MORE UNSOLVED CRIMES

JACK THE STRIPPER

A copycat of “Jack the Ripper,” this serial killer was nicknamed

“Jack the Stripper” for the killings of eight prostitutes between

1964 and 1965 whose bodies were dumped in the River Thames.

Though a young man who committed suicide was implicated in the

murder, there was no solid evidence to link him to the crimes and

just like the crimes of Jack the Ripper, the Stripper’s reign of

panic seem to cease on its own.

THE LEAD MASKS CASE

On August 17, 1966 two repairmen, Miguel Jose Viana and

Manoel Pereira da Cruz, left Campos dos Gostacazes, Brazil to buy

some supplies for a car. Three days later they were found dead

by a teenager in Vintem Hill. The odd thing about the case was the

fact that both men were wearing identical impermeable suits and

lead eye masks with no holes like the one worn to protect from radiation.

Found on the scene were empty water bottles, two towels, and notebook

containing the words: “16:30 be at agreed place, 18:30 swallow

capsules after effect protect metals wait for mask signal.”

The money for the car was not found and these items did

not present any clues but led to more questions that up to

now are unanswered.

THE ZODIAC KILLINGS

These bizarre and notorious killings are one of the greatest unsolved

mysteries of all time, second only to the top contender Jack the Ripper.

The ‘Zodiac Killer,’ as the assailant came to be known, was involved

in the killings around the San Francisco area from December 1968 to

October 1969, though he may have slain others before and after this

as well. He had killed seven people, four men and three women and

taunted the police with coded, clue-laden messages that he sent out

to San Francisco newspapers for over a decade. Although over 2,500

suspects were investigated by the police, it was never officially solved

and still remains open until today.

JIMMY HOFFA

The gangster and labour union president was last seen in the parking lot

of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Michigan

on July 30, 1975 waiting to meet someone at 2am. Finally declared dead

seven years later in 1982, his body was never recovered and to this

day, speculations abound as to what happened.

THE GLICO-MORINAGA CASE

The Glico-Morinaga case, also known by its official designation

Metropolitan Designated Case 114, was a famous extortion case in

1980s Japan, primarily directed at the Japanese industrial

confectioneries Ezaki Glico and Morinaga and currently remains

unsolved. The entire case spanned 17 months from the initial

kidnapping of the president of Glico to the last known communication

from the prime suspect, a person or group known only as the

“The Monster with 21 Faces”. The case captured the Japanese

public’s imagination and many commentators refer to this incident as

a turning point in Japanese society in which the image of a

crime-free and safe Japan was dispelled.

OSCAR ROMERO

Oscar Romero, a bishop in El Salvador, was shot on 24 March 1980 while

celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital called

“La Divina Providencia,” one day after a sermon in which he had

called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God’s higher

order and to stop carrying out the government’s repression and

violations of basic human rights. The killers were said to be

government affiliated, but no one ever claimed responsibility.

OLOF PALME

Swedish politician and a prime minister from 1982 to 1986,

Olof Palme was known for his referendum to remove all nuclear

reactors from Sweden. When elected as prime minister, he tried to

restore socialist economic policies and had been very

outspoken on his stance in European security. He was

assassinated on February 28, 1986 while walking home with his

wife after a visit to the cinema. Though a number of conspiracy

theories had been proposed on the motive of the murder,

the killer was not found.