THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JIMMY HOFFA: 50 YEARS LATER

Former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975, but while he is presumed dead, in the nearly 50 years since his disappearance, no one has successfully found his body. Maybe he was buried in the foundation of Detroit's Renaissance Center. Maybe he wasn't. Still, it's a question that's occupied people's minds for decades — Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried? Later this month, we may find out, because a three-person team of independent investigators claims they now have the answer, WLNS reports.

Investigative reporter Scott Burnstein has been working with Richard Convertino, a retired federal prosecutor and Nove Tocco, a former mobster who later became an informant, and they recently announced an event on July 23 at Macomb Community College, where they plan to reveal what they've found. According to the event's website, tickets are $30 each, and attendees will get an "80-minute multimedia presentation concluding with providing attendees the actual name of the person who killed Jimmy Hoffa." The site also promises "[n]ever-before-seen photos from FBI investigative files, video reels, and news reports from the national-television archives in New York City" and will conclude with a Q&A session.

You'd think any information they uncovered would probably be something you'd want to bring to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not reveal in a presentation at a community college that costs $30 to get into, but when the Detroit News asked Burnstein that exact question, he claimed the FBI "already knows," adding, "They might not come out and say it, but the FBI has come to the same conclusion we have."

If this event were announced by three random people, it would be easy to brush it off as a handful of true crime enthusiasts looking to make a quick buck, but there's actually reason to believe the three guys in question might have actually figured it out. Burnstein is a journalist and organized crime historian, while Convertino has a history of going after the mob and prosecuted at least one case involving Detroit-area mobsters who were accused of being involved in Hoffa's disappearance. Meanwhile, Tocco may be a snitch who allegedly retired from the mob, but it's still reasonable to assume he knows people who know people.

So maybe they really do have it all figured out. That would be pretty neat. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to finally get the answer to a 50-year-old mystery? On the other hand, for decades, people have claimed they know who killed Hoffa and where he was buried, and nothing has come of it. So it's probably best not to get too excited just yet. Instead, let's just wait and see what they have to say later this month.

It's also entirely possible they figured it out, and the truth just isn't that interesting. I mean, would it really be that shocking to learn Hoffa was killed by someone working for the Provenzanos, and they let some hogs get rid of his body for them? Mystery solved, sure, but that isn't nearly as cool as burying the body in the foundation of the Ren Cen. Regardless, we'll all have to wait until July 23 to see what these guys actually have...