00:00:03
[theme music]
00:00:04
DENNIS: Next on
Unsolved Mysteries.
00:00:07
Margo Freshwater was a
teenage femme fatale when
00:00:10
she was convicted of murder.
00:00:12
Then she escaped and
is still on the run.
00:00:16
A millionaire's burnt out car
is found in a remote field
00:00:20
with his dead body inside.
00:00:22
Is it suicide or murder?
00:00:25
A Ouija board
identifies the ghost
00:00:26
that's terrorizing a family.
00:00:29
And now, they can't
get it to leave.
00:00:32
When a fishing boat sinks,
four men are cast adrift.
00:00:36
Only one is rescued.
00:00:38
Were the other three picked up
and held against their will?
00:00:43
I'm Dennis Farina, and
this is Unsolved Mysteries.
00:00:47
[theme music]
00:01:15
[theme music]
00:01:22
In Nashville, Tennessee,
a young blonde
00:01:29
named Margo Freshwater
finds herself
00:01:34
in an unlikely place, prison.
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She has just been convicted
of first degree murder.
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But Margo will not be
in prison for long.
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The guard is unarmed.
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Freshwater and her accomplice
make a run for the fence.
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TOMMY: The guard had
to make a decision
00:02:05
whether to stay with the main
group or chase after her.
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All the guard could do was
try to summon some help
00:02:13
and have somebody go after her.
00:02:16
DENNIS: But the help
arrives too late.
00:02:18
Freshwater has vanished.
00:02:24
Margo Freshwater has
been a wanted fugitive
00:02:26
for more than 30 years.
00:02:29
Police believe she's established
a new identity and a new life.
00:02:33
Those around her probably
don't realize that Freshwater
00:02:37
is a convicted killer.
00:02:40
Margo Freshwater
was just 18 years
00:02:42
old when she walked
into the office
00:02:44
of 41-year-old Glenn Nash.
00:02:47
He was a hard-drinking
lawyer whose grip on reality
00:02:49
was beginning to slip.
00:02:51
Nash was being
investigated by the Memphis
00:02:54
Bar Association for misconduct.
00:02:57
He was sure that their agents
were conspiring against him.
00:03:02
TOMMY: Glenn Nash was
an intelligent person,
00:03:05
but somewhere along the line his
drinking and mental situation
00:03:09
apparently deteriorated.
00:03:13
He just took a left-hand turn.
00:03:16
Mr. Nash.
00:03:17
Glenn Nash.
00:03:19
Margo Freshwater.
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DENNIS: Margo needed a
favor from Nash, help
00:03:23
her boyfriend get out of jail.
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Well I'm here because
of my boyfriend.
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He's in the Memphis jail
right now for armed robbery.
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TERRY: Margo was a
young, attractive
00:03:34
blonde, very good figure.
00:03:37
Margo had the distinct
ability to turn a man's
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head when she would walk by.
00:03:41
And I just drove down
from Ohio to help him out.
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TOMMY: I believe Margot
was seduced by Nash.
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She didn't have any
life experience,
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especially with any kind
of a situation like this.
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DENNIS: Margot had
no money to pay Nash.
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She couldn't even afford a place
to stay while she was in town.
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Nash agreed to take
the case for free, even
00:04:03
though he was broke himself.
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He also put Margo up at
a local boarding house
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where they began
an intense affair.
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At the same time,
Nash was convinced
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that agents from the
Memphis Bar were closing in.
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One evening, he told
Margo's landlady
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they were going bowling.
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Instead they went on a
three state crime spree.
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All the money in the
register right now.
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Right now, let's go, come on!
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TOMMY: I believe that Glenn Nash
had lost touch with reality.
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Come on, get the money.
Come on!
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TOMMY: I really think he
was fantasizing that you
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go in and rob somebody,
and there wouldn't
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be any consequence to it.
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Come around, come
around, let's go.
00:04:45
Come around.
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Keep an eye out.
00:04:48
DENNIS: Nash ordered Margot
to stay up front while he took
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the cashier to the back room.
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When a customer came into the
store, Margot waited on him.
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Meanwhile, Nash
remained out of sight,
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accusing the cashier of being
an agent of the Memphis Bar.
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[gunfire ringing]
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Hillman Robbins, the cashier,
was tied up with rope,
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and shot five times in the head.
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A 0.22 Caliber and 0.38 caliber
were both used in the murder.
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TOMMY: I seriously doubt
Margot knew that any of this
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was coming until it got started.
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DENNIS: Witnesses saw two
people matching Margo and Nash's
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description flee
the liquor store,
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and hop into a
white Ford Fairlane.
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12 days later,
eyewitnesses describe
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that almost identical scene at
a Florida convenience store.
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A couple exited the
building, and sped off.
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Inside the store was the
body of Esther Bouyea.
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She had been shot in the neck.
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Police did not connect
the two murders until they
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found Nash's abandoned car.
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In the trunk, they
found a rope, and bullet
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shells that matched those used
in the Hillman Robbins murder.
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The car was traced to Glenn
Nash, and an APB was issued,
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but the couple's
rampage was not over.
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A cab driver, C.C.
Surrett, was shot
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to death shortly after
picking up Glenn and Margo.
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The police stakeout the
nearby bus stations.
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Their efforts paid off.
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Glenn Nash, Margo Freshwater,
you're under arrest.
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- What for?
- Boys.
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DENNIS: Glenn Nash
and Margo Freshwater
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were charged with the
murder of C.C. Surrett.
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Nash was declared insane, ruled
incompetent to stand trial,
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and was incarcerated
at a mental hospital.
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Margo stood trial
for the murder.
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She testified that she
was held prisoner by Nash
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and was forced to
participate in the crimes
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under the threat of death.
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Take this place.
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I don't know if I
can do this again.
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You will do this.
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TOMMY: Margo Freshwater,
in my opinion,
00:07:02
was in a psychological
condition where
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she wouldn't attempt to escape
Nash for fearing being killed.
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JOHN: I don't think
that Freshwater
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was a victim in any way.
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She had opportunity
after opportunity
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to leave, not
commit these crimes,
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but I think she enjoyed it.
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DENNIS: Twice the jury
failed to reach a verdict.
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Three years later,
Margo was tried
00:07:25
for the murder of their first
victim, Hillman Robbins.
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She was found
guilty and sentenced
00:07:31
to 99 years in state prison.
00:07:35
But she would not
remain there for long.
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Margo and another inmate hopped
a barbed wire fence, hitched
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a ride, and disappeared.
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Her accomplice was eventually
arrested in Chicago,
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but Margo Freshwater
seemed to have vanished
00:07:57
off the face of the earth.
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JOHN: I would say that she
has changed her life around.
00:08:02
She is probably living as
a mother, or maybe even
00:08:07
a grandmother at this time.
00:08:09
Margot committed
a crime, and she
00:08:11
needs to spend her time in
prison and serve that sentence.
00:08:20
DENNIS: Update, Margo
Freshwater has been arrested.
00:08:27
It began with a tip that she
was using the name Tanya.
00:08:32
Police found a match
between Freshwater's
00:08:34
birth date, and the
birthday of Tanya McCarter
00:08:39
in Columbus, Ohio.
00:08:41
Freshwater, a.k.a.
00:08:42
McCarter, was taken into
custody and her true identity
00:08:45
was verified.
00:08:47
At the time of her arrest,
Freshwater, a mother of three,
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was with her family.
00:08:52
They were unaware of
her criminal past.
00:08:55
STEVEN: She said nothing and
was surprisingly emotionless.
00:09:00
She then wanted to say goodbye
to her son and husband,
00:09:04
and we allowed her to do that.
00:09:07
DENNIS: Freshwater was returned
to the same Tennessee prison
00:09:10
she escaped from years earlier.
00:09:14
She served her time,
and has been released.
00:09:21
Coming up, the fiery death
of a Texas millionaire.
00:09:25
Was it suicide, murder,
or a clever hoax?
00:09:30
[theme music]
00:09:39
In a remote rice field 20 miles
outside of Houston, Texas,
00:09:48
flames destroy an
expensive Jaguar.
00:09:55
Inside, Sheriff's deputies
find a charred body.
00:10:01
The car is registered
to millionaire oil
00:10:03
well promoter, Ed Gerald Baker.
00:10:10
Forensic tests indicate that
the body is most likely his.
00:10:17
Ed Baker had built a
multimillion dollar oil
00:10:19
business practically overnight.
00:10:22
And then, his empire
came crashing down.
00:10:25
Did Ed Baker take his own
life, or was he murdered?
00:10:31
If you met him,
you'd never expect
00:10:33
Ed Baker to be at the
center of a deadly mystery.
00:10:39
His company, Vanguard
Groups International,
00:10:42
was one of the fastest
growing businesses
00:10:44
in the United States.
00:10:47
He always knew he
had the potential
00:10:49
to have a very
successful business,
00:10:52
and I think he tried
his best to manage
00:10:54
that business honestly, and
with a great deal of integrity.
00:10:59
34.
00:11:00
DENNIS: When Baker started
his oil well business,
00:11:02
his timing was perfect.
00:11:05
$3,500 is your
upfront investment here.
00:11:08
DENNIS: Houston was booming.
00:11:09
After his first
oil wells came in,
00:11:11
he had no trouble
selling his clever tax
00:11:14
shelters to wealthy investors.
00:11:17
But here's the kicker,
here's the kicker, Frank.
00:11:19
He was acknowledged as a,
you know, pretty brilliant
00:11:23
strategist when it came to
developing these little,
00:11:28
you know, tax shelter
programs at that time.
00:11:31
DENNIS: Four years after Baker
started Vanguard, its sales
00:11:34
reached $19 million dollars.
00:11:40
Baker's sudden wealth brought
on many changes in his life.
00:11:44
He divorced Mary,
his wife of 10 years,
00:11:47
and got involved with
high stakes gambling.
00:11:50
He had two face lifts, and
bought a flashy new Jaguar.
00:11:55
Baker also remarried twice.
00:11:57
Then his financial empire
began to disintegrate.
00:12:04
ED: I promise you there
is nothing to worry about.
00:12:06
The wells will come in.
00:12:07
DENNIS: But there was
something to worry about.
00:12:09
Baker was taking his client's
money to support his lifestyle.
00:12:14
He was looking at
some serious charges
00:12:16
from a lot of his investors.
00:12:18
He was looking at, it turns
out, serious tax problems.
00:12:21
It may have been very true that
he was about to go to jail.
00:12:26
DENNIS: Vanguard was on
the edge of bankruptcy.
00:12:29
Baker apparently
arranged to borrow money
00:12:31
from a highly suspect source.
00:12:34
Ed, we need to talk.
00:12:36
Not on the phone, OK?
00:12:38
BOB: I got the impression
from Ed that he's talking
00:12:40
big money, such as millions.
00:12:42
But he was preparing to
have some financial dealings
00:12:45
with these individuals that
he had heard that they had
00:12:48
some sort of Mafia connections.
00:12:50
What took you so long?
00:12:51
I took the back roads.
00:12:53
DENNIS: Ed Baker seemed unable
to reverse his down spiral.
00:12:56
One night he showed up at
his ex-wife, Mary's, house.
00:12:59
He seemed very upset.
00:13:01
Sit down, I'll get
you a cup of coffee.
00:13:03
I was really kind of shocked,
because he was real pale,
00:13:06
and he was afraid he
was being followed.
00:13:09
And this was very
unusual, and was just,
00:13:12
it didn't fit what
I normally knew.
00:13:16
Now tell me what
this is all about.
00:13:18
I really didn't want to get
you involved with this, Mary.
00:13:21
MARY: He told me that he had
received death threat letters
00:13:25
at work, and that that day,
he had received two telephone
00:13:31
calls at his unlisted
home number telling him,
00:13:35
this is your day to die.
00:13:36
[telephone ringing]
00:13:44
Hello?
00:13:45
MAN (ON PHONE): Baker,
It's time to die.
00:13:48
Who is this?
00:13:50
Why don't you call the police?
00:13:52
I can't do that, Mary.
00:13:53
The police won't do anything
until something happens.
00:13:55
And he got in his
car and drove away.
00:13:59
And that was the
last time I saw him.
00:14:02
DENNIS: Ed's new wife,
Sandy, says her husband sent
00:14:05
her to Austin as a precaution.
00:14:08
She says she spoke to her
husband around 1:00 AM.
00:14:11
He was hiding out
in their bedroom
00:14:13
because he had received
another death threat.
00:14:21
Two days later, investigators
found the charred remains
00:14:25
in Baker's burned out Jaguar.
00:14:29
RONNIE: It appeared that
the subject in the car
00:14:30
had been shot.
00:14:31
[gunfire ringing]
00:14:32
There was a burnt
0.32 caliber revolver
00:14:35
in the right front
floorboard, which would have
00:14:37
been at the passenger's feet.
00:14:39
When we opened and
examined the 32 pistol,
00:14:42
the cartridge underneath
the firing pin
00:14:44
had an indentation in
it like it'd been fired.
00:14:46
[gunfire ringing]
00:14:49
Somebody obviously was
trying to burn the car.
00:14:52
It appeared at the time that
it was a rather crude effort.
00:14:55
We found three gallon cans of
gasoline inside that vehicle
00:14:58
and around that vehicle,
more than enough
00:15:01
to sufficiently burn it up.
00:15:10
DENNIS: That same day, a
letter from Baker arrived
00:15:13
at his attorney's office.
00:15:15
WARD: It said, Dear Ward, if
you are reading this letter
00:15:17
it means that I am dead.
00:15:19
I've had some
threats on my life.
00:15:21
You've been a good friend to me.
00:15:23
Please take care of
Sandy and the kids,
00:15:24
and do what you can for them.
00:15:26
And enclosed is
another letter that I
00:15:28
would like you to take out to
Sandy and give to her for me.
00:15:33
DENNIS: The fate of Ed
Baker became the subject
00:15:36
of intense speculation.
00:15:38
His wife, Sandy, is
convinced that he
00:15:41
was the victim of a Mafia hit.
00:15:45
An eyewitness told police that
he saw a blue Chevy pickup
00:15:49
truck speeding
away from the field
00:15:51
where Baker's car was found.
00:15:54
The truck, and whoever was in
it, have never been located.
00:15:58
I think somebody was
paid to kill Ed Baker,
00:16:03
and that's exactly
what they did.
00:16:05
Ed Baker did not commit suicide.
00:16:12
DENNIS: But law enforcement
investigators believe
00:16:14
that's exactly what he did.
00:16:17
In the days before his death,
Baker called his life insurance
00:16:20
agents to ask if
his policies would
00:16:23
pay in the event of a suicide.
00:16:25
One, valued at
$500,000, would not.
00:16:31
I believe it's a possibility
that Mr. Baker shot hisself,
00:16:34
committed suicide, that
he had an accomplice that
00:16:37
set the car on fire to make
it look like a homicide
00:16:39
so that all of the insurance
policies would pay off.
00:16:43
WARD: The letter I got said if
you're reading this I am dead.
00:16:46
How did he know he
was going to die
00:16:47
that night unless he planned on
going out and killing himself?
00:16:51
I think Ed decided that he was
about to probably go to jail,
00:16:56
and decided to get Sandy out
of town so that she wouldn't be
00:16:59
implicated, said goodbye
to everybody that he loved,
00:17:02
went out in this field
that he knew about,
00:17:04
set his car on fire,
and shot himself.
00:17:08
TERRY: From what I know about
fire, and I spent over 20 years
00:17:11
in the business, I don't believe
an individual can pour gasoline
00:17:15
on themselves, ignite it, and
be able to stay calm and still
00:17:20
enough to reach down and
put a gun to their head
00:17:23
and pull the trigger.
00:17:24
[gunfire ringing]
00:17:29
DENNIS: Some believe Ed
Baker staged his own suicide.
00:17:33
I feel the possibility
that Ed could
00:17:35
arrange something like
this with a different body
00:17:37
in that vehicle.
00:17:39
Ed was a very
intelligent man, a man
00:17:41
that took in, as he told me
himself, $66 million dollars
00:17:45
the last year that
he was in business.
00:17:48
And a man capable of doing
that is capable of faking
00:17:51
his own death.
00:17:53
DENNIS: Bob Gale and others
believed the body in the car
00:17:57
might not have been Baker's.
00:17:59
They think Baker may
have faked the suicide,
00:18:05
and fled to an unknown
location, perhaps the Caribbean,
00:18:09
to live in luxury on funds
embezzled from his investors.
00:18:14
While this theory may seem
unlikely, the fate of Ed Baker
00:18:18
remains an unsolved mystery.
00:18:22
If you have any information
about this case,
00:18:24
please log on to our
website at unsolved.com.
00:18:29
Coming up, a family's
tormented by a persistent ghost
00:18:33
with a bad attitude.
00:18:34
[screaming]
00:18:36
[theme music]
00:18:45
If you happen to be in
Lake Wales, Florida,
00:18:49
there's a house you
may want to avoid.
00:18:51
It's an ordinary looking house
but appearances can deceive.
00:18:57
19-year-old Alan Mann lived
in the house with his parents.
00:19:01
Alan worked nights
and during the day
00:19:04
he was often home
alone, or so he thought.
00:19:07
I had the afternoon off.
00:19:10
I'd come home and I
guess it was about
00:19:14
3 o'clock in the
afternoon, and I
00:19:15
had finally gotten some sleep.
00:19:18
GHOSTLY WOMAN: Alan.
00:19:22
Alan.
00:19:26
Wake up, Alan.
00:19:29
Alan, get up.
00:19:34
ALAN: The figure turned
away from the door
00:19:37
like it was leaving.
00:19:40
And by the time I got up and
walked three paces to the door,
00:19:45
I don't know what happened,
it just turned the corner
00:19:47
and disappeared.
00:19:51
When Alan Mann told his mother
he thought he'd seen a ghost,
00:19:55
his mother told him she
thought he was crazy,
00:19:58
and that was that.
00:20:00
Until Alan got married, and
his 16-year-old bride, Linda,
00:20:04
moved into the house.
00:20:08
Shortly after the wedding Alan's
mother, Sandra, was watching TV
00:20:12
with her new daughter-in-law.
00:20:15
I know, all I
watch is re-runs.
00:20:16
I had my little dog,
Prince, beside me,
00:20:19
and he was laying on a pillow.
00:20:23
[dog barking]
00:20:25
And I looked down
at end of the couch,
00:20:28
and I saw this
white smoky thing.
00:20:32
[dog barking]
00:20:35
And the first thing I thought
was fire, and by that time
00:20:37
the dog had gotten up on his
feet, and it just disappeared.
00:20:42
[dog barking]
00:20:44
Then Linda snapped around and,
you know, like what's going on?
00:20:50
Is there a spirit present?
00:20:51
DENNIS: Even though Linda
hadn't seen the ghost,
00:20:54
she was convinced the
house was haunted.
00:20:57
She and Alan found a
friend with a Ouija board.
00:21:00
Yes.
00:21:01
I believed in it.
00:21:03
I've just, I've believed in
that kind of stuff for a while.
00:21:08
But I'd never come
across it until then.
00:21:11
What's your name?
00:21:13
DENNIS: According
to Linda and Alan,
00:21:14
the board spelled
out the name Kramer.
00:21:18
Alan's father wasn't convinced.
00:21:20
DAVID: I thought I was living
with a bunch of flakes.
00:21:22
I didn't want to have
anything to do with it.
00:21:24
If it was a
paranormal experience,
00:21:26
or something like that, I didn't
want to have to worry about it.
00:21:28
I just didn't want to admit it.
00:21:32
DENNIS: Linda and Alan
knew there was a ghost,
00:21:34
but they weren't prepared
for what happened next.
00:21:39
You OK?
00:21:40
[linda laughing]
00:21:42
What?
00:21:46
All of a sudden
she just snapped.
00:21:50
And she got this weird look.
00:21:53
What?
00:21:53
What has gotten into you?
00:21:57
She was laughing.
00:21:59
She had some weird
laugh I had never heard.
00:22:01
It didn't even sound like her.
00:22:03
She has this squeaky
little giggle,
00:22:06
and this was almost
an evil laugh.
00:22:13
SANDRA: We remarked a few times,
you know, well what's going on?
00:22:16
And it just kept getting
louder and louder and louder.
00:22:20
Something's wrong up there.
00:22:22
Yeah, I don't like
the sound of this.
00:22:28
ALAN: Let go of my wrist, Linda.
00:22:30
She was holding me down, and
normally she can't hold one
00:22:34
hand down with both her arms.
00:22:36
Linda, what has gotten into you?
00:22:38
I tried to get away, and it
made her get more violent.
00:22:44
And I slammed her against
the wall three times,
00:22:48
and she released me.
00:22:52
Linda?
00:22:54
And she put her
head on my shoulder
00:22:57
again, and started
talking, and picked up
00:23:00
the conversation
exactly where she
00:23:02
left off before she snapped.
00:23:05
I don't have any
memory of what happened.
00:23:09
That's not me, I don't
have an evil laugh.
00:23:12
I don't do the things
that he says I do.
00:23:14
That's just not my type.
00:23:15
I'm not that type of person.
00:23:17
DENNIS: Whatever had
happened to Linda
00:23:19
was enough to alarm the family.
00:23:21
And I really got concerned,
and so at that point
00:23:23
I said, look, I'm going
to go get some help.
00:23:25
Somebody somewhere can tell
me what the heck is going on.
00:23:29
DENNIS: A spiritualist
told the Mann's to pour
00:23:31
salt all around the house.
00:23:34
They kept bags of
salt under their beds.
00:23:39
And even tried a
homegrown exorcist.
00:23:42
Nothing helped.
00:23:45
SANDRA: We were going to
do anything anybody told
00:23:47
us to get rid of this stuff.
00:23:49
Every time we tried
something, a couple days
00:23:53
it would settle down, and
then it would be stronger.
00:23:56
DENNIS: Then, the
house began to smell,
00:24:00
usually like a burnt out motor.
00:24:02
Everyone in the family
suffered from bad headaches.
00:24:05
Some of the rooms
had a deathly chill.
00:24:08
And then--
00:24:11
SANDRA: What we heard
was like a whole mass
00:24:14
of voices, dull, muttering.
00:24:17
And one woman voice
over the top of them.
00:24:21
But yet you could
not distinguish
00:24:23
anything they were saying.
00:24:26
What time is it?
00:24:27
9:30.
00:24:28
DENNIS: David and
Sandra tried to act
00:24:30
like nothing unusual
was happening,
00:24:32
but the ghost wouldn't let them.
00:24:37
DAVID: I stopped right in
the middle of the hall.
00:24:39
I caught the smell again.
00:24:41
Sandra tell Isabella
to leave me alone.
00:24:43
I do not want to have
anything to do with her.
00:24:45
Nothing.
00:24:47
And I didn't have any
explanation for her.
00:24:49
It's like you get an
idea, that little voice
00:24:51
that you listen to.
00:24:52
David, how do you know
her name is Isabella?
00:24:56
DAVID: And I didn't have
any explanation for her.
00:24:58
It said this is Isabella.
00:25:02
DENNIS: Linda and Alan decided
it was time to move out.
00:25:05
Are you almost
done over there?
00:25:07
ALAN: We had a
couple boxes left,
00:25:09
and she was defaming the
ghost, cussing it pretty bad,
00:25:14
[screaming]
00:25:16
Right at mid-sentence
the light bulb exploded.
00:25:20
It lasted maybe
half a minute or so.
00:25:24
Then the bulb just
fizzed out and died.
00:25:28
LINDA: I upset the ghost.
00:25:30
Very bad.
00:25:32
I just wanted to
hurry up and get out.
00:25:33
I wanted to tell her
how I felt about her
00:25:35
before I left one last time.
00:25:39
DENNIS: News of the
haunting reached
00:25:41
the Center for Paranormal
Studies in Florida.
00:25:44
Armed with a truckload
of equipment,
00:25:46
the center's three founders
showed up at the house.
00:25:49
The living room area where
Sandra had her experience.
00:25:52
Right, this is where I had
the apparition experience.
00:25:54
JAMES: As we drove
up to the house,
00:25:56
I felt sort of an
emptiness inside.
00:25:59
And as I went into the house
the air seemed to get thicker,
00:26:03
and it had an odor, and
it was uncomfortable.
00:26:07
RUSSELL: To me the
house had a presence
00:26:10
that was profoundly unpleasant.
00:26:14
An extremely foul smell
kind of like rotting flesh.
00:26:18
An odor.
00:26:19
Things have happened
all over the house,
00:26:20
but particularly Alan's bedroom.
00:26:22
ANDREW: It definitely
had an oppressive
00:26:24
ambience to it, almost a
depressive type of feeling.
00:26:28
After being in the
house for several hours,
00:26:30
we all began to
experience headaches.
00:26:32
Bedroom B.
00:26:34
DENNIS: In Linda's and
Alan's old bedroom,
00:26:36
the electromagnetic
equipment went crazy.
00:26:39
5 milligauss.
00:26:41
Getting some magnetic flux here.
00:26:42
It's off the scale.
00:26:43
We don't normally
see this fluctuation.
00:26:45
It was very, very
high, so I thought
00:26:47
it would be a good idea
to start taking a series
00:26:49
of photographs at that point.
00:26:52
DENNIS: Andrew Nichols
took two Polaroid shots,
00:26:55
one during and one after the
peak electromagnetic activity.
00:27:00
The second photograph was
normal, but the first wasn't.
00:27:04
JAMES: I thought it was
just a washed out photo.
00:27:07
But over subsequent minutes,
this image started forming.
00:27:14
ANDREW: There was a vague
humanoid shape in the forefront
00:27:17
of the picture.
00:27:19
It may be a reflection of some
unusual environmental effect,
00:27:23
it may be a strange artifact
of the human psyche,
00:27:26
or it may be contact with
a dimension of existence
00:27:30
that's beyond our imagination.
00:27:32
When I looked at
it, I knew that that
00:27:34
was what I had seen at
the end of the couch,
00:27:38
that that was Isabella.
00:27:40
I was real excited about
it, to see that somebody
00:27:43
else could see her, too.
00:27:47
DENNIS: Two months later, after
a visit from a local minister,
00:27:51
the haunting appeared to stop.
00:27:53
But David and Sandra
had had enough.
00:27:56
They, too, decided to move out.
00:27:58
I felt that as a result
of what we had done,
00:28:02
we might have slowed it
down, but I doubt very
00:28:04
seriously if we had stopped it.
00:28:07
DENNIS: The Mann's could
never find records proving
00:28:09
Isabella Kramer ever
lived in their house,
00:28:12
but that didn't matter.
00:28:14
They had all the
proof they needed.
00:28:19
Next, three fishermen
are lost at sea,
00:28:22
but some believe they
survived, and are
00:28:24
being held against their will.
00:28:27
[theme music]
00:28:35
Richland Hill, Georgia,
just south of Savannah.
00:28:40
Four commercial fishermen
prepare for a seven
00:28:42
day trip in the Atlantic.
00:28:45
The captain is 23-year-old
Billy Joe Neesmith.
00:28:48
The crew includes
his brother, Nathan,
00:28:50
his nephew, Keith Wilkes, and
a friend, Franklin Brantley.
00:28:54
We ready?
00:28:55
Let's go fishing.
00:28:58
DENNIS: In the late
afternoon, they
00:28:59
set off in the "Casie
Nicole," a snapper boat owned
00:29:02
by a man named Doug Tyson.
00:29:05
The boat had just
recently spent five weeks
00:29:08
in dry dock for maintenance.
00:29:12
I guess it was somewhere
around 3:30 or 4:00
00:29:17
in the morning
that next morning.
00:29:19
It was still dark.
00:29:20
I had got up and was
operating the boat.
00:29:23
And the boat just seemed
to be sluggish, you know,
00:29:29
like it wanted to bust
through the waves,
00:29:31
kind of like a
submarine or something.
00:29:32
It didn't want to
ride over the waves.
00:29:36
Billy Joe!
00:29:38
So I told my brother, he
was laying in the bunk,
00:29:41
I woke him up.
00:29:42
I said something's
wrong with the boat.
00:29:44
What do you mean, it
won't stay on course?
00:29:46
NATHAN: We got to
noticing around,
00:29:47
the boat was riding
pretty deep in the water.
00:29:49
Yeah, this is
facing two foot down.
00:29:52
Oh, man, Nathan, we got
two foot of water down there.
00:29:56
NATHAN: Then we started
working on our pumps,
00:29:57
trying to get our pumps to
work, pump the boat out.
00:30:00
How about now?
00:30:01
Nothing.
00:30:02
We gotta get them
boys up, Nathan.
00:30:04
We gotta start bucketing this
water out of here right now.
00:30:06
NATHAN: The other crew
members slept down in the bow,
00:30:09
and when we turned
on the light, we
00:30:11
noticed there was
water about a foot
00:30:12
deep down in the bunks
where they were at.
00:30:15
We're sinking, yo,
come on, get out.
00:30:18
Come on.
00:30:20
NATHAN: We got in a line and
started passing the bucket,
00:30:23
you know, trying to
bail the boat out.
00:30:25
In the meantime, we
took the life raft out,
00:30:27
it was a two-man life raft.
00:30:30
We'd been hollering
mayday on the radio.
00:30:32
We had Billy Joe
on it, working it.
00:30:33
We're taking in water.
00:30:35
We're going down.
00:30:35
Somebody come back
to me, please.
00:30:37
NATHAN: Never did get
anywhere with that.
00:30:40
And the engine finally stalled.
00:30:41
"Casie Nicole," we're going--
00:30:42
[radio static]
00:30:43
[yelling]
00:30:45
There's no more power.
00:30:46
DENNIS: All power on the
"Casie Nicole" was lost,
00:30:49
the radio useless.
00:30:51
The four men abandoned ship.
00:30:53
NATHAN: The life raft
was kind of rotten.
00:30:54
It had a hole in the
side of it up on the top,
00:30:57
and we don't really know
what happened there.
00:31:00
But we do know that
it had a hole in it
00:31:01
about the size of a quarter.
00:31:06
DENNIS: By sunrise, the
life raft was sinking fast.
00:31:09
Then, salvation
came floating by.
00:31:12
The hatch cover from
the "Casie Nicole."
00:31:14
I got it.
00:31:15
You got it?
00:31:15
Oh, it's heavy.
00:31:17
DENNIS: The four men tied
the raft to the hatch cover,
00:31:19
and climbed aboard.
00:31:21
Then, Nathan saw the hull of the
"Casie Nicole" in the distance.
00:31:26
NATHAN: It looked
like it was maybe
00:31:28
three or four miles from us.
00:31:29
I said I don't know what
kind of chance we got,
00:31:31
but at least maybe one of
us can make it to the boat
00:31:34
and get some kind of help.
00:31:36
Well, that's what
I struck out to do.
00:31:41
And they started hollering,
no, no, you come back.
00:31:43
We separate up, we're going to
be split up, ain't no telling
00:31:46
what could go wrong.
00:31:48
I just kept swimming,
and kept swimming.
00:31:50
I swam from probably about
9 o'clock that morning,
00:31:53
and just before dark that
afternoon, I got to where I
00:31:58
thought was where the boat was.
00:32:00
I drank so much salt water
trying to swim in it.
00:32:04
I was just real weak.
00:32:06
DENNIS: Nathan lost sight of
his companions as darkness fell.
00:32:09
He spent a long night
clinging to the hull
00:32:12
of the "Casie Nicole."
00:32:17
The next morning,
a freighter passed
00:32:19
within three miles of Nathan.
00:32:21
NATHAN: It looked like
it made about four stops,
00:32:24
maybe five stops, and each
time it would stop or circle,
00:32:28
and it was in the direction
that my other mates had went.
00:32:32
So I figured that maybe it
had stopped to pick them up.
00:32:36
DENNIS: The freighter continued
its odd movement for nearly
00:32:40
three hours, then disappeared.
00:32:44
For 2 and 1/2 days,
Nathan drifted
00:32:46
and prayed that the "Casie
Nicole" would stay afloat.
00:32:50
Suddenly, a large wood
and Styrofoam bait box
00:32:54
broke loose from the boat's
deck and popped to the surface.
00:33:00
NATHAN: I swam over to it.
00:33:03
I got to the front of it, and
blessed God the whole front
00:33:05
was out.
00:33:06
I mean, it was just
like, just like a boat.
00:33:14
It was really hot.
00:33:15
I mean, I was getting
real sun-burnt.
00:33:19
My skin was turning
real, real red.
00:33:21
I was very close to dead.
00:33:23
I mean, I remember
saying, God, please let
00:33:25
me go home to my wife and kids.
00:33:29
DENNIS: Nathan Neesmith
was finally rescued 20
00:33:32
miles off the coast of Georgia.
00:33:36
He had been adrift without
food or water for four days.
00:33:44
Despite a large scale search,
the other fishermen were
00:33:47
never found by the Coast Guard.
00:33:49
Even so, Nathan and his
family never gave up hope.
00:33:53
And then one day Nathan's
sister, Oneda, received
00:33:56
a very curious phone call.
00:33:59
[telephone ringing]
00:34:03
DENNIS: It was six months after
the "Casie Nicole" had sunk.
00:34:06
Oneda's mother-in-law
answered the phone.
00:34:10
[telephone ringing]
00:34:13
Hello?
00:34:15
DENNIS: The caller, a man,
spoke only in Spanish.
00:34:19
ONEDA: All this
person would keep
00:34:20
saying is repeating our phone
number, and saying our name,
00:34:25
and that's all.
00:34:26
We just kept saying,
hello, hello.
00:34:28
And it would just cut
off, static, cut off.
00:34:32
DENNIS: That same day, Doug
Tyson, owner of the "Casie
00:34:34
Nicole" also received a call.
00:34:38
Hello?
00:34:39
DENNIS: Again, the
caller spoke Spanish.
00:34:42
The name Tyson, and
their phone number,
00:34:44
were the only English
words he used.
00:34:47
That was strange.
00:34:48
DOUG: Six weeks
later, after that, we
00:34:50
were down visiting with
the Neesmith family,
00:34:53
and they started telling
us about their call.
00:34:56
And after they got through, I
said, How long ago was this?
00:34:59
And they said, About six weeks.
00:35:02
I looked at my wife,
she looked at me,
00:35:03
and she said, About
the same timing.
00:35:05
I said, yeah.
00:35:08
DENNIS: In the next
year, five more
00:35:10
calls came in, three to
Oneda, and two to the Tyson's.
00:35:14
Finally, the caller spoke a
single sentence in English.
00:35:19
Hello?
00:35:22
Excuse me?
00:35:23
Very simple words.
00:35:25
Not I'm bringing it home.
00:35:26
I'm bringing him home.
00:35:28
Just said I'm bringing him home.
00:35:30
Hello?
00:35:31
Hello?
00:35:32
DENNIS: After a moment,
the connection was lost,
00:35:35
and there have been
no calls since then.
00:35:39
The Neesmith's and Tyson's
are convinced that the three
00:35:42
missing men were taken
aboard the passing freighter,
00:35:45
and brought to a foreign
country against their will.
00:35:49
I think they're
somewhere being held.
00:35:50
I really do, and I think
that whoever called us is
00:35:53
putting their-self on the line.
00:35:55
People are lost at sea.
00:35:57
They're never found,
I realize that.
00:35:58
But there's no explanation
for where the debris went.
00:36:02
And then the fact that
Nathan had seen the ship stop
00:36:04
the first day, with the
phone calls, you add all
00:36:07
those together and
I think it adds up
00:36:10
to a tremendous amount of hope.
00:36:12
I know they had a lot better
chance of surviving than I did.
00:36:16
I don't think that I would
have ever made it not knowing
00:36:18
that they couldn't make it.
00:36:24
DENNIS: Officially,
Billy Joe Neesmith,
00:36:27
Keith Wilkes, and Franklin
Brantley are presumed dead.
00:36:32
Unofficially, there seems
to be reason to hope
00:36:35
that they may still be alive.
00:36:37
If you have any information,
please log on to our website
00:36:41
at unsolved.com.
00:36:46
Coming up, a man loses
custody of his children,
00:36:50
and becomes a killer.
00:36:53
[theme music]
00:37:01
In a previous
broadcast, we examined
00:37:03
the case of Maria Armstrong.
00:37:07
When she was in her
early 20's, Maria
00:37:10
was diagnosed as suffering
from paranoid schizophrenia,
00:37:14
a physical disease of the brain.
00:37:21
A few years after her diagnosis,
Maria moved to Mesa, Arizona,
00:37:26
to live with her
childhood sweetheart,
00:37:28
29-year-old Ron Argenti.
00:37:31
He was aware of
Maria's condition,
00:37:33
but felt that he could somehow
help her overcome her illness.
00:37:38
We were concerned, because
we did hear that she was
00:37:40
in a mental
institution, and we knew
00:37:42
she was on drugs back East.
00:37:45
But, you know, they were
holding hands, kissing.
00:37:48
They were like a couple.
00:37:51
DENNIS: For the first few
weeks, Maria seemed to be doing
00:37:54
well under Ron's loving care.
00:37:58
Though most schizophrenics
are not violent,
00:38:01
Maria soon began to attack Ron.
00:38:05
Maria, calm down.
00:38:06
Stop it, leave me alone!
00:38:07
They told me about you.
00:38:08
ROXANNE: And I would
tell him, Ronnie,
00:38:10
you have to do something.
00:38:11
It's obvious you can't help her.
00:38:13
She needs more than
you to help her.
00:38:16
She needs psychiatric care.
00:38:19
DENNIS: Five months after
Maria moved to Mesa, Ron's body
00:38:22
was found in his living room.
00:38:27
He had been bludgeoned to
death with a sledgehammer
00:38:29
while he slept on the couch.
00:38:33
[ominous music]
00:38:41
DENNIS: Maria was
seen hitchhiking 260
00:38:44
miles north of Mesa, Arizona.
00:38:47
This was the last reported
sighting until our broadcast.
00:38:54
Update, Maria Armstrong
has been found.
00:38:59
Shortly after this story
aired, the FBI received
00:39:02
a call from one of our viewers.
00:39:05
We received a telephone call
that Maria Armstrong had been
00:39:09
living in the Memphis,
Tennessee area,
00:39:12
and that she was going
to be at the airport.
00:39:16
The FBI subsequently
went to the airport
00:39:18
and were able to
identify her and they
00:39:21
did place her under arrest.
00:39:23
DENNIS: Armstrong had
changed her appearance
00:39:25
by dyeing her hair blonde.
00:39:28
After several
hearings to determine
00:39:29
her mental competence,
Maria Armstrong pleaded
00:39:33
guilty to second degree murder.
00:39:36
She was sentenced to
15 years in prison.
00:39:43
In Greenville, Illinois,
city attorney, Thomas Meyer,
00:39:50
was found shot to death in
the alley behind his office.
00:39:54
One of the first to
respond to the scene
00:39:56
was the chief of police.
00:39:58
Thomas had been his best friend.
00:40:00
It was one glance, and
I knew that it was him,
00:40:04
and there was no life left.
00:40:09
DENNIS: Thomas had
multiple gunshot wounds.
00:40:11
There were no witnesses
to the shooting,
00:40:13
but fingers pointed at one
suspect from the start.
00:40:18
Kelly McGinnis had
recently clashed
00:40:20
with Thomas in this courtroom.
00:40:23
Thomas had represented
McGinnis' ex-wife
00:40:26
in a legal action
regarding the custody
00:40:29
of their two young children.
00:40:31
LARRY: Kelly McGinnis felt that
the children would be better
00:40:34
off with him, but the result was
that Mrs. McGinnis was awarded
00:40:37
custody, and Mr. McGinnis
was awarded some visitation,
00:40:42
a fair amount of visitation.
00:40:44
DENNIS: McGinnis refused to
accept the decision as final.
00:40:48
Just hours before
the murder, McGinnis
00:40:50
was back in the
courthouse, still
00:40:52
angry about being
denied custody.
00:40:56
He was next seen near the alley
where Thomas Meyer was killed.
00:41:01
[gunfire ringing]
00:41:05
Police tried to find
McGinnis for questioning,
00:41:07
but he had vanished.
00:41:09
A day went by, a week.
00:41:14
Then 10 days after the murder,
McGinnis mailed five letters
00:41:18
from central Illinois.
00:41:20
He wrote, Clearly, the only
winner in a divorce case
00:41:24
are the lawyers,
their gains being made
00:41:27
at the expense of the children.
00:41:31
The killing shattered
Greenville's sense of security,
00:41:35
and some were afraid that
McGinnis wasn't through.
00:41:41
Update, after Thomas Meyer was
killed three months went by,
00:41:46
then Kelly McGinnis
walked into the office
00:41:49
of his former attorney and
opened fire with a shotgun.
00:41:53
Incredibly, no one was injured.
00:41:56
McGinnis was taken into custody
as he left the building.
00:42:00
Kelly McGinnis was sentenced
to 60 years in prison
00:42:03
for the murder of Thomas
Meyer, plus an additional 10
00:42:07
years for the shotgun attack
on his former attorney.
00:42:15
[theme music]
