Humans naturally desire to find the answers to puzzles – so it’s no surprise that many are captivated by stories of unsolved mysteries. Not only do these allow us to explore the dark side of human nature at a safe distance, but also to test our critical thinking skills.
Though more and more cold cases and other mysteries are being solved with the help of technological advancements and relentless investigators, plenty are yet to be concluded.
Below are eight of the most perplexing unsolved mysteries of our time.
Trigger warning – This article contains themes of extreme violence. Reader discretion is advised and our thoughts are with anyone who may have been affected by any of the tragic events mentioned here.
1. What goes on in Area 51
Located 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, near the small towns of Rachel and Hiko, is the mysterious United States Air Force, named Area 51. Built in 1955 on Groom Lake – a dry lake bed in the Nevada Desert – what goes on here is kept incredibly private. Flying over Area 51 is illegal and members of the public are kept out by armed guards, electronic surveillance, and warning signs.
About 1,500 people are thought to work at Area 51 and travel in planes approved by air traffic controllers. And while the US Air Force maintains that the site is used to test military planes and train American armed forces, many others think differently…
For years, Area 51 has been linked with UFO conspiracy theories, such as it being where the US government stores and hides UFOs and alien bodies. One popular theory is that the site was used to study the remains of the flying saucer that supposedly crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, so it could be replicated.
Frustrations about the secrecy of Area 51 have always run high and, in 2019, two million people RSVP’d ‘going’ to Facebook invite to ‘Storm Area 51’ and find out what’s in there. However, only a small number of people turned up, and the US military warned that it would use lethal force if necessary to prevent people from entering.
While a small number of people approached the gates and a couple of people were arrested, it’s safe to say that no one made it inside. So, for now, the mystery of Area 51 remains…
2. The murder of Tupac Shakur
Having sold more than 75 million records worldwide, Tupac Shakur was widely considered one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time.
On 7th September 1996, aged 25, Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. While stopped at a red light, he was shot in the chest four times with a 40-calibre Glock pistol and died from his injuries six days later.
Due to conflicting testimonies, changes in witness accounts, and a lack of concrete evidence, the case went unsolved for many years – and is still yet to be concluded.
Initially, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson – a member of the Crips gang – was the prime suspect after being involved in a scuffle with Shakur earlier that night. Anderson denied any involvement in the murder and was shot dead himself two years later. Since then, there have been various theories surrounding Tupac’s death, including that he faked his death to escape the spotlight and is still alive somewhere.
But, in 2023, Duane “Keffe D” Davis – a former gang leader, uncle of Anderson, and one of the last surviving witnesses to the crime – was charged with murder after it was alleged that he orchestrated the drive-by shooting that took Tupac’s life. Davis’ involvement and subsequent arrest have brought new momentum to the investigation after years of speculation and uncertainty. David, who’s now 60, is currently awaiting trial under house arrest.
3. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
On March 8th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was travelling from Kula Lumpa to Beijing overnight when it vanished. Despite extensive search efforts and the recovery of some debris, the exact fate of MH370 is still unknown – leading to various theories and investigations.
The Boeing 777 took off at 12.41am, carrying 239 passengers and crew members – most of them Chinese nationals. About 40 minutes later, the cockpit contacted air traffic controllers as part of a handover that saw the plane move from Malaysian to Vietnamese air space.
Shortly after, at 1.21am, the plane’s transponder (which sends electronic messages to radar systems about the plane’s altitude, speed, and heading) stopped communicating, meaning the plane would have essentially been flying blind.
While military radars were still able to track the plane’s signal for some time after this – as it appeared to leave its planned flight path and head hundreds of miles off course – eventually, all contact was lost and the plane went missing.
In the wake of the disappearance, an underwater search of 120,000 sq km was carried out by Malaysia, Australia, and China in the southern Indian Ocean – but was called off two years later after no traces of the plane were found. A further three-month search in 2018 was also unsuccessful. Although 30 fragments of suspected aircraft debris were found along the coast of Africa and on the islands of the Indian Ocean, only three were confirmed to be from Flight 370.
A 495-page report on the flight’s disappearance published in 2018 suggested that the plane was deliberately taken off course by an experienced pilot. Yet, investigators couldn’t determine who was responsible or what the motive was. The Malaysian government has since said that it would be prepared to reopen the investigation into the disappearance if there was a compelling case to do so.
4. The murder of Jill Dando
Jill Dando was a much-loved BBC presenter who was best known for hosting Crimewatch and reading the six o’clock news. So, it came as a shock to the nation when, on the morning of 26th April 1999, aged 37, Jill was shot dead at point-blank range outside her front door in Fulham, Southwest London.
Jill’s neighbour found her 15 minutes later and she was rushed to hospital but tragically pronounced dead on arrival. At the time she was killed, she was just five months away from marrying her fiance, Alan Farthing.
Jill’s murder became one of the biggest homicide investigations in British history – with London’s homicide squad reportedly interviewing more than 2,500 people, taking over 1,000 statements, and tracing more than 1,200 cars.
In May 2000, convicted sex offender Barry George was arrested for Jill’s murder after a police tip-off. A neighbour had seen him on their street the day Jill was killed. Given his violent history, the fact he went by several different names, had experience with guns from being in the territorial army, and possible gun residue was found on his coat; the shoe seemed to fit. When he was arrested, police also found four copies of the special Jill Dando issue of BBC’s Ariel magazine.
However, George was cleared of Jill’s murder in 2008 after two appeals and eight years in prison. A neuropsychiatrist deemed that George’s mental disabilities made it unlikely that he was capable of committing the crime.
Nearly 25 years later, the case remains unsolved. At the end of last year, a three-part Netflix series Who Killed Jill Dando? was released with the approval of Jill’s brother, Nigel, who hopes that it may encourage someone to come forward – or bring new evidence to light.
5. The Phoenix Lights
On 13th March 1999 between 7.30pm and 10.30pm MST, a series of unidentified flying objects were witnessed over the skies of Arizona and Nevada, which have since been referred to as ‘The Phoenix Lights’.
Thousands of people reported seeing a huge V-shaped formation of lights gliding silently overhead. And, later, a series of orb-like stationary lights were also seen in the Phoenix area.
The Phoenix Lights gained nationwide publicity and remains one of the most famous and well-documented cases of a mass UFO sighting in America. While the second set of orbs was potentially explained as flares from military exercises at Luke Air Force Base, the initial massive craft remains a mystery. It sparked theories of an alien spacecraft and reignited debates about government cover ups or extraterrestrial visitors.
6. The axe murder of Daniel Morgan
Daniel Morgan, 37, was a British private investigator who went for a drink in the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham on March 10th 1987. He was later found dead in the car park with an axe buried in his head and a roll of banknotes totalling around £1,000 still undisturbed in his pocket.
At one stage, Daniel’s business partner, Jonathan Rees was linked to the murder. Rees had been at the pub with Daniel but left, saying he needed to go and do some paperwork. Forty minutes later, Morgan was found dead just a few feet from his BMW. He’d been attacked from behind in what investigators believe was a premeditated attack – though, Rees was never charged.
Although police enquiries into the murder were carried out in five countries, costing £40m, the case has never been solved. Daniel’s family believe that he was about to expose police corruption when he was silenced and that this corruption is also what shielded the killer.
The family took the Metropolitan Police to court over their response to the killing and failure to bring Daniel’s killer to justice. It was agreed that Daniel and his family had been let down and corruption had hindered the case. After apologising and announcing that it was unlikely that the killer would be found now, the Met Police agreed a settlement with the family.
7. The Highway of Tears
The Highway of Tears, as it’s come to be known, is a 724km stretch of road connecting the areas of Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada. Poverty is rife in this area, forcing many locals to resort to hitchhiking. And, tragically, since 1970, over 40 women and girls – mostly Indigenous – have gone missing or been murdered along this route.
Although Human Rights Watch revealed that British Columbia has the highest rate of unsolved murders of Indigenous women and girls in Canada – it’s considered a national crisis by many Canadians. After the federal government launched an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, it’s estimated that the number of victims exceeds 1,200.
Because the area surrounding the Highway of Tears is largely remote, desolate, and forested with unforgiving weather conditions, it’s believed that these factors may give perpetrators a sense of privacy; making it easier for them to get away with these horrific crimes. This, coupled with systemic racism and difficulties finding and prosecuting perpetrators due to the transient nature of the road, has left many cases unsolved.
Last year, the families of the missing and murdered girls joined forces with an Indigenous social services agency to create and install four new billboards along the highway reading, “We are hope. We are strength. Keep Highway 16 safe.” The boards are designed to remember the victims and remind travellers and communities to come together and do what they can to make the highway safe again.
8. The shark arm murders
On April 25th 1935, communities in Sydney, New South Wales were celebrating Anzac Day, which commemorates the day when Australians and New Zealanders first took military action during World War I.
The holiday brought lots of visitors to the Coogee Aquarium where owner Bert Hobson had just set up a new attraction. He’d introduced a 14-foot, 1-ton Tiger shark into one of his tanks after catching it accidentally while fishing with his son Ron. But, on Anzac Day, the shark was acting strangely – bumping into walls and moving sluggishly as if something was weighing it down.
Eventually, the shark thrashed its body and coughed up the contents of its stomach, which included a partly-digested human arm. Naturally, it was assumed that the shark had attacked a swimmer…that was until a coroner’s report revealed the arm had been cut off with a knife.
The story reached the media, where it was seen by Edwin Smith; a man whose brother (Jim Smith) had been missing for several weeks. Edwin saw that the arm that had been recovered from the shark tank had a tattoo the same as his brother’s. So, he contacted the police who used DNA fingerprint technology to match the arm to Jim Smith.
Edwin didn’t think it was unrealistic that his brother could have been murdered and eaten by a shark, due to his previous involvement in criminal activities. After a failed boxing career, Jim started working for a crime kingpin, Reginald Holmes – alongside ex-con Patrick Brady – who used his boat business as a front for several illegal drug operations.
It’s believed that Holmes and Smith fell out around the time of his disappearance after Smith raised the police’s suspicions about one of their cons. Smith was last seen drinking with Brady at his rented cottage – and when Brady later took a cab to Holme’s house, Smith was no longer with him.
Police brought Brady in for questioning on separate, unrelated forgery charges and eventually got him to admit that Holmes was behind Smith’s disappearance. When police caught up with Holmes, he painted Brady as Smith’s murderer and himself as the victim of Brady’s blackmail. He claimed that Brady had killed and dismembered Smith, throwing the body parts into the ocean – but keeping one arm as a threat to Holmes that he would be next if he didn’t pay him what he wanted. Holmes said he’d panicked and thrown the arm into the water where it had been swallowed by the shark.
Before the case could go to trial, Holmes was found in his car with three bullet holes in his chest. It’s believed that he hired a hitman to kill him so that his family could claim the money from his life insurance policy, which would have been void if he’d died by suicide.
Without Holmes’ testimony, it became difficult to prove that Brady was the one behind Smith’s murder so he was acquitted and died in 1965, aged 76. With both men dead and no further leads, the full story of what happened to Jim Smith remains a mystery. At one stage, the tiger shark was even cut open and autopsied to look for further body parts and/or evidence but nothing new came to light.
Final thoughts…
Unsolved mysteries act as a humbling reminder of the limits of human knowledge. They ignite our curiosity, challenge our assumptions, and inspire us to keep seeking, questioning, and pushing the boundaries of what we think possible.
While many mysteries have been solved through extensive investigation and advances in forensic science, many others remain open-ended, captivating those who encounter them.
Though years or even decades may pass, many amateur sleuths and professional investigators continue piecing together and re-examining clues, and looking for new ones – sometimes revealing answers we thought were lost. For more reading, why not check out this article on 5 chilling cold cases solved by DNA evidence?
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