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39 Unsolved Mysteries You Might Want to Take a Crack At

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39 Unsolved Mysteries You Might Want to Take a Crack At

February 27, 2024

History’s greatest minds have devoted years, decades, even centuries to untangling these existential conundrums and convoluted mysteries. But sure, maybe you’ll crack them on your toilet break.

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39

America's Unknown Child is still unknown. In 1957, aJ. С. Penney bassinet box was found in the woods near Philadelphia. The box contained the body of a murdered young boy. Today his headstone only says America's Unknown Child. INFORMATION WANIED UNSOLVER GRACKED.COM — Source

38

The Sodder children just evapora ted. Four of George and Jennie Sodder's nine children managed to get out when their house burned down in 1945. The other five were never found, either alive or dead. In 1967, the Sodders got a photo in the mail, supposedly of their now-adult son Louis-but the detective they hired to look into it disappeared himself. SOI END CRACKED.COM — Source

37

GRACKED.COM A dead woman was found inside a hollow tree. In 1943, four children were poaching in the woods in Worcestershire, England when they chanced upon a human skeleton inside an elm tree. The woman, nicknamed Bella, had been apparently suffocated with a piece of taffeta found in her mouth. No arrests were ever made. — Source

36

The Axeman of New Orleans claimed to be a jazz-loving demon from Hell Between 1918 and 1919, someone axed several people to death in New Orleans. In a letter to the police, the murderer claimed to be a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. The same letter threatened to kill anyone who wasn't listening to jazz at a specific time. CRACKED.COM — Source

35

GRACKED.COM Seven random people were killed with painkillers. Seven Chicago residents, including a 12-year-old girl, died in 1982 after taking Tylenol laced with cyanide. A nationwide panic ensued, and Tylenol products were pulled off the shelves. Tamper- proof seals became the industry standard after this. OL NO — Source

34

Sam Borg was murdered in a locked room. Borg, a Maltese-born Australian café owner, was beaten to death in 1960. Police found him inside a bedroom-which they had to break into, as the door had been nailed shut from the inside. They theorized the murderer got out through a skylight, but it was never known who did this, or why. ED UNSOL GRACKED.COM — Source

33

The Atlas Vampire just up and vanished. In 1932, Lilly Lindeström was found murdered in her apartment in the Atlas neighborhood of Stockholm, Sweden. A gravy ladle was found at the crime scene, which had apparently been used to drink her blood. Despite their efforts, police couldn't find any leads to the vampire. LV CRACKED.COM — Source

32

Little Lord Fauntleroy was never identified. A boy about six years old, killed by a blow to the head, was fished from a pond in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1921. Because of his expensive clothes, he was dubbed Little Lord Fauntleroy. Almost 100 years later, we still have no idea who he was or how he got there. UNSO CRACKED.COM — Source

31

The Brabant killers terrorized Belgium. °9 oghis SOL 10 Between 1982 and 1985, the Belgian province of Brabant was struck by a band of extremely violent robbers. 28 people died as a result of their three- year crime spree. The statute of limitations on the crimes has been extended by 10 years until 2025, yet none of them have been identified. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

GRAGKED.COM Zach Ramsay may or may not be a victim of cannibalism. When 10-year-old Ramsay disappeared in 1996, known child molester Nathaniel Bar-Jonah was a suspect. Police found Zach's name on a list of victims in Bar-Jonah's apartment, along with ghastly recipes involving children, written in code. However, the evidence was never conclusive. — Source

29

The Highway of Tears has claimed many victims. Since 1969, at least 18 young girls and women have been killed or gone missing on Highway 16 in British Columbia, Canada. Most of the cases remain unsolved. CAUTION GIRLS DON'T HITCHHIKE Highway 16 of Tears on the Delphone Jaman Killer on the Loose! Victims KEEP CRACKED.COM — Source

28

The case of Sir Harry Oakes sounds like an Agatha Christie novel Sir Harry was found dead at his Bahamas mansion in 1943. Не had been bludgeoned to death, partially burned, and covered with feathers. There was an attempt to frame his son-in-law for the murder, and the Duke of Windsor (formerly the freaking King Edward VIII) hovered suspiciously around the case. SOL GRACKED.COM — Source

27

GRACKED.COM A homeless man's head was (maybe) used for magic. The headless body of Leroy Carter Jr. was found in San Francisco in 1981, with parts of a chicken stuffed into it. A police expert on occultism said that his head would be used for ritual purposes and returned 42 days later. No one took this seriously-so no officer was there when the head was returned on the 42nd day. UNS — Source

26

Ken McElroy

No one saw who killed Ken McElroy - despite the dozens of witnesses UNSOL McElroy was gunned down in front of a crowd in Skidmore, Missouri in 1981. Of the more than 40 witnesses, not one was able to name the shooter. Perhaps not coincidentally, McElroy was both feared and hated in town, as he was a constant bully who got away with numerous crimes. CRACKED.COM — Source

25

Keddie Resort is a real-life Camp Crystal Lake. Keddie Resort was a popular tourist destination in California -until four people were violently murdered there. Yet despite the brutal crime scene, no one heard anything. Not even the children sleeping in another room. KEDDIE RESORT UNSOL VE CRACKED.COM — Source

24

If I'm not back by 12, come look for me, Tara Calico said before disappearing. Calico went missing in New Mexico in 1988. In 1989, a Polaroid was found in a Florida parking lot, allegedly depicting a bound and gagged Calico. Who left the photo there, or whether it was even her, remains a mystery. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

GRAGKED.COM A defector was killed with a James Bond- style contraption. Writer and journalist Georgi Markov defected from Bulgaria in 1968, and became a vicious critic of his former country's government. In 1978, a pellet containing a fatal dose of ricin was shot into his leg using a high-tech umbrella. Не died days later. IUS — Source

22

Someone was chasing Elisa Lam when she went missing. Lam, a Canadian student, disappeared from a Los Angeles hotel in 2013, and was found dead in the hotel's rooftop water tank weeks later. Security footage shows her hiding in an elevator and peering out, like someone was following her. The chaser remains unknown. NSOL GRACKED.COM — Source

21

Strange events preceded the Hinterkaifeck murders. In 1922, the weirdness started piling up at the Hinterkaifeck farm in Germany: footprints in the snow leading into the house, the sound of footsteps in the attic, a newspaper that no one had bought. On March 31, all six occupants were brutally murdered with a mattock. The killer was never found. NS CRACKED.COM — Source

20

No one can read Ricky McCormick's S encrypted notes. In 1999, McCormick was found murdered and badly decomposed in a Missouri cornfield, 15 miles from where he lived. 12 years later, two coded messages found in his pockets were made public. Despite the efforts of the FBI's top cryptanalysts, no one has been able to decipher them. (MND NE TERNENPINSENPSSERCERNSE NORSE PRSE TC AC-PROPSIT CRACKED.COM — Source

19

CRACKED.COM Amy Lynn Bradley has been sighted several times. Bradley disappeared in 1998 during a Caribbean cruise. Since then, several sightings suggest she was forced into the sex trade. An American sailor claims she asked for his help in a Barbados brothel, and photos of a woman looking a lot like Bradley have appeared on an adult website. UNSOLV — Source

18

No one knows (or will tell) what happened to Garnell Moore. UNSOLVED Garnell went missing in Baltimore in 2002, when he was seven-but his disappearance wasn't reported until 2005. His aunt, who was taking care of him, can't keep her story straight about what became of him. Garnell's whereabouts are still unknown. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

Bible John

Bible John picked up his victims in a ballroom. UNSOLV According to a witness, John liked quoting the Bible in conversation-except that he wasn't a fan of the Thou shalt not murder part, apparently. In the late '60s, John killed three young women who left a Glasgow ballroom with him. One of the largest manhunts in Scotland's history wasn't able to find him. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

The Oakland County Child Killer was never found. Four children from the Detroit area, aged 10 to 12, were murdered in 1976 and 1977. All the bodies were left in public areas, once within sight of a police station. One of them had been given fried chicken-after his parents pleaded on TV for him to come home to his favorite meal, KFC. INSOL CRACKED.COM — Source

15

CRACKED WHAT ARE MUSCLE KNOTS? According to scientists, they're either the result of inflammation or nerve irritation, neither of which explained why other people can feel them on us (although they might argue about where they are). — Source

14

CRACKED FUCKIN' MAGNETS. HOW DO THEY WORK? Of course, we know what they do, but we don't know why. It turns out ICP actually asked a good question. — Source

13

CRACKED HOW DOES GRAVITY WORK? We know it's what makes a cup of soup fall on your buddy's head when they open the door you've propped it up on, but beyond that, it's all quantum mechanics, and nobody understands that. — Source

12

CRACKED HOW LONG IS A COASTLINE? Coastlines are actually impossible to measure because the smaller unit you use, the fewer dips and bumps you skip over, meaning two different people can get wildly different results. We're talking tens of thousands of miles. — Source

11

CRACKED HOW MANY SPECIES ARE THERE? The vast majority of species that probably exist are undiscovered, either because their habitats are inaccessible or they're too small to see. We don't even know how many probably exist. Could be five million, could be a trillion. — Source

10

CRACKED WHY DO CATS PURR? It's not just when they're happy! They also purr when they're scared, hurt, or trying to manipulate you. Seriously - the give me food purr is a wholly different purr. — Source

9

CRACKED WHERE DO BABY EELS COME FROM? Scientists have never observed eels mating in the wild or even found their breeding grounds. It doesn't help that it has something to do with the Bermuda Triangle. Might as well call them Mystery Tubes. — Source

8

CRACKED WHAT ARE DREAMS? It might strengthen memories, give us a sort of solo therapy session, be a part of the general sleep-cleaning, or just be a random biological byproduct, like pee. Just your brain peeing all over itself. — Source

7

CRACKED WHAT IS PAIN? We know it has to do with nerves and signaling danger, but it's not something that can be measured, only described, experienced, and taken out on your stupid doctor. We can't even agree on a definition of pain. — Source

6

CRACKED WHY ARE MOST PEOPLE RIGHT HANDED? It seems our brains evolved to carry out routine and complex tasks with different sides of the body, but we don't know why or how or why some freaks evolved wrong. — Source

5

CRACKED WHY DO WE YAWN? It might stimulate or cool our brains, but it probably just displays our well-groomed throats. It's definitely contagious, but, um, we don't know why that is, either. — Source

4

CRACKED HOW DOES ANESTHESIA WORK? We developed it by basically throwing shit at the brain wall to see what stuck, so we have no idea. Could be ion channels, neurons, synapses - you know, general brain stuff. — Source

3

CRACKED HOW DO BICYCLES WORK? LiDL onom etixx LIEL to etixx texco QUICK-STEP jo ICI.ST janon QUICK-STEP Natexco ЭМС A bicycle is a pretty simple collection of gears, but we don't actually know what force keeps it upright. Probably witchcraft (that's why Elmira Gulch rode one). — Source

2

CRACKED WHY DO WE SLEEP? We think it might be a sort of Marie Kondoing of our brains and bodies, clearing out the chemicals that no longer spark joy, but all we really know is sometimes we get tuckered out and need a nice blankie. — Source

1

CRACKED WHY DO WE LAUGH? It seems to serve a social purpose because we mostly laugh when other people laugh, but we do sometimes laugh when we're alone, hopefully at our favorite internet comedy website. — Source

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