Another Top 10 Unsolved Murder Mysteries

Another Top 10 Unsolved Murder Mysteries

With hundreds of unsolved murders every year, we felt like 10 wasn’t enough! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for Another Top 10 Unsolved Murder Mysteries.

For this list, we’re taking a look at murder cases throughout history that have yet to be conclusively cracked. If you think we may be missing a famous murder mystery, be sure to check out our original list of the “Top 10Unsolved Murder Mysteries.”

#10: The Axeman of New Orleans Murders
1918 - 1919

Between 1918-19, a serial killer, simply known as The Axeman, terrorized New Orleans. The Axeman is believed to’ve murdered eight people, although it’s speculated there were several more victims. Almost all the confirmed victims were Italian-American and killed with an axe. On March 13th, 1919, a person claiming to be The Axeman had a letter published in the newspaper, claiming he or she was not human, but rather a demon from hell. The murders suddenly stopped shortly thereafter and The Axeman’s identity was never discovered – though it is likely he or she was a fan of jazz, as the murderer claimed not to murder those who played that genre of music at their homes.

#9: Hinterkaifeck
1922

Hinterkaifeck was a small ranch in Germany and home to one of the country’s strangest murder mysteries. On March 31, 1922, the six people living on the supposedly haunted farm were murdered with a mattock, which is like a pickaxe. The crime scene suggested each family member was led to the barn, where they were then killed. Among the victims were seven-year-old Cäzilia Gruber and her two-year-old brother Josef. Just days before the massacre, their father Andreas Gruber discovered footprints in the snow leading to the farm, but none leading back away. Although police questioned over 100 suspects, nobody was ever convicted.

#8: Lake Bodom Murders
1960

Like something out of a horror movie, four teens were camping under the stars near Finland’s Lake Bodom one weekend, when three of them were brutally murdered as they slept. Many suspects have been arrested over the years, with the fourth teen – Nils Wilhelm Gustafsson – even coming under suspicion in 2004, thanks to modern examination techniques. The theory was that Gustafsson had flown into a jealous rage due to his feelings for his new girlfriend, who was the victim that sustained the worst injuries. However, Gustafsson was acquitted and the case remains unsolved, fascinating native Fins to this day to the point where Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom named themselves after the mystery.

#7: Edgar Allan Poe
1849

This famed American writer was found delirious on a Baltimore street on October 3, 1849, and died days later on the 7th. Some historians believe Edgar Allan Poe died of alcohol poisoning, whiles others have suggested syphilis, cholera, or rabies. Some theorize, however, that he may have overdosed after being drugged by a cooping gang. Cooping was a practice where unwilling participants were drugged and forced to vote for a certain candidate in an election, often several times. This would explain why Poe was found wearing clothes that weren’t his, because he would have been too recognizable in Baltimore without a disguise. Yet, the mystery of his death lives on forevermore.

#6: Highway of Tears Murders
1969 - 2011

The Highway of Tears is a 500-mile long stretch of road between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada. From 1969-2011, at least 18 women were murdered along this highway, although it is estimated that the real number may be in the 40s. The majority of women were in their teens, and many of them were Aboriginal – a fact which has led some critics to accuse the investigating police of racism. Although a few victims have been linked to a convicted serial killer named Bobby Jack Fowler, there’s still no explanation for the other murders. Hitting a dead end, the case is seemingly a road to nowhere.

#5: Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run
1935 - 1938

The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run was a serial killer in Cleveland that murdered at least 12 people throughout the 1930s – with other possible victims coming before and after. Also called the Cleveland Torso Murderer, almost all of the victims were beheaded and dismembered, with several never identified because their heads were never found and because many were drifters or members of the working poor. Although the case was reviewed by Eliot Ness, the man who put Al Capone behind bars, no suspects were ever charged. Some theories have even claimed that there was no single butcher, but rather several different individual murderers.

#4: The Boy in the Box
1957

In 1957, a young boy was found naked lying face up inside a cardboard box in the woods near Philadelphia. The body was wrapped in a flannel blanket and the boy’s arms were folded across his stomach. The cause of death was the result of several blows to the head, and his entire body was covered in bruises. The boy’s identity was never learned and nobody had any confirmed information about the murder. And, while there have been several theories, no hard evidence has ever been produced, and the boy’s identity and murderer remain unknown.

#3: Andrew & Abby Borden
1892

On August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden discovered that both her parents had been brutally murdered. Her father had been repeatedly struck in the head with a sharp instrument, while her stepmother had also been brutally mutilated. Lizzie and Bridget Sullivan, the maid, were suspected, with both having acted suspiciously around the time of the murder. Lizzie reportedly burned a dress in the stove and Sullivan was seen leaving the house carrying a parcel. Lizzie was eventually arrested and tried in a landmark, sensational trial, but she was acquitted due to circumstantial evidence. No other suspects were ever charged.

#2: Alphabet Murders
1971 - 1973

Also known as the Double Initial Murders, the Alphabet Murders transpired in New York State during the early 1970s. There were three victims: Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza. Each girl was sexually assaulted before being strangled, and was found in a town starting with the same initial as their names: Colon in Churchville, Walkowicz in Webster, and Maenza in Macedon. Strangely, each girl came from similar backgrounds: They all had learning disabilities, were Roman Catholic, and came from single parent homes. This case was later connected to a series of similar murders in 1970s California, for which Joseph Naso was convicted and sentenced to death; but his involvement in the New York cases has not yet been confirmed.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions:
- Salish Sea Human Foot Discoveries
2007 - 2014
- Keddie Murders
1981
- Phantom Killer
1946
- Smiley Face Murders
1992 - 2008
- Death of Caylee Anthony
2008

#1: Amber Hagerman
1996

She’s the girl for which the Amber Alert was named. While AMBER does stand for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, it was actually originally named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old girl who was abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas, on January 13, 1996. Just four days later, her body was discovered in a storm drainage ditch. Her killer still hasn’t been found. While undoubtedly a tragedy, Amber’s murder helped create tougher laws for child abductors and sex offenders, with Bill Clinton signing the Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act into law, which created the national sex offender registry.

Do you agree with our list? Which unsolved murder mystery piques your interest? For more creepy Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.