Search Captions & Ask AI

Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode

March 16, 2022 / 47:47

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers miraculous healings attributed to Padre Pio, a mysterious murder case in the Angeles National Forest, and the unresolved fate of airman Sylvan Lazarus during World War II.

Two individuals, Paul Walsh and Vera Marie Calandra, share their personal stories of miraculous recoveries they attribute to Padre Pio's intercession. Paul survived a severe car accident in 1983, while Vera Marie, born with severe congenital defects, experienced a miraculous healing after meeting Padre Pio in Italy.

The episode also recounts a chilling encounter experienced by off-road enthusiast Jeff in the Angeles National Forest, where he saw a young woman, Kimberly Pandelius, shortly before her remains were discovered. This case raises questions about her disappearance and the three men seen with her.

Lastly, the episode discusses the ongoing mystery surrounding Sylvan Lazarus, whose family believes he may have survived a plane crash during World War II and was captured by the Nazis. Despite receiving a photograph of him as a POW, the family is left without definitive answers about his fate.

Through these stories, the episode highlights themes of faith, mystery, and the quest for truth.

TL;DR

Miraculous healings by Padre Pio, a murder mystery, and the fate of airman Sylvan Lazarus during WWII are explored in this episode.

Episode

47:47
00:00:04
this program is about unsolved mysteries
00:00:07
whenever possible the actual family
00:00:09
members and police officials have
00:00:10
participated in recreating the events
00:00:12
what you're about to see is not a news
00:00:14
broadcast
00:00:20
to millions of devout catholics he was
00:00:22
known as padre pio
00:00:24
when he was 31 this humble priest was
00:00:26
said to have had an extraordinary vision
00:00:28
of jesus christ which many believe left
00:00:30
him blessed with the power to heal the
00:00:32
sick
00:00:33
tonight you will meet two people who are
00:00:35
convinced that they were cured by
00:00:36
miracles
00:00:38
miracles they attribute to god through
00:00:40
the intercession of padre
00:00:42
pio in a remote campground area an
00:00:45
off-road enthusiast had a surreal
00:00:47
encounter with a beautiful blonde woman
00:00:49
and three angry strangers
00:00:51
little did he know that this curious
00:00:53
episode would later make him a key
00:00:55
witness in a murder mystery
00:00:59
during world war ii the lazarus family
00:01:01
of baltimore maryland was told that
00:01:03
their eldest son sylvan had died in a
00:01:05
plane crash in north africa
00:01:07
however three months later they
00:01:09
identified him in this photograph of
00:01:11
captured american airman
00:01:13
today his relatives are still determined
00:01:15
to find out what happened to sylvan
00:01:17
lazarus
00:01:19
join me for these intriguing and
00:01:21
fascinating cases of tonight's edition
00:01:24
of unsaw mysteries
00:01:26
[Music]
00:02:07
[Music]
00:02:17
in 1987 pope john paul ii traveled to
00:02:21
the italian city of san giovanni rotondo
00:02:24
to pay homage at the tomb of one of the
00:02:26
most renowned and controversial figures
00:02:28
in the history of the catholic church
00:02:30
[Music]
00:02:33
to millions of devout followers around
00:02:35
the world he was known as padre pio
00:02:38
he had been born francesco forgione in
00:02:40
1887 the son of farmers
00:02:43
you're about to hear the uplifting
00:02:44
stories of two people who believe their
00:02:47
lives were saved by the miraculous
00:02:49
powers of padre pio
00:02:50
[Music]
00:02:54
this is paul walsh of ridley park
00:02:56
pennsylvania
00:02:57
in 1983 during his senior year in high
00:03:00
school paul was so badly injured in an
00:03:02
automobile accident the doctors gave him
00:03:04
almost no hope of survival
00:03:06
today paul attends college and is
00:03:08
recovered completely
00:03:13
when vera marie calandra was two years
00:03:15
old her parents were told she only had a
00:03:17
few weeks to live
00:03:19
26 years later vera marie is perfectly
00:03:22
healthy and has no traces of the illness
00:03:24
that almost killed her
00:03:28
vera marie calandra and paul walsh
00:03:30
believe they are alive today because
00:03:31
they reach blessed by a miracle
00:03:34
miracles they attribute to god through
00:03:36
the intercession of padre pio
00:03:39
how did this unassuming priest become
00:03:40
known worldwide as a great healer
00:03:43
the remarkable saga padre pio begins in
00:03:46
1903 when he decided to enter the
00:03:48
priesthood and dedicate his life to god
00:03:53
seven years later in 1910 padre pio was
00:03:56
ordained at the age of 23
00:03:59
even then his extraordinary
00:04:01
righteousness and piety distinguished
00:04:03
him from the other priests in the friary
00:04:05
but no one anticipated the remarkable
00:04:08
events that took place on september 20th
00:04:10
1918.
00:04:12
[Music]
00:04:15
that morning padre pio is deep in prayer
00:04:18
when he experienced what is known in the
00:04:19
faith as an ecstasy
00:04:21
a profound vision that many believe left
00:04:23
tangible evidence that padre pio had
00:04:26
been touched by the hand of god
00:04:28
[Music]
00:04:44
me
00:04:50
[Music]
00:05:00
when the ecstasy was ended he noticed
00:05:02
that his hands and feet and side were
00:05:04
bleeding
00:05:05
[Music]
00:05:14
and he had to drag himself to his cell
00:05:18
and there he cleaned his wounds and he
00:05:20
um uh began to sing hymns of praise to
00:05:23
god you know because of the vision
00:05:27
these are photographs of the wounds on
00:05:28
padre pio's hands
00:05:31
along with those on his feet and side
00:05:33
they are said to generally correspond to
00:05:35
the wound suffered by jesus on the cross
00:05:38
they are commonly referred to as the
00:05:40
stigmata
00:05:41
[Music]
00:05:45
from the start some church officials
00:05:47
doubted the validity of padre pio's
00:05:49
claim
00:05:50
they suspected that the wounds had been
00:05:52
self-inflicted and called in doctors to
00:05:54
examine them
00:05:55
[Music]
00:05:56
one of the doctors decided to conduct an
00:05:58
experiment
00:06:01
[Music]
00:06:02
he directed the friars
00:06:05
bandage and the wounds and seal them for
00:06:07
eight days so that nobody could uh open
00:06:11
the bandage without being detected
00:06:15
he felt that after eight days you would
00:06:17
see uh the beginning of healing in the
00:06:19
wounds
00:06:20
and after eight days the wounds were
00:06:22
undressed and they were still the way
00:06:24
they were before there was no sign of
00:06:26
healing
00:06:27
[Music]
00:06:29
as words spread about padre pio's divine
00:06:32
revelation pilgrims began flocking to
00:06:34
san giovanni rotunda
00:06:36
anxious to be blessed by padre pio and
00:06:38
bear witness to the miracle of the
00:06:40
stigmata
00:06:42
[Music]
00:06:43
you had almost like a carnival
00:06:45
atmosphere there at san giovanni rotondo
00:06:47
people were hawking pictures of padre
00:06:49
pio
00:06:50
they were dipping
00:06:52
pieces of cloth and chicken blood or
00:06:54
rabbit blood and selling them as sandy
00:06:56
just soaked with the blood of the padre
00:06:58
pio stigmata
00:07:00
that became a problem for the superiors
00:07:07
the church took drastic action
00:07:10
padre pia was sentenced to a sort of
00:07:12
internal exile forbidden to venture into
00:07:14
public or conduct any of his priestly
00:07:16
duties
00:07:19
the exile lasted three years
00:07:22
ultimately the vatican relented padre
00:07:24
pio was restored to his former position
00:07:27
with one exception
00:07:28
he was prohibited from showing the
00:07:30
stigmata in public
00:07:32
by his own choice padre pio wore gloves
00:07:35
to hide the wounds
00:07:41
as the years passed and padre pio's fame
00:07:43
blossomed he developed an international
00:07:45
reputation as a man of miracles the
00:07:48
faithful turned to him in drones seeking
00:07:51
divine intervention for their earthly
00:07:53
afflictions
00:07:53
[Music]
00:07:55
among them were vera and harry calandra
00:07:57
of barto pennsylvania
00:08:00
their fifth child vera marie had been
00:08:02
born in 1966 with congenital defects of
00:08:06
the kidneys and urinary tract
00:08:11
two years and four operations later the
00:08:14
doctor delivered the worst possible news
00:08:17
want my advice
00:08:19
take your daughter home
00:08:22
make her comfortable
00:08:23
what are you saying
00:08:24
you want us to just give up on vera
00:08:26
marie
00:08:27
there comes a time he came back to us
00:08:30
immediately and said she's in recovery
00:08:33
and we did remove her urinary bladder
00:08:37
i thought i would pass out i said but
00:08:42
how will she live without a bladder
00:08:45
he said she's not going to live
00:08:49
vera marie was fitted with a catheter
00:08:51
but her condition continued to
00:08:52
deteriorate her parents sought comfort
00:08:55
in the church
00:08:58
mrs calandra sent a telegram to padre
00:09:01
piel then 80 years old asking for his
00:09:03
blessings
00:09:05
a few weeks later she says she received
00:09:07
a sign that her prayers had been heard
00:09:11
i was sitting in the living room of my
00:09:12
home
00:09:13
with vera marie sitting on the floor
00:09:17
and suddenly i experienced
00:09:20
a most unusual
00:09:22
fragrance
00:09:23
of fresh roses
00:09:25
something i never experienced before
00:09:28
i had no flowers in my home
00:09:31
yet all around my head
00:09:33
was an overwhelming powerful
00:09:37
fragrance
00:09:38
of roses
00:09:40
and then suddenly padre pio spoke to me
00:09:44
he said
00:09:46
i want you to bring your little girl to
00:09:49
me here in italy but do not delay
00:09:54
come immediately
00:09:57
on september 1st 1968 with a railing
00:10:00
daughter vera marie and a newborn infant
00:10:02
in town
00:10:03
vera calandra arrived in italy and made
00:10:05
her way to the church of san giovanni
00:10:07
rotunda
00:10:09
excuse me
00:10:10
father i need to see padre pio
00:10:13
padre pio is
00:10:15
very weak and they're sick oh please i
00:10:18
need to see him right now
00:10:19
what is the reason what makes you
00:10:21
special my daughter is dying he told me
00:10:23
to come i need to see him please
00:10:26
please i call it a visit
00:10:29
actually it was a fleeting moment
00:10:32
he was in a wheelchair
00:10:34
we were in the sacristy
00:10:36
he was brought forth in his wheelchair
00:10:39
we knelt before him as we were told to
00:10:41
do
00:10:44
he touched my sick daughter on the top
00:10:46
of the head
00:10:47
and he didn't even look at me
00:10:51
[Music]
00:10:52
i was crushed
00:10:54
because i thought
00:10:56
here is an expensive trip
00:10:59
came a great distance my daughter could
00:11:01
die
00:11:02
and i have not the chance to speak with
00:11:04
him and explain to him the problems that
00:11:08
we have at this time and how we're
00:11:10
asking him to help us
00:11:14
the next day vera returned and was
00:11:16
granted a rare private audience with
00:11:18
padre pio
00:11:21
there he was
00:11:23
right in front of me in the wheelchair
00:11:27
and he put out his hand and touched my
00:11:28
sick daughter on the top of the head
00:11:33
i spoke to him through my heart
00:11:37
please god
00:11:39
make a miracle
00:11:41
so that all the people will believe
00:11:46
doctor
00:11:47
two weeks later back in america it began
00:11:50
to appear that a miracle had indeed
00:11:52
occurred in her condition is there
00:11:54
anything we can hope for this may have
00:11:56
no significance whatsoever but we found
00:11:58
what appears to be the remains of a
00:12:00
bladder here well i hit the ceiling and
00:12:03
said but doctor you removed her bladder
00:12:05
before we left on our trip
00:12:08
and he said well
00:12:11
it's there i don't know what it is but
00:12:13
we'll leave it alone
00:12:15
i was very very happy because i figured
00:12:19
well
00:12:20
something did happen
00:12:21
you know
00:12:23
and
00:12:24
the doctor says
00:12:26
whatever you're doing
00:12:27
continue to do it
00:12:30
pedro pio has affected my life in
00:12:34
many different ways
00:12:36
he's brought me closer to god
00:12:39
he has
00:12:40
he's made me survive
00:12:42
when i should have been dead
00:12:45
and in a lot of ways he's always there
00:12:47
for me and my whole family
00:12:52
on september 23 1968 just weeks after he
00:12:55
blessed vera marine padre pio passed
00:12:58
away
00:12:59
curiously after half a century the
00:13:02
stigmata were said to have completely
00:13:04
healed during the final days of his life
00:13:06
[Music]
00:13:09
that same year to honor their own
00:13:11
personal miracle the calandra family
00:13:13
established the national center for
00:13:15
padre pio
00:13:16
the center has worked with thousands who
00:13:18
claim to have been healed by padre pio's
00:13:20
miraculous powers even in the years
00:13:23
after his death
00:13:25
one of the most dramatic cases is that
00:13:27
of paul walsh
00:13:31
in december of 1983 paul was rushed to
00:13:34
the hospital after a serious car
00:13:36
accident
00:13:37
he had crushed his skull and broken
00:13:39
every bone in his face
00:13:41
paul's mother betty remembers vividly
00:13:44
mrs wallace where are they taking him
00:13:46
surgery
00:13:47
how long is that gonna take we have to
00:13:48
prep him
00:13:49
we have three there really wasn't
00:13:51
anything i could do and i think that
00:13:53
there's shock in a case like that where
00:13:55
you kind of are in a daze that you can't
00:13:58
believe it's happening
00:14:00
all they really said that night was
00:14:02
massive facial and head injuries
00:14:05
and the outlook was not good i frankly
00:14:08
had
00:14:09
basically written
00:14:12
him off as
00:14:13
possibly even living let alone
00:14:16
living normally and
00:14:19
i my prognosis for paul's normal
00:14:22
survival was practically zero
00:14:26
eventually paul developed hydrocephalus
00:14:28
and spinal meningitis
00:14:30
lapsed into a deep cola
00:14:34
at this time paul was totally
00:14:36
unconscious
00:14:37
burning up with fever the sweat was just
00:14:40
pouring off him
00:14:41
a woman at church gave me a prayer to
00:14:43
padre pio
00:14:46
when i came to the padre pio prayer i
00:14:48
started to say the prayer paul's hand
00:14:51
came up from his side very shakely he
00:14:53
reached toward his forehead
00:14:56
i was shocked i could not believe it
00:14:59
his hand didn't make his forehead all
00:15:01
the way but he had made the sign of the
00:15:03
cross
00:15:05
[Music]
00:15:10
with renewed hope betty contacted the
00:15:12
padre pio center
00:15:14
harry kalam agreed to visit paul in his
00:15:17
hospital there's been some improvement
00:15:20
let's pray harry began reciting a prayer
00:15:22
to padre pio
00:15:24
and covered paul's head with a glove
00:15:26
that had actually been worn by padre pio
00:15:29
to conceal the stigmata
00:15:32
grant us the grace we ask of you
00:15:35
it was to me as if an electric shock
00:15:38
went through paul i i knew something
00:15:40
happened it was like a sudden jolt he
00:15:43
shook
00:15:44
it only lasted for a second but he
00:15:46
opened his eyes and he looked at me so
00:15:48
with such clear eyes as he had not done
00:15:51
for a long time
00:15:54
but i knew something had happened even
00:15:56
though it didn't seem outwardly we left
00:15:58
he was still comatose we left the room
00:16:01
that was great the next day i waited
00:16:03
purposely till in the afternoon but i
00:16:05
knew something would be different a good
00:16:07
kid
00:16:08
oh
00:16:10
hi mom
00:16:11
[Music]
00:16:13
hey scrawns how you doing buddy this is
00:16:15
our miracle what are you doing
00:16:18
i'm just drawing one of you guys where
00:16:19
you've been
00:16:20
have the doctors been here no the nurse
00:16:22
just gave me this to draw i couldn't
00:16:24
believe it one of the nurses came
00:16:26
running into the room she was so excited
00:16:28
she said he's been talking all day
00:16:31
i asked the one neurosurgery assistant
00:16:34
who the day before had shown me all the
00:16:36
dead brain cells on the cat scan
00:16:40
what could have happened i said you know
00:16:42
this was a miracle
00:16:44
and he said yes i know
00:16:46
other patients i've had that had the
00:16:48
same extent of injuries that paul had
00:16:51
are either still in rehabilitation homes
00:16:54
or
00:16:55
are
00:16:56
dead
00:16:57
i've
00:16:58
frankly
00:17:00
not any scientific basis for uh
00:17:03
explaining why he survived
00:17:07
when i did come out of the coma i uh i
00:17:09
was wondering what uh everybody was
00:17:11
making such fuss over me
00:17:13
for at uh i guess at the beginning
00:17:16
before
00:17:17
i was told what happened to me
00:17:20
i didn't understand what the big deal
00:17:22
was
00:17:24
for betty walsh it was clear that padre
00:17:27
pio was responsible for paul's sudden
00:17:29
improvement
00:17:30
two weeks later paul told his doctor an
00:17:32
odd story that seemed to confirm it
00:17:36
he described him being having a visitor
00:17:38
whom he thought was his uncle
00:17:41
but he stated that his uncle was dressed
00:17:44
up in a brown robe and
00:17:46
i
00:17:47
i just thought this might be some kind
00:17:49
of hallucination
00:17:51
but was it hallucination
00:17:54
not only paul but also his roommate
00:17:56
reported seeing the mysterious visitor
00:18:01
uncle charlie
00:18:04
paul continued to believe the man was
00:18:06
his uncle
00:18:07
until his mother showed him a folded
00:18:09
leaflet that featured a photograph of
00:18:11
padre
00:18:12
pio and i brought the picture in and
00:18:16
said to paul is this who visited you on
00:18:18
easter sunday i mean i said yes was had
00:18:21
his uncle charlie right
00:18:22
and she had folded the paper down and
00:18:24
showed me that it was party pill
00:18:26
and at the time i i i i was
00:18:30
i was laughing at that how could it be
00:18:32
potter pill
00:18:34
potiphar was dead
00:18:37
after they had told me what had happened
00:18:39
and all i
00:18:40
i believe it was butterfield
00:18:46
here was a man who lived in the 20th
00:18:48
century who did the same thing as the
00:18:51
apostles did whose ministry confirms the
00:18:54
truth of the new testament
00:18:56
if you asked him he would say that he
00:18:58
didn't believe in miracles
00:19:00
he would say that he didn't work
00:19:01
miracles because everything is a miracle
00:19:05
everything is the work of god
00:19:08
[Music]
00:19:23
next a strange encounter in the forest
00:19:26
may have been a predate to murder
00:19:31
[Music]
00:19:38
the angelus national forest nearly 700
00:19:41
000 acres of wilderness recreation area
00:19:44
just 30 minutes outside los angeles
00:19:47
for city dwellers the angelus forest is
00:19:50
a perfect weekend getaway with plenty of
00:19:52
space to be alone
00:19:55
on saturday february 29 1992 a dedicated
00:19:59
off-road enthusiast named jeff was
00:20:01
exploring a campground area
00:20:03
when his curiosity led him into a
00:20:05
mystery
00:20:08
i've been back in there before and it
00:20:10
was the first time i'd noticed this one
00:20:12
little road off to the side
00:20:13
and i was proceeding god maybe a hundred
00:20:16
yards back if that
00:20:18
and i saw somebody that set up a camp
00:20:20
there
00:20:24
[Music]
00:20:32
as i pulled up
00:20:34
directly in front of me there was a
00:20:36
old panel van to the left of that was a
00:20:39
tent
00:20:40
to the left of the tent there was a very
00:20:42
attractive girl sitting there by herself
00:20:46
her hair was done up it was curly and
00:20:48
long she appeared to have makeup on
00:20:52
she was looking down and she
00:20:53
very slowly raised her head and we had
00:20:55
eye contact
00:21:00
[Music]
00:21:07
jeff's side trip has suddenly taken a
00:21:09
frightening turn what's your problem
00:21:18
[Music]
00:21:22
i never thought about calling the police
00:21:24
nor did i think that these guys were
00:21:25
really dangerous to anybody i thought
00:21:27
they were being protective of their camp
00:21:31
[Applause]
00:21:32
march 3rd 1993 just over a year later
00:21:40
the los angeles county coroner was
00:21:42
called to investigate a possible murder
00:21:44
site in the angelus forest
00:21:46
the partial set of skeletal remains had
00:21:48
been found approximately 50 yards from
00:21:51
the spot where jeff had seen the young
00:21:53
blonde woman
00:21:55
when the coroner checked dental records
00:21:57
of missing persons in the los angeles
00:21:59
area he found a match
00:22:01
the remains were identified as those of
00:22:03
twenty-year-old kimberly pandelius who
00:22:05
had disappeared a year before
00:22:08
it was a tragic end to a promising young
00:22:11
life
00:22:13
[Music]
00:22:14
kimberly and her parents had immigrated
00:22:16
from cuba when she was eight
00:22:18
they settled in pennsylvania where at
00:22:20
the age of 19 kimberly married
00:22:23
in 1991 she and her husband along with
00:22:25
her infant son moved to northridge
00:22:27
california
00:22:29
kimberly started taking business courses
00:22:31
and worked part-time as a model
00:22:35
kimberly was a
00:22:39
beautiful human being
00:22:41
she was loved by everybody in the family
00:22:45
and she
00:22:47
was so sweet
00:22:49
so
00:22:50
kind
00:22:52
the very end of her life i
00:22:55
i don't want even to think about it
00:23:00
kimberly after the remains are
00:23:02
identified kimberly's story was covered
00:23:04
extensively on the local news
00:23:06
by coincidence jeff the off-road
00:23:09
enthusiast was watching
00:23:11
last friday tv was on
00:23:13
and i said that's the girl that's the
00:23:15
girl i saw sitting there
00:23:18
in my mind there was no doubt that the
00:23:20
girl on tv was the same i saw in the
00:23:22
camp same girl
00:23:24
[Music]
00:23:27
jeff immediately contacted the los
00:23:29
angeles county sheriff's department and
00:23:31
accompanied two deputies to the spot
00:23:33
where he had seen
00:23:34
kimberly but far too much time had
00:23:37
passed
00:23:38
there was not a single clue to the
00:23:40
strange disappearance and death of
00:23:41
kimberly pandillos
00:23:44
[Music]
00:23:48
how would kimberly come to be in that
00:23:49
remote area of the angelus national
00:23:51
forest
00:23:53
who were the three men jeff had seen
00:23:54
with her
00:23:56
even though the coroner could not
00:23:57
determine the exact cause of kimberly's
00:23:59
death law enforcement now had no choice
00:24:02
would had begun a year earlier as a
00:24:04
missing persons case had become a
00:24:06
probable murder investigation
00:24:10
[Music]
00:24:13
february 28 1992
00:24:15
the day before jeff saw kimberly in the
00:24:18
makeshift camp a burned-out car was
00:24:20
found near the monte cristo campground
00:24:22
section of the angelus national forest
00:24:26
from the sun
00:24:27
the fire was started in the passenger
00:24:30
compartment
00:24:31
on the passenger side of the front seat
00:24:35
we were able to determine that the front
00:24:37
seat was
00:24:38
pulled forward in a position
00:24:41
that would be as if she drove to that
00:24:43
location
00:24:46
investigators found the charred remains
00:24:48
of a spiral notebook in the car but
00:24:50
little else
00:24:52
they ran a dmv check on the plates but
00:24:54
could not reach kimberly's husband
00:24:56
by the time they did locate him he had
00:24:58
reported kimberly missing
00:25:00
but a search of the area turned up no
00:25:02
further clues
00:25:10
three weeks later however a second
00:25:12
notebook this one kimberly's day runner
00:25:14
was found under a bridge two miles away
00:25:16
from the car
00:25:18
the two hikers who stumbled on it turned
00:25:20
it into authorities but the day runner
00:25:22
yielded neither fingerprints nor other
00:25:24
clues
00:25:26
rita did you talk to kimberly on
00:25:28
thursday apparently a third notebook is
00:25:30
still unaccounted for
00:25:32
the day after kimberly was reported
00:25:34
missing her son's babysitter told
00:25:36
investigators that a man named paul a
00:25:38
telephone for kimberly the day she
00:25:40
disappeared do you know paul
00:25:43
no but this paul called about two
00:25:45
o'clock in the afternoon he said he had
00:25:47
an appointment with kimberly and he
00:25:49
wanted to confirm it do you leave a
00:25:51
phone number with you no
00:25:53
what happened after that
00:25:54
well this paul called again about 7pm
00:25:58
kimberly still wasn't home
00:26:00
he said she left her appointment book
00:26:02
when she met with him
00:26:05
the notebook that paul has is probably
00:26:07
the most valuable notebook that might
00:26:10
have
00:26:12
her appointments or contacts
00:26:14
for later that day
00:26:16
there's a possibility that kimberly went
00:26:19
up into the mountains to meet someone
00:26:21
and that appointment might be in her
00:26:22
book
00:26:25
kimberly had told her husband that she
00:26:27
was scheduled to do an outdoor photo
00:26:29
shoot
00:26:30
authorities believe she responded to an
00:26:32
ad in a local newspaper
00:26:35
a theory is that she drove to that
00:26:37
location by herself
00:26:39
and met someone to do an outdoor shoot
00:26:42
and that once she was there she was
00:26:46
taken off the road back into
00:26:48
the area that she was ultimately found
00:27:05
i think she was there for at least a day
00:27:06
and a half from thursday late afternoon
00:27:09
all day friday and
00:27:11
at least through noon on saturday
00:27:14
[Music]
00:27:16
it was just past noon on saturday when
00:27:19
jeff happened upon the makeshift
00:27:21
campsite
00:27:29
[Music]
00:27:34
in retrospect she might have been
00:27:35
drugged
00:27:37
but
00:27:38
just had no idea if she would have cried
00:27:41
out if she would have said something you
00:27:42
know she would have
00:27:43
given me an indication she was in
00:27:45
trouble of course i would have done
00:27:46
something but
00:27:47
i didn't know
00:27:51
it just gets to me that i didn't do
00:27:53
something right then and there to help
00:27:54
her this
00:27:56
person basically died because of my
00:27:57
inaction or my ignorance
00:28:03
we can't bring the girl back
00:28:06
but i would like justice to be done of
00:28:08
course
00:28:11
[Music]
00:28:27
[Music]
00:28:34
[Music]
00:28:36
when we return
00:28:38
a rare behind-the-scenes look at the
00:28:40
unsung heroes of law enforcement
00:28:42
coroner's investigators
00:28:44
[Music]
00:28:52
this is a story about the unheralded
00:28:54
heroes of law enforcement
00:28:56
when an accident or homicide victim goes
00:28:58
unidentified it falls to investigators
00:29:00
from the coroner's office to find out
00:29:02
who the john and jane does are and how
00:29:04
they died
00:29:06
more often than not these investigators
00:29:08
are successful
00:29:09
solving unsolvable cases through a
00:29:12
combination of medical expertise
00:29:14
ingenuity and compassion
00:29:18
[Music]
00:29:24
october 5th 1983 seal beach california
00:29:28
at dawn two lifeguards discovered the
00:29:31
body of a young boy floating in a
00:29:33
channel near the ocean
00:29:35
the body was so badly decomposed that it
00:29:37
made identification impossible
00:29:43
coroner's investigator joe lucky was
00:29:45
dispatched to the scene he found no
00:29:47
evidence of foul play in fact an autopsy
00:29:50
would later determine that the cause of
00:29:52
death was accidental drowning
00:29:55
but who the boy was and where he had
00:29:57
come from posed a baffling mystery
00:30:00
it looked like one of those cases that
00:30:02
might never be solved
00:30:06
it takes a while sometimes to get over
00:30:09
the fact that you can't identify these
00:30:10
people
00:30:11
um
00:30:13
you you tend to
00:30:15
think about your own families and know
00:30:17
that there's somebody out there who's
00:30:19
missing a relative
00:30:22
somebody but
00:30:24
we don't know who
00:30:27
joe lucky was used to long odds and this
00:30:29
case would challenge all of his skills
00:30:32
joe sent a description of the boy to
00:30:34
every law enforcement agency in the
00:30:35
immediate area
00:30:37
only one possible match turned up
00:30:40
a boy who had disappeared from fullerton
00:30:42
california
00:30:43
but fullerton was 16 miles from where
00:30:45
the body was discovered
00:30:48
[Music]
00:30:52
joe lucky met with the boy's parents
00:30:55
they told him that their son had
00:30:56
vanished shortly after leaving for a
00:30:58
neighborhood park
00:31:03
i went over to the park
00:31:04
and i found that there was a flood
00:31:07
control channel right adjacent to the
00:31:09
park
00:31:10
i also discovered that because of the
00:31:13
rainfall the day is missing
00:31:16
that the flood control district had
00:31:18
opened a local dam which is above that
00:31:20
area and allowed the overflow to come
00:31:24
through that channel
00:31:25
raising it approximately six feet higher
00:31:27
than normal
00:31:30
the mystery had been solved
00:31:32
tragically the young boy had fallen into
00:31:34
the flood channel and been swept 16
00:31:36
miles to the ocean
00:31:38
blood samples would later provide a
00:31:40
positive identification
00:31:42
[Music]
00:31:45
a corner is probably a good mixture of
00:31:47
being a surgeon a detective and an
00:31:49
attorney
00:31:50
every day is a challenge that's new
00:31:52
that's a little bit of detective work uh
00:31:55
all the time
00:31:58
cullen ellenberg has worked on literally
00:32:00
thousands of cases
00:32:02
some take months of painstaking research
00:32:04
and legwork
00:32:05
others are solved solely on the basis of
00:32:07
one small piece of evidence
00:32:10
that was a case with an unidentified
00:32:11
murder victim in 1985
00:32:16
checking his clothing items for possibly
00:32:18
a name inside we came upon a buckle that
00:32:21
was unique and had the name of a company
00:32:24
that manufactures drill bits in alaska
00:32:26
for oil wells on this buckle
00:32:30
[Music]
00:32:36
yes the phone number for the anchorage
00:32:38
drill bit company
00:32:39
we were able to call this company
00:32:41
determined that the buckle in fact was a
00:32:44
award given to the employee of the year
00:32:47
only given out for about five years
00:32:50
and with that information we were able
00:32:52
to identify the deceased individual
00:32:54
[Music]
00:32:57
but some cases remain unsung even after
00:33:00
years of investigation
00:33:02
one in particular has haunted colin
00:33:03
ellenburg since may 18 1987.
00:33:08
that morning the body of a woman in her
00:33:10
early 20s was found at the base of a
00:33:12
steep cliff in dana point california
00:33:15
what do you got got a girl apparently
00:33:17
fell off the cliff any id on her
00:33:19
got a unit up top but we don't have much
00:33:21
more than that the woman had apparently
00:33:23
plunged to her death sometime during the
00:33:25
night
00:33:27
we weren't sure at that point if it was
00:33:29
an accident or
00:33:31
intentional or if she had been pushed
00:33:39
i went to the top of the cliff
00:33:41
and there i found a small purse
00:33:44
a half-consumed soda and a map of
00:33:46
southern california
00:33:49
oddly the purse had no other contents
00:33:52
but the map held a clue which would lead
00:33:54
cullen to the person who may have last
00:33:56
seen the young woman alive
00:34:00
there was a phone number on the map
00:34:02
the phone number was that of a cab
00:34:04
company and the cab company was
00:34:07
contacted and they indicated they had a
00:34:09
fair picked up from the area and dropped
00:34:12
off at the area of the dana point cliffs
00:34:15
at about three or four that morning
00:34:23
when cullen interviewed the cab driver
00:34:25
he described a woman who fit the dana
00:34:27
point jane doe to a tee
00:34:31
you the lady called for a cab
00:34:34
yeah
00:34:35
can you take me to ross towers in laguna
00:34:38
beach sure no problem
00:34:40
can you tell me how much that's going to
00:34:42
be
00:34:42
uh that'll be uh 20 bucks
00:34:46
i only have 18.
00:34:48
[Applause]
00:34:50
can you take me as far as that'll go
00:34:53
yeah sure get in the back
00:34:56
the only thing the taxi driver said was
00:34:58
that she had very little to say other
00:35:00
than that she was very quiet and he
00:35:03
didn't notice anything really unusual
00:35:05
about her
00:35:08
[Music]
00:35:13
the meter says 18 bucks man that's the
00:35:15
best i can do
00:35:24
thank you good night
00:35:26
goodbye
00:35:34
[Music]
00:35:38
the next morning the young woman's body
00:35:40
would be found at the base of the cliff
00:35:42
she was five feet eight inches tall and
00:35:44
weighed 127 pounds
00:35:47
she had light brown hair brown eyes and
00:35:49
was wearing what appeared to be
00:35:51
second-hand clothing
00:35:53
at the time of her death in 1987 she
00:35:55
would have been approximately 20 years
00:35:57
old
00:36:00
this is the first jane doe that i've had
00:36:02
that i was unable to identify
00:36:04
and i've continued to work this case to
00:36:06
today and
00:36:08
occasionally a new lead will come in and
00:36:09
i'll follow up but all to this date have
00:36:12
been unsuccessful
00:36:16
there isn't a week that i don't go by
00:36:17
the point
00:36:18
without thinking about this lady i want
00:36:21
to identify her and find out who she is
00:36:23
and who she belongs to
00:36:27
[Music]
00:36:45
despite the sophisticated missing
00:36:47
persons computer systems available today
00:36:50
thousands of john and jane does across
00:36:52
the country remain unidentified
00:36:55
here are three of them
00:36:56
[Music]
00:36:59
this is a composite drawing of a young
00:37:01
woman who in 1990 was struck by a car
00:37:03
and killed along the pacific coast
00:37:05
highway in huntington beach california
00:37:08
she was in her early twenties
00:37:10
five feet four inches tall and weighed
00:37:12
approximately 125 pounds
00:37:15
she had dark brown hair brown eyes and
00:37:18
severe acne scars
00:37:20
among the objects found in the woman's
00:37:22
possession were a hotel key and a ring
00:37:25
made of human hair
00:37:30
[Music]
00:37:44
in 1976 a young couple was found shot to
00:37:47
death on a remote road in sumter county
00:37:49
south carolina
00:37:50
the man was approximately 20 years old
00:37:53
six feet tall and weighed around 150
00:37:56
pounds
00:37:57
he had had extensive dental work which
00:37:59
included bridges and crowns
00:38:02
he was wearing an expensive bulova
00:38:03
accutron watch and a ring inscribed with
00:38:06
the initials jpf
00:38:10
the woman appeared to be in her late
00:38:11
teens she was five feet five inches tall
00:38:14
approximately 100 pounds with two
00:38:17
distinct moles on the left side of her
00:38:18
face
00:38:19
she was wearing three handmade mexican
00:38:21
or indian style rings
00:38:25
[Music]
00:38:39
next
00:38:40
the family's 50-year search for a young
00:38:42
airman lost during world war ii
00:38:47
[Music]
00:38:52
in 1943 at the height of world war ii an
00:38:55
american b-24 bomber and a non-combat
00:38:58
mission went down over north africa
00:39:00
the entire crew was lost
00:39:03
among the victims were these three men
00:39:06
sylvan lazarus carl cobb and bernard
00:39:09
brady
00:39:10
for some 50 years they have been the
00:39:12
focus of a perplexing unsolved mystery
00:39:17
three months after the crash the
00:39:19
baltimore newspaper ran this photograph
00:39:21
of four american prisoners of war being
00:39:23
interrogated by a german officer
00:39:26
inexplicably three of the prisoners were
00:39:28
positively identified by their families
00:39:31
as lazarus cobb and brady
00:39:33
perhaps someone watching can help the
00:39:35
families of these men
00:39:36
finally put their sons to rest
00:39:42
christmas of 1943 was a time of sorrow
00:39:44
for the lazarus family of baltimore
00:39:46
maryland
00:39:47
on december 14 they learned that their
00:39:49
eldest son sylvan an american airman was
00:39:52
missing in action
00:39:54
three weeks later the family's worst
00:39:56
nightmare came true
00:40:00
[Music]
00:40:02
dad
00:40:05
it's your brother
00:40:08
he's dead sylvan's brother arnold was 17
00:40:12
years old at the time
00:40:15
we were devastated absolutely devastated
00:40:19
i mean my brother was
00:40:21
such a great guy
00:40:23
he was loved by everybody very very
00:40:25
outgoing family oriented
00:40:28
and to lose somebody like that is
00:40:31
devastating
00:40:32
there's no other word i could use
00:40:37
according to government records on
00:40:38
december 8th 1943
00:40:41
sylvan and 13 other men boarded a b-24
00:40:43
liberator bomber in the eastern coast of
00:40:46
africa
00:40:47
the plane was bound for casablanca
00:40:49
morocco when it reportedly crashed in
00:40:51
the atlas mountains near the city of
00:40:53
tarudan
00:40:56
military officials reported that sylvan
00:40:58
lazarus and the other victims were later
00:41:01
buried in a mass grave
00:41:03
[Music]
00:41:05
three months passed the lazarus family
00:41:07
tried to cope with the loss of silver
00:41:10
they never received any of his personal
00:41:12
effects not even his dog tags
00:41:15
then on march 17 1944 the mysterious
00:41:18
photograph appeared in the baltimore
00:41:20
mirror
00:41:23
anna
00:41:25
anna the family's grief turned first to
00:41:27
confusion
00:41:28
then to hope
00:41:30
oh my samuel
00:41:32
what does it say as prisoners of germany
00:41:34
captured after their planes were shot
00:41:36
down over the third reich during recent
00:41:38
obliteration bombing raids
00:41:40
we were shocked
00:41:42
uh i mean there was no question about it
00:41:44
that one of the airmen was definitely my
00:41:46
brother his eyes
00:41:49
his posture
00:41:51
the way he stood at a certain certain
00:41:54
way
00:41:56
was definitely him definitely
00:42:00
was it possible the sylvan lazarus had
00:42:02
survived
00:42:04
if so it made no sense for him to be
00:42:06
interrogated by a nazi officer in north
00:42:08
africa
00:42:09
the germans had been driven from the
00:42:11
area more than seven months before the
00:42:13
crash
00:42:16
sylvan's father was convinced that there
00:42:18
was much more to the story
00:42:20
he obtained the names of the 13 other
00:42:22
crewmen killed in the accident and sent
00:42:24
each of their families a copy of the
00:42:26
photograph
00:42:28
incredibly bernard brady of new york
00:42:31
and carl cobb of cynthiana kentucky were
00:42:34
identified
00:42:36
my father
00:42:38
wanted more answers
00:42:39
and he uh
00:42:41
he wrote back and forth to the
00:42:43
government
00:42:45
my father even contacted the red cross
00:42:49
trying to get answers
00:42:52
but it was all in vain
00:42:54
anything
00:42:56
no
00:42:57
no
00:42:59
they were first told that
00:43:01
the uh the crew men were uh all buried
00:43:04
in a common grave at the casablanca
00:43:07
european cemetery
00:43:09
uh later on they were told that the men
00:43:13
their remains were dug up and reburied
00:43:15
in al anon cemetery
00:43:18
uh in i believe algeria
00:43:21
there was never any explanation given to
00:43:22
my knowledge as to why
00:43:25
the government did this
00:43:27
i am not really sure whether the
00:43:29
government or the military knows
00:43:32
exactly what happened
00:43:36
i have my own theories
00:43:39
unfortunately
00:43:40
i don't have proof
00:43:42
[Music]
00:43:46
the lazarus family now believes that
00:43:48
sylvan's plane may have been shot down
00:43:50
during a secret mission behind german
00:43:52
lines in europe not in africa
00:43:55
they also believe that some of the
00:43:56
crewmen managed to parachute to safety
00:43:58
only to be taken prisoner by the nazis
00:44:04
sylvan and the others are most likely
00:44:06
photographed of being interrogated about
00:44:08
their mission
00:44:10
the lazarus is fear that sylvan may have
00:44:12
been singled out because of his religion
00:44:19
my theory is
00:44:21
great possibility that
00:44:24
the germans
00:44:25
found out that
00:44:27
my brother was jewish
00:44:30
and i believe that they violated the
00:44:33
geneva
00:44:35
convention
00:44:38
by rights
00:44:40
he should have been put into a pow camp
00:44:44
but i don't believe that that happened i
00:44:46
believe that he was put into a
00:44:48
concentration camp instead
00:44:52
see dad this is
00:44:53
from the war department the adjutant
00:44:55
general's office dated january 24th
00:44:58
1944. although it has been 50 years and
00:45:01
sylvan lazarus was last seen alive his
00:45:04
family continues a search for clues to
00:45:06
his fate
00:45:08
in 1990 under the freedom of information
00:45:10
act the lazarus has obtained the
00:45:12
original crew list from the national
00:45:14
archives
00:45:16
there were 14 names
00:45:18
my uncle sylvan
00:45:20
carl cobb and bernard brady were among
00:45:22
those names
00:45:24
and next to those three names were check
00:45:26
marks and the numbers one two and three
00:45:30
i've never gotten an explanation as to
00:45:32
what those check marks and numbers meant
00:45:36
i feel very very sad about one thing
00:45:40
that my parents
00:45:42
went to their graves
00:45:44
without knowing exactly what happened to
00:45:47
my brother
00:45:49
having seen the photograph
00:45:52
we cannot help but wonder
00:45:54
what really happened to him
00:45:56
couldn't have been killed in a
00:45:58
crash so what happened to him that's
00:46:01
what we want to find out
00:46:04
[Music]
00:46:35
do our minds possess untapped psychic
00:46:37
powers
00:46:38
can we move objects without touching
00:46:40
them
00:46:41
can we communicate clairvoyantly with
00:46:43
the dead
00:46:44
new premonitions come true
00:46:47
join me two weeks from tonight as we
00:46:50
explore these intriguing questions on a
00:46:52
special unsolved mysteries report
00:46:55
mysteries of the psychic mind
00:47:01
[Music]
00:47:46
you

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 80
    Most heartwarming
  • 75
    Most inspiring
  • 70
    Most emotional
  • 70
    Best concept / idea

Episode Highlights

  • Miraculous Healings
    Two individuals share their miraculous recoveries attributed to Padre Pio's intercession.
    “They believe they are alive today because they were blessed by a miracle.”
    @ 03m 30s
    March 16, 2022
  • The Vision of Padre Pio
    In 1918, Padre Pio experienced a profound vision that left him with the stigmata.
    “That morning, Padre Pio is deep in prayer when he experienced what is known in the faith as an ecstasy.”
    @ 04m 10s
    March 16, 2022
  • The Mysterious Encounter
    An off-road enthusiast's encounter with a blonde woman leads to a murder investigation.
    “Jeff's side trip has suddenly taken a frightening turn.”
    @ 21m 09s
    March 16, 2022
  • The Search for Kimberly
    Authorities believe Kimberly may have gone into the mountains for a photo shoot, leading to her disappearance.
    “There's a possibility that Kimberly went up into the mountains to meet someone.”
    @ 26m 16s
    March 16, 2022
  • Unidentified Victims
    Coroner's investigators work tirelessly to identify victims of accidents and homicides, often facing long odds.
    “More often than not these investigators are successful solving unsolvable cases.”
    @ 29m 06s
    March 16, 2022
  • The Lazarus Family's Heartbreak
    The Lazarus family continues to search for answers about their missing son, Sylvan, lost during WWII.
    “I feel very sad that my parents went to their graves without knowing exactly what happened to my brother.”
    @ 45m 40s
    March 16, 2022

Episode Quotes

  • Whatever you're doing, continue to do it.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode
  • This was a miracle!
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode
  • It just gets to me that I didn’t do something right then and there.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode
  • We can’t bring the girl back, but I would like justice to be done.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode
  • There isn’t a week that goes by without thinking about this lady.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 12 - Updated Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Padre Pio's Vision00:26
  • Miracle Stories00:36
  • Vera's Journey09:49
  • Murder Investigation21:40
  • Campsite Discovery27:16
  • Unsolved Cases28:54
  • Boy Found Drowned29:28
  • Jane Doe Investigation36:00

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

Related Episodes

Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 21 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
46:05
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 21 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
47:10
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
01:32:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 8, Episode 5
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:50
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 8, Episode 5
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 16 - Full Episode
May 22, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
46:53
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 16 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 9 - Full Episode
May 16, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
47:07
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 9 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 9, Episode 18 - Updated Full Episode
March 16, 2022
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
44:30
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 9, Episode 18 - Updated Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
43:40
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 6 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
44:36
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 6 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 16 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
43:49
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 16 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 3 - Full Episode
May 22, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
52:24
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 3 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
May 16, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
45:35
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode