The Isdal Woman

A family on a hiking trip in Isdalen, Norway, discovered a woman's corpse early on November 29, 1970. It was surrounded by items that were badly charred, including jewelry, a watch, a shattered umbrella, and bottles. Later, forensic investigators claimed that these had been arranged in a way that suggested "some sort of ceremonial." Authorities were especially perplexed by the erasure of identifying evidence, though.

She had had labels torn off of her clothing and her name scraped off of items, not just at the scene but also in few luggage. These were retrieved from a train station, and the woman's fingerprints were found on them. She had obviously traveled much throughout Europe. She was starting to resemble a spy, in fact. After all, the Cold War was still ongoing. Her travels were also far from random, according to the Norwegian Intelligence Service, as they were dictated by the advancement of Norway's top-secret Penguin missile system.

But in the end, the matter was resolved. Her death was ruled a suicide because there wasn't enough information to solve the mystery. Hope for finding the Isdal Woman has only recently been revived. Her teeth have undergone isotopic analysis, and it appears that she was born in or around 1930 in Germany, not far from the French border. It's a beginning.