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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode

May 23, 2019 / 44:11

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers the mysterious death of actor George Reeves, the ambush of police officers in Fairfield, California, the tragic story of Tina Sheets searching for her brothers, and the birth of a rare white buffalo calf in Wisconsin.

The segment on George Reeves discusses his rise to fame as Superman and the circumstances surrounding his death in 1959. Police ruled it a suicide, but many believe he was murdered, possibly due to a love triangle involving Toni Mannix and Lenore Lemon.

In Fairfield, California, police officers were ambushed while attempting to arrest drug dealer Roberto Ramirez. The operation resulted in injuries to two officers, and Ramirez remains at large.

The episode also highlights the story of Tina Sheets, who lost her mother in a tragic accident in 1963 and was separated from her brothers. Tina's long search for them reveals the emotional toll of their separation.

Lastly, the birth of a white buffalo calf in Wisconsin is presented as a significant event for the Lakota Sioux Nation, believed to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

TL;DR

This episode discusses George Reeves' mysterious death, police ambush, Tina Sheets' search for her brothers, and a rare white buffalo calf's significance.

Episode

44:11
00:00:06
tonight on unsolved mysteries
00:00:09
he was TV's first superhero in the 1950s
00:00:13
George Reeves achieved overnight stardom
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as a legendary Man of Steel then
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suddenly it was over Ruiz was found shot
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to death in his home and ever since the
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question is haunted Hollywood who killed
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Superman in Fairfield California a team
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of police officers dispatched to arrest
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a suspected drug dealer walked straight
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into an ambush Toledo Ohio 1963 a tragic
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accident leaves three young children
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motherless within days Tina sheets is
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separated from her little brothers more
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than 30 years later Tina is still
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searching still hoping to find them it
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was one of nature's mysterious wonders
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the birth of a pure white Buffalo Calf
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almost immediately a small Wisconsin
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farm was transformed into a revered
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shrine for Native Americans is the
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arrival of the miracle Buffalo the
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fulfillment of an ancient prophecy join
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me for these fascinating news stories
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much more on tonight's edition of
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unsolved mysteries
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[Music]
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all right
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he's guys somebody's giving it to the
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game okay the deals going down it's the
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male white in the black Chrysler we get
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two units to stay on him when he leaves
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February 1989
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acting on a tip detectives from the
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Oakland California Police Department
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staked out a liquor store parking lot I
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remarried backing out Ramirez out sure
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enough a suspected drug dealer named
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Roberto Ramirez had set up a sale
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Roberto Ramirez was no ordinary dealer
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he allegedly distributed cocaine from
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Oakland to LA the word was that Ramirez
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would do absolutely anything to turn a
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dime he would often deal out of his
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house but most often meet people at
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different locations he'd often have his
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children to small children grammar
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school age carry the cocaine in
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backpacks and bring it to the the buyers
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that way
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after obtaining a search warrant police
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converged on Ramirez's home in Fairfield
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California some 40 miles north of
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Oakland a total of 12 Oakland and
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Fairfield officers are in on the raid
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the load Ramirez come easy woody get
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stubborn and make it tough on everybody
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officer mark Burrell Oakland PD my
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assignment was to pry the iron grate on
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the front door the safest entry that we
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make is a quick entry it gives the
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people inside less time to prepare and
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normally we catch them in that surprise
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mode detective Mark Smith Fairfield PD
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my position was to cross in front of the
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house that I would cover the window and
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the side of the house for anybody trying
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to flee or any attack coming from
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outside the window through the front
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window 142 a.m. Showtime Ramirez isatis
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was a challenge loud and clear come and
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get me
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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at that instant Ramirez appeared at a
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side window two officers fell
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severely injured detective Smith had to
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be dragged from the line of fire officer
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Burrell took refuge under Ramirez's
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window
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I took a physical check of myself my
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legs worked I was clear thinking my left
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arm didn't work my shoulder was numb but
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the other officer wasn't so lucky
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detective Smith was bleeding profusely
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he was evacuated through a neighbor's
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house to a waiting ambulance still
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Ramirez wouldn't budge reinforcements
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from eight other police departments had
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filled out the ranks now 30 heavily
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armed officers surrounded the house he's
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coming out
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okay he's coming out after a two hour
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standoff Roberto Ramirez finally emerged
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true to form he cowered behind his wife
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eight months pregnant and their children
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ages 10 and 6
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[Music]
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when Ramirez came outside there was a
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lot of attention he had shot two of our
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police officers and he had a lot of time
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to think about what he had done anything
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can happen
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you don't know what's going through
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their mind at that point Roberto Ramirez
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was arrested on two counts of attempted
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murder and a laundry list of drug and
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assault charges a bail bond of more than
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half a million dollars in California
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real estate was enough to spring Ramirez
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in jail in June of 1990 shortly before a
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court date the couple packed up their
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children and dropped from sight they are
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still on the run but the damage they
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inflicted lingers on I was shot through
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the upper left arm it was basically in
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and out it severed the nerves in my left
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arm and left me with no feeling although
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I have a must strength and muscle
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flexibility in the arm I just don't have
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any feeling in
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I remember muzzle flashes and then my
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next memory I felt like I had been
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punched in the stomach or hit with a
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baseball bat of the stomach I can't
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pronounce most of the things had damaged
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but it was most of the internal organs
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in my abdomen the bullet went completely
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through most of the intestines and the
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kidney liver and lodged it stopped on
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the opposite side of my body just under
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the skin in my back I'm always gonna
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have the scars and the pain and all from
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it but it would give me some
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satisfaction if he was cotton and was in
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jail serving his time and paying for
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what he's done
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Roberto Ramirez is 38 years old he is a
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heavyset five-six 210 pounds he should
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be considered armed and dangerous
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[Music]
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last Friday the lines at the phone
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Center was swamped with calls from our
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viewers must quickly go to Keeley Shay
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Smith to see what happened for the past
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two weeks the nation's attention has
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been focused on the tragic murder of 27
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year old Linda sobic so Beck's body was
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found here in a shallow grave at this
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spot in the Angeles National Forest
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outside Los Angeles Sheriff detectives
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now fear her murder may be connected to
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an unsolved homicide we profiled on an
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earlier broadcast the remains of the
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victim in that case were also found in
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this area Linda sobic was a successful
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model and former Los Angeles Raiders
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cheerleader whose disappearance on
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November 16th left her family and
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friends frantic this man photographer
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Charles Rathbun has claimed that Linda
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Sobek died in a freak car accident
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during a photo shoot then in a state of
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panic he buried her in the Angeles
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National Forest days later with the help
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of Rathbun Linda so Beck's body was
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recovered but initial reports from the
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coroner's office seemed to indicate that
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Linda's injuries were not consistent
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with being hit by a car
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Charles Rathbun has been charged with
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first-degree murder and is being held on
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1 million dollars bail according to the
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authorities he is now a suspect in the
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death of another model kimberly pand
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Elias whose story we aired last year
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March 3rd 1993 again in the Angeles
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National Forest
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the LA County Coroner was called to
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investigate a possible murder site a
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partial set of skeletal remains had been
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discovered when the coroner checked
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dental records of missing persons in the
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Los Angeles area
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he found a match the remains were
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identified as those of 20 year old
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Kimberly Panda Leo's a model and actress
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who had disappeared a year before
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Kimberly was married and had a 14
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month-old son
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On February 27th 1992 Kimberly had told
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her husband that she was scheduled to do
00:10:52
an outdoor photoshoot authorities
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believe she responded to an ad in a
00:10:56
local paper the next day her burned-out
00:11:02
car was found near the Monte Cristo
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campground section of the Angeles
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National Forest a search of the
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immediate area turned up no clues
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another year would pass before
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Kimberly's remains were found a few
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miles from the spot where Linda Sobek
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was buried we do have some similarities
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between the death of Kimberly and
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dealios and Linda Sobek we also have a
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person who has come forward and
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indicated that they saw Kimberly pan de
00:11:30
leus in the company of Charles Rathbun
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inside a Denny's restaurant shortly
00:11:35
before her murder two blond models on
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photo shoots two bodies found in the
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Angeles National Forest two victims with
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known or reported ties to photographer
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Charles Rathbun despite the similarities
00:11:50
the LA County Sheriff's Department
00:11:51
believes it is too soon to positively
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connect the two cases
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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April 6 1963 a highway under
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construction a young single mother
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hurrying home to her three small
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children in the blink of an eye
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disaster
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[Applause]
00:13:06
26 year-old Patricia labyrinth at Toledo
00:13:09
Ohio was killed instantly
00:13:11
a few miles away Patricia's children
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waited patiently and unknowingly at the
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home of their great-aunt accident
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investigators believe she lost control
00:13:19
of the car along a section of the
00:13:21
highway that evening the flickering
00:13:24
images on the television brought the
00:13:26
tragedy home suddenly they were
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motherless Patricia's one-year-old son
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Craig nicknamed chipper two year-old
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Christopher Chrissy for short and four
00:13:42
year old Tina the day before was my
00:13:46
brother Chrissy's second birthday and I
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remember the birthday cake and the
00:13:50
people at the party and my next memory
00:13:53
goes immediately to my aunt on the phone
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crying Tina had only the vaguest notion
00:13:59
that something terrible had happened she
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had no idea that she and her brothers
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were about to be split up forever
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Chrissy and chipper were eventually
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handed over to foster care Tina was
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uprooted as well lonely and confused
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she left her great aunt's home to live
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with her grandparents I do remember once
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my grandparents took custody of me that
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I was very upset and could not
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understand why my mother and my brothers
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were gone I felt as though I was bad
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that I had done something terribly awful
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for all this to happen to me and for
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everybody to have been taken from me
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as I grew up I missed not having
00:14:48
Christian chipper there I I knew that
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they were somewhere and that I wanted to
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be with them but it was out of my
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control as to where any of us went and
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the older I got the more I knew I had
00:15:04
the ability to find them Tina started
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looking when she was 16 her great aunt
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gave her the first clue no that's the
00:15:18
place where they were taken I don't know
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what happened to them after that Tina
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found the house only to learn the
00:15:27
Chrissy and chippers foster parents had
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moved she then went door-to-door hoping
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the neighbors could help
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[Music]
00:15:41
hello hi I'm trying to locate a family
00:15:45
that used to take in foster kids
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I believe they lived next door to you
00:15:48
about 15 years ago oh yeah yeah there
00:15:52
was a family that they had a lots of
00:15:53
foster kids over there yeah I'm trying
00:15:55
to find my two brothers their names were
00:15:57
chipper and Chrissie I believe they
00:15:58
lived with her for a while
00:16:00
you remember those - yes a cute little
00:16:03
boys yeah I remember it's a long time
00:16:07
ago though similar name was Doris simple
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yes I think she's a nurse Tina was
00:16:15
elated she finally had a nail she was
00:16:18
only a phone call away from locating her
00:16:20
long-lost brothers she never imagined it
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would take another eight years to track
00:16:25
down Doris sindelle and make that call
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when I first told her who I was I asked
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her if she ever lived in Toledo and she
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said yes and I asked her if she was ever
00:16:36
a foster parent and she said yes and I
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told her I believe that she had fostered
00:16:41
my brothers and she said my babies
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Chrissie and chipper and I nearly fell
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off my chair
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Dora said mother Chrissy and chipper for
00:16:52
almost two years she loved them as her
00:16:54
own until they were adopted by a couple
00:16:57
from Michigan
00:16:59
Deena visited Doris as soon as she could
00:17:02
she wanted to hear every detail
00:17:06
Doris gave Tina glimpse into the life
00:17:09
she might have shared with her brothers
00:17:11
in this picture Doris has saved
00:17:14
everything the whole movies the
00:17:18
photographs even the boys tiny bow ties
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these are the actual time when I handed
00:17:26
her the bowties I had no intentions of
00:17:30
letting her keep those bow ties but I
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didn't have the heart to take them back
00:17:35
because she looked with him with such
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loving care and she couldn't speak she
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cried they just felt as they had
00:17:45
actually worn these I was that much
00:17:48
closer to them and I just wanted to be
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able to to be with them
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[Music]
00:18:16
coming up one of Hollywood's most
00:18:18
intriguing mysteries was George Reeves
00:18:21
TV Superman killed by an irate husband
00:18:23
but first we'll take you to Wisconsin
00:18:26
where the birth of a rare White Buffalo
00:18:27
Calf turned a small farm it was
00:18:29
spiritual Mecca
00:18:32
[Music]
00:18:46
150 years ago the buffalo ruled the
00:18:48
western plains 30 million strong proud
00:18:52
masters of a vast uncharted land but
00:18:55
today the Great Plains are virtually
00:18:57
empty just 130 thousand of those
00:19:00
majestic creatures remained moster on
00:19:03
ranches our farms such as this one in
00:19:05
Janesville Wisconsin Dave Hyder and his
00:19:10
wife Valerie have been breeding Buffalo
00:19:12
since 1989
00:19:13
but nothing could have prepared day for
00:19:16
their marvel events of August 20th 1994
00:19:19
that morning he went out to check on a
00:19:21
pregnant cow what he discovered would
00:19:24
change his life and his farm forever
00:19:27
when I handed out in the past year
00:19:30
trying to find this cow and I found her
00:19:32
on the east most corner of the pasture
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the cow stood up and the calf stood up
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and she was in the shade and the calf
00:19:42
looked funny color real strange colors
00:19:45
like like a gray the cow walked out into
00:19:49
the sunlight and the calf followed her I
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could not believe what I was looking at
00:19:55
she was as white as his white could be
00:19:57
as white as snow it was nature that's
00:20:00
most glorious and unpredictable the odds
00:20:03
were 1 in 10 million a white non albino
00:20:06
Buffalo Calf fittingly the hiders named
00:20:10
her miracle
00:20:13
as news of the extraordinary calf spread
00:20:16
the hiders were besieged by members of
00:20:18
the Lakota Sioux Nation to the Lakotas
00:20:21
miracle was a profound gift a
00:20:23
fulfillment of an ancient prophecy
00:20:26
almost overnight the farmers transformed
00:20:29
into a religious shrine they came from
00:20:33
all over the world here they would call
00:20:36
from all over the world
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we had telephone calls every three
00:20:41
minutes from 6:30 in the morning till
00:20:43
11:30 at night at one period we had
00:20:48
2,300 people through our driveway in a
00:20:50
five hour length of time and it was
00:20:54
wall-to-wall people constantly it was
00:20:56
like a wave that never ended
00:21:00
[Music]
00:21:04
initially the hiders were confounded by
00:21:06
all the commotion but as a flood tide of
00:21:09
visitors continued Dave and Valerie soon
00:21:11
learned the full significance of a white
00:21:13
buffalo calf this rare animal was at the
00:21:16
heart of a hallowed legend handed down
00:21:18
by the Lakota soon for some 600 years
00:21:21
Matt occupied so-called can we talk see
00:21:24
much of below our ville looking horse of
00:21:26
the Cheyenne River Reservation is a
00:21:28
spiritual leader of the Lakota Nation he
00:21:31
is responsible for passing on the story
00:21:33
of the White Buffalo Calf to the next
00:21:35
generation there was a time when uh the
00:21:39
white both the calf woman she came to
00:21:42
the people nineteen generations ago and
00:21:45
according to the legend two Scouts were
00:21:47
set out during a great famine to search
00:21:49
for the buffalo herd as they crested one
00:21:52
rise they spied a lone White Buffalo
00:21:54
Calf it was an amazing sight the Braves
00:21:58
watched in awe as a calf magically
00:22:00
transformed into a beautiful young
00:22:02
maiden
00:22:07
four days later the White Buffalo Calf
00:22:09
woman appeared again to the entire tribe
00:22:12
she bore a sacred pipe and a code of
00:22:15
laws as important to the Lakota as a ten
00:22:17
commandments art of Western religions
00:22:22
the maiden promised that she would
00:22:25
return once more in six hundred years as
00:22:27
a White Buffalo Calf the washer in a
00:22:29
period of peace and harmony I was told
00:22:34
nineteen generations ago she came when
00:22:36
the chazar deepest red or black and that
00:22:41
would be the last week in August and
00:22:45
that's when nineteen generations later
00:22:47
this White Buffalo Calf is being born
00:22:51
but his miracle is the reincarnation of
00:22:54
the White Buffalo Calf woman why is she
00:22:56
here now the lakota believe her return
00:22:59
is tied to an ancient prophecy in the
00:23:03
next five years she's gonna show us
00:23:05
natural disaster and man-made disaster
00:23:09
is going to be evil killing evil Floyd
00:23:13
hand believes it will begin with great
00:23:15
fires floods will follow as well as
00:23:18
earthquakes typhoons man-made disasters
00:23:21
pollution and war
00:23:26
the prophecy states a devastation will
00:23:29
continue for a full five years but as
00:23:32
the onslaught wanes harmony will prevail
00:23:34
followed by an unprecedented period of
00:23:36
world peace there is hope there's no
00:23:40
going to be no end of the world it's
00:23:43
just that we've got to put our minds
00:23:45
together as concerning our mother earth
00:23:50
perhaps not surprisingly offers to buy
00:23:53
the Buffalo Calf come in daily from such
00:23:55
diverse people as media mogul Ted Turner
00:23:57
and rock star Ted Nugent she's not for
00:24:03
sale she will not leave here do you have
00:24:06
to be here and see the effect that this
00:24:08
calf has on people how it changes their
00:24:10
lives something that is sacred and holy
00:24:14
is what that calf is you can't put a
00:24:16
price on it that calf was sent here for
00:24:21
us to be like a caretaker to it for all
00:24:24
people to come see Catholics Protestants
00:24:27
they've all been here you'll see
00:24:30
rosaries you'll see everything on the
00:24:32
gate from anything that is very
00:24:35
important to them they will leave on the
00:24:37
gate
00:24:38
a lady came to baptize her baby she put
00:24:43
her baby's hand through the fence and
00:24:46
held it there and the calf come right up
00:24:49
and put her head right under the baby's
00:24:51
hand and stayed there through the whole
00:24:53
little ceremony and when she was all day
00:24:56
all done she just backed off and she
00:24:59
pulled the baby's hand back and was just
00:25:02
unbelievable unbelievable indeed
00:25:07
apparently the miracle calf has already
00:25:10
fulfilled one portion of the prophecy
00:25:12
changing colors four times from white to
00:25:15
black red and blue yellow which is not
00:25:22
so white anymore yeah and she's one of
00:25:26
these four do you think you can pick her
00:25:28
out
00:25:33
ladies and gentlemen there is the star
00:25:38
I've seen people from all over the world
00:25:42
come here and when they walk away
00:25:44
there's something different about them
00:25:47
which is spiritual awakening but the
00:25:50
message she brought to us is the time
00:25:53
has come for us to live through peace
00:25:56
love and harmony
00:25:59
[Music]
00:26:18
next authorities need your help to track
00:26:22
down a man accused of rape
00:26:24
[Music]
00:26:35
this story is about a rape survivor call
00:26:39
her Deidre
00:26:40
despite her intense trauma Deidre
00:26:43
refuses to let her living nightmare
00:26:44
destroyer she wants to fight back by
00:26:47
finding the man who raped her and
00:26:48
putting him behind bars but she cannot
00:26:51
do it alone
00:26:52
she needs your help for years
00:26:58
Deidre lives on New York City's
00:27:00
fashionable Upper East Side it is
00:27:02
normally a very expensive area the
00:27:04
Deidre had lucked into a rent stabilized
00:27:06
apartment eventually however the
00:27:09
building was slated to be torn down as
00:27:11
leases ran out the tenants moved by
00:27:14
early 1992 Deidre was the only tenant
00:27:17
left the only person living in the
00:27:19
building which was badly in need of
00:27:21
repair in the end it was one of those
00:27:27
repairs a leaky ceiling that led Deidre
00:27:30
to disaster the landlord agreed to send
00:27:38
someone
00:27:38
he hired a 31 year old handyman named
00:27:41
David goes when he was first hired it
00:27:45
didn't seem strange at all it was just
00:27:47
somebody else coming in to do some work
00:27:49
in the building that's all
00:27:53
after Gauss fixed the ceiling the
00:27:55
landlord gave him more work cows did the
00:27:58
repairs he lived temporarily in a
00:28:00
basement apartment one night late at
00:28:04
night I smelled smoke downstairs and I
00:28:08
went running down oh no I was just
00:28:14
cooking soup in a can I said if you're
00:28:21
ever gonna cook again why don't you come
00:28:23
up and ask me if you can borrow pan
00:28:24
because I really don't want the building
00:28:26
to burn down
00:28:29
March 29th 1992 9:30 a.m.
00:28:36
David I thought you were coming up
00:28:39
yesterday to paint the ceiling I had
00:28:42
other things to do I couldn't make it
00:28:44
I came up to borrow frying oh okay
00:28:48
[Applause]
00:28:56
[Applause]
00:29:06
after he raped me it seemed like he was
00:29:09
calmer but then he got a crazy look in
00:29:12
his eye again and he took an ice pick
00:29:15
out of his pocket I thought for sure
00:29:19
that he was going to kill me
00:29:25
deidre was willing to try anything to
00:29:28
save her life
00:29:29
she hit on a desperate ploy no no listen
00:29:33
you don't understand wait no we could be
00:29:35
together
00:29:36
I made him believe that he was my
00:29:37
boyfriend Peeta it totally disarmed him
00:29:40
teacup really confused about the whole
00:29:42
thing the ploy worked Gauss claimed he
00:29:52
needed money to pay a debt
00:29:54
deidre gave him all she had Deidre's
00:30:02
called a 911 and immediate response but
00:30:09
David Gauss was long gone at the police
00:30:15
station detectives ran a background
00:30:17
check on guns it quickly turned up a
00:30:20
long list of previous arrests and felony
00:30:22
convictions including armed robbery
00:30:24
assault and grand larceny okay deep in
00:30:29
now what we're gonna do is I'm gonna
00:30:30
show you a series of six pictures and
00:30:33
let me know if you recognize anybody
00:30:34
okay
00:30:35
[Music]
00:30:40
it's him after we identified David Gauss
00:30:45
as the person who raped Deidre I also
00:30:48
contacted other police departments and
00:30:50
learned that David Gauss was also wanted
00:30:53
for a rape that occurred in Nassau
00:30:54
County Long Island and that rape he
00:30:57
raped an acquaintance of his and a
00:31:00
warrant was issued for his arrest David
00:31:03
Gauss has not been seen in three and a
00:31:05
half years the police currently have no
00:31:07
leads but they fear GAO's will rape
00:31:09
again rape is a crime that is usually
00:31:14
repeated until they're caught and put
00:31:17
away so there's no doubt in my mind if
00:31:20
David Gauss is now caught that he will
00:31:22
go on doing what he's used to doing
00:31:24
raping women
00:31:27
it's been three and a half years and it
00:31:29
still affects my life I don't trust
00:31:32
anybody
00:31:33
there's no enjoyment left I know that
00:31:38
he's raping other women and I know that
00:31:40
other lives are being destroyed I'd like
00:31:42
to see him off the streets I'd like to
00:31:46
see him put away forever
00:31:50
[Music]
00:31:58
[Music]
00:32:06
[Music]
00:32:09
when we return the shooting death of
00:32:13
television actor George Reeves still has
00:32:15
many researchers wondering who killed
00:32:17
Superman
00:32:19
[Music]
00:32:31
on a speeding bullet more powerful than
00:32:37
a locomotive
00:32:38
[Music]
00:32:39
able to leap tall buildings at a single
00:32:41
bound
00:32:42
[Music]
00:32:48
in the 1950s millions of TV viewers
00:32:51
across America knew actor George Reeves
00:32:53
as Superman a man of steel both
00:32:56
indestructible and invincible
00:32:58
[Music]
00:33:02
then came June 16th 1959 at about 1:30
00:33:06
a.m. Los Angeles police raced to George
00:33:09
Reeves fashionable Hollywood Hills home
00:33:11
[Music]
00:33:16
upstairs they found George Reeves
00:33:18
sprawled across his bed
00:33:20
he had died from a single gunshot wound
00:33:22
to his right temple police quickly ruled
00:33:28
Reeves death a suicide yet within a week
00:33:31
some people began to question that
00:33:32
ruling it was a beginning of a
00:33:35
controversy which continues to this day
00:33:37
[Music]
00:33:38
it doesn't make sense that George Reeves
00:33:41
committed suicide because the evidence
00:33:43
doesn't support that I don't believe
00:33:45
that George Reeves killed himself I
00:33:47
believe that he was murdered who killed
00:33:52
Superman for nearly four decades that
00:33:55
mystery is tantalizing fascinated
00:33:57
Hollywood those who believe George
00:33:59
Reeves met with foul play say a woman
00:34:01
was behind it but what woman at the time
00:34:05
of his death breezes at the vortex of a
00:34:07
twisted double love triangle which would
00:34:09
have shocked his many loyal fans
00:34:14
in 1952 George Reeves became an
00:34:17
overnight star as Superman just four
00:34:20
years earlier he had been forced to eke
00:34:22
out a living by digging septic tanks one
00:34:25
of his Superman co-stars was Jack Larsen
00:34:27
who played Jimmy Olsen well I didn't
00:34:31
know what I was getting into my
00:34:33
presumption as I'm sure George's was no
00:34:36
one will probably ever see this and we
00:34:39
became famous I mean became hot and and
00:34:41
I was just a guy around New York who
00:34:44
some people say hey didn't I see you in
00:34:46
the Alcoa or you know a better lunch
00:34:48
counter and suddenly I was Jimmy Olsen
00:34:50
[Music]
00:34:59
away from the cameras in his love life
00:35:02
at least Ruiz bore little resemblance to
00:35:04
the TV superhero his steady girlfriend
00:35:08
was Toni Mannix a former Ziegfeld
00:35:10
showgirl eight years as senior Toni
00:35:14
however was a married woman her husband
00:35:17
Eddie Mannix had been vice president of
00:35:19
MGM and was still a powerful force in
00:35:21
Hollywood no one knows why but Mannix
00:35:24
encouraged his wife's involvement with
00:35:26
Reeves the relationship between George
00:35:30
and Toni was a very open relationship
00:35:33
she took care of George very well the
00:35:36
car that he drove was bought by Toni in
00:35:40
the house that he lived in was Toni's
00:35:41
house but something happened in late
00:35:44
fifty-eight that broke that relationship
00:35:47
off
00:35:49
Tony Manus was devastated by the
00:35:51
break-up but George moved on quickly
00:35:54
he soon began spending his time with
00:35:57
Lenore lemon a member of the New York
00:35:59
cafe society much younger and much
00:36:01
wilder than Tony Maddox
00:36:04
she had a reputation a bad reputation
00:36:07
for fights in clubs in New York
00:36:10
I think George liked the excitement that
00:36:13
he found with her another George on the
00:36:20
night George Reeves died his life was
00:36:22
not as perfect as it might have appeared
00:36:24
although he pampered Lenore and they
00:36:26
were reportedly engaged Reeves could not
00:36:28
keep up the lavish lifestyle he had
00:36:30
enjoyed with Tony cut off from her money
00:36:33
the bills were piling up
00:36:35
moreover Reeves hadn't filmed a new
00:36:37
episode of Superman in two years perfume
00:36:41
I think George Reeves was going through
00:36:44
a midlife crisis there are reports that
00:36:47
George was planning to marry Lenore
00:36:50
lemon I don't think he was going to do
00:36:51
that and that that's where I think an
00:36:54
argument came up
00:36:58
by midnight only Lenore lemon and writer
00:37:01
Robert Condon remained at the house with
00:37:03
Reeves shortly thereafter two neighbors
00:37:06
stopped by looking for a party a bar is
00:37:14
closed
00:37:18
according to Jim note
00:37:20
Lenore became increasingly agitated
00:37:22
about the way Reeves treated the guests
00:37:25
fine
00:37:26
I think this made Lenore lemon very
00:37:28
angry that he treated his friend like
00:37:31
that she went up and I think an argument
00:37:33
started
00:37:34
I think George at that time told her
00:37:37
that he had no plans to marry her and
00:37:39
that she became very angry and pulled
00:37:42
out a gun and I don't think on purpose
00:37:45
but I think accidentally shot George
00:37:54
half an hour past before the police were
00:37:57
notified Jim no believes the partygoers
00:38:00
needed time to come up with a consistent
00:38:02
story when questioned everyone said
00:38:06
Reeves had been alone in his bedroom
00:38:08
that he had shot himself he was
00:38:11
immediately the police ruled Reeves
00:38:13
death a suicide
00:38:14
despite some rather curious evidence a
00:38:18
30 caliber Luger pistol lay on the floor
00:38:21
between Reeves legs but there were no
00:38:24
fingerprints on the gun the bullet had
00:38:28
passed through Reeves skull and larged
00:38:30
in the ceiling above his bed and
00:38:32
strangely the fatal shell casing was
00:38:35
found underneath Reeves body
00:38:38
[Music]
00:38:41
if George Reeves had committed suicide
00:38:43
and held the gun to his head
00:38:46
the bullet casing would have been
00:38:47
expelled away from his body not in back
00:38:50
of his body where he would have fallen
00:38:51
on it there were no powder burns in his
00:38:53
hands there were no powder burns in his
00:38:56
head which means that the gun was held
00:38:58
far enough away from his head that there
00:39:00
weren't any powder burns somebody else
00:39:02
pulled that trigger but was Leonor lemon
00:39:07
that somebody else writer and researcher
00:39:09
Michael hey Dazz an even darker theory
00:39:11
he believes that George Reeves death was
00:39:14
a direct result of his illicit affair
00:39:16
with Toni Mannix and her husband Eddie's
00:39:18
anger over Reeves ending it I believe
00:39:22
that the man was murdered
00:39:24
I believe that Eddie Mannix tired of
00:39:27
listening to his wife grieve and obsess
00:39:30
over George Reeves decided that it was
00:39:33
time to take some action it was my
00:39:37
understanding that George's house was
00:39:39
pretty much an open house and I think it
00:39:40
was relatively easy for Eddie Mannix to
00:39:42
send someone over to the house during
00:39:45
the course of a party that may have been
00:39:46
going on and Eddie Mannix had the guy
00:39:50
killed
00:39:52
[Music]
00:39:59
that Eddie Mannix by the end of the 50s
00:40:03
who was retiring would endanger his life
00:40:06
in the end of his life by having
00:40:08
something nefarious done to George is to
00:40:12
my mind ludicrous but what about the
00:40:16
physical evidence no fingerprints on the
00:40:19
gun the shell casing underneath Reeves
00:40:22
body the lack of powder burns on his
00:40:24
hands or head the absence of powder
00:40:28
burns raises a question a lot of
00:40:29
people's minds because most people have
00:40:31
a misconception about powder burns they
00:40:33
believe that powder burns happen when a
00:40:35
weapon is placed up against the skin
00:40:37
that's not the case when the weapon is
00:40:39
placed against the skin the powder goes
00:40:41
into the wound and does not burn the
00:40:44
outside of the skin the police found no
00:40:48
evidence of fingerprints on the weapon
00:40:50
George was a gun collector and he kept
00:40:53
his weapons well oiled well a thick coat
00:40:56
of oil won't hold fingerprints any more
00:40:58
than water will okay take him perhaps
00:41:01
the most difficult fact to explain is
00:41:03
how the shell casing got under the body
00:41:06
the 30 caliber Luger is designed to
00:41:08
eject the shell upwards and away from
00:41:11
the shooter most people think that
00:41:13
couldn't put the shell behind him
00:41:16
however if the gun was fired this way it
00:41:20
would eject the shell downward for
00:41:22
example according to the autopsy report
00:41:29
the bullet entered Reeves head about one
00:41:32
inch above his right ear it exited about
00:41:34
one in 3/4 of an inch above the left ear
00:41:37
then lodged in the ceiling the bullet
00:41:40
trajectory suggests that Reeves head was
00:41:41
tilted when the gun was fired
00:41:43
consequently he may have held a gun in
00:41:45
an odd position if George had held the
00:41:49
gun not this way but in this way the
00:41:52
more comfortable and natural position he
00:41:55
would have ejected the shelf directly
00:41:57
behind him and onto the bed
00:42:01
but why would Superman kill himself Jack
00:42:05
Larson believes that Reeves was
00:42:06
despondent over his lack of work he
00:42:09
couldn't get a job I couldn't get a job
00:42:11
in the United States I was too typed his
00:42:13
Jimmy was absolutely type nobody wanted
00:42:15
me to work at all I don't know what
00:42:17
happened to George I only had a bow tie
00:42:19
and a sweater to worry about George and
00:42:20
his Superman outfit so I was depressed
00:42:23
and I accepted instantly that he had
00:42:27
committed suicide there is evidence to
00:42:29
support all three theories about his
00:42:32
death I think there is evidence to
00:42:33
support suicide there is evidence to
00:42:35
support tragic accident and there is
00:42:38
evidence to support murder the only
00:42:40
people who know how George Reeves died
00:42:43
are no longer with us
00:42:47
who killed Superman was George Reeves
00:42:51
death the result of a secretive and
00:42:52
perilous love triangle or was he the
00:42:55
victim of a depression so profound that
00:42:57
he took his own life perhaps we will
00:43:00
never know perhaps this is one case
00:43:02
destined to remain an unsolved mystery
00:43:08
[Music]
00:43:21
join me again this Friday at our regular
00:43:24
time you brought all new edition
00:43:26
unsolved mysteries
00:43:28
[Music]
00:44:04
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 75
    Most heartbreaking
  • 75
    Biggest twist
  • 70
    Most emotional

Episode Highlights

  • The Tragic Loss of a Mother
    Tina recalls the moment she became motherless after a tragic accident.
    “I felt as though I was bad that I had done something terribly awful.”
    @ 14m 35s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Miracle Buffalo Calf
    The birth of a rare white buffalo calf fulfills an ancient prophecy for the Lakota.
    “This rare animal was at the heart of a hallowed legend.”
    @ 21m 16s
    May 23, 2019
  • A Message of Hope
    The white buffalo calf symbolizes a future of peace and harmony according to Lakota beliefs.
    “The time has come for us to live through peace, love, and harmony.”
    @ 25m 53s
    May 23, 2019
  • Deidre's Desperate Plight
    After being attacked, Deidre employs a risky strategy to survive.
    “I made him believe that he was my boyfriend Peeta”
    @ 29m 36s
    May 23, 2019
  • Identifying the Attacker
    Deidre's identification of David Gauss leads to a shocking revelation.
    “It's him after we identified David Gauss”
    @ 30m 40s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Mystery of George Reeves
    The death of actor George Reeves raises questions of murder versus suicide.
    “It doesn't make sense that George Reeves committed suicide”
    @ 33m 41s
    May 23, 2019
  • Unsolved Mystery
    The circumstances surrounding George Reeves' death remain a topic of debate.
    “Perhaps we will never know”
    @ 43m 02s
    May 23, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • I was motherless... I felt as though I was bad.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • I just wanted to be with them.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • This rare animal was at the heart of a hallowed legend.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • The time has come for us to live through peace, love, and harmony.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • Who killed Superman?
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • Perhaps this is one case destined to remain an unsolved mystery.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 5 - Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Motherless14:35
  • White Buffalo Prophecy21:16
  • Hope and Harmony25:53
  • Survival Tactics29:36
  • Identifying the Rapist30:40
  • George Reeves' Death33:20
  • Unsolved Mystery43:02

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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