Original Case Files Page 9

Põlvamaa, Estonia

13 victims · unsolved

Miami Strangler

The Miami Strangler is an unidentified serial killer responsible for the murders of at least nine women in Miami, Florida, between 1964 and 1970. The victims were often found posed in a manner suggesting sexual motivation, despite not being directly sexually assaulted, and the case remains unsolved as the perpetrator has never been apprehended. Investigators had one suspect, a felon, but he was never charged in connection with the crimes.

Serial Killer

6 sources cited

Miami, Florida

9 victims · unsolved

Mata Hari

Mata Hari, born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle on August 7, 1876, in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who became infamous during World War I for being convicted of espionage for Germany. The incident occurred in 1917, culminating in her arrest in France, where she was accused of leaking military secrets to the Germans. Despite claims of her innocence and allegations that her conviction was politically motivated, she was executed by firing squad on October 15, 1917, in Vincennes, France. Significant evidence against her included intercepted communications and testimony from various military officials, although many historians argue the evidence was fabricated or exaggerated to serve as a scapegoat for military failures. The case remains a topic of debate regarding the validity of her conviction and the broader implications of wartime justice.

France

2 sources cited

Vincennes, France

1 victims · Solved

John Wayne Hearn

In May 2022, the ownership of Soldier of Fortune magazine transitioned from founder Robert K. Brown to Susan Katz Keating, a noted author and security journalist. The magazine, originally established in 1975, has a history of reporting on global conflicts and has been associated with controversial recruitment practices, particularly during the Rhodesian Bush War. While it gained significant popularity in the 1970s, selling up to 120,000 copies monthly, it has faced criticism for promoting narratives that some scholars argue reflect racial and gender biases. Currently, Soldier of Fortune operates as a daily web magazine based in Tampa, Florida, continuing its focus on military and security topics under Keating's editorial leadership.

Florida

2 sources cited

Florida, United States

3 victims · unsolved

Media Vision

On April 15, 1995, Media Vision Technology, Inc., an American electronics manufacturer based in Fremont, California, was implicated in a financial fraud scandal that led to its abrupt closure. The company, known for its Pro AudioSpectrum sound cards and multimedia kits, was founded in 1990 by Paul Jain and Tim Bratton, and had rapidly grown to become a publicly traded entity by late 1992. Key figures involved included CEO Paul Jain, COO Russell Faust, and CFO Steve Allan. Following the financial irregularities, Media Vision was officially dissolved, and its assets were restructured under the name Aureal Semiconductor in May 1996. Investigative findings revealed significant mismanagement and fraudulent accounting practices, which contributed to the company's downfall.

California

Fremont, California

0 victims · dismissed

Theranos

Theranos, founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003 and headquartered in Palo Alto, claimed to have developed revolutionary low-volume blood tests but instead ran inaccurate and unreliable testing systems. From 2015 onward regulatory inspections, journalistic investigation and whistleblower disclosures revealed the company used conventional machines, ran misleading demonstrations, voided years of test results, and failed FDA/CLIA requirements. Holmes and former president Sunny Balwani were federally charged for defrauding investors, doctors and patients; both were later convicted and sentenced, and the company dissolved in September 2018. Key evidence included regulatory inspection reports, internal testing histories, whistleblower testimony and The Wall Street Journal investigation by John Carreyrou.

Palo Alto

4 sources cited

Palo Alto, California, United States

5 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Narrative Synthesis

Murder Of Shauna Howe

On October 27, 1992, 11-year-old Shauna Howe was abducted while walking home from a Girl Scouts Halloween event in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and later murdered by blunt force trauma after being thrown from a bridge. A local witness observed the abduction and provided descriptions of the abductor and getaway vehicle. A DNA match in 2002 tied James O'Brien to biological evidence on Howe's body, prompting expanded investigations that led to the arrest and prosecution of Eldred "Ted" Walker and brothers James and Timothy O'Brien. Walker pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 40 years; the O'Brien brothers were convicted and received life sentences without parole, and the case is considered solved.

Oil City PA

5 sources cited

Oil City, Pennsylvania

1 victims · Solved

Joseph James DeAngelo

Between 1974 and 1986, an assailant who came to be known as the Golden State Killer (also EAR/ONS/Visalia Ransacker) carried out hundreds of burglaries and rapes and murdered 13 people across multiple California counties. After decades of investigation and the 2001 DNA linkage of the East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker crimes, investigators used forensic genetic genealogy and obtained surreptitious DNA samples in late 2017/early 2018 to identify Joseph James DeAngelo as the suspect. DeAngelo was arrested on April 24, 2018, later pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and kidnapping on June 29, 2020, and was sentenced on August 21, 2020, to consecutive life terms without parole. Key evidence included crime-scene DNA, STR matches to samples from multiple murders, and genealogical tree-building that led to DeAngelo.

California

2 sources cited

California, United States

13 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Narrative Synthesis

September 11 Attacks

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four U.S. airliners and carried out coordinated suicide attacks, striking the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, with a fourth plane crashing in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. The attacks killed 2,996 people (including the 19 hijackers), destroyed the Twin Towers and damaged the Pentagon, and produced enormous civilian and first-responder casualties and long-term health effects from toxic debris. U.S. intelligence quickly attributed the plot to al-Qaeda leadership under Osama bin Laden, prompting the U.S. to launch the global war on terror and later invade Afghanistan; key documentary and forensic evidence (hijackers' documents, flight data, intercepted communications) tied the operatives and planners to al-Qaeda. Many principal plotters were identified, some detained, but full criminal resolution of high-level planners remains unresolved.

New York City

New York City, New York

2996 victims · unsolved

Nicholas Alahverdian

The subject, using multiple aliases including Nicholas Rossi and Arthur Knight, is an American sex offender who fled the United States and faked his own death in February 2020 while under federal inquiry. He was tracked to Scotland, arrested in a Glasgow hospital in December 2021, identified by fingerprints and tattoos, and extradited to Utah in January 2024. He stood trial on two separate 2008 rape charges and was convicted in August and September 2025, receiving consecutive indeterminate sentences of five years to life. He died in custody on June 25, 2026, from complications of preexisting medical conditions after discontinuing treatment.

Utah

Utah, U.S.

2 victims · Solved

Thor Nis Christiansen

Between late 1976 and spring 1979, Thor Christiansen picked up female hitchhikers in southern California, shot them with a .22 caliber pistol and sexually assaulted their bodies post-mortem; four women were killed and one survived an April 18, 1979 attack. He was linked to three Isla Vista murders (the so-called "look-alike" killings) and the Los Angeles area murder of Laura Benjamin. Christiansen was arrested in July 1979 after a surviving victim identified him at a Hollywood bar, later convicted in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara courts, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. He died in Folsom State Prison on 1981-03-30 after being stabbed in the exercise yard; his killer was never identified.

Isla Vista

Updated June 27, 2026

Isla Vista, California

4 victims · Solved