Throughout the last few decades, alongside the rise of the internet - one very important
thing has became apparent.
Many hands - makes light work.
Or, in this case - many brains.
Modern history is awash with cold cases and unsolved mysteries, tragic crimes that have
faded into the dusty shelves of the lost and the forgotten.
But, those mysteries didn’t account for the unquenchable thirst of human curiosity
in the relentless pursuit to find the truth.
From WebSleuths to Reddit, to the murky corners of 4Chan - the Internet has had a habit of
pulling at threads that modern criminal justice has left behind.
So I guess we better take a look, too.
Hello horror fans - and once again, welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top
5 Scary Videos.
As always, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today we leaf through the world
wide webs finest moments - and take a look at the Top 5 Scary Mysteries Solved By The
Internet.
Roll the clip.
Before we kick off this list, you know the drill by now horror fans - if you’re a fan
of this video, unsolved internet mysteries - or just Top 5 Scary in general - then please,
be a dear and hit that thumbs up button, as well as that subscribe bell - so you can stay
up to date with our latest and greatest horror uploads.
Make sure to stick around till the end as well - where I’ll be reading out some of
your more creative comments from the past few days.
On with the show.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Paulette Jaster
In May 1979 - a 25 year old woman, Paulette Jaster - had disappeared from a small town
in Michigan, where she lived with her mother and six siblings after being tormented by
her own mental health issues.
The family were distraught - and searched endlessly for Paulette, but to no avail - left
with no explanation as to her ultimate fate.
They were left in the dark for nearly 35 years - until Sharon Derrick, a forensic anthropologist
was examining old autopsy pictures of an unidentified woman whose body had been buried in a paupers
grave in Houston, Texas.
Sometime in January of 2014, Sharon Derrick had received a tip from the Internet, a WebSleuth
who had been scouring a database of unmarked graves and unidentified deaths, when they
noticed similarities between the Paulette Jaster missing persons report.
After pursuing the lead, Sharon managed to match photographic evidence of three distinct
freckles on the Jane Doe’s face to that of Paulette Jaster - which tragically revealed
that she’d been killed in a hit and run incident on March 28th 1980.
Sadly, Paulette’s life had came to an end - but after 35 years, her family could finally
grieve their missing daughter.
Swinging in at Number 4 - Jalopnik
Here’s an interesting one - and of all places, was solved by Jalopnik - which, come on, is
a great word - Jalopnik.
An automotive fan forum that has a massive user base of motor fanatics, who had their
moment to shine back in 2012 following a fatal hit and run incident in Waynesboro, Virginia.
Tragically, 56 year-old Betty Marcelle Wheeler was walking near her home when she was hit
by a vehicle and killed.
The vehicle had fled the scene, but police had found a part of the vehicle lying by the
roadside.
Unable to identify it - they posted it to Jalopnik, seeking the aid of car enthusiasts
in the hope that it would lead to the prosecution of the perpetrators.
And guess what?
It did.
Within minutes of the Waynesboro Police Department asking the internet for help, several users
had already came forward and identified the part as belonging to a Ford F-150 - which
swiftly led to the arrest of two men, bringing justice to Betty Marcelle Wheeler and her
family.
Next up at Number 3 - Grateful Doe
The unsolved mystery of Grateful Doe had perplexed the internet for years.
In 1995 - a 21 year old man named Michael E. Hager and an unidentified hitchhiker were
killed in a car accident in rural Virginia.
Hager’s family were devastated, but no one mourned for the John Doe hitchhiker - as the
authorities were unsuccessful in identifying exactly who he was.
The only thing to identify him was a tie-dyed Grateful Dead t-shirt - eventually giving
him the nickname, Grateful Doe.
The case went cold.
Almost 20 years later, a Redditor named Layla Betts from Queensland, Australia - stumbled
upon the case of Grateful Doe - using a photographic reconstruction of his face from the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Slowly, with the help of fellow internet sleuths, Layla began piecing together Grateful Doe’s
identity - which eventually led to her being contacted by a guy named Steve, claiming to
be the former roommate of the unknown man.
Turned out - he was right, and his real identity was Jason Callahan from Illinois - who had
gone missing after following his favourite band, The Grateful Dead on their nationwide
tour.
For over 20 years, Grateful Doe had remained unknown - but thanks to the hard working curiosity
of the internet, he was finally laid to rest.
Coming in at Number 2 - Abraham Shakespeare
Now - it sounds like great news, winning the lottery, right?
But you’d be surprised the lengths that people will go to when faced with the green
eyed monster - as is the case of Abraham Shakespeare - a 47 year old Florida man that won 30 million
dollars on the lottery - and would ultimately end up murdered and buried in a shallow grave.
After collecting his winnings and paying off his family’s mortgage, Abraham was approached
by a woman named Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore, claiming to be a financial advisor with the
intention of helping Abraham manage his new found wealth.
Well - her real intention was to take the money for herself - and after months of lies
and deceit - she shot Abraham twice and buried him under a cement slab.
For months local police suspected Moore as the killer - but didn’t have enough evidence
to convict her.
The case got backlogged for a while, and was put under the scrutiny of the Websleuths forum
- a site dedicated to amateur e-detectives.
Well, it gets crazier - because during the Websleuths probe - Moore logged onto the forum
anonymously, compelled to defend her reputation - but didn’t take into account that crucial
little thing known as an IP address.
Websleuths co-owner Tricia Griffith called Moore’s bluff, and submitted the IP data
to the police - which ultimately led to her conviction, where she was sentenced to life
in prison.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - The Skull In The Bucket
Andddd - this is a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least - but the perfect example
of what one determined internet detective can pull off with enough time on their hands.
Back in 2001 - a retired trucker named Ronald Telfer noticed something weird at a Missouri
truck stop.
An abandoned plastic bucket filled with concrete.
Thinking he’d use it to feed his pigs back home, he dumped the concrete on his farm - but
it wasn’t until months later, when the concrete had crumbled away - that he realised what
it really was.
A human head.
Eventually, it turned out that it was the head of Gregory May, a 56 year old tattoo
artist that was murdered in 2001 by his best friend Douglas DeBruin over May’s incredibly
rare Civil War memorabilia.
What followed was a tragic, intricate tale of murder - but DeBruin couldn’t be tried
for one simple reason.
At the time, the skull wasn’t verified to a person - and without a body, DeBruin couldn’t
be connected to the murder.
Now enter Ellen Leach, an amateur internet sleuth who went to arduous lengths in connecting
the skull to that of Gregory May - and eventually, provided enough evidence to tie the two together,
resulting in the conviction and life imprisonment of his killer.
Great job Ellen.
Well - unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - but before
we depart, let’s take a look at some of your more creative comments from the past
few days.
Jordan Kelemen says - Your French is impressive.
Well Jordan, thank you very much buddy - although the harsh truth is that my French is terrible
- BUT my German is a smidge better - ich bin eine kleine kartoffel.
Justin M says -- Does this guy own more than 3 shirts?
Well Justin - no!
Who needs more than 3 shirts, right?
One to lend, one to use - one to lose!
No, but in all seriousness I film several videos in advance, so you’re usually seeing
me in the same outfit - on the same day.
That’s the magic of the internet, right?
Berserker5150 says -- jack has the best english accent ever makes binge watching easy.
-- Well Berserker5150 - That’s the nicest thing you could ever say, although many of
my country folk will disagree with you - us Shire folk aren’t renowned for our lyrical
accents.
And finally - Brandy Rose says - And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes
into you - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.
Let’s keep gazing, shall we?
--- That’s the spirit, Brandy.
That’s all we’ve got time for into today's list - cheers for sticking around all the
way to the end.
As always, I’ve been your host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos
- and until next time, you take it easy horror fans.