Mysteries aren’t just the stuff of suspenseful horror films. History is checkered with perplexing cases of individuals and whole groups of people disappearing without a trace. A lot of these cases still have experts scratching their heads. From an action-packed heist to a bloodthirsty woman on the lam, here are 15 puzzling disappearances we still haven’t solved.
The Mary Celeste
Look no further than the disappearance of the Mary Celeste for the eeriest unsolved maritime mystery to date. On November 7, 1872, the ship set sail from New York bound for Genoa, Italy. Captain Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah, their 2-year-old daughter Sophia, and seven crew members were on the ship along with 1,701 barrels of industrial alcohol. Almost a month later, on December 5, 1872, the Dei Gratia found the Mary Celeste completely intact, but the lifeboat was missing and so was everyone on board. No one saw a trace of the passengers or the lifeboat again.
The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers
Situated on a rocky island within the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, Flannan Isles Lighthouse warned boats from getting too close to the shore since 1899. A decade later, three lighthouse keepers disappeared under mysterious circumstances. James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald McArthur were found to be missing on December 26, 1900. The lighthouse was left tidy, and there was no obvious answer for what could have occurred.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
In the early days of America, one of the most puzzling disappearances took place on Roanoke Island, off the coast of modern-day North Carolina. Governor John White led 115 English settlers to attempt the first-ever settlement in the New World. In 1587, White returned to England for supplies and couldn’t sail back until 1590 due to the Anglo-Spanish War. When he finally returned, the entire colony was missing with no signs of violence or mass death. All he found was the word “CROATOAN” carved into a post of the fort.
Jimmy Hoffa
Mob ties and political intrigue—the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa sounds as if it jumped straight out of a movie. Hoffa was a powerful labor union leader and former president of the Teamsters Union. He also happened to work closely with the Mafia. After serving time in prison, he attempted to regain power over the Teamsters, angering both the union and the mob. On July 30, 1975, Hoffa was last seen in the Machus Red Fox Restaurant parking lot, where he was meant to meet up with two mob members. No one saw a trace of him since that night.
Owen Parfitt
In mid-1700s Somerset, England, an elderly and disabled Owen Parfitt could be seen enjoying the sun on his porch from his favorite chair. Since he was partially paralyzed, his sister Winnie helped him get there comfortably. Several people witnessed him outside his cottage that day. But when his sister went to help him back inside, he was gone. With limited mobility, there’s no way he could have gotten far on his own. In such a small, safe community, his sudden disappearance was truly baffling.
Amelia Earhart
You can’t discuss disappearances without mentioning the tragic case of Amelia Earhart. Well known as a pioneering aviator and feminist icon, Earhart was set to become the first woman to fly around the world along the equator. Unfortunately, something went wrong on July 2, 1937. According to her last radio transmissions, she was low on fuel and couldn’t find the island she was supposed to land on. Her plane and body were never recovered.
Barbara Newhall Follett
By age 12, Barbara Newhall Follett had already published a renowned novel, The House Without Windows. Unfortunately, her life was checkered with tragedy. Her father walked out on her family when she was only 13, and she went on to marry into an unhappy, strained relationship. On December 7, 1939, she stormed out of her apartment after an argument with her husband and never returned home. He waited two weeks to report her missing. Although she was never found, she lives on through her beautiful prose and love for nature.
D.B. Cooper
If you’re a sucker for a good heist story, you’re going to love the story of D.B. Cooper. On November 24, 1971, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie boarded Flight 305 out of Seattle. According to witnesses, he lit a cigarette and ordered a bourbon and soda. Soon after takeoff, he slid a flight attendant a note that read “I have a bomb and want you to sit by me.” He went on to demand $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. The flight landed in Seattle to let out the rest of the passengers, and Cooper demanded the pilot fly toward Mexico City. Somewhere over southwest Washington, he parachuted out the back of the plane with the cash, never to be seen again.
Paula Jean Welden
The disappearance of 18-year-old Paula Jean Welden changed the way we handle missing people’s cases forever. On December 1, 1946, the Bennington College sophomore told her roommates she was going for a walk on a section of the Long Trail. Several witnesses saw her that day, but she never made it home. Her case triggered a statewide search. Although she was never recovered, her disappearance helped form the Vermont State Police and emphasized the importance of interagency communication. Her case is still studied today in criminal justice classes.
Belle Gunness
Belle Gunness was a Norwegian-American widow and mother living in La Porte, Indiana. In 1908, her farmhouse burned to the ground, leading investigators to a gruesome discovery. Inside, they found the remains of her children and the decapitated body of a woman. However, the body was notably smaller than 200+ pounds, which was inconsistent with Gunness. Even more troubling, investigators dug up dozens of male corpses around her property. Further investigation found that Gunness was placing “lonely-hearts” ads in the paper to draw in her victims. While some believe she truly did die in the fire, many believe she faked her own death and fled.
Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup was born a free Black man in New York. In 1841, he was lured to Washington, D.C. under a false job offer. He was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. After 12 years of enslavement, Northup escaped with the help of abolitionist Samuel Bass. He used his restored freedom to become a prominent abolitionist speaker. Sometime after 1857, he completely vanished from public record. It’s unclear where he went, how he died, or if he was recaptured. His story inspired the Oscar-winning film Twelve Years a Slave.
The MV Joyita
On October 3, 1955, 25 passengers and crew aboard the MV Joyita disappeared somewhere between Samoa and the Tokelau Islands. The routine trip was only expected to take 48 hours. The missing vessel was finally found 600 miles off course, but there was no trace of the passengers. It was clear something went wrong because the radio was tuned to the distress frequency, the lifeboat was missing, and bloodied badges were found at the scene. No one knows what happened or where the passengers went.
Confederate Prisoners from the Shohola Train Wreck
On a remote section of railway near Shohola, Pennsylvania, a Union train carried 128 Confederate prisoners of war bound for Elmira Prison Camp in New York. On July 15, 1864, the train collided head-on with a coal train on the single-track line due to a miscommunication. Dozens died instantly. But a lucky few prisoners found the opportunity to escape amid the chaos. Speculation and folklore still claim the prisoners went on to blend in with local communities in Pennsylvania.
Patty Blough, Renee Bruhl, and Ann Miller
Ann Miller, “Patty” Blough, and Renee Bruhl set out to enjoy the beautiful weather at the Indiana Dunes State Park on July 2, 1966. The young women were seen setting up their blankets on the beach on the southern Lake Michigan shore. Later, witnesses spotted them hopping aboard a boat with an unknown man, leaving their purses and other belongings behind on the sand. No one ever saw the girls again.
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was known for his heroism in saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Holocaust. Sadly, Wallenberg was last seen being arrested by Soviet military counterintelligence on January 17, 1945. The exact reason for his arrest has never been publicly released, but theories range from espionage to diplomatic tensions.
