The most mysterious disappearances that are hard to believe

Once a person or a group of people disappear without a trace, the construction of a variety of, sometimes supernatural versions of what happened begins. The people in this collection have disappeared once and for all, and their stories have already become overgrown with legends and rumors.

When a person disappears, or even worse, a group of people, it always raises questions. And also generates a lot of rumors. Sometimes this is how urban legends and other incredible stories appear. Most of the people on this list disappeared for unknown reasons, and their whereabouts - alive or dead - have not been disclosed. But if the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle area can still be explained logically, then how could a person in a wheelchair who suffered a stroke disappear, leaving behind only a coat?

1. Intrepid explorer Percy Fawcett was last seen in 1925, when he and his son Jack led the search for an ancient lost city in the jungles of Brazil. Many suspected that they were killed by locals or mauled by animals. Even more absurd versions were also put forward, for example, that Fawcett became the head of the tribe. His image partially inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create a literary character - Professor Challenger.

2. At the end of the 16th century, a group of English colonists founded a settlement on Roanoke Island, in present-day Carolina. John White, an artist and friend of Sir Walter Raleigh, was appointed governor. In 1587, White sailed home to England for a short period, then returned to Roanoke three years later. Arriving on the island, he found the colony deserted. Everyone disappeared without a trace, including the first English child born in the New World, Virginia Dare. To this day, no one knows what happened to the "missing colony".

3. In 1809, Benjamin Bathurst, a British diplomat, mysteriously disappeared in Germany while staying at a hotel. Various versions of his disappearance were discussed in the press: it could have been murder, kidnapping by the French government, or suicide.

4. In 1763, a scandal broke out in the quiet village of Shepton Mallet. Owen Parfitt, 60, who suffered a stroke and was barely able to move, disappeared while sitting in a chair at the entrance to his sister's house. After him, only the coat remained. The investigation of the incident did not lead to anything, the mystery remained unsolved.

5. Royal Navy diver Lionel "Buster" Crabb disappeared mysteriously in 1956 when he was sent to spy on a Soviet ship. Later, a Russian claimed to have killed Crabbe when he found him installing a magnetic mine on the hull of the ship. Some believe that he was captured and taken to the Soviet Union.

6. One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Great Britain is the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the Scottish island of Flannan in December 1900. Versions of their disappearance ranged from alien abduction to murder. But, most likely, they were simply washed into the sea during a storm.

7. British traveler George Bass became famous for his research in Australia. In February 1803, he went on a trip to Tahiti and the Spanish colonies on the coast of Chile and did not return. Some historians suggest that he may have been involved in the smuggling trade with Chile and killed there. In this photo you can see his image on the postage stamp.

8. On November 8, 1974, the day after his children's nanny was found beaten to death in his ex-wife's house, British Lord Lucan disappeared. Although it has been reported from all over the world, it has never been discovered. In 1999, he was officially declared dead.

9. When Edward IV died unexpectedly in 1483, his brother Richard III succeeded to the throne, declaring Edward's two young sons illegitimate. They were housed in the Tower of London, and soon after they disappeared. Popular legend has it that Richard killed the children, but the mystery persists to this day.

10. In 1948, a British plane with 31 passengers on board disappeared in the area of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. No wreckage or bodies were found during the investigation. The researchers involved in this case admitted that they did not have to solve a more difficult task than this one. A year later, another British plane disappeared in the air somewhere between Bermuda and Jamaica.

11. The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie for 11 days in 1926 is as much a mystery as those printed in her detective novels. The writer, who was eventually discovered at the Harrogate Hotel, never explained why she disappeared. Popular versions are considered to be a nervous breakdown and a desire to embarrass or make her husband worry (who then announced his desire to divorce). Others believe it was just a publicity stunt.

12. Victor Grayson, who became the first socialist elected to the English parliament, mysteriously disappeared one evening in 1920, telling friends that he needed to go to the Queen Hotel in Leicester Square for a while. There were rumors that the deputy had made a lot of enemies in the highest echelons of power. It is assumed that he was killed to stop the investigation that he was conducting in connection with corruption in the government.

13. In 1845, British explorer Sir John Franklin and his team of 128 people disappeared after going in search of the Northwest Passage. It is not known exactly what happened to the crew. Analysis of human remains found on the islands of Beachy and King William in the 1980s suggests that after their ships got stuck in the ice, many of the people died of disease, starvation and lead poisoning. There were also cases of cannibalism.