Photo courtesy of thehorrificallyhorrifyinghorrorblog.com.

While many across the world rejoice in the festivities of the Christmas holiday season, there is a darkness that fills the hearts of some. As the saying goes, there is no rest for the wicked; holidays or not, those with evil in their hearts continue to lurk in the dark shadows.

So, while you sit by the cozy fireplace sipping your hot cocoa, remember this – there are dark secrets that surround the mysteries of many unsolved cold cases, including the following two mysterious murders.

The Texas Christmas Murder

Latricia White spent a seemingly joyous Christmas with her boyfriend, Lee “Dub” Wackerhagen and his nine year-old son, Chance. Everything seemed to be going great, as young Chance asked his mom if he could spend a few more days with his dad before going back home.

But all was not well.

Because only two days later, on December 27, 1994, Latricia’s father started to worry when he had not heard from his daughter in a few days. So, he stopped by the house. And his heart broke into a million pieces when he found his precious 38 year-old daughter lying dead in a pool of blood; shot six times by a .22 caliber weapon.

The suspicions immediately turned to Dub, who had a violent history. The problem was, however, that Dub and Chance were nowhere to be found. With a warrant issued for his arrest, Dub’s pickup truck was found abandoned three days later in a remote field 30 miles from the crime scene. The strange thing was though – Dub’s wallet and checkbook were found intact in the truck. So, of course, with no identification and money – how far could Dub get?

Vital pieces of evidence found at the crime scene only further muddied the waters. Blood soaked unopened Christmas presents located at Latricia’s house confounded investigators after it was discovered the blood did not match the murder victim. The questions then arose. Were Dub and Chance also killed? If so, where were their bodies?

Adding to the mystery was a phone call received months later by Chance’s maternal grandmother. When the grandmother picked up the phone, a young boy said “help me,” then the call was suddenly cut off.

The murder was never solved. And, the whereabouts of Dub and Chance was never discovered.

Photo courtesy of http://www.express.co.uk.

Christmas Eve Tragedy

On Christmas Eve, 1973, the town of New London, Connecticut experienced a tragic loss. On that night, 20 year-old college student Kevin Showalter and his girlfriend were driving home for the holidays when suddenly they had a flat tire.

With his girlfriend safe and warm in the passenger seat, Kevin had almost finished fixing the flat tire when a passing vehicle struck and killed him. This already nightmarish event turned into even more of a hellish experience when Kevin’s mother when to retrieve his personal belongings. At that time, she was told Kevin’s personal effects had been lost and the murder would probably never be solved.

The primary suspect, former mayor Harvey Mallove, provided grand jury testimony contradictory to eyewitness accounts, and he was never convicted. All signs pointed to a police cover-up.

Then, six years later, a man named Paul Hansen confessed to the murder. The problem was – the statute of limitations had expired, so Hansen was never convicted of the crime. Even stranger, despite his confession, there was no real evidence indicating Hansen actually committed the crime.

In 2005, thirty-two years after the killing of Kevin, the man who claimed responsibility – Hansen – took his own life. The police, then, decided to reopen the case. After the case was reopened, local media outlets requested to see the original 3,000 page transcript from Mallove’s grand jury investigation, but were denied access due to the transcript “being lost.”

Kevin Showalter’s murder has tragically never been solved.

Are you aware of any fascinating unsolved cases? If so, please share!

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