ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD

On This Day in Weird, August 2...

2002: "Persons unknown" murder zoologist Jordi Federico Magraner at his home in the Bumboret Valley of Kalash, northern Pakistan, by slashing his throat. A 12-year-old houseboy dies in the same attack. Magraner, who spent 12 years seeking the barmanu, Pakistan's "hairy wild man," is an enigmatic figure in himself, said to be of Spanish origin but French citizenship. Police name a local guide as their prime suspect but, at last report, have failed to arrest him. Suggested motives for the double murder—none confirmed to date—include suspicion of Magraner's involvement with various intelligence agencies or jihadist groups on one hand, and alleged Muslim outrage over his "illicit" relationships with young boys on another. Dead at age 35, Magraner believed the barnamu might be surviving Neandertals, a claim he pursued with French colleagues Yannik and Erik L'Homme on behalf of Association Trogloydes.

Jordi Magraner (left) with Pakistani hunters