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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Infographics Show’s video “What a Life Sentence Actually Feels Like (Day 1 to Year 40)” is a gripping, well-crafted exploration of the harrowing realities of life behind bars. This 22-minute episode blends vivid storytelling with sobering facts, immersing viewers in the psychological and physical toll of a life sentence. From the original dehumanization of a strip search, to the constant threat of violence, to the futility of trying to improve your quality of life, and the monotony of solitary confinement, the video paints a raw, unflinching picture of prison life.
What sets this episode apart from others is its empathetic approach and focus on one character. It doesn’t just list statistics; it humanizes the experience, walking viewers through the emotional descent of an inmate over decades.
One scene that stood out for me is when the inmates novel is thrown out. His attempt to reconnect with the outside world is simply treated like garbage that needs to be burned.
Comments like “your life paused while the world kept moving” resonate deeply, as noted by viewers like @eddysmokes7, capturing the existential dread of incarceration. The research feels thorough, with sources cited and real-life perspectives echoed in comments from former inmates like @mattrobertson8432, who called it “shockingly emotional” and accurate.
The Springfield Three: What Happened to the Three Women Who Disappeared in 1992?
The Springfield Three Disappearance in Springfield, Missouri
The Springfield Three Disappearance is one of the enduring American mysteries for missing people. On Sunday, June 7th, 1992, three women—Sherrill Levitt, Suzanne "Suzie" Streeter, and Stacy McCall—vanished from a home in Springfield, Missouri, leaving behind one of America’s most enduring mysteries.
Known as "The Springfield Three," they disappeared just hours after Suzie and Stacy celebrated their high school graduation. This detail has sparked speculation about whether the timing held deeper significance. In a case that has gone unsolved for more than three decades, speculation is perhaps too relied on for a case thirsty for something of substance.
The table below outlines the key details of the missing women:
Sherrill Levitt’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street, Springfield, MO
Early hours of Sunday, June 7th, 1992
This article delves into the case, exploring the events of that night and speculating on whether graduation night was more than a coincidence, a theory I propose that aligns with discussions in true crime communities.
The Springfield Three Case: What Happened That Night?
Suzanne Streeter and Stacy McCall's Graduation Night
Saturday, June 6th, 1992, marked a milestone for Suzie Streeter, 19, Sherrill Levitt’s daughter, and Stacy McCall, 18, who had both graduated from Kickapoo High School that day. The evening was filled with celebration as the two friends joined classmates at graduation parties. Sherrill, 47 and a local hairdresser, stayed home.
When the Springfield Three Disappeared
By 2:00–3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7th, 1992, Suzie and Stacy arrived at Sherrill’s home at 1717 East Delmar Street after plans to stay elsewhere fell through. Sherrill’s last known contact was a phone call with a friend around 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 6th, 1992. By morning, all three women were gone, their purses, keys, and belongings left untouched in a house showing no signs of a struggle.
The Springfield Three Investigation
The Springfield Three Crime Scene
When friends alerted police later on Sunday, June 7th, 1992, investigators found a clean scene. No forced entry, no blood, no fingerprints—just a broken porch light globe. The family dog was agitated but unharmed. Despite extensive searches and hundreds of tips, no physical evidence has ever conclusively pointed to a suspect.
The house is available on Google Maps for August 2007, but that is 15 years after the disappearance. That said, I did look at the real estate advertisements for this property. The house at the address, as of 2026, was built in 1953, meaning the house on Google Maps is the same house.
Zillow, a real estate website. Snipped on August 20th, 2026. Shows that the house was built in 1953. It's not clear if the porchlight is thee porchlight.
The August 2007 Google Maps image of the house shows a property that is heavily obscured by a tree. But whether that was the case in 1992 is not clear. On that matter, I did ask ChatGPT to identify the tree species and the age of the tree. It said it was deciduous and about 40-70 years old in the 2007 Google Maps streetview, suggesting that it was already a spreading tree at least 25 years old in 1992. This is important because that tree provides a lot of seclusion to the yard.
The freestanding lamp seen in Google Maps is not necessarily the light fixture that had been broken. It does appear on Google Maps in 2007, but 2007 is not 1992. The following image of the lamp appears in modern real-estate photos for the property. This lamp also seems to appear in the 2007 Google Maps.
Credit: appears at Zillow. Use rationale: philanthropic and non-profit use that most people would sympathize with.
One point with the light fixture, which may or may not resemble the photograph, is that the exterior glass was broken but the bulb was not. The same light fixture above seems to be in some of the archival photos as well, noting the photo below.
I found this photo of the house in a Facebook post. It looks like the modern porch light has been a fixture in the same spot for decades. ChatGPT told me the car in the photo was likely from the 1980s and may be a first-model Ford Escort. That would make this photo pre-1992 and predisappearance.
Credit: unknown. Use rationale: philanthropic and non-profit use that most people would sympathize with.
Theories Without Answers
The case has spawned countless theories: a random predator, a local criminal element, or even a connection to Suzie’s past testimony in a vandalism case. A reported sighting of a green van near the house fueled speculation, but like other leads, it led nowhere. Decades later, the case remains unsolved, with no arrests or solid breakthroughs.
Was Graduation Night a Clue in the Springfield Three Case?
Could the Graduation Date Have Been Significant?
One intriguing speculation, which I propose, is that the timing of the disappearance—on the night of Suzie and Stacy’s graduation on Saturday, June 6th, 1992—was not just a coincidence. Some true crime enthusiasts on forums like Reddit’s r/UnresolvedMysteries and Websleuths have similarly suggested that graduation, a symbol of triumph and transition, could have triggered a perpetrator with a personal grudge.
The Possible Motive Behind the Springfield Three Disappearance
Along these lines, to disappear on graduation night might be poetic for someone looking to commit a crime at a perfect time. This theory posits that someone, perhaps feeling sidelined, saw the night as a chance to target the young women at a peak moment of celebration.
The Symbolic Weight of the Night of June 6th-June 7th
High school graduations are laden with meaning. Sociologically, the night, in North American society, could be viewed as a rite of passage: closure of youth, celebration of accomplishment, and the start of adulthood. With a High School diploma in hand, someone can attempt to move on to bigger and better things.
In contrast, for someone harboring resentment, possibly from shared school years, this night could have represented everything they felt denied: acceptance, success, or belonging. For some people, the high school years are socially brutal. From this perspective, the disappearance of The Springfield Three, if it's correct to be understood as an act of some kind of revenge, might connect in some thematic ways to the high school shootings that plagued American society in the years that followed, starting with Columbine about seven years later. These crimes were often committed by high school students among the social outcasts in their schools.
Accordingly, Suzie and Stacy, as recent graduates, might have been symbolic targets for a vindictive person, their abduction a way to disrupt a time that would otherwise be happy for them. This speculation aligns with discussions in true crime podcasts like The Vanished, where listeners have raised ideas about the date’s significance, though no evidence confirms it.
Why Was Sherrill Levitt Also Targeted?
If Suzie and Stacy were the primary targets, Sherrill’s disappearance complicates the narrative. One possibility, discussed in online forums, is that she was an unintended victim—collateral damage as a witness in her own home. The undisturbed scene suggests the perpetrator acted quickly, possibly knowing the house’s layout, which could point to someone familiar with the victims. This idea remains speculative, as no suspect has been linked to such a motive.
Perplexing Aspects of This Case
The abduction of three people would be very difficult for someone to pull off without creating some kind of scene. The time of night/morning definitely would aid that, with most people asleep. However, it's still hard to not picture a screaming battle as the three women were taken away; otherwise, you would think this would have broken the silence of night sufficiently enough to alert a neighbor. That does lean toward abduction by someone they knew, but it's a difficult case.
Furthermore, their house is a little more secluded than you might think. By modern maps, to the right of their house on approach is a commercial center. With businesses closed late at night, the house is a bit more predator-friendly than your typical neighborhood house. In some documentaries, the house is depicted incorrectly because of this detail.
Whoever the abductor was, luck may have intervened in his favor. Friends looking for The Springfield Three entered the home many times well before the police arrived on the evening of June 7th, 1992. This was a contaminated crime scene accordingly, and the friends, not realizing what they were doing, performed some cleaning at the home. That the crime scene was not secured may be the biggest reason as to why this case has gone so long without an answer.
That said, here is my working hypothesis, which I call a two-stage abduction theory.
The Two-Stage Abduction Theory: Suzanne Streeter is the target, mother and friend incidental
All of this is merely a working hypothesis as opposed to established fact. My justification for hypothesizing is that this is a stalled case and brainstorming is all that seems to be available. Furthermore, conjecture properly labelled as such should be welcomed to any mystery.
My presumption is that a male abductor targeted Suzanne Streeter's return home after graduation. Any language below that is spoken with "established fact" tone is accidental unless documented.
Sherrill's last confirmed telephone call is approximately 11:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 1992. Some sources say it was earlier.
She presumably goes to bed after and is settled by, let's say, midnight.
The abductor/perpetrator approaches the house.
The perpetrator deliberately breaks the glass surrounding the exterior lamp. The purpose, under this theory, would be to reduce illumination around the front approach to the house to keep the area dark and his presence concealed. He does not fully succeed but only breaks the glass, not the bulb.
The noise alerts Sherrill, and a light in the house turns on. This activity freezes the perpetrator.
Sherrill peeks through the blinds to examine the front yard. This explains the positioning of the blinds that would be discovered later. This working hypothesis connects the positioning of the blinds with the noise associated with the broken glass.
In this working hypothesis, Suzie is the target. Thus, Sherrill's presence creates an unexpected complication.
If the door was left unlocked for Suzie's return or Sherrill goes outside to investigate the chance that Suzie might be in trouble, this leads to an encounter between the perpetrator and Sherrill.
Sherrill is abducted in the first abduction event. She is killed, knocked unconscious, or restrained.
This could eliminate the need for an abductor to overpower three women.
The perpetrator remains in position or otherwise waits for Suzie.
Suzie and Stacy return from the graduation celebrations. They arrive at a house where the exterior lighting has been reduced and where the perpetrator may already be positioned nearby, possibly inside.
The girls are abducted in a second event, either in the yard or in the house. This creates two separate abduction events rather than one extraordinary event in which a single perpetrator somehow controls three people simultaneously. It potentially explains why there might not have been a prolonged struggle throughout the residence.
All three women are transported away.
Depending on where the abduction of the young women takes place, their belongings are placed in the house or left there, explaining why the missing women's possessions remained at the crime scene.
The next people to arrive at the crime scene are friends of the missing women, who inadvertently clean a crime scene while contaminating it with their own presence -- leading to an unsolved mystery that continues to this day.
The theory isn't claiming that these events did happen. Its purpose is to ask whether they could have happened without contradicting the known circumstances. However, I think I've created one chronologically sound set of events. It's a chronologically sound set of events that must have existed.
This is a case that has drawn a lot of attention and conjecture. Some people have communicated some points that I have communicated. However, I think the two-stage abduction theory of the three women is unique even if some components overlap with what others have said.
Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies
A BLEAK GLIMPSE INTO RESORT TOWN LIFE FROM A WORKER'S PERSPECTIVE
Get your copy of this engaging ebook now
Available on Amazon for Kindle or as a physical copy
By: Shane Lambert Original time of writing: March 3rd, 2025
YouTube Channel: The Infographics Show Publication date: March 3rd, 2025 Episode: Why FBI FAILED To Catch The Trailside Killer Sooner
I recently stumbled across a gripping documentary on The Infographics Show titled "Why FBI FAILED To Catch The Trailside Killer Sooner." It dives into the chilling crimes of David Carpenter, a San Francisco serial killer who stalked lone hikers in the 1970s and ‘80s. At 94, he’s still alive in prison as of March 2025, yet his story remains oddly under-the-radar. What shocked me most? How a single eyewitness blunder – and a stroke of luck – threw the FBI off his trail for years. Here’s why this case deserves more attention – and how it echoes other infamous killers like the Zodiac.
The Trailside Killer, David Carpenter, targeted trail hikers, primarily women, in secluded San Francisco-area parks decades ago. With his death likely nearing due to age and incarceration, could new evidence still emerge? His crimes resurfaced in 2019 headlines at People magazine (Robyn Merrett/April 17th, 2019), revealing a survivor whose child became a TV celebrity – a twist The Infographics Show highlighted too.
I’d never heard of this San Francisco serial killer before, making this one of the best The Infographics Show episodes I’ve seen recently. Curious about the case? Watch the documentary below and share your thoughts!
Comparisons to Infamous Serial Killers
The 1960s and 1970s San Francisco Bay Area conjures thoughts of The Zodiac Killer, but The Infographics Show compared Carpenter to Edmund Kemper, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy. I’d argue his crimes align more with The Zodiac Killer and The Original Night Stalker (Joseph James DeAngelo).
Here’s why:
Zodiac Killer: Both stalked victims in parks (e.g., Zodiac’s Lake Berryessa attack) using knives and guns.
Original Night Stalker: Sexual motives drove Carpenter, mirroring DeAngelo’s escalation.
These parallels make Carpenter a haunting figure in true crime history.
The Eyewitness Error That Stalled the Hunt – and Luck That Saved Him
Why did the FBI take so long to catch David Carpenter? The answer blends a flawed eyewitness account with sheer luck. Operating in secluded trails, Carpenter was spotted during an early murder by a hidden witness. Her description – a handsome young man – clashed with reality: Carpenter was nearly 50 and unremarkable-looking. This sent police chasing a phantom, while Carpenter’s ordinary appearance let him blend in, dodging suspicion time and again.
Eyewitness errors aren’t rare. Stress and distance can distort memory, as seen in cases like Ted Bundy’s, where his charm skewed perceptions. Studies show eyewitness accuracy drops under pressure – a lesson from Carpenter’s case that still resonates today. Luck only stretched so far, but it bought him years.
Trails Turned Deadly: Carpenter’s Hunting Grounds
Trail hiking is a recurring theme at Missing Persons Commentary. While Carpenter’s victims aren’t missing persons, his tactics – luring hikers to isolation – mirror risks I’ve explored in cases like Trenny Gibson’s 1976 disappearance. My trail hiking series [link] dives into such mysteries. Could serial killers explain some unsolved vanishings? Carpenter’s story suggests it’s possible.
For more on trail-related mysteries, check out my series on missing hikers here.
Have you heard of the Trailside Killer before? Let me know in the comments!
By: Shane Lambert Original time of writing: February 3rd, 2025
Duncan MacPherson was a former Canadian hockey player who died at the age of 23 in the Austrian Alps. His missing person case has been covered extensively in media, including at The Infographics Show and by the Canadian television show The Fifth Estate. His case is relevant to missing person investigations because it highlights how the details of a missing person's disappearance -- and even a death -- could be covered up by the for-profit sector.
Furthermore, as MacPherson was a former professional hockey player, he was not part of the marginalized sectors of society. If his death can be swept under the rug, then it could happen to anybody.
Duncan MacPherson. A former missing person, found after 14 years.
Unreturned Snowboard: A Key Clue in the Duncan MacPherson Disappearance
On August 9th, 1989, MacPherson was snowboarding for the first time in Austria. He disappeared on the slopes and there were two big clues regarding his disappearance that should have been obvious close to August 9th, 1989.
MacPherson, on his last day alive, had a short-term rented snowboard, one that he would never return. The fact that it was not returned should have been a flag that something was amiss.
A missed appointment of some sort is very common when it comes to missing persons. A different example is missing work or missing a flight. But missing the return time for a piece of rental equipment is, in my opinion, something that could be called a missed appointment, and this should have drawn at least a little bit of attention.
Furthermore, his vehicle sat unattended and unmoving near the slopes that he snowboarded on -- for weeks after he was last heard from. If his unreturned snowboard had raised some questions as to his whereabouts, then any astute investigator would also have found his unmoving vehicle and perhaps raised awareness about the chance that he was in danger accordingly. In fact, "Car found person missing" is an extremely common tag on this blog.
While snowboarding on August 9th, 1989, MacPherson had some kind of accident on the ski hill. His parents realized that something was wrong after they hadn't heard from their son for some time. Accordingly, they led the efforts to find their missing son, not really knowing if he was alive or dead.
However, they did not receive much help from any police services. Their own investigation led them to a ski resort area in the Alps near the Stubai Glacier Resort. Furthermore, the company that he rented the snowboard from claimed that the snowboard had been returned, which suggested that he left the ski hill in good health. This turned out to not be true.
Fourteen years later, MacPherson's body was found on the skiing slopes. Forensic experts concluded that he and the snowboard had been mangled by a machine, presumably the one that groomed the slopes.
AI-generated image. Dramatization meant to help the reader picture the circumstances.
Furthermore, some have concluded that, after this event, he was also placed in a shallow snow-covered grave -- in a deliberate act to hide the body. When this 'grave' melted in 2003, it led to the discovery of his body, which included shattered limbs -- and a shattered snowboard. MacPherson may be an example of a missing person who was found due to global warming's effects.
Duncan MacPherson's Disappearance and the Ski Resort Cover-Up Theory
As the case was presented at both The Infographics Show and The Fifth Estate, there was a motive to downplay MacPherson's disappearance. The ski resort was a big part of the local economy, and any negative publicity could hurt revenue for any business associated with the ski hill. I think it's this possibility that is a big point to take away from this case. But I think it would be wrong to conclude that the whole town sought to cover up MacPherson's disappearance because his parents did find locals who provided key clues regarding his case.
Could an Earlier Search Have Found Duncan MacPherson?
What would have happened if the snowboard shop raised awareness as soon as the snowboard went unreturned, or even a couple of hours afterward? It's not clear if this would have saved MacPherson's life or not.
I think late-returned equipment in the rental industry is normal enough that it's not inherently alarming immediately. If someone is given 24-hour leeway to return something before raising alarms, then in MacPherson's case it's possible he would have died anyway. However, there was no need for him to stay missing for so long and for his family to suffer the mental anguish of uncertainty. For this reason, his case is a shame and an example of profits being ahead of human suffering.
Documentaries About the Duncan MacPherson Case
Between The Infographics Show's and The Fifth Estate's presentation, I would recommend the latter. It's embedded below, while this link exits to the former's coverage of this case.
By: Shane Lambert Original time of writing: January 29th, 2025 Updated: August 22nd, 2026
Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer Revisited
A snippet from the episode.
The Infographics Show, a popular YouTube channel, released an episode in early 2025 examining the life and crimes of Rodney Alcala, the serial killer widely known as the "Dating Game Killer." The episode, titled "How They Finally Caught the Serial Killer With the Highest IQ," offers a brief overview of one of the most notorious criminal cases in American history.
Alcala's story has received renewed attention in recent years. In 2024, Netflix released Woman of the Hour, a film directed by and starring Anna Kendrick. The movie dramatizes Alcala's appearance on the television program The Dating Game in 1978, when he appeared as a contestant despite being a dangerous serial offender.
Woman of the Hour and the Rodney Alcala Case
Woman of the Hour introduced the Rodney Alcala case to a new generation of viewers. The film focuses particularly on the disturbing circumstances surrounding his appearance on The Dating Game and the fact that Alcala was able to present himself as an ordinary, eligible bachelor while hiding his violent crimes.
The film is a dramatization rather than a comprehensive documentary about Rodney Alcala. For someone who wants a broader overview of the Rodney Alcala case, the shorter The Infographics Show episode provides another way to revisit the story, including the investigation that ultimately led to Alcala's capture.
Rodney Alcala's Photographs and the Search for Victims
The first time I learned of Alcala was back in 2010, when a locker full of photographs belonging to him was found. Many of the photographs were subsequently published in the hope that members of the public could identify the people pictured. The story certainly made its rounds in true crime chat forums.
Some women recognized themselves as subjects of the photographs, while other images depicted people who were not identified. Accordingly, the photographs became an important part of the continuing effort to determine whether Alcala had additional unidentified victims.
July 25th, 1979. LA Times.
It is important not to assume that every unidentified person in the photographs was a victim. Some people may have simply encountered Alcala and survived their interaction with him. Others may never have been identified at all. But it's that uncertainty that is one of the most unsettling aspects of the photographs.
The Infographics Show's Rodney Alcala Episode
The episode from The Infographics Show is short, running just 22 minutes and 31 seconds. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a general review of Rodney Alcala's life, crimes, and eventual capture.
By: Shane Lambert Original time of writing: January 27th, 2025
"The Luckiest Kamikaze Pilot" is an episode on The Infographics Show that was published on January 26th, 2025. It tells the story of a WWII Japanese pilot who operated a Zero plane as part of Japan's air force. I didn't mind the episode, it was short (under 15 minutes), however, I was a little disappointed with it relative to other episodes on the YouTube channel.
Kamikaze fighters were pilots on suicide missions. Their job was to fly their planes into enemy ships with the hopes of sinking them. The strategy would be to trade one pilot and one plane for an entire ship in the enemy's fleet and any crew that would be part of the ship.
With this episode, I think The Infographics Show managed their audience's expectations wrong. When you look at the name of the episode, then you might expect a tale of a Kamikaze pilot who crashed his plane into an enemy's ship and somehow survived the crash. There's a little bit of clickbait in the title, I think. But what it tells the story of instead is a Kamikaze pilot whose missions were either abandoned or aborted time and time again simply due to chance events, like weather or inability to locate a target. In the end, his final mission is aborted at the buzzer, because Japan surrounded to the Americans just before taking off.
I did find that the pilot was mentioned in mainstream news in 2020 with a picture. I did not like the newspaper article but thought that some would want to see the pilot's picture.
It seems that he, Kazuo Odachi, published his memoirs of being a Kamikaze very late in life. An Internet search suggests that he is still alive as of the time of this article, aged 98 years old. He would be among a very small number of people still alive today who fought in WWII.
By: Shane Lambert The original time of writing: January 26th, 2025
The case of the missing Sodder children is one of the enduring missing people mysteries in America. On Christmas Eve and in the time frame leading up to that night in 1945, there were some strange occurrences at a West Virginia home belonging to George and Jennie Sodder. What resulted was a house fire, five missing children, and a mystery that remains unsolved over 80 years later.
House Fire or Abduction? What Happened to the Sodder Children
Did the children die in the house fire or were they kidnapped? The theories on what happened to them seem only to toggle between these two options.
I watched a review of this mystery on The Infographics Show's YouTube channel tonight. They made this episode on February 23rd, 2024. It's a good and short episode on the topic. I like the YouTube channel for reviewing facts in missing person cases, and I recommend it to anyone interested in the mystery of missing Sodder children.
Screenshot from The Infographics Show's episode on the Sodder Children's disappearance.
I had learned of this case before watching it at The Infographics Show. What I've settled on as most probable is the following:
In my opinion, someone who really disliked George Sodder committed an act of arson against his home;
The five children who ended up missing died by smoke inhalation as they slept in the attic;
The fire then incinerated their remains.
For me, this theory accounts for why the parents and older children who escaped the house fire did not hear the children screaming. This was something that I felt had to be explained. If they died from fire, then there would be horrifying screams for help. I think they most likely died coughing and choking from smoke and were unable to scream for help as a result. This coughing and choking might have been covered by the other sounds associated with the house burning down.
That their bones were not found in the remains of the fire is not as difficult to explain as many might think. It is known that human bones will survive house fires, but I think that it's adult bones that are more likely to survive a fire than children's bones. I believe that to be just due to the respective volumes. It stands to reason that a child's body, bones, and flesh will be consumed by a house fire more easily than an adult's.
Comparison to Ricky Jean Bryant
This case did remind me of the case of Ricky Jean Bryant, which I covered at this site. The toddler has been missing after a house fire at her home in Wisconsin in December 1949. In her case, her parents did not accept that she died in the fire -- which any parent might be prone to believe because the death of a child is hard to accept under any circumstance. I think a lot of parents will cling to hopes that their children or child is missing as opposed to dead, if given only those two options.
Ricky Jean Bryant's body was not found. However, I did find journalism that reported on firefighters hearing the screams of the child from inside the house as it burned to the ground. In the case of the Sodder children, the firefighters were late to the scene. Also, the parents never reported hearing any screams. That is why smoke inhalation is more probable as a cause of death, in my opinion.
Cow Liver - The Mystery of the Sodder Children
There are some other details in this case that are bothersome. Like why was a cow liver planted at the home, as reported by The Infographics Show? As reviewed from that source, the police planted it there because it resembled a human heart and they wanted closure for the parents.
That could be looked at a little differently, concerning police motives. On that matter, is it possible that the police simply leaned toward the children being dead in the fire -- as a cost-control mechanism? After all, if they perished in the inferno, then there is no need for a search, and that would help the police department's budget. I do think police lean toward theories that help them close cases quickly.
But in the end, I don't think this case is worth working on for amateurs. If they did die from smoke inhalation and then were consumed by the flames as they lay dead, it means they will be lost for all time.
Smithsonian Magazine on Whether the Sodder Children Died in the Fire
The possibility that the Sodder children died in the 1945 house fire has also been examined by Smithsonian Magazine. In an article by Abbott Kahler, updated by Meilan Solly on August 21, 2024, the publication noted that authorities initially believed the fire had been hot enough to completely cremate the children's bodies.
The article also examined the later discovery of four vertebrae and the Smithsonian Institution's conclusion that the bones were unlikely to belong to one of the missing children. Originally published on December 25, 2012, the article provides an important examination of both the fire-death explanation and the family's belief that the children were abducted.
O.J. Simpson Trial Review: The Infographics Show Episode
By: Shane Lambert (reviewer) Original Time of Writing: January 25th, 2025
The Infographics Show did a deep dive into the O.J. Simpson case. Those in the 45+ crowd will likely vividly remember the case, involving the former NFL player and small-time actor. Those a little younger will probably be at least familiar with the case, as it was a media sensation and has been revisited time and time again.
On the night of June 12th, 1994, someone killed Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J.'s ex-wife, and Ronald Goldman, a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time. O.J. Simpson was put on trial for the murders and acquitted, with many looking back and commenting that race, instead of evidence, played a big role in the case.
Review of The Infographics Show's O.J. Simpson Trial Episode
The Infographics Show's depiction of the jury.
YouTube Channel: The Infographics Show Episode: Everything You Didn't Know About O.J. Simpson's Murder Trial Date: January 23rd, 2025
Facts and Opinions in The Infographics Show's O.J. Simpson Review
One thing I liked about this episode was just the barrage of facts about the case. The running time is two hours and two minutes. They cover more than just the bullet points. Some parts were too exhaustive, but I won't be overly critical for that.
As for opinions, as presented in the episode, it's clear that they think O.J. Simpson was guilty, despite the verdict. However, this is nothing more than a standard opinion nowadays.
O.J. Simpson, Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots
I also liked that they looked at the case concerning the Rodney King fiasco, involving the LAPD. King was a black man who lived in southern California. He received a royal beatdown at the hands of the police, an assault which an onlooker filmed. The four police officers were not held accountable (3 acquitted, and 1 failed to reach a verdict). This set off a furious episode in southern California among sectors of the black population, known as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.
I do think that the 1992 LA Riots affected the O.J. Simpson case. I think that the American federal government had a vested interest in the outcome of the case, and, in my opinion, there probably was federal government influence on the trial, accordingly.
As O.J. Simpson and his legal team became a symbol of racial justice and injustice, in my opinion, his acquittal ensured that there would not be immediate riots on a national scale. I actually think that helps explain how bad the prosecution was. The Infographics Show does cover the mistakes the prosecution made. Meanwhile, O.J.'s wealth explains how good the defense was. But I see the defense as having it made in this case, because I think the federal government was actually on the defense's side out of concern for national riots.
Did the O.J. Simpson Trial Have Government Influence?
What I would like people to think about when they think about the O.J. Simpson case is the conflict of interest for the government. The government is responsible for prosecuting suspects. However, governments are also supposed to keep public order -- and manage the country in a way that avoids riots. With the O.J. Simpson case, I think you have a suspect worthy of prosecution at the hands of the government, but you also have a government dealing with Simpson's celebrity status and predictable public backlash should a guilty verdict be returned.
So what does the government do when charged with two goals that are, as far as this case goes, dichotomized? Watch the video. I would say the episode of The Infographics Show presents a good coverage of the facts. As far as opinions, they are always embedded in any kind of documentary, and the episode offers opinions here and there, none of which I find to be distracting.
How Long Is The Infographics Show's O.J. Simpson Trial Episode?
You do have to make a commitment to watching this episode. It is a two-hour video, whereas a lot of their other episodes are under 30 minutes.
A Worker's Odyssey in a Canadian Rockies Resort Town
What is life really like for the workers living behind
the scenes in Canada's spectacular mountain resort towns?
Follow one man's journey from Edmonton to the Canadian
Rockies as he leaves the ordinary behind and searches
for something more.
By: Shane Lambert The original time of writing: January 25th, 2025 at 8:17am
The Infographics Show is my favorite YouTube channel. Recently, I watched their 20-minute episode called "How Luxury Cruise Turned Into Nightmare for Passengers." It tells the story of a 2013 Carnival cruise that became known as the "Poop Cruise" after a chainlink reaction of mechanical failures led to the passengers basically having to live amid their own waste material during the cruise.
A big part of the story of this cruise is establishing the contrast between what the customers were paying for and what they ultimately got. There is a reference to the Titanic in the show, arguably, one that is undeserved. But tear the show's start, the narrator explains how the ship was "once hailed as a floating palace of luxury" but became "a prison of filth and despair."
One thing I did not like about this episode was there was a segment of the show that felt like an advertisement -- for none other than Carnival. They show a smiling customer service agent and describe Carnival in favorable terms, mainly for offering affordable cruise line vacations. It really did feel like a commercial for Carnival -- if only for 15 seconds. Maybe they were scared of some blowback for airing the episode and wanted to balance things with a bit of a plug (see the screenshot below).
A screenshot from the episode.
But, like they always do, The Infographics Show gives you a pretty good understanding of what happened for the topic that they covered. In this case, the ship had underlying mechanical problems that never got the attention that they warranted. I won't ruin too much of the show but for a cruise that was renamed "The Poop Cruise," I think that you get the picture that this didn't end up being a holiday for anyone.
If you are looking for a happy ending, then you won't find it with this episode. The passengers on board the ship didn't actually get favorable settlements.
The first reference I found to "poop cruise," about the Carnival cruise, in newspapers came in the March 15th, 2013 edition of The Miami Herald. That doesn't mean there are no earlier references but among the databases I searched that was the first.
One thing that really came through with this episode, is just that no one was there to rescue the passengers on "The Poop Cruise."
This event did not happen in 1913 - it happened in 2013. When it comes to modern events involving human suffering, I think the phrase "where there's a will there's a way" applies. The passengers on the cruise could have been rescued quickly. Instead of laying blame, let's just say that if we wanted to save the people on "The Poop Cruise" from an extended ordeal, then we could have.
Instead, the food that they had to eat started to spoil on the ship as their ordeal carried on and on. Of course, diarrhea resulted and they had to live amid this as the ship's sanitation system failed.
What I really took away from this is just how these people were left to suffer -- I suspect because the cost of their rescue was measured against their legal leverage for litigation.
Concerning the latter, they ended up having very little due to the maze of legalities involved with cruise ships, which negotiate international waters and can bear the flags of third-world countries, countries that have no choice but to bend to corporate pressure.
While "The Poop Cruise" is a bit of a comedic title, let's not ignore just how sad this story really was. I think it's about how human suffering has a price tag associated with it.
There is a lesson for everyone to learn here. If you are in a position where you need to be rescued, don't idly wait for someone to improve your condition. Take a look in the mirror and do what you can with what you have because help might be a long way away. I do remember some victims of Hurricane Katrina early in this century saying such things as well.
By: Shane Lambert Original publication date: January 21st, 2025
The Infographics Show, which is a popular channel on YouTube, had an interesting upload from about a month ago. "Why 2025 Will Be The WORST Year Ever" is a video the channel uploaded in the late part of 2024. Primarily discussing America, the 26-minute show concludes, "As things stand, we are getting sicker, sadder, fatter, angrier, more divided, and lonelier."
Obviously, this isn't a video for someone looking for a big pick-me-up. However, I did think that they were talking about something important, so maybe it's a video we should all watch. While they mainly talk about the USA, I think the video has insight into other countries, like Canada, for sure.
Channel: The Infographics Show Title: Why 2025 Will Be The Worst Year Ever Date: December 18th, 2024
Near the start of the video, the narrator discusses death rates in the USA -- and the fact that they have not improved since the end of the pandemic. America was called "the Grim Reaper's favorite workplace" due to the spike in deaths that the country has seen.
Personally, I think a lot of people are post-pandemic right now. By that, I do not mean to say that the pandemic is history for them. Instead, I mean that they are still in the after-effects of having their lives uprooted from March 2020, when COVID restrictions went viral, to late 2022, when things were somewhat back to normal.
How did things go for people in late 2022 and early 2023? I think this is a time frame when you could once again hope to find a job. However, at this time, anyone unemployed had to take the first job that was offered to them.
I was definitely like that and the first job I was offered was not a great one. It ended up being short-term but the first long-term job I had wasn't all good news either. Certainly, in 2022/23/24, I was not in the position that I was in at the start of 2020, before the pandemic restrictions went mainstream. I think there are a lot of people out there who, while they survived the pandemic, have yet to get back to their former glory and that this is one of the reasons why the post-pandemic period has been unstable.
There were a lot of interesting topics discussed in this 26-minute video at The Infographics Show. One interesting part was when they discussed social media and self-harm. Apparently, America's Surgeon General said that social media should have warnings about mental health effects, not unlike the warnings on cigarette packages (the screenshot below is from the video).
In early 2025, Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General also advocated warnings be put on alcohol. It seems that you should avoid cigarettes for the toxic fumes, alcohol for causing cancer, and social media for toxic people.
Enterprise-Journal Jan. 4, 2025
I have no plans of reviewing everything the video talked about. However, the following quotes come from the video: "political polarization," "chronically lonely," and "ultra-processed food." The video also came with a suicide helpline, which I think YouTube selected because of the topics discussed.
One criticism of the video need not be framed as having the benefit of hindsight. 2025 is certainly off to a terrible start for the USA, in part because of the wildfires in California. At the time the video was produced, the wildfires had not started, but I would say that a forthcoming environmental catastrophe has been building for quite some time. Any 'doom and gloom' video can't ignore the topic, yet The Infographics Show's episode mainly talked about political polarization, loneliness, social media, mental health, processed foods, and other topics.
But you can judge for yourself. If you want to watch the whole video, then it is embedded below for you.
Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes - Infographics Show Breakdown
YouTubers will do anything for views—even film their own crimes. The Infographics Show’s January 2025 publications included a 15-minute video that spills the tea on 10 creators who took it too far.
Unlike their usual long uploads, this one’s short, snappy, and packed with bizarre stories that will make you scoff. Normally, I focus on missing people here, but this detour into YouTube chaos was too good to skip. Curious? Let’s dive into "Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes," released last week!
The bold animation style of The Infographics Show.
Author: The Infographics Show Title: Dumbest YouTubers Who Filmed Their Own Crimes Date: January 11th, 2025
Ever Wonder If YouTube Stunts Are Real?
Have you ever watched a YouTube video and questioned the authenticity of the wild stunts? This Infographics Show episode has you covered. It exposes YouTubers who faked videos—and paid the price. From Target store hoaxes to vigilante schemes gone wrong, here’s a taste of what’s inside.
No. 10: The Target Fort Fiasco
Take this YouTubing couple who claimed they spent the night in a Target store. Spoiler: they didn’t.
Instead, they built a fort out of boxes during the day, hid until closing, then slipped out before 3 AM in February 2022. They re-entered at the opening to fake the “overnight” stunt. Clever? Maybe. Legal? Not quite. It kicks off the countdown with a bang.
March 13th, 2022. The Morning Call
No. 9: Vigilantes for Clout in Japan
What I love about this episode? It’s not just Canada, the USA, or Europe. They dig into Asia too.
At No. 9, four Japanese men staged drug deals, called the cops, and filmed the arrests like innocent bystanders. It worked—until the police noticed the same guys at the second bust. Oops. Dubbed "Vigilantes for Clout Get Arrested," it’s a fresh twist for English-speaking fans of these lists.
This reminded me of vigilante stunts in North America—luring predators online to “bust” them—or even the 2014 Jake Gyllenhaal flick, Nightcrawler.
Ever seen it? It’s about a guy who blurs the line between observer and criminal for fame. Sound familiar?
Down and Out in the Canadian Rockies
A BLEAK GLIMPSE INTO RESORT TOWN LIFE FROM A WORKER'S PERSPECTIVE
Get your copy of this engaging ebook now
Available on Amazon for Kindle or as a physical copy
I’ve barely scratched the surface of this Top 10 list. If public YouTuber antics annoy you, this “revenge” watch will hit the spot. Check out the full episode below—trust me, you won’t believe what’s at No. 1.
Keep Exploring
Loved this? Dig into more of my posts—like my take on missing persons mysteries—or share your thoughts below. What’s the wildest YouTuber stunt you’ve seen?
Original time of writing: November 27th, 2024 Minor update: January 22nd, 2025
I was reading about Bradford Bishop tonight, a man who spent much time on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list. He is no longer on this list but that does not mean he was apprehended. He may remain at large at the time of writing but he would be at a very advanced age at this point if he was still alive. FBI images of Bishop are below, taken from their official website.
In this article, I will associate Bradford Bishop's known timeline with another unsolved mystery, Trenny Gibson's disappearance. Trenny is a missing person who disappeared as a teenager back in 1976. Her last-known location was not too far from Bradford Bishop's last-known location. There is a time gap to be aware of but I think the two cases should be thought of together.
Bishop allegedly killed five family members on March 1st, 1976. Even though his alleged crimes are almost fifty years old, he does still make the news occasionally. For instance, People.com published a piece on him as recently as December 2024 (Author: Christine Pelisek). A woman, who knew she was adopted, found out that she was Bishop's child.
After Bishop allegedly killed his five family members, his vehicle was found abandoned in Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee on March 18th, 1976. According to an episode of The Infographics Show (cited at the end), Bishop left dog biscuits in the car, a shotgun, an ax, a bloody blanket, and a shaving kit with his medication.
Bishop was considered an avid outdoorsman and both a camping and hiking enthusiast. Perhaps in agreement with this, his car was found in the park at an abandoned campground seventeen days after allegedly killing his family members.
In my opinion, that his vehicle was found at an abandoned campground suggests that Bishop's short-term plans to elude authorities involved hiding in remote wilderness locations. That opinion has shaped a lot of what I write below.
Trenny Gibson: Missing From Smoky Mountains National Park Since October 1976
While reading about Bishop, I wondered for a moment why I had a familiarity with Smoky Mountains National Park. I have never been there. Then I recalled that this was the park that Trenny Gibson had gone missing from.
I wrote about her five years ago after reading about her case at a time when I was focusing on missing people and hiking trails. Gibson went missing on October 8th, 1976 while on a school field trip that involved hiking in Smoking Mountains National Park. As of the time of writing (November 27th, 2024), she is still missing.
Trenny also makes the news occasionally. WATE.com profiled her case in October 2024 (Hope McAlee).
There were just under seven months between March 18th, 1976 (the day Bishop's car was found), and October 8th, 1976 (the date Trenny went missing). That's a huge gap of time to associate the two respective events, the discovery of Bishop's station wagon and the date of Gibson's disappearance.
However, Bishop was an avid hiker, camper, and outdoorsman.
Furthermore, presuming that he killed his five family members (as commonly assumed), he would have had a massive motive to hide from the law -- permanently. It is thought that Bishop blended in with the hikers in the area in the immediate aftermath of abandoning his vehicle.
For almost certain, Bishop would want to move away from his vehicle, knowing it would be a lead for the authorities as they searched for him. One has to wonder if he used whatever resources he had to set up a long-term camp in the national park in March 1976. However, a credible sighting of the wanted man was not made until some time later.
Bishop Seen in Sweden
The first credible sighting of Bradford Bishop after the deaths of his family members happened in July 1978, when someone who knew him claimed she saw him in Stockholm, Sweden. Admittedly, there is a big gap between the date of his station wagon's discovery in March 1976 and July 1978. But he could have stayed in the park for several months as there is no proof that he was anywhere else until more than two years later.
Could Bradford Bishop have kidnapped Trenny Gibson? The connection between Gibson and Bishop might be called tenuous. Certain things line up but not like a line of dominoes.
The scenario that I would like to suggest starts with Bishop preparing for a life on the lam after March 1st, 1976. This much is assumed about him by those who have written about his case.
We know that he ditched his car near Elkmont in March 1976. Then it's thought that he blended in with the hikers as he moved away from the station wagon. At this point, he would have little choice but to use his avid outdoorsman skills to hide in the park from authorities. This was not someone who could simply re-enter his life: in fact, if the allegations against him are true the statutes on the crimes will never expire.
Trenny Gibson: Missing While Hiking Separate From Her Classmates
When Trenny Gibson went missing, she was on a school excursion but she was hiking separately from her classmates. That she may have fallen on a difficult section of the trail has been suggested. It's a scenario that can't be discounted, even though she was never found despite a serious search. But many thought that she may have been lured and abducted. Some sources say that her scent was tracked to a roadside location, where it disappeared.
If Bradford Bishop was still in the park, he clearly had the nerve to commit an abduction. Furthermore, that he may still have been in the park cannot just be brushed aside. His car was found there and his alleged crimes were so major that he could likely never be free again if found, giving him a motive to hide out long term. Also, he had the outdoor skills and intelligence to survive as a camper long term.
What I think can be stated for certain is that he might have been in the area of Trenny Gibson on the day she disappeared. Also, Bishop, if the allegations against him are true, was capable of felonious acts.
On the other hand, one could argue that it would actually be stupid for Bishop to abduct Gibson. The ensuing search for her might simply reveal his own hiding spot. I think this is a counterpoint that needs to be addressed.
In my opinion, if Bishop has anything to do with Gibson's disappearance, then it might just be from an accidental encounter. Trenny Gibson, for part of the school trip, had hiked alongside her classmates. My thoughts on her disappearance have always been that she chose to hike alone for a short time for one unflattering reason: she was planning to urinate off of the trail and didn't want any of her classmates around. Maybe, like the rest of us, she was a critic of outhouses.
When someone urinates near a hiking trail, I think they usually choose to go 10 to 20 yards away from the trail for privacy's sake. There's not much need to go much further. In the past, I've thought that Trenny simply picked an unlucky spot to do this with some kind of transient lurking not too far off of the trail.
In this scenario, I wonder if that hypothetical transient was none other than Bradford Bishop. He's on the lam, he can't rejoin society, and his car was found in the park earlier in the year. If Trenny Gibson found his hiding spot while venturing 20 yards off the trail, then his motive for disappearing her is immense. Also, he would realize it's time to move on with search parties coming to look for her.
It is not that hard to explain why such search parties would not find his camp. I've worked on enough missing person cases to know that phrases like "we left no stone unturned" or "we scoured the area" are often fluff. You have to add the phrase "within budget" to each statement to form something true.
The Infographics Show and Bradford Bishop
Bradford Bishop's fight from justice was covered in an episode of The Infographics Show. In the episode, they include what was found in the car.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}