Top 10 Unsolved Murders

Les Listes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The world is a dangerous place with many people being killed all the time. Some of the most intriguing cases of murders are the ones that have remained unsolved. In some cases, some of the most famous ones have remained unsolved for years or even decades, leaving police departments puzzled. These unsolved murders provide us with a glimpse into the darkest corners of the human soul and help us understand how much darkness humans hide within ourselves. With that it mind, check out the list below for the top 10 unsolved murders.

#10: The Unsolved Murder of Ricky McCormick

On the June 30, 1999, police found the body of a 41-year old man named Ricky McCormick in a field in St. Charles County, Missouri. His family had only reported him missing 72 hours earlier. However, the post-mortem effects on his body hinted that his murder had killed him at some point earlier. On the day that McCormick’s body was found, it was in a decomposed state. The police were only able to identify his body through fingertip tests. The last time that he was seen alive was on June 25, when he was getting a health check at St. Louis Forest Park hospital.

In 2011, FBI revealed two mysterious notes in his hand writing. A very suspicious finding, since McCormick knew only how to write his own name. The FBI kept these notes hidden for 12 years, even from the McCormick’s family. The FBI’s Cryptoanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU) and the American Cryptogram Association attempted to decipher them but they both failed in their effort to extract any meaning from these notes.

On March 29, 2011, with this case only getting colder, the FBI asked the public for help. At the same time, they also launched a separate web page where anyone could leave their theory about those findings as a comment on the website. To this day, the notes have not been deciphered, and McCormick’s death remains on the list of unsolved murders.^[1]WebCite – FBI can’t crack the code in this murder case — can you?^[2]Daily Mail – Calling all code-breakers! FBI asks for help in solving murder of man who had mysterious encrypted notes in his pocket

#9: The Atlas Vampire

The Atlas Vampire is the nickname the public gave to the unknown suspect of the unsolved “Vampire Murder” or the “Vampire Murder Case” that took place on May 4, 1932, in Stockholm, Sweden. The victim was Lilly Linderstrom, a 32-year old sex worker in Stockholm.

Police found her body in her apartment in the Atlas area of Stockholm, very close to Sankt Eriksplan. The coroners put her death at 2-3 days before the police found her body. According to the coroner’s report, she had suffered blunt force trauma to her head. Her body was found naked and face down on her bed. However, the most alarming fact was that her clothes were meticulously folded and placed on a chair near her. Her body had clear signs of recent sexual activity, specifically a used condom was found still protruding from her anus.

Upon further police inspection, investigators found that her body had been drained of all the blood. Police surmise that the perpetrator of this heinous act then proceeded to drink the blood, helping give the nickname to this unsolved murders.^[3]The Trebuchet – From the Cold File: The Atlas Vampirel

#8: Jeannette De Palma’s Death-A Satanic Ritual?

On the afternoon of August 7, 1972, 16-year old Jeannette De Palma left her house and told her mother that she was going to the house of a friend of her’s. When she did not return home later the same day, her parents went to the police and reported her missing.

Unfortunately, on September 19, locals found the remains of her body in one of the most shocking ways. A dog had brought her decomposed right forearm from a cliff inside of Springfield’s Houdaille Quarry to its owner. According to the witnesses, there were a lot of occult objects around her remains. Apparently, police found her in a coffin surrounded by a perimeter of branches. Additionally, inside the perimeter, there were many wooden crosses. Another little-known fact is that the place where her body was found is known as the Devil’s Teeth. Due to all these facts, the media dubbed her death as an occult human sacrifice.

Not only is Jeannette’s murderer is still at large, but the exact cause of her cause of death remains a mystery to this day. According to the autopsy report, there were no fractures, bullet wounds or knife stabs that would hint as to the cause of death.^[4]Weird N.J. – The Unsolved Case of Jeannette DePalma^[5]WFMU – The Glen Jones Radio Programme: Playlist from July 13, 2014

#7: Who Put Bella in Wynch Elm?

This question was first put up as some graffiti in 1944, after the April 18, 1943 discovery of the skeletal remains of a woman inside a wynch elm in Hagley Wood, Worcestershire, England by four young children. According to the coroner’s report, the murder took place in October 1941. Despite the investigation by the police, the name of both the victim and the murderer are still unknown.

The police tried to identify the woman with their list of missing persons, but due WWII taking place at the time, it was not an easy task.^[6]BBC – Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm?^[7]Independent – Mystery. Murder. And half a century of suspense In addition, the current location of her skeleton and the original autopsy report are unknown. When they found the body, there were pieces of silk cloth in the mouth, suggesting that her death was a result of suffocation. To this day, her case remains on the top of the list of unsolved murders.

#6: The St. Louis Jane Doe

On February 28, 1983, in St. Louis, Missouri, police found an unidentified girl, known only as the St. Louis Jane Doe. It was a very brutal crime that natural got a lot of national attention. The victim was between the age of eight and eleven years old at the time of her murder. According to the police reports, the unknown suspect had raped her. Afterward, the murder killed her by strangulation. To top off this gruesome crime, the murder tied her hands behind her back with a rope and decapitated her.

To this day, this crime is still one of the top unsolved murders. In fact, the name of the little girl is still unknown, as it is the name of the murderer. In addition, the police never found the girl’s head.^[8]National Institute of Justice – The Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster^[9]True Crime Report – In 1983, a Young Girl Was Assaulted and Decapitated. Police Still Don’t Know Who She Is.

#5: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott

In 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott was a 32-year-old single mother of a 4-year-old little boy. Right before the time of her death, she had been receiving anonymous threatening calls to her home from a mysterious stalker. The caller would sometimes confess his love for her. However, other times, he would threaten to kill her if she dared to reject him. In his calls, he included very private details of her life. This proves that must of have been following her very closely in her daily life. Dorthy had told her mother that the voice was familiar but that she couldn’t recognize the person.

On the evening of May 28, 1980, Dorothy was driving two of her coworkers to the hospital. She was taking them there because a spider had bitten one of them. When they were leaving the hospital, she went to get her car and drive it around the hospital entrance. However, when the coworkers saw the car, it simply drove away. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see who was inside. The car’s headlights had blinded them. They reported her missing to the police on the same day. Later, the police found her car 10 miles away from the hospital in flames. However, there was no trace of her anywhere near the car.

On August 6, 1984, a dog found her remains 10 miles away from Santa Ana Canyon Road. The coroner had to identify her by her dental records. Strangely, the performed autopsy could not determine any cause of death.^[10]Newspapers.com – Hope Dims for Quite Woman Who Vanished^[11]newspaperarchive – Crime Clipping from Santa Ana Orange County Register Evening, Fri, Jun 13, 1980.^[12]newspaperarchive – Crime Clipping from Santa Ana Orange County Register, Thu, Aug 16, 1984. To this day, her murder remains one of the worst unsolved murders.

#4: The Sodder Children Disappearance

On Christmas Eve 1945, flames suddenly engulfed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Luckily, both the parents and the four of the children were able to make it out. However, 5 children were still in the burning house.

After the police took over the case, they determined that an electrical fault was the cause of the fire. They never found the bodies of the missing children inside the house. Making things even more suspicious, police found that someone had intentionally cut the family’s phone prior to the fire. This helped confirm the father’s testimony. He stated that 2 different men had visited him and had warned him to be careful of a house fire. To this day, the unsolved murders still remain a mystery to this day.^[13]Smithsonian – The Children Who Went Up In Smoke^[14]npr – Mystery of Missing Children Haunts W.Va. Town

#3: The Mysterious Reappearance of Nicholas Barclay

Young Nicholas Barclay and his family were living in a San Antonio neighborhood. However, he was a problematic child and had a record of attracting all kinds of trouble including, skipping school, getting violent and even leaving his house. The day that he disappeared on June 13, 1994, he called his home and asked for a ride. However, his mother was asleep and his brother refused to wake her up. That was the last time the family ever heard from him again.

Approximately three years later, the family received a call from someone who claimed that he was their lost son Nicholas. The family was overjoyed to have their young son back. However, after seeing the person who claimed to be Nicholas, it was clear that something was wrong. This man had no resemblance to Nicholas.

The FBI was called in on the case. After fingerprint and DNA testing, it was proven that the new Nicholas was actually the 23 years-old Freddie Pierre Bourdin, a well-known impostor who had assumed over 200 identities. The courts convicted him to six years in prison. To this day, the real fate of Nicholas remains a mystery.^[15]Mirror – The elaborate imposter: Conman, 30, fools family into thinking he is their missing teenage son

#2: The Mysterious Case of Black Dahlia

On the morning of January 15, 1947, in a Los Angeles neighborhood, police found the naked mutilated body of a young woman. The woman turned out to be the 22 years-old Elizabeth Short. She had taken the nickname Black Dahlia because of her choice to wear black clothes. Despite the efforts of both the FBI and the L.A.P.D. Police never found the murderer of young Elizabeth.^[16]FBI – The Black Dahlia In fact, to this day, her case remains one of the worst unsolved murders in history. However, her death has become something of a popular lore in Hollywood, even inspires several film noir movies such as The Blue Dahlia (1946).

#1: The Boy in the Box

The boy in the box was given to the unsolved murder of a 3-year-old boy who was found dead inside a card box. He was naked and wrapped only in a blanket.

Police discovered the boy in a wooded area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 25, 1957. Despite the many theories that came up about the case, none shook out to be good leads.

Locals buried the little boy in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Caedbrook, Philadelphia. His headstone bears the inscription “America’s Unknown Child”.^[17]Boy in the Box: The Unsolved Case of America’s Unknown Child To this day, this remains one of the most gruesome unsolved murders.