What Should I Watch If I Am Bored? 5 Missing Person Mysteries

By: Shane Lambert
Original time of publication: August 22nd, 2026

If you are bored and wondering what should I watch, a missing person mystery might be exactly what you are looking for. These stories combine real-life disappearances, unanswered questions, strange clues, and investigations that can leave you thinking about what happened long after the video ends.

Admittedly, this kind of material for entertainment purposes is a little bit on the dark side. It can be for people who like the feeling of being scared a little, or it can just be for someone who enjoys trying to solve an unsolved mystery.

So, what should I watch if I am bored that is free? If you are looking for something more interesting than endlessly scrolling through streaming services, these are five recommendations for videos that were available online in August 2026. Each one explores a different missing person case, from a disappearance on an Austrian glacier to a Canadian case investigated by the fifth estate.

AI-Generated image. ChatGPT.

1. Duncan MacPherson’s Disappearance

A Missing Snowboarder Who Was Found 14 Years Later

Duncan MacPherson’s disappearance is a fascinating choice if you are asking what should I watch when I am bored and want a real-life mystery that gets stranger the more you learn. In August 1989, 23-year-old Canadian professional hockey player Duncan MacPherson disappeared while snowboarding in Austria. His car was eventually found at a ski resort, but despite searches, there was no sign of him. Fourteen years later, his body was unexpectedly discovered as the glacier retreated. The case raises questions about what happened to MacPherson and why his body remained undiscovered for so long.

Watch Duncan MacPherson’s Disappearance on YouTube.

2. Paula Jean Welden’s Disappearance

The College Student Who Vanished on a Vermont Hiking Trail

Paula Jean Welden’s disappearance is one of the most enduring missing-person mysteries in American history. If you are looking for what to watch when bored and prefer a mystery where the central question has never been answered, this case is a compelling choice. On December 1, 1946, 18-year-old Bennington College student Paula Jean Welden left campus for a hike on Vermont’s Long Trail and was never seen again. Despite an extensive search involving hundreds of people, no confirmed trace of Welden was ever found. Her disappearance also exposed serious problems with the local investigation and helped contribute to the creation of the Vermont State Police. More than seven decades later, what happened to Paula Jean Welden remains unknown.

Watch Paula Jean Welden’s Disappearance on YouTube.

3. Finding Emma Fillipoff

A Canadian Disappearance That Remains Unsolved

Finding Emma Fillipoff is a compelling answer to the question what should I watch if I am bored when you want a Canadian missing-person mystery with plenty of unanswered questions. In 2012, 26-year-old Emma Fillipoff disappeared from the streets of Victoria, British Columbia, and has never been found. The fifth estate documentary follows her mother’s determined search for answers and examines surveillance footage recorded just hours before Emma vanished, interviews with police, friends and family, and thousands of pages of Emma’s diaries, poems and messages. The program also brought in a team of experts, including a homicide investigator, forensic psychologist and criminologist, to examine the evidence and possible explanations for her disappearance. This is a video from early in the investigation, but sometimes the original content is worth looking at, particularly when you want to understand how a case was viewed before years of additional investigation.

Watch Finding Emma Fillipoff from CBC’s the fifth estate on YouTube.

4. Finding Kelsie

A Young Woman’s Disappearance Investigated by 20/20

Finding Kelsie is a gripping option if you are searching for things to watch when bored and want a true-crime story built around an unresolved disappearance. Kelsie Schelling was a young woman who disappeared in 2013, leaving behind no body, murder weapon, or crime scene. The 20/20 episode follows her mother’s determined campaign to uncover what happened to her daughter and examines the evidence surrounding the disappearance. With an unresolved case, a desperate search for answers, and plenty of unanswered questions, it is the kind of true-crime story that can quickly pull you in.

Watch Finding Kelsie on ABC.

5. The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank

The Wildcard: A Disappearance Caught on Airport Security Cameras

The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank is the wildcard recommendation for anyone wondering what should I watch when they are bored and want something genuinely strange. In July 2014, 28-year-old German tourist Lars Mittank disappeared near Varna Airport in Bulgaria after becoming increasingly convinced that people were following him. After visiting an airport doctor, Mittank suddenly ran out of the building, leaving behind his luggage, phone, wallet and passport. Security cameras captured him sprinting away from the airport, climbing a fence and disappearing into a nearby area of fields and woodland. Despite searches and reported sightings over the years, Mittank has never been found, and the case remains unsolved. If you are tired of asking what to watch when bored and want something that will genuinely make you wonder what happened, this is an unusual place to start.

Watch The Mysterious Disappearance of Lars Mittank on YouTube.