Here on the Unidentified Wiki, we value the extensive contributions by our variety of diverse editors. Here, members of the site can nominate a case close to them for "featured" status, which indicates the importance of the article's subject to our website.
See our current list of featured cases here.
For featured case nominations related to missing persons, please see featured case nominations on the International Missing Persons Wiki
Definition of a "Featured Case"
A featured case can have two major reasons for nomination. The first is for its popularity in the media or legacy it left. Its importance to bringing change in the field of science and technology, or perhaps the length of time it may have taken to solve supports the reasons for consideration.
A second factor is the content of the article. A case may not be as well known to the public, yet the quality of writing and the amount of work put into the page is worth recognizing.
Cases with a featured status will have a star symbol next to their name in the infobox portion of their entry.
Guidelines
For those participating in the nomination process or the discussion following, some steps must be taken.
- To nominate a case, add a new section to this page detailing the case title (with a link), giving a short description, and why it was nominated.
- Users are to respond with "support," "neutral," or "oppose" in bold, followed by their reason for such a decision.
- In order to be selected, a case must have at least three "support" votes.
- The votes supporting the nomination must outnumber the opposition votes.
- At least one administrator is required to voice support for a nomination to be selected.
- In order to be selected, a case must have at least three "support" votes.
- All comments must be civil and appropriate. Failure to do so may result in a temporary block.
- Decisions should be made by means other than emotional; as we need to avoid a bias of this type.
- Cases that have issues with formatting, copy and pasting from other sources, or otherwise very short are ineligible for nomination until such concerns are adjusted.
- Please link to your user page (ex: [[User:Example|Example]]) at the end of your comment to identify yourself as the voter.
Nominations
Gloucester County Jane Doe (1990)
Gloucester County Jane Doe (February 1990) was a young woman or teen whose partial skeletal remains were discovered behind a supermarket in Deptford, New Jersey. The cause of JD's death is believed to by ligature strangulation. I have worked a lot on this article, researching extensively on what little info I could find on the case, and even taking my own photograph of the building she was found behind. I think that this relatively unknown case would make for a great featured article. (Nominated by Blackholesun1)
- Oppose: I'm a little hesitant on this one since there isn't a whole lot available on her case history. There also don't seem to be a lot of news articles on her case, and NCMEC removed her from their site (although she's listed on their case map). I'm hoping that implies that they'll eventually add her back, with an updated reconstruction, which would probably bring more attention to her case. - Gourami Watcher
- Neutral - Unfortunately, there just isn't much information out there about her case. If NCMEC add her back with another reconstruction and more updated information, I'm willing to change my vote to Support. - Hoshiiiii
- Neutral- Like the others, I'm a bit hesitant. It's a shame that her case has a lack of information right now, but I'm willing to support whenever NCMEC updates her reconstruction and details. If that happens, that should give some more information and coverage to increase information and eyes on the case. - Baipopaibo
Linda Pagano
Linda Pagano was a teenager who was found murdered in Strongsville, Ohio in 1975 and wasn't identified until 2018. Her identification was made possible through the dedication and hard work of the online community, including Carl Koppelman. Due to the teamwork and dedication that was required for her identification, I believe she would make a great featured case. - (Nominated by Hoshiiiii)
- Support: Well-known and interesting case. I do feel there is room for expansion, but the article should be considered nonetheless. -Gourami Watcher
- Support: A very interesting case, especially in the sense of how much work was put in by the online community to identify her. I believe the dedication displayed in this case and how well-known it is should be considered. It's an example of online sleuthing done respectfully as well. - Baipopaibo
Peter Bergmann
The mystery of Peter Bergmann is reaching it's 11th anniversary this week, and has a lot of information that makes no sense at all. On June 12, 2009, a man traveled from Londonderry to Sligo in Ireland by bus. Following his arrival, he checked into a hotel under the name Peter Bergmann and listed an address of Ainstettersn 15, 4472, Vienna, Austria. During his stay, he left the hotel 15 times carrying a purple plastic bag which had something inside it, but when he returned to the hotel, he wasn't carrying any bag. He is also believed to have sent letters out of Ireland on June 13th, that may have been able to solve this case. On June 15th, he took a bus to Rosses Point Beach, which he had visited the previous day. Between 3:00 PM and 11:50 PM, he would be seen acting very bizarrely on the beach. At 6:45 AM on June 16th, his body washed up on Rosses Point. An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was a heart attack and not drowning, and that the man was in very poor health. He had terminal prostate cancer, numerous bone tumours, and had suffered previous heart attacks. Investigators believe that this was a suicide, and that the man had disposed of his belongings via the purple bag. The real question investigators have never been able to answer is the exact identity of this man, as the name and address he gave didn't exist.
I think this case deserves to be featured, as not only does it have a Wikipedia page, but it has received a good amount of coverage in Ireland. There's Ciaran Cassidy's The Last Days Of Peter Bergmann, Irish Times coverage, including the podcast Atlantic. I do hope that this man receives his identity back, or at least his family is let known that he is deceased. - (Nominated by Grungster)
- Support - A well known UID case with interesting theories and a lot of press coverage. - Hoshiiiii
- Support: This case is quite well-known and a captivating one at that. The meticulous nature of Mr. Bergmann and the sightings of him writing letters (potentially to family) makes one wonder many things about factors like if he wanted to remain anonymous with only his family knowing of his death, or if the letters were to someone else. With how popular cases like the Isdal Woman and Jennifer Fergate are online, I think Mr. Bergmann deserves more spotlight for sure. - Baipopaibo
Anita Piteau
Anita Piteau was a young woman who was murdered in 1968, and would not be identified until 2020. I feel like her case is significant because it is a well known one in the community. (Nominated by EnterTheLizard)
- Support Considering she was a fairly well-known case with a lot of intrigue and interest prior to her identification, I believe she should be nominated. - Hoshiiiii
- Support: I'm in agreement with a nomination due to how well-known her case is, especially now that it is considered solved despite the less-than-ideal conclusion that her killer had died years ago before he could be prosecuted. I recall how much interest was in her case prior to her identification as well, and think this is a great suggestion. - Baipopaibo
Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson was a woman who committed suicide in a hotel room in Seattle, Washington in 1996. Her case is well-known in online circles due to the nature of her death and the lengths she went to to hide her identity. Due to the mysterious nature of her identity and the circumstances around her death, I believe she should be featured. - (Nominated by Hoshiiiii)
- Support: Her case is quite captivating and well-known at that. With the development in May 2021 that her case is currently in identification work, I think it's worthwhile to feature her case. - Baipopaibo
Tempe Girl
Tempe Girl was a teenager who died from a cocaine overdose in Tempe, Arizona in 2002. Her case is well-known in the UID community and she even has her own Wikipedia page. There is a lot of intrigue and mystery surrounding her case, especially the circumstances leading up to her death as she was seen alive and had been a hitchhiker. I believe she should be featured due to the circumstances of her case, in addition to the popularity of it. - (Nominated by Hoshiiiii)
- Support: With the 20th anniversary of her case happening next year alongside her popularity, I believe it would be a good idea to feature her case. The circumstances leading up to her discovery certainly are mysterious, as well as the note by the girl herself that her family had disowned her for her drug use. It brings a lot of questions about her case to mind, and certainly deserves the nomination. - Baipopaibo
Smurfette
Smurfette was a young girl whose decomposed remains were found near a private driveway to an oil field in Houston, Texas, in 2012. Her case is quite well-known in the UID community alongside her recognizable Smurfette shirt that gave her such a namesake. Her case is mysterious, with investigators even considering theories of human trafficking or family in Mexico. With the 10th anniversary of her case happening next year and Identifinders working on it as well, I believe she should be featured. - (Nominated by Baipopaibo)
- Support: A well-known case in the UID community with many interesting theories. I feel like she's one of the better known UID cases that isn't featured. She also has an article of clothing (her Smurf shirt) that instantly reminds people of her case. Her article on our Wiki is also fairly extensive and detailed. I think she fits both of the criteria and therefore should be nominated - Hoshiiiii
Philadelphia Jane Doe (1972)
Philadelphia Jane Doe (1972) was a woman who was found murdered in an abandoned address in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This case is still relatively unknown; I only found out about it while browsing updated cases on NamUs to update/add to the wiki. However, the possible institutionalization history and possible lobotomy really stood out to me. By 1972, lobotomies were largely abandoned, but it's very possible she had been lobotomized during the 1950's or 1960's if this detail was accurate. This case is quite sad and I could see it starting to pick-up in attention in the coming years, her being a featured case I feel could kickstart that. - (Nominated by SergeIvanov13)
- Oppose: There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there about this case and her article isn't very detailed. I would be willing to change my vote at a later date if more information came out and her article was expanded upon. But as it stands currently, this article doesn't meet any of the criteria for a featured case, which is: popualarity or legacy, or the content of the article. I don't think a case being objectively interesting is a reason for it to be featured, otherwise most cases documented here would be elible for nomination at some stage. Have a look at the page for Daviess County John Doe (1990), whose case was featured based on the content of the article. It might give you some ideas for how to expand the article and get it nominated based on the second critera - Hoshiiiii