unsolved mystery

Read the latest stories and cases of unsolved mysteries and crimes on Newser.com

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New Theory Emerges on the 'Blood Countess'

Was Elizabeth Bathory a serial killer or herself a target?

(Newser) - More than 400 years after her death, the truth about the "Blood Countess," a Hungarian noblewoman alleged to have been the most prolific female serial killer of all time, remains elusive. From her castle atop a rugged peak in what's today Cachtice in western Slovakia, Elizabeth Bathory...

45 Years Later, Teen's Death Linked to Serial Killer

Police in Illinois say Kathy Halle was murdered by Bruce Lindahl

(Newser) - DNA found on the clothing of a suburban Chicago woman who was kidnapped and killed 45 years ago matches that of a suspected serial killer who died two years later. The DNA of Bruce Lindahl, who's believed to have killed as many as a dozen women and girls, was...

Guy Identified by HBO Film as Bitcoin Inventor: Nope, Not Me

Canadian Peter Todd denies being person who created the cryptocurrency

(Newser) - The creator of an HBO documentary that began streaming on Tuesday had promised to shed light on one of the biggest mysteries in cryptocurrency—the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the unknown inventor of bitcoin. Now that Cullen Hoback's Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery is officially...

Documentary Promises to Reveal Bitcoin Mystery

Soon-to-stream HBO film sets off much speculation in world of crypto

(Newser) - An HBO documentary that begins streaming on Tuesday promises to resolve one of the biggest mysteries in the world of cryptocurrency—the creator of bitcoin. Emmy-winning filmmaker Cullen Hoback tells CNN he and his team not only discovered the true identity of the person—or persons—known by the pseudonym...

$100K Reward in Cold Case of Murdered Teens

Virginia State Police seek new leads in 2009 shooting deaths of Heidi Childs and David Metzler

(Newser) - Police are seeking new leads in a 15-year-old double murder in Virginia, with the promise of a $100,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. The case is that of Heidi Childs and David Metzler , who were dating sophomores at Virginia Tech when they were shot to death...

Did China Steal Bodies, Camera of Doomed Everest Climbers?

Mystery continues to swirl over fate of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine during their 1924 ascent

(Newser) - A century ago this week, George Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine began their attempt to reach the top of Mount Everest, an ill-fated expedition that would lead to the disappearance of both men. Whether they ever reached the summit is one of the greatest mysteries in world exploration—confirmation...

Climate Group 'Awestruck' by Mystery $10M Donation

The money went to Giving Green, a philanthropic organization that gives money to nonprofits

(Newser) - On a Friday morning in April, Dan Stein, the founder of Giving Green, a climate philanthropy organization, found some big news in a surprising email. An anonymous donor had given his fund $10 million. "I didn't quite process the number of zeros," Stein said, adding he was...

20 Years After Missed Court Date, His Skeleton Was Found

Police seek info on Ronnie Joe Kirk, whose remains turned up in Wisconsin store chimney

(Newser) - His name was Ronnie Joe Kirk. How he got to be in the chimney of the Good 'n Loud Music store in Madison, Wisconsin, is anyone's guess. The body of the 5'7" man was discovered at the base of the chimney on Sept. 3, 1989, during the...

A Decade Later, a Tiny Creature Contradicts MH370's Fate

'New York' mag reveals more questions raised in study of barnacles that latched to debris

(Newser) - A lot has changed in the time since MH370 took off and disappeared 10 years ago today. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in our knowledge of a specific type of gooseneck barnacle. Lepas anatifera were found coating the chunk of plane wing that washed ashore on the Indian...

They Were Stabbed and Left to Die. 50 Years Later, a Suspect

Indianapolis cops say Thomas Edward Williams, attacked 2 sisters, friend in 1975; he has since died

(Newser) - A nearly 50-year-old cold case surrounding three young girls stabbed and left to die in an Indiana cornfield has finally reached a conclusion, although it's one that will end without justice. In a Thursday presser , the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced that DNA evidence was able to help identify...

25-Year Search for Mysterious X-Files Song Finally Pays Off

Internet thread leads to songwriters who penned tune that appeared in 1998 episode

(Newser) - There was always mystery upon mystery layered in The X-Files, the popular sci-fi series starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and now a big meta one regarding the show itself has been solved. The Washington Post reports on a melancholy country-western song heard in the background of a Season 6...

After Unsolved Murder Features in Netflix Doc, FBI to Exhume Body

It's not clear what authorities are looking for with regard to Joyce Malecki cold case

(Newser) - FBI investigators are planning to exhume the body of a young woman whose unsolved 1969 killing has been a source of widespread speculation, especially since Netflix's documentary series The Keepers examined the slaying of a Baltimore nun that unfolded days earlier under eerily similar circumstances. Joyce Malecki went Christmas...

Mystery Song's Origin Stumps Online Sleuths

With only 17 seconds of the New Wave song recorded, no one has cracked where it came from

(Newser) - Can you name this tune in 17 seconds? If so, you'd be the hero to a community of online sleuths who've been tracking down its origin for the last two years. Rolling Stone covers the quest to crack the case of "Everyone Knows That," which has...

We Now Know Who Guy on This Zeppelin Album Cover Is

Meet Lot Long, a 19th-century UK thatcher whose photo inspired the front of 'Led Zeppelin IV'

(Newser) - If you ever felt sorry for the poor branch-carrying dude on the cover of the Led Zeppelin IV album but took comfort in thinking it was simply a painting of a fictional character, get ready to feel a little uncomfortable. Turns out the "Stick Man" was a real person,...

On Florida's Roads, 'Deja Vu All Over Again'
On Florida's Roads,
'Deja Vu All Over Again'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nov 4, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

On Florida's Roads, 'Deja Vu All Over Again'

Mysterious yellow lines keep popping up in the middle of St. Johns County thoroughfares

(Newser) - There's plenty of other stuff to worry about, but a roadway mystery has captured the attention of residents in Florida's St. Johns County. WSVN describes an "enigmatic marking" that's popped up along US 1 near St. Augustine: a nearly 2-mile-long yellow line, between International Golf Parkway...

37 Years Later, Cops Think They Know What Happened to Missing Teen

Susan Robin Bender might have been killed, buried in Yosemite National Park

(Newser) - Nearly four decades after a California 15-year-old went missing, authorities may know what happened to her. The case of Susan Robin Bender , who hasn't been seen since 1986, was reopened in 2021, and earlier this month, police announced an arrest had been made. Court documents indicate the suspect may...

Her Name Was Unique. The Dangers She Faced Were 'Common'

'Washington Post' looks back on coverage of murdered mom, what everyone got wrong

(Newser) - When Monica Hesse was a young reporter, she covered the story of Unique Harris, a 24-year-old single mom of two young boys who vanished from her DC apartment in October 2010, while she was hosting a sleepover for her kids and their 9-year-old cousin. It was a case that went...

Vatican: Let's Look at New Leads Over Missing Teen

40 years after 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi vanished, new hope for solving her cold case

(Newser) - Exactly 40 years after the teenage daughter of a Vatican employee disappeared, the Vatican said Thursday that new leads "worthy of further investigation" had surfaced hopes of finally getting to the bottom of one of the Holy See's enduring mysteries. Emanuela Orlandi vanished June 22, 1983, after leaving...

Illinois Girl Vanished 6 Years Ago, Turns Up in North Carolina
She Was Abducted 6 Years Ago.
A Netflix Watcher Found Her
in case you missed it
May 20, 2023 4:30 PM CDT

She Was Abducted 6 Years Ago. A Netflix Watcher Found Her

Illinois' Kayla Unbehaun, 15, turns up in North Carolina; mom is arrested

(Newser) - In November, the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries featured an episode on family abductions, including the case of Kayla Unbehaun, who vanished from South Elgin, Illinois, at the age of 9 after a visit with her mom, who didn't have custody of her. Nearly six years later, Kayla, now 15,...

Company Teases New Evidence of MH370's Location

US-based Ocean Infinity wants Malaysia's approval to launch another search

(Newser) - Nine years after Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 vanished over the Indian Ocean, leaving little evidence of its tragic fate, one of the biggest mysteries in aviation continues to baffle, as evidenced by Netflix's new documentary exploring what might have happened to the Boeing 777 along its route from Kuala...

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