The jaw-dropping real crimes Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries solved against all odds as hit documentary series returns to screens and climbs the charts
For years, documentaries, movies, and podcasts depicting some of the most famous (and horrific) crimes have risen in popularity.
And in particular, Netflix's series Unsolved Mysteries has become a hit with true crime fans, with viewers desperately trying to solve the cases from the comfort of their own home.
Volume 4 premiered on July 31 and has already climbed to the number one spot in Netflix's top ten TV programme's in the UK.
The American TV show first started back in 1987 and has since broadcast over 600 episodes – Netflix obtained the rights to the series back in 2020.
The show has solved dozens of mysteries over the years – in fact, it's solved more than 250.
As viewers continue to flood Netflix producers with potential new details on the volume four cases, MailOnline takes a look back at all the times the show has helped contribute to solving a murder.
The jaw-dropping real crimes Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries solved against all odds as hit documentary series returns to screens and climbs the charts
Craig Williamson (Season 6, Episode 23)
One of the most famous instances occurred in season six, when the show debuted an episode about a man named Craig Williamson, from Wisconsin, who went missing in August 1993 during a trip to Colorado Springs to sell some fish.
When he never returned, the police launched an investigation, but was never able to figure out what happened.
His wife, Christine Reinhard, was convinced he had suffered from amnesia and must have gotten lost, since he was suffering from a concussion at the time, and when the episode about his case was aired in 1995, he saw it on TV and recognized himself.
He was able to reconnect with his wife, although he did not remember her. He later revealed he got mugged during the trip, which worsened his concussion and left him confused.
When he woke up in the hospital, he couldn't remember who he was or his past life, and started over in Key West, Florida.
Another famous case that was decoded by Unsolved Mysteries was that of Jerry Strickland and Melissa 'Missy' Munday.
Together, the couple murdered a oil company courier named Elmer DeBoer in 1987 in an attempt to steal $10,000 from him.
After committing the crime, the pair went on the run and relocated to Washington, where they believed they had gotten away with it.
But when Unsolved Mysteries showcased DeBoer's mysterious death in a 1988 episode and shared photos of the wanted fugitives, more than 15 people who lived in their town noticed a resemblance and reported them to the police.
Munday's charges were dropped after she agreed to testify against Strickland, who was found guilty of kidnapping, murder, and robbery, and was sentenced to life in prison.
In season six of Unsolved Mysteries, an episode about a man named Craig Williamson (seen), from Wisconsin, who went missing in 1993 during a trip to Colorado Springs, helped lead to his discovery. It turns out, he had suffered from amnesia
Danny and Kathy Freeman (Season 2, Episode 8)
The 1999 killings of Kathy and Danny Freeman, and the disappearance of their 16-year-old daughter Ashley and her friend, Lauria Bible, shocked the rural Oklahoma community.
The Freeman family was hit by unbelievable tragedy when their house burnt down in an awful fire.
Kathy, the mother of the family, died in the fire, but she hadn't died as a result of being burned or from smoke inhalation, she'd been shot.
Her husband Danny was initially missing after the fire but when he was found it turned out he'd been shot as well. The couple's daughter Ashley, as well as her best friend, were nowhere to be found.
The case was eventually solved when Ronnie Dean Busick was found to be responsible. He was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of arson.
Investigators are still requesting any tips that may lead to the remains of Ashley and Lauria.
The 1999 killings of Kathy and Danny Freeman, and the disappearance of their 16-year-old daughter Ashley and her friend, Lauria Bible, shocked the rural Oklahoma community
Bonnie Haim (Season 8, Episode 8)
Michael Haim was convicted in May 2019 of second-degree murder and will live out the rest of his life in prison for the gruesome slaying of his wife Bonnie Haim.
His son, Aaron Fraser, helped implicate him in the murder after he moved back home in 2014 where he and his brother-in-law found the remains of his mother's body.
Fraser was three years old when his mother disappeared, and at the time of the murder, he tried to tell police that his 'daddy hurt mommy', but no one believed him and no physical evidence tied his father to the crime, according to the Florida Times-Union.
Even his mother's family members did not believe him.
'The credibility of a child is something that you have to judge in perspective,' Robert Pasciuto, Bonnie's father said in an 2010 episode of the true crime television series Unsolved Mysteries.
'He's said a couple of things that we know were not true. "Mom's car is in the lake." We know her car wasn't there. No one has asked Aaron why did you say mom's car is at the bottom of the lake,' Pasciuto added.
'Aaron also stated that "Daddy shot Mommy," "Daddy placed Mommy in timeout,'' and "My daddy could not wake her up," a 2015 arrest affidavit said.
Michael Haim was convicted in May 2019 of second-degree murder and will live out the rest of his life in prison for the gruesome slaying of his wife Bonnie Haim
Jane Doe case (Season 7, Episode 12)
A Jane Doe case that baffled investigators for 27 years and was featured on Unsolved Mysteries was finally solved in 2017 thanks to cutting edge FBI fingerprint analysis.
Virginia woman Andrea Kuiper was the person struck and killed by two cars in Huntington Beach, California on April 1, 1990, officials with the Orange County Sheriff's Department revealed.
Nearly three decades after their daughter went missing, Andrea's family finally has closure.
'We are thankful to know what happened to our daughter after all these years,' Andrea's father, Richard Kuiper, said in a statement.
'Andrea was loved and respected. She was beautiful. But she was manic depressive, and therefore we had been through quite an adventure.'
Kayla Unbehaun (Volume 3, Episode 9)
A girl who was allegedly abducted by her mother in suburban Chicago nearly six years ago was found safe hundreds of miles away in North Carolina on May 14 2023.
Kayla Unbehaun, who was abducted by her non-custodial mother Heather Unbehaun, had last been seen on July 4, 2017.
An unnamed Good Samaritan spotted the teenager at a local business after watching her story on Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries.
Kayla is featured at the end of the episode 'Abducted by a Parent' as a part of a Missing Children Roll alongside CJ and Billy Vosseler, Luis Alderete-Martinez, Huaiyu and Binyu Chin, Reuben Blackwell Jr., Tammy and Diego Flores, and Christopher and Lisa Zaharias.
Officers were notified on May 14, 2023 and found a woman and a minor child at the business in Asheville, North Carolina, and were able to confirm their identities.
They said the woman, Heather Unbehaun, was wanted on an extradition warrant out of Illinois for child abduction. She was arrested and her daughter returned to her father, who is the rightful custodian.
Kayla Unbehaun, who was abducted by her non-custodial mother Heather Unbehaun (pictured), had last been seen on July 4, 2017
The Anthrax Murderer (Season 12, Episode 13)
In 2001, a number of postal workers in America became seriously ill under mysterious circumstances, with it being revealed that they had been poisoned with anthrax.
A man had died in Florida from the exact same cause just days earlier, leading police to suspect that anthrax was being delivered to be people in their mail.
In 2008, a government scientist named Bruce Ivins was rushed to a Maryland hospital suffering from a massive overdose of prescription drugs.
He died two days later. Shortly after, the FBI announced that Dr. Ivins had been the prime suspect in the anthrax terror of 2001.
Dr. Ivins helped investigate the attacks that killed five Americans and terrorized the nation. But this resulted in him becoming a suspect and according to the FBI, there is no doubt that he was the anthrax killer.
The case is officially closed, though a motive for Dr. Ivins’ alleged crimes has not been established.
Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 is now available on Netflix.
