Since 1960, the number of unsolved murders in the United States has climbed to a heinous 200,000, leaving family members of victims broken and distraught. Today, 64.1% of homicides end in arrest, compared to the 90% of arrests only fifty years ago. One might assume that more arrests would take place due to today’s advancements in technology compared to fifty years ago, however, the number has sharply decreased.

According to National Public Radio (NPR), a wide range of factors contribute to the reason why one-third of homicides still remain unsolved. Standards to charge a suspect have steadily increased since the 60s, which makes it harder for authorities to pinpoint what crime to charge a person for. In minority communities especially, such as Detroit, police complain about the public’s distrust in their abilities to solve these cases, which in turn creates a rift between the two groups. A growing “no-stitch” attitude in these poorer communities results in cases that continue forever if suspects or pawns in the crime do not cooperate. Also, since the 1980,s the focus has shifted from solving crimes to preventing them. This attitude towards crime only increases the number of homicides occurring per year.

For every 100,000 people,  NPR states that 6.2% people die from homicide. Although authorities hold every homicide to the utmost importance, certain homicides become more publicized than others; however the reason for this remains a mystery.

Jack the Ripper:

Perhaps the most infamous murderer of London, Jack the Ripper killed and mutilated at least five women in 1888. To this day, Jack the Ripper’s identity remains a mystery, however, authorities at the time found interesting clues as to who killed these poor five women. Evidence as to how Jack the Ripper killed his victims led police to believe that a butcher or even a doctor killed these women because of the dexterity of his knife-skills. In the “Whitechapel Murders,” all the victims’ slashed throats, slit stomachs, and ripped out organs showed the mastery of Jack the Ripper’s skills with a knife, a skill that only butchers and doctors would possess.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the case stays unsolved due to the unavailable technology, like forensics and other advanced techniques, required to solve a homicide similar to this one. For years, London officials pondered the identity of this killer, but turned up dry with suspects. The mystery of Jack the Ripper’s identity died with him, and unfortunately his victims and their families will never receive the closure they deserve.

JonBenet Ramsey:

After more than 20 years, the murder of JonBenet Ramsey remains a mystery in and of itself. On the morning of December 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet’s mother, called the authorities to report the disappearance of her daughter and the discovery of a ransom note that demanded $118,000 for the return of JonBenet. Only hours after this phone call, the former pageant queen’s father found her lifeless body in the basement of their Colorado home. Her body showed signs of sexual assault, a head injury, and strangulation with a crude garrote.

After careful investigation, the evidence from the case provided zero insight into what truly happened to JonBenet Ramsey. The underwear she wore at the time of her death came back from labs with substance from an unidentified male, leading to no possible suspects. Eventually, suspicion arose in relation to the ransom note; the handwriting showed great similarity to that of Patsy Ramsey’s handwriting, and the note looked as if the writer tried to disguise their handwriting, especially at the beginning of the note. Moreover, the amount of money demanded on the ransom note mirrored the exact amount of money her father John Ramsey received in bonus that year from his job. Such a random number raised suspicion on John Ramsey as the killer of his own daughter; but this theory died out early on in the investigation.

Ten years after the mysterious murder of JonBenet Ramsey, John Mark Karr confessed to the murder, and police immediately took him into custody. Compared to the handwriting on the ransom note, Karr’s handwriting did not match, and the DNA found on the underwear did not match his own DNA either. Thus, the police released Karr, as they could not find substantial evidence that connected him to the murder.

A number of theories continue to circulate, accusing the mother, father, or brother of murdering this young pageant queen, but no truth ever came of them.  Unfortunately, more evidence arising seems unlikely, and JonBenet Ramsey will rest without her killer ever serving time in prison.

The Boy in the Box

Also known as “America’s Unknown Child,” the remains of the Boy in the Box appeared in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957. On February 25, 1957, Frederick Benosis, a college student, reported his discovery of a young boy wrapped in a flannel blanket inside a box that originally held a baby bassinet. After the discovery of the boy, a number of questions arose regarding the identity of the boy and where he came from. At the start of the case, no one stepped forward claiming the boy as their own, leaving the police no choice but to pose the corpse, take pictures of it, and post flyers in hopes of finding a family member to claim the child.

The boy’s coldcut description makes the case that much more chilling. Bruises covered his face and body, his wrinkly fingers and toes indicate that his body laid in water before his death, his esophagus contained a dark, brown residue, suggesting that vomiting potentially occured before death, his light brown locks lay scattered across his body, and his frail stature indicated extreme malnutrition. Experts believe that due to the cold weather, three weeks could have passed before police found him. Evidence shows that the child passed from multiple blows to the head, although the weapon used remains unknown.

A number of theories surround the homicide of the Boy in the Box. One theory suggests that the owners of a nearby foster home, a man and his stepdaughter, slayed the boy. Remington Bristown, a medical examiner, theorized that the boy belonged to the step-daughter, he died by accident, and to save her from embarrassment for having a child while single, the stepfather disposed of the body. Despite the circumstantial evidence, police never successfully created a case from the foster home theory.  

Throughout the years, other theories have presented themselves, only to fall short of evidence or plausibility. Originally, the Boy in the Box rested safely in a potter’s field, however, years later, investigators exhumed his body for further DNA testing— only to reveal no new information about the case. After decades of trying to solve what happened to this poor child, his soul lays peacefully in the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Cedarbrook, Pennsylvania.

In relation to these three cases, a number of films and documentaries tell the stories in-depth and give a more realistic view, rather than just hearing about it on the news. The Boy in the Box came to light in the television series America’s Most Wanted, and an investigative piece by Philadelphia reporter Mitch Blacher aired on NBC in 2016.

The murder of JonBenet Ramsey proves as one of the most notorious cases in all of U.S history, and documentaries like The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey by CBS suggest that based on the given evidence, her older brother committed the crime.  In addition, Netflix released a documentary film, Casting JonBenet, in April of 2017. The film follows the everyday life of Ramsey leading up to the day of her murder.

In 2012, the Britsh Broadcasting Channel (BBC) released a documentary called Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect. The film builds a case against an unlikely suspect using modern forensics that builds a case against an unlikely suspect; viewers can find the flick readily available on Netflix. In addition to the abundance of documentaries about Jack the Ripper, his character inspired the 1988 show Jack the Ripper. Set in 1888, the show follows investigator Frederick Abberline as he attempts to solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper.

Over the past century, the number of unsolved murders has increased to unthinkable levels. Police continue to work diligently to solve these cases, but often come up short in terms of conviction and sentencing. With the use of modern technology, it seems like police can obtain all of the answers to a homicide almost instantaneously. With almost 200,000 cases unsolved, this assumption has proven false. The ever-rising number of ongoing cases displays just how well murderers can cover up their tracks. One can only hope that over the next century, the number of insoluble cases will decrease, and police will finally put these unsolved murders to rest.