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10 Hidden Chambers and Passageways

KJSEM78 DECEMBER 5, 2010

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Whether for sinister, practical or survival purposes, man has been developing secret passageways, rooms and spaces, virtually since he began walking the Earth. I find the topic to be especially fascinating, because with each one discovered or publicly brought to light, another small piece of history is also discovered. Here we take a look at 10, each one with its own unique past.

Mont Sainte-Odile

Breathtakingly perched 2,500 feet high in the Vosges Mountains of France, the Mont Sainte-Odile monastery dates back to the 7th century A.D. Its library has, for centuries, housed many rare and ancient books, but in 2003 something peculiar began happening. Many of these books began to seemingly vanish. Since the room was soundly locked and off limits to the public, it was a complete mystery as to where these books were disappearing. After police were called in, they eventually found that a section of bookcase swung back to reveal a hidden passageway. With a security camera then set up, a local teacher, Stanislas Gosse, was arrested soon thereafter. Apparently, he had stumbled upon a map to the secret passage in the city archives and decided to embark on his own adventure. In order to steal the books, he climbed over the exterior walls of the monastery then accessed hidden stairways that snaked toward a centuries-old, long-forgotten medieval passageway which led directly to the swinging bookcase in the library. It is believed that the passage was originally built to allow senior monks to eavesdrop on the younger monks’ conversations, being held in the library. As for Gosse, he commented that he stole the books because he felt they had been “abandoned” and he also wanted a “thrill.” 1,000 of the monastery’s books were found safely in his small apartment.

21 Club

In Prohibition-era New York City in the 1920s, many speakeasies sprung up across the city to offer thirsty citizens illegal alcohol and good times. But one of them, the 21 Club, may have been the most clever of them all. The owners also owned the building next door, and used this as a means to hide their vast liquor supply in its cellar. This secret storage room was concealed by an enormous door that was designed to appear as a simple, cement wall. The door weighed a massive two-and-a-half tons, and could only be opened by inserting an 18-inch length of wire into one of the various cracks in the cement. With some muscle, the door would swing open into the basement next door, which housed hundreds of bottles of booze. Thanks to this secret room, and a system of levers used to tip shelves and drop bottles into the sewers below, neither the owners nor patrons were ever caught, even though the 21 Club was raided by police several times. During Prohibition, many celebrities and important political figures were known to imbibe in the secret cellar – including the mayor of NYC.

House of Horrors

On the picturesque British island of Jersey, in the English Channel, the disturbing secrets of the Haut de la Garenne children’s home were made public, in 2008. After reports of abuse, rumors of exceedingly grim findings followed. An underground network of four, underground chambers were unearthed after an extensive police investigation, and what was discovered inside of them shocked not only the island, but the whole world as well. There were reports of shackles, juvenile bone and teeth remains, and shallow baths with traces of blood. It was down in these subterranean rooms where the children of the home were “punished”. It was stated that such abuse and murder took place from the 1940s to the 1980s, with the bulk of it occurring in the 60s. From various interviews and research, it was determined that “bad behavior” was met with floggings, druggings, sexual assault and solitary confinement in these terrible rooms. As if that wasn’t enough, notorious serial sex attacker, Edward Paisnel, also known as the “Beast of Jersey”, was also said to make visits to Haut de la Garenne to carry out his nefarious crimes. The accounts of abuse and murder now make up a long list, since many victims have come forward years later. The only positive effect to result from these horrors is that the island of Jersey has now taken legal steps to ensure that atrocities like this never occur again even though many of the initial horror stories have since been found to be exaggerations or completely untrue.

Colditz Castle

During WWII, a number of British and French soldiers were held as POWs in Germany’s Colditz Castle. It was in the attic of this castle where a notably impressive escape was planned and crafted. Led by British Lieutenant, Tony Rolt, and pilots, Bill Goldfinch and Jack Best, the small team of prisoners constructed a false wall and ceiling out of wooden shutters and mud, which created a hidden room in the attic. It was here that work on a secret glider commenced. Amazingly, their German captors did not even notice this newly-build room whenever they entered the space. Painstakingly, a flyable glider was built from no more than scraps of materials they found around the portion of the castle in which they were held. Able to get onto the roof with their creation, named the Colditz Cock, the escape launch was scheduled for the spring of 1945. However, the POW camp was liberated by American forces just before the planned date of escape.

The Coffin House

Although the name of this edifice sounds malevolent, it actually was a source of hope about 150-160 years ago. Located in Fountain City, Indiana, this was a small, brick home owned by Quaker, and abolitionist, Levi Coffin. The home contained many secret spaces, including a small, hidden room off the bedroom. Although the structure itself was nothing profound, what occurred there certainly was. It was in this diminutive room where Coffin successfully hid 2,000 escaped slaves who were following the path of the Underground Railroad, before the start of the American Civil War. Over the course of 20 years, these fugitive slaves would hole up in the room for, possibly, weeks as they prepared for the next leg of their journey to freedom. One slave’s experience in particular, known only as Eliza, was included in the classic novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Because every slave Levi Coffin assisted eventually made their way to freedom, he became known as the “President of the Underground Railroad”.

Passetto di Borgo

Dating back to 1277, the Passetto di Borgo was a secret passageway, approximately 800 meters long, atop the old Vatican wall linking Vatican City to the Castel Sant’Angelo, or Mausoleum of Hadrian, in Rome. Commissioned by Pope Nicholas III, it provided a crucial escape route for a number of subsequent popes. In 1494, Pope Alexander VI used it to escape an invasion by Charles VIII (It is also rumored that he used it to surreptitiously visit some of his lovers), and Pope Clement VII fled through it in 1527, during the Sack of Rome. Readers of author Dan Brown may also remember that the passageway played a part in his novel “Angels & Demons”. Today, the Passetto di Borgo is not so much of a secret, and is open to tourists. Legend has it that if a man runs 77 times up and down the passageway, he will get his lost virility back.

Mexican/U.S. Drug Tunnel

Discovered in November of 2010, this elaborate passageway spans 2,200 feet long and is equipped with a small rail system, ventilation and fluorescent lighting. It connects the kitchen of a home in Tijuana, Mexico, to two warehouses in an industrial district in San Diego, California. Believed to be the work of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, which is headed by the country’s most-wanted drug lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the passage was used to transport massive amounts of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States. Located off the passage is a hidden staircase leading to a room 50 feet underground which housed an enormous amount of marijuana. Overall, more than 20 tons of marijuana was seized by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. Many clandestine passages along the two countries’ border have been found since the early 90s, but this recently uncovered one is, by far, the most complex and complete.

FDR’s Grand Central Terminal Passageway

Built in 1913, Grand Central Terminal, in New York City, is the largest train station in the world, in terms of number of platforms. Therefore, it’s only natural that there be various hidden nooks, corners and spaces, such as the network of underground tracks, storage areas and tunnels. Weaved amidst them all is an unlisted train platform, known as Track 61, with a secret entrance and passageway leading to an elevator going straight up to the world-famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel. This furtive passage was what President Franklin D. Roosevelt used as his private entrance into Manhattan. It was a way of avoiding the pesky questions and flashbulbs of reporters and of going straight from his train to his hotel. In addition, it shielded the public from witnessing, in plain view, his polio affliction. Today, the entrance to this long-forgotten passage is welded shut, as millions of people per year scramble just feet away all around it.

Indian National Library

Another very recent discovery (November, 2010), this hidden chamber lies in the Indian National Library, housed in the Belvedere House, in Calcutta. As the building was undergoing restoration this year, the Archaeology Survey of India discovered the location of a mysterious large room, around 1,000 square feet in size. What makes it so mysterious is that they cannot find an entrance to the room, even after searching every square inch of the ceiling and walls that make up the enclosure. What was found was an arch on one side that was walled up at some point. Since the Belvedere House was home to British Governors then Lt. Governors during British colonial rule, there are some interesting theories as to what may be behind the chamber’s walls. Apparently, it was common practice among the British at the time to “wall up” offenders in “death chambers”, and that’s one speculation, since some sources say the room seems to have the same dimensions that such a chamber would have had. Others say that it may contain hidden treasures since the British of that time were also known to hide their riches in so called “blind chambers”. A colonial Governor or Lieutenant Governor definitely would have been a wealthy man, so it’s a valid hypothesis. Since a wall cannot be demolished due to the historic importance of the building, archaeologists are currently waiting on permission from India’s Ministry of Culture before they bore a hole through the wall to peer inside with a searchlight.

Chamber of Horrors

He is known as America’s first serial killer. Born Herman Webster Mudgett, H.H. Holmes was an abject degenerate of a human being. Using dirty money he attained from unscrupulous activities, such as insurance fraud and the occasional murder-for-hire, he constructed a large building in Chicago and ran it as a hotel/hostel, in 1893. In addition, he ran a drug store on the same street which helped him become a respected member of the community. However, his ostensible integrity hid a sinister monster. It turns out that, for years, his building was the site of grisly and gruesome murders carried out at his hands. After his ultimate arrest, it was discovered that “The Murder Castle”, as it became known, contained many architectural oddities such as hidden staircases and trap doors, allowing Holmes to enter guests’ rooms. The most macabre hidden area, however, was the dissection room and crematorium, located in the basement into which victims’ bodies were thrown via a chute from upper floors. This room was a “laboratory” of torture devices, tombs and surgical devices and became publicly known as the “Chamber of Horrors”. It is believed that no fewer than 50 women were slaughtered in unimaginable ways there.

Get ready 4 thie most scariest mystery ever

MYSTERIES

10 More Terrifying and Mysterious Creatures

STEPHEN KING NOVEMBER 17, 2010

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Here are ten of the most terrifying and bizarre creatures to ever, allegedly, have walked the Earth. These creatures defy logic, inspire the imagination and generate fear. They are the subject of numerous movies, documentaries, books and even songs. They have become ingrained in our culture. Do these creatures really exist? Did they ever exist? Or are these merely hoaxes, or the result of over-active imaginations? No matter what you believe, I think it is safe to say that the members of this list are the stuff of nightmares, and if encountered, even the most hardened individual would tremble with fear. So let’s open our minds to the incredible, and embark on a brief journey through a world teeming with cryptids. This is a follow up list to the Top 10 Bizarre Cryptids.

Dover Demon

This creature was sighted on three separate occasions in the town of Dover, Massachusetts, on April 21 and April 22, 1977. Due to its appearance, there’s speculation as to whether or not this creature was an alien, or the result of some sort of experiment – a human or alien hybrid, for example – while others suggest it came from another dimension. The Dover Demon’s features are as follows: a disproportionately large and watermelon-shaped head; glowing orange eyes; long, thin arms and legs with slender fingers. It was said to be hairless, with rough, flesh-toned skin described as a tan color with the texture of sandpaper. The Dover Demon reportedly lacked facial features – it had no nose, ears or mouth. Its height was 3 feet, and it made a bloodcurdling noise that sounded like a hawk’s screech combined with a snake’s hiss.

Jersey Devil

This beast is said to have inhabited the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, with tales beginning in the 1800s and continuing until the 20th century. The creature is usually described as a flying biped with hooves, wings like a bat and a head resembling a horse. The legend of this creature stems from a tale about “Mother Leeds”, a local witch who invoked the devil while giving birth to her 13th child. When the baby was born it immediately transformed into a demonic creature and flew off into the surrounding pine barrens. The Jersey Devil was blamed for many livestock killings, strange footprints and bizarre sounds. In the early 1900′s, scores of people in New Jersey and neighboring states claimed to witness the Jersey Devil, or at least to see evidence of its continued presence in the form of anxiety-inducing footprints.

Flatwoods Monster

It is claimed that the Flatwoods Monster is some form of extraterrestrial, as this creature was spotted in the vicinity of a large UFO that either hovered above or rested on the ground in the town of Flatwoods, in Braxton County, West Virginia, on September 12, 1952. According to the reports, this creature was huge, at least 10 feet tall. its face gave off a reddish glow, and its body was green in colour. Its head was shaped like a heart or Ace of Spades, and out of this strangely shaped head bulged non-human eyes. The body is described as being shaped similar to a man’s, and dressed in some sort of dark clothing resembling a skirt. Reports described the creature variously as having either no visible arms, or having short, stubby arms ending in long claw-like fingers.

Owlman

Mawnan, Cornwall – 1976. If you were in the area at this time, you would have overheard the first reports of a creature called the Owlman. The first sighting took place on April 17, 1976, when the creature was spotted hovering menacingly above the Mawnan church tower. Oddly enough, sightings up to August 1978 all occurred within the vicinity of this church. This cryptid, which, unsurprisngly, has the appearance of an owl, is about the size of a man; it has pointed ears, red eyes, and black pincer-like claws. Its body bears some similarities to the more famous Mothman: it is supposed to have had large wings of a greyish color. Somewhat eerily, there were many UFO reports, as well as accounts of animals behaving strangely in the surrounding area just prior to the Owlman sightings – yet another similarity to the Mothman case.

Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp

The Lizard Man, being particularly terrifying, deserves a high place on this list. This humanoid cryptid is said to inhabit the swampland areas in and around Lee County, South Carolina. The sightings began on June 29, 1988, with the most recent notable sighting in February, 2008. The creature is described as being 7 feet 2 inches tall, bipedal, with a strong build, green scaly skin, and glowing red eyes. Reports state that the Lizard Man has three toes on each foot and three fingers on each hand. His fingers end in a circular pad that apparently enables him to scale walls and hang from ceilings. As evidenced by the damage done to the vehicles of those unfortunate enough to encounter it, the creature also possesses incredible strength – he is clearly capable of ripping into a car. Pulling over in this area is a bad idea.

Bunyip

For those who grew up in Australia, the bunyip will be familiar. The bunyip is a large mythical creature from Australian Aboriginal mythology, said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds and waterholes. It has been described as a giant starfish that walks on land – imagine that! Other 19th-century newspaper clippings describe it as having a dog-like face, dark fur, a horse-like tail, flippers, and walrus-like tusks or horns or a duck like bill. The very first description of this bizarre Australian cryptid appeared in a newspaper in 1845:

“The Bunyip, then, is represented as uniting the characteristics of a bird and of an alligator. It has a head resembling an emu, with a long bill, at the extremity of which is a transverse projection on each side, with serrated edges like the bone of the stingray. Its body and legs partake of the nature of the alligator. The hind legs are remarkably thick and strong, and the fore legs are much longer, but still of great strength. The extremities are furnished with long claws, but the blacks say its usual method of killing its prey is by hugging it to death. When in the water it swims like a frog, and when on shore it walks on its hind legs with its head erect, in which position it measures twelve or thirteen feet in height.”

Sigbin

The Sigbin is a terrifying creature from the Philippines, said to lurk in the shadows at night, who sucks the blood of victims by consuming their shadows (the Philippines has some amazingly bizarre cryptids: for some real horrors seethis list). The Sigbin is said to walk backwards, with its head lowered between its hind legs. It has the convenient advantage of invisibility – and especially humans are vulnerable to its powers of deception. It resembles a mere hornless goat, but has very large ears which it can clap like a pair of hands and a long, flexible tail which can be used as a whip – it’s unlikely that this goat ever encountered serious problems while crossing the bridge to the Other Side. The Sigbin is said to emit a nauseating odor. Sometimes, it has a tendency to crabwalk backwards, looking for children to devour. In 2005, scientists in Borneo discovered a “cat-fox-like carnivore” with hind legs longer than its forelegs, suggesting that it was endowed with the awkward gait and terrifying physical appearance of the Sigbin. Indeed, many of the characteristics are uncannily similar – but no conclusive evidence has yet been unearthed. The Sigbin, evidently, hides its tracks most effectively.

Canvey Island Monster

‘Canvey Island Monster’ is the name given to an unusual creature, whose carcass washed up on the shores of Canvey Island, England, in November 1954. A second, more intact carcass was discovered in August, 1955. The 1954 specimen was described as being 76cm (2.4ft) long with thick reddish brown skin, bulging eyes and gills. It lacked forelimbs, and its hind legs were described as having five-toed horseshoe-shaped feet with concave arches – apparently well-suited for bipedal locomotion. Its remains were cremated after a cursory inspection by zoologists who said that it posed no danger to the public. The 1955 specimen was described as being similar to the first – it was much larger, however, at 120cm (3.9 ft) long weighing approximately 11.3kg (25lb). It was sufficiently fresh for its eyes, nostrils and teeth to be studied, though no official explanation was given at the time as to what it was or what happened to the carcass.

Pope Lick Monster

In most accounts, the Pope Lick Monster (named after the Pope Lick Creek below the Pope Lick Train Trestle – shown above) appears as a human-goat hybrid with the grotesquely deformed body of a man. It has powerful, fur-covered goat legs, an alabaster-skinned face with an aquiline nose and wide set eyes. Short, sharp horns protrude from the forehead, nestled in long greasy hair that matched the color of the fur on the legs. Numerous urban legends exist about the creature’s origins and the methods it employs to claim its victims. According to some accounts, the creature uses either hypnosis or voice mimicry to lure trespassers onto the trestle to meet their death before an oncoming train. Other stories claim the monster jumps down from the trestle onto the roofs of cars passing beneath it. Still more legends tell that it attacks its victims with a blood-stained axe.

Goatman

Described as a hybrid beast that bears a horrific mélange of both human and goat-like characteristics, this horned, hoofed, goat featured horror would seem to be a modern re-interpretation of the ancient satyrs found in Greek myths. Yet eyewitnesses claim that this fiend is not a figment from beyond mythology, but a living, breathing, flesh and blood creature, that is not to be trifled with. The first official report of this brute hails from 1957, when eyewitnesses reported seeing a hairy, horned monster in the areas of Forestville and Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County. Following that wave of sightings, the beast apparently decided to lay low until the summer of 1962, when the Goatman was accused of killing no less than fourteen people — twelve children and two accompanying adults — who were apparently hiking too close to its lair. The survivors, who, of course, remain unidentified, claimed that the Goatman violently hacked its victims to pieces with an axe, all the while emitting ghastly sounds only the “devil himself” would make. [Source]

Portions of this text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Some text is derived from or courtesy of Wikipedia.

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MYSTERIES

10 Popular Athletes Who Went Missing

A. GREAZY AUGUST 10, 2013

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In almost every country, popular athletes are held in high regard, and their physical achievements are greatly celebrated. Often times, professional athletes are unfairly stereotyped as infallible and impervious to fear or danger. Thus, when an athlete disappears, it makes the situation all the more intriguing.

10Lorenzen Wright

After a successful college career at the University of Memphis, Lorenzen Wright was drafted seventh overall in the 1996 NBA Draft. Averaging nearly eight points and six rebounds per game over a 13-year career, Wright was a steady player who could be counted on for his consistency and work ethic. However, on July 18, 2010, Wright was seen alive for the last time. After leaving his ex-wife’s house with an unidentified man and the promise to “flip” something for $110,000, Wright wasn’t heard from for four days, forcing his family to file a missing persons report on July 22.

Then, 10 days after his family and friends last saw him, Wright’s decomposing body was found in a secluded, wooded area beside bullet casings from two different guns, suggesting two different shooters murdered him. Oddly, he was still wearing his expensive jewelry, suggesting that the motive wasn’t robbery. Adding to the mystery of Wright’s disappearance is a peculiar 9-1-1 call that was received in the early morning hours of July 19, originating from an area not far from where Wright’s body was discovered. The dispatcher claimed to hear a person whisper “Help,” then a curse word, followed by about 10 gunshots, or in her words, “fireworks.” The operator told her supervisor about the strange call eight days later, which led to the body being found. She claimed she tried to call the number back, but no one picked up. To this day, the motive behind Lorenzen Wright’s death remains a mystery.

9Jim Robinson

While he was never considered an outstanding athlete, Jim “Sweet Jimmy” Robinson was well known for being one of Muhammad Ali’s first professional opponents. In February 1961, Robinson showed up to the ring with his equipment in an old Army bag—he was a last-minute replacement for the man who was originally scheduled to fight Ali. Ninety seconds into the first round, Robinson fell victim to one of Ali’s thunderous blows, losing in a knockout. While Ali would continue to climb the ranks from that point, Robinson’s career took a different turn.

Robinson’s fate wasn’t even considered until 2003, when autograph collectorStephen Singer had reached a dead end in his quest to gather the autographs of all 50 of Muhammad Ali’s opponents. The only one he was missing was that of Sweet Jimmy Robinson. Enlisting the help of other reporters and journalists, Singer spent six years unsuccessfully searching for Robinson. When past acquaintances were asked where he might be, they hypothesized different possibilities: homelessness, travel, or death. Many people remembered seeing Sweet Jimmy, but no one remembered the last time they saw him. To this day, no one knows where the man who fought Muhammad Ali went.

8Barret Robbins

Taken in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft, Barret Robbins gradually established himself as one of football’s best centers, garnering a Pro Bowl nomination in 2002. Robbins was considered a cornerstone of the Oakland Raiders’ offensive line, his nasty edge leading the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then, on the day before the championship game, Robbins failed to report to a mandatory team meeting. For the rest of the day, coaches and players were left to wonder where their star center had gone. Sadly, Robbins had spent a lifetime dealing with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Later in the day, Robbins re-emerged, incoherent and plastered in dirty clothes after partying in Mexico. Because of this outburst and out of concern for his safety, coaches left Robbins off of the Super Bowl roster. The Raiders wound up losing the game in embarrassing fashion, 48-21. The next year, Robbins regained his starting position, but was unfortunately arrested a few months into the season on attempted murder charges.

7Cameroon Olympic Athletes

Though this entry doesn’t technically qualify as an individual athlete gone missing, it does warrant consideration due to the massive media attention it received. During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, seven Cameroon athletes—five boxers, a swimmer, and a soccer player—disappeared from the Olympic Village after losing their respective bouts. Interestingly enough, foul play wasn’t initially suspected, as it was assumed that the athletes had taken the same path that other international athletes had traveled before: fleeing in search of political asylum.

This wasn’t the first time Cameroonians had attempted to flee their West African country in hopes of better economic and training conditions. In fact, one of the boxers who fled had also run away during the 2008 Beijing games, only to reappear at home a short time later. Although the five boxers eventually showed their faces in an English boxing gym, eager to continuing their training, the swimmer and soccer player have yet to be discovered. They are presumed to be hiding somewhere in Europe, training in secret, their visas having long expired.

6Wilson Ramos

In 2011, Wilson Ramos was chosen by Baseball America as the best Major League Baseball catcher on their all-rookie team. Originally from Venezuela, Ramos was a rising star in the game, recognized as a team leader and excellent defender. However, on November 9, 2011, the good times temporarily came to a halt. While standing in the front yard of his home in Venezuela with his father and two brothers, four armed men leaped from an SUV and kidnapped Ramos, blindfolding him and driving for nearly five hours. The kidnappers stashed Ramos in a rural home near the mountains, planning to use him for ransom. During his two-day captivity, the sporting world knew little of Ramos’s whereabouts and speculated the worst. Fortunately, a massive manhunt, aided by the intense interest of Hugo Chavez, led to a shootout and the successful recovery of Ramos. Ramos’s ordeal led the global media to temporarily spotlight the growing trend of kidnapping for ransom in Venezuela and other South American countries.

5Bison Dele

Drafted in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Bison Dele (born Brian Williams) was a man who was projected to do big things. In 1998, following a career year with the Detroit Pistons where he averaged over 16 points a game, Williams changed his name to Bison Dele to honor his African and Native American ancestry. While most athletes hit their prime at age 30, Dele shockingly chose to retire early, walking away from a cool $36 million. During his retirement, Dele decided to sail with his girlfriend, friend, and brother to Hawaii on a vessel ironically named the Hakuna Matata. While out on the water, after keeping frequent contact with family and friends, Dele suddenly went silent for many weeks, leading his family to fear the worst.

There were no leads until months later. Oddly enough, a police sting had found that Dele’s brother, Miles Dabord, was planning on buying $152,000 worth of goldusing his brother’s money and passport. Upon his arrest, Dabord claimed to only be buying the gold to pay off his brother’s kidnappers. Shortly after being released, Dabord’s body was found on a Mexican beach, dead from an overdose. Experts now believe that Dabord, a man who had always been jealous of his brother’s achievements, killed the other three passengers of the Hakuna Matataand tossed their bodies overboard while out at sea.

4Sergei Kobozev

Sergei Kobozev began his career in the Russian Army, trained as a chemical engineer. He also happened to be a pretty good boxer, establishing a career record of 22-1, while also representing the Soviet national boxing team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Considered ready to turn the corner toward becoming a boxing superstar, Kobozev made it to the WBC Cruiserweight title in 1995. This bout would mark Kobozev’s one and only defeat. Two weeks after the loss, Kobozev mysteriously vanished, leaving no clues or possible motives. Had the defeat affected him more than the general public realized?

The answer would not come until almost 14 years later when the FBI found bones in the backyard of the Russian Mafia’s No. 2 man, Alexander Spitchenko. The tragic story of Kobozev’s last days then unfolded. In the short time after his championship loss, Kobozev, who worked part-time as a bouncer at a popular restaurant, had tossed a man from the restaurant who had been picking a fight with the stage musician. Unfortunately for Kobozev, this man happened to be Alexander Nosov, a Russian mobster. A few days later, Nosov ran into Kobozev at a car repair shop, shot him, then drove him to Spitchenko’s house where his neck was broken and he was buried in a shallow grave.

3Duncan MacPherson

Duncan MacPherson, a Canadian ice hockey player, showed flashes of brilliance growing up on the rink. Playfully nicknamed “MacFearsome” by his teammates due to his no-holds-barred attitude and playing style, MacPherson went on to be drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1984 NHL Draft. Although there was plenty of promise in his game, a rash of injuries kept him from lacing up his skates and playing to his full potential. After being released by the Islanders, MacPherson continued to play hockey in the lower circuit. In the summer of 1989, things looked up for MacPherson. He was offered a position as a player-coach for an ice hockey team in Scotland. Before flying to Scotland, MacPherson planned to touch down in Austria for a quick ski trip—a nice reward for staging a small comeback.

A few days later, when MacPherson failed to show up for his flight to Scotland, his family and new employers immediately conducted a search in Austria. The last person to have spoken to MacPherson was a ski lift employee who claimed that MacPherson chatted with him before heading back up the mountain, presumably to take one more trip down the slope before dusk. Adding to the mystery were reports from friends that MacPherson had been acting strange lately, claiming that the CIA had been recruiting him to be a spy. Despite rescuers’ best efforts, MacPherson would remain missing until 12 years later, when his mangled body was discovered frozen in ice.

Theories suggest that MacPherson had broken his leg while skiing and eventually lost consciousness in the frigid temperatures. At some point, a tiller, which grooms the snow, ran over his body, killing him. Some doctors suggest that MacPherson was actually conscious upon impact, claiming his arms were found in a defensive position.

2Keith Murdoch

Keith Murdoch was a popular player for New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team. He was known for his thick shoulders, handlebar moustache, and for scoring the All Blacks’ only try against Wales in a 1972 win. Fresh from the big win against Wales, Murdoch and a few teammates went to the Angel Hotel, a popular drinking establishment for rugby players. Much to the athletes’ dismay, the place was closed for the evening, and due to a combination of anger and drunkenness, Murdoch punched one of the Angel Hotel’s security guards in the head. When word of the previous night’s violent behavior reached the All Blacks coaching staff, Murdoch was disgracefully sent home, creating a media firestorm. The last time the majority of the world would see Murdoch was after he exited the plane and walked quietly past reporters with his head down. And thus began the off-and-on disappearance of one of New Zealand’s finest rugby players.

Since his dismissal from Wales, Murdoch spent the better part of 40 years living as a recluse, moving from town to town, hiding from family, friends, and journalists who were curious to hear his story. Most speculated it was shame that forced him into self-exile. Since the “punch heard around the world,” there have only been two notable appearances from Murdoch.

One occurred about four years after the event in Wales, when an investigative reporter covertly tracked him down. When the reporter tried to approach him, Murdoch raised a large wrench and “suggested” that it might be better for the reporter to turn around and get back on the road. The second appearance was more recent, involving Murdoch being called to testify after a 20-year-old man broke into his house and disappeared the next day. The boy’s body was found weeks later in an abandoned mine. Murdoch was never charged.

1Cullen Finnerty

The winningest quarterback in NCAA football history with a collegiate record of 51-4, Cullen Finnerty led Grand Valley State University to the NCAA Division II championship in 2003, 2005, and 2006. Though he went undrafted due to concerns about his limited experience against top-notch competition, Finnerty bounced between a few NFL teams, most notably the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos, before eventually being released and left to play in the Austrian and Canadian football leagues. On Memorial Day Weekend, after complaining of insomnia and severe headaches, Finnerty left his wife and two children at home and traveled to Michigan on a fishing trip.

At some point during his trip, Finnerty called his wife and brother-in-law from his cell phone. They both claim that Finnerty sounded panicky and agitated, telling them that two men on the river were following him and wanted to harm him. Fearing for his safety, his family went to the remote Michigan wilderness, hoping to find him alive and well. For two days, no trace of him was found.

But then his body turned up in an open clearing beside a road, with no cuts or bruises suggesting foul play. Toxicology reports also came back negative, leaving the world to wonder how the one-time college superstar died. Some question whether repeated blows to his head, part of the game he loved so dearly, contributed to his demise. To this day, his cause of death is still unknown.

A. Greazy lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He enjoys writing, reading, and licking nacho cheese from his fingers. You can contact him here.