By Person or Persons… UNKNOWN
Chilling stories of unsolved murders lost in time but never Forgotten
What if the criminal or criminals are never punished? Or even conclusively identified?
When this happens, there is a vacuum that continually demands to be filled, even decades after the crime was committed. This is why unsolved crimes – in this instance, murders – are rarely forgotten entirely. Finding new solutions is something that fascinates us. What did really happened? Who did it? We need answers.
This book examines three cases of unsolved murders that continue to fascinate and horrify us:
•The Murder of Margaret Blake: On April 23, 1816, Margaret Blake was found in her decrepit cellar apartment, dead from a stab wound. Three people – her husband and two boarders – were present when it happened, but none of them were declared guilty.
Modern forensic investigative techniques have been applied to this 200-year-old murder and have resulted in what may be the final solution.
•The Mad Axeman of New Orleans: From 1918-1919, a series of mysterious and gruesome axe murders terrified the Crescent City. The majority of the victims were Italians, but citizens of all backgrounds worried that their skulls would be caved in while they slept.
The killer or killers were never caught, but recent research suggests a seminal form of organized crime directed the assaults.
•The Grimes Murders of 1956: A few days before New Year’s Eve, 1957, 15-year-old Barbara Grimes and her 13-year-old sister Patricia left their Chicago home to see their idol, Elvis Presley’s newest film. Weeks later, their naked bodies were found southwest of the city. Doctors could not pinpoint a primary cause of death and the murders remain unsolved.
These crimes are only a mere sample of the world’s best-known unsolved murders. Despite advancements in forensic science and investigative techniques, more cases are added to this list every year. Detectives today have better training and more resources than their predecessors who investigated the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, yet some killer or killers still remain free.
When a murder defies immediate solution, the only thing that can be done is keep the case – and the cause – alive until more evidence comes to light. This is what this book is all about, trying to shed a new light on solving these horrific murders.
