Photo courtesy of wkyt.com.

Every great detective has a catalogue of solved crimes. Moments that made them proud to be cops. But, for most, the cases that are burned into their psyches, are the unsolved ones.

These unsolved crimes not only haunt the dedicated detectives who sought justice, but they also disturb us. The everyday law-abiding citizens who have faith that criminals will be punished for their dastardly deeds.

While many horrific crimes are brought to a just resolution, here’s a few examples of despicable perps that were never brought to justice.

The Axe Man

Terrorizing the streets of New Orleans, this axe wielding killer was dubbed the “boogeyman.” Beginning in 1918, and lasting for almost 2 years, the killer’s deplorable axe wielding crime spree started when he butchered a local grocer and his wife. When the police arrived at the scene, all they found was a blood soaked axe, and a nonsensical, cryptic message written in chalk.

Using axes found in the victims’ homes, the boogeyman went on to murder 8 more people before vanishing into thin air. The crimes stopped. And no one was ever arrested.

The Sierra Nevada Murders

In the early 1980s, in a seemingly quaint community nestled deep with Northern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, a hauntingly disturbing crime occurred – three people were slaughtered in their cabin. A mother, her son and his friend were brutally beaten and killed with a claw hammer.

Shockingly, though, the woman’s two younger sons and their friend (who were in the adjoining room) went unharmed. Adding to the bizarre crime was the fact that the woman’s oldest daughter remain unscathed in the neighboring cabin. The oddities do not end there. The woman’s 12 year old daughter went missing, and her skull was eventually recovered 3 years later. No one was ever convicted of these crimes.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.com.

Jack the Stripper

Yes, that’s right. Jack the Stripper. Not the Ripper. Commonly known as the Hammersmith nude cases, the Stripper was known for targeting prostitutes.

From 1964-1965, the killer terrorized London’s prostitutes, and murdered 8 of them. The Stripper would strip his victims naked, and dump the bodies in the River Thames or in the streets of London. Although many believe that a Scottish security guard was responsible for these murders, he was never brought to justice. Why? Because he committed suicide when some evidence pointed back to the factory where he worked.

Despite the strong inclination to assign guilt to the security guard, it was later discovered that one of the murders occurred when he was out of town. Thus, he could not have committed the crime. The mystery was not resolved, and no one ever was brought to justice on behalf of the victims.

Any interesting unsolved mysteries where you live?

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