Unsolved Mysteries of the World

Historic houses are a common sight in the English county of Dorset. One in particular situated near the picturesque town of Dorchester is among the best preserved medieval houses in all of England, and reportedly the most haunted.

House is a perfect example of an English manor house built in the early Tudor architectural style. Its construction was begun by Sir William Martyn in 1485. Pieces of the original medieval furniture can still be seen in the interior today - Elizabethan carved panels, ornate ceilings, and impressive artwork decorate the rooms, as in Tudor times.

In 1891, Alfred Cart de Lafontaine purchased and restored the manor house. However, he is most remembered for creating the beautiful gardens around the house, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement of the time.

Throughout the years the house has had many hands and in 1957 the manor house was purchased by Robert Victor Cooke and today it is in the ownership of his grandson.

Athelhampton House was said to be haunted as far back as the 1850s and is considered among the most haunted houses in England. People have reported seeing a ghost of a woman nicknamed the Grey Lady, a dark silhouette of what is believed to be the ghost of a monk, and the most famous ghost: a pet ape. There are dozens of reported sightings of each of these ghosts as well as many other strange phenomenon.

One report that stands out at this location is the pair of duelists in the Great Chamber. One day a woman was trying to relax and read a book in the Great Hall when two unknown men burst into the chamber in the middle of a sword fight. The woman continually pulled on the bell rope for the servants but nobody arrived. She turned to her side and carried on reading while the fight continued until one of the men were cut on the arm and left the room.

Later that day the woman reported the incident to the owner and he replied puzzled at the whole thing. He stated, “I can’t understand who the men were you had seen, as all the guests of the hotel were here at tea, so you would have seen them”. Still to this day the two men have never been identified, although the house is believed to have had connections to the Royalists during the Civil War.

The wine cellar adjoins the Great Hall and is said to experience tapping from a ghost known as ‘Cooper’. There is not much known about this particular entity or why Cooper is haunting this particular location.

Various owners, staff and guests of Athelhampton House have all seen what can only be described as a Grey Lady. The current owner of Athelhampton Mr Robert Cooke, has reported seeing her in the early hours passing through the walls in the bedrooms.

A dark apparition that looked like a monk was seen by one of the housemaids in broad daylight. The woman became aware of footsteps behind her in one of the corridors. She quickly turned to see the monk standing outside the bathroom door. It is believed that this person was the Catholic priest to the Martyn family. Other witnesses have seen this monk-like apparition on the property and in the garden.

But the most talked about ghost of this old manor is that of the pet ape that is said to have been entombed, accidentally within the walls of the building. Today, witnesses claim to hear the pet ape scratching and clawing his way to try to escape.

But headlines in the Sunday papers have runaway with the story. One of the Sun's headlines reads: The ghost of a masturbating ape haunts the hallways of a grand country estate in Dorset

The article continues to say The ghost of a randy monkey haunts the halls of a grand English country estate – where romantic spook-hunters flock to tie the knot.

Titillated tourists can often hear the saucy spectre laughing while masturbating in Athelhampton Hall in Dorset, near Dorchester.

One tourist, dad-of-three John Morrison, 41 from Derby, who took his entire family to the estate, spoke excitedly about the spanking spook

He said "We heard that Martyn the monkey who haunts the house loves to scratch his privates while swinging around.

"We didn't see him, which is a shame, because it would have been a real sight.

"Apparently he's not terrifying - quite friendly is what we heard.

According to the local legend, the unconventional Martyn family did have a pet ape which was free to wander the halls.

And when one of the Martyn daughters had an unhappy love affair and decided to kill herself, the compassionate monkey began following her around.

When she climbed a set of hidden stairs to a secret room, the ape trailed behind, and watched as she took her own life with the door bolted.

By the time the family's search of the house and grounds eventually located the room, the ape had starved to death next to her body.

Now its ghost haunts the hall, often scratching at th...

Perhaps the most famous of Canadian Hauntings is that of the ghost bride of the Banff Springs Hotel. But before we reveal her story, let's dive into the history, the lore, and the many hauntings at the resort hotel.

This is Unsolved Mysteries of the World, Season One Episode 21, The Haunted Banff Springs Hotel

Located in the heart of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the world famous Fairmont Banff Springs hotel stands as a landmark in the picturesque alpine town of Banff, Alberta.

Canada's "Castle in the Rockies", has been providing legendary hospitality to guests for more than 125 years including, Prime Ministers, Presidents, actors and actresses such as Marylin Monroe and royalty from around the globe.

The luxurious Banff Springs Hotel is well known as the ultimate stay for the rich and famous.

It's also famous for the countless ghost stories it boasts. A place, many believe is haunted. Guests and employees alike have all kinds of ghost stories to tell.

Over the years, employees and guests have reported strange occurrences from tables moving on their own, to sightings of a bellhop to a bride engulfed in flames.

The site for a resort hotel was envisioned by William Cornelius Van Horne, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1880s. He chose a perfect spot along the bow river, near a massive waterfalls and near thermal hotsprings that was nestled into towering mountains. There was no more beautiful location in all the world, and Van Horne set out to make the most beautiful hotel.

The original hotel was built in 1888 like a Swiss Chalet and had 200 rooms in several wings. It also included, at the time Canada's tallest structure – a viewing tower.

In later years it was partially destroyed by fire, rebuilt and expanded in the Scottish Baronial style. The expansions and wings now make for a large, castle like structure. Originally opening with 200 guest rooms, the hotel now offers 778 guest rooms with a few dozen rooms known for their legends and hauntings.

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The village of Standard, Alberta is home to about 353 residents living a peaceful country lifestyle just 80 km from Alberta's largest city, Calgary. On April 22, 1981, however, big city crime, shocked the tiny village to the core. Standard would never be the same, and Alberta would be on edge.

15 year old Kelly Cook was abducted and later found murdered. Alberta would be on gaurd for years to come as the case bled into the psyche of every parent. To this day, the abduction and murder of Kelly Cook remains unsolved.

Investigators have worked tirelessly on the case for decades and there is a special room dedicated to the files for the Cook homicide which is filled to the roof with boxes and boxes of evidence. More than 2200 possible suspects have been looked at, and police confirm the case is still active.

RCMP believe this was a well planned crime. But let us delve into this further to see if there is another possibility.

Reports indicate that Kelly Cook received a phone call from a man identifying himself as Bill Christensen who asked her to babysit for him that evening. He explained he would pick her up at her residence. Kelly routinely babysat and although she did not recognize the name, the surname was a common one in that area. Crime was virtually none existent and residents would often leave doors unlocked. Kelly's friend Cindy Krabsen, who also babysat regularily, recalls Kelly was uneasy and asked if Cindy knew this Bill Christinsen person, but then Kelly reassured herself because she indicated to Cindy that when she asked if the man knew where she lived, he reassured her by providing the names of her next door neighbors.

At 8:30 PM a car pulled up in front of the Cook house and beeped his horn. The driver did not leave his care and Kelly walked out of her house and climbed into the automobile's front passenger seat and then the care simply drove off. Kelly Cook's younger sister Marnie, aged 12 at the time, watched this unfold from the basement window.

Later that night, concerned that Kelly had not called in to report where she was and that she had not returned home, they called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A quick local search yielded no results and as a result a massive local search was launched, but again yielded no results or even clues.

Police knew they were dealing with a dangerous person and had hopes that Kelly Cook would be found alive and immediately started pressing into the evidence they could gather. They traced the original call from the man identifying himself as Bill Christensen to a local gas station owned by Lee Abbott, which was several miles outside of Standard on Hwy 561 and The Trans Canada Highway. Police learned that Kelly Cook may not have been the intended victim as a witness came forward and identified herself as Kelly's friend. She had received a call from Bill Christensen on April 18th who phoned from The Standard Hotel Bar and who asked to have her babysit, however, she was not feeling well and was busy, so she passed along Kelly Cook's phone number as a back up.

Bar staff identify the man as having a rough attitude. He walked directly up to the bar and almost demands to use the telephone. He makes the call to Kelly's friend, buys a case of beer and gets annoyed about his change and leaves without evening saying thank you. They include a vague description of a tanned, heavy set man.

However, there are reports that a man who entered a local restaurant asking the waitress if she did babysitting and if she could help him out. The waitress gave Kelly Cook's friend's number, and she in turn gave the number of Kelly Cook.

A composite describes of the the man from all witnesses indicated the perpetrator as being about 30-40 years old, 5 10, 160 pounds medium to heavy build with a round face and swarthy complication. His hands and face were weather beaten but with short dark hair and clean shaven. He had a blue windbreaker with a possible logo on it. The car he was driving is reported as being a 1978 full sized Chrysler or GMC, light colour with possible Alberta plates.

If we are to believe these reports, then the perpetrator had not planned on a specific victim. He was most likely fishing for a young girl, any girl. But the question remains, why do this in such a small village where the relative amount of young girls is low and the chance of being identified high?

There are reports that the school at which Kelly Cook was attending received a telephone call just prior to the abduction. In March 1981, a photo ran in a local paper of a girl from a figure skating club. The Principle of the school recalls that a man indicated he saw the girl in the photo and wanted to know more about her. The Principle indicated it was not policy to reveal the girls name, address or phone number. The caller hung up. It seemed as if the perpetrator was looking for a sp...

No one really knew Garnell Moore and no one knows what happened to him.

He was a six year old boy, who never attended school, had no medical or dental history, and had no mother or father. There is only one photo ever taken of him, age four. He was missing for three years before anyone had taken notice. This is the mystery of The Invisible Boy, the disappearance of Garnell Moore.

Garnell was born in Baltimore Maryland on May 18, 1995 to a career criminal mother, who spent most, if not all of her adult life behind bars on drug related offences. His father was a petty criminal who was transient and mostly homeless. Garnell spent the earliest of his years with his paternal relatives on the West side of Baltimore, a very poor, and rough neighbourhood.

Garnell found himself living at his aunt Belinda's rental house at age six. Belinda Cash never legally adopted Garnell or even attempted to make any effort to officially become the caretaker of young Garnell. Belinda never registered Garnell in any schooling and there are no medical or dental records available, suggesting that the young boy lived a life without any benefits of society.

One day, Garnell Moore, age 7, invisible to the world, vanished. And no one took notice. The last confirmed sighting of Garnell is by his great aunt, Trina Morton, who saw him playing outside of Belinda Cash's house in August of 2002. Trina Morton, who was the caretaker of Garnell's siblings, called upon Belinda to have him over for a weekend visit. Belinda said it was not a good time, that she was going into labour, and the visit never happened. Trina called to reschedule the visit, but was again told by Belinda it was not a good time because this following weekend she was moving to a different rental house.

Three years had passed and no one had heard from or seen Garnell Moore, who would have been 10 years old and in grade 5. Belinda Cash's address and phone number she forwarded to family members was fictitious and the family lost contact. Garnell's relatives did not realize he had disappeared until June 2005 when a chance meeting with Belinda occurred and she was questioned about Garnell. Belinda told them that he was away on a school field trip in Virginia.

However, school was not in session in June. Trina Morton, worried about the welfare of Garnell called schools throughout the area to check whether Garnell was enrolled. Employees told them privacy laws prevented the disclosure of any information. Employees at the Juvenile Services Center also said they were at a loss, since Morton had no legal guardianship of Garnell.

Troubled that Garnell was living with foster parents or strangers Trina Morton then called the city Department of Social Services for guidance, but they told her there was nothing they could do since he had not been deemed a child in need of assistance.

Garnell's family, now highly apprehensive and not getting any assistance contacted police. Police did a records check and found out Garnell was never enrolled in school, anywhere. This led them to question Belinda Cash and she admitted that she had no means of taking care of Garnell three years ago and so she left him on the steps of a social services building in the 500 block of north Hilton Street near Edmondson Avenue in West Baltimore.

Police were suspicious of aunt Belinda and asked to search her current residence. Police scoured the house to find no sign of Garnell, and absolutely no sign that he had ever lived there. A background check by police showed that Belinda had minor criminal activity on her police report and no known child abuse charges.

Police tracked down Garnell's father, who had no fixed address, but indicated he thought his son was with Belinda. He told police the last time he saw Garnell was with Belinda at Easter either in 2002 or 2003. His girlfriend at the time confirmed this statement to police, saying, she too, saw Garnell with Belinda during Easter. Both could not accurately say if it was 2002 or 2003.

The neighbourhood of where Belinda lived with Garnell before she had moved was canvassed by police and several witnesses claim to have seen the little boy playing outside on the street and in yards in 2001 with Belinda Cash identifying as the boy's mother.

The Police Department's missing persons unit got heavily involved with the disappearance and believed that no harm had come to Garnell but they felt that something was wrong. Detectives searched the old address on a chance that Garnell was somehow left behind. The abandoned house was in bad shape, with plaster dust leaking from the ceiling and moving boxes stacked up in every room. Police investigated and came up empty. They returned again, this time when the homeowner had finally cleared out the house. They searched every room and brought in Cadaver dogs in the event that something dreadful had happened to young Garnell. The police and the...

This is Unsolved Mysteries of the World, Season One, Episode 14, The Lost Lemon Mine

The legend of the Lost Lemon Mine is one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries of the Canadian Rockies with adventure, murder, madness, ghosts and a curse at the heart of the story.

The tale has many versions but we will stick to the most plausible one that begins in 1870 in Tobacco Plains Montana where a group of prospectors hearing that there could be gold in the rocky mountains of what the British were calling the Northwest Territories and present day province of Alberta in Canada.

Two men from the group, Frank Lemon and his partner, a man known as “Blackjack”in the modern telling of the story, or Dancing Bill in previous accounts, set out on a route of their own to the Highwood Range. As they passed through the valley near The Highwood River they noticed outcroppings of minerals that would indicate that just below them were most likely veins of gold.

Not wanting to share the discovery with the others, the two men made quick work and located a small vein and took samples from the rock. They would need some samples to take back to an assayer to determine the quality and also to convince wealthier individuals to bankroll the mining effort.

Once they had collected a sufficient number of ore samples, the pair set up camp for the night. They planned to begin heading back to Montana early the next morning.

Sometime during the night, Frank Lemon, convinced that Blackjack was going to cut him loose from the claim, took a pick-axe and drove it into Blackjack as he slept killing him in after several violent swings.

But Blackjack remained. Frank Lemon stumbled backwards and stayed close to the fire all night as the vision of Blackjack haunted him. Frank Lemon later stated that glowing eyes watched him from the darkness and the translucent form of Blackjack was haunting him throughout the night and into the next day. Frightened, he set off for Tobacco Plains and confessed his evil deed to a priest.

The Priest indicated that perhaps the only solution to stop the haunting was to give Blackjack a proper burial and a man named John McDougall was sent north to find and bury Blackjack’s corpse.

After following Lemon's directions, he found the corpse and buried him in a shallow grave covered with stones. Upon returning to Tobacco Plains, he learned that the burial did nothing to stop the tormenting of Lemon. The Priest indicated that not only did Jack Lemon appear insane, but he was at times possessed by some sort of evil spirit, perhaps one that previously convinced him to carry out the murder itself.

But insane or not, possessed by evil spirits or not, the lure of gold was too strong and a group of men encouraged Jack Lemon to accompany them back to the area to find the lost gold. At first, Lemon seemed almost normal, but as he drew closer to the area where he murdered Blackjack he started going insane and when he reached the area he was totally uncontrollable. One man subdued Lemon, and rode back to Tobacco Plains with Lemon bound to a horse. Once in Tobacco Plains he seemed less frequently bothered by the spirit of Blackjack and what other evils bothered him. He decided to travel to Texas to live with his brother, but years later, the ghost of Blackjack followed him there and he was forever tormented by the haunting.

The men who were looking for Lemon's lost gold were unsuccessful. Several fell ill, while others gave up early when no sign of gold, or indications at least, that gold may be present were noted. The entire expedition was a bust.

McDougall, the trapper who had buried Blackjack a year previous was hired to lead a party of prospectors back to the site to find the gold. On his way to meet the group he stopped in Fort Kipp, Montana. He would never leave this place; he ended up drinking himself to death taking the location of the mine with him to his grave.

Lafayette French, the one who funded the original expedition went searching on his own for the mine. He searched in vain for close to 30 years with the help of the Blackfoot tribe. On a few of his expeditions, he lost some of his men to unknown sicknesses.

Over the course of many years many prospectors tried to relocate the lost gold but all came up empty handed or ended in disaster – forest fires, death, illness and even another prospector coming down with the same type of possession noted in Lemon.

Upon returning from his last expedition, he wrote a cryptic letter to a friend that stated he had found the location and would explain everything when he had the opportunity. After mailing the letter he made camp in an old log cabin close to the town of High River. Mysteriously that night his cabin was burned to the ground, with French inside. The location of the mine, once again, gone.

Rumours swirled t...