While some true crime shows can give closure to viewers in the form of justice for the victim, there are others that continue to haunt all those involved. Cases like the killing of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsay have garnered multiple theories, deep-dives, and docudramas, but to this day remain open cold cases with no resolution in sight.
It's hope and intrigue that draw people to these stories time and time again. As was the case with recent developments in Madeleine McCann's disappearance, every day there is a possibility of waking up to breaking news of new leads or an arrest. Any developments draw us closer to solutions, and with the help of these documentaries and crime series episodes, the answers may be just around the corner.
This article contains references to crimes against children, self harm, violence against women and other disturbing themes
Hunting Mr. Cruel: Where is Australia's Worst Serial Killer?
From 1987 to 1990 a sadistic child rapist stalked the streets of Melbourne and terrorized young families, destroying any sense of safety in the city. Wearing a disturbing, tapered balaclava, the man entered the homes of girls aged 10 to 13, tied up their families, and abducted them. Two of the girls were released after a harrowing ordeal at his presumed home. A fourth victim's body was found in 1991, but police are unable to conclusively link her to Mr. Cruel.
At a time when forensic evidence was in its infancy, Mr. Cruel meticulously bathed his victims and left no trace of his presence at any of the crime scenes. He carried a knife and gun to threaten the families, and most concerning, documented his crimes with either a camera or camcorder. It was clear to police that the soft-spoken man had been surveilling the homes prior to his attacks. Despite numerous dedicated task forces, Mr. Cruel has never been identified. Watch the documentary here.
The Vanishing of Richey Manic
Manic Street Preachers lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards was a Cool Cymru pioneer - a leading voice of politicized rock rebellion born from Wales. The outspoken intellectual befriended the Preachers' original lineup as a driver and roadie until they adopted him as their main spokesperson and fourth member in 1989. What he lacked in musical ability, he made up for in powerful prose, contributing 80% of the lyrics for the band's most critically acclaimed album The Holy Bible.
Edwards was open about his struggle with severe depression, self-harm, and anorexia. In 1991, he carved "4real" into his arm with a razor blade during an interview with NME journalist Steve Lamacq. The injury required eighteen stitches. By 1994 he had twice entered hospital and rehab for treatment. On the 1st February 1995, the day he was due to fly to the US for the band's Holy Bible tour, Richey Edwards disappeared. His past behavior may have led investigators to assume he died by suicide, but those closest to Edwards (and Edwards himself) insisted he would never have gone that far. Watch the documentary here.
The Beaumont Children: What Really Happened?
On the 26th of January 1966, Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont (aged nine, seven, and four), took a short bus ride from their home to Glenelg Beach, a popular hotspot for tourists and locals with white sand and surf music. Having been dropped there by their father the day before and making their way home safely, their mother allowed them to make the short trip and expected them home on the 12pm bus.
When the children hadn't returned by 2pm, their parents scoured the area and soon thereafter reported them missing. Several witnesses claimed to have seen the children with a "tall, thin man in his mid-30s in swim trunks." Their mother described her children as shy, but an offhand comment made the day before by Arnna that Jane had "got a boyfriend down the beach" suggested that the man had worked to gain their trust. Despite many, many suspects and investigations, the case remains unsolved and is often referred to as the loss of Australia's innocence. Watch the documentary here
The True Story of the Tylenol Murders
In September 1982, seven people from the Chicago area died suddenly. Their names were Mary Kellerman (12), Adam Janus (27), Stanley Janus (25), Theresa Janus (19), Mary McFarland (31), Paula Prince (35) and Mary Reiner (27). Despite only the Janus family being known to each among the victims, it was quickly established that what linked them: they had all recently taken a capsule of extra-strength Tylenol.
Police discovered that along with the five bottles seized from the victims' homes, a few more contaminated bottles were found in stores. Police theorized someone had taken bottles from several shops in the Chicago area, laced some capsules with potassium cyanide, and replaced them to be purchased by unsuspecting customers. This case led to the introduction of tamper-resistant packaging and safety seals across the globe. The killer has never been found. Watch the documentary here.
MH370 - MH370: The Lost Flight
A Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 set to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing took off on 8th March 2014 and was never seen again. The aircraft disconnected from air traffic control 40 minutes into the flight but was tracked by military radar for another hour. ATC watched as the plane deviated from its route, flying over the Malay Peninsula and the Andaman Sea before disappearing completely 200 nautical miles north-west of Penang. While some small parts of debris have been located, the aircraft has never been found, and all 227 and 12 crew are presumed dead.
Devastatingly, four months later a second Malaysian Airlines plane (MH17) experienced tragedy when it was shot down by a Russian Buk 9M83 surface-to-air missile while flying over Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew. While at least there's an explanation for what happened to MH17 (despicable as it is), the families of MH370 passengers still don't know why they lost their loved ones, or how. Watch the docuseries here (coming soon to A&E History).
Night Shift Nightmare: The Unsolved Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
In 1991, four teenage girls, Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, were hanging out in a yogurt shop, two of them working, the other two waiting for their friends and a ride home. At midnight, a police patrolman reported that the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! store was ablaze. First responders soon discovered the bodies of four girls, all nude, and two had been sexually assaulted.
Although the FBI have a Y-chromosome match to DNA found on one of the victims, the fragment only narrows the search to thousands. Several men have been linked to the crime, with two suffering false convictions, but to this day the crime remains officially unsolved. Hopes are that advancements in DNA technology will soon narrow down the suspect pool and justice will be served. Watch the documentary here.
The West Memphis Three: An ID Murder Mystery
In 1993, three eight-year-old boys headed out on their bikes to a nearby wood named Robin Hood Hills. They never came home. The subsequent investigation and false conviction of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley has been the subject of many documentaries. The miscarriage of justice they experienced resulted in one of the world's most studied criminal trials. Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were freed in 2011, but at the base of it all, three little boys never got justice.
While other documentaries have placed all of their focus on the trial, The West Memphis Three: An ID Murder Mystery also highlights the crime itself and possible forensic leads, either ignored or dismissed by earlier investigations. Made in 2020, it's also the most recent WM3 documentary so has the most up-to-date information. Unfortunately, one fact remains - the crime remains unsolved. Available to stream on Tubi.
The Imposter
Another well-documented case with no solution is the 1994 disappearance of thirteen-year-old Nicholas Barclay. The teenager had been at the local basketball courts all day, and used a payphone to call his half-brother Jason for a ride when it started getting dark. Jason chastised him for calling while their mother was asleep (preparing for her late-night shift) and told him to walk. Nicholas Barclay hadn't been seen since.
We won't ruin the documentary for you, as it is a shocking watch. Whatever conclusion you may draw by the end, it's worth noting that Nicholas' teachers had reported seeing bruises on his body, leaving several unanswered questions about the days before his disappearance. Available to stream on Tubi.