New Unsolved Mysteries Series Episode 1 “Mystery on the Rooftop” Chat
Unsolved Mysteries is back with new episodes on Netflix.
Have you seen the new Unsolved Mysteries? Were you a fan of the original series? Let’s chat about Unsolved Mysteries.
Let’s talk about the new Netflix Unsolved Mysteries. When I was younger, I was a HUGE fan of the original show with the spooky music and the even spookier host. God, the nightmares I had because of that show.
But as an adult now, this show is still spooky AF.
I binge watched the new series in its entirety in one day. What? It was really good! Do I have to remind you that this blog, my podcast and all my social media accounts are a judgement free zone? Because it is a judgement free zone.
The episodes were captivating, I wanted to know more. I want more episodes dang it!
Note for Netflix: You could have redone the spooky music in the beginning of each episode, they scare the living crap out of me and I’d like a less scary tone please. We all know what we are getting into when watching these episodes. We are mentally prepared for a good mystery. The music was unnecessary in the beginning of the original series and it most definitely unnecessary today. Thank you. On the second hand, if Netflix, you INSIST on keeping the intro music PLEASE for the love of all that is HOLY please place a “Skip Intro” button for every episode so I can skip it and skip it in its entirety. Again, thank you.
Disclaimer: This blogpost and podcast contain spoilers of the episodes. If you haven’t watched the new series please do so and then come back so we can chat about the new series. You have been warned. Spoilers are ahead.
Unsolved Mysteries Episode One “Mystery on the Rooftop”
The beginning of this episode we are introduced to newly weds Alison and Rey. We see their beautiful Puerto Rican wedding by the water. The family is laughing and enjoying the ceremony. The couple is smiling. A good time is had by all it seems.
That’s when you realize, uh oh, this isn’t Happy Wedding Destinations, this is Unsolved Mysteries.
Something went wrong. Something went very very wrong.
This mystery is the disappearance and death of Rey Rivera.
On May 16, 2006, Rey is home with Claudia, their house guest, when Rey receives a call. Claudia recalls, Rey answering the phone, then he hangs up and rushes out the door.
That was the last time someone knew his whereabouts.
Where’d he go? Who was on the phone? Why did he leave in such a rush?
His wife, Alison is away on a business trip. She only has her roommate who recalls hearing the phone ring around 6:30 pm and Rey rushing out of the house.
His wife and their family went out looking for any signs of him.
Alison’s parents found his car on the roof of a parking lot. And that’s when this missing persons case becomes even more curious.
They found his car but where was Rey?
The parking attendant of the parking garage where they found the car mentioned the car must have been parked there the evening Rey went missing because it had parking tickets on them.
The car had been parked there 6 days. Rey had been missing for 6 days.
Where the heck was Rey?
The parking garage where the car was found was near Rey’s work. So it could have been a regular parking garage Rey used. The parking garage was also close to a hotel called the Belvedere Hotel.
People began searches around the area where Rey’s car was found.
Soon after the searches began, someone found a hole on the roof of the Belvedere Hotel. Any building that was higher than the hotel could see a rooftop on the Belvedere with a hole. From any height or angle the hole looked like a large black spot which could have looked like rain could have caused a leek or tar or paint. It could have been anything.
As the hole was investigated, there were flip flops found near the hole on the roof.
The police with the hotel staff located where the hole was located in the hotel. It turns out this part of the hotel was closed off, wasn’t in use at the time. They opened the door and bombarded with a horrible odor.
They found Rey, dead.
The police told Alison and his family they found Rey.
May God bless Rey, his soul and his family.
GRAPHIC WARNING:
What I’m about to explain is Rey’s injuries.
If you are sensitive to this information please skip ahead.
I’ll mark when it is safe to read.
An autopsy is performed which found Rey to have multiple fractured ribs, punctured lungs, contusions of the chest, abrasions of the torso, lacerations, damage to his skull and his right leg had two different breaks which protruded through the flesh.
During the episode, it is stated that the extent of his injuries would imply that Rey fell from great heights when he went through the roof.
SAFE TO READ NOW.
The investigators now have to figure out where did Rey come from when he went through the room?
There were many theories. One of the theories was that Rey could have jumped or was thrown from the top of the room which would have made this an 11 story fall. This theory was unlikely as the hole was about 45 feet distant from the edge of the top roof top. That was far jump for a man in flip flops.
Another theory was Rey either jumped from the top of the garage where he parked his car. This was a 20 foot leap from the floor of the hole both in stories and from the ledge of the garage. Please note the garage was several stories higher than the hole in the same building. According to investigators, a person could have survived this fall.
Rey had extensive injuries to his body. More injuries than this fall would have given him according to investigators. This theory was no longer an option.
A third theory was Rey fell from the 11th floor which has a ledge that wraps around the building. If Rey did do this, he would have had to have entered private property either via someone’s office or condo.
They still don’t know how Rey landed where he landed and from where.
One of the parts of the investigation that sticks to me was around the hole that Rey fell through, his cell phone and glasses were found. The cell phone was in working order without any damage and his glasses were found without a scratch on them. Now, this is me speculating, if the glasses and cell phone fell with Rey, wouldn’t they be banged up, scratched, cracked screen or cracked lenses? I would think they wouldn’t be in perfect working order.
His flip flops were also found near the scene of the crime. The flip flops looked a little more damaged. One flip flop was broken and the other was found with scratch marks.
Alison had given Rey a money clip which was missing on Rey and wasn’t in Rey’s car.
Later on, people in the building were asked if they had seen anything. No one came forward.
Police checked the Belvedere Hotel camera footage which came back that Rey hadn’t been in the hotel at all. Plus the camera on the rooftop was disconnected.
Rey didn’t appear on camera that night and no one saw anything or at least that’s what they were saying.
The news ran the story of a man falling through the roof at the Belvedere for several days. When it was determined Rey’s death was a suicide that news stopped running the story. The interest in Rey’s death was no longer interesting to the news or the public.
The lack of evidence in the case was difficult to pursue. The police early in the investigation leaned towards a suicide.
My opinion is Rey didn’t kill himself. Rey left his invisalign braces on his kitchen counter. A human being who was planning on killing himself won’t think of braces or fixing his teeth for a more beautiful smile in the future because he’ll know he won’t have a future because he’s planning on killing himself. This was not an action of a suicidal person. I don’t believe Rey was suicidal.
Also, Rey and Alison had just gotten married. Yes, married people do commit suicide. It does happen. But they were newlyweds. They seemed so happy in there pictures and their wedding videos.
His family and his wife didn’t see any suicidal warning signs before hand. Usually in cases like these there might be suicidal warning signs. His family said there weren’t any.
Rey’s wife, Alison, spoke to the medical examiner who basically said the fall was inconsistent to his injuries (GRAPHIC WARNING) specifically the way his shines were broken (GRAPHIC PORTION OVER).
The Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was undetermined. This means the Medical Examiner didn’t find enough evidence to determine a cause of death.
While Rey was still missing, Alison searched the house for clues. During a search, she found a note, taped behind a computer tire.
It was a very strange note.
There were a list of names of people he knew but with missing key people in his life. There were a list of movies.
So Alison took the first line of the note and googled it. The first hit of the search was “Free Masons”. I don’t know about “FreeMasons”. I never learned in school to retain the information, I just learned to pass the tests. I know they were a part of history, and that’s about it. SO I’m not informed about this group of people to discuss but it felt eerie.
Alison says Rey was into secret societies and he was a writer. Maybe he was researching for a screenplay?
The FBI received Rey’s note. They determined the note was not a suicide note.
Alison doesn’t understand the note. She feels it wasn’t a suicide note either.
Let’s get a little more creepy.
The call Rey got just before he rushed out the house, it came from the switch board from his office. There was no way to find where in the office the call came from, you just know it came from his office. As soon as Rey was found, the company where he worked ordered a gag order which ordered all company employees not to say anything.
Rey’s friend, Porter, who worked for the same company, also couldn’t talk. Alison and Rey moved out to Baltimore from California to be with Porter and work with Porter. And all of a sudden Porter wanted nothing to do with Rey and had nothing to say.
Rey went to work for Porter’s company to write a newsletter about the stock market and stock trading. It’s said during the episode the newsletter was to make Porter look better in the eyes of his investors.
Eerily, days before Rey’s disappearance, while Alison and Rey were home and sleeping, the house alarm went off several nights around the same time. It seemed as if someone attempted to break into their home through a particular window. Rey was scared.
Once again, a few days after the first break in attempt again the home alarm went off in the middle of the night as Alison and Rey were asleep.
Alison seems to think Rey was murdered. She thinks Rey had stumbled upon some information he shouldn’t have.
After a while, Alison would call the police station often asking for updates on his Rey’s case. She was told that she needed to get it through her mind that he killed himself. Which is an awful response to a grieving newlywed widow.
This is still an unsolved mystery, with so many theories.
As for me, I don’t think he killed himself based on the evidence that the show mentioned.
It’s difficult to believe this man with so much to live for killed himself. The way he died still had so much mystery around it.
This is still an open case.
If you have any information please contact unsolved.com to submit tips.
Now I ask you…
What’d you think of this episode? What do you think REALLY happened?
Let me know in the comments below. Let’s chat about it.
I for one, became hooked on this new unsolved mysteries series that has hit Netflix. Sadly, only 6 episodes have been uploaded to date. I have however, been binge watching the original series on Amazon Prime. The intro music is creepy.
Thanks for your comment, Anythony! I had NO idea the original series was on Amazon Prime. That’s awesome. Thanks for the info. Have a lovely day!
You too Mel, they have several series I think. Enjoy the rest of your week!