00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next on
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:08
Kevin McElroy is
in a terrible jam.
00:00:11
He has to raise nearly
a quarter of a million
00:00:14
dollars in ransom or
kidnappers will murder his son.
00:00:19
In 1945, five Navy bombers
vanish fueling the legend
00:00:25
of the Bermuda triangle.
00:00:27
Now one of those missing
planes may have been located.
00:00:32
A beautiful young
woman is found murdered
00:00:35
in an empty schoolyard.
00:00:37
A stranger was seen hitting
on her in a supermarket.
00:00:40
Could he be the killer?
00:00:43
And 10 savings accounts
in eight different states
00:00:47
opened by a mysterious
man named George J. Stein.
00:00:51
His unknown heirs could
inherit everything.
00:00:57
Whether it's murder, missing
persons, or the paranormal.
00:01:00
For the next hour it's
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:01:04
I'm Dennis Farina.
00:01:06
[theme music]
00:01:42
DENNIS FARINA: Troop, Texas.
00:01:45
The home of 18-year-old
Kyle McElroy.
00:01:49
Ha, ha!
00:01:50
Day shift is over.
00:01:50
Time for the real workers.
00:01:53
DENNIS FARINA: Kyle worked
for his father Kevin,
00:01:55
who owned a plastics factory.
00:01:58
At the end of each
day, Kyle would
00:02:00
take over as the supervisor
of the night shift.
00:02:03
Together, father and son
made their plastics company
00:02:07
a huge success.
00:02:09
Kyle had a bright future.
00:02:14
McElroy Plastics.
00:02:16
DENNIS FARINA:
Friday, March 10th
00:02:17
Who is this?
DENNIS FARINA: 9:20 AM.
00:02:21
Sarah who?
00:02:23
Bonnie came in
and told me that--
00:02:26
asked me if I knew a Sarah.
00:02:29
And I said, well what
company does she work for?
00:02:31
She said, she wouldn't
tell me nothing.
00:02:34
This is McElroy.
00:02:35
How can I help you?
00:02:36
SARAH (ON PHONE): Kevin.
00:02:37
We have your son.
00:02:39
Take the 110 South.
00:02:40
You'll find his truck there.
00:02:42
Look in the truck for
further instructions.
00:02:45
Do not call the police.
00:02:46
KEVIN MCELROY: I'm thinking,
you know, it's maybe a joke.
00:02:49
I'm not really in the
mood for this right now.
00:02:52
KEVIN MCELROY: And I'm really
not believing what I'm hearing.
00:02:55
Put him on the phone.
00:02:57
So she put Kyle on the phone
just for maybe five seconds
00:03:03
or so.
00:03:04
KYLE (ON PHONE): Daddy.
00:03:05
Do what they say.
00:03:07
They mean it.
00:03:09
Or they're gonna kill me.
00:03:11
DENNIS FARINA:
Kyle had last been
00:03:12
seen at the end of his work
shift the previous night.
00:03:16
His father was now certain
that the mysterious Sarah
00:03:22
was for real.
00:03:24
Kevin McElroy had only
seconds to decide what to do.
00:03:28
Despite the kidnappers warnings,
he contacted the police.
00:03:32
His son's life was
at risk and he needed
00:03:34
all the help that he could get.
00:03:39
DENNIS FARINA: Kevin set
out to give the kidnappers
00:03:40
instructions from Kyle's truck.
00:03:44
One officer followed him
at a discreet distance.
00:03:47
A second officer,
pretending to be a rancher,
00:03:50
would be stationed just up
the road from Kyle's truck.
00:03:56
The truck was locked and
Kevin did not have a key.
00:04:02
KEVIN MCELROY: I was thinking,
what if while I'm trying to get
00:04:04
in the pickup it blows up.
00:04:08
DENNIS FARINA: The ransom
note, however, was right
00:04:10
where Sarah said it would be.
00:04:16
The letter said
that they were asking
00:04:18
for $200,000 in $100 bills.
00:04:22
And that I had seven hours
to come up with the money
00:04:26
and then go back to
my office and that's
00:04:29
when they would call me and
tell me where to drop it off at.
00:04:35
DENNIS FARINA: Only 6
and 1/2 hours remain
00:04:36
until the deadline expired.
00:04:39
The FBI had taken charge of
the case and briefed Kevin
00:04:43
on their plan.
00:04:44
There was nothing in that
note to tell us where Kyle was,
00:04:48
where to get the money, or what
means Kyle would be released.
00:04:53
So we knew the abductors had
to contact Mr. McElroy again.
00:04:58
DENNIS FARINA: For
their plan to work,
00:05:00
FBI agents needed to
be at Kevin's factory
00:05:03
when the kidnappers called
again, but no one could know.
00:05:08
Kevin's workers
were told that there
00:05:10
was a break down at the plant
and they were all sent home.
00:05:17
At 4:00 PM, the FBI moved in.
00:05:23
By this time Kevin had
collected only half
00:05:26
of the $200,000 ransom.
00:05:28
We're inside.
00:05:33
DENNIS FARINA: 6:30 PM.
00:05:35
Hello.
00:05:36
SARAH (ON PHONE): Do
you have the money?
00:05:38
KEVIN (ON PHONE):
I got most of it.
00:05:39
SARAH (ON PHONE): What do
you mean most of the money?
00:05:41
I can't get the
whole $200,000.
00:05:42
It's Friday.
00:05:43
The banks don't have it.
00:05:45
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI worked
quickly to trace the call.
00:05:48
SARAH (ON PHONE): You
don't have any more time.
00:05:49
The FBI had asked
me to stall her.
00:05:52
I said, you're going
to get your money.
00:05:55
I said, but I want
to talk to Kyle
00:05:57
and I want to make
sure he's all right.
00:06:00
She said, he's fine.
00:06:01
She said, you're not going
to get to talk to him.
00:06:03
SARAH (ON PHONE): Listen to me.
00:06:04
Pay attention.
00:06:06
Take the money you have.
00:06:07
DENNIS FARINA: Sarah told
Kevin to drive to a pay phone
00:06:10
outside a nearby restaurant.
00:06:12
There he would find another note
telling him what to do next.
00:06:17
SARAH (ON PHONE): Go alone.
00:06:18
DENNIS FARINA: The call was
traced to a remote phone booth.
00:06:22
But by the time the FBI
got there Sarah was gone.
00:06:29
The only thing to do now
was to follow her orders.
00:06:33
It's for your own
protection understand me?
00:06:35
Yeah.
00:06:44
DENNIS FARINA: 7:15 PM.
00:06:50
KEVIN MCELROY: I
didn't see a note.
00:06:52
I was expecting a
little brown envelope
00:06:54
like the ransom note come in.
00:06:57
Maybe there's something
in this trash.
00:06:59
Maybe on a candy wrapper.
00:07:03
On the very bottom of
that pile was a note.
00:07:07
DENNIS FARINA: The
note told Kevin
00:07:08
to take the ransom to a
laundromat a half a mile away.
00:07:13
He would then get another
call at his office telling
00:07:16
him where he could find Kyle.
00:07:20
The FBI quickly set up a
SWAT team near the back
00:07:23
of the laundromat.
00:07:24
FBI AGENT (OFF SCREEN):
We got a 360 degree view.
00:07:26
There's no movement
at this time.
00:07:32
When Kevin drove
up to the laundromat
00:07:34
to drop out the ransom money
there was a lot of tension.
00:07:37
Any time someone's
life is on the line
00:07:39
there's a lot of tension.
00:07:40
You want to get this
done and then find
00:07:41
the victim as soon as possible.
00:07:47
DENNIS FARINA: One hour passed.
00:07:49
FBI AGENT (OFF SCREEN): Suspects
approaching from the north.
00:07:53
Beanie caps, blue
sweatshirts, blue jeans.
00:07:55
They're looking around.
00:07:57
Going for the money.
00:07:59
Got the money.
00:08:00
They're go.
00:08:01
FBI freeze!
00:08:02
Go, go, go.
00:08:03
Go, go.
00:08:10
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI
arrested three men.
00:08:14
One, Victor Faredes, was an
employee of McElroy Plastics
00:08:19
and a friend of Kyle's.
00:08:21
The FBI soon learned that his
real name was Daniel Rios.
00:08:27
But the woman who called herself
Sarah was nowhere to be found.
00:08:32
The suspects told
the FBI that Kyle
00:08:35
was waiting at an abandoned
farm outside of town.
00:08:41
It was late in the evening.
00:08:43
They asked me if they
could speak to me.
00:08:45
They had some
information for me.
00:08:49
And I could tell by the looks on
their face that it wasn't good.
00:08:53
And they said he that was dead.
00:08:57
They found him dead.
00:09:01
It's like somebody walking
up and hitting you,
00:09:04
but you can't feel it.
00:09:07
You know, you think
about it and it
00:09:08
just-- it just makes you mad.
00:09:12
DENNIS FARINA: The
medical examiner
00:09:13
determined that Kyle had been
killed before the first ransom
00:09:17
call was ever made.
00:09:20
The FBI believes that Kyle's
abductors recorded his voice
00:09:23
and then killed him.
00:09:27
Sarah later played this tape
to Kevin over the phone.
00:09:32
Investigators learned
that Sarah was actually
00:09:35
Desiree Dawn Lingo-Perkins,
a transient with a history
00:09:40
of mental illness.
00:09:42
Police issued a
warrant for her arrest.
00:09:48
Update.
00:09:51
Desiree Lingo-Perkins
has been captured
00:09:54
in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
00:09:57
She caught the
attention of police
00:09:58
on a routine patrol when she
fled for no apparent reason.
00:10:03
After they captured
Lingo-Perkins,
00:10:05
police learned that she
was wanted in the States.
00:10:09
Desiree Lingo-Perkins
pleaded guilty to murder
00:10:12
and was sentenced
to life in prison.
00:10:16
Alfredo Romero was
sentenced to 30 years.
00:10:20
Ernesto Baylon to 50 years.
00:10:24
And Daniel Rios
to life in prison.
00:10:31
Next, five Navy
bombers disappear
00:10:34
while on a training mission.
00:10:36
Could they be victims
of the Bermuda Triangle?
00:10:40
[music playing]
00:10:49
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
00:10:53
December 5th, 1945.
00:10:58
Five Navy Avenger
torpedo bombers take off
00:11:01
on a routine training flight.
00:11:07
There are 14 men on board.
00:11:14
The mission is
known as Flight 19.
00:11:17
Five hours later
the entire squadron
00:11:20
has vanished without a trace.
00:11:23
A modern legend of the
supernatural is quickly born.
00:11:31
It has been called
the Triangle of Death,
00:11:33
the Hoodoo Sea, or the
graveyard of the Atlantic.
00:11:38
But to most of
us, the area where
00:11:40
the five planes disappeared is
known as the Bermuda Triangle.
00:11:45
This area extends from
the south of Florida,
00:11:48
northeast to Bermuda, and
then southeast to Puerto Rico.
00:11:53
Some researchers claim
that since the early 1900s,
00:11:56
over 100 ships and planes have
disappeared in this region.
00:12:03
But the triangle's most
famous victims were
00:12:06
the five Avengers of Flight 19.
00:12:11
Some say that Flight
19 was swallowed up
00:12:14
by supernatural forces
in the Bermuda Triangle.
00:12:18
But after years of research
a former helicopter pilot
00:12:21
named Jon Myhre has a
more scientific theory.
00:12:25
In fact Myhre believes
that he has located
00:12:27
one of the missing planes.
00:12:31
DENNIS FARINA: Jon
Myhre has carefully
00:12:32
studied the squadron's
flight plan,
00:12:34
radio transmissions,
and the weather
00:12:37
on the day of the disappearance.
00:12:41
When I read the story,
and I read the transcripts
00:12:44
of the radio conversations,
and I said, if this is true
00:12:49
and this is true, then I think
I can find one of the airplanes.
00:12:57
DENNIS FARINA: It all began
at the Naval Air Station
00:12:59
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
00:13:01
It was the afternoon
of December 5th, 1945.
00:13:06
Lieutenant Charles Taylor was
assigned to command Flight 19.
00:13:10
He was known as a
cool, capable pilot,
00:13:13
with over 2,500 hours
as a Naval aviator.
00:13:18
You will fly 123
miles southeast.
00:13:20
DENNIS FARINA: Before
takeoff, the crew of Flight 19
00:13:23
was briefed on the
routine training exercise.
00:13:28
That afternoon the five planes
lifted off and headed out
00:13:31
over the Atlantic.
00:13:36
Their plan was to fly 123
nautical miles southeast,
00:13:40
practice a bomb run,
push 73 miles northwest,
00:13:45
and had 120 miles back
to Fort Lauderdale.
00:13:53
Flight 19 consisted of
four student pilots who
00:13:57
were qualified Naval aviators.
00:14:00
They had gone through
all of their training
00:14:02
but this one flight.
00:14:04
FT 28 to flight I'm
making my clearing turn.
00:14:08
The flight was not
following Charles Taylor.
00:14:12
He was the instructor
pilot who was trailing
00:14:14
behind the rest of the flight.
00:14:16
He was grading
their performance.
00:14:18
He wasn't doing the navigating.
00:14:20
The other pilots
in the flight were
00:14:22
doing their own navigation.
00:14:25
FT 28 to flight.
00:14:26
Target is at 12
o'clock, one mile out.
00:14:29
Let's see what you're made of.
00:14:32
DENNIS FARINA: The men
successfully completed
00:14:34
the practice bomb run.
00:14:40
But on the second
leg of the flight,
00:14:42
Taylor's compass
began to malfunction.
00:14:45
I don't know where we are.
00:14:46
We must have got lost
after that last turn.
00:14:49
Powers, what does
your compass read?
00:14:52
POWERS (ON RADIO): Lieutenant,
we're at 330 degrees.
00:14:55
DENNIS FARINA: Myhre
believes that the crewman's
00:14:56
compass reading was correct.
00:14:59
But Lieutenant Taylor remained
convinced that they were lost.
00:15:07
TAYLOR (ON RADIO):
My compass is out.
00:15:08
Time I am over small islands.
00:15:10
Believe to be Florida Keys.
00:15:14
DENNIS FARINA: Taylor had
made a critical mistake.
00:15:18
He thought that Flight 19
was in the Gulf of Mexico,
00:15:21
flying over the Florida Keys.
00:15:24
Myhre believes that
the flight was actually
00:15:26
flying over the Abaco
Islands in the west
00:15:29
Atlantic, 300 miles northeast
of where Taylor thought he was.
00:15:36
From the air the two island
chains look very similar.
00:15:42
Taylor ordered the plane to fly
northeast and then due east.
00:15:46
If they had been over the
Keys, this route would
00:15:49
have taken them safely home.
00:15:52
Instead it took them
further out to sea.
00:15:57
By 5:00 PM the sun was
setting and the weather
00:16:00
was getting worse.
00:16:02
Flight 19 was headed
east away from their base
00:16:06
when they began to
lose radio contact.
00:16:10
The base heard one of the last
pilot-to-pilot communications.
00:16:14
PILOT (ON RADIO): We just
head west we get home.
00:16:16
Dammit if we'd just
head west we get home.
00:16:19
DENNIS FARINA: Fuel was low
and time was running out.
00:16:23
According to Myhre, Taylor
finally listened to his crewmen
00:16:27
and headed west towards
the Florida coast.
00:16:31
JON MYHRE: So he
flew due west for 49
00:16:34
minutes until the
first airplane crashed.
00:16:38
PILOT (ON RADIO):
Dammit, I'm going down.
00:16:40
I got to ditch.
00:16:41
Do you read?
00:16:43
Do you read?
00:16:45
Dammit, do you read?
00:16:52
DENNIS FARINA: Myhre thinks that
the remaining four pilots then
00:16:54
made another fatal mistake.
00:16:58
They were only seven minutes
away from the Florida coast,
00:17:01
but they still had
not spotted land.
00:17:04
They began to think
that they were
00:17:05
flying over the Gulf of Mexico.
00:17:08
So they once again reversed
their course and headed east.
00:17:13
This took them back out to sea
where they would disappear.
00:17:20
For the next five days the Navy
conducted a massive search.
00:17:25
No trace of the planes or the
14 missing men was ever found.
00:17:32
Myhre believes that
the first plane
00:17:34
crashed here, only 30 miles
off the Florida coast,
00:17:38
near Cape Canaveral.
00:17:40
But finding a single
Avenger in the ocean
00:17:43
was an overwhelming task.
00:17:46
Until a national tragedy struck.
00:17:55
In 1986 when the space
shuttle Challenger exploded
00:17:59
after liftoff some
of that debris
00:18:02
fell in the exact location
where Myhre believes
00:18:05
the first plane crashed.
00:18:10
The underwater search
for the challenger record
00:18:13
you may have uncovered one of
the Avengers from Flight 19.
00:18:23
Next, the daring attempt to
raise the unidentified plane
00:18:27
from the sea.
00:18:29
[music playing]
00:18:35
Shortly after World
War II, five planes
00:18:38
carrying 14 crew
members mysteriously
00:18:41
disappeared in the
Bermuda Triangle.
00:18:45
Decades later when the space
shuttle Challenger exploded
00:18:48
after takeoff, the
search for its debris
00:18:52
may have uncovered remnants
of one of the Avengers.
00:18:59
30 Miles from Cape
Canaveral, the salvage team
00:19:02
found a wrecked plane
submerged in 400 feet of water.
00:19:08
Jon Myhre believed the
discovery supported his theory.
00:19:13
Several years later
he was able to see
00:19:16
the wreckage for himself.
00:19:19
Myhre went down in a
submarine to inspect it.
00:19:23
We knew we had a
wreck, but we didn't know
00:19:25
what type of airplane it was.
00:19:27
To say I was on the edge of my
seat, along with my colleagues,
00:19:30
would be an understatement.
00:19:34
DENNIS FARINA: As they came near
the wreck, the wing of a plane
00:19:38
became visible.
00:19:39
JON MYHRE: Oh my god.
00:19:40
I can't believe I'm here.
00:19:43
DENNIS FARINA: But was
it the right plane?
00:19:47
One distinctive
feature of the Avenger
00:19:50
is its bomb bay, located
under the fuselage.
00:19:55
The submerged plane
is upside down.
00:19:58
Here the bomb bay cavity
is clearly visible.
00:20:01
JON MYHRE: I can't believe it.
00:20:04
DENNIS FARINA: Another
recognizable feature of
00:20:06
the Avenger is its wheel well.
00:20:09
Here it can be seen on
the underside of the wing.
00:20:13
JON MYHRE: Oh my god.
00:20:16
DENNIS FARINA: However, the
Avenger's most unusual feature
00:20:19
is the ball turret,
which protected
00:20:21
that gunner behind the pilot.
00:20:24
The plane Myhre found is upside
down and partially buried
00:20:28
in the sand, but the
unique crosshatch
00:20:31
of the turret's window
frame is clearly visible.
00:20:36
JON MYHRE: There's no question
we've got an Avenger, folks.
00:20:39
After all, at this point,
eight years of research,
00:20:42
to actually be right
over top of this wreckage
00:20:45
was just incredible.
00:20:50
DENNIS FARINA: Using the
submarine's mechanical arm,
00:20:52
Myhre removed the
engine cowling.
00:20:55
He was hoping to find a serial
number that would confirm
00:20:58
that this Avenger
belonged to Flight 19
00:21:02
but after examining the cowling,
Myhre was unable to find
00:21:06
any serial numbers.
00:21:09
JON MYHRE: The only way to prove
whether this is indeed Flight
00:21:12
19 aircraft is
going to be to raise
00:21:14
that sucker out of the water.
00:21:15
It'll remain a mystery until
we can raise the airplane.
00:21:21
Lifting a plane from the floor
of the ocean is no easy task,
00:21:26
but Jon Myhre's solid research
had attracted supporters.
00:21:29
With his new partners, Larry
Schwartz and Diana Laws,
00:21:33
Myhre began a massive recovery
operation known as Project 19.
00:21:41
DENNIS FARINA: Previous
dives had revealed
00:21:42
that the engine
and propeller had
00:21:44
separated from the
main body of the plane.
00:21:48
The wreckage would be
brought up in two sections.
00:21:51
First, the engine and
propeller assembly,
00:21:53
and then the main body.
00:21:57
There was a Navy bureau
number on the engine,
00:21:59
and there was also
a manufacturer stamp
00:22:02
number in the engine block.
00:22:04
So we raise that engine
we should be able to get
00:22:06
a positive ID from that.
00:22:10
DENNIS FARINA: At last the
moment of truth is at hand.
00:22:13
The submarine's
robotic arm wraps
00:22:16
nylon straps around
the propeller
00:22:18
and the engine housing.
00:22:21
400 feet above a 50-ton crane
begins raising the wreckage.
00:22:29
Slowly, the propeller
and the engine assembly
00:22:32
is lifted on board.
00:22:37
But the condition
of the wreckage
00:22:38
makes the immediate
identification of the plane
00:22:42
impossible.
00:22:44
The corrosion that has taken
place over the last 50 years
00:22:47
has deteriorated any number,
or any sort of marking
00:22:50
on the engine itself.
00:22:53
DENNIS FARINA: The next
step is the recovery
00:22:55
of the wing and fuselage.
00:22:57
The submarine's crew
attaches a cable to a harness
00:23:00
that holds the sunken plane.
00:23:05
The crane begins to lift the
plane 400 feet to the surface,
00:23:10
but the coral-encrusted Avenger
weighs about three times more
00:23:13
than expected.
00:23:15
The harness and cable
strain under the weight.
00:23:19
Suddenly the crane's
steel cable goes slack.
00:23:25
Shut it down.
00:23:26
Shut it down!
00:23:28
The plane either collapsed,
or something caught it.
00:23:31
Something went boom, and
now there's not much load.
00:23:35
DENNIS FARINA: The cable
snaps in two, sending
00:23:37
the Avenger back to the bottom.
00:23:41
At dawn, the crew is
ready to try again.
00:23:45
It's still sitting
in the same position
00:23:47
that it was before,
which is upside down.
00:23:50
All the rigging is still on it.
00:23:52
And so all we've got to do is
get down there, hook onto it,
00:23:54
and it's going to come up.
00:23:56
We're going to see it today.
00:24:00
DENNIS FARINA: But this
time as the plane comes up,
00:24:02
there's yet another problem.
00:24:04
The wings are buckling.
00:24:08
Divers immediately go down
to reinforce the wings.
00:24:12
If they fail, the
wings will tear off
00:24:15
and the plane will sink
again to the ocean floor.
00:24:21
The Avenger torpedo
bomber resumes its assent.
00:24:27
Finally, gloriously, the
plane breaks the surface.
00:24:33
For Jon Myhre, the successful
recovery of the Avenger
00:24:37
marks the end of a nine
year quest for the truth.
00:24:43
You'd think you'd be elated,
and everybody screaming
00:24:46
and jumping up and down.
00:24:48
It's there, but it's
subdued, you know.
00:24:51
It's tempered by
knowing some good people
00:24:54
died a long time ago, and
we're not going to forget them.
00:25:02
DENNIS FARINA: The
wreckage of the Avenger
00:25:04
was taken to Marineland
near St. Augustine, Florida.
00:25:07
And there, members of Project 19
recorded the numbers from parts
00:25:12
of the recovered aircraft.
00:25:15
Several of these
numbers did partially
00:25:18
match those of one of the
lost Avengers from Flight 19.
00:25:23
But Meyer and his team were
unable to positively identify
00:25:29
the recovered aircraft.
00:25:32
Perhaps some day
the other planes
00:25:35
that were lost that
fateful day will be found
00:25:38
and the mystery of Flight
19 will finally be solved.
00:25:48
Next, he could
have been a friend,
00:25:50
or he could have
been her killer.
00:25:52
Who was with Veronica Jefferson
the night she was murdered?
00:25:57
[music playing]
00:26:06
Arlington, Virginia.
00:26:11
Police arrived at a schoolyard
where the body of a young woman
00:26:15
has been found.
00:26:17
She has been raped and shot
once at point blank range.
00:26:24
I think when you arrive at
a crime scene at 3 o'clock
00:26:27
in the morning, and you find
a young woman shot to death.
00:26:31
She was sexually assaulted
and then murdered.
00:26:34
I think you start out with
kind of a sick feeling
00:26:36
in your stomach.
00:26:38
Kind of a disgust
for crime in general.
00:26:41
DENNIS FARINA: The condition
of the woman's clothing
00:26:43
indicates that the rape was
not a random act of violence.
00:26:49
In most rape cases there
are some signs of force.
00:26:53
Maybe there are tears in
the clothing, which there
00:26:56
were not any on the scene.
00:26:59
It may have been more
like a date rape.
00:27:01
Someone that she knew
and it went too far.
00:27:07
DENNIS FARINA: The
victim is identified
00:27:09
as 24-year-old
Veronica Jefferson,
00:27:11
who had recently moved to
the DC area from Oklahoma.
00:27:17
At the time of
her death Veronica
00:27:19
was working as a finance
officer for the CIA,
00:27:23
but nothing in her
background suggested
00:27:25
any motive for her murder.
00:27:29
The next day
Veronica's red Camaro
00:27:32
with its distinctive
personal license
00:27:34
plates reading "MS VLJ" was
found parked at a supermarket
00:27:40
two blocks from her apartment.
00:27:42
The vehicle was unlocked,
and the keys were missing.
00:27:46
The vehicle was examined
for fingerprints,
00:27:48
but the car appeared to
have been wiped clean.
00:27:56
Looks like we have
a receipt inside.
00:27:59
Time and date stamped.
00:28:01
DENNIS FARINA: This receipt
showed that Veronica
00:28:03
left the market at 9:30 PM.
00:28:06
Purse on the rear seat.
00:28:07
DENNIS FARINA: Surprisingly,
Veronica's cash and her credit
00:28:10
cards were still in her purse.
00:28:13
Box cutter.
00:28:15
DENNIS FARINA: This box cutter
and the location of the car led
00:28:18
detectives to focus their
investigation on the workers
00:28:21
at the supermarket.
00:28:25
They began to interview
all 186 employees.
00:28:29
- Agree to cooperate?
- I'll take you two.
00:28:33
Why don't you follow me?
00:28:35
How about this gentleman?
00:28:36
One good suspect
admitted that he
00:28:38
had seen her the day that she
was killed in the supermarket.
00:28:42
And he was able to
describe her all
00:28:44
the way down to her red shoes.
00:28:46
Did you ever talk to her?
00:28:47
Yeah I talked to
her a few times.
00:28:48
You ever go out with her?
00:28:49
No.
00:28:51
I tried, but I don't think
she was interested in me.
00:28:53
BOB CARRIG: When we were able to
narrow the field down from 186
00:28:56
down to six, it was my job to
get a sample of their blood
00:29:01
to either eliminate them, or
possibly to find the individual
00:29:05
that committed this crime.
00:29:08
DENNIS FARINA: Body fluid that
was found at the crime scene
00:29:10
showed a rare blood type common
to only 4% of the population.
00:29:17
Veronica's attacker
could definitively
00:29:20
be identified by
crosschecking this blood
00:29:23
type with a DNA sample that was
also found at the crime scene.
00:29:29
But there were no matches.
00:29:32
All six suspects from
the market were cleared.
00:29:36
But four days after the murder,
an off duty police officer
00:29:40
claimed that he
had seen Veronica
00:29:42
the night that she was killed.
00:29:44
She was in her car and
there was a man driving.
00:29:48
I was on my way to work.
00:29:50
It was approximately a quarter
of 10:00 PM in the evening.
00:29:54
While I was waiting
to make a left,
00:29:56
there was a car approaching me
from the opposite direction.
00:29:59
It had its bright lights on me.
00:30:01
That's what first drew
my attention to the car.
00:30:04
As this car turned the
corner, he ran over the curb
00:30:08
and I don't mean just bumped it,
but really ran over the curb.
00:30:12
As the car turned, I noticed
the license plate on the car.
00:30:16
They were personalized tags
and they read "MS VLJ."
00:30:20
The driver was
apparently very involved
00:30:22
in conversation
as he was driving
00:30:24
slow and weaving up the road.
00:30:27
It did not seem like there
was any trouble in the car.
00:30:31
The woman got out of the car.
00:30:33
She bent down and they had
words for 15, 20 seconds.
00:30:38
She wasn't in any distress.
00:30:41
She wasn't frantic.
00:30:42
They just seemed to be
friends and he was saying bye.
00:30:45
I got tired of watching and went
around the car and on my way.
00:30:50
The more and more I thought
about it, the more I
00:30:53
wished that I could have pulled
this person over at this time,
00:30:57
and in some way, maybe
that would have prevented
00:31:00
the death of Miss Jefferson.
00:31:03
It had to have been
someone that Veronica
00:31:05
was familiar with.
00:31:06
A friend, an old
friend, someone she
00:31:10
really felt comfortable with.
00:31:12
In order to let
them drive her car.
00:31:14
We were able to get a list of
male friends and acquaintances
00:31:19
of Veronica's.
00:31:20
All her male friends that we
know of have been interviewed,
00:31:24
blood has been
taken and all have
00:31:25
been eliminated as suspects.
00:31:28
After Veronica's
friends were cleared
00:31:30
the investigation came
to a complete standstill.
00:31:35
Then a year after the murder
two eyewitnesses came forward.
00:31:42
They remembered seeing
Veronica in the market
00:31:45
less than two hours
before she was killed.
00:31:49
On the night in
question my wife and I
00:31:51
both went to the supermarket
to pick up a few items.
00:31:56
On arriving at the deli counter,
I noticed this very attractive,
00:32:01
I would say beautiful girl.
- Hello.
00:32:04
DELI CLERK (OUT OF FRAME):
Hi, may I help you?
00:32:05
Yes.
00:32:07
JOHN FLANAGAN: A man
approached her and started
00:32:09
a conversation with her.
00:32:12
Salad, right?
00:32:14
No.
00:32:15
Now, come on.
00:32:16
I know it's got to be salad
with you looking that good.
00:32:19
I had the distinct
impression that he
00:32:21
was trying to pick her up.
00:32:23
Because I generally had
the feeling that he did
00:32:26
not know her, or had not been
in any previous company of hers.
00:32:34
DENNIS FARINA: Veronica was
seen again outside the store she
00:32:38
was talking with the same man.
00:32:42
I couldn't hear
what they were saying,
00:32:45
but I could watch
the body language.
00:32:48
And I had the feeling
that something was wrong.
00:32:51
She continually looked
around the parking lot.
00:32:54
She looked as if
she was searching
00:32:56
for someone who knew
her, or someone to get
00:32:59
her out of this situation.
00:33:01
But she did smile at
him she did laugh.
00:33:05
And I had an uneasy
feeling about it,
00:33:08
but it wasn't that
dramatic enough
00:33:12
that would have made me push
ahead to say do you need help.
00:33:21
There's a possibility
that the suspect
00:33:24
was once involved with Veronica
and no one else knew that.
00:33:29
He feels that his
identity will never
00:33:30
be known because of that fact.
00:33:34
We continue to investigate
unsolved homicides
00:33:37
until the end.
00:33:39
They may not be solved, but
they're never forgotten.
00:33:43
I think it's important that
the killer understand that we
00:33:49
will not stop looking for him.
00:33:51
We are still looking
and we will find him.
00:33:57
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:33:58
16 years after Veronica
Jefferson was raped and killed,
00:34:02
investigators matched DNA
from a death row inmate
00:34:07
to DNA that was found
on Veronica's body.
00:34:11
Alfredo Rolando Prieto had
already been sentenced to death
00:34:15
for killing a teenage
girl in California
00:34:18
two years after
murdering Veronica
00:34:21
in Arlington, Virginia.
00:34:26
Coming up, who is the mysterious
George Stein, and where
00:34:31
are the heirs to his fortune?
00:34:34
[music playing]
00:34:46
On a previous broadcast we
presented the puzzling case
00:34:49
of Sandra Orellana, who
fell 10 stories to her death
00:34:54
from this hotel balcony
in southern California.
00:34:58
Investigators weren't sure if
it was an accident, suicide,
00:35:03
or murder.
00:35:05
Sandra had come to
California on a business trip
00:35:08
with her boss Robert Salazar.
00:35:12
They checked into adjacent
rooms on the eighth floor.
00:35:19
The next morning
Sandra's body was found
00:35:22
sprawled on the ground below.
00:35:25
When police interviewed
Robert Salazar,
00:35:27
he told them that he
had escorted Sandra out
00:35:30
to her room around
midnight and that he
00:35:32
left her alive and well.
00:35:35
But detectives became
suspicious when they found some
00:35:39
of his clothing in her room.
00:35:42
When questioned again Salazar
told a very different story.
00:35:49
He said that he had in fact
gone into the room with Sandra
00:35:52
and that they had
engaged in sex.
00:35:56
And that they were
on the balcony.
00:35:58
Sandra had positioned herself
on the railing of the balcony
00:36:01
in such a way that she
threw one of her legs
00:36:05
over the top of the balcony
and lost her balance
00:36:09
and had fallen.
00:36:11
DENNIS FARINA: Sandra's
family was outraged.
00:36:13
They felt that she
would never have
00:36:15
had consensual sex with
Salazar because she
00:36:18
was devoted to her fiance.
00:36:22
Police use the dummy
to test Salazar's
00:36:25
account of what happened.
00:36:28
We tried it
several times, and we
00:36:31
actually ended up trying to
make it land where she landed.
00:36:34
And we had to basically throw
the dummy in that direction
00:36:39
to make it land there.
00:36:46
I don't believe that is possible
that she could have fallen off
00:36:50
the balcony I think that
something else caused
00:36:53
her to fall off
the balcony that Mr
00:36:57
Salazar has not yet revealed.
00:37:00
DENNIS FARINA: Despite
suspicions of the police
00:37:03
Robert Salazar was not
initially charged with a crime.
00:37:09
Update.
00:37:13
Five years after Sandra's
death Robert Salazar
00:37:16
was arrested for her murder.
00:37:18
The large item.
00:37:19
Your honor, I'm going to ask--
00:37:21
DENNIS FARINA: Charges of both
first and second degree murder
00:37:24
were filed after investigators
re-evaluated evidence,
00:37:28
and DNA tests.
00:37:31
A year after his arrest
Robert Salazar went to trial.
00:37:35
He was found not guilty in
the death of Sandra Orellana.
00:37:39
According to investigators
this case is officially closed.
00:37:52
DENNIS FARINA: On
November 12th, 1936
00:37:55
a man named George
J. Stein opened
00:37:57
the savings account for $120
at a bank in Ripon, Wisconsin.
00:38:04
George left behind
no social security
00:38:06
number and no home address.
00:38:10
For the next 16
years, George opened
00:38:13
over a dozen bank accounts
throughout the Midwest.
00:38:17
However he'd never
return to get his money.
00:38:21
The deposits totaled
more than $100,000.
00:38:28
Stein's accounts were
scattered across the Midwest.
00:38:31
Three in Wisconsin.
00:38:33
Three in Minnesota and Indiana.
00:38:35
And at least one in
Iowa and Illinois.
00:38:39
Investigator Tom Becker
became interested
00:38:43
in one of the Indiana accounts.
00:38:46
This was the only
one that I could
00:38:49
find where he gave
an address other
00:38:51
than general delivery or YMCA.
00:38:55
Or on the account might
say address unknown.
00:38:57
He gave an address
of 505 Washington
00:39:00
Street, Indianapolis.
00:39:03
DENNIS FARINA: This
address out to be
00:39:04
a company that made men's hats,
gloves, and other accessories.
00:39:09
Tom was able to match
a description of Stein
00:39:12
to a description of a traveling
salesman named Ralph Barnett.
00:39:17
Barnett's sales territories went
through many of the same towns
00:39:21
where Stein had set up accounts.
00:39:24
TOM BECKER: So as he
acquired more money
00:39:26
than he needed for
living expenses,
00:39:28
my theory is he would mail it
to one of the savings and loans.
00:39:33
Barnett, or whoever
George J. Stein was,
00:39:35
eventually met an
unfortunate end.
00:39:38
Maybe a heart attack.
Maybe he was murdered.
00:39:39
Who knows.
00:39:40
And as he disappeared
very suddenly,
00:39:42
he never made a withdrawal
on any of these accounts.
00:39:46
Nobody deposits money
without the intention
00:39:48
of ever withdrawing it.
00:39:51
DENNIS FARINA:
Genealogist Frances
00:39:53
Scoll has a different theory.
00:39:56
When she went through
Stein's deposit records,
00:39:59
she discovered a return address
for the name Ed Fay written
00:40:03
on one of the envelopes.
00:40:05
In some newspapers from
1903, she discovered
00:40:09
who Ed Fay might have been.
00:40:12
FRANCES SCOLL: A man
named Ed Fay had robbed
00:40:15
a post office with his gang.
00:40:18
And it was a post office
up in Superior, Wisconsin.
00:40:23
Red.
00:40:25
DENNIS FARINA: In 1903,
Ed Fay masterminded
00:40:28
a daring post office robbery.
00:40:30
He got away with over
$15,000 in stamps and cash.
00:40:37
Shortly after the
robbery, Fay was arrested.
00:40:41
FRANCES SCOLL: He had a
reputation for being very,
00:40:43
very slick and well-educated.
00:40:46
And could get away
with almost anything.
00:40:48
And he boasted that there was
no jail that could hold him.
00:40:52
DENNIS FARINA: And
no jail did hold him.
00:40:55
He escaped with an
accomplice and nobody
00:40:58
knows where he ended up.
00:41:01
My theory is that he may have
decided he needed the money.
00:41:05
He couldn't spend it
as it was, and he may
00:41:08
have been known as Eddie Fay.
00:41:10
And the only way to do
was to change his identity
00:41:13
so that no one would ask where
Ed Fay got all that money,
00:41:17
and then become somebody else.
00:41:19
And also have his bank accounts
all in somebody else's names.
00:41:24
DENNIS FARINA: Was
George J. Stein
00:41:26
the notorious robber Ed Fay
or was he a mild mannered
00:41:31
salesman named Ralph Barnett?
00:41:34
Either way any legitimate heir
could collect over $130,000.
00:41:41
But they would first have to
prove that they are related
00:41:45
to him, and they would have to
provide a signature matching
00:41:49
Stein's handwriting that was
written at the period of time
00:41:52
when he made his many deposits.
00:41:56
So far there have
been five applicants,
00:41:59
but no successful claims.
00:42:01
If you have any information
that could help find
00:42:04
George J. Stein's heirs,
please log onto our website
00:42:09
at unsolved.com.
00:42:14
[music playing]
