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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
00:00:09
members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you are about to see is not a news
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broadcast it began as a weekend of fun
00:00:22
and Sun at a seaside Mexican resort but
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after a heated argument with his
00:00:27
girlfriend
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Mario Amato found himself arrested for
00:00:30
disorderly conduct and tossed into jail
00:00:32
less than 90 minutes later mario is dead
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under the most suspicious of
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circumstances September 1978
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KATUSA Oklahoma chief JB Hemi jumps into
00:00:45
the middle of a robbery attempt on a
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shootout erupts
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moments later Hamby died as he recites
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the Lord's Prayer perhaps you can help
00:00:54
catch his killer a decade ago the Texas
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oil boom made at Baker a millionaire but
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in 1988 Baker's burned-out car was found
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in a remote rice field and police said
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the body inside
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some believed it was suicide but others
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are convinced it was murder join me
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tonight you may be able to help solve a
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mystery
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[Music]
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Yelp Lahoma
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automobile license plates are
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distributed through privately owned
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franchises called tag agencies these
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businesses keep little cash on hand
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nevertheless they become tantalizing
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targets for thieves who traffic in
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stolen cars just after 8:00 a.m. on
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September 1st 1978 two men pulled up in
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front of the tag agency in Catoosa
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Oklahoma a suburb of Tulsa
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missile robbery get out of the ground
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don't look at me the only police officer
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KATUSA was chief jb Hamby
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a 24-year veteran in law enforcement
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he's devotion to duty was well known JV
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was on call all errors no sleep come in
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shower change clothes right back out for
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those people that was on the wrong side
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of the law he could become probably
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their worst nightmare he was relentless
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[Music]
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40 rounds ricocheted through the small
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store in a matter of seconds one robber
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was killed the other was hit twice but
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somehow managed to escape miraculously
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neither of the women in the tag agency
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had been hurt
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chief Hamby was not so lucky he
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staggered from the agency bleeding
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profusely
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and Jamie attempted to reload his gun
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and at that point he probably sense that
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he was you know very injured and from
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there went right on into the laundry to
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get him help he needed help it's all
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right call the ambulance
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baby it's okay it's all right the
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ambulance is coming
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repeat after me JB stay with me our
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Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy
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name
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[Music]
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JB Hamby died before he had finished
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reciting the Lord's Prayer
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one of the robbers is dead at the scene
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shot through the head by his own
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ricocheting bullet the second robber was
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apprehended two hours later being
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treated for gunshot wounds at a nearby
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hospital his 25 year old David Gordon
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Smith the son of a prominent couple
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Stillwater Oklahoma but first Smith
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thought he is being arrested only for
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armed robbery
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instead David Gordon Smith was booked on
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charges of first-degree murder On June
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15 1979 Smith began serving a life
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sentence in the Oklahoma prison system
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ballistics tests had proved that the
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bullet which killed chief Hanley had
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been fired from Smith's gun
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it was so conclusive I mean beyond a
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shadow of a doubt they had every bullet
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accounted for they know if they know
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who's gonna come from they knew where
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that person was at because the line is
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trajectory they had everybody placed in
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that office and he had what game David
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Gordon Smith was a classic good boy gone
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bad the son of a respected university
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professor this had been his first and
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only brush with the law and he set out
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to become a model prisoner Smith was a
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good prisoner he was well-liked by the
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staff that had to deal with him he was
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also well liked by the other inmates and
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as he served his time as his years grew
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and his behavior was excellent he was
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according to Oklahoma law classified to
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trustee status and his job at the time
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was to monitor equipment at our lake
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Smith was assigned to live and work all
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alone at a small water pumping station
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he was checked every hour by a prison
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guard on three separate occasions Smith
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was granted unsupervised furloughs for
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doctor's appointments and on June 26
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1982 with a permission of prison
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authorities he got married
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I don't think there's any way by any
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stretch of the imagination that he
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deserved any sort of lenient treatment
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I think it's unheard of you know I think
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he should have got the death penalty I
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think you should have gotten maximum you
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know hard time I could live with that
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David Gordon Smith you're serving a life
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sentence for murder in 1980 for a full
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10 years ahead of schedule David Gordon
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Smith was granted a parole hearing what
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have you done while in prison to make
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yourself fit for society once again I've
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got a job since I've been in prison with
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a clean Conduct record I've married and
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should I be paroled my wife would be a
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support for me I've been going to church
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and I have a strong faith in God I begin
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to think how he would attempt to sell
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somebody that you know he was Joel's
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clean citizen you know you know I think
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he seen that there was such an outcry
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from the public and Friends and law
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enforcement that he was fighting an
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uphill battle I have recorded for nay
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votes in the parole recommendation of
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David Gordon Smith Smith's failed in his
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parole attempt however he retained
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trustee status and continued his job at
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the lake
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for more than a year Smith remained a
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model prisoner but then on October 28th
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1985 a prison guard stopped for his
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regular 1:00 a.m. check of Smith's
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sleeping quarters
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[Music]
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the model prisoner David Gordon Smith
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had made a clean getaway
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he probably walked from the room at the
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lake out to the nearest highway a mile
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or so away where
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Jobeth his wife picked him up
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they went into McAlister which is a mile
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or so from the prison and Mayo two
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letters we know that
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authorities learned that one week before
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the escape Smith's wife had closed out
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her bank account
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sold her furniture and borrowed a
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thousand dollars from friends she told a
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travel agent she was going to Mexico she
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never mentioned her husband then four
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months later in February of 1986 David
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Gordon Smith was sighted with a female
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companion in Arkansas just 90 miles from
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the prison where he had been
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incarcerated the authorities were
00:09:47
notified but by the time they arrived
00:09:49
Smith had vanished I believe it that
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David Gordon Smith is still dangerous
00:09:56
today he will do whatever is necessary
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to try to escape again if confronted by
00:10:03
either law enforcement or by a private
00:10:05
citizen that's why I would I would
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recommend that no private citizen try to
00:10:09
apprehend him because I believe that he
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probably is armed I want to see David
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Gordon Smith serve his time I just think
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it's one of the most unjust things that
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could ever happen
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JB lived his job as a police officer 24
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hours a day a very intense person that
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took his job extremely serious fermion
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it stood up for so many things for so
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many people on the right side of the law
00:10:42
that loss can never be filled and I just
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don't think it's fair
00:10:47
when we first aired this story last
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October we received more than 75 leads
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but none of them panned out however one
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thing we have learned on unsolved
00:10:56
mysteries over the years is never to
00:10:58
give up the story aired again in March
00:11:00
and this time in a small South Dakota
00:11:03
town the right viewer was watching he
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called the local authorities and they
00:11:07
immediately contacted the FBI one day
00:11:11
following the airing of the David Gordon
00:11:13
Smith case on unsolved mysteries an
00:11:16
anonymous tip was received giving us his
00:11:20
location he was working as a service
00:11:25
manager in an automobile dealership in
00:11:27
Spearfish South Dakota agents of the FBI
00:11:31
local authorities in South Dakota went
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to his place of employment
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he was arrested without incident and he
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readily admitted his identity and
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questioned
00:11:44
when David Gordon Smith is brought back
00:11:47
to Oklahoma he'll go immediately into
00:11:49
our our system may be classified as a
00:11:53
maximum-security inmate and because of
00:11:57
his escape he will be in our maximum
00:12:01
security prison for a long time there's
00:12:07
a tremendous amount of relief it was
00:12:10
equivalent to a long term gigantic debt
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being paid off
00:12:41
a thousands of American tourists the
00:12:45
breathtaking sunsets of Mexico have
00:12:47
always been an invitation for romance
00:12:49
fantasy and adventure in June of 1992
00:12:52
Joe Amato and his younger brother Mario
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left Los Angeles with their girlfriends
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they were headed to Rosarita Beach
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Mexico popular seaside resort 35 miles
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south of San Diego but their weekend in
00:13:06
the Sun would soon disintegrate into a
00:13:08
nightmare the next day
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Mario Mota was arrested after a fight
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with his girlfriend 90 minutes later he
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was dead
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the local authorities claimed that Mario
00:13:23
had committed suicide I say it was
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murder plain murder and I knew that from
00:13:31
the beginning because I know my brother
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very well I mean they stole his life
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away from him and we're gonna get to the
00:13:40
bottom of this Mario was not the first
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American tourist to die in a foreign
00:13:46
jail this family is not the first to be
00:13:49
haunted by the vague details of an
00:13:50
official investigation in such cases
00:13:53
facts are few and clues are hard to come
00:13:55
by
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however Mario's brother is determined to
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learn exactly what happened to him
00:14:00
during his brief captivity as a result
00:14:03
of Joe Amato s efforts this potentially
00:14:05
explosive case has sparked the interest
00:14:07
of high-level government officials
00:14:08
including an American congressman and
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the President of Mexico
00:14:17
the Amato brothers arrived in Rosarita
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Beach just after 1:00 a.m. on June 6
00:14:22
1992 they were staying at a condo owned
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by a relative of Mario's girlfriend but
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we will call Paul Joe and his girlfriend
00:14:31
Debbie eagerly accepted an invitation to
00:14:33
come along the two couples immediately
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broke out the tequila as well what are
00:14:41
we here for to party let's have a good
00:14:44
time everybody sat around and we started
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having our drinks and I guess it was
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later on about 3:30 4 o'clock and I was
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getting kind of tired and told Debbie
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it's time to go to bed about 7 o'clock
00:15:03
we woke up and the river still up and
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they were bickering
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I felt very disturbed because I know
00:15:22
Mario liked this girl very much and he
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wouldn't have wanted to leave if it
00:15:27
wasn't something serious that he felt
00:15:30
that he just didn't want to stay by late
00:15:36
the next morning Mario and Paula had
00:15:39
apparently patched up their differences
00:15:41
that was the last time I saw him alive
00:15:43
but I can still remember like expression
00:15:48
on his face he he seemed very happy like
00:15:51
nothing was wrong
00:15:54
that afternoon Joe and Debbie took a
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romantic drive along the coast of Baja
00:15:58
California they assumed that Mario and
00:16:02
Paula getting along fine hey kid have
00:16:17
some clothes please yes I'm a closer
00:16:23
thank you
00:16:34
step aside lucky muchacho no with the
00:16:37
Yemen said my name is Mario motto I
00:16:39
coincidentally American Idol and restyle
00:16:41
speak Spanish off well somebody is for
00:16:43
me because some problems again mari was
00:16:48
arrested for public drunkenness and
00:16:50
disorderly conduct and taken to the
00:16:52
police station barrio was placed in a
00:16:59
holding cell but never formally charged
00:17:02
with a crime at around 6:30 p.m.
00:17:10
Joe and Debbie returned to the beach
00:17:12
house they were surprised to find it
00:17:14
vacant and the key under the mat missing
00:17:17
a maid from the condominium complex
00:17:22
explained that there had been problems
00:17:23
there are a few hours earlier police
00:17:26
came
00:17:29
Debbie crawled through a window to get
00:17:31
inside almost immediately four police
00:17:34
officers showed up asking for Paula by
00:17:37
name she's not here
00:17:41
do you know what she might be is there
00:17:43
something wrong no no we just like to
00:17:45
ask you a couple of questions did you
00:17:46
try the bar down the street no see no we
00:17:48
did not
00:17:48
the continue
00:17:52
and that's when Debbie really started
00:17:55
getting suspicious right about that time
00:17:58
she followed him down to the bar she got
00:18:01
in and put her clothes on and got ready
00:18:04
and went right down to the bar and they
00:18:06
were looking for frantically a little
00:18:09
later Mario's girlfriend does come just
00:18:12
waltzing in the house and like nothing
00:18:17
was wrong and we asked her where's Mario
00:18:20
and she said she didn't know also got a
00:18:24
real cute
00:18:25
two hours after Paula returned a group
00:18:28
of detectives arrived Joe still had no
00:18:31
idea that his brother had been arrested
00:18:33
I am looking for the brother of we sent
00:18:38
him a daughter you don't know we sent a
00:18:45
mother my brother's name Mario Vicente
00:18:48
Amado yes that's him
00:18:51
I'm Sergeant Enoch or have some bad news
00:18:55
brother is dead
00:19:00
[Music]
00:19:03
it happened to my brother that's better
00:19:06
if you come with us we should talk about
00:19:08
it in my office the first thing that
00:19:11
went through my mind is they made a
00:19:12
mistake and maybe they didn't make a
00:19:17
mistake but I was hoping they had made a
00:19:19
mistake and I was just in disbelief that
00:19:21
this could be happening it's like a
00:19:23
nightmare please sit down I need you to
00:19:27
identify some pictures here now is this
00:19:33
your brother the first thing I see is
00:19:40
Mara laying on the concrete his eyes
00:19:43
closed no shirt just his pants and the
00:19:48
jail door and then at that time is as
00:19:50
well how could this happen I asked him
00:19:53
why is he wearing a sweater that's how
00:19:57
he killed himself what if he tied her
00:20:00
around his neck and then he tethered
00:20:02
around the crossbar and hung where was
00:20:05
this crossbar about three feet off the
00:20:08
ground three feet was very drunk and
00:20:12
very heavy yourself in three feet so
00:20:17
acid wasn't anybody in the in the jail
00:20:19
but it stopped him from doing this he
00:20:21
says oh no they're all sleeping he says
00:20:24
four guys sleeping at 5:30 in the
00:20:26
afternoon I I was just couldn't believe
00:20:29
that right away I knew there was
00:20:32
something wrong and it's as well how did
00:20:33
he how did he kill himself over this
00:20:35
sweater and I'm going no no no no you
00:20:40
don't you can't kill yourself with a
00:20:42
sweater from we're all from the from the
00:20:45
the cell door and I go no no right away
00:20:49
I mean everything was it right Mario
00:20:53
Amato died three months short of his
00:20:55
30th birthday Joe Armada was forced to
00:20:58
return to the United States without his
00:21:00
brother the Mexican authorities refused
00:21:03
to release the body until after they had
00:21:05
completed their autopsy
00:21:07
and they would not tell Joe when that
00:21:09
would happen within a week a Mexican
00:21:13
autopsy was completed it listed the
00:21:16
cause of death as a loss of oxygen to
00:21:18
the brain the result of Mario hanging
00:21:20
himself joe amato believed that was
00:21:23
preposterous and contacted his
00:21:25
congressman the Mexican autopsy
00:21:29
confirmed the report of the jailers in
00:21:32
Tijuana that Mario Amato had hung
00:21:35
himself with his own sweater when you
00:21:38
take the notion of a report from a local
00:21:41
foreign authority that a prisoner killed
00:21:44
himself it always makes sense to view
00:21:47
that kind of report with some suspicion
00:21:49
this is the oldest excuse for a jail
00:21:53
murder that's ever given as it's a
00:21:56
prisoner hung himself as soon as his
00:22:00
brother's body was returned to the
00:22:02
United States Joe Amato hired an
00:22:04
independent pathologist to conduct a
00:22:06
second autopsy the autopsy concluded
00:22:09
that internal injuries to Mario's liver
00:22:12
were strong evidence that he had been
00:22:14
punched in the upper abdomen the report
00:22:17
stated that in light of such injuries
00:22:19
quote the victim would not likely have
00:22:22
been able to hang himself
00:22:24
Mario Amato was undoubtedly and most
00:22:27
likely hung at that time with with an
00:22:30
instrument not his sweater but some
00:22:32
other instrument to use as the pretext
00:22:37
for the obvious you abuse and finally
00:22:40
the murder that took place
00:22:44
ultimately the Los Angeles County
00:22:46
Coroner reviewed both the American and
00:22:48
Mexican autopsy reports he determined
00:22:51
that mario mato had probably been
00:22:53
murdered there is one other disturbing
00:22:57
element in this case the fact that
00:22:59
Mexican authorities violated
00:23:01
international agreements by not
00:23:03
contacting the US consulate as quickly
00:23:05
as possible following Mario's death you
00:23:09
start to see a picture of a cover-up
00:23:11
starting to take place the people
00:23:14
involved in this incident did not want
00:23:16
authorities coming quickly to the to the
00:23:20
scene of the crime and they wanted a
00:23:22
period of time to elapse they hope that
00:23:24
Joe Amato would forget about it - his
00:23:26
brother was dead he'd go back to the
00:23:29
United States and and drop the whole
00:23:31
issue they usually do it very speedy way
00:23:35
when there is no relative or friend when
00:23:40
a foreign person dies but when the
00:23:43
family's there their friends are there I
00:23:46
mean they just do it by a ladder days
00:23:50
after you know eventually congressman
00:23:55
Berman contacted the President of Mexico
00:23:57
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
00:23:59
the president promised to reopen the
00:24:02
investigation and in January of 1993 the
00:24:05
body of Mario Amato was exhumed for yet
00:24:08
another autopsy the truth is gonna come
00:24:11
out of the full investigation that we
00:24:14
are making with the American government
00:24:17
that we asked them to cooperate in the
00:24:19
reason their witnesses and the evidence
00:24:22
were here in the States
00:24:24
the truth will come out I'd like to see
00:24:26
the the the people that that that
00:24:29
committed the crime suffered for it
00:24:31
because we're suffering and somebody's
00:24:33
got to suffer also you know they're just
00:24:36
not gonna go it's not gonna go away you
00:24:38
know it's just something that's that's
00:24:39
going to be there and I'm gonna ruin
00:24:42
their lives just like they've ruined
00:24:43
mine and our family you know somebody's
00:24:46
got to pay yeah
00:24:48
[Music]
00:25:10
when we return the mysterious final days
00:25:13
of a Texas oil millionaire
00:25:15
[Music]
00:25:29
November 8 1985 in a remote rice field
00:25:33
20 miles outside Houston Texas flames
00:25:35
ravage and expensive Jaguar sedan
00:25:42
inside sheriff's deputies found a
00:25:45
charred human body so disfigured that
00:25:47
even the gender was not apparent so
00:25:50
completely burned that his weight was
00:25:51
reduced to 32 pounds the car was
00:25:55
registered to a millionaire oil well
00:25:57
promoter from Houston Edward Gerald
00:25:59
Baker eventually forensic tests
00:26:02
indicated with near certainty that the
00:26:05
body was indeed at Baker's
00:26:09
Edie Baker personified Texas in the
00:26:12
1980s powerful bold and rich a one-time
00:26:16
shoe salesman an insurance agent he
00:26:18
built a multi-million dollar or
00:26:19
investment business seemingly overnight
00:26:21
then in 1985 bakers world came to a
00:26:25
fiery end however even now the exact
00:26:28
circumstances of his death are disputed
00:26:30
some believe he took his own life others
00:26:33
as certainly was murdered incredibly a
00:26:36
few people even think ed Baker may still
00:26:38
be alive
00:26:42
Edie Baker seemed an unlikely person to
00:26:44
be at the center of such a deadly puzzle
00:26:46
his company Vanguard group's
00:26:49
international was one of the fastest
00:26:51
growing businesses in the United States
00:26:53
I watched him build that company from
00:26:56
the ground up and I think that he he
00:27:03
always knew he had the potential to have
00:27:04
a very successful business and I think
00:27:07
he tried his best to manage that
00:27:09
business honestly and with a great deal
00:27:12
of integrity head Baker started
00:27:15
promoting oil exploration in 1980 his
00:27:18
timing was perfect $3,500 is year
00:27:21
upfront investment here also Sam Houston
00:27:24
was booming after his first oil wells
00:27:26
came in Baker had no trouble selling his
00:27:29
clever tax shelters to wealthy investors
00:27:31
okay but here's the kicker here's the
00:27:33
kicker Frank I'm gonna guarantee eight
00:27:35
to ten wells per package the income from
00:27:38
those wells is going to pay off that
00:27:39
promissory note people tended to trust
00:27:41
him he was acknowledged as you know
00:27:44
pretty brilliant strategist when it came
00:27:48
to developing these little you know tax
00:27:52
shelter programs at that time now the
00:27:54
laws have changed since then but at that
00:27:56
time it was brilliant Lynette Baker
00:28:00
founded Vanguard his wife Mary was one
00:28:02
of only three employees and cardboard
00:28:04
boxes served as their file cabinets four
00:28:08
years later Vanguard sales has
00:28:10
skyrocketed to 19 million dollars
00:28:16
the flood of wealth prompted drastic
00:28:18
changes in that Baker's life in March of
00:28:22
1984 he divorced Mary his wife of 10
00:28:25
years soon after he began to indulge a
00:28:30
taste for high-stakes gambling Baker
00:28:33
also underwent two facelifts took disco
00:28:35
lessons and purchased a flashy new
00:28:37
Jaguar in September of 1984 bakery
00:28:42
married only to file for divorce five
00:28:44
months later just four days after the
00:28:47
dissolution was final
00:28:48
he married sandy Hoff one of his
00:28:50
employees at Vanguard all the wild
00:28:53
bakers financial empire was
00:28:55
disintegrating there's nothing to worry
00:28:58
about at this point I promise you there
00:29:00
is nothing to worry about the wells will
00:29:02
come in at the time
00:29:03
Lord Busey was that Baker's personal
00:29:06
attorney in 85 when the oil industry
00:29:09
heard a lot of people in Houston people
00:29:11
stopped investing in deals that Ed was
00:29:13
selling and as it turns out he was
00:29:15
borrowing from a lot of his investors to
00:29:18
sustain his lifestyle always I believe
00:29:21
assuming that he was gonna be able to
00:29:22
repay the people that he borrowed from
00:29:24
from the next group of folks sooner or
00:29:26
later there was not a next group of
00:29:27
folks he was looking at some serious
00:29:31
charges from a lot of his investors he
00:29:33
was looking at turns out serious tax
00:29:36
problems it may have been very true that
00:29:40
he was about to go to jail by October of
00:29:43
1985 Baker's investors were clamoring
00:29:45
for money but Vanguard was on the edge
00:29:47
of bankruptcy Baker allegedly arranged a
00:29:50
desperately needed cash bail out from a
00:29:53
highly suspect source not on the phone
00:29:57
okay then he brought in his private
00:29:59
investigator
00:30:01
I got the impression from Andy talking
00:30:03
big money such as Millions
00:30:04
let me get back with you okay and he
00:30:07
thought maybe we'd have to do a little
00:30:09
background on these individuals that he
00:30:12
was preparing to have some financial
00:30:16
dealings with him in Florida because
00:30:18
he'd heard that they or yes he had heard
00:30:23
that they had some sort of mafia
00:30:24
connections I took the back roads ed
00:30:29
Baker's seemed unable to reverse his
00:30:31
downward spiral on November 6th at
00:30:34
around 7:30 p.m. he showed up at his
00:30:36
ex-wife Mary's house in a state of
00:30:38
emotional disarray I was really kind of
00:30:43
shocked because he was real pale and he
00:30:46
was afraid he was being followed and
00:30:48
this was very unusual you know for him
00:30:51
to behave this way and was just it
00:30:53
didn't fit what I normally knew now tell
00:30:58
me what this is all about I really
00:31:01
didn't want to get you involved with
00:31:02
this Mary he told me that he had
00:31:05
received death threats at work within
00:31:10
the past two weeks and that that day he
00:31:13
had received two telephone calls that
00:31:16
his unlisted home number telling him
00:31:19
this is your day to die who was it I
00:31:21
don't know he was taking it seriously
00:31:24
that he was really threatened at that
00:31:28
point why don't you call the police do
00:31:31
that Mary the police won't do anything
00:31:32
until something happens well don't go
00:31:35
home rent a hotel room stay with me
00:31:37
can't do that Mary I have to be home
00:31:39
tonight to take a call from Sandi she'd
00:31:41
be worried if I wasn't there and he got
00:31:44
in his car and drove away and that was
00:31:46
the last time I saw him
00:31:49
according to Sandi her husband had sent
00:31:51
her to Austin out of range of the
00:31:53
threats
00:31:57
sandy says she spoke to Baker around
00:31:59
1:00 a.m. he was holed up in their
00:32:01
bedroom and told her he had received yet
00:32:03
another life-threatening call
00:32:17
hello who is this who is this
00:32:34
two days later on November 8th sheriff's
00:32:37
were notified of the burned-out Jaguar
00:32:39
in the passenger seat where the charred
00:32:41
remains later identified as Edie baker's
00:32:45
from the evidence on the scene it
00:32:47
appeared that the subject in the car had
00:32:48
been shot
00:32:49
there was a burnt 32 caliber revolver in
00:32:52
the right front floorboard which would
00:32:54
have been at the passenger's feet when
00:32:57
we opened and examined the 32 pistol the
00:33:00
cartridge underneath the firing pin had
00:33:02
an indentation in it like it had been
00:33:03
fired
00:33:04
the other five shells looked like they
00:33:06
had been exploded by heat somebody
00:33:09
obviously was trying to earn the car it
00:33:13
appeared at the time there was rather
00:33:15
crude effort and we found three gallon
00:33:17
cans gasoline and said that vehicle and
00:33:19
around that vehicle more than enough to
00:33:22
sufficiently burn it up as they were
00:33:25
leaving the scene investigators made
00:33:27
another troubling discovery about 1,500
00:33:31
feet from the car was a second body a
00:33:33
young man in his early twenties had been
00:33:35
handcuffed and beaten to death
00:33:37
apparently just hours earlier we thought
00:33:41
to start with it might have been a
00:33:42
person who killed mr. Baker and somebody
00:33:43
killed him and shut him up her final
00:33:46
determination we found out it wasn't
00:33:47
connected we found out the boy that we
00:33:49
found second body we found was killed in
00:33:50
a dope deal and just was dumped in that
00:33:54
area it happened to be a dumping area
00:33:57
that same day the case took another
00:33:59
surprising twist a letter from Baker
00:34:02
arrived at the office of his attorney
00:34:04
Ward busi but said dear Ward if you were
00:34:08
reading this letter it means that I am
00:34:10
dead I've had some threats on my life
00:34:12
you've been a good friend of me please
00:34:14
take care of Sandy and the kids and do
00:34:16
what you can for him and enclosed is
00:34:18
another letter that I would like you to
00:34:20
take out to Sandy and give to her for me
00:34:24
in the weeks that followed a fate of Ed
00:34:26
Baker became the subject of intense
00:34:28
speculation his wife sandy who today
00:34:32
lives in Europe was convinced that he
00:34:34
was the victim of a mafia hit an
00:34:38
eyewitness told police that he saw a
00:34:40
blue Chevy pickup truck with chrome
00:34:42
rails and mag wheels speeding away from
00:34:45
the field where Baker's car was found
00:34:47
the truck and whoever was in it
00:34:50
have never been located
00:34:55
although Baker told a number of friends
00:34:58
about the threats to his life
00:34:59
law enforcement investigators believe he
00:35:02
committed suicide they learned that in
00:35:05
the days prior to his death Baker called
00:35:07
his life insurance agents he
00:35:09
specifically asked if his policies would
00:35:11
pay in the event of his suicide one
00:35:14
valued at $500,000 would not I believe
00:35:19
it's a possibility that mr. Baker shot
00:35:21
his self committed suicide and they had
00:35:23
an accomplice that set the car on fire
00:35:25
to make it look like a homicide so that
00:35:27
all of the insurance policy would pay
00:35:29
off we'll have a lot of people we find
00:35:31
in a car commit suicide with pistols and
00:35:34
the pistol is always at their feet and
00:35:36
the pistol we recovered would have been
00:35:37
at mr. Baker's feet on a passenger side
00:35:39
of the vehicle
00:35:40
sandy Baker refused to accept the idea
00:35:43
that her husband had taken his own life
00:35:45
she hired an independent private
00:35:48
investigator I think somebody was paid
00:35:51
to kill that Baker if you're relating
00:35:54
professional like a mafia or a
00:35:56
syndication type thing I don't think so
00:35:59
I don't know why they would burn the car
00:36:01
this seems to be just somebody was paid
00:36:04
to kill that Baker and that's exactly
00:36:07
what they did
00:36:08
I had Baker to document suicide Baker's
00:36:11
attorney Ward busi disagrees the letter
00:36:15
I got said if you're reading this I am
00:36:17
dead how did he know he was gonna die
00:36:19
that night unless he planned on going
00:36:21
out and killing himself I think he had
00:36:23
decided that he was about to probably go
00:36:28
to jail and decided to get sandy out of
00:36:30
town so that she wouldn't be implicated
00:36:33
said goodbye to everybody that he loved
00:36:36
went out to this field that he knew
00:36:38
about said his car on fire and shot
00:36:40
himself from what I know about fire I
00:36:43
spent over 20 years in the business I
00:36:47
don't believe an individual can pour
00:36:49
gasoline on themselves ignite it and be
00:36:53
able to stay calm and still enough to
00:36:56
reach down and put a gun to their head
00:36:58
and pull the trigger homicide is a
00:37:00
possibility but also I feel the
00:37:03
possibility the ED could arrange
00:37:05
something like this with a different
00:37:07
body in that
00:37:08
Edie was a very intelligent man a man
00:37:11
they took him as he told me himself 66
00:37:15
million dollars last year that he was in
00:37:17
business and a man capable of doing that
00:37:21
is capable faking his own death Bob Gale
00:37:26
and others believe that despite
00:37:27
conclusive evidence to the contrary ed
00:37:29
Baker faked his own suicide
00:37:35
[Music]
00:37:38
they are convinced that Baker fled to an
00:37:40
unknown location perhaps a Caribbean to
00:37:43
live in luxury on funds embezzled from
00:37:46
his investors today the fate of Ed
00:37:51
Baker's become something of a myth in
00:37:53
parts of Texas
00:37:54
it seems unlike you that Baker is still
00:37:57
alive at one of his insurance carriers
00:37:59
refused to pay death benefits without
00:38:00
conclusive proof that he is dead but if
00:38:03
it was that Baker in the front seat of
00:38:05
the Jaguar and he commits suicide or was
00:38:08
he murdered
00:38:08
and if so my home in 1957 13 year-old
00:38:25
sue Scribner learned of a secret that
00:38:28
our mother Calista had been caring for
00:38:30
more than 15 years when I asked her why
00:38:35
she had been crying she told me about
00:38:38
having a boy and a girl twin that had
00:38:41
been adopted it's time I told you told
00:38:44
me what I was really surprised because I
00:38:48
was 13 and and it's a shock to find out
00:38:51
that you have a brother and sister that
00:38:53
you didn't know about in 1942
00:38:57
Calista scribbler had given birth to
00:38:59
twins a boy and a girl the infants were
00:39:02
born with congenital heart defects and
00:39:04
Calista felt she would be unable to
00:39:06
provide them with the care they needed
00:39:09
[Music]
00:39:11
three weeks after they were born the
00:39:14
twins were adopted Kalista never saw
00:39:17
them again
00:39:18
the twins been adopted it just stayed
00:39:22
with her forever she never got over it
00:39:27
for ten frustrating years sue Scribner
00:39:30
searched for the twins finally in 1990
00:39:33
sue wrote a poignant open letter to the
00:39:35
brother and sister she had never met and
00:39:39
so elusive twins are still searched yet
00:39:43
should my effort send an emptiness I
00:39:45
have not felt so completely for I've
00:39:48
already found you once years ago chasm
00:39:52
din that deep indelible well that's safe
00:39:54
place our mother's heart ten days after
00:40:01
we featured this story sue Scribner
00:40:03
received an anonymous call from one of
00:40:05
our viewers who told her that the twins
00:40:06
were living in Orlando Florida sue
00:40:09
immediately contacted her brother and
00:40:11
sister whose names are Bruce and Barbara
00:40:13
but twins had no idea that they had been
00:40:16
adopted and were shocked to learn about
00:40:18
a sight of their family they never knew
00:40:20
existed
00:40:22
[Music]
00:40:24
on March 15 1992 sue Scribner met her
00:40:28
brother and sister for the first time in
00:40:30
her
00:40:34
the joyous reunion brought together six
00:40:37
of the scribbler children and their
00:40:39
families the very first time I met I
00:40:43
think all of our knees were shaking it
00:40:47
is emotional but I think we've all cried
00:40:51
enough tears and we didn't need a lot
00:40:53
today so I think that my newfound family
00:40:56
is wonderful I think they're absolutely
00:40:58
adorable it's like we've known each
00:41:01
other all of our lives even though we
00:41:03
haven't been around each other for five
00:41:05
hours I can't wait to get to know them
00:41:15
family very excited about it mm-hmm
00:41:19
you have all these questions in your
00:41:21
mind Jim what did I miss out on all
00:41:23
these years what what they really like
00:41:25
is kids I think everybody's gonna get to
00:41:31
know each other
00:41:32
and both sides
00:41:35
that for a country bumpkin like we are
00:41:37
it's like a blessed doesn't really
00:41:40
matter now what kind of life any of us
00:41:44
have because it's it's what's left that
00:41:46
counts we know where all of the children
00:41:49
are now
00:41:51
[Music]
00:41:58
tonight the FBI has requested our
00:42:00
cooperation in a matter of extreme
00:42:02
importance they hope there's someone
00:42:04
watching has vital information about a
00:42:06
man suspected of taking part in the
00:42:08
bombing of the World Trade Center he is
00:42:11
a newest addition to the FBI's 10 most
00:42:13
wanted list
00:42:14
please watch closely
00:42:18
by now we are all familiar with a
00:42:20
graphic images and horrifying details On
00:42:23
February 26 1993 the explosion beneath
00:42:27
New York's Trade Center complex killed
00:42:29
six people and injured more than a
00:42:32
thousand thus far four men have been
00:42:36
arrested and indicted in connection with
00:42:37
a bombing and a fifth has been charged
00:42:40
with obstruction of justice but another
00:42:42
suspect thought to be a major
00:42:43
participant has so far eluded capture he
00:42:48
is 25 year-old Romsey Ahmed Yosef we use
00:42:51
an Iraq passport to enter the US and
00:42:54
September of 1992 seeking political
00:42:56
asylum
00:42:57
authorities believe Yosef may have been
00:43:00
the roommate of the first suspect
00:43:01
arrested Mohamed Salah may Romsey Ahmed
00:43:06
Yosef was added to the top 10 list
00:43:08
because he's been charged by a New York
00:43:11
grand jury with participating in the
00:43:13
bombing of the World Trade Center in
00:43:15
February 26 of this year he's six feet
00:43:18
tall hundred and eighty pounds brown
00:43:21
hair brown eyes sometimes no one to wear
00:43:24
a beard wherever he is located he should
00:43:26
be considered armed and extremely
00:43:27
dangerous it's really critical to bring
00:43:31
him to justice for his participation in
00:43:33
this crime for two reasons one terrible
00:43:36
nature of the crime what it represents
00:43:38
to American society the first major
00:43:40
terrorist offensive here in this country
00:43:43
in many many years
00:43:44
and secondly because he is a key part of
00:43:47
this conspiracy and we would like to
00:43:50
bring all the co-conspirators to justice
00:43:54
[Music]
00:44:17
thank you for joining us and please join
00:44:20
us next time for another edition of
00:44:22
unsolved mysteries
00:44:23
[Music]
00:44:52
[Applause]
00:44:56
[Music]
00:45:04
you
00:45:05
[Music]
