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[Music]
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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 a special two-hour
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edition unsolved mysteries a strange and
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mysterious saga of the Circleville
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letters for 18 years residents of a
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small town in Ohio and in deluge with
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anonymous death threats slanderous
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accusations and even a lethal booby trap
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many believe this vicious campaign has
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led to the death of one man the unjust
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imprisonment of another from England the
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spellbinding case is not only in the
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grand tradition of Agatha Christie it's
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about Agatha herself in 1926 as her
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marriage was unraveling the best-selling
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mystery writer of all time vanished
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without a trace leaving the authorities
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to figure out who's done it and why in
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December of 1991 21 year-old Tommy
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Burkett was found shot to death in his
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bedroom just minutes after arriving at
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the scene investigators told Tommy's
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parents that their son had committed
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suicide but now Tommy's mother and
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father believe they have unearthed the
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chilling scenario of murder which may
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implicate the local police legend has it
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that beneath the remote chilly waters of
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Lake Michigan lies a sunken fortune five
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chest stuffed with golden bullion worth
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millions
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tonight we'll join a dangerous
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underwater quest to find a Poverty
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Island treasure also tonight we'll take
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you to the phone center a very special
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milestone the solving of our 200th
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mystery
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and a very special update the reunion of
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a gr and the buddy who saved his life in
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Vietnam
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join me for two hours of intriguing
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cases a celebration of 200 songs
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unsolved mysteries
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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in December of 1993 unsolved mysteries
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received this postcard it is not exactly
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in the vein of our usual viewer mail the
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card read forgets Circleville Ohio do
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nothing to hurt Sheriff Radcliffe if you
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come to Ohio you el sickos will pay the
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Circleville writer it's not often that
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we become part of a story were
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investigating but in this case it didn't
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come as a total surprise for the past 18
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years residents in and around
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Circleville Ohio have received literally
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thousands of bizarre letters and
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postcards they represent an insidious
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campaign of character assassination
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which some believe is left one man dead
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and another unfairly imprisoned
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Circleville Ohio 30 miles south of
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Columbus is a place that rarely attracts
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outside attention in fact the town's
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main claim to fame is his annual pumpkin
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show for years Circleville was a stable
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workaday community then in 1976 the
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letters started one of the very first
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letters if not the first letter was
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received by Mary Gillespie a school bus
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driver telling her that the letter
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writer was aware that she was having an
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affair with the superintendent of
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schools and that it had better stop in
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addition to allegations of an affair the
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letter carried an ominous threat I know
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where you live I've been observing your
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house and know you have children this is
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no joke please take it serious
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the envelope is postmarked Columbus Ohio
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there was no return address
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outside no signature inside no way to
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tell whether it came from a man or a
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woman within eight days Barry Gillespie
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had received another letter similar in
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tone Mary Mary apparently kept the
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letters to herself until her husband Ron
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received one as well all right I already
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got two of these okay and I didn't say
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anything because it's not true no that's
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not why didn't you say something because
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I thought they would just go away
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and this letter addressed to Ron
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Gillespie told him that if he didn't do
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something to stop this affair that his
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life was undoubtedly in danger
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the alleged affair was a rumor
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tailor-made to set any small town on his
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ear
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the superintendent of schools and a
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school bus driver soon the anonymous
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writer was threatening to go public
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Gillespie you have had two weeks and
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done nothing make your admit the truth
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and inform the school board if not I
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will broadcast it on CBS posters signs
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and billboards until the truth comes out
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Mary and Ron evidently confided in three
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family members Ron's sister her husband
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Paul fresh our and Paul's sister what
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was that movie it was in black and white
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where they wrote letters they thought
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they knew the suspects were so they
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wrote letters to them I know who you are
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Mary had some ideas about who was
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sending the letters and she had a plan
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we know who you are
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we thought we'd you know scre the guy we
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did four or five litters only you know
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nothing there was no violence and
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everything just that we knew who he was
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and what he was doing and we sending the
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letters for a while the plan worked the
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threatening letters stopped then on
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August 19th 1977 Ron Gillespie got a
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phone call who is this
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no you listen to me we're sick of this
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okay no more letters no more phone calls
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we're sick of the whole thing just end
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it all right no one knows what the
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caller actually said but the call
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apparently confirmed wrong suspicions
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about the identity of the letter writer
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he told the children he was going out he
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was going to confront the letter writer
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he took his weapon he did not seem to be
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drunk I said goodbye to his children and
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went out in the heat of the moment
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Ron Gillespie ran to the family's red
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and white pickup even though the letter
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writer had often referred to the fact
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that he or she was watching that truck
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perhaps Ron didn't remember perhaps he
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was too angry to cared
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[Music]
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within a short distance of an
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intersection that he knew very well he
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lost control of the vehicle hit a tree
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and was killed
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[Music]
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somewhere in between leaving the house
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and hitting that tree his gun had fired
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one shot and there was never any
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explanation for when or how at whom that
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gun could have been fired Pickaway
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County Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe would
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have time to be interviewed for this
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story
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supposedly investigated and eliminated
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at least one suspect he then ruled Ron
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Gillespie's death an accident but
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several Circleville residents soon
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received anonymous letters saying that
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sheriff Radcliffe was perpetrating a
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cover-up first of all the sheriff agree
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with me there was foul play and then
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when I contact him again he'd changed
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his attitude completely then he was
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telling me that it wasn't foul play that
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it was the suspect had passed a
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polygraph test
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Gillespie had point one six percent
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alcohol which it would in Ohio be one
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and a half times the legal limit most
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people I've talked to you said that he
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was not a heavy drinker and were
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surprised by that that kind of finding
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was Ron Gillespie's death an accident
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was he really drunk that night and why
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had one bullet been fired from his
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handgun six years after the death of Ron
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Gillespie the Circleville Ohio ladder
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rider was still waging his or her
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vicious campaign the initial targets
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Ron's wife Mary in the Superintendent of
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Schools eventually acknowledged a
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relationship but both claimed that had
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begun after the letters rather than
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before Mary was still driving a school
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bus to support her family in 1983 the
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letter writer began to put up signs
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along her bus route
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finally Mary's daughter was targeted
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Mary Gillespie had had enough she ripped
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the sign down much to her surprise
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behind the sign was this box and some
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some string and it also another post
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that was attached to the fence post
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she took it into the bus and she opened
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up this rather unusual sized box as she
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opened it up there was a small pistol on
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closer examination Mary realized that it
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was a crude booby trap designed to fire
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the gun at her an amateurish attempt had
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been made to rub the serial number off
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the handgun when lab tests were able to
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raise it again the case took an
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incredible turn the gun belonged to Mary
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Gillespie's brother-in-law Paul fresh
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our who had just split up with Ron's
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sister I admitted the gun was mine but I
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hadn't seen it for a long time I'd had
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no reason to check up on her anything
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and I don't know when it come up missing
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I really don't know what happened to it
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and I told him and that's you know it's
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the truth mm-hmm that's how it was on
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February 25th 1983 sheriff Radcliffe
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called Paul fresh hour in for
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questioning and asked him to take a
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handwriting test under the impression he
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was helping to protect another family
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member Paul agreed the sheriff told him
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only that the missing gun was somehow
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linked to the Circleville letters I want
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you to copy as closely as you can on a
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tab what you see he would give me an
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actual letter and asked me maybe do the
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envelope part just as near as I could in
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the envelope and then on some he would
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take the actual letter out and have me
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to do him as near as I could on the
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letters from what you know from right
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there in front of me and I did him
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because I knew I wasn't responsible for
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the letters and I knew that evidence
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confirming
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and then he dictated letters and he
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asked me to you know recopy in my mind
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the same way when this dictation is I
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had recopy from the actual letters and
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envelopes everyone is talking he made
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sure that I did him you know in the
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reference of Hydra copied him because
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that was very important to him
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and I did the best I could and turn
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everything into it that is not the
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proper way to test to see if someone has
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a certain writing style because if
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they're copying from a letter they're
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going to try to emulate the style so and
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the experts said that the testing was
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was improper so they didn't really say
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that these letters were written by Paul
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fresh hour they said that they could
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have been after the handwriting test a
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still unsuspecting Paul fresh hour took
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sheriff Radcliffe to his garage
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sometimes I used to keep it up here and
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then on top of the frigerator Paul
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showed the sheriff or he had kept his
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gun afterwards the two men returned to
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the courthouse he called in the
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prosecutor and told the prosecutor that
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was my writing on the booby-trap and
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then the prosecutor as the one that
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actually told me that that there was a
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booby-trap found and I was under arrest
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for attempted murder and placed on a
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fifty thousand dollar cash bond
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on October 24th 1983 Paul fresh shower
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went on trial for the attempted murder
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of his sister-in-law Mary Gillespie he
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said even though Paul wasn't charged
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with writing the threatening letters
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they became a crucial part of the
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evidence against him what you were about
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to hear is verbatim testimony from court
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transcripts and did you explain to the
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handwriting analyst how you went about
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obtaining the samples yes I did and did
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he indicate which part of these he would
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actually use in his analysis the ones we
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dictated were the ones that would be
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used for comparison not the ones he
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copied it is my opinion that the
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handwriting on the envelopes documents
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and postcards were printed by the same
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person it being a known handwriting or
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hand printing app all fresh our have you
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at any time
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suspected a defendant of being the one
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responsible for writing these letters
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and putting these signs up not at first
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well when was your first indication that
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you had where someone indicated that it
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could possibly be him it was August of
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1982 and his wife came to see me and
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indicated it might be a possibility this
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is the weekly time record for Paul fresh
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hour for the week ending to 1283 and
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what days was Paul fresh hour working in
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that week
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mr. fresh our work Tuesday Wednesday
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Thursday and Friday of that week did he
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work Monday no he did not
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and the Monday in question was the very
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day that Mary Gillespie had found the
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sign and booby-trap even though Paul
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fresh hour had an alibi for almost the
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entire day he never took the stand in
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his own defense it was a decision which
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Paul would come to regret we the jury
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find the defendant Paul L fresh hour
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guilty of attempted murder we further
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find and specified that the defendant
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did add firearm under his control
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I couldn't believe why I was just in
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shock and I know they they put in some
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good evidence in
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there was evidence withheld but still
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yet I mean you know I can't blame the
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jury because the jury didn't hear all
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the evidence but I was just I just
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couldn't leave it I was really in shock
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you know and I was probably in shock for
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a year after his in prison unbelievable
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Paul fresh shower was given the maximum
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sentence for attempted murder seven to
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25 years everyone is soon Paul had
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written the Circleville letters and
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everyone assumed that with Paul behind
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bars the letters would stop everyone was
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wrong they were being received all over
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a large area of Central Ohio so a lot of
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people couldn't understand how Paul
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fresh R could be mailing all these
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letters from prison following repeated
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complaints from Sheriff Radcliffe Paul
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was placed in solitary confinement still
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the letters continued all of them were
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postmarked Columbus even though Paul was
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imprisoned in Lima Ohio 200 miles away
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he grew into a single man cell and
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that's it you know it's nothing in there
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with you no pencils no papers no nothing
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restrictions you wouldn't believe
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pat-down
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self searches visit monitoring mail in
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going out calling Mel always examined
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and tested and maybe some days I'd get
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my mail maybe some days I wouldn't we
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have of course reviewed your file in
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preference to your visit with us today
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and although we find some nice things
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about you in the file there are also
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some things that concern us a great deal
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after seven years in prison
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Paul fresh hour became eligible for
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parole in the weeks preceding his
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hearing the volume of anonymous letters
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increased dramatically
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despite the Columbus postmarks the
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letters worked against Paul and he was
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denied parole even though he was
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universally regarded as a model prisoner
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a few days later the letter writers
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sadistically wrote a letter to Paul
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himself
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now when you're going to believe you
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aren't going to get out of there I told
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you two years ago when we set them up
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they stay set up don't you listen at all
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no one wants you out no one the joke is
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on you ha ha
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full-scale investigations were conducted
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twice possibly three times during which
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Paul fresh hour was put into isolation
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and the warden of the prison he was in
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during one of these investigations then
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wrote a letter to Paul's wife saying
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that as far as he was concerned it was
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impossible for Paul to be writing these
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letters and sending them from prison
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[Music]
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when Martin yet reviewed the sheriff's
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investigative file the uncovered
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evidence never mentioned at the trial
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which he believes might have kept Paul
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fresh our out of prison altogether Mary
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Gillespie told the sheriff that one of
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the other bus drivers told her that she
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had been driving that same Road about 20
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minutes before Mary Gillespie found that
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booby-trap at exactly that site and when
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she went by that very same intersection
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there was a yellow El Camino parked
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there a large man with sandy hair was
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standing there when he saw her come he
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turned around and acted like he was
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going to the bathroom or something but
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seemed also to be avoiding any kind of
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identification
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the description of the individual does
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not fit all fresh hour at all and Paul
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had a very solid alibi for this time of
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day there was no attempt at all to
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follow up on that lead and if they had
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as I say they would have found that
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another possible suspect in this case
00:21:02
had a brother who had a yellow El Camino
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in May of 1994 Paul fresh shower was
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finally granted parole after serving 10
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years to this day he staunchly maintains
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his innocence and he is sure that the
00:21:21
real criminal is still at large I
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probably like to see some really look at
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this case and own the letters reopen the
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latter part of it and can find out who
00:21:32
wrote the letters I'd also like to see
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someone look into this - my former
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brother-in-law Stef look I haven't you
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know that's that's not my family anymore
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and you know that's my past I'm not even
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gonna look back at it I've got a new
00:21:44
family and a new future but I still
00:21:46
would like to see someone look at that
00:21:47
accident real close and the letters and
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that's that's what I'd really ask
00:21:56
so many questions remain in this most
00:21:59
bizarre case who did write the
00:22:03
Circleville letters at whom that Ron
00:22:07
Gillespie fire his gun
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[Music]
00:22:10
did that person kill Ron
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who was responsible for the booby trap
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found by Mary Gillespie and finally who
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stole Paul fresh ours pistol when we
00:22:30
return Agatha Christie the world's most
00:22:33
renowned mystery behind becomes a focal
00:22:35
point of her own tantalizing unsolved
00:22:38
mystery in 1823 the poet Lord Byron
00:22:48
wrote truth is always strange stranger
00:22:51
than fiction just over a century later
00:22:54
the great mystery writer Agatha Christie
00:22:56
authors such famous novels as Murder on
00:22:59
the Orient Express and 10 Little Indians
00:23:01
would prove that Byron was right
00:23:03
you see when Agatha was 36 years old she
00:23:06
became the subject of her own real life
00:23:08
unsolved mystery demonstrating the truth
00:23:11
is not only stranger than fiction often
00:23:14
is directly related
00:23:19
on the morning of December 4th 1926
00:23:22
Agatha Christie's car was found
00:23:24
abandoned about an hour's drive from her
00:23:26
home on the outskirts of London Agatha
00:23:29
had apparently vanished into thin air
00:23:31
but some suspected the worst that her
00:23:34
husband Archie had done her in the press
00:23:39
was fascinated
00:23:40
so was the public Agatha was a famous
00:23:43
woman she was known to be a mistress of
00:23:45
mysteries this was a real-life mystery
00:23:48
[Music]
00:23:50
the story was taken up with great Glee
00:23:52
by newspapers around England what had
00:23:55
become of Agatha Christie how could one
00:23:58
of the most well known women in the
00:23:59
country have disappeared off the face of
00:24:01
the earth she was born Agatha Millar in
00:24:07
1890 her father was a wealthy American
00:24:10
her mother a proper British lady Agatha
00:24:13
was raised in the moneyed upper-middle
00:24:15
class of English society in 1914
00:24:20
Agatha broken existing engagement to
00:24:22
marry Colonel Archibald Christie a
00:24:24
dashing pilot in the Royal Flying Corps
00:24:27
Archie had pursued Agatha aggressively
00:24:29
even though many thought they were
00:24:31
opposites in every way everybody tells
00:24:35
me it's a bad idea it's the war they get
00:24:38
married on Christmas Day and he
00:24:40
immediately goes off to the war a very
00:24:44
very traditional and romantic tale
00:24:47
[Music]
00:24:50
while Archie was fighting in the skies
00:24:52
over France
00:24:53
Agatha worked as a nurse and in her
00:24:55
spare time launched her writing career
00:24:57
creating the famous Belgian detective
00:24:59
hf2
00:25:01
travel tag ah--this first book published
00:25:06
four years after the war was called the
00:25:09
mysterious affair at styles that first
00:25:14
book was a sensation she didn't expect
00:25:16
anything like that and nobody expected
00:25:20
it from a rather plump lass and ordinary
00:25:22
looking girl it was 8 when she hit the
00:25:25
jackpot straightaway the next three or
00:25:29
four books did a little better each time
00:25:30
and then with her fifth book the murder
00:25:34
of Roger Ackroyd she really hits the big
00:25:36
time in 1926
00:25:40
Agatha Archie and the young daughter
00:25:42
Rosalind move into a mansion which they
00:25:44
named Stiles after Agatha's first novel
00:25:48
Archie had been successful in his own
00:25:50
right
00:25:51
a retired war hero turned investment
00:25:53
banker on the surface the Christie's
00:25:56
looked like the picture-perfect family
00:26:00
but she was a real stockbroker he was a
00:26:03
British proper upper-crust
00:26:05
boring man who looked good he was
00:26:09
extremely conventional go for the
00:26:13
weekend care to join me I don't believe
00:26:15
I can as well
00:26:17
Agatha looked conventional but inside
00:26:19
she wasn't inside she wanted more
00:26:23
later in 1926 when Agatha's mother Clara
00:26:27
died the strain civility of Agatha and
00:26:30
Archie's marriage correct Agatha was
00:26:33
absolutely distraught from the death of
00:26:35
her mother
00:26:36
I think she panned really never left the
00:26:38
mother side and this is possibly one of
00:26:41
the reasons why the marriage wasn't a
00:26:42
great success that she still remained
00:26:45
very much a family girl and when the
00:26:47
mother died it really unhinged her a bit
00:26:50
pegye that took Rosalind and her nanny
00:26:53
to ash field rambling and partying home
00:26:55
where I gotta have grown up ostensibly
00:26:59
the move was tempered to sort through
00:27:01
her late mother's possessions but had
00:27:03
dragged on for weeks
00:27:04
Archie stayed away Agatha's grief for
00:27:07
her mother was too deep to fathom at 36
00:27:13
I think most women would know and others
00:27:16
but with agony she wasn't just sorrow it
00:27:18
was something approaching melancholia it
00:27:21
was an almost pathological condition I
00:27:23
think
00:27:25
and so she lived at ashfield in this
00:27:29
terrible sense of disorientation
00:27:32
physical stress with no one to confide
00:27:36
in looking forward to the point when
00:27:38
Archie would come down and celebrate
00:27:41
with her their daughter's birthday
00:27:43
I thought please do sit down the
00:27:46
birthday celebration did not play out
00:27:48
his peg Arthur hurt her
00:27:50
Agatha I want you to give me a divorce a
00:27:54
divorce that's what I want no Archie
00:27:58
absolutely not never that's what I want
00:28:01
Agatha I will not be moved
00:28:05
it seemed that Archie had become
00:28:08
involved with a woman named Nancy neele
00:28:11
well this was absolutely the devastation
00:28:14
for her she had been betrayed she never
00:28:17
thought that a man could do this to her
00:28:19
I think she would have even lived
00:28:21
without she having a mistress but the
00:28:24
fact that he wanted to divorce her
00:28:25
destroyed her in a last-ditch effort to
00:28:29
save her marriage
00:28:30
Agatha took Rosalind and moved back home
00:28:33
I think you should stay at Stiles this
00:28:42
weekend Watchi
00:28:43
we could spend some time alone together
00:28:48
[Music]
00:28:52
excuse me on December 3rd 1926
00:29:02
Archie took off alone bound for a
00:29:04
weekend house party by some accounts
00:29:07
Archie and Agatha argued bitterly before
00:29:10
he left
00:29:10
Agatha must have suspected the plan to
00:29:13
rendezvous
00:29:19
with Archie gone Agatha was left to stew
00:29:22
in her own misery either at 9:30 at
00:29:28
night or around 11 o'clock at night
00:29:29
according to different reports she left
00:29:32
the house in something of a state the
00:29:37
maids were alarmed by the way she went
00:29:39
out we know that she took with her at a
00:29:44
small traveling case and that she wore
00:29:47
her fur coat
00:29:51
Agatha left behind at least two notes
00:29:53
one was addressed to her secretary
00:29:55
asking that she cancel Agatha's weekend
00:29:57
appointments another of unknown content
00:30:01
storge different tenant right everybody
00:30:11
got comes look the next Mort
00:30:13
Agatha's abandoned car was found just an
00:30:15
hour's drive from Styles again the exact
00:30:19
time seems to be in doubt it had gone
00:30:22
off the side of the road it was not
00:30:23
turned over there had been no big
00:30:25
accident
00:30:26
a local man found the car on his way to
00:30:28
work sir the license was in her case
00:30:31
that's how we know it's mrs. Christie
00:30:33
coats turn the car sir
00:30:35
all night to be out without a coat very
00:30:37
cold indeed sir I'm sis no luggage sir
00:30:45
one small bag
00:30:49
three dresses two pairs of shoes and
00:30:54
this very nice Thank You constable
00:31:00
Archie Christine had been tracked down
00:31:02
at his house party he made an
00:31:04
unfortunate appearance the very moment
00:31:07
the authorities are beginning to suspect
00:31:09
foul play
00:31:21
superintendent Chris take all these
00:31:25
people oh just the curious they got to
00:31:30
be here today to start them now sir they
00:31:32
know that just do it already
00:31:33
Colonel Christie have you any idea where
00:31:36
your wife might be no sir none I'm two
00:31:39
clue pardon me for asking but where were
00:31:46
you last night I was away but friends
00:31:50
you
00:31:51
yes superintendent I was
00:32:01
excuse me sorry to both you've just one
00:32:03
question whatever I know is just one
00:32:05
question
00:32:05
what's the kernel asking for it to the
00:32:08
press had already gotten wind of the
00:32:12
superintendent went to stein is the
00:32:14
question Agatha secretary and other
00:32:16
staff members no one was able to shed
00:32:19
any light on Agatha's strange
00:32:21
disappearance yes sir I have
00:32:26
vigorous attempts to find a body there
00:32:29
is a small pool nearby called silent
00:32:31
pool which Agatha in fact used in one of
00:32:34
her previous stories and this is dragged
00:32:37
I think least twice they enrolled the
00:32:43
public and I think even parts of the
00:32:45
Army in kind of beating the bushes quite
00:32:47
literally Dorothea sayers and her
00:32:50
husband engaged in this very activity so
00:32:53
there were days of searching meanwhile
00:32:56
press is trying to investigate every
00:32:58
angle on the case they very rapidly get
00:33:03
on to the Nancy neele angle that is to
00:33:07
say they start putting two and two
00:33:08
together Colonel Christie wasn't at home
00:33:11
and plot they start to evolve is in fact
00:33:15
a murder plot possibly a suicide plot
00:33:18
she's been driven to suicide by the
00:33:20
cruelty of her husband and his
00:33:21
infidelity Oh even more interesting she
00:33:27
is refusing to divorce him and so he
00:33:29
decides to make away with her
00:33:31
and the fact that so many of the
00:33:33
elements in the situation mirror Agatha
00:33:38
Christie's own published fiction makes
00:33:41
the whole thing so much more fascinating
00:33:46
fascinating indeed all the more so when
00:33:49
witnesses came forward to say they had
00:33:52
seen Agatha Christie
00:33:53
the first workman named Ernest cross was
00:33:56
trekking to his job on the morning of
00:33:58
Agatha's disappearance you were why mom
00:34:01
what are you doing here cross said I
00:34:04
Gotha seem distraught she wore only a
00:34:07
thin dress despite the chilly weather I
00:34:09
can't I cannot really will you oh please
00:34:16
shorten it very good very good I'll just
00:34:19
get in
00:34:24
[Music]
00:34:34
according to ernest cross method rove
00:34:37
off in the opposite direction from
00:34:38
Newlands corner the village where her
00:34:40
car would later be found the plot
00:34:46
thickened in fact if the Christie was
00:34:48
dead
00:34:49
she certainly had a strange habit of
00:34:50
popping up all over the country since
00:34:52
man can you tell me where I am
00:34:54
yes ma'am you're in Guildford in Surrey
00:34:58
is that the Train yes - railroad porters
00:35:02
and spoke with Agatha our south station
00:35:04
and guilty assumed she had boarded a
00:35:06
train thank you 11 days later the final
00:35:14
chapter of Agatha's adventure would be
00:35:15
acted out the scene an elegant health
00:35:19
spa and Harrogate 200 miles from her
00:35:22
home
00:35:23
an alert musician in the dance band
00:35:25
notified authorities at paga the
00:35:27
christie using an assumed name was a
00:35:29
guest at the spa
00:35:31
the superintendent wasted no time
00:35:34
bringing Archie Christie up to Harrogate
00:35:37
why wait right here in the foyer says
00:35:40
she'll have to pass through you well
00:35:42
movie soother how long do i wait until
00:35:47
she passes by sir
00:36:01
[Music]
00:36:08
I get from
00:36:12
our dear brother you come to take me
00:36:16
home brother
00:36:18
Archie it's so good to see you for
00:36:20
reasons known only to herself
00:36:22
Agatha at first identified Archie as her
00:36:25
brother and using the cloud her husband
00:36:26
and Sachin everywhere for you
00:36:28
please thought you were dead is this
00:36:30
your wife colonel yes it is this is
00:36:33
Christy hello I have the please we must
00:36:37
talk come with me here what I would like
00:36:44
to know is what happened when Archie she
00:36:46
went upstairs that night and they sat in
00:36:49
that room all night talking I mean
00:36:51
didn't did they give each other hell or
00:36:53
what that's what I think nobody of
00:36:56
course will know and did he say well I
00:36:59
have no intention of ever coming back to
00:37:00
you I think he must have because that
00:37:04
was the emam that was the tragic moment
00:37:06
that not a gopher and Archie made their
00:37:13
getaway from this problem
00:37:14
amid nearly hysterical press both
00:37:20
refused to comment about Agatha's
00:37:21
mysterious disappearance so reporters
00:37:24
all over England began to
00:37:26
furiously backed up by idath his doctors
00:37:30
and encouraged by her family the press
00:37:32
at last concluded that Agatha Christie
00:37:34
had been suffering from amnesia
00:37:38
I believe that Christie had a definitive
00:37:43
and terrible fight with her husband it
00:37:45
drove her over the edge
00:37:47
she had been depressed now she becomes
00:37:49
on some level psychotic she is not
00:37:53
herself she takes on another identity
00:37:56
she wanders on she gets on the train she
00:38:00
takes another name she and she goes into
00:38:03
this hotel and she lives another life
00:38:04
dear brother you come to take me home
00:38:06
that's very very very rare but it's it's
00:38:09
known it's documented in the annals of
00:38:12
psychology and we know that Agatha
00:38:14
Christie was an unusual woman well I
00:38:18
think and from my elderly age I think
00:38:22
she plotted and planned it from the
00:38:24
start it was she went to the only thing
00:38:28
she knew she went use the media that she
00:38:30
knew which was revenge
00:38:32
mystery possibility of murder she
00:38:39
checked into this hotel under the name I
00:38:42
think I think she's just madly family
00:38:43
subjecting using the name of the
00:38:46
girlfriend Neal table for one for Teresa
00:38:48
new I think she took end us tonight in
00:38:52
effect - please shadow doubt she poor
00:38:55
Archie had a hell of a life
00:38:57
he couldn't go anywhere because they
00:38:58
suspected him of murdering her and I
00:39:01
think she took marvellous delight and
00:39:04
readings in the papers again I think in
00:39:07
their sort of revenge and twisted up
00:39:09
sort of way she was thinking that he was
00:39:12
very funny Agatha and Archie Christie
00:39:17
quickly went their separate ways
00:39:19
Agatha married eminent archaeologist max
00:39:22
Mullen in nineteen thirty two years
00:39:25
after Archie had Wed
00:39:26
Nancy neele by all accounts both couples
00:39:29
had long happy marriages Agatha Christie
00:39:35
went on to write more than 100 novels
00:39:37
becoming the best-selling mystery writer
00:39:39
of all time in her later years Agatha
00:39:42
also wrote her autobiography but it
00:39:44
would not be published until after her
00:39:45
death in 1975 Agatha's curious fans had
00:39:49
waited 50 years to have restrained
00:39:51
disappearance explained once and for all
00:39:53
but she wrote not one word about it
00:39:56
Agatha Christie mistress of mystery to
00:39:59
the end had taken her secret to the
00:40:01
grave next a very special celebration
00:40:07
the soul of our two hundred
00:40:11
[Music]
00:40:18
for the past seven years the phone
00:40:20
center has been an integral part of our
00:40:22
operation providing the crucial link
00:40:24
with you our viewers recently activity
00:40:28
at the phone center took on added
00:40:29
excitement as we counted down to a very
00:40:32
special milestone the solving of our
00:40:35
200th mystery since our first broadcast
00:40:40
in 1987 seems like this had become a
00:40:43
familiar and welcomed sight thanks to
00:40:46
your alert tips more than 100 fugitives
00:40:49
have been captured all across the
00:40:51
country
00:40:51
and even in such faraway places at
00:40:54
Panama and Central America and the
00:40:56
island of American Samoa in the South
00:40:58
Pacific
00:41:02
no less important or the heartfelt
00:41:04
release of separated family members
00:41:06
long-lost friends to date your calls
00:41:10
have helped to solve 63% of our lost
00:41:12
love cases the success rate beyond our
00:41:15
wildest dreams as we approach the magic
00:41:20
number of 200 each call to the phone
00:41:23
center was met with rising anticipation
00:41:25
and the final songs reflected the
00:41:27
diversity of our show a mother and
00:41:30
daughter separated by adoption in 1937 a
00:41:34
man wanted for murder a suspected con
00:41:39
artist two sisters would not seen each
00:41:43
other in more than 20 years
00:41:44
[Music]
00:41:49
and now there are two hundred all made
00:41:52
possible by you our viewers since today
00:41:56
is Veterans Day it seems only
00:41:57
appropriate that we celebrate our 200th
00:41:59
song with the uplifting story of a
00:42:02
friendship forged by the difficulties of
00:42:03
war in 1964 nineteen year-old Mitchell
00:42:10
Sugimoto of Honolulu Hawaii made it
00:42:13
through a rigorous training course to
00:42:15
join the prestigious 173rd Airborne
00:42:17
Division's of the United States Army
00:42:23
the next year Mitchell and his unit were
00:42:25
transferred to Vietnam at the front
00:42:28
within the ranks of his own army
00:42:30
Mitchell ran into a strange bias he
00:42:33
looked just like the enemy move on jet
00:42:36
hey you got a problem yeah I don't serve
00:42:39
zipper heads come on
00:42:47
why don't you just do the job and serve
00:42:49
the soldier I just relax but one soldier
00:42:51
James Pierson stood up for Mitchell all
00:42:54
right Mitchell and James have become
00:42:58
best friends when they were posted in
00:43:00
Okinawa enroute to Vietnam in January
00:43:07
2nd 1966 their unit ran into heavy fire
00:43:14
when Mixel Sugimoto caught a bullet in
00:43:17
the fine
00:43:18
James Pearson came to the rescue there
00:43:24
was one sniper they was keying in on us
00:43:26
James
00:43:27
took a position right in front of me
00:43:29
just like he was trying to block off the
00:43:31
shots in the Jews actually saved my life
00:43:35
what I say to him I said James and I
00:43:39
never had a chance to thank you
00:43:40
personally I want to thank you now I
00:43:43
really appreciate everything that he did
00:43:45
for me what James did from Mitchell was
00:43:49
against regulations he and another
00:43:52
soldier temporarily left the firing line
00:43:54
in order to carry Mitchell to safety a
00:43:56
few weeks later Mitchell was sent home
00:43:59
to Hawaii he never saw James Pearson
00:44:02
again I never had the opportunity
00:44:04
properly thanked the man who saved his
00:44:07
life after our broadcast all that would
00:44:12
change in a most remarkable way a viewer
00:44:15
in San Bernardino California retired
00:44:18
lieutenant colonel truman plants took it
00:44:20
upon himself to track down James Pierson
00:44:22
one week later
00:44:24
Lieutenant Colonel plants found him in
00:44:26
Chicago and before long James his
00:44:29
fiancee and his two grown daughters are
00:44:32
on their way to Hawaii to visit Mitchell
00:44:34
Sugimoto and his family
00:44:38
as Michels relatives gathered to welcome
00:44:40
James the two old comrades caught their
00:44:43
first glimpse of one another nearly 30
00:44:46
years
00:44:48
[Music]
00:44:52
yeah
00:44:54
[Music]
00:44:59
it's great to see great decision still
00:45:02
of the thing joy evidence
00:45:11
and just wait to see that I had to
00:45:15
compose myself you know it was just
00:45:18
completely over where thank you and
00:45:20
unbelievable Michels wife Connie greeted
00:45:27
James and traditional Hawaiian fashion
00:45:29
after all this was the man who saved her
00:45:32
husband's life the bottom line I wasn't
00:45:39
going to leave him out there long under
00:45:41
those conditions I couldn't I did it
00:45:43
well regulations permitted it rules I'm
00:45:47
not I just couldn't have did it it took
00:45:52
a lot from from a real special person to
00:45:55
do something like that
00:45:58
and my wife she you know when she heard
00:46:01
that story she she made it a point to
00:46:04
try to locate him with no success until
00:46:07
you found you guys
00:46:11
that's my next objective James spent a
00:46:14
full week in Hawaii with Mitch the arrow
00:46:16
the two of them never stopped talking
00:46:18
about the past in the future next timing
00:46:21
the time they would see each other again
00:46:25
[Music]
00:46:29
they haven't come up with their words
00:46:31
yet come over that word I'll write you
00:46:35
and let you know there is no word for
00:46:37
this feeling you know but for right now
00:46:40
they have gone with their words
00:46:42
[Music]
00:46:52
stay tuned in the next hour for these
00:46:55
intriguing mysteries when police
00:46:58
conclude that a young college student
00:47:00
has committed suicide his parents
00:47:02
launched their own investigation and
00:47:04
reached their own disturbing conclusion
00:47:08
in Massachusetts authorities need your
00:47:11
help to track down a man who killed his
00:47:13
wife's sister and journey into the murky
00:47:17
depths of Lake Michigan in search of a
00:47:19
legendary treasure worth millions when
00:47:32
he died at the age of 21 Tommy Burkett
00:47:34
was a junior at Marymount University in
00:47:37
Arlington Virginia just down the road
00:47:39
from Washington DC Tommy's parents lived
00:47:43
some 20 miles from the campus his mother
00:47:46
Beth George was an instructor
00:47:49
I left the lights on Tommy on Sunday
00:47:56
December 1st 1991 Tommy was at home
00:47:59
after the Thanksgiving holiday Tommy his
00:48:02
parents had been up for much of that
00:48:04
afternoon when they returned to the
00:48:06
house at about 6:00 10 p.m. I confronted
00:48:09
an unimaginable horror tommy was upright
00:48:15
on the sofa in his bedroom he had been
00:48:17
shot once through the month a revolver
00:48:20
wrested in his head virtually from the
00:48:31
moment police arrived on the scene that
00:48:32
night they have insisted that Tommy
00:48:34
Burkett committed suicide case closed
00:48:37
but Tommy's parents Beth George and Tom
00:48:40
Burkett have amassed compelling evidence
00:48:41
that their son was in fact murdered they
00:48:45
are pieced together a chilling scenario
00:48:46
that they claim implicates officials
00:48:48
from both the Fairfax County Virginia
00:48:50
Police Department and the United States
00:48:52
Drug Enforcement Agency Tarman best
00:48:55
suspicions began within minutes of
00:48:57
discovering their son's body
00:49:01
I went over close to him and I knelt
00:49:08
down beside him and I touched his hands
00:49:12
and they were they were stone-cold but I
00:49:17
just kept saying over and over that
00:49:21
everything would be all right and that
00:49:25
we would find them and that we loved him
00:49:34
thank God looks not right in the emotion
00:49:39
of the moment Tom picked up the revolver
00:49:40
he was surprised to find his cylinder
00:49:43
unlatched surprised because a gun could
00:49:46
not have been fired in that condition
00:49:52
paramedics arrived at 6:20 p.m. no
00:49:59
there's nothing more we could do it's
00:50:03
been several hours I'm sorry
00:50:09
after Fire and Rescue left the uniformed
00:50:12
officer entered the house immediately
00:50:14
and he was in a hurry in which I thought
00:50:17
was strange because my son was dead
00:50:19
don't blame yourself I responded I don't
00:50:22
blame myself and he said well I've seen
00:50:26
hundreds of these suicides and there was
00:50:29
nothing you could have done
00:50:30
the lead detective arrived and went up
00:50:33
to Tommy's room
00:50:36
according to Beth and Tom he soon
00:50:38
emerged with an old bank deposit slip I
00:50:40
have something to show you on one side
00:50:43
was a note which said simply I want to
00:50:45
be cremated this is Tommy's handwriting
00:50:53
Fire & Rescue Squad said Tommy's been
00:50:56
dead for hours no that's not true it
00:50:59
just happened probably happened while
00:51:01
you were coming down the street I was
00:51:03
dumbfounded at that comment because it
00:51:06
didn't take a medical person to
00:51:08
recognize that Tommy had been dead from
00:51:10
several hours he was cold he was stiff
00:51:13
blood had dried any layman would have
00:51:16
said several hours major art Mabry is a
00:51:20
spokesperson for the Fairfax County
00:51:22
Police the gun was processed an autopsy
00:51:26
was conducted photographs were taken a a
00:51:30
thorough and acceptable crime scene was
00:51:35
conducted
00:51:38
to the police the facts spoke for
00:51:40
themselves Tommy's death was an
00:51:43
open-and-shut case of suicide but the
00:51:45
facts told a different story - Beth
00:51:47
George she was certain her son had been
00:51:51
murdered a suicide staged it was not
00:51:54
just the unlatched gun and the
00:51:55
suspicious note
00:51:57
Tommy's glasses wallet and driver's
00:52:00
license were missing two days after
00:52:05
Tommy's death his parents went to his
00:52:07
dorm room to collect his belongings by
00:52:17
the way a student found this how did you
00:52:26
get this oh I'm sorry
00:52:29
according to Tom and Beth school
00:52:31
administrators refused to provide any
00:52:33
information about the student who had
00:52:35
turned in Tommy's driver's license
00:52:37
it was another unanswered question to
00:52:40
add to a growing list
00:52:44
Tommy's Paras decided to canvass the
00:52:46
neighborhood they were stunned by what
00:52:49
people had seen the afternoon of their
00:52:51
son's death several neighbors reported
00:52:55
seeing a car chase Tommy's car being
00:52:57
chased by a larger darker car one
00:53:01
neighbor in particular had a very clear
00:53:03
recollection he said he saw the cars
00:53:06
coming and he thought this is serious
00:53:08
it's life or death
00:53:14
another neighbor reported that one of
00:53:17
the cars involved in the chase at one
00:53:19
point drove through someone's lawn
00:53:22
Tommy's car was apparently run off the
00:53:25
road and he was assaulted he got away
00:53:29
from his attackers at that point and
00:53:31
made it back to our house to other
00:53:36
neighbors reported seeing a peculiar
00:53:38
incident at around 5:15 p.m. a time when
00:53:41
paramedics said tommy was already dead
00:53:43
one of the witnesses was willing to
00:53:46
appear on camera what I remember about
00:53:49
that night is the another neighbor of
00:53:53
mine was coming over to my house and she
00:53:58
observed a car going around the
00:54:00
cul-de-sac it was Tommy's car and it was
00:54:03
going around the cul-de-sac with no
00:54:04
lights on and he was not driving in his
00:54:07
normal manner and as soon as she arrived
00:54:10
at my house she immediately related the
00:54:13
story to me you know we comment about it
00:54:15
for awhile we stood on the porch and
00:54:17
chatted for a minute and whoever was
00:54:20
sitting in the car
00:54:21
did not get out of the car until after
00:54:23
we went inside we thought it was very
00:54:29
strange that no one had contacted us
00:54:32
from a law enforcement agency to find
00:54:35
out if we did indeed know anything or
00:54:37
not at the insistence of the Rockettes
00:54:41
we did go and talk to all all the
00:54:44
neighbors but no information was
00:54:46
developed from those discussions that
00:54:48
would change the information that led us
00:54:52
to believe that it is a suicide Tom come
00:54:56
here a few weeks after Tommy's death
00:54:59
Beth noticed a spray of small reddish
00:55:01
marks on the stairway it looks like
00:55:03
scattered faint bloodstains but what
00:55:06
would it be doing on the stairs earlier
00:55:08
Bethan noticed other spots near a
00:55:10
doorway downstairs
00:55:12
Beth and Tom informed the authorities
00:55:15
but no official investigation followed
00:55:20
Tom and Beth and made a bitter decision
00:55:23
Tommy's body was exhumed for a second
00:55:26
autopsy the new findings added to their
00:55:29
growing belief that Tommy had been
00:55:31
murdered the second autopsy revealed
00:55:35
that Tommy had unexplained abrasions
00:55:37
bruising around his right ear and he had
00:55:41
a broken jaw Tom and Beth hired Paul
00:55:45
Kish a blood-stained expert from the
00:55:47
laboratory of forensic science and
00:55:49
Corning New York he determined that the
00:55:52
spots were in fact blood we could not
00:55:55
determine whether it was Tommy's it's
00:55:58
not consistent was being created from
00:56:00
individual committing suicide in a room
00:56:03
setting Anna a sofa some other violent
00:56:07
altercation took place where blood was
00:56:10
shed with a lot of energy being exerted
00:56:14
towards it but like a gunshot this spent
00:56:17
bullet was found in Tommy's room it
00:56:20
bolstered best suspicions that the
00:56:22
suicide had been staged and our
00:56:25
laboratory professor McDonald did a
00:56:27
analysis of the of the leadcore
00:56:31
which was pulled from the wall and was
00:56:33
unable to identify any kind of tissue
00:56:36
which you would expect to see if it
00:56:39
passed through the skull and we also he
00:56:42
also had a negative test for blood
00:56:46
the Tommies parents a terrifying picture
00:56:48
of his last hours had begun to emerge
00:56:50
I'm calling about some information
00:56:53
concerning my son Tommy
00:56:55
Beth resolved to find out if her son had
00:56:57
telephoned for help on the day he died
00:56:59
do you have any records of him making
00:57:01
any 911 calls that day he did call twice
00:57:08
What did he say
00:57:10
she said well on the computer screen it
00:57:12
shows his name and the login number and
00:57:16
the time that he called and that he made
00:57:18
two consecutive calls but the message
00:57:21
has been deleted how can I find out what
00:57:23
he said I really need to know what my
00:57:26
son said and she said well let me check
00:57:30
with a supervisor also do you have any
00:57:33
records of any complaints he may have
00:57:34
made against any persons she said yes he
00:57:38
had filed a complaint at the end of
00:57:40
October and at the end of August what
00:57:44
was the nature of the complaints she
00:57:46
said well I'll have to check with my
00:57:48
supervisor so she left was gone several
00:57:50
minutes and came back and said I don't
00:57:54
know why his name is on the computer but
00:57:57
he didn't call 911 with with who they
00:58:01
spoke with I do know that there's no
00:58:03
information to indicate that Tommy had
00:58:06
called 911 death I know Tommy made the
00:58:11
calls because the police department
00:58:13
personnel told me I I know this to be a
00:58:16
fact I'm angry every day of my life I
00:58:21
wake up angry every morning that this
00:58:23
Police Department did not respond to the
00:58:27
911 calls it's my understanding that the
00:58:32
information that the Burkett's came up
00:58:35
with about the 911 call was well after
00:58:37
the 30 days and the tape that would have
00:58:40
been on the machine that particular
00:58:41
night had already been routinely erased
00:58:46
if Tommy did indeed call nine-one-one
00:58:49
for the official phone records
00:58:51
innocently erased or deliberately purged
00:58:53
more importantly if Tommy had called why
00:58:57
were his pleas for help ignored by the
00:58:59
authorities
00:59:01
Tommy's Paris began a close Jiri examine
00:59:04
a strange series of events that preceded
00:59:06
their son's death it began with a phone
00:59:09
call from Tommy around November 12th
00:59:11
less than three weeks before he died
00:59:16
took my paycheck took everything calm
00:59:21
down
00:59:21
Tommy look get in touch with payroll and
00:59:24
tell them to stop payment on the check
00:59:25
it's not the Paycheck I'm worried about
00:59:27
it Tommy it was normally very poised
00:59:30
very calm and he was just frantic it's
00:59:36
okay hon what do you think was in there
00:59:40
something I didn't want anyone to know
00:59:42
about I think they found out what I'm
00:59:45
doing and I took it to mean that since
00:59:49
he was not positive they had found
00:59:51
something out he was not going to
00:59:53
divulge
00:59:54
exactly what he was worried about Beth
00:59:58
says it a few days after the mailbox
01:00:00
break-in
01:00:01
she had a troubling encounter with a
01:00:03
student on the Marymount campus how are
01:00:07
you I'm doing okay good have you guys
01:00:09
seen Tommy today no when you find him
01:00:12
tell him it's three guys we're gonna
01:00:13
beat him up we were later told that the
01:00:18
same young man who made the threat the
01:00:20
next night on the 15th of November
01:00:24
assaulted Tommy and a location off
01:00:26
campus
01:00:27
according to Beth several sources told
01:00:30
her that Tommy confronted his tormentor
01:00:32
a few hours later
01:00:37
to me why don't you leave me alone
01:00:55
we were later told by a student at the
01:00:58
university that the young man who had
01:01:01
Tommy's driver's license after he was
01:01:04
dead was the same student who had beaten
01:01:06
Tommy up there may have been some
01:01:12
indication that Tommy was involved in
01:01:15
investigating drug activity on the
01:01:18
Marymount campus and that may have been
01:01:21
one of the reasons why we still don't
01:01:23
know to this day what really happened to
01:01:25
Tommy Burkett a number of sources mostly
01:01:30
anonymous have come to us and helped us
01:01:34
piece together a story and in most
01:01:36
instances their accounts corroborate
01:01:39
each other and what we've learned about
01:01:42
our son was that he was a paid DEA
01:01:45
informant that there were a group of
01:01:48
students on the campus who were dealing
01:01:50
drugs they felt Tommy knew too much and
01:01:53
that they conspired with others to kill
01:01:56
him Beth and Tom now believed that their
01:02:00
neighbors are knowingly witnessed Tommy
01:02:02
being chased by the killers they also
01:02:06
believed Tommy abandoned his car and
01:02:08
made his way home in time to place the
01:02:10
911 then the killer's bursted according
01:02:17
to Beth and Tom an informant said tommy
01:02:19
was beaten to death with a baseball bat
01:02:21
phone books were used to minimize
01:02:23
bruising absorb the blood spatters
01:02:30
the story fit in with everything we had
01:02:33
noticed and could not account for during
01:02:37
the previous months for example we had
01:02:41
noticed our phone books were missing the
01:02:43
week after Tommy died also we had told
01:02:47
the police we were concerned because
01:02:49
there had been a ball bat in Tommy's
01:02:52
bedroom and the gripping tape had been
01:02:55
stripped off the bat and that had not
01:02:58
been done by any of us we understand the
01:03:04
students had assistance in staging the
01:03:06
shooting in the room from persons more
01:03:09
knowledgeable about law enforcement and
01:03:12
crime than they were Tom and Bev have
01:03:18
names of the students they suspect were
01:03:21
involved in Tommy's death there's not
01:03:24
enough evidence to say their names
01:03:27
publicly at this point but I believe
01:03:31
with some of the evidence they've
01:03:33
collected over the past two years that
01:03:36
they may have the right people it is
01:03:43
been determined and the and it's going
01:03:48
to be maintained that is a suicide until
01:03:51
substantial credible information is
01:03:54
brought to us at that point we will
01:03:56
examine all the information just as we
01:03:58
have for the past years but again
01:04:02
credible information it's what we're
01:04:06
seeking there's this sense of
01:04:12
rage that nobody's doing anything no
01:04:15
matter how much information is dumped in
01:04:17
the laps of law-enforcement people they
01:04:19
don't do anything the response is the
01:04:23
same everything's all right everything
01:04:26
was done wonderfully everything's fine
01:04:28
and they think if they say it enough
01:04:30
it'll be true it won't be and we're not
01:04:33
gonna stop saying it's not
01:04:34
[Music]
01:04:51
when we returned a treasure hunt that is
01:04:54
not for the faint-hearted but something
01:04:57
400 million dollars in gold is worth the
01:04:59
risk it is only a speck of rocky land
01:05:10
just east of Wisconsin surrounded by the
01:05:13
chilly waters of Lake Michigan it is
01:05:16
cold poverty Island an apt name
01:05:19
especially when treacherous storms sweep
01:05:21
in across the lake without warning
01:05:25
furious winds and lightning Swift
01:05:27
currents has spawned a graveyard of
01:05:29
sunken ships and over the years
01:05:31
intriguing tales of lost treasure one
01:05:37
legend in particular professors a just
01:05:40
offshore of poverty Island there are
01:05:42
five chests stuck the gold bullion and
01:05:44
coins which would today be worth more
01:05:46
than 400 million dollars it might sound
01:05:51
far-fetched but the promise of millions
01:05:53
and gold is enough for Richard Bennett a
01:05:55
professional diver and author of deep
01:05:57
quest Bennett has spent more than 20
01:06:01
years and $100,000 of his own money
01:06:03
searching for his sunken fortune any
01:06:09
story that lasts or survives a hundred
01:06:12
years has to have some validity to it if
01:06:17
they survived a hundred years they'd
01:06:18
probably have an eighty eighty-five
01:06:20
percent chance of being true
01:06:23
but how could 400 million dollars in
01:06:26
gold end up on the bottom of Lake
01:06:27
Michigan it all dates back to 1863 the
01:06:33
tide of the Civil War was turning in
01:06:35
favor of the Union the beleaguered South
01:06:38
strapped for capital
01:06:40
put on a desperate call for relief to
01:06:42
England and France according to the
01:06:45
legend the Emperor of France Napoleon
01:06:48
Bonaparte the third answered the plea
01:06:50
and arranged a clandestine shipment of
01:06:52
gold to the Confederacy
01:06:54
with a southern ports blockade the gold
01:06:57
was quietly packet of five chests and
01:07:00
shipped across the North Atlantic to
01:07:01
Canada the secret shipment was then
01:07:04
spirited hundreds of miles down the st.
01:07:06
Lawrence River and clear across the
01:07:08
Great Lakes to Escanaba Michigan there
01:07:12
the gold was hustled aboard a 60-foot
01:07:14
schooner for transport to Chicago some
01:07:19
say the ship was attacked by French
01:07:20
mercenaries and some others that it was
01:07:23
shipwrecked in a storm in either event
01:07:25
the chests of gold were never recovered
01:07:29
the legend is is very consistent in
01:07:32
several ways and I think that's one of
01:07:35
the most intriguing things about this
01:07:36
legend is that it's it's consistent in
01:07:39
that the loss is always at Poverty
01:07:41
Island there's always five chests and
01:07:43
it's always the same scenario historian
01:07:52
Chuck Feltner disagrees spent years in
01:07:55
the Great Lakes searching for shipwrecks
01:07:56
he believes that the legend of the
01:07:58
treasure makes for a good story teller
01:08:00
maintains it is just that a good story
01:08:06
records of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes
01:08:09
in the year 1863 were extremely good
01:08:12
we've not been able to find any evidence
01:08:15
that any of these vessels that were
01:08:18
recorded to have been lost were sunk in
01:08:22
the vicinity of poverty Island or that
01:08:25
they were French vessels as the legend
01:08:28
would have it to be this is not the kind
01:08:31
of activity that people would normally
01:08:34
document with enrollments in this kind
01:08:37
of thing this was more of a secret
01:08:40
activity and they would not want to be
01:08:42
broadcasting it despite the lack of a
01:08:45
paper trail the legend of the secret
01:08:48
shipment has grown fed by rumors and
01:08:50
speculation in 1929 a group of sailors
01:08:55
were sent to slag to five chests with
01:08:57
her anchor up it came just seconds away
01:08:59
a fortune in gold when suddenly the
01:09:03
chains broke the treasure plummeted back
01:09:08
to its watery grave
01:09:10
[Music]
01:09:16
a few years later a group of investors
01:09:18
in Chicago allegedly raised $50,000 to
01:09:22
try their luck at poverty island a young
01:09:26
boy named Carly Jason whose father was a
01:09:29
local lighthouse keeper was said to have
01:09:31
watched the salvage operation for three
01:09:33
consecutive summers one day he was
01:09:38
sitting on the rocks watching this
01:09:40
operation and there was a lot of
01:09:43
rejoicing revelry obviously a real
01:09:47
congratu Tory party that was going on on
01:09:50
the ship
01:09:52
[Music]
01:09:54
according to the boy in the third year a
01:09:57
sudden storm arose forcing him to return
01:09:59
home that night the salvage ship
01:10:02
allegedly sank all hands on board the
01:10:06
heartless
01:10:06
tides of Lake Michigan at once again
01:10:08
reclaimed the poverty Island trailer
01:10:14
today some 60 years later richard
01:10:17
Bennett feels certain that he will
01:10:19
succeed where others have failed Bennett
01:10:22
has devised an ingenious underwater sled
01:10:25
to calm the murky depths of Lake
01:10:27
Michigan the only way to really find
01:10:31
this treasure is to have human beings on
01:10:34
the sled visually looking at the bottom
01:10:40
it's cold it's deep the area is very
01:10:44
treacherous rocks as largest sofas or
01:10:51
moved around on the bottom but I'm a
01:10:56
dreamer and I'm a gambler as long as I
01:11:01
have those things working for me I'll
01:11:03
probably continue to do it Richard
01:11:10
better never find the poverty Island
01:11:11
treasure only time will tell but a word
01:11:16
of warning to any would-be treasure
01:11:17
hunters the waters surrounding Poverty
01:11:20
Island can be extremely treacherous even
01:11:22
for the most experienced divers next
01:11:27
authorities need your help to capture a
01:11:29
man convicted of kidnapping and
01:11:31
murdering his own sister-in-law
01:11:41
April 25th 1979 an intoxicated 29 year
01:11:47
old man tentatively made his way to a
01:11:49
Catholic Church in Everett Massachusetts
01:11:53
father Jimmy I need to tell you can I
01:12:00
come inside yes certainly lad come in
01:12:05
you have to help me fondly actually you
01:12:08
have to help me get this weight off my
01:12:09
shoulders the man's name was Timothy
01:12:12
berry and he was about to make a
01:12:14
stunning confession I'm the one that
01:12:18
kidnapped Nancy incredibly Tim berry had
01:12:22
confessed to kidnapping his own
01:12:24
sister-in-law in that dramatic moment he
01:12:27
also became a murder suspect 23 year-old
01:12:33
Nancy Brown had vanished 16 months
01:12:35
earlier from the house she shared with
01:12:37
her mother and sister Nancy was still
01:12:39
missing it seemed too bizarre and
01:12:44
horrendous to contemplate could Tim
01:12:47
berry have killed Nancy Brown Nancy who
01:12:50
idolized him like a brother the seeds of
01:12:53
this tragedy were planted when Tim berry
01:12:55
married Nancy's sister Andrea Brown
01:12:57
Andrew was the oldest of four daughters
01:12:59
and when their father died Tim became
01:13:02
the unofficial head of the family
01:13:07
it was the brother that my sister's
01:13:09
never had and the whole family just
01:13:13
loved him
01:13:14
Tim's upbringing was very similar to my
01:13:17
own
01:13:18
his parents brought him a very Christian
01:13:22
he believed in the same things I did
01:13:26
very family-oriented we all just became
01:13:30
as one they remained as one for seven
01:13:34
happy basically contented years then
01:13:37
came Thursday October 6th 1977 it was
01:13:43
Nancy's regular day off she got an early
01:13:45
start doing laundry the only other
01:13:48
person in the house was a younger sister
01:13:50
16 year old Laura home sick from school
01:13:54
early that morning Maura heard Nancy
01:13:57
slammed the door to the back porch and
01:13:59
turned on the radio in the kitchen that
01:14:04
was the last anyone saw or heard of
01:14:07
Nancy Brown little while after supper my
01:14:12
mother called wondering if I had seen my
01:14:14
sister which usually wouldn't have been
01:14:18
abnormal for me to have seen her during
01:14:20
the course of the day and I and I hadn't
01:14:23
and I hadn't spoken to her and they told
01:14:27
me that nobody had seen her all day Mary
01:14:31
have you seen Nancy today Tim and Andrea
01:14:35
Landry is sister Alison rushed over to
01:14:38
the house and started calling Nancy's
01:14:39
friends she hasn't seen with Andrea and
01:14:51
Alison or eight months pregnant they
01:14:53
tried to keep themselves and their
01:14:54
mother calm and the neighbors did you
01:14:58
talk to her friends yes I wouldn't worry
01:15:01
about it ma there's lots of places she
01:15:02
could be she probably went shopping yeah
01:15:05
I agree with Alison in retrospect
01:15:07
Tim's behaviors seemed out of kilter
01:15:11
when Nancy disappeared
01:15:13
tim was there with everybody very
01:15:17
concerned wondering what happened
01:15:20
but he seemed to be more nervous than
01:15:23
what the rest of us were check the
01:15:30
basement check her room and I'll get her
01:15:32
address book and see if there's anybody
01:15:34
we haven't the group split up to search
01:15:37
the house again in the basement Ida
01:15:40
brown found the one clue that had been
01:15:42
left behind
01:15:43
Nancy's glasses the fact that Nancy's
01:15:47
glasses were found on the floor of the
01:15:50
cellar was particularly disturbing
01:15:54
because the car was gone Nancy was blind
01:15:59
as a bat she had to have the glasses at
01:16:02
all times especially for driving the
01:16:05
very next day when she did not appear
01:16:06
our report for work we conducted an
01:16:10
investigation as to her the place that
01:16:13
she was employed and also the place she
01:16:15
was last seen we also were looking for
01:16:19
her car and on the second day I believe
01:16:22
we located the car and a shopping mall
01:16:25
perhaps a mile from a home interestingly
01:16:30
Tim Barry had been the one who suggested
01:16:32
to police they checked that particular
01:16:34
shopping mode and seized car was
01:16:37
unlocked the keys lying under the seat
01:16:40
there were no apparent signs of foul
01:16:42
play he went to look at the car they
01:16:46
found out that the car she an alarm in
01:16:49
at the cow alarm was not set which is
01:16:51
unusual for Nancy she always set the
01:16:53
alarm and there were few particles of
01:16:55
sand inside the car but that's all that
01:16:57
we had at the time an abandoned car and
01:17:01
a pair of glasses but Clues were sparse
01:17:04
yet the ominous possibility loom that
01:17:07
something terrible had happened to Nancy
01:17:09
Brown we all tried to settle into a
01:17:13
normal life trying to make things as
01:17:16
natural as we could we were always
01:17:20
hungry for any news we always tried to
01:17:25
think of possibilities
01:17:27
night already mmm that's great how are
01:17:29
you feeling good medicine had her baby
01:17:33
just days after Nancy disappeared
01:17:35
Andrea and Tim's second child was due
01:17:38
any time the sister still hadn't given
01:17:41
up hope that Nancy would return
01:17:43
I wish Nancy were here you too me too
01:17:47
but Tim evidently had she's gone
01:17:53
there's nothing we can do about
01:17:59
Tim seemed to be a little bit more
01:18:03
withdrawn a little bit more moody than
01:18:07
he normally would have been he wasn't
01:18:11
acting himself according to Andrea Tim
01:18:16
had begun to drink heavily unbeknownst
01:18:18
to her
01:18:19
the police had asked him to take a
01:18:21
polygraph exam he had refused the police
01:18:27
began to check in at embarrass
01:18:28
background and soon found an alarming
01:18:30
skeleton in his closet while stationed
01:18:33
in Germany with the US Army Tim had been
01:18:36
charged with the murder of another
01:18:37
soldier a military court found him
01:18:40
innocent but the record did note his
01:18:43
so-called clairvoyance how he had led
01:18:45
authorities to the location of the
01:18:47
murder weapon and the body police now
01:18:50
began to believe it was more than
01:18:52
coincidence that Tim had no try to look
01:18:54
for Nancy's car still there was no hard
01:18:57
evidence against Tim berry until April
01:19:00
25th 1979 I'm the one the kidnapped
01:19:04
Nancy that was the night nearly a year
01:19:07
and a half after Nancy disappeared when
01:19:09
Tim Barry made his dramatic appearance
01:19:12
at the church
01:19:13
I knew that Nancy on the days off we'd
01:19:17
do laundry at her mom's house so I I'm I
01:19:22
broke into the house about 5:00 5:00
01:19:24
a.m.
01:19:27
waited further down under the stairs I
01:19:30
could hear him walking around up there
01:19:35
and she walked down the stairs and I
01:19:40
came apart i blindfolded a so she
01:19:48
couldn't see who it was and then I put
01:19:52
it in a car and I made a lie down in the
01:19:55
front seat Tim told the priest he had
01:20:03
worn a fake mustache so no one in the
01:20:05
neighborhood would recognize him
01:20:07
he said he drove Nancy to a beach in
01:20:10
Ipswich Massachusetts 20 miles north of
01:20:13
Everett
01:20:15
[Music]
01:20:18
Tim berry forced Nancy brown to walk
01:20:21
through the dunes into a heavily wooded
01:20:22
area
01:20:24
he carried a hunting knife and a
01:20:26
military and trenching shovel Tim told
01:20:37
the priest of one Nancy stood up to him
01:20:39
he decided to end it I hid in the back
01:20:45
of my head with a shovel no I swear I
01:20:50
bear down through the shoulder way
01:20:54
tonight I know it took a lot of courage
01:21:00
to tell me his story Timmy but don't you
01:21:04
think they'd be wise if he told it one
01:21:06
more time to the authorities do you
01:21:09
think you can do that when he first
01:21:11
confessed to us he was cool calm it
01:21:14
seemed like he had a burden on him he
01:21:16
wanted to get it off his chest and he
01:21:17
told us from the beginning you know I
01:21:19
just said to him Timmy you you know all
01:21:21
these years it's been over 16 months the
01:21:23
investigations are going on
01:21:25
why didn't you confessed before why no
01:21:27
he said cuz nobody had ever asked him
01:21:30
the question did you murder her and if
01:21:32
that had he said he would have confessed
01:21:37
later that night Tim Barry led the
01:21:39
authorities into the woods behind the
01:21:41
beach at Ipswich one of the police
01:21:43
officers present was Patrick della aya :
01:21:46
a friend of Tim Barry's from childhood
01:21:52
terrain itself was difficult walking the
01:21:55
sang was very sandy it was tough on your
01:21:56
feet to walk and Timmy kept looking up
01:22:01
by the Stars and I questioned Timmy what
01:22:03
why are we looking at the Stars and he
01:22:05
said that's how I find my way to where
01:22:08
we're going yeah in the Army I was
01:22:13
training the special services yeah I bet
01:22:15
they taught you all about this stuff huh
01:22:17
Pat I could live in the woods and you'd
01:22:19
never find me
01:22:25
it took more than an hour but Barry
01:22:28
finally brought the group to the spot
01:22:30
where he had killed Nancy in a shallow
01:22:36
grave police found the body of Nancy
01:22:38
Braun she had died exactly as Tim Barry
01:22:42
had said when he was asked why did he do
01:22:50
it Tim never would tell us why he just
01:22:52
said this is the story this is how don't
01:22:55
ask me why and even though he asked we
01:22:58
never got an answer I never had a motive
01:23:00
I just went to pieces I couldn't believe
01:23:04
that that something like that had
01:23:07
happened I didn't want to believe my
01:23:09
sister was dead and I couldn't believe
01:23:12
that he had had anything to do with it
01:23:15
it just at that point it didn't seem
01:23:18
like that was his nature and I I think
01:23:23
the whole family went into total shock
01:23:25
was just something that was too horrible
01:23:27
to have to accept On February 11th 1980
01:23:33
t'aime Barry was convicted of
01:23:35
second-degree murder and kidnapping he
01:23:37
received a life sentence plus five to 10
01:23:40
years for eight years
01:23:44
Tim Barry made a good show of contrition
01:23:46
according to Andrea Tim remained a
01:23:49
loving and dedicated father even behind
01:23:51
bars Barry also came to be regarded as a
01:23:54
model prisoner and was regularly
01:23:56
assigned to work details on the outside
01:24:01
on Election Day 1988 Tim Barry was part
01:24:05
of a crew repainting the Department of
01:24:07
Corrections offices in downtown Boston
01:24:11
that particular day the building was
01:24:15
very busy their voting polls on the
01:24:17
first floor of the state office building
01:24:19
here people coming and going all day
01:24:22
long elevator traffic the inmate worked
01:24:25
for approximately ten inmates were
01:24:26
working with an officer supervised work
01:24:28
for Timothy Barry part of that war crew
01:24:31
was assigned to a specific area painting
01:24:33
off
01:24:33
so be glad to hear that I need to go to
01:24:36
the camp remember where it is right yeah
01:24:40
that's our understanding that he
01:24:41
requested of the officer that he'd go to
01:24:44
the men's room used the facilities and
01:24:47
approximately 9:30 that morning about 15
01:24:51
minutes later the officer realized that
01:24:54
Tim berry had not returned to his work
01:24:56
area upon a check and we soon realized
01:25:01
that the subject had left taking an
01:25:03
elevator down to the first floor and
01:25:05
mingled into the traffic the floor
01:25:07
traffic of the people voting in the
01:25:09
pollsters and blended into the crowd
01:25:11
just took off and fled the area we
01:25:15
initiated a ground search and that
01:25:17
search revealed absolutely nothing as if
01:25:20
Timothy Barrie just disappeared into the
01:25:21
Sun gone
01:25:26
nearly a year and a half later Tim berry
01:25:29
walked out of the woods in Vermont his
01:25:32
children then 12 and 17 were visiting
01:25:35
Tim's sister for Memorial Day I had to
01:25:52
work so I didn't get to go to the family
01:25:54
vacation home I don't think anybody
01:25:59
expected what happened as a matter of
01:26:01
fact I'm certain of that I'm never gonna
01:26:05
see you guys again
01:26:07
where are you going I just I just have
01:26:10
to be by myself I I need to be alone
01:26:15
obey your mom
01:26:19
say hello to everybody for me dad come
01:26:21
back Tim berry had stayed for only ten
01:26:26
minutes it was the last time anyone in
01:26:29
the family saw or heard from him I can't
01:26:33
say that I'm frightened but I have to
01:26:37
admit to once in a while looking over my
01:26:39
shoulder wondering if maybe he isn't
01:26:43
someplace watching I know he would never
01:26:47
do anything to hurt the children to put
01:26:49
the children in a position where they
01:26:51
could be hurt in any way but I have to
01:26:55
admit to wondering
01:26:57
Timmy Barry is an extremely intelligent
01:26:59
individual convicted of murder sentenced
01:27:04
to life imprisonment in this state and
01:27:06
he is to be considered extremely
01:27:08
dangerous I want to see Tim caught and
01:27:12
brought back to incarceration I mean he
01:27:16
did commit a murder and he does always
01:27:19
debt to society update Timothy berry is
01:27:24
once again behind bars as a direct
01:27:27
result of unsolved mysteries berry was
01:27:29
arrested this past Monday in Akron Ohio
01:27:31
berry had been working there as a truck
01:27:34
driver using the name John prenda at a
01:27:37
hearing in federal court on Tuesday
01:27:39
morning berry waived extradition was
01:27:41
remanded to the custody of the US
01:27:43
Marshals for transport back to
01:27:45
Massachusetts
01:28:01
for every mystery there is someone
01:28:03
somewhere who knows the truth perhaps
01:28:07
it's you join me again next week on
01:28:10
unsolved mysteries
01:28:16
[Music]
01:28:38
[Applause]
01:28:42
[Music]
