The 7 Scariest Unsolved Crimes In History

Fake cobwebs are beginning to line the trees and bushes in my neighborhood, the nights are getting longer, and everyone's appetite for the morbid and spooky has grown. It's Halloween season, y'all, and I couldn't be more excited. I have to admit, I don't really like the "Let's wear ironic pop-culture-inspired outfits and drink a lot" Halloween that sadly seems to be the norm for most adults. I like freaking myself out and thinking about death and the supernatural and how good I look in black lace (consider this my "Linus in A Charlie Brown Christmas" speech).

So of course I'm into this thread on Reddit. Users of the site compiled some of the scariest unsolved crimes in history, and it's honestly one of the freakiest things I've read in a while. (Along with the research I had to do for this article — I still am freaked out by Elisa Lam's death.) These stories are horrifying enough on their own, but what's most horrifying is the idea that the people behind these atrocities are possibly still out there. Even though many of the crimes have faded in the past as the perpetrators gave up their "hobbies" ... well, who's to say that they wouldn't decide to start them up again? It's enough to make you double-lock your doors and check under the bed.

Here are some of the most chilling tales from the Reddit thread.

1. The Brabent Killers

Twenty-eight people were killed and 40 were injured in the series of unsolved gang crimes in 1980s Belgium. The crimes were notoriously vicious for thefts of relatively valueless items.

2. The Original Night Stalker

Disturbingly, two sets of crimes — the northern California East Area Rapist spree and the southern Night Stalker crimes — were linked back to the same unknown assailant by DNA in 2001, 15 years after his last known crime.

3. The Missing Med Student

His car was left untouched, right where he left it. The detectives on the case say that they're still obsessed with it.

4. The 1993 West Memphis Murders

Though three young men were convicted of the crime, they are popularly considered to be innocent. None of their DNA was found at the crime scene, unlike that of another suspect (one of the boy's adoptive fathers).

5. The Zodiac Killer

The creepiest thing about this serial killer is the series of letters he sent to The San Francisco Chronicle taking credit for his crimes (along with proof of his identity, such as articles of clothing belonging to his victims).

6. The Disappearance of Ray Gricar

Uh ... yikes.

7. D.B. Cooper

Remember when people thought this man, who jumped from an airplane in 1971 with $200,000 dollars and a parachute, was Don Draper? I like this theory better.

Image: Lawrence Canto/Flickr