Every Thanksgiving brings families together, but hidden behind the turkey‑filled tables are ten unsettling unsolved thanksgiving cases that still puzzle investigators.
Unsolved Thanksgiving Cases Overview
10 The Blount Family Briefcase Bombing
On November 28, 1985, Joe Blount was enjoying Thanksgiving with his family in a trailer outside Lake Worth, Texas. Their 15‑year‑old daughter, Angela, discovered a briefcase on the porch. When she opened it, a bomb detonated, killing Joe, Angela, and Angela’s 18‑year‑old cousin, Michael Columbus.
In 1999, Michael Toney was sentenced to death for the blast, largely on testimony from his ex‑wife and former best friend who claimed to have seen him plant the device. Years later, prosecutors were found to have withheld exculpatory evidence, leading to Toney’s conviction being overturned. He was released from death row in September 2009, only to die in a truck crash a month later. The case officially sits back on the unsolved list.
9 The Disappearance Of Karen Mitchell
On November 25, 1997, 16‑year‑old Karen Mitchell was on Thanksgiving break after leaving her aunt’s store at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, California. She never reached her workplace.
A witness reported seeing her climb into a blue sedan driven by an older white male. One suspect that investigators have examined is Robert Durst, the eccentric millionaire featured in HBO’s “The Jinx.” Credit‑card records place Durst in Eureka on the day Karen vanished, and his description matches that of the driver, but no concrete evidence links him to the disappearance.
8 Bayinthavong
On November 28, 2002, a Thanksgiving gathering at the home of Joseph and Evangeline Britt in Tacoma, Washington, turned deadly. An unknown shooter fired several rounds through a curtained front window.
19‑year‑old Kimberly Riley was hit twice in the chest and later died at the hospital. The shooter also killed five‑year‑old Jeremy Britt‑Bayinthavong, a grandchild of the Britt family. Two other occupants survived with injuries. Witnesses saw a dark‑haired man fleeing the scene in a pickup truck, but his identity and motive remain unknown.
7 The Murder Of Beth Lynn Barr
On November 23, 1977, six‑year‑old Beth Lynn Barr left school in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, to walk home for Thanksgiving with her family. She never arrived.
A passerby reported seeing Beth enter a blue sedan driven by an unidentified man. Earlier that day, another woman was approached at a bus stop by a suspicious man in a blue sedan; she recalled the license plate. The sedan was later located at a nearby rental agency, but records showed it had not been checked out that day.
In March 1979, Beth’s skeletal remains were discovered in a makeshift grave near Monroeville. She had been stabbed multiple times in the chest. Investigators suspect the killer may have stolen the rental car to abduct Beth and then returned it, but the perpetrator has never been identified.
6 The Disappearance Of Paul Knockel
In 1990, 53‑year‑old Paul Knockel was slated to join his relatives for Thanksgiving dinner, but he never showed up. When his family checked his Dubuque, Iowa home, both Paul and his vehicle were gone, though his wallet, watch, and shoes were left behind.
The last confirmed contact with Paul was on November 12. A relative later claimed to have seen his car parked along Route 151 just across the Wisconsin border. Despite the unusual circumstances, Paul has never been seen again.
5 The Murder Of John H. Woodruff
In 1919, John H. Woodruff worked as a game protector in Schenectady County, New York. On November 27, he set out to patrol the area on Thanksgiving Day and never returned.
His remains were uncovered on April 4, 1921, buried beneath stones near a creek bed. The top half of his skull had been removed, suggesting a heavy object struck his head.
Woodruff’s wife said he had received a threatening letter months earlier, which he destroyed without sharing its contents. A witness reported seeing Woodruff argue with an unidentified man on the day he vanished, but the case remains unsolved a century later.
4 The Neshaminy Creek John Doe
On November 27, 1997, a woman bird‑watching at her boyfriend’s home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, spotted what looked like a heron at Neshaminy Creek. The “heron” turned out to be a pair of sneakers belonging to a decomposing body wedged between rocks.
The victim was a Black male in his late teens or early twenties, wearing green Tommy Hilfiger clothing. No identification was found, and the body appeared to have been in the creek only a few days. Authorities could not match the remains to any missing person, and the cause of death was never determined.
3 The Murders Of Courtney Lindsay And Angelita Gauntlett
On November 23, 1989, Courtney Lindsay and Angelita Gauntlett left a party in Miramar, Florida, with their friend Cecilia Best. As they headed home, a gunman pursued them, blocked their vehicle, and opened fire.
Both Lindsay and Gauntlett were killed; Best survived her wounds. The shooter was identified only as “Bull,” a suspected drug trafficker linked to a Jamaican gang. Although his face was captured on home video, his real name remains unknown.
2 The Disappearance Of Cynthia Alonzo
On November 25, 2004, 48‑year‑old Cynthia Alonzo told neighbors she was heading to her mother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. She was last seen getting into a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, Eric Mora.
Police noted scratches on Mora’s hands and traces of Cynthia’s blood in his home. In 2012, Mora was convicted of her murder based largely on a jailhouse informant’s testimony. The conviction was overturned in 2016 because his defense was denied the chance to present evidence pointing to other suspects. Mora remains awaiting a second trial, and Cynthia’s body has never been recovered.
1 The Murder Of Soulja Slim
James “Soulja Slim” Tapp was a New Orleans rapper who rose to fame with the 2004 hit “Slow Motion.” On November 26, 2003, the night before Thanksgiving, he arrived at his mother’s house and was shot four times on the front lawn.
Police arrested Garelle Smith a month later, alleging he had been paid $10,000 for a contract killing. No witnesses came forward, and the charge was dropped. Smith later faced other murder accusations, but he was shot dead in August 2011. The case remains an unsolved thanksgiving mystery.
True‑crime podcaster Robin Warder discusses this case on his show “The Trail Went Cold.”