Since the beginning of time, there have been those who have perished under mysterious or abnormal circumstances. Take for example the famous writer of Athenian tragedies, Aeschylus who died while living outdoors trying to avoid a prophecy. The prophecy claimed that he would die by an object falling on his head, so he decided to move outdoors to avoid this method of death. He was killed by a tortoise that was captured by an eagle and dropped on his head.
In the year 1848, the Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian who is known as one of the foremost figures of Armenian history and author of Wounds of Armenia left his home for a morning walk and was never heard from again. Many theories abound as to his demise, one of which is suicide. This is widely discounted however because it was well known how much he loved his children and would never have left them in such a manner. It is more plausible that he was kidnapped and pressed into service during the Revolutions of 1848.
Best known for his book which was made into the movie Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup survived kidnapping and subsequent slavery only to disappear in 1857 during a promotional book tour. His disappearance remains a mystery, but many believe he was again kidnapped and killed by those who were angry about his book detailing the slave trade.
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American writer, editor, journalist, and harsh critic earning him the nickname Bitter Bierce. He was known to give great encouragement to writers just starting out, including the writer of fiction W.C. Morrow and poet George Sterling. In 1913 he decided to travel to Mexico in order to observe first-hand the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared at the age of 71, with his last communication being from the Mexican city of Chihuahua. He was rumored to have been traveling with Pancho Villa’s army but subsequent investigations seriously doubt that rumor. A priest named James Lienert stated that Bierce was executed as a spy in Sierra Mojada, Coahuila but again, no evidence has been found to support that claim.
Everett Ruess was an artist, writer, and poet who loved to explore the unknown parts of America such as the High Sierras and the southwestern parts of the country. It was while exploring in Utah in 1934 that he and his two-pack burros disappeared without a trace. The only thing anyone could find was a corral he had built for the burros near his campsite, located in Davis Gulch. Theories of accidental drowning in a flash flood, falling off of a cliff and even murder have been put forth, but no evidence has ever been found to support the stories.
Ylenia Maria Sole Carrisi, granddaughter of American actor Tyrone Power and an Italian TV personality in her own right disappeared in New Orleans in 1994. While taking a break from her studies she decided to travel the world, beginning in South America. From Belize, she made the decision to travel via bus to New Orleans, Louisiana. Sometime during the month of January, she was seen in the French quarter of the city, but that was the last time anyone claimed to have seen her. A security guard claimed that he witnessed a woman of her description leaping into the Mississippi River, but no body was ever recovered. In 2011, there were claims that she was found in a monastery in the United States but her father dismissed the claim as “containing not a bit of truth.” At her father’s request, she was presumed dead in 2013.
Joseph David Wolfgang Pichler is an American actor perhaps best known for his recurring roles in the Beethoven movies about a St. Bernard. In January 2006 he was last seen playing cards with some friends and was said to be in a great mood during the evening. His car was found in Bremerton, Washington (his hometown), and there was an outgoing call on his cell phone at 4:00 am. He has not been seen since and his family is actively seeking information regarding his disappearance.
Craig Arnold was an American professor and poet, receiving critical acclaim for his works including an NEA fellowship, the 2005 Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize Fellowship, a MacDowell Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship, an Alfred Hodder Fellowship, and the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Fellowship. His poems have been printed in several anthologies, and he was also a member of the band Iris. While on the island of Kuchinoerabu in Japan he disappeared in 2009 while on a hike to explore an active volcano. His remains have never been found, but his trail led search teams to a high cliff which leads authorities to believe that he perished during a fall.
Some of these mysteries may be solved with time, as we have seen with other mysterious deaths. For example, the disappearance of Gottlieb Fluhmann, a Colorado rancher who was last seen in 1892 and who was later found in a cave in 1944, cause of death unknown.
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