Everyone loves a good mystery, whether it’s attempting to get to the bottom of an infamous
case like the Zodiac or something a little tamer.
There are some terrifying mysteries out there that have baffled experts and eluded the police
and now they are asking for your assistance.
Could you be the next person to crack open a cold case and give a family closure?
5 - Living Statues To this day, the outbreak of a disease that
turned people into living statues has baffled experts.
This disease is known as Encephalitis lethargica and is a type of sleeping sickness, whilst
experts have managed to pin down the pathology of sleeping sickness, they are still working
to discover what causes this particular strain.
This makes Encephalitis lethargica all the more terrifying as there is little to no medical
advice on what to avoid and how to treat it.
Throughout history, there have been several outbreaks of EL with the most notable occurring
between 1915 and 1926.
The disease spread rapidly throughout Europe and there is no doubt that World War I aided
the transmission of this neurological mystery.
People from all over Europe suddenly became very ill and were struck down by this new
mystery illness.
The first symptoms of EL could be confused for the common cold or flu viruses with those
infected having a high fever, sore throat and headache.
However, as the hour's tick by, the symptoms become much worse and it becomes very clear
that the person is suffering from something much worse.
As the disease slowly takes over the body, patients are left lethargic and confused.
In the most extreme cases, those infected are reduced to nothing more than a living
statue as the disease attacks the brain and leaves them unable to control their body.
Between 1915 and 1926 around 5 million people were infected with EL, with 1.6 million succumbing
to the disease.
Those who survived were left with long term complications such as Parkinson's, psychosis
and other neurological damage.
Modern medicine has been unable to combat EL and even now, the treatment options are
very limited for an infected patient.
4 - Diane Louise Augat Diane Louise Augat had a rough start in life,
in her early adult years, she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and struggled with this
disorder for many years.
Diane underwent numerous therapies and took medication for her mental health, however
it wasn’t enough.
By the time she mysteriously vanished in 1998 she had been detained 32 times under Florida’s
Baker Act and sent to a mental health facility.
In 1991, Diane and her husband divorced which was a stressor for Diane, sending her into
another spiral with her mental health.
Diane always strived to do what was best for her children and was a stay at home mum throughout
the 1970s and 80s, using this time to seek help and treatment for her mental health issues.
In March 1998, Diane had just been released from a mental health facility and her family
decided that for the time being, it would be better for Diane to live at the family
home.
On April 10th 1998, Diane left the family home at around 11 AM and was never seen again.
Diane’s sister was the last person to see her alive and she told investigators that
Diane was headed to a doctor’s appointment and assured her that she would be back soon.
When hours passed and there was no sign of Diane, her sister called the Pasco County
Sheriff’s Office to report her missing.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office was worried for Diane’s wellbeing after learning about
her past medical history and the fact that she had left the house without her medication.
A witness claims to have seen Diane walking along U.S 19 near New York Avenue in Hudson,
Florida on April 11th 1998 but nothing else came of this lead.
It wasn’t until April 13th 1998 that Diane’s mother received a scary voicemail.
In the message, Diane can be heard asking for help before another voice says “Hey,
gimmie that” and the call ends.
Investigators were able to trace the call to a business under the name of ‘Starlight’
located in Odessa, Florida.
However, upon calling the number back and physically searching for the business, nothing
was found, only adding to the creepy unsolved disappearance.
Two days after the voicemail was received, Diane’s right middle finger was discovered
along U.S 19 on New York Avenue.
Members of the public also discovered items of clothing believed to have belonged to Diane
neatly folded inside of outdoor freezers at convenience stores dotted around Odessa.
Then in the year 2000, Diane’s brother’s girlfriend made another shocking discovery
as she was standing in line at a Circle K store.
On the counter was a clear plastic bag that had the name “Diane” written on it, inside
was black eyeliner, ‘Taboo’ brand perfume, bright pink lipstick and a tube of toothpaste.
Diane’s mother confirmed that these items did belong to her daughter and also told investigators
that the toothpaste looked similar to the ones that Diane had been issued during her
time at the mental health facility.
Despite all of these clues and hundreds of tips, The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office
is still no closer to solving the mysterious disappearance of Diane Louise Augat.
Over 23 years later, there is still no sign of Diane Louise Augat and unless the right
person comes forward, it may be many more years until we find out the truth.
Diane Louise Augat is described as a white female with dark blonde hair and blue eyes.
Both of her ears are pierced, she has tattoos on her back and right shoulder and also has
a scar on her abdomen.
She was last seen wearing a white tank top, blue shorts and white sneakers and is 5’4”
and 130lbs.
If you have any information about the disappearance of Diane Louise Augat you are asked to contact
the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on 800-854-2862.
3 - Maria Glinkina 19-year-old student
Maria Glinkina spent the evening of November 8th 2014 getting ready for a party at her
friend Irina’s place in Russia.
At around 10 pm that evening, Maria called Irina to let her know that she was on her
way to her apartment which was around 40 minutes away on foot.
Irina was concerned that her friend was walking alone, late at night but was assured by Maria
that her boyfriend, Nikita would be walking with her and that everything would be fine.
At 11:02 pm, Maria texted Irina saying that she was around 15 minutes away and that she
would be at her apartment very soon.
Excited, Irina got everything ready for a night of partying and relaxing with her friends,
but as 11:20 pm rolled around and there was still no sign of Maria, she began to get worried.
At around 11:20 pm, Irina called Maria to see where she was and make sure that everything
was okay.
On the other end of the phone, a breathless Maria said “I can’t talk to you now, will
call you later” and abruptly ended the call.
2 minutes later, Maria calls Irina back and tells her that she isn’t coming and Irina
noticed that Maria sounded strange.
After this, Maria’s phone is either turned off or runs out of battery and is not turned
on again.
When Irina hadn’t heard from her friend by the next morning she contacted her boyfriend
and her family who confirmed that she hadn’t made it home that night.
Her family believed that she was spending the night with Irina and upon realising that
she had mysteriously vanished, they called the police.
The police were very hesitant to open an investigation, leaving Maria’s family and friends to search
for her themselves.
CCTV footage was recovered from the evening of November 8th 2014 which showed Maria at
a crossing, heading in the opposite direction of Irina’s apartment.
Not only did the CCTV footage show that Maria lied about where she was but it also showed
a creepy man following Maria down the street.
Since the local police were less than cooperative, Maria’s family, friends and a group of volunteers
decided to kickstart the search for her.
Sadly, on November 10th 2014, the group discovered Maria in the basement of an abandoned building.
This building is very close to where the creepy man was seen following Maria.
Following this discovery, the local police took over the investigation but since then,
there have been no leads in Maria’s case.
It is widely believed that the man seen in the CCTV footage is responsible, but Russian
authorities are yet to identify him.
It was revealed in 2018 that a man named Vitaly is being considered a suspect in Maria’s
case after he committed a similar crime in Moscow.
A composite sketch of the man seen in the CCTV footage has been created and there are
striking resemblances to Vitaly.
At the time of writing this episode, Maria’s case still remains unsolved and anyone with
information is asked to contact (831) 268-65-42.
2 - David Glenn Lewis On January 28th 1993, David Glenn Lewis said
goodbye to his wife, Karen and daughter and watched as they left their home in Amarillo,
Texas headed for Dallas.
The mother and daughter duo were headed to Dallas for a shopping weekend, leaving David
behind to enjoy the Super Bowl in peace.
The Buffalo Bills were facing the Dallas Cowboys and David relished the idea that he could
relax, have a few beers and watch football all weekend without any interruptions.
When Karen returned on January 31st 1993 to find the house empty she figured that David
had been called into work where he was a practising attorney or had chosen to watch the Super
Bowl elsewhere.
As she moved throughout the house, she noticed that David’s wedding ring and watch along
with two turkey sandwiches were sitting on the kitchen counter.
She noted this as odd but went about her day and usual, hoping that David would return
home later that night.
But he didn’t.
As morning broke, there was still no sign of David.
At this point, she became increasingly worried and called the Amarillo Police Department
to file a missing person report.
On February 2nd 1993, David’s car was discovered abandoned outside of the Potter County Courts
Building.
It made sense that David’s car was found outside of a courthouse, after all, David
was a practising attorney.
But what troubled investigators was the fact that those inside the Potter County Courts
could not recall David ever coming into the courthouse.
David’s house and car keys were found underneath a mat in his car but everything else was in
its usual place.
There was no sign of a struggle and investigators were left scratching their heads.
Little did they know that over 1,600 miles away, David’s body had been discovered on
Route 24 in Moxee, Yakima County, Washington.
There was no obvious sign of foul play and investigators believe to this day that David
was involved in a hit and run accident.
David wasn’t carrying any identification with him and he was dubbed a “John Doe”
for over 10 years.
In a bizarre twist, it wasn’t until 2004 that the John Doe found in Moxee was formally
identified as David Glenn Lewis.
David’s family were glad to finally know where David had gone, but this discovery only
opened up more questions.
How did he get to Washington and more importantly, why was he in Washington?
In the weeks before his disappearance, David had confided in his wife that he believed
his life was in danger but didn’t divulge any further information.
David’s wife told investigators that he was due to testify against his former law
firm a week after he disappeared.
David had even said to his father “I’m going to tell the truth, whoever it hurts.”
Investigators also uncovered two plane tickets that had been bought in David’s name on
the weekend of his disappearance.
A ticket purchased on the 31st January 1993 was from Dallas to Amarillo and the other
ticket purchased on February 1st 1993 was from Los Angeles to Dallas.
Investigators have never been able to confirm whether David used these tickets and the discovery
of these has only deepened the mystery further.
Whilst David’s family have some semblance of closure, they’re still left pondering
the circumstances.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Amarillo Police Department on (806) 378-3038.
1 - Anesha Murnane In 2019, 38-year-old Anesha Murnane had recently
returned home to Homer, Alaska after teaching in various schools in Honduras, Alaska and
Seattle.
In the years before she had gotten into teaching, Anesha, who goes by the nickname of Duffy
had suffered from bipolar disorder and had begun taking medication in order to stabilise
her condition.
Upon returning home, her mother noted that Anesha seemed fine in herself and was happy
with a positive outlook and was taking her medication as prescribed.
Anesha was last seen leaving her Maintree Apartment located on Main Street and Lee Street
on October 17th 2019.
The Maintree Apartments are a supported housing complex that helps people with mental health
issues and other disorders with their day to day activities.
Anesha left the apartment at around 12:13 pm for a 1 pm appointment and made the 1-mile
journey on foot as she didn’t drive.
She never arrived at her appointment and soon after, her family filed a missing person report.
Search and rescue teams quickly sprung into action and sniffer dogs were able to trace
her scent for a while before the trail abruptly ended.
Investigators believe that this indicates that Anesha may have gotten into a car.
Anesha has not used her phone or credit card and the plane tickets she purchased for Mexico
and Oregon have remained unused.
In 2021, Anesha’s family appealed to the courts for a presumptive death certificate
in absentia which was granted.
The courts believe that Anesha met with foul play on October 17th 2019 but are unable to
prove it and therefore no charges have been brought against anyone.
Anesha “Duffy” Murnane is described as a white female with brown hair and blue eyes,
she wears glasses, has her ears pierced and takes medication for her bipolar disorder.
She is 5’11”, 155 lbs and was last seen wearing a blue jacket, a light blue shirt
and blue jeans carrying a pink and black plaid purse with a shoulder strap.