Some deaths are so bizarre, brutal, or baffling that they remain unsolved for years, decades, or even centuries. Here are five cases of mysterious deaths where foul play was suspected, but never proven.
Jamie Stickle
Jamie Stickle was a popular bartender and beloved member of the LGBTQ+ community in Pittsburgh, PA. On Feb. 8, 2002, her body was found in her jeep, which had been set on fire outside her apartment on the North Side. There was evidence that she had been assaulted at the front door of her apartment, dragged to her jeep, and placed inside while still alive. Despite a great deal of evidence indicating a homicide, Jamie’s case was never classified as such, and remains unsolved to this day.
Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington
Ricky Johnson, Clayton McGeeney, and David Harrington were three Kansas City Chiefs fans who went to their friend Jordan Willis’ Missouri home on Jan. 7, 2024, to watch a football game. Two days later, their bodies were found frozen in the backyard of the home. Police said there were no signs of foul play, but the families of the victims suspected that something sinister had happened. They wondered if Willis, who claimed to be a scientist, had given them some substance that caused their deaths. Toxicology reports are still pending.
The Jennings Eight
The Jennings Eight, also known as the Jeff Davis Eight, are a group of eight women who were found dead in swamps and canals around Jennings, Louisiana, between 2005 and 2009. All of the victims were from the same part of town and knew each other. The case remains unsolved, despite several investigations and allegations of police corruption and cover-ups. The Jennings Eight case has attracted national attention and inspired books, documentaries, and podcasts.
Chicago River and Lake Michigan Victims
In 2021, several dead bodies were discovered in the Chicago River and the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline and harbors. All of them were young men, and most of them had no signs of trauma or injury. The police ruled most of the deaths as accidental drownings, but some citizens wondered if the deaths were somehow connected or the work of a serial killer. Some of the victims had been reported missing after a night out, and some had high levels of alcohol or drugs in their systems. The cases remain unsolved and controversial.
Cindy James
Cindy James was a nurse and a divorcee who lived in Vancouver, Canada. In 1982, she began receiving threatening phone calls, letters, and vandalism at her home. She reported over 100 incidents of harassment, stalking, and assault to the police, but they could never find any suspects or evidence. Some of the attacks were so violent that Cindy was hospitalized, but the police suspected that she was either lying or harming herself. On June 8, 1989, Cindy’s body was found near an abandoned house, with a nylon stocking tied around her neck and multiple drugs in her system. Her death was ruled as either an accident or a suicide, but her family and friends believed that she was murdered by an unknown assailant.
Jaime Stickle is a writer, producer, and professor who holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside. She is the producer and host of the new true crime podcast “The Girl with the Same Name: The Cold Case of Jamie Stickle.” She was selected as a Fellow for the Virginia G. Piper Desert Nights Rising Stars writers conference and teaches storytelling, podcasting, and Los Angeles media industry for the Montclair State University study in L.A. program. She is currently in editing on her debut novel represented by the Hill Nadell Literary Agency.
