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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode

May 16, 2019 / 45:35

This episode covers three unsolved mysteries: the Hollywood bank burglary of 1986, the near-death experience of Crystal Merlok, and the murder of Herman Gilbert in Ohio.

The Hollywood bank burglary, dubbed the crime of the century, involved burglars tunneling underground to steal over two million dollars from the First Interstate Bank. Detective Dennis Pagan Cop discusses the meticulous planning and execution of the crime, which left police with no clues.

Crystal Merlok, a seven-year-old girl, drowned in a swimming pool in 1982 but was revived after being clinically dead for 20 minutes. She shares her near-death experience, describing a journey towards a bright light and a sense of peace, which has profoundly impacted her life.

The episode also explores the murder of Herman Gilbert, an appliance repairman found dead in Ohio. Three theories arise regarding his death: involvement with drug trafficking, a connection to organized crime through his brother, or a crime of passion.

Each story highlights the mysteries surrounding life, death, and the unknown, leaving viewers with questions about the nature of existence and the events that shape our lives.

TL;DR

The episode examines a bank heist, a near-death experience, and a murder mystery in Ohio.

Episode

45:35
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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you were about to see is not a news
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broadcast in 1986 a bank vault in
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Hollywood California was emptied by a
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cunning group of burglars the bandits
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tunneled hundreds of feet underground
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and escaped with two million dollars the
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police call it a crime of the century
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in 1982 a 46 year old appliance
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repairman was brutally murdered three
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theories of surfaced was a seemingly
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ordinary father of four killed by angry
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drug runners or by vengeful crime bosses
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against whom his brother was called to
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testify or was it a crime of passion
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committed by a jealous husband in 1982
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seven year-old crystal merlok drowned in
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a swimming pool accident crystal was
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clinically dead but after 15 minutes
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doctors brought her back to life crystal
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is one of millions of Americans who've
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undergone what psychologists call a
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near-death experience an intriguing
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mystifying phenomenon which they
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describe a peaceful journey after death
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and which old friends lead them towards
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a white light proof of life after life
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are simply a mass hallucination
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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8 p.m. Friday June 6 1986 an alarm
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sounded at the First Interstate Bank in
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Hollywood California
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a police patrol was dispatched to
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investigate
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[Music]
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when they arrived they found no evidence
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of a break-in
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[Music]
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hi Joe on Monday morning bank employees
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arrived for work it is business as usual
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a few minutes later when a bank officer
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opened up the phone she made a shocking
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discovery
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incredibly someone had tunneled 30 yards
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from under a nearby Street ending up
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precisely underneath the vault
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using hand tools a patiently sliced
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through the 18 inch thick steel
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reinforced concrete floor once inside
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they made off with over 2 million
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dollars in cash jewelry and rare coins
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[Music]
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detective Dennis pigan comp is assigned
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to the case
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my initial feelings that morning when we
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first arrived at the scene was one of of
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aw I realized the fact that these
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suspects were excellent burglars they
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would be extremely difficult to catch
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they'd gone to a lot of work and it was
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awesome we view this burglary in the
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city as the crime of the century as far
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as burglaries go the the method of
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attack in the fact they got two million
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dollars plus their ingenuity I had never
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seen a burglary like this in 27 years
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underneath the streets of Los Angeles a
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subterranean highway of storm drains
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exists detective pagan cop discovered
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that the burglars had used these drains
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to secretly travel to the bank they then
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could tunnel undetected to the vaults
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they dug 95 feet from the drain to the
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bank the extraordinary tunnels were
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approximately three and a half feet wide
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by four and a half feet high all dug by
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hand but finished with electric tools a
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remarkable feat of precision engineering
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the experts tell us that the type of
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tunnels they dug were very safe tunnels
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the size of the tunnels the shapes of
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the tunnels were extremely expertly done
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and the contour the tunnels were done as
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such to add extra strength and
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protection of those digging
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police searched underground in a
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three-mile radius of the bank looking
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for signs of the robbers when we
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conclude our investigation at First
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Interstate Bank basically we were left
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with no clues at all there was no
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physical evidence left the suspects left
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us nothing to work with and we were
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basically handcuffed police had run out
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of clues it seems as if the perfect
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crime had been committed 14 months later
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the daring bandit struck again they must
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have known that their extraordinary
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tactics were known to the authorities
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but that didn't deter them what is more
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surprising the tunneling burglars came
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within minutes of succeeding on Saturday
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morning August 22nd 1987 the alarm
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system went off at a Bank of America in
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West Los Angeles police were called in
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to investigate the assistant bank
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manager opened the vault
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[Music]
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they discovered the vault had been
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broken into apparently the burglars had
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fled while a robbery was in progress on
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the floor an 18 inch hole was cut
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through the concrete when I got the
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phone call from the officer at the bank
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and he explained to me a hole in the
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floor all I could think of was they're
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back they've done it again in how much
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money did they get this time because
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they were interrupted the thieves are
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only able to steal $90,000 they left
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behind their teachers and some work
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clothes
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the robbers also left an 18-inch Corbitt
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a cutting tool used in construction to
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bore large holes through cement this was
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purchased in the San Francisco Bay Area
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by a construction company using a
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fictitious name and address in San Diego
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and they paid cash so basically we knew
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that it was probably a white male that
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purchased it but no other information
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again detectives searched miles of storm
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drains for some clue as to the identity
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of the bandits approximately three miles
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from the bank they found a four-wheel
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vehicle called a quad runner just inside
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a storm drain entrance detected pagon
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cop believes the tunnels were dug by
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just two men apparently they use their
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vehicles to carry their heavy equipment
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underground that Corbett and drill alone
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required a drill press that weight in
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excess of 100 pounds
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we came to the conclusion that the
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suspects were very close friends
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possibly army buddies able to work
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together for long periods of time and
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very confined areas taking up three to
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six weeks probably to dig that one
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tunnel the ticktick pagan cop also
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believes a third man was involved since
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clearly the burglars must have been
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warned by someone outside the bank go in
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there escape footprints indicated that
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the burglars ran through the tunnel one
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barefoot one in stocking feet
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[Applause]
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did they abandon one of their vehicles
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and apparently escaped on foot for all
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of their labors $90,000 must have been a
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disappointing reward of all the
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evidentiary recovered tools ladders
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clothing
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we had developed no fingerprints
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whatsoever the only fingerprint we
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developed was the on the quad Runner
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itself
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we got one latent print from that
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vehicle that print has been run through
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and compared with all arrestees and it's
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our opinion that this individual has
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never been arrested police again went
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underground looking for more evidence
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[Music]
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followed about a mile and a half from
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the Bank of America they found another
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tunnel completely finished this 102 foot
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tunnel ended beneath a Beverly Hills
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Bank and the mounting boats for the
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drill were already in place under the
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vault if they'd have been able to
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accomplish both burglaries that weekend
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it's told to me by the people in the
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banks in the banking industry that they
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probably would have gotten away with
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between 10 and 20 million dollars police
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learned that the quad Runner was
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purchased by a man using the name David
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Spalding his only known address a post
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office box in Hollywood one or two
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people using this name apparently
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purchased five of these distinctive
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vehicles salespeople created two
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composites of the same man he is a male
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Caucasian around 35 years of age he's
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about 6 feet in height and rugged
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looking as if used to outdoor labor next
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the story of two people then pronounced
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clinically dead and brought back to life
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the experience has profoundly changed
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their lives the stories they tell may
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suggest what lies
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after seven years ago on March a 13th
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1982 a seven-year-old girl named crystal
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merlok was attending a children's
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birthday party held at a local swimming
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pool though she had just recently
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learned to swim
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crystal felt comfortable in the water we
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went into the pool and we were just
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playing down at the at the shallow end
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for a while and then I don't know why
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but for some reason I went up to the
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deep end where a group of boys pushed me
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in that they didn't know it and I just
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start swelling water gasping for air
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trying to grab up to the top of the
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water I can give me air and so I just
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fell unconscious
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and then I was just in darkness era
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medics rushed Krystle to a local
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hospital where a team led by dr. Melvin
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Morris feverishly worked to save her
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life when she came in her pupils were
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fixed and dilated
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meaning that she probably had no brain
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activity
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she had none of the normal reflexes that
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we associate with surviving she had
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what's called a Glasgow Coma score of 3
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which very few people survive if they
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have such a profound coma I did not
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think that she would survive dr. Morris
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said that she was so close to death that
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to prepare yourself for her demise that
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she could expire at any time there
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wasn't much chance given to her for her
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long life after that event
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[Music]
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at 3:30 p.m. crystal merlok was
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clinically dead 20 minutes later she was
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brought back to life during the period
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of time she's being revived crystal
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shared a common experience with
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thousands of other Americans a
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near-death experience are NDE almost
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without exception these people describe
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a journey to allow a beautiful light a
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trip accompanied by an overwhelming
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sense of well-being is this experience
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an hallucination or evidence of a life
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after death as crystal a near-death she
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felt herself moving into darkness then
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her eyes opened when she beheld a
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wondrous sight I didn't really know
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where I was
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it's just I looked up and I saw this
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bright light at the end of a tunnel and
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there were colored bricks on the walls
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of the tunnel
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the light kinda pulled me toward it it
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was just the most loving line I've ever
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seen
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and then I saw this lady she came to our
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Leroy staff to end really slow she took
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my hand she said I'm Elizabeth and I
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will help you
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she just led me into the light and
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through the light and into heaven
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I just felt that this was the place I
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wanted to be crystal senses she was
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floating over her body observing the
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medical team as they attempted to save
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her life when I was up there I saw the
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doctors they were working on me they
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were sticking things up my arm and at my
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nose tell me breathe and I didn't like
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it that was one of the reasons I wanted
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to stab that but when I got thinking
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about how I wouldn't be able to really
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hug my mom again or anybody I really
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loved then I said no I want to go back
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and then I was back in my body
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I wasn't dead it I was still alive there
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was still a part of me like my soul my
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spirit was still alive I wasn't dead at
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all for at least 20 minutes crystal was
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for all intents and purposes dead even
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after she was revived the child was in a
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coma for three days fortunately once she
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returned home
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crystal completely regained her health
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crystal had never met dr. Moore's the
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man who saved her life but when they
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were introduced he seemed familiar the
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last time I had seen her she was
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profoundly comatose she could not have
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been in a deeper coma and still be alive
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and then I saw her and follow-up two
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weeks later I said you know hi I'm dr.
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Morris you probably don't remember me
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but I sure know you crystal because I
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spent you know grueling four hours
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trying to bring you back to life and
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then she turned to her mother and said
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well no I have seen him before she
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stated that she remembered seeing me
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from the emergency room she said oh yes
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I met you I saw you you were putting
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something in my neck and she scowled at
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him I saw his face and I knew him it was
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just like I never seen him before and I
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knew him she also described other
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elements of her resuscitation she
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described us pushing on her chest and
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putting various lines in her she
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described that she she told me first you
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worked on me in the emergency room and
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then you took me to another room you
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know which was in fact true and when you
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see a seven-year-old talk like that and
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say things like that there is no reason
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for you not to believe it you know it
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comes straight from the heart
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dr. Gabbard has studied these near-death
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experiences and believes they may be
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physical not metaphysical phenomena
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the near-death experience can be
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understood as deriving from a
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fundamental psychological need to deny
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the reality of death because it's too
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horrible to face the prospect that when
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the body goes that's it it's very
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tempting of course to suppose that these
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experiences are explainable by some sort
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of physiological events or biochemical
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events going on in the brain at the
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point of death or perhaps by
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psychological principles that this is
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just wish fulfillment that the mind is
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unable to accept final death so makes up
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this beautiful fantasy but in fact when
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you carefully look at the reports I
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think we've all concluded that something
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very different is going on one reason
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for this is that the patients are able
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to tell us things about the
00:18:22
resuscitation attempt that they wouldn't
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have any way of knowing my own
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subjective feeling after 23 years of
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working with these patients is that I
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have no doubt whatsoever that they had a
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glimpse of the life Hereafter
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[Music]
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crystal has been to a place where her
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friends and family have never gone she
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is certain that this experience will
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stay with her the rest of her life I
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[Music]
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have remembered this or at seven years I
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cannot forget it
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it's always there it's always been very
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real to me and it's always very clear to
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me when we return the story of a man who
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may have passed through death to the
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other side
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today his life has been transformed he
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believes that life after death is a very
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real possibility 20 thousands of people
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have died and lived to tell the tale an
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overwhelming number described the same
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phenomenon a tunnel of light and a sense
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of floating over their body one of the
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strangest stories connected with a
00:19:35
near-death experience as told by a New
00:19:37
York man named Thomas Sawyer 10 years
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ago his life was transformed by an
00:19:41
accident that occurred in his garage
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today Tom Sawyer is literally a new man
00:19:49
[Music]
00:19:54
Tom Sawyer lives in upstate New York
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works as a snow plow operator for 33
00:19:59
years he lived a normal uneventful life
00:20:01
[Music]
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I'd have to describe myself as pretty
00:20:06
much an all-american boy you know with a
00:20:08
name like Tom Sawyer you have one of two
00:20:10
choices you can become a comedian and
00:20:13
outgoing or end up being an introvert
00:20:16
Tom turned to athletics during high
00:20:18
school and that propelled him to
00:20:20
popularity however his academic record
00:20:22
was lackluster for good reason from 7th
00:20:26
grade in grammar school right through
00:20:28
age 33 I never read a book
00:20:29
cover-to-cover I just dislike reading
00:20:32
immensely and I read nothing in his late
00:20:36
teens Tom race bicycles and a 1968
00:20:39
qualified for the Olympic team in 1967
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he married Elaine and they had two sons
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Tim and Todd tom was a family man a
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blue-collar worker who prided himself on
00:20:51
his practicality prior to this
00:20:54
experience I had thought about such
00:20:56
things as religion and so on and I
00:20:58
thought that it was just a bunch of
00:20:59
foolishness
00:21:00
I would describe myself as an agnostic
00:21:03
what I had figured out was that when you
00:21:06
die you die the show is over everything
00:21:08
goes black and that's it hand me the
00:21:13
needlenose pliers
00:21:14
when I had this experience I was
00:21:16
repairing my pickup truck
00:21:17
I had the front wheels off it and was
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lying on my back and the truck suddenly
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started to move
00:21:24
[Music]
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when Todd ran and made the phone call I
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heard it very clearly and vividly hello
00:21:37
my name is our there were other things
00:21:40
that I was able to hear that were
00:21:42
impossible for me to hear with my ears
00:21:44
and others with my normal hearing such
00:21:46
as the conversation of the paramedics
00:21:49
getting into the ambulance three and a
00:21:51
half miles away his wife screams brought
00:21:56
the neighbors and they worked
00:21:57
desperately to freedom as I went
00:22:05
unconscious
00:22:06
I then experienced a sensation or a
00:22:10
feeling of absolutely waking up it
00:22:12
wasn't anything at all like waking up
00:22:14
from a sleep state it was like being
00:22:17
unconscious or absolutely asleep and
00:22:20
then like a click of the fingernail
00:22:21
absolutely awake the only problem with
00:22:24
this feeling of waking up was that all I
00:22:27
saw was darkness that darkness gradually
00:22:30
took the shape of the tunnel and way off
00:22:34
absolutely positively to infinity appear
00:22:37
this little speck of white light this
00:22:40
was the most beautiful thing that I'd
00:22:42
ever experienced in my life it was just
00:22:44
extraordinary
00:22:48
all the pressure of the truck being on
00:22:50
me in the horrendous pain that was gone
00:22:52
and I felt very comfortable
00:22:57
and that thing that I realized was that
00:22:59
I was motionless at the end of the
00:23:02
tunnel confronted by the light of God I
00:23:05
was confronted by heaven that light
00:23:08
included absolutely everything it was
00:23:11
the entire universe there was absolute
00:23:14
total knowledge I've had the opportunity
00:23:17
to ask any question at all and the
00:23:21
absolute unequivocal correct answer
00:23:23
would be emanated to me
00:23:25
I then experienced a complete total life
00:23:30
review it was every day every event
00:23:33
every minute and second in other words I
00:23:36
relive the Olympic Trials my merit all
00:23:38
of these things at the same time
00:23:46
I was then given a choice to return to
00:23:49
normal life or stay and become part of
00:23:52
this light I chose to stay and become
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part of it light
00:23:58
but I then had a feeling of going
00:24:01
exactly reversal through the tunnel and
00:24:03
slamming back into my body finally as
00:24:11
paramedics arrived the truck was lifted
00:24:13
off and Sawyer was taken to the hospital
00:24:18
well I'm probably the only one you'll
00:24:21
ever meet that's been kicked out of
00:24:22
heaven because since I chose to stay and
00:24:24
become part of their life and I am back
00:24:27
here without any explanation at all one
00:24:29
of the logical deductive things that you
00:24:31
could assume was that I would got kicked
00:24:33
out for some reason or another
00:24:37
surprisingly Sawyer left the hospital
00:24:39
the same day of his accident he had no
00:24:42
broken bones that we suffered from some
00:24:44
internal bleeding according to medical
00:24:47
reports Tom had been deprived of oxygen
00:24:49
for 15 minutes
00:24:52
I've a Glee recall the right hug that
00:24:56
was an extreme pain of course and I was
00:24:58
just sitting in the backseat by myself
00:25:00
moaning and groaning from the pain but
00:25:03
apparently when I was riding home all of
00:25:06
a sudden I blurted out and said all was
00:25:08
so beautiful
00:25:09
any laying turn on said what was so
00:25:12
beautiful what are you talking about
00:25:13
well I didn't answer her at all and I
00:25:16
just continued to moan and groan for the
00:25:17
rest of the ride home
00:25:20
Elaine said to me don't you know what's
00:25:22
happened don't you know what you've had
00:25:24
that's called a near-death experience
00:25:26
whereupon my response was well I don't
00:25:29
believe in any of that hocus-pocus
00:25:30
baloney but shortly after I recuperated
00:25:35
from the injuries from this accident I
00:25:37
started saying things that I didn't
00:25:40
understand and my wife Elaine didn't
00:25:42
understand and one particular day I was
00:25:45
watching television and I kind of
00:25:47
blurted out max-planck and I said it
00:25:51
just like that who who's that so of
00:25:54
course I asked my family if they knew
00:25:56
who that was and Elaine said no I don't
00:25:59
know who it is and then she asked me do
00:26:01
you know who it is and my answer was
00:26:03
well no but you'll be hearing more about
00:26:06
him in the near future
00:26:11
Alaine encouraged him to write down his
00:26:13
thoughts Tom began to jot down complex
00:26:16
equations equations that could only have
00:26:19
been understood by a master of quantum
00:26:21
physics Tom also drew symbols like the
00:26:24
Greek letter Sai sometimes I would write
00:26:28
something down and know that it was
00:26:30
correct but I have no idea what it was
00:26:31
known as I would write down a
00:26:33
mathematical equation while I had
00:26:35
geometry in some algebra in high school
00:26:38
but this had symbols like triangles and
00:26:40
things like that in in an attempt to
00:26:45
find out the meaning of these arcane
00:26:47
symbols Sawyer went to the Rochester
00:26:49
library he was directed to the physics
00:26:55
section and asked for guidance from a
00:26:57
man he met at the stacks the man
00:27:01
suggested a textbook that contained
00:27:02
information on quantum physics and
00:27:04
biographies of its pioneering founders
00:27:06
Wow yeah I think possibly you might find
00:27:11
this one interesting thank you when I
00:27:17
opened it there were two things that
00:27:19
stood out on that page there was the
00:27:22
symbol sigh in the middle of the
00:27:24
paragraph and there was a title just
00:27:26
underneath a picture of a man and it
00:27:28
said Max Planck the most common things
00:27:35
we hear from people who have had
00:27:37
near-death experiences are that they
00:27:39
have a much greater sense now of being
00:27:41
part of something larger than themselves
00:27:42
they become interested in what could we
00:27:44
call the spiritual aspects of their
00:27:46
lives they are no longer invested in
00:27:49
things like individual fame fortune
00:27:53
material rewards competitiveness they're
00:27:57
much more involved in cooperation in
00:28:00
helping others than they were before
00:28:01
started being more loving person
00:28:03
he started caring about myself in a lot
00:28:07
of strangers or loved people he helped a
00:28:10
lot anybody needed help you would help
00:28:11
these people have undergone profound and
00:28:14
dramatic changes and their personality
00:28:16
and their lifestyle and their values all
00:28:19
of them talk about the import
00:28:20
of interpersonal relationships learning
00:28:23
how to love others a great sense of the
00:28:26
importance of wisdom and understanding
00:28:28
and certainly a renewed appreciation of
00:28:31
life this is a genuine spiritual
00:28:33
experience which profoundly and
00:28:35
dramatically changes the way they are
00:28:38
from then on out one of the real dangers
00:28:42
of all the attention the near-death
00:28:46
experience is getting in the media is it
00:28:49
a might romanticized death it might lead
00:28:52
people who are contemplating suicide to
00:28:56
think that death is a wonderful
00:28:58
experience I suppose the new death
00:29:01
experience does romanticize death in
00:29:03
that regard but if you listen to what
00:29:05
near-death experiences are saying
00:29:06
they're saying it also romantic eyes
00:29:08
--is life it makes life so much more
00:29:11
meaningful more purposeful more
00:29:12
beautiful than it was before
00:29:14
that suicide just becomes a not an
00:29:17
option anymore people have asked me if
00:29:19
death is so wonderful and so sensational
00:29:22
and you want to be part of that light
00:29:24
why don't you kill yourself that's very
00:29:26
important to me to stay to everybody
00:29:28
that suicide is an absolute
00:29:30
impossibility for me you know it's not
00:29:33
only a social and legal nono it's a
00:29:39
moral and spiritual nono also to even
00:29:41
think of or consider suicide
00:29:43
I think the way these people will
00:29:45
respond to the experience and the degree
00:29:49
of change that they experience after it
00:29:51
points to a tremendously powerful force
00:29:53
the types of changes they experience
00:29:55
afterwards the unusual abilities they
00:29:57
have to afterwards point to something
00:29:58
far greater than we're aware of now our
00:30:01
usual explanations of the way the brain
00:30:02
the way the mind works in terms of
00:30:04
physiology just don't explain what's
00:30:06
going on something larger at work here
00:30:08
than we're aware of yet
00:30:15
are these strange journeys only a
00:30:17
prelude to a life after death or are
00:30:19
they hallucinations
00:30:21
religions around the world of grapple
00:30:23
with a metaphysical aspects of these
00:30:24
questions and scientists have tried to
00:30:26
explain it in physical terms
00:30:28
clearly death and what comes after is a
00:30:31
most profound unsolved mystery of them
00:30:34
all on a previous broadcast we examine
00:30:45
the story of Dan Whillans a mysterious
00:30:47
prospector who spent his life searching
00:30:49
for gold in the Canadian wilderness we
00:30:51
asked our audience to help locate his
00:30:53
unknown heirs in 1926 woolens was
00:31:00
panning at Red Lake in the province of
00:31:01
Ontario when he found gold
00:31:03
he and his partner staked their claim
00:31:05
and established one of the most
00:31:07
profitable small gold mines in Canadian
00:31:09
history in 1936 dan Wilden set out into
00:31:14
the wilderness to do some solitary
00:31:15
prospecting he was never seen again
00:31:18
woolens left behind in a state of almost
00:31:20
100 thousand dollars which today may be
00:31:23
worth as much as three and a half
00:31:24
million dollars it has remained
00:31:26
unclaimed for more than 50 years update
00:31:32
within days of our broadcast
00:31:34
Davy Williams a New York businessman
00:31:36
called our 800 number claiming he might
00:31:38
be one of the heirs to Dan Williams
00:31:40
fortunately my grandfather we have
00:31:45
determined came from the UK to Ontario
00:31:47
in 1895 at that time he was 11 years of
00:31:51
age we believe he traveled with another
00:31:55
family member and we also have been told
00:31:57
that there was a cousin someplace up in
00:32:00
the outback of Ontario but there was
00:32:02
never any contact with that individual
00:32:04
through the years so when this unsolved
00:32:07
mysteries program aired and this Dan
00:32:09
Willens a Bushman from Ontario was was
00:32:12
disclosed it certainly was an exciting
00:32:14
possible link for our family tree
00:32:17
searching
00:32:18
Davee wooden scooter Toronto to meet Joe
00:32:20
Perkins one of mandolins last surviving
00:32:23
friends he brought along photographs of
00:32:25
his grandfather Harold Willis and his
00:32:27
great-grandfather John Doe is to see if
00:32:29
there was a family resemblance with
00:32:32
uncanny I couldn't believe the
00:32:36
similarity of the face no spacing the
00:32:41
eye forehead and I think if you took the
00:32:46
beard off the old man they'd look like
00:32:50
twins indeed there does seem to be a
00:32:53
strong resemblance our great-grandfather
00:32:56
John grandfather Harold and prospector
00:32:58
Dan Williams all blood relatives is
00:33:01
Davey and heir to Dan Williams fortune
00:33:04
certainly money is important everybody
00:33:06
and if the Ontario government is holding
00:33:09
considerable assets that could
00:33:11
rightfully be claimed by a Whillans then
00:33:13
I'd like to see that happen I don't know
00:33:15
if it'll be me and my cousins or not but
00:33:18
maybe now we can get some will answers
00:33:20
to come forward and maybe we do have a
00:33:22
strong case to be made and certainly we
00:33:25
are going to take the next steps to
00:33:26
pursue that possibility
00:33:29
[Music]
00:33:37
in a moment the story of a 46 year old
00:33:40
repent who was brutally murdered in a
00:33:42
quiet town in rural Ohio police have
00:33:45
three bizarre theories no suspects
00:33:51
[Music]
00:33:59
May the 23rd 1982 in the small town of
00:34:02
Hamer's Ville oh hi Oh fifteen year old
00:34:04
boy riding his Paris lawnmower back home
00:34:07
after a mowing job made a terrible
00:34:09
discovery it was a man's body nude and
00:34:15
beaten that night the man would be
00:34:18
identified as 46 year old Herman Gilbert
00:34:20
an appliance repairman who lived just
00:34:23
seven miles from the place his body was
00:34:25
found the most puzzling thing about
00:34:28
premon Gilbert's murder is that he
00:34:30
appeared to those who knew him delete
00:34:31
such a normal non-controversial life yet
00:34:34
some believe that just beneath the
00:34:36
comforting small-town facade dark forces
00:34:38
swirled as a citizens of Clermont County
00:34:41
Ohio discuss Perman Gilbert's murder
00:34:43
phrases like organized crime drug
00:34:46
trafficking and jealous husband began to
00:34:49
surface Gilbert was a beloved husband
00:34:53
and father of four he and his family
00:34:55
belonged to the Church of Christ and
00:34:57
participated in the civic life of the
00:34:59
rural Ohio County where they had lived
00:35:00
their whole lives premon Gilbert
00:35:04
remained close to his siblings
00:35:05
especially his youngest brother who was
00:35:07
always in and out of trouble with the
00:35:08
law
00:35:10
Herman's hobby was flying but he was
00:35:12
employed as an appliance repairman
00:35:14
assigned by a nationally known company
00:35:16
as their troubleshooter he worked for
00:35:19
the large firm during the week but on
00:35:20
Saturdays premon made independent
00:35:22
service calls answering only to himself
00:35:26
when he left that Saturday morning it
00:35:28
was probably 8:30 and he said he didn't
00:35:32
want to go and it just now it bothers me
00:35:35
I that's what I remember about him
00:35:38
leaving that morning
00:35:41
Bremen Gilbert service appointments at
00:35:43
Saturday morning took him to Mount Orab
00:35:45
Ohio and also further south to
00:35:48
Georgetown and Aberdeen Ohio
00:35:51
hi mr. Gilbert how are you fine just
00:35:53
call me perm perm I keep smelling gas in
00:35:56
my kitchen I think it's my pilot light
00:35:58
gilbert service calls had put him at the
00:36:00
southernmost tip of ohio when the calls
00:36:03
were completed he crossed the Simon
00:36:05
Kenton bridge into Maysville Kentucky
00:36:06
and stopped in at a large market and
00:36:08
variety store and Brees who works at the
00:36:12
market checkout counter remembers his
00:36:14
visit that Saturday he was tall a
00:36:19
nice-looking man
00:36:20
he was always bearing me greeted you you
00:36:24
know very friendly every time you saw
00:36:26
him I never saw the man down or act like
00:36:29
he had a care in the world would usually
00:36:39
say that to me and he knew that I
00:36:40
wouldn't go to lunch with him you know
00:36:42
just usual chit chatter when Berman left
00:36:46
the market checkout counter he walked
00:36:48
into the flower shop next door he pushed
00:36:53
the buzzer I came from the back and I
00:36:56
could help him he'd like to know if
00:36:59
another employee was here and I said no
00:37:02
she doesn't come in till 4:00 and if I
00:37:04
could help him anyway and he said no he
00:37:06
wanted to order some flowers and they
00:37:09
knew what he wanted and everything and
00:37:11
he said he would come back later she
00:37:14
knows what I wanted okay thank you there
00:37:17
was nothing unusual about him here just
00:37:19
a normal customer he wasn't nervous or
00:37:21
anything when I when I met him
00:37:24
no one can account for Perlman Gilbert's
00:37:27
movements after he left the flower shop
00:37:29
he had told his wife he would be back
00:37:31
home around 3 p.m.
00:37:33
he did not arrive then it got to be dark
00:37:37
and he wasn't here it got to be midnight
00:37:41
and I was scared and I was afraid to go
00:37:45
out even I had a small child and I was
00:37:49
afraid to put her in the car and go out
00:37:50
looking and then I think about three
00:37:54
o'clock in the morning I called one of
00:37:56
our friends and you know do you have you
00:37:58
seen Berman do you know where he said
00:38:00
anything like that and they didn't
00:38:04
Joanne Gilbert called the police they
00:38:08
were unable to turn up any leads until
00:38:09
late the next afternoon when her
00:38:11
husband's body was found
00:38:13
he was completely nude he didn't have
00:38:17
any clothes on that bothers me I would
00:38:20
like to know why that was done I've
00:38:24
heard it's to humiliate the family I
00:38:26
don't know that's why it was done maybe
00:38:29
it was done to can make it longer to
00:38:33
identify him because no cloth fibers
00:38:37
were found in the two bullet wounds
00:38:39
Clermont County police believe that
00:38:41
Perman had been naked above the waist at
00:38:43
the time he was shot
00:38:46
[Music]
00:38:49
Herman's billfold carrying the symbol of
00:38:51
the Masons was missing along with his
00:38:53
clothes so is the masonic belt buckle he
00:38:55
always wore
00:38:59
although permis clothes were never found
00:39:01
his van was located the next day 22
00:39:04
miles away from the spot where his body
00:39:06
had been discovered Hermann Gilbert's
00:39:09
watch was still hanging on the gearshift
00:39:11
lever his tool box was him there parts
00:39:17
and supplies was in place in the van we
00:39:20
did do an inspection of the van and
00:39:25
recover fingerprints and hair samples
00:39:27
and at this time we have not been able
00:39:30
to match the fingerprints and hair
00:39:33
samples to anyone in the investigation
00:39:37
that followed Bremen Gilbert's death
00:39:39
three theories evolved I think that that
00:39:43
whatever happened to him had something
00:39:45
to do with drugs Herman was a licensed
00:39:49
pilot he owned a small plane which he
00:39:51
flew out of a makeshift landing strip on
00:39:53
his farm
00:39:58
Harlen told me that he had been
00:40:02
approached to fly drugs just a little
00:40:12
trip and all we had to do was to take
00:40:15
the airplane and fly it to a certain
00:40:18
airport
00:40:19
go and have a cup of coffee come back
00:40:22
out and there would be money laying on
00:40:24
the seat or under the seat these guys so
00:40:29
quit bugging me I'm gonna call the
00:40:31
authorities and it would have been easy
00:40:33
money but that's against the law and it
00:40:36
was against everything that we believed
00:40:38
in I believe that he knew too much about
00:40:42
what was going on as far as who was
00:40:44
involved with drugs and he wasn't
00:40:45
because he would not go along with her
00:40:48
plan that he was beaten and killed
00:40:50
because of it the second theory revolves
00:40:54
around premon Gilbert's youngest brother
00:40:56
Vernon Vernon was 12 years younger than
00:40:59
Perman and they were devoted to one
00:41:01
another in February of 1982 when Vernon
00:41:06
was called to testify in an organized
00:41:08
crime case Hermann stood by him okay it
00:41:12
should be about an hour so thanks the
00:41:19
actual hearings were closed to the
00:41:20
public and Perman had to kill time while
00:41:23
his brother was testifying he began to
00:41:26
suspect that he was being followed
00:41:31
Herman Gilbert had told acquaintances
00:41:34
that he felt at the day at the federal
00:41:37
court building that a man was following
00:41:41
him around I don't know of any person
00:41:44
that might have been following Perman
00:41:47
Gilbert and it was not any of our
00:41:48
personnel perhaps premon Gilbert had
00:41:52
become a target of organized crime maybe
00:41:55
my husband knew too much
00:41:57
maybe Herman was killed to lure his
00:42:01
brother back to the funeral and because
00:42:03
they were after him really and but then
00:42:06
his brother didn't come to this funeral
00:42:10
the third theory is that permanent may
00:42:13
have been involved in a crime of passion
00:42:21
the very nature of Herman Gilbert's home
00:42:25
appliance repair business placed him
00:42:28
into many many households alone with a
00:42:31
family member
00:42:33
yes I thought it was very attractive in
00:42:35
I know other women were very attracted
00:42:38
to him - he was tall about 6 -
00:42:42
well-built had nice hair pretty eyes and
00:42:48
a nice-looking man
00:42:51
I really didn't know about his death
00:42:54
until someone from in his home area came
00:42:59
through said there was one or two
00:43:01
theories but one was that they thought
00:43:05
jealous boyfriend her husband had killed
00:43:08
him I feel at the crime of passion
00:43:11
theory doesn't hold up because that's
00:43:15
supposed to be something that's very
00:43:17
Swift and they beat around on him like
00:43:20
someone was trying to get information
00:43:22
out of him or something what we need now
00:43:25
is for someone to come forward and help
00:43:27
us trace perman Gilbert from that flower
00:43:32
shop
00:43:32
anyone that has seen him around the
00:43:36
flower shop or in the parking lot with
00:43:40
his cream and brown van at that time or
00:43:44
later in the day we'd like to hear from
00:43:46
and I feel like there are people out
00:43:48
there in the community that know what
00:43:49
happened to my father
00:43:50
and for fear of their own lives for
00:43:53
other people they're afraid to speak up
00:43:55
I wish that they would come forward and
00:43:57
fill in those bits and pieces for us
00:43:59
[Music]
00:44:11
next week on unsolved mysteries an
00:44:14
examination of the legend of Billy the
00:44:16
Kid that suggests history may have to be
00:44:18
rewritten most historians and Hollywood
00:44:20
screen versions claim that Billy was
00:44:22
dramatically gunned down by his friend
00:44:24
Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881 but the
00:44:26
people of tiny heiko Texas say that's
00:44:28
all bunk at one of their own citizens a
00:44:31
man named brushy bill Roberts was a real
00:44:34
Billy the Kid that he died in 1950 69
00:44:37
years after the famous gunfight we'll
00:44:40
examine the evidence next week on
00:44:42
unsolved mystery
00:44:46
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 80
    Most heartbreaking
  • 75
    Most shocking
  • 70
    Most emotional
  • 70
    Most intense

Episode Highlights

  • The Crime of the Century
    In 1986, a group of burglars tunneled underground to steal over $2 million from a bank.
    “The police call it a crime of the century.”
    @ 00m 30s
    May 16, 2019
  • Crystal Merlok's Near-Death Experience
    Seven-year-old Crystal Merlok drowned but was revived after 15 minutes, sharing her journey to a light.
    “I saw this bright light at the end of a tunnel.”
    @ 13m 46s
    May 16, 2019
  • Tom Sawyer's Transformation
    After a near-fatal accident, Tom Sawyer's life changed dramatically, leading him to profound insights.
    “I’m probably the only one you’ll ever meet that’s been kicked out of heaven.”
    @ 24m 21s
    May 16, 2019
  • The Transformative Power of Near-Death Experiences
    People report profound changes in values and relationships after near-death experiences.
    “They become interested in what could we call the spiritual aspects of their lives”
    @ 27m 42s
    May 16, 2019
  • The Mystery of Perman Gilbert's Murder
    A beloved appliance repairman is found dead under mysterious circumstances, sparking theories of crime.
    “No one can account for Perman Gilbert's movements after he left the flower shop”
    @ 37m 24s
    May 16, 2019
  • Theories Behind the Murder
    Three theories emerge regarding the motive behind Perman Gilbert's murder, including organized crime.
    “I believe that he knew too much about what was going on as far as who was involved with drugs”
    @ 40m 42s
    May 16, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • This was the most loving light I've ever seen.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
  • I wasn't dead at all, for at least 20 minutes.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
  • I’m probably the only one you’ll ever meet that’s been kicked out of heaven.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
  • Wow yeah I think possibly you might find this one interesting thank you.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
  • Suicide is an absolute impossibility for me.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode
  • Something larger at work here than we’re aware of yet.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 19 - Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Unsolved Mysteries00:03
  • Near-Death Experience01:08
  • The Perfect Crime05:40
  • Life After Death18:32
  • Transformation19:12
  • Spiritual Transformation28:31
  • Murder Mystery37:24
  • Theories of Motive40:42

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 16 - Full Episode
May 22, 2019
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46:53
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 16 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 18 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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45:14
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 18 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 14 - Updated Full Episode
March 16, 2022
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46:45
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 1, Episode 14 - Updated Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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01:32:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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47:10
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 7 - Full Episode
May 22, 2019
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47:11
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 7 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 20 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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43:23
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 20 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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43:40
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 1 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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48:26
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 1 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 5 - Full Episodes
May 21, 2019
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47:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 5 - Full Episodes
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 20 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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51:21
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 20 - Full Episode