Reddit is known for a lot of things, but one you might not be aware of is crime solving. We’re not talking silly fictional whodunits either, but actual subreddits that help solve crimes.
From cold cases involving missing persons to murders, Redditors have come together to solve major mysteries from years past. You, too, can join in on the action, or just follow along to see what happens next.
Boost your sleuthing skills by getting into the mind of the criminal and listening to some true crime podcasts.
r/UnresolvedMysteries
As the name implies, r/UnresolvedMysteries is all about solving mysteries. You can choose to filter by a specific flair, such as unresolved crime, unexplained death, unresolved murder, etc. Every post must first outline the mystery and then provide as much research material as possible, such as news reports.
The object is to discuss the mystery to figure out what could have possibly happened. A more recent post at the time of writing was about the death of Linda Muegge, whose death was initially covered up by a house fire. You can also dive into much older cold cases, such as the 1979 murder of Holly Branagan.
It’s a highly active community with 1.5 million members. Feel free to join in on any mystery posted and add your feedback or questions. Everyone has the same goal – solve unresolved mysteries. However, they only accept mysteries older than six months.
r/RedditCrimeCommunity
For more recent crimes, along with older ones too, check out r/RedditCrimeCommunity. It’s also a directory of subreddits that solve crimes, so if you ever want to find more crime-related subreddits, check out their Crime Subreddit Directory.
It’s not nearly as active as UnresolvedMysteries, but most crimes posted do have discussions going over the presented evidence. However, what makes this subreddit different is many of the crimes already have resolutions or at least, suspects. For instance, a case of a recently missing mother is still unresolved, but another about a killer Texas nurse has been resolved. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t dig through the evidence to present your own theories.
r/ColdCases
Often, cold cases get pushed to the side for decades and may never be solved. r/ColdCases helps bring old cases to light. This is a much smaller community, but still one of the best subreddits that solve crimes. You can post about cold cases you’ve read about and want to discuss. Or, dive into discussions about currently posted cold cases.
This is a great subreddit for helping uncover overlooked evidence and facts. You’ll find great details to begin investigating, such as links to CCTV footage on this taxi driver killer cold case. Even better is celebratory posts where cold cases, like this 20-year old cold case that a YouTube vlogger helped solve, are finally solved.
r/TrueCrimeDiscussion
While not just for helping solve crimes, r/TrueCrimeDiscussion lets you discuss all types of true crime stories, new and old. Some cases are already solved, but are up for discussion based on how they were handled, surprise twists in the case, and more. More often than not, people are asking for opinions on how cases were handled or more about the motives, such as with this post about Steven Avery and his confession to police.
If you’re doing any type of research project on true crime, this is the subreddit for you. In fact, many users are seeking help on cases for school, book, or documentary projects, such as this one about child murder cases.
r/GratefulDoe
Unidentified John Does deserve a name, which is what r/GratefulDoe sets out to do. In fact, the subreddit was originally created to solve the mystery of Grateful Doe. Thousands of people came together and eventually, Grateful Doe was identified as Jason Callahan.
However, he is far from the only unidentified missing person. The community is still going strong, helping solve cases. Currently, three cases are listed as solved, with one tentatively solved. All past featured cases are linked to on the subreddit’s sidebar. All posts focus on speculation based around unidentified John and Jane Does, such as this one on a possible victim in the Gary Ridgway case and this other about Robert Hampton.
All leads are welcome, but one rule is very clear and enforced – don’t contact any family related to the crime.
r/RBI
Forget the stodgy old FBI, join the RBI instead! One of the absolute best subreddits that solve crimes is r/RBI, also known as the Reddit Bureau of Investigation. All types of crime are posted here for users to help investigate. For instance, one person is asking for help tracking down a scammer that used a BTC address. Another is asking for assistance identifying a car involved in a hit and run.
You won’t find much to do with major crimes, such as murders or missing persons, with a focus instead on stuff like stalking, hit and run, scams, and hacks. Sometimes, they’re not crimes that police would even get involved in, but they’re still serious issues that people need resolved. The community does recommend contacting police for any serious crimes, though you can still post for further discussion and help.
Every great Internet detective needs to know the ins and out of solving crimes. Make sure you skills are up to par by checking out these great spy movies and crime/thriller movies. Or read up on some seriously disturbing past crimes on these strange Wikipedia pages.
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