Entertainment
These 11 Disturbing True Crime Stories Need To Be Made Into Netflix Docs ASAP
True crime stories are all the rage these days; especially on Netflix. In the past handful of years, the streaming service has put out a number of documentary films and docu-series about real life crimes — and people just can't seem to get enough of them. But there are still plenty of true crime stories that need to come to Netflix that haven't yet gotten the documentary treatment. Netflix has already covered popular tabloid cases like those of Amanda Knox, JonBenét Ramsey, and Team Foxcatcher's John E. du Pont; as well as shined a spotlight on previously lesser-known cases, such as Making a Murderer's Steven Avery, The Keepers' Sister Cathy Cesnik, and the titular victims of Audrey & Daisy.
However, there are lots of other true crime stories out there with a sense of mystery that could use the same delicate treatment by Netflix in a new documentary film or series. Some of these cases have received considerable press coverage, with a few even already having films or documentaries dedicated to them, but others are pretty unknown to the general public. None of them, however, have been given the thorough, extensive treatment that Netflix has become known for when it comes to their true crime documentary series. So take a look below at these 11 strange true crime stories that deserve to be made into Netflix series, and start writing letters to the streaming service to make it happen.
1The Death Of Elisa Lam
While staying at a downtown Los Angeles hotel in 2013, 21-year-old college student Elisa Lam disappeared, with the only clue as to what happened being some security camera footage of her acting very strangely in an elevator on the night of her disappearance. She was found nearly three weeks later in a water tank on the hotel's roof, but how she got there — and why — remains a mystery.
2The 'Dating Game' Killer
Rodney Alcala was convicted of murdering five people between 1977 and 1979, and later was convicted of killing two more. However, many believe it's possible that number should be even higher, with investigators finding over 1,000 photos he took of many more women in his home. But the most bizarre part of his tale is that — at the height of his killing spree — Alcala appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game... and won.
3The Mystery Of D.B. Cooper
In one of the most notorious heists in history, an unknown man — who has since been dubbed "D.B. Cooper" — hijacked a commercial flight in 1971 and made off with a million dollars in cash... by parachuting out of the plane. No one knows who he was, or even if he survived, as he has never been found.
4The University Of Alabama In Huntsville Shooting
Mass shooters are overwhelmingly male, but not 44-year-old Amy Bishop, a college professor who shot her colleagues during a meeting, killing three and injuring three more. In the aftermath of the shocking event, Bishop's personality and motivations became analyzed — and debated — by many.
5The Manson Family Murders
One of the most famous murder sprees in American history, the horrendous acts committed by cult leader Charles Manson and his followers in the late 1960s nonetheless deserve a modern retelling for today's generation who may not be so familiar with this tragedy.
6The Murder Of Hae Min Lee
The death of high schooler Lee, for which ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted, became intensely scrutinized thanks to its coverage on the inaugural season of NPR's podcast Serial, and the polarizing case is just begging for a TV production.
7The Drew Peterson Case
In 2004, the third wife of police officer Drew Peterson — Kathleen Savio — was found dead in an empty bathtub, covered in bruises with stab wound on her head. However, the autopsy ruled her death an accidental drowning. Three years later, the fourth wife of Peterson, Stacy Ann Peterson, disappeared, and this time Peterson came under the eye of investigators. It was alleged that the original autopsy of Savio was a coverup by some of Peterson's friends in the police department, and he was convicted for killing her. Stacy, however, has never been found, and Peterson has never been charged in her case.
8The Bernie Tiede Case
Already turned into a movie starring Jack Black, the case of convicted killer Bernie Tiede got even stranger after the film's release. In 2013, Tiede was released from his life sentence, where he lived in director Richard Linklater's garage, according to The New York Times, until 2016 when he was resentenced to 99 years in prison.
9The Scam Of Thierry Tilly
Perhaps the craziest story on this list, Thierry Tilly was convicted of false imprisonment and abusing the weakness of psychologically vulnerable persons after convincing French aristocrats Christine and Charles-Henri de Vedrines that they were at risk of a Masonic murder conspiracy, holding them prisoner and swindling them out of millions of dollars over a 10-year period, according to Vanity Fair.
10The Double Mary Morris Murders
In October 2000, two women in Harris County, Texas were murdered just days apart. They were both named Mary Morris. No one has ever been charged with the crime, but some suspect the first was killed by a confused hitman who mixed up his targets, according to ABC News.
11The Disappearance Of The Sodder Children
On Christmas Eve, 1945, a fire broke out in the home of the Sodder family. Parents George and Jennie and four of their children escaped, but their five other children did not. Their bodies were never found, and the parents soon came to believe they were taken by whoever started the fire, with numerous bizarre clues stacking up over the years. No one has ever determined what really happened to the Sodder children.
These bizarre and disturbing true crimes would all make for worthy Netflix documentaries. Perhaps fans will see some of them on screen in the coming years.
