As soon as a person or a group of people disappears without a trace, the construction of a variety of, sometimes supernatural, versions of what happened. The people in this collection have disappeared once and for all, and their stories have already become overgrown with legends and rumors.
When a person disappears, and even worse - a group of people, it always raises questions. And also generates a lot of rumors. Sometimes this is how urban legends and other incredible stories appear. Most of the people on this list have disappeared for unknown reasons, and their whereabouts - dead or alive - have never been revealed. But if the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle can still be explained logically, then how could a person in a wheelchair who suffered a stroke disappear, leaving behind only a coat?
1. Fearless explorer Percy Fawcett was last seen in 1925, when he led the search for an ancient lost city in the jungle of Brazil with his son Jack. Many suspected that they were killed by locals or torn to pieces by animals. Even more absurd versions were also put forward, for example, that Fawcett became the head of the tribe. His image partially inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create a literary character - Professor Challenger.
2. At the end of the 16th century, a group of English colonists established a settlement on Roanoke Island, in present-day Carolina. John White, an artist and friend of Sir Walter Reilly, was appointed Governor. In 1587 White sailed home to England for a short period, then returned to Roanoke three years later. Arriving on the island, he found the colony deserted. Everyone disappeared without a trace, including the first New World born English child, Virginia Dare. Until today, no one knows what happened to the "missing colony".
3. In 1809, Benjamin Bathurst, a British diplomat, mysteriously disappeared in Germany while staying at a hotel. Various versions of his disappearance were discussed in the press: it could have been murder, kidnapping by the French government, or suicide.
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4. In 1763, a scandal broke out in the quiet village of Shepton Mallet. Owen Parfitt, 60, who had a stroke and was barely able to walk, disappeared while sitting in a chair outside his sister's house. Only a coat remained after him. The investigation of the incident did not lead to anything, the mystery remained unsolved.
5. Royal Navy diver Lionel "Buster" Crabbe mysteriously disappeared in 1956 when he was sent to spy on a Soviet ship. Later, a Russian claimed to have killed Crabbe when he found him planting a magnetic mine on the ship's hull. Some believe he was captured and taken to the Soviet Union.
6. One of Great Britain's greatest unsolved mysteries is the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the Scottish island of Flannan in December 1900. Versions of their disappearance ranged from alien abduction to murder. But, most likely, they were simply washed into the sea during a storm.
7. British traveler George Bass became famous for his research in Australia. In February 1803, he traveled to Tahiti and the Spanish colonies on the Chilean coast and never returned. Some historians speculate that he may have been involved in the smuggling trade with Chile and was killed there. In this photo you can see his image on a postage stamp.
8. On 8 November 1974, the day after his children's nanny was found beaten to death at his ex-wife's house, the British Lord Lucan disappeared. Although reports about him came from all over the world, he was never found. In 1999, he was officially pronounced dead.
9. When Edward IV died unexpectedly in 1483, his brother Richard III succeeded to the throne, who declared Edward's two young sons illegal. They were taken to the Tower of London and disappeared shortly after. Popular legend has it that Richard killed the children, but the mystery continues to this day.
10. In 1948, a British plane carrying 31 passengers disappeared in the infamous Bermuda Triangle. No debris or bodies were found during the investigation. The researchers involved in this case admitted that they did not have to solve a more difficult problem than this. A year later, another British plane disappeared into the air somewhere between Bermuda and Jamaica.
11. The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie for 11 days in 1926 is as much a mystery as those printed in her detective novels. The writer, who was eventually discovered at the Harrogate Hotel, never explained why she disappeared. Popular versions are considered to be a nervous breakdown and a desire to embarrass or make worried her husband (who then announced his desire to divorce). Others believe it was just a publicity stunt.
12. Victor Grayson, who became the first Socialist elected to the British Parliament, mysteriously disappeared one evening in 1920, telling friends that he needed to stop by the Queen Hotel in Leicester Square. There were rumors that the deputy had amassed many enemies in the highest echelons of power. It is assumed that he was killed to stop an investigation he was conducting into government corruption.
13. In 1845, the British explorer Sir John Franklin and his 128-man team disappeared after they set out in search of the Northwest Passage. It is not known exactly what happened to the crew. Analysis of human remains found on the Beechey and King William Islands in the 1980s suggests that after their ships got stuck in the ice, many of the people died from disease, hunger and lead poisoning. There were also cases of cannibalism.