00:00:00
[music playing]
00:00:03
[music playing]
00:00:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next, on "Unsolved
00:00:06
Mysteries," a woman is found
dead on a lonely country road.
00:00:11
Was she the victim
of an accident,
00:00:13
or is her husband
guilty of murder?
00:00:16
Witnesses say a
woman can produce
00:00:18
gold foil from her pores.
00:00:21
Is she a gifted psychic
or a brilliant fraud?
00:00:25
Two televangelists
receive similar packages
00:00:28
from a would-be assassin,
and both contain bombs.
00:00:35
And a rare, often incurable
disease strikes a teenage girl.
00:00:40
Can belief in the
power of prayer
00:00:42
bring about a miracle cure?
00:00:47
Five compelling cases.
00:00:49
I'm Dennis Farina, and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:53
Join us, won't you?
00:01:21
[music playing]
00:01:31
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Merry Point, Virginia.
00:01:33
One September night,
a pickup truck
00:01:36
is discovered on a back road.
00:01:38
The engine is running, the
keys are in the ignition,
00:01:42
and the transmission is in park.
00:01:44
Beside the truck,
its owner, Kay Hall,
00:01:48
has been crushed to death.
00:01:54
Whoever operated the vehicle
appeared to have backed
00:01:56
over the center of her torso.
00:01:58
And probably on the bump,
from rolling over her
00:02:01
with the left rear
tire of the truck,
00:02:03
then apply the brakes
suddenly, causing the vehicle
00:02:06
to skid going backwards.
00:02:08
The front tire, the left front
tire, then caught her torso
00:02:11
and pulled her
backwards slightly
00:02:13
and twisted her body
on the roadway, which
00:02:15
is how she was found,
with the vehicle in park
00:02:17
and the engine still running.
00:02:19
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
From the beginning
00:02:21
of the investigation,
police suspected that Kay's
00:02:24
husband Bob had murdered her.
00:02:26
They believed that
the motive was
00:02:28
the $50,000 that Kay inherited
the same day that she died.
00:02:35
All I perceive is that the
investigation has focused only
00:02:41
on me, and that I don't see any
effort on anyone's part to look
00:02:50
into the other possibilities.
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DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Kay Hall
00:02:54
was in the insurance
business until she
00:02:56
left her career to start
an oyster farm with Bob.
00:03:01
They had been married
for two years,
00:03:03
though Kay had known
Bob for more than 10.
00:03:07
The two became
involved while Bob
00:03:09
was in jail for selling drugs.
00:03:12
She wrote to him while
he was in prison,
00:03:14
and when he was released,
Kay was waiting.
00:03:18
It was quite an experience.
00:03:20
That Saturday morning, Kay
pulled up in her little Fiesta,
00:03:23
and I could see the car
way off in the distance,
00:03:25
and her waving at me.
00:03:27
And between us with a very
large electrical fence.
00:03:30
And she very laughingly
said to me, hey, you Robert?
00:03:33
I finally got you at last.
00:03:35
And that was a-- that
was a good feeling.
00:03:37
It was nice to feel
wanted by somebody.
00:03:41
Kay was definitely
a rehabilitator,
00:03:43
and I think maybe
that's how it started.
00:03:45
But certainly with Bob,
she took pity on him.
00:03:47
When she picked
him up from prison,
00:03:49
he had the shirt on his back.
00:03:51
She brought him home
to live with her.
00:03:53
She fed him, clothed him,
they went immediately out
00:03:55
and got a new wardrobe.
00:03:57
He had difficulty finding a
job, so she just supported him.
00:04:01
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Six months
00:04:02
after the couple
started their business,
00:04:05
they were facing financial ruin.
00:04:07
There was tension
in the marriage,
00:04:08
and both began to drink heavily.
00:04:12
As time went on, I'd ask her.
00:04:14
How's the business going?
00:04:16
And I could tell it
wasn't going so well.
00:04:18
And then I'd say,
well, and how's Bob?
00:04:21
And I could tell that
wasn't so good either.
00:04:25
Honey, it's time to party!
00:04:26
Are you down there?
00:04:27
BOB HALL: Well, it's
about time, dear.
00:04:29
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Friends
00:04:30
say that Kay and
Bob often argued,
00:04:31
even over trivial things.
00:04:33
- We're taking the truck.
- Why?
00:04:35
Why can't we take the Jeep?
00:04:36
Because you got
the DWI in the Jeep.
00:04:40
Kay called me, and
she started crying.
00:04:43
And she said, Bob is abusing me.
00:04:46
Physically, he's abusing me.
00:04:47
He beats me up.
00:04:49
And that's when she started to
talk about going into therapy,
00:04:52
trying to get into marriage
counseling with Bob.
00:04:55
And if that didn't
work, that she would
00:04:57
definitely consider divorce.
00:04:59
Conversation about divorce
probably came up as frequently
00:05:04
as it would in any
couple's relationship
00:05:08
where there were problems.
00:05:09
And the problems were
essentially money.
00:05:12
The oyster business had not
treated us with great kindness.
00:05:15
We had lost an awful
lot of money on it.
00:05:17
Hi.
00:05:18
Hi, Kay.
00:05:20
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
But Kay had some promise
00:05:21
of financial relief.
00:05:23
She had recently
inherited $50,000.
00:05:28
On the day of her death, she
transferred half of the money
00:05:31
into her account.
00:05:34
That evening, Kay and
Bob went to a party
00:05:37
at the local country club.
00:05:40
We got to the party
probably around 20 after 6:00,
00:05:43
and Kay was--
00:05:44
I know was thoroughly
enjoying herself.
00:05:46
You could just see
the magic, you know.
00:05:48
Kay walked in, and all of
these faces just seem to turn.
00:05:51
There's Kay, and
all of a sudden,
00:05:53
things seemed to be complete.
00:05:56
Can I have one for
the road, please?
00:05:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
As the evening went on,
00:05:59
Kay and Bob continued to drink.
00:06:02
You ready to go home?
00:06:03
Just a couple minutes.
00:06:06
- Having a good time?
- Mm-hm.
00:06:07
Well, not as good as you.
00:06:08
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
During the evening,
00:06:09
Kay became upset.
00:06:10
Some say because of the amount
that Bob tipped the bartender.
00:06:14
She left without her husband
and drove away in their pickup.
00:06:18
A few minutes later, Bob
was driven home by friends.
00:06:28
About two hours
later, guests leaving
00:06:30
a different dinner party
came upon a shocking scene.
00:06:35
WOMAN: There was a
truck sitting there,
00:06:38
off to the side of the
road, with the lights on.
00:06:41
And there was a body
underneath the front wheel.
00:06:45
[inaudible].
00:06:46
She [inaudible] look
like she's hurt real bad.
00:06:48
WOMAN: We felt her pulse to
see whether she had a pulse.
00:06:54
We couldn't find
one, but that was
00:06:56
when we discovered that
she was just as warm
00:06:59
as you and I are right now.
00:07:02
So what had happened had just
happened very, very recently.
00:07:07
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
When the paramedics arrived,
00:07:09
it was too late.
00:07:10
Kay Hall was pronounced dead.
00:07:15
The reconstruction from
witnesses at the scene
00:07:17
was that she had been
found under the left front
00:07:19
tire of her own vehicle.
00:07:21
Apparently, the vehicle had
backed over her while she
00:07:24
was lying on the road.
00:07:26
There were some
signs which we later
00:07:28
found in the truck that
indicated there was a scuffle
00:07:31
inside the cab of the truck.
00:07:33
But Kay's purse
was still intact.
00:07:35
It had all her money and credit
cards and so forth in it.
00:07:39
The autopsy results
showed that she
00:07:41
was intoxicated at
the time of her death
00:07:43
at a rather high level.
00:07:45
She very well could
have been disoriented,
00:07:47
which would have caused her
to have taken the wrong turn
00:07:50
and might have put her in
the area where she was found.
00:07:54
I think that she
probably told Bob
00:07:56
that she wanted to
divorce him and that she
00:07:58
was very serious about it.
00:07:59
She had enough money now to
really kick him out and do it.
00:08:02
And he probably went into
one of his drunken rages,
00:08:05
which he was well known for
amongst her friends and family.
00:08:09
And I think that what
he saw was his meal
00:08:11
ticket walking out the door.
00:08:14
If Bob Hall did
murder his wife,
00:08:16
it could only have happened
between the times friends
00:08:18
dropped him off at
home, about 8:45,
00:08:21
and the time that he placed
a phone call from his house
00:08:24
at 9:47.
00:08:26
And for those 62 minutes,
Bob Hall had no alibi.
00:08:31
Shortly after 8:00 PM, Kay left
the country club, located here.
00:08:35
Bob was dropped off at his home
here, 15 miles from the club,
00:08:40
at 8:45 PM.
00:08:42
Just over an hour
later, at about 9:55 PM,
00:08:46
Kay was found dead here,
just two miles from the club.
00:08:50
Bob Hall had only one hour
to drive to the murder site,
00:08:54
find his wife,
kill her, and then
00:08:56
race back home in time to
place his 9:47 PM phone call.
00:09:05
Special Agent Riley retraced
the drive from the Hall home
00:09:08
to the crime scene
several times.
00:09:11
DAVID RILEY: I
measured the distance
00:09:13
between the Hall residence and
the spot where Kay was found.
00:09:17
The distance is between
14 and 15 miles.
00:09:20
I can drive it in as
little as 17 minutes,
00:09:23
if I drove it in
a pursuit fashion.
00:09:24
And if I drove at
a leisurely pace,
00:09:27
it took as much as 24 minutes.
00:09:31
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
If Bob left home immediately
00:09:33
at 8:45 and drove directly to
where Kay's body was found,
00:09:37
he would have arrived at 9:05.
00:09:40
In order to make
his 9:47 phone call,
00:09:43
Hall had to leave the
scene no later than 9:30.
00:09:47
This would give him no more
than 25 minutes to track
00:09:51
down and murder his wife.
00:09:58
It's terrible to have somebody
taken from you in this way,
00:10:00
and particularly
when nobody has been
00:10:02
able to do anything about it.
00:10:04
So I really-- I
don't know that--
00:10:07
that I can rest until we--
00:10:10
till we see justice
served and then murderer
00:10:14
is apprehended and convicted.
00:10:18
BOB HALL: They
apparently do not have
00:10:19
anyone else to focus in on.
00:10:22
And being put in that
spotlight has been tough.
00:10:25
I loved Kay.
00:10:27
I'm looking forward to this
whole incident being resolved.
00:10:31
I'd like to see Kay to
literally be put at rest.
00:10:35
And I'll have some peace in
my life and her family's life.
00:10:41
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update.
00:10:43
Three years after
Kay Hall's death,
00:10:45
Robert Hall was
convicted of killing her
00:10:48
and sentenced to
20 years in prison.
00:10:51
A year and a half later,
he appealed the conviction
00:10:54
and was granted a second trial.
00:10:57
The judge shortened
his sentence to time
00:10:59
served in exchange
for Hall's guilty plea
00:11:02
to second degree murder.
00:11:04
He was given 15 years probation
and released from prison.
00:11:14
Next, A mail bomber targets
televangelist Pat Robertson.
00:11:29
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
00:11:33
Now, that's why this
thing is so important.
00:11:35
They're one flesh.
00:11:36
God said, I hate divorce.
00:11:38
Wars
00:11:39
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Televangelist Pat Robertson's
00:11:41
daily broadcast over CBN, the
Christian Broadcasting Network,
00:11:45
are seen in nearly a million
households nationwide.
00:11:49
But his outspoken views
on controversial issues
00:11:53
have made him the target of
hate mail and death threats.
00:11:58
Robertson's broadcasts originate
from his 685-acre headquarters.
00:12:04
Each day, thousands of
letters and packages
00:12:07
arrive at the CBN mail
room, most of them donations
00:12:10
from viewers.
00:12:15
But one April day, Scott
Scheepers, a CBN security
00:12:18
guard, was called
to the mailroom
00:12:20
to check a package
addressed to Pat Robertson.
00:12:28
When I looked at the
package on the monitor
00:12:30
of the x-ray machine, I
didn't see anything that
00:12:34
was-- that led me to
believe that it was-- there
00:12:37
was a problem, or it
was really suspicious.
00:12:43
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Scheepers
00:12:44
decided to carefully check
the contents of the package.
00:12:48
He found several
strips of newspaper
00:12:50
sticking out of the box.
00:12:54
I was still somewhat
skeptical about it,
00:12:57
so I stepped away from the
box, as far as I could get,
00:13:01
and took my left hand
and extended it out,
00:13:04
and grabbed the lid of the box.
00:13:12
I was immediately
knocked to the floor.
00:13:16
I had severe pain
in the upper part
00:13:19
of my left leg and my
abdomen, over to my right leg.
00:13:24
I made the determination
that this was it.
00:13:26
You know, it's either lay here
and possibly die, or get up
00:13:29
and get help.
00:13:30
And so that's when I
made the determination
00:13:32
to help myself and pick
myself up off the floor
00:13:35
and try to get to the
front of the building.
00:13:37
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Scheepers
00:13:38
was rushed to a
nearby hospital, where
00:13:40
he underwent emergency
surgery to remove
00:13:43
shrapnel from his leg.
00:13:46
I'm very fortunate.
00:13:48
The trauma room doctor said if
I had been holding the package,
00:13:51
and I had the same size hole in
my chest that I had in my leg,
00:13:54
I might not even have made
it out of the room itself.
00:13:57
So I consider myself very,
very fortunate that it
00:14:00
wasn't any worse than it was.
00:14:05
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Authorities
00:14:06
determined that the package
contained a homemade pipe bomb.
00:14:10
They quickly linked
the bomb to an earlier
00:14:12
attack aimed at
another televangelist
00:14:15
in Houston, Texas.
00:14:19
When it was founded
by Pastor John Osteen,
00:14:22
the Lakewood Church was one
of the largest in America.
00:14:26
It could seat more
than 8,000 worshippers.
00:14:29
Peter, who is this?
00:14:31
He said to Jesus, thou art
the Christ, the son of--
00:14:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Like Robertson,
00:14:36
Pastor Osteen used television
to spread the gospel.
00:14:40
And he was also the target
of a similar mail bomb.
00:14:43
JOHN OSTEEN: Who is
this, you demons?
00:14:45
Speak!
00:14:47
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Three
months before the CBN bombing,
00:14:50
John Osteen's daughter,
Lisa, arrived at her office
00:14:54
to open the day's mail.
00:14:57
I felt like it was safe to
open the package, because I
00:15:00
open a lot of packages, as
we never had any problems,
00:15:02
and this looked like
an ordinary package.
00:15:05
It had a label addressed to
my dad, typewritten to my dad.
00:15:08
And then it had
a return address.
00:15:11
And you know, you
don't-- you're not really
00:15:12
suspicious of things like that.
00:15:16
It was just a cardboard box
that had a-- one piece of tape
00:15:19
on it.
00:15:29
I opened the box when
I was sitting down.
00:15:31
And really, the next
thing I remember
00:15:33
is I was standing about 5
feet away from my chair,
00:15:38
and I was very shaken, as if
I'd had an electrical shock.
00:15:42
I'll never forget that feeling.
00:15:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Lisa
had been the victim of a pipe
00:15:47
bomb wrapped in newspaper.
00:15:49
She suffered third
degree burns and cuts
00:15:51
on her right leg and stomach.
00:15:53
But she recovered quickly,
and just four weeks later,
00:15:57
returned to the pulpit.
00:15:59
I said, I'm alive
and well, thank God.
00:16:01
Thank God.
00:16:03
The box that was used
to mail this device was
00:16:10
a box used by home--
00:16:12
home sales distributors for
the distribution of candles.
00:16:16
And there was some
printed material
00:16:18
on the outside of
the box which had
00:16:20
been scratched
out, with the word
00:16:23
burgundy written on the box.
00:16:26
We found that both
of these packages
00:16:28
were mailed from small towns
near Fayetteville, North
00:16:31
Carolina.
00:16:33
The National Center for the
Analysis of Violent Crimes
00:16:37
researched all the evidence
in both the bombing cases.
00:16:42
They said, number one,
that this individual
00:16:44
responsible for the bombings had
some type of stress or turmoil
00:16:48
in his life at the
time of the bombings.
00:16:51
Secondly, they felt that anyone
around or in the presence
00:16:56
of the bomber would
have known a difference
00:16:59
in this person's behavior.
00:17:02
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): These two
00:17:03
composites depict the men who
were seen mailing the bombs.
00:17:07
The drawings were made
three months apart by two
00:17:09
different police artists.
00:17:11
But authorities believe
they're the same man.
00:17:14
He's described as
a neatly dressed
00:17:16
white male with brown hair.
00:17:18
He's 5' 10" to 6'
tall with an average
00:17:21
build and weighs between
160 and 175 pounds.
00:17:27
Both bombs were mailed within
25 miles of Fayetteville, North
00:17:31
Carolina.
00:17:32
The US postal inspector
is offering a reward
00:17:35
of up to $50,000 in this case.
00:17:40
If you have any information,
please log on to our website
00:17:44
at unsolved.com.
00:17:48
Next, a young woman develops
a nerve disease so painful
00:17:52
that it drives some
patients to suicide,
00:17:55
but her parents believe
that prayer will cure her.
00:18:09
Phoenix, Arizona.
00:18:13
One Christmas Eve,
14-year-old Trisha
00:18:16
Zemba saddled up
her ex-racehorse Sly
00:18:19
and headed out for a ride.
00:18:21
But the horse began
galloping wildly.
00:18:24
Trisha was powerless to stop it.
00:18:28
No!
00:18:29
No!
00:18:30
[whinnying]
00:18:37
When I fell, I hurt very much.
00:18:38
But I was in shock.
00:18:40
I had so much adrenaline
rushing through my system
00:18:42
that what had just
happened did not
00:18:45
register with me at the moment.
00:18:47
I helped her into the house.
00:18:48
She was a limping a little bit.
00:18:50
And I took her in and
took everything off
00:18:52
to look for broken
bones, and she
00:18:54
was scraped on the one side.
00:18:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The
injuries appeared superficial.
00:19:00
Trisha improved overnight,
and the accident
00:19:02
barely affected the family's
Christmas day plans.
00:19:07
I got up, got myself
dressed, came out,
00:19:08
and basically spent all of
Christmas Day on the couch.
00:19:11
I was sore, I was stiff.
00:19:12
I hobbled around some, but
I was able to get around.
00:19:15
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): It all
00:19:17
seemed like a thing of
the past until Trisha
00:19:19
was bathing 10 days later.
00:19:22
TRISHA ZEMBA: I remember
I went to get up,
00:19:25
and when I was standing up,
I started feeling dizzy.
00:19:29
I heard a thump, and
I called out to her,
00:19:32
and she didn't answer me.
00:19:35
[knocking]
00:19:38
Trish?
Trish!
00:19:41
Trisha!
00:19:42
Oh, honey, wake up!
Trish!
00:19:44
Oh, baby.
00:19:45
Joel!
00:19:46
MARIJANE ZEMBA: I was panicked
when I saw Trisha passed out.
00:19:50
I didn't know what had happened.
00:19:51
I couldn't get a response
out of her at first.
00:19:54
I-- I just didn't know
what was going on.
00:19:57
From there on, then she-- her
condition seemed to get worse.
00:20:02
Pain increased.
00:20:04
Her mobility, you know,
started to be less.
00:20:06
She had more trouble
getting around and sitting.
00:20:08
So that's when we started taking
her to the round of doctors.
00:20:12
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The bathtub fall
00:20:14
triggered severe
pain that the doctors
00:20:16
could not diagnose or treat.
00:20:19
After five weeks of agony,
Trisha was hospitalized.
00:20:25
She was in a lot
of pain, so they
00:20:26
started administering morphine.
00:20:28
And they just kept
giving it to her
00:20:30
and giving it to
her in large doses,
00:20:32
and it wouldn't affect the pain.
00:20:34
It did not help the pain at all.
00:20:36
And finally, they had
given her so much,
00:20:38
they couldn't give her any
more without killing her.
00:20:40
It was horrible seeing
Trisha in this pain
00:20:44
and not be able to
do anything for her.
00:20:47
And it was very, very
scary until we would pray.
00:20:53
Dear Jesus, we would just
ask, Father, that you would
00:20:56
reach down and lay your hands--
00:20:57
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Trisha suffered
00:20:58
constant and intense pain.
00:21:00
Finally, doctors
diagnosed Trisha
00:21:02
with a rare nerve disease called
reflex sympathetic dystrophy,
00:21:07
or RSD.
00:21:10
This is by far the
worst I had ever seen.
00:21:13
And I was feeling
pretty hopeless
00:21:14
about her chances of getting any
kind of a good recovery here.
00:21:18
And I remember her mother
being so strong in their faith,
00:21:21
saying, we're going
to see a miracle here
00:21:24
before this is over.
00:21:28
And I kept thinking,
no, I don't think so.
00:21:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
This videotape of Trisha
00:21:34
was made at the hospital.
00:21:36
Doctors believe RSD is produced
by a malfunctioning nerve
00:21:40
circuits.
00:21:41
The nerves endlessly
amplify and re-amplify pain,
00:21:46
making even minor
injuries horribly painful.
00:21:50
She was literally writhing
in pain, unable to have anybody
00:21:54
touch or move her leg, her hip.
00:21:58
If you even breathed on it or
put a blanket over the skin,
00:22:02
she would just jump.
00:22:06
We continually gave her
medication to try and basically
00:22:10
numb her legs, the idea being
that if we break the cycle,
00:22:15
kill the pain, stop the cycle of
pain from renegotiating itself,
00:22:19
that the condition
itself would disappear.
00:22:22
[sobbing]
00:22:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Doctors injected
00:22:27
the most potent
painkilling drugs available
00:22:29
directly into Trisha's spinal
column, but she hardly noticed.
00:22:34
The RSD got worse
instead of better,
00:22:37
and Trisha's muscles
began to weaken.
00:22:41
They started telling us
that they were going to have
00:22:42
to institutionalize her.
00:22:44
That most patients with RSD this
bad, they either die from it,
00:22:48
or they commit suicide, or
they literally go crazy,
00:22:52
because they cannot live
with this type of pain.
00:22:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Despite the doctor's
00:22:56
predictions, Trisha's
parents never lost faith.
00:23:00
Many times each and
every day, they prayed.
00:23:04
Grant her some peace
and take away this pain.
00:23:07
MARIJANE ZEMBA
(VOICEOVER): We Would pray,
00:23:08
and again, that sense
that things would be
00:23:10
all right would come over us.
00:23:12
Though Trisha would
still be moaning,
00:23:14
and our circumstances
didn't change,
00:23:17
it was like things
were all right.
00:23:19
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Trisha's doctors
00:23:20
were not as optimistic.
00:23:23
They suggested an
operation usually reserved
00:23:26
for terminal cancer patients,
implanting a morphine pump
00:23:31
into Trisha's body.
00:23:32
If it dulled her pain,
they could at least
00:23:35
try physical therapy to slow the
breakdown of her leg muscles.
00:23:41
That was our next step.
00:23:43
That was really all that
we had left to offer her.
00:23:45
And quite frankly,
what I foresaw
00:23:47
was a long, painful
route in rehab
00:23:52
with a very uncertain
outcome as to whether this
00:23:55
would ever resolve.
00:23:56
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Trisha
00:23:58
was scheduled for
surgery, and then
00:24:00
something unexpected happened.
00:24:04
I felt the pain in
my body move down,
00:24:06
and then finally, I felt it
move all the way down my leg,
00:24:09
and I felt it exit
through my toes.
00:24:11
I felt it leave my body.
00:24:13
And I heard very, very quietly,
almost to the point where
00:24:16
I couldn't hear it, get up.
00:24:19
And I remember thinking,
I can't get up.
00:24:22
My-- I'm physically
unable to get up.
00:24:25
And I heard again, clearer,
and a much more authoritative,
00:24:29
get up.
00:24:31
And I remember grabbing on
to the side of the bed rail
00:24:34
and beginning to sit up,
and I was able to sit up
00:24:37
like I would have in the past.
00:24:39
I sat up, and I was sitting
on the edge of the bed.
00:24:42
And the second I set
my feet on the ground,
00:24:44
I didn't have any pain
anywhere in my whole body.
00:24:47
I stood up, and I
remember I was standing
00:24:49
there like, well, what now?
00:24:50
[laughs] And I started walking.
00:24:57
It was unbelievable to
walk into her hospital room
00:24:59
and see her standing there.
00:25:01
She hadn't stood for 2
and 1/2 months on her own.
00:25:05
Tremendous relief and gratitude
to God, who never let us down.
00:25:10
As a medical physician, I
have to go by the medical data.
00:25:16
And the medical data has
no explanation for this.
00:25:19
On a purely personal
basis, and based
00:25:22
on my own religious beliefs,
I feel that yes, she
00:25:25
did have a miraculous healing.
00:25:28
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
That very same morning, Trisha
00:25:29
was released from the hospital.
00:25:32
Her parents made this videotape
soon after she arrived home.
00:25:36
I know it was a miracle.
00:25:38
The pain just left my
body in one fell swoop.
00:25:42
I felt like God was
standing there, right there,
00:25:44
just taking this pain
from me and saying,
00:25:46
you know, I love you so much,
I just want to set you free.
00:25:51
Spontaneous remission
is virtually unheard
00:25:54
of in acute cases of RSD.
00:25:57
Medical science still
has no explanation
00:26:00
for Trisha's amazing recovery.
00:26:03
But for Trisha and her family,
there is no mystery at all.
00:26:06
They thank God for her recovery.
00:26:10
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Next, meet
00:26:12
a woman who seems
to perform bizarre
00:26:14
psychic feats that
defy explanation.
00:26:27
You're about to meet
a woman named Katie.
00:26:29
According to eyewitnesses,
she can predict the future
00:26:32
and produce objects
out of thin air.
00:26:35
Is Katie a gifted psychic
or just a talented magician?
00:26:40
You be the judge.
00:26:42
I'll see people
that ain't there.
00:26:44
I hear voices that
no one else hears.
00:26:48
Objects coming from
eyes, ears, nose, mouth,
00:26:53
you know, just popping out.
00:26:56
Katie is a great classical
physical medium, a psychic who
00:27:00
has the ability, or
apparently the ability
00:27:01
is a gift which she
has, where things
00:27:04
happen which are unexplainable.
00:27:06
Physical things,
mind over matter,
00:27:08
seeds germinating, things
moving without reason,
00:27:10
things appearing
and disappearing,
00:27:13
and all kinds of prophesy.
00:27:15
All kinds of things, both
mental and physical phenomena.
00:27:19
My view, myself,
is very skeptical
00:27:21
when it comes to psychics.
00:27:24
I view myself as very
skeptical anyway.
00:27:27
If I can't see something
that's quite tangible,
00:27:29
I just don't believe it.
00:27:31
And in this
particular case, we've
00:27:33
seen some things that were quite
astounding and I can't explain.
00:27:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Before his retirement
00:27:39
from the police
department, Jerry Burr
00:27:42
had asked for Katie's
help with several cases.
00:27:45
In one burglary
investigation, he
00:27:47
didn't tell Katie the
location of the crime scene.
00:27:51
He wanted her to find it.
00:27:54
That's it.
That's the house.
00:27:55
This is the house, here?
00:27:59
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Burr
says Katie not only located
00:28:01
the house, but she
also said that artworks
00:28:04
inside were Asian in style.
00:28:06
She also said that
something had been stolen
00:28:09
from a box in a blue room.
00:28:13
As we walked in,
in the entryway
00:28:14
it was all Oriental art.
00:28:17
Walked into the room that the--
the bedroom that the items
00:28:19
were taken from,
and it turned out
00:28:21
the bedroom was blue as well.
00:28:24
She had said it was
taken from a box,
00:28:25
and sure enough, the
items that were taken
00:28:26
were from a cherry wood box.
00:28:30
I didn't know what
to think at first.
00:28:32
Because she was so dead on, and
because I am quite skeptical,
00:28:35
I started looking at
Katie as a good suspect.
00:28:38
But I just wasn't aware
that she was that good.
00:28:42
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
So was Katie's prediction
00:28:44
a true display of psychic
powers or just a lucky guess?
00:28:48
Psychics make
general predictions,
00:28:51
and it's difficult
to confirm them.
00:28:54
I don't think, on the
basis of what I've seen,
00:28:57
that Miss Katie has
any special powers.
00:28:59
It seems like it's coming
out of my face a lot.
00:29:02
BERTHOLD SCHWARZ: Stick
your tongue out, please.
00:29:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Katie's abilities seem
00:29:06
to go beyond the psychic realm.
00:29:08
She's also been videotaped
by her psychiatrist sweating
00:29:12
what appears to be gold foil
out of the pores of her skin.
00:29:18
It comes out all over my body;
face, eyes, ears, mouth, arms,
00:29:25
thighs, tummy, back,
wherever I've got
00:29:29
pores, this is where
it comes out at.
00:29:32
BERTHOLD SCHWARZ: It's getting
larger, it seems to me.
00:29:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Katie has supposedly produced
00:29:36
the foil more than 100 times.
00:29:39
Psychiatrist Berthold
Schwarz has examined her
00:29:42
during some of these episodes.
00:29:45
Miss Katie has the
ability, apparently,
00:29:47
of having a metallic, gold-like
metal foil form on her body
00:29:53
and sometimes on objects
nearby, for example, a framed
00:29:57
picture of her late mother.
00:29:58
And this gold-like foil
will appear on the borders
00:30:02
of the picture on the frame.
00:30:04
More likely, the gold--
00:30:06
we're using the words loosely--
will appear on her cheeks,
00:30:08
under the eyes, the
abdomen, forearms.
00:30:12
Here we have something
which is a medical marvel.
00:30:16
I saw the gold on
her tongue first.
00:30:18
As Dr. Schwarz was
taking the gold off,
00:30:22
he had to actually peel it off
with a tweezer-like instrument.
00:30:27
And then I looked
down at her arm,
00:30:29
and I was holding
her hand, and there
00:30:32
was nothing on her arm at all.
00:30:34
And then she had these
long strips of gold that
00:30:39
resembled candy kiss wrapping.
00:30:44
As we were sitting
in a room with Katie,
00:30:47
Katie had picked up the
front of her blouse,
00:30:51
and gold flakes were covering
her entire stomach area.
00:30:55
And after it was brushed
off with her shirt
00:30:56
still in the open position,
more gold flakes appeared.
00:31:02
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Eyewitnesses
00:31:03
insist that these
incidents were not faked,
00:31:06
and that the gold foil
appeared before their eyes.
00:31:10
A laboratory analysis
of the material
00:31:12
shows it to be 80%
copper and 20% zinc.
00:31:17
I don't think there's any
objective hard evidence that
00:31:21
this is exuding from her pores.
00:31:24
More-- most likely,
the point is someone
00:31:27
wants other people
to believe this,
00:31:29
so they put this
metallic paper on them.
00:31:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Two
of Professor Kurtz's colleagues
00:31:34
were able to simulate
Katie's alleged abilities,
00:31:38
using ordinary metallic foil.
00:31:40
OK, so this is what we did.
00:31:41
We went to a regular
art store in Buffalo.
00:31:44
We bought something
called gold leafing.
00:31:46
It's very thin strips
of foil colored gold.
00:31:50
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The chemical composition
00:31:52
of the foil closely resembles
that of Katie's foil.
00:31:56
I put the foil
on in thin strips.
00:31:57
Kathy helped me.
00:31:58
And then I sprayed hairspray
on it so it would stick,
00:32:00
and it's been stuck
for four hours,
00:32:02
since 11:00 this morning.
00:32:03
And I have some on my tongue.
00:32:05
And I can still talk
and swallow sometimes.
00:32:07
[laughs] And then I
put it on my stomach.
00:32:12
And then I put it on my back.
00:32:15
If somebody come
up to me and said,
00:32:16
well, hey, I know
this person that's
00:32:19
got this stuff that comes out of
your skin, you know, it's gold.
00:32:22
You know, I really--
00:32:24
I've seen this, I would
think it was a trick.
00:32:27
Until I had seen
it myself, I would
00:32:30
believe that it, you know,
well, what are they doing?
00:32:34
I'm here, Katie.
00:32:35
I can put the hair
out of the way.
00:32:36
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Even more
00:32:37
unbelievable is Katie's
apparent ability
00:32:40
to produce solid objects out
of her mouth, nose, or ears.
00:32:45
This videotape, taken
by her psychiatrist,
00:32:48
shows what appears to
be a gold charm emerging
00:32:51
from the area around her ear.
00:32:56
This tape was also
shot by Dr. Schwarz
00:32:59
and shows a glass
stone apparently
00:33:01
falling out of Katie's eye.
00:33:04
It might look as though
she's going to throw up.
00:33:06
Out pops a gem of some kind,
right out of the mouth.
00:33:10
Now, prior to that,
the mouth and throat
00:33:12
was examined very carefully.
00:33:13
There was nothing there.
00:33:14
She sipped some
water and swallowed,
00:33:15
so nothing was secreted, which
it's hard to see how it could
00:33:18
be anyway, in the stomach.
00:33:20
So you have to ask the question,
where did this thing come from?
00:33:27
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Are
these objects being produced
00:33:29
by a skillful sleight of hand?
00:33:31
This footage has been slowed
down to take a closer look.
00:33:35
In these frames, we can
actually see the object
00:33:38
emerge from above her ring.
00:33:41
I assume that at the point
when she actually caused
00:33:44
the gem to appear, she had the
gem palmed in her hand, just
00:33:48
like this.
00:33:49
Palmed between her fingers.
00:33:50
It's a very comfortable
place, and you
00:33:52
can gesture comfortably, and
nobody suspects anything.
00:33:56
And then when she reached
her hand up to her eye,
00:33:59
it was a simple matter to
spread her fingers apart.
00:34:01
And you can see them
spreading apart as the gem
00:34:05
falls through, just like that.
00:34:09
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Is Katie a talented fraud?
00:34:11
If so, it seems odd that she
has never tried to profit
00:34:15
in any way from her abilities.
00:34:19
Where does something like
this fit into my thinking?
00:34:21
It doesn't.
00:34:22
It's beyond me.
00:34:24
It's beyond my comprehension.
00:34:26
I was a doubting Thomas too.
00:34:29
But if you saw it, you
too would be a believer.
00:34:34
I've learned to accept
it a little bit more
00:34:36
now than what I did
in the beginning,
00:34:40
but I do still have
questions in my mind
00:34:43
that are not answered yet.
00:34:46
And I don't know if
they will be answered,
00:34:47
but I'm going to keep trying.
00:34:49
I'm going to find out.
00:34:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next, two close friends,
00:34:55
who were each
adopted as infants,
00:34:57
make a startling discovery.
00:35:10
Los Angeles, California.
00:35:14
Barbara Smith was
only five years
00:35:16
old when she had a
childhood experience
00:35:19
that changed her life forever.
00:35:21
--anyway.
00:35:22
And your own mother
didn't want you.
00:35:24
That's why she gave you up.
00:35:25
My mother told me so.
00:35:28
I just started
to run home, and I
00:35:30
just burst out into tears.
00:35:33
That's when it rang clear
to me that it could be used
00:35:36
in a very vicious, hurtful way.
00:35:39
Someone had given me up.
00:35:41
Even though I had
known the security
00:35:42
and love of my own family,
it was a time of, well,
00:35:46
what happened?
What really did happen?
00:35:49
And I guess it was the
first of the real feelings
00:35:52
of what it meant to be adopted.
00:35:55
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Barbara
00:35:56
knew that she had been adopted,
but it wasn't until she was
00:36:00
a teenager that
her father allowed
00:36:02
her to see her adoption papers.
00:36:05
For the first time, she
learned that her birth mother's
00:36:07
name was Victoria Bumgarner.
00:36:11
And I remember seeing
my mother's signature
00:36:14
on the paper, and I just
stared at it and stared at it
00:36:18
and stared at it.
00:36:19
I just-- it was the
only thing that I
00:36:21
knew that she was in existence.
00:36:24
And it sort of, at that point,
reasserted to myself, saying,
00:36:29
I know that they're out there.
00:36:30
I don't know who or what,
but something is out there.
00:36:34
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): In 1957,
00:36:36
Barbara met a man
named Steve Reed,
00:36:38
and they soon fell in love.
00:36:43
Hey, come on in.
00:36:44
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
One afternoon,
00:36:46
Steve introduced Barbara to a
friend of his, named Hi Ratner.
00:36:50
Barbara was startled
by a portrait
00:36:52
hanging in his living room.
00:36:54
Wow.
00:36:55
That portrait looks
almost like me.
00:36:57
Yeah.
00:36:58
That's my sister, Barb.
00:36:59
Remember I told you how
much you guys looked alike?
00:37:00
Oh, that's right.
You did mention that.
00:37:03
Yeah.
00:37:04
Yeah, well, you're
going to meet her--
00:37:05
BARBARA REED (VOICEOVER):
I looked at that portrait,
00:37:06
and I thought, wow, he's right.
00:37:07
She does resemble me.
00:37:08
How interesting.
00:37:10
Then we assembled
into the dining room.
00:37:13
And Barbara came in, and just--
we briefly were introduced.
00:37:16
She said hello.
- I'm good.
00:37:17
How are you doing?
00:37:18
OK.
00:37:19
I'd like you to meet
my fiance, Barbara.
00:37:20
Hi.
00:37:21
BARBARA REED (VOICEOVER):
And I thought,
00:37:22
she does look a lot like me.
00:37:24
And I just kind of
thought that to myself.
00:37:29
We met, and it was
just instant like.
00:37:34
You know how sometimes
you meet somebody,
00:37:37
and you feel like you've
known them for a long time?
00:37:40
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The two Barbaras
00:37:41
became instant best friends.
00:37:43
They were even married to two
men who were also best friends.
00:37:49
Our friendship developed
almost instantly.
00:37:52
We really became very close.
00:37:54
We shared a lot of
our life's events.
00:37:58
Having children, we raised
our children together.
00:38:00
To the point that
Barbara was Aunt Barbara,
00:38:02
and I was Aunt Barbara
for her children.
00:38:05
Barbara never knew
that she was adopted,
00:38:08
and I had been told
that she was adopted.
00:38:10
So it was a thing that I
knew never talk about it.
00:38:14
But I talked about it from
my point of view later on.
00:38:17
I told her that I was adopted
and the name of my mother
00:38:21
and what I knew.
00:38:22
She just asked a couple of
questions, and that was it.
00:38:25
And nothing more was
ever thought about it
00:38:28
until her mother passed away.
00:38:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After her mother's death,
00:38:34
Barbara Ratner found
a box containing
00:38:36
some old family documents.
00:38:38
Among them were papers revealing
that she had also been adopted.
00:38:43
And like Barbara Smith,
Barbara Ratner's birth mother
00:38:47
had the name Bumgarner.
00:38:51
I was dumbfounded.
00:38:54
I didn't know that
I was adopted.
00:38:56
But I didn't connect it
with Barbara at that moment.
00:39:00
It was a few minutes
later, when I started
00:39:02
reading the correspondence.
00:39:04
And there was one paragraph
where they were describing
00:39:08
the mother as being
a healthy woman
00:39:11
already having one
previous child, a daughter,
00:39:13
living in Beverly Hills,
that was in very good health.
00:39:18
I just knew it was Barbara.
00:39:20
I just knew.
00:39:21
[phone ringing]
00:39:24
Hello?
00:39:25
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Barbara Ratner immediately
00:39:27
called Barbara Smith.
00:39:29
What was your natural
mother's name again?
00:39:32
Victoria Bumgarner.
00:39:36
And I said, well, you're
not going to believe this.
00:39:39
[laughs] I said, I
just found some papers,
00:39:43
and I am baby girl Bumgarner.
00:39:47
And there was a long pause,
and then she said, I'll
00:39:50
get back to you, and hung up.
00:39:53
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Barbara Smith
00:39:55
called her adopted parents.
00:39:57
Her father agreed
to call the doctor
00:39:59
who had arranged the adoption.
00:40:01
He confirmed that the two
Barbaras were indeed sisters.
00:40:06
It's just the most
wonderful thing.
00:40:09
To me, I mean, your best
friend is your sister,
00:40:11
and that couldn't
be more wonderful.
00:40:13
I mean, we were
already Auntie Barb.
00:40:15
And I remember running in
to her children at one point
00:40:17
and saying, but I'm
really Auntie Barbara.
00:40:18
But I'm really Auntie Barbara!
00:40:20
And they looked
at me and thought,
00:40:21
what is she talking about?
00:40:22
[laughs]
00:40:24
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The two
00:40:25
Barbaras contacted
the Children's
00:40:27
Home Society of California.
00:40:30
They found out that in 1940,
a pregnant and unmarried
00:40:34
23-year-old woman named
Victoria Bumgarner
00:40:37
arrived in Los Angeles.
00:40:40
She had turned to Dr.
Maurice Silton for help.
00:40:43
Having any discomfort?
00:40:46
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): On
July 31, a baby girl was born.
00:40:49
She was adopted by
Jack and Rose Smith,
00:40:52
who named her Barbara Ann.
00:40:55
15 months later, Victoria gave
birth to a second daughter, who
00:40:59
was also given up for adoption.
00:41:02
Against all odds, the two
young sisters ended up
00:41:05
living just five miles apart.
00:41:08
Each was named
Barbara Ann, and each
00:41:10
was raised by an adoptive
mother named Rose.
00:41:16
As we started to compare some
of the facts and the dates,
00:41:20
it was just a lot
of similarities.
00:41:22
Even some of our outfits
as children were similar.
00:41:25
I mean, it's-- I don't
think a lot of twins have
00:41:28
as much similarities as we do.
00:41:30
And the fact that we married
best friends, and the fact
00:41:35
that we are best friends.
00:41:37
You know, it's just a--
00:41:38
it just goes on.
00:41:40
[chuckles]
00:41:43
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
With the sisters reunited,
00:41:45
their greatest wish was to
find their birth mother.
00:41:50
Update.
00:41:52
As a result of this
broadcast, the two Barbaras
00:41:55
found their mother.
00:41:56
Because she had never told her
family that she had given birth
00:42:00
to two babies out of
wedlock, their mother did not
00:42:03
allow us to film the reunion.
00:42:05
Both Barbaras were
thrilled to locate her
00:42:08
and to share their unusual
story of friendship.
00:42:12
[music playing]
00:42:26
[music playing]
00:42:30
[music playing]
