Some of the most unsettling things in life aren’t what’s known… they are the unknown. Unsolved mysteries make our hair stand on end because they are threats that still hang in the air, and always will. Why or how will never be answered. These are 9 of the creepiest unsolved crimes on record. Their circumstances are totally bizarre and may never be fully understood.

1.) 1. The Zodiac Killer: In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Zoadiac Killer was active in Northern California. The killer’s identity remains unknown. Four men and three women between the ages of 16 and 29 were targeted. He earned his moniker because of a series of taunting letters sent to the local Bay Area press.

Zodiac Killer Facts

2.) The Gardner Museum Art Heist: In 1990, two men dressed as cops pulled off one of the biggest museum heists in history. They conned their way into The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and tied up the on-duty guards. They then stole pieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet. They took over $500 million in paintings, sculptures, and artifacts. A $5 million reward is still offered to any information that leads to the recovery of the stolen artwork.

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3.) The Tylenol Killer: In the fall of 1982, seven Chicago-area people died from taking Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. Tylenol was pulled from shelves and authorities warned people far and wide about the drug. Within six months, federal anti-tampering were put into place to prevent any similar tragedies. No arrests for the murders have been made.

Legal Match

4.) Jack the Ripper: This ripper terrorized the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. There were multiple murders, with most of the victims being female prostitutes whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The large number of attacks against women in the East End during this era adds uncertainty to how many victims were killed by the same person. Eleven separate murders, stretching from 3 April 1888 to 13 February 1891, were included in a London Metropolitan Police Service investigation.

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5.) JonBenét Ramsey: JonBenét was an American child beauty pageant queen who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. She was only 6 years-old. Her body was found eight hours after she was reported missing, in the basement of the family home, during a police search. She had been struck on the head and strangled. The case remains unsolved, even after several grand jury hearings, and continues to generate public and media interest.

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6.) The Lead Masks Case: In 1996, a little boy in Brazil found two corpses. The uninjured bodies, both wearing suits, were identified as two local electronic technicians. An empty water bottle was found near the bodies and both men were wearing lead masks that protected against radiation. A small notebook was also found that read: “16:30 be at the agreed place. 18:30 swallow capsules, after effect protect metals wait for the mask sign.” The capsules killed the men, but police haven’t been able to determine why they were taken or what they were.

Ghost Theory

7.) Harry Winston Heist: In 2008, a group of four men dressed as women charged into an exclusive Parisian jewelry store armed with a .357 Magnum and a hand grenade. The four men, nicknamed “The Pink Panthers,” stole $108 million in diamonds. A $1 million dollar reward remains intact for information leading to an arrest.

Wikipedia

8.) The Taman Shud Case: In 1948, “the Somerton Man” was found dead on the beach. There were no signs of trauma nor traces of poison. No one can figure out how the man died. All of the identification tags on the man’s clothes had been removed and there was a strange note inside a secret pocket in his pants that read “Tamam Shud,” which means “ended.” Police later discovered that the note had been ripped out of a rare collection of poems called “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam” that was found in a car nearby the scene. Inside of that book was a small, coded message that remains unsolved to this day.

Pillar 13

This was the code found in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam book.

9.) The Black Dahlia: Actress Elizabeth Short’s 22 year-old body was discovered in LA on January 15, 1947 cut in half and drained of blood. The corners of her mouth had been sliced 3 inches on either side, leaving her mouth in a grisly grin. Police worked side-by-side with the press to release information about the case. No arrests have been made in the case, despite how well known it is.

Wikipedia

(H/T BuzzFeed)

It’s unbelievable that each of these crimes have remained unsolved for decades, and in the case of Jack the Ripper, for over a century. The gruesome murders have destroyed countless lives, yet there are no answers for the families of the victims. It’s truly unsettling.

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