10. The murder of Aarushi Talwar
On 16 May 2008, the body of 13-year old Aarushi Talwar was discovered at her home in Noida, India. Her throat had been slit. When police couldn't find the family's live-in domestic worker, 45-year old Hemraj Banjade, he became a prime suspect. That was until 17 May, when Banjade's body was discovered on a terrace at the house.
Next up to be considered suspects were Aarushi's parents. It was thought that her father, Rajesh, may have happened upon his daughter and Banjade in an unsavoury position and killed them. Another theory was that Rajesh had been involved in an affair and had been confronted by his daughter and blackmailed by Banjade and he therefore decided to get rid of them both.
The case was eventually given over to the CBI, who did not find any proof that Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were responsible the murders. The CBI also investigated two other domestic servants and a personal assistant, but nothing came of this. After the case was handed over to yet another team, Aarushi's parents were convicted and handed life terms in November 2013. In 2017, they were acquitted after they challenged the decision.
To this day, there has been no other leads in the double Noida murder. The killer remains free, and it seems unlikely that the case will be solved any time soon.
9. Smiley face murders
Over a timespan of more than 20 years, around 350 young men drowned in lakes and other bodies of water in Midwestern American states. It became known that police officers had come across graffiti in the form of smiley faces near at least 12 locations where drownings occurred. Several people including NY detectives, Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte, believe these drownings to be murders committed by either a lone serial killer or a group of serial killers.Their theory is that the men were most likely drugged after being abducted and then murdered before being disposed of by dumping them in lakes and rivers. The detectives also believe that the serial killers include both men and women.
Victims include 21-year old Brian Welzien who disappeared on New Year's Day in 2000. His decomposing remains were found 8 weeks later in a lake in Indiana. In 2009, 24-year old William Hurley was missing for 6 days before being found dead and floating in a river in Boston. One of the smiley faces were spotted near the river.
While the FBI is not convinced and say that the drownings are most likely alcohol-related, private investigations continue. A documentary on the drownings saw the light in early 2019. Whether the detectives will ever find serial killers lurking in the periphery and bring them to book, remains to be seen.
8. Jennifer Beard murder
Two days after New Year's celebrations in 1970, a couple travelling past the Haast River in decided to stop at the Haast River bridge to allow their young daughter to use the bathroom. When the 8-year old returned to the car, she told her parents she saw a naked lady. Dismissing it as an active imagination, they told their daughter to get back in the car and they continued their journey.
On the 19th of January, police discovered the "naked lady" under the bridge. She was dead; having been raped and strangled. It was believed that 25-year old Jennifer Beard, as she was later identified, had been ambushed while using the nearby bathroom. She had been reported missing by her fiancé several days earlier. During the police investigation, witnesses claimed to have seen the young woman in a blue-green Vauxhall driven by a middle-aged man. A truck driver fitting the description and driving the same model car was questioned but never charged. A pair of trousers were found a few metres away from the crime scene and was sent away for analysis. Unfortunately, authorities forgot about the pants for several months. When they were examined afterwards, a receipt bearing the name of the truck driver was discovered in one of the pockets. Still, the Crown refused to lay charges, citing insufficient evidence.
