15 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries Cases That Were Finally Solved

Unsolved Mysterieshad some big cases that were eventually solved despite the show's name. Unsolved Mysteries is a documentary program with hundreds of episodes featured on various networks, including NBC, CBS, Lifetime, Spike, and most recently, Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries reboot. The show covers a variety of mysteries, including fraud, unexplained deaths, conspiracy theories, and disappearances. There is no limit to what the show will cover, especially considering Unsolved Mysteries' creepiest cases. Although each segment encourages viewers to submit tips to the show's hotline, many cases remain unsolved.

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However, Unsolved Mysteries has proved its worth by the dozens of cases that have been solved because of the show. Most recently, Netflix's reboot helped solve the missing person's case of Kayla Unbehaun. Throughout the show's 35-year run, there are some big cases featured in Unsolved Mysteries that have been solved. These cases are largely impactful, whether it is because of the notorious crime or the attention Unsolved Mysteries brought to the case.

15 Craig Williamson: Season 6, Episode 23

A Man Disappears, Only To Reappear With Amnesia

In 1990, Craig Williamson, 46, married Christine Reinhard, 41, at Lake Tahoe. They had only known each other for a month but they believed they were in love. The two started a fish farming business, and in 1993, Williamson began a drive to Colorado Springs to sell fish. Reinhard said she was worried about him taking the trip because of a recent concussion. After he called his wife on August 30, no one ever heard from him again. His credit cards were discovered in El Paso, Texas, and his rental car was found in Mexico.

The mystery deepened when Reinhard went to Colorado Springs and found his luggage and belongings were still at the hotel he was staying at. Soon, a retired nurse from Montana said she saw a man she believed was Williamson, who had a beard and seemed disoriented like he had a head injury. However, Williamson was not found, and investigators believe that Williamson was attacked and killed, and the man the nurse saw was likely not him. That was the end of the episode.

However, things picked up in 1995. Craig Williamson was still alive, but he saw a television broadcast of Unsolved Mysteries and realized it was him. He was living in Key West, Florida, and he had no memories of his past or who he was. Williamson said he was mugged, and the injuries sustained, mixed with his prior concussion, caused amnesia. He reunited with his wife, but his memories never returned, and they divorced.

14 The Mysterious Death Of Jane Doe: Season 7, Episode 12

A Jane Doe Was Finally Identified After 30 Years

In 1987, a coroner named Cullen Ellingburgh was asked to help solve a case surrounding a woman who was found at the bottom of a cliff in California. She was in her mid-20s and seemed to have fallen from the cliff and died hours before in the middle of the night. The only witness was a cab driver who said that she asked him to take her as far as he could with the money she had left. Soon, witnesses stepped up and said they met her. She called herself "Andrea" and said she was looking for her biological parents.

The episode aired in 1995, and Ellingburgh said the fact he could never identify the young woman still haunted him to that day. Her identity remained unknown for 30 years. However, in May 2017, technology had advanced to the point where authorities could finally get her identity. Her fingerprints were uploaded to the AFIS, and her identity was revealed to be that of Andrea Lee Kuiper (via ABC). Her parents said she was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder, but they didn't believe she was dead, even after all those years.

13 Danny & Kathy Freeman: Season 2, Episode 8

A Fire Almost Covered Up Four Murders

Danny and Kathy Freeman were living in their home in Oklahoma when the house went up in flames in 1999. However, the only body found in the fire was that of Kathy Freeman. Her husband Danny, their 16-year-old daughter Ashley, and her best friend were all missing. The authorities realized Kathy didn't die in the fire and that she was shot. Danny was the top suspect in the case, but then his body was discovered. He had also been shot. The two girls remained missing, and no one knew what happened to them.

One theory was that the police had something to do with it. A police officer had shot and killed Danny's son, and the father was planning a wrongful death lawsuit right before the fire. The fact that the police didn't find Danny's body (the best friend's parents went to the site, and they found the body buried under the rubble) was suspicious.

This is a case where the truth is not known for sure. A man named Jeremy Jones confessed to the murders, but he later said he didn't do it, and there is no proof he was involved. In 2017, a follow-up found notes from the original investigation that had been lost, which led them to a man named Ronnie Dean Busick, who was arrested and charged with the murders. Two other suspects, Warren Phillip Welch and David Pennington, were also identified, but they are both dead. Busick pleaded guilty, but Lauria and Ashley's bodies were never found (via Tulsa World).

12 Matthew Chase: Season 1, Episode 12

A Young Man's Murdered Was Identified 30 Years Later

On June 8, 1988, a young man named Matthew Chase was using an ATM in Los Angeles at midnight. He was doing this to deposit his paycheck since he forgot to go earlier that day. His roommate asked him to pick up cat food on the way home, and she never saw him again. His friends called the bank and learned Matt's card had been used numerous times that night, so they called the police. The debit card transactions were to withdraw money at different branches, although there was not enough to cover them.

The police finally got footage from an ATM that showed a man standing close to Matt as the young man tried again to withdraw money. It took three weeks for the police to find his car; the only clue was a blue bandanna that didn't belong to Matt. Three months later, police finally found Matt's body in a ravine, and it took six months to identify him. He was shot and killed. In 2018, 30 years later, police identified gang member David "Bear" Meza as the killer but Meza was shot and killed two days after he killed Matt.

11 Margo Freshwater: Season 12, Episode 1

Woman Escaped Prison & Remained Hidden For 30 Years

Margo Freshwater was in prison on first-degree murder charges in 1970, but she and another prisoner escaped, and Margo was on the run for over 30 years. This was the longest that any escaped prisoner remained on the loose in Tennessee state history. Her conviction came when she began dating a man named Glenn Nash, and the two of them went on a crime spree that included a series of murders. Nash, who reportedly committed the murders, was found incompetent to stand trial and ended up a free man years later.

Freshwater went to prison for the murder charges. Freshwater was on the run for 30 years before police finally arrested her the year that her Unsolved Mysteries episode aired. She lived in Columbus, Ohio, under the name of Tonya McCartor. She was married and had three children and her story does have a happy ending of sorts. She received a new trial in 2011 when it was learned that prosecutors were given proof that Glenn admitted to the murders and covered it up during the trial. She was released from prison after that (via Reuters​​​​​​).

10 Elizabeth Carmichael: Season 1, Episode 22

A Woman Committed Fraud By Creating A Fake Car

In 1973, Elizabeth Carmichael seized a fraudulent opportunity when the United States endured an oil crisis. She created Dale, a car with three wheels that cost less than $2000 and drove 60 miles per gallon. Carmichael even insisted that Dale could survive crashing into a brick wall at 50 miles per hour. In 1974, Elizabeth Carmichael created the 20th Century Motor Car Corporation, and she made three million dollars before the Dale was even available. However, people began questioning the vehicle's legitimacy, which led Bill Hall, a detective for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, to investigate the situation.

“On inspection of this vehicle it was not a viable vehicle at all. It had no engine. Two-by-fours were holding up the rear wheel. The accelerator was just sitting on the floor. It wasn’t even attached. The windows were not safety glass. They would bend back and forth. The doors were put on by regular door hinges, like one might find on a house door. The vehicle just absolutely did not exist.”

- Bill Hall, The California Department of Motor Vehicles

He quickly learned that there was no factory in the process of creating the vehicle, and when stumbling upon a prototype, Bill Hall realized the concept of the Dale was total fraud. During Bill Hall's investigation, Elizabeth Carmichael moved to Dallas, Texas, with her five children. However, before authorities could close in on her, she escaped Dallas with her family once again, only to be found in Miami nine weeks later under the alias Susan Raines. Another shocking factor appeared during this investigation—Elizabeth Carmichael was once known as Jerry Dean Michael, who was wanted by the FBI for counterfeiting and escaping bail.

Authorities finally arrested Carmichael on April 12, 1975, and she was eventually convicted of conspiracy, grand theft, and fraud. Although she spent four years attempting to appeal, a sentencing hearing was scheduled in 1980. However, Elizabeth Carmichael inexplicably disappeared. After this segment of Unsolved Mysteries aired, a viewer called the hotline and reported Elizabeth Carmichael's whereabouts. She had been living in Dale, Texas, under the name Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson. Once authorities apprehended her, she was sentenced to 32 months in prison but served only two years. She was then released on a three-year probation program.

9 Stockton Arsonist: Season 3, Episode 1

A Video Shows A House Set On Fire

Unsolved Mysteries season 3, episode 1, one of the show's most befuddling cases. On August 15, 1989, a man and his son found a video tape, which they took home to watch. They were horrified to discover that the cassette contained footage of a house burning down. Despite some vague clues in the video, there was no evidence that pointed to where this house was located. However, after Unsolved Mysteries aired this segment, several viewers called the tip hotline to report that they had recognized the house.

Although the video was found in Stockton, California, the actual house was located 80 miles away, in Redwood City, California. The Redwood City Police Chief had his own footage of the burning house, which he was able to match to the disturbing video. Two minors had already been arrested for arson in this case—one had been tried in a juvenile court, while the other went to a mental health institution. The Stockton Arsonist case is one of Unsolved Mysteries' most notoriously disturbing cases, so it was certainly a relief when it was finally solved.

8 Kevin Poulsen: Season 3, Episode 4

Kevin Poulsen Hacked The Pentagon's Computer Network

Kevin Poulsen became a hacker upon receiving a computer for his birthday. He went by an alias, Dark Dante, and eventually discovered a computer network funded by the Pentagon. Shortly afterward, the authorities tracked him down because Poulsen had accidentally logged in as himself on one occasion. However, Kevin Poulsen was a minor at the time, so authorities let him off with a warning. Kevin Poulsen continued his illegal activities but was caught again a few years later. On February 8, 1988, owners of a storage building emptied Poulsen's locker because he failed to pay rent on time.

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When the owners of the storage building discovered stolen telephone equipment, they immediately contacted the police. This new investigation revealed that Kevin Poulsen's illegal activities were much more severe. He tracked private phone conversations and trespassed on private property to hack into computer systems. Poulsen had even hacked into the US Army's network and retrieved classified documents. The FBI concluded their investigation and announced 19 indictments against Kevin Poulsen on October 19, 1989. Kevin Poulsen and his accomplices were charged with conspiracy, computer fraud, wiretapping, embezzlement, and public property theft.

While authorities found Poulsen's accomplices, they never found Kevin Poulsen himself. However, after this Unsolved Mysteries segment aired, the FBI was notified of Poulsen's whereabouts, and he was quickly arrested. Kevin Poulsen pleaded guilty to his crimes and was sentenced to over four years in prison in addition to paying $56,000 in compensation. After Poulsen served his sentence, he was released on five years of probation. Now, Kevin Poulsen works as a journalist and has a program on Myspace that catches sex offenders. Poulsen turned his life around and uses his computer skills for positive reasons.

7 David & Patty Stallings: Season 3, Episode 19

A Mother Was Wrongfully Convicted Of Murdering Her Child

On July 9, 1989, Patty and David Stallings rushed to the hospital with their baby, Ryan, who exhibited symptoms of poisoning. The hospital staff immediately suspected that Patty Stallings had poisoned her own child, so David and Patty Stallings could not take their son home and were restricted to seeing him only on supervised visits. Patty Stallings visited her baby again just a few weeks later, and three days afterward, Ryan Stallings was rushed to the hospital for the same reason. Unfortunately, he did not survive the illness this time.

Despite Patty Stallings' insistence on her innocence, authorities charged and tried her for first-degree murder. During this time, she became pregnant and gave birth to another baby boy, David Jr. He was given to foster care but eventually experienced similar symptoms, which doctors attributed to MMA, a rare genetic disorder. However, the prosecution insisted the two cases were different, and the jury convicted Patty Stallings on March 4, 1991. When Unsolved Mysteries aired this segment, doctors called the hotline to vouch for Patty Stallings, and she was subsequently released from prison and reunited with her family.

6 Edward Bell: Season 5, Episode 12

Edward Bell Killed A Marine, Committed Sexual Offenses, & Later Confessed To Being A Serial Killer

On August 24, 1978, Larry Dickens was visiting his mother, Dorothy Lang, in Pasadena, Texas. While Dickens was mowing the lawn, Lang noticed a strange man outside approaching a group of children, naked from the waist down. Lang immediately called the police, while Dickens went to confront the man and protect the children. The strange man, named Edward Harold Bell, took out a gun and shot Larry Dickens four times. Dorothy Lang ran to her son and begged him to stay still while she updated the authorities over the phone.

When Dorothy Lang ran inside, Edward Harold Bell retrieved a rifle from his car and shot Larry Dickens one last time, which Dickens' sister, Dawna Parks, had witnessed. Although Texas authorities arrested Edward Harold Bell, he got out on bail after two months and mysteriously disappeared. Afterward, he was only seen breaking into a house in Bryan, Texas, in September 1984. Bell prepared to attack the woman living there, but she chased him out. However, she did not know who he was until she saw an advertisement for Texas Most Wanted in the newspaper featuring the assailant.

Within minutes of Unsolved Mysteries airing this segment, viewers called in after recognizing Edward Harold Bell in Panama. The Panama police arrested him and brought Bell back to the US, where he was convicted of murdering Larry Dickens and other sexual misconduct charges and sentenced to 70 years. However, the most shocking aspect about Edward Harold Bell is his violent history of sexually abusing children and his confession to being responsible for the Texas Killing Fields, where more than 30 bodies were found over three decades.