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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode

May 23, 2019 / 47:06

This episode of Unsolved Mysteries covers three main stories: the mysterious disappearance of John and Linda Sohus, the potential sinking of a WWII submarine off the California coast, and the tragic separation of the Stallings family.

The case of John and Linda Sohus begins with their disappearance in 1985, shortly after they left for a supposed trip to New York. Friends and family grew concerned when they failed to return, and a postcard from France raised further suspicions. The investigation revealed a mysterious tenant, Christopher Chichester, who may have information about their fate. In 1994, dismembered remains were found at their former home, leading to speculation of foul play.

The second story discusses the legend of a sunken WWII submarine off the California coast. Navy veterans recall an incident in 1945 where they may have mistakenly sunk an American sub. Despite their claims, the Navy has no records of such an event, leaving the mystery unresolved.

The final segment focuses on the Stallings family, who lived in poverty in Oklahoma. After their home was taken away, the children were separated from their parents and placed in foster care. Years later, efforts to reunite the family led to a successful reunion between siblings after decades apart.

These stories highlight the enduring mysteries surrounding disappearances, historical events, and family separations, inviting viewers to help solve them.

TL;DR

This episode features the unsolved cases of John and Linda Sohus, a WWII submarine mystery, and the Stallings family's tragic separation.

Episode

47:06
00:00:03
this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you are about to see is not a news
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broadcast legend has it there off the
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coast of Northern California divers have
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glimpsed the remains of a sunken World
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War two submarine but is there more to
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the story than mere legend several Navy
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veterans remember seeking a sub near San
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Francisco in 1945 now they fear it might
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have been one of our own in Oklahoma
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abject poverty forced a couple along
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with her six children to set up
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housekeeping in an old school bus when
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that meager shelter was taken away Lila
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and Roy Lee Stallings were arrested the
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children were separated perhaps someone
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watching can help reunite the school bus
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family and the strange saga of John and
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Linda Sohus in 1985 the young couple
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left their home in a well-to-do Los
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Angeles suburb for a two-week trip to
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New York they never returned then this
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past spring workmen installing a pool at
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their former residence were stunned by
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the discovery of a dismembered human
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skeleton almost overnight an inactive
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missing-persons case became an
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intriguing murder mystery
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join me for these intriguing news
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stories and more another edition
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unsolved mysteries
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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May 1994 San Marino California just
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north of Los Angeles excavation for a
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backyard swimming pool came to an abrupt
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halt when workmen made a grim discovery
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three plastic bags and a fiberglass box
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containing dismembered sections of a
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human skeleton we didn't really know who
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this person was and we were later told
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by uniformed officers from San Marino
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that in 1985 the people that lived in
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that house had reported two people
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missing the two missing persons were
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John so Hass and his wife Linda both in
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their late twenties their sudden
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disappearance had mystified everyone who
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knew them the grisly discovery was a
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macabre twist in a nearly 10 year old
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mystery it suddenly appeared that either
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John or Linda Sohus may have been the
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victim of foul play
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detectives probing the dissapears
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encountered a cast of characters that
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might have been dreamed up by a mystery
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writer though married for two years John
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and Linda still lived with John's mother
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didi Sohus
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by all accounts an alcoholic however the
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most intriguing character would prove to
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be a mysterious young man who went by
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the name Christopher Chichester for
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about two years
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Chichester was a tenant in a guest house
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in the sophist property located behind
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the main house occupied by didi John and
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Linda according to friends John and
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Linda felt trapped living with didi
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Sohus looked forward to escaping to a
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place of their own John held several
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part-time computer programming jobs and
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Linda was beginning to find success as
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an artist
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[Music]
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Melinda was happy with her life and John
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approved of everything she had to do and
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say about life and what she wanted to do
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and be in life and I thought that was
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great for her because she'd never had a
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supportive man in her life
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early in 1985 it appeared the young
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couple had finally gotten the break
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they'd been hoping for
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Linda analysis she and John had been
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asked to interview for important new
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jobs Linda called me and informed me
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that John had a job with the government
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and she couldn't release any information
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to me all she could tell me was that
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he's got a job with the government and
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they want us both and we have to go to
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New York Linda told sue that the trip
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was scheduled to last about two weeks
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however the return day came and went no
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Linda and John
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[Music]
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the mystery would deepen in the coming
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months prior to the trip Linda had
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boarded her six cats at a local kennel
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and paid in advance for a two-week stay
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but at the end of eight weeks she still
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did not claimed her pets the kennel
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owner tracked down Linda's sister Kathy
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I immediately thought that something was
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wrong
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if they were not going to return they
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would have taken their pets with them I
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feel that inside very strongly that
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Linda would not have left her animals
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behind Kathy telephoned John's mother
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didi Sohus
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hoping she had an explanation from her
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trip yet I'm not supposed to tell you
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anything the mission mission what what
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mission what are you talking about it
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was very frustrating in all my
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conversations with mrs. solace to get
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the same stories slightly altered but
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still the same story about Linda and
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John being on a secret mission and
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unable to contact any family members Wow
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it did appear to me as though she had
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been drinking
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sometimes it depended on what time of
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the day you called as to how wild the
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story became April 1985 responding to a
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missing persons report filed by Linda's
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family San Marino police tried their
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hand at getting information from didi
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Sohus
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they're not missing everybody keeps
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asking me and I keep telling them
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they're on a secret mission okay can you
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tell us how we can reach them I have a
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source everyone keeps calling her and I
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keep telling didi refused to identify
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the person she called her source with no
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evidence of foul play the authorities
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were powerless to investigate further
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finally a full three months after the
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Seoul hussars had supposedly left
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Linda's friend sue received this picture
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postcard but it had not been mailed from
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New York far from it I have no clue as
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to how going to New York had ever wind
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up being France and I read the back of
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it I was like I can't wait she's finally
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gonna tell me where she is what's going
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on and all it said was dear sue kind of
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Miss New York oops but this can be lived
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with John and Linda nothing about a call
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you later can't talk now nothing it just
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didn't sound like her another card was
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sent from France to Linda's family my
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mother received a postcards from Linda I
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believe it to be from Linda it did not
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say when she would return or how she had
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come to be in Paris if they were
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planning a trip to Europe she would have
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been very excited about going and would
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certainly have expressed that to my
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mother and perhaps myself as well when I
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first talked to the police I thought I
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knew what was going on three months
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after refusing to help the police didi
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Sohus had an inexplicable change of
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heart she too found a missing-persons
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report on John and Linda have you had
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any contact at all since they left well
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I've been sending their mail through my
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source the man has been in contact with
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them
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he's been the one telling me what's been
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happening well needed time for this
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individual you can't that's why I'm
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worried he's gone too just disappeared
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according to didi the mysterious contact
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was none other than her guest house
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tenant Christopher Chichester however he
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had recently moved leaving no forwarding
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address
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didi also reported that her son's pickup
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truck was now missing though she could
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not say when it had disappeared however
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there still was no proof that a crime
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had been committed and the investigation
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stalled soon after fighting her missing
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person report didi Sohus would sell her
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house and moved to a trailer park
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she died in February of 1988 the fate of
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her son still a mystery nine months
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later the case unexpectedly sprang to
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life the so houses truck turned up 3,000
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miles away in Greenwich Connecticut a
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man calling himself Christopher Crowe
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had tried to sell the pickup to the son
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of a local minister this is it that's a
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great looking truck yeah I told you
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you'd like it one thing though I don't
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have the title paper so you're gonna
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have to get them from the California DMV
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the Reverend son decided not to purchase
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the vehicle based on the fact that there
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was an outstanding lien on the truck the
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San Marino Police Department wanted me
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to also look for an individual by the
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name of Christopher Chichester well they
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felt had information on the whereabouts
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of John and Linda Sohus
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my continued investigation and
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attempting to locate mr. Chichester
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ultimately ended in me discovering that
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mr. Chichester and mr. Crowe were the
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same individuals it was a stunning
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discovery chrome Chichester by any name
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the enigmatic ex tenant seemed to be one
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person who might be able to shed light
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on the soul houses disappearance but
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Christopher crow alias Christopher
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Chichester had vanished again
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consequently the investigation stalled
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again until the dismembered skeleton was
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uncovered in May of 1994 after extensive
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analysis a forensic anthropologist
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determined that the remains were
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consistent with physical descriptions of
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John Sohus
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however a lack of dental records
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prevented conclusive identification
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police could only speculate about how
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the body came to be buried in the
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backyard of the one-time sophist
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residence nothing about the bones
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themselves that say there was murdered
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there was no bullet holes anything like
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that but the fact that the bones were
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buried in three separate plastic bags
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and the head in a separate place in a
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separate bag makes one think that there
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was murder involved detectives hope to
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learn more in using a controversial
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chemical called luminol though it is
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highly toxic and dangerous to use
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luminol will emit a distinctive glow
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when it comes into contact with blood
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even where the stains are wiped away
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years before luminol was applied to the
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cement floors in the guest house and the
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former's saw his property within moments
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will become apparent if there was
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evidence of murder
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[Music]
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the tell-tale glow was unmistakable
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although luminol can detect chemicals in
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other compounds this was not just a
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trace element situation the there was a
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copious amount of something put on that
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floor and in our opinion that was not
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but whose blood was John so HUS murdered
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in the guest house and buried in the
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backyard if so what happened to Linda
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officially both John and Linda Sohus are
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still missing perhaps having the time of
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their lives
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gallivanting across Europe believe that
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it would have been possible for John and
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Linda to relocate and have a new life
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and choose not to contact family members
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but I do believe that after so many
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years have passed that at some point at
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least once Linda would have made contact
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there is one curious footnote to this
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perplexing case according to the kennel
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operator in June of 1985 a woman showed
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up and asked for Linda's cats faced with
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the alternative of destroying the
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animals a kennel owner complied she
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never saw the woman again and there is
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no clue to her identity or whether she
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has any connection to the case
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authorities would like to speak to the
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young man known as Christopher
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Chichester they now know that he is
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Christian Gerhartsreiter a native of
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Germany
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[Music]
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[Music]
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next a mystery submarine sunk during
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World War two
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could it have been one of our own
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attacked mistakenly the 840 mile
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coastline of California is a treasure
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trove of natural beauty
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his long stretches of beach coupled with
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fabulous rock formations have made it a
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haven for deep-sea divers over the years
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a kind of beach town urban legend has
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sprung up along the coast rumor has it
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that divers between Santa Barbara and
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San Francisco have sighted something
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very unusual we're about 15 miles off
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the point not a six-pack we're down
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about 120 feet now listen I got real
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good visibility maybe 30 or 40 feet yeah
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and sitting off the point there at the
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bottom right on the reef is what I think
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a world war two submarine and u-boat a
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submarine yeah out here yes deck guns
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the whole thing in place right there at
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the reef crystal clear today it seems
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preposterous an enemy sub that close to
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the continental United States but in
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World War two America's coastline was
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vulnerable to enemy sub attack a German
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u-boat was sighted off the coast of New
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England and may of 1945
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later that year an oil rig near Santa
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Barbara California was fired upon by a
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Japanese submarine
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despite the obvious threat that existed
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fifty years ago
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the rumors of a sunken sub remain just
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that rumors but in fact there are a few
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aging American sailors who remember
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submarine hit in 1945 just off the coast
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of Northern California at the time of
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course he assumed it was the enemy but
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curiously no record of the incident
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exists now the old sailors are afraid
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they might inadvertently have sunk one
00:16:36
of our own during 1944 and 1945 the USS
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Willard Keith was one of a fleet of Navy
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destroyers patrolling the Pacific coast
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for the most part life on board was all
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practice and drill with a Kay guns
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better known as depth charges
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then came March 21st 1945 the Willard
00:17:02
Keith was cruising south of San
00:17:04
Francisco when a General Quarters alarm
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sound an enemy's son was below
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Chet Gardner was a 19 year old seaman on
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the Willard Keith his duty set the depth
00:17:22
of the explosive charges well I can see
00:17:29
it just plain today as I could the day
00:17:31
that it happened Starbuck I'm ready to
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fire sir
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it's something I'll never forget because
00:17:36
I was running pretty excited about it
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[Music]
00:17:50
boy the water flew everywhere I thought
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my gosh we made a mistake look to me
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like we were gonna blow the ship right
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out of the water that was so shallow but
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as we watched then word came down from
00:18:07
the bridge that they had got a hit it
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was a tremendous explosion you know and
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Eugene Sheridan then 24 years old man 2
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km on the Willard Keith we succeed all
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greenie slippin orlick's looking stuff
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coming to the top of the water and it's
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not the seawater you're in there all
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time you didn't tell the difference of
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color of it then and we made three or
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four passes around and back and forth
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and criss crossed and everything else
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and we never did pick it up again after
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we had made our turn and came back yeah
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they couldn't pick it up on the sonar
00:18:48
anymore there was no more sound we
00:18:51
assumed it was just laying on the bottom
00:18:53
there some place Bill Anderson a laundry
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man on the main deck was just 18 years
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old even then bill had his doubts and
00:19:05
began to wonder whether in fact the
00:19:07
sunken submarine did belong to the enemy
00:19:10
indeed bill felt strongly enough to
00:19:12
question a junior officers house are too
00:19:16
close to shore Anderson but sir it was
00:19:18
an American submarine it beyond the
00:19:20
surface not below it yes sir it was kind
00:19:25
of a sobering thought you know I mean
00:19:27
you had maybe 50 60 men dying below
00:19:30
you're at that time or we thought this
00:19:32
was the case Bill Anderson has never
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been able to shake that haunting image
00:19:38
nor the nagging suspicion of the dying
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men or his own comrades
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yes petitioned the Navy and received the
00:19:47
deck log and war diary for the Willard
00:19:49
Keith but there is no record of the
00:19:51
submarine hit a war diary we got doesn't
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mention any enemy contact doesn't
00:19:58
mention this depth charge run whatsoever
00:20:02
there didn't seem to be any information
00:20:06
in Washington on submarine being sunk
00:20:09
off the coast California in 1992 Bill
00:20:15
Anderson and a partner pull the
00:20:17
resources and bought a boat call the
00:20:18
echo hunter using radar underwater sonar
00:20:22
and divers they are determined to find
00:20:25
the sunken submarine we think the odds
00:20:31
are good enough that we spent most of
00:20:33
our money on this project to find it
00:20:38
it's became an obsession with us to find
00:20:41
a yeah to find the sub I say it that we
00:20:49
either something right there or we
00:20:52
crippled it bad and it crawled off
00:20:53
someplace else maybe maybe got away or
00:20:56
maybe who knows you know but I
00:20:59
definitely do know that the stuff that
00:21:01
we dropped the depth charges on
00:21:05
the Navy denies that it happened but it
00:21:08
did happen why they say that it didn't
00:21:13
happen I don't know unless they're
00:21:15
covering it up you know
00:21:16
unless it is one of our subs and they
00:21:19
don't want to know
00:21:21
[Music]
00:21:27
did the USS Willard Keith make a direct
00:21:30
hit that day in 1945
00:21:33
if so regardless of whether the dead or
00:21:36
American Japanese are German the Willard
00:21:39
ki satyrs hope to turn the sunken
00:21:41
submarine into a monument to honor the
00:21:44
memory of those who fought and those who
00:21:47
died at our request the US Navy checked
00:21:54
their archives they gave us the
00:21:56
following statement we have no record of
00:21:59
the USS Willard Keith sinking a
00:22:01
submarine in the spring of 1945
00:22:04
additionally we have no record of any
00:22:06
sub sinkings in the eastern pacific
00:22:08
ocean during that same time frame Bill
00:22:11
Anderson and his comrades remain
00:22:13
undaunted they plan to continue their
00:22:15
quest next the mysterious death of a
00:22:21
Cook County Illinois police captain was
00:22:24
a suicide or was it a contract killer
00:22:26
[Music]
00:22:35
according to those who knew him best
00:22:38
captain Michael O'Meara of the Cook
00:22:40
County Illinois sheriff's police was a
00:22:42
straightest of straight arrows he was a
00:22:45
devoted husband and father the only
00:22:48
officer in the sheriff's Police trained
00:22:50
at the FBI Academy in the 60s O'Mara
00:22:54
became celebrated as a scourge of the
00:22:56
Illinois mafia by 1988 however Michael
00:23:01
O'Mara had been relegated to a desk job
00:23:03
in the records department it should have
00:23:05
been the gentle twilight of a brilliant
00:23:07
career should have been but wasn't
00:23:12
[Music]
00:23:14
May 30th 1988 shortly after 9 p.m. at
00:23:22
the Cook County Courthouse the sheriff's
00:23:24
police patrolmen pulled into the private
00:23:26
service area to gas up his car an
00:23:30
unmarked police car was parked at the
00:23:32
pumps with a gas nozzle in the tank yet
00:23:35
no officer was in sight
00:23:48
as the patrolman's flashlight played
00:23:50
over the lawn around the service area he
00:23:52
caught a glimpse of a gruesome scene
00:23:58
Michael Oh Maris body was slumped over a
00:24:00
rock in the middle of the lawn he had
00:24:02
been shot once through the head his
00:24:05
wallet and his briefcase had not been
00:24:07
touched even though there was no sign of
00:24:09
a robbery Michael Oh Maris reputation as
00:24:12
a crusader against organized crime late
00:24:15
murders seemed a distinct possibility
00:24:19
you approach a death scene as possibly a
00:24:22
homicide initially that you know who did
00:24:25
this there was a gun to the right side
00:24:30
of the other body near the right hand
00:24:32
and there was a very visible gunshot
00:24:36
wound to the forehead there was a
00:24:40
flashlight found next to Iraq that that
00:24:42
we can identify as his flashlight the
00:24:46
gun is his gun and there was one one
00:24:49
bullet that was discharged from that
00:24:52
cylinder of that weapon you've got
00:24:54
nothing in any way shape or form to say
00:24:56
that there was anybody else there the
00:24:59
victims pockets were intact is his money
00:25:02
was intact his car was intact if you
00:25:05
were going to weigh this there there
00:25:06
would be more there would be more more
00:25:09
weight towards a suicide or an accident
00:25:11
than there would be towards towards a
00:25:14
murder two weeks after Michael Mehra
00:25:17
died a Cook County Coroner handed down a
00:25:20
ruling which confirmed investigators
00:25:22
suspicions the official cause of death
00:25:25
was listed as suicide
00:25:30
it all seems so funny a tragic end to an
00:25:34
otherwise spotless career but it was not
00:25:37
the end Michael Maris friends and family
00:25:40
felt there had been a rush to judgment
00:25:42
despite the coroner's ruling they were
00:25:44
convinced that Mike had been murdered
00:25:46
what they didn't know was who could have
00:25:48
done it and why but they were sure that
00:25:52
Michael O'Mara had not killed himself
00:25:55
[Music]
00:25:58
the last person known to have seen Mike
00:26:00
alive was his wife Barbara she recalls
00:26:03
he left the house at night in good
00:26:04
spirits saying he had to fill his
00:26:06
department vehicle with gas right before
00:26:10
he left he said he's gonna stop on the
00:26:12
way back to get yogurt and he asked
00:26:13
everybody what what flavor they wanted
00:26:16
and of course day before payday and he
00:26:19
didn't have any money in his wallet so
00:26:21
he asked me for some money to go why
00:26:30
would you know he'd take my last couple
00:26:32
of dollars to get the yogurt if he was
00:26:35
planning on not coming back it doesn't
00:26:38
make any sense in this case you can take
00:26:44
any isolated fact and say it can be
00:26:47
consistent with suicide the problem is
00:26:51
is the whole scenario when you look at
00:26:54
that it's not that of a suicide
00:26:57
in 1989 Barbara O'Mara hired dr. DiMaio
00:27:01
to review the case including the
00:27:03
coroner's findings and the events
00:27:05
leading up to Michael Mehra's death when
00:27:10
I reviewed the background information in
00:27:13
this case it was evident that there was
00:27:16
no reason for the individual to have
00:27:18
committed suicide there was no financial
00:27:20
problems no personal problems no fatal
00:27:23
disease that does not completely rule
00:27:27
out suicide but it kind of makes the
00:27:30
conclusion that a death is suicide a
00:27:33
little more difficult
00:27:34
the man is found dead in a field with a
00:27:36
flashlight next to him and his gun his
00:27:40
car is parked nearby with the gasoline
00:27:44
nozzle inserted into the tank this does
00:27:48
not sound like a suicide you know unless
00:27:50
the man just drove up there and as he
00:27:52
was filling his gas tank says hey gee I
00:27:55
don't have anything else to do might as
00:27:56
well commit suicide it was kind of
00:27:58
bizarre based on his investigation dr.
00:28:02
DiMaio has come up with a scenario for
00:28:05
murdered the evidence at the scene
00:28:08
suggests that mr. Mara began to fill the
00:28:11
tank of his car when he saw heard
00:28:14
something in the field he then took a
00:28:17
gun from his briefcase and went to
00:28:20
investigate when he got into the field
00:28:24
he met somebody or a number of people
00:28:28
and he was shot I think that if someone
00:28:32
was screaming that a crime was occurring
00:28:35
and he was standing right at his vehicle
00:28:38
I don't know why he wouldn't ask for
00:28:40
help first also it's my understanding
00:28:44
from reading the file and talking to the
00:28:45
investigators that persons who heard a
00:28:48
shot fired did not hear those other
00:28:50
things they didn't hear somebody calling
00:28:53
for help when our investigators went to
00:28:55
the scene and they looked in the field
00:28:57
it didn't appear that there was any
00:28:59
struggle in the field if not by him and
00:29:02
somebody else by that quote a possible
00:29:05
offender and a third party there was no
00:29:07
evidence of a struggle who would have
00:29:12
had a motive to kill Michael Mary could
00:29:15
it have been a long-forgotten enemy not
00:29:17
vendetta for more than 25 years ever
00:29:20
since O'Meara and his Raiders went after
00:29:22
the Mafia in the 60s or could my camara
00:29:25
have had an enemy closer to home perhaps
00:29:28
even in the sheriff's police if anyone
00:29:31
knows he's not saying but dr. DiMaio
00:29:34
points to one additional fact which he
00:29:36
believes argues against suicide when
00:29:41
people shoot themselves they tend to put
00:29:43
the gun firmly against the head at the
00:29:46
time of discharge in this case the
00:29:49
muscle of the weapon was between two and
00:29:51
four inches away from the skin and you
00:29:54
could see that by the powder tattooing
00:29:56
on the skin around the entrance well he
00:30:00
may have chosen to have it out be a
00:30:03
contact wound because he did he taught
00:30:06
homicide investigation I mean he taught
00:30:09
courses and he he taught about suicide
00:30:11
so he knows if he wanted to make it look
00:30:15
like something other than it was he may
00:30:17
have deliberately done that well I don't
00:30:19
think you can really get into someone's
00:30:21
head when they're when they're if they
00:30:23
are about to go and do something as
00:30:25
drastic as does he he left the house
00:30:28
with the intent to get yes he told his
00:30:30
wife dad and I'm going to bring some
00:30:31
frozen yogurt home so he he played that
00:30:35
scenario out
00:30:36
yeah he just didn't come home based on
00:30:40
the information that I have in front of
00:30:42
me in reading the entire case
00:30:45
it tends to be suicide I don't have any
00:30:50
evidence in front of me that would
00:30:53
conclude that this was a homicide and we
00:30:55
need them when we're more looking for
00:30:56
the offenders
00:30:59
what happened to captain Michael O'Mara
00:31:02
on the night of May 30th 1988 is it
00:31:05
possible he chose to end his own life a
00:31:08
life which would have been the envy of
00:31:10
any police officer irizarry killer still
00:31:13
at large still unidentified still a
00:31:16
danger Michael Maris friends and family
00:31:19
believe the answer is obvious Michael
00:31:22
Maron is not a man to commit suicide one
00:31:27
of the reasons that I don't believe this
00:31:28
would have been a suicide it just
00:31:30
wouldn't have been his nature to do
00:31:31
something like this
00:31:32
either to his family or to his religious
00:31:34
beliefs it wasn't an accident he was
00:31:37
purposely shot and why it's being
00:31:41
covered up for whether they know or
00:31:44
anybody knows I don't know I can't
00:31:46
believe it's a suicide at all knowing
00:31:49
Mike it was totally foreign to his
00:31:53
nature he was never one to give up on
00:31:57
something you know it just doesn't fit
00:32:00
him you know what happened out there
00:32:03
I'll never know but suicide I'll never
00:32:05
believe
00:32:08
[Music]
00:32:17
on the evening of October 2nd 1961 mr.
00:32:21
mrs. Earl Boettcher and their son Alan
00:32:24
were leaving Baptist Hospital in
00:32:25
Jacksonville Florida when Alan ran ahead
00:32:29
to the family car he made a startling
00:32:31
discovery a baby girl had been carefully
00:32:34
placed in the back seat the child became
00:32:38
a local celebrity newspapers dubbed her
00:32:40
baby girl X within a year she was
00:32:43
adopted by Mary Lou and William Christie
00:32:46
of Tallahassee and named Terry Terry
00:32:49
grew up happily doted on by her parents
00:32:52
and an older brother and sister by the
00:32:55
time she was a teenager however she
00:32:57
began to ask questions I kind of
00:33:00
rebelled and wanted to know this when we
00:33:07
went to the library looked it up and
00:33:09
then I got excited I was proud you know
00:33:13
together Terry and her adoptive mother
00:33:16
Mary Lou searched for clues to the
00:33:18
identity of Terry's birth mother
00:33:26
I believe she had a heart she put me
00:33:29
somewhere safe where I was gonna be well
00:33:31
taken care of and I appreciate that I
00:33:34
just want to meet her and see how she is
00:33:36
I would like to find a beginning thanks
00:33:47
to our broadcast
00:33:48
Terry Christie Derby now knows the
00:33:50
answers to all our questions
00:33:52
sadly Terry's birth mother Edith
00:33:54
Campbell died on August 17th 1993 just a
00:33:58
few months before our segment aired but
00:34:00
out of this sadness a happy ending did
00:34:02
emerge Terry was delighted to learn that
00:34:05
she had a sister and three brothers they
00:34:08
were delighted as well none of them had
00:34:10
ever known that Terry existed on July
00:34:16
8th 1994 Terry went to a hotel in Miami
00:34:19
Florida to meet three of her siblings
00:34:21
Phillip Paul and Cecilia face-to-face
00:34:24
for the first time it was the neatest
00:34:35
experience of my life I walked in and
00:34:38
there was everybody I wanted to see next
00:34:42
to me giving birth to my own kids this
00:34:46
is the best thing that's ever happened
00:34:48
to me
00:34:49
best thing my experience is that there's
00:34:53
more of them but no just a biological
00:34:55
thing in a family there's also a karmic
00:34:58
a sense of underlying destiny that lies
00:35:02
underneath the whole thing and this
00:35:04
eunomia meet somebody that I mean Terry
00:35:07
it's like she is my sister I knew it
00:35:10
right away you know there's no doubt at
00:35:13
the Reunion Terry and her adoptive
00:35:15
mother finally saw a picture of Terry's
00:35:17
biological mother
00:35:19
Edith Campbell according to a family
00:35:21
member Edith a given Terry up only
00:35:24
because of extreme financial desperation
00:35:27
knowing what a what a loving person she
00:35:31
was she cared about nothing but her
00:35:34
children her whole life and
00:35:37
I can only imagine the anguish that that
00:35:41
she went through when she decided to do
00:35:43
this they make me feel wanted they make
00:35:49
me feel like I'm not an outcast like
00:35:52
kind of felt like I wasn't even passed
00:35:54
but I can feel their own vibes love
00:35:59
whatever you know the next day Terry met
00:36:09
her other brother Chris who had been
00:36:10
called out of town on business on the
00:36:12
day of the reunion at last the family
00:36:19
circle is complete when we return
00:36:26
perhaps you can help reunite a family
00:36:29
torn apart by poverty and
00:36:31
misunderstanding
00:36:41
in the year 1948 a family tragedy began
00:36:45
to unfold
00:36:45
just north of Tipton Oklahoma Riley and
00:36:50
Lila Stallings along with their six
00:36:52
children existed on the edge of abject
00:36:54
poverty
00:36:55
the Stallings actually lived in an old
00:36:57
school bus Roy Lee worked sporadically
00:37:00
as a sharecropper and was rarely at home
00:37:02
he gambled away what little money he
00:37:05
brought in in his own way he was
00:37:11
fatherly by trying to make a living for
00:37:14
us but as far as being home he wasn't
00:37:20
home that much the mother was the one
00:37:24
that was the disciplinarian to cook in
00:37:27
his food and supply and the meals and
00:37:30
everything it was Mother's Jo
00:37:35
in spite of almost insurmountable odds
00:37:39
Lila stalling struggled to maintain a
00:37:41
home life that was as normal as possible
00:37:43
Mary thank you we always had something
00:37:52
to do and we had toys to play with and
00:37:56
each other to play with so we don't we
00:37:58
didn't think of ourselves as being
00:37:59
different do you want to hear the story
00:38:02
of Noah's Ark again yeah okay one day
00:38:07
the Lord told Noah to build an ark
00:38:10
mother couldn't read her write but her
00:38:13
Bible meant a lot to her and she'd see
00:38:16
pictures and she'd tell us vital stories
00:38:18
from the pictures and we grew up with a
00:38:20
very direct sense of what was right and
00:38:23
wrong to the children the old school bus
00:38:28
was home a haven and a safe place but
00:38:32
others notably Melvin Purdy a family
00:38:35
friend had different ideas and Melvin
00:38:37
did not hesitate to make his feelings
00:38:39
known to Lila Stallings I want you to
00:38:52
leave and never never come back here
00:38:55
you're not gonna let me take them they
00:38:56
know you can't have him
00:38:59
I think you ain't gonna have any kids
00:39:01
very long
00:39:11
the only child Melvin wanted to raise
00:39:13
himself was four year old David Ray the
00:39:15
youngest boy but Melvin thought all the
00:39:18
children were neglected from the baby
00:39:20
two year old Norma roof to the Elms 12
00:39:24
year old Roy jr. Mary was then ten the
00:39:28
oldest girl of second mother to the
00:39:30
younger ones Joe is both Big Brother and
00:39:34
role model to six year old Ernest Lee
00:39:38
[Music]
00:39:42
the final straw came a few weeks later
00:39:45
when the old school bus was taken away
00:39:48
apparently royally Stallings had lost it
00:39:50
in a poker game
00:39:51
Melvin Purdy along with several others
00:39:54
wasted no time contacting the
00:39:56
authorities Slee and lilo Stallings
00:40:01
you've been charged with the crime of
00:40:03
omitting to provide for the care of
00:40:05
minor children how do you paid to these
00:40:07
charges not guilty based on evidence
00:40:11
presented to this court there is due
00:40:13
cause to have you bound over for trial
00:40:14
until further decision the children are
00:40:17
placed in the care of the Child Welfare
00:40:19
Department under your supervision
00:40:21
yes mr. mrs. Stallings at this time you
00:40:25
are placed in the custody of the Tillman
00:40:27
County Sheriff's Department I remember
00:40:33
seeing them both in handcuffs and that
00:40:37
was the last time I saw mother as they
00:40:40
let her out the side door and that was
00:40:43
something very strange to us
00:40:46
[Music]
00:40:50
over the next few days the starlings
00:40:53
children would all be taken to foster
00:40:54
homes Mary vividly remembers the last
00:41:01
time she saw her three youngest siblings
00:41:04
I put Ernest Lee in the car told Ernest
00:41:10
to get in the car and I put David in the
00:41:13
car and they Normie was holding on to me
00:41:17
and wouldn't let go and they pulled her
00:41:19
out of my arms and put her in the car
00:41:26
[Music]
00:41:28
early flea was pulling at the window
00:41:32
they had roll the windows up
00:41:37
and that's the last time I saw within a
00:41:49
week the charges against Lila and Roy
00:41:51
Lee Stallings were dropped but the
00:41:53
damage had already been done
00:41:54
Lila was told that all of her children
00:41:57
except the oldest Roy jr. had been put
00:41:59
up for adoption two years later after
00:42:06
Roy Lee and Lila divorced Mary was
00:42:08
allowed to go home and live with her
00:42:09
mother Jo was reunited with him in 1959
00:42:13
Lila passed away in 1989 but Mary and
00:42:17
Joe still desperately want to be
00:42:19
reunited with their brothers and sister
00:42:21
[Music]
00:42:23
we've never given up hope that there are
00:42:27
are still alive and that we will be able
00:42:29
to find them curious as to what they've
00:42:32
grown up like their family life what
00:42:34
what they've made it themselves and
00:42:37
definitely hoping that I'd if I do find
00:42:39
that none of this won't ever hurt them
00:42:41
I have tried every avenue that I have
00:42:46
came before me to try and locate these
00:42:50
presents history and I'll never quit
00:42:56
until the last day in my life
00:43:02
unsolved mysteries appeared to be the
00:43:04
last hope and happily the day after our
00:43:07
broadcast 35 years of frustration came
00:43:09
to an end for John Mary a man named Lee
00:43:12
Shu lien of Owasso Oklahoma called her
00:43:15
phone center he identified himself as
00:43:17
earnestly Stallings it was only five
00:43:19
when the family was split apart Lee was
00:43:22
thrilled to hear that his brother and
00:43:23
sister were looking for him and was
00:43:25
anxious to meet them
00:43:30
three weeks later Lee arrived at a hotel
00:43:33
in Tulsa Oklahoma to be reunited with Jo
00:43:36
and the two brothers had not seen each
00:43:39
other in nearly half a century
00:43:42
[Music]
00:43:49
no no that's what I described it it's
00:43:55
such a wonderful feeling walking in this
00:44:04
morning he walked in and we met hugged
00:44:09
each other no bike and realize the
00:44:17
feeling separated too many years yeah
00:44:22
about 40 40 I'd really didn't know how I
00:44:26
was gonna react you know we've been
00:44:28
separated 46 years I felt a lot better
00:44:32
than what I thought I might and I really
00:44:35
you know felt real good too
00:44:37
hugging we've already started making us
00:44:41
some plans to get together go fishing so
00:44:45
we've got a future ahead of us to be
00:44:49
together and enjoy each other
00:44:55
sadly Jo and Lee's sister Mary was
00:44:58
unable to attend the reunion however she
00:45:01
has spoken with Lee on the phone and
00:45:02
they plan to get together in the very
00:45:04
near future yeah
00:45:09
[Music]
00:45:37
on our next unsolved mysteries a
00:45:39
remarkable story of faith and healing
00:45:42
when Vera Marie Calandra was 2 years old
00:45:45
her parents were told that she had just
00:45:47
weeks to live
00:45:48
Vera Marie's mother immediately
00:45:50
undertook an arduous journey to Italy to
00:45:52
ask for a special blessing from an aging
00:45:54
priest named padre pio within weeks
00:45:57
doctors were stunned to find that Vera
00:45:59
Marie was well on her way to recovery
00:46:03
today Vera Marie Callender is a normal
00:46:06
healthy adult for she saved by a miracle
00:46:09
join me next Friday for this uplifting
00:46:12
story and much more on unsolved
00:46:15
mysteries
00:46:21
[Music]
00:46:43
[Applause]
00:46:46
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

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

Episode Highlights

  • The Grim Discovery
    Excavation for a swimming pool in 1994 led to the discovery of dismembered human remains.
    “Three plastic bags and a fiberglass box containing dismembered sections of a human skeleton.”
    @ 02m 38s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Mysterious Disappearance of John and Linda Sohus
    In 1985, John and Linda Sohus vanished without a trace, leading to a chilling discovery years later.
    “Their sudden disappearance had mystified everyone who knew them.”
    @ 03m 18s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Enigmatic Christopher Chichester
    A mysterious tenant, Christopher Chichester, becomes a key figure in the Sohus case.
    “The most intriguing character would prove to be a mysterious young man.”
    @ 03m 50s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Depth Charge Incident
    A Navy destroyer may have mistakenly sunk an American submarine during WWII, leading to haunting memories.
    “Bill Anderson has never been able to shake that haunting image.”
    @ 19m 38s
    May 23, 2019
  • The Mystery of Michael O'Mara's Death
    Investigators explore the circumstances surrounding Michael O'Mara's death, questioning the suicide narrative.
    “It tends to be suicide, but I don’t have any evidence...”
    @ 30m 45s
    May 23, 2019
  • Terry's Journey to Find Her Birth Mother
    Terry Christie Derby embarks on a quest to discover her birth mother's identity, leading to emotional revelations.
    “I believe she had a heart... I appreciate that.”
    @ 33m 29s
    May 23, 2019
  • A Family Reunited After Decades
    Lee Stallings reunites with his brother Jo after 46 years apart, sharing an emotional moment.
    “It's such a wonderful feeling walking in this morning.”
    @ 44m 04s
    May 23, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • What you are about to see is not a news broadcast.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode
  • The tell-tale glow was unmistakable.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode
  • The Navy denies that it happened but it did happen.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode
  • It just doesn't fit him, you know?
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode
  • This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode
  • I have tried every avenue that I have to try and locate these presents.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 11 - Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Unsolved Mysteries00:03
  • Grim Discovery02:38
  • Mysterious Tenant03:50
  • Official Ruling25:25
  • Suicide Investigation30:45
  • Terry's Search33:36
  • Sibling Reunion34:48
  • Mary's Hope42:41

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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May 22, 2019
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48:06
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 14 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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01:32:48
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 6, Episode 23 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 3 - Full Episodes
May 21, 2019
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48:25
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 2, Episode 3 - Full Episodes
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 13 - Full Episode
May 22, 2019
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50:03
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 13 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 24 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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01:02:56
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 24 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 8 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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45:49
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 8 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 11 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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45:37
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 8, Episode 11 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
May 23, 2019
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47:10
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 10 - Full Episode
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 17 - Updated Full Episode
July 26, 2021
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46:53
Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 3, Episode 17 - Updated Full Episode