff (supposedly was the one seen with blood on his shirt), Terry Steinhoff (now deceased, was in prison for a murder in 1989 before he died), Hoyt Richardson (a friend of the Steinhoff's who was rumored to seem much more arrogant after Jeremy "disappeared" and no one found him), Jeremy's friend Johnny (? I think that's his name), who's supposedly been a wreck for years and seemingly scarred by whatever happened to Jeremy

In Kurt's case, I would think his brothers could still try to contact those people I listed and anyone else they might have known was at the party (or with him if he didn't pass out at the party or whatever and ended up running off with some of the party people for a few days).

In Jeremy's case, I wonder if his sister S'te could recall who the person was that she saw talking to Jeremy after he got off the payphone with his Mom that Thursday or Friday afternoon in August 1986. I would be more cautious in trying to talk to those guys I mentioned in this case since they seem more like criminal types.

It's already been mentioned but the Jim Boumgarden case. I can't believe it was never mentioned. The guy playing softball with the "twin", him being confused with him when visiting a small town, etc. How can their not be a record or finding someone who knew the "twin"? It's amazing it was never solved.

Two words: Paul Pollis.
two words, i agree. Paul just seemed guilty, i think the police should've asked to search the shed sooner, if they did at all.

It's already been mentioned but the Jim Boumgarden case. I can't believe it was never mentioned. The guy playing softball with the "twin", him being confused with him when visiting a small town, etc. How can their not be a record or finding someone who knew the "twin"? It's amazing it was never solved.

Yes, even to prove it a hoax, because either Jim was one HECK of a prankster--even getting a neighboring baseball team to let him pitch to fool a relative--or he had friends and relatives in on the gag.

The one I keep coming back to is the young woman in some Eastern European country--Czechoslovakia or someplace--who claimed to have hidden an American plane crew shot down in the area and wanted to know if any survived. Even if they didn't...isn't there a record of where every plane lost in WWII was last seen? Wouldn't somebody be all over this? If not, can it be definitely proven untrue?

Asked the same thing last year so I guess no one here knows: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=160366&highlight=czechoslovakia

"Why yes, we do have a daughter named Mary. But...she's been dead for ten years...."

DUN Dun duuuuuuuuunnnn!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Every town has a Resurrection Mary. I grew up in Dallas and ours was "The Lady of White Rock Lake." Every town has a wooded area where satan worshipers used to meet and every high school kid would drive by it while they were out after curfew and get creeped out. I'll admit, I'm not a total disbeliever in ghosts and paranormal activity, but some stories are more convincing than others.

Ricky Kasso and the Knights Of The Black Circle were tennage Satan worshippers that hung out in the woods.

It's already been mentioned but the Jim Boumgarden case. I can't believe it was never mentioned. The guy playing softball with the "twin", him being confused with him when visiting a small town, etc. How can their not be a record or finding someone who knew the "twin"? It's amazing it was never solved.

Do we know for a fact this was never solved? Its possible that if they did figure out who this twin was, it might not have gotten a lot of publicity in the years UM was off the air. Is Jim Boumgarden even still alive? I may google it but I'm not sure if you could find anything on this case even if it was solved where there was no crime and it wasn't high profile.

If indeed it was never solved, I agree thats exceedingly strange that this twin supposedly lived nearby and no one could figure out who this guy was, no one on the softball team came forward to identify him.

And the other strange thing is that in every encounter it seemed like the twin everytime someone tried to talk to him or approach him thinking he was Jim he just walked away and ignored them, its odd that he made no effort to identify himself or at least tell the person that they were mistaking him for someone else. Almost like he didn't want to be found. But if so why live in the same general area?

I can't help but think there was more to this story than UM told in the segment. Several things just don't add up.

Do we know for a fact this was never solved? Its possible that if they did figure out who this twin was, it might not have gotten a lot of publicity in the years UM was off the air. Is Jim Boumgarden even still alive? I may google it but I'm not sure if you could find anything on this case even if it was solved where there was no crime and it wasn't high profile.

If indeed it was never solved, I agree thats exceedingly strange that this twin supposedly lived nearby and no one could figure out who this guy was, no one on the softball team came forward to identify him.

And the other strange thing is that in every encounter it seemed like the twin everytime someone tried to talk to him or approach him thinking he was Jim he just walked away and ignored them, its odd that he made no effort to identify himself or at least tell the person that they were mistaking him for someone else. Almost like he didn't want to be found. But if so why live in the same general area?

I can't help but think there was more to this story than UM told in the segment. Several things just don't add up.

Not only was it mentioned in this very same thread that he died but it was also mentioned in the new Spike UM, that he had died and not found his twin and that the mystery was still unsolved.

I don't know if it's weird that the other twin never identified himself. I have been confused by people and have also seen people confusing my parents or friends and I've never seen them explain "I'm so and so.. etc". And I never did it either. There are a lot of things that don't add up especially the mistakes when he was confused as a little kid in town, which meant that the twin lived in that town and it wouldn't be strange to get the info (less so the opposing softball team) but I don't find it weird that he wouldn't identify himself.

I dunno if this should go under this thread or not but how is it possible that Judy Groezinger has never been arrested for her husband's murder? She was proven to give false statements to the police, her fingerprints were found on items that shouldn't have been according to her story (per UM's description of events), eyewitnesses contradicted her, she stopped cooperating with the investigation, and had substantial motive. She wasn't even honest in her UM interview, could only describe her husband "as a good person as a friend" (paraphrasing) and only showed emotion while describing her court battle for insurance money.

She absolutely reeked of guilt and I would have figured there'd have been enough for the DA to proceed with.

I dunno if this should go under this thread or not but how is it possible that Judy Groezinger has never been arrested for her husband's murder? She was proven to give false statements to the police, her fingerprints were found on items that shouldn't have been according to her story (per UM's description of events), eyewitnesses contradicted her, she stopped cooperating with the investigation, and had substantial motive. She wasn't even honest in her UM interview, could only describe her husband "as a good person as a friend" (paraphrasing) and only showed emotion while describing her court battle for insurance money.

She absolutely reeked of guilt and I would have figured there'd have been enough for the DA to proceed with.

Agreed. Judy Groezinger's interview is amongst the clearly coldest and most unsettling I have ever seen on UM. I look in her eyes and see nothing.

Not necessarily the case at all. Circumstancial evidence can be sufficient for corroboration in either the absence or simultaneous consideration of forensic evidence.

Which are absent as well in Tracy Kirkpatrick's case. What circumstancial evidence do we have linking Shawn/Don to her murder, other than his fascination for the case and his anonymous confession?

Beside Shawn/Don's own words, authorities have nothing on him to build a case to present in front of a grand jury. His confession was general in tone, he never volunteered any information about the crime scene that only the killer would know, and everything could have been garnered from information available to the general public. Without any reason to put him under arrest and him refusing to play the idiot ball by talking to the police, they had to let him go.

Me thinks that the segment simply omits that they have checked his whereabouts with people around him and his relatives, saw that he couldn't possibly be there, and left him go a free man recommending to his parents that he should go see a shrink.

Which are absent as well in Tracy Kirkpatrick's case. What circumstancial evidence do we have linking Shawn/Don to her murder, other than his fascination for the case and his anonymous confession?

Beside Shawn/Don's own words, authorities have nothing on him to build a case to present in front of a grand jury. His confession was general in tone, he never volunteered any information about the crime scene that only the killer would know, and everything could have been garnered from information available to the general public. Without any reason to put him under arrest and him refusing to play the idiot ball by talking to the police, they had to let him go.

Exactly. Just as you said, it's hard to build a case when you have absolutely no real material to work with, forensic or otherwise. It makes me wonder though--many people in Frederick, as denoted from the posts in the most recently bumped Tracy Kirkpatrick thread, apparently believe it was the sheriff's-son-security-guard-actually-named-Don who committed the murder. Was the caller aware of it at the time, and, equipped with the rather unreliable judgement of a teenager, thought he could "steer" police in the security guard's direction by calling himself "Don" and confessing to the murder? Something I thought of.

Me thinks that the segment simply omits that they have checked his whereabouts with people around him and his relatives, saw that he couldn't possibly be there, and left him go a free man recommending to his parents that he should go see a shrink.

Probably very likely.

If the scenario I imagined is the case, he probably freaked upon seeing police show up at his house (never even taking into account that the psychic just might contact police and provide his address) and spilled the beans about his entire master plan to point police in the direction of the supposed real killer. Upon which, the police again let him go a free man and recommend to his parents that he should go see a shrink.

Chipper and Scotty, the two little brothers photographed in the bow ties whose sister was looking for them. Since they were in foster care, shouldn't there be some record of them? Wouldn't they recognize themselves or someone who knows them recognize them? Were they ever found?

SOLVED: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Siblings_of_Tina_Shiets

What about the sack of undelivered "V-Mail" featured in an early episode? The one widow who got a letter from her husband moved us to tears. Were any of the other intended recipients or their next of kin found?
Yep! http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Undelivered_WWII_Letters

The young mother forced to give up her two daughters and sign fake death certificates--did they ever turn up?
I know you asked this years ago, but yes, they did and thankfully a reunion occurred. For the sake of their privacy, the mother asked that no further information be given.

Regarding Resurrection Mary, one of the things I heard was that yes, Jerry Palus was lying. He incorporated into his story details of a folk tale which has come to be known as "Lavender" http://www.fortunecity.com/roswell/vortex/401/library/stories/lavender.html from the Ramapo region of New York, which was making the rounds by 1939. The neighborhood he named as the "mother's" address turned up nothing. This does not, however, make the Resurrection Mary case any less true nor even make it the only genuine phantom hitchhiker case--just, seemingly, the best known.

Which of course didn't stop the Jerry Palus case from being recently reenacted on Beyond the Unknown with Don Wildman.

To all those interested fans I have the answer you have been waiting for

I am the neice of Jim Boumgarden.
My father is Rick Holder who also claimed to have seen Jim Boumgarden's twin brother. Anyways Jim found his sister that he never knew about. However Jim died and did not find his twin brother. It did seem like an open and shut case but unfortunately the case is dormant. Jim is missed by all his family. May he rest in peace.

Can you answer why Jim's brother did not come forward when Jim was seeking him?

It's already been mentioned but the Jim Boumgarden case. I can't believe it was never mentioned. The guy playing softball with the "twin", him being confused with him when visiting a small town, etc. How can their not be a record or finding someone who knew the "twin"? It's amazing it was never solved.

When I called the telecenter the operator told me that "people have been calling up just furious" that when the relative was at the baseball game, even if at the time he thought Jim was acting weird, when they found out it was not Jim, why did they not contact the team to learn the identity of the mystery pitcher? Case solved! Certainly the most frustrating UM case ever!

SOLVED: http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Siblings_of_Tina_Shiets

Thanks for clearing that up.

Yep! http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Undelivered_WWII_Letters


I know you asked this years ago, but yes, they did and thankfully a reunion occurred. For the sake of their privacy, the mother asked that no further information be given.

Thanks for clearing those up.

Obviously since this thread was started, the Baskin children turned up alive and Grateful Doe was identified or as good as identified. Some other cases do still bother me.

I'm surprised at the number of high profile bank robberies that are never solved. Such as the L.A. tunneling robberies or the fake bomb armored car robberies in Minnesota.

More than a couple people were involved in each of those robberies but yet the FBI never came up with anything.

I'm surprised at the number of high profile bank robberies that are never solved. Such as the L.A. tunneling robberies or the fake bomb armored car robberies in Minnesota.

More than a couple people were involved in each of those robberies but yet the FBI never came up with anything.

Statute of limitations. FBI investigated the Burrowing Burglars for only 6 years before they had to give up.

I imagine that some investigators keep up the search, but can never publicly identify the perps. Just some obsessed detectives waiting for them to strike again and catch them in the act.

For the Burrowing Burglars I wonder if they were foreigners, perhaps former Mexican military, who after the robbery went back to Mexico and ended up working for the cartels building tunnels, compounds, etc.

We kinda brought this discussion up again in a newer topic about 2 years ago.. My fault, sorry, didn't know this topic already existed..

https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=374364

Seeing the thread on this case today - Gary Grant Jr. I had forgot the name but the case should have been solved. The friend Boo did it or knew what happened to Gary Jr.

The disappearance of Pam Page is always one I wish would have gotten solved.

Jenny Pratt also comes to mind.

I don't want to start a war or anything, but I always felt like Jon-Benet Ramsey's case could have been solved if the Boulder PD had been more experienced at handling homicide cases... just a personal opinion of mine.

I don't want to start a war or anything, but I always felt like Jon-Benet Ramsey's case could have been solved if the Boulder PD had been more experienced at handling homicide cases... just a personal opinion of mine.

I agree. I think it was also complicated by the fact this happened on a holiday and so many police officers in that department were gone or not readily available. They also seemed to treat the Ramseys with kid gloves, especially at the first part of the investigation.

Even though it came out as a missing child/likely kidnapping, the first cops there should have separated the parents and closed off the house as a crime scene. The delay in doing those things probably doomed any chance of solving the JonBenet case short of a confession.

I agree. I think it was also complicated by the fact this happened on a holiday and so many police officers in that department were gone or not readily available. They also seemed to treat the Ramseys with kid gloves, especially at the first part of the investigation.

Even though it came out as a missing child/likely kidnapping, the first cops there should have separated the parents and closed off the house as a crime scene. The delay in doing those things probably doomed any chance of solving the JonBenet case short of a confession.

I agree completely. If this happened any other time of the year than Christmas, I think the results would have been different.

Pam Page and Charlotte Pollis. Charlotte Pollis’ Case didn’t make Paul look good. When he said, “I clean, I live there. I like to live in a clean house” that made him sound VERY defensive and to me guilty