JBR is what brought me to Websleuths (lurking for years before registering)-- the case has been high on my true crime radar since it happened. It's still probably the one to which I've devoted the most time & skull-sweat.
An historic cold-case is my biggest obsession right now, one that I may end up doing as a major research project as an historian: the Great Fires of Rome in 64CE, which just celebrated it's 1,949th anniversary last week. There are a few historians working on this (and by cold, call it near-freezing) but some new leads have cropped up and I am hoping to meet with some archaeologists doing digs in the marshes of Ostia-- debris from the city was dumped there during clean-up from the fires. Maybe some new clue may pop up? Hope so. We know Nero never "fiddled" whilst Rome burnt (he, a self-proclaimed dramatist may have recited a rendition of the Homeric Fall of Troy to entertain whilst surviors milled about), we know he rushed back from his villa in Antium to Rome & opened his private gardens to the survivors, but he also benefitted from the wreckage of almost all of the districts (all but 4 of 14 were damaged or fully destroyed) to build his Domus Aurea. Cui bono? Maybe. Did Nero scapegoat the Christians, or was there an active non-pagan or political sect that may have started the fires on that date (which has some basis in apocalyptic writings & calendrical significance of the era)? Or could it have been another case of just an accidental fire that got out of control-- a very common occurence in the mostly wooden, twisting lanes of Rome at the time, so much so that Augustus had formed a 7,000 (IIRC) strong fire brigade? Talk about red-hot, ice-cold case!
Another case I am deeply concerned with right now is the missing Johnny Lamar Brown. If you folks aren't aware of it, read the threads here on the Websleuths missing forum. Next month will be a year that he's been missing, and I pray daily for resolution in this case-- preferably a happy one. I feel so awful for his family & friends; I think I'd go stark raving mad if I couldn't find one of my siblings. [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184473"]SC SC - Johnny Lamar Brown, 44, Myrtle Beach, 3-Aug-2012 - SPECIAL NEEDS - #2 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame] Let's find Johnny!
The Black Dahlia case has long interested me, morbid as it is, and the Boy in the Box (also yucky). The WM3 interests me for professional reasons, although I don't like to discuss it other than with collegues. Not being coy, it's just that it has some aspects that cause some controversy and I am tired of arguments.
I've stayed out of big things like Caylee Anthony's death & the Jodi Arias trial as they just make me sad & angry. I did follow the entire Zimmerman trial, listening ONLY to the evidence presented at trial-- wanted to see how I'd see it were I a juror. Fascinating.
I have a nodding familiarity with may other cases, and enjoy "true crime" shows & books, but most of the time I look at the forums here-- mainly the missing forums-- and just feel sad & overwhelmed. I honestly am in awe of all the fine LE people & volunteers who see the sheer volume of human doings-- good & bad-- and keep on doing hard work. Talk about heroes!
Oh, one other current "missing" case has me interested as it is local to me, and prayers would be appreciated: the historic American schooner Nina which disappeared with 6 aboard on a trip from NZ to Newcastle, NSW-- my local stomping grounds (roughly). [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213662"]Australia Australia - NZ en route to AU ∙ 6 Americans, 1 Briton, ages 17-73; 04 June 2013 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]
Many of the cases you fine folks have mentioned on this thread are fascinating & new to me; thank you for sharing them. Any & all attention we can give to these people is a blessing.
