Jack the Ripper
Hulton Archive/Getty Images Between August and November 1888, five prostitutes turned up dead on the streets of London's Whitechapel neighborhood. All were found within a mile of one another—two on the same night—and all had their throats slashed from left to right. The lead investigators on the case suspected the killer was left-handed. All but one had been gutted with precision, leading investigators to suspect the killer might have been trained as a butcher or surgeon. The killer managed to commit these murders and escape undetected, which suggested the killer was familiar with the rhythms of the neighborhood. The murderer, whom the press referred to as "Jack the Ripper," was never identified. Perhaps, Jack the Ripper died before he was able to carry out any additional murders? Or perhaps his killings evolved over time, as other murders occurred in Whitechapel over the next three years, which bore some similarities to Jack's work. In either case, Jack the Ripper is now long gone, and it appears he has taken his identity with him to the grave. Of course, that doesn't stop us from speculating as to who he might have been. You'll find a surprising theory on it among the 13 biggest mysteries surrounding the royal family.
Belle Gunness
Bettmann/Getty Images Wherever turn-of-the-20th-century Norwegian immigrant Belle Gunness went, people had a habit of turning up dead, especially well-insured people—including several of her husbands, boyfriends, and children. Still, it took a quarter-century and at least 40 kills for anyone to even suspect Belle might have been the common denominator. But before a solid case against Belle could be put together, Belle's farmhouse burned to the ground on April 28, 1908, and Belle's remains were thought to be found inside by investigators. With no other viable suspects, all the murder cases with respect to which Belle was under investigation went cold. But that's not the only case that went cold that day. Turns out the fire was arson, and Belle's hired hand, Ray Lamphere, was convicted of setting the fire. He was acquitted with regard to Belle's resulting death when he convinced the jury Belle wasn't dead, but, rather, she had hired him to start the fire to help her fake her death. As such, Belle's "death" remains unsolved. Check out these 15 other crimes that have frustrated investigators and will likely continue to do so indefinitely.
Hinterkaifeck
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On March 31, 1922, five members of the Gruber family, along with their maid, were murdered at the Gruber family farm, HInterkaifeck, in Bavaria, Germany. It was nearly a week before the massacre was discovered—due in part to the remoteness of the Hinterkaifeck farm and to the patriarch's unpopularity in the community. He was known as a bully and a wife-beater and had spent a year in prison after being convicted of incest with his widowed daughter, Viktoria, who was also one of the victims. The delay, which gave the perpetrator a significant head start in escaping, may have been a significant factor in why, despite a lengthy investigation and the identification of at least 100 suspects, the case was never solved. In addition, circumstances, including strange footsteps in the snow and strange noises coming from the attic, suggest the perpetrator may have been living—unknown and undetected—in the Gruber house for at least six months. That would have given the killer either ample time to plot the crime meticulously or sufficient familiarity with the property to escape undetected, even if the crime was committed impulsively. Still another theory is the killer was Viktoria's husband, who, according to the theory, wasn't dead at all but living elsewhere under an assumed name, conveniently, since no one ever suspects a dead man of murder. These 13 unsolved "mysteries" are easily explained by science.
20 of the Most Famous Cold Cases of All Time, Source:https://www.rd.com/culture/most-famous-cold-cases-of-all-time/
