I agree with the Carmichael and Hargrove cases both being suicide. I respect the segment because if anything the public should be made aware of the difficulties that people in the military face and how it can make them more prone to suicide even when they are not directly involved in combat operations. For me both cases scream suicide and perhaps two people that were very disappointed with their circumstances. Perhaps they wanted the army to face negative criticism from their families and the press. Just my opinion.

It's been years since I've seen these segments. However...you cannot overstate the toll that PTSD takes on veterans.

Sneha Philip didn't run into the towers on 9/11. She was having personal problems and I got the impression that she was qutie a selfish person and didn't like being a doctor. She didn't appear to be the type of person who would sacrifice her life to save others. Not to mention, she wouldn't have been allowed to just "run into the towers", anyhow. I think this theory was made up by her family to make themselves feel better, or try to cover up that they know more than they let on.

I don't believe it was Elizabeth Campbell at the convenience store.

The music and editing in the Katherine Korzilius sgement is kind of cringeworthy.

Some unpopular opinions of mine:

a) Elaine Parent acted alone when she killed Beverly McGowan, and that she was indeed "Sam". No male accomplice.

I think a lot of us now, including me, have come to that conclusion, although some people still think she had an accomplice. At the very least, looking for "Sam" probably distracted LE, which is what Elaine Parent probably intended.

I believe Rob Shafer is likely innocent for the following reasons.

1) When I saw him interviewed, he genuinely seemed tormented, unlike, let's say, Mike Nicholas, Paul Pollis, and others. Angela being pregnant at the time probably added to that.
2) The segment said that the police connected Angela's abduction to two other cases. Now, unless Rob Shafer was also involved with the two women that disappeared, one of whom was murdered, I'd say he wasn't responsible.
3) The police cleared Rob within a week. Now, I know there has been shoddy police work in UM history, but this doesn't seem like the case.

All of these poke holes in the "Rob Shafer is guilty" theory.

I don't believe that Debbie Wolfe was abducted and murdered by the hospital volunteers or phone message guy as her mother claimed to her deathbed.

1) Debbie had dealt with persistant suitors for years. She was a kind hearted woman and her problem was how not to upset or alienate someone that genuinely admired her. Also setting boundaries. Many if not most of her loyal male friends were guys she had rebuffed.

2) The persistant suitors mututated into suitors with mental issues and then mental patients who couldn't conrol themselves and became stalkers. The sole source of these tales was her mother Jenny.

3) Debbie had 2 large protective German Shepherd chained next to the screen porch entrance and the cinderblock addition entrance to her cabin. It was virtually impossible to ambush her.

Sneha Philip didn't run into the towers on 9/11. She was having personal problems and I got the impression that she was qutie a selfish person and didn't like being a doctor. She didn't appear to be the type of person who would sacrifice her life to save others. Not to mention, she wouldn't have been allowed to just "run into the towers", anyhow. I think this theory was made up by her family to make themselves feel better, or try to cover up that they know more than they let on.

I agree! I think she was pushed into being a doctor by her prestige-conscious family, she was unhappy in her marriage, she was having personal problems and so on. I have always thought that she was either abducted/killed the night of 09/10/01, she used 9/11 as a chance to run away and start a new life, or she was somehow killed by debris walking down the street on the morning of 09/11/01.

I have never believed the "running into the towers to save lives" theory, it makes so little sense when you look at the footage of that day. After the first plane hit, it was mass confusion and people getting OUT of that first tower. After the second plane hit, it was extreme panic and people rushing OUT and AWAY from both towers. There is no way that someone walking down the street would have been allowed to come IN to the towers at that time, with cops and firemen rushing everyone out. Moreover, to rush into the towers on that day would have taken an absolutely extraordinary amount of courage and self-sacrifice. I'm not impugning Sneha's character at all when I say she doesn't seem like the type -- neither am I! Neither are most people, in fact.

The unfortunate fact is that we have scant evidence of anything happening to Sneha after 9/10 (other than the grainy elevator footage).

I don't believe that Debbie Wolfe was abducted and murdered by the hospital volunteers or phone message guy as her mother claimed to her deathbed.


What do you think happened then?

What do you think happened then?

When you eliminate the alleged stalkers. They were cleared by LE. Look at what is left. I believe she had visitors, ran errands and went party hopping. I believe an accident occurred, someone panicked and instead of taking her to a hospital they went for body dump.

Added: photos of Debbie taken at Christmas were found "out" in her cabin. They had to have been processed at a one hour place after work. Debbie probably took her mothers advice on a birthday gift and looked for and/or bought it at the after Christmas sale prices. Debbie was not a party animal. But she could socialize without drinking. She didn't do drugs to my knowledge. She was the mother hen that would help out the hosts, make sure everyone got home safe etc. She would get home at a reasonable hour. Obviously something went wrong and no one was there when she needed help. I believe it was 2 people. One to drive her car home and their accomplice.

Regarding Debbie Wolfe:

The coroner found no evidence of foul play. He detected a small amount of water in her lungs. No gunshot wounds, knife wounds or any other evidence of physical violence. She was pulled from the lake fully clothed.

Paper: Fayetteville Observer NC
Title: After Two Years, Drowning is still shrouded in Mystery
Author: By Pat Reese staff writer January 1, 1988

It's been two years since the body of a Cumberland County woman was recovered from a small pond on the Brock Farm near Ft Bragg, and investigators may never be able to prove if her death was accident, suicide or murder. The victim Deborah Ann Wolfe a 28-year-old nurse at the Veterans Administration Medical Center, lived alone in the cabin by the shallow pond, not far from Johnson Farm Road in northeastern Cumberland County.

Investigators haven't been able to find anyone who saw Wolfe after she left the hospital at 4 p.m. Dec. 26.

Unanswered questions, contradictions, and the victim's mother's adamant refusal to accept theories voiced by law enforcement authorities, have shrouded the death in mystery.

The death certificate filed February 4, 1986, lists the cause of death as "pending" and the determination of death as murder, suicide, undetermined or natural causes also "pending".

A supplemental report filed the same date lists the cause of death as "drowning". Undetermined is typed in the blank where the medical examiner is required to state whether the death is due to accident, suicide or homicide.

Detectives with the Cumberland County homicide squad, assisted in their investigation by the Bureau of identification, on January 3 announced that death was by "drowning".

Maj. Charles Smith, then chief of detectives advanced the theory that Wolfe was walking her dogs in the woods or searching for firewood and fell into the water.

The body was found 30 feet from shore, and Smith said at the time Wolfe must have lost her sense of direction in the water and moved away from the bank.

(snip)

Dr. William Oliver, a pathologist at N.C. Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, conducted an autopsy and after a lengthy delay, reported the body had undergone changes characteristic of "cold weather drowning" or "immersion syndrome", in which death is believed to occur from cardiac arrest. He said he found no evidence of beating, stabbing, shooting or strangulation.

My theory is that one (or both) of her dogs went into the water, and she was either concerned (or annoyed) – as a dog owner myself, sometimes the two are synonymous – she went in to get them and lead them out and went into shock because the water was so cold. She had a heart attack and drowned.

As crazy as that sounds, it matches the evidence, I believe. Unsolved Mysteries, though I love the show dearly and have since it was first airing, had a habit of presenting stories in just such a way that would leave extremely pertinent information out to drive a specific narrative. Why? Because it made for good television.

1. Don Dixon - He's weird but I don't think he killed Eric Tamiyasu.

2. The Circleville Letters - I think Mary Gillespie knew more about the letters than she let on.

3. The Wackers - I don't think they were making up the harassment but I think they may have known who was doing it.

4. Cindy James - I'm inclined to believe that she was harming herself but the circumstances of her death are very murky.

5. Kurt Sova - There was nothing nefarious about his death, IMO. I think he died of alcohol poisoning and they medical examiner bungled the case IMO.

1. Don Dixon - He's weird but I don't think he killed Eric Tamiyasu.

2. The Circleville Letters - I think Mary Gillespie knew more about the letters than she let on.

3. The Wackers - I don't think they were making up the harassment but I think they may have known who was doing it.

4. Cindy James - I'm inclined to believe that she was harming herself but the circumstances of her death are very murky.

5. Kurt Sova - There was nothing nefarious about his death, IMO. I think he died of alcohol poisoning and they medical examiner bungled the case IMO.

These are good ones. I'll just add:

Eric Smith claimed in the Tamiyasu segment that Dixon was someone Tamiyasu bought supplies from. "Period." If that was really the case, why did Tamiyasu give Dixon a key to his house? One of a thousand strange elements of that case.

I think Sova did have fatal alcohol poisoning that night, but didn't die right away. I think he was alive but at a bare minimum on that cot. During that time, his liver processed the alcohol, but it was too late. The ME (or was it a coroner? big difference) in theory would not be able to find a fatal level of alcohol in his system as a result.

1. Don Dixon - He's weird but I don't think he killed Eric Tamiyasu.

2. The Circleville Letters - I think Mary Gillespie knew more about the letters than she let on.

3. The Wackers - I don't think they were making up the harassment but I think they may have known who was doing it.

4. Cindy James - I'm inclined to believe that she was harming herself but the circumstances of her death are very murky.

5. Kurt Sova - There was nothing nefarious about his death, IMO. I think he died of alcohol poisoning and they medical examiner bungled the case IMO.




I'm convinced that mary gillespie didn't just know more, but that she was writing the letters with the school super, they also had help from the sheriff.

When two people are accused of having an affair but deny it, then end up together, then they were always having an affair! if she had intended to leave her husband and be with the super, well she got her wish, because somebody killed him! she also had a problem with paul freshour, who went to jail for writing the letters... she came out golden from all this.

if i wanted to frame someone i'd go to their house take a gun, do a purposely awful job at scratching off the serial number and then leave at an attempted murder scene. factor in the embarrassingly bad job done with rons murder investigation and the bizarre way they made paul copy the writing, which is against how it's done... tells you something very sinister was happening, and then she didn't even bother to go on the segment of UM and want justice for her dead husband! it's so obvious!

I also agree somewhat on Cindy James, the fact the neighbors saw someone at the bottom of the path just after the fire was set, the way she was found and also how she was dating a detective who could have easily steered the investigation a certain way and cover up things.

but then again, when you remember that she was taking her dog for a walk at 3am..it's hardly the actions of someone who was scared for her life..


maybe it's not an unpopular opinon, because i've never heard it before, and although i have no reason to doubt her, i've always found it fascinating that when it comes to the murder of charles morgan, if you take out everything that ruth says (his wife) then you pretty much just have a dead man in the desert.

1. Don Dixon - He's weird but I don't think he killed Eric Tamiyasu.


He said a prayer. *fake sniffle + fake voice breaking* :crying:

I agree! I think she was pushed into being a doctor by her prestige-conscious family, she was unhappy in her marriage, she was having personal problems and so on. I have always thought that she was either abducted/killed the night of 09/10/01, she used 9/11 as a chance to run away and start a new life, or she was somehow killed by debris walking down the street on the morning of 09/11/01.

I have never believed the "running into the towers to save lives" theory, it makes so little sense when you look at the footage of that day. After the first plane hit, it was mass confusion and people getting OUT of that first tower. After the second plane hit, it was extreme panic and people rushing OUT and AWAY from both towers. There is no way that someone walking down the street would have been allowed to come IN to the towers at that time, with cops and firemen rushing everyone out. Moreover, to rush into the towers on that day would have taken an absolutely extraordinary amount of courage and self-sacrifice. I'm not impugning Sneha's character at all when I say she doesn't seem like the type -- neither am I! Neither are most people, in fact.

The unfortunate fact is that we have scant evidence of anything happening to Sneha after 9/10 (other than the grainy elevator footage).



Mmmmmm, the thing is Sneha just happened to go missing within a window of time (we're not sure when) the biggest missing person event in human history, the level of people who were reported missing on 911 was in the thousands, i'm from NY and i walked the streets in the days after and saw pictures of the missing people, i saw hundreds of people handing out flyers, i remember people calling into radio stations trying to find loved ones, my own neighbor lost her sister-in-law and spent months checking for information on her. later they found DNA evidence..

So heres the thing Sneha who just happened to live in lower manhattan, was a doctor and had mentioned having breakfast (we dont know when) at windows on the world, just happens to go missing...


When the first plane hit, at first it didn't seem a big deal, the tower swallowed the plane and we saw smoke...doctors dont make much, most of their mentality is the help people, is it crazy to believe she thought they could bring some injured people out and she could assist them? before we knew the full extent of the attack? or could simply being in lower manhattan at the time or at windows on the world led to her dying in the attacks?

Now don't get me wrong! if you wanted to whack someone in lower manhattan then sep 10th or 11th 2001...would be beyond perfect! the missing person would be put down to the attacks, but what proof do we really have she was murdered?

As for running away? She hasn't touched her bank accounts, the only career she knew was being a doctor, something that needs ID, major references to do.. which she didn't have and if she did, she'd be noticied as been sneha.. she left her passport, driving licence and glasses all at home.. and her credit card used on sep 10th tells us she bought things for their apartment...

making it impossible to believe she ran away.

Mmmmmm, the thing is Sneha just happened to go missing within a window of time (we're not sure when) the biggest missing person event in human history, the level of people who were reported missing on 911 was in the thousands, i'm from NY and i walked the streets in the days after and saw pictures of the missing people, i saw hundreds of people handing out flyers, i remember people calling into radio stations trying to find loved ones, my own neighbor lost her sister-in-law and spent months checking for information on her. later they found DNA evidence..

So heres the thing Sneha who just happened to live in lower manhattan, was a doctor and had mentioned having breakfast (we dont know when) at windows on the world, just happens to go missing...


When the first plane hit, at first it didn't seem a big deal, the tower swallowed the plane and we saw smoke...doctors dont make much, most of their mentality is the help people, is it crazy to believe she thought they could bring some injured people out and she could assist them? before we knew the full extent of the attack? or could simply being in lower manhattan at the time or at windows on the world led to her dying in the attacks?

Now don't get me wrong! if you wanted to whack someone in lower manhattan then sep 10th or 11th 2001...would be beyond perfect! the missing person would be put down to the attacks, but what proof do we really have she was murdered?

As for running away? She hasn't touched her bank accounts, the only career she knew was being a doctor, something that needs ID, major references to do.. which she didn't have and if she did, she'd be noticied as been sneha.. she left her passport, driving licence and glasses all at home.. and her credit card used on sep 10th tells us she bought things for their apartment...

making it impossible to believe she ran away.

Doctors don't make much?? Which planet are you posting from? That damages the credibility of the rest of your post. Regarding her disappearance, I happen to go back and forth as to whether or not she was a victim of foul play on September 10 or died by one means or another on September 11. Not all of the victims were in the towers and/or rushing to them.

Doctors don't make much?? Which planet are you posting from? That damages the credibility of the rest of your post. Regarding her disappearance, I happen to go back and forth as to whether or not she was a victim of foul play on September 10 or died by one means or another on September 11. Not all of the victims were in the towers and/or rushing to them.


Then why are they always protesting for more money!?

my post is pretty credible. people don't just run away with no passport, no driving licence, no glasses, no money, leave their credit card untouched...

your response is contridictary if money was a major factor in sneha being a doctor, then she would have stayed being a doctor, left her husband, took all her things and tried to be a doctor in i dunno.... utah!?

the fact almost 25 years later, she hasnt shown up, couldn't have worked as a doctor, because of the background checks and essentially identification needed...

means its a dumb argument.

Well, particularly since the pandemic set in, they've been working longer hours with shorter staff. They absolutely make more than the average joe though.

Some unpopular opinions of mine:

a) Elaine Parent acted alone when she killed Beverly McGowan, and that she was indeed "Sam". No male accomplice.


This one aged well, as many people on this board now believe Elaine masqueraded as "Sam," but not everyone does.

He said a prayer. *fake sniffle + fake voice breaking* :crying:

LOL


Some unpopular opinions I've developed over time:

-Curtis Croft really didn't have any real idea who hit Jenny Pratt

-Tommy Zeigler orchestrated the furniture store murders with Ed Williams acting as an accomplice

-Tommy Zeigler orchestrated the furniture store murders with Ed Williams acting as an accomplice

This is an interesting one. It would fit almost every single oddity about this case that has seemingly been inexplainable for the last 50 years or so.

This is an interesting one. It would fit almost every single oddity about this case that has seemingly been inexplainable for the last 50 years or so.

I think so, too.

Come to think of it, I have a lot of unpopular opinions about the Zeigler case:

-I think it's far less of a stretch that Zeigler would murder his family members and try to stage it as an interrupted burglary than Mays/Williams/Foster/Thomas conspiring in not only a Christmas Eve stick-up but a subsequent (and apparently highly successful) frame-up job on Zeigler

-I think the motive for Maurice Paul's supposed vendetta against Zeigler is tenuous at best

-I think far too much is made of Zeigler "passing" an exam under the influence of Brevital Sodium, like it's some magic drug that indeed makes you tell the truth and not at all similar to a polygraph exam, wherein if you make yourself "believe" a lie you can render "truthful" results

Those are just a few.

-

For whoever posted on here that they don't believe Roger Roxas, I completely disagree. The guy was tortured because of finding the Buddha. Here is an interesting article on the case: https://www.history.com/articles/wwii-yamashita-treasure-roxas-marcos-gold-buddha

Not sure how unpopular this one in particular is, but I feel like that (admittedly low-quality) photo of the POW who was said not to be Mark Dennis looks exactly like him. I think it looks more like Mark than the ACTUAL person it turned out to be. You could see why it would give his loved ones hope.

I'm pretty sympathetic to this family in particular, actually. I think they had reason to be skeptical, not necessarily for any intentional wrongdoing on the Navy's part, but because of the confusing series of events leading to Dennis's ultimate identification. This combined with the family's pain and desperation made for a far from ideal situation. I felt really bad for them.

Someone posted on this board that they think Paul Pollis is not guilty. I respectfully disagree. The man gives me the creeps. "I like a clean house?" PLEASE.

And for the person that said the 4-year-old was wrong about her mother being put in a black trash bag, I also respectfully disagree.

Remember that there were two sets of footprints in the snow going to the shed, unless Charlotte's sister was wrong about that or lying. Remember also that Paul said he had the kids with him all day and loaded them in the car and a neighbor saw him packing his car with boxes and bags and no one remembered him having the kids with him. The man is a liar, and still the only suspect in the case.

- I don't like the theory that Su Ya Kim was having an affair. From what we learned about her, she seemed like a dedicated wife and mother who wanted to build a good life in the US for her family. She would've always been busy running her two clothing stores. Plus, it didn't sound like her English was too good (based on her husband's English not being good), so it's unlikely that she was having an affair with an American man, if we are to assume that the suspect seen by the security guard was the was the man she was having an affair with.
It was obviously a stranger abduction.

- Ernest Acosta and Caroline Schlesser had nothing to do with Audrey Moate and Thomas Hotard's disappearance/death, and that part of a segment annoys me. Anyone who brings attention to themselves regarding a murder case screams "time waster" to me.

- I don't like the theory that Su Ya Kim was having an affair. From what we learned about her, she seemed like a dedicated wife and mother who wanted to build a good life in the US for her family. She would've always been busy running her two clothing stores. Plus, it didn't sound like her English was too good (based on her husband's English not being good), so it's unlikely that she was having an affair with an American man, if we are to assume that the suspect seen by the security guard was the was the man she was having an affair with.
It was obviously a stranger abduction.

I forgot that theory, but that seems like one of the more far-fetched speculations on UM for all the reasons you mention.

Rob Schafer killed Angela Hammond.

Rob Schafer killed Angela Hammond.

I've often wondered if that is unpopular because Rob came off as likeable in the segment and people just don't want to believe he did it, or because the evidence in facts simply doesn't point to him in their eyes.

For me personally, its the latter but I can't speak for everyone.

LOL


Some unpopular opinions I've developed over time:

-Curtis Croft really didn't have any real idea who hit Jenny Pratt

-Tommy Zeigler orchestrated the furniture store murders with Ed Williams acting as an accomplice

Curious why you think that about Curtis Croft. Most of the facts seem to point to the attackers being after him rather than Jenny. And it seems that over the years info has surfaced that the whole town pretty much knows who was involved but there was never enough evidence to convict anyone. The prime suspect supposedly committed suicide in 1994 too.

If Curtis Croft didn't know for sure who did it, he almost had to have some idea.

As for Tommy Ziegler, I honestly never formulated a strong opinion on that one way or another. The evidence was so all over the place it was really hard to say, I kind of leaned towards Ziegler being innocent mainly because the financial motives they suggested didn't add up with his situation but not really sure.

Unsolved Mysteries did a great disservice to mental illness awareness.

Unsolved Mysteries did a great disservice to mental illness awareness.

How so?

Rob Schafer killed Angela Hammond.

Yes!!

How do you hear someone yelling ROB from another car while you're driving in a car? And the way he remembered all those specific details about the car from a phone call.

He never felt legit to me.

Someone posted on this board that they think Paul Pollis is not guilty. I respectfully disagree. The man gives me the creeps. "I like a clean house?" PLEASE.

And for the person that said the 4-year-old was wrong about her mother being put in a black trash bag, I also respectfully disagree.

Remember that there were two sets of footprints in the snow going to the shed, unless Charlotte's sister was wrong about that or lying. Remember also that Paul said he had the kids with him all day and loaded them in the car and a neighbor saw him packing his car with boxes and bags and no one remembered him having the kids with him. The man is a liar, and still the only suspect in the case.

That may have been me. I'm not prepared to say he's innocent, but the theories suggested by the Nagi family don't really work IMO.

Charlotte was 500lbs, I don't see those elderly parents + Paul carrying that dead weight to the shed IMO. They seemed frail and Paul was a stick figure.

Two sets of foot prints to the shed = one there, one back. Totally reasonable. And if Charlotte was in the shed why wasn't there blood droplets in the snow with those foot prints? Or drag marks.

Yes!!

How do you hear someone yelling ROB from another car while you're driving in a car? And the way he remembered all those specific details about the car from a phone call.

He never felt legit to me.

I don't find that hard to believe at all. If the windows were down its perfectly feasible you could hear someone yell from another vehicle. Quite easily in fact. And this was in April when it was likely to be warm so chances are good they were down.

And for a guy on the phone with his girlfriend who is laser focused on what she is saying because he is trying to diagnose a situation and determine if she is in trouble not hard for me to believe he could have remembered details as well.

I'm not saying Rob couldn't have done it, its possible though I think its unlikely based on the known facts. But I don't find these arguments particuarly convincing.

Unsolved Mysteries did a great disservice to mental illness awareness.

I found this to be the case throughout the entire culture during the time period. Mental illness was generally treated with almost no sensitivity. Also true of the special needs community sadly.

Yes!!

How do you hear someone yelling ROB from another car while you're driving in a car? And the way he remembered all those specific details about the car from a phone call.

He never felt legit to me.

That was what did it for me. She gave him a damn near perfect description of the guy. Dirty overalls, truck decal, bearded etc. Who does that? The description fit the idea of what a redneck killer would look like. Why would she call him from a pay phone when she just left his house? UM didn't disclose this on the show but she was pregnant as well. The whole thing stinks!

How so?

They would often ignore or downplay people suffering from clear mental illness in an effort to make the stories more mysterious. Cindy James immediately comes to mind.

They would often ignore or downplay people suffering from clear mental illness in an effort to make the stories more mysterious. Cindy James immediately comes to mind.

Not to defend it, but I think there are also several other factors to add to this:

1) Push-back/denial from the family/friends.

We even saw this in Gail Delano's story where her family was pretty adamant she hadn't killed herself while an acquaintance was more blunt about her emotional well-being. Mentioning the possibility of mental illness in other cases like Cindy's may have had those families/friends clashing with the show's producers or arguing that the case shouldn't have been aired at all if this aspect were to be mentioned. I imagine the producers really didn't want to burn bridges with the loved ones and they probably tiptoed/kowtowed for that reason. Not saying it's right, but I think that's a part of these omissions for sure.

I think we can see a huge undercurrent of this in a lot of the "suicide v murder cases." Very briefly in Tony Lombardi's case, the possibility of depression comes up and the family waves it aside, whereas I think most of the audience in this forum believes that's the cause.

2) The taboo of mental illness being even more of a thing in UM's original heyday.

It's still taboo today, but nowhere near as stigmatized as back in the 80s/90s (by which I mean you will see people being much more open about it now compared to then, especially with the rise of social media). That still doesn't stop shows like Disappeared from still completely shying away from it. Their entire last season was almost entirely clear mental illness/suicide cases, such as the one with the girl last seen on the Golden Gate Bridge while her family sat there in denial that she would ever jump despite her clear history of being despondent. They still insisted on it being foul play.

That may have been me. I'm not prepared to say he's innocent, but the theories suggested by the Nagi family don't really work IMO.

Charlotte was 500lbs, I don't see those elderly parents + Paul carrying that dead weight to the shed IMO. They seemed frail and Paul was a stick figure.

Two sets of foot prints to the shed = one there, one back. Totally reasonable. And if Charlotte was in the shed why wasn't there blood droplets in the snow with those foot prints? Or drag marks.

OK, totally reasonable. But I also just didn't like the guy. I'm not saying that makes him guilty, I just didn't like him and got a weird vibe.

I also think Rob Shafer story is suspicious. Why would Angela talk to him on the pay phone for 45 minutes when she was near home and had just seen him?

I forgot that theory, but that seems like one of the more far-fetched speculations on UM for all the reasons you mention.

Su Ya could have been the victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin. The location and timing is right, and he looks very much like the man that was seen by the security guard.

Mentioning the possibility of mental illness in other cases like Cindy's may have had those families/friends clashing with the show's producers or arguing that the case shouldn't have been aired at all if this aspect were to be mentioned. I imagine the producers really didn't want to burn bridges with the loved ones and they probably tiptoed/kowtowed for that reason. Not saying it's right, but I think that's a part of these omissions for sure.

This was another failure of UM. Instead of not featuring the story of someone who clearly killed themselves, they muddied the waters to make the story less suspicious. A family member having a death cause changed to "undetermined" doesn't change reality.

This was another failure of UM. Instead of not featuring the story of someone who clearly killed themselves, they muddied the waters to make the story less suspicious. A family member having a death cause changed to "undetermined" doesn't change reality.

I agree. As much as I love the show, it really did a disservice by offering to take some of these cases.

I remember when I finally saw the version of Cindy's case where you hear one of the voice recordings. It's incredibly obvious that it's her, not some mysterious man.

This was another failure of UM. Instead of not featuring the story of someone who clearly killed themselves, they muddied the waters to make the story less suspicious. A family member having a death cause changed to "undetermined" doesn't change reality.

I have followed some of the cases you comment on. I have seen your opinion change 180 degrees supporting one side then another as you gather information. That is normal. Your info with the mapping programs has been extremely helpful. Personally I cannot agree with you on the case you refer to. Other facts point to homicide or an accidental death with an elaborate cover up. I do encourage you to continue your research. You may be the one that finds information that clarifies this and other cases. You may turn up something that changes your mind as you have in other cases.

The mental illness theories can point both ways or just may be inappropriate. UM episodes have avoided the possibility of mental illness in some cases and described other people as as mentally ill when there was no diagnosis.

Extreme emotion doesn't mean someone is mentally ill. Everyone has their "breaking point". It was common when I was a child to see a parent screeching at their kids, chase them down and spank them for no apparent reason. They were not violent lunatics. The kids just violated a safety rule once too often like playing close to a dangerous intersection. Scolding had failed. The spankings began.

Adults and teens occasionally vent. These "extreme" displays of emotion: anger, sadness even "inappropriate" laughter do not automatically mean someone is mentally ill.

In my opinion mental illness is one of those things like white slavery/human trafficking, satanic cults etc that are an easy default.

Back to my western roots. If you ever saw the way people react to encountering fire ants you would be convinced they were complete lunatics. Screaming, running, and shedding all of their clothes. Usually followed by immersing themselves in water if available.

In conclusion I agree that UM mishandled mental illness real or imagined.

Curious why you think that about Curtis Croft. Most of the facts seem to point to the attackers being after him rather than Jenny. And it seems that over the years info has surfaced that the whole town pretty much knows who was involved but there was never enough evidence to convict anyone. The prime suspect supposedly committed suicide in 1994 too.

If Curtis Croft didn't know for sure who did it, he almost had to have some idea.

Based on things I've read, I think Croft had so many people who were pissed off at him or otherwise had a reason to reach out and touch him that he really couldn't pinpoint exactly who it could be. It's not an instance of not being able to come up with a suspect; it's an instance of having a multitude of suspects and not being able to narrow it down to the likeliest.

Don't know how unpopular these might be, but Chad Langford and Danny Casolaro committed suicide.

I don't trust Shawn Bordeaux.

Su Ya could have been the victim of serial killer Joel Rifkin. The location and timing is right, and he looks very much like the man that was seen by the security guard.

Really? Seems like I remember seeing Joel Rifkin interviewed I thought I remembered him looking like a bigger guy than Joe Jones described, even a Santa Clause like look. Joe Jones basically described a small nerdy looking dude. Of course this interview was when he was older so maybe he did look small and dorky back then.

Plus, you'd think the authorities would have looked into that possibility and showed Jones a picture of Rifkin. And correct me if I'm wrong I don't think Su Ya was sexually assaulted which Rifkin did to his victims.

The official inquest ruling that Cindy James' death be listed as 'Undetermined,' was the right call regardless of which side you fall on. After two months of testimony from doctors, psychiatrists, drug experts, knot specialists, police detectives, family, friends, etc., it could NOT be conclusively proven that Cindy died of her own hand.

The last 6 1/2 years of Cindy's life was a HUGE story in the media in western Canada. It was featured on multiple other shows and had two books written about it. So I understand why Unsolved Mysteries decided to broadcast the case. And remember, Lifetime cut out the entire part of the segment where the inquest is mentioned and the possibility of Cindy having multiple personality disorder. But Cindy's father, gruff as he was, brought up a valid point; a disease where the person has no control over when the other personality takes over, there were too many instances and too many family and friends that would have noticed the change, for which they did not.

I lean more to her being behind her torment. Although there are multiple instances (that I've listed before) where I don't know how she pulled it off. Neal Hall's book really is a great read. Even if you're fully convinced she was behind everything, the details of every incident and every call to police shows how much this would have consumed every minute of her life. And it's truly disturbing.

For instance; on multiple occasions, the garden in her front yard (which she took pride in maintaining) was vandalized with dead cats being placed in and around her yard. It was determined that some cats were strangled but another cat had been hit by a car. So for Cindy to stage this, it would have required her intentionally running a cat over or searching her neighborhood for roadkill to bring home. It's just....really disturbing.

2) The taboo of mental illness being even more of a thing in UM's original heyday.

It's still taboo today .


At least when it comes to the western world, I tend to disagree.

Younger people almost seem to revel in bringing up their mental illnesses, much along the same lines as they do if part of the LGBTQ2+ community. I'm not comparing the two things, of course; only the similarity in which some people can't stop talking about these aspects of themselves. Granted, there are so many types of mental illness, and I am in no way diminishing anyone who suffers. It just feels like we never get a break from hearing about it. Over the last couple of years, I've heard the phrase "anxiety and depression" enough to last a thousand lifetimes. No exaggeration, I hear this phrase multiple times a day. It's overused, and often feels like a flavor of the decade excuse by some people for not following through on simple day-to-day responsibilities.

None of this is pointed at the ones who truly do suffer. If someone actually does have to deal with mental health issues, then I will try my best to be understanding. Many times, however, it has felt like a put-on, and nobody else is allowed to come against it. Hmm, convenient. It's the fibromyalgia of the 2020's!

I'm certainly not referring to people in the throes of paranoid schizophrenia or anything along those severe lines. That's a completely different ballgame, and I have nothing but sympathy for these people and their families and friends.

The official inquest ruling that Cindy James' death be listed as 'Undetermined,' was the right call regardless of which side you fall on. After two months of testimony from doctors, psychiatrists, drug experts, knot specialists, police detectives, family, friends, etc., it could NOT be conclusively proven that Cindy died of her own hand.

The last 6 1/2 years of Cindy's life was a HUGE story in the media in western Canada. It was featured on multiple other shows and had two books written about it. So I understand why Unsolved Mysteries decided to broadcast the case. And remember, Lifetime cut out the entire part of the segment where the inquest is mentioned and the possibility of Cindy having multiple personality disorder. But Cindy's father, gruff as he was, brought up a valid point; a disease where the person has no control over when the other personality takes over, there were too many instances and too many family and friends that would have noticed the change, for which they did not.

I lean more to her being behind her torment. Although there are multiple instances (that I've listed before) where I don't know how she pulled it off. Neal Hall's book really is a great read. Even if you're fully convinced she was behind everything, the details of every incident and every call to police shows how much this would have consumed every minute of her life. And it's truly disturbing.

For instance; on multiple occasions, the garden in her front yard (which she took pride in maintaining) was vandalized with dead cats being placed in and around her yard. It was determined that some cats were strangled but another cat had been hit by a car. So for Cindy to stage this, it would have required her intentionally running a cat over or searching her neighborhood for roadkill to bring home. It's just....really disturbing.

I honestly don't believe she was behind every incident. I think she may have staged a few when she thought no one believed her, but the lengths she would have to have gone through to do all these? I've never bought it.

And furthermore, its not as if there were no suspects, a couple of her exes including former husband Roy and the police officer Pat were both caught near her house under suspicious circumstances. And Cindy's dad did see a man near the fire incident who ran off when he said to call the police. Granted, that's not proof he was involved but it does raise some questions.

But most of all, it was Cindy's death that was suspicious. The coroner determined she'd been dead two weeks. Supposedly, the yard of the abandoned house where she was found though a very eerie setting was not isolated and was a in plain view of the road and near a residential and commercial area. I doubt her body was there for two weeks and no one noticed it. Furthermore there was nothing at the site as far as needles or anything else that could have administered the drugs into her system. So it makes it highly unlikely she died there, far more likely she was placed there which would make it almost certainly murder.

But with two suspects Roy who being a doctor would have known how to administered the drugs that killed her, and the police officer Pat who would have been aware of police surveillance, and both of whom were caught near her house, there is at least some doubt with two guys who had the means to pull this off.

At least when it comes to the western world, I tend to disagree.

Younger people almost seem to revel in bringing up their mental illnesses, much along the same lines as they do if part of the LGBTQ2+ community. I'm not comparing the two things, of course; only the similarity in which some people can't stop talking about these aspects of themselves. Granted, there are so many types of mental illness, and I am in no way diminishing anyone who suffers. It just feels like we never get a break from hearing about it. Over the last couple of years, I've heard the phrase "anxiety and depression" enough to last a thousand lifetimes. No exaggeration, I hear this phrase multiple times a day. It's overused, and often feels like a flavor of the decade excuse by some people for not following through on simple day-to-day responsibilities.

None of this is pointed at the ones who truly do suffer. If someone actually does have to deal with mental health issues, then I will try my best to be understanding. Many times, however, it has felt like a put-on, and nobody else is allowed to come against it. Hmm, convenient. It's the fibromyalgia of the 2020's!

I'm certainly not referring to people in the throes of paranoid schizophrenia or anything along those severe lines. That's a completely different ballgame, and I have nothing but sympathy for these people and their families and friends.

Off topic, another flavor of the decade is "narcissist". Especially if you look on Reddit. Every parent that you didn't get along with is a narcissist. Every husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, co-worker, family member, is a narcissist. They all can't be narcissists.

At least when it comes to the western world, I tend to disagree.

Younger people almost seem to revel in bringing up their mental illnesses, much along the same lines as they do if part of the LGBTQ2+ community. I'm not comparing the two things, of course; only the similarity in which some people can't stop talking about these aspects of themselves. Granted, there are so many types of mental illness, and I am in no way diminishing anyone who suffers. It just feels like we never get a break from hearing about it. Over the last couple of years, I've heard the phrase "anxiety and depression" enough to last a thousand lifetimes. No exaggeration, I hear this phrase multiple times a day. It's overused, and often feels like a flavor of the decade excuse by some people for not following through on simple day-to-day responsibilities.

None of this is pointed at the ones who truly do suffer. If someone actually does have to deal with mental health issues, then I will try my best to be understanding. Many times, however, it has felt like a put-on, and nobody else is allowed to come against it. Hmm, convenient. It's the fibromyalgia of the 2020's!



I see where you're coming from. I don't really use social media, but have heard that younger people in particular often speak more openly about mental illness. I do think, however, there is still stigma and a lot of people feel shame to admit to their suffering and are worried about backlash (particularly employees worrying about their employers knowing or for fear of their friends/family judging them, etc.).

And I totally understand that you're not knocking anyone who is truly suffering. There is a lot of performative behavior online where it seems like people are trying to get attention for anything and everything, and that doesn't just include claiming illness, it covers a wide range of topics. I miss the days without social media a lot.

It just feels like we never get a break from hearing about it. Over the last couple of years, I've heard the phrase "anxiety and depression" enough to last a thousand lifetimes. No exaggeration, I hear this phrase multiple times a day.

Heh. Back in 2013, a year before my dad died, he told me about a visit to the pharmacy. He was buddies with the pharmacist and one day while waiting for a script to be filled, Dad asked him which drugs he filled the most. The top three were blood pressure meds, anti-depressants, and opiates. I believe it.

Sadly all the anxiety might be from society in general. I was 21 in 2001 and the two biggest events of that era that killed our sense of safety, imo, was Columbine and 9/11. After the togetherness of 9/11 wore off we started to fear each other and life in general. It hasn’t gotten better. Being in constant fight or flight mode is wearing us down and making us sick.

I see where you're coming from. I don't really use social media, but have heard that younger people in particular often speak more openly about mental illness. I do think, however, there is still stigma and a lot of people feel shame to admit to their suffering and are worried about backlash (particularly employees worrying about their employers knowing or for fear of their friends/family judging them, etc.).

The stigma of mental illness is very much alive and well. It has become a blanket term covering odd or criminal behavior so if you are diagnosed with something, anything, you might as well be Jeffrey Dahmer. “Addiction” is also a very dirty word and interchangeable with “junkie.” I have encountered people, even doctors (!!!), who judge very harshly.

Diane Harlin died accidentally when a dog leash wrapped around her neck and strangled her.

Hugh Harlin decided that he was addicted to marijuana, needed to stop, and wanted to live a new life. He up and left.

I see where you're coming from. I don't really use social media, but have heard that younger people in particular often speak more openly about mental illness. I do think, however, there is still stigma and a lot of people feel shame to admit to their suffering and are worried about backlash (particularly employees worrying about their employers knowing or for fear of their friends/family judging them, etc.).

And I totally understand that you're not knocking anyone who is truly suffering. There is a lot of performative behavior online where it seems like people are trying to get attention for anything and everything, and that doesn't just include claiming illness, it covers a wide range of topics. I miss the days without social media a lot.



my opinion based on my own observation and reading. human behavior is the same as before, for example we have the same characters, I.E. good, bad, and everything in between as we all saw on UM. but our style of communication has evolved exponentially during our generation. again as seen on UM as we see as a bygone era now with the call in center. hell that basically aged out during the tenure of the show.

we've become more dependent on digital relationships to communicate and that has increased our social anxiety causing us to avoid relationships which in turn leads to depression.

As a parent I think it is more confusing for my young adult children and they suffer a lot more than I did because it was different for me growing up without this technology that we have now. I would also add that my kids got locked down in our house for a year and couldn't leave due to Covid. that really did a number on them. it caused my eldest child to drop out of college and has taken a long time to recover. my youngest child is doing the best which kind of makes sense to me because she is the most resilient child that I have, but she was still relatively young during covid and was able to come out stronger than before.

I can't say which event had more of an impact on me 9/11 or covid. they were both awful for different reasons. Covid hurt my own family a lot more. whereas 9/11 sort of stole my innocence. I was 18 when 9/11 happened and shortly after I decided to go into the service. during covid I was still in the service and I became very upset by the way people handled their leadership roles and that was the beginning of the end for me in regards to my decision to retire.

I do not believe any of the "unexplained death" segments were murders. I will hedge this and say that I might not be remembering some, but those that come to mind were all suicides or accidents.