Cryptic codes, menacing messages, and tragic love stories leave us with unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions in some homicide cases.
Enigmatic ciphers, ominous letters, and deadly love affairs create unsolved mysteries, and amateur detectives can’t always solve them. Here are the top five infamous cold cases in the United States for those who want to explore unsolved crimes.
The Zodiac killer
The killer’s letters, along with the accompanying ciphers, were published by the newspapers. The public was urged to assist in deciphering the hidden messages. Among these texts, the “408 cipher” revealed the chilling message, “I enjoy taking lives as it brings me great pleasure.” On the other hand, the “340 cipher” remained undecoded until the year 2020, commencing with the words, “I trust you are thoroughly enjoying your endeavor to apprehend me.”
Despite analyzing numerous letters and deciphering codes, the case remains unsolved. Despite investigating multiple suspects, including the heavily scrutinized schoolteacher Arthur Leigh Allen who was institutionalized for unrelated crimes in 1975, the identity of the Zodiac killer remains unknown. Furthermore, considering the possibility that the killer was active before 1968 and even into the 1980s, it is uncertain how many victims the killer claimed.
JonBenét Ramsey
Despite extensive investigations, law enforcement authorities have yet to apprehend any suspects in connection with the tragic murder of JonBenét Ramsey. The six-year-old beauty pageant winner was discovered deceased in the basement of her family’s residence in Boulder, Colorado, on December 26, 1996. In the early hours of that fateful day, JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, contacted emergency services, reporting her daughter’s disappearance and the discovery of a ransom note demanding $118,000 for her safe return.
Shortly after, the family and law enforcement made a startling realization that JonBenét had never departed from their residence. Following a request to conduct a subsequent search of the house, her father, John, stumbled upon her lifeless body in the basement. Tragically, she had been restrained, silenced, and fatally struck on the head, while a garotte made from one of Patsy’s paintbrushes and a cord had been used. Disturbingly, investigators later disclosed that JonBenét had also endured sexual assault.
Multiple suspects emerged, including an unidentified intruder, a family friend who dressed as Santa Claus for the Ramseys’ Christmas parties, JonBenét’s parents, and her nine-year-old brother, Burke. The mishandling of the investigation, such as allowing friends of the Ramseys to freely move around the house and even assist in cleaning the kitchen, has contributed to the ongoing public interest in the case. Any potential physical evidence was likely destroyed shortly after the police arrived at the Ramsey residence.
The Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short, a 22-year-old woman, was discovered dead in residential Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. The extent of the mutilation on her body was so severe that a mother, who was out for a walk with her young daughter, initially mistook her for a mannequin.
The case quickly became a sensation, capturing immediate attention. Short was soon given the moniker of the Black Dahlia, alluding to her supposed fondness for black dresses and the film noir The Blue Dahlia from 1946, which depicted the murder of an unfaithful wife. Short was portrayed as a carefree partygoer with a history of underage drinking. It seemed that documenting a young woman’s escapades was more captivating than grieving her tragic demise. The letters sent by the presumed killer to the authorities only intensified the frenzy among the media.
Since the investigation into Short’s murder has been classified as a cold case, numerous amateur detectives have put forth their own theories. A retired police detective boldly accused his deceased father of the crime, which even served as inspiration for the creation of the TV miniseries, I Am the Night. Additionally, a British researcher proposed the idea that the California police had colluded with the killer.
However, due to the passage of time and mishandling of evidence by the authorities, a significant portion of the physical proof related to the case has been lost. Furthermore, with most of the key individuals involved in the investigation now deceased, it is highly unlikely that any theory will ever be definitively proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Hall-Mills murders
The small town was left in shock when a pastor and a choir singer were brutally murdered on a makeshift lovers’ lane. This tragic event sparked a wave of accusations, conflicting witness testimonies, and even multiple false confessions.
In the year 1922, Reverend Edward Wheeler Hall of New Brunswick, New Jersey, engaged in an extramarital relationship with a fellow congregant named Eleanor Mills, who was also married. On September 14, both individuals left their respective homes to rendezvous with each other. Concerned when Hall did not return home that night, his wife Frances and one of his brothers-in-law initiated a search. However, it wasn’t until two days later that the bodies of Hall and Mills were discovered by another couple strolling along a lovers’ lane. The tragic scene revealed that Hall had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, while Mills had endured a horrifying fate. She had been shot three times in the face and her throat had been brutally slashed, nearly severing her head. An autopsy later revealed that her tongue and larynx had been removed. Disturbingly, after their deaths, the bodies of the ill-fated couple had been positioned in a close embrace.
It was evident that the case had a personal aspect to it. Despite the fact that Hall and Mills’s extramarital relationship was seemingly well-known in the community, their respective partners maintained that they were unaware of the situation. This statement was met with skepticism from investigators and the media, who quickly latched onto the story. Frances, William, and Henry Stevens were all viewed as potential suspects in the case.
Despite their best efforts, the prosecution was unable to find any evidence to convict the siblings. The witness statements were constantly changing, possibly due to the influence of media coverage. Numerous attention-seekers confessed to the murders, further complicating the case. Additionally, the crime scene was tampered with by sightseers searching for “souvenirs,” leading to the destruction of crucial physical evidence. Consequently, the murders of Edward and Eleanor remained unsolved.
Lizzie Borden
The well-known nursery rhyme creates the impression that there was never any uncertainty surrounding Lizzie Borden’s guilt in the murder of her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892. However, the true identity of the killer still remains an enigma according to official records.
Lizzie and her maid, Bridget Sullivan, were the only ones present in the Borden residence when Lizzie, as per her statement, stumbled upon her deceased father. His head had been brutally struck multiple times with a blunt object. Upon further investigation, Lizzie discovered the lifeless body of her stepmother upstairs. At first glance, the evidence seemed to incriminate Lizzie: she had recently tried to acquire prussic acid, a poisonous substance, and was accused of burning a dress in the stove. Additionally, Sullivan, who was suspected to be her accomplice, was witnessed leaving the house on the evening of August 4 with a package in hand.
However, during Lizzie’s trial in 1893, the court concluded that all the presented evidence was purely circumstantial. Consequently, Lizzie was acquitted, and no further arrests were made regarding other potential suspects.
