5 unsolved Michigan cold cases, mysteries

DETROIT – Michigan is filled with unsolved mysteries - from cold cases to paranormal activity. 

Here are five of the most interesting unsolved mysteries in Michigan:

Recommended Videos



Oakland County Child Killer case remains unsolved 40 years later

If you lived in southeast Michigan at the time, you likely know the story. Four children between the ages of 10 and 12 were abducted and held for days before being killed during a 13-month period from February 1976 to March 1977. 

The entire region was frozen in fear of a person who became known as the Oakland County Child Killer. That person remains unknown. 

Read more about the unsolved case here.

Latest update: Court denies victim's father's 3rd appeal for more information

1983 death of 16-year-old Erik Cross remains unsolved

It's a death that shook a small Michigan town to its core. Erik Cross, a 16-year-old boy from Vicksburg, Michigan - a small town in West Michigan - was killed in 1983 after attending a party.

Cross was struck and killed by a car as he was walking home and was left to die in the road.

Read more about this case here.

St. Aubin Street Massacre: 1929 Detroit family murders still unsolved

It's one of the most brutal murders in Detroit's history, and after more than 85 years it still remains unsolved.

On the night of July 3, 1929, Benny Evangelist, and his wife and four children were found brutally murdered in their Detroit home, on St. Aubin and Mack.

The killings were carried out with an axe. Evangelist's wife and children were killed while they slept in their beds.

Evangelist was found nearly decapitated at his desk. Over the many decades since, there have been several theories as to why someone would murder this family.

Read more about this cold case here.

The unexplained disappearance of Northwest Flight 2501 over Lake Michigan

On June 23, 1950, a plane traveling from New York to Minneapolis crashed into Lake Michigan.

After more than 60 years, the plane is still missing.

The plane, a Northwest Airlines Douglas DC-4 carrying 55 passengers and 3 crew members, departed LaGuardia Airport at about 9:49 p.m. - and was last heard around 11:50 p.m., while over Lake Michigan.

Countless searches have turned up nothing, and the plane's disappearance remains unsolved.

The crash was the worst aviation accident in American history at the time, with all 58 occupants presumed dead.

Read more about this unexplained story here.

The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa

More than 40 years ago, Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from a Bloomfield Hills restaurant.

Since that day, hundreds of thousands of man hours and millions of dollars have gone into sorting through countless tips while trying to crack the case of Hoffa’s disappearance.

There is no evidence that Hoffa was ever killed.  Officially, this remains a missing person’s case. The investigation remains open, still active. New tips come in every month or two at Detroit’s FBI field office

However, most investigators, writers, and true crime experts speculate that Hoffa was murdered in a mafia hit.

Read more about the Hoffa case here.

If you're interested in Michigan history, check out some of these stories:


About the Authors:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.