Every year, thousands of people have managed to disappear; While some are found (albeit after several months or years), others have remained unsolved.

From the Lost Colony of Roanoke to Amelia Earhart to Jimmy Hoffa, many folks have gone missing over the years and never came back…Here are just a few of these cases.

#10. Richey Edwards

A member of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers, Richy Edwards joined the group not long after their single ‘Suicide Alley’ and he would serve as both a lyricist and guitarist for the band.

Edwards, while talented in his craft, had also suffered from bouts of insomnia and depression and was also not afraid to harm himself as evident by a May 1991 interview the band gave during the Norwich Arts Centre. In the interview, a reporter asked how commited was Edwards to his work to which the musician pulled out a razor and carved the words ‘4 Real’ into his arm.

On February 1st, 1995 Edwards had vanished in the lead up to the band’s upcoming U.S. tour and his whereabouts remain unknown; Although several sightings of the musician was made following his disappearance, some believed that he took his own life when on February 14th his Vauxhall Cavalier was found dead near the Severn Bridge which was a well known suicide area.

The search for Edwards continued until November 24th 2008, when he was declared dead more than twenty years after his last appearance.

#9. Jean Spangler

Many upstarts have big aspirations of making it big in the world of Hollywood, only for those plans to either succeed or fail spectacularly; In the case of dancer, model and actress Jean Spangler she never even was given a chance to really reach her full potential.

On October 7th 1949, the 27 year old left her home in Los Angeles to meet with her ex-husband over child support before shooting some material for a film with the shoots occurring late at night. The next day, Spangler’s sister-in-law filed a missing persons report after it emerged that Jean hadn’t shown up for any film shoots the previous night.

Even though she told her sister and daughter that she would be out late and was seen waiting for someone a few blocks away, no trace of her was ever seen again.

Two days after her last sighting, Jean’s torn purse was found at LA’s Griffith Park and a note was left inside with the note addressing some one named ‘Kirk’, saying

“Kirk: Can’t wait any longer, Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away,

Theories speculate that the ‘Kirk’ in question was actor Kirk Douglas who worked with Spangler during the production of the film ‘Young Man with a Horn’ although Douglas quickly denied these claims and mentioned that he never talked to Jean outside of some small talk whilst making the film.

Some believe Jean’s ex-husband, Dexter Benner was responsible, others believed the mafia might have been involved or even an alleged doctor looking to aid Spangler’s abortion could be the culprit…Either way, it appears the case of Jean Spangler will never see a definitive conclusion.

#8. Scott Smith

Scott Smith was a musician for the Canadian rock Band, Loverboy and performed with the band until their breakup in 1988, but this didn’t last as they would come together again in 1993 following a benefit concert a few years earlier.

Unfortunately the group would suffer a massive loss when on November 30th 2000, Smith and some friends had gone on a boating trip near San Francisco when the boat was capsized by a large wave which resulted in the 45 year old bassist being taken away with the current.

Despite numerous efforts to relocate his body, none of them were successful and Smith was presumed dead the very same day he was lost at sea.

#7. Bison Dele

Born Brian Williams in Fresno California, the man who would become Bison Dele grew up to be an amazing basketball player, so it came as no surprise when he joined the Orlando Magic as part of the 1991 NBA draft. Throughout his career Dele would play for other legendary teams like the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers before stepping away from the sport at the age of 30 where he decided to travel overseas on his boat the Hunuka Matata.

During one of these over sea trips on July 6th 2002, Dele along with Serena Karlan (his girlfriend), Miles Dabord (his brother) and the boat’s skipper, Bertrand Saldo had a conflict which resulted in three of the four passengers disappearing and being thrown overseas in the Pacific Ocean.

Dabord was the only survivor on the boat made and authorities began to question what happened; According to Dabord’s accounts, a scuffle ensued between him and Dele which led to Serena suffering a fatal head injury which spurred Dele to kill the skipper who was looking to report the death only for Dabord to kill his brother in self-defense.

These accounts have been put into doubt considering Dabord’s actions prior to the trip as he bought items under his brother’s name without his knowledge and he also informed his mother on the trip that he wouldn’t survive prison. Dabord’s death from an insulin overdose was deem intentional, but the circumstances surrounding the other three passengers remain unsolved to this day.

#6. Oscar Zeta Acosta

While he may be best known for Benicio Del Toro’s film portrayal in the 1998 film ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, the story behind the real life Dr. Gonzo might be just as over the top as the film itself.

During his lifetime, Oscar Zeta Acosta was known for his outlandish personality and commitment to the Chicano Movement where he served as both an activist and a lawyer for many years. He was also a writer who penned a couple of novels before encountering fellow eccentric and writer, Hunter S. Thompson in 1967.

The two went on number of trips together and in 1971, a book titled ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ was published but issues arose between the two over the book which led to their friendship turning sour. In May of 1974, Acosta took a trip to Mexico and was never heard from again; his son Marco claimed that his father had previously called him before the trip and told his son he was

“About to board a boat full of white snow.”

Outside of Marco’s belief that his father might’ve been killed due to his boisterous persona and a Rolling Stones article written by Thompson believing his former friend was killed by drug dealers or gunned down for politcal reasons…No one knows if Acosta made it to his destination or if he was murdered before making it.

#5. Lord Lucan

Richard Bingham was the Seventh Earl of Lucan who indulged is such hobbies as gambling, boat racing and even drove an Aston Martin during his lifetime, which is probably why rumors presist that he was nearly considered for the role of James Bond in the first 007 film back in 1962.

However, not it’s these that Lord Lucan is known for today, but rather his connection to a murder and his own unexplained disappearance.

In November of 1974, Lucan fled his home after his wife accused him of attempted murder and killing Sandra Rivett, the nanny of the Lucan’s children. Due to Lucan’s gambling habits and a losing custody battle, the British royal was determined to get his kids back…and some say his methods may have led to Rivett’s death as Lucan’s wife believed her husband tried to hire a hitman to kill both ladies in the house.

After calling his mother and pleading his innocence, Lucan drove away in his car where he allegedly planned to meet with an aquaintance in East Sussex; By the time his car was discovered, Lucan was nowhere to be found and despite efforts to track him down he was declared dead in 1999 and his titles would be passed down to his son George in 2016.

#4. Michael Rockefeller

As his last name would suggest, Michael was a member of the wealthy Rockefeller Family with his father being former New York Governor and America’s 41st Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.

Although he didn’t pursue an interest in politics like his dad, Michael’s interest saw him engage in social research to understand the cultures of people living in foreign countries. Rockefeller’s work often took him to Dutch New Guinea where he interacted with the Dani and Asmat tribes living in the area.

One of these trips to New Guinea would end up being his last when on November 19th 1961, he and a collegue named René Wassing had their boat compromised which forced Michael to fashion a makeshift float in an attempt to find some assistance…Sadly this would be the last time anyone would see or hear from the young Rockefeller.

Because of his family’s wealthy status, Michael’s disappearance was a major story around the world but it sadly didn’t result in the discovery of his body; Some believed that he drowned before making it to dry land, others think he was the victim of crocodile or sharks attacks and others suspect that he was eaten by a cannibalistic tribe of the Asmat people with bones that supposedly belonged to Rockefeller being found…But we will never know the conclusive truth of what happened to Michael.

#3. Harold Holt

Harold Holt was Australia’s 17th Prime Minister when he got the job in January of 1966 but would hold onto that position for about a year before his sudden disappearance.

Before this, Holt was a lawyer and a fresh faced politician when he decided to serve his country as a private during World War Two, after the war he held the role of Treasurer from 1958 before getting the role of Prime Minister in the mid 1960’s. Holt helped to lead his nation during the Cold War which saw him becoming close friends with U.S. President Lyndon Johnson.

On December 17th 1967, the Prime Minister and some of his friends went to Victoria’s Cheviot Beach which was a place that Holt was accustomed to as he spent countless days spearfishing; Holt and another man went into the water that day but before long Holt was taken by the current and was never seen again.

Although the largest search operations in Australian History were conducted, no trace of Harold Holt was found and this led to endless theories about his fate ranging from faking his own death to being a covert spy for the Chinese or being the victim of a CIA assassination attempt…Regardless he was pronounced dead on December 17th at the age of 59.

#2. Andrew Carnegie Whitfield

Nephew of famous industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Young Whitfield was not only a businessman but he was also a graduate of Princeton and a novice air pilot whose plane of choice was a red and silver Taylor Cub.

Whilst piloting that very same Taylor Cub on April 17th 1938, Whitfield who was suppose to arrived at Brentwood New York never made it to his destination; What happened next is even more bizarre than the disappearance itself.

It’s soon revealed that Whitfield had entered another hotel under the name ‘Albert C. White’ but never checked out; From there his personal belongings as well as some life insurance policies plus a few stocks and bonds were discovered and records indicate his called his family where he allegedly said:

“Well, I am going to carry out my plan.”

No traces of him were ever found and no evidence of personal or financial issues have been discovered to suggest that he committed suicide.

#1. Louis Le Prince

Outside of cinephiles and film historians, the name Louis Le Prince may not ring a bell but his contributions to the world of filmmaking is certainly important.

A french native who developed an interest in photography, Le Prince created a camera that used single lens to record one of the earliest bits of motion picture on October 14th 1888. The film was a two second piece of footage famously known as ‘Roundhay Garden Scene‘ and it’s become an intragal part of early film history for being the first of it’s kind.

Le Prince would continue to record things on his camera when on September 16th 1890, he was scheduled for a trip to the U.S. either for an upcoming premiere of one of his films or to spend time with his wife and children. He took a train to from the city of Dijon and from then on he vanished.

No occupants on the train saw Le Prince leave and his valuables were still on; Theories have suggested everything from drowning to Le Prince being in debt or suffering bouts of depression and the most notorious one sees famed inventor and businessman, Thomas Edison being connected to the crime as Le Prince was planning to patent his camera before coming to America and Edison was famously against others succeeding in the film world without him being apart of it.

Like many of the names on this list, the fate of Louis Le Prince has been and will remain unknown to this day.

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