3. Body in the Basement

Another episode provided from the newly released season, “Body in the Basement,” covered one of the darkest episodes and provides no clear answer. When a man returns home after visiting his mother for the weekend, he stumbles into a spouse’s worst nightmare. Casually looking around the house for his wife Amanda, Lee goes into the basement to find one of the bloodiest crime scenes shown on Unsolved Mysteries. Soaking the basement floor and splattering the walls is his wife’s blood, with her body lying in a pool of her blood. Looming over the case is the chilling thought of what Amanda’s final moments must have been like. After the investigation ends, the time of death coincides with the moment Amanda abruptly ended a phone call with Lee a few days before. 

Typically in cases like these, viewers and investigators are quick to assume the husband is involved, but from the information provided in the episode, this doesn’t seem to be the case. As the episode develops, numerous theories are proposed that have threads of believability, but lack of evidence holds them back from being true. From a possible attempted rape that turned into murder, to the sister-in-law potentially at fault, to the death even being just a horrific accident, the case has no real hard truths that explain what caused the death. Outside of purely being a stomach churning case, the horrific manner of death leaves viewers wondering how something like this occurred. Was it an accident? If not, did the assailant have a relationship with Amanda, or was it a passerby that saw an opportunity to strike? Whatever the cause, it’s a case that’s frustrating since justice hasn’t been served. 

2. What Happened to Josh?

In what originally started out as a typical disappearance case, this Unsolved Mysteries story took an unusual turn. This case followed the disappearance of college student Joshua Guimond from St. John’s University in 2002. On a cold November night, Josh  plays cards with his friends when he suddenly leaves without his coat, car keys, wallet, or glasses, and also leaves his schoolwork on his desk with his computer on. The following day, his friends realize no one has seen him. On top of that, Josh is one of three white male students who disappeared from campus within an 11-day time period. The beginning of the episode throws out several plausible explanations, showcasing how law enforcement was baffled by the sudden vanishing of Josh, only to learn that he was looking into stories of sexual abuse and cover-ups from local monks living on campus. Along with that, items from his computer hard drive were erased. 

From details of the last time his friends saw him, it appears that Josh wasn’t planning on being gone long. But what would have caused him to leave his room so suddenly? While some speculate that the monks had something to do with it, near the end of the episode, the filmmakers expose details of Josh having profiles on online dating chat rooms pretending to be a woman as he wrote to other men. This seems like an obvious case of foul play, but as to who’s responsible, viewers will likely never know. 

1. Mystery on the Rooftop

Reintroducing viewers to the long-running series, “Mystery on the Rooftop” details the disappearance and death of newlywed Rey Rivera. The mystery begins after Rey suddenly rushes out of his house, only to disappear soon after. Confused by the manner with which he left, Rey’s car is found days later and his body is eventually discovered in the conference room of the Belvedere hotel, which had a hole in the roof. The police chalk Rey’s death up as a suicide, but his wife and family suspect foul play, especially given the numerous odd details from the night of his disappearance and the manner of his death. 

This episode that launched the Netflix reboot still stands as the series most mysterious. Whereas most cases presented in Unsolved Mysteries have some threads to go off of, no matter how thin, this case is an open slate. Some theories are presented, but none of them seem logical or provide an explanation for all of the weird details. It’s a case that seems to have been pulled straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. Even though the family denies that Rey would ever commit suicide, it seems like that is the only possible explanation. However, there’s also too much evidence that goes against the theory that Rey jumped off of the roof, such as his glasses and other personal items found in perfect condition lying next to his body. It’s another case that sends a shiver down viewer’s spines, while also leaving them wanting to know what caused his death. 

Unsolved Mysteries is currently streaming on Netflix.