Richard James Edwards (better know as Richey Edwards or Richey James) was a Welsh musician who was the rhythm guitarist and lyricist of the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. On February 1st, 1995 Richey and fellow bandmate James Dean Bradfield were due to fly to the US on a promotional tour, but he vanished and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. On February 14th, 1995, Richey’s Vauxhall Cavalier received a parking ticket at the Severn View service station and on February 17th, the vehicle was reported as abandoned. The police then investigated the abandoned car report and searched the car. They found that the battery was dead and that the car had been lived in, but there was no sign of Richey anywhere. Due to the car’s proximity to the Severn Bridge (a renowned suicide location), it has been believed that he took his own life by jumping from the bridge. Close friends and relatives say that he was not the type to contemplate suicide, so it seems that theory is flawed. He was even quote in 1994 as saying, “In terms of the ‘S’ word, that does not enter my mind. And it never has done, in terms of an attempt. Because I am stronger than that. I might be a weak person, but I can take pain.” However, it is known that he did suffer from Bipolar disorder so it is possible that he might have decided to end his own life, but given his background and stance on suicide, it is not likely. Since his disappearance in 1995, there have been reported sighting of Richey in locations ranging from India to the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. None of these sightings have proven conclusive though. On November 23, 2008, Richey was legally declared dead and investigations into his death have reached a standstill. There is no evidence to indicate foul play or suicide, so his disappearance remains a mystery to this day and probably will for a long time.
This gentleman right here is none other than Ed Leedskalnin: the creator and architect of the infamous Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida. He was born on August 10th, 1887 in Riga, Latvia, but not much is known about his childhood. At the age of 26 he was engaged to marry a 16 year old named Agnes Scuffs but she broke off the engagement the night before their wedding. Several years later Ed emigrated to North America where he found work in lumber camps in Canada, California, and Texas. In 1919 Ed contracted a case of tuberculosis and moved to Florida for the warmer climate. Leedskalnin purchased a small piece of land in Florida City and over the next 20 years constructed and lived within a massive coral monument that he called “Rock Gate Park”. The castle was dedicated to his lover that spurned him on the day before their wedding. Working alone late at night, Leedskalnin quarried and sculpted over 1,100 short tonnes (997903 kg) of coral into what is now known as the Coral Castle. Visitors were welcome to visit the castle and Leedskalnin was always apt to answer their questions, albeit in cryptic riddles. In the mid 1930’s Leedskalnin moved it single-handedly to its present location on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site near Homestead, Florida. Sometime in December 1951 he left a note on his front gate which read “Going to the Hospital”. He then rode a bus to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where he died three days later of malnutrition due to stomach cancer. The construction methods regarding his castle are still unknown today, although there are loads of postulates on how he managed to quarry, sculpt, and construct the castle by himself, ranging from magnetism to intelligent life forms from other planets. Ed Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle remain among the unsolved mysteries of the world.