Search Captions & Ask AI

Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16

March 09, 2017 / 42:46

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers topics including reincarnation, a murder case, and a unique chimpanzee named Oliver. It features Bruce Kelly's past life regression experience, the suspicious death of Jean Weaver, and the story of Oliver, a chimp with human-like traits.

Bruce Kelly, who suffered from severe phobias, underwent hypnosis and recalled being James Edward Johnston, a sailor who died in a WWII submarine. His memories were later verified through historical records, including the USS Shark's sinking near Borneo.

The episode also investigates the tragic death of Jean Weaver, who was found dead in a house fire ruled as arson. Her husband, Gordon Weaver, became the primary suspect due to his suspicious behavior and financial motives, including life insurance policies.

Oliver, a chimpanzee with unusual characteristics, was showcased as a potential missing link between humans and apes. His story includes being a sideshow attraction and undergoing medical tests that suggested he was neither fully human nor fully chimpanzee.

Finally, the episode discusses Salvatore Michael Kowana, a fugitive involved in a major drug smuggling operation. After disappearing before his trial, authorities continue to search for him, suspecting he may have been killed or is living under a new identity.

TL;DR

Bruce Kelly recalls being a WWII sailor; Jean Weaver's murder case unfolds; Oliver the chimp raises questions about evolution; Salvatore Kowana remains a fugitive.

Episode

42:46
00:00:00
[Music]
00:00:05
next on Unsolved Mysteries the final
00:00:08
desperate moments of a World War II
00:00:10
sailor trapped inside a doomed submarine
00:00:13
these are vivid memories of a man living
00:00:16
decades after the sailor's death is this
00:00:19
evidence of
00:00:21
reincarnation a decaying marriage a
00:00:23
shocking case of arson a wife is dead
00:00:26
and her husband is on the
00:00:28
Run meet Oliver he looks like a
00:00:31
chimpanzee but acts like a human being
00:00:34
his very existence is a source of
00:00:37
mystery and
00:00:39
wonder join the War on Drugs help find
00:00:43
this big- time Smuggler who has not been
00:00:45
seen in 20
00:00:47
[Music]
00:00:49
years you're not going to want to miss
00:00:51
these stories so stick around I'm Dennis
00:00:54
finina and this is Unsolved Mysteries
00:00:58
[Applause]
00:01:01
[Music]
00:01:11
[Music]
00:01:28
he
00:01:34
Glendora
00:01:36
California Bruce Kelly grew up in
00:01:38
Southern California in a small town just
00:01:41
outside of Los
00:01:42
Angeles for his entire life Bruce
00:01:45
suffered from three overpowering phobias
00:01:48
a fear of flying a fear of enclosed
00:01:51
spaces and a fear of water anytime that
00:01:55
I got around a swimming pool I would be
00:01:57
afraid to even go close to the edge of
00:01:58
the pool I would just walk way around it
00:02:01
it would even it even was um to the
00:02:04
point bad enough where I couldn't sit in
00:02:06
a bathtub I didn't like the feeling of
00:02:08
water coming up around
00:02:12
me over the years Bruce tried many
00:02:15
different treatments for his anxieties
00:02:17
but nothing seemed to help in
00:02:19
desperation he went to a hypnotherapist
00:02:22
who specializes in past life regression
00:02:25
Bruce would learn that his deep
00:02:27
irrational fears were the result of
00:02:29
traumas that happened years
00:02:31
earlier even before he was born on the
00:02:35
number three you're going there now on
00:02:37
the next number two you become a part of
00:02:39
it on one you're
00:02:50
there when I was seeing what I was
00:02:53
seeing and I said to him this can't be
00:02:55
real um his Direction at the time was
00:02:58
just go with it probably 99% of the
00:03:01
people who come to me do not go into
00:03:03
past lives probably only 1% of the
00:03:06
people have spontaneous regressions when
00:03:09
working with phobias and Bruce did have
00:03:12
a spontaneous regression to a past
00:03:14
life where are you I'm in a submarine
00:03:18
what's
00:03:23
happening Bruce was ring in the chair he
00:03:27
was actually moving around and going
00:03:30
through the death
00:03:32
scene tell me your name Johnston what is
00:03:36
your full
00:03:38
name James Edward
00:03:42
Johnston Bruce Kelly was apparently
00:03:45
experiencing the life of an American
00:03:47
sailor named James Edward
00:03:50
Johnston the details he recalled were
00:03:53
Vivid now and specific what's going on
00:03:56
Bruce as Johnston was drowning in a sub
00:03:59
Marine the USS shark during World War II
00:04:04
Bruce said the shark had gone down just
00:04:06
off celes an island near Borneo are you
00:04:10
alone in this
00:04:13
hallway no there's another man in the
00:04:15
hallway Bruce even knew the name of the
00:04:17
other man trapped with Johnston in the
00:04:19
submarine Walter Pilgrim everything goes
00:04:23
blank and there's there's the sense that
00:04:25
something's really wrong there's there's
00:04:27
water Bruce said that Johnston and both
00:04:30
died at precisely 11:34 p.m. on February
00:04:34
11th
00:04:36
1942 are there any survivors no the
00:04:40
memories were just like the it was
00:04:42
something that happened yesterday they
00:04:43
were very close to the surface um they
00:04:47
they came up real
00:04:48
easily at at first it was like I was
00:04:50
just making it up like this this really
00:04:53
can't be happening this really can't be
00:04:54
real I have to be making this
00:04:56
up and I went to the library
00:05:00
more to prove that it didn't happen than
00:05:03
it did happen but Bruce was in for a
00:05:07
surprise he was stunned to learn that
00:05:10
the first American sub lost in the war
00:05:13
was the USS
00:05:15
shark the very submarine Bruce had named
00:05:18
under
00:05:19
hypnosis and just like he said it had
00:05:22
sank near the island called
00:05:25
celes they also had a crew roster there
00:05:29
and on the crew roster was James E
00:05:31
Johnston which was the name that I had
00:05:33
come up with under hypnosis and it also
00:05:35
gave the the approximate date of loss
00:05:38
which was February 11th 1942 which was
00:05:42
also the date that I'd come up with
00:05:43
under
00:05:45
hypnosis the name of the crewman the
00:05:48
date the location these were not the
00:05:51
only facts that Bruce got right the name
00:05:54
Walter Pilgrim was also on that roster
00:05:57
he had been the chief electricians mate
00:06:00
hairs were standing up on the back of my
00:06:02
neck when I when I saw it it was
00:06:04
like oh God this is
00:06:06
real I was in total total disbelief and
00:06:09
total shock and and there was there was
00:06:12
also a there was also an element of
00:06:15
excitement that um you know maybe there
00:06:18
is something to
00:06:19
this is your mother married no over the
00:06:23
next 6 months Bruce Kelly recalled more
00:06:26
details about the life of James Edward
00:06:28
Johnston a man he didn't know even
00:06:31
existed going to go now to your mother's
00:06:34
death is that acceptable Yes Rick Brown
00:06:37
began to talk to Bruce as if he were
00:06:39
Johnston are you at home or in the
00:06:43
hospital Bruce saw himself as Johnston
00:06:46
around age 12 he was at his mother's
00:06:48
deathbed with his cousin
00:06:52
[Music]
00:06:56
Elizabeth some memories were trivial as
00:06:59
as Johnston Bruce clearly recalled that
00:07:02
he always ate the end pieces of a loaf
00:07:05
of
00:07:06
bread other details that Bruce recounted
00:07:09
during hypnosis included Johnston's
00:07:12
birth in February of
00:07:14
1921 as a young man he enrolled in the
00:07:17
Civilian Conservation Court a Depression
00:07:20
era government work program the year was
00:07:23
1938 the place Tuli Lake California
00:07:28
[Music]
00:07:30
Bruce and Rick dug into government
00:07:32
archives what were the chances that
00:07:34
Bruce's memories were
00:07:37
accurate it turned out they were James
00:07:40
Johnston had been in the CCC in 1938 and
00:07:45
1939 he was in California and his birth
00:07:49
certificate confirmed that Johnston was
00:07:51
indeed born in February 1921 in
00:07:55
Jacksonville
00:07:56
Alabama how did Bruce do it Bruce came
00:08:00
up with a significant amount of
00:08:02
information that was uh well past being
00:08:05
coincidental there were too many lines
00:08:07
of of of evidence that pointed to the
00:08:10
fact that Bruce Kelly is The
00:08:11
Reincarnation of James Edward
00:08:14
Johnston I Could Be The Reincarnation of
00:08:16
James um or it just may be some
00:08:20
information that somehow or another that
00:08:21
I've tapped into and it means you know
00:08:25
it's it's something else that's
00:08:26
happening I don't I don't
00:08:28
know were the images that haunted Bruce
00:08:31
Kelly's subconscious evidence of
00:08:34
[Music]
00:08:39
reincarnation next Bruce travels to
00:08:41
James Johnson's Hometown in Alabama and
00:08:44
discovers more eerie
00:08:56
similarities James Edward Johnston died
00:08:58
when a submarine went down during World
00:09:00
War II Bruce Kelly wasn't even born yet
00:09:04
but under hypnosis Bruce was able to
00:09:07
provide accurate details about
00:09:09
Johnston's
00:09:11
life how is that
00:09:15
possible Jacksonville
00:09:18
Alabama 5 years after first being
00:09:21
hypnotized Bruce decided to visit
00:09:23
Johnston's
00:09:25
Hometown Unsolved Mysteries joined Bruce
00:09:28
and Rick Brown
00:09:30
[Music]
00:09:32
what you are about to see is not a
00:09:35
recreation at the house where Johnston
00:09:38
and his mother lived Bruce had a strong
00:09:41
reaction there's a lot of stuff here the
00:09:43
back bedrooms right over here you feel
00:09:45
that yeah yeah that's the bedroom okay
00:09:47
that's the room they stayed
00:09:50
in so I remember used to come in the
00:09:52
back there was there's like a there was
00:09:54
an alley back here or a dirt road or
00:09:56
something yeah is almost like um he
00:09:59
wasn't good enough to come in the front
00:10:02
[Applause]
00:10:03
door moving to the side of the house
00:10:06
when I could actually see the bedroom
00:10:08
and I knew that was the bedroom that's
00:10:09
when the feelings really started
00:10:11
hitting remembering that he used to have
00:10:13
to come in on the back street and come
00:10:15
through the back door the back porch um
00:10:18
I remember that I remember the feelings
00:10:20
of kind of feeling like a second class
00:10:23
citizen they were poor she was
00:10:25
[Music]
00:10:27
unmarried I couldn't vocalize it myself
00:10:29
self and somebody off camera said
00:10:31
something to the effect of you're you're
00:10:34
you've come home and that's when I got
00:10:36
real emotional because that's exactly
00:10:39
what it
00:10:42
was say you made it back down this part
00:10:45
of the country afterwards Bruce Kelly
00:10:48
meets several people who remembered
00:10:50
James Edward Johnston as a boy one of
00:10:53
them is Johnston's cousin Betty we've
00:10:56
heard all about you
00:10:59
Betty's real name is Elizabeth Bruce
00:11:02
believes she's the same Elizabeth he saw
00:11:04
under hypnosis the little girl who was
00:11:07
with James when his mother died when
00:11:10
Bruce first meets Betty she asks a
00:11:12
surprising question remember anything
00:11:15
about
00:11:16
bread yeah one of the first sessions
00:11:19
that that Rick and I had um I talked to
00:11:21
him about always uh liking to heal the
00:11:23
bread wanting to get the the end off the
00:11:26
bread because the the only thing only
00:11:28
reason that anything to me was um
00:11:31
growing up I was the same way my mom
00:11:33
would bring home a loaf of bread and the
00:11:34
first thing I do is open that thing up
00:11:35
and grab the heel out of there did you
00:11:37
both ANS sometimes and I'd get in
00:11:40
trouble for it sometimes too oh really
00:11:43
yeah yes I did did you went you went to
00:11:46
that house yeah the second on the left
00:11:48
did you have what were your feelings
00:11:51
there well that's that's been the the
00:11:54
emotional high of the of the trip it was
00:11:56
it was real difficult real emotional
00:12:00
do you feel that that you are Edward
00:12:04
reincarnated I don't you don't really
00:12:07
feel like I don't know I don't know all
00:12:09
you know I've been asked that question
00:12:11
so many times and all I know is for some
00:12:14
reason or another I have all this
00:12:16
information about him I really don't
00:12:18
know what to
00:12:20
believe I have
00:12:22
doubts Bruce said that uh Edward used
00:12:27
the back door
00:12:29
and this is is true and not everyone
00:12:33
would would have that
00:12:36
knowledge the older you get the more
00:12:40
you're going to look at something like
00:12:42
reincarnation or anything that offers an
00:12:45
answer and reincarnation regardless of
00:12:48
what this religion or that religion or
00:12:51
anything else thinks of it it offers a
00:12:55
solution at the Jacksonville Cemetery a
00:12:58
memorial Stone has been erected in honor
00:13:00
of James Edward Johnston no one knows
00:13:03
the details of Johnston's final moments
00:13:06
but Bruce Kelly's Visions provide a
00:13:08
possible
00:13:10
[Music]
00:13:12
scenario I was in my bunk and when the
00:13:15
attack
00:13:17
[Music]
00:13:19
happened and everybody was heading
00:13:21
toward their
00:13:23
stations I'd gotten into the first
00:13:25
hallway when there was a depth charge
00:13:28
[Music]
00:13:32
the submarine was rolling and
00:13:36
moving James got to his feet and he'd
00:13:40
gotten 5 10 ft more down the hallway
00:13:43
when there was a second depth charge it
00:13:44
was obviously a dread
00:13:50
thr the next memory I have is um the
00:13:54
area that I'm in filling up with water
00:13:56
and filling up real fast
00:14:01
is that
00:14:02
you there was another man in the hallway
00:14:05
and he was experiencing the same thing I
00:14:07
was knocked off his feet a couple times
00:14:09
and now um trapped in this hallway that
00:14:11
was filling up with
00:14:12
[Music]
00:14:13
[Applause]
00:14:16
water the last real image that that I
00:14:19
had was the the other man in the
00:14:21
corridor you know that I wasn't alone in
00:14:23
this Corridor there's somebody else here
00:14:24
and they're going through the same thing
00:14:25
I am we are dying
00:14:31
I
00:14:36
[Music]
00:14:40
can't I can't
00:14:43
see I'm probably not as afraid of death
00:14:47
as most people in the United States are
00:14:49
or Western Civilization are death isn't
00:14:51
something that I think about every day
00:14:54
um and I just I just try to live every
00:14:57
day and enjoy every day
00:14:59
the best that I can and when death comes
00:15:01
it comes I think that there is something
00:15:04
Beyond and I don't I don't think it's a
00:15:07
a
00:15:08
final um situation I don't think just
00:15:11
it's the end of there's
00:15:14
more perhaps there was more for James
00:15:17
Johnston who died trapped in a submarine
00:15:19
during World War II perhaps just perhaps
00:15:23
he had a second chance at life in the
00:15:26
person of Bruce Kelly
00:15:32
next it seemed like a routine house fire
00:15:35
but it turned out to be arson which
00:15:37
turned out to be
00:15:39
murder can you help catch a
00:15:45
[Music]
00:15:51
killer White Bear Lake Minnesota go do
00:15:55
it I just just go do it Jean Weaver's
00:15:57
troubled marriage is almost
00:15:59
done with this joke of a relationship
00:16:01
that we're saying is a marriage that
00:16:03
we're saying after 17 years together she
00:16:05
tells her husband Gordon that she wants
00:16:07
a divorce this is done Gordon this this
00:16:11
is
00:16:14
done I'm going to try her again 2 Days
00:16:17
Later Jean known for her punctuality is
00:16:21
45 minutes late for a family gathering
00:16:24
her sister Kathy is worried she and her
00:16:26
husband Tom drive to Jean's home to
00:16:29
check on her all right we're on our way
00:16:31
all right we get to the house and I'm
00:16:34
I'm panicking by
00:16:36
then I heard this beeping noise I didn't
00:16:40
know what it was I was thinking I I
00:16:43
don't understand this and then it hit me
00:16:46
that was the fire alarm it was
00:16:50
smoke obscuring the windows and I
00:16:53
screamed at Tom Tom the house is full of
00:16:56
smoke dial 911 Je
00:16:59
as firefighters race to the scene Kathy
00:17:01
and Tom search for Jean in the
00:17:04
house but the smoke is too
00:17:07
[Music]
00:17:11
[Applause]
00:17:13
[Music]
00:17:16
thick in the basement firefighters
00:17:19
discover that Flames have burst the
00:17:21
water
00:17:27
pipes they also discover a body got a
00:17:30
body I got a body it's Jean
00:17:34
Weaver and then the please Chief comes
00:17:37
over and said she's
00:17:41
gone I just ran and I ran and I screamed
00:17:45
and I
00:17:50
[Music]
00:17:55
screamed I just can't begin to say how
00:17:58
special Jean
00:18:00
was the fire had been deliberately set
00:18:03
police believed Jean had been murdered
00:18:06
and the primary suspect was her Hospital
00:18:09
Gordon Weaver had every advantage in
00:18:12
life yet he seemed destined to struggle
00:18:15
in spite of wealthy parents he was
00:18:17
plagued by financial problems and as his
00:18:20
own business began to fail he resented
00:18:23
Jean's success we wanted so much to find
00:18:27
out that it was just a horrible accident
00:18:29
that he had nothing to do with it but
00:18:33
the more time passed you know I started
00:18:35
to think that Cy had actually killed
00:18:38
Jean it was unbelievable but I believed
00:18:42
it Jean's marriage had been troubled for
00:18:45
years Gordon suffered from serious bouts
00:18:49
of depression could you just look at me
00:18:51
while we talk about this what jean would
00:18:53
say about Gordy is that he would
00:18:55
withdraw into himself for many years I
00:18:58
just felt sorry sorry for him because he
00:19:00
seemed unhappy and um just couldn't have
00:19:05
a normal relationship with Jean and she
00:19:08
wasn't happy at all but she thought it
00:19:12
was the best for their son to remain
00:19:15
together as a
00:19:16
[Music]
00:19:19
family the day that Jean was found dead
00:19:22
Gordon had been working at his office
00:19:24
and running
00:19:25
errands their son was at a soccer game
00:19:30
Gordon returned home as soon as police
00:19:32
called him we were not able to give him
00:19:34
a whole lot of information at that time
00:19:36
and he was asked to voluntarily come up
00:19:37
to the police department to speak to one
00:19:39
of our investigators which was myself
00:19:41
was my wife in the house is she all
00:19:43
right Mr Weaver I'm afraid I have some
00:19:45
bad news was she hurt I'm afraid your
00:19:48
wife passed
00:19:50
away I'm
00:19:52
sorry some of his mannerisms or behavior
00:19:55
was not what one would expect having
00:19:58
come home finding his house you know
00:20:00
surrounded by evidence tape and then
00:20:02
being told that his wife was you know
00:20:03
killed in the
00:20:06
fire and we began to suspect that he was
00:20:08
possibly involved in the death of Jee
00:20:12
Weaver investigators examined the
00:20:14
clothes Gordon was wearing that day they
00:20:17
found traces of two flammable liquids
00:20:20
those same liquids were also found on
00:20:23
Jean's
00:20:24
body investigators also discovered that
00:20:27
Jean had several life insurance policies
00:20:31
they were worth more than
00:20:33
$350,000 and were due to lapse just 2
00:20:36
days after she was
00:20:38
killed the sole
00:20:40
beneficiary Gordon
00:20:42
Weaver I believe Gordon went to confront
00:20:44
Jean and I believe he pushed her or
00:20:48
shoved her ouch she had a wound to the
00:20:52
head
00:20:54
and he panicked
00:20:59
[Music]
00:21:04
and he set my sister on
00:21:06
[Music]
00:21:11
fire my sister was alive when he set her
00:21:15
on
00:21:19
fire because of the fire some water
00:21:21
pipes burst in the basement the water
00:21:23
pipes uh appeared to contain the fire to
00:21:26
the laundry room area and also help
00:21:28
Preserve resed her body to the point
00:21:30
that the medical examiner could do a
00:21:31
complete autopsy and uh locate the the
00:21:34
head injury and some other physical
00:21:37
evidence almost 2 weeks after Jean's
00:21:39
death Gordon Weaver was arrested for her
00:21:42
murder he was soon released on bail the
00:21:45
$300,000 cash Bond was provided by his
00:21:50
parents with the indictment hearing a
00:21:52
week away Gordon borrowed his parents
00:21:54
car
00:21:57
[Music]
00:22:00
they said he was going on vacation
00:22:06
Alone 2 Days Later the car was found
00:22:09
abandoned in a suburb of
00:22:11
Chicago blood stains found inside
00:22:14
suggested that Gordon Weaver had been
00:22:16
the victim of a violent carjacking
00:22:19
forensics determined the blood was human
00:22:22
but they couldn't tell if it was
00:22:24
Gordon's the timing of things is just
00:22:27
all too coincidental for for him to
00:22:28
disappear or be carjacked it's a week
00:22:32
before that he is going to be indicted
00:22:34
by a Ramsey County grandury for
00:22:36
first-degree murder it doesn't make any
00:22:38
kind of sense at
00:22:40
all 2 days after the car was found a
00:22:43
business associate of Gordon's received
00:22:45
an unexpected phone call confirming the
00:22:48
suspicions of the FBI this individual
00:22:51
identified the person as Gordon Weaver
00:22:54
uh Gordon Weaver asked if they found his
00:22:56
car this coworker spoke with him for
00:22:59
just a very brief time uh and then
00:23:01
Gordon Weaver hung
00:23:03
up we do not believe in any way shape or
00:23:05
form the Gordon Weaver is dead why
00:23:08
should he be off somewhere and Jean the
00:23:12
most beautiful person that you could
00:23:14
imagine is gone
00:23:16
forever if I knew them what I knew now I
00:23:19
would never have left Jean alone for a
00:23:24
second the phone call makes it all
00:23:27
crystal clear that Gordon we did not die
00:23:29
in that vehicle on that night Gordon
00:23:32
Weaver still on the
00:23:34
Run
00:23:37
update after 4 years on the Run Gordon
00:23:40
Weaver was captured he was found in a
00:23:43
remote corner of Oregon living under the
00:23:45
name David Carson a woman recognized him
00:23:49
from a mug shot on the internet and
00:23:51
tipped off the authorities Gordon Weaver
00:23:54
was arrested and charged with murder
00:24:00
[Music]
00:24:02
next he looks like an ape but Walks Like
00:24:04
a Man is Oliver just a talented
00:24:07
chimpanzee or the missing link between
00:24:10
man and
00:24:16
[Music]
00:24:21
Beast Henderson
00:24:24
Nevada Joe come on out Joe we recently
00:24:27
told you the story of Joseph welin Smith
00:24:31
who was wanted for murder when police
00:24:33
had entered Smith's
00:24:35
home they found the bodies of his wife
00:24:38
Judith and his two
00:24:40
stepdaughters all three had been
00:24:42
strangled and bludgeoned to
00:24:49
death hello 2 hours after the bodies
00:24:52
were discovered Smith telephoned a
00:24:54
family member he denied any involvement
00:24:57
in the murders Joe what's going on it's
00:25:00
called her on the phone told her that he
00:25:02
had killed one of the people that did
00:25:04
The Killing and knew who the other ones
00:25:06
were I'm going to find the guys who did
00:25:08
it I know who they are and I'm going to
00:25:10
kill them in my opinion it was a roost
00:25:14
by Mr Smith to get support from Judah
00:25:18
Smith's family members and make them
00:25:20
believe that he was not involved in the
00:25:22
killings by the time murder charges
00:25:24
could be brought against him Smith had
00:25:27
vanished but he didn't get very
00:25:31
far
00:25:33
update just minutes after we profiled
00:25:36
the case of Joseph welen Smith a viewer
00:25:39
called to report that Smith was living
00:25:42
near Los Angeles California he was
00:25:44
hiding out in this motel but managed to
00:25:47
escape before he could be
00:25:49
caught once we established a Joe William
00:25:52
Smith was in the Los Angeles area we
00:25:54
focused our attention to his brother who
00:25:56
we know that he had close contact with
00:25:59
after 5 days of surveilling this brother
00:26:01
uh we established where the suspect was
00:26:05
residing 20 minutes later Smith was
00:26:07
arrested at a second Los Angeles Motel
00:26:10
where he had registered under an assumed
00:26:15
name inside his room detectives found
00:26:18
several credit and identification cards
00:26:21
Smith told police that he was in the
00:26:23
process of creating a new
00:26:26
identity at the time of his arrest Joe
00:26:28
Smith indicated to me that he had seen
00:26:30
the last airing of the unsolved mystery
00:26:32
program he also told me that it was very
00:26:34
tough being a fugitive and he always
00:26:36
knew that you know someone would be
00:26:37
knocking at the door one day he kind of
00:26:39
glad it's all over at this point two
00:26:41
days later Joseph welen Smith was
00:26:44
returned to Nevada where he was
00:26:46
convicted on all three counts of
00:26:48
first-degree murder he will spend the
00:26:50
rest of his life Behind
00:26:53
[Music]
00:26:57
Bars the DNA scientists tell us that
00:27:00
humans are just a few chromosomes
00:27:02
different than
00:27:03
chimpanzees but now a chimp has been
00:27:05
found that may bring the two species
00:27:07
even closer
00:27:10
together San Antonio
00:27:14
Texas a wildlife sanctuary in San
00:27:17
Antonio known as primarily primates is a
00:27:20
retirement home of sorts for some 500
00:27:24
wild animals they have been rescued from
00:27:26
medical labs circus
00:27:28
and sides
00:27:30
shows after years of living in cages new
00:27:34
residents often move in pained halting
00:27:37
steps but one chimpanzee was remarkably
00:27:40
different when he showed up hi Ollie his
00:27:43
name is Oliver wow you stand up look at
00:27:48
you when Oliver came outside for the
00:27:51
first time he'd been 9 years in a lab
00:27:54
cage he walked out and he walked upright
00:27:58
in a way that no chimp who was trained
00:28:01
to walk upright would ever
00:28:03
walk his back is straight his shoulders
00:28:06
back and his knees are locked it's
00:28:12
Unique in his younger days Oliver was an
00:28:15
International Celebrity some said he was
00:28:18
proof of the existence of the legendary
00:28:21
Bigfoot others believed he was a
00:28:24
completely new species since long before
00:28:28
before I helped start primarily primates
00:28:30
I had heard about the ape called Oliver
00:28:34
i' collected old tabloid
00:28:36
articles and I really wondered is this
00:28:39
the same Oliver I wasn't quite sure
00:28:42
until I saw him and there's no doubt
00:28:46
this is the upright walking ape who had
00:28:49
become a living
00:28:50
legend Oliver had been imported from
00:28:53
Africa as an infant in
00:28:56
1960 his first animal trainer Frank
00:28:58
berer was surprised by Oliver's
00:29:01
humanlike
00:29:02
traits the first thing I noticed with
00:29:05
him he was bheed Jim's half hair right
00:29:09
with his bone structure he his head was
00:29:13
smaller he had a narrower
00:29:16
face one day I sat at the desk and he
00:29:19
come crawled to me and all of a sudden
00:29:21
he took a hold of my pen SL and he stand
00:29:24
straight
00:29:26
up I almost
00:29:29
faint and within one and a half years
00:29:32
that animal stand up in front of me and
00:29:35
never I saw him with
00:29:37
down I've seen a lot of chips but I've
00:29:40
never seen one just like
00:29:43
him for the next 10 years Oliver's
00:29:46
unique characteristics were on display
00:29:49
as a popular Sideshow attraction at
00:29:51
circuses he was uh build as a missing
00:29:55
link um they had a window where the
00:29:57
public could walk past him and look in
00:29:59
and see him in his in his exhibit they
00:30:01
did take him out a number of times onto
00:30:03
a stage and for the Press uh to take a
00:30:06
look at him for publicity but otherwise
00:30:08
he was generally in this enclosure alone
00:30:11
where people could walk past the window
00:30:13
and see
00:30:14
him Oliver caught the attention of an
00:30:16
attorney Michael Miller in walks this
00:30:20
almost 4 and 1/2t or 5 foot creature uh
00:30:23
his hair bristling uh and walking
00:30:26
absolutely upright as they say as
00:30:28
advertised I could not believe what I
00:30:30
saw in 1975 Miller purchased Oliver from
00:30:35
Frank burger for the sum of
00:30:38
$88,000 there were many many many
00:30:40
questions about uh Oliver enthusiastic
00:30:44
to the point of being wild people were
00:30:45
offering me money for the story I had no
00:30:47
interest in it I said I really want the
00:30:50
story to get out but I want to get the
00:30:51
story out to attract serious attention
00:30:53
from the scientific Community this
00:30:56
creature may have interest and import
00:30:58
that turned me up that spring he took
00:31:01
Oliver to the annual banquet of the
00:31:03
famed Explorers Club in New York City
00:31:06
Oliver created a huge
00:31:09
sensation it was an amazing experience
00:31:11
because it was King Kong I mean that was
00:31:14
truly King
00:31:17
Kong I I would say that there was a
00:31:20
consensus there too that this is a very
00:31:23
aberant chimpanzee they were always
00:31:25
grounding it in this is a chimpanzee
00:31:27
who's aberant um and I understood
00:31:30
that but when I would say can you
00:31:34
explain the aberration that would be
00:31:35
interesting the answer was always the
00:31:36
same no we
00:31:38
[Music]
00:31:40
can't Oliver was then invited to tour
00:31:43
Japan he caused excitement wherever he
00:31:46
[Music]
00:31:46
[Applause]
00:31:52
went throughout the tour Oliver
00:31:55
underwent a series of medical exams his
00:31:58
blood test results proved to be
00:32:01
unusual curiously two of the 40 tests
00:32:04
suggested he was not human and not ape
00:32:08
but something in
00:32:09
between these blood samples contain 47
00:32:13
chromosomes one more than a human and
00:32:16
one less than a chimp the other cells
00:32:19
contain
00:32:20
48 the Japanese doctors however
00:32:23
attributed the discrepancy to human
00:32:26
error
00:32:27
when the tour ended Michael Miller found
00:32:30
he could no longer afford to support
00:32:33
Oliver he placed him in a wild animal
00:32:35
park in
00:32:37
California Oliver eventually wound up in
00:32:40
a research lab there he languished in a
00:32:43
5x7 ft cage for nine long
00:32:50
years Oliver was never used in any
00:32:52
experiments and was finally rescued by
00:32:55
primarily
00:32:56
primates you I had the impression when I
00:32:59
saw Oliver walking bipedal that he had
00:33:02
um possibly been trained to walk
00:33:04
bipedally he could do it for quite a
00:33:07
while I don't think he's anything but a
00:33:12
chimpanzee I know that there are other
00:33:14
animals out there we haven't found yet
00:33:17
Oliver very well could be very special
00:33:20
in that he could be the only example
00:33:23
around of a whole new species 197
00:33:28
after 20 years apart a very special
00:33:30
reunion took place between Oliver and
00:33:33
his first owner Frank Burger where's
00:33:37
Oliver Oliver my God where you been
00:33:41
where you been oh
00:33:44
God attorney Michael Miller was also
00:33:48
there he looks
00:33:50
happier he looks much more peaceful it's
00:33:54
delightful to see that he's in such
00:33:55
great uh environment and he's cared for
00:33:58
finally that's very very satisfying very
00:34:01
rewarding yeah give me a
00:34:04
kiss Oliver is still alive today
00:34:08
scientists hope that during his senior
00:34:10
years DNA testing May finally solve the
00:34:13
mystery of who or what Oliver truly
00:34:17
[Music]
00:34:19
is next the search for The Mastermind of
00:34:23
a $40 million drug smuggling ring
00:34:28
[Music]
00:34:38
Grotton
00:34:40
Connecticut okay guys let's move
00:34:47
[Music]
00:34:49
in Agents from the FBI The Drug
00:34:52
Enforcement Administration and the US
00:34:55
Marshall Service track a fugitive to to
00:34:57
a local
00:35:00
Motel federal agents with
00:35:03
[Music]
00:35:04
Awards when they enter the room the man
00:35:07
they're looking for has
00:35:11
vanished Salvatore Michael Carana was
00:35:14
suspected of major narcotic smuggling it
00:35:17
was said he had ties to organized crime
00:35:20
he had now become the focus of an
00:35:22
intense
00:35:23
Manhunt carolana hasn't been seen in
00:35:26
more than 20 years
00:35:28
when FBI agents found his motel room
00:35:30
empty they immediately suspected that he
00:35:33
was the victim of a mob contract it
00:35:37
however it's also possible that kowana
00:35:40
may have staged his own
00:35:44
disappearance kowana criminal history
00:35:46
began when he was charged with armed
00:35:48
robbery years later kowana had gone big
00:35:51
time he moved into narcotics as part of
00:35:54
an organized crime syndicate in New
00:35:56
England Mr Carana was involved in the
00:35:59
distribution of approximately $40
00:36:01
million worth of
00:36:02
marijuana we have testimony from just
00:36:05
one distributor that in one particular
00:36:07
operation he himself brought $4 million
00:36:10
to Mr
00:36:11
kowana he spy let me see what we got
00:36:14
going in these marijuana operations that
00:36:16
Carana was involved he was with the
00:36:18
supervisor Carana would show up on the
00:36:20
scene himself at the stash house before
00:36:22
the marijuana was sent out and talk to
00:36:24
his people make sure it was weighed
00:36:26
correctly make sure the quality was good
00:36:28
he would then tell his distributor that
00:36:30
I want x amount of dollars for each
00:36:32
pound of marijuana that's here I think
00:36:34
it'll be good what do you think he
00:36:36
carried guns he was big with guns uh he
00:36:38
was big with threats he would threaten
00:36:40
to kill you there was no question if you
00:36:41
messed up he threatened to kill
00:36:43
[Music]
00:36:45
you eventually kowana was caught his
00:36:48
smuggling operation collapsed with the
00:36:50
arrest of several of his key Associates
00:36:53
their testimony led to an 11c count
00:36:55
grand jury indictment what you got
00:36:58
Back Against The Wall face the
00:37:00
camera kowana was charged with drug
00:37:03
trafficking and faced the possibility of
00:37:06
a life sentence Straight Ahead Bond was
00:37:10
set at
00:37:11
$500,000 he easily post at the BN and
00:37:14
was released the same
00:37:19
day just in
00:37:21
time 2 days before his trial Salvatore
00:37:25
Michael kowana just
00:37:28
disappeared two of his Close Associates
00:37:31
signed agreements with the government to
00:37:33
cooperate and testify I think he felt
00:37:36
that our case was much stronger with
00:37:38
these two witnesses coming into the case
00:37:39
to testify against him and I believe he
00:37:42
just didn't want to come in and face
00:37:43
that because I think he felt that uh he
00:37:45
would face some serious time in jail
00:37:48
what do we have on this guy so far I
00:37:49
know a federal task force looked deeper
00:37:51
into kowana operation they discovered
00:37:54
that smuggling marijuana was only a
00:37:56
small part of his criminal life in fact
00:38:00
kowana was laundering enormous amounts
00:38:02
of money and was actually a multime
00:38:06
[Music]
00:38:08
millionaire federal agents raided kowana
00:38:11
home it was like a fortress with an
00:38:14
elaborate security system they found
00:38:17
several hidden vaults filled with
00:38:19
weapons and financial papers but they
00:38:22
didn't find
00:38:23
kowana evidence LED them to a condo he
00:38:26
owned in connectic
00:38:28
but by the time they arrived kowana had
00:38:31
cleaned the place out and
00:38:33
disappeared he's very smart guy he's
00:38:35
probably one of the most cunning and Sly
00:38:39
fugitives uh that we've come across in a
00:38:41
very long
00:38:42
time 3 months later an informant LED
00:38:45
authorities to the motel in Groton
00:38:48
Connecticut we had determined he was
00:38:51
using the Alias Vincent SPO and based
00:38:54
upon the information we received from
00:38:55
the manager and the fact fact that the
00:38:58
Alias name was registered there at that
00:39:00
motor
00:39:01
in uh we use that as probable cause to
00:39:04
get a search warrant to enter the
00:39:06
[Applause]
00:39:08
apartment go four you're in the best
00:39:11
position what do you see nothing's going
00:39:14
on okay we've given it enough time let's
00:39:16
uh let's move in guys
00:39:30
[Music]
00:39:33
when we first got into the room it
00:39:35
appeared like chees he just got up to
00:39:37
get a newspaper that he could be coming
00:39:39
back any
00:39:41
minute all right all secure but once we
00:39:45
started looking at specific items in the
00:39:47
room such as the newspaper and spoiled
00:39:49
food it looked like he hadn't been there
00:39:51
for a couple of weeks yeah look at this
00:39:53
newspaper dated May
00:39:55
9th we found Mada shotgun with four
00:39:58
shells up in the barrel so it was ready
00:40:00
to be what we call combat loaded we also
00:40:03
located a briefcase a gun here in the
00:40:06
briefcase was a semi-automatic 22 and
00:40:12
cash from what we found at the motor and
00:40:15
you could assume that he had been killed
00:40:17
by organized crime people who thought
00:40:19
that if he was caught he might talk but
00:40:22
we don't have the body and if it was an
00:40:24
organized crime hit I would think that
00:40:26
they would want to leave the body behind
00:40:28
so that we wouldn't keep poking our
00:40:30
noses into his business which eventually
00:40:32
would lead back to them got the
00:40:34
paperwork kowana van was missing so were
00:40:38
his keys his wallet and a camera case he
00:40:40
was known to carry with him at all times
00:40:44
in the camera case it is said that he
00:40:46
carried an Uzi submachine
00:40:49
gun A month later kowana van turned up
00:40:53
at a police impound lot it had been
00:40:56
abandoned at a connectic get truck
00:40:57
stopped when Marshalls dusted for
00:41:00
fingerprints they found the van had been
00:41:02
wiped
00:41:03
clean what we're looking for is somebody
00:41:06
to come forward and tell us that they
00:41:08
have seen Salvadore kowana alive after
00:41:10
May of
00:41:12
'87 he could very well have been killed
00:41:15
but we really don't have anything to
00:41:16
point to that we don't have anybody
00:41:18
coming forward and saying yes I saw him
00:41:20
abducted from the truck
00:41:22
stop it appears that he's done the very
00:41:25
smart thing he hasn't made main contact
00:41:28
with the people that he knew before we
00:41:29
were chasing
00:41:32
him salvator kowana is 6 ft tall and
00:41:35
weighs 175 lb he has brown eyes and gray
00:41:40
black hair kowana uses the aliases John
00:41:44
Michael Hurley Vincent SPO and
00:41:48
face kowana is a licensed pilot and
00:41:51
computer expert he should be considered
00:41:53
armed and extremely
00:41:55
dangerous if you you have any
00:41:57
information please log on to our website
00:42:00
at unsolved.com
00:42:02
[Music]
00:42:21
[Music]
00:42:27
now
00:42:31
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 80
    Most emotional
  • 75
    Most dramatic
  • 75
    Best concept / idea

Episode Highlights

  • Bruce Kelly's Past Life Regression
    Bruce Kelly discovers his fears stem from a past life as a WWII sailor.
    “This really can't be real.”
    @ 02m 55s
    March 09, 2017
  • The Tragic Death of Jean Weaver
    Jean Weaver's suspicious death leads to investigations revealing dark secrets.
    “I just ran and I screamed.”
    @ 17m 45s
    March 09, 2017
  • Gordon Weaver's Arrest
    After years on the run, Gordon Weaver is captured and charged with murder.
    “Gordon Weaver still on the run.”
    @ 23m 34s
    March 09, 2017
  • The Mystery of Oliver the Chimp
    Oliver, a chimpanzee with unique traits, captured public attention and sparked scientific curiosity.
    “He was proof of the existence of the legendary Bigfoot!”
    @ 28m 18s
    March 09, 2017
  • Salvatore Kowana's Disappearance
    Salvatore Kowana vanished just before his trial, leading to a complex manhunt.
    “He could very well have been killed, but we don’t have anything to point to that.”
    @ 41m 16s
    March 09, 2017

Episode Quotes

  • This really can't be real.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16
  • I was in total disbelief and total shock.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16
  • That's exactly what it was.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16
  • It's tough being a fugitive; someone would be knocking at the door one day.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16
  • Oliver walked upright in a way no trained chimp ever would.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16
  • He looks happier, much more peaceful; it's delightful to see him cared for.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 16

Key Moments

  • Past Life Discovery02:55
  • Emotional Homecoming10:36
  • Murder Investigation17:45
  • Capture After Years23:34
  • Fugitive Life26:34
  • Oliver's Unique Walk27:58
  • Reunion with Oliver33:30
  • Kowana's Vanishing Act37:25

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

Related Episodes

Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 8 - Updated Full Episode
July 26, 2021
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:51
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 8 - Updated Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
43:40
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 1 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 9, Episode 10 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
46:25
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 9, Episode 10 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 5
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:49
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 5
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 12
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 12
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:51
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 1 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
48:26
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 1 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 19
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:55
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 19
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
01:32:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 7
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:47
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 7
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 1, Episode 12 - Full Episode
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 1, Episode 12 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 17
March 09, 2017
Captions not detected. You can watch the video, but not search it. If you think this is an error, contact support.
42:54
Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 17