Case Index

Oakland, CA · 2026

Amy Hillyard, 52, co-owner of Farley's Coffee, went missing from her Oakland home on March 25, 2026. She was last seen on surveillance video at Dimond Park around 4:30 p.m. that day. She left without her phone, wallet, and keys. Classified as at-risk due to a medical condition. As of April 14, 2026, she has not been found.

Catalina Foothills, AZ · 2026

Nancy Ellen Guthrie, 84-year-old mother of NBC Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her Catalina Foothills, Arizona home on February 1, 2026. Doorbell camera footage captured a masked, armed individual on her property in the early hours of February 1, and blood confirmed as hers was found at the entrance. Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are investigating the case as a kidnapping. As of April 7, 2026, Nancy has not been located and no suspect has been charged in connection with her disappearance.

New Orleans, LA · 2025

On New Year's Day 2025, Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, resulting in the deaths of 14 people and injuring dozens more. The attack, inspired by ISIS, unfolded as revelers rang in the New Year, and Jabbar was subsequently killed in a shootout with police. The incident marked a violent start to the year and raised concerns about domestic terrorism.

New York, NY · 2024

Brian Thompson, the CEO of the American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on December 4, 2024. The shooting occurred early in the morning outside an entrance to the New York Hilton Midtown. The suspect, initially described as a white man wearing a mask, fled the scene. The words "delay", "deny", and "depose" were inscribed on the cartridge cases used during the shooting. Thompson had previously faced criticism for the company's rejection of insurance claims, and his family reported that he had received death threats.

Cohasset, MA · 2023

Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three in Cohasset, Massachusetts, was murdered by her husband Brian Walshe on New Year's Day 2023. Brian dismembered her body and disposed of the remains across multiple locations. He was convicted of first-degree murder in July 2024 and sentenced to life without parole.

Moscow, ID · 2022

In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle—were fatally stabbed in an off-campus house in Moscow, Idaho. On December 30, 2022, authorities arrested 28-year-old Bryan Christopher Kohberger in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary. At the time of the murders, Kohberger was a PhD student completing his first semester at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, located less than eight miles (13 km) west of Moscow.

New York, NY · 2022

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was arrested in December 2022 after FTX collapsed amid revelations that billions of dollars in customer funds had been misappropriated. He was convicted on all seven counts of fraud and conspiracy in November 2023 and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.

Canton, MA · 2022

In Canton, Massachusetts, Boston police officer John O'Keefe was found dead in January 2022, leading to girlfriend Karen Read being charged with his murder. After a mistrial in 2024, Read was acquitted of the murder charge in a retrial in 2025, amidst allegations of a potential cover-up by law enforcement. The case has sparked significant public interest and debate regarding the integrity of the investigation.

Slaughter, LA · 2022

On January 3, 2022, 911 reported that 66-year-old Sheila Fletcher and her husband Clay Fletcher of Slaughter, Louisiana, had found their 36-year-old daughter Lacey Ellen Fletcher dead on their couch. It was revealed that for at least 12 years, Fletcher had been neglected by her parents after becoming unable to leave her house due to a cognitive health decline. It was discovered that after this decline, Sheila and Clay had left their daughter on their couch to suffer, failing to get her medical care; she was covered in her own excrement, and insects ate at her body.

Santa Fe, NM · 2021

On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when a live round was discharged from a revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was using as a prop.

North Port, FL · 2021

Brian Laundrie, fiancé of Gabby Petito, returned home alone from their cross-country trip. After Petito was found murdered, Laundrie fled and was found dead with a confession notebook.

Moran, WY · 2021

In August 2021, 22-year-old American travelling vlogger Gabrielle Venora Petito was killed by her fiancé Brian Christopher Laundrie while they were traveling together on a vanlife journey across the United States. The trip was planned to last for four months and began on July 2, 2021, but Petito disappeared on August 27.

Islandton, SC · 2021

The Murdaugh family is an American family from the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Three generations named Randolph Murdaugh served consecutively as circuit solicitor for the state's 14th judicial district between 1920 and 2006. The family's prominence led locals to call the five-county district "Murdaugh Country". In addition to the legal positions, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. established the Murdaugh family law firm, now called the Parker Law Group, which specializes in personal injury litigation.

Minneapolis, MN · 2020

Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest. The killing, captured on bystander video, sparked global protests and Chauvin was convicted of murder in April 2021.

Rexburg, ID · 2019

Lori Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, were convicted for the murders of Vallow's two children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, in 2019, driven by their beliefs in an apocalyptic religious group. In 2023, Lori was sentenced in Idaho for her role in the killings, while Chad received the death penalty in 2024. Their shocking acts and subsequent convictions highlight the tragic intersection of fanaticism and violence.

New Canaan, CT · 2019

Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five, vanished from New Canaan, Connecticut in May 2019 during a contentious divorce. Her estranged husband Fotis Dulos was charged with murder but died by suicide before trial in January 2020. Her body has never been found.

Beaufort, SC · 2019

On February 24, 2019, a boat driven by an intoxicated Paul Murdaugh crashed into a bridge piling near Parris Island, South Carolina, killing 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The case exposed the Murdaugh family's power and influence in the Lowcountry legal system.

Frederick, CO · 2018

In the early hours of August 13, 2018, in Frederick, Colorado, Christopher Lee Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann (34) by strangulation, and their two children Bella (4) and Celeste (3) by suffocation. He buried Shanann in a shallow grave near an oil-storage facility, and forced his children's bodies into crude oil tanks, with the opening of the tanks only 8 inches in diameter.

Waterbury, CT · 2018

InfoWars host Alex Jones was found liable for defamation after years of claiming the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax. Courts awarded nearly $1.5 billion to victims' families in 2022.

Parkland, FL · 2018

On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history and sparked a nationwide gun control movement.

Las Vegas, NV · 2017

On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock fired from the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay into a concert crowd, killing 60 and wounding over 400. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Delphi, IN · 2017

The murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, also known as the Delphi murders, occurred on February 13, 2017, in Delphi, Indiana, United States. Their bodies were discovered near the Monon High Bridge Trail, part of the Delphi Historic Trails, from where the girls disappeared the previous day. The murders received extensive media coverage, in part due to video and audio recordings released by law enforcement that came from German's smartphone, which recorded an individual believed to be the killer.

Redding, CA · 2016

In November 2016, Sherri Papini of Redding, California staged her own kidnapping, disappearing for 22 days before reappearing with self-inflicted injuries while falsely claiming she had been abducted by two Hispanic women. DNA evidence later revealed she had spent the time with an ex-boyfriend. She pleaded guilty in 2022 and was sentenced to 18 months.

Springfield, MO · 2015

Gypsy Rose Blanchard conspired with her online boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to murder her mother Dee Dee Blanchard in June 2015. Dee Dee had subjected Gypsy to years of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, fabricating illnesses and forcing unnecessary medical treatments.

Hampton, SC · 2015

Alex Murdaugh, a prominent South Carolina attorney, was found to have systematically stolen millions of dollars from clients, including vulnerable injury victims and the family of his deceased housekeeper, over a period spanning more than a decade. He was convicted of numerous financial fraud charges in addition to the murders of his wife and son.

North Attleborough, MA · 2013

NFL star Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots was convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd in 2015 and sentenced to life without parole. He was later acquitted of a separate double murder. Hernandez died by suicide in prison in 2017.

Boston, MA · 2013

On April 15, 2013, brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring over 260. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police. Dzhokhar was captured after a massive manhunt and sentenced to death in 2015.

Los Angeles, CA · 2013

On February 19, 2013, the body of 21-year-old Canadian tourist Elisa Lam was discovered inside a rooftop water tank at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. Her death was ruled an accidental drowning with bipolar disorder as a contributing factor, but the circumstances — including bizarre elevator surveillance footage — remain deeply mysterious.

Pretoria, Gauteng · 2013

South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day 2013. He claimed he mistook her for an intruder. Convicted of murder in 2015, sentenced to 13 years and 5 months. Released on parole in January 2024.

Montreal, QC · 2012

In May 2012, Canadian pornographic actor Luka Magnotta murdered Chinese international student Jun Lin in Montreal, dismembered the body, and mailed severed limbs to political party offices and schools. He fled to Europe and was captured in Berlin. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2014.

Sanford, FL · 2012

On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense. Zimmerman's acquittal in July 2013 sparked national protests and the founding of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Anchorage, AK · 2012

Israel Keyes was a methodical serial killer active from approximately 2001 to 2012, known for burying "murder kits" years in advance across the United States. He confessed to multiple murders before dying by suicide in his Anchorage jail cell in December 2012.

Troy, MO · 2011

Pam Hupp is a Missouri woman who benefited financially from the 2011 stabbing death of her friend Betsy Faria, allowed Betsy's husband to be wrongfully convicted, and in 2016 shot and killed a disabled man she had lured to her home in a scheme to frame the exonerated husband. She pleaded guilty to the second murder in 2019 and faces trial for the first.

Parsons, TN · 2011

Nursing student Holly Bobo was abducted from her home in Parsons, Tennessee in April 2011. Her remains were found in 2014. Zachary Adams was convicted of her kidnapping, rape, and murder in 2017.

Babylon, NY · 2010

The Gilgo Beach serial killings were part of a series of murders on Long Island, New York, spanning from 1993 to 2011. Many of the victims' remains were found over a period of months in late 2010 and 2011 during a police search of the area along Ocean Parkway, a road near the remote beach town of Gilgo in southern Suffolk County, New York.

Boynton Beach, FL · 2009

In 2009, Dalia Dippolito was caught on hidden camera hiring an undercover officer to murder her husband Mike Dippolito in Boynton Beach, Florida. Police staged a fake crime scene. After two mistrials, she was convicted in 2017.

Satsuma, FL · 2009

Five-year-old Haleigh Cummings disappeared from her Satsuma, Florida home on February 10, 2009, while in the care of her father's teenage girlfriend Misty Croslin. Despite an extensive investigation, Haleigh has never been found and no one has been charged with her disappearance or death, which police consider a likely homicide.

Orlando, FL · 2008

In June 2008, the disappearance of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in Orlando, Florida, captured national attention. After an extensive search, her remains were found in December of the same year, leading to her mother, Casey Anthony, being charged with first-degree murder. In a highly publicized trial that concluded in 2011, Casey was acquitted of murder, though she was convicted of four counts of lying to law enforcement.

Mesa, AZ · 2008

Travis Victor Alexander was an American salesman who was murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Ann Arias, in his house in Mesa, Arizona while in the shower. Arias was convicted of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on April 13, 2015.

Perugia · 2007

American exchange student Amanda Knox was convicted and then ultimately acquitted of the 2007 murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy, after years of legal proceedings across multiple trials. The Italian Supreme Court definitively acquitted her in 2015.

Praia da Luz · 2007

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, while her parents dined nearby. German sex offender Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect but has never been charged; the case remains one of the most extensively investigated missing child cases in history.

Boulder, CO · 2006

In August 2006, John Mark Karr falsely confessed to the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey while living in Bangkok. DNA evidence excluded him and all charges were dropped.

Manitowoc, WI · 2005

Steven Allan Avery is an American from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin who was convicted of murder in 2007. He had previously been wrongfully convicted in 1985 of sexual assault and attempted murder. After serving 18 years of a 32-year sentence, Avery was exonerated by DNA testing and released in 2003, only to be charged with murder in a different case two years later.

Oranjestad, Aruba · 2005

Joran van der Sloot was the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. In 2012, he was convicted of murdering Stephany Flores in Peru. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to extorting the Holloway family.

Oranjestad · 2005

Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old Alabama high school graduate, disappeared on May 30, 2005, while on a senior class trip to Aruba. Despite years of investigation and the 2023 confession of primary suspect Joran van der Sloot, her remains have never been found and no one has been convicted of her murder in Aruba.

New York, NY · 2005

Financier Jeffrey Epstein operated a sex trafficking ring abusing dozens of underage girls. He died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

New York, NY · 2005

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual assault by over 80 women, sparking the #MeToo movement. He was convicted of rape in New York in 2020 and again in Los Angeles in 2022, though the New York conviction was overturned on appeal in 2024.

Bolingbrook, IL · 2004

Former Bolingbrook, Illinois police sergeant Drew Peterson became a national figure after his fourth wife Stacy Peterson disappeared in October 2007. He was subsequently charged and convicted of murdering his third wife Kathleen Savio, whose death had been ruled accidental in 2004.

Haverhill, NH · 2004

Maura Murray, a 21-year-old nursing student at UMass Amherst, disappeared on February 9, 2004, after her car crashed on Route 112 in Haverhill, New Hampshire. She has never been found despite extensive searches. The case remains one of the most discussed missing person cases in the country.

Alhambra, CA · 2003

Music producer Phil Spector, creator of the "Wall of Sound" recording technique and producer of legendary albums, was convicted in 2009 of the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra, California mansion. He died in prison in January 2021.

Palo Alto, CA · 2003

Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos, a health technology company that claimed to revolutionize blood testing. The technology never worked as promised, and Holmes was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy in January 2022.

Modesto, CA · 2002

Laci Peterson, 27 and eight months pregnant, disappeared from Modesto, California on Christmas Eve 2002. Her husband Scott Peterson was convicted of her murder in 2004 and sentenced to death, later reduced to life without parole.

Modesto, CA · 2002

Scott Peterson was convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son Conner in Modesto, California. The case drew massive media attention due to Peterson's affair with Amber Frey.

Cleveland, OH · 2002

Ariel Castro kidnapped three young women — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight — between 2002 and 2004 and held them captive in his Cleveland, Ohio home for approximately a decade. The women escaped on May 6, 2013. Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years and died by suicide in prison.

Salt Lake City, UT · 2002

14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom in Salt Lake City on June 5, 2002, by Brian David Mitchell, a self-proclaimed street prophet. Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee held Smart captive for nine months, often moving through Utah and California. Smart was found alive on March 12, 2003 in Sandy, Utah, after a public sighting. Mitchell was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to life in prison.

Durham, NC · 2001

Author Michael Peterson was convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen, found dead at the bottom of their staircase in 2001. The case was the subject of the groundbreaking documentary "The Staircase." Peterson entered an Alford plea in 2017.

Houston, TX · 2001

On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children in the bathtub of the family's Houston, Texas home while suffering from severe postpartum psychosis. She was convicted of murder in 2002, but her conviction was overturned; at retrial in 2006 she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Washington, DC · 2001

Washington, D.C. intern Chandra Levy vanished in May 2001. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park in 2002. Ingmar Guandique was convicted in 2010 but the conviction was vacated in 2016. The case remains officially unsolved.

Los Angeles, CA · 2000

Robert Durst, heir to the New York Durst real estate fortune, was linked to three suspicious deaths over three decades. His wife Kathie Durst disappeared in 1982 (never found). His friend Susan Berman was shot execution-style in 2000. His neighbor Morris Black was dismembered in 2001 (Durst acquitted claiming self-defense). In 2021 Durst was convicted of Berman's murder. He died in custody in October 2022.

Littleton, CO · 1999

On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado before killing themselves.

Baltimore, MD · 1999

Adnan Syed was convicted in 2000 of murdering his ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, who disappeared from her Baltimore high school on January 13, 1999. Her body was found in Leakin Park six weeks later. The Serial podcast's 2014 investigation reignited national debate about the reliability of the evidence. In 2022, Syed's conviction was vacated and he was released; in 2023, charges were dropped.

Los Angeles, CA · 1997

On March 9, 1997, rapper Christopher Wallace — known as the Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls — was shot and killed in a drive-by attack in Los Angeles, just six months after the murder of his rival Tupac Shakur. The case has never been solved and remains one of the most prominent cold cases in music history.

Boulder, CO · 1996

On December 25, 1996, six‑year‑old JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was killed in her family's home at 755 15th Street in Boulder, Colorado. She was reported missing early on December 26, and her body was found about seven hours later in the basement of the house. Her skull had been fractured, and a garrote was tied around her neck. The autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma, and the case was ruled a homicide.

Las Vegas, NV · 1996

On September 7, 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was shot in a drive-by in Las Vegas and died six days later on September 13, 1996. The case remained unsolved for 27 years until a suspect was arrested in 2023, though significant questions about the full scope of the conspiracy remain.

Rowlett, TX · 1996

Darlie Routier was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of her five-year-old son Damon in Rowlett, Texas in June 1996. Her six-year-old son Devon was also killed. Routier has maintained her innocence for nearly three decades, and her case has attracted significant controversy.

San Luis Obispo, CA · 1996

Cal Poly freshman Kristin Smart vanished in May 1996 after a party. Paul Flores, who walked her home that night, was convicted of her murder in 2022 after a 26-year investigation. Her body has never been found.

Corpus Christi, TX · 1995

On March 31, 1995, Tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, 23, was shot and killed in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club and manager of her boutiques, who had been embezzling money. Saldívar was convicted of murder in October 1995.

Union, SC · 1994

On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith of Union, South Carolina, strapped her two young sons into their car seats and rolled her car into John D. Long Lake, drowning them. She falsely reported a carjacking, launching a national manhunt, before confessing nine days later. She was convicted of murder in 1995.

Los Angeles, CA · 1994

Former NFL star O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in one of the most watched criminal trials in history. The case highlighted deep racial divisions in America and raised enduring questions about celebrity, race, and justice.

New York, NY · 1994

Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking and conspiracy for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in June 2022.

Chicago, IL · 1994

R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in September 2021 after decades of allegations of sexual abuse involving minors. He was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

West Memphis, AR · 1993

Three teenagers — Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley — were convicted in 1994 for the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, largely on the basis of a coerced confession and moral panic about Satanism. They were released in 2011 after entering Alford pleas.

Liverpool, Merseyside · 1993

Two-year-old James Bulger was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, England on February 12, 1993, by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who tortured and murdered him. The case shocked Britain and raised profound questions about juvenile criminal responsibility.

Derry, NH · 1990

Pamela Smart, a 22-year-old New Hampshire school administrator, manipulated her 15-year-old student lover and his friends into murdering her husband Gregg Smart in May 1990. Her trial was one of the first in the U.S. to be fully televised and inspired films and books about the case.

Daytona Beach, FL · 1989

Aileen Wuornos was a highway prostitute who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990, claiming each killing was in self-defense against rape or attempted rape. She was convicted of six murders, became one of the most studied female serial killers in American history, and was executed in 2002.

San Diego, CA · 1989

Betty Broderick shot and killed her ex-husband Daniel Broderick and his new wife Linda Kolkena in their San Diego bedroom on November 5, 1989. After a first trial ended in a hung jury, she was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in 1991.

Beverly Hills, CA · 1989

In 2024, renewed attention to the 1989 Menendez brothers case led to resentencing efforts after new evidence of sexual abuse by their father José emerged, including a letter and a corroborating witness.

Beverly Hills, CA · 1989

Joseph Lyle Menendez and Erik Galen Menendez, commonly referred to as the Menendez brothers, are American brothers convicted of killing their parents, José and Mary Louise "Kitty" Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.

New York, NY · 1989

In April 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were wrongfully convicted of the brutal rape and beating of a jogger in Central Park, based on false confessions extracted through coercive interrogations. They were exonerated in 2002 after the actual perpetrator confessed and his DNA matched the crime scene evidence.

Los Angeles, CA · 1984

Richard Ramirez terrorized the Los Angeles area from June 1984 to August 1985, committing at least 13 murders and numerous sexual assaults during nocturnal home invasions. He was captured by an angry mob of citizens, convicted of 13 murders in 1989, and died on death row in 2013.

Springfield, OR · 1983

Diane Downs shot her three children on a rural Oregon road on May 19, 1983, killing 7-year-old Cheryl and severely wounding Christie and Danny. She claimed a stranger attacked them, but was convicted of murder and attempted murder in 1984.

Seattle, WA · 1982

Gary Ridgway murdered at least 49 women in the Seattle-Tacoma area between 1982 and 1998, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. He avoided detection for two decades before DNA evidence led to his arrest in 2001 and a plea deal in 2003.

Catalina Island, CA · 1981

Acclaimed actress Natalie Wood drowned on November 29, 1981, near Catalina Island, California, while aboard a yacht with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken. Initially ruled an accidental drowning, the case was reopened in 2011 amid new witness statements, with Wagner named a "person of interest."

Jonestown · 1978

On November 18, 1978, more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple cult died at their jungle commune in Guyana after cult leader Jim Jones ordered a mass poisoning, in the largest single loss of American civilian life before September 11, 2001. U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan and four others were also murdered at a nearby airstrip.

Milwaukee, WI · 1978

Jeffrey Dahmer, known as the "Milwaukee Cannibal," murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys between 1978 and 1991 in Wisconsin and Ohio. His crimes included necrophilia and cannibalism, and he was convicted of 15 murders in 1992 before being killed in prison in 1994.

Lincoln, MT · 1978

Ted Kaczynski, a former UC Berkeley mathematics professor, conducted a nationwide mail bombing campaign from 1978 to 1995 that killed three people and injured 23 others. He was identified after his brother recognized his writing style in a published manifesto and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Sacramento, CA · 1974

Joseph James DeAngelo, known as the Golden State Killer, terrorized California from 1974 to 1986, committing at least 13 murders and 50 rapes across various locations. After years of investigation, he was identified in 2018 through genealogical DNA analysis, leading to his arrest. DeAngelo pleaded guilty in 2020 and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Wichita, KS · 1974

Dennis Lynn Rader, known as the BTK Killer (Bind, Torture, Kill), murdered ten people in the Wichita, Kansas area between 1974 and 1991. Rader taunted police and media with letters for years before a floppy disk he sent to a TV station in 2005 was traced to his church computer, leading to his arrest. He pleaded guilty to all ten murders and was sentenced to ten consecutive life terms.

Wichita, KS · 1974

Dennis Rader, the self-named BTK (Bind Torture Kill) serial killer, murdered 10 people in the Wichita, Kansas area between 1974 and 1991. He was identified through a floppy disk and arrested in 2005.

Wichita, KS · 1974

Dennis Rader, a church president and compliance officer from Wichita, Kansas, secretly murdered ten people between 1974 and 1991, calling himself BTK — "Bind, Torture, Kill." He evaded capture for thirty years before his DNA was identified through a floppy disk he sent to police, leading to his arrest in 2005.

Tallahassee, FL · 1974

Ted Bundy was a charismatic serial killer who confessed to murdering 30 women and girls across seven states during the 1970s, though the true number of his victims may be higher. He escaped from custody twice before being captured, convicted, and executed in Florida in 1989.

Chicago, IL · 1972

John Wayne Gacy, known as the "Killer Clown," murdered at least 33 young men and boys in the Chicago suburbs between 1972 and 1978, burying most of them in the crawl space beneath his house. He was convicted in 1980 and executed by lethal injection in 1994.

Portland, OR · 1971

On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias "Dan Cooper" (later misidentified as "D.B. Cooper") hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305 between Portland and Seattle, extorted $200,000 in ransom, and parachuted from the rear of the Boeing 727 into the Pacific Northwest night. He was never identified or found. It remains the only unsolved commercial airline hijacking in U.S. history.

Westfield, NJ · 1971

On November 9, 1971, accountant John List methodically murdered his mother, wife, and three children in their Westfield, New Jersey mansion, then vanished for 18 years. He was captured in 1989 after the TV show America's Most Wanted aired a forensic bust of his aged appearance.

Los Angeles, CA · 1969

In August 1969, members of Charles Manson's commune known as "the Family" carried out two nights of murders in Los Angeles: the Tate murders on August 9 (five victims, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate) and the LaBianca murders on August 10. Manson directed the killings but did not personally commit them. He and several Family members were convicted of first-degree murder in 1971.

San Francisco, CA · 1968

An unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police and media with cryptic letters and ciphers. Five murders are confirmed, with two survivors, though the Zodiac claimed as many as 37 victims. The case remains one of the most famous unsolved murder mysteries in American history.

Hasbrouck Heights, NJ · 1967

Richard Francis Cottingham is an American serial killer who committed ten murders in New York State between 1972 and 1980, plus a further ten murders in New Jersey between 1965 and 1980. He was nicknamed by media as the Torso Killer and the Times Square Ripper, since some of the murders he was convicted of included acts of mutilation and dismemberment.

Santa Cruz, CA · 1964

Edmund Kemper murdered 10 people in California between 1964 and 1973, including his grandparents, six college students, his mother, and her friend. Standing 6'9" with a genius IQ, he turned himself in and has been in prison since 1973.

Money, MS · 1955

Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago, was abducted, brutally tortured, and murdered in Money, Mississippi on August 28, 1955, after being accused of whistling at a white woman. The two men who killed him were acquitted within hours; the case became a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement.

Los Angeles, CA · 1947

On January 15, 1947, the bisected and mutilated body of 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was found in a Los Angeles vacant lot. Dubbed the "Black Dahlia" by the press, the case attracted over 150 suspects and remains one of Los Angeles's most enduring unsolved murders.

Fall River, MA · 1892

On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were axed to death in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Their daughter Lizzie was charged with the double murder but was acquitted in 1893 after a trial that captivated Victorian America. The case has never been officially solved.