In 2013 there were 19 murders in the city of Orlando. Of these 19, four of them remained unsolved. In our cover story this week, Unsolved murders from 2013 still haunt Orlando, we delve a little deeper into the victim’s stories.
In this gallery, we look at 20 of the most notorious unsolved murders from around the globe.
In 1981, while on a boat trip with Christopher Walken and her husband, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood died mysteriously of an accidental drowning. In 2011, her murder case was reopened after the captain of the boat said that he lied in his original statement. In 2013, an addendum was added to Woods’ autopsy report that said some of her injuries may have been incurred before she fell into the water. viaIt’s widely rumored that David Carradine’s 2009 death was a result of suicide, however an autopsy funded by Carradine’s family revealed that he died of asphyxiation, but ruled out suicide due to the way the body was bound, in a sitting position with his hands tied behind his back.viaIn 1996, 10-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while riding her bike. Her body was found in a creek bed, where an autopsy revealed her throat had been cut. To this day, her abduction and murder remain unsolved. Eventually, Hagerman’s murder and abduction would lead to the creation of the AMBER Alert system.
viaIn 1978, Bob Crane, best known for Hogan’s Heroes, was found bludgeoned to death in his Arizona apartment. Crane’s friend John Henry Carpenter was tried for the case in 1994 but was acquitted. Crane’s murder case is now officially cold.
viaIn 1985, Dian Fossey, famous for studying gorillas in Rwanda, was found brutally murdered in her bedroom. Her skull was split with a machete that she had taken from poachers years ago. Robbery was not thought to be the motive for the murder, as all her valuables remained in place.
viaTupac Shakur’s death via drive-by shooting in 1996 wasn’t the first time the rapper was shot, but it was his last … or was it? Rumors abound regarding Shakur faking his own death, but, while his murder case has yet to be solved, it has been widely disproven that the rapper faked his own death. viaIn 1997, Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angles. There are many conspiracy theories surrounding Biggie’s death, some related to the death of West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur. None of the theories could be proven, though, and the murder remains unsolved. viaIn 1947, Elizabeth Short’s body was found cut in half when she was only 22. Her murder, nicknamed “The Black Dahlia” by newspapers, has been the subject of various books and films, including the 1996 Brain DePalma-helmed, The Black Dahlia.viaWhile she was an active participant in child beauty pageants, JonBenét Ramsey is most famous for her Christmastime murder. Eight hours after being reported missing, she was found dead in her basement of her home. Her parents have been officially been cleared as suspects and Ramsey’s murder case remains cold. viaIn 1983, musician and television host, Peter Ivers was found beaten to death in his Los Angeles apartment. LAPD never solved the case, but it has been recently reopened due to information found in the book In Heaven Everything Is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre.
viaMary Pinchot Meyer, a close friend of President John F Kennedy, was shot to death on October 12, 1964. Her shooting by an unknown assailant has never been solved, but it did arise speculation regarding the President Kennedy’s assassination, which happened just over a month after Meyer’s murder. viaWhile OJ Simpson was criminally acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, he was found guilty of the crime in a related civil suit. However, the criminal case still remains unsolved, despite Simpson’s (possibly ill-advised) book, If I Did It.
viaIn 1958, Geneva “Jean” Ellroy was strangled to death in California. Her then ten-year-old son, James, went on to become a well-known crime novelist. In 1996, James Ellroy revisited his mother’s murder in his memoir My Dark Places.viaIn 1922, actor and director of silent films, William Desmond Taylor was found murdered via a gunshot to the back. There were many suspects for his murder and even a last minute deathbed confession by Margaret Gibson, but, due to a lack of physical evidence, the murder has never been solved. viaIn 1982, the Chicago Tylenol murders claimed seven victims, who did nothing more than take some Extra-Strength Tylenol … which happened to be laced with cyanide. These murders, while still unsolved, led to packaging reform for over-the-counter substances, as well as federal anti-tampering laws. viaSeven people lost their lives to the Zodiac killer in the 1970’s. Zodiac sent taunting letters about the murders to the press, which included four cryptograms. So far, only one of these have been solved, unlike the murders, which remain a mystery. There have been many references, both direct and obscure, to the Zodiac killings in pop culture, including the 2007 David Fincher film, Zodiac.viaIn 1957 the body of a young boy was found in a cardboard box in Pennsylvania. Refferred to as “The Boy in the Box” no one was ever able to identify the body of the 4 – 6 year old, despite massive media efforts. His identity, and his killer, remain a mystery. viaIn 1975, Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from a Michigan parking lot. His body has never been recovered and Hoffa was declared dead in 1982.
viaIn 1975, actress Barbara Colby was shot to death while walking to her car with a friend, who was also shot. Colby died instantly, but her friend stayed alive long enough to to tell the police about the shooting, which was unprovoked. The two described shooters did not rob Colby and her companion and their motives, along with their identity, remain unknown. viaIn 1977, Helen Brach, the heiress to the EJ Brach & Sons Candy Company fortune, disappeared without a trace. In 1984, she was legally declared dead. A suspect was charged with conspiracy to murder Brach, but was not convicted. Instead, he spent some time in jail after being convicted of defrauding Brach. via
