From the pyramids to the ancient technologies and the Bermuda triangle, the world is full of mysterious things that keep everyone questioning. But we're not going to talk about them all, we'll just talk about disappearances.
Here are some disappearance cases that never found a solution.
Martin family disappearance
The Martin family of Portland, Oregon, U.S. disappeared on December 7, 1958 in the Columbia River Gorge during a day trip to gather greenery for Christmas decorations. Among the missing were Kenneth Martin, 54; his wife, Barbara Martin, 48; and their three daughters: Barbara "Barbie", 14; Virginia, 13; and Susan, 11. The family's eldest son, Donald, was in the United States Navy and stationed in New York during the time they vanished. Several months after their disappearance, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were discovered downstream on the shores of the Columbia River, roughly 30 miles (48 km) apart from each other.
Police initially speculated the family's car may have crashed into the river, though the circumstances surrounding the event could not be fully explained. Further complicating the case was the discovery of a stolen handgun and the arrest of two ex-convicts in the area the day after the family's disappearance; investigators were unable to determine if the incidents were in any way connected.
The whereabouts of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain unknown, and their vehicle has never been recovered. The family's disappearance has been described as one of the "most baffling" mysteries in Oregon history, and sparked the greatest manhunt the state had undertaken at the time.
Police initially speculated the family's car may have crashed into the river, though the circumstances surrounding the event could not be fully explained. Further complicating the case was the discovery of a stolen handgun and the arrest of two ex-convicts in the area the day after the family's disappearance; investigators were unable to determine if the incidents were in any way connected.
The whereabouts of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain unknown, and their vehicle has never been recovered. The family's disappearance has been described as one of the "most baffling" mysteries in Oregon history, and sparked the greatest manhunt the state had undertaken at the time.
Disappearance of Jennifer Kesse
Kesse was seen for the last time leaving work at approximately 6 p.m. on January 23, 2006. She spoke by phone with her father while driving home at around 6:15, and then with her boyfriend at around 10:00 p.m. She was in the habit of texting or telephoning her boyfriend before leaving for work, so it was unusual when she did neither the next morning. His call to her went to voicemail. When Kesse failed to arrive at work, her employer contacted her parents, who began the two-hour drive from their home to hers. Her parents noticed that her car was missing but saw nothing out of the ordinary in her home. A wet towel and clothes laid out, among other things, suggested that she had showered, dressed, and prepared for work that morning. Friends and family distributed fliers about Kesse that evening, and the Orlando Police Department organized search parties on foot and on horseback, as well as by boat, helicopter, car, and ATV.
Disappearance of Maura Murray
Maura Murray (born May 4, 1982) disappeared on the evening of February 9, 2004, after a car crash on Route 112 near Woodsville, New Hampshire, a village in Haverhill. Her whereabouts remain unknown. She was a 21-year-old nursing student completing her junior year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the time of her disappearance.
On the afternoon of Monday, February 9, before she left the university campus, she emailed her professors and work supervisor, writing that she was taking a week off due to a death in the family; according to her family, there had not been a death. At 7:27 pm, a local woman reported a car accident on a sharp corner of Route 112 adjacent to her home. A passing motorist who also lived nearby stopped at the scene, and asked the woman driving the car if she needed assistance; she declined, claiming to have called roadside assistance. Upon arriving home several minutes later, the motorist reported the accident to emergency services. At 7:46 pm, law enforcement arrived at the scene, but the woman had disappeared.
Police traced the vehicle to Murray, and initially treated her as a missing person on the belief that she may have wanted to disappear voluntarily. This speculation was based on her travel preparations (about which she had confided nothing to friends or family) and no obvious evidence of foul play. In 2009, Murray's case was given to the New Hampshire cold case division, and authorities are handling it as a "suspicious" missing persons case.
In the years after Murray's disappearance, her case would receive media attention on 20/20 and Disappeared, and also garner significant speculation on Internet message boards and forums, with theories ranging from abduction to voluntary disappearance. In 2017, the case was the subject of a documentary series on the Oxygen network, which described Murray's disappearance as the "first crime mystery of the social media age”, having occurred days after the launch of Facebook.
On the afternoon of Monday, February 9, before she left the university campus, she emailed her professors and work supervisor, writing that she was taking a week off due to a death in the family; according to her family, there had not been a death. At 7:27 pm, a local woman reported a car accident on a sharp corner of Route 112 adjacent to her home. A passing motorist who also lived nearby stopped at the scene, and asked the woman driving the car if she needed assistance; she declined, claiming to have called roadside assistance. Upon arriving home several minutes later, the motorist reported the accident to emergency services. At 7:46 pm, law enforcement arrived at the scene, but the woman had disappeared.
Police traced the vehicle to Murray, and initially treated her as a missing person on the belief that she may have wanted to disappear voluntarily. This speculation was based on her travel preparations (about which she had confided nothing to friends or family) and no obvious evidence of foul play. In 2009, Murray's case was given to the New Hampshire cold case division, and authorities are handling it as a "suspicious" missing persons case.
In the years after Murray's disappearance, her case would receive media attention on 20/20 and Disappeared, and also garner significant speculation on Internet message boards and forums, with theories ranging from abduction to voluntary disappearance. In 2017, the case was the subject of a documentary series on the Oxygen network, which described Murray's disappearance as the "first crime mystery of the social media age”, having occurred days after the launch of Facebook.
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