00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next, on
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:08
17-year-old Tami
Lynn Leppert tells
00:00:11
her family that someone
is going to kill her
00:00:14
and then she vanishes.
00:00:18
DNA evidence points to the same
suspect in two murder cases,
00:00:23
but who is he?
00:00:25
Hundreds of credible people
have experienced odd memory
00:00:29
lapses called missing time.
00:00:32
Some believe they were
abducted by aliens.
00:00:37
And Laura Law says that her
boyfriend Mike just packed
00:00:41
his bags and left one bag.
00:00:43
But then why was his dead body
found in Laura's tool shed?
00:00:51
Some hot cases, some cold
cases, and some cases
00:00:54
that will even shock you.
00:00:56
I'm Dennis Farina and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:01:00
[theme music]
00:01:37
Orlando, Florida.
00:01:50
The winner of this
beauty pageant
00:01:52
will be Tami Lynn Leppert.
00:01:55
At the age of 16,
Tami had already
00:01:58
competed in more than 300 beauty
contests and won 280 times.
00:02:11
She was very loving, kind.
00:02:13
She was always smiling.
00:02:15
As young as I can remember, she
woke up with a great big smile,
00:02:18
and the last thing I saw
before she went to sleep
00:02:19
was a big smile.
00:02:23
DENNIS FARINA: Tami was
just four years old when
00:02:26
she entered her first pageant.
00:02:29
Her mother, a theatrical
and modeling agent,
00:02:32
guided her career.
00:02:33
I was constantly
busy running her
00:02:36
around to where she had to
go and what she had to do,
00:02:38
and I enjoyed it.
00:02:40
I enjoyed watching her excel.
00:02:42
She always went for
the best that she could
00:02:45
go for, the highest level.
00:02:49
Wing Flannagan, who was
13 years old at the time,
00:02:52
was a close family friend.
00:02:56
He and Tami were like
brother and sister.
00:03:01
She would kiss me on the
cheek and I couldn't quite ever
00:03:04
get it completely off.
00:03:07
It was rather embarrassing to
walk around with this mark,
00:03:11
but I think actually
I learned to wear it
00:03:13
proudly after a
while, because it was
00:03:15
almost a status symbol, Tami.
00:03:20
DENNIS FARINA: Tami landed the
part in the teen exploitation
00:03:22
film "Spring Break."
00:03:24
When it was done filming,
she went on her own
00:03:27
to a weekend party.
00:03:31
She came back a
different person.
00:03:35
Soon, Tami's behavior began
to take on paranoid overtones.
00:03:39
I'm not here.
00:03:40
Don't tell anybody I'm here.
00:03:41
- Why?
- Just do it.
00:03:43
All right.
00:03:46
Hello?
00:03:47
MALE VOICE (ON PHONE):
Hi, is Tami Lynn there?
00:03:49
No, she's not here right now.
00:03:51
Sometimes I'd ask her
what was on her mind,
00:03:53
if anything was bothering
here and she'd usually change
00:03:56
the subject or she'd
say, oh, nothing,
00:04:00
and then try to laugh it off.
00:04:02
Tami, what's the problem?
00:04:04
I saw something awful.
00:04:06
What?
00:04:07
Something really bad.
00:04:08
She said that she saw
something so horrible
00:04:11
that she couldn't talk about it.
00:04:12
Sweetheart, talk to me.
00:04:13
And she said, Mom, what
would you say if I told you
00:04:19
somebody was trying to kill me?
00:04:22
I just took a deep breath and
I said, do you think somebody
00:04:25
is trying to kill you, Tami?
00:04:27
She said, yes.
00:04:28
Tami.
00:04:29
I can't tell anybody.
00:04:30
I-- I can't-- I
can't tell anybody.
00:04:31
What do you mean you
can't tell anybody?
00:04:32
You can tell me.
00:04:33
I kept trying to
find out who they were
00:04:35
Tami, talk to me.
00:04:36
She never would tell me.
00:04:37
Tami?
00:04:40
DENNIS FARINA: Tami also
kept more to herself.
00:04:43
Her mother and Wing
couldn't figure out
00:04:45
whether her fears were
real or paranoid delusions.
00:04:49
Taste this.
00:04:51
Why?
00:04:52
Just do it.
00:04:54
DENNIS FARINA: Once she
said, look across the street.
00:04:56
Tell me what you see.
00:04:57
I said, well, the
neighbors got a new van.
00:04:59
And she said, exactly.
00:05:02
And, you know, I
was-- I didn't know
00:05:05
quite what she was getting at.
00:05:07
And she said the van
has mirrored windows.
00:05:10
that means that they can see
us but we can't see them.
00:05:16
DENNIS FARINA: After spending
two weeks in seclusion,
00:05:19
Tami accepted an
offer for a small part
00:05:22
in a big budget Al
Pacino film, "Scarface,"
00:05:25
which was shooting in Miami.
00:05:27
There, she stayed with a family
friend, Walter Liebowitz.
00:05:31
She seemed fine until the
fourth day of filming.
00:05:36
I received a call from
the casting director
00:05:39
to tell me that Tami had
a breakdown on the set.
00:05:45
They said that there was
a scene where someone
00:05:48
was supposed to be shot and they
had artificial blood spurt out.
00:05:51
And they said when Tami
was watching the scene,
00:05:54
she started crying hysterically
and it got so bad that they
00:05:57
had to take her to a trailer.
00:06:00
Tami, what's happened?
00:06:02
They're going to kill me.
00:06:03
Who's going to kill you?
00:06:04
They're going to kill me.
00:06:05
She was in a tremendous
state of fear, anxiety.
00:06:09
Who is going to hurt you?
00:06:10
Who's trying to hurt you?
00:06:11
They're going to
blow my head off.
00:06:13
WALTER LIEBOWITZ:
Hysterically crying,
00:06:14
saying something about
money laundering,
00:06:17
I don't know where to hide,
things of that nature.
00:06:23
What it was that caused
this great fear in her,
00:06:27
I don't know.
00:06:28
When I spoke with
Tami's mother, I
00:06:30
told her that she should
take Tami to a doctor
00:06:33
and also take her to the police
to find out if the problem was
00:06:36
psychological or if there
was some basis in fact
00:06:39
that someone was actually
trying to kill her
00:06:41
and get to the bottom of it.
00:06:44
DENNIS FARINA: Tami quit
the film and went back home.
00:06:47
Her mother insisted that she
talk to the local Sheriff
00:06:50
about her fears.
00:06:51
But Tami apparently never
mentioned to the Sheriff
00:06:55
that she felt that her
life was in danger.
00:07:00
There were good days
and there were bad days.
00:07:02
There were days when she
was almost normal, almost.
00:07:05
And there were other days
when she was real edgy.
00:07:10
DENNIS FARINA: And then one
day, Tami finally snapped.
00:07:19
Let me in!
00:07:21
Let me in this house!
00:07:32
What are you doing?
00:07:34
Stop!
00:07:36
You locked me out.
00:07:37
Why did you lock me out?
00:07:38
You locked me out!
00:07:41
There was this completely
crazy look in her eyes.
00:07:43
She wasn't her.
00:07:45
I don't think she
really knew who I was.
00:07:50
I knew then, right then,
that I handled that incident,
00:07:54
but I didn't know
if I was going to be
00:07:56
able to handle the next one.
00:07:59
DENNIS FARINA: Tami's
mother checked her
00:08:00
into a mental health center
for a complete physical
00:08:03
and psychiatric evaluation.
00:08:06
Doctors found no evidence
of drug or alcohol use.
00:08:10
After 72 hours of observation,
Tami was released.
00:08:17
LINDA CURTIS: That next
day, everything seemed
00:08:19
to be extraordinarily normal.
00:08:26
Mom, I'll be back
in a little bit.
00:08:29
Bye.
00:08:35
I suddenly got
frightened, real frightened,
00:08:38
and I went to the
door and opened it,
00:08:40
and I just knew right
then it was the last time
00:08:43
I as going to see her.
00:08:45
JIM SKRAGG: This friend
picked her up at her home
00:08:47
and they drove to the beach.
00:08:48
And we talked to
him and he basically
00:08:51
stated that they'd become
involved in a verbal argument.
00:08:55
What do you want me to do?
00:08:57
I just want you to shut up!
00:09:00
JIM SKRAGG: She had
requested that he
00:09:02
let her out near the Glass Bank
in Cocoa Beach and he complied.
00:09:07
As far as we know, that was the
last person to see Tami alive.
00:09:11
She disappeared without a trace.
00:09:17
We talked to some of
her close friends.
00:09:19
They felt strongly that Tami
was having problems at home
00:09:25
and that she had left home.
00:09:28
There's no conceivable way I
would believe it because first
00:09:31
of all, she was
getting ready to go
00:09:32
to California for three months.
00:09:34
That's as far away from me as
she could get, from Cocoa Beach
00:09:36
to California, and she was
really excited about going.
00:09:40
What reason would she
have for running away?
00:09:43
No clothes-- if
somebody runs away,
00:09:45
they'd take their clothes.
00:09:46
They'd take their money.
00:09:48
They'd take their
personal possessions.
00:09:53
Tami knew something
she shouldn't
00:09:54
have about someone that
she was very frightened of.
00:10:01
Sometimes, I feel if I had
asked her rather than told
00:10:06
her that it was in
her imagination,
00:10:08
maybe she would still be here.
00:10:11
DENNIS FARINA: This interview
was taped during Tami's
00:10:14
final beauty pageant.
00:10:16
Sometimes things that
seem like the best aren't
00:10:22
the best and things that don't
seem so good are the best,
00:10:30
but I'll do my best,
no matter what.
00:10:35
DENNIS FARINA: Tami Lynn
Leppert is 5 feet, 4 inches tall
00:10:38
and at the time of
her disappearance
00:10:40
weighed 103 pounds.
00:10:43
She has blonde hair
and hazel eyes.
00:10:46
If you have any information
about the disappearance
00:10:50
of Tami Lynn Leppert,
please log onto our website
00:10:53
at unsolved.com.
00:10:59
Coming up, two crimes
of rape and murder.
00:11:03
Both victims wore red shoes.
00:11:06
Is there any connection?
00:11:18
Fairfax County, Virginia.
00:11:23
A worker surveying an
out-of-the-way wooded area
00:11:28
makes a gruesome discovery.
00:11:30
The partially clothed body of a
young woman lies in a clearing.
00:11:35
She has been shot and
sexually assaulted.
00:11:39
Her jeans, purse, and red
shoes are piled neatly nearby.
00:11:46
Once the police
arrived on the scene,
00:11:49
they began cordoning
off the area.
00:11:53
As they were stretching
the crime scene tape
00:11:54
and walking the area, they
discovered a second body
00:11:57
nearby.
00:12:00
DENNIS FARINA: The young
man had been shot once
00:12:02
in the head, execution style.
00:12:07
The victims were 22-year-old
Rachael Raver and her boyfriend
00:12:10
Warren Fulton.
00:12:12
Their murders would
remain unsolved
00:12:13
for more than a decade.
00:12:15
However, advances
in forensic science
00:12:18
would produce a major
break in the case.
00:12:22
Warren Fulton was the captain
of his university baseball team
00:12:26
and hoped to one day play
in the major leagues.
00:12:29
Rachael Raver was a well-liked
recent graduate who was
00:12:32
planning to go to law school.
00:12:34
They had been dating
for several months.
00:12:39
The night they were
killed, Rachel and Warren
00:12:41
met friends for drinks
at a Washington, DC bar.
00:12:45
They were last seen walking to
their car at around 12:30 AM.
00:12:51
It's my belief
that they probably
00:12:53
encountered someone near their
car or on their way to the car.
00:12:57
Just tell us where
you want us to get out.
00:12:59
Can't we just
give them the car?
00:13:00
DENNIS FARINA: Investigators
believe that Rachael and Warren
00:13:03
were probably
abducted at gunpoint
00:13:05
and forced to drive
from Washington
00:13:08
into the Virginia suburbs.
00:13:13
Once they got to
the wooded area,
00:13:15
the gunmen apparently
wasted no time.
00:13:20
ROBERT MURPHY: Warren was
probably killed as soon
00:13:22
as they got into the woods.
00:13:25
She would have seen that.
00:13:26
We think probably at
that point, she ran.
00:13:34
DENNIS FARINA: After
mortally wounding Rachael,
00:13:37
the killer sexually
assaulted her.
00:13:41
Police believe he then fled
in Rachael's car, unaware
00:13:44
that he had left behind
clues to his identity.
00:13:48
Semen recovered from Rachael's
body contained his DNA.
00:13:54
I didn't feel anger for
several months, an then
00:13:57
one day I got up and I got mad.
00:14:01
And my attitude was who the
hell does he think he is?
00:14:04
And that's when I started
healing and looking for him.
00:14:09
DENNIS FARINA: Rachael's
mother and sister went
00:14:11
over every detail of the case.
00:14:14
They became convinced that
finding Rachael's missing car
00:14:17
was the key to tracking
down the killer.
00:14:20
Even though she lived
in New York City,
00:14:22
Rachael's mother Veronica
spent all her free time
00:14:26
driving the streets and
highways around Washington,
00:14:29
DC looking for the car.
00:14:32
I would stop at those
wayside rest areas
00:14:36
all the way down to DC, all
the way back on the other side
00:14:40
of the highway.
00:14:41
I was obsessed.
00:14:44
DENNIS FARINA: Just
as Veronica was
00:14:45
losing hope of ever finding the
car, there was a major break.
00:14:50
I came home from work and I
took the mail from the motor
00:14:54
vehicle for tickets and when I
opened it up, I thought, whoa.
00:15:02
DENNIS FARINA: Rachael's
missing Toyota sedan
00:15:05
had been ticketed
for illegal parking
00:15:07
on a street in Queens, New York.
00:15:09
The date on the
ticket was the day
00:15:12
after the murders and two
days before the bodies
00:15:16
were discovered.
00:15:18
ROBERT MURPHY: The car
was sitting unattended
00:15:20
on a New York City
street, so you can
00:15:22
imagine what happened to it.
00:15:24
By the time it was recovered,
there wasn't much left on it.
00:15:28
The car was taken to a
garage in New York City where
00:15:31
it was processed extensively.
00:15:33
And a number of latent
fingerprints were developed,
00:15:37
and we weren't able
to identify anyone.
00:15:39
So basically, we came away
with no clues from the car.
00:15:47
DENNIS FARINA: And then almost
a full year after the murders,
00:15:50
Veronica was watching
our program when
00:15:53
a story caught her attention.
00:15:55
A young woman had been found
murdered in an Arlington,
00:15:58
Virginia schoolyard.
00:16:00
She had been sexually
assaulted and shot
00:16:02
once at point blank range.
00:16:05
The victim was 24-year-old
Veronica Jefferson who lived
00:16:09
in the Washington, DC area.
00:16:12
One good suspect admitted
that he had seen her the day
00:16:15
that she was killed, and he
was able to describe her,
00:16:18
all the way down
to her red shoes.
00:16:23
The date was also Rachael's
birthday that got my attention.
00:16:28
It's something about it.
00:16:29
I called up my daughter DeeDee
and asked her to check on this.
00:16:34
Something about it bothered me.
00:16:37
When I spoke to the
detective about it,
00:16:39
he told me that he had
looked into the case,
00:16:41
too, because it
bothered him a lot.
00:16:44
But the case was so
different and her killer
00:16:46
seemed to know her.
00:16:47
And we assumed that in Rachael's
case, that it was a stranger.
00:16:53
DENNIS FARINA: The cases
seemed very different.
00:16:56
Rachael was white and
Veronica was African-American.
00:16:59
Rachael had been
with her boyfriend
00:17:01
and Veronica was alone.
00:17:03
And while investigators thought
Veronica knew her killer,
00:17:06
they suspected that the
attack on Rachael and Warren
00:17:09
had been random.
00:17:13
Years passed and the murders of
Rachael Raver and Warren Fulton
00:17:17
remained unsolved.
00:17:20
The break happened at
Virginia State's DNA lab.
00:17:24
A technician was running
routine comparisons
00:17:27
on DNA samples submitted by
law enforcement agencies.
00:17:33
I received a phone call
from the serologist at our lab
00:17:35
and she says, I've got good
news and I've got bad news.
00:17:38
The good news is we
got a hit on your case
00:17:41
in the Virginia data bank.
00:17:43
The bad news is, the hit is
on another unsolved homicide.
00:17:49
DENNIS FARINA: That other
homicide was the murder
00:17:51
of Veronica Jefferson.
00:17:54
There was now scientific
proof Rachael,
00:17:57
Warren, and Veronica were all
killed by the same person.
00:18:02
Investigators had confirmation
that a serial killer
00:18:06
was on the loose.
00:18:07
My husband got a phone
call from the detectives
00:18:10
and they told him that
they had a cold DNA hit
00:18:14
and it matched another case
that was several months
00:18:18
after our daughter,
and it was the Fulton
00:18:21
and the Raver's case.
00:18:23
And shortly afterwards, Deirdre
Raver get in touch with us.
00:18:28
When I met the
Jeffersons, it was as
00:18:30
if I had known them for years.
00:18:32
For the last 12
years, we've been
00:18:33
grieving on the very same day.
00:18:36
Once we make the DNA
link between these murders
00:18:39
and then we can go
back and we can closer
00:18:42
examine these murders, we start
to see some small similarities.
00:18:47
The red shoes are fascinating.
00:18:49
I think it's probably
more than coincidental
00:18:51
though, that they were
both wearing red shoes.
00:18:56
In the Arlington County case,
they have a composite drawing
00:18:59
of a suspect.
00:19:02
They have a face
to go with the DNA
00:19:04
and we never had that before.
00:19:07
I I won't rest
until he's found.
00:19:10
I really won't have any
peace until he's found.
00:19:13
He's an evil predator, an
evil, perverted predator.
00:19:19
He's dangerous.
00:19:20
I'd like for him to go
through the pain and the hurt
00:19:25
that I have gone
through for 13 years.
00:19:29
I would like to see
him face-to-face.
00:19:34
DENNIS FARINA: Update-- an
inmate on California's death
00:19:39
row has now been
charged with the murders
00:19:42
of Rachael Raver, Warren
Fulton, and Veronica Jefferson.
00:19:48
Alfredo Rolando Prieto
was not yet in prison
00:19:52
at the time they were gunned
down, and DNA taken from Prieto
00:19:56
matched samples recovered
from the crime scenes.
00:20:00
A jury convicted Prieto
of two murder counts
00:20:04
for the slaying of Rachael
Raver and Warren Fulton.
00:20:07
The judge then upheld
the jury's recommendation
00:20:10
that Alfredo Prieto be
executed for his crimes.
00:20:19
Coming up-- after her
boyfriend disappears,
00:20:23
Laura Law doesn't
want anyone looking
00:20:25
in the shed on her property.
00:20:28
What could she be hiding?
00:20:40
Arkdale, Wisconsin.
00:20:45
Laura Law and her
boyfriend Mike Tlusty
00:20:48
were together for 11 years.
00:20:52
Their close friends, Denise
Piccioni and her husband,
00:20:56
were often guests in their home.
00:20:58
Denise was Laura's best friend.
00:21:00
She was also Mike's cousin.
00:21:03
Laura was good to Mike.
00:21:05
I saw Mike very happy.
00:21:07
I never saw them argue
or fight, and they
00:21:10
were a lot of fun to be with.
00:21:11
Where is it?
00:21:12
Calm down.
00:21:13
Where is the money, huh?
00:21:14
We're almost broke.
00:21:15
DENNIS FARINA: But one
night, Laura and Mike
00:21:17
did argue when he found Laura
at a nearby casino, gambling
00:21:21
with Denise.
00:21:23
She was just trembling.
00:21:24
She was shaking.
00:21:25
And I said, well, what's wrong?
00:21:26
And she said, I don't know.
00:21:28
He's depressed.
00:21:28
Something's wrong with him.
00:21:30
We gotta go.
00:21:33
Yeah, tomorrow.
00:21:34
I'll call you tomorrow.
00:21:38
After that night, Mike
Tlusty was never seen again.
00:21:43
Mike's family and friends admit
that his behavior in the casino
00:21:47
may have been a bit unusual,
but to completely avoid contact
00:21:51
with them didn't make sense.
00:21:54
The only person
who claimed to know
00:21:55
were Mike went was his
longtime girlfriend, Laura Law,
00:22:00
but she, too, would disappear.
00:22:02
Please don't go.
00:22:04
DENNIS FARINA: Laura
said that when they
00:22:06
returned from the casino, Mike
packed some clothes and $73,000
00:22:10
in cash.
00:22:12
She said that it came from the
graphics business they owned.
00:22:15
He then left on
foot from their home
00:22:17
in the middle of the night.
00:22:20
I said, that's so strange.
00:22:22
He left on foot?
00:22:23
And she said, yeah.
00:22:24
This doesn't make any sense.
00:22:26
And she said, well, I think
he had a trucker pick him up.
00:22:29
He's my cousin.
00:22:30
He's like the sweetest
guy in the world.
00:22:31
Why would he just disappear?
00:22:33
That's what I want to know.
00:22:34
I thought she was lying,
but I thought she was trying
00:22:38
to cover her embarrassment.
00:22:39
Maybe he said I'm leaving
you for another woman.
00:22:44
And then two weeks after Mike
disappeared, she called me up
00:22:46
and she goes, well, he just
called, and he's out west.
00:22:51
And I said, well,
when's he coming home?
00:22:53
And she goes, well, I asked him,
are you ready to come home yet?
00:22:55
And he said no.
00:22:57
DENNIS FARINA: Four
months passed and there
00:22:58
was still no sign of Mike.
00:23:01
Because Mike and Laura
ran their own business,
00:23:04
few people even knew
that he was gone.
00:23:07
But by midsummer,
Denise insisted
00:23:10
Laura talk to Mike's parents.
00:23:12
Laura had still not
told them about Mike's
00:23:15
strange disappearance.
00:23:17
I'm going to tell them
that he's on an extended
00:23:19
fishing trip in Winnipeg.
00:23:23
What?
00:23:24
And I said this is
going on too long.
00:23:26
If this was my son, I would
be furious if somebody didn't
00:23:28
tell me that he's been missing.
00:23:29
I don't want to worry them.
00:23:30
I don't care.
00:23:31
You've got to tell
them, all right?
00:23:35
Oh, all right, OK.
00:23:37
I'll tell them the truth.
00:23:38
DENNIS FARINA: To
Denise's surprise,
00:23:40
Laura lied to Mike's
mother anyway.
00:23:43
She told her that Mike
had gone to Canada.
00:23:47
It was so bizarre.
00:23:49
It scared me that she would
be so underhanded to plot
00:23:54
and say this is what
we're going to say.
00:23:58
DENNIS FARINA: Now
suspicious, Denise
00:24:00
began to remember
other times when
00:24:02
Laura's behavior seemed odd.
00:24:05
I'm going to come
today, get my snowmobiles.
00:24:06
OK?
00:24:08
Well, sure, but I
don't have the keys.
00:24:12
DENNIS FARINA:
Denise's snowmobiles
00:24:13
were stored in a locked shed in
Michael and Laura's backyard.
00:24:16
But Laura Law seemed
determined to prevent
00:24:19
anyone from going in that shed.
00:24:21
I don't know what's
going on with you,
00:24:22
but for the past three
weeks, every time
00:24:24
I call about the snowmobiles,
you have some other reason
00:24:27
why I can't come get them.
00:24:28
I said, Laura, if you don't
have the snowmobiles out
00:24:30
of that shed, I'm
coming with a locksmith
00:24:33
and I'll replace the
locks and pay for it
00:24:35
and give you new
keys and new locks.
00:24:36
I said, but I need
my snowmobiles.
00:24:39
I'm telling you something.
00:24:40
If that shed isn't open,
I'm going to break it open.
00:24:42
Denise!
00:24:43
DENNIS FARINA: Law had removed
the snowmobiles by herself
00:24:45
and still wouldn't let
anyone into the shed.
00:24:48
The thought now
crossed Denise's mind
00:24:51
that a clue to
Mike's disappearance
00:24:53
might be hidden in there.
00:24:56
It was the straw that
broke the camel's back.
00:24:59
I called Mike's brother and I
said, Mark, we have to talk.
00:25:03
I said, something's wrong.
00:25:05
Something's terrible wrong.
00:25:07
DENNIS FARINA: Mike's
brother immediately
00:25:09
filed a missing persons report
with the local authorities.
00:25:13
Because of the way the
stories weren't jiving
00:25:16
and things didn't add up
and no one's heard from him,
00:25:19
I didn't hesitate at all.
00:25:22
And he left everything, and that
also made me very suspicious
00:25:26
that something happened to him.
00:25:32
Laura seemed to
be very cooperative
00:25:34
the day that we were there.
00:25:35
She also invited me to
look around on the property
00:25:38
if I desired.
00:25:39
What do you normally
keep in the shed?
00:25:42
GARY SILKA: Laura threw a
roadblock in front of me
00:25:45
when I asked to go
into that building.
00:25:47
Can we take a look?
00:25:49
Well, actually, I
cleared all of that stuff
00:25:51
out a couple months ago
so that I could rent it.
00:25:54
Do you have a key?
00:25:55
Oh, no, the man I
rented it to has the key.
00:25:59
DENNIS FARINA: Laura said
that she would arrange
00:26:00
for her renter to open
the shed, but shortly
00:26:05
after the investigators
left, Laura disappeared.
00:26:10
It was several months before
authorities were granted
00:26:13
a warrant to search the shed.
00:26:19
The minute that
we stepped inside,
00:26:22
I could smell the
strong, pungent
00:26:23
odor of what I
believed to be that
00:26:25
of a decomposing human body.
00:26:28
DENNIS FARINA: Under
several pieces of wood
00:26:30
and covered in a blanket
and plastic wrapping
00:26:33
was Mike's decomposed body.
00:26:35
He had been dead for
nine to 10 months.
00:26:40
The autopsy showed
cause of death
00:26:42
was attributed to a
single gunshot wound
00:26:45
to the back of
the victim's head.
00:26:47
Several years before
the incident, Laura Law
00:26:50
had purchased a nine
millimeter handgun.
00:26:53
We believe that
that is the weapon
00:26:55
that was used in the
homicide of Michael Tlusty.
00:27:00
DENNIS FARINA:
Despite the evidence,
00:27:01
those who knew Laura Law
were shocked to think
00:27:04
that she had murdered Mike.
00:27:07
I was with her for 11
years and I thought that she
00:27:09
was a wonderful person.
00:27:12
Did I know her at all?
00:27:14
Is Laura the one that
we had so much fun
00:27:16
with and did things with?
00:27:16
Is that Laura?
00:27:18
Or is this Laura, the
one that shot him?
00:27:20
Who is Laura?
00:27:22
What happened?
00:27:23
That's bottom line,
what happened?
00:27:26
I'm almost sure that she
has a gambling problem,
00:27:31
and I think that's probably
what triggered this.
00:27:35
We're about broke.
Mike.
00:27:36
Where is it?
00:27:38
Michael may have told
her that enough was enough
00:27:40
and that she needed
to consider leaving.
00:27:43
And Laura didn't want to
leave that relationship
00:27:46
and didn't want to leave
the life as she knew it.
00:27:51
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:27:53
Laura Law has been caught.
00:27:55
FBI agents were
tipped off that she
00:27:57
was working the night shift at
a motel in Nashville, Tennessee.
00:28:02
When she arrived at work,
she was taken into custody.
00:28:05
Law pleaded guilty to
murder and was sentenced
00:28:08
to 24 years in prison.
00:28:10
She is not eligible
for parole and will
00:28:13
not be released until 2026.
00:28:22
In a moment, an
Air Force Sergeant
00:28:25
disappears for one hour but
doesn't remember being gone.
00:28:30
Was he abducted by aliens?
00:28:42
Hundreds of people claim they
have had a bizarre experience
00:28:45
called missing time.
00:28:47
You're about to meet one of
them, a member of the Air Force
00:28:50
who disappeared
for an entire hour.
00:28:53
Under hypnosis, he describes his
abduction, believe it or not,
00:28:58
by aliens.
00:29:02
North Truro, Massachusetts.
00:29:06
Shortly before 9:00
PM, a bus pulled up
00:29:08
in front of Dutra's Market
in this small Cape Cod town.
00:29:16
Only one man got off the
bus, 19-year-old Airman
00:29:19
First Class Robert Matthews.
00:29:22
He was reporting for
his first tour of duty
00:29:24
at a nearby Air Force base.
00:29:26
He noticed that the
area was deserted.
00:29:30
I got off where the bus driver
told me where I was supposed
00:29:33
to get off and he told
me to phone the base
00:29:36
and they would send a
truck down to pick me up.
00:29:39
I told him that I was in
front of Dutra's Market
00:29:43
and he told me to stay
there and that there
00:29:45
would be a truck there to
pick me up in a minute.
00:30:00
While I was standing
there, I saw
00:30:02
these lights moving from
right to left across the sky.
00:30:10
That's when I felt this
fear, you know, and I said,
00:30:12
I better call the base.
00:30:19
Yes, sir.
00:30:20
Yes I've been here all the time.
00:30:23
When I called the base again,
they asked me where I had been?
00:30:26
And he told me, well, we sent
a truck down there already.
00:30:30
I says, well, I've been
standing here waiting
00:30:32
and no one's been by here.
00:30:38
DENNIS FARINA: Matthews was told
that at 8:50, just five minutes
00:30:42
after his first
phone call, a driver
00:30:44
had arrived to pick him up.
00:30:46
The driver claimed that
Matthews was nowhere in sight.
00:30:52
Almost an hour later, at
9:45, the base had received
00:30:56
the second call from Matthews.
00:30:58
Oddly, he thought that
the two calls were
00:31:00
made just a few minutes apart.
00:31:04
It's a kind of a
mini period of amnesia.
00:31:07
This is what the missing
time phenomena really is.
00:31:09
It is not perceived as a
break in which something
00:31:13
happens and then a resumption.
00:31:16
Time is remembered
as continuous,
00:31:18
and yet, the half-hour
trip turns out to be
00:31:21
a two-hour trip or whatever.
00:31:23
This is sometimes experienced
in conjunction with a UFO
00:31:26
sighting, but not always.
00:31:30
DENNIS FARINA: Budd
Hopkins has written
00:31:31
several books on the
subject of missing
00:31:33
time and alien abduction.
00:31:37
BUDD HOPKINS: I
began getting phone
00:31:38
calls from people and letters.
00:31:40
and many of their
sighting reports
00:31:41
had pieces of
missing time in them.
00:31:44
And we began looking into
those cases and discovered,
00:31:46
one after another, of
these abduction cases.
00:31:51
DENNIS FARINA: Robert
Matthews was one of the people
00:31:52
who contacted Budd Hopkins.
00:31:55
I was on vacation, looking
for something to read,
00:31:58
and on the shelf
there in front of me
00:32:00
I saw this book with
this creature on it.
00:32:04
I read the book and I
thought someone had stepped
00:32:06
into my head and taken
my innermost fears
00:32:09
and put them in a book.
00:32:12
It brought tears to
my eyes, you know?
00:32:13
I couldn't believe
this was actually
00:32:15
happening to someone else.
00:32:16
When Bob called me, it had
that familiar ring of truth
00:32:20
to me, as did the
details of his case.
00:32:22
He was quite convinced
that this was not a dream.
00:32:24
He sounded troubled,
curious, very, very stable.
00:32:32
It's all on the tape.
00:32:33
It's all new and all
kind of interesting.
00:32:35
DENNIS FARINA: Hopkins
put Bob under hypnosis
00:32:37
to explore the details
about what happened to him
00:32:40
outside of Dutra's Market.
00:32:44
Something is really, really
wrong, because all of a sudden,
00:32:47
I got very afraid.
00:32:49
BUDD HOPKINS: Bob Matthews' case
is really typical and very good
00:32:52
missing time case because
the fact that there
00:32:54
is an indirect
witness to his having
00:32:56
been missing during a missing
time period is very important.
00:32:59
DENNIS FARINA: Bob's
memories were so vivid
00:33:01
that he was able to
return to Cape Cod
00:33:04
and reconstruct what
he believes took
00:33:06
place outside Dutra's Market.
00:33:09
Under hypnosis, I observed
in the sky, two, three lights,
00:33:16
moving in this direction.
00:33:19
They hovered over here and the
red one came at me so fast.
00:33:27
I can see some light
come from a crack.
00:33:30
It's like a ramp opens down
and I can see a lot of light
00:33:35
coming out of it.
00:33:38
I walked up to it.
00:33:39
I walked up the ramp
and I looked inside,
00:33:45
and I saw four beings sitting
over here on the left.
00:33:49
There was two
sitting on the right,
00:33:51
And the place reminded
me of a doctor's office.
00:33:56
Every single case, we
came out with a scenario,
00:33:59
which was exactly like
the other scenarios.
00:34:02
They're taken into a craft,
a landed UFO, put on a table,
00:34:07
clothes are removed.
00:34:08
Samples are taken during
that time, sometimes
00:34:10
blood samples, often
skin scrapings, and very
00:34:13
often sperm and ova samples.
00:34:15
The descriptions that we're
getting of the UFO occupants,
00:34:18
about 85%, are
extremely similar.
00:34:21
The figures are little, between
3 and 1/2 and five feet tall.
00:34:26
Extremely slender.
00:34:27
They have a greyish white skin.
00:34:29
They have very large craniums.
00:34:31
The eyes are often
very, very black.
00:34:34
The mouth is a slit,
which never seems to move
00:34:36
and there are no ears.
00:34:39
I'm the first one to admit
how outrageous all of this is.
00:34:42
The people to whom
it happens also say,
00:34:45
this just can't happen.
00:34:47
I went through all my
life doubting my sanity,
00:34:50
wondering whether or not
these things have occurred.
00:34:55
DENNIS FARINA: Coming up,
the strangest accounts
00:34:57
of missing time--
invasive medical exams
00:35:00
by alien creatures.
00:35:08
Abductions by aliens,
the idea seems
00:35:11
unbelievable, even to those who
claimed it happened to them.
00:35:15
But some take their stories
even one step further.
00:35:19
They say they've been victims
of experiments by aliens,
00:35:23
and they claim to have
physical evidence to prove it.
00:35:27
Sometimes I think it's harder
for people like us to believe
00:35:30
it than the outside--
you know, people
00:35:32
that it hasn't happened to.
00:35:34
Of course, I mean, you
know, I get up in the morning
00:35:37
and say, no, that can't be.
00:35:38
Just-- that's ridiculous.
00:35:41
DENNIS FARINA: Budd Hopkins
has organized support groups
00:35:44
so that people who believe
they are victims of missing
00:35:46
time and alien
abduction can compare
00:35:49
their disturbing experiences.
00:35:51
The big question is why me?
00:35:55
I was utterly skeptical.
00:35:56
I thought it was complete
hogwash, hocus-pocus, abducted
00:36:00
by aliens, except for the fact
that there were these patients
00:36:03
of mine, who I knew to
be very trustworthy, very
00:36:07
honest, very un-crazy people.
00:36:10
How many experiences
does each of you
00:36:14
remember having or
think you've had?
00:36:16
I would say at least 10.
00:36:17
I mean, 10 that I know
of and Bud and I--
00:36:19
DENNIS FARINA: Kristina Florence
is a New York choreographer,
00:36:22
who feels she has had multiple
experiences of missing time
00:36:26
and alien abductions.
00:36:29
I can't use those
words, abducted by aliens.
00:36:32
I just don't know what it was.
00:36:34
I know that some people came
and did some things to me,
00:36:37
but where did they come from?
00:36:38
I don't know.
00:36:40
DENNIS FARINA: Kristina was 17
years old when she, her mother,
00:36:44
and her older sister crossed
the Mojave Desert on the way
00:36:47
to San Francisco.
00:36:50
Near Barstow, California,
their car overheated.
00:36:53
So they exited the
highway at a local park.
00:36:58
You girls stay in the car.
00:36:59
Roll up the windows
and lock the door.
00:37:02
We're having a problem
with this engine.
00:37:03
I have to go get some water.
00:37:06
At that point, she
just walked away.
00:37:09
We're not supposed
to go outside.
00:37:10
She said to stay in the car.
00:37:11
Well, I am doing it.
00:37:17
My sister got out
of the car and I
00:37:18
heard her run around the back.
00:37:20
And all of a sudden,
she said, oh, my god,
00:37:22
come out here, quick.
00:37:25
And the next thing I
remembered consciously
00:37:27
was that we were
lying on this blanket
00:37:29
in the middle of the park
as if we'd had a little nap,
00:37:32
just lying there.
00:37:34
Our mom was still not around
and we woke up and it was, like,
00:37:36
whoa, what happened?
00:37:38
And then the next thing I
remember, the three of us
00:37:41
were just driving like hell.
00:37:42
We never talked about it,
until my sister just called me
00:37:45
up one day and we sort of
began to talk about it further,
00:37:49
and realized that we'd both
had this very bizarre memory
00:37:51
of this missing time thing.
00:37:55
And she knew about
Budd, and she suggested
00:37:56
that I get in touch with Budd.
00:37:57
Though she had
to sort of crank
00:38:00
up her courage to look into it
and she was reluctant to do so.
00:38:07
DENNIS FARINA: Kristina
agreed to undergo hypnosis,
00:38:10
hoping that she can recall
some details about what
00:38:13
happened that afternoon.
00:38:14
At some point, your
mother pulls off the road.
00:38:19
You can feel the car move
as it turns off the road
00:38:23
and you can see your mother
and you can see yourself there.
00:38:25
You're there with Vickie.
00:38:31
I start having this
picture that my sister's
00:38:33
getting out of the car and
then I get out of the car.
00:38:36
And I looked up and there
was something above the car
00:38:39
and I was so scared.
00:38:40
I didn't know what it was.
00:38:41
I ran back to the
car and she ran back.
00:38:44
And she got herself crunched
under the dashboard.
00:38:46
She was so scared.
00:38:48
And I was trying to start the
car and it wouldn't start.
00:38:53
Then, the next memory that
I had under the hypnosis
00:38:56
was that I was on a table and
there were some people around.
00:39:01
There was this screen.
00:39:03
It was about as wide as
a large television screen
00:39:05
but it was paper thin.
00:39:07
And it was just moving
around the table
00:39:08
and it wasn't
attached to anything.
00:39:10
And I could see
three-dimensional shapes
00:39:12
of my skull and my whole body.
00:39:15
It was just taking pictures.
00:39:17
And it was just this
huge spherical room that
00:39:20
was just covered with dials.
00:39:22
There wasn't space.
00:39:24
It was just dials.
00:39:26
And I felt like they put these
rubber pants on me or something
00:39:29
with things attached.
00:39:31
And then they left the
room and I lay there.
00:39:34
And I was asking for
my sister, and somebody
00:39:36
was telling me she's OK.
00:39:38
She's all right.
00:39:39
And then the dials started
going and then they came back in
00:39:41
and that's the last
thing I remember.
00:39:44
Then we were back on the grass.
00:39:47
Kristina Florence, I
think, is without a doubt,
00:39:50
absolute, utterly totally legit.
00:39:52
She is a very trustworthy,
very honest person, who
00:39:56
I've talked to several times.
00:39:58
And she's angry about
what's happened to her.
00:40:00
She doesn't like
what's happened to her.
00:40:02
She's been able to
incorporate it into her life
00:40:04
and get on with her
life despite this.
00:40:11
I live a perfectly
normal life.
00:40:13
You know, I have
a dance company.
00:40:14
I go to work every day.
00:40:15
I have an apartment.
00:40:16
I have two cats.
00:40:17
I have a perfectly normal life.
00:40:19
I'm not crazy.
00:40:20
There's definitely something
going on and what it is I
00:40:23
don't know.
00:40:24
I could be having a
dream and everyone else
00:40:26
is having the same
dream, but I'm not lying
00:40:31
and I'm not crazy.
00:40:34
DENNIS FARINA: If these
abductions really did happen,
00:40:37
then the question is, why?
00:40:40
Ultimately, the focus
becomes reproductive
00:40:43
and the interest seems
to have to do with taking
00:40:46
sperm and ova samples.
00:40:47
The whole central focus
of the physical part of it
00:40:50
seems to deal with the idea of
an ongoing genetic experiment
00:40:54
and these abductees
are, let's say,
00:40:56
involuntary victims
or specimen in this
00:41:01
ongoing genetic experiment.
00:41:04
A lot of us have had false
pregnancies, miscarriages
00:41:08
after three months of
pregnant, abortions
00:41:10
where nothing was found.
00:41:11
And I wish the people that
ridiculed us could live one
00:41:15
day and one night in my body.
00:41:19
But I don't anybody to go
through what I live with.
00:41:22
The numbers of cases, the
amount of emotional distress,
00:41:27
the consistency of the
accounts, the physical marks,
00:41:30
the weight of the evidence
is so powerful now
00:41:33
that even if I wished for
the luxury of disbelief,
00:41:38
it's not possible
for me anymore.
00:41:41
We're stuck, really, trying
to make sense out of something
00:41:44
that doesn't make sense.
00:41:45
But that is no reason to
dismiss it out of hand.
00:41:47
Yeah, I would really like
to get to the bottom of it
00:41:49
someday I'd really like
to know what it's about
00:41:53
because the hard part of
it is just not knowing
00:41:57
perhaps some day,
science will discover
00:42:00
a reason for missing time.
00:42:04
Until then, the
rest of us should
00:42:06
be glad that all of our minutes
have been accounted for.
00:42:14
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