This Is The Number One Unsolved Mystery In Michigan And It Will Leave You Baffled
By Serena Maria Daniels|Published February 13, 2016
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Serena Maria Daniels
Author
Serena Maria Daniels is an award-winning freelance journalist in Detroit, by way of Chicago, by way of the West Coast. She writes about Michigan for OIYS. Serena enjoys learning about language and culture and taking road trips with her beagle Ralph.
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of union boss and organized criminal Jimmy Hoffa has been the subject of speculation for the past 40 years. We think that has a lot to do with the fascinating and at times notorious life he led: from his role as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the 1950s-70s, his alleged ties with the mob, and his stint in prison for jury tampering. He was imprisoned from 1967 until 1971, when President Richard Nixon pardoned him with the understanding that Hoffa would resign from his Teamster presidency.
Hoffa vanished in 1975, last seen outside of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in suburban Detroit. It took seven years for him to be legally declared dead. Over the years, hundreds upon hundreds of theories have cropped up across the country, with hope to glean clues on what happened to this infamous character in American history. Michigan in particular was the subject of countless investigations. Here are just a few theories as to where “they” could have buried the body.
One of the earlier theories considered as to Hoffa's wherabouts was the southern California city of Gardena. The California rumors surfaced over word that Hoffa had been involved in shady business dealings, resulting in his burial in the foundation of a poker hall.
Mobster hit man Charles Allen testified in 1982 before a U.S. Senate committee hearing that he knew what happened to Hoffa. According to his account Hoffa had been shot and killed and his body dumped inside a steel drum and ditched in a Florida swamp. The trouble with his story was Allen was in the witness protection program, but still shared his outlandish story with a number of news reporters. This caused authorities to suspect he was more out for fame than finding Hoffa.
This is one of the most enduring rumors associated with Hoffa's disappearance - that he was buried beneath Giants Stadium in East Rutherfod, NJ. This theory came about in 1989, started by another mob hit man, Donald "Tony the Greek" Frankos (also a state witness). The story was that Jersey gangsters killed him, dismembered his body, and buried it under the stadium's end zones.
By 2003, Hoffa hadn't been seen in decades. That didn't stop the rumors from continuing to fly - particularly in Michigan. One of many Mitten State theories was that his body was buried underneath a backyard swimming pool in Hampton.
Then again, acting on a tip, the FBI visited the metro Detroit home of one of Hoffa's friends, Frank Sheeran, who claimed he was indeed responsible for Hoffa's disappearance.
Another suburban Detroit tip led the feds to dig in Milford. In fact, the 2006 search had FBI agents digging for two weeks.
7. Roseville, MI
In 2012, FBI agents returned to the metro Detroit suburbs - this time to Roseville. They were responding to a tip that Hoffa had been buried beneath a shed.
And of course, aside from the many Michigan cities that federal agents searched, Jersey City is home to many Hoffa conspiracy theories. More than 200 agents have investigated tips in the Garden State.
We know these are but a few of the rumors about Hoffa. We would love to hear your memories about this mysterious figure. Tell us all about it.
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