July 12, 2024 | Sarah Ng

These Historical Figures' Bodies Were Never Found


Gone Missing

Some of the most famous historical figures' bodies have never been found, lending mystery to their legacies forever.

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Jimmy Hoffa 

In the 1960s, Jimmy Hoffa was America's infamous labor union leader. He was also the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. However, behind the scenes, he was a downright crook involved in organized crime. 

He ended up behind bars—but his ultimate fate was the most mysterious part of his story.

Jimmy Hoffa in suitGaram, Wikimedia Commons

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Jimmy Hoffa

Jimmy Hoffa went missing after being released from behind bars. Hoffa had been visiting a restaurant in Detroit the last time he was ever spotted. On that fateful day, he allegedly had a planned meeting with two organized crime bosses. He was never seen again.

Union Leader Jimmy HoffaBettmann, Getty Images

Jimmy Hoffa

Many agree that Jimmy Hoffa became one of the Mafia's many victims. However, his remains have never been discovered.

American labour leader Jimmy Hoffa (1913 - 1975), President of the Teamster's Union, testifying at a hearing into labor rackets.Keystone, Getty Images

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a genius composer from Austria. He composed over 800 pieces, despite dying at the very young age of 35 years old.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart portraitJohann Nepomuk della Croce, Wikimedia Commons

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In September 1791, Mozart's health began to fade, and by the end of November, he found himself confined to his bed. His disturbing symptoms included pain, swelling, and vomiting. At the time, he was working on his Requiem, but sadly, he died in December before he could complete it.

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartUnknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Following his demise, Mozart's body came to rest in St. Marx Cemetary in a common grave. Though many sources have referred to the composer's final resting place as a "mass grave" or a "pauper's grave," this just isn't true. 

St. Marx CemeteryInvisigoth67, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A "common grave" simply meant that Mozart had a grave intended for people who weren't from the aristocracy. After a decade, these common graves were usually excavated. So, after ten years, Mozart's body was likely moved and reburied to make room for more bodies. 

This means that the exact location of remains has been lost to time.

Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus MozartBarbara Krafft, Wikimedia Commons

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Harold Holt

Harold Hold was the Australian prime minister in 1967. However, on December 17, he went swimming close to Portsea, Victoria, and never returned to shore. Quite eerily, he'd left all his clothes behind.

Harold Holt portraitNAA, CC BY 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons

Harold Holt

An extensive search operation came up with nothing—the prime minister had disappeared. Many came to the tragic assumption that Holt had drowned during his swim, but not everyone believed this. 

Prime Minister Harold HoltWilliam James Cunneen, Wikimedia Commons

Harold Holt

The disappearance of such an important figure like Holt fired up the conspiracy theorists, who suggested that the prime minister was actually a spy, who'd been taken by a Chinese submarine.

Harol Holt PmRonald Hall - DoD, Wikimedia Commons

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Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is one of history's most renowned painters. He's even been called the founder of the High Renaissance. Spending his final three years in France, the artist passed there in 1519.

Leonardo Da VinciF. Bartolozzi, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Leonardo da Vinci

Following his death, da Vinci's remains came to rest in the church of Saint Florentin at the Château d'Amboise. However, the French Revolution caused some serious damage to the massive residence. This eventually resulted in the demolition of the church in 1802, which seriously affected the graves.

Portrait Of Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo da Vinci, Wikimedia Commons

Leonardo da Vinci

60 years after the demolition, an excavation of the site led to the discovery of a body that could potentially be Leonardo da Vinci. There were a number of promising clues, including some inscribed stones that featured letters of the artist's name. 

However, as confirmation is still required, the correct location of Davinici's body continues to be a prevailing mystery.

Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci, Wikimedia Commons

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Alexander the Great

There are many hazy details when it comes to Alexander the Great, one of the most famous kings from Ancient Greece—but perhaps the location of his remains is the biggest head-scratcher of all.

Alexander The Great MosaicUnknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Alexander the Great

Alexander had a coffin made of "hammered gold," but he didn't exactly have a burial fit for a king. You see, though the deceased king wished to be laid to rest in Siwa, this did not happen.

Screenshot of Alexander The Great looking upset - from Alexander the Great (2014)Gruppe 5, Alexander the Great (2014)

Alexander the Great

Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander's generals, hijacked the king's funerary cart and took his body to Egypt for a short time. Though Alexander's remains were eventually moved to Alexandria, his tomb wasn't respected. 

Alexander the GreatWalters Art Museum, Picryl

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Alexander the Great

For instance, Cleopatra took gold from Alexander's tomb to help fund her military operations, while Caligula is said to have looted it. Though the location of Alexander's tomb has surfaced in a number of historical accounts, the true site remains a mystery.

Screenshot from the Movie Alexander (2004), depicting Alexander the Great wearing a white gownWarner Bros, Alexander (2004)

Glenn Miller

During the 1930s and 1940s, Glenn Miller wowed audiences as one of the most prolific big-band leaders and musicians. However, WWII changed his occupation in a big way.

Glenn Miller BillboardUnknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Glenn Miller

Miller joined the army, becoming a source of entertainment for the American soldiers. But sadly, he came to a rather shocking end.

Glen MillerUS Army photographer, Wikimedia Commons

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Glenn Miller

On December 15, 1944, Glenn Miller boarded a plane traveling from England to France. However, somewhere over the English Channel, his plane went missing. The beloved musician was never found.

Glenn Miller BandUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons

Vlad The Impaler

Vlad the Impaler—or Vlad III—is one of the most terrifying historical figures. He has a brutal reputation that revolves around how he treated his enemies. It's no wonder that he became the inspiration for Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Vlad the ImpalerUnknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Vlad The Impaler

Vlad has been described as a "demented psychopath" and "gruesome murderer." His exact cause of death is unknown, as well as his final resting place. 

Vlad The Impaler And The Turkish EnvoysTheodor Aman, Wikimedia Commons

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Vlad The Impaler

Though Vlad the Impaler was said to be interred in the Monastery of Snagov, excavations disproved these claims. In 1933, Dinu V. Rosetti reported on these excavations: "Under the tombstone attributed to Vlad, there was no tomb. Only many bones and jaws of horses."

Vlad Tepes PaintingUnknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Genghis Khan

As the founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan is a towering presence in history. However, scholars haven't been able to confirm the exact location of his body.

Genghis KhanNational Palace Museum, Wikimedia Commons

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan died in 1227, and based on available information, he was likely buried close to Burkhan Khaldun—a sacred mountain in the Khentii Mountains. Though you can find the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan in China, this is not where he is buried.

Genghis Khan StatueGenuineMongol, Wikimedia Commons

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Jean Spangler

Jean Spangler was an Old Hollywood actress—but her legacy has been defined by her mysterious disappearance. On October 7, 1949, Spangler had some very distinct plans: First, she had a meeting with her ex-husband and then she would go to work... She never came home.

Actress Jean Spangler portraitBettmann, Getty Images

Jean Spangler

In a puzzling twist, authorities later discovered that Spangler didn't have work on that fateful night, while her ex-husband claimed he hadn't seen her for many weeks. But that wasn't the strangest part.

Jean Spangler with her daughter, Christine.Bettmann, Getty Images

Jean Spangler

Two days after she went missing, Spangler's purse surfaced in a Los Angeles park. One side of the purse had torn straps—but it was the note inside the purse that caused even more confusion.

Jean Spangler purseBettmann, Getty Images

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Jean Spangler

The note found inside Spangler's purse read, "Kirk: Can't wait any longer, Going to see Dr. Scott. It will work best this way while mother is away."

Mrs. Florence Spangler mother of Jean SpanglerBettmann, Getty Images

Jean Spangler

Though neither men named in Spangler's note were ever identified, rumors swirled that the "Kirk" in the note referred to famous actor, Kirk Douglas as they'd worked together briefly in a film—but he denied any claims of knowing Spangler in a close capacity.

Kirk Douglasmonstersforsale, Flickr

Amelia Earhart

As a pioneer of American aviation, Amelia Earhart's legacy has mostly been defined by her tragic disappearance in 1937. She'd been attempting to become the very first woman to fly around the world when something went horribly wrong.

Amelia Earhart Standing Under planeUnderwood & Underwood, Wikimedia Commons

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Amelia Earhart

Piloting a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra, Earhart went missing over the Pacific Ocean, somewhere close to Howland Island. She also had navigator Fred Noonan with her.

Amelia Earhart In Training PlaneAmelia Earhart, Wikimedia Commons

Amelia Earhart

The general assumption is that the plane ran out of fuel, causing it to crash—Earheart's and Noonan's bodies lost to the ocean. A year and a half later, the two of them were declared dead.

Amelia Earhart in a planeHarris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons

Amelia Earhart

Because Earhart's airplane remains missing, her demise has sparked countless conspiracy theories. For instance, some claim that she was a spy, while others claim that Japanese Forces captured her. Some even think that she survived and assumed a new identity. 

But whatever speculation has swirled around her, the truth about Amelia Earhart's final resting place is still unknown.

Amelia Earhart standing in front of a planeSmithsonian Institution, Wikimedia Commons

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Solomon Northup

Solomon Northup was the famous abolitionist responsible for the memoir, Twelve Years a Slave. His parents were a free woman of color and a freed slave, and Northup himself was born free. However, in 1841, he traveled to Washington D.C., where he was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

Solomon NorthupFrederick M. Coffin, Wikimedia Commons

Solomon Northup

Northup was enslaved for 12 years, working under a planter in Louisiana, until he eventually saw freedom again in 1853. Though so much is known about Northup's incredible life, his death and burial location remain a mystery that puzzles scholars to this day.

12 YEARS A SLAVE, Solomon NorthupRegency Enterprises, 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Oscar Zeta Acosta

Oscar Zeta Acosta was an attorney and author, as well as an activist in the Chicano Movement. As a friend of the famous author Hunter S. Thompson, Acosta found himself immortalized in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Dr. Gonzo—a character he inspired. However, Acosta is also known for his mysterious disappearance.

Oscar Zeta Acosta, Las Vegas 1971Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc, Wikimedia Commons

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Oscar Zeta Acosta

In 1974, Acosta traveled to Mexico and was never seen again. The last person he spoke to was his son, who later commented on his father's unknown fate: "The body was never found, but we surmise that probably, knowing the people he was involved with, he ended up mouthing off, getting into a fight, and getting killed."

Oscar Zeta AcostaUniversal, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Oscar Zeta Acosta

The speculation behind Acosta's vanishing has birthed many different theories, ranging from murder to a fatal overdose. However, the truth has never been uncovered.

Screenshot from Attorney Oscar Acosta public speechCity Projects, The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo (2017)


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