Today I present to you an article written by Sarah Russel. This is the first guest post I have had. I hope to continue doing this!
Five High-Profile Murders That Are Still Unsolved
If you’ve ever watched Cold Case Files you know how many cases out there, murder or otherwise, that go unsolved. Sometimes there’s just not enough evidence or things never come together in a way that allows justice to be done. The same holds true for even high profile cases that attract a lot of media attention. Here are five major cases, in no particular order, that remain unsolved to this day.
1. JonBenét Ramsay: The media and the American public were captivated by the murder of this tiny beauty queen. Found hidden in the basement of her Colorado home along with a ransom note demanding $118,000, the murder offered little in the way of evidence as there were no signs of forced entry and DNA results found no matches. Suspicion turned to her parents, both of whom were accused through ultimately excluded as suspects due to lack of evidence. Despite a supposed lead with Mark Karr in 2006, the case remains unsolved to this day.
2. Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls: Occurring only months apart, many have suspected that the deaths of these two rappers are in fact connected. Both occurred in highly public settings but no witnesses or definitive evidence was ever found to bring a suspect to justice. Many have theorized that police corruption or a larger conspiracy within the rapper’s circle may have purposely stalled the case. Regardless, their deaths still attract a large amount of media and public attention to this day.
3. Black Dahlia: It was the gruesome nature of the murder of young Elizabeth Short, later to be known as the Black Dahlia, which attracted a lot of attention to her case. Short’s body was found severely mutilated, having been cut in half at the waist and slashed multiple times. Despite numerous confessions to the murder (over 60 on record) there has been no conclusive evidence to link any one person to her murder. Some point the finger at Mark Hansen, a nightclub owner, others at Dr. Walter Bayley who lived a block away from the crime, but no real leads were ever found in the case despite intense media and popular attention.
4. Jack the Ripper: In 1888, London was terrorized by a man, later to be known as Jack the Ripper, who attacked prostitutes throughout the city. The Ripper didn’t just kill his victims however, instead choosing to mutilate them, elaborately slicing them up and even keeping parts of their bodies as souvenirs. Police received several letters claiming to be from the Ripper himself, but many believed these to be faked and no leads were ever found in the case. The Ripper was such a mysterious figure that there was never even a lead suspect and the murders remain one of the great unsolved crimes of the modern era.
5. The Zodiac Killer:Â This killer has gained renewed attention due to a recent movie made about the 1968 and 69 murders. Even with an investigation that led police to question thousands of suspects, and numerous coded letters from the killer himself, there was not enough evidence to definitively link any one person to the crime, leaving five or more murders (he claimed 37 but only five have been definitely linked) unsolved to this day, and the Zodiac Killer as one of the most mysterious serial killers never to be caught.
This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the criminal justice masters. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com. Her website is Masters In Criminal Justice.
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Filed under: crime, high profile, murder, murder in the 20th Century, murder in the 21st Century | Tagged: Biggie Smalls, Black Dahlia, cold cases, Elizabeth Short, Jack the Ripper, JonBenét Ramsay, Serial Killer, Tupac Shakur, unsolved homicide, Zodiac Killer | 3 Comments »
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