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Top unsolved murders and deaths: All

Rank Topic Wikipedia views
Oct 21 2010
1 Jack the Ripper murders, 1888 London, England. 19794
2 Pablo Escobar, 1993, head of the Medellín Cartel, war against Escobar ended in 1993, as he tried to elude the Search Bloc one more time. Using radio triangulation technology provided as part of the U.S. efforts, a Colombian electronic surveillance team found him hiding in a middle-class barrio in Medellín. A shootout between Escobar and the Search Bloc personnel ensued. Some believe U.S. special ops snipers may have taken part in the final shootout with Escobar. Accordingly, how Escobar was killed during the confrontation has been debated, but it is known that he was cornered on the rooftops of Medellín and suffered gunshots to the leg, back, and the fatal one behind his ear. 10524
3 Zodiac Killer, Northern California, 1968–1972 6639
4 The Smiley face murder theory (variations include Smiley face murders, Smiley face killings, Smiley face gang, and others) is a theory advanced by two retired New York City detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, that a number of young men found dead in bodies of water across several states over the last decade did not accidentally drown, as concluded by law enforcement agencies, but were victims of a serial killer or killers. 5624
5 Jimmy Hoffa, 1975, International Brotherhood of Teamsters leader who disappeared from the parking lot of a Michigan restaurant. Body never recovered; declared legally dead by the state of Michigan in 1982. 3793
6 Claremont serial murders, Claremont, Western Australia, 1996–1997 2505
7 Pope John Paul I, 1978, has been contended by authors David Yallop and Malachi Martin, among others, to have been assassinated. 2459
8 Moctezuma II, 1520, Aztec emperor. According to Spanish accounts he was killed by his own people; according to Aztec accounts he was murdered by the Spanish. 2265
9 Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 1988, military ruler of Pakistan, died in a plane crash in 1988. 1272
10 King William II of England, 1100, killed by an arrow while hunting. 1215
11 The Taman Shud Case, 1948, Adelaide, Australia, a man was found dead on the beach. His dental records did not match any known person. He carried no identification. The labels on his business suit and clothing were all missing. In one trouser pocket there was a piece of paper with the words 'Taman Shud' on it. This is a phrase on the last page of collection of poems called The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and it means 'the end.' 1100
12 Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish humanitarian who worked in Budapest, Hungary, was most likely executed in Russia on or around 1947 after being captured by the Red Army in 1945. Death is dated by Soviet authorities as 16 July 1947, but this is disputed; remains an unsolved case. 1004
13 Death of Rudolf Diesel, 1913, the place is unknown and many theories are given about Diesel's death. He disappeared in the English Channel and was found dead in the Schelde river in Rupelmonde, Belgium. 986
14 King Charles XII of Sweden, 1718, killed in action. 940
15 Cleveland Torso Murderer (aka The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run), Cleveland, Ohio, 1935-1938. 909
16 Alphabet murders, Rochester, New York, 1971-1973. 690
17 Harold Holt, 1967, Australian Prime Minister, vanished while swimming in heavy surf, presumably drowned. 677
18 Jack Nance, 1996, cult actor, died of mysterious circumstances in his South Pasadena home. 635
19 Servant Girl Annihilator (aka Austin Axe Murderer), Austin, Texas, 1884-1885. 564
20 John Bodkin Adams murder case, physician suspected of being a serial killer, England. One alleged victim, Gertrude Hullett, was found to have committed suicide at the inquest in 1956, but Dr. Adams was indicted for her murder the following year. The case was then dropped by the prosecution via a nolle prosequi, an action described by the judge as an "abuse of process." 498
21 Original Night Stalker, Southern California, 1979-1986. 462
22 Bible John, Glasgow, Scotland, 1968-1969. 454
23 Jack the Stripper, London, 1963-1964. 439
24 Dorothy Kilgallen, 1965, New York City, death certificate reads "acute ethanol and barbiturate intoxication / circumstances undetermined." People who have said publicly that she could have been murdered (perhaps by needle injection after drinking an unknown amount of alcohol) include Larry King, Dominick Dunne, Bob Bach (who booked the mystery guests on Kilgallen's TV show What's My Line?), and writer Mary Brannum Bringle (a colleague of Patricia Bosworth) 400
25 John Garang, 2005, Sudanese politician and former rebel leader (suspicious helicopter crash), Southern Sudan. One theory was poor visibility. Second one was arranged by Sudanese Government. 387
26 Samora Machel, 1986, President of Mozambique, killed in air crash on the border of South Africa, hillside in the Lebombo Mountains. He was leading anti-Apartheid spokesman. 375
27 King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand, 1946. Died of gunshot wounds; suicide, accident or assassination. 349
28 Phantom Killer, Texarkana (Texas and Arkansas), 1946. 322
29 Axeman of New Orleans murders, 1918-1919. 316
30 Omar Torrijos, 1981, brigadier general and president of Panama, died in a plane crash. 314
31 Roberto Calvi, 1982, CEO of Banco Ambrosiano, found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London. 277
32 King Taksin of Thailand, 1782, Executed in front of Wichai Prasit fortress or he was sent to a palace located in the remote mountains of Nakhon Si Thammarat where he lived until 1825, and that a substitute was beaten to death in his place 258
33 The Doodler, San Francisco, California, 1974–1975 255
34 Death of Ivar Kreuger, 1932, in a Paris hotel room. Probable suicide. 213
35 Stoneman, Kolkata, India, 1989. 202
36 Hale Boggs and Nick Begich, 1972, Democratic U.S. House members whose plane disappeared in the Alaska wilderness. Remnants of plane and bodies never recovered. 202
37 Connecticut River Valley Killer, 1978-1987. 196
38 Freeway Phantom, Washington, D.C., 1971–1972 191
39 Lead Masks Case in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1966. 170
40 Zviad Gamsakhurdia, 1993, former president of Georgia - In 1993, died in circumstances that were (and still are) very unclear. It is known that he died in the village of Khibula in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia. 165
41 Ghazi of Iraq, 1939, King of Iraq, He died in a mysterious accident involving a sports car he was driving. Some believe he was killed on the orders of Nuri as-Said. 154
42 Dagobert II, 679, one of the last kings of the Merovingian line, murdered by persons unknown in the Ardennes Forest on December 23, 679. 152
43 Oakland County Child Killer, Oakland County, Michigan, 1976-1977. 138
44 New Bedford Highway Killer, New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1988-1989. 137
45 Regiomontanus (aka Johannes Müller), 1476, German mathematician and astronomer died mysteriously in Rome. Some say of plague, others (most likely) by assassination. 133
46 Cyprien Ntaryamira, 1994, President of Burundi, killed in mysterious plane crash in Kigali airport. The resulting political instability led to the genocide in Rwanda and the outbreak of full-scale war in Burundi. 132
47 Eduardo Frei Montalva, 1982, president of Chile from 1964 to 1970. As of 2005, his death is being investigated because of allegations that he was poisoned. [link] 132
48 Jan Masaryk, 1948, son of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk; Czech diplomat, politician and Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, was found dead in the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry below his bathroom window. The initial investigation concluded that he committed suicide by jumping out of the window, although many are convinced that he was pushed. 131
49 Honolulu Strangler, Hawaii, 1985-1986. 129
50 Hwaseong serial murders, South Korea, 1986-1991. 107
51 Death of George Washington Vanderbilt III, (1961), in San Francisco, California. 84
52 Lisbon Ripper, Lisbon, Portugal, 1992-1993. 80
53 Ottavio Bottecchia, 1927, Italian Cyclist, was found by the side of a road, covered with bruises and with a serious skull fracture. His bicycle was undamaged, propped against a nearby tree. He was brought to a hospital but died soon afterwards. An official inquiry concluded accidental death but many suspected that he had run afoul of the powerful and growing fascist movement in Italy at the time. 75
54 Nicola Calipari, 2005, Italian intelligence agent (circumstances of the death are well-established; the motives are unclear), Calipari was killed by American soldiers while escorting a recently rescued Italian hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad International Airport. 64
55 Uwe Barschel, 1987, minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. 54
56 Enrique Salinas, 2004, brother of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas. Found with a plastic bag over his head in a parked car. The vehicle was abandoned in the upmarket municipality of Huixquilucan, Estado de México outskirts of Mexico City. 27
57 B. H. DeLay, 1923, Aviator Actor who died while performing on 4 July in Venice Beach (Los Angeles) California area, died when the wings of his plane were sabotaged causing him to die instantly in the subsequent crash. 24
58 Giorgi Sanaia, 2001, Georgian journalist known for opposition to government, shot in apartment in Tbilisi. 22
59 Juvénal Habyarimana, 1994, President of Rwanda killed in mysterious plane crash in Kigali airport. The resulting political instability led to the genocide in Rwanda and the outbreak of full-scale war in Burundi. 8
60 Death of Dag Hammarskjöld, 1961, in Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, aeroplane crash. 5
61 Émile Zola, 1902, French author, died in Paris in 1902 of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a stopped chimney. His enemies were blamed, but nothing was proved. 5
62 Barthélemy Boganda, 1959, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, in a plane crash. 5
63 Aman Mikael Andom, 1974, Ethiopian military figure, sources say that he committed suicide, while others say that he was killed by political rivals among the coup leadership, possibly including Mengistu Haile Mariam. < 5
64 Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey 1678 found impaled on his own sword and strangled at Primrose Hill London. Three men were hanged but later the witness statement was found to be perjured. < 5
65 Edward Mutesa, 1969, died, possibly from alcohol poisoning, in his London flat. < 5
66 S. L. MacGregor-Mathers, 1918, well-known magician and occultist, died of an unknown cause; it is known that he had many enemies. The manner of death is unknown; his death certificate lists no cause of death. Violet Firth (Dion Fortune) claimed his death was the result of the Spanish influenza of 1918. As few facts are known about Mathers' private life, verification of such claims are very difficult. < 5
67 North Side Strangler, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1986-2007. In September 2009, Walter E. Ellis was arrested and subsequently charged with the crimes. < 5
68 Haile Selassie, 1975, Emperor of Ethiopia until his deposition in 1974. His death was officially said to be from natural causes, but a persistent allegation is that he was smothered with a pillow. < 5
69 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders, Chicago area, 1982. < 5
70 Emperor Kōmei of Japan, 1840, Emperor of Japan. He died of smallpox at the age of 35. There is a theory that he was actually poisoned by the anti-Bakufu clique. < 5
71 Agnès Sorel, 1450, mistress of King Charles VII of France. While the cause of death was originally thought to be dysentery, scientists have now concluded that Agnès died from being poisoned by mercury. The culprit remains unknown. < 5







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