As an ever-evolving true crime buff-in-training, it seems like the 70s, 80s, and 90s were overflowing with baffling cases. Are there any cases or stories out there from UM's heyday that you're surprised the show didn't cover?

The first one that springs to mind for me is the Springfield Three. I know there is a thread around here somewhere that mentions the case: an unsolved disappearance of three women in Missouri that was recently featured on the ID network's "Disappeared" show. I believe this happened in the early 90s, so I'm really surprised UM didn't feature it.

I'm also really surprised that UM never did a spot (to my knowledge?) on Johnny Gosch or Jacob Wetterling, two notorious missing persons cases - the boys disappeared from the midwest around the time UM was on.

Are there any others that you guys can think of?

Jaycee Dugard's disappearance should've been covered back in the 1990's. She might have been found alot quicker possibly had they covered her case. Girly Chew Hossencofft's disappearance and subsequent murder should've also been covered in my opinion.

Jaycee Dugard's disappearance should've been covered back in the 1990's. She might have been found alot quicker possibly had they covered her case. Girly Chew Hossencofft's disappearance and subsequent murder should've also been covered in my opinion.

Ahh yes, Girly Chew! I saw her case for the first time on some show the other day (can't remember what it was) and I was like, that is one crazy case...definitely worthy of UM inclusion!

Ahh yes, Girly Chew! I saw her case for the first time on some show the other day (can't remember what it was) and I was like, that is one crazy case...definitely worthy of UM inclusion!

I believe her case was on the Oxygen channel show "Snapped!". Glad her husband is in jail for her murder but sadly her body has never been found.

BTK, for sure.

The Frankford Slasher - the man who was convicted of one of the murders may not have been the killer of the other eight victims.

What I'm surprised is that UM never did a segment or segments on the JFK assassination. I mean there are hundreds of conspiracy theories about it and UM has done several cases about conspiracies, and what I thought was funny is that they did two different segments about Robert Kennedy's assassination (about how there may have been two different gunmen, and about Scott Enyart) yet they never did one on JFK. They could have also done segments about the mysterious "Babushka Lady" who was seen taking pictures of the assassination and the "Umbrella Man" who had an umbrella that day even though it wasn't raining. I think if there will be new UM episodes, then JFK assassination could be a good one (I'm not a conspiracy theorist, though ;) ).

Actually Jaycee Dugard and the Springfield 3 were covered in special alert segments; very few people on the boards recall them, but apparently they were aired. Should have been full-length segments.

Well I bring this one up every time the subject is raised and as I recall forum member Kane actually wrote into UM requesting that they profile the case of the disappearance of Virginia Douglas.

It would have been perfect for UM given the types of cases they've profiled over the years:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/douglas_virginia.html

I believe her case was on the Oxygen channel show "Snapped!". Glad her husband is in jail for her murder but sadly her body has never been found.

It was on American Justice too.

I'm surprised they didn't cover the disappearance of the Sodder children. Such an intriguing case:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5067563

What I'm surprised is that UM never did a segment or segments on the JFK assassination. I mean there are hundreds of conspiracy theories about it and UM has done several cases about conspiracies, and what I thought was funny is that they did two different segments about Robert Kennedy's assassination (about how there may have been two different gunmen, and about Scott Enyart) yet they never did one on JFK. They could have also done segments about the mysterious "Babushka Lady" who was seen taking pictures of the assassination and the "Umbrella Man" who had an umbrella that day even though it wasn't raining. I think if there will be new UM episodes, then JFK assassination could be a good one (I'm not a conspiracy theorist, though ;) ).

Personally, I'm not surprised UM didn't cover JFK and I'm kinda glad they didn't. The average UM segment is about 20 minutes in length give or take. There are so many different theories and directions to go in with the JFK assassination, they couldn't have possibly done it justice in the time allotted. Most of the hour long documentaries barely scratch the service.

I suppose they could have done a segment on a particular suspect or aspect of the case, such as the Babushka Lady or the Umbrella Man. However, I wonder if doing so would have inevitably required them to touch on the conspiracy theories and they just didn't want to go there for whatever reason.

Regardless, I think UM would have been in over it's head trying to tackle JFK.

Did they ever cover Adam Walsh's case?

Maybe John Walsh wouldn't allow it since he was hosting America's Most Wanted at the same time and featured it on the show at least once.

Did they ever cover Adam Walsh's case?

No. The Adam Walsh case was never featured on UM.

Maybe John Walsh wouldn't allow it since he was hosting America's Most Wanted at the same time and featured it on the show at least once.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that UM and AMW were like Coke and Pepsi; in other words, they were competitiors. Basically they were trying to outdo each other, especially in terms of ratings, number of cases they help solve, and number fugitives they nab. So I have a feeling that the idea of a staff member (let alone a host) from either show turning to the other for help would have been awkward.

I'm surprised they didn't cover the disappearance of the Sodder children. Such an intriguing case:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5067563

Very interesting story, this is my first time hearing about the case.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I too am surprised they never covered the Sodder Children; that sounds like something out of a movie and thus right up UM's alley.

Personally, I'm not surprised UM didn't cover JFK and I'm kinda glad they didn't. The average UM segment is about 20 minutes in length give or take. There are so many different theories and directions to go in with the JFK assassination, they couldn't have possibly done it justice in the time allotted. Most of the hour long documentaries barely scratch the service.

Regardless, I think UM would have been in over it's head trying to tackle JFK.

Not to mention that Robert Stack and JFK were friends, and they shared an apartment in the early '40s. So it would probably have been very difficult for Stack to present the case anyway.

Not to mention that Robert Stack and JFK were friends, and they shared an apartment in the early '40s. So it would probably have been very difficult for Stack to present the case anyway.
It was probably hard enough for him to do RFK and the Thompson case. I heard he was very close to Mickey Thompson's sister and he may have known Mickey as well. In any case, seeing his friend in pain would have been really rough.

Not to mention that Robert Stack and JFK were friends, and they shared an apartment in the early '40s. So it would probably have been very difficult for Stack to present the case anyway.


Seriously?! How cool! I had no idea. Where did you find that out?

Charli-Ann

Seriously?! How cool! I had no idea. Where did you find that out?

Charli-Ann

It has been mentioned in numerous articles, including one at the following link, in which Stack spoke of JFK as "probably the most charming guy" he ever knew.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-05-16/features/8803170586_1_eliot-ness-untouchables-robert-stack

John F. Kennedy wasn't the only friend of Stack's to become a U.S. President. Another was Ronald Reagan.

A few others I'm surpised UM never covered:

-Cherrie Mahan

-Dean Marie Pyle Peters

-Anna Christian Waters

Do celebrities count?

I'm shocked they never covered the death of actress Barbra Colby and her friend James Kiernan. Ditto for America's Most Wanted. They may have, but if they did, then it was one of those "blink and you'll miss it moments".

She and Kiernan were in Los Angeles after they were finished with an acting class, and Colby was three episodes into filming Phyllis, but then, without warning, she and Kiernan were attacked by two black men in a colored van. They were shot once, but neither were robbed. Colby died instantly, while Kiernan was able to provide the full details about the whole thing before he, too, died.

The case has never been solved. There's also the possibility that it may have been the same people who killed a woman named Gloria Witte, wife of a lockheed executive.

Johnny Gosch comes immediately to mind.

There are two cases that AMW ran vigorously. John Walsh seemed to have taken such an extra personal interest in both that I'm amazed that at least one didn't get the UM treatment. They are:

Dennis Melvin Howe. If you don't remember the name, do a little Google research. It's such a sad case. It makes zero sense that this scumbag has never been aprehended. Even back in the late 1980's, Walsh would say, "Dennis Howe would be so-and-so years old, if he is even still alive today". That always struck me as odd, considering the case was originally aired in the 80's, making Howe less than 50 at that time.

The other one is the case of Sarkis Peltakian (come on, somebody out there has to remember that name!). He was the fellow who was driving drunk and accidentally sent a pickup full of teenagers flying off a bridge. He fled to parts unknown (likely back to his homeland) and hasn't been heard from since. Oddly, I always thought "Sarkis Peltakian" would make a great band name.

I'm very surprised that UM never did a segment on the Keddie murders in Northern California. Very creepy case.

The other one is the case of Sarkis Peltakian (come on, somebody out there has to remember that name!). He was the fellow who was driving drunk and accidentally sent a pickup full of teenagers flying off a bridge. He fled to parts unknown (likely back to his homeland) and hasn't been heard from since. Oddly, I always thought "Sarkis Peltakian" would make a great band name.

Oh yeah, I remember that name, but totally forgot the case. Off to do research....

1994 lawsuit article about Sarkis Peltekian's victims:

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-09-24/local/me-42290_1_alleged-taggers

Dennis Melvin Howe. If you don't remember the name, do a little Google research. It's such a sad case. It makes zero sense that this scumbag has never been aprehended. Even back in the late 1980's, Walsh would say, "Dennis Howe would be so-and-so years old, if he is even still alive today". That always struck me as odd, considering the case was originally aired in the 80's, making Howe less than 50 at that time.

Ooh, good call! I'm a fellow Canadian and I can tell everyone that Dennis Melvyn Howe may be the most infamous uncaptured fugitive in the history of our country. UM was always very good at giving airtime to unsolved Canadian crimes, so I am surprised they never covered this one. As a child, if I had seen UM show that creepy age composite sketch of Howe, I probably would have been terrified.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/wanted-recherches/sexu/howe-eng.htm

I have a hard time believing this story, but was fascinated nevertheless (in spite of the horrendous spelling):

http://vanrijngo.bravejournal.com/entry/27379

There are several "legendary" cases they could have done that they didn't. Like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Jack the Ripper, the lost Colony of Roanoke, etc.

I almost forgot, how about the Etan Patz disappearance? He's the boy who was the first child to ever be pictured on the side of a milk carton. Wonder if any more light would've been shed on his case had Unsolved Mysteries covered it?

I almost forgot, how about the Etan Patz disappearance? He's the boy who was the first child to ever be pictured on the side of a milk carton. Wonder if any more light would've been shed on his case had Unsolved Mysteries covered it?
Investigation Discovery did a story about Etan Patz as part of their "20/20 On ID" series and it aired Halloween night. They interviewed a pedophile who some believe kidnapped and killed the little boy.

I'm very surprised that UM never did a segment on the Keddie murders in Northern California. Very creepy case.



Never heard of this until now...looked it up and didn't realize it was the inspiration for the movie "The Strangers!":eek:

Originally posted by Jason K

BTK, for sure.

Yeah, I often wondered that myself


How about, the 1987 Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion?


I personally find this mystery to be kinda cool, 'cause no one died, just a lotta ticked off Dr. Who fans


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o4k52uS4qvM/Sw5NquvYBtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/qfAQP8jY9rg/s1600/headroom.jpg

The Keddie Cabin murders. Three people (a fourth abducted and then killed) in a cabin with 3 boys in the next room who didn't see or hear anything!! And the killer didn't choose to go into the adjacent room to see if anyone was there? Those boys are all extremely lucky. It's a truly appalling crime and you can only imagine what the abducted girl went through before being killed :( Even the short little wikipedia article on it gives me chills, mentioning how two of the teenaged victims were last seen hitchhiking before returning to the cabin. ''The crime may have already been in progress when they arrived at the cabin.'' :eek:

The 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago (still unsolved).

The 1982 Tylenol murders in Chicago (still unsolved).

I remember seeing something on TV a few years ago about a suspect being questioned (I think he was a doctor or scientist of some sort) but I don't remember his name. He, of course, wouldn't admit to it.

FWIW, many of these cases did eventually make it on to other shows.

The Tylenol Murders was covered by City In Fear, hosted by John Siegenthaller. There were actually a couple of different suspects arrested, but quickly released due to lack of evidence. It was a good program, although one oddity was that they said Chicago was a low-crime, peaceful area (?!) prior to the murders. The most memorable part of the program was when they had a surveillance still of a woman buying a bottle of the Tylenol shortly before dying from it. :eek:

Other hour long programs focusing on cases previously mentioned in this thread:

Johnny Gosch - Maximum Drama

BTK - Cold Case Files and American Justice (these were both after his identification)

Adam Walsh - I believe AJ covered this as well, although this is one episode I've never seen. I *do* have the Biography episode on John Walsh, and as you might surmise, Adam's murder covers most of the episode. It is really heartbreaking to hear the whole story. It talked about all the work John did before AMW, how he lobbied congress to pass bills, etc.

Jaycee Dugard - Bill Kurtis hosted a special on this, I know there has been at least one other program, possibly many more, all after her escape.

Cherrie Ann Mahan - on UM's predecessor show "Missing...Have You Seen This Person", I'm guessing that's why it was never on UM.

Jacob Wetterling - 20/20 has done numerous segments on this, and I think AMW as well.

other notes:

I don't think UM and AMW were ever in competition with each other. At least, I hope not. The ultimate goal was to put perps behind bars, and I think both shows have a united front in that sense.

Anna Christian Waters - some show needs to cover that story. BIZARRE doesn't begin to cover it.

The Keddie Cabin murders. Three people (a fourth abducted and then killed) in a cabin with 3 boys in the next room who didn't see or hear anything!! And the killer didn't choose to go into the adjacent room to see if anyone was there? Those boys are all extremely lucky. It's a truly appalling crime and you can only imagine what the abducted girl went through before being killed :( Even the short little wikipedia article on it gives me chills, mentioning how two of the teenaged victims were last seen hitchhiking before returning to the cabin. ''The crime may have already been in progress when they arrived at the cabin.'' :eek:

The Keddie Cabin murders have a documentary about it with a lot of info:

http://www.keddiemurdersfilm.com/

Just read a book on the 1966 murder of Valerie Percy. (Sympathy Vote)

She was the 21 year old daughter of Senator Percy from IL, who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in her own bed with most of her large family sleeping down the hall.

That would have been a good one for UM: politics, rich well connected family, lots of possible suspects from the step mother to ex boyfriends to political rivals to local cat burglars, small town inexperienced cops, murder scene completely remodeled within days (beds gone, new paint and carpet, etc), preventing big town cops and FBI from processing the crime scene, 3 days after the murder, the whole family leaves the state and goes to California for 3 weeks, so they're not available for interviews/questioning. The house was sold the following year and has now been torn down.

---

1993 kidnapping and torture murder of 15 year old Emily Jeannette Garcia of San Antonio. Similar to the Lisa Kimmell case, she was held for days and raped, although she hadn't been fed at all during that time. Her body was found one county over from where she went missing. They buried her as a Jane Doe, even tho her mother had her fingerprinted as a child for safety reasons, and it took a year for her mom to find out that the county had buried her.

---

Bill Comeans, a 14 year old from OH was murdered in 1980. His story has been in the news recently because his family has set up a twitter account to tell the story in his words. Three attempts were made on his life before he was finally killed. Neighbors all up and down the street received threatening notes affixed to their cars and porches leading up to Bill's murder and even afterwards.

I agree some show needs to cover Deanie Peters

I think the only mystery with Virginia Douglas is where her husband buried her.

I think the Umbrella Man mystery was solved a long time ago, back in 1978. A guy came forward and said that he had brought a black umbrella that day to heckle Kennedy, and that he still had the umbrella in his possession. He said that if Guiness World Book of Records had a category for "wrong place, wrong time", he would be #1 in that position. The "Dark Complected Man" has never been identified though.

Maybe not shocked, but kind of surprised they didn't do a segment on the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders considering that the prime suspected was acquitted and many believed he was guilty. Even though he would have been dead by the time they filmed a segment, it still could have been done (the guy who thought his brother was the Green River Killer, anyone?). Scarily enough, I've heard DNA testing has confirmed that the prime suspect was NOT the killer. A lot of articles I have found say the DNA was too old and inconclusive though, so maybe the latter information isn't true. As it is though, the case is still unsolved.

Wow, a lot of famous and intriguing cases I'm still surprised UM didn't cover.

I'm originally from the Chicago area, and there's a still-unsolved 1950s murder of two teenage girls, the Grimes sisters, whose bodies were dumped by the side of a local road. The girls had walked to see an Elvis movie, never came back, and their bodies were found I think a few months later. Supposedly the road where the bodies were found is very haunted :eek:

Also, I don't think UM ever covered the case of Tiffany Sessions, a University of Florida college student who vanished on a walk around campus in 1989. Police now say they think a serial killer was responsible for her disappearance:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/os-tiffany-sessions-murder-uf-suspect-20140206,0,3064237.story

When I saw that news story about Tiffany Sessions, I came here to see if anyone was discussing it because I actually thought UM had done a segment on her.

West Memphis Three. Unless they did do it and I'm unaware of it.

West Memphis Three. Unless they did do it and I'm unaware of it.

No, UM never did a segment on the case.

West Memphis Three. Unless they did do it and I'm unaware of it.

That would have been a good one. They had the whole satanic thing going, and we know how UM loved the satanic panic era.

That would have been a good one. They had the whole satanic thing going, and we know how UM loved the satanic panic era.


I guess because they'd been convicted, so there was no mystery to be had. Interest in the case (and the awareness that there had been a gross miscarriage of justice and those poor boys were innocent) didn't really pick up until after that HBO documentary

I guess because they'd been convicted, so there was no mystery to be had. Interest in the case (and the awareness that there had been a gross miscarriage of justice and those poor boys were innocent) didn't really pick up until after that HBO documentary

Oh okay, I didn't realize that. I was too young to remember it so I don't know how people generally felt about the case back then.

One case that would have been interesting for U.M. to cover would have been the murder of Missy Avila, back in 1985. It was turned into a Lifetime movie, starring Tiffani Amber-Thiessen of Saved By The Bell fame, and was solved just after U.M. got off the ground, and became a full time show. I would have liked to have seen how they would have presented that as a segment, had it been featured.

I thought it was kind of weird that UM didn't do an entire segment to the 1976 unidentified Sumter County couple. They did profile them for about 2-3 minutes during one of the Jane Doe segments, but I thought it would have made a good full segment.

One case that would have been interesting for U.M. to cover would have been the murder of Missy Avila, back in 1985. It was turned into a Lifetime movie, starring Tiffani Amber-Thiessen of Saved By The Bell fame, and was solved just after U.M. got off the ground, and became a full time show. I would have liked to have seen how they would have presented that as a segment, had it been featured.

The name of the TV-movie is A Killer Among Friends, and it originally aired on CBS in 1992. The ID series Unusual Suspects covered the case in an episode titled "Deadly Forest."

I know/remember, and I have the movie as well. It was a pretty good one, and also had a book written about it, called "Missy's Murder". So sad that was, and goes to show that you literally can't trust anyone it seems, and wish I could see that episode on that show too. I'm sure it would have made a fine segment for Unsolved Mysteries, with it being their kind of case, until it was solved in 1989. It would have been interesting to see how they would have portrayed it, and all.

The disappearance of Diane Suzuki in 1985....She was a dance instructor in Hawaii. Luminol was used in the bathroom of the dance studio from where she disappeared, suggesting she was murdered. There is even a suspect in the case.....

The disappearance of Diane Suzuki in 1985....She was a dance instructor in Hawaii. Luminol was used in the bathroom of the dance studio from where she disappeared, suggesting she was murdered. There is even a suspect in the case.....
That's a very intriguing case and it's really sad they've literally found no answers in almost thirty years. Apparently her father is now in his 90s...it would be great to get the case solved so he could have some peace.

The disappearance of Diane Suzuki in 1985....She was a dance instructor in Hawaii. Luminol was used in the bathroom of the dance studio from where she disappeared, suggesting she was murdered. There is even a suspect in the case.....

I wasn't aware of this case until now. I live about a mile or two from Aiea. The dance studio is still there, under the same name.

The John List case would have been interesting had if U.M. profiled it too. Kind of surprised they didn't cover that one as well, since they did profile Brad Bishop, along with it being one of the most famous cases A.M.W. ever showed.

The John List case would have been interesting had if U.M. profiled it too. Kind of surprised they didn't cover that one as well, since they did profile Brad Bishop, along with it being one of the most famous cases A.M.W. ever showed.

True. It had been pitched to America's Most Wanted several times and was rejected because the case was deemed too old, so I imagine that might be why UM rejected it. It was finally accepted at AMW -- someone had created a bust of what List might have looked like then, roughly a decade or so after the crime. The composite looked very much like List, so much so that it led to his immediate capture. John Walsh was very fond of it, and was so impressed that he kept in his office for many years. I loved it when Walsh said that there was a Hell, and that John List is going there.

Love John Walsh, he doesn't pull any punches!

I think if they covered the ear sooner in the 80s or 90s it would have been more scary but I guess it wasn't until 2000/2001 until the DNA connections to murders were made hence the time of the segment.

Amber haggerman young girl from Arlington Texas who was abducted while riding her bike and was murdered. It was a high profile case in the area and I will never forget the amount of people that looked for her and when her body was found they announced it at my school. I believe that the national amber alert for a missing child was put into law in her memory. To my beat memory I do not believe um covered the case? This happened in the mid 90s and I believe it is still a cold case last I heard. Anyone know?

Amber haggerman young girl from Arlington Texas who was abducted while riding her bike and was murdered. It was a high profile case in the area and I will never forget the amount of people that looked for her and when her body was found they announced it at my school. I believe that the national amber alert for a missing child was put into law in her memory. To my beat memory I do not believe um covered the case? This happened in the mid 90s and I believe it is still a cold case last I heard. Anyone know?


I don't think they did (?) and sadly yes, it is still unsolved.

Amber haggerman young girl from Arlington Texas who was abducted while riding her bike and was murdered. It was a high profile case in the area and I will never forget the amount of people that looked for her and when her body was found they announced it at my school. I believe that the national amber alert for a missing child was put into law in her memory. To my beat memory I do not believe um covered the case? This happened in the mid 90s and I believe it is still a cold case last I heard. Anyone know?

Here's an article for the 15 year anniversary in 2011. It gives some details of the case and also goes into some controversial info about the AMBER alert system:

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/arlington/headlines/20110112-15-years-later-arlington-police-still-struggling-to-solve-amber-hagerman-case.ece

As of January this year, it's been 18 years since Amber was murdered and her case is still unsolved:

http://claremont-laverne.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/monday-essentials-remembering-amber-hagerman-whose-death-saved-others-claremont-laverne

Here's an article for the 15 year anniversary in 2011. It gives some details of the case and also goes into some controversial info about the AMBER alert system:

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/arlington/headlines/20110112-15-years-later-arlington-police-still-struggling-to-solve-amber-hagerman-case.ece

As of January this year, it's been 18 years since Amber was murdered and her case is still unsolved:

http://claremont-laverne.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/monday-essentials-remembering-amber-hagerman-whose-death-saved-others-claremont-laverne
Thanks for the info. I watched a documentary on this case about a year or so ago. Ambers little brother talked about the case as he was the lone witness. It seemed as if there was information that law enforcement was withholding from the public or their was a suspect but not enough evidence. I'm a bit surprised UM couldn't get this case on.

Ana Mendieta. This was a pretty high-profile case that rocked the art community. City Confidential covered it, but that was over a decade after Carl Andre had been found not guilty, though I still think he is guilty.

Ana Mendieta was a painter and performance artist, who died after a fall from her 34th floor apartment in the SoHo district of Manhattan. It was believed by some that she was pushed out by her husband, minimalist sculptor Carl Andre. They had been married for 8 months and friends and neighbors said they fought frequently. The stuffy art community rallied around Carl Andre, though Mendieta maintained her own fair share of staunch supporters (which exist to this day). Andre waived his right to a trial by jury, and the decision went before a judge.

There were many things to suggest Andre was guilty. He had fresh cuts on his face that he couldn't explain, a market owner heard a woman scream "No, no, no, no!" just before she landed on the rooftop of his business, and the apartment was in disarray, suggesting a fight had occured there. Additionally, Andre suggested that Ana died accidentally, but a friend of Ana's said she was afraid of heights and wouldn't have voluntarily been on the balcony.

It would have been interesting to see if UM could have unearthed any witnesses or some expert who could determine if she was pushed out of the window.

The Anna Palmer & Linda LeBrane cases (both of which were on A.M.W.) would have been pretty good for U.M. as well I.M.O.

I wish they would have done the East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker segment in the 80's because it would have been 10 times creepier, you imagine the grittiness of the film they use back then and creepy music to go along with, don't get me wrong the segment on EAR/ONS done was good but it would have been chilling to the bone if done in the early years of UM, it may have helped in the investigation, i wonder why UM didn't do this segment early on.

After the Steve Wilson segment and his escape from Folsom , it occured to me that although he was eventually re-captured there is another fugitive who escaped from Folsom who still hasnt been caught, Glen Stewart Godwin, .....whom I am surprised they didnt do a segment on

Glen Godwin was also featured on A.M.W. too. Another good segment would have been the 1997 triple murders at the KK's Corner Store in Louisiana, which scared me a lot too, but was also an interesting case. That easily could have been a great Unsolved Mysteries episode as well, especially with how America's Most Wanted portrayed it.

Glen Godwin was also featured on A.M.W. too. Another good segment would have been the 1997 triple murders at the KK's Corner Store in Louisiana, which scared me a lot too, but was also an interesting case. That easily could have been a great Unsolved Mysteries episode as well, especially with how America's Most Wanted portrayed it.

I just looked up the few articles on the KK`s corner store slayings and there is suggestion of maybe a possible accom[plice ....did they ever get to the bottom of this ?

I have the episode to it from A.M.W. They caught one suspect (Thomas Cisco), but only he was ever arrested for it. One key witness who was there the night of the murders said there were at least two men, though even more could have been involved. Cisco did name names of possible accomplices, and only one was also suspected of being there, but was never proven. They're still looking for answers in regards to anybody else involved, but have made no other arrests to this day. Here's an article at http://www.kplctv.com/story/1349294/kks-corner-murders

I know its odd having an umbrella when its not raining out, but some older people use umbrellas to rid away the hot sunlight/sun shine.

What I'm surprised is that UM never did a segment or segments on the JFK assassination. I mean there are hundreds of conspiracy theories about it and UM has done several cases about conspiracies, and what I thought was funny is that they did two different segments about Robert Kennedy's assassination (about how there may have been two different gunmen, and about Scott Enyart) yet they never did one on JFK. They could have also done segments about the mysterious "Babushka Lady" who was seen taking pictures of the assassination and the "Umbrella Man" who had an umbrella that day even though it wasn't raining. I think if there will be new UM episodes, then JFK assassination could be a good one (I'm not a conspiracy theorist, though ;) ).

I should say I literally was surprised when I first saw the KK's Corner triple homicide case on A.M.W. but not U.M. too for the first time, thinking this surely would have been a perfect episode for U.M. to air! One reason it may not have been though was it aired when U.M. was on hiatus at the time, until CBS picked it up for a short period not too long after. It did have the typical twists and turns as well, and would have really loved to see how Unsolved Mysteries surely would have portrayed it.

I also remember seeing another case on a murder tv show maybe 2 years ago. It was about the anthrax scare after 9/11. Many thought it was from terrorists, but that was ruled out weeks later. In the show it said a disgruntled nerdy scientist or chemist was found guilty of it and about to be arrested. Though before his arrest he killed himself.

Yes, sometimes people have killed themselves (even on UM) after being unfairly arrested for a crime they did not do for fear of bad reputation, death penalty, or life in prison. IN this case I think the scientist killed himself because he was about to get caught...

The Tylenol murders should have been shown on UM. did they show them on AMW? There were a few copycats who did this too. One wife in WA State copied the Tylenol murder case when she poisoned not only her husband, but also an innocent woman in the same town or area. On top of that later on another man in WA State poisoned his wife when he copied the first WA woman who copied the Tylenol murderer who was never caught. And they say violent video games and movies/cable TV are not bad or motivating. I think otherwise....





I remember seeing something on TV a few years ago about a suspect being questioned (I think he was a doctor or scientist of some sort) but I don't remember his name. He, of course, wouldn't admit to it.

I thought it would have been interesting to see a case on country singer Keith Whitley. He was the husband of fellow country music singer Lorrie Morgan, and his career had just started to take off in the mid-late 80's when he died suddenly in 1989 at the age of 33. (He had five consecutive #1 singles in 1988-1989, including "When You Say Nothing At All"). More than 2 decades after his death, he is still a tremendous influence on today's scene.

His cause of death had been determined to be alcohol poisoning. Whitley was a known drinker -- to the point that Morgan would shackle her and his legs together just before bedtime so he couldn't get up at night and drink, only to find out later he would drink things such as nail polish to get drunk.

But...it was later determined that the pathologist/chief medical examiner had been found out to be fraudulent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Whitley

I thought it would have been interesting to see a case on country singer Keith Whitley. He was the husband of fellow country music singer Lorrie Morgan, and his career had just started to take off in the mid-late 80's when he died suddenly in 1989 at the age of 33. (He had five consecutive #1 singles in 1988-1989, including "When You Say Nothing At All"). More than 2 decades after his death, he is still a tremendous influence on today's scene.

His cause of death had been determined to be alcohol poisoning. Whitley was a known drinker -- to the point that Morgan would shackle her and his legs together just before bedtime so he couldn't get up at night and drink, only to find out later he would drink things such as nail polish to get drunk.

But...it was later determined that the pathologist/chief medical examiner had been found out to be fraudulent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Whitley

I had heard that about Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan. However, are you suggesting Lorrie may have had something to do with his death? Very interesting if you are... I always thought they were a tragic country music love story...

I wished Unsolved Mysteries did a segment on the unsolved murder of Charlotte Cook in Daly City, California, on January 4, 1976. I found out about this unsolved murder when I was browsing through the unsolved section of the Daly City Police Deparment's website. Here is what is says.

Date: January 4, 1976
Name: Charlotte Cook
Location: Thornton Beach, Daly City

Synopsis

Charlotte was 19 years old when her body was found dumped behind a Ranger's Station near Thornton Beach, Daly City. Charlotte was strangled to death. The day before her body was found, she had testified as a witness in a robbery case in Alameda County.


I believe that you guys should also visit this site to find out more unsolved murders in Daly City, California that stretches from January 1974 to December 2006, these cases are very interesting and it was because of this website that I learn't about the Gypsy Hill Killer who murdered 5 women in San Mateo County, California in 1976 and now a 6th woman in Washoe County, Nevada the same year because the third case is of Denise Lampe who was found stabbed to death in her car in the Serramonte Shopping Center, Daly City, California on April 1, 1976. Denise Lampe was the 5th victim of the Gypsy Hill Kill Killer. Here is what it says


Date: April 1, 1976
Name: Denise Lampe
Location: Serramonte Shopping Center

Synopsis

Denise was a 19 year old woman who was found stabbed to death in her vehicle in the Serramonte Mall parking lot sometime between 9:20 PM and 9:55 PM. It is possible that Denise's murder was the work of a serial killer who commited other stabbing murders in Pacifica, South San Francisco and Millbrae in early 1976.

Another case I would have liked to see on Unsolved Mysteries, especially with the creation of the Gypsy Hill Taksforce that has been set up to solve the murders of these inocent and defencless women because the DNA that was left on some of the murdered women who were victims of the Gypsy Hill Killer has been linked to a sixth murder in a differant state and county. I am shocked and disgusted that Unsolved Mysteries ignored the Gyspy Hill Murders of Denise Lampe and company and the murder of Charlotte Cook to which I feel the people at Unsolved Mysteries should hang their heads in collective shame. I am so ashamed that the murders of these woman have been forgotten except so recently and i feel we do need to keep the memories of these woman alive in order to catch the evil fiend called the Gypsy Hill Killer. I hope and prey that the Gypsy Hill Killer is caught and recieves the harshest punnishment that he deserves and that is DEATH. I hope that he is caught in Nevada instead of California because he will not be executed in California because of looney liberal judges who wont execute people even though Californians recently voted too keep capital punnishment in 2012 with prop 34. In Nevada he would be executed for the murder of 19 year old Michelle Mitchell because the judges in Nevada are law and order conservatives. I am a liberal on 90% of the issues but I am a conservative when it comes to law and order and punnishing murderers who kill women and children. I as a man have been taught to never harm or hut a woman and a child because they are weaker than me and deserve to be protected and defended and not be harmed and murdered, a man who murders a woman and a child is not a man but a coward who deserves the death penalty by either electric chair or the gas chamber. I am sick and tired of seeing woman and children being murdered by cowardly men, that sometimes I am embarrased by my own gender. Real men do not hurt women and children PERIOD, end of story.


The victims of the Gypsy Hill Killer are

Number 1: Veronica Cascio, 19
Number 2: Tanya Blackwell, 14
Number 3: Paula Baxter, 17
Number 4: Carol Booth, 26
Number 5: Denise Lampe, 19
Number 6: Michelle Mitchell, 19



Daly City Police Department's Unsolved Section Website
http://www.dalycity.org/City_Hall/Departments/police_department/news_room/unsolved_crimes.htm



PS. I would like to see Unsolved Mysteries do 2 segments on 1)The 1974 Murder of Charlotte Cook, and 2)The 1976 Murders of Veronica Cascio, Tanya Blackwell, Paula Baxter, Carol Cook, Denise Lampe and Michelle Mitchell.

I thought it would have been interesting to see a case on country singer Keith Whitley. He was the husband of fellow country music singer Lorrie Morgan, and his career had just started to take off in the mid-late 80's when he died suddenly in 1989 at the age of 33. (He had five consecutive #1 singles in 1988-1989, including "When You Say Nothing At All"). More than 2 decades after his death, he is still a tremendous influence on today's scene.

His cause of death had been determined to be alcohol poisoning. Whitley was a known drinker -- to the point that Morgan would shackle her and his legs together just before bedtime so he couldn't get up at night and drink, only to find out later he would drink things such as nail polish to get drunk.

But...it was later determined that the pathologist/chief medical examiner had been found out to be fraudulent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Whitley

Oh wow. My mom and I both love Keith Whitley's music. I had no idea at all about the pathologist; I'd always just assumed his alcoholism tragically lead to his death. Very interesting; I'll have to look into that for sure.

I had heard that about Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan. However, are you suggesting Lorrie may have had something to do with his death? Very interesting if you are... I always thought they were a tragic country music love story...

No, I highly doubt Lorrie Morgan would do such a thing. By all accounts, she loved him and tried to save him from his alcoholism (which was hard to do because he was very private about it.) I do wonder about how he really died though.

Ho-Lee crap! Look what I just found: A poster named Glen Davis on another forum states that Keith Whitley's death may have been connected to the murder of Kevin Hughes. Check this out: http://dixonverse.net/board3/index.php?topic=7391.300

"It turns out that the pathologist that did the autopsy stood trial for several cases of forensic fraud, and that many think the pathologist covered up a death due to foul play. Whitley was was reported mostly sober an hour before his death, by his brother in law, the last person to see him alive (unless you're a conspiracy theorist) but his BAC was .477, or 20 shots of 100 proof whiskey, and he got dressed and ready for an appointment within that period of time.

The record company is the usual suspect."

A little later on he says:

"He was having artistic difficulties with the record company, and actually wanted them to scrap an album he'd already recorded.

There is also some thoughts he was somehow mixed up in shenanigans with song and ranking records, and some other guy, who sort of resembled him was mysteriously shot at around that time. The second guy's murder was on Unsolved Mysteries hosted by Robert Stack.

Please note: I'm not saying that I believe any of this."

Kevin Hughes was murdered on March 9, 1989 and Keith died two months later, to the day. There may be something to the suggestion of chart manipulation as I had previously mentioned Keith had 5 straight #1 singles (not to suggest he wasn't talented enough to deserve that, he was) but it certainly raises the possibility.

There's also the possibility of mistaken identity. Glen Davis states that Keith Whitley and Kevin Hughes looked a lot alike. I posted pictures here so you can judge for yourself. Just picture Keith's hair a little darker. But the mustache and beard are practically the same.

Mind = boggled.

WOW. That's fascinating! My mind is also blown, considering that I was just thinking about Kevin Hughes yesterday.

It's an interesting concept-- I agree Keith Whitley was talented enough for all the consecutive #1's, but it makes you wonder.

OT: I don't know if you watch The Voice, but a contestant sang "Don't Close Your Eyes" for his blind audition and solely because of that song choice, I want him to win. :)

I have the episode to it from A.M.W. They caught one suspect (Thomas Cisco), but only he was ever arrested for it. One key witness who was there the night of the murders said there were at least two men, though even more could have been involved. Cisco did name names of possible accomplices, and only one was also suspected of being there, but was never proven. They're still looking for answers in regards to anybody else involved, but have made no other arrests to this day. Here's an article at http://www.kplctv.com/story/1349294/kks-corner-murders

Interesting article, :thanks:

it probably looks like they might never find the second person ...

I wished Unsolved Mysteries did a segment on the unsolved murder of Charlotte Cook in Daly City, California, on January 4, 1976. I found out about this unsolved murder when I was browsing through the unsolved section of the Daly City Police Deparment's website. Here is what is says.

Date: January 4, 1976
Name: Charlotte Cook
Location: Thornton Beach, Daly City

Synopsis

Charlotte was 19 years old when her body was found dumped behind a Ranger's Station near Thornton Beach, Daly City. Charlotte was strangled to death. The day before her body was found, she had testified as a witness in a robbery case in Alameda County.


I believe that you guys should also visit this site to find out more unsolved murders in Daly City, California that stretches from January 1974 to December 2006, these cases are very interesting and it was because of this website that I learn't about the Gypsy Hill Killer who murdered 5 women in San Mateo County, California in 1976 and now a 6th woman in Washoe County, Nevada the same year because the third case is of Denise Lampe who was found stabbed to death in her car in the Serramonte Shopping Center, Daly City, California on April 1, 1976. Denise Lampe was the 5th victim of the Gypsy Hill Kill Killer. Here is what it says


Date: April 1, 1976
Name: Denise Lampe
Location: Serramonte Shopping Center

Synopsis

Denise was a 19 year old woman who was found stabbed to death in her vehicle in the Serramonte Mall parking lot sometime between 9:20 PM and 9:55 PM. It is possible that Denise's murder was the work of a serial killer who commited other stabbing murders in Pacifica, South San Francisco and Millbrae in early 1976.

Another case I would have liked to see on Unsolved Mysteries, especially with the creation of the Gypsy Hill Taksforce that has been set up to solve the murders of these inocent and defencless women because the DNA that was left on some of the murdered women who were victims of the Gypsy Hill Killer has been linked to a sixth murder in a differant state and county. I am shocked and disgusted that Unsolved Mysteries ignored the Gyspy Hill Murders of Denise Lampe and company and the murder of Charlotte Cook to which I feel the people at Unsolved Mysteries should hang their heads in collective shame. I am so ashamed that the murders of these woman have been forgotten except so recently and i feel we do need to keep the memories of these woman alive in order to catch the evil fiend called the Gypsy Hill Killer. I hope and prey that the Gypsy Hill Killer is caught and recieves the harshest punnishment that he deserves and that is DEATH. I hope that he is caught in Nevada instead of California because he will not be executed in California because of looney liberal judges who wont execute people even though Californians recently voted too keep capital punnishment in 2012 with prop 34. In Nevada he would be executed for the murder of 19 year old Michelle Mitchell because the judges in Nevada are law and order conservatives. I am a liberal on 90% of the issues but I am a conservative when it comes to law and order and punnishing murderers who kill women and children. I as a man have been taught to never harm or hut a woman and a child because they are weaker than me and deserve to be protected and defended and not be harmed and murdered, a man who murders a woman and a child is not a man but a coward who deserves the death penalty by either electric chair or the gas chamber. I am sick and tired of seeing woman and children being murdered by cowardly men, that sometimes I am embarrased by my own gender. Real men do not hurt women and children PERIOD, end of story.


The victims of the Gypsy Hill Killer are

Number 1: Veronica Cascio, 19
Number 2: Tanya Blackwell, 14
Number 3: Paula Baxter, 17
Number 4: Carol Booth, 26
Number 5: Denise Lampe, 19
Number 6: Michelle Mitchell, 19



Daly City Police Department's Unsolved Section Website
http://www.dalycity.org/City_Hall/Departments/police_department/news_room/unsolved_crimes.htm



PS. I would like to see Unsolved Mysteries do 2 segments on 1)The 1974 Murder of Charlotte Cook, and 2)The 1976 Murders of Veronica Cascio, Tanya Blackwell, Paula Baxter, Carol Cook, Denise Lampe and Michelle Mitchell.

:talk: Maybe UM didnt do segments on these cases because no one contacted them about these particular crimes which occured more than a decade before the show started in earnest ...........

One thing I have found mysterious about this Gypsy Hill killer is that no one seems to have seen him, :confused: no composites,descriptions etc :confused:

The murder of thirteen-year-old Matthew Margolies from Greenwich, CT, in 1984. People call it Greenwich's Other Unsolved Murder (the first being that of Martha Moxley, before the conviction).

Matthew was last seen going fishing when he went missing. His body was found strangled, stabbed, and suffocated five days later in some nearby woods. Dirt and sticks were stuffed down his throat, and he was buried under leaves and heavy rocks. His case is still active, and police have ruled out several suspects via DNA testing.

The mysterious disappearance of the Lyon sisters back in 1975. In February they announced a person of interest named Lloyd Welch but the case still remains unsolved. The sightings of a man approaching children with a tape recorder has that creepy factor that would have been perfect for UM.

And I just found this one, about the Honolulu Strangler, on Wikipedia. I never heard of these murders and it is pretty frightening. If covered by UM during the late 80's, imagine how scary it would be.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_Strangler

another celebrity death that would have been interesting was Ricky Nelson. He died on 12/26/85 (same day as Dian Fossey, and THAT would have been another good one to profile). There's been a lot of differing reports about the plane crash: some say it was on fire before it crashed, some say it wasn't, those who believe it was on fire have differing accounts of what started it. Also suspicion of drug use on the plane at the time and ignorant staff members who failed to take proper safety measures.

Glen Godwin was also featured on A.M.W. too. Another good segment would have been the 1997 triple murders at the KK's Corner Store in Louisiana, which scared me a lot too, but was also an interesting case. That easily could have been a great Unsolved Mysteries episode as well, especially with how America's Most Wanted portrayed it.

One aspect of the case I'm confused on is whether or not the store was closed at the time. This happened right around midnight which was the store's closing time, and apparently the store was locked up for the night, but one of the employees let in a last minute customer (the witness) and then the 2 assailants entered right afterwards. If only the store was (or remained) closed, probably none of these senseless murders would have happened.

And I just found this one, about the Honolulu Strangler, on Wikipedia. I never heard of these murders and it is pretty frightening. If covered by UM during the late 80's, imagine how scary it would be.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_Strangler

I'd never heard of this case until now. I just moved from Honolulu.

I recognized all the locations given in the wiki entry. In fact Sand Island was one of the last places I went before heading to the mainland (that's where you drop your vehicle off for shipment back to the continental U.S. There's also a Coast Guard base there). Lagoon Drive where the suspect worked is right behind the airport, and that's where all the air and ground cargo carriers (UPS, FedEx) have their main bases of operation. It isn't at all far away from the H-1/Nimitz viaduct where one of the victims' car was found--in fact, you have to turn off Nimitz Highway--or cross over it from Puuloa St--to get to Lagoon. When I lived in Wahiawa, I lived right down the street from Leilehua High School, where one of th victims was trying to catch the bus for when she disappeared.

What's very troublesome about investigations in Honolulu is the fact that every single branch of the military has a post or base on Oahu, multiple ones in some cases. TONS of transient folks.

One aspect of the case I'm confused on is whether or not the store was closed at the time. This happened right around midnight which was the store's closing time, and apparently the store was locked up for the night, but one of the employees let in a last minute customer (the witness) and then the 2 assailants entered right afterwards. If only the store was (or remained) closed, probably none of these senseless murders would have happened.

It was such a shame the murders likely happened because of them letting the one customer in at the last minute if that were the case with the store being closed by then, or even if it were about to be. That especially since the employees were only trying to help someone in need at the time, when she/the witness had to get gas, but sadly paid with their lives for the good deed they did. That of course was due to the assailants also entering because of the store maybe being open when it wasn't supposed to be, or at least having easier access as a result. The one suspect they caught (Thomas Cisco) always maintained he acted alone, but was obviously at least two, if not maybe more people involved.

I'm betting at least three people were in on it, due to their being another vehicle which was later spotted, who no one could figure out may have belonged to, or knew why it was there. I also am confused as to why the murderers were even there at the time, when the store should have been closed anyway, and if that robbery/murder was planned or not? If they intended to do so all along, than why did they wait so long to commit that awful crime, knowing the store may not have been open then, and seemingly likely even wasn't supposed to be for that matter? Perhaps they had another one planned, but saw that store open so late, and knew it would be a better and easier target as a result? While this did occur late in the night, it was still pretty brazen of them to murder those people with a witness being present, especially since that did result in one of the assailants being caught as it turned out.

That's when I was thinking that would have been a perfect Unsolved Mysteries segment too, with it having some of the general twists and turns the show was known for. Plus along with it being a real scary one in general which creeped me out even more so than many of the U.M. cases did, which obviously says a lot! It kind of reminded me of the Deborah Poe case to an extent as well, mainly because it happened in a convenient store I guess, but was far more brutal at the same time. There was also another similar U.M. segment too, with it being the Brian Foguth one (who also was killed while working in a convenience store), which this case reminded me of. I'll have to re-watch it again soon too, and go over it a little more, as it's been a while since I've done so.

Oh, and speaking of which, I thought of another A.M.W. segment which would have been great for Unsolved Mysteries. That being the Starbucks triple homicide which occurred in D.C., during the summer of 1997. That was also a lot like the KK's Corner homicide, and I wonder how the killer got in there too? The police said there were no signs of forced entry, but the murders I believe did happen after closing time. I recall a previous customer trying to enter the store on the A.M.W. segment, but was signaled by one of the (soon to be deceased) employees working that they were closed.

That puzzles me as to what was the murderer doing in there sometime after? They did catch the killer too, but weren't 100% sure if he acted alone or not either, and also thought at least two or more people were involved during the initial investigation. There was also one other suspect when they caught the guy who did it, but only charged the one person with the slayings. Even then, there were doubts even many years later if they really caught the only killer, or if others may have been involved too.

Yeah, I was thinking some of those same things. I read elsewhere on the net that across from KK's corner store, there was a trailer park where a quadruple murder took place. Definitely sounds like a BAD part of town.

Yikes, though Louisiana is known for it's high crime rate it seems, or at least in, or near the New Orleans area, along with D.C. where the Starbucks murders happened. At least one of the suspects was caught, even if the job wasn't quite finished with that case, since there had to have been more people involved. I also wonder what the two guys the witness saw in the store were talking/arguing about when she witnessed them doing so as well, which made her so scared that she didn't even get the full amount of gas she paid for? That, and why they felt they absolutely had to kill those poor people too, if robbery was the main motive?

The case involving the 1995 shooting death of Richard Lewis in Anaheim, CA would have made an interesting segment in the show's later years. It's a case I only just learned about via an episode of The Rolonda Watts Show I found on the You-Know-What site. Sadly, I've found almost no info online and have no idea if the case was ever resolved.

It's a convoluted story, but here's the basic gist. Richard Lewis and his girlfriend Nancy Gilmore Brown (both aged 30) lived in a motel room at Anaheim's El Dorado Inn. They had argued at some point on the afternoon of June 30, 1995. Later that day, neighbors heard a scream and claim they then saw Nancy leave the couple's motel room with blood on her face. Authorities were called and found Richard inside the room dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. Nancy was arrested on suspicion of murder; police say that she adamantly refused medical treatment for she claimed was a bump on her head from a bottle Richard threw at her while arguing. Police didn't realize until three days later that Nancy had been shot in the head and had a bullet lodged in her brain (they did have to surgically remove a small portion of the brain to excise the bullet). Anyway, Nancy claimed that Richard shot her (even though she said she didn't realize it was a gunshot at the time, hence the bottle story) and then took his own life by shooting himself in the heart. She said that Richard was mentally disturbed. Richard's relatives and best friend believed that Nancy murdered Richard herself and said she had a huge rap sheet for violent offenses. They also said that Richard never had mental problems and that his life was fine until Nancy came along.

If you look up Rolonda Watts' channel on the site (it's under her own name), you'll find a show divided into eight parts entitled "I Did Not Murder My Boyfriend". Honestly, I watched it and have no idea what to think. I didn't think the show, due to it being a tabloid talk show and there being so many emotions involved, covered a lot of ground either way. After a while, it seems like the discussion just turns into mudslinging between Richard and Nancy's respective families over what appear to be largely irrelevant issues.
Watch for yourself and decide.

Also, here's a link to a 1996 article about Nancy suing the Anaheim Police Dept. about how they treated - or didn't treat - her bullet wound.

http://articles.latimes.com/1996-07-04/news/mn-21219_1_anaheim-police-department

Mr. Cruel. I know it was in Australia, but there were several episodes that took place outside of the US and this guy was attacking in the late eighties and early nineties. He killed one of his victims, possibly because she got a look at his face. He has neither been apprehended nor identified.

The case involving the 1995 shooting death of Richard Lewis in Anaheim, CA would have made an interesting segment in the show's later years. It's a case I only just learned about via an episode of The Rolonda Watts Show I found on the You-Know-What site. Sadly, I've found almost no info online and have no idea if the case was ever resolved.

It's a convoluted story, but here's the basic gist. Richard Lewis and his girlfriend Nancy Gilmore Brown (both aged 30) lived in a motel room at Anaheim's El Dorado Inn. They had argued at some point on the afternoon of June 30, 1995. Later that day, neighbors heard a scream and claim they then saw Nancy leave the couple's motel room with blood on her face. Authorities were called and found Richard inside the room dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. Nancy was arrested on suspicion of murder; police say that she adamantly refused medical treatment for she claimed was a bump on her head from a bottle Richard threw at her while arguing. Police didn't realize until three days later that Nancy had been shot in the head and had a bullet lodged in her brain (they did have to surgically remove a small portion of the brain to excise the bullet). Anyway, Nancy claimed that Richard shot her (even though she said she didn't realize it was a gunshot at the time, hence the bottle story) and then took his own life by shooting himself in the heart. She said that Richard was mentally disturbed. Richard's relatives and best friend believed that Nancy murdered Richard herself and said she had a huge rap sheet for violent offenses. They also said that Richard never had mental problems and that his life was fine until Nancy came along.

If you look up Rolonda Watts' channel on the site (it's under her own name), you'll find a show divided into eight parts entitled "I Did Not Murder My Boyfriend". Honestly, I watched it and have no idea what to think. I didn't think the show, due to it being a tabloid talk show and there being so many emotions involved, covered a lot of ground either way. After a while, it seems like the discussion just turns into mudslinging between Richard and Nancy's respective families over what appear to be largely irrelevant issues.
Watch for yourself and decide.

Also, here's a link to a 1996 article about Nancy suing the Anaheim Police Dept. about how they treated - or didn't treat - her bullet wound.

http://articles.latimes.com/1996-07-04/news/mn-21219_1_anaheim-police-department

Wow. Definitely UM material.

A similar case would be the death of singer Elliot Smith. He died of stab wounds to the heart which were allegedly self-inflicted...

Wow. Definitely UM material.

A similar case would be the death of singer Elliot Smith. He died of stab wounds to the heart which were allegedly self-inflicted...


I've never heard the slightest suggestion that the death of Smith was anything other than a particularly gruesome suicide. He had a host of mental health and substance abuse issues at the time of his death, and all of his friends were deeply concerned about his increasingly erratic and self-destructive behaviour.

No mystery to see here.

I've never heard the slightest suggestion that the death of Smith was anything other than a particularly gruesome suicide. He had a host of mental health and substance abuse issues at the time of his death, and all of his friends were deeply concerned about his increasingly erratic and self-destructive behaviour.

No mystery to see here.

I agree. Elliott Smith was exceptionally unbalanced and a very heavy drug user. I believe he had also self-harmed previously.

I don't disagree that he had been struggling with depression and paranoia during his life. This is what I got from Wikipedia:

Smith died on October 21, 2003 at the age of 34 years from two stab wounds to the chest.[4] At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California,[62] where he lived with his partner, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing,[35] and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower.[63] Chiba heard him scream, and upon opening the door, saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1. Smith died in the hospital with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a Post-it note, read:

"I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me."[4]

The name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot" in the coroner's report; however, a coroner informed the Smoking Gun website "that Smith's first name was misspelled in the report", not on the Post-it note.[4] While Smith's death was originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of possible homicide.[4]

The coroner's report revealed that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in his system at the time of his death, but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic and ADHD medications in his system, including Clonazepam, Mirtazapine, Atomoxetine and Amphetamine.[65] Also, no hesitation wounds were found on Smith, a trait typical of suicide by self infliction.[35] With his death not being officially declared a suicide, journalist Alyson Camus noted numerous discrepancies and contradictions in the case that suggest foul play.[66][67] However, the authorities do not seem to be investigating the case further.[68]

I'm not familiar with the nature of his previous attempts, but I found the lack of hesitation wounds concerning. Plus, he inflicted fatal wounds on himself not once, but twice? Yet the girlfriend only heard him scream once?

I could very well be guilty of trying to make something more than it is, but it just seems strange to me.

While we're on the subject of celebrity deaths, there's a few unanswered questions about Patsy Cline's demise. Like how was she able to predict her own death at age 30? (reports are that she felt a sense of impending doom and started giving away her possessions -- a sign that somebody knows they're about to die). Also, who stole her clothes and other possessions after the plane crash? (it was said to be ravaged, probably by fans).

Bumping this thread.

I argued a year ago that Elliott Smith's death was befuddling to me because he stabbed himself twice.

A case just crossed my desk. Suicide by stabbing. THREE stab wounds to the chest. Investigation revealed no sign of foul play.

I stand corrected.

i have a pretty long list,
caledonia jane doe, solved, plenty of other jane does/john does who were murdered like walker county jane doe, princess doe, buck county jane doe, etc.,

burger chef murders, babysitter/occk killer, creepy unexplained disappearence of children like eloise worledge and that boy in smokey mountains, bennintgon triangle disappearances, beaumont children, adelaide abduction,

They really should re-boot this show in some or fashion and air new cases. There are a ton of cases that could be profiled on this show. With how today's world is technologically advanced, I'm certain numerous cases could be solved just by airing them in a public forum.

Mr. Cruel. I know it was in Australia, but there were several episodes that took place outside of the US and this guy was attacking in the late eighties and early nineties. He killed one of his victims, possibly because she got a look at his face. He has neither been apprehended nor identified.

there is a theory that mr cruel murdered jonbenet ramsey

http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11934

the time period and frame is perfect

There are plenty of unsolved homicides the State Patrol here has on file going back to the late 60's that might make for good material (though the Hunter/Sherman one has since been solved).......

https://statepatrol.nebraska.gov/ColdCaseCards.aspx

Mr. Cruel. I know it was in Australia, but there were several episodes that took place outside of the US and this guy was attacking in the late eighties and early nineties. He killed one of his victims, possibly because she got a look at his face. He has neither been apprehended nor identified.

Mr Cruel, the stuff of nightmares if you were a child living in Melbourne, Australia in the late 80's - early 90's.

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/11/07/1226755/179609-d33bc202-4755-11e3-b366-b430cfe3cfdd.jpg

Though it's been covered by other true crime shows, I would have loved to see UM take on the disappearance of Mike Williams. Between the ridiculous alligator theory and all the suspicion surrounding his wife and best friend, UM could have produced a great segment.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/williams_jerry.html

I also would have like to see UM profile the Terrance Williams/Felipe Santos missing persons cases. I realize UM was already finished by this point, but it would be good material for a reboot IMO. I would love to see UM get Calkins on film trying to explain away the “coincidences" of this case.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/williams_terrance.html

Another great reboot segment would be the Brandon Swanson case. I wonder how long it would take UM to point the finger at E.T. This case seems nearly tailor made for the alien abduction theorists out there. Sadly, I personally believe that Swanson met his fate a little closer to home...
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/swanson_brandon.html

Though it's been covered by other true crime shows, I would have loved to see UM take on the disappearance of Mike Williams. Between the ridiculous alligator theory and all the suspicion surrounding his wife and best friend, UM could have produced a great segment.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/williams_jerry.html

I agree. I saw this on Disappeared and every so often I look for updates on this case. Same with Steven Koecher. Though Mike's case is completely obvious in who the responsible parties are (his wife and best friend), Steven's is not. That guy literally disappeared.

I agree. I saw this on Disappeared and every so often I look for updates on this case. Same with Steven Koecher. Though Mike's case is completely obvious in who the responsible parties are (his wife and best friend), Steven's is not. That guy literally disappeared.

You are so right about the Koecher case Hambone! For some reason, I was particularly haunted by it. It's one of the episodes of Disappeared that I replayed the most. That brief clip of security footage in which Koecher is allegedly last seen really captures the imagination. It's made worse by the fact that it's impossible to know for sure if the figure spotted by the camera is even Koecher to begin with. The case was muddled even further by it's brief association with the Susan Powell disappearance. At least LE was able to discount that theory pretty quickly.

You are so right about the Koecher case Hambone! For some reason, I was particularly haunted by it. It's one of the episodes of Disappeared that I replayed the most. That brief clip of security footage in which Koecher is allegedly last seen really captures the imagination. It's made worse by the fact that it's impossible to know for sure if the figure spotted by the camera is even Koecher to begin with. The case was muddled even further by it's brief association with the Susan Powell disappearance. At least LE was able to discount that theory pretty quickly.

Personally, I think Steven drove into that neighborhood and never came out. He must have knocked on the wrong door or witnessed something he wasn't supposed to. I also think there's a chance he could have been hit by a car and the person who did it, panicked and got rid of his body.

Such a sad case. His father died shortly after the segment was filmed.

Gave this particular case it's own topic in the 'True Crime' section (with plenty of external links), but I think out of all the cases from NE, Unsolved Mysteries could've done a good job with it.......(has a very Danny Casolaro/"Octopus" vibe to it)

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?p=5008007#post5008007

How about, the 1987 Max Headroom broadcast signal intrusion?


I personally find this mystery to be kinda cool, 'cause no one died, just a lotta ticked off Dr. Who fans


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_o4k52uS4qvM/Sw5NquvYBtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/qfAQP8jY9rg/s1600/headroom.jpg

It would be cool to have a vintage UM segment on this, but not if it got the perpetrators caught! I'm glad they got away with this...

Mr Cruel, the stuff of nightmares if you were a child living in Melbourne, Australia in the late 80's - early 90's.

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2013/11/07/1226755/179609-d33bc202-4755-11e3-b366-b430cfe3cfdd.jpg


there is a theory that mr cruel murdered jonbenet ramsey

http://www.crimeshots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11934

the time period and frame is perfect
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Read more: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=291950&page=7#ixzz3YHU2knaG

Personally, I think Steven drove into that neighborhood and never came out. He must have knocked on the wrong door or witnessed something he wasn't supposed to. I also think there's a chance he could have been hit by a car and the person who did it, panicked and got rid of his body.

Such a sad case. His father died shortly after the segment was filmed.

Koecher's case is strange and intriguing. Something definitely happened in that neighborhood, but it's hard to say if he met his demise there or was taken elsewhere and disposed of. His cell phone pings northbound and then idled in one area until it lost it's signal, still in Henderson, NV. So the phone definitely showed movement, but we don't know if Steven was with it. The only activity it showed after him parking and walking off was a voicemail check the next morning around 6 am.

The one thing that has always bothered me is this is an older folks community. Lots of nosy neighbors typically. No one saw a thing. Its strange not a single person noticed a young man walking around on a Sunday afternoon. Was no one walking their dog? Yard work? It definitely makes me think Steven quickly entered a house or car and was not walking for long.

Lots of people theorized he was there for a job interview, hence arriving almost exactly at 12 pm. It's possible but there's no electronic trail, no calls and he didn't even park in a driveway. He simply parked on the street near a cul de sac.

The way he parked makes it seem like he intended to pass out flyers for his business. Perhaps he was lured in a house quickly with some business deal and things went wrong from there.

Pretty baffling.

In 1989, three young boys from New York City disappeared within months of one another.

One-month-old Andre Bryant of Brooklyn disappeared after he and his mother Monique Rivera went to meet two unknown women to go shopping on March 29, 1989. Monique's body was found the next day in the Bronx and Andre has never been seen again.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bryant_andre.html

Two months later on May 18, 1989, two-year-old Christopher Dansby was abducted from a Harlem park. A seven-year-old who knew him said he saw Christopher in the company of an unknown black man with braids. Christopher remains missing.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/dansby_christopher.html

On August 10, 1989, one-year-old Shane Walker vanished from the same Harlem playground as Christopher. He and Christopher also lived in the same Manhattan apartment complex. Shane has also never been found.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/walker_shane.html

Although they aren't certain, police have entertained the notion that all three boys were abducted as part of a black market baby ring targeting young black boys. In the case of Andre Bryant, it seems kind of obvious that he was the target of the two women all along and they killed his mother to get him. Why else would they have been so insistent that she bring a one-month-old baby on a girl's day out of shopping?

In 1989, three young boys from New York City disappeared within months of one another.

One-month-old Andre Bryant of Brooklyn disappeared after he and his mother Monique Rivera went to meet two unknown women to go shopping on March 29, 1989. Monique's body was found the next day in the Bronx and Andre has never been seen again.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bryant_andre.html

Two months later on May 18, 1989, two-year-old Christopher Dansby was abducted from a Harlem park. A seven-year-old who knew him said he saw Christopher in the company of an unknown black man with braids. Christopher remains missing.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/dansby_christopher.html

On August 10, 1989, one-year-old Shane Walker vanished from the same Harlem playground as Christopher. He and Christopher also lived in the same Manhattan apartment complex. Shane has also never been found.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/walker_shane.html

Although they aren't certain, police have entertained the notion that all three boys were abducted as part of a black market baby ring targeting young black boys. In the case of Andre Bryant, it seems kind of obvious that he was the target of the two women all along and they killed his mother to get him. Why else would they have been so insistent that she bring a one-month-old baby on a girl's day out of shopping?

I remember those cases and do agree it would have been good for UM to profile them in a segment, and do agree they are probably connected.

I'm sorry Monique Rivera died at a young age like that, but I can't help feeling she was really dense. The part about the stolen credit card, their insistence about bringing her baby with her, and that she didn't know these people from Adam all should have been huge tip-offs for her. Unfortunately they weren't.

I remember those cases and do agree it would have been good for UM to profile them in a segment, and do agree they are probably connected.

I'm sorry Monique Rivera died at a young age like that, but I can't help feeling she was really dense. The part about the stolen credit card, their insistence about bringing her baby with her, and that she didn't know these people from Adam all should have been huge tip-offs for her. Unfortunately they weren't.

Here's a 1989 article: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/05/nyregion/search-for-brooklyn-baby-expands.html
(http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/05/nyregion/search-for-brooklyn-baby-expands.html)
I did find another old article about the case and Monique's sister-in-law Pat Bryant (who babysat the other two kids while she took Andre shopping) stated that she thought Monique mentioned knowing one of the two women from back in middle school, but that she never gave a specific name. I believe her mother was also quoted as saying that Monique was not streetwise in any sense of the word. Some people are just very trusting and naive. It's sad that she died for it and had her son kidnapped.

Despite the fact that I too believe that the cases are connected, I can't help but feeling that Andre's case was by far the most preventable. If Monique told her sister-in-law that these women had bought her clothes with fake credit cards, how did she not know that was illegal? Doesn't "fake credit card" speak for itself? Then she went to do more shopping the next day, presumably with more phony credit cards and gave into the women's insistence that she take her baby with them. Basically, she was bringing her child with her to commit a crime. Although, I think we can all agree that while her getting caught and arrested with her baby in tow would have been terrible, it would have been far more preferable than what ultimately happened.

The Springfield Three was a perfect case for UM, but they never did a full segment on it.

Just posted about this one in the Charley Project thread, but definitely the murder of Robin Cornell and Lisa Story. A mother leaves to spend the night with her boyfriend. Her roommate (who just moved in the day before) promised to watch her 11-year-old daughter. The mother returns home at 4 a.m. to get ready for work and discovers her daughter and roommate have been murdered in the few hours she was gone.

It's never been solved. I'm certain UM would have done an amazing segment about it. The case was, however, profiled on AMW.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/27652287/lisa-story-and-robin-cornell-cape-coral-1990
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?145460-FL-Lisa-Story-11-and-babysitter-Robin-Cornell-murdered-in-Cape-Coral-1990
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/07/19/State/Profilers_warm_to_kil.shtml

The Villisca Axe murders among many others are described here: http://offbeat.topix.com/slideshow/15876

I was reminded recently of the case of "Lost Boy Larry," the presumed hoax involving CB radio in the 70s. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boy_Larry

"Lost Boy Larry" refers to a purported missing child in the U.S. state of New Mexico whose pleas for help were broadcast on citizens band radio over the course of several days in August 1973.[1] The boy, who said his name was Larry, stated that he was stuck inside a truck that had crashed and turned over somewhere in the mountains of New Mexico and that his father, who had been driving, was killed in the accident. The boy's pleas were initially heard as far west as Long Beach, California, due to ionospheric skip. This incident was reported internationally at the time and prompted one of the biggest search and rescue missions in U.S. history up to that point. Several months after contact was lost with the boy, federal and state officials in New Mexico and Colorado declared the incident a hoax.

Since searchers never found any truck or bodies, and since no adult man/child pair (who fit the description of "Lost Boy Larry" and his father) were ever reported missing, it's assumed this was some sort of hoax. This would have made a perfect UM story, they would have really played up the mystery angle and worked in a lot of cheesy lines for the actors.

In September 1991, an off duty Harris County Sherriff's officer named Roxyann Allee was abducted and murdered while shopping at Greenspoint Mall in Houston, Tx. She was pushed into her mini van by two black males and driven away. Later that evening, her body was found a few miles away. She had been shot twice in the back of the head. Her van was found a mile away from that location on fire. Her badge was found hanging from her rear view mirror. Her husband (also a police officer) said that her badge was never hanging from there and was always kept in the glove compartment box. To this day, no arrests have been made and literally nothing has moved in terms of new information. The fact that it was a law enforcement officer seems like it would have been profiled on a show like Unsolved Mysteries after a few years of no leads.

I was reminded recently of the case of "Lost Boy Larry," the presumed hoax involving CB radio in the 70s. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boy_Larry

"Lost Boy Larry" refers to a purported missing child in the U.S. state of New Mexico whose pleas for help were broadcast on citizens band radio over the course of several days in August 1973.[1] The boy, who said his name was Larry, stated that he was stuck inside a truck that had crashed and turned over somewhere in the mountains of New Mexico and that his father, who had been driving, was killed in the accident. The boy's pleas were initially heard as far west as Long Beach, California, due to ionospheric skip. This incident was reported internationally at the time and prompted one of the biggest search and rescue missions in U.S. history up to that point. Several months after contact was lost with the boy, federal and state officials in New Mexico and Colorado declared the incident a hoax.

Since searchers never found any truck or bodies, and since no adult man/child pair (who fit the description of "Lost Boy Larry" and his father) were ever reported missing, it's assumed this was some sort of hoax. This would have made a perfect UM story, they would have really played up the mystery angle and worked in a lot of cheesy lines for the actors.

How have I never heard of this case before? That's wild.

I am biased because it happened in my hometown, but UM really should have profiled the case of the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders. It was one of the most heinous crimes that occurred during the period that the show was at peak popularity, and despite multiple (apparently false) confessions, it remains unsolved.

In September 1991, an off duty Harris County Sherriff's officer named Roxyann Allee was abducted and murdered while shopping at Greenspoint Mall in Houston, Tx. She was pushed into her mini van by two black males and driven away. Later that evening, her body was found a few miles away. She had been shot twice in the back of the head. Her van was found a mile away from that location on fire. Her badge was found hanging from her rear view mirror. Her husband (also a police officer) said that her badge was never hanging from there and was always kept in the glove compartment box. To this day, no arrests have been made and literally nothing has moved in terms of new information. The fact that it was a law enforcement officer seems like it would have been profiled on a show like Unsolved Mysteries after a few years of no leads.
I'm surprised I have not heard of that case. I looked it up and it does not ring a bell. I had just moved from Houston to Arlington the year prior.

One local case that I am surprised UM never featured was the abduction and murder of Amber Haggerman in Arlington in the mid 1990's. It seems like a case that is solvable, yet remains unsolved. However, it was a very heavily covered case in DFW so I'm not sure what would have been gained by an UM segment. the only thing I could think of being of some help is if the perpetrator was from another state.

I'm surprised I have not heard of that case. I looked it up and it does not ring a bell. I had just moved from Houston to Arlington the year prior.

One local case that I am surprised UM never featured was the abduction and murder of Amber Haggerman in Arlington in the mid 1990's. It seems like a case that is solvable, yet remains unsolved. However, it was a very heavily covered case in DFW so I'm not sure what would have been gained by an UM segment. the only thing I could think of being of some help is if the perpetrator was from another state.

There were likely other witnesses to the Haggerman abduction, but they refused to cooperate with law enforcement. Airing the case would do little to get them to be more cooperative than they already were. And realistically no one in any of the other 49 states could offer much help unless the perpetrator was running around bragging about the crime. So I can understand why it was never aired.

That said, it would have been a great UM segment, and I wish they had done it. The memorial is very eerie as the area hasn't changed much.

There were likely other witnesses to the Haggerman abduction, but they refused to cooperate with law enforcement. Airing the case would do little to get them to be more cooperative than they already were. And realistically no one in any of the other 49 states could offer much help unless the perpetrator was running around bragging about the crime. So I can understand why it was never aired.

That said, it would have been a great UM segment, and I wish they had done it. The memorial is very eerie as the area hasn't changed much.

I agree with all of that. when I was a kid in Arlington there were 3 very high profile cases that the media covered all the time, even long after the events. Amber was one of those. I remember the day that she was found my middle school announcements included the news that day and everyone groaned. It was such a sad time. the other 2 that stand out for me were Darlie Routier. moreso her court case being covered on local tv and the silly string video getting played over and over again on the local NBC affiliate, which most likely was the source of the public turning on her IMO. the other one that stands out was the Diane Zamora trial. there would have been no need to have been featured on UM because that was an open and shut case.

I compiled a list of all the one's mentioned thus far in the discussion.

1. The Springfield Three
Three women—Sherrill Levitt, Suzanne Streeter, and Stacy McCall—vanished from a home in Springfield, Missouri, in 1992, leaving no signs of struggle. Despite extensive investigation, no verified leads have ever explained their disappearance.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Springfield_Three
2. Johnny Gosch
Johnny Gosch disappeared while delivering newspapers in 1982, becoming one of the first children featured on milk cartons. His case remains unsolved, with longstanding theories involving kidnapping rings and government corruption.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/john-david-gosch
3. Jacob Wetterling
Jacob Wetterling was abducted in 1989 while biking with friends in Minnesota, sparking major national reforms in sex offender registration laws. His remains were found in 2016 after the perpetrator confessed.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jacob_Wetterling
4. Jaycee Dugard
Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in 1991 and held captive for 18 years in California before being discovered living in her captor’s backyard compound. Her recovery exposed severe systemic failures in parole supervision.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping_of_Jaycee_Dugard
5. Girly Chew Hossencofft
Girly Chew Hossencofft disappeared in New Mexico in 1999, her body has never been found. The case involved bizarre conspiracies and multiple accomplices.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Girly_Chew_Hossencofft
6. BTK (Dennis Rader)
BTK was a serial killer active in Kansas between 1974 and 1991, known for sending taunting letters to police and media. He was captured in 2005 after resuming communication, ultimately confessing to ten murders.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Rader
7. The Frankford Slasher
The Frankford Slasher is an unidentified serial killer believed to have murdered at least eight women in Philadelphia during the 1980s. One man was convicted of a single victim’s death, but many investigators believe the cases are linked to an unknown offender.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankford_Slasher
8. JFK Assassination
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963, in one of the most scrutinized crimes in history. The Warren Commission claimed Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, which was subsequently contradicted by the House Select Committee on Assassinations.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy
9. Virginia Douglas
Virginia Douglas disappeared from Arizona in 1977 after being last seen at a bar with an unidentified man. Her case remains unsolved with no confirmed sightings or suspects.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/virginia-sue-douglas
10. Sodder Children
Five Sodder children vanished during a 1945 house fire in West Virginia, and their bodies were never found, fueling decades of speculation. The family long believed the children were kidnapped rather than killed in the fire.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodder_children_disappearance
11. Adam Walsh
Adam Walsh was abducted from a Sears department store in 1981, and his murder led to sweeping reforms in missing children investigations. His father, John Walsh, later became an anti crime advocate and host of America’s Most Wanted.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Adam_Walsh
12. Cherrie Mahan
Cherrie Mahan disappeared in 1985 after getting off her school bus in Pennsylvania, and her case was one of the first to appear on “Have You Seen Me?” mailers. Despite thousands of tips, no trace of her has ever been found.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/cherrie-maria-mahan
13. Deanie Peters (Dean Marie Pyle Peters)
Deanie Peters vanished from a school in Kentwood, Michigan, in 1981 while attending her brother’s wrestling practice. Numerous searches and rumors have circulated, but her fate remains unknown.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/dean-marie-peters
14. Anna Christian Waters
Anna Waters disappeared from her family’s property in California in 1973 when she was just five years old, leading to years of theories including abduction or drowning. Her family has continued searching, but no confirmed clues have ever surfaced.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/anna-christian-waters
15. Barbra Colby and James Kiernan
Actress Barbra Colby and acting student James Kiernan were shot in a parking lot in 1975 by unknown assailants in what appeared to be a random attack. Despite widespread attention, the killer or motive was never identified.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Colby
16. Dennis Melvin Howe
Dennis Howe is wanted for the 1984 abduction and murder of 9 year old Christine Jessop in Ontario. He fled before police could arrest him and has never been located.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Jessop#Suspect
17. Sarkis Peltakian
Sarkis Peltakian vanished in 1987 after leaving his Los Angeles home, and foul play has long been suspected. His disappearance remains unsolved with few leads.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/sarkis-peltakian
18. Keddie Murders (Cabin 28)
In 1981, four people were brutally murdered at a cabin in Keddie, California, in a crime that remains one of the state’s most infamous unsolved cases. Despite suspects and theories, no one has ever been convicted.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keddie_murders
19. Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
Charles Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his home in 1932, triggering one of the most intense investigations in U.S. history. Bruno Hauptmann was convicted and executed, though controversy and conspiracy theories persist.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindbergh_kidnapping
20. Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper was a serial killer active in London’s Whitechapel district in 1888, known for the brutal murders of women involved in prostitution. His identity remains one of history’s most debated mysteries.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper
21. The Lost Colony of Roanoke
The Roanoke Colony disappeared sometime between 1587 and 1590, leaving behind only the word “CROATOAN” carved into a post. Its fate remains one of America’s oldest unsolved mysteries, with theories ranging from assimilation to annihilation.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony
22. Etan Patz
Etan Patz vanished on his way to the school bus in 1979, becoming one of the most high profile missing children cases in U.S. history. Patz has never been located, and various theories as to his disappearance have been put forward.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Etan_Patz
23. Max Headroom Broadcast Signal Intrusion
In 1987, two Chicago television channels were hijacked by a person in a Max Headroom mask in one of the most famous broadcast signal intrusions ever recorded. Despite investigations, the perpetrator has never been identified.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_broadcast_signal_intrusion
24. 1982 Tylenol Murders (Chicago)
Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide, prompting a massive recall and reforms in packaging safety. The killer was never caught, and the case remains open.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tylenol_murders
27. Valerie Percy
Valerie Percy, daughter of a prominent U.S. Senator, was murdered in her family’s Kenilworth mansion in 1966 by an intruder who was never identified. The killing remains one of Illinois’ most notorious unsolved crimes.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Percy
28. Emily Jeannette Garcia
Emily Garcia’s body was found in 1993 in Texas, and it was not identified until years later through DNA. Her murder remains unsolved, with investigators still seeking information about her final days.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/emily-jeannette-garcia
29. Bill Comeans
Bill Comeans was found strangled with his own scarf in 1980 in Ohio after previously reporting attacks that were dismissed as pranks. His death remains a chilling and unsolved mystery.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/william-joseph-comeans
31. Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders
In 1977, three Girl Scouts were murdered at Camp Scott in Oklahoma, sparking one of the state’s largest investigations. Although Gene Leroy Hart was charged, he was acquitted, and the case remains officially unsolved.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Girl_Scout_murders
32. The Grimes Sisters
Barbara and Patricia Grimes disappeared in Chicago in 1956 after seeing an Elvis movie, and their bodies were found weeks later under suspicious circumstances. Their deaths remain one of Illinois’ most baffling unsolved cases.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimes_sisters
33. Tiffany Sessions
Tiffany Sessions disappeared during a power walk near her Gainesville apartment in 1989, and despite massive searches, no trace of her has been found.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/tiffany-louise-sessions
34. West Memphis Three
Three teenagers were convicted in the 1993 murders of three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. They were released in 2011 under an Alford plea.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three
35. Missy Avila
Missy Avila was drowned in a creek in 1985 by two childhood friends who later confessed, claiming jealousy and personal conflicts. Although her killers were caught, lingering mysteries surround the motives and events leading up to the murder.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Missy_Avila
36. 1976 Unidentified Sumter County Couple
A young man and woman were found murdered in South Carolina in 1976 with no identification, becoming one of the nation’s most well known unidentified victim cases. They were finally identified in 2021, though their killer remains unknown.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumter_County_Does
37. Diane Suzuki
Diane Suzuki vanished in 1985 from the dance studio where she worked in Hawaii, and foul play was immediately suspected. Despite a focused investigation on a prime suspect, no charges were ever filed.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Diane_Suzuki
38. John List
John List murdered his entire family in 1971 and disappeared, adopting a new identity for nearly 18 years before being captured after his case aired on America’s Most Wanted. He was convicted and died in prison in 2008.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_List
39. Amber Hagerman
Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in 1996 while riding her bike in Texas, and her case inspired the creation of the AMBER Alert system. Her killer has never been identified.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Amber_Hagerman
40. Ana Mendieta
Artist Ana Mendieta died in 1985 after falling from her New York apartment, and her husband, Carl Andre, was acquitted of her murder in a controversial trial. Her death remains debated within both legal and art communities.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Mendieta
41. Anna Palmer
Anna Palmer was murdered outside her Salt Lake City home in 1998, stabbed multiple times in a brutal attack.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/anna-bernadette-palmer
42. Linda LeBrane
Linda LeBrane was murdered in Washington State in 1991 when she was found stabbed and set on fire inside her car. Despite early suspects and unusual circumstances, the case remains unsolved.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/linda-sue-lebrane
43. Glen Stewart Godwin
Glen Stewart Godwin escaped from Folsom State Prison in 1987 after being convicted of murder, and he later escaped a Mexican prison as well. He remains one of the most elusive fugitives ever placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Stewart_Godwin
44. 1997 Triple Murders at KK’s Corner Store (Louisiana)
In 1997, three employees at KK’s Corner Store in Lake Charles, Louisiana, were shot and killed in what appeared to be a robbery. The crime remains unsolved despite evidence, rewards, and extensive investigation.
Unsolved reference: https://unsolved.com/gallery/kk-corner-murders/
45. Keith Whitley
Country singer Keith Whitley died in 1989 from alcohol poisoning, sparking speculation and rumors about the circumstances. His death was ruled accidental, though fans continue to discuss the pressures that contributed to his decline.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Whitley
46. Charlotte Cook
Charlotte Cook vanished in Florida in 2019 under mysterious circumstances, and few clues have been uncovered in her disappearance. Investigators believe foul play is likely.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/charlotte-renee-cook
47. Gypsy Hill Killer
The Gypsy Hill Killer is linked to a series of murders in California during 1976 involving young women attacked while alone.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_Hill_Killings
48. Matthew Margolies
Thirteen year old Matthew Margolies was found murdered on a Connecticut hillside in 1984 after disappearing from his neighborhood. Despite suspects and theories, his case remains unsolved.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Margolies
49. The Lyon Sisters
Sheila and Katherine Lyon disappeared from a Maryland shopping mall in 1975, sparking one of the D.C. area’s largest missing child investigations. Their bodies have never been located.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Katherine_and_Sheila_Lyon
50. The Honolulu Strangler
The Honolulu Strangler was an unidentified serial killer responsible for at least five murders of women in Hawaii during the 1980s. Police detained a main suspect, but he was never charged, and the case remains open.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_Strangler
51. Ricky Nelson
Musician Ricky Nelson died tragically in a 1985 plane crash while en route to a New Year’s Eve performance. Despite early speculation of drug involvement, investigators concluded the crash was caused by a mechanical failure.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Nelson
52. Starbucks Triple Homicide (1997, Washington D.C.)
In 1997, three Starbucks employees were found murdered execution style at the Georgetown store, shocking the D.C. area. The case remains unsolved, despite an extensive investigation and national media coverage.
Washington Post coverage: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/07/08/3-slain-at-georgetown-starbucks/9bb4a1c8-dc23-4d03-91b0-fb2e7be1c1fe/
53. 1995 Shooting Death of Richard Lewis (Anaheim, CA)
Richard Lewis was shot and killed in Anaheim in 1995 during what police initially believed was a botched robbery. The case remains unsolved, with investigators still seeking new leads.
Cold case listing: https://www.anaheim.net/DocumentCenter/View/21455/ANAHEIM-UNSOLVED-HOMICIDES
54. Mr. Cruel
Mr. Cruel is an unidentified Australian serial offender linked to multiple child abductions and assaults in Melbourne during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite major task forces and public campaigns, the perpetrator has never been identified.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Cruel
55. Elliot Smith
Musician Elliott Smith died in 2003 from stab wounds that were officially labeled “undetermined,” with debate continuing over suicide vs. homicide. His death remains a subject of speculation among fans and investigators.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith
56. Patsy Cline
Country legend Patsy Cline died in a 1963 plane crash while returning from a benefit concert. Poor weather and pilot inexperience were determined to be primary contributing factors.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy_Cline
57. Caledonia Jane Doe
Caledonia Jane Doe was an unidentified teenage girl found murdered in New York in 1979. She was identified in 2015 as Tammy Jo Alexander, though her killer remains unknown.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammy_Jo_Alexander
58. Walker County Jane Doe
Discovered in 1980 in Texas, the Walker County Jane Doe was a young girl who had been sexually assaulted and murdered. Despite extensive efforts, she remained unidentified until 2021 as Shari Ann Jarvis, though her killer is still unknown.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shari_Ann_Jarvis
59. Princess Doe
Princess Doe was found in a New Jersey cemetery in 1982 and became one of the nation’s most publicized unidentified victim cases. She was identified in 2022 as Dawn Olanick, though questions about her exact killer remain.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_Olanick
60. Bucks County Jane Doe
This unidentified woman was found murdered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1995, and despite forensic efforts, her identity and killer remain unknown. She is believed to have been in her teens or early twenties.
Doe Network: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/72ufpa.html
61. The Burger Chef Murders
In 1978, four employees of a Burger Chef restaurant in Indiana were abducted and later found murdered, sparking one of the state’s largest criminal investigations. Despite multiple suspects and theories, the case remains unsolved.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_Chef_murders
62. Oakland County Child Killer
Between 1976 and 1977, at least four children in Oakland County, Michigan, were abducted and murdered by an unknown assailant. The case is one of the most infamous unsolved serial crimes in U.S. history.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_County_Child_Killer
63. Eloise Worledge
Eloise Worledge disappeared from her home in Australia in 1976 after her siblings reported unusual noises during the night. Despite an immediate search and investigation, she has never been found.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Eloise_Worledge
64. Dennis Lloyd Martin
Six year old Dennis Martin vanished in 1969 while on a family camping trip in the Great Smoky Mountains. Despite one of the largest search efforts in National Park Service history, no trace of him was ever discovered.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Dennis_Martin
65. Bennington Triangle Disappearances
Between 1945 and 1950, several people mysteriously vanished near Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont, contributing to the folklore of the so called “Bennington Triangle.” None of the disappearances have been solved.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennington_Triangle
66. The Beaumont Children
In 1966, three siblings disappeared from a beach in Adelaide, Australia, in one of the country’s most heartbreaking unsolved cases. Numerous persons of interest have been investigated, but no evidence has emerged.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont_children_disappearance
67. Adelaide Abduction (Joanne Ratcliffe & Kirste Gordon)
Joanne Ratcliffe and Kirste Gordon were abducted from an Adelaide football match in 1973, with witnesses reporting suspicious behavior by a man seen with the girls. The case remains unsolved and is often linked to other local disappearances.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Joanne_Ratcliffe_and_Kirste_Gordon
68. Mike Williams
Mike Williams disappeared during a duck hunting trip in Florida in 2000; years later it was revealed he had been murdered by his best friend as part of an insurance plot. His remains were found in 2017 after the killer confessed.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Mike_Williams
69. Andre Bryant (Brooklyn)
Andre Bryant was abducted as an infant in 1989 moments after his mother was murdered, and he has never been located. Investigators believe he may still be alive.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/andre-terrell-bryant
70. Christopher Dansby
Christopher Dansby disappeared from a Harlem playground in 1989 under circumstances similar to another child’s disappearance months later. Police suspect both children were victims of the same abduction scheme.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/christopher-dansby
71. Shane Walker
Nineteen month old Shane Walker disappeared from a Harlem playground in 1989 under circumstances very similar to the disappearance of Christopher Dansby from the same park months earlier. Police believe the two cases may be connected, but Shane has never been found.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/shane-walker
72. Robin Cornell & Lisa Story
Robin Cornell and Lisa Story were murdered in their Cape Coral, Florida apartment in 1990 in a violent attack that left few clues.
NBC coverage: https://www.nbc-2.com/story/31664046/cold-case-slayings-of-cape-coral-mother-and-babysitter
73. The Villisca Axe Murders
In 1912, eight people—including six children—were found brutally murdered in a farmhouse in Villisca, Iowa. Multiple suspects and theories emerged, but no one was ever convicted.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villisca_axe_murders
74. Lost Boy Larry
Larry disappeared in 1986 during a camping trip in the Oregon wilderness and became known as “Lost Boy Larry.” Despite extensive search efforts, no trace of him has ever been located.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/larry-rodney-eldridge
75. Roxyann Allee
Roxyann Allee vanished from Oregon in 1995 after telling her mother she was being followed. Her car was later found abandoned, but she has never been located.
Charley Project: https://charleyproject.org/case/roxyann-allee
76. Yogurt Shop Murders
In 1991, four teenage girls were tied up, murdered, and the Austin yogurt shop where they worked was set on fire. Several men were arrested over the years, but the case remains open and highly contested.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Austin_yogurt_shop_murders

The Springfield Three was tragic. Still unsolved.

The Villisca Axe Murder House is spooky. SCARIEST PLACES ON EARTH did a segment on it, and posted a photo of a very shady looking stranger who, according to local legend, was suspected of the killings. Other reports say he had nothing to do with it. Here's the segment. The narrator will give you that vintage UM feeling where you're unsettled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T54lLMJ17kk

I've got a long list of cases I'm surprised or at least disappointed that UM did not cover, but this one really does surprise me…

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

For one thing, the timeline overlaps UM broadcast history almost perfectly, from the late 80's to early 00's. At any given point during that time there were plenty of unanswered questions about what happened. Even today it’s a mysterious disease with a lot of room for debate and no solid explanation for its origin or pathogenesis.

I can only assume the non-US focus, along with the more and more disturbing nature of the disease made them skip covering it.

The Springfield Three was a perfect case for UM, but they never did a full segment on it.

Absolutely. UM was finishing up season 4 when they disappeared….when the show’s ratings were in the top ten. You’d think they would jump at the chance to cover a story like that.

Same with Jacob Wetterling. When he was abducted, that story was told coast to coast within a day. I think it was on 20/20? That seems exactly the type of story that would have given me nightmares as a kid.

Candace Derksen. She was a 13 year old girl in my city of Winnipeg, Canada. In December 1984, she was walking home from school just before Christmas break, where temperatures that week dropped to -30. She vanished, and the largest search in city history commenced.

Sadly, in mid January 1985, she was found in a company storage shed, that was rarely used in winter months, south of the overpass her home was near, wearing only her underwear, while bound and gagged with twine. Interestingly enough, she was not sexually assaulted. She froze to death the first night.

It was the greatest unsolved mystery in my province's history. Then in 2007, they charged one of the prime suspects with the murder. He was convicted, and sentenced to life in prison, only for the verdict to be overturned, and him to be set free a few years later. Many, including myself, believe he is responsible for her death for too many reasons to state.
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There was also a case in Edmonton, Alberta regarding a 6 year old girl named Tania Murrell, who disappeared on her way home from school, where she would go to her aunt's place to eat lunch. It reminds me in a lot of ways of the Anthonette Cayedito case, as her parents were bikers, who were always throwing parties, where people were consuming drugs and alcohol.

IN the case of Murrell, it was strongly suspected that she knew her abductor, as the main theory was that the accepted a ride home, only to be taken away, and killed (although a body was never located). The police had a prime suspect for years, however he passed away in 2016 in Ontario, where he abruptly left from Edmonton a couple of months after the abduction.

---

There was also the case of Terry Driver, the "Abbotsford Killer," who attacked two 16 year old girls in the city, raping and killing one girl, and nearly killing the other one, who eventually managed to stumple a few blocks to a hospital nearby.

Driver would then use multiple pay phones to taunt the Police for 7 months, stating that she would not be his last victim. Driver kept going further and further, taking more and more risks, even stealing the victims headstone from a cemetery, and dropping it at the local radio station's work truck. It made international news.

His own family turned him in, after Police started to broadcast his recorded calls and taunts to Police. It still remains the most bizarre murder case I ahve ever come across. The City of Abbotsford (population 120,000 at the time), was literally walking on eggshells for over half a year.

Terry Driver (including footage of the headstone on the car) was covered in one of Keely Shaye Smith's brief-but-disturbing "Special Alert" segments. It was available online as a bootleg, but seems to have disappeared.

Terry Driver (including footage of the headstone on the car) was covered in one of Keely Shaye Smith's brief-but-disturbing "Special Alert" segments. It was available online as a bootleg, but seems to have disappeared.

I had to go watch it...wow that was a wild one. I guess he was just an excitable boy.

This is also a perfect example of a segment that was cut from Amazon for no good reason.

Terry Driver (including footage of the headstone on the car) was covered in one of Keely Shaye Smith's brief-but-disturbing "Special Alert" segments. It was available online as a bootleg, but seems to have disappeared.

Terry Driver died in 2021. He was only 56. In prison, they said his life was hell, since he not only killed a teen girl, and almost killed the other, but when he was on the loose, he was bragging about other crimes (beating up hookers and attacking a girl at a bus stop), which he was convicted for.

What is interesting, is his Dad was a decorated and respected Police Officer in Vancouver. Driver had a bunch of legal problems in his teens, but he always got out of them, since his Dad had such influence on the department.

It made international news, especially when he stole the dead girl's tombstone, and placed it on the hood of the radio station's vehicle. It literally pushed the community over the edge. In prison everyone wanted to attack him, so he was segregated from the others, and never was at peace.

The strange thins was, is that Driver seemed to be born evil. In Kindergarten, he used to be very disruptive, and would attack girls in his class, and neighbourhood when he was 5 years old. he would also begin to have fantasies about murdering woman at 6. His Dad actually left the family for a time, since he could not control a young Driver, and was so disturbed by his sons behaviour.

It's been said that one of the reasons that Driver taunted the Police and community, is he had applied to the Police force, and was rejected due to his unstable behaviour. He wanted to punish the community for the rejection.

This case was probably a little too late.. I'm just adding it here because it really doesn't fit in anywhere and isn't directly UM related.. Just an interesting case that hit the news here locally.. Well, semi locally.

Michele Hundley Smith went missing from Rockingham, NC was reported missing on Dec 31, 2001..

She was just found, alive and well. And asked that her location not be disclosed to her family.

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/02/23/mom-3-who-vanished-24-years-ago-while-christmas-shopping-found-alive-well-authorities-say/

Makes you wonder.. What's going on there? Mental issues? Were things THAT bad at home?

Listen... I'd be lying to you all if I said the thought of just disappearing and starting over somewhere that no one knows you doesn't have an appeal.. I get it. But.. To leave your family, especially 3 kids, not knowing if you're alive or dead? That's pretty crappy.

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/02/23/mom-3-who-vanished-24-years-ago-while-christmas-shopping-found-alive-well-authorities-say/

John List murders come to mind. In fact I think I read somewhere Unsolved Mysteries actually received a request to do a segment on it and turned it down for some reason. Of course AMW would pick it up later, along with a couple other shows. But it was definitely right up Unsolved Mysteries alley with that creepy mansion and how he left ominous classical music playing.

Has anyone mentioned the OJ Simpson case? Yeah I know it was beat to death everywhere else and most people think he did it, but it still could have been conceivably covered UM style.

The Hinterkaifeck murders in German anyone familiar with that? Though those took place in 1922 it was not unheard for Unsolved Mysteries to go back that far although it probably would have fallen under mysterious legends rather than wanted though I've heard people were interviewed in the investigation as late as 1986 which is crazy. Have to figure surely whoever did it was dead by then.

The Yuba County five also comes to mind, that one was bizarre too and just the kind of head scratcher UM likes.

John List murders come to mind. In fact I think I read somewhere Unsolved Mysteries actually received a request to do a segment on it and turned it down for some reason. Of course AMW would pick it up later, along with a couple other shows. But it was definitely right up Unsolved Mysteries alley with that creepy mansion and how he left ominous classical music playing.

Has anyone mentioned the OJ Simpson case? Yeah I know it was beat to death everywhere else and most people think he did it, but it still could have been conceivably covered UM style.

The Hinterkaifeck murders in German anyone familiar with that? Though those took place in 1922 it was not unheard for Unsolved Mysteries to go back that far although it probably would have fallen under mysterious legends rather than wanted though I've heard people were interviewed in the investigation as late as 1986 which is crazy. Have to figure surely whoever did it was dead by then.

The Yuba County five also comes to mind, that one was bizarre too and just the kind of head scratcher UM likes.

I believe OJ Simpson was done by UM, but like so many others the segment has gone down the memory hole.

The disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in Orlando, FL has always been a haunting case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Jennifer_Kesse

The disappearance of Jennifer Kesse in Orlando, FL has always been a haunting case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Jennifer_Kesse

UM had been out of production for years when that happened though.

A case that always gets to me is Nicole Morin, the little girl from Canada that disappeared going down in an elevator to visit her friend. That seemed like exactly the kind of thing UM would cover, so I was surprised when they didn't!

UM had been out of production for years when that happened though.

Perhaps we need a thread for cases from recent years after Unsolved Mysteries was out of production that would have been good Unsolved Mysteries segments.

Personally I would like to see Unsolved Mysteries revived in the original format or something very close. It was a great format. A host or rotating cohosts TCM style to replicate Robert Stack's gravity & tongue in cheek humor when appropriate is a problem. George Clooney maybe? How about Alyssa Milano for a Woman host?I think that would be the best way to present old and currently unsolved mysteries.

While I can see the desire to have seen O.J. Simpson's case presented by UM hosted by Robert Stack it probably wasn't worth the time or trouble. Pretrial it could have prejudiced the jury pool either way. Remember O.J. was extremely likeable at the time. Then it was an ongoing trial that was covered continously by everybody. You couldn't get away from it unless you had access to specialty channels like 24 hour cartoons or Westerns etc. The recent Winter Olympics had less coverage.

UM had been out of production for years when that happened though.

Ah, that's right. It would be nice to see it covered on the reboot, but I doubt that ever happens due to how long it has been since she vanished.