The phrase describes online discussions, primarily within the Reddit platform, concerning cases involving unidentified human heads discovered under suspicious or criminal circumstances, often with the original investigations remaining unresolved. These discussions frequently center around amateur sleuthing, sharing of information related to the case, and theorizing about potential identities of the victim and circumstances surrounding the crime. Example: A user might post a link to a news article about an unidentified head and ask for help identifying potential missing persons that match the victim’s description.
The importance of online communities in cases of unidentified remains stems from their capacity to disseminate information widely and potentially connect disparate pieces of evidence. The benefit of such forums is the potential for crowd-sourced investigation; a large number of individuals contributing ideas and information can sometimes lead to breakthroughs not achieved by official investigations alone. Historically, such online efforts have occasionally resulted in new leads or the identification of previously unknown victims.