In our modern world, it’s almost impossible to get away with serious crime. We live in a surveillance state, forensic science has hundreds of ways to catch you out, and we have an epidemic of people self reporting their crimes on social media. But it wasn’t always like that, and history is full of strange and notorious criminals who disappeared before facing justice.
Criminals Who Disappeared
Mad Gasser of Mattoon
In the middle of Illinois, the city of Mattoon is not especially noteworthy. It’s primary claim to fame is being home to the original burger king restaurant – although, on closer inspection, it has no connection to the fast food chain. And just so happens to have the same name. In reality, the city is most known for a brutal crime spree that unfolded in the mid 1940s.
It began one night in August of 1944, when a married couple were awoken by a terrible smell. At first, they assumed it might be a gas leak – but before they could investigate, the couple began to choke, and suffered temporary paralysis. They did not die, and never found the source of the odor. The next night, three more people had a similar experience – but unlike last time, one victim found the cause. According to her police report, a strange man pumped gas directly into her bedroom. The man was tall, and dressed in all black – but in the darkness of night, little detail was apparent. By morning, word spread of the new attacks, so it’s lucky local newspapers were there to help – and when I say help, I mean they pumped out non stop alarmist headlines, spreading panic and paranoia through the city.
No one knew who the strange gasser was, or even what kind of gas he used to attack his victims. More than ever before, locals made sure to lock their doors at night, and shut their windows – and yet the attacks continued. In the weeks that followed, more than a dozen attacks were reported within Mattoon – with 7 separate incidents occurring on the night of September 6th. No victim was able to identify the mad gasser, but in a swirl of rumor and confusion, some details were broadly agreed upon. Not only was he tall, but unusually slim. He wore a tight fitting cap, and perhaps most menacingly, many claimed he carried a flit gun – a tool used to spray pesticide. This gave rise to a rumor he was a local farmer, who after years of toxic pesticide use, was driven insane by it.
But another rumor said he was a German soldier sent to cause havoc in the United States. This was 1944, after all – and some claimed to see him wearing a full gas mask. Police had virtually nothing to go on, as no evidence was discovered until September 5th, when a local couple found a piece of torn cloth on their front porch. Like a genius, the wife picked up the cloth, and immediately give it a sniff. She would later compare the result to being electrocuted. Her mouth bled. Her eyes and lips began to swell, and she collapsed to the ground. The cloth was taken as evidence, but with this being 1944, there was little police could do with it.
Meanwhile, Mattoon locals were growing ever more frenzied. Gangs of vigilantes patrolled the streets by night, threatening anybody with an unfamiliar face. They were heavily armed and far too trigger happy. Countless false alarms rang out, as people were so paranoid they often reported smelling gas were there was none. Even with FBI involvement, no progress was made. But eventually, reports of attacks declined. Headlines mentioning the Mad Gasser died off, and life in Mattoon went back to normal. The FBI concluded there never had been a Mad Gasser. That it was just mass hysteria caused by war time paranoia. Yet there were serious injuries, and still today many believe the crimes were real, and the man behind them was never brought to justice.
Bloody Benders
There are places in our world prone to disappearances. Some, like the Bermuda Triangle, are gigantic geographic regions. Others are small, relatively unknown towns are villages. Among the latter kind is Cherryvale, in Kansas. Around 2 thousand people now live in Cherryvale. But on it’s founding in 1870, just 5 families called the town home. One of them was the Bender family, who from the beginning were involved in business. Their makeshift general store proved successful, and soon they opened an inn. At the head of the family were John and Elvira. It is unclear where they immigrated from, but they spoke little English – and for their repulsive personalities, came to be hated locally. They had a son, John Jr, who was more kind, but widely considered a halfwit – and their daughter Kate claimed to be a psychic. So on balance, they were a bunch of weirdos.
Very little was known about them, and all kind of rumors circulated in Cherryvale. Some said Kate and John Jr were secretly married, and only pretending to be siblings. It was also said Elvira had been married multiple times before, each of her previous spouses dying under suspicious circumstances. Despite this, they had no problem finding business. The Bender establishment was the only inn for miles around. So like moths to a flame, many lone travelers were drawn to this strange place – and for some, it would be the worst mistake of their lives. The inn was little more than a wooden shack, divided in half by a dirty curtain. When invited, guests would usually sit with their back towards the curtain, and from behind, a sledgehammer was swung into their skull.
Believe it or not, a sledgehammer to the head can actually be deadly, but to make sure, another Bender family member would cut their throat. Following this, A victim’s corpse was dropped through a trap door, and stripped of their possessions. As this was the the wild west, nobody thought much of the missing victims. Cherryvale stood on an infamous trail, one filled with all kinds of dangers. In a sense, it’s a miracle the Bender Family crimes were ever uncovered. We can only imagine how many brutal killings went unnoticed in those dark years. But the Benders were victims of their own hubris. When they unknowingly killed a member of a prominent family, it triggered a massive search that soon narrowed in on Cherryvale.
At a local town meeting, it was decided every home would be searched from top to bottom. But only at the Bender home were searchers greeted by the smell of rotting flesh. The trap door was discovered, along with the corpses of 8 of their victims. People were shocked – they shouldn’t have been, because the Bender family were all clearly insane. But in all fairness, everyone was in those days. An angry mob gathered, ready to kill the Benders on the spot, but there was no sign of them. The only thing to go on were faint wagon tracks. This wasn’t good enough for the mob though, and a man was hanged on suspicion of simply being a friend of the family. Following the faint trail, the Bender wagon was found abandoned, including their horses. But that is where the trail ended.
Nobody knows for certain what became of the Bloody Benders. Some said they fled to Mexico, or that they simply changed their names and relocated to another small town, where they continued killing. In the years that followed, people of similar description were arrested for similar crimes. But there is no actual evidence of a connection, and they remain some of the worst criminals who disappeared in the Old West.
D.B.Cooper
One of the most iconic criminals who disappeared is D.B.Cooper. That is not his real name, though. Five decades ago, he got away with a ridiculous heist, and his fate from that moment, along with his identity, remains a mystery. It began one night in 1971. A man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded a plane headed for Seattle. He was the type of man to blend into the crowd, an average man in a dark business suit. And so, he was seen as no different to the other 35 passengers aboard. It was only set to be an hour long flight – but mid way through it, Cooper revealed to a flight attendant that he had a bomb in his briefcase. He demanded four parachutes, and a ransom of 200 thousand dollars.
This was the early 1970s, when airline attacks were much rarer – so it’s fair to say the crew panicked. Not knowing what to do, they requested the ground team in Seattle gather the money. But with it being a short flight, there was simply not enough time to gather such a vast sum of money. So for 2 hours they circle in the skies above the airport. Then at quarter to six, they finally land. The money is exchanged for all passengers, and all but 4 crew members. Now with the money in his hands, Cooper still needs to escape. He orders the pilot to take off again, this time for Mexico City. He also demanded they travel unusually slowly, and low, with the plane’s landing gear down – as if he was planning an emergency landing.
This is a stupidly dangerous thing to do on a long haul flight, but again, the crew were dumb 1970s people. So they just went with it and hoped for the best. And they were in luck… sort of. Just 20 minutes into the journey, he pulled off one of the greatest ever escapes, strapping on his parachutes and jumping from the plane. From that moment, neither he, nor the bulk of his ransom money were ever seen again. It is unknown exactly where he jumped, and with little else to go a large manhunt unfolded in both Washington and Oregon. Trouble is though, the most likely areas are all covered in dense forest. Hundreds of soldiers were deployed on foot in these areas, but they found nothing. A sketch was released, and massive financial rewards offered for any information leading to the money’s recovery.
Still the investigation stretched on though, only being officially suspended in 2016. By that time DB cooper would have been at least 80 years old, and in all likelihood, he’s already dead. The only sign of the money turned up in 1986, when an 8 year old boy discovered 3 packets of dollar bills. Totaling 5,800 dollars, they were later confirmed by the FBI to have been part of the ransom. Such an amount could easily have fallen loose while Cooper made his escape. But with no other notes being found anywhere on earth, many believe he died from the fall. Perhaps his parachutes failed to open, and his stolen fortune is waiting to be found somewhere in the forest.
He could also have been eaten by a bear the moment he landed. I like to think he burned the money as a joke. It’s not what I would do, but I also wouldn’t hijack an airplane. It’s a weird way to spend an evening.