In January of 1987, NBC released a series of various episodes of the show, “Unsolved Mysteries,” breaking down cold cases and paranormal phenomena. It soon after became a full series and ran for nine seasons until it moved to CBS. The show jumped from different broadcasting networks over about ten years. But on July 1st, 2020, Netflix released a reboot season that has gained popularity with rapid speed and has even opened many investigative doors for some of the unsolved cases. At the end of every episode, there is information about where you can go to report any information you may have on the case, and apparently, it’s been working
Last year, it was announced that one of the cases, including the murder of Alonzo Brooks in Topeka, Kansas was being reopened after being closed for almost 16 years. Just this week, it was announced that his body was being exhumed for further investigation. It is suspected that someone knows the truth and what happened to him that night but refuses to come forward. For the true crime community, this case has been of particular interest because of the numerous details and elements that are left unexplained and unsolved. There remain to be many theories about what could have happened the night Alonzo Brooks was murdered and the co-creator of the show, Terry Dunn Meurer, claims she hopes the exposure brings new or heightened interest and pushes viewers with valuable information, to come forward.
Another case featured the disappearance of Patrice Endres’ in April of 2004 from her hair salon in Georgia. About two years later, her remains were found 10 miles from her salon scattered throughout the woods. Her husband, Rob, was the focal point of many watchers theories as his behavior and comments during the episode were very suspicious such as stressing the fact that he had time-stamped proof he couldn’t be guilty. Rob also wasted no time to kick out Patrice’s son from their home at 15 years old stating, “I didn’t want Pistol in the house because, you know, I didn’t like him.” Rob has possession of all of Patrice’s old photos and even her ashes but before her cremation even admitted to requesting her body was reassembled as best as possible so he could carry her around. Many Reddit users have revealed their thoughts about what happened to Patrice that day and how Rob had something to do with it. Whether it be doing the deed himself as he often boasts about his degree in criminology or hiring someone to do it for him, several different scenarios have been argued.
One of the most thought-provoking and mysterious occurrences in the series was a cryptic note left by a man by the name of Rey Rivera. Rivera was a happily married 32-year-old finance writer living in Baltimore. On May 24th, 2006, his body was found inside the Belvedere Hotel and was ruled a suicide despite many key elements that didn’t support that theory. A note was discovered behind Rivera’s computer including celebrities, quotes, and other random tidbits of information. The FBI analyzed the note and deemed it to be an ordinary note not suggestive of suicide. But after the episode aired, Reddit users have taken to the internet to reveal their opinion on what the note means and how it is significant. Some saw it as a sign of mental illness, a cry for help, or just a screenplay he was working on. But as time goes on, more people are picking apart a case that was closed years ago.
With all of the attention now on these cold cases, it gives hope to the friends and family of the victims who were told their loved one’s case was closed. It is extremely traumatizing and difficult to lose someone close to you and not having the closure of knowing what happened to them can be even harder. The creators stressed that the possibility of finding a new lead or detail was a huge part of the reason that these particular cases got featured and aired. Not to mention that each case is peculiar and stands out from every other cold case. If you need a series to binge this summer, definitely check out Unsolved Mysteries and pay close attention!
