What Are the Cases of ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Volume 2?
The reboot of Unsolved Mysteries was a big hit for Netflix this summer, second only to Disney+’s Hamilton for audience share in July, according to Variety data. Even better, the show yielded nearly two dozen credible tips for three of the first six mysteries featured.
Now the true crime docuseries is back with Volume 2, with each of the six episodes featuring a mystery chosen by cocreator Terry Dunn Meurer and the rest of the Unsolved Mysteries team.
“When we sit down to decide, [we] look for diversity across all kinds of categories,” Meurer told VICE recently. “We want to give the viewers a wide variety of mysteries: a missing [person], a wanted [suspect], a murder, a UFO or maybe a ghost story. We have a category called ‘Unexplained Death,’ which are probably the most intriguing cases.”
Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 checks almost all those boxes. Here’s a primer on the six cases.
“Washington Insider Murder”
The episode description: “Police find the body of former White House aide Jack Wheeler in a landfill. Security footage captures strange events in the days leading up to his death.” The 66-year-old, who had assisted multiple presidential administrations, was killed by “blunt force trauma” in 2010, according to a coroner’s report, but details about his final days are still elusive.
“A Death in Oslo”
“After checking in at a luxury hotel with no ID or credit card, a woman dies from a gunshot. Years later, her identity—and her death—remain a mystery.” The body of the woman—who had used the fake name Jennifer Fergate—was found in her Oslo, Norway, hotel room in 1995 with the labels of her clothing removed and a gun in her hand…but no corresponding gunshot residue.
“Death Row Fugitive”
“Given a furlough to go Christmas shopping in 1973, a convicted killer escapes. Police have come close to apprehending him but believe he’s still at large.” Lester Eubanks shot and fatally bludgeoned a 14-year-old girl in 1965, and he’s been missing ever since Ohio prison officials allowed him to shop for presents unsupervised at a Columbus mall as a reward for good behavior.
“Tsunami Spirits”
“A massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan in March 2011. Residents share stories of the spirits they encountered in the wake of the disaster.” More than 15,000 people died in the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and afterward, locals reported seeing ghosts of tsunami victims sitting in puddles of water in their houses.
“Lady in the Lake”
“On an icy night, police find JoAnn Romain’s abandoned car and assume she drowned in a nearby lake by suicide. But her family suspects foul play.” Romain, a mother of three, disappeared in 2010. Cops discovered her car in a church parking lot—plus a trail of footprints leading to the water’s edge—but they didn’t find her body until 70 days later.
“Stolen Kids”
“In May and August 1989, two toddlers vanished from the same NYC park. A search turned up nothing—but their families haven’t given up hope.” After the disappearances, police uncovered six similarities in the cases, including the fact that each of the two boys had been playing with the same two playmates before going missing.
Unsolved Mysteries, Volume 2, Monday, October 19, Netflix
