Cold Case Detective

During the 19th century, it was all too commonplace to see alternative medicines being offered as cure-alls for ailments suffered by the general public. The dangerous poison strychnine was handed out as a performance enhancer for athletes; heroin was presented as a fix for unwell children and cocaine was used to treat alcoholism, with Sigmund Freud himself calling the substance a “magical drug.” It was widely available in powder form, wines and soft drinks. 

Thankfully, in 2023, medicine has come a long way. But back then, science was of course not so advanced and the general public didn’t have access to information the way we do today. As a result, they were often misinformed and relied on those who sold themselves as doctors. One of the most nightmarish figures of the late 19th and early 20th century who masqueraded as a health professional was a woman by the name of Linda Hazzard.

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For many of us, the 1950s conjures up images of perky housewives in full skirts; the iconic Chevrolet Bel Air, and rock and roll bands in matching suits, armed with "Elvis" microphones. But like with any decade, the 1950s wasn't immune to crime, and it has an abundance of cold cases just waiting to be solved. In today's video, we aim to shed light on just a few of them as we take a look at Three Disturbing Cold Cases from the 1950s.

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In 1946, 18-year-old Paula Jean Welden was a student at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont where she studied art, though she was considering changing her major to botany. When not in school, she lived with her parents and her three younger sisters in Stamford, Connecticut. By all accounts she was a true creative soul - she loved painting in all sorts of mediums, playing guitar and spending time outdoors. In fact, she was a fairly experienced hiker and camper, so when she vanished in the winter of 1946 after leaving for a hike, it came as a surprise to everybody who knew her.

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So far in 2022, the Unidentified Wiki database shows that 28 John and Jane Does have gained back their identities. Genealogy has been a massive help to law enforcement over the last few years, allowing them to identify not only victims but suspects and perpetrators in dozens of unsolved cold cases. However, it is not always so simple - there are many cases in which the dead are identified, but their killers remain nameless. In today’s video, we’ll be exploring two horrific still-unsolved cases of recently identified Jane Does.

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For many of us, it's our worst fear: to lose a loved one at the hands of another, and never receive answers or justice. But, unfortunately, there are hundreds of cases just like this across the globe. From unidentified Does with nobody to miss them, to the gruesome slaying of children, these are just three horrific historic mysteries that will leave you with more questions than answers.

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Home to the Sundance Film Festival, Butch Cassidy and an expansive mountain range beloved by skiers across the country, Utah is one of America’s most beautiful states. But it is also known to the true-crime community as the birthplace of Gary Ridgway and was, at one point, one of Ted Bundy’s favourite haunts. It is a state full of grisly cold cases. In today’s episode of Cold-Case Detective, we’ll be exploring three chilling unsolved cases from Utah.

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From the outside, 1117 Morningside Avenue looked like a standard American home. White panelled and consisting of two storeys, it was a cosy place for Billy Isom, Freta Bostic and Jesse Hanni to call their own. But when they were all found dead inside one winter morning, the feeling of homeliness changed. As the police tried to discover the secrets it held within its walls, the structure seemed intimidating and foreboding, unable to shed light on one of Iowa’s most grizzly crimes.

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In Sweden, around 25,000 people are reported missing every year. Although the vast majority of those people are found, about 2,700 of them are discovered dead. Linda Chen, unfortunately, became one of those statistics after she suddenly and inexplicably vanished in the summer of 2009.

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Langtang National Park is one of Nepal's most inviting tourist attractions. With breathtaking mountain views and clear, glassy lakes, the park spawns 660 square miles and is home to some of the country's most spectacular wildlife, including snow leopards and red pandas. While the park attracts up to 18,000 visitors a year, it is no stranger to losing some of those travellers. Aubrey Sacco is one of those who vanished within its boundaries, never to be seen again.

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In 2022, a study using 2020 FBI crime data revealed that New Mexico has the second-highest rate of violent crime of any US state. Further information showed that it has had an abysmally poor clearance rate over the last few years of just over 30% between 2019 and 2021. Unfortunately, for those of us in the true crime community, this isn’t particularly new information; some of the most well-known unsolved cases in our whole community come from New Mexico, including the West Mesa slayings and the vanishing of Tara Calico. In today’s video, however, we aim to shed light on some lesser-known cases from the state, as we explore three disturbing unsolved disappearances from New Mexico.

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