If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, there’s no shortage of thrilling entertainment that tells the tales unsolved cases from years ago. Between murder mystery podcasts, TV series, and films, there’s always a story out there that needs to be told. There’s something intriguing about an unsolved murder. Since we live in a society that values justice, it’s troublesome to hear of someone losing their life without an explanation. This may be why we’re so enthralled with these stories. We might believe that if we tell the story enough, someone might actually solve it. Regardless of the reason, we continue to examine unsolved murders. With justice and honor in mind, below we share the true stories of five unsolved murders you never knew about.
The Boy in the Box (1957)
There is nothing more horrifying than hearing of an unsolved death of a child. Knowing there’s a person out there that could harm a defenseless, innocent child is mind-boggling. However, that’s exactly what happened to a young boy in Northeast Philadelphia decades ago. On February of 1957, the local police received a report of a small boy’s body found in a box. It was a beat-up cardboard box that once contained a brand new baby bassinet. The boy was naked and badly beaten.
Forensic officials believe that he was submerged in water before he died, due to his hands and feet being wrinkled as if they were submerged in water. This unsolved murder is difficult to understand on two levels. Not only do we not know who killed the young boy, but no one ever identified him either. To this day he remains nameless. “The boy in the box” is one of the most chilling unsolved murders you never knew about.
The Lead Masks Case (1966)
On a sunny afternoon in August of 1966, a young man was flying a kite on Vintém Hill in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, when he came across two bodies. The Lead Masks Case is definitely one of the strangest murders you never knew about. The two deceased men were in formal suits, covered in grass, and wearing lead eye masks and waterproof coats. There were no signs of a struggle or trauma. The two men were electric technicians named Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana. If the scene wasn’t already odd enough, there was also a small notebook found next to the bodies. In it, someone had written “16:30 be at the specified location. 18:30 ingest capsules, after the effect protect metals await signal mask.” With no injuries or definitive toxicology reports, the case still remains unsolved to this day.
Amber Hagerman (1996)
The name, Amber Hagerman, may not sound very familiar. However, this young Amber that lost her life back in 1996 is who “Amber Alerts” are named after. When Amber was 9, her and her little brother, Ricky, 5, went for a bike ride. An older retiree happened to notice Amber biking by herself when a man in a pickup truck captured her and pulled her into his truck. The witness immediately called the police and the entire community went searching for Amber. Four days later, she was found dead in a creek bed. The authorities claim that it was clear that Amber was kept alive and sexually assaulted for at least two days before she was killed. No suspects were ever found.
The Murder of Arlis Perry (1974)
On October 12, 1974, Arlis Perry was having a silly argument with her new husband over tire pressure. In an effort to defuse the conflict, she said she was going to the nearby church to pray. By 3 am, she still hadn’t come home, leading her husband, Bruce, to call the police. When they checked the small Stanford church, the doors were locked from the outside. Upon further investigation, they found Perry’s body lying at the altar with an ice pick in the back of her head and other clear signs of a sexual assault. With no witnesses or suspects, this could probably be one of the most cringe-worthy murders you never knew about.
The Snapchat Murders (2017)
On February 13th, 2017, two teenage girls were dropped off at a bridge near their hometown so they could go hiking. When they never showed up at the bridge at their agreed upon pick up time, their families started to become worried. 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German were found dead the next morning near Deer Creek in Delphi, Indiana. While these other unsolved murders occurred decades ago with little technology or research to depend on, these murders are quite different. These young girls were able to use their camera phones to capture a photo of a man wearing a cap with his hands in his pockets while on their hike. Sometime after the photo was taken, the girls were murder. Despite capturing the image of the unknown man, the murder was never solved and no one was ever arrested.
When tragedies like this happen and go unnoticed by media and the public, it’s important to not only have the authorities on your side, but also an attorney to support you and your family through tragic times. Always reach out to a local trusted lawyer if you or someone you know has been involved in a crime.
