STILL VANISHED
As a media scholar, I’m interested in the mystery at its core: What do we really know – and what has been imagined? With methodical objectivity, respect for those affected, and openness to new evidence, STILL VANISHED documents selected cold cases, missing persons cases, and unidentified persons from Germany and around the world. Some are famous, others nearly forgotten – all demand care over spectacle.
World Map of Mysteries
Discover the geographic distribution of unsolved cases
- Missing
- Unidentified
- Cold Case
The Somerton Man
A man was found dead on a beach – without identity, without clues. In his pocket: a mysterious note reading ‘Tamám Shud’.
Maura Murray
A college student had a car accident in rural New Hampshire – and vanished without a trace into the winter landscape. Despite intensive searches, no trace.
D.B. Cooper
A man hijacked an airplane, extorted $200,000, and parachuted out – disappearing forever.
The Zodiac Killer
A serial killer terrorized California and sent encrypted letters to the media. His identity remains a mystery.
The Isdal Woman
A woman was found dead in a remote valley – burned, without identity, with forged passports.
Amy Lynn Bradley
A young woman disappeared from a cruise ship in the Caribbean – since then there have been mysterious sightings.
The Boy in the Box
A small boy was found dead in a cardboard box – no one knew who he was until today.
Brian Shaffer
A medical student went into a bar – and never came out. Surveillance cameras show him entering but not leaving.
The Hinterkaifeck Murders
An entire family was brutally murdered on their remote farm – the perpetrator stayed in the house for days.
Lars Mittank
A young German suddenly ran panicked from an airport in Bulgaria – and was never seen again.
The Viking Sally Death
A mysterious death occurred on the ferry Viking Sally. A man was found dead in a cabin – circumstances point to crime.
Magdalena Zuk
A young Polish woman showed extreme psychotic behavior in Egypt and died after falling from a hospital window. The circumstances remain puzzling.
Brandon Swanson
A student called his parents after a car accident but disappeared during the phone call without a trace in the night.
Peter Bergmann
A man appeared under a false name in an Irish coastal town, behaved mysteriously, and was found dead on the beach. His true identity remained a mystery for a long time.
Jennifer Fergate (Jennifer Fairgate)
A woman checked into a luxury hotel in Oslo under a false name and was found shot. Suicide or murder?
Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon
Two young Dutch women disappeared during a hike in the jungle of Panama. Later, only few remains and disturbing photos were found.
Yuba County Five
Five young men with mild intellectual disabilities disappeared on their way back from a basketball game. Four were found dead months later in a remote cabin.
Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders
Three young Girl Scouts were brutally murdered during a summer camp in Oklahoma. The main suspect was acquitted.
Lake Bodom Murders
Four teenagers were camping at Lake Bodom in Finland. Three were brutally murdered, one survived severely injured – and was later charged himself.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Nine experienced ski hikers died under mysterious circumstances in the Urals. They apparently fled in panic from their tent into the icy night.
Rebecca Reusch
A 15-year-old student disappeared without a trace from her brother-in-law’s house in Berlin. The brother-in-law came under suspicion.
Peggy Knobloch
A 9-year-old girl disappeared on her way home from school. Her body was found only 15 years later. The murder is unsolved.
Madeleine McCann
A 3-year-old British girl disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal while her parents were eating nearby. One of the most famous missing persons cases worldwide.
Frauke Liebs
A young woman was abducted and called her family under duress for days before being murdered. The perpetrator is unknown.
The Missing Sodder Children
After a fire in the Sodder family home on Christmas Eve, five of the ten children were missing. Their bodies were never found.
Phoebe Handsjuk
A young woman died after falling through a garbage chute in a high-rise. Officially an accident, but many inconsistencies.
Jack the Ripper
The most notorious serial killer in history terrorized London’s East End in 1888. His identity was never revealed.
Kaspar Hauser
A teenager appeared in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to speak or walk. His origin and his later death by assassination remain puzzling to this day.
Elisa Lam
A young student disappeared in the notorious Cecil Hotel in LA. Her body was found weeks later in the water tank on the roof after guests complained about the water.
Uwe Barschel
The German politician was found dead in the bathtub of his Geneva hotel room, shortly after the ‘Barschel Affair’. Officially suicide, but murder theories persist.
John F. Kennedy
The assassination of US President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Although Lee Harvey Oswald is considered the perpetrator, countless conspiracy theories surround the case.
Sonja Engelbrecht
A 19-year-old disappeared after meeting with friends in Munich. Her bones were found over 25 years later in a rock crevice.
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Recommended Books on True Crime
Dive deeper into the world of unsolved mysteries
Still Lost in Panama
The Addiction to Crime: True Crime Germany
