From a missing millionaire to chess whiz, there are plenty of unsolved disappearances that have stumped police and loved ones. In this article, you will also learn about other people whose whereabouts or fate has remained a mystery. Were they killed or committed suicide?
Ambrose Small
In 1919, headlines raved about the disappearance of Ambrose Small , a 56 year old Canadian millionaire, who disappeared from his office. The last time he was seen was at 5:30 pm on December 2, 1919, at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Rumor has it that his wife and her lover killed Small. His remains were cremated in the Grand Opera theater furnace, which Small had owned. Some believed that a police inspector also helped in the cover-up of the murder-disappearance.
Weldon Kees
U.S. poet Weldon Kees was 41 years old when he vanished without a trace. Although he spoke of packing up and moving to Mexico, there was no proof that Kees had actually committed to the relocation. In 1955, his Plymouth Savoy was found on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge with the keys in the ignition. He had once spoke of trying to jump over the bridge before, but never had the power to actually see it through. No one is quite sure what happened to Kees.
Heinrich Muller
As head of the Gestapo, Heinrich Muller made quite a few enemies as he played a significant role in the planning and execution of the Holocaust. He is considered one of the last Nazi loyalists to stay behind in the Fuhrerbunker as Soviet forces neared. The day after Hitler committed suicide, Muller disappeared on May 1, 1945. With his disappearance, police were on the lookout for one of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party that had escaped being brought to justice. CIA files reveal that they searched for him after the war, but they had no solid leads to work with. Because he also shared the same name with other high commanders, it was hard to get accurate information about his actions.
There were theories that the Soviets had hidden Muller during the Cold War. Yet, analysis of Soviet documents towards the end of the Cold War did not point in that direction. What happened to Muller is an unsolved mystery, but many believe that he died in Berlin not too long after World War II.
Peter Winston
An American chess player named Peter Winston was 20 years old when he disappeared in New York City. Odd circumstances surround the last year of his life. In 1977, Winston was attending a FIDE-rated tournament at Hunter College High School as one of the highest rated players in the tournament. During the competition, Winston lost all nine of his games. A few months later, he experienced several other surprise losses. On January 26, 1978, he simply left his residence without money, identification or luggage and vanished without a trace. At the time of his disappearance, there was a severe winter storm. If he had been in an accident, not having any ID could have led to being called a ‘John Doe.’
Theories swirled about what happened to Peter. Chess players that were close to him or had met his acquaintance claimed that Winston suffered a deterioration of his mental health. His game performance suffered and in the last few years of his life, he may have gone to drugs for help. He could have committed suicide the day he left in the storm, but no one is for sure what happened to him.
