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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes

May 21, 2019 / 42:59

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers several chilling cases, including a Colombian cocaine gang, a con man known as the sweetheart swindler, a brutal crime spree by two teenage boys, and a poignant kidnapping case from 1944.

The episode begins with the story of Pedro Uribe, a Colombian drug lord linked to the Medellin cartel, who operated a money laundering scheme in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. The FBI's surveillance revealed Uribe's ruthless methods, including the murder of innocent people, and led to the discovery of a significant cocaine stash.

Next, viewers learn about the heartbreaking case of Lawrence Harding Jr., kidnapped in 1944. His brother Jeffrey has spent decades searching for him, convinced he is still alive. Jeffrey's journey reveals a complex web of leads and the emotional toll of a family's unresolved grief.

The episode also highlights the sweetheart swindler, a con man who preys on lonely women, stealing their money through charm and deception. One victim, Sara, shares her experience of being swept off her feet before losing thousands of dollars.

Finally, the episode recounts a shocking crime spree in March 1988, where two teenage boys killed four people across Texas and Arkansas in less than 24 hours. The investigation reveals the chilling nature of their actions and the fear they instilled in the communities.

TL;DR

This episode covers a Colombian drug lord, a con man, a kidnapping case, and a teenage crime spree, highlighting their chilling impacts.

Episode

42:59
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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you are about to see is not a news
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broadcast tonight on unsolved mysteries
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this peaceful suburban neighborhood in
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New Jersey concealed a violent the
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secretive Colombian cocaine gang a
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vicious ringleader of this gang vanished
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in 1986 the FBI wants your help tracking
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him down the sweetheart swindler is a
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charming but ruthless con man who preys
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on unsuspecting women by stealing their
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hearts and their money in an 11 hour
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period March of 1988 a sadistic spree of
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violence left four people dead in two
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different states and shockingly the
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suspects are two teenage boys also we
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will present a most unusual and poignant
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case of kidnapping in 1944 two teenage
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girls told ten-week-old Lars Harding jr.
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in front of his mother Chicago apartment
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for over 45 years as brother Jeffrey has
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been trying to solve this case he is
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convinced that Lawrence is still alive
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and may even be watching tonight join me
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you may be able to help solve a mystery
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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imagine watching television and suddenly
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learning you've been kidnapped as an
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infant and had a brother and two parents
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that you never thought existed well
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somewhere in the United States there is
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a man who in the next few minutes may
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make the shocking discovery it all began
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37 years ago in 1953 when an 8 year old
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boy named Jeffrey Harding was tottered
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by schoolmates about a brother he never
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knew
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that same day Jeffrey's mother showed
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him some scrapbook stored in the Attic
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she explained that he did indeed have a
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brother but the boy was kidnapped before
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Jeffrey had been born
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I really didn't know see I didn't need
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to spend a lot of time like I spent with
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you I just didn't know what to do I felt
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so empty inside and I felt so so sad for
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my parents I could just look in my
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mother's eyes and see the pain his two
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girls came he took him they ran and I
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also wanted to know what it was like to
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have a brother and I always felt cheated
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that I couldn't communicate with him I
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couldn't play with him couldn't wrestle
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with him couldn't go to a ball game with
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him I couldn't do anything like
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everybody else did with their own
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brother and sister this is the article
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FBI reported in search for kidnapped
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baby the Federal Bureau of Investigation
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yes Jeffrey's mother brought on a baby
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book and read him clippings she had
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saved about the events of June 30th 1944
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the baby was kidnapped eight days ago by
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two Negro girls
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Spencer Dayton of the Chicago FBI
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Department declined comment according to
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federal law
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[Music]
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that morning with ten-week-old Lars jr.
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in his carriage Jeffrey's mother made
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her customary trip to the corner market
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and while she was in the store there
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were two girls there that teenage girls
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that didn't look like they were up to
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anything bad thank you it's my first
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Margaret didn't recognize the two girls
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from the neighborhood there [ __ ] their
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attention was innocent as my mother was
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coming home from the market the two
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girls were following her but she had to
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think a whole lot of it she just thought
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that the two girls were walking down the
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street as she was going home
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and when she pulled into the yard with
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the baby carriage she saw a neighbor who
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lived upstairs
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you mind lawrence for me sure I will I'm
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just gonna run these inside okay
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the lady who was supposed to be watching
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my brother didn't keep an eye on him
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long enough she watched him for a little
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while and then she kind of turned away
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[Music]
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[Music]
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by the time my mother who was running as
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fast as she could got to the alley and
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could couldn't run after the girls could
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give chase to the girls the girls were
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gone
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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hello
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after three agonizing days Nadi's
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received a phone call you have the baby
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the girl on the other end of the line
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identified herself as one of the people
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that took the baby and the girl said
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we're going to bring the baby to you and
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my mother said when will you please
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bring him home and as she was waiting
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for an answer the girl hung up on her
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when she was never asked for ransom and
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that was the last contact my mother had
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with the kidnappers the FBI the Chicago
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police searched for Lawrence Junior to
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no avail finally after four weeks the
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investigation was called off
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Lawrence Harding jr. had vanished into
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thin air forty five years ago because
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the authorities couldn't help my parents
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and because everyone was advising them
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that they should try to adjust to the
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fact that they would never see their son
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again for the last 45 years they've had
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to do just that they've had to try to
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live in a life a full life knowing that
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they would never see their son again
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when one mother told me what had
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happened and I think it was then that a
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seed was kind of planted inside of me
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that because I love my parents I wanted
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to make this right for them
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geoffery search for his missing brother
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ran into one stonewall after another
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until August of 1986 thanks to the
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Freedom of Information Act he was able
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to secure the original FBI records
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pertaining to the case of his brother's
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disappearance in these files Jeffrey
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found a startling new lead and he hired
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private investigator Paul Rigsby
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together the two men learned that in
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1944 the FBI had interviewed two
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railroad porters who told a curious tale
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July 4th 1944 Chicago's main train
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station
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four days after Lawrence Harding juniors
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disappearance the FBI file from
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Washington that we were able to get a
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copy of indicated one of the teenage
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girls showed up at the train station
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where the baby meeting the descriptions
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of Lawrence
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excuse me ma'am are you going to say
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goes yes I am
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I just have to run to the washroom and
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that's really nowhere for me to put him
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down in there well I've got to get that
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train
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[Music]
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okay I'll be back in just a moment
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[Music]
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more than likely the woman was on the
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platform with the baby the Train is
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fixing to pull off and she's not sure if
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the teenage girl is on the train or not
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on the train and realized that it was
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her time to get on the train and was
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believing the teenage girl when she had
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told her not to worry
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and more than like that she got on the
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train with the child waiting for the
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teenage girl to find her however after
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the train took off it became obvious
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that the teenage girl didn't make the
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Train
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track three right
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when the older woman with the baby
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arrived at Union Station in st. Louis
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she approached to porters George Hill
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and a Charlie McCall and explained to
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them how she came by the baby can you
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help me yes ma'am I was in the Chicago
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train station and this teenage girl left
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this child friend alone she said just
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one for the washroom but she never came
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back out have you seen anybody around
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here looking for a child no ma'am what
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was she wearing she also told him that
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she was going to Magnolia Arkansas but
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told them that if that mother decided
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she wanted the child she'd be in
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Magnolia and she could find her there I
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know one more I'll hurt me well I'll
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keep an eye out for a man thank you
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yes ma'am when Paul first told me about
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the lady taking my brother all the way
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to make Miller your Arkansas made me
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really feel good I was really kind of
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hoping against hope that that he would
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that the lady had taken in Magnolia
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Arkansas which is a very small town
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everybody knows each other and it would
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be easy to locate my brother
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[Music]
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armed with this promising information
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Rigsby immediately went to Magnolia he
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conducted interviews and combed through
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the town's records but unfortunately
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turned up no trace of the woman or her
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family when Paul returned from Magnolia
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Arkansas and he basically came back
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empty-handed
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it was a blow but it wasn't one that I
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couldn't overcome or the Paul and I
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couldn't overcome then Paul theorized
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and I do believe this is true that more
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than likely because it was July 4th
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weekend that this lady returned from
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Magnolia Arkansas either to Chicago or
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maybe even to Detroit and that may be
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where my brother is today the woman at
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the train station probably thought that
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the girl didn't want this child
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I believe that this woman was a good
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Samaritan she took care of the child she
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did everything she could to let the
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porters know where she was going and in
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in no way shape or form did she have
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anything to do with the abduction
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Jeffrey Hardy will not give up his
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search until he finds out what happened
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to his brother he is certain that he is
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alive and probably unaware of his
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strange past if there's anything that I
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dream about as being the happy ending it
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would be finding my brother finding out
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that he was raised in a loving
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environment finding out that he would be
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willing to accept me and accept my
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family and that we could spend our lives
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together as friends next the story of
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how FBI surveillance on a quiet New
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Jersey suburb revealed a vast money
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laundering and cocaine distribution
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crime
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[Music]
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in the summer of 1986 a cat-and-mouse
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game between the FBI the notorious drug
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dealer played out in an unusual setting
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an affluent suburb of Cliffside Park New
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Jersey the FBI had managed to trace a
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money-laundering ring to its lair and
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they wanted to track these illegal
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millions to their source cocaine this
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quiet wealthy neighborhood would seem to
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be an unlikely place to find a criminal
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gang but its isolation and security was
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exactly what the mastermind of this
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money-laundering ring was looking for
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[Music]
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pedro Uribe was a 38 year old Colombian
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direct ties with the infamous medellin
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cartel ran his criminal organization
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with a ruthless hand just saw you hit
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Becky
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Pedro Uribe ran this organization by
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fear informant information tells us that
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one of his couriers lost 75 kilos of
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cocaine Uribe on hearing this had this
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individual as well as his family members
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murdered it later turned out that the
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man was innocent this only added to Yuri
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Bay's reputation for viciousness
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surveillance i-4 is ready in May of 1986
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the FBI decided to set up
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round-the-clock surveillance of several
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of Yuri base properties
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they soon learned that in order to keep
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the outward appearance of normalcy
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people posing as families were trucked
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in on weekends ironically the
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surveillance showed that these MOC
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families changed from week to week in
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the evenings in order to make these
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homes look less suspicious each was
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occupied by a live-in babysitter Uribe
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was also careful in selecting a style of
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house he occupied one of the primary
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features that they look for when renting
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these houses was an attached garage with
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an automatic garage door opener and if
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it didn't have it they did install one
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this was done so they could get in and
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out with different individuals and less
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chance of being seen by the neighbors
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using these houses as a base Uribe had
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developed a simple and seemingly
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foolproof money-laundering scheme
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low-level operative nicknamed Smurfs by
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the FBI were dispatched from the houses
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to banks throughout the New York
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metropolitan area yes could I please
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have a money order there for 1980
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dollars these Smurfs would then use
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small amounts of the illicit cash to buy
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legitimate money orders from many
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different banks at the height of the
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operation there were seven Smurfs
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identified that were money laundering
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$50,000 a day and during five working
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days they could money launderer up to
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two million dollars a week though the
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FBI knew Uribe was a money launderer
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they had yet to prove that he dumped
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cocaine but one day they got lucky on
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September 3rd 1986 outside of one of
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uribe safe houses agents observed a
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surreptitious delivery of some
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mysterious boxes gambling that there was
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cocaine hidden inside those boxes the
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FBI decided to try and catch Uribe
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red-handed
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the following night made their move
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bang we got 20 keys in there search of
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the house the FBI found 307 kilos of 95%
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pure cocaine wrapped in plastic bags the
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total amount of cocaine seized that
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night would have been worth seven
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million dollars on the street FBI agents
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searched Uribe's other safe houses one
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home a specially trained dog led the FBI
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directly to a large potted plant when
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the plant was examined the agents got a
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surprise they found eight hundred
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thousand dollars in cash covered with
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enough traces of cocaine to have
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attracted the dog's attention but
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unfortunately Uribe and his henchmen had
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been tipped off and managed to escape
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and today he and his associates are
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wanted men
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Pedro Uribe is believed to be regularly
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commuting between the United States and
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Colombia he was last spotted 1989 in New
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Jersey at a christening ceremony for a
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relative three of Yuri based partners in
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crime are also Colombian nationals they
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have been identified as Hugo bulb beam
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and two brothers Luis Nirvana Rango the
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three fled to Colombia but the FBI have
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reason to believe the Arango brothers
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are back in the New York area
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another Uribe henchman Miguel Villegas
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is believed to be in the Los Angeles
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area
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[Music]
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recently law enforcement officials in
00:17:43
Utah contacted us with an urgent request
00:17:46
police believe they are very close to
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solving one of the most appalling crimes
00:17:50
in the state's history they hope that
00:17:52
someone watching tonight may be able to
00:17:54
supply the final piece of evidence they
00:17:57
are offering a $20,000 reward for
00:17:59
information leading to a conviction in
00:18:01
this case
00:18:03
on August 26 1982 three year old Rachel
00:18:07
Runyon is abducted from a playground
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near her home in Sunset Utah 24 days
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later Rachel's body was found partially
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submerged in small creek about 20 miles
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from the playground
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eyewitnesses described rachel's abductor
00:18:25
as a black male in his 20s or 30s
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approximately six feet tall two and a
00:18:32
half years later police discovered a
00:18:34
gruesome message scrawled across a
00:18:36
bathroom all of the local all night read
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beware I'm still at large
00:18:42
I killed a little Runyan a memory beware
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message was signed with an upside-down
00:18:48
crucifix number six six six with the
00:18:52
upside-down cross and the triple six it
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indicates to us that there could very
00:18:58
well be a satanic cult involved in the
00:19:01
kidnapping of Rachel Runyon in recent
00:19:05
months investigators have uncovered even
00:19:07
more disturbing information Rachael's
00:19:09
case the new information that we have
00:19:12
received through an informant leads us
00:19:15
to believe that the motive behind the
00:19:17
kidnapping of Rachel Runyon was done for
00:19:20
making a movie of her being tortured and
00:19:24
her being sexually molested and
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exploited by these people that had
00:19:29
kidnapped her and being murdered
00:19:32
on what is commonly known as a snuff
00:19:34
movie in this photo
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rachel is wearing the same dress that
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she had on the day she was abducted
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police speculate that she may also be
00:19:43
wearing it in the film
00:19:49
next the story of a cunning Casanova who
00:19:52
is used at least 15 different aliases to
00:19:54
book lonely women of their savings
00:20:04
our next story profiles a particularly
00:20:07
devious con man police have nicknamed
00:20:09
him the sweetheart swindler he
00:20:12
victimizes women vulnerable divorces and
00:20:14
widows in their middle years one of his
00:20:17
victims a woman from Missouri whom we
00:20:19
will call sara has agreed to describe
00:20:21
her five-day ill-fated romance with a
00:20:23
sweetheart swindler it all began last
00:20:25
August with a phone call no miss
00:20:44
gentleman called me and he said that he
00:20:48
had met me look I've got and that he was
00:20:51
calling to see if I would go out and
00:20:52
have dinner with him how would that be I
00:20:54
was divorced at this time and I wasn't
00:20:57
in the habit of dating so it sounded
00:21:00
kind of pleasant to be able to go out
00:21:01
and have dinner at this particular time
00:21:04
and this is one reason why I agreed to
00:21:07
go have brunch the next morning I've
00:21:10
been divorced for a long time and I
00:21:11
raised my children myself so I work very
00:21:14
hard at brunch Sara quickly gave up her
00:21:16
effort to remember where she had met
00:21:17
Jerry before and simply enjoy the
00:21:19
conversation soon he had completely won
00:21:23
her think you understood at all I'm glad
00:21:25
we were finally able to get together
00:21:26
well I didn't know anything about you or
00:21:29
who you were but I enjoyed the brunch it
00:21:33
was pleasant and we decided to kind of
00:21:37
spend the day together
00:21:40
Jerry told Sarah he was in the jewelry
00:21:42
business on the road constantly with a
00:21:44
company Car and Driver he said he had
00:21:46
sent his driver to make a delivery in
00:21:48
another town was temporarily without a
00:21:50
car he told Sarah he was a widowed woman
00:21:53
very lonely he needed someone to share
00:21:56
his life traveling from one luxury hotel
00:21:58
to another dining at the best
00:21:59
restaurants
00:22:00
he confessed to Sarah that she was just
00:22:03
the type of woman he had been looking
00:22:04
for I wanted to believe him and all
00:22:09
these bright beautiful pictures that he
00:22:11
painted life really hasn't been easy for
00:22:15
me you know is really nice to think that
00:22:17
I'm maybe would be able to relax to
00:22:20
travel to have all these nice things and
00:22:23
I wouldn't have to work to me this was
00:22:25
appealing very appealing one of the
00:22:30
goals I made for myself before I died is
00:22:32
to visit all different states that same
00:22:35
evening Jeremy took Sarah and her
00:22:36
daughter Ellen out to dinner
00:22:38
Ellen was sketchily Jerry soon
00:22:40
ingratiated himself he impressed both
00:22:42
women when he brought out samples of the
00:22:44
jeweler and said he sold city to city
00:22:46
look at those rings stones are those
00:22:49
gorgeous Ellen here just trying that
00:22:52
little cocktail ring
00:22:55
little head say well compared to some of
00:22:58
the other stones I have it is may I try
00:23:01
one sure that's what two ways for us to
00:23:03
be warned look at it that's a real
00:23:05
diamond Frankie okay
00:23:07
I can't hurt its destructive was a
00:23:08
diamond Jerry did not make any sexual
00:23:14
advances the day after he and Sarah met
00:23:17
he began to plan their wedding he asked
00:23:20
her to go with him on a road trip which
00:23:22
would culminate in their marriage he was
00:23:25
the type of a man they took control this
00:23:28
was something that I liked I liked
00:23:29
someone to kind of take over take charge
00:23:32
I've got some checks coming from the
00:23:35
east coast
00:23:35
Jerry to Sarah that he would soon be
00:23:37
receiving several checks and that one
00:23:39
would be made out to her he wanted her
00:23:42
to deposit it in her account so that she
00:23:44
could pay her bill before they left but
00:23:46
Sarah had no way of knowing was that
00:23:48
Jerry had stolen the check from one of
00:23:50
his former girlfriends and made it out
00:23:52
to Sarah himself
00:23:57
late the next afternoon Gerry rush Sara
00:23:59
to the bank telling her the check had
00:24:01
just arrived at the last moment he asked
00:24:04
her to take out cash for him yes I'd
00:24:08
like to deposit this and I'd like to
00:24:09
withdraw $3,000 ma'am
00:24:12
this is an out-of-state check yes I'm
00:24:15
going to have to get my supervisors
00:24:17
approval coming in at that time
00:24:19
these Coast banks are closed I looked at
00:24:23
the check solid it was made of Sarah she
00:24:26
was a good customer and she was
00:24:28
insistent the check was good so I went
00:24:31
ahead and okay to check for her you have
00:24:33
a good day thank you thanks Mike I
00:24:35
appreciate it okay we were immediately
00:24:39
gonna start traveling we were going to
00:24:42
Nashville
00:24:43
greenie he was going to get my
00:24:44
engagement ring there and then we were
00:24:45
going to go on further east and when we
00:24:49
met up with his daughter and son then we
00:24:53
were gonna get married he told me he was
00:24:56
gonna buy me a five carat diamond
00:24:58
engagement ring that was quite a large
00:25:03
engagement ring that same afternoon just
00:25:10
four days after they had met Jerry and
00:25:12
Sarah are on the road to Tennessee and
00:25:14
Sara's car Jerry had invited Sarah's
00:25:17
daughter Ellen to go with
00:25:22
five minutes early don't worry about
00:25:25
okay now this is the picture it's
00:25:26
exactly where he said to be in Memphis
00:25:29
Jerry said he had a business meeting and
00:25:31
asked Sara and Alan to meet him in the
00:25:32
hotel lobby afterwards he never showed
00:25:35
up
00:25:36
wonderful I guess he should be coming we
00:25:40
waited around the hotel and after her a
00:25:43
couple hours I knew they wasn't coming
00:25:47
and as time went along I realized that
00:25:52
we had been taken I realized we were
00:25:56
being made fools right there I was angry
00:26:04
truly I was angry I really didn't know
00:26:09
what to do back in Missouri Sara found
00:26:14
out that the check Jerry had given her
00:26:16
was no good she had been count out a
00:26:18
three thousand dollars Sara finally went
00:26:21
to the local police to file a report
00:26:23
they discovered that Jerry had been
00:26:25
practicing the same scam all over the
00:26:27
country for at least two years since I
00:26:31
started my case I believe he's a suspect
00:26:34
in at least 22 or the cases and as many
00:26:37
as 15 different states unfortunately
00:26:40
probably only a third of the cases get
00:26:43
reported due to the to the victims being
00:26:45
embarrassed we think he locates victims
00:26:48
primarily through newspaper articles or
00:26:51
advertisements we've known that on
00:26:54
occasion he has access Lonely Hearts
00:26:57
clubs or mailers you have to understand
00:27:00
that that is all he does I can be very
00:27:03
very good at it that's how he makes his
00:27:05
living and one shouldn't particularly be
00:27:08
embarrassed by being pulled in by this
00:27:10
type of scam I mean a lot of women in my
00:27:12
line of work but I never know whether
00:27:14
they're interested in me or they're just
00:27:15
after my jewelry well I'm an attorney
00:27:18
and I'd like to see him stopped I'd like
00:27:20
to see him pay for it
00:27:21
I mean I know how I feel from all this
00:27:26
it's a very devastating feeling yeah
00:27:31
well well I can understand that well
00:27:33
maybe we can get together some other
00:27:34
time then
00:27:35
the sweethearts winter is still active
00:27:37
he has recently surfaced in Nevada
00:27:39
Colorado California and Washington State
00:27:42
using the aliases jerry roberto gamble
00:27:45
Robert Jake Oakland and 15 others he
00:27:49
left his latest victim in the lurch
00:27:50
after she had invited 60 guests to their
00:27:52
engagement party police believe he is
00:27:55
almost certainly involved in another
00:27:56
whirlwind romance at this very moment
00:27:58
and that the object of his affection
00:28:00
should watch her chequebook very
00:28:02
carefully these are bank surveillance
00:28:08
photos of the sweetheart swindler he is
00:28:11
between five five and five eight and
00:28:13
height weighs 150 to 160 pounds and is
00:28:16
around 48 years old he has a New York
00:28:19
accent his known own a 22 revolver today
00:28:23
Diaz made off with a total of 125
00:28:25
thousand dollars all in relatively small
00:28:28
amounts update the sweetheart swindler
00:28:34
has been captured on March 28th 1991
00:28:37
police in Kenosha Wisconsin arrested a
00:28:39
man calling himself Robert cook after he
00:28:42
allegedly romanced a woman and then
00:28:44
swindled her out of ten thousand dollars
00:28:48
at the time of kooks arrest police
00:28:50
recovered a dozen false identification
00:28:52
cards all issued in different aliases
00:28:54
from various states
00:28:56
they also found blank checks apparently
00:28:58
stolen from previous victims
00:29:02
[Music]
00:29:10
[Music]
00:29:18
flex the shocking story of a brutal
00:29:20
crimes that left four people dead in
00:29:22
less than 24 hours last March the FBI
00:29:34
asked unsolved mystery to help them
00:29:36
unravel one of the bloodiest and
00:29:37
cruelest crime sprees in the history of
00:29:39
Texas and Arkansas perhaps the most
00:29:41
frightening thing is if the FBI believes
00:29:43
that killers are two teenage boys who on
00:29:46
the surface appear innocent and harmless
00:29:50
Gainesville Texas a small bedroom
00:29:53
community 30 miles north of Dallas close
00:29:55
to the Arkansas Oklahoma border 10:00
00:30:00
a.m. March 7th 1988 just outside
00:30:04
Gainesville Tomi Mathews and Kenny Davis
00:30:06
local electricians see two teenagers
00:30:09
poking around their father-in-law's
00:30:10
Lincoln Continental when we first seen
00:30:15
him one the blonde
00:30:18
suspect was looking into the white
00:30:20
Lincoln like he was looking for a set of
00:30:22
keys or something
00:30:23
we made a u-turn and come back out the
00:30:26
drive and we stopped them in the
00:30:29
driveway in front of his house is there
00:30:32
a problem yeah there's a problem I don't
00:30:34
know what you're doing here well we we
00:30:39
needed to use the phone and well there's
00:30:41
not a phone in that color and there's
00:30:43
not anyone home so I think y'all need to
00:30:45
get out of here okay no problem we'll
00:30:49
just use the phone down by the store
00:30:55
they didn't act violent or look violent
00:30:58
you know they just look like two kids
00:31:01
running around getting into mischief you
00:31:04
know
00:31:07
10:15 the two boys walked toward the
00:31:10
intersection of County Road 131 and
00:31:12
Route six around 11:00 a.m. just 200
00:31:21
feet away from the intersection 23 year
00:31:23
old Dina Woodard and her one-year-old
00:31:25
son Cory returned home to their trailer
00:31:58
[Music]
00:32:00
somebody here hello
00:32:05
[Music]
00:32:10
1:10 p.m. Dina Woodard is found dead
00:32:13
brutally stabbed and nearly decapitated
00:32:16
with an axe miraculously her baby is
00:32:18
unharmed
00:32:20
from the appearance of everything out
00:32:23
there there was a struggle inside the
00:32:25
residence and they killed her and then
00:32:29
stole her two guns and left in her 1981
00:32:34
paper Dina wouldn't kill errs head
00:32:38
towards state highway 82 they drive 60
00:32:43
miles southeast to the small rural
00:32:44
community of farmersville texas when you
00:32:49
have a situation start developing like
00:32:51
this where the first victim is killed
00:32:53
then it's panic time they run to get
00:32:56
away and then it doesn't get any better
00:33:00
farther down the highway they go the
00:33:02
more involved they become and the more
00:33:04
killings that take place mid-afternoon
00:33:10
the killers approached the farmhouse of
00:33:13
85 year old Cecil Morrison and a 62 year
00:33:16
old son Cecil Leonard Morris howdy
00:33:20
can I use your telephone
00:33:23
[Music]
00:33:35
The Killers stay in the house between
00:33:37
one and three hours savagely torturing
00:33:40
and beating the two old men with a
00:33:42
weapon stolen from Deena Woodards car
00:33:44
they kill both men with a 22 rifle then
00:33:48
leave 5:00 p.m. a neighbor sees two
00:33:55
teenagers getting into the Morrisons
00:33:56
beige 1984 Chevrolet pickup truck
00:34:02
shortly after the boys drive off
00:34:05
mysteriously Deena waters blue
00:34:07
Thunderbird seems to have disappeared it
00:34:15
was not just a quick murder it was over
00:34:19
some period of time quite a battle going
00:34:21
on in that house and why they felt it
00:34:24
necessary to beat the old man and torch
00:34:27
them like I did we do not know 9 p.m.
00:34:31
Saratoga Arkansas 200 miles away from
00:34:35
the Morrisons farm the boys drive the
00:34:37
stolen pickup truck into the shallow
00:34:39
water of a lake then throw in Deena
00:34:41
woods guns
00:34:46
9:45 p.m. an eyewitness clearly sees a
00:34:50
teenager's three different times as he
00:34:52
drives his own truck back and forth
00:34:54
through Saratoga
00:34:57
[Music]
00:35:00
10 p.m. the boys walked to the trailer
00:35:03
of their 4th victim 29 year old Kenneth
00:35:06
old he is inside with his girlfriend
00:35:09
Brenda Gipson yeah my truck broke down
00:35:22
do you think you could give us a hand
00:35:26
yeah come on oh great thank Ken I didn't
00:35:30
think they was dangerous he thought they
00:35:32
was really sincere else he would have
00:35:34
never attempted to help them and when
00:35:39
they went out through the kitchen door I
00:35:41
looked at the window
00:35:48
and that was the last I saw him alive
00:35:55
10:15 p.m. the two teenagers drive away
00:35:58
with Kenneth's older in his 1983 Mustang
00:36:02
unfortunately Brenda Gibson does not get
00:36:04
a look at the boys faces sometime later
00:36:10
they arrive at Millwood Dam five miles
00:36:12
Moulton's trailer the truck should be
00:36:17
run over there
00:36:18
I think the cables are in the back okay
00:36:28
a man
00:36:30
ain't no truck around here what's going
00:36:34
on the two teenagers make their getaway
00:36:44
in Kenneth old ins Mustang leaving him
00:36:46
dead 9 a.m. the next day 200 miles west
00:36:55
of the spot where Kenneth old and lies
00:36:56
dead Oklahoma farmer bud Sprouse finds
00:36:59
old ins Mustang he also notices two sets
00:37:03
of footprints had done a lot of walking
00:37:06
by the side of the road there one of
00:37:09
them had 11 or 12
00:37:11
Timmy shoes other than were to be about
00:37:14
it a eight and a half penny shoe in less
00:37:19
than 24 hours the killer's had come full
00:37:21
circle starting in Gainesville Texas
00:37:23
going southeast to Farmersville then
00:37:26
northeast to Saratoga Arkansas
00:37:28
finally they returned West to Brown
00:37:31
Springs Oklahoma less than five miles
00:37:34
from where their bloody path started it
00:37:36
be questios why would they have returned
00:37:38
to within five miles of where they
00:37:40
commit the first murder we felt like we
00:37:43
were dealing with something here in our
00:37:45
own neighborhood after the two killers
00:37:49
completed their deadly circle by dumping
00:37:51
Holden's Mustang in the lake they seemed
00:37:54
to disappear without a trace
00:37:58
four months into the investigation
00:38:00
another important clue turned up Cecil
00:38:03
Morrison's grandson found an earring
00:38:05
that the FBI believes the killer's left
00:38:07
behind in his grandfather's pickup truck
00:38:09
this ear ring picked the skull being
00:38:12
carried by a bat and that was another
00:38:15
key break in this case the finding of
00:38:18
that earring in that truck we later ran
00:38:21
a photograph of that earring in the
00:38:24
Gainesville local paper and a young man
00:38:26
came forward and identified that ear
00:38:30
ring as belonging to him where did you
00:38:33
get the ear ring
00:38:35
a couple years ago okay you still have
00:38:38
their ring no sir I don't what's
00:38:42
happened to it I'll lend it to a friend
00:38:44
of mine a couple of months ago the boy
00:38:46
Lee Renfro has a 16 year old from
00:38:48
Gainesville he later told police he had
00:38:51
given the earring to another boy named
00:38:53
Caldwell who at the time lived in a
00:38:55
house less than 200 yards from Deena
00:38:57
Woodards trailer the callwell family had
00:39:00
moved out of state one month before
00:39:02
Deena Woodard was murdered they had
00:39:05
given me a lot of earrings and I would
00:39:09
borrow or take some from every once in a
00:39:11
while like whenever I didn't have one
00:39:13
but as far as that earring in particular
00:39:15
I have no idea I just can't remember on
00:39:19
the morning of the murder spree
00:39:20
witnesses had seen two teenage boys who
00:39:23
match the description of the killers
00:39:24
walking away from the call well house
00:39:28
this case has got to be solved as long
00:39:31
as the Sun goes unsolved there's still
00:39:35
that concern that we in the citizens
00:39:39
community have that there's still some
00:39:42
killers out there walking the streets
00:39:44
and who's to say when they might decide
00:39:48
to strike again and go on another crime
00:39:50
spree
00:40:03
[Music]
00:40:14
[Music]
00:40:19
last season we profiled a bank robber
00:40:22
was clumsy behavior during holdup
00:40:24
surname an unusual nickname authorities
00:40:28
call the robber fumbles and believe that
00:40:30
he may be responsible for as many as 33
00:40:33
bank robberies throughout Florida since
00:40:35
1984 they estimate that fumbles is
00:40:38
stolen an excess of $100,000 in the past
00:40:41
five years alone update the fumbles
00:40:46
robber has been captured within minutes
00:40:48
of our broadcast a clearwater florida
00:40:50
police department received a call from
00:40:52
one of our viewers recognized fumbles as
00:40:55
ross James Preston a 23 year old student
00:40:58
living in Clearwater on May 24th 1989
00:41:02
FBI agents clearwater police officers
00:41:05
and Pinellas County sheriff's deputies
00:41:06
arrested Preston body was test driving a
00:41:09
pickup truck
00:41:10
his search by warrant was made of the
00:41:13
vehicle mr. Preston was driving when he
00:41:16
was arrested inside the vehicle were
00:41:20
found the ball cap would be letters cap
00:41:23
on the cap also found for a pair of
00:41:26
gardening gloves and a pair of
00:41:29
sunglasses and a jacket these were very
00:41:34
similar to items which were observed
00:41:36
being worn by the bank robber we called
00:41:40
fumbles
00:41:42
on August 2nd Ross James pressed
00:41:44
admitted to committing 33 armed bank
00:41:46
robberies but as part of a plea bargain
00:41:49
is charged with only seven of the
00:41:50
holdups
00:41:51
he has since been sentenced to 25 years
00:41:53
in prison
00:41:54
[Music]
00:42:09
join me next week for another edition of
00:42:12
unsolved mysteries
00:42:14
[Music]
00:42:35
[Applause]
00:42:38
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 75
    Most emotional
  • 75
    Most intense

Episode Highlights

  • The Sweetheart Swindler
    A cunning con man uses multiple aliases to deceive lonely women into giving him their savings. One victim shares her harrowing experience with this charming fraudster.
    “Imagine learning you’ve been kidnapped as an infant.”
    @ 02m 05s
    May 21, 2019
  • The Mystery of Lars Harding Jr.
    Two teenage girls kidnapped ten-week-old Lars Harding Jr. in 1944, leaving his family devastated. Jeffrey Harding has spent decades searching for his brother, convinced he is still alive.
    “I wanted to make this right for them.”
    @ 07m 21s
    May 21, 2019
  • The Sweetheart Swindler
    Jerry, the swindler, practiced his scam across multiple states, leaving victims devastated.
    “He has been practicing the same scam all over the country for at least two years.”
    @ 26m 23s
    May 21, 2019
  • Capture of the Swindler
    On March 28, 1991, police arrested Robert Cook, a man behind numerous scams.
    “The sweetheart swindler has been captured.”
    @ 28m 34s
    May 21, 2019
  • Teenage Killers' Crime Spree
    Two teenage boys embark on a brutal crime spree, leaving a trail of victims.
    “The killers approached the farmhouse, savagely torturing and beating the two old men.”
    @ 33m 10s
    May 21, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • I always felt cheated that I couldn’t communicate with him.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes
  • I believe that this woman was a good Samaritan.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes
  • If there’s anything I dream about, it would be finding my brother.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes
  • I realized we were being made fools right there.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes
  • It's a very devastating feeling.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes
  • Watch her chequebook very carefully!
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 18 - Full Episodes

Key Moments

  • Unsolved Mysteries00:03
  • Search for Brother01:07
  • Tragic Abduction18:07
  • Sweetheart Swindler20:07
  • Engagement Ring Scam24:58
  • Police Report Filed26:21
  • Swindler's Capture28:34
  • Teenage Killers29:41

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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