The unexplained and mysterious disappearances of people continue to fascinate and baffle many. From a group of American planes missing in Greenland to the inexplicable death of nine hikers in Russia’s Ural Mountains, these stories leave more questions than answers. The cases of the missing Sodder children, three women from Springfield, and three siblings from an Australian beach also make for chilling reading. The Bermuda Triangle features when discussing the disappearance of a Norwegian cargo ship, while the Roanoke Colony’s disappearance of 118 colonists has long been a topic of mutual fascination and befuddlement. These cases leave people asking what happened to them – and why.
10 Mysterious Disappearances That Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Have you ever heard of vanishings that remain a mystery even to this day? Here are ten cases of people gone without a trace.
1. The Lost Squadron
In 1942, a group of five American planes went missing during a search-and-rescue operation in Greenland. Despite numerous attempts to find the wreckage, the planes were never discovered.
2. The Sodder Children
On Christmas Eve in 1945, a fire broke out in the Sodder family’s home in West Virginia. Five of the children were never found, and suspicions arose when a stranger told the family he saw them alive and well after the fire.
3. The Roanoke Colony
In 1587, 118 colonists settled in present-day North Carolina. When a resupply ship arrived three years later, they found no one left behind, except for the word “Croatoan” carved into a post.
4. Amelia Earhart
The celebrated aviator disappeared in 1937 during an attempt to fly around the world. Despite a lengthy search, no trace of her or her plane was ever found.
5. The Springfield Three
In 1992, three women vanished from their home in Springfield, Missouri, without a trace. The police found no signs of a struggle or forced entry.
6. The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Nine hikers were found dead in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1959, with inexplicable injuries, such as missing eyes and tongues, and their tent torn from the inside.
7. The Leif Erikson
The Norwegian cargo ship disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle in 1980, along with its crew of nine. No distress signal was ever issued.
8. The Beaumont Children
In 1966, three siblings went missing from an Australian beach, and no one has ever been charged with a crime in connection to their disappearance.
9. The Yuba County Five
In 1978, five young men went to a basketball game but ended up dead or missing under mysterious circumstances in the Plumas National Forest in California.
10. Benjamin Bathurst
In 1809, a British diplomat, Benjamin Bathurst, was last seen leaving a hotel in German-occupied Denmark, and his disappearance remains a mystery to this day.
Even with modern technology and increased knowledge, some vanishings defy explanation. These ten cases of mysterious disappearances might leave you with more questions than answers.