10 Additional Strange Enigmas

Sherlock Holmes remains the most frequently depicted literary figure in movies and TV for a reason: people are captivated by intriguing mysteries. Whether it's straightforward puzzles or spine-chilling riddles, we are drawn to the unknown. In a world dominated by satellites and digital data, the idea that some mysteries remain unsolved fascinates us. Here are ten incredibly bizarre enigmas, ranging from eerie stories of death and chaos to the vast unknowns at the universe's edge.

10. The Wilberforce Enigma

We start our list with a lighter tale before delving into darker mysteries. Samuel Wilberforce, a British clergyman, eventually became the Bishop of Oxford. In 1859, Charles Darwin released “On the Origin of Species,” introducing the theory of evolution. The church, particularly Wilberforce, strongly opposed it, leading to a heated debate in 1860. Darwin, too ill to attend, sent his supporter Thomas Huxley to argue on his behalf. Wilberforce and Huxley clashed fiercely, and while no clear winner emerged, many believe Huxley prevailed, especially after his remark caused a religious woman to faint: “I am not ashamed to have a monkey for an ancestor, but I would be ashamed to be connected with a man who uses his talents to obscure the truth.”

Beyond his ecclesiastical duties, Wilberforce had a passion for writing, especially riddles. Upon his death in 1873, he left behind this enigmatic puzzle, the solution to which remains unknown.

“Sweetest of sounds, heard in an orchestra, Yet never part of one, A bird adorned in light feathers, yet unlike any bird, Nothing in nature resembles it, On land, I perish, in water, I expire, Yet I run, swim, and soar, If a boy or man cannot solve me, A girl or woman surely can!”

The riddle's clues are fascinating, sparking numerous theories (the most notable suggesting a whale), but the true answer likely perished with the Bishop. [Note: Could the answer be a whistle? You heard it here first at Mytour!]

9. The Isdal Woman

In November 1970, hikers discovered the burned and battered body of a woman in Norway’s Isdalen Valley. The scene included scattered sleeping pills, many of which had been consumed, and gas canisters. Her fingerprints had been erased, and she was later connected to suitcases found at a Bergen train station, where all clothing labels had been removed. Investigators uncovered 500 German marks, a lotion prescription bottle with the doctor’s details torn off, and a diary filled with coded notes. Dental records suggested work done in Latin America. It was revealed she had traveled across Europe under various aliases, often seen in wigs, frequently changing hotels, and speaking multiple languages.

Details about the case are scarce and difficult to obtain. A witness emerged three decades later, claiming to have seen the woman in the forest accompanied by two men in black coats. He was allegedly silenced by police when he initially reported the sighting. Many believe the Isdal woman was a spy, given the Cold War context of 1970. Despite one of Norway’s largest investigations, her identity remains unknown. Eerily, this case mirrors the Taman Shud mystery from 1948, which also involved an unidentified victim with removed clothing tags, a coded diary, and an abandoned suitcase at a train station. Both cases remain unsolved.

8. The Atacama Alien

In 2003, a miniature humanoid skeleton was discovered near a churchyard in a deserted Chilean town. Measuring just six inches, the skeleton, nicknamed Ata, had a severely deformed skull and was initially suspected to be extraterrestrial. Sent to Stanford University for analysis, DNA tests confirmed Ata was a human boy who had died recently. However, the skeleton’s anomalies, such as development resembling a six-year-old and only 10 ribs instead of the usual 12, remain puzzling. Researchers speculate Ata may have been a dwarf or suffered from a condition like progeria, causing rapid aging in the womb. Others suggest he was stillborn or aborted, with the process distorting his body. Further studies may uncover the truth.

7. The Bloody Benders

After the Civil War, many Americans ventured west to escape the devastation of battlefields and ruined cities. Those who passed through Kansas and stayed at the Bender family’s inn were risking their lives. The Benders, of Germanic origin (the “parents” spoke little English, and the “children” had accents), remain shrouded in mystery. They settled in Kansas in 1870, running a small inn and general store. The family consisted of John Bender Sr., 60, Ma Bender, 55, and their supposed children, John Jr., around 25, and Kate, about 23. Their true names and relationships (many doubt they were biologically related) may never be known.

Travelers often carried all their savings, and the Benders saw an opportunity to profit by robbing them. They devised a scheme where guests sat at a table under a trapdoor. Unaware, the male Benders would attack from behind, bludgeon them, and slit their throats. The bodies would then drop through the trapdoor, be stripped, and robbed. As corpses piled up in the area, the local Indian tribe was initially blamed. However, when a man and his infant daughter disappeared in 1872, a neighbor launched an investigation that pointed to the Benders. Before action could be taken, the family vanished.

A search of their cabin uncovered the bloodstained room beneath the trapdoor, and nine bodies were found buried on the property. The true number of victims is unknown, as some bodies may never have been discovered. The case became a sensation, with souvenir hunters taking pieces of the cabin. The Benders were briefly mentioned by Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of “Little House on the Prairie,” who claimed her father participated in the manhunt, though her account has been disputed.

Despite a $3,000 reward—a fortune at the time—the Benders were never captured or held accountable. Numerous theories about their fate exist, ranging from being caught by vigilantes or taking their own lives, to being arrested under aliases or escaping entirely. The Benders are long gone, and their dark legacy remains a mystery lost to history.

6. The Burke and Hare Murder Dolls

In the late 1820s, two men in Edinburgh, Scotland, embarked on a macabre business venture. William Hare, who owned a boarding house, and William Burke, both Irishmen, became partners in crime. When a tenant at Hare’s house died, they sold the body to Edinburgh University. Realizing the profit potential but facing a shortage of bodies, they began creating their own supply. Over time, they murdered 16 people, primarily by suffocation, and sold the corpses to Dr. Knox at the university. Their spree ended when a tenant discovered a body and alerted the police. Though they disposed of the evidence, their crimes were exposed.

Hare betrayed Burke to secure his own freedom. Burke met a fate similar to his victims: after his execution, his body was publicly dissected. Hare disappeared, never to resurface.

The tale doesn’t conclude with the murders. Shortly after the spree, a young boy exploring a cave in Edinburgh stumbled upon a set of carved wooden dolls. There were 17 in total, each the size of a finger and hidden in its own miniature coffin. Observers quickly noted the eerie resemblance between the dolls and Burke & Hare’s victims, both in number and appearance. DNA tests on the dolls against Burke’s remains proved inconclusive. Only eight of the 17 dolls survive today, displayed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The creator of these grim figurines and their intended meaning remain a mystery.

5. The Oakland County Child Killer

From 1976 to 1977, an unidentified murderer terrorized Oakland County, Michigan, abducting and killing at least four children: Mark Stebbins, 12, Jill Robinson, 12, Kristine Mihelich, 10, and Timothy King, 11. Mark was strangled and sexually assaulted, Jill was shot in the face, Kristine was smothered, and Timothy was suffocated and assaulted similarly to Mark. Each child was held captive for days before being meticulously placed where they would be discovered. Jill’s body was found near a police station. The killings sparked widespread fear, with children closely guarded and at least one man wrongly attacked for speaking to a child.

A large-scale investigation identified several suspects, but no conclusive evidence was found. Recently, some have speculated that serial killer John Wayne Gacy might be involved, though this seems unlikely as his crimes typically targeted older teenage boys. The murders abruptly ceased in 1978.

One of the most haunting details of the case was a letter penned by Timothy King’s mother in the “Detroit News.” Marion King pleaded with her son’s captor to release him so he could return home and enjoy his favorite meal, Kentucky Fried Chicken. When Timothy’s body was discovered, an autopsy revealed the killer had fed him fried chicken before his death.

4. The Mellified Man

The tale of the mellified man might make you reconsider adding honey to your tea for a while. Ancient Chinese texts describe an Arabian practice where elderly men nearing death would consume only honey. Over time, their sweat and waste would become entirely honey-based. Upon death, their bodies were placed in honey-filled stone coffins. After a century, the honey was harvested and used as a medicinal remedy, particularly for treating broken bones.

Accounts of mellified men are scarce, with the most notable mention by Chinese pharmacologist Li Shizhen in his “Bencao Gangmu.” While honey is known for its eternal shelf life and antimicrobial properties, including the protein defensin-1, the efficacy of this remedy is disputed. Whether this practice is legend or reality remains unclear, as few elderly individuals are willing to replicate the experiment.

3. The Hinterkaifeck Murders

The Hinterkaifeck murders rank among the most horrifying and enigmatic crimes in German history. The Gruber family included Andreas, his wife Cazilia, their widowed adult daughter Viktoria, and her children, young Cazilia and Josef. They employed a maid named Maria Baumgartner, who tragically worked only one day before her death; the previous maid had quit, claiming the house was haunted. They resided on a small farmstead named Hinterkaifeck, located about 40 miles from Munich.

In late March 1922, Andreas shared strange occurrences with neighbors: he had spotted footprints leading from the forest to his farm but none returning. Even more bizarre, he heard footsteps in the attic and discovered an unfamiliar newspaper. A set of house keys also went missing. Then, on March 31, the entire family was brutally murdered in the barn, one by one, with a pickaxe. Their bodies were discovered days later. Investigators concluded the killer stayed on the farm afterward, as neighbors saw chimney smoke and the animals were cared for. While robbery was initially suspected, the theory was discarded when a significant amount of cash was found in the house.

To this day, the Gruber family’s murderer remains unknown. The Munich Police Department conducted investigations for decades, yet no suspect was ever brought to justice. Some speculate the killer was Viktoria’s husband, Karl Gabriel, who was declared killed in action during World War I trench warfare. Notably, Karl’s body was never recovered.

2. The Great Attractor

With the widespread acceptance of the Big Bang theory, we often envision the universe as endlessly expanding from a single origin, akin to a firework explosion. However, other forces are at play, some beyond our comprehension. Gravity pulls us in various directions—just as the moon orbits the Earth, the Earth is drawn by the sun. Yet, there exists a far more powerful force, one that defies human understanding.

The Great Attractor challenges everything we know. This gravitational anomaly, located 150-250 million light-years away, is pulling the Milky Way galaxy toward it at 14 million miles per hour. To exert such force, the Great Attractor would need the mass of tens of thousands of galaxies, yet astronomers have found nothing matching this description. Even a massive black hole would pale in comparison. The true nature of the Great Attractor may remain a mystery; despite the incredible speed at which we’re drawn toward it, reaching it would take countless human lifetimes.

1. Ghost Photos

Most ghostly occurrences fall into two categories: deliberate deception and misinterpretation. Deceivers craft elaborate stories, manipulate photos and videos, and seek attention at any cost. Others genuinely believe they’ve encountered the paranormal, but many factors can mislead—a shadow in the corner of your eye, an old house settling, or a mouse scratching in the walls. Once paranoia sets in, everything seems suspicious. Many “haunted” locations are rich in infrasound, a low-frequency noise undetectable by human ears but subconsciously felt. Infrasound often accompanies catastrophic events like volcanic eruptions or predator growls, but it can also come from harmless sources like heating ducts or ceiling fans. This unseen sound evokes an inexplicable sense of dread.

Cameras, however, aren’t influenced by human survival instincts, and countless ghost photos exist worldwide. Today, even basic knowledge of editing tools like Photoshop can create far more convincing ghost images than those from the past. Even in photography’s early days, techniques like double exposure allowed for trickery. Yet, some photos, taken by photographers with no motive to deceive and scrutinized by experts, remain unexplained and chilling. Examples include “The Back Seat Ghost” (top), “Freddy Jackson” (middle), and “The Ghost of Boot Hill Cemetery” (bottom), all of which defy explanation.