40 years later, one of the Unsolved Mysteries cold cases has just been solved

40 years on, one of the cold cases featured in TV show Unsolved Mysteries has finally been resolved. The case, know as that of the Unknown Wanderer, is now solved. 

Last week, it was reported locally that Ada County Sheriff’s Office had solved one of the longest-standing cold cases in Idaho history. In a news conference today (Wednesday 23rd September), the identity of the Unknown Wanderer was revealed. 

“Today we can finally tell you who he was, and where that answer lead us,” the Sheriff’s Office said in the conference. They said the case had been reopened in 2019, and everything had been done to identify the man. 

The Unknown Wanderer was found to have died by suicide in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Boise. The man, discovered beneath a pew, was found to have ingested cyanide. A note and $1,900 were found with the body. The note said the money was to cover his funeral, and was signed with the name Wm. L. Toomey. Investigators later determined that it was an alias. 

It read: “In the event of my death, the enclosed currency should give more than adequate compensation for my funeral or disposal (preferred to be cremated) expenditures. What is leftover, please take this as a contribution to this church. God will see to your honesty in this.”

Now, police have said a key that was found on the body ended up being vital. An etching on it lead police to an address, and every person on past deeds for the property were hunted down. One of these people had been listed as dead, and police reached out to his brother. The brother confirmed the man had gone missing in 1982, was never found, and later declared dead.

The DNA from the brother was tested against that of the Unknown Wanderer, and it was match. The Unknown Wanderer was then identified as Dr Mathew Francis Betkouski. 

A sketch of the Unknown Wanderer, previously known as William L Toomey

Police found Dr Betkouski was a PhD holder and a chemist, who struggled to connect with people, and struggled with mental health issues. Later in life, he sustained a brain injury, which made mental health issues even worse. He was overheard discussing “the perfect crime” with work colleagues, and the use of cyanide. He is reported to have been overheard talking to himself, and he believed he was being tracked, and doctors had placed a tracking device in his brain when he had surgery previously.  

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He had tried to obtain pills from pharmacies for “experiments” and home, and had also been taking home unauthorised items from the lab at which he worked. Police said he had an “interest” in cyanide and explosives, and they found cyanide in his home.

Police confirmed the death of Dr Betkouski has not been linked with the Chicago Tylenol Murders, and he is not a suspect either. 

Dr Betkouski was described as being well off at his time of death, and having made an effort to conceal his identity, and the reason behind his death. He had recently changed his hair colour, and other aspects of his appearance. 

The story featured on the original series of Unsolved Mysteries, which Netflix has since rebooted. The episode surrounding the Unknown Wanderer case was first aired in 1990. Police had since been working with creators of Unsolved Mysteries, including co-creator and executive producer Terry Dunn Meurer, who remained an executive producer for the Netflix show. 

This isn’t the first time Unsolved Mysteries has helped one of the cold cases get solved. In 2025, it was reported that with help from the show, missing child Aziz Khan had been found safe and well. 

UPDATE: Aziz Khan, who was profiled in the episode ‘Abducted by a Parent’ on @netflix, has been found near Denver, Colorado. His father Abdul has met with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and more information can be found on their website. https://t.co/eFIGfA75XL

Aziz was… pic.twitter.com/9CEejaa4j6

— Unsolved Mysteries (@Unsolved) March 5, 2025

Aziz first went missing from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 27th 2017. It was believed his mother, Rabia Khalid, was the one who kidnapped him, taking him as she fled the state with her husband, Elliot Blake Bourgeois.

Aziz Khan was profiled in the episode titled Abducted by a Parent in the Netflix revamp of Unsolved Mysteries. A statement confirmed Aziz had been found more than seven years later, aged 14, and was back with his father. 

Unsolved Mysteries is available on Netflix. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.