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

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

Neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch severely maimed and killed the majority of his patients. Christopher Duntsch in theatre via dmagazine.com As the number of operations grew, people began to notice that Christopher Duntsch’s surgeries — even the straightforward ones — weren’t going as planned. Quadriplegia, significant blood loss, and in some cases, death didn’t stop the surgeon from entering the theatre, and it took years for someone to finally make a stand. Christopher Duntsc

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

The murderer has evaded capture for 45 years, but he’s next on the wishlist for DNA testing. Photo by Saksham Gangwar on Unsplash In the early to mid-seventies, homophobia was rampant in San Francisco. Only the year before these murders began, homosexuality had just been declassified as a ‘disorder’ by the American Psychiatric Association. According to politician Harvey Milk, 20 to 25 per cent of the 85,000 gay men in San Francisco were closeted about their sexuality. It was

Hazel Drew’s death remains unsolved, unlike her on-screen counterpart. In the summer of 1908, the resort town of Sand Lake in Rensselaer County, New York was busy. The usual population of around 2,000 made way for holidaymakers and the July temperature was climbing. However, the visiting families would soon be joined by reporters and investigators, when the body of a woman turned up in Teal’s Pond. Hazel Drew via Times Union courtesy of Bob Moore, Sand Lake Historian Twenty-y

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

John Haigh's methods for his victim's disposal are the stuff of nightmares. However, there's always evidence left behind. Born into an average family, John George Haigh moved from Lincolnshire to West Riding of Yorkshire when he was younger. The boy was a fan of classical music and played the piano, which won him a scholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Wakefield Cathedral. Haigh had an odd sense of humour and was bullied at school. A lover of strange pranks, he'd

What should have been an easy crime to solve is now a cold case. On the 18th of April 2016, while getting ready to teach a fitness class at a local church, Terri “Missy” Bevers was murdered by an unknown assailant. Six years on, her case is still unsolved. Missy Bevers via courtjunkie.com Missy was a 45-year-old mother of three from Red Oak, Texas. She took fitness very seriously and taught her own classes. She was an active member of the community and had no known enemies.

Dennis DePue evaded police for nearly a year before he was finally stopped, but his actions were forever engrained in the cinematic universe for entertainment. On the 15th of April 1990, Ray and Marie Thornton were driving along quiet Snow Perry Road in Coldwater, Michigan. As they drove, they played a game to pass the time. The game was to make words and phrases out of the number plates that passed them. As a green 1984 Chevrolet truck passed them at high speed, Marie won th

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

Goldyne Pizer would have done anything for Joan Rabel, even murder. Photo by Dan Smedley on Unsplash On Halloween night, 1957, Los Angeles hairstylist Peter Fabiano walked down the stairs of his Valley home to greet a belated trick-or-treater. It was late, around 11 pm, and Peter had already got into bed with his wife, Betty. It was too late for children to be knocking. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old grabbed the bowl of remaining sweet treats and answered the door. A second l

Karina Holmer was discovered in a dumpster, but only half of her has ever been found. Boston, Massachusetts in 1996 was a very different city. The Boston Police Department was struggling with youth violence, specifically the use of guns and homicides. The Boston Gun Project Working Group had begun to meet in January 1995, but Operation Ceasefire had only been implemented a year later in January 1996. There were still attacks around the city, but ultimately, the streets were

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

Viking Sally has more history than some empires. The cruise ship was built in 1979 for Rederi AB Slite, a Swedish shipping company. The vessel had ten decks and was designed with all the modern conveniences, including a swimming pool, sauna, nightclub, cinema and numerous restaurants and bars. Over a period of eight years, the vessel saw 855 deaths with its final demise in 1994, when it sank at full capacity. Two of those fatalities were murders, and one was solved in 2020, a

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

Known as the ‘holy grail’ of cold cases, our victim finally has a name Facial reconstruction of the Lady of the Dunes via Wikimedia Commons The Lady of the Dunes case has puzzled local law enforcement and web sleuths across the globe for the past four decades. However, in 2015, the case was brought to the forefront of popular culture when author Joe Hill believed he saw the woman on screen. The woman was found beneath long grass by a young girl walking her dog on the 26th of