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✕ Remove Ads Unsolved Mysteries is one of the most fascinating and disturbing true-crime shows streaming at the moment, but some of its mysteries are no longer unsolved. The mysteries featured in Unsolved Mysteries tend to be either missing persons cases, supernatural tales, or truly disturbing stories.
Many of Unsolved Mysteries' most disturbing cases have several factors that make them more eerie than the other mysteries featured. However, with breakthroughs in CGI and security, some of the stories that originally sounded unsolvable have logical explanations, and other bizarre Unsolved Mysteries cases that are still open may have a solution one day. One of the unique aspects of Unsolved Mysteries was the audience participation angle. Unsolved Mysteries did not just present the stories, the show actively encouraged viewers to call the hotline if they thought they might know something. This factor kept regular people and amateur detectives tuning in, especially as the show had a surprisingly high success rate, with many Unsolved Mysteries cases being solved by viewers. While there are still many strange and mysterious Unsolved Mysteries cases that have yet to be answered, many of them have now been solved through a combination of police work, audience participation, and luck. ✕ Remove Ads 10 The Murder Of Angela Bugay Season 13, Episode 4 In Antioch, California, on November 19th, 1983, five-year-old Angela Bugay's family were visiting a neighbor when her three-year-old brother Chris said he wanted his rain boots. The children walked back to the house to get them, but only Chris returned. When the apartment complex and surrounding area were searched, there was no trace of Angela, and the police theorized that if Angela had been taken, she must have known and trusted the person. A week later, Angela's nude body was found in a shallow grave near a reservoir, raped and asphyxiated, with her clothes piled on top of her. While the police waited for DNA results, three more girls went missing. The FBI believed the cases were connected and watched one man who visited Angela's grave 90 times in one year. Though he had also helped search for all the girls, the tests ruled him out. ✕ Remove Ads Finally, on April 24th, 1996, the DNA testing linked Larry Christopher Graham to Angela's clothing and body. Graham was a neighbor, and he was also dating Angela's mother. According to her, Graham was the only man that Angela trusted, and so she would have gone with him willingly. Graham was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002, but he committed suicide in his cell in 2009. 9 The Abduction Of Brandon Fagan Season 3, Episode 24 Pat and Michael met at a chiropractic seminar in 1983, and Pat appeared to like the idea of having children better than actually having them because she referred to her children from a previous relationship as"inconveniences." Still, Pat became pregnant after marrying Michael, and their son Brandon was born in 1985. In October 1988, Michael went out of town for his brother's funeral and returned to find a note on the table. ✕ Remove Ads Related 10 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries Cases That Were Finally Solved Many Unsolved Mysteries cases remain unsolved, but there are 10 big cases from Unsolved Mysteries that were eventually solved due to various factors. Posts The note said,"I know you are not going to take care of me. Therefore, I am taking your son." Both Pat and Brandon were gone. There was no trace of them for three years, with police fearing that Brandon had been placed for adoption. However, the night before Brandon's Unsolved Mysteries episode was due to air in 1991, Pat turned herself in, and Michael was granted full custody of Brandon. 8 The Savior Of Steve Newton Season 9, Episode 7 ✕ Remove Ads On August 27, 1995, in Naples, Florida, Steve Newton was heading home on his motorcycle so that he could pick up the family car and drive it to the hospital, where his wife, Cheron, was waiting with their newborn baby. At around 2pm, Steve hit a patch of water and was thrown from his motorcycle where he lay, unconscious and facing downward, in a drainage ditch. Steve would have drowned, but somebody saved his life. Steve remembered a woman looking down at him, but she left without revealing her name. Steve and Cheron appeared on Unsolved Mysteries in November 1996 because they wanted to thank the woman for saving his life. Somebody watching the episode recognized the woman as her coworker. She called the hotline, giving the woman's name: Tammy Dotson. Tammy and Steve were reunited in January 1997, where the family thanked her for everything. 7 The Mona Lisa Mystery Season 6, Episode 9 ✕ Remove Ads Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world, but for centuries, nobody knew who the woman really was. When the computer artist, Lillian Schwartz, compared a self-portrait of Da Vinci with the Mona Lisa, she found them to be so similar that, for years, many believed that Da Vinci had based the Mona Lisa on his own face. However, when it appeared that Da Vinci's self-portrait may have been a forgery, the Mona Lisa's mystery returned. The mystery was solved in 2005 when a researcher found a margin note written by a friend of Da Vinci's. When Schwartz found a drawing of an Italian duchess named Isabelle, who resembled the Mona Lisa, she changed her theory, believing that Da Vinci used Isabella's face for reference. The Mona Lisa mystery was so captivating that it featured on Unsolved Mysteries. The mystery was solved in 2005 when a researcher found a margin note written by a friend of Da Vinci's. The note confirmed that the Mona Lisa was based on a real woman named Lisa del Giocondo. ✕ Remove Ads 6 The Hidden WWII Letters Unsolved Mysteries Specials Episode 6 On February 4th, 1986, Mike, an exterminator, found an enormous sack in an attic, with handwritten letters spilling out. The elderly owner of the house had a nephew who had been a crew member aboard the S.S. Caleb Strong in 1944, at the height of the Second World War. That sack was full of letters from 92 soldiers onboard the ship, and though the nephew promised he would send the letters, he forgot. His ashamed aunt had then hidden the sack in the attic. ✕ Remove Ads Mike convinced the woman to give him the letters, which he delivered to the Post Office, where the staff promised to try and track the soldiers down. This was an enormous undertaking. One grateful widow said that she had waited for 40 years to hear from her husband again. Another former soldier died of shock. Yet more were reunited with their old military friends. A special episode of Unsolved Mysteries featured the letters, helping to find the final soldiers, and the final letter was delivered in 1989. 5 The Murder Of Tupac Shakur Season 9, Episode 17 Close Tupac Shakur was a popular and successful rapper, leading to Tupac appearing in movie and TV roles. However, he was involved in gang activity and though Tupac survived being shot five times in 1994, he was murdered in 1996, aged just 25. Tupac was on his way back from a boxing match when a white Cadillac pulled up alongside the car. A passenger in the back seat then shot Tupac, who died from the wounds six days later. ✕ Remove Ads The music world was deeply affected by Tupac's murder, and though there were thousands of witnesses, people were reluctant to talk. One of the witnesses, backup singer Yafeu Fula, was shot dead, with people speculating that this was to ensure he didn't name the killer. Several names were rumored to be connected to Tupac's murder, including the rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean"P. Diddy" Combs, as well as members of Tupac's entourage. Related Have Any Unsolved Mysteries Cases From Netflix's Reboot Been Solved? NBC's Original Unsolved Mysteries Famously Solved More Than 250 Cases, but Netflix's Reboot Has Been Slow To Catch Up With Only One Case Solved. Posts The case aired on Unsolved Mysteries in 1997, and though it appeared that nobody would ever come forward through fear of retaliation, the mystery was likely solved in 2023. Police had made breakthroughs in 1998 when Orlando Anderson was killed. He had bragged about killing a rapper, but there had not been enough evidence to charge him. Police raided the home of Anderson's uncle, Duane"Keefe D" Davis, in 2023 and later charged him with Tupac's murder. Davis's trial is scheduled to begin in 2025, with more details to follow. ✕ Remove Ads 4 The Fortune Of Dorothea Allen Season 3, Episode 12 Though Dorothea Allen was a former wealthy socialite, she died a widow, with no children, and with just five people attending her funeral. She was buried in 1990, and while Dorothea left behind a mansion and a $4 million fortune, she had also left no will. When the British Government attempted to find an heir, they unlocked a bigger mystery, as Dorothea appeared to have hidden all evidence of her past. Dorothea had defaced her passport and photographs, and given her few friends a false name. With her estate set to revert to the UK government in 2002, Unsolved Mysteries featured her in December 1990. While the show did not solve the case, her former boyfriend recognized her from a newspaper photo in 1995. ✕ Remove Ads He provided her real name and explained that, as her husband's mistress, the two had never married. Researchers located one of her cousins and used DNA testing from a single hair to track down her surviving distant relatives, who each inherited about $40,000. 3 The Daly City Man Season 6, Episode 14 On August 25, 1992, an unconscious man was found underneath an overpass in Daly City, California. He had brain bleeding and a broken leg, but it was unclear what had happened to him. While it was suggested that he could have been hit by a vehicle, a witness saw him falling from the overpass but was unsure if it was an accident, an attempted suicide, or an attempted murder. The man lay in a coma, with no identification and no clue as to who he was, until Unsolved Mysteries featured him in January 1994. When his face appeared on TV, a hospital worker recognized him as a former patient and called the Unsolved Mysteries hotline to identify him. ✕ Remove Ads The man's identity has not been revealed to the public, but his family were contacted, and when they entered his hospital room, staff noticed a jump in his vital signs. His family explained that he had been on his way for a visit, but never arrived. As he had a history of seizures, this could have caused him to fall from the overpass. 2 The Escape Of Judge John Fairbanks Season 4, Episode 4 In 1989, it became clear that the respected Judge John Fairbanks was not the benevolent and helpful pillar of the community that he appeared to be. He had been helping his fellow Newport, New Hampshire residents with their financial issues, but one resident, Patricia Sawyer, found that the checks she had been expecting suddenly stopped after the 1987 stock market crash. He explained that he was turning the checks back in to keep them from losing value. ✕ Remove Ads Another resident discovered that $20,000 was missing from his brother's estate that Fairbanks was managing, and reported Fairbanks to the police. Charges were pressed, and when they were made public, more people came forward, including Patricia, who found that she had lost over $500,000. It appeared that Fairbanks had stolen over $10 million, and he was indicted on multiple counts of theft in 1989, but just when things were looking very serious for Fairbanks, he disappeared. His clients had lost everything. Related Unsolved Mysteries & 9 Other TV Shows About The Unexplained And Cold Cases Unexplained phenomena and cold cases are two situations that fans love to learn more about through various TV shows that explore them. Posts ✕ Remove Ads Unsolved Mysteries featured Fairbanks in 1991, and Fairbanks was found dead in a Las Vegas hotel in 1994. Fairbanks had assumed a false identity as a retired history professor, and spent his time hiding in luxury condos around Quebec City, before heading to Las Vegas. It appeared that he killed himself after noticing one of the investigators who had worked on his case in the hotel's casino. The mystery appeared to have been solved by luck. Still, Fairbanks's clients were less lucky, as their money was never recovered. 1 The Savior Of James Vernon Season 5, Episode 6 James Vernon lived in Houston, Texas, and had struggled with a heroin addiction until hitting rock bottom in 1982. James was outside one night when he saw a large billboard that advertised a crisis helpline. He called the phone number, where he spoke to a woman named Libby. Libby urged him not to give up, and the two spoke most nights. Still, James's addiction worsened, and he decided to kill himself by overdose after calling Libby one last time. He became a successful and sober comedian, and in 1992, he tried to find Libby through Unsolved Mysteries , to thank her for saving him. ✕ Remove Ads James's overdose didn't work, and when he called Libby again, she suggested that he should try treatment again. Finally, James did just that. He became a successful and sober comedian, and in 1992, he tried to find Libby through Unsolved Mysteries, to thank her for saving him. Libby saw the show and though she had to remain anonymous as she was still working as a counselor, she called the Unsolved Mysteries hotline the night of the broadcast and spoke to him once more. Your Ratingclose10 stars9 stars8 stars7 stars6 star5 stars4 stars3 stars2 stars1 star Rate Now 0/10 Leave a Review Your comment has not been savedMy List My Favorite TV ShowsMy Watchlist Success! 10/10 Unsolved Mysteries TV-PGDocumentaryCrimeMystery Originally debuted in the 1980s, Unsolved Mysteries is a documentary-styled mystery television series that explores various cold cases and supernatural reports left unexplained. Using re-enactments, interviews, and presenting evidence and theories, the show attempted to explain some of these bizarre cases that were left unsolved, with episodes requesting for viewers to call in if they had any information on anything presented. The show has been shelved and revived several times on several different networks, with modern changes to the format to keep up with the changing television landscape.*Availability in US Cast Raymond Burr , Karl Malden , Robert Stack , Virginia Madsen , Dennis Farina Release Date January 20, 1987 Main Genre Documentary Seasons 14 Writers John Cosgrove , Terry Dunn Meurer Directors Kabir Akhtar Showrunner John Cosgrove , Terry Dunn Meurer Expand ✕ Remove Ads
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