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In an Australian outback campground in August 1980, a desperate Australian mother wailed, A dingos got my baby! Her cry, misheard as a dingo ate my baby, became an inexplicable punchline and pop culture fixation in the years that followed the disappearance of 9-week-old Azaria Chamberlain .

The babys body was never found, and her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was adamant that shed seen the wolf-like carnivore leave the familys tent. Though Chamberlain had the support of fellow campers and rangers, authorities charged her with murder in 1982, and she was sentenced to life in prison. After Azarias jacket was found near a dingo lair in 1986, Chamberlain was released, new investigations knocked down key evidence, and she was ultimately exonerated though it wasnt until 2012 that a coroner officially ruled the babys death the result of a dingo attack.

The twists and turns of Chamberlains ordeal have been adapted for movies, TV and even an opera. But its not the only true crime case where a wild animal has been implicated. In some, a suspect used a story of an animal attack to conceal their crimes. In others, evidence that could be claw or teeth marks continues to be the subject of fierce debate.