As consumers, we’re kind of obsessed with everything related to true crime. A 2024 report found that 83% of Americans aged 13+ watch or listen to True Crime through any medium. Podcasts especially are especially popular: they’re the third most popular genre behind just comedy and society & culture.
We here at Bored Panda, too, love to play sleuths from time to time. Getting lost in an unsolved mystery case can be similar to solving a big puzzle. So, here we have for you some of the most bizarre True Crime cases in history. We warn you, though: some of them might give you some serious heebie-jeebies.
We reached out to Kat and Jethro Gilligan Toth, the hosts of the Box of Oddities podcast. It’s a delightfully bizarre show where the strange, the unexpected, and the downright ridiculous collide—because reality is weirder than you think. We chatted about lesser-known mysteries and internet sleuthing and even got to know which mysteries they would love to solve the most. Read our conversation below!
#1
3 lighthouse workers with impeccable mustaches traveled to a remote island on December 7th, 1900 for a lighthouse shift that should have lasted for two weeks. When a boat arrived to pick them up, they were gone. No trace of the bodies, and the lighthouse was strangely locked. Not only was the setting normal (meal ready to be served), but there was no fire in the fireplace, and the clock stopped. One of the men kept a log in a diary, and he said that the seas were rough one day, but when monitored, it was actually calm. No one knows what happened to them.
Edit: The mustaches have nothing to do with the story at all. I just really liked them.
There are other creepy mysteries you won’t find on this list as they might not be as popular, like the Gurdon Light (not to be confused with legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gordan Lightfoot!). At least that’s what the co-host of The Box of Oddities, Jethro Gilligan Toth, points to when we ask which lesser-known mysteries he thinks deserve more attention.
“This eerie floating light shows up on railroad tracks in Gurdon, Arkansas, around late October,” Jethro begins. “It’s happened since the 1930s, and no one knows what causes it. Theories range from swamp gas to supernatural ghost vibes, which is science-adjacent, right? Either way, it’s weird, glowing, and super spooky—what’s not to love?”
For his co-host Kat, it’s The Connecticut River Valley criminal. “This unidentified serial [criminal] is suspected of [taking out] at least seven young women in the Connecticut River Valley area of New England between 1978 and 1988. What’s even more fascinating is the survivor who lived to tell the tale.”
Luckily, Kat and Jethro will cover this in an upcoming The Box of Oddities episode, so stay tuned for all the chills!
#2
The wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige has not been seen in 11 years. The church insists that she’s just too busy to make public appearances, but former member Leah Remini has filed a missing person report for her. Some say she’s straight up dead.
#3
Bermuda triangle. As a kid, that phenomenon was everywhere. TV, Sun Classic Films (just dated myself (IYKYK), magazines. Now it’s as if no ships or planes disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.
What gives? Was all the hype fake. Was that real? I need to know!
Since the hosts of The Box of Oddities podcast cover true crime often, we were curious what they thought about social media keeping interest alive in cold cases. Kat sees mostly positives: internet sleuths can help move otherwise forgotten cases along and bring closure to families. “It’s like the Wild West, but with hashtags,” she says.
“Social media has absolutely changed the game when it comes to unsolved crimes. It spreads information fast, gets more people talking, and sometimes even helps crack cases. Online communities have uncovered new leads, spotted overlooked details, and pushed for cold cases to be reopened. People love a puzzle! Fresh eyes on a case can make all the difference and give victims’ families a louder voice in the search for justice.”
Jethro, on the other hand, considers the downsides of people online playing detectives. “I worry about the other side of the coin—like when people handle potential evidence like it’s their personal science project,” he says. “That can lead to some serious problems. Let’s not turn every Redditor into Matty Matlock, okay?”
#4
What ever happened to that missing Malaysian flight? It just took a couple of crazy turns and then completely disappeared from the radar.
#5
On the evening of March 31, 1922, six people from a small farmstead in Bavaria, located around 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Munich, were found deceased under mysterious circumstances. The victims included Andreas Gruber (63), his wife Cäzilia Gruber (72), their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel (35), Viktoria’s two children, Cazilia (7) and Josef (2), and their maid, Maria Baumgartner (44). They had all been fatally struck with a mattock. Strangely, the person or people responsible seemed to remain at the house for several days afterward, eating food, caring for the animals, and even starting fires in the fireplace. The case remains one of the most perplexing and unsettling unsolved crimes in German history.
#6
The Voynich Manuscript. Nobody knows if it’s legit or just an elaborate
Since the pair have covered hundreds of interesting cases on their podcast, they both have the one they’d like to be solved someday. Kat says that for her, it’s Roanoke. “An entire colony vanishing without a trace in 1590? That’s next-level ghosting. I need to know what happened—aliens, relocation, a failed group camping trip?” The suspense of that one is frustrating.
For Jethro, it’s the Sacsayhuamán citadel in Peru. “Those massive stone blocks weigh 100 tons each, and they’re carved so precisely that you can’t even slip a piece of paper between them. No mortar, no cranes, just…how? Ancient engineering or alien handypersons? I need answers, and I need them now.”
#7
The Mary Celeste. The merchant ship found abandoned and adrift in 1872. The crew’s belongings had not been disturbed. There were ample provisions for the sail. The cargo was not disturbed. However, the life boat was gone. The crew just… disappeared.
