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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Buckykattlove on 2024-01-24 06:11:53+00:00.

This is my first write-up. I am hoping to add at least some of the children and youths from the Charley Project that don't have any write-ups on reddit.

Hickle Harley Ware (nicknamed Punky) was the third son of Richard Sr (chief of police) and Lois Ware. He and his family resided in Bungo Township, Minnesota. He was four years old when he went missing on June 11, 1938. On that day he had followed his two older brothers Richard Jr (13) and Bob (10) when they went out to the meadow. They told him to stay put while they gathered some stray cows. The boys said they had only been gone a few minutes, but when they had returned Hickle was gone.

This was not the first time that Hickle had wandered off, but in the past he had always been found after a brief period of time, sometimes fast asleep by a building. His parents searched all afternoon but when they couldn't find him, they called in the sheriff at 6 a.m. the next day. At least 1,500 people searched the thick woods and swamp for about a week, for the boy. Some of these people included the national guardsman and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Search dogs and an airplane were even brought in. The Brainerd Dispatch called it "the greatest manhunt ever staged in northern Minnesota." Unfortunately it rained on June 13th, washing away potential clues to Hickle's whereabouts.

Some of the searchers claimed to have heard a "faint pitiful cry like that of a child" at one point and to have found fresh bear tracks. Others reported fresh tracks (presumably human), however this was later reported to be erroneous. The sheriff believed that Hickle probably died the same day that he had disappeared. Despite this, Richard Sr held out hope that he was still alive. The article is rather confusing about Lois however -- first claiming that she too believed her son to be dead but later reporting that she held out hope he would return because he knew the woods well and knew to drink fresh water and to eat berries to keep up his strength.

As often happens when a child goes missing, rumors started circling that the Hickle had been kidnapped. A neighbor reported seeing two strange men in the immediate vicinity. A famer claimed to see a truck the day Hickle went missing with a little boy crying in it. Letters from "spiritualists" and "cranks" poured in. A fortune teller even claimed that Hickle was living deep in the swamp with a hermit. The hermit, it was claimed, had found Hickle wandering around, but without communication with the outside world, he was just waiting for someone to come claim Hickle. (It would seem that the hermit hadn't thought to go to the police in this scenario.) Interestingly, a man was found living in the area described, but law enforcement didn't find Hickle. A rumor claimed that Hickle had been buried in the concrete under a barn that had been built shortly after his disappearance. Even his family was not safe from any pointing fingers.

However, law enforcement largely dismissed the kidnapping theory. The meadow where Hickle went missing was not easily accessible to outsiders, and how would anyone know that he was going to be there alone at just that day and time? The Brainerd Dispatch does include an event that occured two years before Hickle's disappearance. The Young family visited the same field from where Hickle later disappeared one afternoon and happened to eat poisonous mushrooms resulting in the death of five of the family members. However, the newspaper article posits that this is likely a coincidence and had nothing to do with Hickle's disappearance.

Hickle's father was shot in the line of duty when he was 51 in 1953. Lois later remarried and died in 1983. All four of Hickle's siblings are dead. However, his niece Connie -- the daughter of his sister Arlone -- was still alive as of 2022 and hopes to find answers in his case, though she is certain that he is dead. (I inferred this to mean that she hopes his remains would be found.)

Hickle is not listed in NAmus, NCMEC, or the doenetwork, but he is listed on the Charley Project. I am 100% certain that Hickle wandered off and died, either from exposure or an animal attack. It is possible that he even ate some poisonous mushrooms before wandering off and died from that. Neither the Charleyproject, nor the Brainerd Dispatch mentioned anything about his siblings leaving DNA samples, so, unfortunately, even if his remains have been or may be found, I don't see his case ever being officially solved. What are your thoughts?

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/TheBonesOfAutumn on 2024-01-24 03:15:14+00:00.

Original Title: In March 1974, the body of 32-year-old, mother of six, Margaret “Peggy” Hinkle was found a short distance from her Lake County, Indiana home. After being beaten and sexually assaulted, Peggy’s attacker ended her life with two merciless shots to the head. Her case remains unsolved.

On the evening of March 4, 1974, at approximately 7pm, Margaret "Peggy" Hinkle, a 32-year-old mother of six, departed from her Gary, Indiana home to attend a Girl Scout Leaders meeting at the local library. By 10:30pm, Peggy's husband, 34-year-old Raleigh Hinkle, and their children had settled in for the night, but when Raleigh woke at 2 am, Peggy's lingering absence sent a wave of unease through him. Unable to shake the worry, he set out in search of his wife.

After searching the library, Peggy’s friends' and family’s houses, and gas stations to no avail, Raleigh returned home. As he sat waiting for his wife to return, he clung to the faint hope that there was a simple explanation for Peggy’s absence; a flat tire, a friend who needed help, or some other unforeseen emergency.

Raleigh was unaware that just hours before, at 1:30am, two passing motorists had stumbled upon a woman’s body at the corner of 25th and Wright, located just a short distance from the Hinkle’s King Street home. The woman was found lying facedown on the ground, just nine feet away from a van caked in mud. A check of the vehicle revealed an address and name; Hinkle.

Hope's fragile flame was snuffed out just before 6 am by the sharp rap of knuckles against the Hinkle's door. Gary police officers delivered the devastating news; A woman's body found nearby, had been loosely identified as Peggy. At the scene, Raleigh confirmed the investigators' suspicions.

An autopsy determined Peggy had been sexually assaulted and shot twice in the back of the head with a .38 caliber weapon. A single bullet was recovered from her body, found lodged in her skull. Powder burns found on her head and neck indicated that the weapon had been fired at a distance of less than three feet away. Extensive bruising found on her upper body, and damage sustained to her hands testified to a violent struggle, one Peggy fought bravely to the end.

Peggy's green colored van sat mired in mud at the corner of 25th Avenue and Wright Street, a secluded lane framed by woods that abruptly ends at a billboard overlooking I-80. The van’s keys were found in the ignition, however Peggy’s wallet was missing. Investigators were able to recover a set of unidentified fingerprints from the van’s interior. Also collected from the scene was a single .38 caliber bullet, found embedded in the ground beneath where Peggy’s body had laid.

Detectives attempted to piece together Peggy's last known steps. They learned she had attended the Girl Scout meeting as planned, which concluded at 10pm. Afterwards, Peggy grabbed a late-night snack at the 29th and Burr hot dog stand between 10:30 and 11pm. Beyond that her movements are uncertain, however a check of police reports for that evening showed that at 1am, a resident living near the crime scene had reported hearing seven gunshots.

Days after her murder, Peggy’s missing wallet resurfaced in downtown Gary. Found by a passerby, the wallet still contained her identification and the money inside sat untouched, however, family photos that Peggy carried in the wallet were missing.

Several potential suspects were questioned in the weeks following Peggy’s murder, however fingerprint comparisons ultimately excluded them. Raleigh was also questioned, however he was quickly excluded as a suspect as well. A reward of more than 2,300 dollars was offered for information about Peggy’s case, but sadly, the few tips investigators received resulted in no arrests.

Peggy was laid to rest in Lake County, Indiana’s Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Her husband, Raleigh, passed away in 2017 at the age of 78. Two of her children, and both of Peggy’s parents have also since passed away.

Over the years Peggy’s remaining loved ones have continued to pursue answers about her murder. Despite their relentless efforts, they have faced numerous setbacks. Peggy’s daughter, Teresa, received word of a confession from a St. Louis inmate in 1999, however the confession was later deemed false. This was followed by a crushing blow in 2008. Teresa learned that an array of evidence from old cold cases that had been deemed "unsolvable," had been discarded, leaving her with only a two page police report and autopsy from her mothers case. However, in 2009, a journalist's persistence led to the rediscovery of crucial evidence; crime scene photos and copies of the unidentified fingerprints found in Peggy’s van. Sadly, this glimmer of hope ultimately faded, as no new leads emerged.

The murder of Margaret “Peggy” Hinkle remains unsolved.

Sources

Photos/Map/death certificate/Newspaper clippings

Find a Grave: Peggy

Raleigh Obit

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/NorthStarProject on 2024-01-24 02:52:51+00:00.

Hi, my alias is Friendly, I reside in Anchorage Alaska. This was a case covered by a Field Analyst and friend of the North Star Project. I have no idea why AKST or any officials have not updated the information, as this was discovered in August two years ago... But here's an overview of what we've found and what a Field Analyst wrote while he was out there, thank you bridger for risking so much for this:

Crow Pass, Missing Person: Case Report

-FA, "Maketa". N.S.P. (North Star Project)

Background:

A 74-year-old Gary Fisk, Departed on the Crows' pass hike from Girdwood to Eagle river on September 21st, 2021. After a bout of Adverse weather, including snow and high winds, Fisk was never heard from again. Aircraft and mountain rescue crews were unable to locate Fisk or recover a Cadaver. This area is known for avalanches and Blizzards, as are most of the mountains surrounding the Mat-Su Valley during the winter and spring months.

Running theory:

AKST and Rescue crews were unable to locate Mr. Fisk, finding no signs and publishing minimum circumstances regarding his disappearance. However, heavy snowfall likely played a significant role. It was likely causing him to become lost or seek shelter in one of the many Abandoned mines in the area. Trained rescue crews often do not enter Dilapidated mines due to the risk of Poisonous gas, Cave-ins, and/or improperly disposed of ordinances. I and a local guide have Formed the hypothesis that Fisk departed Girdwood, and traveled an Undetermined distance. (will be estimated through interview with AKST) Mr. Fisk was unable to travel further or backtrack due to increasing weather severity, seeking shelter inside the lowest point near his position. Some period of time had passed and an avalanche/or snow had buried the trail or if sheltering in a mine entrance bracing may have failed to cause a cave-in. It is estimated Fisk is likely Deceased due to Exposure and/or starvation

Planned Field Investigation:

Beginning in August 2022, the Investigation will be conducted by Bridger Maketa, Assisted in the field by Nathaniel Caole. Time of departure/ weather conditions and Geological activity will be determined through interviews With AKST, NOAA, and/or Family Members, then be cross-referenced to determine the distance traveled. All Underground cavities in the area will be searched, for signs of Fisk, snow coverage, and/or Recent collapse within the past 2 years. If Mr. Fisk is Located and ID’d, measurements will be taken of Radiation, gas levels, signs of injury, and location. The outcome is to be forwarded to the family, And AKST.

Screenshot Of Location Of Discovery And Paths.

Investigation outcome:

Aug 18th, 2022: our party Departed Girdwood at 12 pm, traveling up the lower and upper trails. Multiple slide locations into thick unsearchable foliage were spotted, as well as one of two accessible mine entrances due to time constraints. There were many places to fall including a large canyon on the southern incline towards the summit, which all locations prior to the summit would make recovery unlikely/implausible. We also encountered record rainfall combined with 60mph+ as we crossed Beaver Glacier. After the descent time had degraded the trail causing us to lose it temporarily. We decided to make camp at the bottom of the valley behind the bluff for wind protection.

Aug 19th, 2022: upon departure, we were unable to progress on the lower valley, upon backtracking to enter the trail, we spotted an aluminum rod deep in the brush, No other items were seen. We Completed the first river crossing with ease, with the water just above our ankles. And continued down the trail, checking low areas where a lost person would be attracted towards. A footbridge over a canyon had damaged railing, if someone fell they would be likely non-recoverable, another location shortly after involved a slippery ledge over the canyon. Upon entering the bushwhacking section of the trail we were hindered by a cow and calf (female Moose with calf), refusing to exit the trail in front of us while traveling through tall grass and thick foliage. In 14 miles with an additional 4 in detours, we arrived upon the bank of Eagle River. We immediately noticed water levels were far higher than typical. Much of the trail to the fjord sight was immersed in ice-cold glacial water causing us to detour along the higher sections of the floodplain. Upon arrival at the fjord sight, we concluded Eagle River was uncrossable. Our choice was either 15 miles of steep muddy slopes followed by a treacherous mountain climb or to attempt to travel south to cross the headwaters of the lake. Upon choosing to travel the shorter path, the trail disappeared replaced by rough terrain and thick foliage. We continued for two miles until we were halfway around the lake. Upon then we found a piece of Grey pants on the ground, we were surprised someone had been there before us, however, 50 feet the terrain was completely impassible, down to the left in an indent, our search took an eventful turn, as we spotted a bright yellow backpack. A floral water bottle was attached outside, while a lighter lay on the ground 3 feet away. We searched the bag for ID, eventually identifying it as belonging to Gary Fisk. Being careful to not disturb evidence we left the bag and all other items in position. Noticeably the backpack had a foam pad yet no sleeping bag, and a bear canister (food storage canister) had teeth marks upon it, however, the yellow bag had not been opened upon discovery. We determined to visually search for a few more minutes, finding a turned-over tree with a can of bear spray, which had a bite taken out of it. 20 ft left from the pant leg.

Upon departure, we spotted tattered red fabric 50 feet above us on the canyon to our western side.

Photograph Of The Discovery Of Fisks' ID

Departure:

The weather quickly declined, resulting in many slips and falls upon our return. Water began flooding the valley, turning most trail sections into flowing streams and deep mud pits. We were determined to return to the summit cabin before dark, due to the danger of climbing at night, and our camping gear/fire-starting kits becoming waterlogged. We kept moving taking minimum breaks to stave off hypothermia making it 10 miles uphill before the first river crossing. Upon a short discussion, we knew our only way was across, as the record flood would continue for weeks. The river had risen to waist height, moving fast enough to send boulders crashing downstream. We found a fjord sight and barely crossed, due to a single trekking pole I became completely wet, and hypothermia quickly set in causing my legs to tense and losing my ability to move.

Aug 20th, 2022: We made an emergency camp, utilizing a bivy bag and wet gear. Mr Caole completed the last 2 miles to the cabin to call for help. I was inside the bivy bag unable to move for 12 hours until ANG Hilo arrived, being airlifted to Providence Anchorage with severe hypothermia.

August 21st, 2022: AKST and S&R crews traveled to the sight but were unable to find any remains or the clothing we found. Only recovering the backpack and bear spray

Deduction:

The location of Gary Fisk’s campsite is Miles ahead of where S&R crews suspected. From the evidence found the story is assumed to be, Gary departed on September 21st, 2021, and traveled down to the rear of the summit as the weather degraded, continuing downhill to avoid deep snow.

Upon reaching the river crossing a day behind in progress, and wet from slush and snow, Gary traveled quicker and lost the trail to the fjord sight and continued to travel south. The terrain was more and more difficult to pass before finally reaching the dead end beside the lake. Garry was fully hypothermic and had no choice but to make camp and attempt to start a fire, however, as evident from the lighter and attempted fire, he was unsuccessful due to either the loss of dexterity or the wetness of the area. It is unknown what happened after this, though it is possible that hypothermia led to the removal of his clothes. Upon hearing about the snowmachines used by S&R crews on the eastern lakeside. Gary either A: climbed up the Cliff to signal for help, Following death by exposure. Or B: Gary attempted to swim across the lake, and the 38-degree water immediately caused Cardiac arrest.

A second theory of the nature of presumed death is, Gary, being stalked by a bear and mauled/Buried. This theory is supported by the numerous black and brown bear populations in the nearby area, his Bear mace being located 50 feet away from the campsite, with multiple punctures to the can, indicative of large teeth. As well as the torn clothes. (as opposed to neatly removed which is more typical of hypothermia)

However, It is more likely a bear was attracted to the Capsacin and removed it from the bag to chew on, and there would have been one or more cadaver remnants from a bear mauling leaving the lack of a body improbable.

NOTE: Please know that we take this seriously and do not mean any of this information to be satire.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Haunting-Ganache199 on 2024-01-24 00:44:10+00:00.

Hello all! Hope everyone is good.

I decided to open a new post to get some updates on something covered before, but I was watching a video on Youtube and I discovered the artist San Damon. I am absolutely fascinated by the stories, the artist and the universe all around. He invented something called "Oniroscopy" and created his own virtual state (Grand Duché d'Oniroscopie). He is a big animal lover, so there is a big part of philosophy as well.

Strangely, around the year of 2019, he ended up on the Wikipedia of The Cecil Hotel page in French only mentioning a tragic accident to an underrage model (his muse) posing for naked pictures, the car stolen in Pass, and the loss of the pictures in a fire accident. We have no record of this girl nor the accidents, which makes the whole story a potential creepypasta. Even a French book related to The Cecil Hotel, written by Sonya Lwu, tried to grab information about this man, who seems famous and mysterious, but it is still very vague. From my searches, I see that Belgium is a country where a lot of persons, intellectuals, know him and appreciate his work. I have visited Belgium before and it's definitely their style. He's also super connected to Brezil. In Canada, there is a museum exposing his pictures. So, he seems legit and real.

However, the way these people talk about him makes me think it's scripted or staged. From pictures found online, he already organized some comferences and meetups.

His website looks like a mix between ARG and a portfolio. Eccentric, old-school and diary-like.

I also found another names that use the same kind of writings as seen on Wikipedia or his website: Galil Nerrant and Greg Brauner. Different persons or personalities? I don't know, but the ressemblance is odd to me.

San Damon doesn't sound French, but he sure is. Maybe it's a stage name like many others use? Well, at that point, we don't know his face, so gis real name is probably hidden too. The only personal information I found about him are his wife: Mad / Mélodie Damon. She is a linguist and that's all what we know. Where he is based is also confused, I found Japan, Australia, France, UK and Belgium. On The Cecil Hotel Wikipedia French page, it was mentioned that they returned in Europe, so Belgium or France are good. Mainwhile, his fictional world is in Australia from what I understood of reading the Geography section of his website... Plus, him and his wife have people living in this world. Their friends? As you can notice, there is always more to add!

When I find articles or paragraphs about him, it's quite the way of typings and always the same facts. I have the feeling it's done by the same person for auto-promo.

In 2021, a museum has been created. There is an address located in Nassau. It shows a mansion, the same as on his website. I thought it was his house, but it is a museum to show his work, I guess? His arts look photoshopped in the background of the different exposures... Is it possible to go there? What will we find?

Since he created his own state, we have the possibility to order an ID as a real country, but it's piece of art. That part is not weird to me, I was really enthusiastic about that. Very creative. But, it's not only that, there is a parfum! Does someone bought it?

I tried to send an email to his address, but I did not receive a reply yet... I doubt I will receive one.

I was full of questions and now I have many more. I don't really understand all what's going on with this, but I think there's much to dig. It's so interesting to investigate though!

Do anyone has searched about him, know or heard more than I? I would really appreciate it, and I'm sure I am not the only person interested by this case. I'm just wondering if anyone went to a conference or meetup, maybe even reached him or his team?

Thanks!

P.S.: I am sorry if it is messy to read or anything, but English is not my first language and I am so excited to share about it. I'm not a good writer, I'm more a tech-savvy.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Anxious_Biscuit on 2024-01-23 18:57:45+00:00.

By that, I mean what mysteries do you think will still be debated when solved, or will never be solved to complete satisfaction?

I was inspired in part by this post:

Jack the Ripper is an obvious one to me. Even if they get DNA and can conclusively say it matches someone, there wouldn't be a way to answer what the motive was, why these victims, and why the killings stopped.

I think Zodiac too. It's such a famous case that everyone has their own theories on who he was or why he killed (personally, I think he had direct motive for one murder and killed the rest of his victims to hide it). I think it's the kind of case people will argue about after it's solved, especially if Zodiac is dead.

JonBenét Ramsey is one that could be solved, but I think people would still have questions. If it turned out to be an intruder, people will still wonder if her family wrote the note or what the police should have done, or if there was abuse prior to her death.

What cases do you think will never be fully solved? What would you consider fully solved? I think solid proof (DNA evidence, confession, trophies) and ability to be prosecuted (if perpetrator is alive).

Jack the Ripper -

Zodiac -

JonBenét -

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/MillennialPolytropos on 2024-01-23 19:05:39+00:00.

Victor Penny was a radio enthusiast from Auckland, New Zealand. He was self-taught, but highly intelligent, and it’s clear that he had a good understanding of radio technology.

Things started to get weird in 1923, when Victor was messing around with some circuits and saw his box of matches burst into flame. He’d accidentally found a way to ignite the matches using electromagnetic radiation. Although it’s not clear what really happened, Victor apparently did believe he’d created some kind of destructive ray. It’s important to remember that in the ‘20s and ‘30s many people expected energy weapons to be developed in the very near future, so the idea would have seemed far more credible than it does now. Local media loved the story for obvious reasons.

On June 19th, 1935, Victor was seriously assaulted in his workshop. He blamed the attack on “foreign nationals”. He said they offered to buy his death ray plans, then started threatening him when he refused to sell. At the time of the attack Victor was reportedly being guarded by ex-military personnel because of these threats, but that night the guard had gone home sick. Despite significant police effort, the attacker was never caught and their motive remains unknown.

On July 1st, Victor was escorted from the hospital by police. No one knew where he was taken, he simply disappeared.

In March of 1936 a new government had been elected and the truth finally came out. The previous government had become convinced that Victor could build a death ray, hopefully something that could bring down aircraft. They secretly moved him to the Somes Island military base to work on this project, until the new government shut it down on the grounds that Victor’s work didn’t pass peer review. According to the Prime Minister, “a child could have seen there was nothing in it”.

Victor’s son, Evan, thought his father might actually have been working on radar with the death ray as a cover story. However, one of the soldiers who was stationed on Somes Island has said Victor built a machine that could burn holes in pieces of meat, but it wasn’t very impressive. It sounds like he was trying to build a death ray, so how exactly was this machine supposed to work?

Were foreign agents really after Victor’s plans? Clearly someone was out to get him, and the authorities took his claims seriously, but how much of the story should we believe?

Sources:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/KieranWriter on 2024-01-23 17:52:46+00:00.

Japan’s Goldilocks Killer

One of Japan’s most horrific UNSOLVED murders has been dubbed the Goldilocks Killings and involves the innocent slaughter of an entire family.Just over 24 years old - the case remains unsolved and elusive which has caused investigators to scratch their heads and left the Japanese public in a state of fear. The killings occurred on the 30th December 2001 and the bodies were discovered on New Year's Day 2001.

It gripped and horrified a prosperous Japan that was a year into a new century.

So, let’s delve into what we know about the Goldilocks Killings - The Setagaya family murder.Setagaya is one of the largest districts in Tokyo. It is a very suburban, tranquil and peaceful region. There are low crime rates and have never experienced something like this before.As suggested by the name, the killings consisted of a home invasion, where an intruder did not just murder the entire family, he also ate their food, used their toilet, used their bath and slept in their bed.

This is similar to the fabled Goldilocks, who overstayed her welcome in the bears’ house.

On the 30th December 2000, in Tokyo, Japan - Mikio Miyiyazawa and his wife Yasuko, alongside their two children, Niina and Rei were killed in their own home. The killer stabbed Mikio using a sashimi knife until his knife broke.Yasuko was stabbed in the chest and head, so brutally that her bones were on full display after her body was found.

It was Yasuko’s mother, who lived adjacent to the family, that found the bodies on that New Year’s Eve Morning. The body of Mikio was lying at the bottom of the stairs, drenched in blood. Once she got to the top of the stairs, she saw her granddaughter's dead body on top of her daughter.

Rei’s body was on the bunk bed in the other bedroom and he was the only victim who wasn’t stabbed - and instead, he was strangled. It seemed that Rei was killed first. Mikio may have put up a fight to save Rei, as suggested by the evidence.It was the murderer’s odd behaviour after the killing that led to the unfortunate moniker of the “Goldilocks Killer”.

The killer ate four small containers of ice cream and drank several bottles of tea (that belonged to the Miyazawa family). Unbelievably the killer surfed the internet (allegedly tried to buy theatre tickets) and some of the evidence suggests that the killer may have taken a long nap in the house.

He went to the toilet in the Miyazawa family home but didn’t flush and left the contents of his dinner for all to see. He walked blood through the entirety of the home, left behind an awful lot of DNA evidence and yet, still has not been caught.

The killer left a lot of evidence - such as the following:

Unflushed faeces.

Fingerprints.

Shoe Prints.

Blood and bloodstains.

A used sanitary napkin soaked in the killer’s blood.

The forensics were able to determine that the killer was 5 feet 6, slender, Type A Blood, Right-Handed and age ranged between 15 and 35 years old.

The killer may not have been Japanese based on the ancestry of the DNA, the shoe brand was not sold in Japan and strangely there were grains of sand left behind that originated from the USA (but also suggested originating in South Korea) - reports vary.Police believe that the killer entered through the second-floor bathroom and left the same way. Rei slept in the adjacent bedroom and may have been the first target.The Japanese police have had nearly a quarter of a million tips and leads from the Japanese public, but all investigations have thus far drawn a blank to this very day.

Mikio Miyazawa was forty-four years old. He worked for Interbrand, which was a London-based firm. He was based in Tokyo for work and was described as 'congenial' by his colleagues. Mikio was liked and well-respected. He worked an office job and seemed fairly affluent and middle-class.His wife Yasuko was also very similar in temperament. She was described as kind and compassionate. She was a teacher and spent a lot of her time with the couple's children who were eight and six years old.The youngest son Rei had a speech impediment, which caused a bit of stress for the family.

The family had lived in the area for 11 years, moving there in 1990. The area that they lived in was rapidly developing and was becoming busier.

The house itself shared a building split into two, the other house is where Yasuko's mother lived. with Yasuko's sister and brother. The houses were sufficiently split, which meant that nobody could have seen or heard the massacre on one side of the partition where Yasuko's mother lived. They were totally oblivious.

A week before the murder, Mikio had an altercation with a teenage gang. A witness who saw the confrontation said that the gang belonged to the Bosozoku - a Japanese Hell's Angels type gang.What could conceivably be the motive for such a disturbing case?

One of the strangest theories is the fact that the family patriarch Mikio was always squabbling with the skaters on the skatepark near their property - as mentioned, the gang were connected to a motorcycle gang and could have had more violent intent than Mikio first assumed. There is speculation that the killer was a disgruntled skateboarder.

Mikio was hacked off about the constant noise in his house coming from the teens and did not see eye to eye with the rebellious gang.

But there were other goings on before the murder.Before the killing, there were some local cats in the area (mostly strays) being tortured and killed. One cat was seen by a local with their tail hacked off. Other cats were dismembered. It may link to the depravity of the killings.

A strange car was seen on Christmas Day parked outside the family house.

Another man was spotted outside the Miyazawa family home wearing a skater-type outfit - this was just a day before the murders. And it may very well be linked to a man matching the same rough description. This man who purchased a sashimi knife from the local shopping area fit this description. It was the only one purchased on that day.

The killer was brazen, leaving behind a shoeprint, a fanny pack, a bucket hat and enough evidence to profile the look of the killer. As you can see, he dressed like a teenager. The shoes were Slazenger and not sold in Japan.

The killer may no longer be in Japan and could be in any other country including Europe and the USA. The killings have now become something of an urban legend in Japan and speculation has been frantic and wild - but not nearly precise enough.

In December 2015, true crime author Fumiya Ichihashi published a book on the case and alleged that the suspect called themselves R and was a former member of the South Korean military. The theory goes into the aforementioned dirt left behind (traced to the USA in origin but may be linked to a Korean province where "R" lived) and the fingerprints matching the suspect. However, this is inconsistent sensationalism that could be used purely to sell books.The Japanese Police had dedicated countless hours into this case, and still - we have no justice.The extended family of the Miyazawa Family and Yasuko’s bereaved mother may never get closure on this horrific case.And the killer’s arrogance and depravity will never face consequences.

The final ominous clue is the Jizo Statue not far from the scene.This is a Buddhist deity that protects children in the afterlife. The statue was found a mile from the murders and left (possibly) as a sign of guilt and remorse.

REFERENCES:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/coffebl19 on 2024-01-23 12:37:04+00:00.

Original Title: Police appeal for information for an unidentified man stuck by a train in Sydney more than 40 years ago. A fingerprint identified the man as possibly be Osvaldo Perez and had a South American appearance with tattoos. Who is this man? Tattoos and computer generated images available.

Police believe a tattoo of a woman holding a bouquet of flower and a computer generated image could help crack a 42-year-old cold case death in inner Sydney.

An unidentified man was hit by a train in between Stanmore and Newtown Station in then city's inner west just before 4:50pm on April 14, 1981.

**Sydney, Australia****

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

A fingerprint analyst in 2021 identified the man as possibly Osvaldo Perez, born on May 16, 1955.

That person was believed to be living in a boarding house on Normanby Street in Fairfield East, and working as a labourer or boilermaker. But this identity may have been an alias.

Cabramatta Police arrested the man on New Year's Day in 1981 for exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol, driving an unregistered or uninsured vehicle, and unlicensed driving.

No family or friend have came forward despite appeals by the police. It is believed this man may came from overseas and might have been an illegal immigrant hence him providing false details at the time when he was arrested.

• South American appearance with olive complexion and dark hair.
• about 176cm tall
• aged between 25 and 30 years.
• He spoke with an accent and was possibly linked to Fairfield's Romanian community.

Tattoos -

An image of a woman wearing a bikini and holding a bunch of flowers was tattooed on his left thigh, near an eye with the words "Eulrila" and "Stevios", which could be in Greek or Spanish.

He also had a rose tattooed on his left shoulder blade. 

Police are seeking advice from tattoo artists who worked in the 1980s about the origin of the tattoos.

ABCnews 17th jan 2024:

News 17th Jan 2024: https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/police-believe-tattoo-could-help-identify-man-struck-by-sydney-train-in-1981/news-story/f14ded4631a56f9b700d255af74f4e8a#:~:text=An%20unidentified%20man%2C%20believed%20to,man%20could%20not%20be%20identified.

9news 17th Jan 2024:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/txerin93 on 2024-01-23 01:26:50+00:00.

Original Title: December 13, 2020, Jason Landry seemingly vanished from San Marcos, Texas, whilst heading home for winter break. Despite numerous searches being held near the area of his last known location, Jason still has not been found. What happened to Jason, and where is he?

Introduction

Jason Landry was born on July 29, 1999, to parents Kent and Lisa Landry. Having 2 older siblings, Jessica and Kyle, Jason was known to be the outgoing and charismatic goofball of the family. From his early childhood to his adult years, Jason enjoyed cars, anything involving the outdoors, animals, and could always be counted on for 3 things—wearing silly socks, having a cookie cake every year for his birthday per tradition, and having a deep love for Swedish Fish candy. According to Jason’s mom, Lisa, “Jason had the best smile. He could get away with anything. He loved music, he played all sorts of instruments, and he gave the best hugs.”

Although having to grapple with the effects of Covid 19, Jason had just completed his first semester at Texas State University, and by all accounts, was eager and excited to get back to his hometown of Missouri City, Texas, to spend time with family over winter break. With his Nissan Altima packed with his belongings, Jason left his apartment around 10:55 pm on December 13th, ready to begin his destination home.

Timeline of Events

11:05-11:12 pm, Jason opens up his Waze application (a GPS navigation tool) and proceeds to drive on Highway 80, soon passing underneath Interstate 35 in San Marcos. He’ll continue driving along Highway 80 until he reaches Martindale, Texas, around 11:12 pm.

11:24-11:34 pm, Jason continues his drive, however, he closes the Waze app and opens Snapchat. This is also where the technological record of Jason ends.

12:30 am on December 14th, Jason’s car was found crashed and abandoned by a local volunteer firefighter on Salt Flat Road in Luling, Texas, a little over a 30 minute drive out of San Marcos. The car was still running, the headlights were on (the keys were in the ignition, to my knowledge this vehicle is not a push to start), but Jason himself was nowhere to be found. According to Jason’s parents, driving through Luling to get home was not uncommon, although at one point or another he missed his correct turn to get to I-10 Highway thus ending up on Salt Flat Road.

An hour or so after the vehicle is located, DPS officers then arrive on scene to survey the area. Assuming that this was a single car accident that occurred whilst possibly spinning out of control, the car is then towed and taken to an impound lot.

As the registered owner of the vehicle, Kent Landry gets a phone call from a DPS officer around 2 am, who informs him of the car accident and confirms that Jason is in fact, missing. Abruptly, Kent gets in his vehicle and begins the journey from Missouri City to the impound lot in Luling.

5:30 am, Kent arrives to the impound lot but wasn’t granted immediate access to Jason’s car, as the lot was closed at that time. Eventually, Kent was able to enter the lot and get inside Jason’s car through the unlocked drivers side door. (Passenger door was locked, I’m unsure about the 2 back doors). During his search, Kent found Jason’s cell phone wedged between the drivers seat and the middle console.

6:00-6:30 am, Kent arrives at the scene of the crash, finding Jason’s personal belongings scattered among the gravel dirt road. These belongings included Jason’s backpack (holding miscellaneous items such as his wallet, laptop, and a small amount of weed), a t-shirt, a pair of SpongeBob socks, shorts, slip on sandals, and his watch. I will mention here that these are the clothing items that Jason was apparently wearing when he left his apartment.

A hat, some toiletries, and Jason’s deceased pet beta fish were also found near the scene.

Investigation

Whilst examining Jason’s shorts, a small amount of blood is found near the waistband area, however, this is thought to have been caused by possibly Jason coming into contact with a barbed wire fence or part of the vehicle somehow after the crash. Later that morning, Jason is officially declared missing and search efforts begin.

December 18, 2020, the Department of Public Safety officially hands Jason’s case over to the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office.

In February of 2022, Caldwell County requested resources/investigative assistance from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit.

July of 2022, a man with a physical resemblance to Jason was found unconscious in the Bronx area of New York City. However, DNA testing confirmed that this man was not Jason.

In a recent December 2023 statement, Ken Paxton stated that the unit has dedicated hundreds of hours towards the case, has utilized all available resources, and has pursued any and all credible leads.

Since the day Jason disappeared to current, Jason’s family, volunteers, Texas Search and Rescue, and Texas EquuSearch have each taken part in searches totaling more than 30,000 acres. These searches include the manner of horseback, the use of cadaver dogs, helicopters, drones, and both water/drainage measures. Warrants have been issued (unsure for whom), and there have been multiple witness interviews. Nonetheless, all of this has seemingly been to no avail.

Conclusion

Despite not knowing the whereabouts of Jason, nor what exactly happened the night he disappeared, the determination that the Landry family continues to uphold hasn’t faltered. Numerous searches are organized and take place several times a year on/around Salt Flat Road. In person and virtual meetings are every so often held to remind people what the ultimate goal is—to find Jason and bring him home. From old family photos to Prayer Vigils, the findjasonlandry Facebook page is a great resource to stay updated and involved with the case.

At the time of his disappearance, Jason stood 6’1, weighed roughly 170 pounds, had light brown hair, and had acne facial scarring. If you have tips or any information you’d like to provide, please contact the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office at (512) 398-6777.

Sources

Austin American-Statesman

Texas Attorney General Update

KVUE News

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Nearby-Complaint on 2024-01-23 00:16:21+00:00.

Today, the genetic genealogy company Othram announced their identification of Jane Doe B-20, the final Jane Doe attached to the Green River Killer (following the recent identification of 15-year-old Lori Razpotnik last month). Her remains were discovered in 2003 at the bottom of a ravine in the Seattle suburb of Kent, Washington after her killer confessed to her murder and guided investigators to her resting place. Following an analysis of her bones, local anthropologists determined that Jane Doe's remains had lain in the ravine for anywhere between ten and thirty years, though her killer's series of confessions placed her death closer to the thirty year mark.

He did not know her name or any further information about who she was, only suggesting to investigators that the two met on Pacific South Highway shortly before her murder. She was of European descent, between sixteen and twenty-four years old, and had shoulder length light brown hair.

A DNA profile created from Jane Doe's bones received no hits on CODIS, the national DNA database, leading investigators to try and pursue genetic genealogy instead. However, her remains were so degraded that laboratories struggled to get a profile adequate for genealogical research.

In fall 2022, the King's County Sheriff's Office reached out to Othram, known for creating profiles off minuscule amounts of genetic material in hopes that they'd have more success. The scientific team at their lab successfully created a profile, and less than a year later, Jane Doe was tentatively identified as Tammie Liles, age sixteen. The young girl had disappeared from Seattle in the summer of 1983.

This news came as a shock to both investigators and Tammie's family (who have requested privacy), as her remains (apparently incomplete) were already found in Oregon and identified in the late 1980s. In 1988, Tammie was confirmed to be deceased after her dental records matched to those of a different young Jane Doe found near Portland in 1985. Her remains were alongside those of Angela Girdner, also sixteen.

The police strongly believed that the two were likely Green River Killer victims, though he reportedly denied involvement.

Angela's remains were identified in 2009. The two did not know each other and were from different states.

It is unknown how Tammie's remains ended up in two different areas.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/TheBonesOfAutumn on 2024-01-22 20:30:38+00:00.

Original Title: In the summer of 1945, 51-year-old Dorothy Steck was found beaten, strangled, robbed, and sexually assaulted in the backyard of her Indianapolis, Indiana home. Sadly, after giving a brief description of her attacker to police, she succumbed to her injuries. Her case remains unsolved.

On August 12th, 1945, 45-year-old Herman Steck returned home to his Indianapolis, Indiana residence after a long night at work. He anticipated the usual warm welcome from his wife, 51-year-old Dorothy Steck, but instead was met with an unsettling silence. Panic rising, he frantically searched the house for her. A faint moan, barely audible, drew him towards the backyard. There, he discovered Dorothy sprawled on the ground, partially clad and gravely injured.

As they waited for help to arrive, Herman listened closely as Dorothy, bruised, bloodied, and slipping in and out of consciousness, tried her best to piece together the nightmare that had unfolded in the couple’s backyard. From what Herman gathered, an unknown man had followed Dorothy into the alley behind the couples home after she departed from the trolley. Despite her quickened pace, the man caught up to Dorothy and attacked her from behind. After beating her in the head and face and strangling her, Dorothy’s attacker raped, and robbed her, then fled the scene.

At the hospital, Dorothy’s condition deteriorated rapidly. The attack had left her with a shattered jaw, a severe skull fracture, and numerous head and facial contusions and lacerations. Only able to nod yes or no to their questions, Dorothy described her attacker to detectives; a husky white man, approximately six feet tall and 160 lbs, dressed in a blue shirt and light colored pants. Sadly, Dorothy succumbed to her injuries only hours later.

Seven days later, a small group of children in search of their lost baseball discovered a discarded purse in the tall weeds near a set of railroad tracks. Inside, they found Dorothy’s identification, makeup, and other personal belongings, however the handbag contained no money. The purse was turned over to police.

As the investigation into Dorothy’s murder continued, detectives questioned several local individuals. Among them was a former patient of the county asylum, known for his erratic and violent past. Two days after the attack, the man was apprehended after a concerned citizen noticed his bloodstained jacket. The man was interrogated, but later released.

The last mention of Dorothy’s case I could find is in 1951. That year, Robert Austin Watts was executed for the murder and rape of an Indianapolis housewife. Prior to carrying out his sentence, he was questioned about several unsolved Indianapolis murders, including Dorothy’s. (Robert was a black man, and Dorothy had described her attacker as white, so I have no idea why he was questioned about Dorothy’s case.) Needless to say, no link between Robert and Dorothy was ever found.

Dorothy was laid to rest in Sheridan, Indiana’s Spencer Cemetery. Herman passed away in 1993, and their only son, William, died in 1985.

Dorothy’s case remains unsolved.

Sources

Photos/Picture of House as it currently stands/Death Certificate/Clippings

Find a Grave: Dorothy

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/walkingonfirex on 2024-01-22 19:37:37+00:00.

Since my write-up about the Poinsett County John Doe, I’ve been wanting to bring some attention to other cases of missing children in Arkansas. There are some cold cases being brought to the fold by Catherine Townsend’s Hell and Gone podcast, but these are typically murders. As a lifelong Arkansan, I did not know that we have so many missing people, but especially missing children. I’m not expecting to change the world, but I don’t want these kids forgotten. Anyway, I’m starting with a teenage girl, missing for nearly 18 years.

On November 18, 2006, 15-year-old April Dawn Andrews left her King Lane apartment in Pea Ridge, Arkansas. She told her mother that she was going to walk to the Pea Ridge Church of the Nazarene, which was just down the street, and giving away clothes. “Around 5 or 6 o’clock that evening, April’s mother, Tina, called the Pea Ridge Police Department and reported her daughter missing” (Jones). An eyewitness claimed that April had spoken to a man behind the wheel of a beat-up, brown truck, and then climbed into the passenger seat. The truck continued southbound and April has not been seen since.The first officer at the scene, Cerilla Doyle, went missing herself two years later. Her remains were discovered in May 2018 in Mason City, Iowa, over 500 miles away from Pea Ridge. Her death was ruled a suicide (though her family is skeptical), and you can read about her case here. Police believe that there is no connection between the deaths, but I’m not convinced one way or another.For three years, Pea Ridge officials classified April as an endangered runaway. After, the case was handed over to the Benton County Sheriff’s Department, but there have been no developments beyond an anonymous tip that investigators should look into a pond. They drained the pond in Little Flock in Benton County but found nothing.

April’s family was quite impoverished; she had five full siblings and five half-siblings, and her mother did not work. As April and several of her siblings had learning disabilities, the family relied on government assistance for the disabilities, and survivor benefits after her father passed away in 2004. Her family could not afford a phone and did not have a car. Due to her disability, April was shy and was often bullied at school, leading to poor attendance. Her functioning was on the level of that of a ten-year-old, so the Pea Ridge police’s theory that she’d run away due to her family’s poverty and fear of being a burden doesn’t hold much water. She did not have many friends, either. April’s older half-sister, Tonya, also disagrees. “She’s not the type of person who’s going to jump in a car with somebody she doesn’t know. She was shy and really timid around strangers.” Strangely, Tonya did not learn of her sister’s disappearance until a year later. She claims she was never told.

The eyewitness was one of April’s friends who also lived in the apartment complex. She was an eight-year-old girl and was able to describe the truck in detail. She and April had walked to a nearby Dollar General together. “They returned around noon or a little before, and each went to her own apartment. The friend was outside playing and saw April get into the brown truck. The witness gave a detailed description of the truck. It was an older model, brown, beat-up, full-size, single-cab pickup. The sheriff’s office checked the registrations on all vehicles in Benton County matching the description” (Jones).” Lt. Hunter Petray is the lead detective on the case currently and said about the truck, “There was one individual, who lived in the apartment complex,. An older male who had a brown truck similar to what the witness described in the report. We’ve narrowed the truck down.” He could not disclose any more details. Petray also said that there are many leads to follow. “It’s a low-rent apartment complex [with] a lot of turnover. There were a number of felons and a number of sex offenders who lived there.” Despite the investigation into the truck, LE is not completely certain that she did ever get into the truck.

I have no theories about what could have happened, but with poverty so common in the state overall, I don’t necessarily think that her mother had anything to do with the disappearance, as some have speculated. April’s sister, Tonya, was suspicious of one of April’s mother’s boyfriends, but Lt. Petray claims that he was not living in the area at the time of the abduction. I do have to wonder if April knew her kidnapper (if the eyewitness account is accurate; I’m not saying the little friend lied, but I am saying that eyewitnesses are not always reliable, and her being a child adds to that) since she was so shy and meek. I don’t see her talking to a stranger and willingly going with one. And with Pea Ridge only having a population of a little over 7,000, I do believe that it is possible. There have been some reported sightings of her in Northwest Arkansas, but nothing has ever come to fruition.Thank you so much for reading. I hope that one day we learn what happened to April. I unfortunately do not believe she is alive, but it’s not totally impossible.

Sources:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AutoModerator on 2024-01-22 12:00:22+00:00.

This is a weekly thread for off topic discussion. Talk about anything that interests you; what's going on in your world?. If you have any suggestions or observations about the sub let us know in this thread.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Actual_Study_5112 on 2024-01-21 21:48:49+00:00.

Original Title: 23-year-old Lucely "Lily" Aramburo disappeared from Miami, Florida on June 2, 2007 following an argument with her boyfriend. Did she leave her boyfriend's condo to end her life or run away? Or does someone know more than they're saying?

Lucely "Lily" Aramburo was born on November 16, 1983. Soon after, she and her parents moved to Miami, Florida, and her parents divorced. By the time of her disappearance, her father was no longer in the picture, and she did not have contact with him.

As a child, Lily attended Shenandoah Elementary, Riviera Day School in Coral Gables, and Ponce De Leon Middle School. She loved the outdoors, especially flowers. Throughout her life, she would pick flowers to cope with stress. She even starred in the Sabado Gigante Show for several seasons, a weekly Spanish-language variety show.

Life was going well until the summer of 1997, when Lily and her mom moved to Hollywood, Florida. This required Lily to change schools to Hollywood Hills High School, a change that would've been difficult for many teenagers. Though she attended this new school for her freshman year, she soon fell into the wrong crowd and started experimenting with drugs. Things got to the point where she would leave for days at a time, and her mother would search frantically for her night after night.

Around the same time, Lily was diagnosed with depression. Though the diagnosis provided answers, her life continued to spiral out of control. At age 16, she dropped out of high school and experimented with other drugs, such as ecstasy and ketamine.

Once these new drugs were introduced, things reached a new level of desperation. Lily met David Lamaso in 2003, after which they began to date. Once they moved in together, she increased her dependence on drugs, and her communication with her mother became sporadic. She also reportedly became angrier, and she was also diagnosed with Schizophrenia at this time.

In 2004, Lily and David met and befriended Christen Pacheco. Christen reportedly never did drugs before meeting Lily and David, but he soon became addicted to cocaine.

Drugs continued to dominate Lily's life until January 2006, when she became pregnant. Realizing she needed to provide for her baby, she got clean, obtained her GED, and even took Buddhism courses. While taking the courses, she met Janet Forte, who became her close friend and advocate, especially after her disappearance. She gave birth in September 2006 to a baby boy that she named Palden.

Things seemed to be looking up for Lily. Unfortunately, things began to go downhill again when Lily and David broke up in late 2006, at which point she and Christen began a relationship. She moved into his condo, and they even discussed marriage. However, many described their relationship as "troubled." The police were called on at least two separate occasions after they got into heated arguments, and Lily reportedly admitted to her mother that she was afraid of him. Even though there were never any arrests made during these altercations, police arrested Christen on drug-related charges several times after Lily's disappearance.

By 2007, Lily's life was once again spiraling out of control. Due to her and Christen's drug use and late-night parties, Child Protective Services (CPS) became involved and gave custody of Paulden to Lily's mother. CPS then told Lily that if she didn't get clean and stay clean, she would lose her son. In response, she was admitted to an inpatient drug treatment program and underwent regular drug testing.

A few days before her disappearance, she had tested positive for drugs, which increased her risk of losing her son permanently.

Disappearance and Investigation

Lily was last seen in the early morning hours of June 2, 2007, by her boyfriend Christen Pacheco. According to his account, she walked out following an argument between them; she was wearing only a nightgown and carried two bungee cords. Her cell phone and purse were left behind. Christen claimed to have woken up around 10 AM and discovered Lily was nowhere to be found. He searched the neighborhood for hours before contacting the authorities. He ended up reporting her missing 24 hours later, at which point he claimed that she had been suicidal.

Initially, the police didn't take her disappearance seriously. She was an adult who had a history of running away and drug abuse. However, her mother and her friend Janet insisted that it was uncharacteristic of her to abandon her son and cut off contact with everyone.

Unfortunately, this was not the only mistake the police made. Even though Christen was the last person known to be with Lily that day, he was not questioned until years after the disappearance. At that point, he was given a polygraph test, which he reportedly passed. It wouldn't be until years later that the public found out he had actually failed.

Due to a lack of attention from the police, her mother and Janet attempted to contact the media to get the word out about her disappearance. Frustratingly, none of the media outlets were willing to cover her case.

Since then, Christen reached out to Lily's mother to report sightings of her in the Miami area. In one sighting, he claimed to have spoken to two men who confirmed that they spoke with Lily. Reportedly, her mother spoke with one of the men, and the details were so compelling that she and Janet began to focus their efforts in the Miami area. Unfortunately, nothing came of this sighting.

For Lily's loved ones, Christen's inconsistencies that night warrant a closer look. There are several questions that only he can answer, such as why it took him so long to report Lily missing or contact her mother. In response, he told her that he had tried to report her missing sooner, but the police had told him that he needed to wait 24-48 hours to report an adult. He also assumed that someone else in the house had contacted her mother.

Not satisfied with these answers, her loved ones tried to go to the police with their suspicions, but nothing came of it.

After that, Janet turned to the internet to share Lily's story in the hopes of garnering more exposure and leads. Her efforts paid off when a journalist from the Miami New Times picked up the story and wrote a comprehensive article about the case, complete with statements from the police, Lily's mother, Janet, and Christen, among others. This article came across the desks of two private investigators, who offered their services pro bono.

Despite the assistance of the private investigators, pushes for more exposure, and a detective reinvestigating her case, no new leads have developed. Over the years, there have been rumors that Lily was murdered, and there have been reported sightings, but none of these have helped the case progress.

Since her disappearance, Lily's mother has been caring for Palden. She's tried to keep her daughter's story alive, but it hasn't been easy. As of this writing, her case remains unsolved.

For a more in-depth analysis, click here.

What do you think happened to Lily Aramburo? And where is she?

Sources:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/trailwentcold on 2024-01-20 04:46:54+00:00.

On November 18, 1985, 67-year old Dexter Stefonek left his son’s farm in Corbett, Oregon to make the 2000-mile drive back to his home to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. At around 10:00 AM the following morning, Dexter’s burning vehicle was discovered nearly 1,100 miles away at the Bad Route Rest Area in a remote area of Dawson County, Montana. It was determined to be a case of arson, as the car had been doused in gasoline before it was set on fire, but Dexter himself was missing.

On March 8, 1986, a local couple were visiting a remote private dumpsite located about 17 miles from the rest area when they discovered a wallet containing Dexter’s driver’s licence. Dexter’s suitcase and some of his clothing was also scattered around the site. The couple soon saw a foot sticking out from beneath a discarded mattress and it turned out Dexter’s body was concealed under there. He had been beaten before being shot twice in the back of the head. The case would receive national attention when it was featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" three years later.

It was just announced that a 79-year old convicted sex offender named Charles Gary Sullivan has been identified as a person of interest in Dexter's murder by the the Dawson County Sheriff's Office and the Dawson County Attorney. Five years ago, Sullivan was arrested when DNA evidence linked him to the murder of 20-year old Julia Woodward, who was found in a shallow grave near Reno, Nevada on March 25, 1979. Last year, Sullivan received a 15-year prison sentence for the crime and is still incarcerated.

According to the Dawson County Sheriff's Office, they were directed towards Sullivan as a person of interest in Dexter Stefonek's murder because his vehicle, license plate, traveling pattern, age and physical description all seem to match eyewitness statements from that case. Shortly before Dexter's car was set on fire, two witnesses recalled seeing a white Chevy 4x4 pick-up truck with Arizona licence plates in the parking lot of the Bad Route Rest Area and Sullivan hails from Arizona. One witness even saw an unidentified man wearing a parka climb out of Dexter's car carrying two large plastic containers which likely contained the gasoline used to torch the vehicle.

When investigators went to interview Sullivan in prison about Dexter's murder, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Dawson County authorities do not believe they have the necessary evidence to file murder charges against Sullivan and secure a conviction, but they are positive enough that Sullivan was the killer that they have officially closed Dexter's case. According to Dawson County Sheriff Ross Canen, the circumstances were unique enough to identify Sullivan as the likely culprit to bring some amount of closure to Dexter's family. Unfortunately, unless Sullivan makes a confession someday, we may never know the full circumstances of how or why Dexter Stefonek was killed.

If you want to read more details about the case, I previously did this write-up for it nearly six years ago...

Sources:

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/SniffleBot on 2024-01-21 12:38:52+00:00.

I have not been able to make an actual post here (as opposed to commenting) for some time due to having had some computer issues that limited how much time I could spend online for much of the latter half of last year. But they were resolved last month (i.e., I replaced my old computer, and finally installed the new one) and for my return I have chosen this case, which piqued my interest after having been alluded to in another thread here about Hollywood within the last year that I can't find.

I post it tonight as it is Saletri's 96th birthday. He probably wouldn't be alive today even if he hadn't been murdered, but still ...

The Black the Ripper mystery

When Frank Saletri's name comes up in connection with an unresolved mystery, it's usually not his death. His sole film credit is as writer, producer, director and star of the 1973 blaxploitation horror film Blackenstein, basically Frankenstein with a black cast, notable beyond that as one of the first American films (if not the first) to use the Vietnam War as a plot point (basically, the monster character was a U.S soldier in the war resurrected by science, to the regret of the other protagonists).

In the wake of that success, he planned another genre blaxploitation horror film: Black the Ripper (no prize for guessing the plot inspiration). Whether it was actually made is the chief question his life raises today when his name comes up among genre (or rather in this case, subgenre) film fans. It was actually too late to really be making more blaxploitation movies ... after the surprisingly huge success The Exorcist enjoyed with black audiences despite not having any black people in it, or anything, really, that explained why so many black people went out of their way to see it, the studios asked themselves why they were spending all this money on, basically, niche films, and stopped greenlighting new ones.

But that didn't stop independent filmmakers like Saletri, and in 1974 a Variety blurb indicates the film is planned, giving Saletri's name and the leads. Two years later the same publication reported that the film was being readied for a Memorial Day weekend release. Nothing more was heard about it, though, and after Saletri's death Black the Ripper sank into history as an obscure footnote to an obscure filmmaker's short career.

However, in 2013, someone scanning a directory on a BitTorrent server chanced across a listing for the film. They thought nothing of it until learning that the film was not believed ever to have been finished, and wrote on Dailygrindhouse.com that they saw it listed. They were unable to find their way back to where they saw it. But another user on the same forum claimed to have actually watched it, and posted what they said were screenshots from the film. If genuine, they are the only evidence that anything related to Black the Ripper was ever actually shot. Some others said they, too, had watched it, and that while feature-length it seemed incomplete, not only narratively but technically (i.e., the film had no end credits). There was enough to make the plot summarizable ... see the above link.

It should be noted that the original DailyGrindhouse post was made on April 1. This sets another level to an Internet mystery akin to My Immortal, but we'll just leave that there since this isn't what I came to write about.

Frank Saletri, The Man

There isn't much in the record about Saletri. What I can find says that he was born in 1928 in lllinois, joined the Navy during the Korean Conflict, learned to fly, and afterwards headed west to Southern California, where he apparently did whatever it took to become a lawyer. He appears to have practiced on his own rather than join a firm, specializing in representing plaintiffs in consumer law and criminal defendants. Most of his clients were, Crimefeed claims, people involved in the sex trade and other seamy industries that feed Hollywood's bottom, but he seems to have sometimes had some high-profile clients, such as a woman who one fine day in the 1970s let the media know that she would be streaking down Hollywood Boulevard, and did.

Outside of his work he had hobbies. He liked flying single-engine planes and self-published a book about Luscombes, and a history of the Ercoupe. He also, like so many people who make money in LA, dabbled in screenwriting, seeming particularly interested in genre mashups, such as a musical parody of The Maltese Falcon, and a Sherlock Holmes vampire movie. Since he had money, he could do more than just write scripts; by the early 1970s he was able to make Blackenstein, the sole script confirmed to have been produced out of the nine blaxploitation scripts he wrote.

Saletri's money also bought him a nice house in the Hollywood Hills. It is sometimes asserted that he also owned Bela Lugosi's mansion higher up in the hills, but this may just be be because he was a fan and told people that Lugosi had been a previous owner of his house (which does not seem to be the case, and he was referring in any event to another nearby house he had previously owned (now long-demolished for the Hollywood Freeway), which also was never Lugosi's). Stories that he owned a supposedly cursed mirror in which one of Belosi's wives had been murdered in front of are also dubious, not only because the house Saletri found it in had never been Belosi's but because Belosi's last wife survived him and his other two divorced him. The story may have come from confusing that with Saletri's death.

Saletri married once (other than it having ended in divorce, I cannot find any information about it) and had no children that we know of. He was however, very active in the local Count Dracula society, and his largest social connection was the Cauliflower Alley Club, a group whose members were mostly former pro wrestlers or boxers but also, since this was Hollywood, included actors who'd played wrestlers or boxers (Sylvester Stallone is a member, apparently). He was also active in the Midtowne American Legion post, and was elected its commander in mid-1982.

The Murder

Shortly afterwards, on July 12, 1982, the LAPD were sent to Saletri's home for a welfare check after his friends noticed that no one had heard from him or seen him for a couple of days. They found him dead from a single gunshot wound to the temple, inflicted (I would guess) at close range. The autopsy found that he had been dead for a couple of days ... that was a Monday, and he had last been seen having dinner with someone described as "an associate" the previous Friday night.

Detectives ruled out robbery or suicide as motives very quickly. Money and valuables that should have remained in the house and could easily have been taken were where they were supposed to be. In another room, there were signs of a struggle—several pieces of furniture overturned and broken in the living room.

The gun was not found. But the clearest indicator against suicide is one of the few things that make you go "hmm" in a case where that factor is markedly absent (although there is one other thing we'll get to in a minute). It isn't widely reported, the two LA Times stories I've been using as sources for this part of the story (one linked above; the other, from July 18, 1982, is available through newspapers.com if you have an account there) do not mention it, perhaps understandably, but it's in a lot of online coverage.

Whoever shot Saletri seems to have, after the killing, gone to the trouble of taking some instrument, most likely a screwdriver, to the wound and gouging out the bullet, most likely to avoid the bullet being traced to the gun used (This reminds me of the puzzling star-shaped shallow wound in the back of David Whiting's head (another unsolved Hollywood death, even if it took place in Arizona, because it was on a movie location) which I wrote about here almost a year ago. I wonder, now, if someone else had removed a bullet there). Another account, the only other Reddit post I've found that seems to be devoted to Saletri's killing, suggests his legs were b...

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/typhoidsergei on 2024-01-21 12:32:00+00:00.

Jeremiah Jamal Parker (19) was last seen by his cousin at North Sherwood Forest Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on April 11, 2004 (Easter Sunday). He had been driving with his cousin before stopping at the park at around 6:00 p.m., stating he needed to find his missing cell phone holder. Parker's cousin waited in the car while the engine was left running, but Parker himself never returned. He was last seen walking behind a row of trees near a fishing pond.

A subsequent search only uncovered his cell phone and one of his shoes approximately fifty yards away from his car.

During his disappearance, Parker was a student at Baton Rouge Community College and worked at a Wendy's restaurant. He had never gone missing before, nor had he ever spent a night away from home without telling his parents.

It is unclear what caused his disappearance, although he had seen The Passion of the Christ shortly prior to his disappearance and had been heavily affected by it. After watching it, he told his relatives he would be "leaving soon." However, it is unknown whether or not this had anything to do with his disappearance.

It is theorized he may have since traveled to Canada, but no trace of him has ever been found. If still alive, he would be 39-years-old today.

On a side note, I looked this park up and doesn't appear to be as wooded as its name suggests. Granted, this is how the park appears now and things may have been different back then, but it's very hard to imagine someone getting disoriented there. This is one of the strangest cases I've come across and sadly it doesn't appear like it will get resolved anytime soon. There are also no DNA samples submitted apparently... not very reassuring.

Sources

Charley Project

Doe Network

NamUs

Strange Outdoors

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AlfredTheJones on 2024-01-20 20:20:05+00:00.

Hello everyone! As always, I'd like to thank you all for your votes and comments on my previous post about the Anson County Jane Doe- I hope that her case will be resolved soon and that she will be reunited with her loved ones.

This case is pretty well-known, but I couldn't find any writeups about it on this sub. This case also involves a Doe associated with a photo, like my last case, just in a different way.

DISCOVERY

On the 19th of December 1980, a partial skeleton of a man was found near a construction site at Northside Parkway and I-75 in a wooded area at the base of a large tree in a brush "cubbyhole" in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It's been estimated that he's been there for "months", with NamUS seemingly suggesting that he could've been there for as much as two years. Most of his bones, except for the lower mandible, managed to be recovered- a set of dentures for the lower jaw has been found nearby, and his upper jaw was toothless. A few pieces of skin have also remained on the skeleton, mostly on the side of his head and back. He was found wearing a blue shirt and blue work pants and a brown belt (shirt size is 16.5 x 34). He was estimated to be 6' 0" (72 inches / 183 cm) and 175 lbs (79 kg). His age was about 50-70 and he was Caucasian.

What's remarkable about this case is that he has been found with three notable items- fragments of a hand-written letter and two photographs in a wallet nearby. The letter was addressed to "Dear Dad" and signed by "Pam T Dwight" or "Pam + Dwight". It was mostly faded and, again, in scraps, but the coroner managed to transcribe it as:

"4-3-___

Dear Dad

Hope yo

alright here

hope ___ it help

th of us

as usual.

Nothing new

much. Both

had ___illins

HA HA really

___ly you

let me know

plenty of this

a cat

• ___

HA HA

Take

can get together

___ together

wonderful husband

___king after me.

call or write

g fine he's

great dog

and behave

know right

Love Pam __ Dwight"

One of the found photographs featured a young girl with reddish hair and brown eyes, and wearing a yellow sweater. It appears to be professionally made in a studio. The inscription on the back said "Sept. _____, 4 years old". Another photo's front has been destroyed by the elements, sadly, but the inscription on the back said "HR Bow dyeing & finishing, 278-3448".

A bus ticket that suggested that he might've been in Panama City, Florida, at some point, was also found.

Conclusion:

I think that the thing that draws people to this case the most is the fact that we got quite a lot of info, but we have no idea how to put it all together. The man was most likely unhoused, and might've been a drifter. It's possible that a part of the reason was that he was found many states away from home, and his case hasn't been matched yet, if he was reported missing that is. It seems like he had someone who cared for him at some point- a daughter, possibly?

The girl from the photo could've been his granddaughter- if she was about 4 in 1980, she would be around 50 now, and might've not remember the John Doe, if she even met him in life. The inscription of the letter has garnered a lot of attention- most people assume that "Pam" is John Doe's daughter and "Dwight" is her husband, as one is mentioned in the letter. But it could also be a surname, though using your full name when writing a letter to your dad is pretty unconventional. There's even a speculation that "Dwight" might be a name of a dog that belonged to John Doe that his daughter was looking after, as there is a talk about a dog in the letter.

"HR Bow dyeing & finishing" is pretty mysterious- there's no info on it anywhere online, the only thing that comes up are articles about this John Doe. The name sounds like some kind of textile-related company, perhaps John Doe worked there at some point in time?

His mitochondrial DNA was taken and could've been compared in 2009, and I'm assuming that it still can be. There's been talk of Othram Inc taking in this case, but there's no official word on it yet.

If you have any info about this John Doe's identity, contact the Atlanta Police Department at (404) 546-4235.

SOURCES:

1. NamUS.gov (Has the girl's photo uploaded and includes a digital reconstruction of it)
2. doenetwork.org

John Doe's websleuths.com thread (I've taken the contents of the letter from a post by Tami Sedivy-Schroder, who seemingly worked as an agency investigator for the Fulton County's Medical Examiner's office. The post is #40).

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Ok-Cook4390 on 2024-01-20 05:47:39+00:00.

In Brazil,in the city of teresopolis, a series of murders ocurred of octuber 2000 to april 2001, with the modus operandi being kidnapping followed by strangulation(in one case there was also rape) using a shoelace, and them masturbing over the body, there wer three murder victms

Victms: 4 octuber: Iara Santos 17 octuber: Fernanda Venâncio 18 april in 2001: Cláudio Cahet

Suspect: Paulo bianch yanovich The suspect was a gypsy, which raised the theory That he was persecuted for this, as Fernandas mother who still blamed him, was a religious fanatic to the point that when she shaw an rpg, she compaigned and had 4000 people prosecuted for being part of a satânic cult, in addition the dna obtained in two of cases was negative and he had an alibe of a girl who was almost kidnapped who recognized a priest claimed that he was a church, with the alibe confirmed, against him, a car that was seen near the girls was found hidden with is uncle, the car belonging to his father, some family menbers claimed that he used to mutilate dolls in childhood, and the dna, in turn, showed that a family menber, of is the owner of the semen found ond the bodies, as alleged by fernanda's mother and some relativd of the suspect, currently the cases remain unsolved and he was only indicted in claudia case for being her enployer, he has not been convicted and is free on bail( Fernanda father suffered from depression his died in 2017).

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/Campanerut on 2024-01-19 18:30:33+00:00.

Have you ever heard of the The Bunnyman? It is an urban legend in Fairfax Virginia where a maniac dresed as a Bunny hunt people near the colchester overpass. Depending on the version, he is either a man or a spirit.

This legend is based on true incidents, in one, a couple told the police that, while in a car near Guinea Road, they saw a man in a white bunny suit saying they were trespassing. The man had an hatched and smashed one of the car's window with with, but thankfully the couple escaped and they weren't hurt.

In the second incident, a police officer saw a man in a white and black bunny costume with an axe chopping the column of a house. The "Bunny" said that he was trespassing and if he didn't get out of there, he would burst the poilice officer in the head. The Officer went to his car to get his gun but the man in the bunny suit had dissapeared.

If you research the legend, you will see that the most common version is that an escaped maniac called Douglas J. Griffon murdered a bunch of teens in the Colcherster overpass. He is still human in one of the verions, and the other he is a spirit, but this legend has prove to be false, there wasn't a maniac called Douglas. The two incidents mentioned were tought to be the only two sightings of the bunnyman, until last year.

Last year a show called "John Carpenter suburban screams" was released on Peacock, 3 of the episodes are about true crime, and one of them is about the Bunnyman

There were more reports about the Bunnyman. In one, a person said on the show that a person told him that when he was a paperboy in the 70's, he saw a man in a bunny costume dragging an axe, he had nightmares for years. In another, this same person heared a story from 3 people who said they were attacked by the Bunnyman on the colchester overpass on October 31th 1972, and thankfully, everybody survived. Another witness on the show said that when he was a pre teen, he ans his friends where on a house in the woods where they were attacked by the Bunnyman, everybody survived. The witness also said how much more people claimed to have seen The Bunnyman, and in one night, police reported over 50 calls about people who saw the Bunnyman.

I know that some of these reports seems false, but there are many reports of people who claimed to have seen him, and the couple even have the hatched that The Bunnyman droppd on the car when he smashed the window. The general concensus is that there really was a Bunnyman, it even gave origin to an urban legend.

I really think that he was real, but he wasn't trying to kill people, just scare them, his motivations seem to be that the area was becoming urban, and he couldn't cope with that. He used the Bunny costume as a symbol of the rabbits that where being harmed with the urbanization

If someone knows more facts bout what really happened in the 70's, please, tell me.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/spawn3887 on 2024-01-18 15:22:36+00:00.

I posted this one about 3 years ago, and haven't seen it come up again since, so I wanted to repost it, add some other stuff I found, and just keep it active.

Background

Jennifer Servo, born in 1979 in Montana, was a news reporter who worked for KRBC-TV in Abilene, Texas. After graduating from the University of Montana, her goal was to be the next Katie Couric. She had only been working with the company a few short months before her tragic death.

On September 15th 2002, Jennifer and Brian Travers, a weatherman for KRBC who Jennifer had a newer, brief relationship with, picked up a coffee table from a friend. They had gone to Wal-Mart later that night, and along the way Jennifer made a comment to Travers that she thought they were being followed. She claimed the same car had been following them for awhile. Jennifer dropped him off at his house before returning home, but articles seem to differ as to this. Travers claims he walked her to her car upon returning and kissed her goodnight and that was the last time he claims he saw her.

When she got home, phone records indicate she called a former boyfriend in Montana, Dave Warren. Warren said Jennifer never mentioned anyone following her that evening. Sometime after that phone call, she was murdered.

The Murder & Investigation

On September 18, 2002 at about 1:30 pm, Jennifer's body was discovered in her bathtub by a worker at the Hunter's Ridge apartment complex in Abilene. A co-worker, Toby Dagenhart, had asked someone to check in on her after she had not been heard from for a couple of days.

Investigators believe the body, which lay on the floor of her bathroom, had been there two days before it was discovered. The assault, according to the investigation, began in the bedroom and subsequently she was dragged to her bathroom.

Her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head as well as strangulation. There was also evidence of a sexual assault (bruising to her private area), but she was found fully clothed - t-shirt, shorts, and underwear were all on - and there were no signs of a struggle. Investigators gathered a substantial amount of trace evidence from the scene, but unfortunately much of it was contaminated by Jennifer's pet cat. Once it was separated, the evidence didn't reveal anything specific to help the investigation. Police claim that both DNA of her ex-boyfriend Ralph Sepulveda (more on him below) and Travers was found in the apartment. Sepulveda did briefly live with Jennifer there.

There were a couple of items missing from her apartment - her purse, keys (but her car was in the parking lot), phone, and two DVDs - Saving Private Ryan and Sex and the City. Her flute was also reported missing.

Theories and Suspects

It's believed that Jennifer knew her assailant. The door was not forced open, similar to the Jill-Lyn Euto case (in my profile). Police have had two main suspects in the case - her ex-boyfriend Ralph Sepulveda and Brian Travers.

Travers was a suspect as well because he was one of the last known people to be with Jennifer before her death, as well as investigators being unable to rule him out.

Sepulveda, then 34 at the time to Jennifer's 22 and a former Army Ranger and Reserve training instructor, moved to Texas with Jennifer when she got the job (and having not known each other very long), but not long after moving there, Jennifer discovered that Sepulveda had a fiancée and child he left behind in Montana - something he never told Jennifer about. Jennifer ended the relationship thereafter.

Sepulveda moved into an apartment near by. I haven't been able to find a secondary source on this either, but one source said Sepulveda had two criminal charges of child molestation filed against him in Phoenix, one of them alleged that he was having sex with his 15-year-old niece.

Sepulveda claimed to investigators that he was at his apartment the night of the murder. Police have not been able to verify his alibi. In the eyes of Jennifer's family and friends, Sepulveda murdered her when he could not handle her moving on with her life. Jennifer Loren, a colleague of Servo's at KRBC, said Jennifer confided in her that Sepulveda liked to choke her during sex - something she was not into. Dara Riordan, Jennifer's best friend, backs this claim as well. Riordan also says that she talked to Jennifer the day before she died and said that Servo had not heard from Sepulveda for three weeks.

“She did tell me one time that she did not like the way that he treated her when they were together intimately, that he wanted to strangle her while they were having sex and she did not like that,” said Servo’s friend and former KRBC anchorwoman, Jennifer Loren.

According to detectives, the two men's reactions to the news could not have been more different. Sepulveda was very controlled and never asked how she was killed. Travers was extremely distraught.

In 2014, detectives released a statement to the media stating that they were working new leads in the investigation, but they neither elaborated on what those leads were nor has there been much of any follow up to that release. Detectives working the case believe they know who the murderer is, but have not been able to make an arrest due to lack of evidence.

• has a 40 minute podcast to listen to.

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/TheBonesOfAutumn on 2024-01-18 22:55:06+00:00.

Original Title: In the summer of 1975, three girls, Kandice Smith, 13, Sheri Rottler, 11, and Kathie Rottler, 14, were stabbed and sexually assaulted by a man who offered them a ride to an Indianapolis, Indiana amusement park. Today the person responsible was identified as Thomas Edward Williams.

On August 19, 1975, at 10:45 p.m., Kandice Smith, 13, Sheri Rottler Trick, 11, and Kathie Rottler, 14, had just left a gas station located in the 800 block of Washington Street on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana. While on their way to a nearby amusement park, a man picked them up in his station wagon.The girls soon realized the man driving had continued to drive past their requested destination. They attempted to escape from the vehicle but found the front passenger door was missing its inside door handle. Eventually, the man stopped near a cornfield in Greenfield.

There, he forced the three girls out of the vehicle at gunpoint and bound two of them. He then proceeded to sexually assault Sheri, then stabbed her three times in the throat, and another 15 times in her chest. He then slashed the throats of Kandice and Kathie, and left them all for dead.Miraculously, the older two girls were able to make it to the road where they flagged down a passing motorist. All three survived the violent attack. Unfortunately, despite giving a detailed description of their attacker, the case went cold.

In 2018, however, an Indianapolis police officer reopened the case and worked to have evidence and DNA analyzed. In 2021, the Marion County crime lab recovered DNA evidence relating to a possible suspect. Finally in 2023, a genetic genealogy profile was completed by DNA Labs International in Florida.

Today, the man responsible has been officially identified as Thomas Edward Williams. Williams died in November of 1983 in a Galveston, Texas prison. At the time of the abduction, he lived near the site of the kidnapping.  

Sources

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/CrimeFan365 on 2024-01-18 19:46:35+00:00.

Original Title: From 1936 to 1952 a man named George J. Stein open dozens of savings account across the Midwest United States then he mysteriously vanished never returning to claim his $130K fortune. Yet 72 years after vanishing one question still remains as to who really was George J. Stein?

This is my first post on this subreddit so forgive me if this story might be a little confusing I’ve done all the research i could but the best information was from unsolved mysteries because this case was featured as a lost heirs segment on Season 1 episode 18 of UM i will be using that as a reference for this story along with a few old newspaper articles below and one done in July 2023. I also tried to look through Anchestory but i didn’t have any luck at all. Also forgive my terrible grammar it’s never been my strong point.

The Mystery of George J Stein

On November 12, 1936, at a bank located in Ripon, Wisconsin, a man named George J. Stein opened up a savings account for $120. He had no social security numbers on file and did not leave a home address. Between 1936 and 1952, he opened dozens of bank accounts, primarily in savings & loans in the Midwest. However, he never returned to these banks to claim his money, which today totals at $130,000.In addition to five accounts in Wisconsin, Stein also held three savings accounts in Indiana, two in Minnesota, and one in both Iowa and Illinois. One bank in Texas believes Stein was a depositor, but this remains unconfirmed. Also, it's not confirmed if the man's name is actually George J. Stein.One researcher, Tom Becker, looked into a deposit Stein made in Indianapolis. He found that Stein had placed a real address for this account, which was 505 Washington Street. The address was for a company that made hats, gloves, and other accessories. Becker was able to find a physical description of Stein; this description matched that of a traveling salesman named Ralph Barnett. Barnett's sales territories matched the places where Stein's accounts were created. Becker believes that Barnett probably died suddenly while on the road, due to the fact that he never withdrew money from the accounts.Another researcher, Frances Scoll, believes Stein may have had sinister motives. In her research, she discovered that Stein had written a return address on one of his deposit envelopes. The name written with the address was Ed Fay. While looking through newspaper archives, Scoll discovered that a man named Ed Fay had robbed a post office in Superior, Wisconsin, with his gang. In October 1903, Fay and his gang had stolen over $15,000 in stamps and cash from the post office. Fay was arrested shortly after the robbery; however, he escaped from jail in 1904 and was never seen again. Scoll discovered that Fay's age would match the age of Stein. She believes that Fay changed his named to Stein in order to cover up his crimes and still be able to access his money.In order to collect on Stein's money, his heirs must first prove that they are related to him; then, they must produce handwriting samples that match his known handwriting. Although several possible heirs have come forward, none of them could prove their relationship to Stein as required in order to access the accounts.

My thoughts and theories on this case.

So who really was George J. Stein? and did he actually exist to begin with? Well obviously he had to at one point because someone was opening up accounts in his name i do wonder though if it was either Ed Faye or Ralph Barnett because while i could see Faye going under another persons identity it doesn’t seem that Barnett had any reason to hide or change his identity. My own theories is that whoever George J. Stein was that he was either one of the following

1. A real person who wasn’t a criminal or salesman but possibly just a regular guy who worked hard but was someone who lost all his family from 1936 to 1952 and died alone so no family or friends came forward to verify who he actually was. It could also be someone who looked similar to Ralph Barnett or Ed Faye and died sometime in 1952 but was buried in unmark grave with no headstone so researchers were never able to find where he was buried to verify if it was actually him. It also possible he grew up an Orphan and never had a family and once he was sixteen to eighteen he left the Orphanage and was out to fend for himself with no way of finding his real family because he couldn’t get access to those records assuming they were kept and because no one had heard of DNA back then so there was no possible way to find out who he was and he went by George J. Stein because that’s what his birth certificate said or because that’s the name the Orphanage gave him.
2. He was actually a criminal who was on the run from law enforcement who after he committed a crime changed his identity by going to a Children’s cemetery checking the baby and toddler section of the cemetery where he saw the name George J. Stein he decided he liked that name took it and then eventually applied for a social security number in a different state with it but just chose not to leave the number with the banks he opened up accounts with since it wasn’t a requirement to do so and he eventually was going to return after so many years to reclaim the money he put in but he died before he could do so and since he more then likely was never married or had any children no legitimate heirs came forward to claim his fortune or he did have heirs but they didn’t realize their father, grandfather or uncle actually invested this money so they never were aware they needed to reclaim his fortune because they didn’t know about the money he invested in the banks.

From what i could find i don’t believe his fortune can be claimed anymore most states depending on the laws they have usually are given ten to thirty years to find the next of kin of a deceased person in most states it’s ten years and if they can’t find them that money typically goes to the state where the money was located. So while I’m not certain i do believe the UM segment might have been a last ditch effort to find Stein’s heirs before his fortune went to the states where he held his bank accounts in. So someone likely missed out on getting $130K in 1989 which if adjusted for inflation would be around $320K in 2023 obviously I’m using 2023 since we just started 2024 lol.

Links

1. Unsolved Mysteries episode the stein segment starts at 30:20.
2. Unsolved mysteries fandom article on the case which i used above.
3. The Newspaper article i found from this past year i searched newspaper archives but only have my libraries version of the site so i couldn’t find anything else about Stein or the segment UM did. August 2023 Article.

Again my bad if the story is confusing but i would like to know your thoughts who do you think George J. Stein really was?

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The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AlfredTheJones on 2024-01-18 18:23:41+00:00.

Hello everyone! As always, thank you for all your votes and comments on my previous post about Justin Scott Siwek- I hope that he's resting in peace and that his family will get justice soon.

I haven't written a post on a Doe case in quite some time, but today I've stumbled upon this great post on the r/gratefuldoe today, and this case really captivated me, so I decided to share it further on on this sub.

DISCOVERY

In February of 2022, a group of rabbit hunters found a backpack in Wadesboro, Anson County, North Carolina, USA. It was located in a wooded area behind a National Guard Armory. Upon opening, it turned out that the backpack contained an unspecified ammount of money. The hunters took it and left the backpack behind; At some point, a search for the backpack commenced, but it wasn't found.

On the 12th of May 2022, skeletal remains of a woman have been found in the area during a land survey- She has been dead for about a year, and was estimated to be 20-40 (but most likely pre 30). Her body was too decomposed to tell her eye color and hair. Her weight and height couldn't have been estimated either. Some of her clothing was, however, spared by the elements: She was found wearing a black bra (Secret Treasures Size 34 C) and had fragments of panty hose/leggings on, but the decomposition made the telling of colors and sizes impossible. Her cause of death remains undetermined.

But here's the kicker: We might actually know how this woman looked like shortly before her death- on the 22nd of August of 2021, a woman wandering through the area was caught on a trail camera nearby (for those who don't know, a trail camera is a type of motion-activated camera that's affixed to usually a tree, used by hunters, forest rangers and nature lovers to track animal activity in the area). The police has released a couple of stills, available on the woman's NamUS profile and the original r/gratefuldoe thread.

The photos feature a white woman with blonde/light hair, who was also wearing what looks like a bra and leggings, with bare feet. She seems to be using a thick branch as a walking stick as she passes next to an animal feeder for deer. It's hard to say if she's confused or hurt, as the photos are black and white and grainy. The first photo, where only a small bit of her was seen, was taken at about half past one AM, while ones where she's fully on camera with the stick, were taken at around half past four AM, which would imply that she was around the area for at least one night. It's impossible to tell if that was the night she died, but it is possible, unless she stayed in the area for a longer time.

CONCLUSION

I think that the cases of Does where we have photos of them, especially those that are/seem close to the moment they've died, are always very popular and tend to catch people's attention- there's something haunting in them, in a way.

If I had to guess, I'd say that this woman was likely unhoused. Her clothes are rather odd- I think that the only person who goes to a wooded area in essentially underwear is someone who doesn't have other clothes at all- the fact that she was barefooted also implies that to me. Someone in the original thread suggested that she might be trying to set up a camp, and I can see that, given her place. If she's far from home and people who knew her, that might explain why she wasn't recognized to this day.

Another thing that might be going on here is mental illness- since that might skew her logical thinking, and she might've thought that going out in her underwear into a forest at night was a good idea. Someone in the thread mentioned that she looks post-partum, and that she might've been suffering from post-partum psychosis; I'm not a pregnancy expert, so I can't tell if she really does look post-partum, but it is a possibility. Another thing that might cause this kind of issues with logical thinking and self-preservation is drugs, which might be involved. She also has a lot of loose skin on her stomach, so she might've recently given birth, lost weight due to illness or drug addiction or from rough living. She might be running away from a dangerous situation, real or imaginary.

Her clothes make me wonder- did she ran out of the house like this? From what I'm seeing, the highest weather for Anson County in May is 85 F / 29 C, which is pretty warm- I can see someone wearing just a bra and leggings. But was it a choice or did she not have access to other clothes? Maybe she took off some clothes before appearing on the camera?

The stick is also interesting- why did she use it? Was she just tired or was she sick/in pain? Some people say that she looks hunched over, like she was in pain, but I'm not sure- it's hard to say when you only have images, and not a video.

I wonder if the backpack with cash is related to her case or is it a red herring? She doesn't seem like someone who would have a lot of cash on them, but who knows; maybe she hid it?

Again, I highly recommend the original thread and the discussion in it.

If you have any info about Jane Doe's identity, contact Anson County Sheriff's Office at 704-694-4188 (case number 2022-00469)

SOURCES:

1. NamUS.gov (features the photos in the "images and documents" tab)

This is an automated archive.

The original was posted on /r/unresolvedmysteries by /u/AlfredTheJones on 2024-01-16 18:43:07+00:00.

Original Title: Man goes to a "party" in a motel- his car is found abandoned and broken into in the parking lot of said motel and his remains are found in a wooded area two years later- What happened to Justin Scott Siwek? (2021)

Hello everyone! I took a short break from writing due to real life obligations, but I'm back! As always, thank you for your comments and votes on my last post about Mikayla Standridge-Martone- I hope that her case will be solved soon and that she will be reunited with her family.

Today I'm back with a case of a concerning disappearance and death.

BACKGROUND

Justin Scott Siwek was 32 when he went missing from Kansas City, Kansas, USA.

Sadly, Justin had a criminal record that went back 14 years- he was charged with auto theft, theft, domestic battery (with priors), criminal damage and other lesser offenses.

Justin was a single father to his son, J, who was 7 years old. He's been raising J alone since his birth, with the help of his parents. It seems like Justin was a present father and had a good relationship with his son.

DISAPPEARANCE

On the 19th of June, Justin was said to be meeting up with a young woman he met through social media. It's been mentioned that Justin didn't know said woman well.

Justin was last seen at the Days Inn at 7721 Elizabeth Avenue in Kansas City, around 11 A.M at the 20th of June. Some sources report that a "party" took place in the hotel room he was in.

Said June 20th was father's day, and Justin, his father, Scott, and Justin's son were supposed to go fishing together to celebrate- but Justin never showed up. Scott took J fishing at Hillsdale Lake anyway, and when they were out in a boat, Scott got a call from Justin, which allegedly sounded like a "(...)distress call. By the sound of his voice (Scott) could tell something wasn’t right". Justin allegedly asked his father for help getting home, and said that he was at above mentioned Days Inn.

At some point in time later, Justin's family managed to track him to the Days Inn mentioned above. When they got there, they've found Justin's car, abandoned and seemingly vandalized, with the window pried open and glass shattered.

A few days after Justin's disappearance, his cellphone was put up online for sale by the woman he was allegedly with that night. The police planned a sting to get the cellphone, but it was cancelled at the last moment. At the end of October, that woman was in jail on unrelated charges.

On the 16th of April 2023, a hiker has stumbled upon human remains in a wooded area in Wyandotte County, close to Kansas City. The remains have been identified as belonging to Justin through familial DNA.

CONCLUSION

There is a poster on websleuths who claims to be someone who was working with Justin's family when his case was a disappearance, and not a murder/death case, but they never got verified, so take it with a grain of salt; Allegedly, Justin was supposed to meet the woman mentioned above for sex, but it was actually a planned robbery that went south. The people who are involved allegedly have killed before, and staged the murders to look like a suicide or an overdose.

I think that a robbery that went wrong is a likely motive- given that Justin's car was broken into and ransacked, and his phone was being sold online just a few days later. Since multiple sources say that Justin attended a "party", I wonder if drugs or alcohol might've played a part in what happened. I don't want to accuse Justin of anything, but something about a "party" in a motel room makes it sound like substances could've been involved.

I find it odd/concerning that, after the news of Justin's body being found and identified came out, it seems like the case is at a standstill, with no new information about it. It was never said how Justin died- I suppose there's a chance that maybe his death could've been something like an overdose? Like he overdosed at the "party", and people who were with him disposed of him because they figured that getting rid of him and stealing his things would give them an opportunity that calling an ambulance and chancing that they'll manage to save Justin won't. Again, there was no info about Justin taking drugs at the time of his disappearance, this is just speculation.

If you have any information about Justin's death, contact the Kansas City Police Department at 913-288-7248 (case number 2021-74606) (or at least that's the most recent contact info).

SOURCES:

1. kansascity.com
2. kshb.com

Justin's websleuths.com thread