10 Unsolved Crimes and Disappearances That Happened on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in the United States is supposed to be about carbs, chaos in the kitchen, and relatives
arguing over football callsnot about cold cases. Yet, over the decades, a surprising number of
unsolved murders and disappearances have happened on or around Thanksgiving Day. These crimes have
turned a cozy holiday into an annual reminder of unanswered questions for the families involved.

Below are ten unsolved Thanksgiving crimes and disappearances that still baffle investigators.
Some happened on Thanksgiving Day itself; others unfolded during Thanksgiving break or on the
eve of the holidaybut all of them are forever tied to the fourth Thursday in November.

1. The Blount Family Briefcase Bombing – Texas, 1985

On Thanksgiving Day in 1985, the Blount family in Lake Worth, Texas, was settling in at their mobile
home when 15-year-old Angela Blount saw an unfamiliar briefcase sitting on the porch. Like most of us,
she probably assumed “lost luggage,” not “booby-trapped explosive.” When the case was opened, a bomb
detonated, killing Angela, her father Joe, and her cousin Michael, and seriously injuring other family
members.

Investigators eventually focused on a man named Michael Roy Toney, who was convicted and sent to death
row years later. His conviction, however, relied heavily on shaky testimony from acquaintances, and no
solid physical evidence ever directly tied him to the bombing. After it was revealed that exculpatory
evidence had been withheld, his conviction was overturned. Toney was released, only to die in a traffic
accident soon after. The bombing case is now officially unsolved again, leaving the Blounts’ surviving
relatives with no clear answers.

Why It Still Haunts Thanksgiving

The only thing that should explode on Thanksgiving is the top button of your jeans, not a briefcase on
the front porch. The randomness of the attackand the fact that the real bomber has never been confirmed
makes this case one of the most chilling holiday crimes in U.S. history.

2. The Disappearance of Karen Mitchell – California, 1997

Sixteen-year-old Karen Mitchell was on break from school for Thanksgiving in Eureka, California, in 1997.
On November 25, she left her aunt’s store at a local mall and began walking through town, likely planning
to head back toward the day care center where she worked. She never arrived. Witnesses later recalled
seeing a girl matching her description entering a blue sedan driven by an older white man.

Over time, speculation swirled around various suspects, including notorious real-estate heir Robert Durst,
whose travels and appearance lined up suspiciously well with some details: he was reportedly in the area,
and he resembled the driver described by witnesses. Despite that, no definitive physical evidence has ever
tied himor anyone elseto Karen’s disappearance.

A Vanishing in Broad Daylight

Karen’s case is one of those terrifying “it could happen to anyone” stories. She disappeared in a busy area,
in daylight, during a holiday week when people were out and about. Decades later, her family still spends
Thanksgiving wondering what really happened during that short walk across town.

3. The Thanksgiving Double Murder of Kimberly Riley and Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong – Washington, 2002

On November 28, 2002Thanksgiving nightfamily and friends had gathered at a home in Tacoma, Washington,
for a holiday celebration. Around 10 p.m., someone walked up to the house and fired multiple rounds through
a window into the living room. Nineteen-year-old guest Kimberly Riley and five-year-old Jeremy
Britt-Bayinthavong, the homeowners’ grandson, were killed. Two others were wounded but survived.

Witnesses saw a person fleeing to a dark-colored, older Ford pickup with a light canopy. Investigators
have long suspected a possible gang or retaliation motive, but nobody has ever been charged. Despite
renewed appeals for information and media coverage on milestone anniversaries, the shooter remains
unidentified.

When Home Isn’t a Safe Harbor

For the families of Kimberly and Jeremy, Thanksgiving is now tied not to turkey and pumpkin pie but to
broken glass and sirens. The case is especially heartbreaking because the victims were inside what should
have been the safest place of allthe family living room.

4. The Murder of Six-Year-Old Beth Lynn Barr – Pennsylvania, 1977

On November 23, 1977the day before Thanksgivingsix-year-old Beth Lynn Barr left her elementary school
in Wilkinsburg, near Pittsburgh, after an early dismissal for the holiday. She never made it home. Witnesses
later recalled seeing a man coaxing a girl into a dull blue sedan, and another woman had earlier written down
the plate number of a suspicious man in a similar car, but the trail went cold.

Beth’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in 1979. Investigators believe she was abducted and
murdered on that Thanksgiving Eve, but despite several promising leads over the years, no one has ever
been charged. Her case continues to receive attention from journalists, true-crime podcasters, and cold-case
detectives.

A Thanksgiving Eve That Never Ended

For Beth’s family, the holiday season has been permanently marked by grief. Every Thanksgiving, they’re not
just setting the tablethey’re reliving a nightmare that began with a little girl walking home from school.

5. The Disappearance of Paul Knockel – Iowa, 1990

In Dubuque, Iowa, 53-year-old Paul Joseph Knockel was supposed to attend Thanksgiving dinner with his family
in November 1990. When he didn’t show upa serious red flag for a man known for enjoying family gatheringshis
relatives went to his home. They found his wallet, watch, and even his shoes inside, but Paul and his car were
gone.

Paul was reported missing shortly afterward. Decades passed without a major break, until 2023, when authorities
pulled a 1981 Mercury Zephyrregistered to Paulfrom the Mississippi River. The car was empty, and no human
remains were found, leaving investigators with a haunting partial answer: they know where his car went, but not
what happened to him.

A Vanishing with a Late-Arriving Clue

Paul’s case highlights how advances in technology and renewed investigative efforts can breathe new life into
cold cases. Still, until his remains are found or a credible witness comes forward, his family’s Thanksgiving
will always include an empty chair and unanswered questions.

6. The Killing of Game Protector John H. Woodruff – New York, 1919

Not all Thanksgiving mysteries are modern. In 1919, John H. Woodruff, a game protector in Schenectady County,
New York, left home on November 27 to patrol the woods on Thanksgiving Day. He never returned. Despite search
parties combing the area, nothing surfaced for more than a year.

In 1921, Woodruff’s remains were found buried under stones near a creek. The top of his skull had been
shattered, suggesting a violent attack. His wife later revealed he had received a threatening letter before
the holiday, and a witness reported seeing him in a heated argument with another man on the day he vanished.
No suspect was ever definitively identified, and the threatening letter had been destroyed.

A Holiday Patrol Turned Fatal

Woodruff’s case underscores how even official duties can turn deadly. A century later, his murder remains
unsolved, a reminder that Thanksgiving tragedies aren’t just a modern phenomenon.

7. The Neshaminy Creek John Doe – Pennsylvania, 1997

On Thanksgiving Day in 1997, a woman in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, stepped outside to do some casual bird-
watching near Neshaminy Creek. Through her binoculars, she spotted what she thought was a heron. Instead,
she realized she was looking at a pair of sneakers attached to a human body lodged between rocks in the water.

The victimnicknamed the Neshaminy Creek John Doewas a young Black man, likely in his late teens or early
twenties, dressed in good-quality clothing, including Tommy Hilfiger. He had no ID, and forensic checks
found no match in missing-person databases. His cause of death remains unclear, and despite various media
features and cold-case write-ups, his identity has never been confirmed.

The Mystery Guest No One Can Name

While most families were carving turkey, investigators were trying to figure out who this young man was and
how he ended up in the creek. To this day, he represents a particularly painful kind of Thanksgiving mystery:
not only is the crime unsolved, the victim himself is still anonymous.

8. The Murders of Courtney Lindsay and Angelita Gauntlett – Florida, 1989

On Thanksgiving Day 1989 in Miramar, Florida, couple Courtney Lindsay and Angelita Gauntlett attended a lively
holiday party with their friend Cecilia Best. After the festivities, they headed home. A gunman followed them,
blocked their vehicle, and opened fire. Courtney and Angelita were killed; Cecilia survived despite her injuries.

The suspected shooter, known only by the nickname “Bull,” was believed to be involved in drug trafficking and
possibly had ties to Jamaican organized crime. Even more frustrating for investigators, Bull’s face was captured
on a home video at the party. Yet, decades later, his real identity and whereabouts remain unknown.

The Thanksgiving Killer with Only a Nickname

It’s one thing for a suspect to vanish; it’s another for him to slip away despite being caught on tape and
known by a street name. This case shows how hard it can be to turn whispers and nicknames into actual
arrestsespecially when witnesses fear retaliation.

9. The Disappearance of Cynthia Alonzo – California, 2004

In 2004, Oakland resident Cynthia Alonzo told neighbors she was heading out to visit her mother for
Thanksgiving dinner. She was last seen getting into a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, Eric Mora. She never
arrived at her mother’s home and has not been seen since.

Evidence of blood in Mora’s home and scratches on his hands led investigators to suspect foul play. He was
eventually convicted of Cynthia’s murder even without a body, based largely on circumstantial evidence and
the testimony of a jailhouse informant. Years later, however, his conviction was overturned on procedural
grounds, and a new trial was ordered. Cynthia’s remains have never been found, and her family still doesn’t
know exactly what happened that Thanksgiving.

When “Missing” and “Murder” Blur Together

Cynthia’s case sits on the uneasy line between missing-person and homicide investigation. Legally, the story
has zig-zagged, but emotionally, her family lives with the same bottom line: an empty seat at Thanksgiving
and no closure.

10. The Murder of Rapper Soulja Slim – Louisiana, 2003

James Adarryl Tapp Jr., better known as New Orleans rapper Soulja Slim, was gunned down on November 26, 2003
the night before Thanksgivingon the front lawn of his mother’s home in the Gentilly neighborhood. He was shot
multiple times, and his death shocked both the local community and fans across the country.

Police arrested a man named Garelle Smith in connection with the killing, but the case against him collapsed
when witnesses refused to testify. Smith himself was later murdered in another shooting. Officially, Soulja
Slim’s killing remains unsolved, and for his family, Thanksgiving has become an annual reminder of his
absence rather than a celebration.

A Holiday Marked by a Lost Legacy

Slim’s posthumous hit “Slow Motion” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but he never got to see it.
Every Thanksgiving, his loved ones remember not only his music, but the fact that his killer was never
convicted.

What These Thanksgiving Mysteries Teach Us (Experience & Reflections)

Looking across these ten casesand other holiday crimes that remain unsolvedyou start to see some patterns.
Thanksgiving is a time when routines change: people travel, stay up late, walk unfamiliar routes, visit family
they only see once a year, or work odd shifts to keep restaurants, bars, and hospitals running. All of that
creates opportunity for someone with violent intentions.

Many Thanksgiving crimes happen in those in-between moments: walking home from school after an early dismissal,
heading back from a party, or driving home from a late-night shift so other people can enjoy the holiday. Beth
Lynn Barr was simply walking home; Paul Knockel was expected at dinner; bartender Christopher Mader, another
Thanksgiving cold case, was shot while driving home from work in Maryland in the early hours of Thanksgiving
morning in 2004.

Another recurring theme is isolation. A surprising number of victims in holiday cases are alone when something
goes wrongwalking, driving, bird-watching, or doing routine tasks on what should be a quiet day. Holidays
give most people time off, but they also mean fewer witnesses on the streets, quieter neighborhoods, and long
stretches where nobody expects anything bad to happen. That combination can make crimes harder to solve.

There’s also the emotional weight. When a loved one is killed or disappears on Thanksgiving, the anniversary
isn’t some random date on the calendarit’s baked into a national tradition. While everyone else is posting
pictures of pies and football, these families are watching news segments about their own unsolved tragedies,
hoping a viewer finally recognizes a face or a detail. The Skelton brothersthree young boys who vanished in
Michigan over Thanksgiving in 2010are another example: their disappearance remains unsolved, and their mother
had them legally declared deceased just to gain a measure of closure.

On the investigative side, Thanksgiving cases show both the power and limitations of modern forensics. The
recovery of Paul Knockel’s car decades later came thanks to new efforts and technology that can scan rivers
and lakes more effectively. Cold-case units continue to revisit DNA, ballistics, and old witness statements.
Yet, in many of these crimes, the barrier isn’t toolsit’s people. Cases like Soulja Slim’s, the Blount family
bombing, and the Tacoma double murder are all hamstrung by the same issue: witnesses who are frightened,
unwilling, or simply gone.

So what can we, as non-detectives with a fondness for mashed potatoes, take away from all this?

• Take “little weird things” seriously. A suspicious car that keeps circling the block, a
  stranger hanging around after a party, or an abandoned object on the porch may be nothingbut if it feels
  wrong, say something. Several of these cases involve earlier warning signs that, in hindsight, were far
  from harmless.
• Travel and walk in pairs when you can. A short solo walklike the ones taken by Beth Lynn
  Barr, Karen Mitchell, and otherscan be the most vulnerable moment of the day.
• Support cold-case efforts. Many tips that finally crack old cases come from people who sit
  with a story for years and eventually find the courage to speak. If you know someone who “knows something”
  about a local legend or holiday tragedy, gentle encouragement can matter.

Finally, if you’re a true-crime fan, there’s a responsibility that comes with consuming these stories.
It’s easy to treat “Thanksgiving murder mystery” as just a catchy phrase in a podcast title, but for the
families involved, these aren’t spooky specialsthey’re their lives. Sharing accurate information, avoiding
wild speculation, and amplifying official tip lines instead of rumors can actually help.

Thanksgiving will always be associated with gratitude, food comas, and questionable cranberry-sauce choices.
But for the families connected to these cases, the holiday also marks yet another year without answers. Until
someone talks, some bit of evidence surfaces, or technology advances again, these unsolved crimes and
disappearances will remain part of the darker history of America’s coziest holiday.