11 Disappearances That Still Baffle Investigators

Many disappearances become stubborn mysteries, despite exhaustive searches and countless theories. These cases still lack closure. Here are 11 disappearances that continue to puzzle investigators.

1. 1. Madeleine McCann

The three-year-old vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007. Despite worldwide media attention and multiple investigations, her fate remains unknown. New leads surface occasionally, but none have solved the case.

2. 2. Flight MH370

In 2014, a Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people disappeared mid-flight. Only fragments of wreckage have ever been recovered. The lack of a definitive explanation leaves investigators frustrated and families without closure.

3. 3. Brandon Swanson

After his car got stuck in a ditch in Minnesota in 2008, Swanson phoned his parents while walking for help. The call ended abruptly with him shouting in alarm, and he was never seen again. Despite searches, no trace has been found.

4. 4. Maura Murray

A nursing student disappeared in 2004 after crashing her car in New Hampshire. Witnesses saw her at the roadside, but she vanished before police arrived. Decades later, her case remains one of the most perplexing in America.

5. 5. The Sodder Children

On Christmas Eve 1945, five children disappeared after a fire destroyed their West Virginia home. No remains were recovered, fueling theories of abduction. Investigators remain divided, with no conclusive evidence.

6. 6. Etan Patz

The six-year-old boy vanished in 1979 while walking to his school bus in New York City. His disappearance changed how America handled missing children. Despite suspects and arrests, the mystery still lingers around his case.

7. 7. The Beaumont Children

In 1966, three siblings disappeared from a beach in Adelaide, Australia. Despite decades of searching and numerous suspects, no evidence of their fate has surfaced. It remains one of the country’s darkest mysteries.

8. 8. Tara Calico

In 1988, Calico vanished while riding her bicycle in New Mexico. A Polaroid photo discovered later showed a girl resembling her tied up in the back of a van. Though chilling, investigators could never confirm her fate.

9. 9. Jimmy Hoffa

The powerful union leader disappeared in 1975 outside a Detroit restaurant. Despite theories of mafia involvement and massive searches, his body has never been found. His case remains one of the most infamous disappearances in U.S. history.

10. 10. The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Keepers

During the year 1900, three keepers vanished from a remote Scottish lighthouse. When relief crews arrived, they found meals left untouched and log entries describing strange conditions. No trace of the men was ever recovered.

11. 11. Amelia Earhart

Attempting a global flight in 1937, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Extensive searches failed to locate her plane or body. Nearly a century later, her disappearance still intrigues historians and investigators alike.

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• unsolved disappearances
• true crime mysteries
• missing persons
• unsolved cases