Notable murders that remain unsolved

What do JonBenet Ramsey, Tupac, and Black Dahlia have in common? Their brutal, gruesome murders were never solved.

This list of the most famous unsolved murders includes some of the most high-profile unsolved murders in the world. Many of them are familiar to anyone reading the news, but others may surprise you.

13 PHOTOS

1. Tupac Shakur.

Perhaps the most famous unsolved murder in recent history, the death of rapper Tupac Shakur remains a mystery to this day. "The most influential rapper of all time" was gunned down in a car in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996. He was taken to a local hospital where he died six days later.

2. JonBenet Ramsey.

Six-year-old pageant winner JonBenet became the subject of a media frenzy when she was found dead in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. Many suspected her parents, but DNA data exonerated the couple and older brother JonBenet in 2008.

3. Black dahlia.

"Black Dahlia" is the name given to 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, a Los Angeles resident who was brutally murdered and dismembered in 1947. Her body was found cut in half, bled, and cut several times. Newspaper reports soon chanted the affair, stating that Short was an "adventurer" who roamed the streets of Los Angeles in a tight skirt and sheer blouse. More than 70 years later, the incident continues to fascinate and mystify, inspiring many books and films, such as the 1987 novel The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy and the 2006 film of the same name starring Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett.

3. Black dahlia.

"Black Dahlia" is the name given to 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, a Los Angeles resident who was brutally murdered and dismembered in 1947. Her body was found cut in half, bled, and cut several times. Newspaper reports soon chanted the affair, stating that Short was an "adventurer" who roamed the streets of Los Angeles in a tight skirt and sheer blouse. More than 70 years later, the incident continues to fascinate and mystify, inspiring many books and films, such as the 1987 novel The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy and the 2006 film of the same name starring Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett.

5. Big L.

The 24-year-old prodigy Big L was killed in a drive-by shooting in what he famously referred to as a "danger zone" in the Harlem area. Gerard Woodley, 29, was charged with murder but was later released due to insufficient evidence.

6. Bob Crane.

Known for his roles in The Hogan's Heroes and The Bob Crane Show, Crane was found beaten to death in his apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona, during a June 1978 tour.

7. Amber Hagerman.

Despite the fact that a neighbor witnessed the abduction of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, the case was never solved. Amber was cycling around the block when someone in a dark pickup truck grabbed her. Four days later, her body was found. She was sexually assaulted.

8. Olof Palme.

Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was killed walking home from the cinema with his wife in 1986. He was shot in the back at close range. His wife was also injured, but the bullet grazed her back and she recovered without serious injuries. Two years after Palme's death, a petty criminal named Carl Gustav Christer Pettersson was arrested for murder, but his sentence was soon overturned by the Svea Court of Appeal. While theories abound, Palme's murder remains unsolved.

9. Mary Pinchot Meyer.

Mary Pinchot Meyer - ex-wife of a high-ranking CIA official, a good friend of Jackie Kennedy, and mistress of President John F. Kennedy - was assassinated on October 12, 1964, two days before her 44th birthday. She was wounded in the heart and head at close range, but the murder weapon was never found. A man named Ray Crump Jr. was found and arrested nearby, but later acquitted for lack of evidence. Some conspiracy theorists have suggested that Meyer's death was linked to the assassination of John F. Kennedy a year earlier.

10. Sophie Tuscany du Plantier.

French film producer Sophie Tuscany du Plantier was beaten to death outside her country home in County Cork, Ireland, in 1996. French police suspected British journalist Ian Bailey, who lived near the victim's home. Arrested twice in connection with the crime, Bailey was never charged with murder due to insufficient evidence. The French police demanded that he be extradited to France for questioning, but the Irish Supreme Court rejected this demand. Her murder remains unsolved.

11. Archbishop Oscar Romero.

In March 1980, Oscar Romero, Archbishop of the Catholic Church, was killed by a sniper during a mass at a church in San Salvador, El Salvador. His death was one of the most high-profile unsolved murders of the Cold War era.

12. Diane Fossey.

American zoologist, a primatologist, and anthropologist Diane Fossey were killed in 1975 in her hut at the Karisoke Research Center, a gorilla research site in the mountains of Rwanda. She was found dead in her cabin due to a head wound with a machete. Her last diary entry read: "When you realize the value of all life, you focus less on the past and more focus on preserving the future." While theories vary, it is widely believed that her death was linked to her lifelong crusade against gorilla poaching.

13. Murders at Lake Bodom.

In 1960, four teenagers camped on Lake Bodom near Helsinki, Finland. Early in the morning, an unknown attacker (or attackers) killed three of the four friends with a knife and a blunt object. The lone survivor, Nils Wilhelm Gustafsson, did not become a suspect until 2004. 24 years after the first crime, he was charged with the murder of his friends. However, in 2005 the district court found him not guilty.