00:00:00
[Music]
00:00:03
this program is about unsolved mysteries
00:00:07
whenever possible the actual family
00:00:09
members and police officials have
00:00:10
participated in recreating the events
00:00:12
what you were about to see is not a news
00:00:14
broadcast in 1935 legendary gangster
00:00:23
Dutch Schultz was ambushed by an
00:00:24
underworld rival at a Tavern in New
00:00:26
Jersey on his deathbed Schultz
00:00:29
reportedly rambled incoherently about
00:00:31
his mother his enemies and his
00:00:33
ill-gotten seven million dollar fortune
00:00:35
buried in rural upstate New York but
00:00:37
when Dutch died he took the secret of
00:00:40
his alleged lost treasure with him to
00:00:42
the grave one five-year-old Lauren
00:00:45
Jackson disappeared and eyewitness
00:00:47
account led police to believe she'd been
00:00:49
abducted by a string then a few months
00:00:52
later another witness came forward with
00:00:54
a stunning accusation
00:00:56
Laurens own mother may have been
00:00:58
involved in the kidnapping aware of the
00:01:01
classifieds in September of 1992 a man
00:01:05
calling himself Tom Jones answered an ad
00:01:07
for a computer system but Johnson had no
00:01:10
intention of paying for his purchase
00:01:12
instead he had hatched economy deadly
00:01:15
proportion
00:01:17
just outside Dallas Texas young boy and
00:01:20
his mother were murdered by a ruthless
00:01:21
unknown assailant authorities hope one
00:01:24
of our viewers will recognize several
00:01:26
items left behind by the killer crucial
00:01:29
evidence it may lead to the suspects
00:01:30
identity and capture jointly perhaps you
00:01:36
pull the one vital clue that will help
00:01:38
solve one of tonight's unsolved
00:01:40
mysteries
00:01:41
[Music]
00:02:03
[Applause]
00:02:13
[Music]
00:02:23
[Music]
00:02:40
on a cool moonless night some 60 years
00:02:43
ago two shadowy figures dug along the
00:02:45
banks of Esopus Creek 100 miles north of
00:02:48
New York City the man doing all the work
00:02:54
was Bernard Rosencrantz nicknamed oddly
00:02:56
enough
00:02:57
Lou Lou his boss was infamous Dutch
00:03:01
Schultz
00:03:01
king of the New York underworld
00:03:06
according to legend Dutch buried a
00:03:09
strongbox at night containing a king's
00:03:11
ransom of cash bonds unset diamonds and
00:03:14
gold coins today would be worth more
00:03:18
than 50 million dollars that is of
00:03:23
course if it ever existed
00:03:25
like most tales of buried treasure this
00:03:28
one comes with a familiar wet blanket
00:03:29
disclaimer but let's face it we love
00:03:32
these tales perhaps because they often
00:03:35
spring up around societies villains as
00:03:37
pirates thieves and gangsters men just
00:03:40
like Dutch Schultz the legend of his
00:03:43
lost treasure is wooded smack in the
00:03:44
middle of one of America's most colorful
00:03:46
periods of Roaring Twenties
00:03:49
[Music]
00:03:55
the decade came by his nickname honestly
00:03:58
prohibition was passed 1919 the criminal
00:04:02
element is in his element bootleg liquor
00:04:07
became an art form his manufacture and
00:04:09
distribution made millions for ruthless
00:04:11
gangster like legs diamond lucky
00:04:15
Deutsche Al Capone
00:04:17
Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz was
00:04:23
something of a criminal prodigy born
00:04:26
Arthur flegenheimer in 1902 he was
00:04:28
already a force to be reckoned with by
00:04:30
the time he was 25 he adopted his name
00:04:33
from a notorious gang Lord who had
00:04:35
flourished in another era that Schultz
00:04:39
was a very successful and widespread
00:04:41
bootlegger owned a string of speakeasies
00:04:44
and then quickly branched out into
00:04:46
narcotics the numbers racket in the
00:04:48
protection racket Schultz was an
00:04:51
extremely dangerous gangster he was
00:04:53
reported to have had 136 people killed
00:04:56
and that's over a criminal career of
00:05:00
less than 10 years as a Roaring Twenties
00:05:05
came to a close Dutch Schultz his
00:05:07
criminal empire was netting more than 20
00:05:09
million dollars a year in 1933 Dutch
00:05:13
earned a dubious distinction he was
00:05:15
named public enemy number one by the
00:05:17
Justice Department like Al Capone before
00:05:21
him Schultz was highly vulnerable to the
00:05:23
newly enacted federal income tax laws
00:05:26
when he was indicted by a grand jury for
00:05:29
income tax evasion
00:05:30
he did what gangsters do he went on the
00:05:33
lam
00:05:34
at the time Dutch Schultz was facing a
00:05:37
long prison sentence and he decided that
00:05:40
he needed a nest egg to fall back on in
00:05:43
case he was sent to prison so he had his
00:05:49
top lieutenants clean out of
00:05:50
safe-deposit boxes and gather together
00:05:52
whatever cash they could from his
00:05:54
available bank accounts
00:05:56
looks good at a hideaway in Bridgeport
00:06:00
Connecticut Dutch in his henchmen
00:06:02
including lulu rosenkranz and a man
00:06:04
named Marty cram Pierre rendezvous
00:06:07
according to gangland legend they
00:06:10
stacked bundles of thousand-dollar bills
00:06:12
a negotiable liberty bodies together
00:06:14
with a trove of gold coins unmounted
00:06:17
diamonds and other gems and it was steel
00:06:19
plated strongbox my summit ranked Dutch
00:06:24
Schultz at the only key that very night
00:06:30
Dutch and the faithful Lulu who made
00:06:32
their fabled nocturnal journey across
00:06:34
the Hudson River tours Phoenicia New
00:06:36
York a tiny hamlet Dutch knew well from
00:06:39
his bootlegging days Dutch swore Lulu to
00:06:45
secrecy that allegedly marked the site
00:06:48
by carving an ex into the trunk of a
00:06:50
nearby tree but Lulu couldn't keep his
00:06:55
mouth shut
00:06:56
he wasted no time in spilling the beans
00:06:58
to his crony Marty kromm Pierre I
00:07:01
shouldn't tell you this I think it'd be
00:07:03
good for somebody else to know know what
00:07:06
that strongbox and me and Dutch buried
00:07:08
upstate a few weeks ago yeah what about
00:07:11
it oh I'm gonna tell you what we buried
00:07:13
it some say Lulu even drew Marty a map
00:07:17
ain't got away by you doing anything
00:07:19
stupid do i me and the Dutchman were
00:07:23
like this he's gonna take care of me as
00:07:26
it turned out Marty was none too good at
00:07:28
keeping his mouth shut either and just
00:07:31
where is this mr. Louie drew me this map
00:07:34
and I got it right here in my wallet
00:07:38
listen Marty rumors of Dutchess secret
00:07:42
treasure filtered through New York but
00:07:44
he had other troubles too content
00:07:46
specifically Manhattan's crime busting
00:07:49
District Attorney Thomas II do do we
00:07:52
would later become phase four almost but
00:07:55
not quite beating out harry s truman in
00:07:57
the 1948 presidential elections but in
00:08:00
1934 he was determined to make a career
00:08:03
out of squashing Dutch Schultz and his
00:08:05
illegal empire
00:08:08
with a pressure building shields frame
00:08:11
Lee surrendered to authorities in Albany
00:08:13
New York his first trial resulted in a
00:08:15
hung jury at his second trial he was
00:08:18
acquitted of all charges for a lack of
00:08:20
evidence by Dutchess design both trials
00:08:24
had taken place in upstate New York
00:08:26
marika jury tampering piece far from
00:08:28
thomassie Dewey after the acquittal
00:08:33
Dutch Schultz moved his headquarters to
00:08:35
New Jersey specifically to the palace
00:08:37
chop house a tavern he owned in Newark
00:08:41
determined to regain control of his
00:08:43
empire Dutch went on a bloody killing
00:08:45
spree thereby alienating the powerful
00:08:48
New York crime syndicate syndicate was a
00:08:51
confederation of New York City mobsters
00:08:54
who controlled virtually all the crime
00:08:56
in the Manhattan area and they were very
00:09:00
afraid that he was bringing additional
00:09:01
heat upon them with these killings the
00:09:05
heat came in the former Schultz his old
00:09:06
nemesis thomassie Dewey
00:09:08
finally Dutch decided to get rid of
00:09:11
doing let me tell you something du is
00:09:14
just another politician and I never met
00:09:16
a politician who couldn't be bought I
00:09:18
don't think you can buy off Dewey well
00:09:20
if I can't buy him off then we'll just
00:09:22
have to bump him off what are you crazy
00:09:24
you can't bump off Dewey nobody in the
00:09:31
back room of the palace chop outs
00:09:32
Dutchess trusted lieutenants tried to
00:09:35
talk him out of it
00:09:36
Arthur do you can't go around saying
00:09:39
you're gonna bump off Dewey maybe you're
00:09:42
right
00:09:44
I'm just gonna go uh let's bless some
00:09:47
water on my face
00:09:48
Dutch Schultz headed for the men's room
00:09:51
perhaps he would have listened to reason
00:09:53
when he returned but it was too late
00:09:56
The Syndicate had already taken matters
00:09:58
into its own hands
00:10:00
a date of October 23rd 1935
00:10:04
[Music]
00:10:11
[Music]
00:10:28
well they took Schultz to the hospital
00:10:30
and he lingered on until the next
00:10:32
evening and all the time issuing a
00:10:35
delirium series of statements how many
00:10:39
shots were fired at me
00:10:40
the police actually had a court
00:10:42
stenographer in the room with him taking
00:10:45
down everything he said most of which
00:10:47
was unintelligible kindly take my shoes
00:10:50
off they still on they feel I can't
00:10:54
cuffs I wonder haunts these woods
00:10:59
Dutch hung on for nearly 22 hours once
00:11:03
he allegedly begged to be taken to phone
00:11:05
issue where the strongbox was buried to
00:11:08
the police it was only the babbling of a
00:11:11
dying man come and get me if he says
00:11:13
anything
00:11:14
[Music]
00:11:18
Dutch shows finally died at 8:35 p.m. on
00:11:21
October 24th 1935 he was 33 years old
00:11:26
his trusted bodyguard lulu rosenkranz
00:11:29
had died hours earlier that left only
00:11:32
one man who knew where the treasure was
00:11:34
buried a party Crum pier
00:11:36
too late body learned that the blondie
00:11:39
had blab to was friends with Jake
00:11:41
Shapiro Bob's true what a few henchmen
00:11:43
of his own the night of the Chophouse
00:11:47
murders the two henchmen caught up with
00:11:51
Marty at a barbershop New York said he
00:11:54
gunned him down and took the map crime
00:11:57
Pierre survived the attack but he was
00:11:59
never able to locate the treasure
00:12:01
without the map Jake Shapiro made
00:12:04
several attempts at finding the treasure
00:12:06
from the map as did several other
00:12:08
gangsters of the euro but none were
00:12:10
successful I think buried treasure is
00:12:14
always fascinating and certainly when
00:12:16
you add the element of the gangsters to
00:12:19
it it becomes even more of a popular
00:12:21
story because we're interested in the
00:12:24
gangsters because they represent
00:12:26
unfortunately a flamboyant side of our
00:12:29
society which all evil can be compelling
00:12:33
the bit
00:12:38
if people knew about it Schultz's as
00:12:41
close as associates they told other
00:12:43
people I would suspect strongly that had
00:12:46
been retrieved long before now I
00:12:49
personally believe the treasure of Dutch
00:12:52
Schultz was buried and there's a good
00:12:55
possibility that it still exists today
00:12:57
[Music]
00:12:59
because even though the Liberty Bonds
00:13:02
have long since matured in the last
00:13:04
sixty plus years none have ever been
00:13:06
redeemed did Dutch Schultz leave an
00:13:12
ill-gotten fortune buried along the
00:13:14
banks of Esopus Creek in upstate New
00:13:16
York those who believe say this Sunday
00:13:20
some way someone will stumble across a
00:13:22
tree scarred with an X hit the jackpot
00:13:25
[Music]
00:13:29
next classified-ad leaves two innocent
00:13:32
people into a deadly trap
00:13:42
in today's high-tech marketplace more
00:13:45
and more people are using the
00:13:46
classifieds to buy and sell computers in
00:13:49
September of 1992 a music video company
00:13:52
in Nashville ran these notices in the
00:13:54
local trade publication hoping to sell a
00:13:57
top-of-the-line computer system valued
00:13:59
at more than $30,000 at the time it
00:14:02
seemed inconceivable that the ads would
00:14:05
lead to murder okay if you got a couple
00:14:09
minutes I'd like to ask you some
00:14:11
specific questions about it because I'm
00:14:12
really interested on October 7th 1992
00:14:15
hundra man calling himself Tom Johnson
00:14:17
to answer the ads he said he was a
00:14:19
freelance computer programmer and
00:14:21
database consultant a few days later
00:14:26
Johnson met with a videotape editor
00:14:28
named Jeremy for a demonstration I'm
00:14:31
mainly concerned with a fast processor
00:14:33
the two men eventually agreed on a price
00:14:35
of $31,000 Johnson requested that the
00:14:39
computer system be delivered to his
00:14:41
office and Marietta Georgia a several
00:14:43
hundred miles from Nashville October
00:14:48
24th 1992 1:30 a.m. Jeremy and his
00:14:53
fiancee Heather often set off on a
00:14:55
five-hour trek to deliver the computer
00:14:57
to Tom Johnson I'd been working for
00:15:02
about 30 hours on another project and
00:15:05
was completely exhausted and I said well
00:15:11
I don't know if I'm gonna be able to
00:15:12
find anybody except Heather at this
00:15:14
point and I'd like to take her along
00:15:16
anyway because you know we enjoy taking
00:15:18
trips together
00:15:21
7:30 a.m. after driving all night Jeremy
00:15:25
and Heather arrived at Tom Johnson's
00:15:27
motel in Marietta originally we've been
00:15:31
set to meet in an industrial park but he
00:15:33
said that the directions to the
00:15:34
industrial park were so complex that he
00:15:36
would prefer to meet us first at his
00:15:38
motel which made perfect sense to me
00:15:40
because I spent a lot of time lost in
00:15:41
industrial parks trying to find an
00:15:44
unposted address somewhere come on in
00:15:48
Tom hi hey this might be on say heaven
00:15:52
we arrived a little early I think but he
00:15:56
said that his business partner would be
00:15:58
along shortly and he was bringing a
00:15:59
certified check I suggested that we go
00:16:05
and get breakfast if we had to wait for
00:16:07
a while because Heather and I were
00:16:08
really hungry so we left him when we
00:16:10
came back maybe half an hour later he
00:16:12
said that his business manager had
00:16:13
called and was on the way and would be
00:16:14
there shortly
00:16:20
8 a.m. Johnson suggested that Jeremy and
00:16:24
Heather load the computer into his car
00:16:26
while they waited for Johnson's partner
00:16:28
to arrive with a check we so trusted
00:16:32
this guy it didn't strike me as being
00:16:34
odd there were absolutely no clues that
00:16:38
this guy was anything but what he said
00:16:39
he was he was very good at making people
00:16:43
believe that he was legitimate think
00:16:45
about how computer technologies
00:16:47
influenced every aspect of our societies
00:16:49
the three returned to Johnson's motel
00:16:52
room and made small talk for 20 minutes
00:16:55
by an a Jeremy grew tired of waiting
00:16:58
tamo I've been up about 30 hours if you
00:17:01
knew where your president was we could
00:17:02
close this deal I think we can close
00:17:06
this deal right now
00:17:08
okay no I'm not kidding put your money
00:17:10
belt over there and get down on your
00:17:11
knees you stand up take the sheet off
00:17:14
that bed and lay it down here on the
00:17:15
floor hurry up put the sheet down here
00:17:18
lay it on the ground why are you doing
00:17:20
this tom why'd you lie
00:17:21
shut up lay down person we've been
00:17:23
talking to you before was this kind of
00:17:26
thoughtful introspective guy interested
00:17:28
in computers and then this person who
00:17:29
was pointing the gun was cold and
00:17:32
calculating and deliberate he knew
00:17:34
exactly what he wanted to do I lay down
00:17:37
in it roll yourself up in it
00:17:40
your company's gonna get an insurance
00:17:42
check and I'm gonna get the computer and
00:17:43
everybody's gonna be fine look away
00:17:46
don't lock it and so I turned my head
00:17:48
away from him and then a second later I
00:17:52
hear a sharp buzzing in my ear it's
00:17:55
almost like a siren and the whole room
00:17:57
spins because he's struck me in the back
00:18:00
of the head and I saw him raise his hand
00:18:05
up and bring it down and when he did
00:18:08
Heather screamed this horrible screaming
00:18:14
so he kept hitting her stop screaming so
00:18:19
he came back over and hit me more and
00:18:20
then went back over and hit her more and
00:18:22
then as he backed out of the room and
00:18:25
still pointing the gun at us he dusted
00:18:27
the countertop for fingerprints as he
00:18:29
walked out of the room
00:18:32
and as soon as he left I crawled over to
00:18:35
Heather and I told her that I was going
00:18:36
to get help and we were gonna be okay
00:18:37
and what I saw haunts me you know I
00:18:42
can't I can't get the picture out of my
00:18:44
head I mean that someone could so hurt
00:18:47
such a gentle person
00:18:53
Heather and Jeremy were rushed to a
00:18:55
nearby hospital two hours later
00:18:58
Heather ruffle and died of massive skull
00:19:00
injuries meanwhile the authorities
00:19:09
questioned witnesses and searched the
00:19:11
motel room for evidence among the few
00:19:13
clues that Johnson left behind was the
00:19:15
murder weapon the hammer was still
00:19:19
wrapped in plastic I still had the card
00:19:22
identifying that's wait it's a SKU
00:19:25
number but we have not been able to
00:19:28
trace exactly which tore it was
00:19:30
purchased from this is a very unusual
00:19:34
robbery in the fact that he would allow
00:19:37
himself to be seen in public in daylight
00:19:42
it's unusual that he had a handgun
00:19:46
especially a small caliber handgun
00:19:48
didn't use this handgun to kill the
00:19:51
victims police learned have yet another
00:19:56
curious circumstance that occurred
00:19:58
approximately an hour before the attack
00:20:04
an unknown woman a complained of a
00:20:07
problem in the motel room rented to Tom
00:20:09
Johnson at that time Jeremy and Heather
00:20:12
had gone out for breakfast investigators
00:20:21
now believe that the woman may have been
00:20:22
an accomplice of Johnson's who attempted
00:20:24
to sabotage the scheme when she learned
00:20:27
that he intended to murder his victim
00:20:29
this was urgent if we could locate the
00:20:32
mystery woman that entered into the
00:20:34
motel that morning maybe she could give
00:20:36
us further information or anybody at the
00:20:38
motel if they would come forward and
00:20:39
give us any further information on the
00:20:40
vehicle or this suspect called Tom
00:20:43
Johnson or if anybody has any
00:20:46
information on the computer its
00:20:48
whereabouts
00:20:51
the vehicle that Tom Johnson was driving
00:20:53
was a Dodge Dynasty black cherry color
00:20:56
with a red interior and Tennessee
00:20:58
license plates Tom Johnson is in his
00:21:02
late 20s or early 30s approximately six
00:21:05
feet tall and weighing 165 pounds yes
00:21:08
sandy brown hair and maybe wearing
00:21:10
glasses he was last seen wearing an
00:21:12
expensive pair of boots made of either
00:21:14
snake or alligator skin Tom Johnson is a
00:21:19
riddle he had a smile in a way of
00:21:23
talking to you that made you feel very
00:21:24
much it is Tom Johnson could be
00:21:27
someone's coworker
00:21:28
he could be someone's you know
00:21:31
acquaintance and they would have no clue
00:21:33
that this other side is there at all
00:21:35
until it was too late this is the same
00:21:41
computer model the man calling himself
00:21:43
Tom Johnson stole from Jeremy it is a
00:21:46
Macintosh Quadra 950 used for desktop
00:21:49
publishing a videotape editing perhaps
00:21:52
someone in our audience purchased the
00:21:54
unit from Tom Johnson at this point the
00:21:57
police have evidence a Johnson tried to
00:21:58
pull a similar scam just one week before
00:22:01
he murdered Heather ruffle Minh but for
00:22:03
some unknown reason Johnson never showed
00:22:06
up for the appointment when we returned
00:22:11
after a five-year-old girl disappears a
00:22:14
grieving mother finds herself a suspect
00:22:16
[Music]
00:22:28
on a chilly October evening a 1988 200
00:22:31
rescue workers and volunteers swarmed
00:22:34
into the tiny township of East Vincent
00:22:36
Pennsylvania at a moment's notice he had
00:22:39
put their lives on hold to launch a
00:22:41
search for one of their own a
00:22:43
five-year-old girl named Lauren Jackson
00:22:46
was missing at the time I was in shock
00:22:50
and I really didn't realize cuz I always
00:22:55
thought she's right here she'll come up
00:22:58
you know she'll come home mommy and this
00:23:02
is all for naught
00:23:05
but when daylight came she wasn't home
00:23:13
Lauren Jackson's been missing for more
00:23:15
than five years in a case like this
00:23:18
anyone and everyone becomes a suspect
00:23:21
says Lauren vanished her case has taken
00:23:23
a number of bizarre turns and when all
00:23:26
is said and done many people believe the
00:23:28
prime suspect is a member of Laurens
00:23:30
family
00:23:31
her own mother Lauren's parents Kristina
00:23:36
O'Donnell and Mickey Jackson were never
00:23:38
married they split in 1987 when Lauren
00:23:42
was four years old
00:23:45
Lauren lived with her mother but in
00:23:48
September of 1988 Christina was arrested
00:23:50
for attempting to illegally obtain
00:23:52
prescription drugs
00:23:54
soon after Mickey told Lauren he planned
00:23:57
a file for custody of her a month later
00:24:04
on October 4th 1988 Kristina took Lauren
00:24:07
and her other daughter out for dinner
00:24:09
the day had been so normal it was almost
00:24:12
mundane but within two hours Lauren
00:24:16
Jackson would be gone I remember all day
00:24:19
asking me for a cheeseburger and I
00:24:23
finally gave in and took her down got
00:24:25
her a cheeseburger and we ate and I let
00:24:28
her go out and play with Brian to dig in
00:24:31
the dirt she'd love to do that Brian was
00:24:35
a six year old boy who lived three doors
00:24:37
down from Lauren and Christina in the
00:24:39
park Springs apartment complex that was
00:24:44
si sweeping watching her
00:24:49
and I walked in and I put the room in
00:24:55
the house and cleaned up my kitchen
00:24:57
counters I went out and she was gone
00:24:59
[Music]
00:25:05
Christina says a twenty minutes had
00:25:08
elapsed she immediately went to Brian's
00:25:12
apartment
00:25:16
according to Christina no one was home
00:25:22
but I found out later that his mom had
00:25:24
went to the mall and they left Lauren
00:25:27
outside but she wasn't out there when I
00:25:31
went out when I showed up at Park
00:25:35
Springs that night and got out of card
00:25:36
it was people mobilizing and fire engine
00:25:40
trucks and just a whole lot of pretty
00:25:44
hectic yeah I was hoping for the best at
00:25:48
the time now you're kind of overwhelmed
00:25:50
by everything that's old boy who was
00:25:52
happening to you there are a lot of
00:25:55
people out here looking for Lauren but
00:25:57
the time Lauren disappeared
00:25:59
Jim Cody was east Vincennes police chief
00:26:03
at probably 250 people out going through
00:26:06
weeds and bushes combing the area
00:26:08
looking for the child rescue units from
00:26:10
the surrounding area cleared 19 ponds in
00:26:14
two days by the next morning the police
00:26:18
using bloodhounds and a professional
00:26:20
tracker uncovered evidence that Lauren
00:26:23
either wandered or been dragged towards
00:26:24
route 724 a quarter of a mile from her
00:26:27
home when an 11 year old girl came
00:26:31
forward with an eyewitness account
00:26:33
everyone's worst fears seemed to be
00:26:35
confirmed
00:26:38
[Music]
00:26:42
[Applause]
00:26:45
the girl was certain that the child she
00:26:48
saw was Lauren
00:26:49
but the investigation soon stalled for
00:26:52
lack of further evidence then a few
00:26:55
months later another witness came
00:26:57
forward with stunning new information
00:26:59
that pointed the finger of suspicion
00:27:00
directly at Lauren's mother Kristina
00:27:03
a witness told us that Lauren was not
00:27:08
kidnapped and that she saw Kristina give
00:27:12
Lauren away to a couple in the James Way
00:27:18
mall on October 4th of 1988 according to
00:27:24
the witness at around 7 p.m. she was in
00:27:26
the mall parking lot when she heard a
00:27:28
child yelling
00:27:35
the witness reported seeing a woman
00:27:37
possibly the child's mother and the
00:27:40
young girl - a couple in a parked car
00:27:43
[Music]
00:27:45
[Applause]
00:27:46
[Music]
00:27:51
the day after the witness came forward
00:27:53
Police Chief Jim Cote showed up
00:27:55
unannounced at Christina's apartment
00:27:59
from across the street the witness and
00:28:02
FBI agents were watching that's the
00:28:07
woman
00:28:09
the woman I saw she observed christina
00:28:13
and told us that she was 100% positive
00:28:17
that that was the same woman that she
00:28:20
saw give Lauren away on October 4th of
00:28:24
1988 my whole thought is she saw my
00:28:27
picture in the paper either maybe she
00:28:31
mistake me for somebody else maybe she
00:28:35
just is one of those kind of people that
00:28:37
like to go to the police or the FBI
00:28:39
there are people like that why I don't
00:28:42
know Christina O'Donnell's dog she
00:28:45
maintains that she had nothing to do
00:28:47
with her daughter's disappearance and
00:28:48
points to a major discrepancy in the
00:28:51
witness's story the witness placed
00:28:55
Lauren and Christina in the parking lot
00:28:57
a 7 p.m.
00:28:58
however residents at Christina's
00:29:01
apartment complex clearly recall seeing
00:29:03
Lauren playing in her front yard as late
00:29:05
as 7:15 I don't doubt that she may have
00:29:09
seen her a child and a mother in the
00:29:12
mall the current East Vincent Police
00:29:15
Chief Bill demske believes the witness
00:29:17
was mistaken she's quite sure at a time
00:29:19
she was there there's other people that
00:29:23
live in the complex where Lauren
00:29:24
disappeared from that are quite sure at
00:29:26
at times that Lauren was still in the
00:29:28
complex Miki Jackson is convinced that
00:29:32
christina was involved I'd bet my life
00:29:36
on it
00:29:36
that she did it and I feel certain that
00:29:41
it's because two two reasons tied
00:29:45
together the number one displayed
00:29:46
Million number two she's just
00:29:47
overwhelmed with responsibility raising
00:29:49
a child everyone was a suspect in a
00:29:51
beginning Miki Jackson was a suspect he
00:29:54
can probably relate the phone
00:29:55
conversation I had with him at the night
00:29:56
of the disappearance she wasn't too
00:29:58
happy with that it took offense at being
00:30:01
an initial suspect there are other
00:30:04
suspects along the route of that long
00:30:06
and tedious investigatory process and
00:30:10
you work through them christine
00:30:12
o'donnell given a scenario would be a
00:30:16
suspect ultimately a grand jury in East
00:30:20
Vinson was
00:30:21
to consider whether christina o'donnell
00:30:23
should be charged in connection with the
00:30:25
disappearance of her daughter after four
00:30:28
months the grand jury declined to take
00:30:30
action today there is only one absolute
00:30:33
fact in this troubling case Lauren
00:30:36
Jackson has not been seen since the day
00:30:38
she disappeared more than five years ago
00:30:42
and there's got to be there's got to be
00:30:44
a trail somewhere since then we were so
00:30:49
far behind it that we're here and it's
00:30:53
trails there you know we need we need
00:30:54
somebody to put us on the trail a lot of
00:30:57
times I gave up hope but there's always
00:31:00
just that glimmer that I see you
00:31:08
[Music]
00:31:20
next authorities and Dallas Texas need
00:31:23
your help
00:31:24
to solve a brutal double murder just a
00:31:36
few days before Christmas in 1981 the
00:31:39
Dallas County Texas Sheriff's Department
00:31:41
was preparing for their annual holiday
00:31:42
lunch it was a Wednesday December 23rd a
00:31:50
day that no one in the department will
00:31:52
ever forget at about 11:45 a.m. officer
00:31:58
Roy Baird was still on duty patrolling
00:32:00
an area ten miles outside Dallas
00:32:02
his attention was drawn to a car parked
00:32:05
on the wrong side of a dirt road with
00:32:07
one door hanging open this vehicle were
00:32:13
to be suspicious to me and I decided to
00:32:16
check it out and upon checking good I
00:32:19
found that the car was still wrong on
00:32:23
the back seat was a pile of brightly
00:32:25
wrapped Christmas gifts on the front
00:32:27
seat a blue sports bag a pair of women's
00:32:30
gloves and a purse with the instinct
00:32:33
born of 15 years experience officer
00:32:36
Baird quickly concluded that someone was
00:32:38
in dire trouble I felt that there was
00:32:44
possibly a ripe going on or that a
00:32:47
female had been raped
00:32:49
I then called for cover and made my
00:32:57
entrance into the field on the north
00:32:59
side of the road
00:33:04
very slowly and cautiously made my way
00:33:07
towards a tree line that was to the
00:33:10
northeast observed a small boy that
00:33:17
appeared to be crumpled to the ground
00:33:19
and lying next to him was a white female
00:33:23
that was covered with a blanket I
00:33:26
touched him and his body was still warm
00:33:28
I felt at that time that whoever did
00:33:33
this was possibly still in the area
00:33:38
and I could not believe that someone had
00:33:43
shot this little boy that's close to
00:33:45
Christmas
00:33:53
the same day the victims were identified
00:33:56
as 30 year old Roxann Jeeves and her
00:33:59
five year old son Christopher
00:34:01
[Music]
00:34:03
more than 12 years of paths as a brutal
00:34:06
double murder but it still grips the
00:34:08
investigating officers and so it
00:34:10
happened yesterday
00:34:11
for them the case is far from over they
00:34:14
hope that tonight one of our viewers
00:34:16
will provide the critical information
00:34:18
necessary to solve this troubling
00:34:20
mystery
00:34:24
Roxann geez it moves to Dallas after a
00:34:27
divorce she worked for an insurance
00:34:29
company and enjoyed country-western
00:34:31
dancing Roxanne was engaged to be
00:34:34
remarried in June of 1982 friends
00:34:39
describe Roxanne's son Christopher as
00:34:41
happy and outgoing he had turned five
00:34:43
years old on Wednesday December 23rd
00:34:46
1981 the very day he was murdered
00:34:52
that morning Roxann and Kristopher plan
00:34:55
to embark on a special Christmas trip to
00:34:57
visit relatives in Kansas concerned that
00:35:02
her car might break down on the long
00:35:04
journey
00:35:04
Roxanne told neighbors she planned to
00:35:06
take along her toolbox about one hour
00:35:11
before the murders a man authorities
00:35:13
believe was the killer was seen by a
00:35:15
neighbor outside Roxanne's apartment
00:35:17
complex it was a first of many
00:35:20
eyewitness reports that enabled
00:35:22
investigators to piece together the
00:35:24
supporting crime we located a neighbor
00:35:31
of Roxanne's who left about the time
00:35:34
that Christopher came out the door with
00:35:36
the red toolbox matter-of-fact she spoke
00:35:38
to Christopher in the process of going
00:35:41
to her car she saw the man carrying a
00:35:45
toolbox in one hand and Christopher by
00:35:48
the hand as they went around the corner
00:35:51
where she believed Roxanne's car was
00:35:53
parked
00:35:57
she said they looked rough they looked
00:36:00
nervous
00:36:01
she described them as not fitting in the
00:36:07
complex 30 minutes later at about 11
00:36:12
a.m. the suspect was seen again this
00:36:15
time is with Roxann and Kristopher in
00:36:17
their car the man's female companion was
00:36:20
no longer with him he was acting kinda
00:36:25
nervous he had his hands down between
00:36:27
his legs he never looked up at me he
00:36:30
never said anything he just stared at
00:36:33
the pro board you could tell that she
00:36:37
was nervous I'm proud licked her she
00:36:39
looked me right in the eyes and you
00:36:40
could tell then she was nervous that
00:36:42
something was wrong our little boy was
00:36:47
in the back seat and I thought well he
00:36:49
act like everything's alright I told one
00:36:57
of my fellow employees I said it's gonna
00:36:58
be something if something happens that
00:37:00
warm Associated awful strange sometime
00:37:05
during the next half hour
00:37:07
Roxann and Kristopher were murdered
00:37:11
I'm afraid that she she saw her son
00:37:15
killed and then she and the killer had
00:37:19
quite a struggle before she was
00:37:21
initially shot twice herself the bodies
00:37:26
were still warm when officer Baird found
00:37:28
them at 11:45 he immediately called
00:37:32
backup units to the scene at the very
00:37:37
moment support officers were arriving
00:37:38
the suspect was seen fleeing the area a
00:37:43
total of eight eyewitnesses saw the
00:37:45
alleged killer either running or
00:37:47
hitchhiking away from the scene
00:37:51
meanwhile less than a mile away
00:37:53
investigators were gathering evidence
00:37:55
that may someday convict him in making
00:38:01
his quick getaway the suspect had
00:38:03
inadvertently left behind a blue sports
00:38:05
pack literally a bag of clues a
00:38:10
pre-world War two holster possibly a
00:38:13
collector's item a set of burglary tools
00:38:18
a toboggan hat and finally a bottle of
00:38:24
formaldehyde it would be the first hint
00:38:26
that the case was linked in some way to
00:38:28
drugs it was popular among heavy drug
00:38:35
users in to lace a marijuana cigarette
00:38:38
with formaldehyde locally here they
00:38:41
called it a Sherman stick investigators
00:38:46
were still at the murder scene on the
00:38:48
suspect burst into a gas station just
00:38:50
five miles away demanding to use the
00:38:52
phone use that phone right there
00:39:00
come on lady I can't let you use that
00:39:02
phone sir you want to make a call you
00:39:04
can use that payphone
00:39:05
right out there on the corner it's right
00:39:10
out there sir
00:39:10
[Music]
00:39:15
he was there at the gas station for 15
00:39:19
to 20 minutes
00:39:21
she said that he used the telephone
00:39:27
the last time she saw him he wandered
00:39:30
off towards interstate 635
00:39:36
the suspect was seen one final time this
00:39:39
sighting led authorities to believe that
00:39:41
he may have had an accomplice now seen
00:39:45
this man run down the hill from service
00:39:49
station and I thought he might have been
00:39:51
a robbery because it was a car on side
00:39:56
roads slowing down stopping to pick him
00:39:59
up
00:39:59
[Music]
00:40:03
Roy Morris described the getaway car as
00:40:06
a green 1955 Buick the driver was a
00:40:09
heavyset black man in the wake of the
00:40:15
murder anonymous tips flooded police
00:40:17
hotlines several callers made the same
00:40:20
suggestion talked to Roxanne's brother
00:40:22
Army Private Curt Jeeves investigators
00:40:28
learned that before joining the service
00:40:30
in August of 1981 Curtis stayed with
00:40:33
Roxann and Kristopher in their Dallas
00:40:35
apartment when Kurt moved out to go to
00:40:42
the army people have told us that
00:40:44
Roxanne was relieved we know that he was
00:40:48
dealing in marijuana and at some point
00:40:51
in time he had a disagreement with these
00:40:55
folks over some of their transactions
00:40:58
with regard to this marijuana according
00:41:03
to Roxanne's friends late one night a
00:41:06
man showed up unexpectedly at her
00:41:07
apartment here what do you mean he's not
00:41:10
here
00:41:11
police believe that when Curt left to
00:41:13
join the army his former associates were
00:41:15
still angry Roxanne may have found
00:41:18
herself trapped in the middle of a
00:41:20
bitter drug-related disputant Curt owe
00:41:23
me some money and I'm gonna find him and
00:41:26
I will find him
00:41:31
two years later in 1984 Kurt Gees was
00:41:34
himself murdered during an attempted
00:41:36
drug Buy he had always angrily insisted
00:41:39
that he had no information that might
00:41:41
shed light on the deaths of his sister
00:41:43
and nephew this case occurred at
00:41:48
Christmas time and I'm sure that myself
00:41:51
and all the other detectives will never
00:41:53
forget what we saw out there that day
00:41:55
whomever committed that offense doesn't
00:41:58
need to be free in our society and I
00:42:02
don't intend to ever give up trying to
00:42:04
find that person
00:42:06
[Music]
00:42:14
[Music]
00:42:22
[Music]
00:42:30
[Music]
00:42:40
but our next unsolved mysteries two
00:42:43
stories of death defined by overpowering
00:42:45
love in one a mother's pain over the
00:42:48
loss of her child was eased when she was
00:42:50
contacted by what she believes was a
00:42:52
spirit of her daughter and a woman
00:42:55
raising two young sons after the death
00:42:57
of her husband says she found solace
00:42:58
when he appeared to her some say these
00:43:01
after death visits are pure
00:43:03
hallucination others claim they are all
00:43:05
too real
00:43:07
also a case of utmost urgency a serial
00:43:11
killer is stalking and murdering young
00:43:13
women in the Midwest perhaps you can
00:43:16
help catch the i-70 killer join me next
00:43:20
time perhaps you may be able to help
00:43:23
solve a mystery
00:43:28
[Music]
00:43:51
[Applause]
00:43:54
[Music]
