Unsolved Hollywood Murders That Are Still Lingering

Hollywood is a region in Los Angeles, but it's also a symbol – the very utterance of the word conjures up images of glamour, fame, and opportunity. Behind all those red carpet appearances is a seedier reality, one that has existed since the silent film era, and certainly does today. It's a reality in which aspiring young actors and actresses are often vulnerable to exploitative, predatory individuals. It's a reality in which lives are used up, and reputations are twisted posthumously in sensational headlines.

The dark side of "the biz" is never more apparent than in Hollywood's famous unsolved murders and deaths. Some of the victims — all women — were murdered; others died without a clear explanation and became legends nonetheless. Each of these unsolved deaths are remarkable for the media flurry they incited, in which far-fetched theories proliferated in news headlines, and personalities were reevaluated posthumously. The women were forever branded by the stories of their tragic, and mysterious, deaths.

Ultimately, one must wonder what would have happened to these women, had the culture of Hollywood been less exploitative; had being a woman been less inherently dangerous. Here are the unsolved deaths that Hollywood and true crime writers can't seem to let go of.