Few things are more terrifying than when a murder is committed and the murderer is never found. When an entire family is murdered, it takes the crime to a whole new level. This list discusses the most famous unsolved murders of families and couples, and are arguably some of the most gruesome and shocking unsolved murder cases in history.
It is hard to understand how someone could be motivated to take another person’s life, but when it comes to the victims listed on this list, understanding the reasons behind the crime is almost impossible. Sadly, it is most likely that no one will ever be forced to pay for these crimes as police weren't able to find the proper evidence to solve the murders.
Many of the cases featured on this list therefore remain open, while others have officially been closed after years of unsuccessful attempts at finding the killer. What are the most famous unsolved murders of families? Read through the list below to find out.
Famous Unsolved Murders of Families,
The Grimes sisters
Barbara and Patricia Grimes were sisters who lived in Chicago, Illinois. They were ages 13 and 15 when they disappeared in December 1956 after leaving their home for the movie theater. Their bodies were found on January 10, 1957 on a rural Chicago road, frozen and naked. Several suspects were interviewed and investigated, but no charges were filed.
In 2010, a retired police officer reignited his interested in the case and began investigating again. One witness came forward, saying she was with the Grimes sisters the night they disappeared but had previously been too afraid to come forward.
Walker Family
The Walkers and their two toddlers were murdered on December 19, 1959 in Osprey, Florida. The murder is of particular note because it potentially involved the suspects of the murders that inspired the creative non-fiction novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The husband was stabbed, while the wife was raped and shot. The two prime suspects, Perry Smith and Richard "Dick" Hickock, had been convicted of the Clutter family murder that happened 35 days earlier in Holcombe, Kansas, just before they stole a car and drove to Florida.
Both men were hanged. However, DNA evidence could never support their convictions and the case has never been solved, until 2013, when the bodies were exhumed although the DNA evidence was inconclusive due to sample degredation.
Lin Family
In 2009, Australian news agent Min Lin, his wife Yun Lin, his sister-in-law Irene Lin, and their two sons, Henry and Terry, were bludgeoned to death with a hammer-like object that was tied to the killer's wrist in an overnight attack. The weapon was never found.
On December 19, 2012, Robert Xie, Lin's brother in-law, was committed for trial in the killings. Prosecutors claim Xie sedated his own wife first, then walked over to the Lin house, and cut the power, as he was able to navigate through the dark of the familiar home. He then smashed in the adults' faces before murdering the children.
Xie's trial had been scheduled to begin in September of 2013, as DNA tests on some evidence were in the process of being completed. However, on July 22, 2013, the Supreme Court delayed the trial until 2014. It's still ongoing.
Robison Family
The Robison family murders, also referred to as the Good Hart murders, were the mass murders of Richard Robison, his wife Shirley Robison, and their four children, Ritchie, Gary, Randy, and Susan.
The upper-middle-class Robison family was from the metropolitan Detroit area of Lathrup Village, Michigan, and were spending the summer vacationing in their Lake Michigan cottage just north of Good Hart, Michigan.
One day, some ladies during a bridge game noticed a foul smell coming from a nearby cabin – the Robinson's. The ladies came upon the house to find the entire Robison family rotting in the summer heat, where they had been dead for over a month. They were beaten, shot, and killed amongst overturned furniture and broken glass. Though a few prime suspects existed, no substantial evidence ever brought justice to the murders.
De Ligonnes Family
In 2011, Agnes Dupont de Ligonnes and her four children, ages 13 to 21, were shot and killed with a .22 rifle with a silencer on it while asleep in their beds in Western France, along with their two Labradors. The father, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes, immediately became the prime suspect, as he abruptly disappeared after the murders, had a mistress to whom he owed money, and had a failing business. He had also called the children's schools, informing them that the family was emigrating, as well as terminating the lease on their house.
When police went searching for the family after a missing persons report was filed, they discovered a severed leg poking out of the garden. The bodies were individually rolled-up in sleeping bags, covered in lime, and buried underneath the patio in the backyard.
A manhunt was underway when the suspect's car was discovered abandoned at a nearby hotel. Authorities believe Dupont de Ligonnes may have committed suicide, but no body has been found.
In 2015, a photograph of Dupont de Ligonnes with his sons and a letter from the suspected murderer arrived at the desk of an AFP journalist. The letter said, "I am still alive," but offered no further information on Dupont de Ligonnes's whereabouts. It also isn't clear whether he did in fact send this letter and photograph, or whether the latter was a forgery.
Setagaya Family
In 2000, Mikio Miyazawa, wife Yasuko, and their two children were found stabbed to death – except for the son, who was strangled. Investigators believe the killer spent up to 11 hours in the family's home after killing them, using their computer and eating ice cream before leaving the next morning.
While clothing, one of the murder weapons, and some fingerprints were found, no suspects have been named. About 190,000 officers have been involved in the case, and 40 are still actively working on it. The reward for revealing the killer is 10 million yen, up from the original 3 million yen in 2000.
Ade Family
When a neighbor to the Ade family noticed a bright glow coming from their Nashville house one evening in 1897, he rode over to discover their house ablaze and already nearly burned to the ground. He searched through the wreckage, calling out for the family, until he found their bodies amidst the burnt timbers.
Though originally thought to be an accident, investigators later discovered the youngest child's body, 10-year-old Rosa, who wasn't scorched like the others and a large part of her head and hand were missing. Police realized the fire was a cover up for a family murder in which they believed the family was forced into the parlor and struck with heavy objects. Rosa, however, had escaped through the window, was caught and murdered, and then her body later thrown into the fire.
Heavy rains hit Nashville that night, washing away all footprints and possible evidence.
Andrew and Abby Borden
On August 4, 1892 Andrew and Abby were found brutally murdered in their home with a hatchet in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Andrew was found with 11 hacks in his face, Abby had 19 to the back of her head. Both were hacked to bloodied pulps. The first blow on both of them was so forceful that it surely killed them both immediately.
Lizzie, Andrew's daughter and Abby's stepdaughter, was suspected immediately, as the town knew of the hateful rift between her and her stepmother. Additionally, during the week of the trial, Lizzie burned a dress that she claimed had paint on it, but prosecutors alleged that it was covered in blood and she burned it to cover up the murder. She was acquitted of all charges, the case was found inconclusive. She died in 1927 and no other suspects were charged.
Sun Family
Maoye Sun and his wife Mei Xie, along with their two young sons inside their Cypress, Texas, were murdered in their home in March 2014. The victims were each shot in the head four times. No suspects have been named and no leads have been brought forward by the Chinese community in which they lived. Police received a number of tips but there was never enough information given to lead to the name of a suspect. The case remains unsolved.
Bennett Family
On January 15, 1984, Bruce Bennett lost the battle with a killer who pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. The attack also shattered the face of their 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa.
The 3 year old Vanessa was the only one to survive; though her jaw was crushed, sending jagged bones into her windpipe, she was found when her grandmother, Constance Bennett, checked on the family later that morning when they didn't show up to work at their furniture store.
An investigation in which more than 500 people were questioned did not uncover any leads to solve the case.