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Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode

May 22, 2019 / 44:27

This episode covers the unsolved mysteries surrounding the crash of the EC 47Q Baron 52 during the Vietnam War, the abusive actions of Paul Stamper towards his ex-wife, and the con artist Josephine White.

The segment on Baron 52 details the events leading to the plane's crash on February 4, 1973, shortly after the Paris Peace Accords. Families of crew members, including Peter Cressman and Joseph Matijasevich, question the official reports declaring them killed in action, believing some may have survived and been captured.

Paul Stamper's story reveals his violent behavior towards his ex-wife Teresa, including stalking and attempted murder. After a series of violent incidents, Stamper escapes custody after being arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder, leaving Teresa in fear for her life.

The episode also highlights Josephine White, a con artist who scammed elderly victims out of their savings through a scheme known as the pigeon drop. Her manipulative tactics led to significant financial losses for her victims, raising awareness about such scams.

Additionally, the episode features a touching update on the search for long-lost twin sisters, Mary and Martha Hinkle, who were separated at birth and eventually reunited.

TL;DR

Families question the fate of the Baron 52 crew, while Paul Stamper's violent past and Josephine White's scams are also featured.

Episode

44:27
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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you are about to see is not a news
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broadcast journeyer 27th 1973 the
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signing of the Paris Peace Accords
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marked the end of American involvement
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in Vietnam just one week later an Air
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Force spy plane monitoring North
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Vietnamese tank movements encountered
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heavy ground fire and crashed in the
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jungle with all hands on board today the
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families of two crewmen believe their
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sons did not die at the end of the story
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has not yet been written
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Paul Stamper was an energetic successful
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young businessman but when his wife
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walked out on him Stanford targeted her
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in a vengeful campaign of abuse and
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violence meet Josephine White a human
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chameleon a charming con artist a pastor
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of the pigeon drum for years she is
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preyed on elderly victims to the tune of
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more than 1 million dollars I'll also
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bring you the touching update a woman
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who spent more than 40 years searching
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for her long-lost twin sister join me
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for another edition unsolved mysteries
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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eighteen years ago
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families across the country were
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rejoicing as their husbands and sons
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began coming home from the distant
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jungles of Southeast Asia on January
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27th 1973 the Paris Peace Accords had
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been formally ratified there would be no
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more American involvement in Vietnam but
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for some families the war would never
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end
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[Music]
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while other soldiers still stationed
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overseas are writing joyful letters to
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their wives and girlfriends back home
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Air Force sergeant Peter Cressman was
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writing to his congressman dear sir
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On January 27th I read the headlines
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which hailed the peace with honor
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agreement only to wake the next morning
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to find my situation the same as the day
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before as though nothing had changed in
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Southeast Asia feeling that I must have
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missed some of the small print of the
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agreement I again read it and found that
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I had not overlooked anything that was
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on the printed page it was then that I
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realized that I and others in my unit
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were in violation of an agreement which
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I considered to be an order from the
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commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
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of the United States sergeant Peter
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Crispin was a youngest of three brothers
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to serve during the Vietnam conflict he
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was an electronics expert who flew
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top-secret reconnaissance missions every
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day since the ceasefire is squadron had
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continued to operate as if nothing had
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changed
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picked up some short transmissions at a
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130 I went to seek advice to the base
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legal office there I was informed of the
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consequences for refusing to carry out
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the orders which I consider to be
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illegal as well as immoral these
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consequences instilled in me a fear
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which has caused me to abandon any
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thoughts of refusing to obey these
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illegal orders
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there any questions okay good luck
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on february 4th 1973 one week after the
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ceasefire Peter Cressman and seven other
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men boarded an EC 47q surveillance plane
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codenamed
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Baron 52
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the electronics experts crust but among
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them were situated in the rear of the
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plane ninety 1490 check
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[Music]
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the flight plan call for Baron 52 to
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proceed from Oban Air Force Base in
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Thailand into Laos a neutral country
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which borders Vietnam and Cambodia the
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assignment was to monitor a column of
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North Vietnamese tanks which were moving
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into Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh
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Trail at 11:05 p.m. Baron 52 departed
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two and a half hours later reports came
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in that the plane was receiving heavy
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ground fire
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five minutes later radio transmissions
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ceased two days later the wreckage of
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Baron 52 was located in the jungle deep
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inside Laos a rescue team recovered the
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remains of only the copilot declared
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missing in action were Peter Cressman
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and six other men three officers and
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three electronics experts including
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21-year old Joseph manager a letter Jo's
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father died in 1984 his mother vividly
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remembers every detail
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two military men an officer and a
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sergeant came to the home to inform me
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that Joe was missing in action that his
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plane had been shot down but there was a
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possibility that some of the men may
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have bailed out of the plane I felt a
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little feeling of relief because he was
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missing and not killed I thought there
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was some chance that I might see him
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again it was 18 days later that they
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returned and they informed us that none
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of the men had gotten out of the plane
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there was no way they were not wearing
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parachutes the plane went down into a
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spin and none of the men could possibly
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get out so they declared them all killed
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in action they said that they did see
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remains in the plane a plane had been
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burned so we believed him
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of course I Peter Christmas mother had
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also received word that her son status
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had been changed from missing in action
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to killed in action now if my government
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said that he had been killed they all
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had perished in the crash then it had to
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be true because they wouldn't go around
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and tell a family that this had happened
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unless they had positive proof
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rookie he saved several weeks later the
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Air Force forwarded Peter Chrisman's
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personal belongings to his parents
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they found the letter he had written but
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never mailed to his congressman Peter's
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father passed away in 1989 he was due
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but he and his other sons had always
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questions the status changed from
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missing to killed the letter only served
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to heighten their suspicions they were
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declaring him dead but there was no no
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body and we understand it you know
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bodies can burn up or disappear in
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combat but in this case there was just
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nothing and because of the
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classification of the missions they
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never had anything to back up their
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position according to this a rescue team
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found one body and there were no
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parachutes in the plan but five
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frustrating years the Chrisman's wrote
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various Air Force officials seeking
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specific details about Peters case the
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Air Force response remained consistent
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based on the condition of the wreckage
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in the lack of a distress call that was
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simply not enough time for the flight
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crew to bail out the official report
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concluded that all members of the crew
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of Barron 52 were killed in the crash
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hello then in June of 1978 the
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Chrisman's received a surprising phone
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call from an attorney with a national
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m.i.a organization he said I really
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don't know how to tell you people this
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you're the first family I've contacted
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but there's evidence that I've seen that
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indicates that at least four of the
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people on your brother's aircraft not
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only survived the incident but were
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captured by North Vietnamese forces
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the attorney at land of a report by
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investigative journalist Jack Anderson
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Anderson claimed that US military
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intelligence intercepted a North
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Vietnamese communication after barren 52
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went down in 1973 Terrell Minh arson was
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an air defense analyst for the National
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Security Agency his job was to decipher
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intercepted North Vietnamese messages we
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saw specific North Vietnamese communique
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requesting transportation for captured
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American bandit pilots we felt at the
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time that these messages were seen that
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based on the logistics based on the lack
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of American activity due the ceasefire
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that the only personnel who could have
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been captured were the ones from Barren
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52
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there was a good probability some of the
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crew members had survived parachutes
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were missing so they probably push you
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to doubt and we knew that they had been
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captured that they were already in the
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hands of the Vietnamese and into the
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prison system my husband a military man
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a career military man we were certainly
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dedicated to serving our country so it
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was hard for us to believe I telephoned
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my husband at work and I told him what I
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heard and he immediately said that we
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would have to make arrangements to go to
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the Pentagon to pool Joe's file out and
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to study it ourselves to see just what
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had really happened when we went to the
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Pentagon they showed us Joe's file they
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brought us into a little room where we
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could sit together and study it and
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there in the file where copies of the
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radio intercepts much of them were
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blacked out there was very little that
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we could read but we saw enough evidence
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in his file to show that the government
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knew all along that these four men had
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been captured my husband didn't want to
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be bitter but it was beginning to hurt
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him more and more and I would hear him
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at night when he thought I was asleep
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and I could hear him sometimes cry and
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he would mutter
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Joe I'd hear him talking out loud when
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he thought I was asleep no it never got
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off of his mind he was very much hurt by
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the whole issue
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the Defense Intelligence Agency does not
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deny the existence of the North
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Vietnamese communique however the DIA
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claims the nationality of the captured
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pilots was never specified consequently
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they determined that the prisoners were
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not the crew members of the parent 52
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then in 1986 Gerry Mooney a retired
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intelligence analyst testified before
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Congress at Peter Crispin and Joseph
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Matt a job or prisoners of war but not
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in Southeast Asia incredibly he claimed
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they had been transported to the Soviet
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Union there Terral Mon arson agrees that
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the men could have been transported to
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the USSR special types of prisoners
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alleged prisoners with a special
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knowledge special experience were being
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rounded up throughout the various prison
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of war camps throughout North Vietnam
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and sent to Hanoi to be turned over to
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the Russians for exploitation from that
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point they were flown from Hanoi across
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the northern route which would be
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northern Laos northern Burma down into
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India for refueling in and up to Moscow
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I had information stating that they had
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been flown out to the Sokol area
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[Music]
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there is no concrete evidence that POWs
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were transported to Russia during the
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Vietnam conflict however the Soviets
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have recently pledged to search through
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their penal system in the unlikely event
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that any Americans were ever brought
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into their country one question
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continues to haunt the families if the
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government had knowledge that their sons
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had been captured why are their status
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been changed to killed in action
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according the mrs. Mary Jo the answer
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could be found at the Paris peace talks
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my husband made arrangements to meet
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with dr. Rajesh shields the assistant
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secretary of defense at the Paris peace
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talks dr. shields told us that he was
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ordered to cross off the name of these
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four men from the EC 47q from a list a
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government list of known life captured
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Americans and right over them killed in
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action this plane was flying after the
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peace treaty was signed
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therefore it was breaking the peace
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treaty it was a covert operation they
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were flying over Laos and at that time
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we said we were not at war with Laos but
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we were having a secret war and there
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was secret bombing going on but we
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couldn't admit to that so the only thing
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they could do was just wipe these men
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out as if they never existed and that's
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what they did so he was actually killed
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on paper at the Paris peace talks
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Roger Shields declined to appear on
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camera in a telephone conversation with
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unsolved mysteries he stated that he was
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never ordered to cross off the names in
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fact he never had the authority to make
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a status change however he did
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acknowledge that mrs. marriage ah've has
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every reason on earth to wonder if her
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son might still be alive
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a man puts on a uniform to serve his
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country should be brought back once he
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serves and brought back to his loved
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ones so I like to speak out about that
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make sure whatever you do that you never
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let this happen again god forbid that
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should ever be another war another men
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forgotten we didn't expect this kind of
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thing from from the government to be
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perfectly honest I mean it and I had
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someone ask me once well do you consider
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yourself patriotic as though the
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information that I was telling them
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about made me unpatriotic well if
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something goes wrong in your family you
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do what you can to straighten it out you
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admit to what the problem is and
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obviously I don't believe they've
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admitted to this day what the problem is
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the Air Force and the Defense
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Intelligence Agency continue to maintain
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that there is absolutely no proof that
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any of the men aboard Baron 52 were
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captured the official report reads
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following the loss of Baron 52 none of
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its crew was ever seen alive and there
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is no intelligence whatsoever which
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would indicate that any of the crews
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survived the incident of loss for nearly
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20 years both the Air Force in the
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Defense Department is stood by the
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classification at Peter Cressman and
00:16:36
joseph mater Jabez killed in action
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however there was one odd footnote to
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this story at the Vietnam War Memorial
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in Washington DC
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seven of the eight crewmen were lost on
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Baron 52 including Cressman and Mary jog
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unexpectedly listed as missing in action
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[Music]
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in the summer of 1924 sharecropper Rufus
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Hinkle of Greenville Tennessee was
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forced to make an agonizing decision
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[Music]
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Rufus's wife died after giving birth to
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twin girls Mary and Martha with little
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money and nine other mouths to feed
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Rufus felt he had no choice but to put
00:17:27
the twins up for adoption within a few
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months Mary and Martha were adopted by
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separate families
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Rufus never saw his daughters again he
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passed away in 1950 later on I heard
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that they would not tell us where they
00:17:46
were at until my father died so shortly
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after he died we started looking for the
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cleanse and we found Mary in September
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of 1955 Shorty and Mary were reunited at
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her home in Bluefield West Virginia that
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afternoon Mary received a special
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surprise I just don't kind of explain
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how they'd feel not knowing that I had a
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twin sister a part of me unfortunately
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little was known to Martha's whereabouts
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then in 1986
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Martha's niece Jackie Reynolds learned
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that Martha had been taken in by the
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Meeks family of Johnson City Tennessee
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I've never found any trace of the Meeks
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whatsoever so I really don't know what
00:18:50
happened to him from there I've often
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wondered if it's been good earth
00:18:58
Martha's life has been bad you wonder
00:19:02
about them things shortly after our
00:19:05
broadcast one of our viewers sandi
00:19:08
detain of san bernardino california
00:19:09
contacted the Hinkel family with
00:19:11
surprising news during a search for her
00:19:14
mother's biological family
00:19:16
sandy accidentally discovered the
00:19:18
location of Martha hinkel's adopted
00:19:20
family Martha lived with John and Lyta
00:19:24
Meeks for three years when the couple
00:19:27
divorced
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Martha was taken in by the Dan Jackson
00:19:30
family of Johnson County Georgia in 1940
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she married James Thomas and together
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they had four sons
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[Music]
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sadly Martha passed away just weeks
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before the Hinkle family could contact
00:19:44
her I'm glad but it's so sad that I
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couldn't later of it that I couldn't be
00:19:56
with her just to talk to her dish Bert
00:19:57
just for air too
00:20:00
and tell her that I loved her although
00:20:04
she never realized her dream of meeting
00:20:07
her twin sister Mary's 35 years search
00:20:09
was not in vain on July 27th 1991
00:20:14
Martha's four sons met Mary a decided
00:20:17
the family they had never known that day
00:20:21
and a bittersweet reunion two families
00:20:24
came together as one majority
00:20:28
we were part of the family before we
00:20:30
ever walked up and touched the one of
00:20:33
them it was written all over their faces
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when we saw those smiles and tender
00:20:37
hearts all the little fears big fears
00:20:41
the apprehension just left it was all
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over the with glad to be home with our
00:20:45
family I'm proud that she left four sons
00:20:53
left part over here for me to get
00:20:57
together and know you know her her sons
00:21:00
but part of me is gone
00:21:02
that an heir that I never found and I
00:21:05
never will find but she'll always be in
00:21:08
my heart
00:21:11
[Music]
00:21:20
next police are searching for a
00:21:22
convicted felon who targeted his ex-wife
00:21:24
for clients November 23rd 1985
00:21:39
Kingfisher Oklahoma 23 year old Teresa
00:21:44
Stamper left a small dinner party with
00:21:46
her new boyfriend Chris Buckner the
00:21:50
quiet evening was a pleasant change for
00:21:52
Teresa who had just ended a marriage
00:21:54
which was marked by violence and abuse
00:21:58
unbeknownst to Teresa her estranged
00:22:01
husband Paul Stamper was parked nearby
00:22:03
watching her every move through a
00:22:05
high-powered telescope that night would
00:22:12
be the culmination of a reign of terror
00:22:13
against his ex-wife
00:22:16
[Music]
00:22:18
Paul Stamper never accepted his wife's
00:22:21
decision to leave him for six months he
00:22:24
stalked her night and day waiting for
00:22:26
just the right moment to unleash his
00:22:27
vengeance
00:22:28
Teresa was constantly looking over her
00:22:31
shoulder never knowing where or when her
00:22:33
ex-husband would appear Paul Stamper had
00:22:36
changed he was no longer the man Teresa
00:22:39
fell in love with five years earlier
00:22:45
the booming oil business in the early
00:22:47
1980s had lured Paul Stanford a
00:22:49
Kingfisher County Oklahoma staffers set
00:22:53
up a lucrative oil equipment operation
00:22:55
and hired Teresa then an impressionable
00:22:57
20 year old as his secretary
00:23:00
Paul was a real charmer and you know I I
00:23:04
work for him and he took me places and
00:23:07
we flew a lot of places and you know I
00:23:10
was no it was different for me you know
00:23:14
it Teresa honey you've been outside yet
00:23:16
this morning yes it was on my birthday
00:23:18
he called me about took seven o'clock in
00:23:21
the morning and said have you been
00:23:23
outside and I said no so I looked
00:23:26
outside you know went out there and
00:23:28
there's this 82 red Corvette as they
00:23:32
like to do you like to spend money buy
00:23:35
nice things
00:23:40
so what do you think what's this now
00:23:44
looks like a Corvette this is for me you
00:23:56
know we had fun he was really a lot of
00:23:58
fun he asked me to marry him and I liked
00:24:01
he was nice and he was good to me you
00:24:05
know and I liked living like that you
00:24:09
know it was fun and and we got married
00:24:14
Teresa believes she was marrying a
00:24:16
dynamic young businessman in fact Paul
00:24:19
Stamper was a convicted felon with a
00:24:21
record for theft assault and fraud
00:24:23
stretching back to 1974 more recently
00:24:29
his business practices had come under
00:24:31
investigation in Oklahoma we had
00:24:35
unconfirmed reports that he went out and
00:24:37
destroyed some equipment on locations so
00:24:41
that those same people would call him
00:24:42
the very next day and have him come and
00:24:43
repair it within six months the marriage
00:24:48
became a living hell for Teresa man
00:24:55
telling me where the hell you been said
00:24:57
the grocery store
00:25:00
been gone for two hours now who are you
00:25:02
with he started watching me and having
00:25:05
people follow me and he wouldn't let me
00:25:08
visit my friend in one moment he'd be
00:25:12
nice and the next moment he hit me and I
00:25:15
just I didn't know how to handle on him
00:25:17
did everything for you don't get your
00:25:18
nice place to live and buy you nice
00:25:19
things you shut up
00:25:25
he was jealous you had better be here
00:25:28
when I get back I mean I could be
00:25:32
setting that we could be sitting at a
00:25:33
red light and I could just turn and look
00:25:35
at someone and it could be a guy sitting
00:25:38
in his car and he would just double his
00:25:39
fist up and just hit me right in the
00:25:41
mouth I mean it was just it was unreal
00:25:44
to the abuse that he did to me
00:25:48
Stamper was arrested and charged with
00:25:50
assault and battery against his wife on
00:25:53
no less than five occasions each time
00:25:56
the charges against him were
00:25:57
inexplicably dropped Stamper bragged to
00:26:00
Teresa that he was paying off the
00:26:02
authorities without rumors that that
00:26:05
there was payoff attempts whether it's
00:26:08
true or not I don't know
00:26:11
we looked into a couple of incidents we
00:26:13
could absolutely find no basis for it
00:26:15
but there was a lot of talk about it by
00:26:20
the second year of the marriage the
00:26:22
violence reached a frightful climax on
00:26:26
the evening of January 5th 1985 a man
00:26:29
slipped into the stampers home Teresa
00:26:34
was out of town and a friend was staying
00:26:36
over
00:26:50
thankfully the friends survived the
00:26:52
attack and called the police
00:26:54
the woman later identified her assailant
00:26:57
as Gary trout a local mechanic who
00:26:59
worked for Paul Stamper Gary trout
00:27:02
informed me that Paul Stamper had
00:27:05
contacted him and asked and Paul asked
00:27:09
of Gary to kill his wife and was willing
00:27:11
to pay five thousand dollars upfront and
00:27:14
then five thousand dollars to finishing
00:27:16
stamper was arrested and charged as an
00:27:19
accessory to the attempted murder but
00:27:21
when Gary trout's case went to court he
00:27:23
refused to finger his boss once again
00:27:26
all charges against Stamper were dropped
00:27:31
meanwhile Teresa moved in with her
00:27:33
parents yet she never felt completely
00:27:36
safe
00:27:36
Stamper threatened her repeatedly and on
00:27:39
the night of September 13th 1984 he left
00:27:42
a violent calling card I went to the
00:27:48
window and Gary was just revving up the
00:27:53
engine and he just let me see him and
00:27:58
let me know that he did it that he just
00:28:01
drove off
00:28:02
Teresa reported the incident to the
00:28:04
sheriff's department but again nothing
00:28:07
was done
00:28:10
Teresa remained separated from her
00:28:12
husband for more than a year despite
00:28:15
continuing harassment from stampers she
00:28:17
tried to put her life back together then
00:28:20
came the night of November 23rd 1985
00:28:25
that evening Teresa and her new
00:28:28
boyfriend Chris Butler had left the
00:28:29
dinner party at approximately 11:30 p.m.
00:28:36
we were just driving down the highway
00:28:38
and you know we weren't speeding or
00:28:41
anything and all of a sudden these
00:28:42
lights come on and we thought it was the
00:28:46
highway patrolman so Chris pulls over
00:28:49
it's real you know late and no one was
00:28:51
driving on the highway hey you shut up
00:29:11
what are you doing my wife anyway that's
00:29:13
your business
00:29:25
[Music]
00:29:32
finally you know I was so scared that I
00:29:36
just unlocked the door and he just
00:29:38
grabbed me around my neck and just
00:29:41
forced me out of the car Chris had come
00:29:46
to and he had yelled don't leave me here
00:29:50
you know Teresa don't leave me here you
00:29:53
know and there was there wasn't anything
00:29:55
I could do
00:29:57
sheriff's deputies and paramedics were
00:30:00
summoned by a passing motorist Chris
00:30:03
Butler was in critical condition the
00:30:06
bullet had punctured his heart pancreas
00:30:08
spleen and lung but miraculously he
00:30:11
survived Paul Stanford held a gun to his
00:30:16
ex-wife and headed north two days later
00:30:19
they stopped at a restaurant just
00:30:20
outside of Topeka Kansas
00:30:24
can I help you two coffees that it
00:30:27
that's it
00:30:33
look I gotta go to the bathroom
00:30:41
I was walking toward the restrooms and I
00:30:46
kind of looked around my shoulder you
00:30:48
know see if he was following me and he
00:30:51
wasn't he was just sitting there with
00:30:53
his back toward me and so I just took
00:30:58
off running
00:30:59
Teresa ran to the managers office and
00:31:02
pleaded with him to call the police got
00:31:05
a crazy where the time the authorities
00:31:06
arrived
00:31:08
Paul Stamper had vanished five hours
00:31:13
later police caught up with Paul Stamper
00:31:15
as he boarded a bus in Salina Kansas he
00:31:21
was returned to Kingfisher County and
00:31:23
held in the county jail to await trial
00:31:32
six months later 3:30 a.m. a man who had
00:31:35
been offered $10,000 by Stamper broke
00:31:38
into the Kingfisher County Jail
00:31:44
[Music]
00:32:06
Paul Stamper escaped and has not been
00:32:09
seen since
00:32:10
I'd consider Paul Stamper extremely
00:32:13
dangerous reason being is desperate
00:32:15
doesn't want to be caught knows he's
00:32:16
looking life in prison once caught and
00:32:18
and a desperate person do desperate
00:32:21
things he's out there somewhere you know
00:32:26
watching me he knows what he'd done what
00:32:29
I do and I don't think he knows where I
00:32:32
live now but you know I just don't think
00:32:36
it's right that he should be out there
00:32:39
maybe doing it to somebody else you know
00:32:43
[Music]
00:32:45
update just minutes after this story
00:32:48
aired the FBI received information from
00:32:50
several of our viewers that Paul Stamper
00:32:53
was living in Commerce City a suburb of
00:32:55
Denver Colorado one phone call was very
00:32:59
specific it had his alias it had his
00:33:02
location his address his employment that
00:33:05
he was driving a semi truck overland and
00:33:07
that brought an immediate response from
00:33:09
the Denver FBI so that we moved out
00:33:11
within the hour
00:33:14
just three hours after our broadcast
00:33:17
Paul Stamper was arrested as he left his
00:33:19
home the fugitive had been living in the
00:33:22
Denver area under the assumed name Gary
00:33:24
wickel for approximately four years
00:33:27
this is one of the more efficient
00:33:29
cost-effective speedy apprehensions that
00:33:33
we've ever made
00:33:33
for us to not have any idea early
00:33:37
evening that this individual is in the
00:33:39
Denver area and by 11:30 he is captured
00:33:43
he's off the streets and he's on his way
00:33:45
to Denver City Jail that I think made me
00:33:48
close to a record fours
00:33:52
Paul Stamper was returned to Oklahoma
00:33:54
and is currently being held in the
00:33:56
Kingfisher County jail while awaiting
00:33:58
trial on charges of kidnapping and
00:34:00
attempted murder if convicted stamper
00:34:03
could receive life in prison
00:34:21
when we return the saga of Josephine
00:34:24
White a con woman with a thousand faces
00:34:30
[Music]
00:34:36
April 26 1989 Norwood Massachusetts an
00:34:41
elderly woman is approached by a
00:34:42
stranger who seems nervous and agitated
00:34:45
the elderly woman is a Lithuanian
00:34:47
immigrant and will call Barbara the
00:34:50
seemingly chance encounter would change
00:34:52
her life you better go to police to find
00:35:07
out oh she says no I don't go to police
00:35:11
maybe they take money and I don't want
00:35:14
that this time at the racetrack I've
00:35:28
enclosed the money and sent this way to
00:35:30
avoid paying income tax and then it find
00:35:32
Jose what is it Barbara is a volunteer
00:35:41
hospital workers retired and living on a
00:35:43
small pension she is about to fall
00:35:46
victim to one of the oldest tricks in
00:35:47
the book the pigeon drop a lot of money
00:35:50
she has been shown as worthless a woman
00:35:53
is a con artist the man her accomplice
00:35:59
he's a wizard with finances Barbara an
00:36:03
immigrant with a limited command of
00:36:05
English confronted with an amount of
00:36:07
money she has never seen before
00:36:09
is a perfect target for an acknowledged
00:36:11
master of the pigeon drop Josephine
00:36:12
white since 1963 white is allegedly scam
00:36:16
more than 100 elderly women and men all
00:36:19
of them living on small fixed incomes
00:36:27
once I pinned down that the person I was
00:36:29
looking for was Josephine white I was
00:36:31
surprised to see how many different
00:36:32
appearances that she had she changes
00:36:35
like a chameleon she puts on weight she
00:36:37
loses weight she was described in a
00:36:39
number of different fashions and in
00:36:41
addition to her own appearance changing
00:36:42
she'll use wigs sunglasses quite a bit
00:36:46
of jewelry and very often this will grab
00:36:48
a woman's attention away from the actual
00:36:50
physical appearance
00:36:56
Josephine white and her accomplice are
00:36:58
about to move into Phase two of the
00:37:00
pigeon drop they persuade Barbara to go
00:37:03
with him to get advice from Josephine's
00:37:05
boss you know I don't know how I would
00:37:09
have gotten him into college
00:37:11
and and and I mean and then my wife Oh
00:37:14
God
00:37:16
well she's got a cancer and a stomach or
00:37:18
something and to learn Barbara further
00:37:21
into their trap
00:37:22
the accomplice spills out a poignant
00:37:24
hard luck story emphasizing how
00:37:26
desperately he needs the money they
00:37:42
arrive at novice building where
00:37:44
Josephine claims her boss works I don't
00:37:57
know maybe we should tell police don't
00:38:00
worry about it please we can't take it
00:38:02
to the police because we never get the
00:38:03
money back you know when I need the
00:38:06
money my wife is dying of cancer but
00:38:07
police find Jose the older woman
00:38:10
actually wants to do the right thing now
00:38:12
again the third party is only
00:38:14
reinforcing the idea that this is the
00:38:16
best thing to do and even though the
00:38:18
victim may make mention of backing out
00:38:20
of the situation the third party puts
00:38:22
the pressure on them so she has a motion
00:38:27
playing on one side and pressure of the
00:38:29
money being given to her on the other
00:38:30
side she's really caught in a vise
00:38:39
Josephine White tells him that her boss
00:38:41
says they can legally keep the money
00:38:44
$22,000 apiece but she claims it a
00:38:48
$5,000 good-faith deposit for income tax
00:38:51
purposes is required do you ever write a
00:38:53
card on you phase 3 of the scam now
00:38:57
begins convince Barbour to put up the
00:39:00
$5,000 okay let's get going these people
00:39:10
come along and they talk so quickly and
00:39:12
they offer you all kinds of grand
00:39:14
schemes and the second person is jumping
00:39:17
in as soon as the first person stops so
00:39:19
pretty soon the victim's head is
00:39:21
spinning you know the idea of money the
00:39:23
idea of what should we do with the money
00:39:25
and pretty soon she's being directed
00:39:27
she's having all her thoughts channelled
00:39:30
by these two people who are actually
00:39:31
manipulating her and manipulating her
00:39:34
thoughts remember by the end of the day
00:39:36
you'll have five thousand dollars back
00:39:38
in the bank plus twenty two thousand
00:39:42
dollars
00:39:48
you're sure you want to take it off oh
00:39:50
why sure I sure all right what size
00:39:53
bills do you want that it 100 please
00:39:58
to the $5,000 represents nearly all of
00:40:03
Barbara's savings
00:40:16
Josefin white returns to the same office
00:40:18
building
00:40:23
she tells Barbara she will show the
00:40:25
$5,000 to her boss a few minutes later
00:40:32
white returns and triggers a final phase
00:40:34
of the pigeon drop you can go in and get
00:40:38
your money now room 204 Barbara is
00:40:41
instructed to meet with a boss herself
00:40:44
I'll be right here waiting for you
00:40:55
[Music]
00:41:01
there was nobody there I just look
00:41:04
around and then I come back again to the
00:41:09
place where they was parked
00:41:12
Barbara finds the parking lot empty
00:41:15
josephine white the car the man
00:41:18
and Barbara's $5,000 had vanished the
00:41:23
scam has taken less than two hours at
00:41:29
this point the victim is devastated the
00:41:33
victim doesn't know what to do they
00:41:35
didn't know whether to cry to collapse
00:41:37
to walk away they just you know they
00:41:40
just lost their trust has been betrayed
00:41:42
so what ends up happening is they
00:41:45
eventually walk around and they go over
00:41:46
it they Mull it over in their mind jeez
00:41:48
if I tell my family they're gonna think
00:41:50
I'm a stupid old woman if I tell my son
00:41:53
he may put me in a nursing home and all
00:41:55
these terrible thoughts go through their
00:41:57
mind in conjunction with the
00:41:58
embarrassment and the problems of losing
00:42:01
large sums of money
00:42:06
so I don't understand myself how I did
00:42:09
that but I trust her she says you get
00:42:13
this 5,000 back and you get Ronnie to
00:42:17
war I trust that's why I believe
00:42:24
Josephine White has built her victims
00:42:26
out of nearly a million dollars just two
00:42:29
weeks ago she struck again and two
00:42:31
different Boston suburbs white sometimes
00:42:34
uses a names judith hunt or Judith
00:42:36
Campbell and operates primarily along
00:42:38
the East Coast and in California
00:42:53
[Music]
00:42:59
[Music]
00:43:04
on our next unsolved mysteries in
00:43:08
Florida a bright energetic young mother
00:43:10
suffered years of abuse at the hands of
00:43:12
her brutish husband when she finally
00:43:14
walked out he decided to take revenge in
00:43:19
1969 a lonely young boy found friendship
00:43:21
and understanding with the help of big
00:43:23
brothers of America now he wants to find
00:43:26
the man who turned his life around join
00:43:30
me next time perhaps you may be able to
00:43:33
help solve a mystery
00:43:34
[Music]
00:44:03
[Applause]
00:44:06
[Music]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 75
    Most dramatic
  • 75
    Most surprising

Episode Highlights

  • The Search for Missing Crew
    Families of the crew of Baron 52 grapple with the uncertainty of their loved ones' fates.
    “The story has not yet been written.”
    @ 00m 41s
    May 22, 2019
  • The Paris Peace Accords
    The signing marked the end of American involvement in Vietnam, but for some families, the war never ended.
    “For some families, the war would never end.”
    @ 02m 29s
    May 22, 2019
  • Peter Cressman's Letter
    Air Force Sergeant Peter Cressman wrote a poignant letter expressing his confusion over the ceasefire.
    “I realized that I and others in my unit were in violation of an agreement.”
    @ 03m 17s
    May 22, 2019
  • Martha Hinkel's Reunion
    After decades apart, Martha's sons finally meet their long-lost twin sister Mary.
    “We were part of the family before we ever walked up and touched one of them.”
    @ 20m 28s
    May 22, 2019
  • The Frightful Climax
    Violence escalates in Teresa's marriage, leading to a shocking attack.
    “The violence reached a frightful climax on January 5th, 1985.”
    @ 26m 22s
    May 22, 2019
  • A Desperate Escape
    Paul Stamper escapes from jail after being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder.
    “Paul Stamper escaped and has not been seen since.”
    @ 32m 06s
    May 22, 2019
  • The Pigeon Drop Scam
    Josephine White targets vulnerable elderly women, executing a classic con.
    “She has built her victims out of nearly a million dollars.”
    @ 42m 24s
    May 22, 2019

Episode Quotes

  • I thought there was some chance that I might see him again.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • It was hard for us to believe.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • Make sure whatever you do that you never let this happen again.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • I was so scared that I just unlocked the door.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • I just don’t think it’s right that he should be out there.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode
  • The victim doesn’t know what to do; their trust has been betrayed.
    Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 4, Episode 5 - Full Episode

Key Moments

  • Unsolved Mysteries00:03
  • Paris Peace Accords00:23
  • Family Reunion20:14
  • Abuse and Stalking21:54
  • Violent Climax26:22
  • Desperate Measures32:18
  • Elderly Victim35:41
  • Trust Betrayed41:42

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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