Mysteries and Histories

In 1994, Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked as she came off the ice after a practice session - and soon it transpired that her rival, Tonya Harding, may have been involved. But how did it come to this?

Did you know that only 0.5% of recorded history is about women? Think about all the stories of women who have been erased from history, the stories about men which may actually be about women? Well today we're going to be talking about a potential female spy who changed the course of the American Revolution, mentioned in just one letter in the culper spy ring. Did she exist? Who could she have bee...

In 1976 the dismembered body of a young woman was found in Carbon County, Pennsylvania and despite extensive investigation, she went unidentified for 44 years. Finally in 2021 after her biological nephew uploaded his genetic information, investigators were able to confirm her identity as 15 year old Evelyn Colon. And through that, find the identity of her potential killer.

In the 1970s, four children went missing the Detroit, Michigan area, their bodies all being found shortly after. Despite this being the biggest investigation is USA history at this time, multiple suspects and even DNA evidence being linked to a person of interest, this case has never been solved. 

In 1989, 130 people boarded small pleasure boat, Marchioness, for a party cruise down the Thames. Less than an hour later, 51 of these people would die after the boat was struck by a large dredger. 34 years on, and still there's not been justice for the victims, survivors or families of this disaster. Who was responsible?

This week we're going to be looking at some updates in cases that I've covered in the past, including a massive update in the LISK/Gilgo Beach Killer: a suspect has been arrested. 

Starting in the 1940s, American researchers travelled down to Guatemala to conduct a number of experiments around STD research. They said they intended to find a post-exposure prophylaxis, but ended up deliberately infecting over 1000 Guatemalan people with STDs... and didn't cure over half of them. How was this allowed to happen?

In 1970, 17 year old Helen Claire Frost had had a few rough months after being forced to give up her newborn baby girl. One day in October, she headed out for a 'quick walk' after inviting her sister along, who declined, and she never returned. In all these years there's never been a single clue, but someone must know what happened to Helen.

We're travelling back to 1650 today to learn about a 22 year old woman called Anne Greene who gave birth to a stillborn baby and was unjustly sent to the gallows... only to survive her own execution. How was this possible? Find out with me!

On 2nd November 2007, 12 year old Jaliek Rainwalker was reported as missing by his adoptive father, who said he must have runaway during the night. However in 2012 Jaliek's case was reclassified as a presumed homicide, and much suspicion has been cast on those closest to him. 

In 1979, a horse rider in Bedgebury Forest, Kent, England, spotted the body of a woman in the bracken. What followed was an extensive murder investigation and one of the UK's most puzzling criminal cases, with a man going to trial 20 years later only to be found not guilty. Now in 2023, Jane Doe still has no identity and no justice. 

In 1987, 16 year old Theresa Bier got picked up by a man called Russell 'Skip' Welch to go hunting for bigfoot in the North California mountains. And then she was never seen again. Skip would later say she was abducted by Bigfoot, but do we believe him?

In January 1996, 9 year old Amber Hagerman was cycling around an abandoned parking lot when a man in a black van pulled up beside her, snatched her off the bike and threw her into his van. He sped away and days later Amber's body was found in a creek. He has never been identified. 

The News of the World phone hacking scandal was a controversy that came to light publicly in 2011 after employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories for many years. How was this able to happen?

In October 1996 a woman checked into a Seattle hotel under the name Mary Anderson, with hotel staff finding her dead in her room two days later. It would then be uncovered that Mary Anderson was a fake name, as was the address and number she provided. Who was she? Why did she end her own life in that hotel room?

On April 19th 1996, Timothy McVeigh detonated a car bomb out the front of the Alfred P Murrah building in Oklahoma City after spending years harbouring anti-government views. In that moment, the USA would change forever.

Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles were two people with unusual views of the world, they believed they were aliens sent from a higher kingdom, the two witnesses mentioned in the Book of Revelations. So how did they manage to convince 39 people to end their lives in a mass suicide?

In 1990 the body of a woman was found in a culvert near Monroe Township in Pennsylvania, and despite investigation her identity and killer both still remain unknown. Who was Penny Doe?

In 1989 a bulletin about a missing woman called Joanna Lopez was broadcast overnight with no context on WMAQ Chicago, but the photo was low-res and all-round creepy. Then 2 years later, the same photo was re-broadcast. Who was Joanna Lopez? Why is there no evidence she even existed?

In 2002, 13 year old schoolgirl Milly Dowler was abducted on her way home from school, her body found 6 months later - and investigators had no clue as to who was responsible. After almost a decade, in 2011, Levi Bellfield was convicted of her murder. How did they finally catch him?

In 1957, 11 year old Moira Anderson hopped on a bus in her home of Coatbridge, Scotland, and then disappeared. The bus driver that was a convicted criminal but for some reason the police didn't speak to him until 1992... what happened to Moira?

In 1997, people across Phoenix, Arizona saw a formation of unusual lights in the sky: 7 lights, travelling in perfect unison, non-blinking, no glow, just eery movement. Later that same night, a bunch of lights are seen again, this time moving up and down. Despite best efforts, the lights have never been explained. Was it alien activity?

On 18th March 1950, 13 year old Janett Christman went to babysit for family friends to earn some pocket money. At around 10.30pm that night the local police received a call from a girl screaming for help and then the line went dead. When the parents arrived home, they found Janett's body.

In 2012 the decomposed remains of a girl thought to be between 15-17 were found in black bin bags behind a church in Houston. Despite a few identifiable features, Smurfette Jane Doe, named after the t-shirt she was wearing, is yet to be identified. 

In 1928, May Donoghue headed to a cafe in Paisley, Glasgow to catch up with a friend. They ordered a ginger float for May to enjoy, but after enjoying most of her drink she poured out the remains of a decomposing snail. After weeks of illness, she decided to fight her case - someone was responsible for the snail being in that bottle and she was going to make them (literally) pay. In a world with n...