In August 1966, a young boy in Niteroi, Brazil came across the decomposed bodies of two men. Upon examination, police were mystified: both bodies were dressed in formal suits, raincoats, and strangely enough, lead masks of the type used to defend against radiation. Among the men’s belongings were an empty water bottle, two towels, and a notebook with some notes written inside. Translated from Portuguese, the notes read, “16:30 be at agreed place, 18:30 swallow capsules, after effect protect metals wait for mask signal.”
The men were later identified as electricians from a town a few miles away. The bodies appeared to show no signs of trauma and an autopsy could find no cause of death. What killed the men? Why were they wearing the lead masks? What is the meaning behind the note and what led them to their fate on a secluded hilltop in Brazil?
14. The Ukraine Mutant Spider
It was the late 1990s, sometime after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. A man’s body was found slumped against the wall inside an elevator in the Ukraine, a pair of puncture marks on his neck. An autopsy revealed he died of severe blood loss and shock. No blood was found near the body. A month later, a young girl was found dead in the same elevator. Believing a killer was afoot, a police sergeant and a detective begun riding the elevator, looking for anything suspicious. Finally, the elevator stopped in-between floors and the lights went out.
The men began hearing a strange sound from overhead. Turning their flashlights up, they saw something through the open roof panel, a dark shape, easily a foot wide, heading towards them. Stunned, they watched as a huge spider crawled into the elevator and leaped onto the sergeant. The detective shot at the spider, but it was too late, the sergeant was dead. The event was suppressed but a Turkish newspaper broke the story, reporting that flamethrowers had to be used to destroy the spider and its nest at the top of the elevator shaft.
13. The Strange Disappearance of Zebb Quinn
In January 2000, 18-year-old Zebb Quinn had just gotten off work and was with his friend, Robert Owens, when he received a page and had to make a phone call. According to Owens, upon returning from the payphone Quinn appeared “frantic” and left quickly, rear-ending Robert’s car as he sped off. Quinn was never seen again. Two weeks later, Quinn’s car was found near a hospital. Several odd items were found inside the vehicle, including a hotel key, a unknown jacket, several empty liquor bottles, and a live puppy dog. A large pair of lips was also drawn on the back window in pink lipstick.
Police traced the page Quinn received and found it had come from the home of his aunt Ina Ulrich. Ulrich claimed she didn’t make the call and wasn’t home at the time, but did believe that her house had been broken into. No explanation has ever been found for the bizarre events of Quinn’s disappearance.