00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next on "Unsolved Mysteries,"
00:00:08
at a remote campground, a young
man has a strange encounter
00:00:12
with a beautiful blonde woman.
00:00:15
And then--
00:00:16
What are you looking at, man?
00:00:17
What's your problem, man?
00:00:21
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
After a huge explosion
00:00:23
at a Navy ammo dump,
50 sailors refuse
00:00:27
to continue unloading bombs.
00:00:29
They're in prison, but
was it really a mutiny?
00:00:35
This little girl
had a rare disease
00:00:37
and doctors thought that she
would die by the age of 10.
00:00:41
And then she met
Father Ralph DiOrio.
00:00:46
And a woman's search for
her missing grandmother
00:00:49
reveals a dark family secret
hidden for almost 100 years.
00:00:56
There is nothing
like a good mystery,
00:00:58
and you know what-- they're
even better when they're true.
00:01:02
I'm Dennis Farina.
00:01:04
Join me for an hour of
"Unsolved Mysteries."
00:01:07
[theme music]
00:01:42
The Angeles National
Forest, nearly 700,000 acres
00:01:50
of wilderness just
outside Los Angeles.
00:01:54
For city residents, it's
a perfect weekend getaway.
00:01:58
For killers, it's the
perfect place to hide a body.
00:02:04
On a winter day,
Jeff was exploring
00:02:07
a remote campground when he
stumbled upon a puzzling scene.
00:02:12
I noticed this one
little road off of the side
00:02:16
and I saw somebody had
set up a camp there.
00:02:21
As I pulled up,
directly in front of me
00:02:23
there was an old panel van.
00:02:26
To left of that was a tent,
to the left of the tent
00:02:29
there was a very attractive
girl sitting there by herself.
00:02:34
Her hair was done up,
it was curly and long.
00:02:37
She appeared to have makeup on.
00:02:39
She was looking down and she
very slowly raised her head
00:02:43
and we had eye contact.
00:02:45
What are you looking at, man?
00:02:47
What's your problem, man?
00:02:51
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Jeff's side trip had suddenly
00:02:53
taken a frightening turn.
00:02:55
What's your problem, man?
00:02:57
Leave!
00:02:58
Leave!
00:03:03
I never thought about
calling the police,
00:03:05
nor did I think
that these guys were
00:03:06
really dangerous to anybody.
00:03:08
I thought they were being
protective of their camp.
00:03:11
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Just over a year later,
00:03:14
the Los Angeles County Coroner
was called to investigate
00:03:17
a possible murder site.
00:03:19
Skeletal remains were found
only 50 yards from where Jeff
00:03:24
had seen the young blond woman.
00:03:27
The coroner checked
dental records
00:03:29
of missing people in the
LA area and found a match.
00:03:34
The remains were identified
as 20-year-old Kimberly
00:03:38
Pandelios, who had
disappeared a year before.
00:03:42
It was a tragic end to
a promising young life.
00:03:47
When she disappeared,
Kimberly was
00:03:50
living in southern California.
00:03:52
She was taking business
classes and worked
00:03:54
part-time as a model.
00:03:56
She was loved by
everybody in the family
00:04:00
and she was so sweet, so kind.
00:04:07
The very end of
her life, I don't
00:04:10
want even to think about it.
00:04:15
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After
her remains were identified,
00:04:17
Kimberly's story made
headlines on the local news.
00:04:22
The TV was on and I
said, that's the girl.
00:04:25
That's the girl I
saw sitting there.
00:04:28
In my mind, there was no
doubt that the girl on TV
00:04:31
was the same I saw in
the camp-- the same girl.
00:04:34
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Jeff
called authorities and took
00:04:36
them to the spot where
he had seen Kimberly,
00:04:39
but too much time
had passed and there
00:04:42
were no clues left behind.
00:04:45
The coroner could not determine
what caused Kimberly's death.
00:04:49
Police only knew that she was
no longer a missing person.
00:04:52
Her case was reclassified
as a probable homicide.
00:04:59
Detectives learned that the
day before Jeff saw Kimberly,
00:05:02
a burnout car was
found near a campground
00:05:05
in the Angeles Forest.
00:05:09
The fire was started in
the passenger compartment
00:05:13
on the passenger side
of the front seat.
00:05:16
We were able to determine
that the front seat was pulled
00:05:20
forward in a position
that would be as
00:05:24
if she drove to that location.
00:05:26
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
They found a charred
00:05:27
spiral notebook in the car.
00:05:29
It belonged to
Kimberly Pandelios.
00:05:33
After running a DMV
check on the plates,
00:05:36
the police were able
to contact Kimberly's
00:05:38
husband, who had already
reported his wife missing.
00:05:47
A few weeks later, two hikers
found a second notebook
00:05:50
under a nearby bridge.
00:05:53
It was Kimberley's
day runner, but it
00:05:56
didn't provide investigators
with any fingerprints
00:05:59
or other clues.
00:06:01
It is believed that a third
notebook belonging to Kimberly
00:06:05
is still missing.
00:06:07
Rita, did you
talk to Kimberly--
00:06:08
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Investigators
00:06:09
did have one lead.
00:06:11
On the day she disappeared,
a man named Paul
00:06:14
had called Kimberly at home.
00:06:16
What happened after that?
00:06:18
Well, this Paul called
again about 7:00 PM.
00:06:21
Kimberly still wasn't home.
00:06:23
He said she'd left
her appointment
00:06:25
book when she met with him.
00:06:27
The notebook that
Paul has is probably
00:06:29
the most valuable notebook.
00:06:31
That might have her appointments
or contacts for later that day.
00:06:38
There's a possibility
that Kimberly went up
00:06:41
into the mountains
to meet someone
00:06:44
and that appointment
might be in her book.
00:06:47
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Kimberly
00:06:48
told her husband that
she was scheduled
00:06:50
for an outdoor photo shoot.
00:06:53
She had responded to an
ad in a local newspaper.
00:06:57
JOHN LAURIE: A theory is that
she drove to that location
00:06:59
by herself and met someone
to do an outdoor shoot
00:07:04
and that once she
was there, she was
00:07:07
taken off the road
back into the area
00:07:10
that she was ultimately found.
00:07:12
Hi.
00:07:13
I'm Kimberly.
00:07:16
Ready for a little walk?
00:07:19
Come on, let's go!
00:07:20
[scream]
00:07:21
Come on!
00:07:23
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Authorities
00:07:24
believe Kimberly was abducted
sometime on Thursday afternoon.
00:07:29
When Jeff drove up, it was
just past noon on Saturday.
00:07:37
In retrospect, she
might have been drugged.
00:07:41
But I just had no idea.
00:07:43
If she would have cried out, if
she would have said something,
00:07:45
if she would have
given me an indication
00:07:48
she was in trouble of course
I would have done something.
00:07:50
But I didn't know.
00:07:54
It just gets to me that I
didn't do something right
00:07:56
then and there to help her.
00:07:57
This person basically
died because
00:07:59
of my inaction or my ignorance.
00:08:03
You can't bring the girl
back, but I would like
00:08:06
justice to be done, of course.
00:08:10
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update--
00:08:12
in the case of Kimberly
Pandelios, justice
00:08:15
has finally been served.
00:08:19
12 years after
Kimberly's disappearance,
00:08:22
a convicted sex offender,
David Rademacher,
00:08:25
was arrested for her murder.
00:08:28
Authorities Rademaker
to Kimberly using phone
00:08:31
records and were able
to make the arrest
00:08:34
thanks to the testimony
of a teenage girl
00:08:37
that he had been harassing.
00:08:39
A judge sentenced
Rademaker to life in prison
00:08:42
without the
possibility of parole.
00:08:51
Coming up, a World
War II disaster
00:08:54
results in prison time for 50
sailors charged with mutiny.
00:09:01
Are they really guilty?
00:09:10
It was the largest and one of
the most controversial mutiny
00:09:14
trials in US Naval history.
00:09:16
The defendants were 50
African-American enlisted men
00:09:20
who were all found guilty.
00:09:22
But they insist that
they are innocent
00:09:25
and they want to
clear their names.
00:09:28
Just outside San Francisco,
California, during World War II
00:09:34
more than a million
African-American
00:09:36
served in the military, which at
the time was still segregated.
00:09:41
In the Navy, they were almost
always given the messiest
00:09:45
or the most dangerous jobs.
00:09:50
At Port Chicago, a Navy weapons
center near San Francisco,
00:09:54
African-American sailors
were assigned the risky task
00:09:57
of handling bombs
and ammunition,
00:10:00
even though they had no
specialized training.
00:10:04
Their superiors often placed
bets on whose division
00:10:08
could load a ship the fastest.
00:10:11
The gambling
increased the danger.
00:10:14
The bombs were
slathered in grease
00:10:15
and were extremely
difficult to handle,
00:10:18
but because winning the
bet was top priority,
00:10:21
safety precautions were ignored.
00:10:24
The sailors were forced to
move quickly, too quickly.
00:10:30
It was hard work, regular
work, dangerous work,
00:10:32
but I didn't realize
how dangerous.
00:10:35
We at one point as a kidding
situation, we would say, hey,
00:10:38
I'm going to be the first
one out of this ship
00:10:40
if it blows up.
00:10:41
I talked to the officers
on many occasions concerning
00:10:45
the affairs I had,
and it was always
00:10:49
waved off as insignificant.
00:10:53
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Joe's concerns were
00:10:55
anything but insignificant.
00:10:57
[boom]
00:11:00
On July 17, 1944, two massive
explosions seconds apart
00:11:05
ripped through Port Chicago.
00:11:08
The two blasts sent a
column of smoke and debris
00:11:11
12,000 feet into the air.
00:11:14
The dock and two cargo
ships were blown to pieces,
00:11:18
320 people were killed-- every
single man in the loading zone.
00:11:26
Man, I'm telling you,
it was a sight that you
00:11:29
don't want to talk about.
00:11:31
And an arm here, a leg here,
a shoe with a foot in it
00:11:37
and all that sort of thing.
00:11:38
And this is on the water, on
the ground, and [inaudible].
00:11:43
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Three days later, Rear Admiral
00:11:45
Carlton H. Wright praised
the Port of Chicago
00:11:48
seamen for their
bravery and five
00:11:51
African-American enlisted
men were awarded medals.
00:11:57
The exact cause of that
disaster was never determined.
00:12:01
Many of the surviving
sailors and their officers
00:12:04
were transferred to
another munitions depot.
00:12:09
But when the order was given
to go back to the loading dock,
00:12:13
the entire division stopped
dead in their tracks.
00:12:19
Seamen, if you're not going
to obey orders, just fall out.
00:12:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Lieutenant Ernest Delucchi,
00:12:25
the officer in charge, ordered
Seaman First Class Joe Small
00:12:29
to the front of the formation.
00:12:33
Small, you gonna
go back to work?
00:12:34
No, sir.
00:12:36
If Small don't go,
we're not going either.
00:12:38
Yeah.
00:12:39
Yeah.
00:12:41
It was spontaneous.
00:12:43
We had not discussed it,
we had not planned it.
00:12:51
Each man made up his own mind.
00:12:56
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
A month later, the 50 men
00:12:58
found themselves
center stage in one
00:13:00
of the largest
court-martials in the United
00:13:02
States Naval history.
00:13:05
They were charged with
conspiracy to commit
00:13:07
mutiny during wartime.
00:13:10
I think that what
they were trying to do
00:13:12
was to set an example
because we were black.
00:13:18
They said, well,
maybe the next crew
00:13:20
won't do it if we do this now
and we get this under our hats.
00:13:26
The next bunch coming in here
will walk the chalk line.
00:13:32
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The chief prosecution witness
00:13:34
was Lieutenant Delucchi.
00:13:35
So I immediately told
this man if he wasn't
00:13:37
going to be orders to fall out.
00:13:39
And with that, why practically
the whole division fell out.
00:13:41
And then what happened?
00:13:43
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): In the end,
00:13:44
Delucchi admitted
that the men actually
00:13:46
obeyed every order he
issued except his order
00:13:49
to load ammunition.
00:13:52
Even so, prosecutors
still claimed the men were
00:13:55
guilty of conspiracy to mutiny.
00:13:59
There's no such
charge under Naval
00:14:02
jurisdiction of conspiracy
to attempt mutiny.
00:14:06
There is a charge
of mutiny, period.
00:14:09
Either you commit
mutiny or you don't.
00:14:15
I don't think they were any more
guilty of mutiny than I was.
00:14:20
Without undergoing the
experience of a blast
00:14:22
practically unprecedented--
00:14:23
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
During the trial,
00:14:24
the defense tried to introduce
the sailors' claims that those
00:14:27
in charge showed absolutely
no concern for their safety,
00:14:32
but testimony on that
point was not allowed.
00:14:35
However, during the
second week of the trial,
00:14:38
a seaman named Ollie Green
was given the opportunity
00:14:42
to speak freely.
00:14:43
Seaman Green, do you have
anything further to say?
00:14:46
I've got a couple
of things to say, sir.
00:14:48
The reason I was afraid to go
down and load the ammunition,
00:14:52
them officers were
racing each division
00:14:54
to see who could put
on the most tonnage
00:14:55
and I know the way they
were handling the ammunition
00:14:57
it was liable to go off again.
00:14:59
If we didn't work
fast at the time,
00:15:01
they wanted to put
us in the brig.
00:15:03
And when they exec
came down to the docks,
00:15:05
they wanted us to slow up.
00:15:07
That's the exact
way, put it on fast
00:15:09
or they want to throw us in
the brig. That's my reason
00:15:12
for not going down there.
00:15:18
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ollie
Green's statement became part
00:15:20
of the permanent trial record.
00:15:23
But it had no effect
on the outcome.
00:15:28
A verdict was reached after
just 80 minutes of deliberation,
00:15:32
guilty as charged.
00:15:35
Seaman Small, please stand.
00:15:38
To be confined for a
period of 15 years,
00:15:42
then to be dishonorably
discharged from the United
00:15:45
States Naval Services.
00:15:48
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): The other 49
00:15:49
men were also convicted.
00:15:51
Each received the same
sentence as Joe Small, 15 years
00:15:56
in prison.
00:15:58
The verdicts caused
a nationwide outcry.
00:16:01
After the war ended, all the
men were eventually released,
00:16:05
but they had spent almost
two years in prison.
00:16:10
I believe I did the right
thing because my actions were
00:16:15
dictated by my own conscience.
00:16:19
I was 18 years old,
being chained and shackled.
00:16:24
It's no right that can correct
the wrongness because it's
00:16:30
so deep, it has goes so
long, and I've had to kind
00:16:35
of wipe it out of my mind.
00:16:37
It's the kind of
experience that you really
00:16:38
don't want to talk about.
00:16:42
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
For over 50 years,
00:16:44
the men convicted of
the Port Chicago mutiny
00:16:47
have carried what they feel is
an undeserved burden of shame.
00:16:56
Update-- one of the 50
court-martialed sailors,
00:17:01
a man named Freddy Meeks,
received a presidential pardon.
00:17:05
Meeks was the only sailor
to receive a pardon
00:17:08
because by then, 48 of
the sailors had died
00:17:13
and the other survivor
declined to participate
00:17:16
in the pardon effort.
00:17:18
Congressman George Miller
was present at the trial
00:17:22
and he has petitioned
the president
00:17:23
for pardons for the rest of
the sailors who have died.
00:17:28
A decision has yet to be made.
00:17:37
In a moment, a murderer
escapes from prison
00:17:40
with the help of a quiet,
churchgoing housewife.
00:17:54
Wellsville, Pennsylvania.
00:17:59
Diane Brodbeck, a
43-year-old housewife,
00:18:02
lives in this small
Pennsylvania town.
00:18:05
She is a devout
Christian and very
00:18:07
active in her local church.
00:18:10
One spring day,
Diane disappears.
00:18:16
A month later, her
abandoned car is found
00:18:19
in a nearby motel parking lot.
00:18:21
In the trunk, the police
find her overnight bag.
00:18:27
The same day that
Diane vanishes,
00:18:30
a long-term inmate at
a local prison escapes.
00:18:34
His name is Jon Yount
and he has been serving
00:18:37
a life sentence for
the brutal murder
00:18:40
of an 18-year-old schoolgirl.
00:18:44
At the exact time
that he escapes,
00:18:46
Diane is seen a half
a mile from the prison
00:18:49
driving along the same country
road where Yount vanishes.
00:18:55
I don't know if Diane's alive.
00:18:57
I hope she's alive, I really do.
00:19:00
I believe personally
that she is alive
00:19:04
and I think she is with Jon.
00:19:08
Diane was a respected member
of her church and community,
00:19:12
and apparently she
was happily married.
00:19:15
Well, then why would she
vanish without a word?
00:19:17
There are two theories.
00:19:19
Diane was either kidnapped
by a desperate prisoner
00:19:23
or she willingly helped a
convicted murderer escape.
00:19:28
I know my daughter.
00:19:30
She would not deliberately
help a convicted
00:19:34
murderer escape from prison.
00:19:36
My daughter would not do this.
00:19:38
Yes, I think my wife
probably did help Jon Yount
00:19:41
get out of jail under pressure.
00:19:44
For what reason, I don't know.
00:19:47
It's hard to say.
00:19:48
She could have been
threatened by Jon Yount.
00:19:52
I don't know what
happened, I really don't.
00:19:55
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Diane and her husband,
00:19:57
Chester, had two
daughters and had
00:19:59
just celebrated their
silver wedding anniversary.
00:20:02
Diane worked as a bank
manager, and as one
00:20:05
of her many community activities
she wrote letters to prisoners
00:20:09
who had no family or friends.
00:20:15
16 years earlier, Jon Yount
had been convicted of raping
00:20:19
and murdering a teenage girl.
00:20:24
He was sentenced
to life in prison.
00:20:27
In time, Yount began
writing to Diane.
00:20:32
Hi, my precious lady.
00:20:35
I wanted you to be close
to me so much today.
00:20:38
I hope my enjoyment
and adoration of you
00:20:41
is an incentive to
be the best you can.
00:20:45
You are a classy lady.
00:20:47
I miss you and love you.
00:20:49
Jon.
00:20:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Jon
Yount was a model prisoner.
00:20:57
He played organ for the choir.
00:20:59
A former math teacher, he
taught in the prison school.
00:21:04
Around here, it was very
easy for him to be liked.
00:21:07
And he had a real
good manner about him
00:21:11
in terms of getting
involved with people.
00:21:14
Jon is a strong-willed
person and very persuasive.
00:21:17
I believe that he
could probably crossway
00:21:18
almost anybody, given
the right opportunity
00:21:22
and given the right time.
00:21:24
He has a lot of skill in being
able to manipulate people.
00:21:28
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Diane then began visiting Yount
00:21:30
at the local jail
and continued to see
00:21:32
him even when he was
transferred to a prison
00:21:35
over two hours away.
00:21:39
She was his
girlfriend definitely.
00:21:41
It was not a casual visit like
a brother and sister visiting.
00:21:45
When they started their visit,
they would embrace and kiss
00:21:48
and the same when they left.
00:21:51
I'm fine.
00:21:52
I'm always fine when I see you.
00:21:55
Diane talked about Jon Yount,
I know she was writing him.
00:21:59
I know she visited him.
00:22:02
That's about all.
00:22:04
It was just a little
bit as far as I knew.
00:22:10
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
On Valentine's Day,
00:22:13
Yount wrote to Diane, be my
Valentine, love, forever.
00:22:19
You are my heart.
00:22:21
I hope more than anything
this is the last Valentine Day
00:22:25
that we will spend apart.
00:22:30
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Yount eventually
00:22:31
earned the right to
work unsupervised
00:22:33
outside the prison fence.
00:22:36
One day he decided to take
advantage of that privilege.
00:22:44
The morning of the escape, Jon
was to go out and cut some hay.
00:22:56
What I'd like you to do
is take this hay wagon out
00:22:58
to the garden in back.
00:23:03
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
That was the last time
00:23:05
Jon Yount was ever seen.
00:23:09
I was on the way up over
[inaudible] Hill there headed
00:23:11
for the bowling alley and I
seen this car come down and I
00:23:15
just casually looked over.
00:23:17
And I thought, that
girl looks familiar.
00:23:19
That looks like Jon
Yount's girlfriend.
00:23:22
So I thought to myself, what
is she doing on this road?
00:23:25
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): And that
00:23:26
was the last time that Diane
Brodbeck was ever seen.
00:23:31
- Hi, sheriff.
- Roger?
00:23:32
Yes, sir.
00:23:33
I'm Sergeant Decker from
the Pennsylvania State Police
00:23:35
and this is Trooper
Robert Scutta.
00:23:37
When the troopers
came to my door
00:23:38
on Sunday wanting to
know where my wife was,
00:23:42
saying that Yount had been
broken out of prison by someone
00:23:47
and thinking it was her,
as far as I was concerned
00:23:50
they were completely wrong.
00:23:52
She had nothing to do with it.
00:23:54
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
However, police
00:23:55
discovered that Diane
had a secret bank account
00:23:58
and had withdrawn
$7,500 in the weeks
00:24:02
just before she disappeared.
00:24:08
We discovered that she also
placed a car into a U-storage
00:24:12
facility and that car was
placed in there within
00:24:16
two weeks prior to the escape.
00:24:20
And we discovered that
there was telephone
00:24:22
contact with Jon Yount between
she and he at the prison.
00:24:27
The night before
the escape, there
00:24:29
was a 14-minute
conversation which occurred.
00:24:33
At that point in
time, we decided
00:24:35
to file charges against
her in assisting Jon Yount.
00:24:41
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): A month
00:24:43
after Yount's
escape, Diane's car
00:24:45
was discovered at
the local motel.
00:24:49
A bag was found in
the trunk containing
00:24:51
her jewelry, cosmetics, and
over a dozen pairs of underwear.
00:24:58
There is a theory
that Jon used Diane
00:25:02
as an instrument of his escape.
00:25:06
He discovers that he
is not going to get
00:25:08
out of the prison system.
00:25:11
He has a woman on the outside
who can do things for him.
00:25:15
She does them.
00:25:17
He then kills her, he would
be gone free and clear.
00:25:23
The other theory is that
she really loved him
00:25:25
and he really loved her.
00:25:28
That theory is one that I hold.
00:25:30
I believe she is with him.
00:25:33
Well, my wife has grown
up with another man.
00:25:36
For sure I do not like
it, that's for sure.
00:25:39
We were married for
25 years and I thought
00:25:43
they were fairly good years.
00:25:46
And I don't think
she's alive because I
00:25:49
think if she is, she would
contact somebody in the family.
00:25:54
I will never even
think that she is dead.
00:25:57
I know she's alive.
00:26:01
I think of nothing else
but my missing daughter
00:26:06
and I want her back.
00:26:12
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Update--
00:26:14
after we aired this story,
authorities learned that Jon
00:26:17
Yount and Diane Brodbeck
were living in Boise,
00:26:21
Idaho under assumed names.
00:26:24
Yount was sent back to
prison to serve the remainder
00:26:27
of his life sentence.
00:26:31
Brodbeck pled guilty
to helping Yount escape
00:26:34
and received a sentence
of two to five years.
00:26:37
She was released after
serving two years.
00:26:44
Next, a little girl is
cured of a deadly disease.
00:26:48
Her treatment-- a priest
thought to have healing powers.
00:27:01
Sometimes the journey
from sickness to health
00:27:03
is mysterious.
00:27:05
Every so often, a dramatic
recovery is attributed
00:27:08
to divine intervention.
00:27:10
In these cases, medical
science has no answer--
00:27:14
especially for those
patients who have been
00:27:16
helped by Father Ralph DiOrio.
00:27:21
At father Ralph DiOrio's
prayer meetings,
00:27:24
worshippers often
fall to the floor.
00:27:26
It's common to see
dozens of people
00:27:29
sprawled around the room.
00:27:31
Some call it the
slaying of the spirit.
00:27:36
They say that it is a total
surrender to the power of God.
00:27:42
Christina was born
with neurofibromatosis.
00:27:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Stan Umowski and his family
00:27:47
speak from experience
when they talk
00:27:49
about the extraordinary power
of Father DiOrio's prayers.
00:27:53
It's a degenerative
genetic disorder.
00:27:57
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Their ordeal
00:27:58
began a few weeks before
Christmas, when Stan's wife,
00:28:02
Mary, was cleaning the house.
00:28:04
Hey, sleepyhead.
00:28:05
Did you have a good nap?
00:28:06
Christina?
00:28:09
I walked over to
her and her eyes
00:28:11
were kind of staring
up at the ceiling
00:28:13
and she didn't respond to me.
00:28:15
Sweetie, can you hear me?
00:28:18
Her eyes were open, but she
wasn't acknowledging me.
00:28:21
She wasn't saying
anything and she
00:28:22
was just making this little
gurgling sound in her throat.
00:28:26
Christina?
00:28:28
Sweetie?
Come on.
00:28:29
Come on, baby.
00:28:34
As I dialed the doctor, that's
when she started convulsing--
00:28:38
not a wild convulsion,
it was basically a tremor
00:28:41
on one side of her body.
00:28:42
Sweetie?
00:28:43
Christina?
00:28:44
OK.
00:28:45
It's all right.
00:28:46
It's OK.
00:28:48
I don't know what told
me to start timing it.
00:28:50
I remember it started at
1:00 that day, December 1,
00:28:54
and the seizure
lasted for 20 minutes.
00:28:57
I'm sorry, but the
news is not good.
00:29:01
Christina is suffering
with neurofibromatosis.
00:29:05
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The specialists all agreed,
00:29:07
the disease was incurable.
00:29:11
It would damage Christina's
vision and coordination
00:29:13
and ultimately kill her.
00:29:16
We sat down and we
cried for weeks on end.
00:29:20
Tears would just
come to our eyes
00:29:21
at any time during
the day or night.
00:29:24
We couldn't sleep.
00:29:26
We were devastated by it.
00:29:28
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): As expected,
00:29:29
Christina's health deteriorated.
00:29:32
There's certain things she
would not be able to do at all.
00:29:36
Skipping, forget about it;
running-- the coordination
00:29:40
wasn't there to do
any of the things.
00:29:41
Jumping, she couldn't get
her feet off the ground.
00:29:44
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): A friend
00:29:45
suggested that the family
attend one of Father
00:29:48
DiOrio's prayer meetings.
00:29:51
Stan was quite skeptical,
but he was willing to do
00:29:54
anything for his daughter.
00:29:58
I still had some anger in me.
00:30:01
Even though I agreed to go,
I carried a tape recorder
00:30:05
in my pocket and I
taped the entire service
00:30:08
thinking that if this man
is a fraud, I'll expose him.
00:30:14
Are there any children
out there who are suffering?
00:30:16
Please raise your hand.
00:30:17
Father.
Right here, Father.
00:30:19
Yes.
00:30:20
Do you have a sick child?
00:30:21
Yes, Father.
00:30:22
My daughter.
00:30:23
I was so excited and
thrilled just for the fact
00:30:25
that they got called forward.
00:30:27
After seeing a number
of people there,
00:30:30
I thought our
chances of even being
00:30:32
called or having Christina
blessed were almost nil.
00:30:36
Sweetheart, what is your name?
00:30:39
Christina.
00:30:39
Christina.
00:30:41
Now, Christina, do
you believe in Jesus?
00:30:43
Yes.
00:30:45
There are three
types of healing.
00:30:46
There's the physical healing,
the spiritual healing,
00:30:49
and the psychological healing.
00:30:51
So God is aiming for all
three of these healings
00:30:56
to give this person
a new chance,
00:30:58
a new chapter in
the autobiography
00:31:00
of that person's life, you see.
00:31:03
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Stan and Mary
00:31:05
were hoping for a miracle,
but they had no idea what one
00:31:09
might look like or feel like.
00:31:12
Mommy, how did
that man do that?
00:31:14
Do what, Christina?
00:31:15
When that man touched me on
my head, he made me feel hot.
00:31:20
And then I remembered
what Father DiOrio had
00:31:22
said during the
service about people
00:31:24
feeling a warmth in their body.
00:31:26
By then, only then, me who was
all bundled up, I was so cold.
00:31:29
I looked at her.
Her hood was down, no gloves on.
00:31:33
Her coat was hanging open.
00:31:35
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Within two days,
00:31:37
it appeared their prayers
had been answered.
00:31:41
Right on the front
stoop of the school,
00:31:42
she starts jumping rope.
00:31:43
And her feet are not just
an inch off the ground,
00:31:46
she's literally jumping a
half a foot off the ground
00:31:49
and not just a couple
of jumps, she's jumping
00:31:52
and she's jumping.
00:31:54
And I'm looking at
her in disbelief.
00:31:56
And she calls out,
saying, Mommy,
00:31:58
how can I do this
all of a sudden?
00:32:01
Her words-- all of a sudden.
00:32:04
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Two weeks
00:32:06
later, Christina's doctor
call them with the results
00:32:09
from her latest MRI.
00:32:12
How much is it going down?
00:32:14
We went to see the
doctor in person
00:32:17
and I said, well, doctor,
show me where the tumor is.
00:32:21
You said it was greatly reduced.
00:32:22
Please, show me
where the tumor is.
00:32:24
He put his finger on
this one and he said,
00:32:25
well, this is where it was.
00:32:29
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): We
asked a doctor not connected
00:32:31
with this case to examine
two of Christina's MRIs.
00:32:36
One was from almost a
year before Christina
00:32:40
visited Father DiOrio.
00:32:42
It shows the tumor
as a thickening
00:32:44
on the part of the brain
called the optic chiasm.
00:32:48
The second MRI was from shortly
after Father DiOrio's blessing.
00:32:54
Christina's MRI scan in the
region of the optic chiasm
00:32:58
appears to be normal.
00:33:00
It appears that the
thickening of the optic chiasm
00:33:04
has disappeared when compared
with the previous exam.
00:33:08
In neurofibromatosis,
there have been
00:33:11
rare instances of regression
of optic nerve gliomas.
00:33:15
But this is a rare event.
00:33:20
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Recent MRIs
00:33:22
confirm that ever since Father
DiOrio blessed Christina,
00:33:25
the life-threatening
tumor has not returned.
00:33:31
I thank God every day
for what he's done for us.
00:33:34
I thank Father DiOrio for being
the catalyst in that healing.
00:33:39
It absolutely
positively was a miracle
00:33:42
and I could never thank
him enough for that.
00:33:47
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Father
00:33:48
Ralph DiOrio emphasizes that any
miracle is God's work, not his.
00:33:56
It appears that God has chosen
me openly, clearly, publicly.
00:34:04
And all he needed
from me was, OK,
00:34:06
Lord, I'm willing to be
your instrument of speech,
00:34:09
of thought, of touch.
00:34:12
So I become the visible
presence of God.
00:34:16
But God is the divine healer.
00:34:24
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Next, a woman's search
00:34:26
for her missing
grandmother reveals
00:34:28
a mysterious legend of murder.
00:34:40
Brookfield, Wisconsin,
the early 1900s.
00:34:44
38-year-old Conradina Olson says
goodbye to her four children.
00:34:50
Guys, I'll see you tomorrow.
00:34:51
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
She tells them
00:34:52
that she's going to a doctor's
appointment in Milwaukee
00:34:56
and will be back the next day.
00:34:59
Are you sure you don't
want to come along?
00:35:00
No.
00:35:01
I'd rather stay here.
00:35:03
Goodbye, children.
00:35:05
[whistle blowing]
00:35:06
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
The Olson children
00:35:08
don't know it yet,
but they're seeing
00:35:10
their mother for the last time.
00:35:13
Conradina's oldest
son, Edwin, will
00:35:16
regret his decision
not to go with her
00:35:18
for the rest of his life.
00:35:21
He felt that if he
had went with her,
00:35:23
she would have been back.
00:35:24
She would have
come back to them.
00:35:27
My father, he suffered
for this all of his life.
00:35:32
He never knew why she went
away and didn't come back.
00:35:37
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Decades
00:35:38
later, Geneva Fuchser began
investigating her grandmother's
00:35:42
disappearance.
00:35:43
She was hoping to find answers
to the questions that haunted
00:35:47
her father his entire life.
00:35:51
She learned that in
1891, 20-year-old
00:35:54
Conradina married
30-year-old Carl
00:35:57
Olson, a railroad coachman.
00:36:00
You listen to me when
I'm talking to you!
00:36:02
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): It was
00:36:03
coming knowledge that
their marriage was unhappy.
00:36:06
But back in those days when
there was a bad marriage,
00:36:10
people didn't get a divorce.
00:36:12
One of the people just walked
away from the marriage.
00:36:15
And this is actually what I
had thought for many years had
00:36:18
happened to her.
00:36:20
But now I don't.
00:36:22
I feel she has taken.
00:36:25
Something bad had to
have happened to her.
00:36:30
One One day at work, Geneva
had a bizarre encounter
00:36:33
with a customer.
00:36:38
This lady come into my store.
00:36:40
I knew there was something
different about her,
00:36:42
but I couldn't
grasp what it was.
00:36:45
And we got to talking.
00:36:48
She told me her
name was Susanna.
00:36:50
And she says, well,
I'm a psychic.
00:36:52
And just out of the
clear blue sky, she said,
00:36:55
you want to ask me about
your grandmother, don't you?
00:36:58
And I was amazed.
00:36:59
I said, yes.
00:37:01
And she said, do
you have anything
00:37:03
of your grandmother's here?
00:37:04
And I said, yes.
00:37:05
I said, I have a
marriage license
00:37:06
and I have their
wedding picture.
00:37:08
And she closed her eyes and
she says, now don't talk.
00:37:10
Be very quiet.
00:37:15
And then all of a
sudden she said,
00:37:17
I can see her boarding a train.
00:37:21
I can see children crying.
00:37:23
I can see her being beaten and
I feel that your grandfather
00:37:28
knows what happened to her.
00:37:33
It just kind of sent
shivers down my spine.
00:37:38
I was flabbergasted.
00:37:40
I thought, I don't believe this.
00:37:41
How could she know?
00:37:42
How good how could she know
this about my grandmother?
00:37:45
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Later, Susanna
00:37:47
told Geneva that she
would soon be receiving
00:37:49
a packet of old letters.
00:37:52
They would reveal the
year that Geneva's
00:37:55
grandmother disappeared.
00:37:57
I know this has
something to do about--
00:38:00
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
She also told Geneva
00:38:01
that the name Ellis was somehow
connected to her grandmother
00:38:06
and that her grandmother was
buried in an unmarked grave.
00:38:11
And she says, also I see
within a year's time you will
00:38:15
be getting a letter from an
unknown source yet not heard
00:38:19
from, somebody you
don't even know of,
00:38:22
that is going to tell
you where this grave is.
00:38:25
DENNIS FARINA
(VOICEOVER): Several weeks
00:38:27
later, a package arrived.
00:38:29
It was sent by Conradina's
nieces and nephews,
00:38:32
relatives Geneva had never met.
00:38:35
I did get a packet of
letters from in the 1800s.
00:38:40
And within these old
letters, it states
00:38:43
there was some dissension
in the marriage
00:38:45
and it also states that the
last known heard from her
00:38:50
was around 1910.
00:38:51
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Geneva sent an account
00:38:53
of her grandmother's
disappearance
00:38:55
to a local newspaper
and they printed it.
00:38:59
To one reader, it
sounded familiar.
00:39:03
I got in contact
with Geneva when
00:39:06
I read a piece in
a monthly magazine
00:39:09
that she was looking
for her grandmother.
00:39:13
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Bill Carpenter
00:39:14
told Geneva about the
unmarked grave of a woman.
00:39:18
It was in a small Missouri
town by the name of Alice.
00:39:25
And he says, it
is an unmarked grave
00:39:27
and it's along the
railroad right of way.
00:39:29
And when he said, it's along
the railroad right of way,
00:39:32
I couldn't believe it.
00:39:34
Tears came to my eyes.
00:39:35
I just wanted to cry.
00:39:37
Now, this was another prediction
of Susanna's that came true.
00:39:41
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
At the turn of the century,
00:39:43
Ellis was a small farming town.
00:39:45
According to local legend,
one day a fashionably
00:39:49
dressed woman got off the train.
00:39:54
She was seen arguing with a man.
00:39:57
Witnesses said it appeared
to be a lover's quarrel
00:40:00
and that the couple
headed down the tracks.
00:40:04
The man was later seen
returning to the station alone.
00:40:08
He boarded another
train and left town.
00:40:13
Three days later, the
woman's body was found
00:40:16
alongside the train tracks.
00:40:20
She had been murdered.
00:40:23
There was nothing
to identify her
00:40:24
or to give any indication
where she came from.
00:40:29
Locals say that workers
for the railroad
00:40:32
buried the body a few yards
from where she was found.
00:40:36
Geneva has come to believe
that this mysterious woman
00:40:40
is her grandmother, Contadina.
00:40:44
I want to think this is
my grandmother's grave.
00:40:47
In my heart, I think it is.
00:40:51
And I don't know
what else could have
00:40:52
happened to my grandmother.
00:40:54
I think with all my research, I
would have found out something.
00:40:58
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
However, a newspaper article
00:41:00
about a woman murdered
near the Ellis train tracks
00:41:03
seems to contradict
Geneva's theory.
00:41:07
The account appeared
in 1888, years
00:41:11
before Conradina
Olson disappeared.
00:41:16
Long ago, there was
a young woman who was
00:41:18
murdered in Ellis, Missouri.
00:41:21
Could it have been
Conradina Olson?
00:41:26
The way this is
all coming about,
00:41:29
I don't know what
to think about it.
00:41:32
I feel that there's somebody out
there that knows what happened
00:41:34
to her and I just want to know.
00:41:38
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER):
Perhaps Conradina
00:41:40
did wave goodbye to her children
and head off to a new life.
00:41:45
[train whistle]
00:41:48
Or maybe she was
murdered and buried
00:41:51
in an unmarked grave next
to the railroad tracks
00:41:54
in Ellis, Missouri.
00:41:55
[train whistle]
00:42:03
If you have any information
about this story
00:42:05
or any of the other
cases we profiled, please
00:42:08
log onto our website
at unsolved.com.
00:42:14
[theme music]
