The Netflix reboot of the classic mystery-documentary series Unsolved Mysteries reinvigorates the mystique behind five disturbing, unresolved crimes and an alleged UFO sighting in the Berkshires, but in the process the show may leave out substantial information regarding each case. Each episode provides an independent narrative for a mysterious occurrence, the majority of which being unresolved crimes. These narratives tend to be constructed persuasively, leaving out key details that do not support the narrative’s persuasion.
This is typical of the original show, however, there is one key difference that sets this reboot apart from the original. The series made a conscious choice to reboot without a narrator, partly in honor of the late Robert Stack, which gives the real people connected to each case a significant boost in screen time. In doing so, the series is able to portray its subjects with more depth.
While this change brings additional depth to these people and their cases, a single episode is simply not enough time to cohesively examine each case. Unsolved Mysteries’ producers, led by Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy, understand this and try to be economic with each episode’s inclusions and exclusions. As a result, there is a wealth of pertinent information left out of each episode, some of which has since been uploaded to a public Google Drive folder by Netflix. Here is a look at the information that was left out in each episode of Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries.
Episode One: “Mystery On The Rooftop”
“Mystery on the Rooftop” details the mysterious death of Rey Rivera. In the episode, those close to Rey speak to his joyous nature while recounting Porter Stansberry, Rey’s high school friend and former employer, as a shady figure in Rey’s life. However, those who present differing narratives like Brad Hoppmann, Rey and Porter’s high school friend, and author Mikita Brottman (An Unexplained Death: The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere), were not included. Hoppmann maintains that Rey had been acting weird the week before his death, asking Hoppmann for access to his top-floor apartment in Jersey City, alone. Brottman claims that the Belvedere Hotel roof is more easily accessed than the episode contends.
Even Porter Stansberry spoke to The Baltimore Sun after the episode scrutinized his connection to Rey, stating that Rey had resigned from Stansberry & Associates six months prior to his death. He also dismissed the notion that Rey’s mysterious phone call came from someone at his company, citing a corporate retreat which rendered them unable to reach their parent company’s switchboard in Baltimore.
Episode Two: “13 Minutes”
Unsolved Mysteries‘ second episode, “13 Minutes,” delves into the ambiguous death of 38-year-old hair salon owner, Patrice Endres. Throughout the episode, it is insinuated that Patrice’s second husband, Rob Endres, could be responsible. However, Rob’s airtight alibi makes this improbable at best. There are few facts relevant to this case that are not included in the episode, although the evidence included in the episode’s Google Drive folder divulges additional information on the Jeremy Jones investigation. Although Jones recanted his prior admission, investigators are still looking into him as a potential accomplice to the crime, citing “guilty knowledge information“. Apart from this, the only relevant exclusion from the episode is a woman who reported a white van outside of Patrice’s salon during the incident and even began working with a sketch artist before eventually recanting her report.
Episode Three: “House of Terror”
Unsolved Mysteries’ third episode, “House of Terror,” examines the deaths of every member of the Dupont de Ligonnès family, except for the father, Xavier, who is widely believed to be responsible for their deaths. There is a fair amount of information left out of this episode, but it does little to clear Xavier’s name in fact it generally reinforces the case against him. In 2003, Xavier created an American company, Netsurf Concept LLC, with the help of Strategy Netcom founder, Gérard Corona. Corona specializes in assisting foreigners with administrative and legal proceedings in the United States, as well as opening foreign bank accounts and obtaining anonymous bank cards. It has been rumored that Xavier used his services to disappear, a rumor that supports the constantly alleged sightings of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès.
Episode Four: “No Ride Home”
Unsolved Mysteries episode 4, “No Ride Home,” details the Alonzo Brooks case which prominently features a group of Alonzo’s white friends whose testimony seems restrained. This sentiment is reinforced by the Unsolved Mystery’s director, Marcus A. Clarke, who remarks that their testimonies do not add up in terms of logistics and timeline. The most noticeable absence in this episode is “Adam”, another friend that these friends consistently mention being at the party. There is no further public information on this group of friends or “Adam”, and the only relevant evidence included in this episode’s Google Drive folder pertains to the owners of the home where Brooks went missing, who were evicted from the house. The body of Alonzo Brooks has recently been exhumed to be further investigated by the FBI, so the facts could surface sooner than later.
Episode Five: “Berkshires UFO”
“Berkshires UFO” is the sole Unsolved Mysteries episode that deals with the supernatural event rather than a crime scene: the mystery of the Berkshire UFO sightings on September 1, 1969. The Google Drive file mentions that there were additional UFO sightings reported in 1966 and 1967, all of which occurred in the month of September. Additional evidence has leaked, suggesting the US government covered up Berkshire UFO sighting stories around this time. It is important to note that the moon landing occurred just a few weeks prior to these reports and the coverups could have been in an effort to maintain the nation’s focus on that achievement.
Episode Six: “Missing Witness”
Finally, this rebooted first volume of Unsolved Mysteries concludes with another true-crime documentary episode tackling the unresolved case of Lena Chapin. The episode’s narrative frames Lena’s mother, Sandra, as the most probable guilty party, however the episode’s Google Drive folder has information that suggests that Lena was not entirely honest with the authorities either. Lena describes sitting on the floor of Gary’s truck one night as he drove because she did not want to be seen with him. Investigator Brian Martin claims that this would be a difficult feat because of all the litter on the floor, asserting that nobody has sat on that floor for any lengthy amount of time. Furthermore, Lena Chapin is dishonest about Gary McCullough’s death, another of Sandra’s alleged victims, claiming that his body was “completely burned“.
Ultimately, the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries features fantastical narratives that are simultaneously grounded in reality. It is important to remember that a show can only fit so much information into a single episode, thus there is still much more information to uncover.
