Every year, whenever a loved one mysteriously disappears, countless families are left in terrible anxiety and uncertainty. For example, a lack of information prevented detectives from understanding the catastrophe when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished in recent years from the sky, denying more than 200 relatives solace. It’s one of the numerous mysterious instances that continue to baffle investigators and trouble the surviving family members. This, however, is not the only one. Here are six of the most puzzling cases from a century of unresolved disappearances:
1. D.B.Cooper
Nearly five decades ago, a tourist going by the name of D.B. Cooper seized a flight headed for Seattle and jumped out of the flying aircraft while carrying a parachute and $200,000 in ransom. Cooper purchased a one-way pass for Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 on November 24, 1971, at a Portland airport kiosk. The passenger, who was wearing a decent suit and tie, didn’t seem to raise any red flags. He placed an order for bourbon and soda while awaiting for the aircraft to take off. Cooper delivered one of the airline staff a note claiming to have an explosive in his briefcase immediately after the aircraft took to the air. When the plane landed in Seattle, he was given the four parachutes and $200,000 in $20 banknotes that he had asked for. Moreover, 36 passengers were released. Cooper instructed the pilot to travel to Mexico City. But before the jet reached Mexico, the attacker abruptly leaped out of the back, startling both his captives and federal authorities. Although this notion has never been proven, the FBI does not expect Cooper to stay alive. Investigators claim that despite jumping from a height of more than 5,000 feet in hazardous circumstances, he did not seem to be an avid skydiver. Additionally, he hasn’t fitted appropriately for a successful landing. According to FBI documents, Cooper jumped into a forest area at night in a trench garment and loafer shoes while it was pouring outside and blowing 200 mph. Law enforcement professionals, as well as amateur online investigative reporters are still interested in learning more about the landmark crime. But it’s possible that his name and destiny may always remain a secret. One of the lengthiest and most thorough US investigations ever came to an end when the FBI declared in 2016 that it would no longer be continually searching into this unsolved case.
2. Amelia Earhart
Researchers and adventurers are still working to find answers to Amelia Earhart’s mysterious disappearance more than 80 years after she tried to fly around the globe. When Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan set out for what they anticipated would be the inaugural round-the-world journey in 1937, they had previously broken ground as the first woman to fly independently over the Atlantic Ocean. The two had left Lae, New Guinea for Howland Island, a far-flung island in the Pacific Ocean, traveling more than 22,000 miles and finishing nearly two-thirds of the historic journey before becoming dangerously short on gasoline. On July 2, 1937, they are lost over the Pacific Ocean. For over two weeks, investigators searched for the duo, but Earhart and her partner were never located. Regardless of the absence of any significant developments in the case, Earhart was formally ruled dead by a court judgment in 1939. It’s possible that her demise was formally acknowledged so that Amelia Earhart’s husband might remarry. Her whereabouts are still unknown and a source of discussion.
3. Jimmy Hoffa
In 1975, when infamous labour leader Jimmy Hoffa vanished, it set off one of the FBI’s longest-running organized crime investigations in Detroit. His vanishing has generated a great deal of public attention for many years and has been the subject of numerous Hollywood movies. But he hasn’t been seen in more than 40 years. The Teamsters union, which comprises freight drivers, warehouse workers, and other American workers, was led by ex-convict Hoffa, who gained notoriety after gaining amnesty from President Richard Nixon. He disappeared from a Michigan restaurant, where he allegedly went to meet with Mafia bosses. Due to his criminal history and the probability that he had adversaries, many theorists assume he was assassinated. Hoffa’s cadaver was never found, and even though his death was formally acknowledged in 1982, allowing his children to receive his inheritance, the case is still “under investigation.” However, Netflix has documented a mob hitman who might have been responsible for Hoffa’s killing in the movie named The Irishman. As recently as 2013, federal authorities were still looking for his remains when they investigated a field close to Detroit for three days in an effort to find any new empirical evidence. Once more, the quest was futile.
4. Saroj Dutta
Saroj Dutta, commonly referred to as Comrade SD, was a prominent communist philosopher and poet from India who actively participated in the West Bengal Naxalite uprising in the 1960s. He served as the first CPIML (Communist Party of India, Marxist-Leninist) state secretary for West Bengal. Throughout the 1940s, he served as Amrita Bazar Patrika’s editor-in-chief. After completing his education, Dutta decided to join the Amrit Bazar Patrika in the early 1940s, until he was sacked in 1949 for taking part in violent Maoist actions. He was temporarily detained in 1962 for harboring pro-China (Maoist) inclinations. When the CPI(M) chose to enter democratic politics in the lead-up to the 1967 polls, he was one of many radicals who reached that point. He and other Calcutta intellectuals who were drawn to a more extreme brand of rebellious Marxism supported the Charu Majumdar-led Naxalbari revolt in May 1967. He was also a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), or CPI (ML), in April 1969. A year later, the group was blacklisted for engaging in armed guerilla warfare against the cops and capitalists. Dutta was taken into custody at his friend’s house. He was allegedly assassinated that morning at the Aryan Club grounds in the Kolkata Maidan at the hands of the Kolkata Police. Additionally, it is claimed that famous actor Uttam Kumar saw the encounter of Dutta while out for a daily jog. After the CPI(M) won a Left-front mandate and regained power, people called for an investigation into Saroj Dutta’s execution. Jyoti Basu, the chief minister, received the petition. However, his body was never discovered, and there has never been an inquiry.
5. Cotah Ramaswami
The cricketer and tennis player Cotah Ramaswami, One of the three Indian cricketers to have represented his nation in two different sports, has been missing for the past 40 years. At the age of 40, Ramaswami made his Test cricket debut in 1936. He was born in Madras (now Chennai). on June 16, 1896. He represented his country on the tennis court in addition to cricket. On October 15, 1985, he left his home but never showed up. After the former Indian cricketer vanished, no proof of his demise was discovered. In recent years, press reports on his appearance have appeared frequently but no solid proof had been found that he is still alive. He is, however, presumed to be deceased.
6. Rahul Raju
Seven-year-old Rahul Raju of Alappuzha, Kerala, India, vanished while playing with companions in his locality on May 18, 2005. The matter is reportedly being examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s top investigative agency because the city police who initially looked into it was unable to locate any substantiation. On that day, Rahul wore shorts and a striped shirt, and a gold chain in his neck. His companions last saw him when they saw a middle-aged man with a beard who interrupted their game by snatching the cricket bat from Rahul and tossing it to his mates. His pals picked up the bat and carried on the game but did not find Rahul. Numerous people were questioned by the local police but all in vain. The CBI made the decision to subject a local teenager to a narcoanalysis test. A polygraph test was also administered to two or more suspects, but again, no conclusive facts could be made. No dead body was ever found. Thus, Rahul Raju’s disappearance was never established. The CBI requested permission from the High Court of Kerala to conclude the investigation in the early months of 2013 because the youngster was completely undetectable. The CBI submitted the case closure report to the court for the fourth time on March 13, 2014. The CBI acknowledged that despite all attempts to locate the boy, it is their failure that the boy could not be traced.
