17 Unsolved Crimes That Still Haunt Investigators
Some cases get solved within hours, others take years, but then there are those mysteries that refuse to give up their secrets no matter how many detectives work them or how much time passes. These aren’t just old crimes that got forgotten—these are active investigations that continue to frustrate even the most experienced law enforcement professionals.
From coast to coast and around the world, these crimes have generated thousands of tips, dozens of suspects, and countless theories, yet the perpetrators remain free and the families still wait for answers. Here’s a list of 17 unsolved crimes that continue to haunt the investigators working them.
The Zodiac Killer
Between 1968 and 1969, a killer terrorized San Francisco with a series of murders that began when he gunned down teenagers Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday. The Zodiac Killer claimed responsibility for at least five deaths, though he boasted of killing 37 people in coded letters sent to newspapers.
Despite decades of investigation and the efforts of professional codebreakers who finally cracked his ‘340 cipher’ in 2020, the killer’s identity remains unknown and the case stays active with multiple law enforcement agencies.
The Black Dahlia Murder
When 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short’s mutilated body was discovered in Los Angeles in 1947, it launched one of the most intensive investigations in LAPD history. At one point, 750 investigators were assigned to the case, and they’ve received over 500 confessions from people claiming responsibility.
The brutal nature of the crime—Short’s body was cut in half and posed—suggested someone with medical knowledge, but despite following thousands of leads and interviewing hundreds of suspects, no arrest has ever been made.
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JonBenét Ramsey Case
The 1996 murder of 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, remains one of America’s most haunting unsolved cases. Found dead in her family’s basement with a ransom note left in the house, the case has generated over 21,000 tips and taken investigators to 19 states to interview more than 1,000 people.
Boulder Police Department continues to work with DNA experts and federal partners, recently forming a Cold Case Review Panel as they pursue new genetic genealogy techniques that might finally crack the case.
D.B. Cooper Hijacking
On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper (later misreported as D.B. Cooper) hijacked a Boeing 727, demanded $200,000 in ransom, then parachuted out of the plane over Washington state and vanished completely. The FBI pursued the case for 45 years, interviewing hundreds of suspects and following thousands of tips, but Cooper was never found—dead or alive.
Though the FBI officially suspended the investigation in 2016, it remains one of the longest-running cases in Bureau history and continues to fascinate investigators and amateur sleuths alike.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist
In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, two men disguised as Boston police officers talked their way into the Gardner Museum and stole 13 pieces of art worth over $500 million. The thieves took works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, and Manet in what remains the largest art theft in history.
Despite a $10 million reward and decades of FBI investigation, none of the artwork has been recovered and the empty frames still hang in the museum as a reminder of the unsolved crime.
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The Tylenol Murders
In September 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules that had been tampered with and returned to store shelves. The random nature of the poisonings terrorized the public and led to the creation of tamper-proof packaging laws.
Despite extensive investigation by federal and local authorities, including recent DNA testing in 2023, no one has ever been arrested for the murders that changed how medications are packaged forever.
Alcatraz Prison Escape
On June 11, 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin executed an elaborate escape from the supposedly inescapable Alcatraz prison. They used improvised tools to dig through their cell walls, created dummy heads to fool guards, and disappeared into San Francisco Bay on a makeshift raft.
Despite extensive searches and investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service has never determined whether the men drowned or successfully escaped, keeping the case open ‘in the unlikely event the trio is still alive.’
The Monster With 21 Faces
From 1984 to 1985, an unknown criminal group calling themselves ‘The Monster With 21 Faces’ terrorized Japanese candy companies with a series of crimes including kidnapping Glico company president Katsuhisa Ezaki and threatening to poison candy products. The group sent taunting letters to police and media, and security footage captured ‘The Videotaped Man’ placing allegedly poisoned candy on store shelves.
Despite a massive investigation, no one was ever arrested and the group vanished as mysteriously as they had appeared.
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The Keddie Cabin Murders
On April 11, 1981, Sue Sharp and three others were brutally murdered in a cabin at the Keddie Resort in rural California. The violent crime scene and the fact that Sharp’s 12-year-old daughter and her friend were found alive but unharmed in a bedroom has puzzled investigators for decades.
Despite numerous suspects and theories, including recent DNA testing efforts, the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office continues to receive tips and work the case that shocked the small mountain community.
The Long Island Serial Killer
Between 2007 and 2010, the bodies of multiple women were discovered along Ocean Parkway on Long Island, New York, leading investigators to believe a serial killer was operating in the area. The case gained national attention when Shannan Gilbert went missing in 2010, and the subsequent search for her led to the discovery of other victims.
While Rex Heuermann was arrested in 2023 for some of the murders, Suffolk County Police believe additional victims and potentially other perpetrators remain unidentified, keeping multiple aspects of this complex case active and unsolved.
The Boy in the Box
In February 1957, a young boy’s body was found in a cardboard box in Philadelphia, launching a decades-long investigation that captivated the city. Despite extensive efforts including exhuming the body for DNA testing and using genetic genealogy, investigators only identified the victim in 2022 as Joseph Augustus Zarelli.
However, who killed the 4-year-old boy and why remains unknown, with Philadelphia Police continuing to work one of their oldest unsolved cases.
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The Somerton Man
In December 1948, an unidentified man was found dead on a beach in Adelaide, Australia, carrying no identification and with all clothing labels removed. In his pocket was a scrap of paper with the words ‘Tamam Shud’ (meaning ‘finished’ in Persian) torn from a book of poetry.
The case baffled investigators for 70 years until genetic genealogy finally identified the man as Carl Webb in 2022, but the circumstances of his death and why he was in Adelaide remain mysterious.
The Oakland County Child Killer
Between 1976 and 1977, four children were abducted and murdered in Oakland County, Michigan, in crimes that terrorized suburban Detroit families. The killer held each victim for days before their deaths, and despite one of the largest investigations in Michigan history involving hundreds of investigators and thousands of tips, no arrest has been made.
The case remains open with Michigan State Police, and advances in DNA technology continue to provide new avenues for investigation.
The West Memphis Three Case Aftermath
While three men were convicted and later released in the 1993 murders of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, the actual killer was never found. Despite the guilty pleas that led to the defendants’ freedom in 2011, questions remain about who committed the brutal murders that shocked the community.
The case continues to generate new theories and investigations as some believe the real perpetrator escaped justice.
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The Brabant Killers
From 1982 to 1985, a gang of three men carried out a series of violent robberies and murders across Belgium, killing 28 people in what became known as the Brabant Massacres. The attacks appeared random and extremely violent, targeting supermarkets and restaurants with military-style precision.
Despite being one of Belgium’s most investigated cases, with theories ranging from right-wing extremists to rogue police officers, no arrests have ever been made and the case remains open.
The Highway of Tears
Along a 450-mile stretch of Highway 16 in British Columbia, Canada, dozens of women and girls have disappeared or been found murdered since the 1970s. While some cases have been solved and suspects convicted, many remain open mysteries that continue to haunt Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators.
The remote highway’s reputation has made it a symbol of violence against Indigenous women, and authorities continue working multiple task forces to solve the remaining cases.
The Springfield Three
On June 7, 1992, three women—Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie Streeter, and Suzie’s friend Stacy McCall—vanished from their Springfield, Missouri home without a trace. Their purses, cars, and a small dog were left behind, but the women themselves disappeared completely.
Despite thousands of tips and numerous searches, including ground-penetrating radar at various locations, no trace of the women has ever been found and the Springfield Police Department continues to investigate the case that has become Missouri’s most famous unsolved mystery.
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The Weight of Unsolved Justice
These cases represent more than just statistical failures—they’re open wounds for families, communities, and the investigators who refuse to give up. Many of these crimes occurred decades ago, yet detectives continue to work them with the same intensity as fresh cases, hoping that advancing technology, new witnesses, or a fresh perspective might finally provide the breakthrough they need.
The fact that these mysteries remain unsolved doesn’t reflect a lack of effort or skill from law enforcement, but rather the complex reality that some criminals are simply better at hiding their tracks than others are at following them. Still, investigators press on, knowing that cold cases can suddenly turn hot and that justice, however delayed, is always worth pursuing.
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