What stories should be featured on Unsolved Mysteries?

[Dandy]

After reading the above post about Little Miss 1565, I found THE CIRCUS FIRE at the library. I understand that the story of Little Miss 1565 is interesting but there is another mystery connected to the fire that I have never heard discussed. Raymond Erickson was taken to a hospital by his uncle, who thought the 6 year old was dying and asked a priest to give him the last rites. Then the uncle went to check on other family members and was himself hospitalized because of injuries. When the family tried to locate Raymond, the hospital had no record of him. They never found him or his body....his shoes were located at the hospital and identified but nothing else. Probably he died and was wrongly identified by another family but nothing is certain. I'm surprised this story hasn't attracted more attention. Wish Unsolved Mysteries would take it on.

[FanfromES]

These are the ones that i want to see "UMied" the most, (dont know if some of them had been showed already):

1. JonBenet Ramsey.
2. Green River Killer. Gary Ridgway did it alone?
3. Zodiac
4. Robert Stack's secret for eternal life

[Kane]

Originally posted by FanfromES
These are the ones that i want to see "UMied" the most, (dont know if some of them had been showed already):

1. JonBenet Ramsey.
2. Green River Killer. Gary Ridgway did it alone?
3. Zodiac
4. Robert Stack's secret for eternal life

Actually, UM aired a segment about JonBenet Ramsey in January of 1997 (just one month after the murder took place). But to my knowledge, it has never been rerun on Lifetime.

A segment on the Green River Killer aired in February of 1996. It had an interview with a man who believed that his deceased stepbrother (or half-brother) may have been the killer. However, the name of Gary Ridgeway was unheard of to the public until his arrest in December of 2001. Nevertheless, generally speaking, there has always been speculation of more than one Green River Killer. (Ridgeway is slated to go on trial next year.)

In September of 1996, UM aired a segment about the Zodiac murders. The story dealt with arguments as to whether or not it was possible for Ted Kaczynski (aka the Unabomber) to have been the Zodiac killer as well.

Maybe they could do a segment on your fourth suggestion.

[Or So It Seems]

I'd like to see a segment on the 2 female hikers who were murdered at their campsite on the Appalachian Trail about 10 years ago. I think this case was profiled on AMW but it's tailor made for Unsolved. It's a very brutal case with no motive and no suspects. I can't believe they haven't used it yet.

[Rieder]

An episode could be dedicated to three unsolved serial murder cases. It could include the Zodiac Killer, the BTK strangler and the Capital City murders.

The segment dedicated to the Zodiac Killer could investigate the connection between the Zodiac's seven acknowledged murders in northern California and the Riverside connection. Several academics and law enforcement personnel believe the Riverside connection referring to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates was committed by a different person. An investigation of the possibility that Harvard graduate and UCLA Maths Professor Theodore Kaczynski is the Zodiac.

The BTK strangler bound, tortured and murdered 7 people in Wichita, Kansas between 1974 and 1979. After two decades of no success in solving the crimes, the Violent Crimes Institute was asked to create a profile of the strangler to further the investigation in 2000. It was believed the strangler was a white male in his late 20s, resided near one of the victims, quiet, conservative and highly intelligent.

The Capital City murders refers to the abduction and murder of eight young women who attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison between 1968 and 1984. All the victims were young, wore their hair long with a part in the centre and were found within a short distance of Madison. In 1984 Henry Lee Lucas confessed to several of the murders, but later recanted the confessions. Several original investigators believed that Lucas was responsible for some of the murders.

[Awsi Dooger]

http://www.zodiackiller.com/

That message board, in particular, is frequented by some absolute Zodiac zealots with every imaginable thesis. The host of the site posts himself, and is extremely hostile and condemning if he disagrees with the poster, or merely if he thinks the poster has committed the felonious act of not scrutinizing every square inch of his website.

I don't buy the Zodiac/Riverside connection, but I do believe he was responsible for the bizarre car ride given to Kathleen Johns that ended with her escape and the burning of her car. Also, the confirmed number of Zodiac killings is less than 7, since several of his victims survived.

[Rieder]

Awsi Dooger,

You are correct, The Zodiac Killer murdered five and injured two people.

An analysis of the 1966 Riverside murder undermines the understanding that the Zodiac Killer began his murderous odyssey in Riverside. Professor Michael Kelleher argued in his book, "This is the Zodiac Speaking": into the mind of a serial killer (2002) the murder of Cheri Jo Bates was not committed by the Zodiac Killer. Hand writing analysis and the writing style of the writer who sent the "The Confession letter" in November 1966 was different to the letters written by the Zodiac Killer in the late 1960s and 1970s. Footprints found at the Lake Berryessa crime scene were made by size 10.5 shoe compared to the largest estimation size 10 shoe at Riverside. The pair of gloves found in Paul Stine's taxi cab were extra large suggesting large hands and large wrists. The Timex watch found at Riveside had a band measuring 7 inches and would have been worn by a slender man or woman and undermines witness descriptions that the Zodiac was a heavier man. Kelleher believes a former boyfriend was responsible for the murder of Bates.

[Allierain]

If there are any new UM episodes made, I'd love to see them profile America's Unknown Child. That is, the boy in the box.

He was a young boy, between the ages of 4 and 6, discovered deceased in a cardboard box in 1957. He was nude and wrapped in a large, cheap blanket. To this day he has never been identified. The child was apparently malnourished and had been severely abused. They put posters up all over the place and even dressed his body for viewing so families who had missing children could view him and possibly identify him. But nobody claimed him. One investigator from the medical examiner's office traced a substantial amount of evidence to a foster family. That foster family had several children and used cut-up blankets for sleeping under. The blanket the boy was found in had also been cut in half. But the foster family was investigated and apparently cleared. There were many more leads but they went nowhere.

I am not sure why but I have always been facinated with this story. It might be because this poor child has never been indentified. He deserves an identity. The case is very interesting and you can read more about it here:

http://americasunknownchild.net/

I should warn you that there are some disturbing pictures at this site. The picture of the child on the main page isn't an original post-mortem photograph, but actually a sketch of what the child might have looked like while he was still alive. Nevertheless there are some other post-mortem photographs on the site, so be careful if that sort of thing disturbs you. The pictures aren't bad in my opinion but I am just warning you ahead of time.

[Silver Dark]

I'd like to see them study the unexplained, brilliant maps of most of the Earth's oceans that are dated at about 6,000 B.C., the Mary Celeste, the phenomena of timedoors, one on Kaspar Hauser, and companion episodes to the stories in the new book coming out about the 1,000+ disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle in the last 25 years. For starters, those.

[Suzie2]

The cold, unsolved murder of Valerie Percy would be a great story to view or discuss, even if it's over 30+ years old. She was the daughter of former Sen. Charles Percy....ILL.
She was murdered on Sept. 18.1966. There is hardly any information on this case. There were several suspects, but one stuck out more than any other. His name was Frederick "Freddie" Malchow. Malchow escaped from a jail in Pottsville, PA. and jumped to his death in the Schuylkill River. When they recovered his body, he still had a handcuff on one arm.
I belong to a MB : Crime & Justice, we have set up a new forum just for Valerie Percy. We have had the pleasure of having Mr. Malchow's son post on this case.
I would like to discuss this case with anyone that may be interested or please visit and see all the posts concerning this murder @ http://pub165.ezboard.com/bcrimeandjustice13552
Thanks for your time and consideration in reading this post of request.
Regards,

[Allierain]

Originally posted by Silver Dark
I'd like to see them study the unexplained, brilliant maps of most of the Earth's oceans that are dated at about 6,000 B.C., the Mary Celeste, the phenomena of timedoors, one on Kaspar Hauser, and companion episodes to the stories in the new book coming out about the 1,000+ disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle in the last 25 years. For starters, those.

The Mary Celeste....I remember that case. Did you know they broadcast it several years ago? I don't know what further investigation could be done.

http://www.occultopedia.com/m/mary_celeste.htm

I found that website with details about the story, and one link to an article which claims the mystery has been solved!!!

[Silver Dark]

I'd heard of an explanation for the Mary Celeste, but there was one major error that was unaccounted for and unexplained. The box containing the ship's compass was smashed and the compass itself broken. Not even getting tossed by serve gales could've caused that, in my experience of viewing ships at sea. Why was the box smashed?

Lol...that, and the navigation log was missing along with the instruments. Instruments being in the lifeboat, okay. The log as well?

But this isn't about M.C. It's good that they did one on it. Others I'd include, next, would be the tale of the haunted Crystal Skull (go ahead, try explaining it), the Tunguska Siberian explosion, the story of Joan Norkot (i.e. the bleeding corpse), and the story of Oak Island.

I'm a believer in coupling a single story of the totally unexplained with crimes that can be solved. Keeps both the atmosphere of the uncanny and the impact for justice that UM's had.

[FanfromES]

Some of the crystal skulls were found in Honduras and Belice, im from Central America so i was a little concerned with that mystery.

Theres indeed some explanation: studies done in the early 90s by the Smithsonian Institute revealed that they were crafted in Germany at the end of the 19th century, the most of them were purchased in Mexico by persons who later declared finding them in strange places like Mayan ruins. WIth time a lot of so called experts claiming that the skulls had all kind of magical and strange powers, building the legend.

There something that i have noticed with this kind of mysteries: if theres a rational explanation for it, media never show it!

[Zero]

I doubt there will be any new episdes of UM for a while, but if the chance ever came up I would like to see them do a story on Michael Negrete.

He was an 18 year old college student at UCLA whom after talking with a friend at 4 am, walked out of the building for some unknown reason and vanished. Dogs tracked his scent to a bus stop across the field but that's where they ended. He left with no shoes, no change of clothes. Left his wallet, key, and money behind. He took nothing. As if he knew he was going to be right back...

What I find strange is how a year or so after he disappeared, apparently one of the students who had been previously interviewed gave police a sketch of a strange older man seen wandering around the building. I wonder why it took over a year for this person to come forward. This story kind of intrests me because he's the same age as me and just simply vanished.

You can read more about this case by visitng the website.

Also, there was a case of this unknown man who was found dead inside a large bag. They were unable to draw a composite or anything. The only way someone could identify him is by a tatoo he had. It's been a few years and I detectives are still searching for answers. If I find a link I'll post it on here.

[Silver Dark]

Originally posted by FanfromES
Some of the crystal skulls were found in Honduras and Belice, im from Central America so i was a little concerned with that mystery.

Theres indeed some explanation: studies done in the early 90s by the Smithsonian Institute revealed that they were crafted in Germany at the end of the 19th century, the most of them were purchased in Mexico by persons who later declared finding them in strange places like Mayan ruins. WIth time a lot of so called experts claiming that the skulls had all kind of magical and strange powers, building the legend.

There something that i have noticed with this kind of mysteries: if theres a rational explanation for it, media never show it!

Well, I've read books on the particular Crystal Skull in question, which made sure to marshall a large amount of facts on the case, and it is a strange story indeed. People/night guards have heard screams coming from the general direction of the thing, the thing glowing a luminescent white color from inside at night....a lot of "creepiness." My suggestion is for them to be returned to their proper site in the Mayan temples, but hey that's me.