The Creepiest Unsolved Mysteries You Need to Know About

“)};

Murder, disappearances, fires, ghost ships … these are the stories that will haunt you long after you finish reading them, and will leave you wondering — what REALLY happened? And — even scarier — could it happen again?

1. The Dyatlov Pass incident

A terrifying scene met investigators. | Russian Federation/Wikimedia Commons

It was February of 1959 when nine hikers enthusiastically set out for a camping trip in the mountains of Russia. The first evening, they made camp, had some dinner, and went to bed. What happened next is a mystery because none of the nine returned alive.

In late February, a rescue crew found their tent while searching the area. The weird part? It was ripped open from the inside. All around the area were footprints, some made by shoes, some by just socks, and some by bare feet. Deeper into the woods, the first two bodies were found, both naked except for underwear, which was especially strange in the below freezing weather. At first, their deaths were attributed to hypothermia, but additional examination along with the discovery of the other seven bodies changed that theory.

One body had evidence of blunt force trauma while another suffered third-degree burns. Yet another victim was discovered to have vomited blood. One was missing a tongue. Several pieces of the hikers’ clothing tested positive for radioactive contamination.

People blamed everything from the KGB to alien invasion for the incident, but a documentary filmmaker had an even more intriguing — and plausible — explanation for the mystery. A phenomenon known as “infrasound” happens when the wind interacts with topography to create an almost inaudible hum that causes people to suffer panic, dread, nausea, chills, increased heart rate, and difficulty breathing. It’s a long shot, but that could be what happened to the hikers.

Because if not… then what?

Next: Hitchhiking on this highway is a huge mistake.