The disappearance of the young, beautiful American girl created a media sensation across the globe, but the case is still shrouded in mystery. Born on the 21st of October 1986 to Dave and Beth, Natalee spent her teenage years living in Mountain Brook, an affluent community in Birmingham, Alabama. She lived with her brother, mother and her stepfather Jug Twitty, an Alabama businessman. Natalee at high school via Oxygen Natalee was an honours student and was also a member of th

Little is known about the Chameleon, Stephen Morin, who is suspected of killing over 30 people, but hardly anyone has heard his name. Stephen Morin via Wikipedia Stephen Peter Morin was born on the 19th February 1951 in Providence, Rhode Island. He left school early, quickly developing a drug habit and a penchant for getting into trouble with the law. At 15 years old, Morin was arrested in Florida for stealing a car, for which he served a two-year sentence. In 1972, he stole

Alcatraz Island via Wikipedia Located in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island was initially explored by Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775, a Spaniard, who named the island Isla de los Alcatraces, meaning ‘island of the pelicans’. In the 1850s, the U.S army built a fortress to protect the San Franciscans from war, but it was never used and instead became a military prison. Finally, in 1909, the fortress was pulled down, and the new jail was built was by prisoners from the militar

In an era when doors were left unlocked, and communities were deemed safe places, Richard Chase was the most terrifying of prospects. Born on the 23rd of May 1950 in Sacramento, California, Richard Chase had an abusive childhood. His parents were disciplinarians, and Chase’s father often beat him and his younger sister. By ten years old, Chase was showing signs of the Macdonald triad; arson, cruelty to animals and bed-wetting, which is known to lead to violence in adulthood.

Many infamous criminals have spent time in the red brick building. Broadmoor Hospital via The Sun Broadmoor Hospital is the oldest high-security facility in the UK. Originally named the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, it was built for men and women in 1863. However, contrary to popular belief, the facility isn’t a prison, and the daily operations are very different. Instead, sessions are based around therapy rather than the usual prison practises, such as job roles. This i

Children have been going missing since records began, but not until recently has there been proof that some were taken to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Photo by freestocks on Unsplash Since the late 1960s, it’s estimated that around 2,000 parents have lost newborn children under suspicious circumstances. Many of these couples haven’t seen their child again, don’t know why they died, and don’t have a grave to visit. “When the doctors said: Choose!, I realised somethi

In 1973, The Exorcist opened in cinemas. The highest-grossing film of its time, the horror movie was believed to be cursed and had problems from the beginning, including a serial killer on their payroll. The Exorcist Premiere at Leicester Square, London via StartsWednesday The set built to film the house scenes burned down when a bird flew into a fuse box, causing production issues and setting filming back significantly. Vasiliki Maliaros, who starred as Father Karra’s mother

For four months, he shackled, tortured and raped six women in the basement of his Philadelphia home. To outsiders, Gary Heidnik was the founder of the United Church of the Ministers of God and a cunning investor, but to the women in the hole under his house, he was a murderer and a cannibal. The house via allthatsinteresting.com Heidnik was born on the 22nd November 1943 and was raised in Eastlake outside of Cleveland, Ohio. His parents divorced when he was still a baby, and

Robert Hansen hunted his victims and crossed them off on a map. When the police walked into Cindy Paulson’s motel room at Big Timber, she was shaking and hysterical, trying to remove the handcuffs digging into her wrists. She’d survived an attack by a man who had paid her for sex and instead abducted her, tied her up in his home, and would have eventually killed her if she hadn’t escaped. Cindy’s quick thinking and luck helped her get away from her captor, but there were many

Patrick Warren and David Spencer simply disappeared. David Spencer and Patrick Warren via guardian.com Over the years, the missing children case has caused much speculation and criticism due to the lack of urgency around the disappearances. Was it down to a lack of importance because of their working-class backgrounds, or was it because they didn’t fit the “missing white girl” aesthetic the media wanted to report on? In the winter of 1996, Patrick, who was 11 and David, 13, w

For the McCann family, the newest search isn’t about publicity, it’s about keeping someone locked up.

Was Keith Raniere a murderer as well as a tax evader and child rapist? Entrepreneur, self-help guru and cult leader Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison in October 2020. The charges against him included racketeering, attempted sex trafficking, wire fraud, forced labour and possession of child pornography. He was also fined $1.75million. The media reports that Raniere held sex slaves in single rooms for years, and the cult he led branded people with cauterising i

He'd already picked out another two victims. Days after Johnny Altinger had disappeared, his friends decided to break into his home. Police had refused to help them as he was an adult, but they knew their friend hadn't gone on holiday; he was missing. On Friday the 10th of October 2008, Johnny was getting ready to meet a woman he'd been chatting to on the dating website Plenty of Fish. They were getting on well, and the 38-year-old had told his friends about the plans he'd ma

Griffith Park's extensive parklands and diverse landscapes make it a popular choice for portraying jungle brush, desert scenes, and summer camps in TV and film productions. However, its vast size and rugged terrain also make it an ideal location for disposing of bodies, suicides, and accidental deaths. Photo by De’Andre Bush on Unsplash The park, which sits on the eastern edge of the Santa Monica mountains, is one of the largest urban parks in North America, with attractions

The islanders locked their doors, but nothing could stop the bogeyman from entering their homes, and no one would forget his mask. Jersey lighthouse via Britannica.com Famous for its woollen trade and cows, Jersey is smaller than the Greater London region. At only nine miles wide by five miles long, the tiny island is part of the sovereign state of the United Kingdom that sits in the Channel between England and France. Its population in the 1950s was just over 30,000 inhabit

Socialite Mimi Boomhower disappeared with seemingly no trace at all, but why? And who had the motive to get rid of her?

Iceland would never be the same again after one of their own was murdered by an outsider. Photo by Alec Cooks on Unsplash With a population of 368,000, Iceland is home to fewer people than Anaheim, California. The country known as the Land of Ice and Fire has long summers and even longer dark winters, with some days only getting a few hours of sunlight. The country is so tiny that drawing a map instead of an address on a letter will ensure that it’s still delivered to its r

Dorothy Arnold vanished while shopping on Fifth Avenue, triggering a manhunt that continues to this day. Dorothy Arnold via Wikimedia Commons Born in 1885 to a wealthy goods importer, Dorothy was one of Mary and Francis’ four children. The Arnolds were considered high society and socialised with New York royalty, including the Rockefellers. Dorothy was a writer but had found it near impossible to be published in credible magazines. Her family made fun of her failure, and inst

The Hollywood actress’ case is still unsolved seven decades later. Jean Spangler via Wikipedia On the 7th of October 1949, Jean Spangler said goodbye to her daughter, walked out of her apartment door in Park La Brea, and vanished. This would be the last time Christine would ever see her mother alive. What followed was one of the biggest manhunts in Los Angeles history. Jean Elizabeth Spangler was born on 2nd September 1923 in Seattle, Washington, to Florence and Cecil Spangle

Halloween is a night of scares and sweet treats but under the cloak of a mask, it’s also the perfect cover for a crime. Cindy Song via The Charley Project Cindy Song was born in South Korea as Hyun Jong Song. In the mid-nineties, Cindy moved to Virginia, to live with her aunt and uncle to attend school in America. She was accepted into Pennsylvania State University after high school, where she majored in integrative arts, a course that combined engineering, communications and