unsolved mysteries netflix theories reddit

These Reddit Theories About The New ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ Episodes Are Super Intriguing

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True crime fiends have been spoilt this month, firstly with American Murder: The Family Next Door debuting and now with six new episodes of Unsolved Mysteries dropping on Netflix.

The first six episodes found a huge following when they dropped earlier this year, with people becoming obsessed with the mysterious cases and trying to figure out what actually happened. The new episodes did not disappoint, ranging from a former presidential aide ending up in a garbage dump, to a convicted murderer escaping from prison and going on the run.

As the whole purpose of the series is presenting unsolved cases, with every episode couch detectives (like me) start to think they might be capable of solving some of the mysteries.

Like any good mystery, first comes the facts of the case, then comes the internet sleuthing and finally the theories. Reddit is an absolute treasure trove when it comes to people who live and breathe true crime, with a subreddit dedicated to the Netflix series.

Here are some interesting Reddit theories about the new episodes…

‘Washington Insider Murder’

Was Jack Wheeler even murdered?

The first episode retraced the final days of John (aka Jack) Wheeler, a former presidential aide whose body was found in a landfill after ending up in a dumpster in Newark, Delaware in 2010. The 66-year-old-man was known to have bipolar disorder and could be seen on security footage in the days leading up to his death, appearing to be experiencing a manic episode and was missing a shoe.

The episode heavily hinted that his death was the result of a homicide, and while a theory that he could have just fallen asleep in a dumpster was raised, an expert said that wouldn’t be consistent with the injuries found on his body in his autopsy.

But this Reddit sleuth disagrees and thinks that the dumpster theory is the most likely. They propose the following argument by retracing Jack’s steps and it’s pretty convincing, writing, “I believe he intended to set out for the pharmacy in order to obtain more medication. However, on the way to the pharmacy, because of his manic state, his focus shifts from medication to retrieving his car,” a Reddit user posted.

“The next time we see Jack, 40 minutes have passed. The ride should have been 10 or 12. He is disheveled, paranoid, dirty, erratic, and his shoe is torn, and in his hand instead of on his foot. Even for a manic episode, this kind of transformation is 40 minutes is extreme. I believe something happened during his ride to trigger a full blown mental crisis of some sort. Something exacerbated his manic status to the point where he entered a mental episode. I think he was attacked and beaten up,” they continued.

“By the time he reaches Newark, it is nearing 23:30. It is late December. It is fucking cold. He has a dress shirt and a cotton sweatshirt. Manic and irrational, he finds a dumpster with a door on the side. Either to hide from whoever he thinks is following him, or to get out of the weather, he climbs through the door and into the dumpster. (As the trash collectors stated, many homeless would do the same in the winter months.)

“Early in the morning, the garbageman drives his truck up, and with the hydraulic lift, tips the dumpster upside down into the compactor of his truck. The garbage inside causes numerous lacerations observed by the medical examiner. Sadly, Jack is still alive as the compactor starts up, and kills him. This is the cause the broken bones found in the autopsy.

“When the medical examiner performed the autopsy, he noted several things and came to a conclusion having already been under the impression Jack was a murder victim, and without considering a trash compactor as a possibility; he noted bruising and swelling on Jack’s face, indicative of being hit. I believe this was caused by wounds Jack had received during an altercation during those missing 40 minutes between the New Castle Pharmacy and Wilmington. The wounds would have been new enough to appear to be fresh if you weren’t looking for two separate incidents.”

Another person on Reddit noted, “I thought it so odd that the Netflix episode showed a trash compactor in a garbage truck while interviewing the dump truck driver, but never mentioned a trash compactor easily being able to cause those injuries.”

‘A Death in Oslo’

Was someone working for the hotel in on it?

This was one of the more baffling stories, with a Jane Doe (who called herself Jennifer Fairgate) found shot in the head in room 2805 at the prestigious Plaza Hotel in Oslo in 1995. A hotel security guard heard a gunshot as he approached the room and police ruled the death as a suicide, despite several red flags, like the fact she was found holding a gun but with no blood splatter on her hands. The woman has never been identified and managed to check in to the hotel without providing any ID or even paying with a credit card.

The part of the story that many viewers found hard to believe was how a fancy hotel gave this women a room without her providing any ID or, you know, actually paying. This person on Reddit claiming to have worked at a hotel gave an interesting perspective that someone higher up the hotel chain must have approved her room. “I was Security Director for a Marriott hotel a few years ago,” a Reddit user wrote.

“It is not impossible for a front desk clerk to check in a guest without a credit card on file, or with no ID, but the two or three times this happened at my hotel, the front desk clerk was ordered to do it by someone high up in management,” they continued.

“In short, no clerk would ever risk breaking policy this way unless specifically ordered to do so by someone in upper management. A clerk has to log in under his or her personal ID code to be able to check in a guest, and if the guest profile shows no credit card on file — that clerk is terminated. So it would be career suicide for any clerk to do this. Bottom line: it’s extremely unlikely that this was an oversight by a front desk clerk. Someone in upper management most certainly vouched for Jennifer Fairgate’s check in.”

While another user posed a similar theory, writing, “She was either a spy sent there to meet a contact like a politician or was a high end prostitute that met with prolific clients like politicians. They could easily know the hotel owner or pull some strings to let people like Jennifer to check in undisturbed under a fake alias,” they wrote.

“The hotel security guy who originally knocked on the door could’ve been in on it and the knock was a signal that the coast is clear for the murder and that the perpetrator has 15 minutes to leave in peace.” INTRIGUING.

‘Death Row Fugitive’

Lester Eubanks’ biological son’s DNA could be the key to tracking him down

This case is particularly frustrating because it could have been solved (or avoided) if people did their damn jobs. In 1965 Lester Eubanks was convicted of murdering 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener and while he was originally given the death penalty, after laws were changed, his sentence was commuted to life in prison. However, Eubanks escaped prison when he was allowed to leave for an err, Christmas shopping trip. He has never been caught and the episode attempts to track his latest location.

One fact that wasn’t included in the episode, that a Reddit user brought up, was that Eubanks actually had a biological son, who says his mother was raped by Eubanks. “I’ve just read that he has a biological son who has provided his DNA in the case,” a Reddit user wrote. “Frustratingly, there’s rules in place meaning they cannot use the son’s DNA to help trace Eubanks, which is confusing even though the son consented to this use and ‘told ABC news he wants to see the Marshals find Eubanks and bring him to justice.'”

If the DNA could be acquired, it could be used in a national fugitive search by constructing a genetic profile of Eubanks and using it to compare to other DNA evidence from previous crimes. However, the federal government has a policy in place that doesn’t permit familial searches, as it violates a person’s right to privacy. Until it’s allowed, this missing piece in the puzzle will remain untouched.

‘Lady in the Lake’

Did Tim tell Joann Romain he was going to kill her?

A truly baffling case, Joann Romain disappeared in 2010 after attending a prayer service and her body turned up 70 days later floating 30 miles away from where she was last seen. While her death was ruled a suicide, her family maintains that she was abducted. It’s a complex case as her brother John had mafia connections and her police officer cousin Tim Matouk was fighting with Joann at the time of her death.

A Reddit user posted about something that was left out of the episode which is pretty revealing. “Some of the things left out as per our interview with [daughters] Michelle and Kellie Romain,” they began. “Joann told not only Michelle, but everyone that would listen that she was scared of Tim and that he had allegedly said he could ‘make her disappear.’ She even went so far as to tell her paralegal.”

Another user agreed and noted that Tim could have used his influence as a police officer to classify her death as suicide to cover up his crime. “Tim being in law enforcement was a red flag for me after seeing how the police handled the case. Him being able to ‘game’ a police interview isn’t past the realms of possibility,” another added.

“If the cousin wasn’t involved, and he had the resources of a police officer, it seems he would be motivated to push for a more substantial examination of evidence in this case. He seems… rather quiet about wanting justice in this case, considering the obvious errors,” a different user added.

MUCH TO THINK ABOUT AND A LOT OF GOOGLING TO DO.

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Unsolved Mysteries is available to stream now on Netflix.