10 Biggest Mistakes That Damaged Investigations Into Unsolved Cases 

Do you know of another bungled investigation into an unsolved mystery? Let us know in the comments. For more content like this, click here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Qw0w0XrJ_QU.html Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

The very existence of child beauty contests should be made illegal!

Incompetent police work, untrue statements, failure to follow-up statements. These are some of the major reasons why murders and disappearances go unsolved. One case that comes to mind is the case of Steven Truscott, who was convicted at 14 for killing his 12yo friend, Lynne Harper. He was sentenced to death and just two hours before he was due to be executed, he was commuted to life in prison. He spent 10 years before he was released. He was convicted in 1959 and his name wasn’t cleared until 2007. 48 years. That’s almost half a century. Literally the only evidence detectives had was the eyewitness accounts of 10 year olds and the fact he was the last known person to see Lynne alive. Truscott stated he rode his bike (with Lynne sitting on the handlebars) from the school, passed a wooded area called Farmer Lawson’s Bush (where Lynne’s body was found a day or two later), crossed a bridge and dropped her off at a highway intersection. When Truscott turned around and stopped at the bridge, he looked back and saw a Chevy car stop beside Lynne. Lynne got in and the car drove off. Truscott maintained that’s what he saw but the police did little to investigate and didn’t even check the area for the car Steven described. This case was one of many tragic cases. Truscott lost a majority of his life with “killer” over his head and Lynne Harper’s murder remains unsolved.

As a homicide investigator, I can tell you that probably less than half of all murder get solved. Alot of times there just isn't sufficient evidence and it gets frustrating

It’s kind of eerie to know, how many murder cases go cold.

Jacklyn Dowaliby! The police were so focused on pinning it on her parents that they never tried to find anyone else to be considered a suspect. This was in 1988 and the movie depicting the case, Gone in the Night, did a great job of showing what the family went through. Also, Michael Crowe! They interrogated this 14-year-old child for hours until he "confessed" to the death of his sister, Stephanie. Saw the film for this too, and as a woman who doesn't have children yet, I was so angry that a child was treated this way. This one was in 1998 and no one has been convicted of the crime.

Not securing a crime scene, as was the case with JonBenet Ramsay, was a critical error the police should never have made.

I'm no train expert, but I'm pretty positive that a train weighs more than 6,000lbs

The Springfield 3 that happened in June 1992 is still a huge mystery in my hometown. There are a lot of theories but no real leads. It's heartbreaking.

Regarding the "boys on the track" case, I read on the Unsolved Mysteries page, that it is highly possible those kids, as this video said, "saw something they shouldn't have seen". The person who theorizes on this, adds that the infamous Mena, Arkansas clandestine air strip - where cocaine-filled planes would land (including that of CIA-agent and Pablo Escobar's favorite pilot, Barry Seal)- was very nearby. Back then, the CIA was involved in the Iran-Contra affair, and it was possible that drug-trafficking operations were still being held after the affair blew up. Could it be the boys saw a drug-smuggling operation taking place? 🤔

Vilisca Axe Murders The whole neighborhood went into that house to oogle the crime scene! All of them picked up the murder weapon and it was just a complete mess.

Jack the Ripper: The Metropolitan Police learned fast over the 15-week period. They made many, many mistakes but learned from each one. By the time of what would turn out tobe the last murder, Mary Kelly, the crime scene can be considered the first modern crime scene. Now, on the other hand, their handling of the early crime scenes can be used as a check off list of things you DON'T do to a crime scene. In reaction to one of the very early murders, Polly Nichols, the police, within the first hour, striped and washed the body, threw away the victim's clothes, and scrubbed away the blood. Then, the CID detectives were called in. Lol With no blood, CID assumed the body had been dumped. They spent the first 24 hours searching carriages for blood. It took the next day for the uniforms to tell the plain clothes guys. They had washed away the blood. But by the end, Scotland Yard learned quickly from each mistake.

Other notable screwups include Freeway Phantom Keddie Murders Eric Tamiyasu Vilisca Axe Murders

in 1995, a woman was found dead at the Oslo Plaza hotel. the police ruled it as a suicide, which didn't make sense due to the gun used. this caused the case to be cold and untouched for 21 years. there has been renewed interest in the case, as the gun used in the supposed suicide would've torn her fingers off with the recoil, which it didn't. I think it is an episode about it in season one of Netflix's unsolved mysteries.

This proves why I hate people

Their are a few cases that i can think of being the most bungled, would have to ruby ridge, waco, the Benoit family tragedy.

I have a feeling that the Idaho 4 case will be in the same category since they destroyed the house so quickly

Regarding the Luna Park fire, a quick look at the New South Wales police force's reputation in the '70s and '80s will make the mishandling of any major crime seem like business as usual

I'm surprised Canada's 'Highway of Tears" in British Columbia didn't make the list and near the top. Many indigenous women/girls have disappeared or found murdered over the decades. With many directly the result of the Canadian Government and Police/RCMP's inaction and not taking the disappearances seriously. Excusing many as runaways or fleeing violence at home. One of the very dark marks of Canadian History.

Thanks for meaningful and valuable video as always

I still believe to this day that the family did have something to do with their daughter's death. And the son killed her, because he was jealous of her, and the family is doing all they can to make sure that he never goes to jail and will never answer for the unspeakable crime that will never ever be solved.

Thank you for the update, WatchMojo..!! 11:34 May she and her parents rest in peace..

The Ramsey case is devastating 😢 I remember when it happened 😢 This was a great list 👌 👏

What a sick, sick, sick world we live in.

You could say the OJ Simpson case was bungled too, but most people think of it as the prosecution being "out lawyered" as the dagger in that case (pun intended).

They're trying to say that those boys smoked 20 joints?! Lol that is a hell of a lot of weed and although I know teenagers who can smoke a lot, 20 joints seems excessive. This is definitely some kind of cover up and they are just trying to blame the boys saying they smoked too much and fell asleep on the tracks. Something else definitely happened to them. I hope for the grieving families that the truth is found.

The villisca axe murders come to mind. When the bodies were first discovered people were just walking into the house.

The zodiac one is really damning. Imagine being those officers that walked by him and had no idea. That dispatcher mustve felt so guilty in giving the wrong info

The picture of poor little Ramsey in the thumbnail drew me in, but Other than Jack The Ripper and The Black Dahlya, Zodiac Killer and her, I never heard of any of these other cases and I am 64

What about D.B. Cooper? Hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, a Boeing 727 aircraft, in United States airspace on November 24, 1971.

It's scary how cases go cold. People should not mess with any evidence and should investigate before concluding anything. They sure did make the biggest mistakes. Also, I learned about the fire at an amusement park ride in Australia. I didn't know that was one of the cases unsolved. The guy who built the ride didn't make it safe for people.

I think the most likely killer of Jonbenet Ramsey is the brother. He has a couple of motives. He was jealous that she got more attention than he did. She also ate pineapple out of his pineapple bowl. He could have killed her and then his mother could have written the ransom note so they could frame it as a kidnapping. The ransom note was incredibly long (a kidnapper wouldn't spend the time in there writing a lengthy ransom note. He'd want to get out of there is quickly as possible), it mentioned the dad's Christmas bonus (how would a random kidnapper know that?) and it was in the mom's handwriting. Plus, the ransom note said that the kidnappers had her and she was still alive, when in fact no kidnapper had her (she was found in the basement) and she was dead. Plus, the Ramseys could have invited a lot of people into their home on purpose to contaminate the crime scene so that they'd get away with it. Plus, the brother doesn't seem sad about it.

I went on the Ghost Train in the Sydney Luna Park, as a child. I wouldn’t call it “disorienting”. It was a cheesy attempt at being “scary”, more than anything.

how does the autopsy show una was STABBED AND SET ON FIRE and the police didn't notice ANY of that? how do you look at a body that was stabbed and set on fire and go "looks like a tragic accident"?!

I’m surprised the Springfield 3 and Maura Murray were not on this list. Oh and the west Memphis 3

Truth be told the Ramsey case and of course, the O.J. Simpson case is one of the many many unsolved cases of the years that caught my attention, others being the zodiac case, and of course, unsolved case about that poor girl who got knife wound to the back and nobody recognized that she was deceased because she was wearing a red sweater

Strangely Crimemojo had became less and less scary as years passed but i still bloody love it

Always something and hopefully things get fix and doesn't effect for future as well

#MojoCrime is my favorite Mojo.

Jack the Ripper is the case I'm interested

The first thing I thought of was the Madeline McCann disappearance. The Police wasted time treating the parents as suspects.

May those that passed away rest in peace.

The deaths of the Black Deliah, Jon Bene Ramsey & the mystery of Jack the Ripper cases are the ones the dectivies can't solved.

5:20 You conveniently leave out quite a few things from this entry. Namely how Tiffany had a history of CPS visits against her family, how she'd had a confrontation with them earlier that night, and how a sniffer dog proved she'd taken the exact route the police expected, all but confirming she'd taken her own life.

Nice addition with Ghost Train.

JonBenét's case will never be solved unless someone walks in and says, "Yeah, I did it." There was so much more that happened in not securing the crime scene that this video left out. Police allowed several of their friends and neighbors to come over. Her dad and friends looked for her in the house without police. Her dad grabbed her from the basement and raced upstairs with her. He removed the duct tape from her mouth. Then the police zeroed in on her parents because she was a pageant girl and refused to believe anyone else committed the crime. Then they honed in on her 12 year old brother like idiots. They'll never find that poor baby's killer.

I’m convinced Jon Benet was accidentally killed by her brother and then her parents clumsily attempted to cover it up with the kidnapping plot so they wouldn’t lose both children.

Do you think Kyoko Kirigiri could have solved those cases? I'm sure she can do a better job than those investigators of the cases in this video.

1:30 -- outside of western Edmonton. Unfortunately, Edmonton is the 5th most dangerous city in Canada, let alone Alberta. I know, I lived northwest of Edmonton.

Before I watch this the news reporter talking about they had a shoe print of the night stalker and it was a cheap shoe nobody else would have should be top 3

What about Bob Crane's murder?

Patsy Ramsey wrote her daughters ransom note... sad she got away with it

The Jack the Ripper case will probably never get solved due to the length of time since the murders occurred.

"mistakes" . . . Yeeeeeaah.

These are supposed to be professionals. 🎉

I honestly believe that Jack The Ripper was H.H. Homles. The similarities between the two are too apparent to just be a coincidence

Hello good afternoon 😮😮😮😮😮😮

People keep saying that Jon-Benet's brother killed her out of jealousy. I dont believe that at all. I do believe he knows who killed her and it was someone in that house that night. How can you say that your child has been kidnapped and you didnt check the whole house? She was found by her father in the basement and the parents lawyered up that quick. Hmm sounds very suspicious to me 🤔

always tape off crimes scenes(if able) till the autopsy has been completed so if needed to back and re investigate can do so🤣

Its so sad that Elizabeth Short didn't find her Hollywood fame until after her death.

People are still looking for Natalee Holloway that's a bungled case

West Memphis Three. Police focused on the wrong kids because of prejudice.

Another case is the Setagaya family murders, in Japan. The dad, mom, daughter were brutally stabbed to death and the son was strangled. What's weird is the killer left behind so much EVIDENCE!!! Even his 💩 in the toilet! And it happened at the end of 2000. DNA was already way more advanced. By the way, I 100% agree that SOMEONE in the house killed Jon Benet!

There is a theory that burke murdered jonbenet but was covered by his parents

Police searched Ramsey's house three times and finally her father asked if they had looked behind the central heating unit, and lo and behold, there she was. Then they brought her body upstairs into the living room and everyone who was at the house looking for her had a prayer circle around her body. It wasn't until much later that several practice "ransom notes" were found in the home.

Kurt Cobain's death was not handled correctly

I think jack the ripper was a policeman

The West Memphis Three

Definitely The Jeffrey Dahmer Police Giving That Boy Back To The Murderer.🤦🏿‍♀️

What about george Reeves? Superman from the 50s. His is definitely unsolved.

I often wonder how any crimes ever got solved before DNA testing became a thing.

I think the parents did jonbonet ramsey

6000 pound train? My truck is heavier than that and I can stop it in a hundred feet from 60mph

Use pendulum to solve cold case

Wanna know why you’ll never see a teddy bear eating? It’s because they’re all already stuffed.

I know it's an old take, I still think it was the brother in the Ramsey case and the parents tried to cover it up for him.

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Oh thx, I didn't know law enforcement was incompetent....really breaking news Rebecca😂😂😂

Yeah George reeves.

Sounds like ignorance again when it comes to marijuana with the train case. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Don't forget the OJ Simpsons case?

What body of water is the most detail oriented? The Pacific.

Let's go Brandon!

Bro who gaf about that Ramsey kid I've seen her all my life MOVE TF ON