People Magazine Presents 50th Anniversary: The Iconic Cases

Twenty-seven-year-old Laci Peterson is eight months pregnant when she goes missing in December 2002. Her husband, Scott Peterson, becomes the prime suspect in Laci’s murder and is at the centre of one of the most explosive trials in the last 50 years.

When investigators catch Casey Anthony in a lie about the whereabouts of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, they begin to suspect she may have killed her. Then, a bombshell 911 call stirs a media frenzy, and Casey becomes the most hated woman in America.

When 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey turns up murdered in her home, police immediately suspect her parents. When investigators exonerate them, it turns into one of the most infamous unsolved murders not only in America but around the world.

On Thanksgiving weekend, 1981, news of Hollywood star Natalie Wood’s tragic drowning shocks the world. Amid rumours of affairs and a violent argument between her husband, Robert Wagner, and co-star Christopher Walken, her tragic drowning remains unsolved.

Brittany Murphy's sudden death shocks the world, and suspicions swirls around her husband, Simon Monjack. However, as Simon's shady past comes to light, he, too, dies suddenly in a similar fashion. Questions loom over this high-profile celebrity death.