Roughly 185,000 murders went unresolved from 1980 to 2008, and the numbers of non-murder crimes are just as high. Though there are a lot of unresolved crimes, some of them stick out more than others due to the type of crime and circumstances surrounding those crimes. Below is a list and summary of some of the most famous unsolved crimes
Jack the Ripper (August to November, 1888)
During 1888 a killer stalked the London’s Whitechapel district looking for prostitutes to kill. The killings were gruesome, and were committed areas with public access which made it easier to be caught, but frustrating for those attempting to catch him. There are no prime suspects in the case and it’s likely going to remain unresolved. Jack the Ripper is said to have had 5 victims, while there are other victims whom are debatable.
The Zodiac Killer (1968-1969)
The Zodiac Killer was serial killers who claimed to have killed 37 people, but detectives working the case claim only 5 of those killing were done by him. After his killings in 1968 and 1969, he started mailing letters with pieces of a 408-symbol cryptogram to the San Francisco newspapers, though the cryptogram were solved, detectives received no clues from them. Arthur Leigh Allen was suspected to be the possible serial killer; however DNA tests and handwriting analysis were not a match.
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Dan Cooper skyjacking (November 24, 1971)
This crime took place aboard a Boeing 747, Dan Cooper claimed he had a bomb on him and demanded $200,000 and 4 parachutes in exchange for the hostages. The exchanged took place, and the plane then took off, Cooper jumped out of the plane in midair and was never seen again. Some people believe Cooper might have never survived the jump because about $6,000 from the ransom money was found in 1980 near the Columbia River.
The Gardner Museum art theft (March 18, 1990)
The Gardner Museum was opened in 1903 by Isabella Stewart Gardner, and it is well known for its classical and modern art, as well as being the place for the biggest art theft in United States’ history. The theft happened in 1990 when a group of thieves dressed as policemen entered the museum and walked out with 13 works of art with an approximated value of $200 million.
Japan's million yen robbery (December 10, 1968)
A policeman stopped 4 Nihon Shintaku Ginko workers whom were carrying 300 Million Yen and told the workers that their car contained an explosive. While investigating the car, smoke started appearing, the policeman told the workers to run, and as they ran for cover, the policeman took the car and drove away with the loot. Despise leaving numerous evidence behind including the fake police motorcycle, no one was ever arrested. As of today the statute of limitation has passed, thus no charges can be filed against the criminal(s).
The killing of JonBenet Ramsey (December 25, 1996)
JonBenet Ramsey was a child beauty queen, on the day after Christmas, a ransom note demanding $118,000 was found by her mother Patsy. The family ignored the note’ content, and contacted the police which did a search of the house and found her body in the basement. There were no signs of forced entry, the paper on which the note was written belonged to the family, and the demanded ransom figured matched the father’s recent bonus from work. Nonetheless, investigators excluded the family members as suspects and the crime is still unresolved.
Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls (September 7, 1996 and March 9, 1997)
Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (Biggie Smalls) were two of rap’s biggest stars in 1990’s, however, they were often in conflict with each other. In the 1990s there was a war between east coast rappers and west coast rappers, though the war remained on papers, it did periodically turn into physical confrontations. Tupac was killed in Vegas in his car when another car pulled and shot him 4 times. Biggie was killed months later in Los Angeles when 2 cars pulled up to him and a man shot him 4 times. Though both killings happened in busy streets, none have been solved, and there’s no evidence linking the shootings to the East Coast/West Coast rivalry.
The Black Dahlia (January 15, 1947)
Elizabeth Short was an aspiring actress whom lived in L.A. after her fiancé’s death Matthew Gordon. She disappeared on January 9 after being driven to her Biltmore Hotel, her body was discovered January 15, and her body was mutilated, her face was slashed from the corners of her mouth to her ears. The media nicknamed her “The Black Dahlia” due to her dark hair and circumstances surrounding the crime.
Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance (July 30, 1975)
Jimmy Hoffa was president of the Teamsters Union and was known to use his mob connections for intimidation. He went to prison in for bribing a juror, and upon his release he mysteriously vanished. It’s widely speculated that Hoffa was killed by the mob.
Tylenol Poisonings (September and October 1982)
In September and October of 1982 seven people died in the Chicago area from Tylenol laced with the deadly compound cyanide. All of them died after taking Tylenol, and the 7 people varied in age. It is after that incident that all medical pills started using the tamper-proof seal. To this day, no one has been charged with the murders.
References
http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment_250/251c_top_10_list.html
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1867198,00.html