Buzz
Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year, is meant to be a time for gratitude. However, in certain instances, it has been overshadowed by unsolved cases involving murders and disappearances. Some victims were looking forward to spending the holiday with their families, only for their plans to take a tragic turn.
10. The Blount Family Briefcase Bombing Incident
On November 28, 1985, Joe Blount was enjoying Thanksgiving with his family at their trailer in Lake Worth, Texas, when his 15-year-old daughter, Angela, discovered a briefcase on the porch. When she opened it, an explosion occurred, killing Joe, Angela, and her 18-year-old cousin, Michael Columbus. In 1999, Michael Toney was sentenced to death for the crime.
The key evidence against Toney came from contradictory testimonies from his ex-wife and former best friend, both of whom claimed to have seen him planting the bomb. However, Toney's conviction was later overturned after it was revealed that crucial evidence had been withheld by the prosecution, raising doubts about his guilt. Toney was freed from death row in September 2009 but tragically passed away in a truck accident just a month later. The bombing of the Blount family remains officially unsolved.
9. The Mysterious Disappearance of Karen Mitchell
On November 25, 1997, 16-year-old Karen Mitchell was enjoying her Thanksgiving break from school. After leaving her aunt’s store at the Bayshore Mall in Eureka, California, she headed toward her job but inexplicably disappeared without a trace. A witness recalled seeing her get into a blue sedan driven by an older white man.
A possible suspect in Karen’s disappearance is Robert Durst, the reclusive millionaire featured in the HBO documentary series The Jinx. He is suspected of being involved in the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathleen Durst, and is awaiting trial for the 2000 murder of Susan Berman in Los Angeles. Authorities have been trying to connect Durst to other unsolved crimes. His credit card records place him in Eureka on the day Karen vanished. He also fits the description of the driver of the blue sedan, but for now, there is no definitive evidence tying Durst to her disappearance.
8. The Murders of Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong
On November 28, 2002, a Thanksgiving celebration took place at the Tacoma, Washington home of Joseph and Evangeline Britt. Among the guests was 19-year-old Kimberly Riley, whose brother was close friends with the family. That evening, an unknown gunman fired multiple shots through one of the curtained front windows. Kimberly was struck twice in the chest and succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The horror was made even worse when one of the Britts' grandchildren, five-year-old Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, was also tragically killed in the shooting. Two other individuals in the home were injured but survived. A witness described seeing a man with dark hair fleeing the scene in a pickup truck. To this day, the shooter’s identity and the motive for the attack on this family gathering remain a mystery.
7. The Murder of Beth Lynn Barr
On November 23, 1977, six-year-old Beth Lynn Barr left her school in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, intending to walk home and spend Thanksgiving with her family. She never made it, and a witness recalled seeing Beth get into a blue sedan driven by an unidentified man. Earlier that day, a woman had been approached at a bus stop by a suspicious individual in a blue sedan, and she was able to remember the car's license plate number.
The vehicle was later found at a nearby rental agency, but the records revealed that it had not been signed out that day. It wasn't until March 1979 that Beth's skeletal remains were discovered in a makeshift grave in a wooded area near Monroeville. She had been stabbed multiple times in the chest. It’s possible that the killer had stolen the sedan to abduct Beth and then returned it to the rental agency without anyone noticing. The identity of the perpetrator remains unknown.
6. The Mysterious Disappearance of Paul Knockel
In 1990, 53-year-old Paul Knockel was scheduled to join his relatives for Thanksgiving dinner, but he never arrived. When his family went to his home in Dubuque, Iowa, they found that both Paul and his vehicle were gone, but his wallet, watch, and shoes remained behind. After Paul failed to show up for work a few days later, he was reported missing.
The exact time of Paul's last confirmed sighting remains unclear. The last time he contacted his family was on November 12. The following day, a relative of Paul's thought they spotted his vehicle parked along Route 151 just across the Wisconsin border. Although Paul did not have a family of his own, he was known for never missing Thanksgiving dinner, making his sudden disappearance especially unusual. He has not been seen since.
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, Woodruff left his home to patrol the area for Thanksgiving Day. He never returned, and search efforts turned up no sign of him. Then, on April 4, 1921, his remains were discovered buried under stones in a shallow hole near a creek bed.
The top half of Woodruff’s skull had been severed, indicating that he had been struck in the head with a heavy object. According to Woodruff’s wife, he had received a threatening letter months prior to his death but had destroyed it without sharing its contents. On the day he disappeared, a witness reported seeing Woodruff argue with an unidentified man before they walked into the woods, where Woodruff's body was later found. Nearly a century later, the murder of John H. Woodruff remains unsolved.
4. The Neshaminy Creek John Doe
On November 27, 1997, a woman was spending Thanksgiving Day at her boyfriend's house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. While bird-watching with binoculars, she noticed what seemed to be a heron by Neshaminy Creek. Upon closer inspection, she realized the 'heron' was actually a pair of sneakers attached to a decomposing body wedged between rocks in the creek.
The victim appeared to be a black male, likely in his late teens or early twenties. He had no identification on him but wore green Tommy Hilfiger clothing. It was estimated that his body had been in the creek for only a few days. Despite efforts, no match could be made between the victim and any missing persons in the area. His cause of death was never determined, and he remains unidentified.
3. The Murder Of Soulja Slim
James Tapp, known by his stage name 'Soulja Slim,' was a New Orleans-based rapper who made waves in the music scene. Soulja Slim's biggest breakthrough came when he teamed up with Juvenile to record the hit single 'Slow Motion,' which went on to become a number-one song on the Billboard charts in 2004. Tragically, Slim was murdered just six months before the song's release.
On November 26, 2003, the night before Thanksgiving, Slim was gunned down in front of his mother's house, where he had just arrived. He was shot four times on the front lawn. A month later, Garelle Smith was arrested in connection with the crime, allegedly hired for $10,000 to carry out the murder. However, the case fell apart when no witnesses came forward to testify, and the charges against Smith were ultimately dropped.
Over the years, Smith was linked to two more murders, but due to the absence of witnesses willing to testify, no charges could be brought against him. In August 2011, Smith himself became the victim of a fatal shooting, leaving Soulja Slim’s murder as one of many unsolved mysteries.
2. The Disappearance Of Cynthia Alonzo
On November 25, 2004, Cynthia Alonzo, a 48-year-old resident of Oakland, informed her neighbors that she would be visiting her mother for Thanksgiving dinner. She was last seen getting into a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, Eric Mora. Cynthia never showed up for the holiday dinner and vanished without a trace. At the time, her relationship with Eric was in turmoil, and when police interrogated him, they noticed scratches on his hands and discovered traces of Cynthia's blood in his house.
In 2012, Eric was convicted of Cynthia's murder, primarily based on the testimony of a jailhouse informant who claimed Eric had confessed to the crime. However, in March 2016, his conviction was overturned after it was revealed that his defense had not been allowed to present crucial evidence pointing to other potential suspects. Eric Mora is now awaiting a second trial, while Cynthia Alonzo's body remains undiscovered.
1. The Murders Of Courtney Lindsay And Angelita Gauntlett
On the night of November 23, 1989, Courtney Lindsay and Angelita Gauntlett, a couple, attended a Thanksgiving party in Miramar, Florida, with their friend, Cecilia Best. As they left the party, a gunman pursued them back to their home, blocked their vehicle, and opened fire. Lindsay and Gauntlett were killed in the attack, but Best managed to survive her injuries.
The shooter was identified as a suspected drug trafficker known only as “Bull.” The motive for the attack remains unclear, but authorities speculated that it might be connected to Lindsay’s previous work as a police officer in Jamaica. Bull was rumored to be associated with a Jamaican gang linked to organized crime. Despite Bull’s face being captured in a home video from the party, he has never been located, and his true identity remains a mystery.
