On August 23, 1912, in the sweltering summer heat, the Dunbar family sought respite by vacationing at Swayze Lake in Louisiana, a swampy area teeming with alligators. During the night, while the family slept in their tents, 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar wandered off, sparking an intensive eight-month search for the missing child.

The Caldwell Watchman, a Louisiana newspaper from that era, extensively covered the search:

“When [Bobby] was missed, a search traced him to the banks of Lake Swayze… At first, it was feared that he [had] drowned, but the lake failed to give up the body and the little boy’s hat was found some distance from the lake a day or so later.”

As the search for Bobby Dunbar seemed futile, the town offered significant rewards for information, reaching $125,000 today. In 1913, police believed they found Bobby with a drifter, William Cantwell Walters. Despite the Dunbars’ doubts, identifying markers were used to confirm the boy’s identity. A public trial ensued, resulting in the Dunbars retaining custody.

Years later, a DNA test revealed the boy found in 1913 was not Bobby Dunbar but Julia Anderson’s son. The real fate of Bobby Dunbar remains a mystery, raising questions about the Dunbars’ awareness of the mistaken identity.

In 1943, four teenagers hunting for game during WWII discovered a woman’s body stuffed inside a wych elm in Worcestershire, England. Seventeen-year-old Tom Willetts found the remains while exploring the tree, realizing they were human by the attached hair. Medical examiner Professor James Webster determined the woman, aged around 35 and 5 feet tall, had likely been suffocated.

Missing a hand, her bones were scattered around the tree, indicating murder. The investigation, initially cold, gained attention when graffiti near the tree asked, “Who put Luebella down the wych elm?” The unidentified woman was named “Bella,” and theories ranged from occult rituals to espionage. Bella’s identity and the circumstances of her death remain unsolved.

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared during their attempt to fly around the world. Departing from New Guinea, their destination was Howland Island, but the plane never arrived. Despite one of the largest search efforts in American history covering 250,000 square miles of the Pacific, they were never found.

Earhart was declared legally deceased in January 1939. Various theories surround her disappearance, with one suggesting that inclement weather led them to miss Howland Island, possibly landing on a remote island. In 1940, a skeleton found on Nikumaroro was initially identified as male. However, in 1998, advanced forensic analysis suggested the remains belonged to a woman of European descent, matching Earhart’s height. In 2018, further examination indicated a 99% likelihood that the bones were Amelia Earhart’s. The fate of her plane and Fred Noonan remains unknown.

The Voynich Manuscript, a 250-page book featuring cryptic written language and unidentified plant illustrations, remains an enduring mystery. Carbon-dated to the 1400s, the manuscript was named after the book collector Wilfrid Voynich, who acquired it in 1912. Prior to Voynich, it belonged to Czech alchemist Georg Baresch, who, in 1639, expressed frustration about the book’s enigmatic content.

Since Baresch’s time, the manuscript has surfaced periodically, perplexing each subsequent discoverer. Despite extensive scrutiny by historians, scientists, archaeologists, and alchemists, the origin, language, and meaning of the Voynich Manuscript remain elusive, making it an enduring enigma in the realms of historical and cryptographic study.

In 1959, the Dyatlov Pass incident unfolded as nine hikers led by Igor Dyatlov vanished in the Ural Mountains. Despite Dyatlov’s plan to send a telegram upon their return, no communication was received, and the group disappeared. A subsequent investigation revealed the hikers’ bodies with inexplicable injuries resembling high-impact trauma—akin to being hit by a speeding car. One hiker lacked a tongue, and some were missing eyes.

The Soviet government initially attributed the deaths to hypothermia or an avalanche, but private investigators and, more recently, the Russian government reopened the case in 2019. In an unconventional approach, engineers used 3D animation code from Disney’s Frozen to simulate the impact of an avalanche on the hikers, suggesting that such an event could cause the observed injuries. The Dyatlov Pass incident remains a perplexing mystery, with ongoing efforts to uncover the truth behind the tragic events.

In 1982, Byron Preiss introduced “The Secret: A Treasure Hunt,” featuring 12 intricate riddles and paintings by John Jude Palencar. Each riddle, coupled with a painting, leads to a North American city where a buried bejeweled box awaits discovery, containing a key exchangeable for jewels valued at around $10,000.

In 1983, three Chicago teenagers successfully deciphered the fifth riddle and 12th verse, leading them to a buried jewel. The riddle incorporated hidden elements like an inverted outline of Illinois and landmarks such as the Water Tower and a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Grant Park. The teens used intersecting tree lines to locate the treasure under a fence.

Despite widespread efforts to solve all 12 riddles, only three have been deciphered. Treasure hunters nationwide persist in the quest, although Byron Preiss passed away in 2005, taking the secret locations of the remaining gems to his grave.

The year 536 CE is often considered one of the worst times in history due to a mysterious fog that shrouded Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia in complete darkness for 18 months. Procopius, a Byzantine historian, described the sun emitting light without brightness throughout the year.

This event coincided with record-low summer temperatures, a decade of freezing conditions, and disrupted global agriculture, leading to widespread famine and death. A subsequent outbreak of bubonic plague in 541 further devastated the Roman Empire. The cause of the lethal fog remains a mystery, with scientists investigating a hypothesis involving a volcanic eruption in Iceland that released ash, blocking the sun.

From 1982 to 1985, the Brabant Killers terrorized the Belgian province of Brabant, leaving 28 dead and 22 injured. The gang consisted of three main figures: “The Giant,” the leader; “The Killer,” responsible for shootings; and “The Old Man,” the getaway driver.

Theories suggest government involvement, positing that the targets were not random and that the robberies were a cover for eliminating specific individuals. The investigation faces challenges with scant evidence, including a cigarette butt and an anonymous photo sent to the police in 1986. Released in 2020, the photo aims to identify a crucial figure in the unsolved case.

Off the coast of Nova Scotia lies Oak Island, steeped in legend and believed to hold a pirate’s treasure. Dating back to 1795, when fisherman Daniel McGinnis discovered a strange stone marked with runes, the hunt for the elusive treasure began. The translated inscription on the stone read, “Forty Feet Below Two Million Pounds Are Buried.”

Over two centuries, numerous attempts have been made to unearth the rumored “money pit.” While no treasure has been found, hunters uncovered intriguing clues like coins, parchment shreds, rock slabs, and more. However, the quest has not been without peril; several hunters met tragic fates, with one fatality in 1861 due to a steam engine explosion and five more deaths since. The legend holds that seven lives must be lost before the treasure is revealed, and Oak Island’s history records six lives lost in the pursuit of its mysterious bounty.

In 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston suffered a notorious art heist, with 13 valuable pieces, including Rembrandt and Vermeer works, stolen by burglars posing as police officers. Recently, a potential lead emerged when jeweler Paul Calantropo revealed that his friend Bobby Donati presented a stolen item, a Napoleonic eagle finial

Calantropo kept this information hidden for over 30 years, citing safety concerns. Collaborating with investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian, a retired law enforcement officer, and two ex-convicts, Calantropo aims to trace Donati’s involvement. The FBI, focused on recovering the art, refrained from confirming Donati’s role. The museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the artworks’ return.

The Great Attractor is a cosmic enigma, often described as a giant magnet on the other side of the Milky Way, located 150 million light-years away in the “Zone of Avoidance.” Discovered in the 1970s, this mysterious spot influences the drift of galaxies, including our own, as our solar system moves through space.

Despite its significance, the Great Attractor is shrouded in gas and dust, hindering visibility and leaving scientists puzzled about its true nature. Advances in X-ray astronomy and technology may eventually unravel this cosmic mystery, but, for now, the Great Attractor remains an unexplained phenomenon.

The islands in the Pacific near Australia and New Guinea, including Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, were initially colonized 3,500 years ago by Polynesians in a remarkable voyage. However, a mysterious period known as “The Long Pause” followed, lasting 2,000 years, during which the Polynesians, renowned seafarers, seemingly halted their oceanic exploration. After this prolonged hiatus, they resumed their journeys, colonizing the Central and Eastern Pacific with renewed vigor.

Historians propose various theories to explain the Long Pause, including unpredictable wind patterns hindering navigation and the development of advanced boating technology over the 2,000 years. While the true cause remains unknown, the concept gained broader recognition after being featured in Disney’s animated film “Moana” in 2016. The film’s historical and cultural accuracy has sparked mixed reviews among historians and indigenous Polynesians.

In 1912, Villisca, Iowa, became infamous for a gruesome event that remains unsolved to this day. On June 9, the Moore family, consisting of businessman Josiah, his wife Sarah, and their four children aged 11 to 5, along with two girls from a nearby farm, were brutally murdered in their home. The killer, wielding an ax, left peculiar scenes at the crime scene, including four pounds of bacon in the hallway, untouched food, a bowl of bloody water, and covered mirrors.

Suspicion fell on Lyn George Jacklin Kelly, who had mental health issues. Despite a confession that he later recanted, a jury failed to convict him, leaving the Villisca murders as one of Iowa’s enduring cold cases.

In an unusual criminal twist, Theodore Coneys, dubbed the Denver Spider Man, had a distinctive response after committing a crime. In October 1941, he broke into the home of Philip and Helen Peters in Denver, Colorado. When confronted by Philip, Coneys fatally beat him and then took refuge in the attic, where he decided to hide out. Astonishingly, he remained in the attic even as Helen continued her life in the house, unaware of her husband’s killer lurking upstairs.

Over months, Helen noticed unsettling sounds, misplaced items, and disappearing food. Eventually, she moved out to live with her son in another city. Coneys continued to occupy the house. As neighbors reported strange occurrences at the now-vacant residence, police conducted a search and discovered the Denver Spider Man, named for his tall, slender appearance and his cohabitation with spiders.

On the morning of December 31, 2000, in Setagaya, Japan, a woman discovered her daughter and son-in-law’s phone disconnected. Upon checking, she found a gruesome scene: her daughter Yasuko Miyazawa, son-in-law Mikio Miyazawa, and their children, 8-year-old Niina and 6-year-old Rei, all murdered.

Police found the murderer’s DNA, fingerprints, clothing, blood, and even waste in the house. The killer seemed unhurried, using the family’s toilet and utilizing the internet, even rummaging through their food supply. Despite ample evidence, the Setagaya family murders remain unsolved.

Kanika Powell, a 28-year-old US Army veteran, faced a series of unsettling incidents in August 2008 in her Washington, DC, home. Unknown men claiming to be FBI agents and others attempted to gain entry. Despite her vigilance and alerting the police, Powell was shot at her home on August 28 and succumbed to her injuries the following day.

The identity and motives of the men knocking on Powell’s door remain unclear, and investigators have struggled to solve the case. Many questions persist about the circumstances surrounding her murder, leaving the mystery unsolved.

In 1996, 10-year-old Zachary Ramsay disappeared on his way to school in Great Falls, MT. Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, a 43-year-old with a history of pretending to be a police officer and following children, became a suspect. Police found disturbing evidence in Bar-Jonah’s possession, including photos of children, journals detailing child torture, and menus with unsettling dishes.

Bar-Jonah had a criminal history of victimizing children in Massachusetts. Despite convictions, he was released and moved to Montana. In his apartment, police discovered menus with entries like “Little Boy Stew” and “Barbequed Kid.” The investigation raised fears that Ramsay might have been abducted, murdered, and even cannibalized.

While Bar-Jonah faced imprisonment for other crimes, he was never convicted in connection to Ramsay’s disappearance. The fate of Zachary Ramsay remains a haunting mystery.

In April 2016, Missy Bevers was setting up for a workout class at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, TX, when she was murdered. Security cameras captured a person in a SWAT-like uniform with a hammer entering the church. Despite the evidence, the perpetrator’s face is not visible, making it challenging for the police to identify the assailant. The case remains unsolved.

The mystery of Lake Roopkund involves the discovery of around 800 human skeletons in the frozen Himalayan lake, located at an altitude of 16,500 feet in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The skeletons, dating back centuries and displaying genetic diversity, have puzzled researchers. While theories suggest a catastrophic event, genetic testing revealed backgrounds from the eastern Mediterranean, deepening the mystery. The exact cause of this ancient mass death and the diverse origins of the deceased remain unknown, leaving more questions than answers.

The mysterious disappearance of Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, has raised questions and speculation. Last seen in August 2007, Shelly has not been in the public eye, and the Church of Scientology has not provided information about her whereabouts. Despite efforts by ex-Scientologists and actress Leah Remini to inquire about Shelly’s well-being, the church remains tight-lipped. Speculation includes the possibility of Shelly being at a remote Scientology compound, but no concrete evidence has emerged to explain her disappearance. The case remains unresolved, leaving many unanswered questions about Shelly Miscavige’s fate.

The strange case of Walburga “Dolly” Oesterreich involves a complex love affair that took an unusual turn. Dolly, married to apron factory owner Fred Oesterreich, began an affair with 17-year-old Otto Sanhuber. To keep their relationship secret, Sanhuber lived in the Oesterreichs’ attic, even after the couple moved to Los Angeles. When Fred discovered the affair, Sanhuber fatally shot him, and Dolly convinced the police of a home invasion. The secret lovers continued their arrangement, with Sanhuber living in the attic for years. Dolly eventually forced him out in 1923. The motives behind Sanhuber’s compliance and their peculiar living arrangement remain a mystery.

On the morning of February 9, 1855, a mysterious event unfolded in Devon, England. People discovered a series of unusual footprints in the snow, covering an estimated 40 to 100 miles across South and East Devon. The footprints were hoof-like, 4×6 inches in size, spaced out up to 16 inches, and they traversed various obstacles like walls and streams. The prints suggested a two-legged creature, sparking widespread speculation. Despite numerous theories, ranging from balloons to badgers, the origin of the mysterious footprints in Devon remains unresolved. Some even consider the possibility of a supernatural visitation, attributing the event to the Devil.