Buzz
Among the most perplexing vanishings in history is that of the famous French inventor Louis Le Prince. In 1890, while traveling by train to Paris, Le Prince inexplicably disappeared without leaving a trace, never to be found. The mystery deepened as no one could explain how a person could vanish from a moving train. Rail travel has long been associated with a series of bewildering unsolved cases, ranging from unexplained disappearances and murders to derailments and eerie supernatural events.
10. The Derailment of the Sunset Limited
On October 9, 1995, the Amtrak train Sunset Limited, en route from Los Angeles to Miami, was crossing a trestle in a secluded Arizona desert area. At around 1:40 AM, the train unexpectedly derailed, causing four cars to plunge 9 meters (30 ft) into a ravine. The accident claimed the life of an attendant, Mitchell Bates, and left more than 100 passengers injured.
It soon became evident that the derailment was an intentional act of sabotage. A total of 29 spikes had been removed from the tracks, allowing the rails to be displaced. The saboteur meticulously ensured the rail’s signal circuits remained functional, preventing the train from detecting any track issues. This level of precision indicated that the individual responsible possessed extensive knowledge of railroad systems.
Interestingly, the technique used to derail the Sunset Limited closely mirrored a 1939 sabotage incident that caused the City of San Francisco passenger train to crash in the Nevada desert, resulting in 24 fatalities. An article detailing the City of San Francisco disaster had appeared in a railway journal just prior to the Sunset Limited incident, potentially serving as inspiration for the saboteur.
At the scene of the crash, investigators discovered four typewritten notes claiming responsibility for the attack. These notes were signed by “Sons of the Gestapo” and referenced controversial events involving the ATF and FBI, including the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff and the 1993 Waco siege. Despite this, no evidence has been found to confirm the existence of a group called “Sons of the Gestapo,” and the perpetrator’s identity remains unknown.
9. The Killing of Rashawn Brazell
On the morning of February 14, 2005, 19-year-old Rashawn Brazell, a Brooklyn resident, missed all his scheduled appointments. Witnesses later reported seeing him outside his apartment around 7:30 AM after an unidentified man rang his buzzer. Rashawn was then observed entering the Gates Avenue subway station with the man. Unconfirmed sightings of the pair were also reported at the Nostrand Avenue station later that day. Early on February 17, transit workers at the Nostrand station discovered two bags near the tracks. One held tools and bloodied drill bits, while the other contained dismembered parts of Rashawn Brazell.
In the following days, additional remains of Rashawn were found in trash bags at a nearby recycling facility. His head was never recovered. Medical analysis suggested Rashawn may have survived for two days after his disappearance, indicating he could have endured torture before his death. As Rashawn was openly homosexual, some speculated his murder was a hate crime, though no evidence supported this claim.
One notable clue was the bag containing the bloody drill bits, which was a type sold exclusively to Metropolitan Transit Authority employees. Since Rashawn’s remains were found in a restricted area of the subway station, it’s theorized the killer might be a transit worker. It remains unclear if the man seen with Rashawn outside his apartment was the killer, and the investigation has yet to identify any concrete suspects.
8. The St. Louis Ghost Train
For over a century, the village of St. Louis, Saskatchewan, has been known for a supernatural occurrence called the “St. Louis Ghost Train.” At an old railway crossing outside the village, people have reported seeing a mysterious train light that appears in the distance and slowly approaches. This light is often accompanied by a smaller red light, and both vanish inexplicably before reaching the crossing.
Local folklore suggests that a train conductor was decapitated on this stretch of track, leading to the belief that the large light symbolizes the train and the red light represents a lantern carried by the headless conductor’s spirit. Despite the railway being abandoned for over three decades and the tracks being removed, the eerie lights continue to appear.
In a recent attempt to unravel the mystery, two high school students conducted an experiment for a science fair project. They stationed themselves at the railway crossing while one of their fathers used car headlights from various distant locations. When the car was positioned on a hilltop highway 8 kilometers (5 mi) away, both students observed lights resembling the Ghost Train. They proposed that the vehicle’s lights were amplified by an optical effect called diffraction.
Although the students earned an award at the science fair, many locals remain unconvinced by their explanation, as sightings of the Ghost Train predate the use of automobiles in the area.
7. The Vanishing of Martin Allen
On November 5, 1979, 15-year-old Martin Allen left school and spent time with friends at London’s King’s Cross station before boarding a train home. He never arrived and was reported missing shortly after. A witness later claimed to have seen a boy resembling Martin at Gloucester Road station that day, appearing nervous and accompanied by an unidentified man. The man was gripping the boy’s shoulder and cautioning him not to flee.
Over the years, bizarre developments have emerged in this case. In 1998, a shrine dedicated to Martin Allen was discovered in the home of a suspected pedophile. This individual matched the description of the man last seen with Martin, but authorities were unable to link him definitively to the disappearance.
Martin’s family suspects a large-scale cover-up in his case. They were recently told that crucial files and evidence related to his disappearance were destroyed in a flood. Additionally, a police officer reportedly took some files with him upon retiring and moving to Spain, further complicating the investigation.
Speculation suggests Martin’s disappearance may be tied to a scandal involving an organized pedophile ring, which allegedly supplied children to influential figures at a brothel called the Elm Guest House during the 1970s and ’80s. An anonymous witness, claiming to be a victim of the ring, stated he was abused by an MP as a child and witnessed the killing of three boys, one of whom might have been Martin. Despite these claims, Martin’s case remains unresolved.
6. The Vanishing of Jesus De Galindez
Born in Spain, Jesus de Galindez spent six years in the Dominican Republic before relocating to New York City in 1946. He became a political science professor at Columbia University and authored a doctoral dissertation condemning the oppressive regime of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo allegedly sent agents to offer Galindez $25,000 to abandon his dissertation, but Galindez stood firm.
On March 12, 1956, Galindez concluded a class at Columbia and accepted a ride from a student to the subway station at 57th Street and 8th Avenue. After entering the station, he was never seen again.
Nine months later, Galindez’s disappearance was linked to another mysterious case when the abandoned car of American pilot Gerald Murphy was found near a cliff in the Dominican Republic. Investigations revealed that Galindez had been kidnapped from the subway and flown on a plane piloted by Murphy and Octavio de la Maza. Galindez was reportedly handed over to Trujillo, who ordered his execution. Murphy had allegedly disclosed his involvement to his fiancee, and he too vanished shortly after.
Although Murphy’s body was never recovered, the Dominican government arrested Octavio de la Maza for his murder. In January 1957, de la Maza was found hanged in his cell, leaving a suicide note confessing to pushing Murphy off a cliff. Many believe the note was fabricated. Despite Galindez’s body never being found, poetic justice was served when de la Maza’s brother played a role in Trujillo’s assassination in 1961.
5. The Killing of Seymour Barmore
In 1868, Seymour Barmore, a private investigator from Cincinnati, was hired by Tennessee governor William Gannaway Brownlow for a unique mission. After the US Civil War, the Klu Klux Klan had been terrorizing and murdering individuals as part of their opposition to Reconstruction. Brownlow tasked Barmore with infiltrating the KKK and gathering intelligence for the authorities.
Barmore took on the mission, but the Klan soon discovered he was a spy. He was kidnapped from a train by several Klansmen, held overnight, and threatened to cease his activities. Despite the warning, Barmore remained committed to his task. Two days later, he boarded a train to Pulaski and infiltrated a secret KKK gathering. Afterward, he took a late-night train to Nashville, but it stopped abruptly near Columbia. Over a dozen masked Klansmen boarded the train and abducted him once again.
This time, Barmore was hanged and shot multiple times before his body was discarded in the Duck River. Rumors suggested Barmore had a notebook listing the names of prominent Tennessee Klansmen, but it vanished after his death. It was also believed that many train crew members were Klansmen who had been instructed to stop for his abduction. Despite clear evidence implicating the KKK in Barmore’s murder, no individuals were ever identified or prosecuted.
4. The Phantom of William Terriss
In November 1955, Jack Hayden, a ticket collector at London’s Covent Garden tube station, was closing up for the night when he came across a well-dressed man wearing gloves and carrying a cane. After Hayden unlocked the gate to let him out, the man vanished without a trace.
Four days later, Hayden spotted the same man on a staircase, but he disappeared again when Hayden tried to speak to him. Two other employees also reported seeing the ghostly figure. When Hayden described the man to a sketch artist, the resulting drawing matched a photograph of William Terriss, a highly popular stage actor in late 19th-century England. Over the next 20 years, there were multiple sightings of a figure resembling Terriss within Covent Garden station.
The spirit of William Terriss is also said to linger at the nearby Adelphi Theatre. On December 16, 1897, Terriss was set to star in a production there but was fatally stabbed by fellow actor Richard Archer Prince, whom Terriss had previously dismissed from another play. Prince, a mentally unstable alcoholic, had several heated altercations with Terriss before the murder. During his trial, Prince was deemed insane and confined to a mental asylum, where he spent his final 40 years participating in performances for the inmates’ theatrical group.
Many believed Prince received a lenient punishment, which may explain why Terriss’s ghost continues to haunt London. Although Covent Garden station did not exist during Terriss’s lifetime, it is thought he haunts the location because it stands on the former site of his beloved bakery.
3. The Japanese National Railways Incidents
In the summer of 1949, Tokyo witnessed three puzzling incidents involving Japanese National Railways (JNR). Sadanori Shimoyama, newly appointed as JNR president, was responsible for laying off thousands of workers, many suspected of ties to the Japanese Communist Party. On July 5, Shimoyama stopped at a department store on his way to work but never returned to his car. His mutilated body was discovered on railway tracks the next morning, having been struck by a train. It remains unclear whether his death was a homicide or suicide. Ten days later, an unmanned JNR train was intentionally driven into Mitaka station, killing six and injuring 20.
Ten JNR union members were charged with sabotage, as officials believed the act was revenge for the impending layoffs. Only one, Keisuke Takeuchi, was convicted after confessing. However, after receiving a life sentence, Takeuchi retracted his confession and claimed innocence until his death in 1967. His family has persistently sought to exonerate him, and new evidence suggests he was at a bathhouse during the crash.
On August 17, another JNR train derailed near Matsukawa station after track joints and spikes were removed, resulting in the deaths of three crew members. Twenty JNR union activists, many linked to the Communist Party, were accused of planning the derailment. Over time, their convictions were overturned, leading many to believe the three JNR incidents were staged by authorities to undermine the Communist-aligned union.
2. The Vanishing of Andrew Gosden
One of the most baffling missing persons cases in recent British history involves Andrew Gosden, a 14-year-old boy. In 2007, Andrew lived with his family in Doncaster. On September 14, he appeared to leave for school as usual but never arrived. His parents grew concerned when they found his school uniform at home later that day.
After his family left the house that morning, Andrew returned home to change clothes. He withdrew £200 from his bank account and headed to Doncaster station, where he bought a one-way ticket to London’s King’s Cross station. CCTV footage captured him at King’s Cross around 11:20 AM, marking the last confirmed sighting of him.
Andrew’s family was utterly perplexed by his sudden trip to London, as he had no known issues or reasons to run away. He left no note and took very few belongings. The most puzzling detail was his insistence on buying a one-way ticket, even after being told a return ticket would cost just £1 more.
A year after Andrew vanished, an unidentified man approached Leominster Police Station in Hertfordshire, claiming to have information about the case. However, when an officer arrived to speak with him, the man had vanished. Over seven years later, there is still no trace of Andrew or any explanation for his mysterious journey.
1. The Vanishing of Robin Putnam
In 2012, Robin Putnam, a 25-year-old student at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, boarded an Amtrak train to visit his family in Grand Junction, Colorado. Around 3:00 AM, the train stopped in Salt Lake City for 25 minutes before continuing to its destination. However, when the train arrived in Grand Junction, Robin was missing. His belongings, including his wallet, journal, and laptop, were still in his seat, but he had vanished.
It’s believed Robin exited the train during the Salt Lake City stop, but his fate afterward remains unknown. Prior to his trip, Robin had exhibited unusual and erratic behavior, experiencing anxiety attacks that led him to quit his job at a coffee shop. He reportedly hadn’t slept for several days and once woke from a nightmare struggling to distinguish dreams from reality.
Although Robin showed no odd behavior on the train, it’s speculated he may have become disoriented in Salt Lake City. There have been unverified sightings of him in the area, and two months after his disappearance, a man resembling Robin was captured on a security video at a Salt Lake City restaurant, sharing a beer with an unidentified woman. His current location remains unknown.
