00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next on
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:09
A driver walks away from a
car crash and disappears.
00:00:14
She may be suffering
from amnesia.
00:00:18
In Nevada, one haunted house,
two frightened families,
00:00:23
and a ghost named Samuel.
00:00:27
Six months after
moving to a new town,
00:00:30
a young woman is found murdered
in the front seat of her car.
00:00:35
And a violent mob boss uses
a suburban neighborhood
00:00:39
as a front for an international
drug-running scheme.
00:00:46
Five fascinating mysteries,
some just waiting to be solved.
00:00:50
I'm Dennis Farina and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:54
[theme music]
00:01:31
Danbury, Connecticut.
00:01:34
Reggie DePalma
was the supervisor
00:01:37
of Danbury's ambulance
service and a 12-year fire
00:01:40
department veteran.
00:01:43
In his spare time, he organized
an Explorer Scout troop.
00:01:47
His girlfriend Connie
was his co-leader,
00:01:50
and the group quickly became a
popular after-school activity.
00:01:56
DIANE: When I first
joined the troop,
00:01:58
my impression of
Reggie and Connie
00:02:01
were that they were
very nice people.
00:02:03
So it was just never
even a question
00:02:05
that you would not trust
them with anything.
00:02:08
I mean, you just tell
them confidential things
00:02:11
and you would
really feel like you
00:02:12
would trust them
all the time and go
00:02:14
to them if you needed help.
00:02:17
To the Explorer Scouts,
especially the girls,
00:02:20
Reggie DePalma was a
trusted father figure.
00:02:23
What the girls did not
know was that DePalma's
00:02:26
motive in gaining their trust
was to ultimately betray them.
00:02:32
Should we put 'em here?
00:02:33
- Yes, put the blankets down.
- OK.
00:02:35
DENNIS FARINA: Under
DePalma's leadership,
00:02:37
the Explorer troupe grew to
include 15 girls and 10 boys.
00:02:42
They met at the fire station,
where they learned lifesaving
00:02:46
and rescue techniques.
00:02:47
You're going to
be administering
00:02:48
five pumps in the chest.
Ready to start?
00:02:50
Ready?
One--
00:02:51
TERRI: It's kind of
hard to describe Reggie.
00:02:53
Reggie was a lot of fun.
00:02:56
Reggie and his
girlfriend Connie,
00:02:58
they were easygoing people.
00:03:00
They were easy to talk to.
00:03:02
If you had a problem, they
really wanted you to open up
00:03:06
to them and get close to them.
00:03:08
And they were good at
getting people's trust.
00:03:16
DENNIS FARINA: One
Halloween, the Explorers
00:03:19
organized a haunted
house to raise money
00:03:21
for an upcoming camping trip.
00:03:24
So you're 13 and you still
don't have a boyfriend?
00:03:26
Yeah.
00:03:27
Have you ever gone all
the way with a boy before?
00:03:29
No.
00:03:31
Well, I'd like to
teach you about that
00:03:34
because I'm your friend.
00:03:36
Are you my friend?
00:03:37
Yeah.
00:03:40
Good.
00:03:42
TERRI: I thought that
he was concerned with me
00:03:45
and how I'd handle it
because we were at that age.
00:03:50
And I took it as like a
fatherly concern and something
00:03:55
that he wanted to not be
a part of, but help with.
00:04:02
Hey.
00:04:03
You OK?
00:04:04
Yeah, just
something Reggie said.
00:04:06
TERRI: Connie came
up to me and said,
00:04:09
we have to go get some things.
00:04:11
Why don't you come with me?
00:04:13
And we promptly went back to the
house where Reggie was waiting.
00:04:17
Can't have you upset.
00:04:22
K. Well, here's the towel--
00:04:24
TERRI: We went back
to the apartment
00:04:26
and she said, why
don't you go shower
00:04:28
and get some of this makeup off.
So I did.
00:04:31
Didn't think anything of it.
00:04:32
When I came out,
it all happened.
00:04:46
Hey.
00:04:47
Hey.
00:04:49
Come on in, honey.
00:04:50
Yeah, we're just
watching some TV.
00:04:52
It's OK.
00:04:56
DENNIS FARINA:
That night, DePalma
00:04:58
forced Terri to have sex with
him while Connie watched.
00:05:02
Terri was not his first victim,
and she wouldn't be his last.
00:05:08
I was 13 years old and
I did not go immediately
00:05:12
to my parents or the
authorities because at that age,
00:05:17
I don't think that you
have any understanding even
00:05:19
what's going on.
00:05:20
You just feel a terrible
amount of humiliation,
00:05:23
of guilt. What did I do wrong
to cause this to happen?
00:05:27
I don't know what to do.
00:05:28
DENNIS FARINA:
Over the next year,
00:05:30
DePalma continued to
sexually abuse girls
00:05:33
in the Explorer group.
00:05:35
But by then, they had begun
to confide in each other.
00:05:40
TERRI: One of the girls had
gotten upset about something
00:05:43
and started talking
and it just started
00:05:45
snowballing, because as soon
as she said something, then
00:05:47
the next person.
00:05:48
And everybody
started coming forth.
00:05:50
And then we all realized
that we weren't alone,
00:05:52
that we were all in
this group together
00:05:54
and that together we
can try to stop this.
00:05:55
We have to tell somebody.
00:06:00
I'll tell my mom.
00:06:03
OK.
00:06:05
INGRID YAKACKI: One
of the girl's mother's
00:06:06
came to the police
station to report
00:06:08
what her daughter had told her.
00:06:11
So Detective Benjamin and I were
assigned to investigate this.
00:06:15
And I spoke with all
the girls involved
00:06:17
and he spoke with all the boys.
00:06:20
These girls were so devastated
over what had happened
00:06:24
to them that I had nightmares.
00:06:28
The details of what
they were telling me
00:06:31
made me feel such
rage towards this man.
00:06:36
I had to get him arrested
as soon as possible.
00:06:40
You have the right
to remain silent.
00:06:42
Do you understand?
00:06:44
If you wave that right,
anything you say or do
00:06:46
will be used against
you in the court of law.
00:06:48
Do you understand?
00:06:49
Yeah.
00:06:50
DENNIS FARINA: The
same day police
00:06:51
arrested Reggie, they questioned
his girlfriend Connie.
00:06:55
She felt so insecure
about their relationship
00:06:58
that she even went this
far to do these things
00:07:03
with these girls for Reggie.
00:07:06
Ladies and gentlemen,
I just have one more--
00:07:08
DENNIS FARINA: Connie
pled guilty to risking
00:07:10
injury to a minor
and was sentenced
00:07:12
to five years in prison.
00:07:15
DePalma went to
trial on nine counts,
00:07:17
including two counts
of statutory rape
00:07:20
and five counts of
risking injury to a minor.
00:07:23
I thought that they
would think less of me.
00:07:26
And Reggie had told me
not to tell anybody.
00:07:30
BRIAN COTTER: Reggie DePalma,
the first day during the trial,
00:07:34
it was obvious that
he did not believe
00:07:36
the girls had the courage
to testify against him.
00:07:40
He felt he still had
sufficient sway over them
00:07:43
that they would crumble
on the witness stand.
00:07:47
After the first witness
was able to testify
00:07:50
against him, certainly then
his confidence had to waver.
00:07:54
And of course, after the
third girl had testified,
00:07:57
he must have decided
that he would
00:07:59
be better in parts unknown.
00:08:06
DENNIS FARINA: After the
fifth day of the trial,
00:08:08
DePalma, who was out
on bail, went to visit
00:08:11
his mother in the hospital.
00:08:13
Although his car was
found in the parking lot,
00:08:16
he never showed up
in his mother's room.
00:08:19
Reggie DePalma had vanished
and a fugitive warrant
00:08:22
was issued for his arrest.
00:08:26
The trial continued
without DePalma,
00:08:29
and he was convicted
on seven counts
00:08:31
and sentenced to
21 years in prison.
00:08:36
When I think about the fact
that he's still out there
00:08:38
somewhere is very
upsetting first, of course,
00:08:41
to all of us-- the
injustice that we feel--
00:08:44
because he is not paying for
the crimes that were committed,
00:08:48
and then, again, the fear
for other people out there,
00:08:50
that he could be
harming individuals
00:08:52
all over again and put them
all through this living hell.
00:08:59
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:09:02
After nearly 17
years on the run,
00:09:04
Reggie DePalma was
finally captured
00:09:06
by authorities in Florida.
00:09:10
A tip led the FBI
to DePalma, who
00:09:12
had been living in Jacksonville
under the alias Lawrence
00:09:16
Matteo.
00:09:18
DePalma now had a wife
and three children.
00:09:21
Reggie DePalma was
returned to Connecticut
00:09:24
in order to serve his 21-year
sentence for child molestation.
00:09:29
He served his time
and has been released.
00:09:37
Next, perhaps you've
seen this young woman.
00:09:41
She disappeared after
crashing into another car.
00:09:56
Circle, Montana.
00:10:00
On a dark country
road, a driver nearly
00:10:04
avoids a head-on collision
with a woman driving
00:10:07
on the wrong side of the road.
00:10:10
Another driver, Carol Heitz,
witnesses the near-miss.
00:10:15
And then the car heads
straight towards Carol.
00:10:21
Carol emerges from
the wreckage dazed,
00:10:24
but not seriously injured.
00:10:28
And then a woman appears
out of the darkness.
00:10:31
It's the driver who hit Carol.
00:10:34
CAROL HEITZ: She just stared.
00:10:36
Never said anything.
00:10:38
Nothing.
00:10:39
Just stared at me.
00:10:41
I will never forget her.
00:10:44
DENNIS FARINA: The
driver of the first car,
00:10:45
who has returned to help,
also sees the silent woman.
00:10:51
PEGGY BUELLER: As I looked
out across the accident,
00:10:54
I noticed someone on the
other side of the fence
00:10:56
standing there like
a spectator, not like
00:10:59
that it had happened to her.
00:11:03
DENNIS FARINA: The
silent woman walks
00:11:05
away from the accident scene
and vanishes into the night.
00:11:09
Police traced the
car to its owner,
00:11:12
38-year-old Patricia Meehan.
00:11:14
They immediately begin
to search for her.
00:11:21
A few hours later, please call
off their search for the night.
00:11:30
Over the next five
days, they search
00:11:32
on land and from the
air, but they find
00:11:35
no trace of Patricia Meehan.
00:11:40
There were two theories as to
how Patricia left the area.
00:11:44
She may have stowed
away on a hay truck that
00:11:46
was seen about a half a mile
from the accident scene,
00:11:49
or she simply hitched a hide.
00:12:01
At least 100 people have
reported seeing Patricia
00:12:04
Meehan since she vanished.
00:12:07
Patricia has made no attempt
whatsoever to contact
00:12:10
her family or friends.
00:12:12
Authorities believe that she
may be suffering from amnesia.
00:12:18
Just before the accident,
those who knew her well
00:12:21
noticed that Patricia seemed
depressed and withdrawn.
00:12:25
DOLLY MEEHAN: She was, I guess,
taking all her own life--
00:12:30
what had she accomplished?
00:12:32
I think she missed
having children
00:12:35
because I think now she found
out she really does love them.
00:12:39
DENNIS FARINA: After
she disappeared,
00:12:41
her family found a roll
of undeveloped film
00:12:44
still in her camera.
00:12:46
It contained this
haunting self-portrait.
00:12:51
It It appears that Pat was
experiencing a very difficult
00:12:56
time in her life
and was involved
00:13:00
in a rather dramatic
accident, which may
00:13:03
have involved a head injury.
00:13:06
The combination of these
factors may have caused amnesia.
00:13:11
She does not know who she is,
has lost memories of the past,
00:13:15
and is out searching for
herself throughout the country.
00:13:23
DENNIS FARINA: Patricia
was spotted dozens
00:13:24
of times between Montana and
Seattle, mainly at truck stops,
00:13:30
but in every case, she had
hitchhiked out of the area
00:13:33
by the time the
authorities arrived.
00:13:38
DOLLY MEEHAN: I don't
know how she's eating.
00:13:39
I don't know where
she's sleeping.
00:13:42
From the sightings, quite a few
of them, she was seen crying.
00:13:50
DENNIS FARINA: One of the
confirmed sightings of Patricia
00:13:52
occurred in Bozeman, Montana,
just a few miles from her home.
00:13:58
BARB A RUFF: Patty
came in the door
00:13:59
and wanted to be sat
quickly and served quickly.
00:14:03
She asked me if she would be
able to be out of there in
00:14:05
rather of a hurry,
and I said, well,
00:14:07
we do breakfast in 10 minutes.
00:14:08
You'll be out very quickly.
00:14:10
And then I made a
comment to her that she
00:14:11
must have to be back to work at
9:00 since I was almost 9:00.
00:14:14
It was about 8:30, 20 till.
00:14:16
She said, no, I'm
just going shopping.
00:14:18
I couldn't understand what it
was so important for her to be
00:14:20
there right at 9
o'clock to go shopping
00:14:23
when she was in
such a huge hurry.
00:14:26
DENNIS FARINA: Another waitress
also noticed that Patricia
00:14:29
was acting strangely.
00:14:31
BRENDA CLEMENTS: What
stood out in my mind
00:14:32
is that she seemed really
disoriented, really spacey,
00:14:35
just looking off into space.
00:14:36
And I heard her
talking to herself,
00:14:38
but I really didn't
hear what she
00:14:39
was saying because I had other
people and other customers
00:14:43
to take care of.
00:14:44
She sat at that table for
an hour and a half or more,
00:14:46
easily.
00:14:47
She was just looking
out the window,
00:14:49
looking a people walking by.
00:14:51
That's when I walked up to
her and asked her, are you OK?
00:14:54
Are you sure?
00:14:55
BRENDA CLEMENTS: And
I was just wondering
00:14:56
if there's anything I could do
because she was just like lost.
00:14:59
I felt like she didn't know
where she was or who she was.
00:15:04
DENNIS FARINA: Although
years have passed
00:15:05
with no word from
Patricia, her family
00:15:08
still holds out hope that she
may one day find her way home.
00:15:15
More than anything else in the
world, I want her back with us,
00:15:19
and we would then know
that she'd be safe.
00:15:25
Not knowing who she's going
to get a ride from-- that's
00:15:29
my biggest worry, I think.
00:15:30
Just preys on your mind
day in and day out.
00:15:34
You pray to God and hope that
she's with some good people.
00:15:42
DENNIS FARINA: Patricia Meehan
is 5'3" in height and is slight
00:15:45
in build with strawberry
blonde hair, freckles,
00:15:48
and a fair complexion.
00:15:50
Her eyes are
greenish-grey in color.
00:15:54
Next, a young woman starts
a new life in a new town
00:15:58
but meets a tragic end
on a darkened street.
00:16:13
Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
00:16:16
26-year-old Tracy Wofford-Bunn
was a recent transplant
00:16:21
to this city.
00:16:22
SOLOMON BUNN: Tracy
was a beautiful person,
00:16:24
outgoing, fun to be with.
00:16:26
She would do things
very spur of the moment.
00:16:29
She could say, well, tomorrow
I'm going to Minnesota.
00:16:31
Tomorrow she'd go to Minnesota
with no care whatsoever
00:16:36
wondering about
what might happen.
00:16:38
She knew where she was going.
00:16:40
DENNIS FARINA: Tracy had
been living in Milwaukee.
00:16:42
After 2 and 1/2
years of marriage,
00:16:45
Tracy decided she
needed a change.
00:16:47
She went to visit her
sister in Louisiana.
00:16:51
DANYEL WOFFORD-SIMMONS:
She had spoken many times
00:16:52
about leaving to spread her
wings and try something new,
00:16:56
and so she just came to visit me
and we had a really good time.
00:17:00
And I introduced her to quite
a few different type people.
00:17:04
So she stayed with me, I
think, a couple of weeks
00:17:06
and then she went back home and
stayed about a week and a half
00:17:09
and came back down with all
of the rest of her stuff.
00:17:13
DENNIS FARINA: Tracy
settled in quickly.
00:17:15
She landed a job as a waitress
and started a new relationship.
00:17:19
She couldn't have been happier.
00:17:23
But six months later,
life took a tragic turn.
00:17:28
Outside of an apartment
complex, someone walking by
00:17:31
noticed a young woman who
looked like she was asleep
00:17:34
in the front seat of a car.
00:17:36
It quickly became obvious
that she was not asleep.
00:17:40
Tracy had been murdered.
00:17:46
The police determined
that Tracy had been
00:17:48
raped and strangled to death.
00:17:51
Oddly, investigators found
no signs of a struggle.
00:17:54
In fact, there were a number
of things about the crime scene
00:17:57
that didn't quite fit.
00:18:00
CRAWFORD A WHEELER:
Upon examining the body,
00:18:02
we could see that her
clothes were all jumbled up
00:18:05
in a fashion that
I have seen before,
00:18:07
and it's usually when a person
has had their clothing put back
00:18:11
on them and they're either
in an unconscious state
00:18:13
or they're deceased.
00:18:18
We also found that
the stick shift
00:18:20
was broken off in the car.
00:18:22
It was lying on the floorboards.
00:18:24
I still believe the vehicle
could have been driven,
00:18:27
but it would have taken
somebody with a little expertise
00:18:30
at doing it to drive
it with the stick
00:18:31
shift broken off like that.
00:18:35
The motive was the main
thing that has me puzzled
00:18:38
because there was no robbery.
00:18:40
Jewelry was still on the victim.
00:18:41
Purse was there, identification.
00:18:43
This was just a total loss
of life for no reason.
00:18:50
DENNIS FARINA: With no
physical evidence to go on,
00:18:53
Detective Wheeler questioned
the people who knew Tracy best.
00:18:57
He started with her boyfriend.
00:19:00
And we just rode around
for a little while.
00:19:01
CRAWFORD A WHEELER: When I
spoke with the boyfriend,
00:19:03
he advised me that about 4:30,
he dropped Tracy off at work
00:19:07
and he kept her vehicle.
00:19:10
He and his cousin were
riding around in the car
00:19:12
and he was supposed
to pick Tracy
00:19:15
up at night-- at 12:00
midnight, when she got off work.
00:19:19
Ah, man!
00:19:20
CRAWFORD A WHEELER:
Unfortunately, he
00:19:22
said the shift lever
broke off in the vehicle
00:19:23
at Texas and East Polk.
00:19:26
They parked the vehicle and went
to the cousin's house, which
00:19:30
was about half a mile away.
00:19:32
Let's go ahead
and leave it here.
00:19:33
We'll come back and
get it tomorrow.
00:19:34
DENNIS FARINA: Around midnight,
Tracy called her boyfriend
00:19:36
and heard the bad
news about her car.
00:19:42
She left work and walked to
his cousin's house about a mile
00:19:45
away.
00:19:49
What What happened to the car?
- It broke.
00:19:51
It's broken.
- Give me the keys.
00:19:57
DENNIS FARINA: Tracy then
walked the half mile to her car.
00:20:00
Police estimate that she
arrived at around 12:30 AM.
00:20:05
CRAWFORD A WHEELER: We
know she got to the vehicle
00:20:07
because it was locked
up by her boyfriend
00:20:09
when he left it there.
00:20:11
And when we found the
vehicle that next morning,
00:20:13
the keys were in the vehicle.
00:20:16
But that is the
last place that we
00:20:18
could positively say
she was alive at,
00:20:20
when she arrived at the car.
00:20:25
DENNIS FARINA: An hour
later, Tracy's car
00:20:27
was driven to the
apartment complex
00:20:29
where she was found
dead the next morning.
00:20:32
CRAWFORD A WHEELER: I was
advised by the apartment
00:20:34
manager that there was possibly
a witness who saw the vehicle
00:20:38
when it came into the
parking lot around 1:30 AM
00:20:42
and saw somebody
walk away from it.
00:20:46
Didn't pay any much
attention to it.
00:20:52
DENNIS FARINA: Not only had
Tracy been raped and strangled,
00:20:55
but there were mysterious
second-degree burns
00:20:57
on her thighs and on
the back of her hands.
00:21:02
CRAWFORD A WHEELER: We
haven't been able to determine
00:21:03
what caused those burns.
00:21:06
We've thought about every type
of heating apparatus or device
00:21:09
you could think of.
00:21:10
We just can't find
anything that would
00:21:11
make that particular burn.
00:21:14
We also don't understand
the method of leaving
00:21:17
the body the way it was.
00:21:19
It was like they wanted
this person to be found
00:21:22
and they wanted
everybody to see.
00:21:26
I don't know whether these guys
were involved in drugs or not,
00:21:29
but when you have a case
involving people and narcotics,
00:21:33
if you don't deal with
them in the fashion
00:21:36
that they want you to, they'll
make an example out of you.
00:21:39
I know someone
personally that was
00:21:42
very heavily involved in drugs.
00:21:44
And I guess he was trying
to make some sort of drug
00:21:49
transaction and he was told
that that person was the person
00:21:55
who had murdered my sister.
00:21:58
DENNIS FARINA:
Authorities investigated
00:22:00
a local drug dealer,
but found no evidence
00:22:03
linking him to the murder.
00:22:05
Suspicion then shifted
back to Tracy's boyfriend.
00:22:09
DANYEL WOFFORD-SIMMONS: It's my
feeling that her boyfriend knew
00:22:11
something because he
had her car that night
00:22:13
while she was at work.
00:22:14
He didn't come and
pick her up from work
00:22:17
at the agreed-upon time.
00:22:20
Apparently, when she went
by his cousin's house
00:22:21
to pick up the car, he
told her that it was broken
00:22:25
and that you go on ahead.
00:22:27
And it doesn't sound like a
likely story for a person who
00:22:30
was supposed to be
involved with my sister
00:22:32
to just sort of throw her to
the wolves at 12:00 or 1 o'clock
00:22:35
at night.
00:22:40
DENNIS FARINA: Tracy's
boyfriend and his cousin
00:22:42
were each given two
polygraph examinations.
00:22:46
They both passed and when
ruled out as suspects.
00:22:50
Even now it's hard to believe,
even though I've seen her body.
00:22:54
I've seen her.
00:22:55
I've buried her.
00:22:57
Because I really don't
know what happened,
00:22:59
and I think if I
knew what happened
00:23:00
I'd be able to believe
that it's happened
00:23:03
and sort of leave it behind me.
00:23:08
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:23:10
18 years after
Tracy was murdered,
00:23:13
police checked DNA
from the crime scene
00:23:15
against records in the
National DNA Database.
00:23:19
They came up with a
match to a convicted
00:23:22
rapist named Fred McKinley.
00:23:25
However, McKinley had died in
prison several years before
00:23:29
and the case was
officially closed.
00:23:36
Next, former residents claim
that this house is haunted
00:23:41
and they have a
picture to prove it.
00:23:55
Fish Springs, Nevada.
00:23:59
In this small town
stands a farmhouse that
00:24:01
dates back more than a century.
00:24:04
It was originally built
next to a graveyard
00:24:07
in Virginia City, Nevada, and
has been moved three times.
00:24:11
Former residents believe
that something supernatural
00:24:15
moved along with it.
00:24:17
SUSAN KELSAY: I've
always loved older homes
00:24:19
and I'm fascinated by them,
by their building and the fact
00:24:23
that they have so much
history that they've
00:24:25
withstood all that time.
00:24:27
I just feel like they have
a memory of their own.
00:24:30
Just like people, they can
remember the past and things
00:24:33
that have happened there.
00:24:38
Two different
families say they've
00:24:39
had supernatural
encounters in the house.
00:24:42
One even has a
photograph of the ghost.
00:24:46
His name is Samuel.
00:24:50
The Kelsay family
bought the house
00:24:51
exactly 100 years to
the day after the man
00:24:55
who built it died.
00:24:57
From the start,
there was something
00:24:59
unsettling about the house.
00:25:01
SUSAN KELSAY: I felt like we had
gotten more than we bargained
00:25:03
for, and I wouldn't walk through
the house in the dark at all
00:25:07
for fear that I was going to run
into something, something that
00:25:10
wasn't supposed to be there.
00:25:17
Just as you're getting to
sleep, you would hear footsteps
00:25:20
walking up and down the stairs.
- What's wrong?
00:25:27
SUSAN KELSAY: We get really
scared-- or I did, anyway.
00:25:32
DENNIS FARINA: The
Kelsay's daughter
00:25:33
Jennifer, who was then
only four years old,
00:25:36
had an even more
bizarre experience.
00:25:41
JENNIFER KELSAY:
I'd just woken up
00:25:42
for some reason--
I don't know why--
00:25:44
and I saw this little boy.
00:25:47
He looked like he was sad.
00:25:49
And the man, he just looked
like he was really concerned.
00:25:53
And it was just only
there for a few seconds,
00:25:55
but then it just disappeared.
00:25:57
It was weird.
00:25:59
They didn't look
familiar to me at all,
00:26:00
but the way they
were looking at me
00:26:02
just seemed like they knew me.
00:26:04
DENNIS FARINA: But seeing
ghosts was just the beginning.
00:26:08
JENNIFER KELSAY:
The levitation was
00:26:09
the same night that I saw him.
00:26:12
I just remember laying
there in my bed.
00:26:15
It seemed like my whole
bed was just like floating.
00:26:19
SUSAN KELSAY: After Jennifer
told me what had happened,
00:26:22
I was very scared that things
were starting to happen
00:26:27
that aren't supposed
to happen normally,
00:26:29
and I told my husband about it.
00:26:32
DENNIS FARINA: Jim
and Susan Kelsay
00:26:33
decided to call in a local
man named Daniel Martin who
00:26:37
had a reputation as a psychic.
00:26:41
When I first talked
to Mrs. Kelsay,
00:26:43
she was more concerned,
confused because she didn't
00:26:48
understand what was happening.
00:26:50
DENNIS FARINA: After
visiting the house,
00:26:52
Martin returned to his home and
put himself in a deep trance,
00:26:56
and that's when he
met Kelsay's ghost.
00:27:01
DANIEL MARTIN: I
contacted an entity
00:27:04
and I asked him, who are you?
00:27:08
And he told me his
name was Samuel.
00:27:11
And he told me at the time
that his purpose there
00:27:14
was to protect the child and he
was there not to harm anybody.
00:27:20
And I explained to him that
he was frightening the family,
00:27:23
and Samuel promised not to do
these things in the future.
00:27:28
DENNIS FARINA: The
Kelsays became convinced
00:27:30
that their ghost
Samuel was harmless.
00:27:33
Three years later, they
moved to a more modern house
00:27:36
nearby and leased the old
house to a potential buyer.
00:27:41
By then, the Kelsays
had three children,
00:27:43
including an infant son.
00:27:45
When the baby was
just seven weeks old,
00:27:48
Susan took a series
of photographs of him
00:27:51
at the new house.
00:27:53
When I went to pick the
pictures up, I opened them up
00:27:55
and I pulled them out, and there
was a man on the first picture.
00:28:00
And I thought, these
aren't my pictures.
00:28:03
So I went through them and
after that initial picture,
00:28:06
everything in the
roll was of my son.
00:28:09
And I took my negative
and the man was on it.
00:28:13
The only way I can
explain the photograph
00:28:15
is that it is of our ghost
Samuel because my daughter had
00:28:19
told me about three
weeks earlier that she
00:28:21
felt that he had moved with us.
00:28:24
DENNIS FARINA: The
mysterious photograph
00:28:25
became front-page news in Fish
Springs, but nobody in town
00:28:29
recognized the man
in the picture.
00:28:32
We brought in a photographic
expert to analyze the picture.
00:28:38
VERNON MILLER: The image
is three-dimensional
00:28:39
and has reflected qualities.
00:28:42
Where the skin is tight against
the skull, it's brighter
00:28:44
and there's highlights there.
00:28:46
A manifestation of
a ghost is usually
00:28:48
thought of as transparent
or self-illuminant,
00:28:51
and this is definitely
reflected light.
00:28:54
I detected horizontal
lines across the image.
00:29:00
In conclusion, I would say that
Samuel's ghost was made off
00:29:04
of a large television screen.
00:29:08
SUSAN KELSAY: The picture
of Samuel is not a fake.
00:29:11
There's a lot of things
that can't be explained,
00:29:13
and I just think
this is one of them.
00:29:17
DENNIS FARINA:
The Kelsays insist
00:29:18
that they have
never photographed
00:29:20
their television screen.
00:29:21
The true source of the
image is still a mystery.
00:29:27
Meanwhile, for 15
months, the new tenants
00:29:30
at the Fish Springs
house reported
00:29:32
nothing out of the ordinary.
00:29:34
But then the house was
rented to another family.
00:29:38
Steve and Mona Robinson
hadn't heard about the house's
00:29:41
ghostly reputation.
00:29:43
They had to learn
that for themselves.
00:29:47
MONA ROBINSON: I felt that
there was ghosts in the house,
00:29:48
but then I kept
telling myself, no.
00:29:51
And things started
happening more and more--
00:29:55
the footsteps, the bangs.
00:29:58
I'd bring it up to
Steve once in a while,
00:30:01
and he would say, no, there's
got to be some reason.
00:30:05
It's an old house.
00:30:08
We even thought about pipes.
00:30:10
We thought of all
kinds of things.
00:30:13
DENNIS FARINA: Then their
11-year-old son Garrett
00:30:16
had a frightening experience.
00:30:20
GARRETT ROBINSON:
I started hearing
00:30:21
noises upstairs, like indoors,
walking, bangings, and stuff.
00:30:31
I went up to the
top of the stairs.
00:30:33
[cackling]
00:30:37
I started hearing humming.
00:30:39
Three different voices.
00:30:42
I then ran out the door.
00:30:49
When I got out-- when I
was inside my driveway,
00:30:53
there was all this banging
of the screen door.
00:30:56
And then for some reason I
looked over to the window
00:31:01
and I saw this old guy and then
he had this grin on his face.
00:31:07
DENNIS FARINA: Also,
six-year-old Miles
00:31:09
reported a strange occurrence.
00:31:12
MILES ROBINSON: I
remember one night I
00:31:13
was getting lifted out of bed.
00:31:16
I got lifted up pretty high, but
didn't know what was happening.
00:31:26
I just got lifted up.
00:31:31
DENNIS FARINA: Then one
night, Mona Robinson finally
00:31:33
reached the end of her rope.
00:31:36
MONA ROBINSON: I
couldn't sleep and I
00:31:38
could hear bangs in the hallway
like coming down the stairs.
00:31:44
Then all of a sudden I
heard right behind my bed,
00:31:47
in a man's voice, call me bitch.
00:31:53
It was a bad voice.
00:31:56
Mad, angry.
00:31:59
I thought that she was going
nuts, but at the same time
00:32:07
I believed her.
00:32:09
She refused to go to bed.
00:32:11
She was always afraid
that once we got into bed,
00:32:14
the noises would start.
00:32:16
So she'd stay up all night long.
00:32:18
MONA ROBINSON: I felt like they
were trying to drive me crazy.
00:32:21
You never believe anything like
that until it happens to you.
00:32:27
DENNIS FARINA: But the Kelsays,
who still owned the house,
00:32:30
did believe them.
00:32:31
Once again, they called
for Daniel Martin.
00:32:37
DANIEL MARTIN: At that time,
I encountered three entities,
00:32:40
two men and one woman.
00:32:42
My first impressions when
I approached these entities
00:32:45
were that they were of
the Virginia City era
00:32:48
back in the old days.
00:32:49
These entities were
not destructive.
00:32:51
They were just
cantankerous, kind
00:32:53
of a rowdy little
gang of troublemakers
00:32:56
that had been and still was.
00:33:00
DENNIS FARINA: Martin says
that he asked the spirits
00:33:02
to leave the house, but
it was too late to do
00:33:05
the Robinsons any good.
00:33:07
The Robinsons moved
out of the house
00:33:09
less than four months
after they'd moved in.
00:33:12
For Steve Robinson, it
wasn't a minute too soon.
00:33:18
STEVE ROBINSON: I'd like
to see it destroyed.
00:33:21
I think it is a center
point for spirits.
00:33:23
That house has something
keeping it alive.
00:33:28
I'd like to see it
burn to the ground.
00:33:32
DENNIS FARINA: But
the old house still
00:33:33
stands in Fish Springs, Nevada,
and maybe you move in next.
00:33:42
Coming up, FBI surveillance
of a quiet New Jersey suburb
00:33:48
uncovers a vast
international drug ring.
00:34:01
On a previous
broadcast, we profiled
00:34:04
Brenda Abbey, who was
on a quest to unravel
00:34:07
a personal unsolved mystery.
00:34:11
Brenda was adopted as an infant.
00:34:13
She didn't know much
about her birth parents
00:34:15
Elizabeth Hanson
and Walter Perry.
00:34:19
But she did know that
they were employed
00:34:21
by the Cetlin and Wilson
Carnival during the 1940s.
00:34:26
BRENDA ABBEY: Every time I
hear over the news that there's
00:34:28
a carnival, I will go.
00:34:31
And I go up to every
booth, every concession.
00:34:36
I go up to every person that's
employed by that carnival,
00:34:38
and I look at them just
to see if I can find
00:34:42
somebody that looks like me.
00:34:44
How long have you
been with the carnival?
00:34:46
With the carnival?
00:34:47
18 [inaudible].
00:34:48
DENNIS FARINA: During a
search that spanned 30 years,
00:34:51
Brenda talked with
dozens of old-timers.
00:34:54
Are they with the carnival?
00:34:55
Nope.
00:34:57
DENNIS FARINA:
But no one claimed
00:34:58
to know either Elizabeth
Hanson or Walter Perry.
00:35:02
It seemed Brenda might
finally be out of options.
00:35:13
Update.
00:35:15
The response to Brenda's story
was better than she had hoped.
00:35:19
Not only did her birth
mother call our phone center,
00:35:22
but so did two sisters
and the brother.
00:35:27
A reunion was held in St.
Clair Shores, Michigan.
00:35:31
Brenda's birth mother
was unable to attend,
00:35:34
but Brenda finally met four
of her long-lost siblings.
00:35:39
Although Brenda learned that her
birth father had died in 1959,
00:35:43
she was thrilled to find
out that she had a total
00:35:46
of 11 brothers and sisters.
00:35:48
Not all have been located yet.
00:35:53
FRANK SMITH: I did my own search
and kept running into dead ends
00:35:58
and finally gave up.
00:36:02
When I found out about
this, it was incredible.
00:36:05
It's amazing.
00:36:06
It's unbelievable,
totally unbelievable.
00:36:09
It's funny to actually walk up
to people and touch their skin
00:36:14
and know that they're related.
00:36:21
These are my flesh and
blood, and it's something
00:36:23
nobody can take away from me.
00:36:25
And it is such a great feeling.
00:36:27
It was worth the search.
00:36:29
It was worth the 30 years
that it took me to do this.
00:36:41
When we aired Brenda's
story a second time,
00:36:44
she located another
brother living in Florida
00:36:47
as well as a pair of
twin siblings from Ohio.
00:36:50
All of her 11 brothers and
sisters are now accounted for.
00:37:00
Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
00:37:04
This quiet, wealthy neighborhood
seems to be an unlikely place
00:37:08
to find a criminal gang.
00:37:11
But its isolation and
security was exactly what
00:37:14
the mastermind of a drug
and money laundering ring
00:37:17
was looking for.
00:37:18
What's the name
of a [inaudible]?
00:37:20
DENNIS FARINA: Pedro Uribe
was a 38-year-old Colombian
00:37:24
with direct ties to the
infamous Medellin cartel
00:37:28
and he ran his
criminal organization
00:37:30
with a ruthless hand.
00:37:31
[speaking spanish]
00:37:33
GARY L PENRITH: Pedro Uribe
ran this organization by fear.
00:37:37
Informant information tells
us that one of his couriers
00:37:40
lost 75 kilos of cocaine.
00:37:43
Uribe, on hearing this,
had this individual as well
00:37:48
as his family members murdered.
00:37:55
DENNIS FARINA: It later turned
out that the man was innocent.
00:37:58
This only added to Pedro's
fearsome reputation.
00:38:02
Surveillance site 4 is ready.
00:38:03
MAN (ON RADIO): Roger.
00:38:04
Standing by.
00:38:07
DENNIS FARINA: To
try to catch Pedro,
00:38:09
the FBI set up
around-the-clock surveillance
00:38:11
of his known properties.
00:38:15
They soon learned that,
in order to appear normal,
00:38:18
people pretending
to be family members
00:38:20
were trucked in on weekends.
00:38:22
Their surveillance showed
that these fake families
00:38:25
changed from week to week.
00:38:31
GARY L PENRITH: One of
the primary features
00:38:33
that they looked for
when renting these houses
00:38:35
was an attached garage with an
automatic garage door opener.
00:38:39
And if it didn't have
it, they'd install one.
00:38:42
This was done so they
could get in and out
00:38:45
with different individuals
and less chance
00:38:47
of being seen by the neighbors.
00:38:51
DENNIS FARINA: Using
these houses as a base,
00:38:53
Pedro developed a
simple, but effective,
00:38:55
fact money-laundering scheme.
00:38:58
Low-level operatives,
nicknamed smurfs by the FBI,
00:39:02
were dispatched from the houses
to banks throughout the New
00:39:05
York metropolitan area.
00:39:07
Yes, could I please have
a money order for $1,980.
00:39:11
DENNIS FARINA: These smurfs used
small amounts of Pedro's drug
00:39:14
money to buy
legitimate money order
00:39:17
from many different banks.
00:39:21
GARY L PENRITH: At the
height of the operation,
00:39:23
there were seven smurfs
identified that were
00:39:26
money laundering $50,000 a day.
00:39:30
And during five working days,
they could money launder up
00:39:33
to $2 million a week.
00:39:36
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI knew that
Pedro was laundering millions,
00:39:39
but they had yet to prove
that he dealt cocaine.
00:39:43
And then one day,
they got lucky.
00:39:46
Outside of one of
Pedro's safe houses,
00:39:48
agents observed the delivery
of some mysterious boxes.
00:39:54
Gambling that they
contained cocaine,
00:39:56
the FBI tried to catch
Pedro red-handed.
00:40:00
The following night,
they made their move.
00:40:04
FBI!
00:40:05
Open up!
00:40:07
Freeze!
- Down!
00:40:08
Get down!
00:40:09
Get down!
00:40:13
Come up here.
I need a search.
00:40:18
DENNIS FARINA: In their
search of the house,
00:40:20
the FBI found 307 kilos
of 95% pure cocaine
00:40:26
wrapped in plastic bags.
00:40:30
The total amount of the
cocaine seized that night was
00:40:33
worth $7 million on the street.
00:40:40
FBI agents searched
Pedro's other safe houses
00:40:43
and in one, a specially-trained
dog led the FBI directly
00:40:47
to a large potted plant.
00:40:49
Good dog!
What's that?
00:40:50
We got a hit.
00:40:51
Good dog.
00:40:54
DENNIS FARINA: When
the plant was examined,
00:40:55
agents found $800,000
in cash covered
00:40:59
with enough traces
of cocaine to have
00:41:01
attracted the dog's attention.
00:41:07
However, Pedro and his
henchmen had been tipped
00:41:10
off and managed to escape.
00:41:15
Today, he and his associates
are wanted fugitives.
00:41:20
Pedro Uribe could be
commuting between Colombia
00:41:24
and the United States.
00:41:25
He is known to have
relatives in New Jersey.
00:41:30
Two of Pedro's partners in crime
are also Colombian nationals.
00:41:34
They have been identified
as Luis and Ivan Arango.
00:41:39
Another Uribe henchmen,
Miguel Villegas,
00:41:43
is believed to be in
the Los Angeles area.
