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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode

May 23, 2019 / 42:37

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers the murder of Oscar Velazquez, the disappearance of Cynthia Wissmiller, and the search for Laurie Delorme's birth family.

The first case focuses on Oscar Velazquez, a 22-year-old man found dead in a vacant lot in Chicago. Investigators link his murder to Regina DeFrancisco, an 18-year-old girl he had been dating. Evidence suggests Regina and her sister Margaret conspired to kill Oscar after he lent Regina money to bail out her gang-affiliated boyfriend.

Next, the episode discusses Cynthia Wissmiller, a courier for an armored vehicle service who vanished along with $268,000 in cash. While investigators suspect she may have been involved in a theft, her family believes she was coerced into the crime by an unknown figure.

The final segment follows Laurie Delorme, who was adopted as a child and seeks to uncover her family's tragic past. Through research, she discovers her mother was murdered, leading to an emotional reunion with her surviving siblings.

Each case highlights themes of betrayal, loss, and the quest for truth, leaving viewers with lingering questions about justice and family.

TL;DR

Oscar Velazquez's murder, Cynthia Wissmiller's disappearance, and Laurie Delorme's search for her birth family are featured in this episode.

Episode

42:37
00:00:05
tonight on unsolved mysteries the young
00:00:10
man is mesmerized by a beautiful girl
00:00:12
and begins a toward relationship within
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a month his body is found burning in a
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vacant lot did a brief love affair
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culminated murder according to police
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this cunning con artist coolly walked
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out of an Alabama bank with a small
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fortune and never looked back but this
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was no ordinary bank heist it was a
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crime that took meticulous planning and
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daring execution today he's still on the
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lam and he may be in your community half
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a million dollars vanishes from eight
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automated teller machines in Indiana so
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does the courier responsible for tending
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them was she a thief with a victim of a
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shadowy figure who forced her to do his
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bidding a woman sets out to find the
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family she hasn't seen in over 45 years
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that search triggers shocking memories
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of her violent and secret past join me
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for these intriguing cases and more
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unsolved mysteries
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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a fire blazes on a vacant lot outside of
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Chicago smouldering deep in the flames
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is a scorched body wrapped in a
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partially burned tarp and bedsheet the
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victim a 22 year old man with nothing in
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his background to suggest such a violent
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end
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Oscar Velazquez at the county morgue
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Oscar's parents are faced with the most
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difficult task of their life identifying
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the remains of their eldest son I never
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thought we would find him there he was a
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good kid he never got into trouble he
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didn't drink he didn't smoke he was
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different from the other kids in the
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neighborhood growing up
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Oscar Velasquez had managed to avoid the
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gangs that infested his neighborhood he
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was well respected in the community and
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had a steady job as a truck driver
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Bhaskar had also recently begun a new
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relationship with an attractive
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eighteen-year-old brunette her name
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Regina DeFrancisco investigators soon
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discover a troubling coincidence
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two days after Oscars body was found
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Regina's mother and 16 year old sister
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Margaret filed a missing-persons report
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for Regina DeFrancisco she's been gone
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for two days
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has she ever taken off before no four
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days after the discovery of Oscars body
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the same detectives who were
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investigating his murder visited the
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house of the missing Regina DeFrancisco
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while searching her home for any clues
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related to the teenager's disappearance
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investigators made a startling discovery
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that linked Regina to the murder of
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Oscar Velazquez lo and behold to our
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surprise there was the matching
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pillowcases to the sheet that was used
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to wrap Oscar's body up in and that's
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when our focus of our investigation
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switched to Regina herself as police
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sought to solve the murder of Oscar
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Velasquez they were soon confronted with
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a tangled web of sexual fantasy and
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homicidal impulse but the center's are
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strikingly attractive teenage girl whom
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police believed lured Oscar to his death
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but why authorities are convinced that
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Regina DeFrancisco knows the answer and
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they're asking for your help to find her
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[Music]
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by all accounts
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Oscar Velazquez lead a stable life but
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that all apparently changed when he set
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eyes on Regina DeFrancisco Oscar thought
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she looked like a nice girl
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in the short period of time
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approximately three weeks they only had
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maybe three or four dates Oscar and
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Regina seem to hit it off and I think
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Oscar was blinded by Regina's good looks
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but below the alluring surface a storm
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was brewing Regina
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apparently had another boyfriend a gang
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member nicknamed loco and she needed
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$1,000 to bail him out of jail according
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to police
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Regina decided to get the money from
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Oscar Velasquez and she allegedly
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enlisted her sister Margaret in the
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scheme detectives believe Margaret told
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Oscar that it was Regina who was in jail
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and needed to be bailed out ask her
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being a loyal and true boyfriend that he
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thought he was didn't hesitate at all
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Oscar gives Margaret $2,000
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Margaret else asked her as soon as she
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bails Regina out of jail that Regina
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will call him
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Regina did call Oscar and the two went
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out on another date
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Oscar allegedly asked Regina when she
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would pay him back to $1,000 according
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to police her answer laid the foundation
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for Oscars death Regina says hey you
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know I'm sorry I'm willing to pay you
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back give you a little extra Marga
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really likes you too you know how about
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coming over and I'll give your money and
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the three of us will have a little fun
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and that's when Regina offered the
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threesome the sexual encounter and Oscar
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was pretty willing to turn around and
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oblige according to witnesses
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Oscar arrived at the defense's go home
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at around eight o'clock he was greeted
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at the door by Margaret
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allegedly a friend of the differences Co
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Sisters was also at the house and
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waiting downstairs in the basement was
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Regina I'm in the basement Oscar went
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ahead of Margaret walked down the steps
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and when he made it to the last step in
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the basement Margaret took the
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semi-automatic shot him one time in the
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back of the head
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investigators believe that the girls
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took Oscars necklace his car keys and
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six hundred dollars in cash
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next they wrap the body in a bedsheet
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and then a tarp
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according to the police the sisters did
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what they could to clean up the crime
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scene
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and finally they dragged the body up the
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basement stairs and reportedly put it
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into the trunk of Oscars car then they
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drive around I'd say for approximately
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40 minutes looking for a spot to dump
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the body until they happened upon this
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vacant lot
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Regina and Margaret try to get Oscars
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body out of the trunk body gets dumped
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out into the light
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one of the girls take a large bottle of
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nail polish remover doused Oscars body
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they ignite the body
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and drive away
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two days later police discovered Oscars
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Camaro not far from where his remains
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were found it too had been torched it
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wasn't long before the case broke wide
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open the young girl who was allegedly at
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the home at the time of the crime
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confessed to police she gave a detailed
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account of what she witnessed on the
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night of Oscars murder arrest warrants
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were issued for Regina and Margaret
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DeFrancisco both are believed to have
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fled the Chicago area as Maria Velasquez
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waits for justice she struggles with a
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painful void left in her life by her son
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Oscar's murder yes every day is a labor
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because I'm still looking for him I see
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young people and I'm always hoping that
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I see him but I can't find him it's hard
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to get used to living without him it's
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really hard to get used to the idea that
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he isn't here anymore we miss him a lot
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all of us
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[Music]
00:11:01
[Music]
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the bank should be right around the
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corner run up here
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on Brent ratha Baton Rouge Louisiana
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decided to sell his nissan sports
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counter he found a ruddy buyer and John
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Maggio
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all Maggio needed to seal the deal was a
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cashier's check
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Brent agreed to drive him to the bank
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during the short trip the conversation
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was light and friendly without warning
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it turned ugly
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Brent suddenly found himself on the
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wrong end of a gun fighting for his life
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he had the meanest look on his face
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cold-blooded killer he pulled the gun to
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the right and it went on the side of my
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leg the bullet went on the side of my
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leg and came out on the corner by my
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kneecap and that's when I bit him on the
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shoulder he let go of the gun and I
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thoroughly gone out the car
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Maggio then filled up the passenger side
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door while Brett rotz rolled himself to
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the hospital
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Brentt nearly lost his leg but later
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recovered the next day police tracked
00:12:32
down my Joe and made the arrests to
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those who knew him it came as no big
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surprise
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madjoe had been a rebellious teen
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constantly at odds with his wealthy
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father who owned a real estate empire in
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and around Baton Rouge con artists John
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Maggio was much smarter than the average
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street criminal charged with attempted
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murder and facing overwhelming evidence
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Maggio plea-bargained his way to a
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reduced sentence of five years he then
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arranged to pull a work detail outside
00:13:03
prison grounds ironically at the offices
00:13:06
of the Louisiana State Police but
00:13:09
allegedly Mario's biggest con was yet to
00:13:11
come
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[Music]
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John Maggio did his time and was
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released on parole he immediately left
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from Obul Alabama her family connections
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helped land him a position is boarding
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agent at Follette Green shipping
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services and a characteristic display of
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bravado modulus to the prison job on his
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resume failing of course to mention he
00:13:37
was behind bars at the time ma Joe's new
00:13:46
job in Bob processing payroll accounts
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for ships and dock a service that often
00:13:50
involves sizable amounts of cash it was
00:13:53
another ironic twist an ex-con with his
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hands on the checkbook the owners of the
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vessel would wire us the money that the
00:14:01
captain requested and then we wouldn't
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make out the receipts bring the cash
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down to the captain he would sit there
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and count it out and then sign the
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receipt and you'd be done John fit in
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right away and got along well with
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everybody we just went overboard to be
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nice you would he was just super he was
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outgoing and when when you talk to me
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you felt like you'd known him forever
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that's just how he made you feel
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[Music]
00:14:33
baldie Perez was certainly taken by
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Maggio's charms following a short
00:14:37
whirlwind romance the couple decided to
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tie the knot Molly had a four year old
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daughter from a previous marriage
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Raju appeared to love her like his own
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but according to Molly's mother the
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relationship was stormy and sometimes
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violent Molly never told me that he was
00:14:59
abusive but her daughter did and at that
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time her daughter had just turned 4 and
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she was terrified of John terrified in
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front of us he acted like the doting
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stepfather
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but when he was away from us it was
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different story
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[Music]
00:15:28
it turned out Maggio had a lot of people
00:15:30
fooled but no one could have guessed
00:15:33
what he was really up to an alleged scam
00:15:36
it was as brazen as it was risky to the
00:15:38
tune of nearly $200,000 according to
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police it all began with a phone
00:15:44
conversation between Maggio and a local
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bank officer who asked not to be
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identified
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he called to inquire how long it would
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take me to get a hundred and ninety
00:15:54
seven thousand you know and I told him I
00:15:56
need to know by Tuesday to have it in
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towards the end of the week sometime
00:16:03
over the next few days police believe
00:16:05
Maggio snuck back into the office after
00:16:07
hours unlocked a filing cabinet and
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walked out with a blank check he showed
00:16:19
up at the bank on Thursday morning right
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on cue with a check for one hundred and
00:16:23
ninety seven thousand dollars apparently
00:16:25
authorized by the office manager the
00:16:27
amount was unusually large but otherwise
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everything seemed to be in order
00:16:32
it was a well-established account he was
00:16:35
a well known person to be you know
00:16:38
responsible for picking up and calling
00:16:39
into orders and the signature was a
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match according to the bank officer
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Maggio was friendly but
00:16:46
uncharacteristically on edge sure is a
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lot of money this was the largest amount
00:16:51
that they had ever gotten in one period
00:16:52
and he told me that one of their
00:16:54
couriers for the company in New Orleans
00:16:56
had been killed doing a drop such as
00:16:59
this and so he was a little nervous I
00:17:01
can get you an escort if you like we can
00:17:03
have someone walk you out no that won't
00:17:05
be necessary I mean just you really know
00:17:07
about this transaction right
00:17:10
right moments later police say Maggio
00:17:16
calmly walked out of the bank in Mobile
00:17:18
Alabama and simply disappeared
00:17:20
[Music]
00:17:22
for that green shipping the next day
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denis mcdonough received a disturbing
00:17:28
phone call from the home office in new
00:17:30
orleans the accountant that manages all
00:17:33
the money he asked me we had written any
00:17:36
big checks and of course i said no so he
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said look for this check number so i
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went and looked and the check was
00:17:42
missing so i went back to the phone and
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i said yes the check is gone and i said
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how much money was gone and he said a
00:17:54
hundred and ninety seven thousand
00:17:56
dollars and I said god you're kidding
00:18:01
investigators learned that the
00:18:02
authorized signature on the check was a
00:18:04
forgery
00:18:07
meanwhile Molly left her little girl
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with her mother and prepared to leave
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town
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Molly left with John because she was
00:18:15
protecting us and her daughter because I
00:18:19
know now that Molly knew just how evil
00:18:22
he was and he is but what Molly didn't
00:18:28
realize was would have done anything to
00:18:31
protect her
00:18:32
[Music]
00:18:33
anything police say money left with
00:18:40
Maggio and a new $35,000 SUV which he
00:18:43
had allegedly purchased with some of the
00:18:45
stolen money
00:18:57
four months later the couple reportedly
00:19:00
turned up in Staten Island New York
00:19:05
using the names Rick and Sarah Parker
00:19:08
they rented an apartment from Nanette
00:19:10
coming Molly and Maggio came off to be
00:19:14
the sweetest people to everyone not only
00:19:17
to my husband and you know myself and my
00:19:20
family members but to the neighbors as
00:19:23
well
00:19:25
over the next year my job bounced from
00:19:28
one job to another before landing a
00:19:30
sales position with a rare autograph
00:19:31
dealer in Manhattan but it wasn't long
00:19:37
before he is up to his old tricks
00:19:38
allegedly gaining access to company
00:19:40
checks forging authorized signatures and
00:19:43
discreetly pocketing the funds
00:19:48
[Music]
00:19:50
however by the summer of 2001 Maggio's
00:19:53
days in the Big Apple were numbered help
00:19:56
you Maggio had attempted to cash a
00:20:00
fifteen hundred dollar check and a place
00:20:05
where he was trying to cash it contacted
00:20:07
the employer and he said no he does not
00:20:09
have the authority to cash a check in
00:20:11
that amount I cashed checks here all the
00:20:13
time I served for this amount I need an
00:20:16
authorization Maggio never showed back
00:20:19
up at that company the individual had an
00:20:22
audit done of his records and determined
00:20:25
that Maggio on 14 different occasions
00:20:28
had written one thousand dollar checks
00:20:31
which were forged and which were
00:20:33
basically embezzlements from the company
00:20:36
by the time police were notified it was
00:20:39
too late
00:20:40
Maggio and Molly were already on the run
00:20:44
early in the morning it must have been
00:20:46
like 6:30 in the morning I suddenly get
00:20:48
a phone call from ammaji oh hello and he
00:20:54
was like oh I'm taking water to the
00:20:56
hospital she's very sick I'm leaving the
00:20:59
dog papers watch the dog
00:21:02
I left the key underneath the mat
00:21:04
Nanette was surprised and concerned for
00:21:07
money but before she had a chance to ask
00:21:09
any questions
00:21:10
madjoe had hung up the phone right there
00:21:17
all the cards started falling right into
00:21:20
place
00:21:21
something is very fishy suspicious
00:21:26
Nanette went down to check on her
00:21:28
tenants the apartment was trashed
00:21:35
John Maju and his wife had simply
00:21:38
vanished
00:21:43
[Music]
00:21:49
detectives later discovered that Molly
00:21:51
had purchased two airline tickets for a
00:21:53
flight from New York to Los Angeles but
00:21:56
there have been no reported sightings on
00:21:57
the west coast so where are they now
00:22:00
that's what the FBI would like to know
00:22:03
Molly has not contacted her daughters in
00:22:05
sleeving Alabama in the summer of 1999
00:22:08
authorities believe they are probably
00:22:10
using assumed names and the John Maggio
00:22:13
wherever he is is cooking up a scam he
00:22:19
is what we would consider to be an armed
00:22:21
and dangerous person because of the fact
00:22:23
of his previous criminal record
00:22:27
in the past remember this individual
00:22:30
almost killed another individual in
00:22:33
order to steal a car so there's no
00:22:36
question if he feels like he is in some
00:22:39
jeopardy of having his freedom curtailed
00:22:41
he would more than likely engage in such
00:22:44
conduct again
00:22:45
[Music]
00:22:53
[Music]
00:23:01
[Music]
00:23:09
pérot Indiana for am cynthia wis
00:23:14
miller's day begins already a
00:23:17
grandmother at age 42 Cynthia is a
00:23:20
free-spirited matriarch of a close
00:23:22
family we drank coffee and talked for a
00:23:25
while and she kissed me goodbye said she
00:23:29
loved me and she'd see me later now that
00:23:32
was probably the worst day of my life my
00:23:38
baby Cynthia is a courier for an armored
00:23:41
vehicle service her job is to replenish
00:23:44
automated teller machines with cash at
00:23:51
5:50 a.m.
00:23:52
Cynthia begins making her rounds of the
00:23:54
ATMs on her route later that morning she
00:24:00
mysteriously disappears along with 268
00:24:04
thousand dollars in cash for Cynthia a
00:24:10
former police officer and dedicated
00:24:12
grandmother a brazen thief or was the
00:24:16
real thief working out of range of ATM
00:24:18
surveillance cameras forcing Cynthia to
00:24:21
take the money before he killed her
00:24:24
bank robber or victim the police and
00:24:28
Cynthia's family found themselves
00:24:30
bitterly divided on the surface the
00:24:33
evidence of her guilt seemed
00:24:34
overwhelming yet detectives acknowledged
00:24:37
it was odd for a woman with an
00:24:38
unblemished past to commit such an
00:24:40
audacious theft and then desert her
00:24:42
loved ones the only certainty was that
00:24:45
no trace of Cynthia remained
00:24:54
Cinthia wissmiller was a nucleus around
00:24:57
which your entire family revolved those
00:25:01
who knew her best say she possesses a
00:25:02
generous spirit and an unwavering sense
00:25:05
of right and wrong to suggest that she
00:25:08
was capable of bank robbery was
00:25:10
inconceivable
00:25:15
my mother has taught me that it's very
00:25:17
good to be good you can't take more than
00:25:20
you give no one gets anything for
00:25:22
nothing she instilled that into us very
00:25:24
early for there even to be speculation
00:25:27
that she would have done something like
00:25:29
this or gone this direction or done
00:25:31
anything to attempt to take the easy way
00:25:33
out it's just ludicrous there's no way
00:25:35
no way in hell it would have happened
00:25:38
whatever did happen say investigators
00:25:41
may have begun three days before the
00:25:43
robbery
00:25:45
Cynthia supervisor told her their
00:25:48
security company had been bought by the
00:25:50
Brinks armored car service and that she
00:25:52
was to have a new position the recent
00:25:55
changes in an opinion on that next week
00:25:58
but because of time constraints right
00:26:00
now I just want to cover one thing with
00:26:01
you mm-hmm
00:26:02
the following workday she was to
00:26:04
postpone her pre-dawn duties until 9:00
00:26:06
a.m. at that hour she was to meet her
00:26:09
replacement and acquaint him with her
00:26:11
route show him your routine etc etc yeah
00:26:14
sure I can do that so then am i giving
00:26:17
up my job do I have a job as long as I
00:26:21
still have a job you still have a job
00:26:25
despite her instructions Cynthia arose
00:26:28
that morning just as early as she always
00:26:30
had
00:26:31
according to her boyfriend Billy she
00:26:34
never mentioned that her work schedule
00:26:35
had been changed investigators say that
00:26:41
between 550 and 7:15 a.m. Cynthia may
00:26:45
stops at each of the eight ATMs on her
00:26:47
route she began three hours earlier than
00:26:51
she had been instructed and without her
00:26:54
trainee
00:26:58
[Music]
00:27:02
each of the machines was virtually
00:27:04
emptied of cash
00:27:07
the ATMs had video cameras on them out
00:27:10
of the eight ATMs we only found actual
00:27:13
film footage of Cynthia wissmiller on
00:27:17
one of the tapes and throughout the
00:27:22
entire time she was in that building she
00:27:24
was alone it didn't appear that she was
00:27:27
under any type of duress or force of any
00:27:30
kind
00:27:31
most of the ATMs that she serviced were
00:27:35
exterior buildings they were not
00:27:38
actually in the bank branch and she
00:27:40
could get into the back of the ATMs
00:27:42
without being seen on the video camera
00:27:45
when you take him down to a room
00:27:47
detectives began their investigation by
00:27:49
questioning Cynthia's family and her
00:27:51
boyfriend Billy Hawkins
00:27:56
Billy was adamant that Cynthia was
00:28:00
abducted and that she did not take any
00:28:03
money from the ATMs and he also was
00:28:05
adamant that someone has forced her to
00:28:07
do this Billy told me that there's no
00:28:10
way she would have done this on their
00:28:12
own if someone was holding a gun on her
00:28:14
or had threatened her family or
00:28:17
something she would do something like
00:28:19
this to protect her family or to protect
00:28:21
her own life possibly but there's no
00:28:24
there's nothing else on this earth that
00:28:25
would make her do something like this
00:28:27
without being coerced into it was
00:28:31
someone else present at the ATMs who for
00:28:33
Cynthia to steal the money
00:28:36
or was it your person merely conjured up
00:28:39
in the imagination by those unable to
00:28:41
face as Cynthia had turned to crime
00:28:48
investigators discovered an eyewitness
00:28:50
and said that Cynthia indeed was not
00:28:52
alone but his account only deepened the
00:28:55
mystery the witness said that he saw
00:29:00
Cynthia with another person he saw
00:29:04
Cynthia and this other person unloading
00:29:07
bags and putting them into another
00:29:09
vehicle he said this person had a sock
00:29:14
hat pulled down to the lower part of the
00:29:16
face so he could not tell if this person
00:29:20
was white black or male or female
00:29:23
according to the witness Cynthia did not
00:29:26
appear to be assisting the mysterious
00:29:28
figure against her will the police
00:29:31
concluded she had a partner in crime but
00:29:35
her family believed that this was a
00:29:36
person he forced her to steal the cash
00:29:38
from the ATMs on her route they knew
00:29:41
exactly where she was going they knew
00:29:42
what she was doing it was an obvious
00:29:44
vehicle she was by herself I think that
00:29:49
someone came they took advantage of a
00:29:51
situation and and they did what they
00:29:56
felt was necessary and getting the money
00:29:58
from these machines that's what I think
00:30:00
happened
00:30:03
investigators learned that if Cynthia
00:30:05
was an unwilling accomplice she had the
00:30:08
means to secretly alert her security
00:30:10
firm to open an ATM couriers must enter
00:30:15
a code that changes daily a distress
00:30:19
signal is sent by altering one of the
00:30:21
digits but Sidney did not enter the
00:30:24
distress code at any of her machines it
00:30:31
is possible however that she was warned
00:30:34
not to buy one who was aware of how the
00:30:36
security measure functioned but as the
00:30:43
investigation of Cynthia wissmiller
00:30:45
progressed the police made a discovery
00:30:47
that seemed to erase whatever doubts
00:30:49
remained an audit revealed an additional
00:30:53
two hundred thousand dollars was missing
00:30:55
cash as Cynthia was supposed to a place
00:30:58
in her ATMs more than a week before the
00:31:00
robbery I think she was dipping in the
00:31:03
till a little bit to help her family out
00:31:06
when she was informed that Brinks
00:31:09
security was taking over the company she
00:31:12
knew she was going to be caught when
00:31:13
they did the audits and I think she just
00:31:16
took as much money as she could and fled
00:31:19
the area we as a police department want
00:31:23
to find her because she stole the money
00:31:25
but we also want to find her to make
00:31:26
sure she's safe we have the fact of
00:31:28
another person being with her in the
00:31:30
parking lot if it was a plan that those
00:31:33
two were going to take the money and
00:31:34
split it and disappear who's to say that
00:31:38
that other person isn't going to harm
00:31:40
Cynthia so that that person could get
00:31:43
all of the money and not have to split
00:31:45
it despite the evidence pointing to
00:31:49
Cynthia's guilt her family still firmly
00:31:52
believes she is a victim not a criminal
00:31:55
I don't believe for a minute she get
00:31:57
anything wrong she is one that kind of
00:31:58
person just one earth
00:32:04
whatever the truth the void of her
00:32:07
absence has taken its toll
00:32:10
seems like somebody just ripped your
00:32:12
world apart and you don't know where to
00:32:14
go you don't know anything just
00:32:19
completely blind
00:32:22
your mind is blank and you can't
00:32:24
function it's been tremendously
00:32:27
difficult and continues to be and I
00:32:29
don't see it letting up anytime soon it
00:32:52
was a winter of 1960 and four year old
00:32:54
Laurie Delorme had just been adopted by
00:32:57
a family in Chillicothe Missouri one
00:33:00
evening Laurie stumbles upon her
00:33:01
adoptive father cleaning a gun
00:33:05
disturbing feelings flood into her mind
00:33:08
giving Laurie the first horrific glimpse
00:33:11
at the dark secret that ripped her birth
00:33:13
family apart when I was very little
00:33:17
my adopted dad he hunted guns and he was
00:33:22
clean one of his guns and and I saw that
00:33:25
and I just said that's what the
00:33:29
policeman had when they come to get my
00:33:31
daddy
00:33:34
unable to fully grasp what she was
00:33:36
remembering Laurie vowed to discover the
00:33:39
truth her search would trigger ominous
00:33:42
memories of a fateful night over four
00:33:45
decades ago
00:33:51
a policeman holding a gun to her father
00:33:56
and putting him under arrest that vague
00:33:59
and fleeting memory somehow explains my
00:34:01
lorry Delorme magnin was separated from
00:34:03
her biological family at 14 months of
00:34:06
age lorry now hopes to find the only
00:34:09
people who can help her understand what
00:34:11
exactly happened to her as an infant a
00:34:13
family she hasn't seen in over 45 years
00:34:19
at the age of three Laurie was adopted
00:34:22
by Charles and REE third alarm in Kansas
00:34:24
City Missouri
00:34:26
but the Jackson County Court seal
00:34:29
Laurie's records and would only tell her
00:34:31
adoptive parents that she was in need of
00:34:33
a stable home although Laurie was
00:34:37
welcomed into the extended Delorme
00:34:39
family with open arms sign soon emerged
00:34:42
as something wasn't right
00:34:43
Laurie began having nightmares and
00:34:46
appeared distant and distracted Laurie
00:34:51
was probably about six or seven and she
00:34:56
was eating at the table one day and as
00:34:59
she couldn't close her mouth she would
00:35:01
just leave her mouth open and it really
00:35:04
scared mothers so she made an
00:35:05
appointment with a therapist in another
00:35:09
town and took her there and they said
00:35:11
that she had had a serious trauma and
00:35:16
that it happened when she was fairly
00:35:18
young
00:35:20
Laurie's adopted mother tried in vain to
00:35:22
find out what was wrong with her little
00:35:24
girl as Laurie grew older she took up
00:35:28
the search herself driven by a troubling
00:35:30
sense as something dire had happened in
00:35:33
her past
00:35:33
Laurie asked her mother for any
00:35:36
paperwork concerning her adoption turn
00:35:40
16 and she brought the adoption papers
00:35:42
out she kept every letter and this is
00:35:45
I'm gonna give this to you
00:35:46
now's the time and so I took them I went
00:35:51
over to Renee's house I can wait till
00:35:53
she got there because we we always had
00:35:54
this dream we were going to find her mom
00:35:56
and so when she came we got up on the
00:35:58
bunk bed and she opened up the papers
00:36:00
and that's when we found out that her
00:36:02
mom was already dead Laurie and Renee
00:36:05
were shocked to discover that Laurie's
00:36:07
mother Frances Camarena died on November
00:36:09
27th 1956 in Kansas City Missouri the
00:36:15
adoption papers did not give a cause of
00:36:17
death nor mention any other siblings and
00:36:21
words like oh my goodness and Renee
00:36:25
wheeze like what was this girl try to
00:36:27
find somebody here and it didn't we
00:36:31
don't where to go we were too young
00:36:37
Loree soon moved on with her life
00:36:39
married and had three children of her
00:36:42
own but her happiness was always haunted
00:36:45
by hazy memories of an unbearable
00:36:47
tragedy
00:36:48
there was only one hope for her peace of
00:36:51
mind Laurie had to know the truth there
00:36:59
was still one last place Laurie had not
00:37:01
yet looked the Kansas City Public
00:37:04
Library Laurie
00:37:06
her husband Donald and their son
00:37:08
searched the microfiche files of the
00:37:11
Kansas City Star on the day Laurie's
00:37:13
mother died November 27th 1956 I was
00:37:23
going through the old papers and I came
00:37:25
across this picture for four girls and a
00:37:28
and a boy one of them was brought
00:37:32
Laurie's age would have been Laurie's
00:37:33
age and I said Laurie could this
00:37:36
possibly be your family I said this
00:37:38
looks awful lot like you the next the
00:37:39
youngest one and she looked at the
00:37:42
picture and she said that yeah that's me
00:37:45
in the photo a 14 month old Laurie sat
00:37:48
next to her four siblings who ranged in
00:37:51
age from 9 years to 3 months that's why
00:37:55
first time saw a picture of me and my
00:37:57
brother and my sisters first time my
00:38:00
first baby picture I've ever seen but
00:38:03
Laurie's joy was short-lived
00:38:05
seconds later she saw the article
00:38:07
accompanying the photo
00:38:10
Loree Delorme magnin had finally come
00:38:13
face-to-face with a horrifying truth of
00:38:15
her past in the pre-dawn hours of
00:38:25
November 26 1956 Lori's father Alexander
00:38:30
Camarena arrived home drunk his wife
00:38:34
Laurie's mother was waiting for
00:38:40
Alexander had made two purchases earlier
00:38:43
in the evening a box of chocolates and a
00:38:46
38 caliber handgun an argument ensued
00:38:52
over the gun
00:38:53
Alexander claimed it was broken and
00:38:56
demonstrated by pointing the weapon at
00:38:58
his wife's head
00:39:04
when I read that I felt guess my father
00:39:09
it's like I don't care if he say you're
00:39:13
sorry and all that you just don't point
00:39:16
a gun in someone's temple I don't care
00:39:18
and that was my mom and I won't ever see
00:39:21
her again
00:39:23
Laurie made a copy of the photo and took
00:39:26
it home with her I just went to the
00:39:29
bathroom took that picture with me and I
00:39:31
just stared at it I just couldn't
00:39:33
believe it
00:39:34
you know ask me my brother my sisters
00:39:37
and we all look alike why the dark hair
00:39:40
in that in the oldest girl she's like
00:39:45
looking off in a direction she just
00:39:46
looks so sad because she was old yeah
00:39:49
old enough to remember
00:39:50
[Music]
00:39:58
Lori's mother Frances Camarena is buried
00:40:01
under her maiden name of Rivas in a
00:40:03
cemetery in Kansas City hey our mommy
00:40:09
just for you
00:40:13
Lori's father was convicted of
00:40:15
second-degree murder and imprisoned for
00:40:18
eight years he died in 1991 my brother
00:40:24
and my sister's real brother and sisters
00:40:27
we lost both our parents now and I think
00:40:32
they need me like I need them and they
00:40:36
may have their own families now like I
00:40:38
do but like I feel they must want to see
00:40:42
me if they think about me I don't know
00:40:45
if they tried to bind me but I'm trying
00:40:54
shortly after our broadcast
00:40:56
Ruth crook Laurie's birth cousin
00:40:58
contacted our telecentre a friend of
00:41:01
roofs had seen the show and told her
00:41:04
that her long-lost cousin was looking
00:41:06
for her birth family it was a happy
00:41:10
shock and very exciting to know that she
00:41:14
had been found family reunion was held
00:41:17
several weeks later and we were there to
00:41:18
capture the elder sister Phyllis was
00:41:22
unable to attend the reunion
00:41:25
sadly Laurie's younger brother Robert
00:41:27
died in 1982 Nancy the last sibling was
00:41:31
located after the reunion was held
00:41:37
[Music]
00:41:44
join me next time for another hour of
00:41:47
fascinating cases on unsolved mysteries
00:41:50
[Music]
00:42:02
[Music]
00:42:24
[Applause]
00:42:25
[Music]
00:42:26
[Applause]
00:42:28
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 80
    Biggest twist
  • 75
    Most emotional

Episode Highlights

  • The Mysterious Death of Oscar Velazquez
    Oscar's life takes a tragic turn after a brief romance leads to his murder.
    “Did a brief love affair culminate in murder?”
    @ 00m 17s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Brazen Con of John Maggio
    John Maggio, a charming ex-con, pulls off a daring bank heist after his release.
    “Maggio's biggest con was yet to come.”
    @ 13m 11s
    May 23, 2019
  • Cynthia Wissmiller's Disappearance
    Cynthia, a dedicated grandmother and armored vehicle courier, mysteriously vanishes with cash.
    “Bank robber or victim?”
    @ 24m 16s
    May 23, 2019
  • Cynthia's Family Believes in Her Innocence
    Despite evidence pointing to Cynthia's guilt, her family insists she is a victim, not a criminal.
    “I don’t believe for a minute she did anything wrong.”
    @ 31m 55s
    May 23, 2019
  • Laurie's Search for Truth
    Laurie Delorme's quest to uncover her past leads to shocking discoveries about her family.
    “There was only one hope for her peace of mind: Laurie had to know the truth.”
    @ 36m 51s
    May 23, 2019
  • A Family Reunion
    After years of searching, Laurie is reunited with her birth family, bringing joy and closure.
    “It was a happy shock and very exciting to know that she had been found.”
    @ 41m 14s
    May 23, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • I never thought we would find him there.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode
  • Every day is a labor because I’m still looking for him.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode
  • It’s hard to get used to living without him.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode
  • To suggest that she was capable of bank robbery was inconceivable.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode
  • I don’t believe for a minute she did anything wrong.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode
  • I just couldn’t believe it.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 4 - Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Tragic Discovery02:35
  • Murder Investigation04:23
  • Bank Heist13:11
  • Mysterious Disappearance24:10
  • Family Defense25:08
  • Family Mystery28:17
  • Missing Money30:53
  • Haunting Memories36:45

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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