00:00:00
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next on "Unsolved Mysteries"--
00:00:08
Michael Francke was investigating corruption
00:00:10
in the Oregon prison system.
00:00:12
Then he was stabbed to death, just outside his office.
00:00:17
Open the damn door.
00:00:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In Florida,
00:00:20
two young men go on a wild rampage that ends in murder.
00:00:25
Legendary lawman Eliot Ness takes on the Outfit in Chicago,
00:00:30
and then faces off with a notorious serial killer.
00:00:34
And the disappearance of a young man hitchhiking across Canada
00:00:38
launches a desperate search to find him.
00:00:42
Our team continues to track crimes, fugitives,
00:00:46
and tales of the paranormal.
00:00:48
Perhaps you can help.
00:00:50
I'm Dennis Farina.
00:00:52
And this is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:54
[THEME MUSIC]
00:01:27
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:01:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When deadly prison rioting broke out
00:01:35
in New Mexico, killing 33 prisoners,
00:01:38
state official Michael Francke was
00:01:40
brought in to completely revamp the troubled prison system.
00:01:43
--fall by the wayside.
00:01:44
You develop a calcified resistance to change.
00:01:48
E PATRICK FRANCKE: Michael was very much his own man.
00:01:51
Not a follower in any sense of the word.
00:01:54
He loved making decisions.
00:01:55
He liked tackling difficult problems.
00:01:58
He had a very quick mind.
00:02:00
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): He did such a good job
00:02:02
that the Governor of Oregon brought him
00:02:04
in to do the same thing there.
00:02:07
But apparently, Michael did too good a job.
00:02:11
Just after he completed the investigation,
00:02:14
he was found stabbed to death outside his office.
00:02:19
JIM HILL: Michael Francke was the best
00:02:21
selection that the governor made in all of his new appointments.
00:02:26
And I think we all felt that there
00:02:28
was going to be some very, very good things
00:02:30
happening in Corrections.
00:02:32
We were all excited about him.
00:02:35
And I really can't tell you just how much of a shock
00:02:39
it was when he was murdered.
00:02:43
Before he died, Michael Francke
00:02:44
told his family that he was going
00:02:46
to blow the lid off of corruption
00:02:48
in the Oregon prison system.
00:02:50
He would also implicate several top government officials.
00:02:54
The DA said Francke's murder was a botched robbery.
00:02:58
But his family insists that he had uncovered
00:03:00
a conspiracy of silence.
00:03:03
MAN (VOICE): All prisoners in cell block A--
00:03:06
BOB MERCHANT: I was told by my superiors
00:03:09
to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business,
00:03:11
or I'd be looking for a job.
00:03:15
The three main criminal activities
00:03:16
that I observed working in Corrections
00:03:20
was the introduction of drugs into the institution,
00:03:23
falsifying of records, and thefts of state property.
00:03:29
Basically, anything that was not nailed down
00:03:32
was subject to be stolen.
00:03:35
There was a constant flow of drugs being
00:03:37
brought into the institutions.
00:03:39
One of the most common ways was staff bringing them
00:03:41
in in their own lunch buckets.
00:03:43
Because there was no searches being
00:03:45
conducted on staff as they entered or left the facility.
00:03:49
When Mike came in, he's got a good old boy
00:03:52
system to contend with.
00:03:53
A lot of these guys have been here for 20 or 30 years.
00:03:58
The system has run the way they want it to run for that.
00:04:01
So here comes some guy from out of state,
00:04:03
who has all these high-minded ideas
00:04:06
about what he's going to do.
00:04:07
And it just rubbed a lot of them the wrong way.
00:04:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael
00:04:11
knew he was juggling political dynamite,
00:04:13
and that it could blow up in his face at any moment.
00:04:17
KEVIN FRANCKE: He had uncovered, he said, an organized
00:04:19
criminal element in the system.
00:04:24
And that he was going to do a thorough housecleaning
00:04:26
immediately after the first of the year.
00:04:28
And that-- his quote was, a lot of heads were going to roll.
00:04:31
[PHONE RINGING]
00:04:34
Hello.
00:04:35
KATIE FRANCKE: I called Michael.
00:04:36
Who's this?
00:04:37
KATIE FRANCKE: And he said that he
00:04:38
was going to go before the legislature and clean house
00:04:41
the following Wednesday.
00:04:44
Well, you did that in New Mexico.
00:04:46
You cleaned house before.
00:04:48
Yeah, I know, Katie, but, uh--
00:04:50
this is different.
00:04:52
KATIE FRANCKE: He was very, very concerned.
00:04:54
And I think he had uncovered something far bigger
00:04:58
than he expected.
00:05:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Days later,
00:05:02
Michael was found murdered on a side
00:05:04
porch of his office building.
00:05:07
Police began to piece together the last hours of his life.
00:05:12
After the regular Tuesday staff meeting,
00:05:14
Michael spoke with one of his employees.
00:05:16
I got a couple reports to finish for the legislature.
00:05:19
I'll see you tomorrow.
00:05:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Later, two other employees
00:05:26
noticed that the light in Michael's car was on,
00:05:28
and that the driver's door was wide open.
00:05:31
He can't be in there.
00:05:33
Well, his phone's in here.
00:05:36
Well, this is kind of weird.
00:05:39
He never leaves his car like this with the door open--
00:05:41
You're right.
00:05:43
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Two Corrections officials
00:05:45
searched the building.
00:05:46
But Michael was nowhere to be found.
00:05:49
Dave?
00:05:50
MAN (VOICE): Yeah.
00:05:51
Anything up there?
00:05:52
No.
00:05:53
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The two men left around 9:30 PM.
00:05:57
They did not call the police.
00:06:00
Later that same night, a security guard
00:06:03
found Michael's body on the side porch
00:06:05
of the building that had been searched
00:06:07
just four hours earlier.
00:06:11
The glass in the side door was shattered.
00:06:13
And Michael's briefcase appeared to be missing.
00:06:16
Bill.
00:06:17
I'm on the north side of the dome building.
00:06:20
I found a body here.
00:06:21
I think it's Francke.
00:06:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police believed Michael was
00:06:25
murdered in a robbery attempt.
00:06:27
And they interrogated known drug dealers and street criminals.
00:06:31
I need to know where you were that night.
00:06:32
Now you told me earlier--
00:06:33
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One of them
00:06:34
claimed that he had witnessed the murder,
00:06:35
and fingered a drug dealer named Frank Gable.
00:06:41
According to this witness, Gable was
00:06:43
in the act of breaking into Michael's car
00:06:46
when Michael came out of the office building at around 7:00
00:06:49
PM.
00:06:51
What's going on?
00:06:52
Nothing's going on. Just give me your briefcase.
00:06:53
There's nothing in it you're going to get.
00:06:54
I want to know what you're doing in my car.
00:06:56
I'm not doing nothing to your car.
00:06:56
Just give me the briefcase. - OK, punk.
00:06:58
I'm taking you inside. [STRUGGLING SOUNDS]
00:06:59
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Gable stabbed
00:07:00
Francke, mortally wounding him.
00:07:02
Some also believe Gable stole his briefcase.
00:07:10
Michael staggered up the stairs of a side entrance
00:07:12
to the building.
00:07:13
He broke the glass door in a desperate attempt
00:07:16
to get back into his office.
00:07:18
[BREAKING GLASS]
00:07:20
Frank Gable was tried and convicted of the murder
00:07:22
of Michael Francke.
00:07:23
But for many people, the evidence simply did not add up.
00:07:28
Bruises, abrasions, and other wounds on his body
00:07:31
indicated a struggle with more than one person.
00:07:35
KATIE FRANCKE: I think Frank Gable is a scapegoat.
00:07:38
Because I think it goes much higher up
00:07:41
in the Oregon government.
00:07:45
He's just being used to take the fall.
00:07:49
From the onset of the Francke investigation,
00:07:53
it appeared that the police put the blinders on as far
00:07:57
as what they were most inclined to believe.
00:08:00
It seems as though there has been some reluctance
00:08:05
to really, really just scorch the earth
00:08:08
to find out what happened.
00:08:09
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:08:12
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael's family
00:08:14
and supporters found discrepancies
00:08:16
in the official report of his death.
00:08:18
Michael had a state-of-the-art car alarm system.
00:08:21
If the killer broke into the car,
00:08:23
why wasn't the alarm set off?
00:08:25
And why were there no signs of forced entry?
00:08:31
Hey, what's going on?
00:08:32
Nothing's going on.
00:08:34
OK, punk. You're going inside.
00:08:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The police
00:08:36
believed that Michael was stabbed at the car,
00:08:37
puncturing his heart and lungs.
00:08:39
But why was there no trace of blood evidence
00:08:42
within 100 feet of the car?
00:08:46
And finally, if Michael was killed at 7:00
00:08:48
PM, as police estimate, why wasn't his body,
00:08:52
or the broken glass noticed when the building was searched
00:08:55
between 8:30 and 9:30 PM?
00:08:59
You heading up there?
00:09:00
No.
00:09:01
Just over to the offices.
00:09:02
Nothing down here either.
00:09:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Some believe that Michael was
00:09:07
the victim of a premeditated murder,
00:09:09
and that it was carried out by several men,
00:09:11
and possibly instigated by high-ranking officials
00:09:15
who were afraid that they would be named in his investigation.
00:09:19
An eyewitness at the scene backs up this theory.
00:09:22
STEVEN P JACKSON: At 10:15, 10:20 on January 17,
00:09:25
a young man riding in a car looked over
00:09:28
at where the scene of the crime was
00:09:29
and saw five to six men running toward a Volkswagen van.
00:09:34
If Michael Francke had been abducted, and then brought back
00:09:37
to the building where he was killed,
00:09:39
this would fit in with the abduction theory.
00:09:41
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): This theory
00:09:43
suggests that on the night of his death,
00:09:45
Michael unlocked his own car, deactivating the alarm.
00:09:50
At the same time, a group of men approached.
00:09:55
Coming with us.
00:09:56
What's-- what's up?
00:09:57
Come on, come on.
00:09:58
All right, all right, all right.
00:09:59
Just back off. - Just get in the car.
00:10:00
Yeah, not gonna tangle with you.
00:10:02
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael
00:10:03
did not keep regular office hours, except for Tuesday staff
00:10:05
meetings.
00:10:06
So it appeared the attackers were
00:10:07
familiar with his schedule.
00:10:09
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10:12
STEVEN P JACKSON (VOICEOVER): The abduction theory
00:10:14
would have that Michael Francke was later brought back, perhaps
00:10:17
to go into his office, to find whatever
00:10:20
paperwork or computer files, or these sort
00:10:23
of things in his office.
00:10:25
All right.
00:10:26
Let's go up to the office. - What for?
00:10:28
Computer tapes.
00:10:29
I don't have any.
00:10:30
STEVEN P JACKSON (VOICEOVER): Once
00:10:30
there, he gets out of the car.
00:10:32
Perhaps sees his only chance for getting away.
00:10:35
He tries to make a break for it, perhaps receives one or more
00:10:39
of his wounds at that time.
00:10:40
Goes to the north porch where he is finished off.
00:10:44
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10:59
Shortly after Michael Francke's death, some people--
00:11:03
some employees, some inmates--
00:11:04
spotted approximately 23 bags of shredded papers
00:11:11
coming out of Michael Francke's office,
00:11:12
and some surrounding offices.
00:11:16
That's something you have to wonder about, is who authorized
00:11:20
shredding of documents from a murder scene?
00:11:24
KATIE FRANCKE: The officials investigating Mike's
00:11:26
murder don't want it solved.
00:11:29
Because it goes much higher in the Oregon government.
00:11:32
My family is dedicated to bringing this
00:11:34
to a successful conclusion.
00:11:36
We're going to find out what the hell happened.
00:11:38
And we're going to see that the people who are involved
00:11:40
receive their full punishment.
00:11:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update.
00:11:48
There are new developments in this case.
00:11:50
Here's one of our staff with details.
00:11:54
VOICEOVER: There have been several intriguing developments
00:11:56
in this case.
00:11:58
Frank Gable maintained his innocence
00:12:00
and filed an appeal based on evidence
00:12:03
that another man had subsequently
00:12:05
confessed to the murder.
00:12:08
Michael Francke's brothers backed his claim of innocence
00:12:11
and ultimately, a federal judge ruled in his favor.
00:12:15
After 30 years of incarceration, Frank Gable
00:12:19
was released from prison.
00:12:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next, a young man
00:12:25
in San Diego loses his memory.
00:12:27
And we help him get it back.
00:12:31
And-- an accused killer goes on the run in Florida
00:12:34
after a murderous rampage.
00:12:37
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:12:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): San Diego, California.
00:12:48
We recently aired the story of a young man who
00:12:50
walked into a homeless shelter with no idea who he was,
00:12:54
or where he was from.
00:12:57
You're literally nothing.
00:12:59
And you feel so empty.
00:13:05
It's very lonely and painful to be empty.
00:13:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Doctors were
00:13:11
baffled by his memory loss.
00:13:13
I want you to follow to the side.
00:13:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The only clue
00:13:16
to his identity was a Boston library card
00:13:19
with the name Pierre April.
00:13:22
Update.
00:13:24
After our program aired, a viewer in Canada
00:13:27
called to report that the young man had
00:13:29
once worked for his wife, and his name
00:13:32
was, in fact, Pierre April.
00:13:37
Pierre has learned that he has two sisters,
00:13:40
and that his parents live in [INAUDIBLE],, Canada.
00:13:43
The next day, they spoke on the phone for the first time
00:13:46
in more than five months.
00:13:49
It was a very emotional moment.
00:13:52
And then I even had to tell him that I
00:13:55
couldn't even trust him 100%.
00:13:56
That I wanted the package with family pictures in it,
00:14:01
and with my birth certificate in it, and anything else
00:14:03
he could think of.
00:14:05
And he said, OK.
00:14:06
We'll send that to you.
00:14:09
And then he said, do you remember your mom?
00:14:11
And I said, no.
00:14:12
And she was listening on the extension.
00:14:15
And she burst into tears.
00:14:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A few days
00:14:19
later, Pierre received a package of family photos from Quebec.
00:14:24
And he began to get back in touch with his past.
00:14:28
It is strange to be told who you are and what you did.
00:14:33
I am someone again.
00:14:35
And for quite a few months I was nobody, and nothing.
00:14:42
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Pierre
00:14:43
now remembers much of his life.
00:14:45
But there is still no reason for his amnesia.
00:14:48
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:14:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Our next story
00:14:56
is about two cousins, Albert Leon
00:14:58
Fletcher and Douglas Porter.
00:15:00
The two of them broke into a Florida home
00:15:02
on April Fool's Day and stole several weapons,
00:15:05
including a sawed-off shotgun.
00:15:09
That was just the beginning of a bloody rampage.
00:15:15
The next day--
00:15:16
Lakeland, Florida.
00:15:19
Two couples stopped at a local grocery store.
00:15:22
Fletcher and Porter pulled up right behind.
00:15:25
Jerks.
00:15:26
Oh, yeah, baby.
00:15:28
Come on.
00:15:29
Oh, yeah.
00:15:31
Come on. Come on.
00:15:32
We want to play with you. Come on.
00:15:33
I love you.
00:15:34
Hey. Hey.
00:15:35
What's your problem?
00:15:36
DAVID: They start yelling at me.
00:15:38
At that time, you know, something come over me.
00:15:42
I was just enraged.
00:15:44
And I took off after them.
00:15:47
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:15:52
Come on, man!
00:15:54
Get him, Doug.
00:15:57
DAVID: They put the barrel right in my eye.
00:16:00
The only thing I could think of was
00:16:02
to get the gun out of my face.
00:16:03
So I pushed it forward.
00:16:06
I thought they were out to really
00:16:08
hurt somebody that night.
00:16:09
They were on a mission to kill somebody, mess with somebody
00:16:14
all night long, you know.
00:16:15
And they didn't have any remorse whatsoever
00:16:18
for what they were doing.
00:16:20
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One hour later, they struck again.
00:16:23
16-year-old Jason Hartman worked nights at a pizza parlor.
00:16:27
On that night, he couldn't start his car.
00:16:33
Hey, what do you want?
00:16:34
Open the door.
00:16:35
No.
00:16:36
Open the door now.
00:16:37
No.
00:16:38
Open the damn door.
00:16:41
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:16:45
Open up.
00:16:46
Hurry up.
00:16:48
Come on, man, can't you start?
00:16:49
What's the matter?
00:16:50
Look, you gotta call the police.
00:16:51
This guy out there just tried to steal my car.
00:16:53
Come on.
00:16:54
Come on, let's get out of here.
00:16:57
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:17:09
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Two hours later--
00:17:10
a lonely stretch of highway outside town.
00:17:13
Get him, let's get him!
00:17:14
Come on.
00:17:16
[HORN]
00:17:21
[HORN]
00:17:23
Pull over, man!
00:17:25
Yahoo.
00:17:28
[GUNSHOT]
00:17:34
Give me your money. Come on.
00:17:36
Give me the wallet.
00:17:37
Give me your wallet.
00:17:39
[GUNSHOT]
00:17:41
Come on, man.
00:17:42
Let's go.
00:17:44
Come on.
00:17:46
What was that all about?
00:17:48
- Just get out of here, man. - What's going on?
00:17:50
It just went off. I don't know.
00:17:51
Get out of here, all right?
00:17:56
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police identified the murdered
00:17:57
man as Nelson Medina.
00:18:00
He left behind a wife and two young kids.
00:18:05
[POLICE SIRENS]
00:18:09
While police were at the scene of Medina's death,
00:18:11
another officer spotted Fletcher and Porter across town.
00:18:15
Driver, step out of the vehicle please.
00:18:17
I need to see some identification.
00:18:19
You too.
00:18:20
What's the problem?
00:18:21
Just let me see some ID.
00:18:28
I knew at the scene of the murder,
00:18:31
based on the expended rifle casing and the wound of Medina,
00:18:35
that I was looking at someone with a rifle and a shotgun.
00:18:40
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Fletcher
00:18:41
and Porter were arrested, and scheduled
00:18:44
to be tried separately.
00:18:47
Douglas Porter was convicted and sentenced
00:18:50
to 40 years in prison.
00:18:52
But Albert Leon Fletcher escaped before he
00:18:54
could be brought to trial.
00:18:56
What are you looking at?
00:19:05
He's running.
00:19:07
[GUNSHOT]
00:19:16
I worked homicide for nine years.
00:19:20
During that time, I've met two people that I
00:19:22
consider to be sociopaths.
00:19:25
Give me your money. Come on.
00:19:26
Give me the wallet.
00:19:26
SGT. JOSEPH LOUDEN: Leon Fletcher is one.
00:19:27
Give me your wallet.
00:19:28
[GUNSHOT]
00:19:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update.
00:19:34
As a direct result of our program,
00:19:36
Albert Leon Fletcher was captured in Smyrna, Delaware.
00:19:41
Police were tipped off by a viewer.
00:19:45
I received a telephone call from the authorities
00:19:48
in Delaware, advising me that they
00:19:52
had a confidential informant.
00:19:55
And they knew the whereabouts of Albert Leon Fletcher.
00:19:58
At that time, I sent a bulletin to Delaware.
00:20:02
And this was around 3 o'clock that afternoon.
00:20:05
And about 3:30 or 4 o'clock, they had him apprehended.
00:20:12
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Authorities arrested
00:20:13
Fletcher without incident.
00:20:15
He had been living there under the name Kevin Woodside.
00:20:19
He told police that he was tired of living life on the run.
00:20:25
DET.
00:20:25
JAMES MEDLEY (VOICEOVER): He was glad it was all over with.
00:20:27
He wanted to come back to Pasco County and to Polk County
00:20:31
and face the charges.
00:20:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Albert Fletcher
00:20:35
is now in a Florida prison serving
00:20:37
a life sentence for murder.
00:20:40
Douglas Porter-- he served his time and has been released.
00:20:46
When we return, the Untouchables legend Eliot Ness tracks
00:20:50
an elusive serial killer.
00:20:53
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:21:02
Chicago, 1929.
00:21:04
Prohibition is the law of the land.
00:21:07
Speakeasies, bootlegging, and police corruption are rampant.
00:21:12
A young treasury agent is hired to smash the gangland rackets.
00:21:16
His name-- Eliot Ness.
00:21:19
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:21:22
30 years later, his exploits were
00:21:24
immortalized in a television series starring Robert Stack.
00:21:29
Federal raid.
00:21:30
Stay where you are.
00:21:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In just 2 and 1/2 years,
00:21:33
Ness and his team of federal agents
00:21:36
destroyed the bootlegging empire of Chicago's most
00:21:39
notorious gangster, Al Capone.
00:21:43
Because they couldn't be bought off, Ness and his team
00:21:46
were dubbed the Untouchables.
00:21:50
Hey, Ness.
00:21:52
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After he cleaned up Chicago,
00:21:53
Ness became head of police in Cleveland.
00:21:56
There, he spent years hunting a notorious serial killer.
00:22:00
Can you throw any light on the Kingsbury Run murders?
00:22:02
No.
00:22:03
Not at this time.
00:22:04
Can you give us anything?
00:22:05
No, that's enough questions for now.
00:22:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It would turn out to be
00:22:08
his most frustrating case.
00:22:10
Two boys playing in Kingsbury Run come across these.
00:22:13
Two bodies, both decapitated.
00:22:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In September of 1935,
00:22:18
the mutilated bodies of two men were found in Kingsbury Run.
00:22:21
All right. Keep me posted.
00:22:22
Will do.
00:22:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A slum district
00:22:24
of Cleveland, full of hobos, prostitutes, and street toughs.
00:22:29
The case was at first dismissed as a vicious but routine
00:22:33
double homicide.
00:22:34
But by the summer of 1936, three more mutilated bodies
00:22:38
were found.
00:22:40
The discovery of a sixth victim threw Cleveland into a panic.
00:22:45
The coroner's been here.
00:22:46
Nothing's been moved.
00:22:47
He's been here about five hours.
00:22:49
When number six turned up, it was like a bombshell going off.
00:22:52
The city really exploded.
00:22:54
The press and the public now had no doubts
00:22:59
that there was a serial killer out there, that this individual
00:23:03
was going to keep killing.
00:23:04
And they wanted it stopped.
00:23:07
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:23:08
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The body count in the Kingsbury Run
00:23:10
area climbed to 12.
00:23:14
Only two of the victims were ever positively identified.
00:23:18
Edward Andrassy, a small-time hood, and Florence Polillo,
00:23:23
a 41-year-old prostitute.
00:23:26
All of the victims had been decapitated.
00:23:30
In some cases, while they were still alive.
00:23:35
The tabloids dubbed the killer the Butcher of Kingsbury Run.
00:23:41
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:23:43
Mr. Ness, they found the body here late this morning.
00:23:47
The arms and legs had been cut off at the scene of the crime--
00:23:50
the men are still looking.
00:23:51
Been decapitated?
00:23:53
Yes, sir.
00:23:53
Looks like the same killer.
00:23:55
We're having trouble keeping the crowd back.
00:23:57
STEVEN NICKEL: Ness got into the case quite extensively.
00:24:00
In fact, he devoted almost full time to it.
00:24:03
But he didn't know quite how to proceed with this case.
00:24:06
It wasn't a matter of finding out
00:24:07
where the mobsters were hiding, and go and smash
00:24:10
your way into the place.
00:24:11
This was a different type of criminal
00:24:14
that Eliot Ness was facing.
00:24:17
The bodies were kept for about, oh, I'd say, six months.
00:24:21
We have no idea who they are.
00:24:24
But it certainly was a skillful dissection.
00:24:26
The murderer--
00:24:27
OSCAR FRALEY: Eliot had made a profile that he
00:24:29
figured the killer might be.
00:24:32
- Thank you, doctor. - Sure.
00:24:33
OSCAR FRALEY: And he determined from the way these bodies were
00:24:35
cut up, it had to be somebody with a certain amount
00:24:38
of medical knowledge.
00:24:40
Plus, the fact, had to be a very strong man
00:24:44
to carry these bodies all over and dump them where he did.
00:24:47
And so he had this profile.
00:24:50
It has to be a big man, strong, an expert with a scalpel.
00:24:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness was
00:24:56
determined to search every building
00:24:58
and shack in Kingsbury Run.
00:25:01
But he had no legal grounds for search warrants.
00:25:05
The solution was classic Eliot Ness.
00:25:14
Afternoon, ma'am.
00:25:15
We're with the Cleveland Fire Department.
00:25:16
We're conducting fire safety inspections.
00:25:19
We need to look at your apartment.
00:25:21
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): He teamed up
00:25:22
detectives with fire officials and ordered
00:25:24
widespread safety inspections.
00:25:26
Live alone?
00:25:27
STEVEN NICKEL: There was a thought among Ness
00:25:29
and other police officers that they were going
00:25:31
to find this laboratory that was going
00:25:33
to have blood-splattered walls, and have arms and legs lying
00:25:36
over in a corner, and maybe a cache
00:25:38
of heads in another corner.
00:25:40
Ness's men spent almost a full week
00:25:42
searching almost every apartment, every dwelling
00:25:45
they could find in that area.
00:25:48
And they weren't able to turn up a thing.
00:25:51
Thank you very much, ma'am.
00:25:52
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness was obsessed.
00:25:54
His next move was to investigate every doctor and every hospital
00:25:58
worker in Cleveland.
00:26:00
There he is. Let's go.
00:26:02
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Even the county coroner
00:26:03
was not above suspicion.
00:26:06
Hundreds of people were put under surveillance,
00:26:08
questioned, and detained.
00:26:10
--the hospital.
00:26:11
How long?
00:26:12
I fell asleep, caught a few hours.
00:26:14
What are you doing in Cleveland?
00:26:15
I'm a salesman.
00:26:17
I sell surgical supplies.
00:26:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The investigation
00:26:19
still led nowhere.
00:26:21
The killer remained at large.
00:26:24
What were you doing in Kingsbury Run Wednesday night?
00:26:27
Last Wednesday?
00:26:28
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:26:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Then victims number 11 and number 12
00:26:33
were found.
00:26:35
One in a garbage pile 200 yards from Ness's office.
00:26:41
STEVEN NICKEL: The killer was now
00:26:42
becoming more daring by where he left the bodies, right, really
00:26:46
under Eliot Ness's window.
00:26:49
It was almost like it was a cat and mouse game.
00:26:51
And sort of a catch me if you can type thing.
00:26:55
He knew he had to do something desperate.
00:26:58
Because the people were clamoring.
00:27:00
All the people in town were insane about this insanity
00:27:04
that was going on.
00:27:08
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness came down hard on Kingsbury
00:27:10
Run's hobo jungles.
00:27:13
His police rounded up more than 60 transients,
00:27:16
believing that the killer might be among them.
00:27:22
STEVEN NICKEL: And this was his old, Untouchable style of raid,
00:27:26
where you know where the bad guy is.
00:27:28
And you go in and get him.
00:27:29
And he really thought that this might work.
00:27:31
But it completely backfired for him.
00:27:33
There was a great wave of public opinion
00:27:34
that this was the act of a desperate man.
00:27:38
And that his tactics had been brutal,
00:27:41
and they didn't really solve anything.
00:27:43
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness then ordered
00:27:45
the shantytown burned to the ground.
00:27:50
But of all the people they arrested, none of them
00:27:52
turned out to be the killer.
00:27:59
Experts say that Eliot Ness did eventually
00:28:02
target a prime suspect.
00:28:04
He was a man who, in 1938, voluntarily committed himself
00:28:09
to a mental institution.
00:28:13
OSCAR FRALEY: Ness believed that he had caught the killer.
00:28:16
Primarily because after this man committed
00:28:18
himself to a mental hospital, the killings stopped.
00:28:22
And he said, I am certain this is the man.
00:28:27
The profile-- fits the profile.
00:28:30
And if Ness had accused this man, whose family
00:28:33
was socially prominent, he could have
00:28:36
been libelous and been sued.
00:28:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness later
00:28:40
received several postcards from a patient
00:28:42
in a mental institution.
00:28:44
The postcards taunted him with references
00:28:47
to the unsolved murders.
00:28:49
OSCAR FRALEY: The man who was sending
00:28:50
him these postcards might have just been another kook.
00:28:53
But he was convinced that he had found the guy.
00:28:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness never found enough evidence
00:29:00
to file charges in the case.
00:29:02
But years later, he told a reporter
00:29:04
that case has been solved.
00:29:08
He eventually ran for Mayor and lost.
00:29:11
He left Cleveland and never returned.
00:29:18
Next, the intriguing disappearance
00:29:21
of Charles Horvath.
00:29:22
Did the young hitchhiker choose to drop from sight?
00:29:25
Or did he meet with foul play?
00:29:28
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:29:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Kelowna, Canada.
00:29:43
Charles Horvath answered to no one.
00:29:46
He was hitchhiking his way across British Columbia.
00:29:48
And he was planning to fly to Hong Kong in a few months
00:29:51
to celebrate his 21st birthday with his mother, Denise.
00:29:57
But before Denise could make final arrangements for
00:30:00
the trip, Charles disappeared.
00:30:04
I telephoned the RCMP repeatedly, begging
00:30:07
them to look for Charles.
00:30:08
Because I was so concerned something was wrong.
00:30:11
I then asked them if they could give me
00:30:14
the name of the local newspapers to enable me to place an ad,
00:30:17
as we'd started planning my trip to come and search for my child
00:30:21
myself.
00:30:22
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:30:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Denise
00:30:26
flew from England to Kelowna to search for her son.
00:30:33
She put up flyers all over town, and soon heard from a woman
00:30:37
named Joanne Zebroff.
00:30:41
When I first met Charles, it was of this charming,
00:30:44
good-looking guy who was obviously new to Canada.
00:30:52
And I really liked him.
00:30:53
I thought, well, here's a unique person.
00:30:56
That's my mom.
00:30:57
Oh, she's gorgeous.
00:30:58
Yeah.
00:30:59
JOANNE ZEBROFF: He loved his family.
00:31:00
He showed me pictures.
00:31:01
He was so proud of all these photographs of his mother.
00:31:05
They were very close.
00:31:06
It was obvious they were close.
00:31:09
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The last time
00:31:10
Charles dropped by the apartment to visit Joanne,
00:31:13
he arrived unexpected.
00:31:15
JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Hello?
00:31:17
Is it Joanne?
00:31:18
JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Yes, it is.
00:31:20
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Joanne's brother was in town
00:31:22
for a special family reunion.
00:31:23
And the Zebroffs politely refused Charles'
00:31:26
request to come up and visit.
00:31:27
JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Actually, it isn't
00:31:29
a very good time right now.
00:31:31
He went, but it's Charles.
00:31:34
And like, of course, you're going to let me up.
00:31:37
And we just couldn't.
00:31:38
JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): We're--
00:31:39
we're having a family dinner.
00:31:40
I'm sorry.
00:31:42
[HANGS UP]
00:31:50
You keep telling me that you're afraid for your safety.
00:31:53
Why?
00:31:54
What is it--
00:31:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Denise learned
00:31:56
that while he was in Kelowna, Charles stayed at a campground
00:31:59
in a rough part of the town.
00:32:01
Who else was there?
00:32:03
Can you remember anybody else?
00:32:05
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:07
I wanted to go over to the campsite to inquire.
00:32:10
But I was very apprehensive of going.
00:32:16
Eventually, I had the courage and went to see them,
00:32:18
to see if they remembered Charles.
00:32:22
I'm looking for my lost son, Charles Horvath.
00:32:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The campground manager
00:32:28
said that Charles left quickly, leaving his tent
00:32:31
and all his possessions.
00:32:35
DENISE ALLAN: I was just numb.
00:32:42
I went down to the police station.
00:32:44
And I was told that they were going
00:32:45
to get his dental records.
00:32:47
And the file was being passed on to homicide.
00:32:51
I was also told that they believed my son to be dead.
00:32:54
That we may never find his body or what happened to him.
00:32:59
It's very unfortunate that a comment like that
00:33:00
would be made.
00:33:04
And I would have to say that that would be that member's
00:33:07
personal opinion, and certainly not
00:33:08
the view of the police force.
00:33:11
I don't know upon what he based that, other than the fact,
00:33:14
items were left at the campsite.
00:33:16
And in my opinion, that does not substantiate that.
00:33:20
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But one night,
00:33:22
when Denise got back to the hotel,
00:33:24
she found a chilling note.
00:33:31
MAN (VOICE): I seen your ad in the paper,
00:33:32
looking for your son.
00:33:34
I seen him May 26.
00:33:36
We were partying, and two people knocked him out.
00:33:39
But he died.
00:33:40
His body's in the lake by the bridge.
00:33:48
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Local divers
00:33:49
volunteered to look for the body of Charles Horvath.
00:33:54
But they found nothing.
00:33:57
Then Denise received a second note,
00:34:00
saying that they were looking on the wrong side of the bridge.
00:34:04
We're stopping every 10, 15 feet.
00:34:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One day
00:34:08
later, divers found the body.
00:34:13
The fear in the young officer's eyes
00:34:16
told me that he thought it was Charles.
00:34:19
The total panic on their faces.
00:34:24
I was hysterical, in the bathroom crying.
00:34:28
The coroner came to see me at the motel.
00:34:32
I asked him if it was good news or bad.
00:34:35
And he said it wasn't Charles.
00:34:38
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:34:40
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The dead man
00:34:41
was identified as a 64-year-old Kelowna
00:34:44
resident, a probable suicide.
00:34:47
Once again it seemed that Charles might still be alive.
00:34:50
Then a man named Gino Bourdin came
00:34:53
forward, claiming to have seen Charles
00:34:56
just before he disappeared.
00:35:01
GINO BOURDIN: He was a nice guy.
00:35:02
He was a good friend.
00:35:03
He used to always come over to our camp, little camp,
00:35:07
and have coffee in the morning, and play
00:35:10
Frisbee and catch with my son, and just sit and chat with us.
00:35:15
What should I do with him?
00:35:17
You should take him to Hong Kong with you.
00:35:18
That's it.
00:35:19
Pack him in my suitcase.
00:35:20
There we go.
00:35:21
GINO BOURDIN: He was a friendly guy.
00:35:23
A real friendly guy.
00:35:23
Probably too friendly.
00:35:25
He seemed kind of naive on that there about--
00:35:30
like he wasn't-- he'd talk to anybody.
00:35:32
He'd make friends with anybody.
00:35:37
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Gino last
00:35:38
saw Charles during an all-night party at the campground.
00:35:42
The next morning, Gino woke up to find Charles gone,
00:35:45
and his things left behind.
00:35:49
It was assumed that something terrible had happened to him,
00:35:52
which caused him to leave his belongings,
00:35:54
because it was so unlike him to have
00:35:56
left his photographs behind, which
00:35:58
were very important to him.
00:36:01
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Another new twist
00:36:02
came when police contacted Charles'
00:36:04
relatives in eastern Canada.
00:36:08
They related to us that during his time there with them,
00:36:12
he did advise both relatives that it was his intention, when
00:36:16
discussing his family situation, to disappear
00:36:19
off the face of the Earth.
00:36:22
And that his mother would never find him.
00:36:24
And that he wanted to carry on with his own life.
00:36:27
It is totally out of character for him
00:36:29
to have gone out intentionally, to break away from his family.
00:36:36
Because he wasn't that kind of boy.
00:36:39
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Many years have passed
00:36:41
without word from Charles.
00:36:43
But police have received tips from hundreds of people
00:36:46
claiming to have seen him.
00:36:49
If Charles is out there in this world,
00:36:51
you know, in a gutter somewhere, he needs
00:36:53
picking up and bringing home, and getting medical help
00:36:57
or whatever kind of help is required.
00:37:01
If not, if he is dead, and he's been murdered,
00:37:04
he needs burying.
00:37:08
I've been asking for help for so many years, because of my fear
00:37:13
that something's happened to him.
00:37:16
And it'll only be if he's found dead that I'll be proven right.
00:37:24
What a way to be proven right.
00:37:28
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Charles Horvath
00:37:29
is six feet tall with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes,
00:37:33
and a tattoo on his left arm.
00:37:35
When last seen, he weighed 165 pounds.
00:37:39
If you have any information about Charles,
00:37:41
please log onto our website at unsolved.com.
00:37:48
Next, a family enjoys an amazing run of good luck.
00:37:52
It all began with a rock carved with mysterious symbols.
00:38:05
In the state of Washington, an unusual discovery.
00:38:09
Two boys find a large rock covered with strange symbols.
00:38:13
And then an incredible run of good luck
00:38:16
for them and their families.
00:38:19
Is this coincidence, or something more?
00:38:22
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:38:24
Yeah, well what does it look like?
00:38:26
Oh, it's cool.
00:38:29
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Deep in the woods
00:38:30
near the Canadian border, 13-year-old Jamie Parks
00:38:34
led his friend Trevor Johnson along the path
00:38:36
of Tumwater Creek, where Jamie had found a very strange Rock.
00:38:44
See, didn't I tell you?
00:38:45
Wow.
00:38:45
That's neat.
00:38:47
It's like a stamp.
00:38:48
Maybe the Martians came and did it.
00:38:51
It's really neat.
00:38:52
Why don't we go tell my dad?
00:38:53
Let's go.
00:38:58
I felt just an immediate need to go down and see this rock.
00:39:03
His excitement was contagious, and really piqued my interest.
00:39:07
There it is.
00:39:08
Come see.
00:39:09
Whoa.
00:39:10
See?
00:39:12
STEVE JOHNSON: And I turned and there was this beautiful rock
00:39:15
with these markings on it.
00:39:17
I'd never seen anything quite like it.
00:39:19
I got a very immediate feeling that this rock
00:39:22
had something to say.
00:39:26
When I first saw the rock, I had the most eerie feeling.
00:39:30
It was a good feeling, a very positive one.
00:39:33
But it just-- you can't say the words that the rock makes
00:39:36
you feel like.
00:39:39
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:39:41
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The Johnson family
00:39:43
had been struggling financially for years.
00:39:47
Things were just looking really sad.
00:39:50
We were in a small apartment.
00:39:52
Moneys were not good.
00:39:54
Patty and I were both working.
00:39:56
I was working as a prison correctional officer.
00:39:59
I wasn't happy with the position.
00:40:01
The pay wasn't sufficient for us to be able to even
00:40:05
meet some of our bills.
00:40:09
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): They wanted to open a small dress
00:40:11
shop at a new mall.
00:40:13
But their plans fell through.
00:40:16
But 48 hours after the Johnsons saw
00:40:18
the rock for the first time, their luck began to change.
00:40:22
Sure, Dennis.
00:40:23
We'll be right down.
00:40:26
Honey, that was Dennis Logan.
00:40:27
He'd like to know if we can come down to the Landing Mall
00:40:29
right away. - OK.
00:40:30
STEVE JOHNSON: Out of the blue, the ownership of the mall
00:40:32
approaches us with, listen, we'd like you to open
00:40:35
up 1,000 square foot shop.
00:40:36
OK.
00:40:37
This is the space I had in mind for you.
00:40:39
STEVE JOHNSON: I was very upfront with him
00:40:41
that we had no money to do that.
00:40:43
And it wasn't a blinking of an eye
00:40:45
and the gentleman says, well, we'll take
00:40:48
care of getting your inventory.
00:40:50
We were both flabbergasted.
00:40:51
We just couldn't believe that there are people
00:40:53
out there that want to help.
00:40:56
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Steve and Patty's dress shop
00:40:57
opened and was a huge success.
00:41:01
In less than a month, Steve was able to buy the mall's movie
00:41:04
theater for a very low price.
00:41:07
And a month later, he opened a candy store.
00:41:10
His third successful venture in the mall.
00:41:14
The Johnsons are convinced that their good fortune
00:41:17
was related to the magical powers of the rock.
00:41:21
STEVE JOHNSON: Looking back at all the wonderful things
00:41:23
that have happened, we're spending
00:41:26
more time with our family.
00:41:28
Good, quality time.
00:41:30
Our income has grown to a point that we're actually
00:41:34
being able to start to pay back people that
00:41:37
have helped us over the years.
00:41:38
And those type of things bring a lot of pleasure to us.
00:41:44
I don't know if it's superstition
00:41:45
or not, or if it's good luck.
00:41:48
But it just seems like since that's happened,
00:41:50
things have changed.
00:41:51
And things have come about for us.
00:41:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It would
00:41:55
be easy to dismiss the Johnsons' belief
00:41:58
that they owe their run of good luck
00:41:59
to the mysterious rock and its cryptic symbols.
00:42:03
Was it coincidence, or magic?
00:42:06
Perhaps whoever carved those symbols has the answers.
00:42:09
But more than likely, we'll never know.
00:42:15
[THEME MUSIC]
