True Crime: Untold Cases

Danny Rolling - The Gainesville Ripper (Gainesville, Florida, 1989)

Danny Rolling, dubbed the "Gainesville Ripper," murdered five people over the course of two weeks in Gainesville, Florida. His victims included four students and a tourist. Rolling broke into their homes, tied up the victims, and brutally murdered them with axes and knives. The case caused widespread fear in Gainesville and remains one of the most notorious serial killer cases in Florida's history. Rolling was apprehended shortly after the murders and was executed by lethal injection in 2006.

The West Memphis Three (West Memphis, Arkansas, 1993)

In May 1993, three eight-year-old boys—Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers—were found murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. The victims were bound, beaten, and shot. The initial investigation focused heavily on three teenage boys known as the West Memphis Three: Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. Despite dubious evidence and allegations of bias, the trio were convicted in 1994. Their convictions have been widely criticized as miscarriages of justice, and they were eventually released in 2011 after entering Alford pleas, maintaining their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict them.

The Boy in the Box (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1957)

On December 16, 1957, the naked body of an unidentified young boy, estimated to be between 4 and 6 years old, was discovered in a cardboard box in a residential area of Philadelphia. Despite extensive media coverage and a massive police investigation, the boy's identity and his murder remained unsolved until 2022. The case has become one of America's most enduring mysteries, often referred to as "America's Unknown Child."

The Texas Killing Fields (Texas, 1983–2010)

The Texas Killing Fields refer to a stretch of Interstate 45 near League City, Texas, where numerous women have gone missing or been found murdered over a span of nearly a decade. As of recent counts, at least 30 women have been linked to the area, with many cases remaining unsolved. The victims were often sex workers, single mothers, or vulnerable women, and their disappearances were sometimes preceded by interactions at nearby motels or bars.

Dr. Marcel Petiot (France, WWII Era)

Marcel Petiot was a French physician who offered “escape routes” to those fleeing Nazi-occupied France during World War II—but, in truth, lured them to his Paris home where he would rob and murder them. He disposed of victims’ remains in his basement furnace or through quicklime. Investigators found over 20 bodies on his property in 1944, though Petiot claimed he was just targeting Nazi collaborators. He was captured in 1944, tried in 1946, and found guilty of multiple murders. He was executed by guillotine soon after.

Henri Désiré Landru “Bluebeard of Gambais" (France, 1914–1919)

Henri Landru was a French conman and serial killer active during World War I. He lured wealthy or vulnerable women through personal ads, promising marriage or companionship. Once he convinced them to turn over their assets, Landru would murder them—often at a rented villa in Gambais—and dispose of their bodies, leaving little trace. Investigators eventually linked him to at least 10 (some say over a dozen) disappearances, and he was arrested in 1919. His high-profile trial ended with a conviction and execution by guillotine in 1922.

Bachmeier’s Revenge – The Story of Marianne Bachmeier (Germany, 1981)

In 1980, Marianne Bachmeier’s 7-year-old daughter, Anna, was assaulted and murdered by a man named Klaus Grabowski in Lübeck, Germany. During Grabowski’s trial in 1981, Marianne entered the courtroom carrying a revolver. As proceedings were underway, she shot Grabowski multiple times, killing him instantly in front of the judge and other onlookers. Bachmeier was arrested immediately. She eventually stood trial for manslaughter, claiming she acted in a moment of overwhelming emotional distress and desire for revenge.

The Bible John Murders (Scotland, Late 1960s)

Between 1968 and 1969, three women—Patricia Docker, Jemima McDonald, and Helen Puttock—were murdered in Glasgow after last being seen at the city’s Barrowland Ballroom. Witnesses described a well-dressed man who quoted Bible verses, earning him the nickname “Bible John.” Despite repeated attempts to use new forensic techniques on old evidence, police have never definitively identified or charged the killer. To this day, the Bible John murders remain one of Scotland’s most notorious unsolved serial cases. The interplay of potential police oversights, sensational media coverage, and contradictory suspect descriptions make for a deeply puzzling mystery.

The Bowraville Murders (Australia, 1989–1991)

Three Indigenous children (ages 16, 16, and 4) disappeared from a rural Aboriginal mission in Bowraville, New South Wales, over the span of five months between 1989 and 1991. Their remains were eventually discovered near the same stretch of road, yet a single suspect was acquitted twice, and no one else has ever been convicted.

The Frauke Liebs Disappearance (Germany, 2006)

Twenty-one-year-old nursing student Frauke Liebs vanished on June 20, 2006, after watching a World Cup match at a pub in Paderborn, Germany. Over the next week, family and friends received cryptic text messages and at least one phone call from her, but each offered little information. Her body was discovered in a forest months later.