It’s no monumental secret that the genre of true crime has become extremely popular and sought-after as its rise to mainstream success has grown immensely over the last decade. From well-known cases surrounding big-name serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, to mind-melting mysterious cases such as the ones we’ll be examining today, there’s undoubtedly an endless supply of content in the colossal true crime department, which keeps aficionados constantly on their toes.
On that same note, it’s worth expressing that one of the most popular areas within the massive true crime bubble relates to cases that have remained unsolved for many years. Most of these cold cases pertain to perpetrators who committed their devious crime and disappeared while barely leaving a shred of evidence. As a result, true crime fanatics have been fascinated by a plethora of cases over the years — and part of being a true crime fan is diving in and attempting to solve a mysterious crime all on your own.
So, let’s carefully examine and showcase certain evidence as we highlight 10 chilling true crime cases that have yet to be solved.
The murder of the Boy in the Box
One of the most gut-wrenching cases in this entire list relates to the “Boy in the Box” — a young boy whose body was notably malnourished and found dead inside a box from JC Penney in the woods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1957. It was eventually discovered that the boy was around four to six years old, and that he appeared to have died due to blunt force trauma to the head. The case soon became so widespread with media attention that the Boy in the Box was dubbed as “America’s Unknown Child.” In December 2022, the boy was finally identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli, although the case still remains unsolved — despite several theories being discussed as to who was responsible for murdering Joseph.
The murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond
If there were ever a true crime case that horrified folks, then it would be the murders of Russell and Shirley Dermond. Back in May 2014, Russell Dermond was found decapitated in his house on Lake Oconee, in Georgia. However, it was soon discovered that his wife Shirley was missing, leading authorities to believe that someone had taken her. While Shirley’s body was discovered floating in Lake Oconee over a week later, shockingly, Russell’s severed head was never found. The brutality and “personal” agenda suggested by the murderer having removed and possibly kept Russell’s head has led true crime fanatics to believe that the couple was slain by someone close to the Dermonds, although the case remains unsolved.
The Chicago Tylenol murders
With the ubiquitous over-the-counter drug Tylenol’s popularity for quickly fixing a disastrous headache, it was no surprise that a series of murders linked to the medication terrorized many folks back in the ‘80s. After consuming Tylenol mysteriously laced with cyanide, seven people died, which eventually led to investigators from local police to the FBI looking into the bizarre case. As twisted as it all sounds, what’s even more terrifying is that the specific bottles of Tylenol came from a variety of different factories, leading authorities to believe the poisoning was done in-person, at stores. As it stands, no suspect has ever been charged for the case, and the case still remains unsolved over 30 years later.
The disappearance of Brian Shaffer
As head-scratching and mysterious as a case can be, authorities, reporters, and true crime enthusiasts alike are still trying to wrap their heads around this case many years later. Back in March 2006, medical student Brian Shaffer disappeared while out with friends at a bar in Columbus, Ohio. Surveillance evidence suggested that Shaffer never left the bar that night, with many theorizing that he was either killed inside the bar and had his body hidden, left the bar in a disguise to start a new life, or that he had walked out the wrong entrance of the bar and fallen into a concrete construction site. Regardless of these theories, the case still remains unsolved to this day.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Much like Brian Shaffer, it certainly didn’t take long for Madeleine McCann to become the center of a worldwide manhunt. The 3-year-old girl originally went missing back in May 2007 while vacationing with her parents and their friends in Portugal. While Madeleine and her parents’ friends’ kids were sleeping, the adults would dine in a nearby restaurant at the vacation resort, with one parent checking on the children regularly. However, when her mother Kate went to make a routine check, she realized Madeleine was gone. Over the years, many sighting reports have been documented and lengthy theories have been discussed, but one of the biggest true crime cases over the last 20 years is still unsolved.
The disappearance of Johnny Gosch
As one of many paperboys who mysteriously went missing back in the ‘80s, the disappearance of Johnny Gosch is a case that still perplexes folks to this very day. While on his paper route back in September 1982, Gosch was presumably kidnapped after several witnesses reported seeing him talking to an unknown man. The case took an unexpected turn back in 1997, when Johnny’s mother Noreen claimed that Johnny and an unknown man came to visit her. Noreen has claimed that was the last time she saw her son, although her accounting of events that night inspired her to write a book in 2000 about her son’s disappearance, including theories that he was kidnapped and trafficked by a pedophile ring.
The murder of the Black Dahlia
There’s absolutely no denying that one of the most popular and most researched true crime cases of all time pertains to the jaw-dropping Black Dahlia case. Back in 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short (aka the Black Dahlia) was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. As one of the most gruesome crimes of all time, Short’s body was found mutilated — with her body severed into two pieces, her body drained all of its blood, and her face slashed from her mouth to her ears. Several theories have been documented over the years, along with a wide-range of potential suspects, but one of the biggest cases of all time still remains unsolved.
The killing of JonBenét Ramsey
As far as true crime cases that achieve widespread attention are concerned, it’s worth noting that the murder of JonBenét Ramsey is one of the most well-known cases ever. Recognized by many as a prominent young beauty pageant contestant, Ramsey was killed at the age of just 6-years-old at her family home in Colorado back in 1996. Over the years, several theories have surrounded the high-profile case — with many insisting that either her older brother Burke murdered her in a fit of rage due to jealousy and envy, or that her father John killed her to keep her quiet about sexual abuse. Authorities have insisted that the household showed no signs of forced entry, along with a ransom note that was written belonging to her mother’s signature handwriting and being the same paper that was found in the Ramsey household. Despite a variety of head-scratching theories and evidence, the case has remained unsolved.
The mystery of Mr. Cruel
One of the most spine-tingling true crime cases to ever come out of Australia belongs to the long-standing mystery of the Mr. Cruel case. Back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the area of Melbourne, Australia was haunted by Mr. Cruel — an intelligent, sinister child abductor who committed a series of attacks on several young children. Seeing as his identity was never revealed and he kidnapped children while wearing a balaclava, he was dubbed as “Mr. Cruel,” despite the lengths that he went to in a way that has been seen as “caring” to some true crime fans.
The mystery of the Zodiac Killer
You’d be hard pressed to find a true crime fanatic that isn’t completely knowledgeable about the mysterious case of the Zodiac Killer. As one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, the unidentified perpetrator has remained unknown since the ‘60s. Becoming a pop culture fixture, the Zodiac Killer was known for leaving an abundance of riddles, cyphers, and taunts in his letters which were mailed to numerous detectives and newspaper outlets. Plenty of theories pertaining to the killer’s identity have been discussed over the years, but the case still remains completely unsolved.