Paranormal Mysteries That Continue to Baffle Experts

Can these mysteries ever be solved?

The world of paranormal studies can be a baffling place. The experts who devote their lives to paranormal mysteries spend every day attempting to explain the unexplainable. Over the years, experts have worked to solve mysteries and compile resources, but there are still some mysteries that refuse to be answered. Below, read about five paranormal mysteries that even experts can’t solve.

5. Paranormal Mysteries – Miracle Oil

George Tannous holding a photo of his dead son, Mike, next to the miracle oil weeping from wall. Truly a paranormal mystery

In September of 2006, a family from Sydney, Australia experienced a terrible tragedy when their son, Michael, was killed in a car accident a mere 200 meters from home. While the family dealt with their grief, their home became the site of one of Australia’s most perplexing paranormal mysteries.

Forty days after Michael’s death, his family noticed something odd in his old bedroom: a strange oil appeared to be weeping from the walls. The oil later spread to other rooms in the house. According to the family, on a few occasions, the oil has spelled out messages such as Michael’s name and birthdate. The oil also appears to form religious symbols sometimes.

Michael’s family believes that he was chosen by God to return to heaven to be a messenger between humans and the divine. Ever since the weeping walls became international news, believers have been trekking to the home in hopes that the oil will grant them their own miracles. One woman ventured to the Sydney home hoping to receive help with her struggles to conceive a child. One month after praying in the home, she returned to inform the family that her prayers had been answered.

Skeptics believe that the substance weeping from the walls is anything but miraculous. People from around the world have stated that walls can “weep” from materials under the paint or leaks in the ceiling or pipes.

However, extensive testing by the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese has been unable to locate a plausible source within the structure of the house. Testing of the oil itself has determined that the liquid is made up of water, gold, and a safe level of uranium. Archbishop Paul Saliba believes that the oil weeping from the home’s walls has no earthly explanation; according to him, it is nothing short of miraculous.

4. The Atlas Vampire

A black and white photo of the Atlas Vampire crime scene. One of many paranormal mysteries.

Some paranormal mysteries have been unsolved for decades; in the case of the Atlas vampire, no one has been able to come up with a good answer since the case first came into the public eye over a century ago.

In 1932, a woman named Minnie living in an area of Stockholm known as Atlas realized that she hadn’t seen or heard from her neighbor Lilly Lindström for a few days. Lilly lived alone and worked as a prostitute, so Minnie was understandably concerned about her friend’s safety. She decided to call the police and have them enter Lilly’s room to investigate.

When the police entered the room, they sadly found Lilly’s deceased body lying face-down on the bed. The body was naked, and her clothes were folded neatly on a chair near the bed. When police examined the body, they determined that Lily had been killed by a blunt blow to the head. Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for sex workers to meet a violent end. However, upon further investigation, police quickly determined that Lilly’s case wasn’t an average murder.

One of the things that police often look for when investigating a murder is the pattern of blood in and around the crime scene. However, there wasn’t a speck of blood in Lilly’s room. In fact, medical investigators determined that there wasn’t even any blood in Lilly’s body; someone had drained every last drop from her. They also found saliva on her face and neck, which led many to believe that she had been the victim of a vampire. Skeptics point out that this detail could be explained by Lilly’s line of work, but not all of the clues can be easily explained away. For example, police later found a blood-stained ladle in the apartment that could have been used to drink Lilly’s blood.

Despite heavy news coverage of the “Atlas Vampire” and an extensive investigation, the identity of Lilly’s killer remains a mystery.

3. Paranormal Mysteries – Chir Batti

An artists depiction of 'chir batti', or ghost lights.

Not all paranormal mysteries are frightening. Some mysteries that have been part of local folklore for centuries are more intriguing than terrifying. One example of such a mystery is the Chir Batti.

In the Kutchhi-Sindhi language, Chir Batti means “ghost lights.” The term refers to mysterious lights that have been spotted near the Banni grasslands, the marshy wetlands and adjoining desert near the India-Pakistan border. Residents of the area have been spotting the lights for centuries.

The Chir Batti only appear on very dark nights, usually after 8 pm. When they show up, there can be no mistaking them: locals who have witnessed the lights state that they can be as bright as a mercury lamp. Typically, they are seen between two and ten feet off the ground and appear as a ball of light, although some have reported a more pear-shaped light. The color of the lights can vary, with witnesses reporting lights of blue, red, and yellow. Sometimes, the lights stay still in the air, but can move as fast as an arrow. Numerous people have stated that when they saw the Chir Batti, it almost seemed as if the lights were following them or attempting a playful game of hide and seek.

While the lights are typically harmless, they have led to problems at times. People who are unfamiliar with the lights could mistake them for lights from the road and end up getting lost in the jungle or salt flats.

Modern science seems to have debunked the legends of ghost lights that have been passed down for generations. The typical explanation of the phenomenon states that they are caused by oxidation of phosphine, diphosphine, and methane. These compounds are often released when organic materials begin to decay and can spontaneously ignite when they touch the air. Despite this scientific explanation, many who see the Chir Batti are still awed by its paranormal beauty.

2. Cornelia Zangheri Bandi

Artistic depiction of Coenelia Zangheri burning
Cesena of the past

The case of Cornelia Zangheri Bandi is one of the longest paranormal mysteries to still plague the experts: her bizarre death has gone unsolved since 1731.

Cornelia was an Italian noblewoman born in 1664. During her lifetime, she married and had seven children, two of whom would go on to become important figures in the Catholic Church. However, these children were not the most noteworthy part of her legacy. Instead, Cornelia would be known and remembered for the unusual way in which she died at age 66.

On Cornelia’s last night alive, her dinner companions noted that she seemed unusually lethargic. They didn’t read much into her behavior, assuming that she had consumed too much brandy. Cornelia was known to be a heavy drinker, and often applied brandy mixed with camphor to her body to relieve pain. After dinner, her maid helped her to her room, where the two women spent three hours praying together; this was a normal part of the Countess’s routine, and also raised no red flags. However, Cornelia failed to appear at the usual time the following morning. The maid went into Cornelia’s bedchambers to check on her, where she made a startling discovery.

Nearly every surface of the room was covered in soot. The maid discovered a pile of ash a few feet away from the bed. This heap, along with a few assorted body parts, was all that remained of the Countess.

Many assumed that the Countess had burned to death. The bedsheets suggested that she had risen at some point during the night, and an oil lamp was found in the room. However, further inspection showed that the lamp was empty of oil. In addition, the fabrics and other surfaces in the room were covered in soot, but otherwise undamaged. How could Cornelia have burned to death without singeing the other flammable items in the room?

Many believe that the death of Countess Cornelia Zangheri Bandi is an early example of a phenomenon known as spontaneous human combustion: a peculiar anomaly in which a human body seems to catch fire without any external source of ignition. There have been numerous documented cases over the years, and experts have yet to stumble upon a reasonable explanation for the deaths.

1. Paranormal Mysteries – The Spirit of Katie King

A black and white photo of the spirit of Katie King, one of the world's most famous paranormal mysteries.

Beginning in the 1950s, a spirit known as John King was alleged to appear regularly during seances held by mediums Frank Herne and Charles Williams. In 1870, they took a new medium under their wing: Florence Cook. It’s said that Florence soon began manifesting a different spirit: Katie King, believed to be John King’s daughter.

At the seances run by Florence, believers would gather in a dimly lit room with no one else present in the house. Spiritualists believed that spirits would only appear under these specific conditions, but skeptics asserted that is was just a ruse to hide the fact that seances were a hoax. The medium, in this case Florence, would be secluded in a dark space, usually a large cabinet or bedroom. After a time, the spirit of Katie King would emerge to interact with the believers, even touching their hands. Often, the guests would be shown the covered figure of the medium lying in the cabinet; however, the figure was never uncovered, allowing skeptics to speculate about what was really under the fabric.

At one seance, investigator William Volckman attended on behalf of a rival medium in an effort to discredit Florence. He noted that Katie looked very similar to Florence, and rose from his chair during the seance to grab the spirit by the waist. He accused her of being a fraud. The others in the room wrestled her away and returned her to the cabinet. They later hired another investigator, Sir Willaim Crookes, for support.

During some seances with Crookes, the spirit of Katie King allowed herself to be weighed and measured. The measurements varied, but Katie was always taller than Florence with a different complexion. Some believers insisted that at times, they could see both Katie and Florence together clearly and that it was impossible for Florence to be masquerading as a spirit.

Florence Cook and Katie King caused a great deal of controversy in their time, but the truth about their seances remains a mystery.