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22 Baffling Unsolved True Crime Cases That Are Not For The Faint-Hearted
Looking at the abundance of TV shows and all sorts of podcasts on the topic, it’s no secret that true crime has lately been on the rise. For many people, there seems to be something bizarrely fascinating about the terrible stories of what has happened to people.
It might have something to do with the fact that many of the stories, known as ‘cold cases,’ were never solved. The added mystery seems to captivate people’s minds even more, sometimes even years or decades after the terrible events take place.
One member of the ‘Ask Reddit’ community has delved deeper into the spine-chilling topic, asking fellow redditors to share what true crime cold cases don’t sit right with them, and quite a few people replied. If you’re interested in their answers, scroll down to find them on the list below, but do it at your own risk, as some of the stories can be quite disturbing.
Below, you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Kevin Bennett, Ph.D., a full teaching professor of psychology at Penn State University, Beaver Campus, and the creator of the Kevin Bennett Is Snarling podcast, who was kind enough to share his thoughts on why so many people are interested in the rather spine-chilling true crime stories.
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#1
About three years ago there were suddenly a rash of ladies throwing themselves down garbage chutes in Chicago to commit s*icide. All within a year or so timeframe. Generally in the same area downtown.
Everyone was saying it was random s*icide or just bad luck.
I don't buy it.
I think there was a serial k*ller or something operating in the city.
If you've ever lived in a high rise you know it's damned near impossible to accidentally throw yourself down a garbage chute. And I just don't see most women choosing that as their way out.
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#2
The disappearance of Kyron Horman. The kid was at school with his stepmom, she saw him walk down the hall in the school and he was never seen again. Gone. Disappeared without a trace.
There's no evidence at all. People like to believe the stepmother k*lled him or something but there is no sound evidence, and I believe the search for him was the most money Oregon has spent on a missing person case. Over 10 years later and there's still nothing.
#3
The case of Joshua Maddox.
In 2008 Joshua Maddox left his house to go for a walk and never returned. 7 years later in 2015, his body was found in the chimney of a cabin that was in the process of being demolished.
There are multiple weird elements to the case:
-Josh was found in the fetal position facing head-first into the chimney
-In order to have gotten into the chimney he would have needed to scale the building and remove a metal grate that was blocking the entrance, placed there so that animal were not able to get in.
-Josh was found completely [undressed] except for a thermal shirt
-the cabin was still locked and secured.
And strangest of all:
-His clothes were found neatly folded inside of the cabin, sitting right in front of the fire place.
There's so may weird details of the case that just don't make any sense whatsoever.
Nowadays, many people seem to be fans of true crime TV series or podcasts. I would be lying if I said I didn’t watch true crime series myself. But for some, it can be difficult to understand why someone would want to spend their time immersing themselves in upsetting or even terrifying stories.
Well, we got curious as to why they would do something like that, too. So we got in touch with Dr. Kevin Bennett, a full teaching professor of psychology at Penn State University, Beaver Campus, and creator of the Kevin Bennett Is Snarling podcast, who shared that people's interest in true crime and dark or troubling stories can be attributed to a combination of psychological, evolutionary, and social factors.
#4
Jessica Chambers. She was set on fire inside her vehicle, and was found by paramedics walking down the road fully engulfed in flames.
-RadarRanger-:
Thanks, I came looking for this one. She tried to speak the name of the guy who burned her alive but her scorched flesh could no longer produce the sounds correctly. She was seen on cctv at the gas station, but whoever she was with was not visible in frame.
#5
Heather Teague. She was dragged into the woods from a riverbank. The abduction was witnessed from across the river by a man using a telescope.
“On a psychological level, humans are naturally drawn to stories that evoke strong emotions such as fear, suspense, and curiosity, which can stimulate the brain's reward system and provide a sense of excitement or even catharsis,” Dr. Bennett explained.
“Evolutionarily, there may be an adaptive component—learning about dangerous situations and criminal behavior can help individuals better understand threats and avoid potential dangers,” he continued.
“Socially, true crime narratives often provide a moral framework, allowing people to explore questions of justice, morality, and human nature. The extent of one's interest in such topics can be influenced by personality traits (for example, high openness to experience, sensation-seeking tendencies), personal experiences, and even cultural influences such as media exposure.”
#6
The owner of a funeral home business went to Camden, Maine with his wife. They had some kind of altercation. The wife disappeared, and was never found.
Police in the home town think they know that there was foul play, but have no leads that they can follow. The case is closed.
#7
The Black Dahlia case, the fact that such a gruesome act of m**der was committed, and that the lead suspect is very likely the killer, but didn't serve jail time sickens me. Also its quite interesting how one of the suspects died on the anniversary of the last time she was seen alive.
PennyoftheNerds:
I know there were several suspects, but I assume you are referring to George Hodel. And if so, it baffles me that his family even thinks he did it. So much so that his son became a detective in part to try and prove his father was guilty.
#8
Ayla Reynolds. An 18 month old baby with a broken arm disappears from her dad's house in the middle of the night while her dad, his sister and his girlfriend are “asleep”. Blood was found in the basement. It’s been 10+ years and no arrests have been made and her body has never been found. This happened in Maine.
If you surveyed the people around you, chances are, you would find at least a few individuals who listen to or watch true-crime-based content. According to Pew Research Center’s recent data, true crime seems to be the most common topic among top-ranked podcasts. They are reportedly listened to by roughly a third of American podcast listeners on a regular basis.
#9
The Mary Morris m**ders. Two women both named Mary Morris that were both killed just a few days apart in a really close proximity to each other.
#10
Yogurt Shop M**ders in Austin, Tx. False confessions, overturned convictions, DNA not giving the answers, this case is so confusing. But someone r**ed and k**led 4 teenage girls before setting a fire and we still don’t know who they are. It’s not okay.
#11
That family that got m**derd in the French alps and the cyclist who came across the scene and the little girl stayed still under her mums dress for 8 hours
Does anyone have a update on this.
Chetanzi:
Her sister survived also, despite being shot multiple times and pistol-whipped on the head. They're teenagers now and being re-interviewed for any new leads. Poor girls. I kind of agree with the other commenter who replied to you... sounds like it was a professional hit. Left the gun (shattered, in pieces) at the scene of the crime. Shot the cyclist execution-style. Freaking horrible.
In Dr. Bennett's opinion, people’s interest in true crime stories has grown significantly in recent years, driven by the widespread availability of content across streaming platforms, podcasts, and social media.
“This rise can be linked to broader cultural shifts, such as an increased fascination with psychology and criminology, as well as the comfort of engaging with fear in a controlled environment.
“The uncertain and complex times we live in—marked by political, economic, and social upheavals—may also contribute to this trend, as true crime offers a way to process real-world anxieties in a structured narrative format. Moreover, the digital age has made it easier for people to participate in crime-solving communities, fostering a sense of involvement and collective problem-solving,” the psychology professor explained.
#12
Amy Lynn Bradley always freaks me out. She went missing from a cruise ship. Later a soldier in the US military likely came across her in a brothel and did nothing to help her because he was afraid of getting in trouble. No one has seen her since.
#13
My aunt was on a trip across some of Asia with her friends. The one friend had planned to go to Hong Kong, but the rest didn’t want to, so they decided they would all just meet up at the next country and let her go to Hong Kong by herself.
They heard from her when she got off the plane, and not again.
It’s been about 15 years.
#14
Laurie Depies. Vanished in Wisconsin in 1992. No viable suspects and her body was never found. She just vanished one night shortly after she arrived at her friend's apartment complex, car door open and no sign of a struggle.
For true crime buffs, one potential suspect is Chuck Avery, the older brother to Steven Avery, subject of Netflix's docu-series Making a M**derer. Turns out Chuck is violent [abuser] and ped*phile.
Despite being intriguing and making a good topic for a podcast or a TV series, cold cases can have a detrimental effect on a person’s well-being.
“Unsolved mysteries can have a profound psychological impact on people, often leading to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and a lingering sense of unease,” Dr. Bennett noted. “The human brain is wired to seek closure and understanding, and when faced with unresolved cases, individuals may experience cognitive dissonance or intrusive thoughts as they attempt to make sense of the unknown.
“This lack of closure can fuel ongoing curiosity and even obsession, leading people to revisit details, construct theories, and engage in speculative discussions,” he said, adding that on a collective level, though, unsolved mysteries can create a sense of communal intrigue, bonding people together over shared efforts to uncover the truth.
#15
Sky Metalwala was 2 years old when he disappeared. His mother concocted an obviously false story, but was never charged in his disappearance.
What happened to the child is one question. Why the police have obviously chosen to give the mother a pass is a much bigger question.
#16
A local case from 1977. A small Indiana town with a population of less than 2,000 had 3 unsolved child m*rders committed in the same year. After the third m*rder, the k*llings stopped and the cases remain unsolved.
#17
Michael Dunahee. Posters for this kid were everywhere when I was a kid. He disappeared from a playground in Victoria BC in 1991. The latest theory is that he's out there somewhere with no memory of who he was. RCMP recently released a composition of what he might look like now in hopes that it will trigger him to remember and come forward.
#18
Shannon Paulk. 11yo girl kidnapped and later found m*rdered in my hometown, Prattville Alabama. It’s been 20 years and they still don’t know who did it.
#19
It’s not necessarily a cold case, but There were several (2-5) of John Wayne Gacy’s victims who went missing while Gacy was confirmed to be out of town. IIRC, the bodies of those victims were all under his house. That means someone else had to at least kidnap and hold the victim until Gacy returned if the accomplice(s) didn’t actually m*rder the boys.
#20
The deaths of Lisann Froon and Kris Kremers.
They were two young Dutch women who disappeared from a hiking trail in Panama. Some of their belongings and bones were found weeks and months later. The eerie part is that one of them had a digital camera and had been taking pictures of their hike. It showed them reaching the summit then continuing down the trail where it becomes much more treacherous. Then ten days later there's a flurry of photos in the dark. Most of them showed nothing but a few showed their surroundings and the [darn] scalp of one of them. Their cell phones were also used to attempt emergency calls for several days.
The case was never solved and likely never will be. The two main theories are that one or both of them suffered an accident that incapacitated them or some form of kidnapping/human trafficking gone bad.
#21
In my town, there was a girl in her early 20s. It's a small town, 1,000 people maybe. Most of everyone lives in the boonies, super rural place.
Anyway, she worked at a restaurant/bar in the village. Her boss and coworkers said her shift ended and she punched out. She didn't show up the next day for her shift. They actually never found her. Sure, they found hair, blood, and a shoe. They found her car parked at an abandoned house outside town. But they never found her body.
Search parties through out the woods, police dogs, everything. My mother and I searched for a good few weeks, as well. We all found nothing.
My mother worked at a mountain resort for a bit a couple years later. She was in the backroom on break when her coworker came in. He sat at the employee computer. My mom got ready to head back out to the front desk. She turned to ask her coworker a question. He was scrolling a missing persons website. And there she was, my mother saw her smiling face. The girl in her 20s. The coworker turned and made eye contact with my mom. He smiled and turned back and said, "they never did find her. Pretty little thing, huh?" He turned back to my mom and said, "I wish I could have seen her one more time." And my mom quit. That night, she quit her job. She drove home. She sat on her bed for hours, wouldn't talk to us. She swears to this day, he m**dered the girl. She just got this feeling. He moved a couple weeks later after he said that weird s**t.
She actually only told me all this a couple years ago. When this happened I was like 10 years old, I'm 25 now.
#22
Brianna Maitland. This happened near where I live, I was very young but that case still bothers me. Beautiful 17 year old girl just vanishes, her car was found crashed into an abandoned building and she was just gone. Real life Without a Trace type s**t.
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