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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 edition
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unsolved mysteries meet Todd Mueller an
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accused conman with a twisted sense of
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humor his escapades of bewildered and
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frustrated police investigators in
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Honolulu and Chicago not content just to
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break the law uterus mercilessly taunted
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authorities with a series of practical
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jokes
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Chad Mauer of Madison Wisconsin is an
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active popular teenager the all-american
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boy then in 1990 he was found as fixated
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in an abandoned garage in Chicago what
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could have taken Chad Mauer to Chicago's
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seamy South Side and ultimately led to
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his death as a young single mother
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Marine Roberts was so destitute she felt
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compelled to put her three children up
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for adoption
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now she is one of the heirs to a
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million-dollar estate and doesn't even
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know it
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in 1974 the violent murder of their
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mother ripped apart the nine children of
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the VES family 17 years later one of
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them is still missing
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join this intriguing edition of unsolved
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mysteries
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perhaps you can help solve the mystery
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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it's great like I want to show you it's
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just it's perfect for 19 year old Chad
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Mauer worked in a bike shop in the
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Midwest college town of Madison
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Wisconsin he was a typical boy next door
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a popular well-rounded athlete who hoped
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to save up enough money to attend
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college in Colorado yeah
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so my first fight on the afternoon of
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May 19th 1990
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Chad returned home to grab a quick lunch
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[Music]
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it would be the last time Chad's parents
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would ever see him there was nothing
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about him that was different I mean he
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wasn't on and you know he was just so
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excited about the job and he had a big
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smile on his face as usual
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[Music]
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now standing right outside goodbye to
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him and have a good one you know I
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didn't notice anything different either
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about anything in the car you know it's
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kind of cool out that day and stuff I
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just don't think he had an intention to
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go anywhere else he had a jacket with
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him about an hour an hour and a half
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later John needed something at the
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hardware store that's near the bike shop
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my effects two doors down from it so we
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hit it up to the hardware store and we
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noticed the car Chad's car was not in
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the parking lot so we decided instead of
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going to the hardware store to stop
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there and see where Chad was
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[Music]
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Thank You Georgina or Chad this is
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Carson I'm out front well he better be
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here he may have a customer in the back
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I knew there was something wrong but I
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just couldn't imagine you know so we
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just thought Channel show up I hardly
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slept at all that night I pray about
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five hours sleep I got up at 6:00 and it
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was too early start calling kids by
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start calling kids about 7:30 and nobody
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knew anything the last time anybody saw
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Chad was Friday night at a party for a
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couple hours and that was it the south
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side of Chicago is one of the roughest
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neighborhoods in the country it is just
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a three-hour drive Chad solm and Madison
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Wisconsin two days after Chad was last
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seen a maintenance worker found Chad's
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car abandoned in the garage on the south
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side housing complex inside the car was
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Chad Mauer dead from carbon monoxide
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poisoning
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[Music]
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the Chicago Police contacted the Mars
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with the tragic news that their son had
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committed suicide my system went into
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shock my brain went into shock and I was
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not thinking until the kids started
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calling I don't even know how the kids
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found out but the kids started calling
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and they were screaming over the phone
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to check him into suicide and well he
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died akarma night no no not Chad not
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chant Chad had too much going for him
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Chad had all his friends and Chad loved
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life
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Chad was not depressed Chad was not down
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he had all these goals John and Donnie
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viewed Chad's body for the first time
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just prior to the funeral they were
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startled by his appearance Paula Chicago
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Police has said there was no evidence of
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foul play the knuckles on both hands
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have been skinned to the bone and there
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were bruises on his face we should be
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aware of here well we did receive his
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clothing and that was soiled soiled yes
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would you like to see it
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most definitely moments later Chad's
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father got his first look at the clothes
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Chad was wearing when he died all Chad
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front and what happened
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[Music]
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he could not understand why there were
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bloodstains on the t-shirt now convinced
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that Chad's death was not a suicide
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Bauer's contacted the local authorities
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crime-scene photographs that were sent
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up by the Chicago authorities together
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with detective David bunch of eyes they
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studied the police report filed in
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Chicago John and Dalia immediately
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noticed yet another suspicious Clues
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yeah Chad didn't take a jacket with him
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and he didn't own a jacket like that and
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you're positive of that yes I'm positive
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the parents noted the jacket on the
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front seat was not a jacket they knew
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Chad would be interesting though the
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size of the jacket if it's consistent
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with Chad's size or it may give us an
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idea of the basic build of somebody that
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may have been in the car with him may
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have given us an idea of where in fact
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the jacket was purchased which should
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give us possibly a location assuming
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it's real not a real common brand but
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the parents have pointed out that Ford
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that that article in the photograph and
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when I checked with Chicago they had
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noted the jacket as well well we're not
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sure where the jacket was they were
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gonna check into that the best thing I
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can determine was that the jacket
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remained in the car and before the car
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was towed somebody took the jacket from
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the vehicle because we couldn't secure
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it with the window being locked out so
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now I wish we had the jacket but we have
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no jacket the autopsy report also
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suggested that Chad had not taken his
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own life the level of carbon monoxide in
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his body was 74% a figure much higher
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than usually found on a suicide it's my
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understanding that levels where they're
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conscious at the time they succumb to
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carbon monoxide is about 50 to 60
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percent levels that get up to about 74
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to 80 percent are more consistent with a
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person being unconscious or sleeping at
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the time they succumb to carbon dioxide
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poison and that's because they have
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people naturally have a tendency to
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breathe deeper and more methodically
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when the
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sleeping then possibly when they're
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awake the cause of Chad's death was
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changed from suicide to undetermined
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authorities began a full-blown
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investigation do you have an opinion as
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to what happened to the bike shop owner
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was quoted in a local newspaper
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regarding Chad's case and something or
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someone spooked him nine days later the
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shop was vandalized no other stickers in
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the area were hit it now appeared that
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some sending a message on October 22nd
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1990 chaired story was aired on a local
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Crimestoppers program in Madison and a
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disturbing scenario emerged after the
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broadcast an anonymous tip alleged that
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Chad was involved in a drug deal with
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people who lived in his apartment
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complex in Madison these same people had
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previously lived on the south side of
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Chicago we know through our intelligence
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sources that there is a pipeline of
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narcotics trafficking from Chicago to
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Madison now there's nothing in Chad's
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background that would really suggest
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that he's involved with narcotics his
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toxicological analysis came back pure of
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any narcotics not even any alcohol but
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because of this conduit there's a
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possibility that he might have been
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tricked or enticed
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in some way to be involved in narcotics
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and narcotics trafficking is it possible
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that somebody else offered him money
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Chad was looking for money wanted to
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move to Colorado he was hoping to get a
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couple thousand dollars to go to
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Colorado for snowboarding and BMX a
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future is it possible that somebody
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offered him $500 to make the trip and
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then when they got to Chicago reneged on
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that in an altercation occurred and Chad
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obviously being a loser that altercation
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[Music]
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most all of our homicides in Chicago
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have a common denominator of drugs in it
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somewhere
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whether they're selling it whether
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they're fighting over the territory
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whether they're using it drug seems to
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come up in a great majority of our cases
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so this is also a reason that we're
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inclined to lean toward this drug ankle
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a little bit more because we see it's a
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lot we feel that there are people
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probably in the Madison area that
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probably know more than they're coming
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forward with I think probably that's who
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we're trying to reach out to now because
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we're not going to know what happened
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inside that garage unless we know the
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circumstances surrounding how we got
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there and that's what we're really after
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I think at this point all we know in
00:12:19
Chad's case says chad is dead and handed
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I'm Chicago that's all we know in this
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case and we know he was beaten up but
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why was he beating up how did he end up
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in Chicago there are so many questions
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and every day we wake up and we think a
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different thing that could have happened
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to Chad I know it won't bring Chad back
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but we cannot rest and we cannot put
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Chad to rest until we really have the
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answers to this case
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[Music]
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[Music]
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in 1971 Big Brothers of America opened a
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chapter in Elkhart Indiana their first
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little brother was seven-year-old Jeff
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Fisher Jeff's big brother was John
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Novotny a local salesman and father of a
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two-year-old daughter John gave me the
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companionship that really needs it at
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that time just the fact that this was
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you know an older guy that I could hang
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around with and not you know not have
00:13:31
him tell me to go away and you know come
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back later and stuff something you know
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a guy that wanted to spend some time
00:13:36
with me you know made me feel it really
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good after Jeff and John started seeing
00:13:44
each other
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I noticed that Jeff had a lot more
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confidence in himself and he was very
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proud of the fact that he had a big
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brother and he would tell the other kids
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well well John and I are going to go do
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this or my big brother and I are going
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to go do this he was very proud of the
00:14:01
fact that that he had a man in his life
00:14:04
it's ready to like a year and a half
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later John and his family moved away
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although Jeff never saw John again he
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never forgot the warmth and kindness had
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changed his life he just introduced me
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to a world that I had never seen before
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and if I finally see him again I just
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want to thank him he made a lasting
00:14:30
impression it's been 20 years and he's
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still a really vivid part of my memory
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[Music]
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thanks to our viewers Jeff Fisher search
00:14:41
for his Big Brother ended the night of
00:14:43
our broadcast nine days later Jeff and
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his mother traveled at John novotny's
00:14:48
home in Tacoma Washington for an
00:14:49
emotional reunion it's unbelievable I
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was absolutely stunned I had absolutely
00:15:15
no idea that Jeff was looking for me and
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then as the show aired people from
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Elkhart and from Michigan started
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calling me on the phone telling me that
00:15:27
I was on television and Jeff Fisher was
00:15:31
looking for me and we must have got 35
00:15:34
calls that night and at least that many
00:15:36
the next night you know I wanted to say
00:15:38
thanks to this guy for 18 years and you
00:15:41
know whatever it took to come out and
00:15:44
say that you know I was willing to do
00:15:46
this is when we were down likes in
00:15:48
Kentucky for a John Mellencamp Show
00:15:51
when I first started being a big brother
00:15:54
the collection was good I really have
00:15:56
enough time to do it right and then 20
00:15:59
years later to find out that I really
00:16:02
did make a difference I mean it brings
00:16:04
the whole thing to reality
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[Music]
00:16:24
the homeless estimates of their numbers
00:16:28
go as high as 3 million in the United
00:16:30
States alone sadly many of us tend not
00:16:33
to see the individuals in the faceless
00:16:35
mass we forget that for each man woman
00:16:38
and child on the streets there's an
00:16:40
untold story this is a story of a woman
00:16:47
named Lorene Roberts who may be lost
00:16:49
among the homeless her family has not
00:16:52
seen or heard from her in more than 30
00:16:54
years
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Lorene has no way of knowing that she is
00:16:57
one of the heirs to a million dollar
00:16:59
estate myrin grew up in Dripping Springs
00:17:04
Texas she was on the high school
00:17:06
basketball team and a member of the pep
00:17:08
club but as 16 Narine inexplicably
00:17:12
dropped out of school her family
00:17:15
believes this may have been the
00:17:16
beginning of a slow descent into mental
00:17:18
illness
00:17:20
Laurene was very quiet she would just be
00:17:25
to herself with her own boss and her
00:17:27
world as if she wasn't there with you
00:17:34
most of the time hey little lady can we
00:17:39
get some coffee over here yeah you the
00:17:42
pretty one I'm gonna take our order in
00:17:46
1949 just after she dropped out of high
00:17:49
school
00:17:50
Marie moved to Austin and soon found
00:17:52
work as a waitress she also found love
00:17:55
coffee pie and how about I take you for
00:17:59
a whirl I don't know what you mean
00:18:10
[Music]
00:18:12
just ten days after they met marina the
00:18:16
young serviceman were married
00:18:24
[Music]
00:18:29
Nerine and her husband had three
00:18:31
children in quick succession in 1956
00:18:34
they moved to his hometown in New Jersey
00:18:36
that decision would prove to be the
00:18:39
undoing of the young couple Lorene told
00:18:43
me that she wasn't happy there his
00:18:47
family didn't accept her and that his
00:18:50
mother bought her and the children a
00:18:52
train ticket and put him on the train to
00:18:55
come back to Austin send it back to
00:18:56
Austin
00:18:59
laureen's husband filed for a divorce
00:19:01
with no money and no means of support
00:19:04
Vereen and her three young children
00:19:06
returned to Texas and an uncertain
00:19:08
future
00:19:11
[Music]
00:19:14
sweetheart what would you put this on
00:19:16
for me that other one's dirty can I put
00:19:17
this on okay
00:19:19
I'm hungry husk who's gonna feed us in
00:19:22
the kitchen okay I need you I need you
00:19:24
to help me out you do that but who's
00:19:27
gonna take care of us you I need you to
00:19:29
be the man while I'm gone it's not okay
00:19:30
can you do that will you be in charge
00:19:32
from morning we do that for me all right
00:19:34
I gotta go now I gotta go will you watch
00:19:36
out to them for me okay okay Lorene
00:19:45
tried she worked and she tried to handle
00:19:48
you know her situations and she loved
00:19:51
her children very much but that was just
00:19:55
something she couldn't handle and she
00:19:57
seen she couldn't handle it and she
00:20:00
tried to get help from her husband but
00:20:03
no help she got no help
00:20:07
she decided the best thing to do was to
00:20:09
just give him up and let him be adopted
00:20:11
out where they would be taken care of
00:20:25
after the children were adopted
00:20:28
laureen's emotional state grew
00:20:29
increasingly fragile she came to me and
00:20:34
she she admitted that she was sick to me
00:20:38
and said she needed to help said she
00:20:40
needed a doctor and my dad said Ruby
00:20:43
take her to the psychiatrist and I did
00:20:46
and he gave her admitted admittance to
00:20:49
State Hospital so I took her out there
00:20:53
and she cried and everything when she
00:20:56
hugged my neck and loved Ben and
00:20:58
everything and it was so hard to see to
00:21:01
have to leave her there between 1957 and
00:21:07
1961 Lorene was admitted to the state
00:21:10
mental hospital on five separate
00:21:11
occasions
00:21:15
each time she was released she found
00:21:17
work as a waitress but each time when
00:21:19
the pressure became too great marine
00:21:21
would check herself back into the
00:21:23
hospital in 1959 on one of her furloughs
00:21:31
from the State Hospital marine showed up
00:21:34
at Ruby's house unannounced how are you
00:21:48
doing oh I'm just fine Ruby will you
00:21:51
look then can I fix you something to eat
00:21:53
oh no no no that's a night I can only
00:21:54
stay a few minutes well then sit down
00:21:56
here and tell me what's been going on
00:21:58
I'm getting married married that's great
00:22:03
go to college professor a college
00:22:06
professor well that's great I came to
00:22:10
show you my ring well that's mighty
00:22:12
pretty honey where'd you meet a college
00:22:14
professor it's pity isn't Lorene mmm
00:22:20
where'd you meet a college professor the
00:22:23
college at that time I was just hoping
00:22:27
the best for her so I didn't question
00:22:29
too much or anything I just hope the
00:22:31
best you know and that's the last time I
00:22:34
saw Lorene and I haven't heard from her
00:22:36
or anything since what can I take you
00:22:41
somewhere oh no no I came in a cab and
00:22:43
I'm gonna leave him again two weeks
00:22:48
later Ruby received a bill for Marines
00:22:50
engagement ring marine had bought the
00:22:53
ring herself and failed to make the
00:22:55
payments
00:23:01
we have searched everything looking for
00:23:04
Laureen all the public records have been
00:23:06
searched no one has any records of
00:23:09
Laureen being alive for the last 25
00:23:12
years
00:23:13
her mother died in 1988 and her will
00:23:17
provided for the distribution of her
00:23:19
estate which was valued at about a
00:23:21
million dollars to her children and
00:23:23
Lorraine was one of the children and so
00:23:25
since no one knew where she was the
00:23:27
court appointed me to represent her and
00:23:30
to try to locate her I don't think it's
00:23:33
gonna be easy to find Laureen but I also
00:23:35
don't think she's disappeared off the
00:23:37
face of the earth I think she's out
00:23:39
there somewhere she's either on the
00:23:40
street or in a hospital or under some
00:23:43
new identity but I think she's out there
00:23:47
there's a big void in our life without
00:23:51
her and not knowing what she's alive or
00:23:55
dead then we want that field I would
00:24:00
share her children that have found us
00:24:02
and her grandchildren that would be the
00:24:05
first thing I'd want her to know about
00:24:07
she would be so happy when we aired the
00:24:12
story we never imagined that Laureen
00:24:14
would call our telecenter and solve her
00:24:16
own mystery Marie's family was overjoyed
00:24:18
to learn that she was alive and well her
00:24:21
sister Ruby immediately flew to Little
00:24:23
Rock Arkansas
00:24:24
when lorina been working as a
00:24:26
housekeeper for just room and board
00:24:31
a few days later ruby brought Lorene
00:24:34
back home to Austin Texas for a poignant
00:24:36
reunion near the rest of her family it
00:24:50
was unbelievable
00:24:51
I could hardly believe it because I
00:24:54
guess for so long we have searched and
00:24:57
searched for and we couldn't find a lead
00:25:00
I was so enthused I just I cried I
00:25:05
laughed I mean everything
00:25:08
[Music]
00:25:11
[Applause]
00:25:13
yes it's good nice to be back there real
00:25:17
nice they've always been there original
00:25:22
people that say that are very darling
00:25:24
new people after we filmed this reunion
00:25:30
Loreen remained in Austin for three
00:25:32
months she received her one hundred and
00:25:34
five thousand dollar inheritance and has
00:25:37
since returned to her home in Arkansas
00:25:41
[Music]
00:25:44
this is the wonderful person we looked
00:25:46
for we're gonna kind of be happy and
00:25:50
just do all the things we can to be
00:25:53
together and love each other and and
00:25:56
including our children and her
00:25:58
grandchildren and which I think will be
00:26:01
real good for you and all of us Argost
00:26:17
xlix 1990 the Hawaiian island of Maui a
00:26:20
man arrived at a local bank and
00:26:23
introduced himself as Pepito Tobiah I've
00:26:26
been named representative to my aunt's
00:26:28
estate and what I'd like to do is take
00:26:32
the funds from her account and open up a
00:26:34
new account in addition to the 52
00:26:36
thousand dollars from her account I'd
00:26:37
like to deposit this check also he has
00:26:40
some identification and also I'd like to
00:26:43
transfer twenty thousand dollars to my
00:26:45
associate in Honolulu
00:26:46
Julian bellomont I see that's 20,000 -
00:26:52
Julian bellomont although the documents
00:26:55
appeared in order something about the
00:26:57
smooth-talking customer but the bank
00:26:59
manager on guard I tell you what all
00:27:01
this is going to take some time if you
00:27:04
could come back in an hour we'll be all
00:27:05
ready for you to go when you come back
00:27:07
okay great I guess I'll see you in
00:27:11
around an hour yes thank you mr. da ah
00:27:13
thank you
00:27:16
an hour later Pepito Tobiah unreturned
00:27:20
his schedule
00:27:24
[Music]
00:27:31
are you could be totally behind me
00:27:34
believe this check is a fortune the byun
00:27:36
was arrested on the spot for suspicion
00:27:38
of forgery at first maui police had no
00:27:48
idea who they had in custody
00:27:50
the suspect carried 15 identification
00:27:53
cards each with a different alias
00:27:56
eventually authorities identified their
00:27:58
prisoner as an elusive con man named
00:28:00
Todd Mueller Todd Mueller is not your
00:28:06
run-of-the-mill criminal he specializes
00:28:08
in forging court documents was given
00:28:10
free rein to plunder the estates of the
00:28:12
recently deceased his many escapades of
00:28:15
confused and frustrated authorities
00:28:17
often leaving them shaking their heads
00:28:19
and disbelief as it turns out Todd
00:28:22
Mueller is something of a practical
00:28:23
joker who delights and taunting those
00:28:26
who are trying to keep him behind bars
00:28:31
December 3rd 1991 Honolulu Hawaii three
00:28:38
months after his arrest in Maui Todd
00:28:40
Mueller was out on bail and back on the
00:28:42
scam calling himself Arthur Iona for you
00:28:47
today well Clara I've been a personal
00:28:50
representative to the state of Georgia
00:28:51
Mack Laughlin and what I'd like to do
00:28:53
they take the flood from this account
00:28:55
and open a checking account in my name
00:28:56
may I see some ID absolutely we think
00:29:00
Todd Mueller looked in a newspaper in
00:29:02
the obituary section from there he would
00:29:05
get names of deceased persons their
00:29:07
accounts being in probate court he would
00:29:10
then go over to the copying machines
00:29:12
located right in Circuit Court take
00:29:15
these photocopies home and he would make
00:29:17
up letters of administration naming him
00:29:20
the trustee for the account
00:29:23
[Music]
00:29:24
[Applause]
00:29:27
the fictitious documents and phony
00:29:30
checks enable Mueller to steal thousands
00:29:32
of dollars from banks throughout Hawaii
00:29:34
he had created a lucrative cottage
00:29:37
industry right in his own apartment but
00:29:39
his work was sometimes less than perfect
00:29:43
one particular check a bank listed on
00:29:46
the check was a bank of Iowa Boise Iowa
00:29:49
there is no Boise Iowa instead it should
00:29:52
be Boise Idaho and we thought that was
00:29:54
pretty hilarious with him you know just
00:29:56
making up any name I guess he didn't
00:29:58
realize it was Boise Idaho Todd Mueller
00:30:04
was not only a bit sloppy he was greedy
00:30:06
during the next three days he returned
00:30:09
to the bank in Honolulu and withdrew
00:30:11
more than $31,000 arousing the
00:30:14
suspicions of yet another bank manager
00:30:17
she called me to tell me that she
00:30:19
thought these probate documents were
00:30:21
false she described the individual to me
00:30:24
I immediately thought Todd Mueller
00:30:28
stimula
00:30:30
Todd Mueller detective no brig oh yeah I
00:30:32
finally week all right you're under
00:30:34
arrest for forgery chance be on your
00:30:36
back after the arrest detective Nobriga
00:30:40
proceeded to an address given him by
00:30:42
Mueller once he determined that Mueller
00:30:45
did live there no briga left to obtain a
00:30:47
search warrant
00:30:48
meanwhile Todd Mueller posted a join and
00:30:51
was released Todd Mueller calls me in my
00:30:54
office he invites me over to his house
00:30:57
he tells me you don't have to make any
00:31:00
search warrants just come over to my
00:31:02
house and I'll let you look around
00:31:04
[Music]
00:31:16
I just kind of smiled and thought well
00:31:22
he's leading me on a wild goose chase I
00:31:26
walked over and checked with some of the
00:31:28
neighbors and they had told me just
00:31:30
about an hour before I arrived there
00:31:32
there was a flurry of activity where
00:31:34
guys are moving stuff out of the house
00:31:36
throwing it onto a truck and they took
00:31:38
off and left one week later at the Oahu
00:31:45
Correctional Facility a former cellmate
00:31:47
of Todd Mueller's Roy Hartsock received
00:31:50
a welcome surprise a court order had
00:32:03
been issued for hard socks immediate
00:32:05
release
00:32:05
[Music]
00:32:07
Roy Hartsock left the island for parts
00:32:10
unknown
00:32:10
three weeks later authorities discovered
00:32:13
that Hart's socks release documents had
00:32:15
been forged Todd Mueller had apparently
00:32:18
struck again at about the time we're
00:32:23
looking for Todd Mueller I got a phone
00:32:25
call from a New York police sergeant
00:32:28
saying that they had arrested thought
00:32:30
Mueller in New York when I tried to call
00:32:33
this New York sergeant back we learned
00:32:35
that there was no such person no such
00:32:37
Department there in New York and where
00:32:41
was Todd Mueller living it up at an
00:32:43
exclusive hotel in Chicago Illinois hi
00:32:48
17:20 what I pay for tonight we became
00:32:55
suspicious of mr. Mueller because of the
00:32:57
activity that was taking place in the
00:33:00
lobby
00:33:00
he had very suspicious looking people
00:33:02
coming to the hotel and he was giving
00:33:06
large sums of money to them and I
00:33:09
informed the front office manager that
00:33:11
we should not extend this day the
00:33:13
hotel's booked that's correct
00:33:16
are you sure there isn't some mistake
00:33:18
I've been here all week I'm afraid not
00:33:20
we have a convention coming in the
00:33:23
entire floor is booked I feel her
00:33:26
however wasn't quite ready to leave I
00:33:28
guess the next other check-in he simply
00:33:30
called the hotel's toll-free reservation
00:33:32
service and booked another room across
00:33:34
the hall
00:33:36
that worked me and to say the least and
00:33:41
at that point that's when I felt that we
00:33:44
should take some sort of action as to at
00:33:47
least check on his identity of who mr.
00:33:49
Mueller actually was
00:33:53
pat Ammiano search Bueller's vacated
00:33:56
room he found several discarded checks
00:33:59
which later proved to be forgeries
00:34:01
Ammiano also discovered that mueller had
00:34:04
placed several calls to honolulu hawaii
00:34:08
on the off chance he called one of the
00:34:10
phone numbers and it happened to be my
00:34:12
office I think he just has a dis
00:34:15
penchant for making everyone chase him
00:34:18
around
00:34:18
you know I guess he's sort of like
00:34:21
cops-and-robbers kind of thing when
00:34:25
Chicago police arrived to arrest Mueller
00:34:27
they were met by his former cellmate
00:34:29
from Hawaii Roy Hartsock we're looking
00:34:31
for Todd Mueller and you are Hartsock
00:34:36
was surprised to learn that his early
00:34:38
release from prison had been secured
00:34:39
with forged documents
00:34:43
[Music]
00:34:49
under arrest once again Todd Mueller was
00:34:53
in custody but this time there would be
00:34:55
no bail you have the right to remain
00:34:57
silent anything you say or do can be
00:35:00
used against you in a court of law do
00:35:01
you understand Todd was parading around
00:35:03
town prior to his arrest pretending to
00:35:05
be someone other than what he was
00:35:07
committed several burglaries stole mail
00:35:10
federal mail theft charges opened bank
00:35:13
accounts and attempted to withdraw sum
00:35:15
of two hundred four thousand dollars
00:35:16
from one account Roy Hartsock was
00:35:20
returned to Hawaii to complete his
00:35:22
sentence Todd Mueller was booked on
00:35:25
charges of forgery fraud and robbery he
00:35:28
was held in the Cook County Jail pending
00:35:30
trial
00:35:34
but Muller had one more trick up his
00:35:36
sleeve after six months behind bars he
00:35:39
was rushed to a hospital emergency room
00:35:41
after telling guards he had swallowed a
00:35:43
razor blade
00:35:46
Mira was handcuffed to his hospital bed
00:35:49
a guard was posted outside the door it
00:35:52
didn't do a bit of good authorities
00:35:55
still cannot explain how Todd Mueller
00:35:58
got away
00:36:05
[Music]
00:36:08
since thought Muller escaped it would
00:36:11
call me just to say that he wanted to
00:36:13
turn himself into me some of his phone
00:36:17
calls claimed to be on the the plane
00:36:19
itself coming in to Hanoi same day I'm
00:36:21
on my way in I'm on so-and-so flight why
00:36:24
don't you meet me at the airport to go
00:36:27
down there he's never there I don't
00:36:30
think my sense of humor is anything any
00:36:33
worse for it uh I don't particularly
00:36:36
enjoy what he's doing but I just think
00:36:41
what he's doing is silly
00:36:42
you know eventually he's gonna get
00:36:43
caught
00:36:57
[Music]
00:37:03
next a woman's poignant search for her
00:37:06
brothers and sisters torn apart by
00:37:08
tragedy James and Wanda vests were
00:37:20
married 1956 17 years later they had
00:37:25
nine children six sons and three
00:37:27
daughters the oldest child was 16 the
00:37:30
youngest just 10 months James worked in
00:37:33
the construction business and for the
00:37:35
vest children life at home seemed safe
00:37:37
and secure we would eat dinner every
00:37:55
night together at the table my mother
00:37:57
would have everything done before my
00:37:59
father got off work
00:38:01
[Music]
00:38:04
my mother said at 1:00 and my father
00:38:06
said at the other end and the kids set
00:38:08
on the sides and um I think that was
00:38:10
something that was really important to
00:38:12
my father you know that the family be
00:38:15
together at dinner time is said there
00:38:16
Annie okay
00:38:22
we had an ideal life we would go to
00:38:25
church on Sundays we would get up on the
00:38:27
stage of the church and sing with my
00:38:29
mother because she played the accordion
00:38:30
we would sing at home together we would
00:38:36
have fun
00:38:36
it was typical American family life did
00:38:40
you see only were two beaver huh
00:38:44
[Music]
00:38:52
the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
00:38:55
he maketh me to lie down in green
00:38:59
pastures in May of 1974 the best family
00:39:02
was ripped apart by tragedy he leadeth
00:39:07
me in the paths of righteousness for his
00:39:09
name's 1 Davis had died on her 34th walk
00:39:13
through the valley of the shadow of
00:39:14
death I fear no evil for thou art with
00:39:17
me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
00:39:21
I think I felt more cheated than
00:39:23
anything I remember my little sister
00:39:26
tried to touch my mother and I pulled
00:39:28
her hand back and then she went up there
00:39:31
and I guess she touched her cuz she came
00:39:32
back and she goes [ __ ] why is mother so
00:39:36
cold and I couldn't answer her I didn't
00:39:39
know what to say so I just set her down
00:39:41
on my lap and just held her there now
00:39:43
prepares the table before me James vest
00:39:46
did not attend the funeral he was in
00:39:49
jail charged with the murder of his wife
00:39:52
by capo what could bring a man to kill
00:39:58
his own wife and leave his children as
00:39:59
orphans the answer in this isolated case
00:40:02
may be hauntingly simple James fess was
00:40:06
an alcoholic the nine Vest children not
00:40:09
only lost both of their parents to this
00:40:10
devastating disease they also lost each
00:40:13
other for 17 years this is a story of
00:40:16
one woman's determination to find her
00:40:18
brothers and sisters and one family's
00:40:20
resilience in the face of overwhelming
00:40:22
tragedy
00:40:30
by 1973 years of drinking binges has
00:40:33
steadily eroded James and Wanda veces
00:40:35
marriage
00:40:37
James is often too drunk to work he also
00:40:40
became increasingly violent towards his
00:40:42
wife I remember on one occasion my
00:40:59
father coming home looking for his
00:41:01
bottle of liquor and my mother had hit
00:41:03
it so he couldn't find it and he got
00:41:11
really upset in one of his liquor any
00:41:14
when my mother wouldn't give it to him
00:41:16
he was beating her up and he was luring
00:41:20
choking her and so my brother's will go
00:41:23
over there and try to get him off of her
00:41:25
I was always more quiet and afraid Juan
00:41:31
Davis had finally had enough
00:41:33
James soon moved out of the house and
00:41:35
Wanda filed for divorce she was
00:41:38
determined to make a new life for
00:41:40
herself in the nine children but with no
00:41:42
formal training and little work
00:41:44
experience Wanda was forced to wait
00:41:46
tables in ten bar at a local tavern May
00:41:51
27 1974 at around 1:00 a.m. James best
00:41:55
wandered into the tavern where his wife
00:41:57
worked it was Wanda's 34th birthday I
00:42:00
just came to buy a drink for your
00:42:02
birthday we do this every year
00:42:07
get out according to witnesses James had
00:42:10
been drinking heavily
00:42:21
[Music]
00:42:29
without of you
00:42:32
get out of here what are you doing
00:42:38
[Music]
00:42:42
put it down
00:42:45
[Music]
00:42:53
[Music]
00:42:57
love you wonder approximately an hour
00:43:07
later James ves was arrested at a nearby
00:43:09
tavern minutes after killing Wanda
00:43:12
James's Swaggart into the bar and openly
00:43:15
boasted that he had just shot his wife
00:43:17
he said he needed a drink ves later pled
00:43:22
guilty to first-degree murder and was
00:43:24
sentenced to life in prison where he
00:43:26
died in 1983 in one senseless and
00:43:29
violent moment James vestige shattered
00:43:31
his entire family within days of their
00:43:34
mother's funeral the vest children were
00:43:36
sent to live in separate homes I think
00:43:39
for some reason I felt we had enough
00:43:41
family that some kind of way we would
00:43:43
all be kept together but I was wrong it
00:43:46
was like nobody wanted us we were taboo
00:43:48
oh you know to be around us would be to
00:43:51
remember what happened to have to accept
00:43:53
it and they didn't want that so to me we
00:43:56
were punished for what my father did
00:43:58
because we weren't even allowed to have
00:44:01
each other
00:44:02
the oldest boy James jr. was taken in by
00:44:05
his grandmother Shireen and three
00:44:08
brothers Russell Kenneth and Wayne were
00:44:09
placed in foster homes
00:44:11
her sister Kendra and the three youngest
00:44:13
children Heath dawn and Kevin were put
00:44:16
up for adoption for 14 year old Shireen
00:44:25
the tragic loss of an entire family
00:44:27
marked the beginning of a cycle of
00:44:29
despair just three months after her
00:44:32
mother was murdered Shireen ran away
00:44:34
from her foster home and took to the
00:44:36
streets in the very beginning sometimes
00:44:43
I would sleep in the apartment building
00:44:46
hallways
00:44:47
and a couple times I slept outside it
00:44:51
was cold I was scared I had a backpack
00:44:54
that had some clothes and I use that for
00:44:56
a pillow you lay there and half way
00:44:58
sleep and hope that no one comes around
00:45:01
[Music]
00:45:07
remarkably Sherine managed to escape the
00:45:10
streets eventually she enrolled in
00:45:13
Business School and later got a job as
00:45:14
an office manager today Shireen lives in
00:45:18
San Diego California with her husband
00:45:20
and two daughters four years ago with
00:45:23
the love and encouragement of her new
00:45:25
family Shireen began searching for her
00:45:27
missing brothers and sisters whom she
00:45:29
had not seen in 11 years incredibly it
00:45:34
took Shireen less than two months to
00:45:36
find four of her brothers two years
00:45:38
later she was reunited with her oldest
00:45:40
sister and just last Christmas Shireen
00:45:43
finally made contact with her youngest
00:45:45
sister and brother but one of the vest
00:45:48
children still remains unaccounted for
00:45:51
Shireen's brother Heath who was 6 years
00:45:53
old when they were separated I actually
00:45:57
had a dream one night that there was aa
00:45:59
nine of us in a room and I was actually
00:46:01
going Jimmy I count them all down the
00:46:03
lining I couldn't believe it it's like
00:46:07
something that you want but it's just
00:46:10
out of reach you'll never get it but I
00:46:13
believe enough and I that because I will
00:46:17
not take no for an answer there's I just
00:46:20
know so I'm gonna get him ah together
00:46:24
the night of our broadcast shereen's
00:46:26
dream of finding our brother Heath came
00:46:28
true when he called our telecenter Heath
00:46:31
who is now married and living in Ohio
00:46:32
was shocked to learn he been featured on
00:46:34
national television the next day he
00:46:38
spoke with his sister for the first time
00:46:40
at more than 17 years
00:46:44
four weeks later Heath accompanied by
00:46:47
his wife Robyn arrived in Los Angeles
00:46:50
for a special reunion with five of his
00:46:52
brothers and sisters
00:47:01
I was really excited I just wanted Cal
00:47:03
the car - I just think you know who am I
00:47:05
gonna hug first you know and I didn't
00:47:07
want anybody to start bawling or
00:47:09
anything you know I just wanted to get
00:47:11
out and hug everybody at once basically
00:47:15
what I heard Heath was found I was
00:47:17
actually kind of Numb I thought it would
00:47:21
take months I didn't know that people
00:47:25
would just call in and it would be that
00:47:26
easy I'm glad it was because it's been a
00:47:32
long wait
00:47:35
meeting everybody it's changed my
00:47:37
attitude a lot it's picked up my
00:47:38
attitude because uh you know I've had a
00:47:41
lot of feelings now I had that unwanted
00:47:43
feeling and I never really knew why but
00:47:47
now now since uh they found me I have
00:47:51
that wanted feeling now on uh it's a
00:47:57
good it's a good feeling because uh I
00:48:00
never really knew finding Heath and this
00:48:05
reunion is the first day of a new
00:48:06
beginning I know when we all leave here
00:48:10
that we're all gonna leave her
00:48:11
differently it's gonna be better for all
00:48:13
of us on our next unsolved mysteries the
00:48:28
final appeal of Larry race in 1982 race
00:48:32
took his wife for a moonlight boat ride
00:48:33
on Lake Superior the next morning Debbie
00:48:36
races lifeless body washed ashore
00:48:38
Larry race was convicted of murder and
00:48:41
sent to prison
00:48:41
to this day race maintains his innocence
00:48:44
and the family of his dead wife believes
00:48:47
he is telling the truth at the outbreak
00:48:50
of World War two a young woman of the
00:48:52
Ojibwe Indian nation was banished by her
00:48:55
father when she joined the Royal
00:48:56
Canadian Air Force her brothers and
00:48:58
sisters have not seen her in nearly 50
00:49:01
years join me next time for another
00:49:05
intriguing edition unsolved mysteries
00:49:08
[Music]
00:49:50
you
00:49:51
[Music]
