If you could solve just one mystery....

[Atterbury Dodd]

I want to know: If Leslie Howard was intentionally shot down by the Luftwaffe in 1943? If so, was he really an allied spy?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Who ordered the murder of "The Shining Knight Of The Air," Detroit radio commentator Jerry Buckley, who was mowed down in a barrage of gunfire in a hotel lobby early on the morning of July 22, 1930, just hours after leading a successful campaign to oust the city's notoriously corrupt mayor. Three low-level hoods were arrested for the slaying, but were acquitted -- and the crime was never officially solved. It was commonly believed that the Mayor's own goons had Buckley killed, but others argued that Buckley knew too much about mob activities in the city and was rubbed out by Mafia contacts he had betrayed. Both groups had reason to want Buckley dead -- he would routinely announce the exact street addresses of speakeasies and gambling hells on his radio program and challenge the Detroit police to raid them or admit they were on the take. Probably one of the gutsiest broadcasters who ever lived -- and it would be nice to finally nail down who killed him and why.

 

[rue]

That one!!!!!! without any doubt in my mind that's the one I'd love to know. Who kill Thomas Ince. Was it really WR??? If not,then how did he die?

btw, they even made a movie out of this mystery, it's called 'The Cat's Meow'(2001) directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

This gets my vote. I loved that movie too!

Lovely new picture Hadley

 

[dr greg]

Whether or not the disappearance of streetcars and trolley systems was really at the hand of big oil, the car companies and/or the tire manufacturers.

You should keep an eye out for a repeat of this doco
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0236785/

 

[Atomic Age]

I don't know why I didn't think of this one before, after all it happened in my home town.

Did Winnie Ruth Judd really murder and cut up the body of her roommate, put it in a trunk and ship it from Phoenix to Los Angeles?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_Ruth_Judd

 

[Anthony K]

The identity of the killer of the Black Dahlia is definitely high on my list. Judge Crater's disappearance as well. I'd love to know who the Cleveland Torso Murderer was.

"The Cleveland Torso Murderer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) was an unidentified serial killer who killed and dismembered at least 12 victims in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Torso_Murderer

Unsolved Mysteries did a segment about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzlA04v__Dg

 

[rue]

The identity of the killer of the Black Dahlia is definitely high on my list. Judge Crater's disappearance as well. I'd love to know who the Cleveland Torso Murderer was.

"The Cleveland Torso Murderer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) was an unidentified serial killer who killed and dismembered at least 12 victims in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Torso_Murderer

Unsolved Mysteries did a segment about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzlA04v__Dg

That's frightening! I would have hated living in Ohio during that time... yikes!

 

[Mark D]

Well, to keep within the era I'd really like to know the true identities of the gunmen present during the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Yeah there are a few names that have been bandied about but we don't really know for sure.

That said, more than any other mystery, I'd like to know the identity of D.B. Cooper.

 

[RadioWave]

The most recent development on our gal Amelia: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ic-island-could-belong-to-Amelia-Earhart.html

I would also hope that the truth about Glenn Miller would surface sometime in the future. If the conspiracy is true...yikes...

 

[Stearmen]

Amelia Again

Well,l I see that Tighar has definitively found the remains of Amilia Earhart on Gardner Island! What does this make it, 5, 6, 8 times now that the have found signs of her on the island? I remember the first time back in the 80s, we were all so excited, the big mystery solved. Then it turned out, the sole of the womans shoe was the wrong size, and the aluminum came from a B-24, next they dug up a childs grave, and so on. It will be fun to see what the bones are from. Maybe Geraldo Rivera can go with them on the next expedition! On a side note, Gardner Island was over flown by scout float planes of the leed ship in the search. They found no signs of life, but posable recent habitation. That ship was the USS Colorado, who's planes made many flights over several islands during the search.

 

[RadioWave]

Got to give her credit, she definitely found a sure-fire way of keeping herself a household-name... While the bone/personal remnants aspect is rather old (if not tiresome) news, it'll be interesting to see if the search for aircraft-parts proves fruitful, if they actually go through with it. With the promise of the publicity associated with a '75th anniversary finding', they just might.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

The identity of the killer of the Black Dahlia is definitely high on my list. Judge Crater's disappearance as well. I'd love to know who the Cleveland Torso Murderer was.

"The Cleveland Torso Murderer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) was an unidentified serial killer who killed and dismembered at least 12 victims in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Torso_Murderer

Unsolved Mysteries did a segment about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzlA04v__Dg

There was a book written some (15?) years ago about the purported identity of The Torso Killer. Based upon evidence from the very similar cases along the same railroad line from New Castle Pennsylvania into Youngstown Ohio and Cleveland. The author claimed that his suspect did indeed work for the railroad and fit the general profile from the scant evidence that he did leave behind which was a single blond hair and a size 12 footprint.
The author did not name the killer as there were still living relatives at that time, but related that the killer was himself killed in an army training accident early in world war 2.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Well,l I see that Tighar has definitively found the remains of Amilia Earhart on Gardner Island! What does this make it, 5, 6, 8 times now that the have found signs of her on the island? I remember the first time back in the 80s, we were all so excited, the big mystery solved. Then it turned out, the sole of the womans shoe was the wrong size, and the aluminum came from a B-24, next they dug up a childs grave, and so on. It will be fun to see what the bones are from. Maybe Geraldo Rivera can go with them on the next expedition! On a side note, Gardner Island was over flown by scout float planes of the leed ship in the search. They found no signs of life, but posable recent habitation. That ship was the USS Colorado, who's planes made many flights over several islands during the search.

They will never accept that she most likely went down in the water, and the wreckage sank. Doubtful that you find much at the bottom of the sea.
Paul Mantz was probably the most accurate about what may have happened.

 

[MariantheLibrarian]

I would like someone to definitively solve the Phantom Killer/Spring Lake Park murders from my mom's hometown. My grandfather was peripherally involved with the investigation, and although an arrest was made, the verdict in that trial was overturned and the man was released in 1973.

From Wikipedia:

The Phantom Killer is an unidentified serial killer thought to be responsible for a series of slayings known as the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, which inspired the 1976 movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown. He is Texarkana's only known serial killer and is credited with a number of attacks in Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas between February 22 and May 3, 1946. The attacks took place at approximately three-week intervals. The Phantom Killer was also known as The Texarkana Phantom or simply The Phantom, The Phantom Slayer and The Moonlight Murderer because he often killed late at night. Despite the name and rumors, he did not attack when the moon was full.

 

[charminglane]

Well, another mystery posibly solved as far as William Desmond Taylor's murder? I found a book written by a Hollywood reporteer in the eighties using notes and investigation done by King Vidore. Vidore seems to have solved it. I won't spoil it here though.

If anyone would like the book, I will send it to them. First posted response gets it. $2.00 shipping.

It is a great read detailing the history of Hollywood, taylor and other famous actors and actresses Mary Miles Minter, etc. And of course, the life and acreer of King Vidore. It involves false identies, rumored and real homosexuality, studio cover ups, family betrayals, long lost lovers reunited.

Very fun read.

I also read this. Very fun read, indeed!

 

[charminglane]

Sorry, the above title is "A Cast of Killers" by Sidney Kirkpatrick.

364.1523 KIR

 

[Chas]

The Zodiac Killer would be a good one to solve.

 

[charminglane]

Funny you should mention the Zodiak Killer.

I arrived at work today and was telling my coworker that I received a Kindle for Christmas, My first purchase was true crime: Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the further serial murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel.
Come to find out, Steve Hodel, the author of the above work will be here (Altadena Library) on Monday, March 14, 2011 to discuss his works.
His premise is that his father Dr. Hodel did indeed kill the Black Dahlia. And others.

 

[Mr_D.]

Well, you start with asking about a mystery, but then you talk about murders only.

What about mystery's like:

Where is Al Capone's vault?

 

[Black Dahlia]

I would solve the Jack the Ripper case...and the Black Dahlia case. Zodiac too. Ooops, guess I went over solving just one mystery!
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