Reference

Reference 

An interesting mystery: What happened to the beaumont children. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://cccnews.info/2014/10/13/an-interesting-mystery-what-happened-to-the-beaumont-children/

NIJ in the Journals. (n.d.). PsycEXTRA Dataset. Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://www.nij.gov/journals/260/pages/what-is-cold-case.aspx

Reasons Why Cases Go Cold [Web log post]. (2012, November 27). Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://coldcasesquad.blogspot.my/2012/11/5-reasons-why-cases-go-cold.html?m=1

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Beaumont Children | The Lineup. (2015). Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.the-line-up.com/beaumont-children/

The Axeman serial killer of New Orleans (1918-1919) - Altered Dimensions Paranormal. (2013). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://altereddimensions.net/2013/axeman-serial-killer-new-orleans

THE SUSPECTS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/THE-SUSPECTS-Black-Dahlia

Tamam Shud / Somerton Man -. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.ciphermysteries.com/tamam-shud-somerton-man

Unsolved. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unsolved

(n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.biography.com/people/black-dahlia-21117617

Conclusion

As a conclusion, unsolved cases could be classified as a mysterious cases as some cases gave the police and investigators a dead end as there might not have enough evidence or does not have suspect that could be link with the case. Some unsolved cases that had been talked about are the prove of the unsolved cases found this some part of the world. Some people might it interesting to read about those unsolved as there will be question lurking in their head as they do some readings on those cases. However, some unsolved cases would make others sympathize towards the family who had to go through the grief such as Beaumont children disappearance. Therefore, this unsolved cases taught us a lesson that we should always be careful towards strangers and our surroundings and we should also take good care of our family members. Unsolved cases taught us a very valuable lesson to all. 

Suspects on the Axeman of New Orleans

The first suspect was a man named Joseph Momfre that was shot to death in Los Angeles in December 1920 by the widow of Mike Pepitone, the Axeman's last known victim. Mrs Pepitone told the police that Joseph was the man she had seen who had killed her husband, Mike Pepitone. Police found what had been said by Mrs Pepitone seems to fit the evidence found because Joseph had been in and out of the prison and during the Axeman attack, Joseph was free. However, there was no evidence that Joseph was the Axeman. Thus, Mrs Pepitone received 10 years in prison for murdering Joseph Momfre. 

A picture of Joseph Mumfre

Another suspect to be identified to be Axeman were Frank Jordano and Lorlando Jordano. They were accused  by Mrs Cortimiglia of being the Axeman who had attacked her husband, her baby and herself. However, she then admitted to the police that she had lied because she wanted to get rid of her competitors in business. Thus, Frank and Lorlando Jordano were released from the prison. 

Victims of Axeman of New Orleans

There were 12 victims of Axeman of New Orleans which some had died after the attacked and some survived the attacked. 

1) Joseph Maggio was an Italian grocer who had been attacked on 22 May 1918 while sleeping with his wife, Catherine Maggio. The killer broke into the home and cut the couple's throats with a straight razor. Before leaving, the killer bashed their heads with an axe. Both Joseph and Catherine Maggio died after the attacked because of the deep cuts. The law enforcement agents then found a bloody clothes which belongs to the killer after attacking the couples. 

2) Louis Bumer and his mistress, Harriet Lowe was attacked in the morning of 27 June 1918. Louis was bashed with a hatchet at his head and Harriet was bashed over her left ear. The couple was found bleeding from their heads by John Zanca. The axe that had been used by the killer which belongs to Louis himself was found in the bathroom. On 15 August 1918, Harriet died to a failed surgery while Louis was arrested for attacking Harriet when he found out Harriet had told the police of him being a German spy. 

3) Mrs Schneider was attacked in the evening on 5 August 1918. She was 8 months pregnant during the attacked. She was bashed in the face and was completely covered with blood and her scalp had been cut open. Mrs Schneider was found by her husband, Ed Schneirder who returned late from work. She survived the attack but did not remember anything about the attack and gave birth to a baby girl two days after the attack.

4) Joseph Romano was an elderly man who lived with his two nieces, Pauline and Mary Bruno. Joseph was attacked by the killer and had two open cuts on his head. Pauline and Mary said that the killer wore a dark suit and a slouched hat. However, Joseph died two days after the attack due to severe head trauma. Authorities then found a bloody axe at the backyard and a panel of the back door was taken away.

5) Charles Cortimiglia was an immigrant who lived with his wife, Rosie and their baby, Mary. They were attacked in the night of 10 March 1919. Their neighbor, Lorlando Jordano heard a commotion and went to Cortimiglia house to investigate. Jordano found Rosie with a serious head wound while holding her dead baby and Charles laid unconscious while bleeding profusely. Both Charles and Rosie suffered from skull fractures. Nothing was stolen from them but a panel of the back door was taken away. A bloody axe was also found at the porch of the house. Both Charles and Rosie survived the attack but not their baby. 

6) Steve Broca was a grocer that was attacked on 10 August 1919. His head had been cracked open and lost consciousness when he seek help from his neighbor, Frank Genusa. Nothing had been taken from Steve's house but a panel of the back door had been taken away. Steve survived the attack but he does not remember anything about the attack. 

7) Sarah Laumann was attacked in the night of 3 September 1919. Her neighbors found her lying unconscious on her bed suffering from a severe head injury and several missing teeth. The killer had entered through an open window and attack Sarah with an axe. The bloody axe was then found on the front lawn of the apartment. Sarah survived the attack but she did not remember anything about the attack. 

8) Mike Pepitone was attacked in the night of 27 October 1919. He had been bashed on his head and was severely covered with blood. Mike Pepitone was the last of Axeman attack in New Orleans. 

What is Axeman of New Orleans case?

This is an unsolved case of a serial killer who was active in New Orleans, Lousiana from May 1918 until October 1919. There were 4 dead victims and 8 injured victims of the attacked. The victims were attacked with an axe which belongs to the victims themselves. The killer usually smashed the back door of a home and then attacked the victims with an axe or straight razor. This case cannot be classified as a robbery case as the killer did not take any valuables from the victim house. There were a few theories regarding this case. Man believed that the crimes were racially motivated because most of the victims were Italian-American. Some said that there was a mafia involvement but there was not much evidence to link with this case. Some also said that the killer only kills woman but if there was a man trying to prevent the killer's action, the killer will only kill the man. There was case where the woman in the house was killed but not the man. Another theory was that the killer committed those murders in order to promote Jazz music.  

Houses that been attacked by the Axeman 

13 March 1919, there was a letter from the killer that was published in the newspaper said that he would do his act of crime again at 12.15am  but would spare anyone's lives who played Jazz band. Therefore, on the night of March 13, all of the dance halls in New Orleans was filled with people and jazz band. Professional and amateur Jazz bands played at hundreds of houses in the town of New Orleans. Thus, there was no murder that night. The axeman was never caught or identified as his act of crimes mysteriously stopped just like how it had started.

A letter from the Axeman that was published in the newspaper 

An article from the newspaper about the Axeman

Suspects identified to be "Somerton man"

The first suspect identified to be "Somerton man" was Alfred Boxall. However, the police traced him at Marouba and he was still alive. Alfred still had the book of Rubaiyat with him and the book was still completely intact and there was no ripped page in the book. Therefore, Alfred was not the identity of the "Somerton man". The second suspect identified was E.C. Johnson. However, Johnson went to the police station to declare that he was still alive and he was not dead man found at Somerton beach. 

The third suspect identified to be Somerton man was Kliment Voroshilov who was a famous Russian Marshal. He died in 1969. He was aged 67 at the time when "Somerton man" was found dead. Therefore, he was too old to be "Somerton man" 

 

A picture of Kliment Voroshilov 

The fourth suspect identified was Robert Walsh. However, Robert was much much older than the man who was found dead on Somerton beach. Walsh was a woodcutter but there was no sign of labour on the "Somerton man" hands. Thus, Robert was not the "Somerton man" 

Facts about Tamam Shud case

On 1 December 1948, an unidentified man was found dead on Somerton beach but his identity was unknown and the cause of his death was unknown too. Six weeks after his death, a brown suitcase apparently belongs to the Somerton man was retrieved from Adelaide Railway station's cloakroom, where it had been deposited around 11 am the day before his death. The brown suitcase label was removed just like the Somerton's man clothing. In the suitcase was items such as clothes which labels had been removed, a brush, a knife and a pair of scissors. Some of the items had markings like "Kean", "Keane" and "T.Keane" which nobody with that name was reported missing and the man's identity was not found in the belongings. 

Items that had been found in the brown suitcase which belongs to the Somerton's man

Investigators also found a small scrap of printed paper ripped out of a book which contained a Persian phrase "Tamam Shud" which means "The End". It was the final words of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a popular book at that time. 

Months later, the copy of the book had been found thrown into a carpark near the same beach where the Somerton man had been found dead. At the back of the book was written a local phone number "X3239" and several lines of chiper-like writings. The phone number belongs to a nurse name Jessica Ellen Thompson who lived not far from the beach. During the investigation had been done on her, she told the police that she had given a copy of the book to a man name Alfred Boxall. Police thought that Alfred Boxall was the dead man found at the beach. However, police found out that Alfred was still alive and live in Marouba. Thus, Alfred was not the dead man found on the beach. This leaves the police to a clueless investigation on the case. Thus making this an unsolved case of the unidentified man. 

What is the Tamam Shud case?

The case was named Tamam Shud case because investigators found a small scrap of paper ripped out of a book printed "Tamam Shud" in the tiny pocket of the dead man trouser which means "The End" in Persian. On 1 December 1948, the body of an unidentified man was found on Somerton beach in Australia. The man was unidentified because there was no indentity of him such as his dental records and fingerprints which could match anyone who lived there or anywhere else in the world as if this unidentified man known as "Somerton man" had never existed. The unidentified man was in good physical condition and well dressed when he was found dead. But the labels on his clothing had been removed. Investigators believed that the unidentified man had been poisoned but autopsy had been done does not showed any unfamiliar particles in his body. This case was known as a perfect mystery because the victim was unidentified and if the man was killed so who is the murderer and what weapon been used or was it a suicide. This questions had no answers to it thus making it a dead end for the police and investigators which caused it to be unsolved. 

A picture of an unidentified man known as "Somerton man" who was found on Somerton beach

Newspaper article on the mystery dead man

Suspects on Black Dahlia case

Investigation on Black Dahlia murder case had been done by Los Angeles Police Department. Around 60 people confessed that they were the murderer to Elizabeth, who which are mostly men. Out of the 60 people, 25 people were viable suspect for the case. Another 25 people were eliminated and there were also several new suspects. However, there was one prime suspect to the case. The suspect was George Hill Hodel Jr. He was an American physician. After his death on 16 May 1999, his son named Steve who was a Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective uncovered an information which was believed that his father was Elizabeth's killer. George was also suspected to be the Lipstick killer and Zodiac killer. There was an evidence of a recording tape where George said that he had killed Black Dahlia and no one could prove it because he had killed his secretary too. Most said that Black Dahlia case was solved but it was unsure to some others as there was no captured been done on the killer of the Black Dahlia case. 

A picture of George Hill Hodel, suspect to be the killer of Black Dahlia

Facts about the Black Dahlia case-Content might be disturbing

On 15 January 1957, Elizabeth was found disfigured and her body was sliced half at the waist in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth murder case was one of the oldest unsolved case in Los Angeles history. A local resident known as Betty Bersinger discovered Elizabeth body while she was walking with her 3 years old daughter. Betty thought it was a discarded mannequin, but when she realized that it was a real dead body, she reported it to the police. Elizabeth's body was severely disfigured especially at the waist and had drained entirely of her blood. Her face had been slashed from the corners of her mouth to her ears causing her to have the Glasgow smile. She had several cuts on her thigh and portions of her flesh had been sliced away. Her skull was not fractured but there were bruises on the front and right side of her scalp including a small bleed. On January 25,  Elizabeth handbag and one of her shoe were found on top of a garbage can in an alley. 

Before and after picture of Elizabeth Short "Black Dahlia" 

Who is "Black Dahlia"?

Black Dahlia was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short who was born on 29 July 1924 in Boston. She grew up in Medford, Massachusetts and was the third daughter to Cleo Short and Phoebe May Sawyer. At age 16, Elizabeth spend her winter time in Miami because she had asthma and bronchitis. At age 19, she travelled to California and lived with her father who was working at the nearby Mare Island Naval Shipyard. In the early 1943, Elizabeth and her father had an argument which caused her to work at the post exchange in Camp Cooke, now known as Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Months later, Elizabeth moved to Santa Barbara where she was arrested for underage drinking on 23 September 1943. In Florida, Elizabeth met Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr. who was United States Army Airforce Office. Michael had proposed to her and she accepted it. However, Michael died in a crash on 10 August 1945. On July 1946, Elizabeth returned to Los Angeles to visit Joseph Gordon Fickling who was an Army Air Force Lieutenant. At age 23, Elizabeth became a victim to an unknown murderer on 15 January 1947 and until today, her case remained unsolved. 

A picture of Elizabeth Short when she was arrested for underage drinking

Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr. and Elizabeth Short 

Joseph Gordon Fickling who Elizabeth knew when she was in Florida

Suspects on the Beaumont children case

There were four suspects for the Beaumont children case. The first suspect was Bevan Spencer Von Einem who was an accountant aged 21 during the children disappearance. There was a witness known as "Mr B" gave an alleged conversation of Bevan brag about himself who had taken the Beaumont children from a beach and had taken them home to conduct experiments. Bevan said that he had done "brilliant surgery" on each of the children and "connected them up". One of the children died during the procedure, therefore he killed the other two and dumped their bodies in bushland South of Adelaide. The police did not consider Bevan to have any connection with the Beaumont children but somehow he resembled the descriptions and police sketches from 1966.  Bevan was known to have frequently visited Glenelg beach. He told the witness "Mr B" that he had taken two girls from Adelaide Oval. Thus, Bevan matches the police sketches of the suspect in both Beaumont children case and Adelaide Oval case in 1989. Due to this, he was identified as a suspect. But there were arguments saying that Bevan might not be the criminal as he was only 21 during the children disappearance and the real suspect which had been reported by the witness was in his mid-30s. 

A picture of Bevan Spencer Von Einem

The second suspect was Arthur Stanley Brown who was targeted as a suspect in year 1998. He was considered to be a suspect for the Beaumont children case because his face was similar to a sketches of the suspect for the Beaumont children and Adelaide oval cases. However Brown was in his fifties the time when the Beaumont children went missing. Therefore, he does not match the description of the suspect seen with the children who was supposed to be in his mid-30s. 

A picture of Arthur Stanley Brown 

The third suspect for the Beaumont children disappearance was James Ryan O'Neill. In the early 1970s, James told a station owner that he was responsible for the disappearance of the Beaumont children. However, there was no evidence to relate James with the disappearance of the children. South Australian police had interviewed James and they dismissed him as a suspect for the Beaumont children case. 

A picture of James Ryan O'Neill 

The fourth and last suspect for the children case was Derek Ernest Percy. This is because he was Victoria's longest serving prisoner. However, Derek was only 17 in 1966, the year when the Beaumont children went missing. Therefore, he was too young to be match as the man who had been described to be in his mid-30s. 

A picture of Derek Ernest Percy 

Facts about Beaumont children disappearance

26 January 1966, the Beaumont children took a 5 minute bus journey from home to Glenelg beach which they had taken the same trip the day before. As Jane was the eldest, she was considered to be responsible enough to take care of her two siblings. Therefore, their parents were not concerned about their trip to the beach. The children left home at 10 am and they were expected to returned home by 2 pm on that same day. However, they did not returned home and their parents became worried, thus they called the police at 7.30pm.

 

The Beaumont children's parents: Jim and Nancy Beaumont 

During the investigation, several witnesses who had seen the children said that they were companied by a tall blond man who is thin faced in his mid-30s. The children were playing with him and were seen waking together from the beach later, which the police estimated to be around 12.15pm. Shopkeeper reported that Jane Beaumont had bought pasties and meat pie with a A£1 note. However their mother, Nancy had only given them enough coins for their bus fare and food and not a A£1 note as stated by the shopkeeper. At 3pm, the children were seen walking alone away from the beach while holding hands and laughing, said a witness who is a postman who knew the children very well. However, the police said that the postman might mistakenly seen the time when he saw the children who should returned home by that time. Jim and Nancy Beaumont described their children as shy, thus for them to play with a stranger seems to be out of their character. Investigators came out with a theory that the children perhaps might had met the man several times during their visit. Before this, Arnna had told their mother that Jane had a boyfriend at the beach. However, Nancy Beaumont thought she meant a playmate and took no further notice about it. 

Tall blonde man with a thin faced in his mid-30s who was seen to be with the children on the day they vanished

The Beaumont parents also received two letters after 2 years of the children disappearance. One of which could be from Jane and the other was "The Man". The envelope showed a postmark of Dondenong, Victoria. The letter by "The Man" said that he had appointed himself to be the guardian of the children and was willing to hand them back to their parents. In the letter he also stated the place to be met. The Beaumont parents went to the place that had been stated by "The Man", followed by a detective. However no one appeared. After some time, Jim and Nancy Beaumont received another letter by "The Man". He said that he was willing to return the children but when he found out that there was a detective, he felt that the Beaumonts had betrayed him. For that reason, he decided to keep the Beaumont children. After that, there were no further letters. 

Newspaper article and poster in search of the Beaumont children

The Beaumont couple divorced and lived separately as they have accepted that the truth of their children never be discovered. However, the police received new leads regarding the Beaumont children on 19 January 2016. Thus this new leads is still under investigation. It has been 50 years of the disappearance of the Beaumont children and the case still remained unsolved till this day.

The Beaumont Children disappearance

They were three Beaumont children named Jane Nartare Beaumont who was born on 10 September 1956, Arnna Kathleen Beaumont who was born on 11 November 1958 and Grant Ellis Beaumont who was born on 12 July 1961. They lived with their parents named Jim and Nancy Beaumont in Somerton Park, Australia. The Beaumont children disappeared from Glenelg Beach, the beach where the children often visited near Adelaide in South Australia on 26 January 1966. At the time of their disappearance, Jane was aged 9, Arnna was 7 years old and Grant was 4 years old. The Beaumont children case was one of largest police investigation in Australian criminal history as it was remained unsolved after fifty years because the Beaumont children disappearance never been explained. 

The Beaumont Children: Jane Nartare Beaumont, Grant Ellis Beaumont and Arnna Kathleen Beaumont

Newspaper article about the Beaumont children disappearance 

Different types of unsolved cases

Unsolved cases is quite a big topic, therefore there are different types of unsolved cases. One of it is murder or homicide cases. This is when the victim was murdered or killed violently and the murderer does not leave any evidence at the crime scene. Besides that, kidnapped cases would be another type of unsolved cases. When there is no signs or leads of the kidnappers or victims, the case is considered to be unsolved. Therefore, it could still be under investigation even though it has been years. Other than that, mysterious cases could also be an unsolved cases. This is when the criminal kill or kidnap their victims and leave their own sign such as "X" mark on their victims, a mask to cover their identity or attacking the victims using the same kind of weapon, for example Axeman of New Orleans who uses an axe to murder his victims. 

Clues that The Zodiac Killer had left.

Mask that frequently used by criminal to conceal their identity.

Factors of a case to be unsolved

There are a few factors that causes a case to be unsolved. One of the factor is not having enough evidence or proof for that specific case which will cause to a dead end. Other than that, lack of public cooperation is also a factor as they did not give any information regarding the case. Besides, suspect that had been targeted may have disappeared and no where to be found is another reason why a case cannot be solved. Tunnel vision is another factor. Tunnel vision is when investigators point of view towards a suspect have been overlook or ignored due to unclear evidence which may result to be proven as innocent. Therefore, there will be a tendency that the investigators would target another possible suspect based on his or her past records such as juvenile records or criminal records. The last factor would be the DNA or fingerprint found during the investigation cannot be detected or match with anyone that could be related or not related to the victim. In other words, it could lead to a dead end or mysterious crime. 

What is unsolved cases?

Unsolved cases is also known as a cold case which has not been fully solved due to a few circumstances such as not having enough evidence or proof to capture the criminal, lack of public cooperation or even overlook the evidence that had been found during the investigation. Unsolved case is a case that is not fully solved, therefore new information could emerge from a new witness. Thus, investigators would have to re-examined what had been found as well as new suspect would be targeted. Therefore unsolved cases could still be under investigation even though the case has been years remained unsolved.