00:00:00
[music playing]
00:00:04
NARRATOR: Next on "Unsolved
Mysteries," a man on the run
00:00:09
ends up dead in a deserted
parking lot in Tennessee.
00:00:13
Who was he running from and why?
00:00:16
This is a hold up.
00:00:18
Just stay cool.
00:00:19
NARRATOR: A cunning bank
robber tells police which
00:00:21
bank he's going to
hit next and then
00:00:23
robs one in a different town.
00:00:27
A hidden treasure worth millions
is stolen by Ferdinand Marcos.
00:00:31
Where is it now?
00:00:34
And a moonlight
cruise on a lake ends
00:00:36
in a horrifying,
hit-and-run collision.
00:00:41
The driver of the boat
has gotten away scot-free.
00:00:47
I'm Dennis Farina, and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
00:00:51
Join us.
00:00:52
[theme music]
00:01:29
Knoxville, Tennessee--
00:01:32
Bobby, what's going on?
00:01:33
NARRATOR: Strangers find a dead
man, beaten and half naked,
00:01:37
in a parking lot on
a gray July morning.
00:01:42
Scattered around the body are a
mix of German, Canadian, and US
00:01:46
currency, totaling about $4,000.
00:01:49
The contents of his
wallet identified him
00:01:51
as 31-year-old Blair Adams
of Surrey, British Columbia.
00:01:57
Every aspect of this
case is mysterious.
00:02:00
There is no logical explanation
for anything he did.
00:02:03
We can't say for
a fact that this
00:02:06
is why he did that because
there's no explanation for it.
00:02:09
We cannot come up with a
motive for this man to be dead.
00:02:13
We can't come up for a
reason for him to be here.
00:02:16
We can't come up for a reason
for him to leave Canada.
00:02:18
Nobody knew he was going
to take this trip, nobody.
00:02:21
This is an actual whodunit.
00:02:27
NARRATOR: No one knows why
Blair left his home in British
00:02:30
Columbia or how he ended
up over 2,000 miles away
00:02:34
in Knoxville, Tennessee.
00:02:36
His murder is one of
the stranger cases
00:02:39
we've ever come across.
00:02:41
Was Blair running
away from a killer,
00:02:43
or was Blair just running
away from himself?
00:02:49
Before his mysterious
death, Blair Adams
00:02:53
was a foreman with a
construction company
00:02:56
in Surrey, British Columbia.
00:02:58
Those who knew him say
Blair liked his work,
00:03:01
and he did it well.
00:03:03
Blair did seem to
have a normal life.
00:03:05
He had many friends.
00:03:08
He had a job.
00:03:09
He traveled on occasion.
00:03:11
He had a history of several
different girlfriends.
00:03:14
He was well liked by
virtually everyone
00:03:16
that we've had contact with.
00:03:19
NARRATOR: Then
something changed.
00:03:22
Blair started having
wild mood swings.
00:03:27
I asked him numerous
times what was wrong.
00:03:30
And he said, I don't think
I should tell you about it.
00:03:37
And to this day, I
don't know what "it" is.
00:03:43
NARRATOR: On Friday, July 5,
Blair withdrew all his savings.
00:03:47
He emptied his safety
deposit box, more than $6,000
00:03:52
in cash and thousands in
jewelry, gold, and platinum.
00:04:00
On Sunday, Blair tried
to enter the United
00:04:02
States two different times.
00:04:04
Where are you going?
00:04:06
Uh, Seattle.
00:04:07
Can you step out of the car?
00:04:09
Can I see some ID?
00:04:11
NARRATOR: But he
was refused entry
00:04:13
because he was a young, single
guy, carrying a lot of cash--
00:04:17
the profile of a
drug trafficker.
00:04:19
Just get back in the car
and turn your vehicle around.
00:04:24
NARRATOR: The next day,
Blair showed up at his job,
00:04:27
but he wasn't there to work.
00:04:30
Uh, I need to quit my job.
00:04:31
Why?
00:04:32
I need some time.
00:04:33
Can I get my check?
00:04:35
NARRATOR: That
afternoon, he spent
00:04:37
$1,600 on a round-trip airline
ticket to Frankfurt, Germany.
00:04:45
Just hours after
buying the ticket,
00:04:47
Blair showed up at a
friend's home in a panic.
00:04:51
Blair.
00:04:52
I need you to take
me to the border.
00:04:53
Take you to the border?
00:04:54
It's the middle of the night.
00:04:55
I can't leave my kids.
00:04:57
Kate, somebody is
trying to kill me.
00:05:00
NARRATOR: Blair
seemed terrified,
00:05:02
but his friend just
couldn't help him out.
00:05:05
OK, forget about it.
Sorry to bother you.
00:05:07
Thanks.
Thanks, anyway.
00:05:11
NARRATOR: On Tuesday, instead
of leaving for Germany,
00:05:14
he turned in his
tickets, rented a car,
00:05:16
and headed back to the border.
00:05:19
This time, Blair
managed to slip through.
00:05:25
He ended up in Seattle,
where he dropped
00:05:27
his rental car at the airport
and bought a one-way ticket
00:05:31
to Washington DC.
00:05:33
He paid about $770 for a
one-way ticket when he could
00:05:37
have purchased a
round-trip ticket
00:05:39
for approximately $350 or $400.
00:05:42
So it would have been half the
price for a round-trip ticket
00:05:45
as he paid for a one-way ticket.
00:05:47
It just seemed very unusual.
00:05:52
NARRATOR: Blair arrived
in DC early Wednesday
00:05:54
morning and headed to Knoxville,
more than 500 miles southwest.
00:05:59
His travel was
unlogical in itself.
00:06:03
I mean, why go to
DC then turn around
00:06:05
and come back to Knoxville?
00:06:06
He had no reason to
be in East Tennessee.
00:06:08
Had no reason to
be in Knoxville.
00:06:10
Everything we found out, he
knows no one in East Tennessee
00:06:13
or the Eastern United States.
00:06:15
- Hi.
- Hi.
00:06:16
Can you help me?
00:06:17
I can't get my car started.
00:06:18
What's the problem?
00:06:19
NARRATOR: Blair was
first seen in Knoxville
00:06:21
around 5:30 that afternoon.
00:06:25
Oh, this can't be your key.
00:06:26
Yeah, that's my key.
00:06:27
Well, this is a Nissan key.
00:06:29
Yeah.
00:06:29
Well, this is a Toyota.
00:06:31
So?
00:06:32
Well, it won't start it.
00:06:33
Well, that's the
key I've been using.
00:06:35
Do you have another key?
00:06:36
- No.
- Are you sure?
00:06:38
--says, OK, empty out your
pockets, and let's look for it.
00:06:41
He empties out all his pockets.
00:06:42
There is no key to the Toyota.
00:06:45
NARRATOR: Blair couldn't get
a new key from the rental car
00:06:47
company until the next morning.
00:06:49
He was stranded in Knoxville.
00:06:52
A mechanic drove him
to a nearby hotel.
00:06:56
The best way to describe him
would be paranoid, nervous,
00:06:59
agitated, expecting
someone to come in on him,
00:07:02
even though there
wasn't nobody there.
00:07:04
I don't know who
he was looking for,
00:07:06
but he was waiting for
somebody to walk into the room.
00:07:10
NARRATOR: Maybe Blair
was being followed,
00:07:12
or maybe he only thought so.
00:07:14
The hotel security camera shows
that in the space of an hour,
00:07:19
Blair went in and
out of the lobby
00:07:21
five times before finally
paying for a room.
00:07:26
MAN: We can only assume
that something was
00:07:28
wrong with his thought process.
00:07:30
He wasn't acting rationally.
00:07:34
NARRATOR: After checking in,
he walked out the front door.
00:07:36
It was 7:37 PM,
the last time Blair
00:07:40
Adams was known to be alive.
00:07:45
12 hours later, Blair's body
was found in a parking lot
00:07:49
about a half mile
from his hotel.
00:07:51
He was naked from
the waist down.
00:07:55
Blair's death was as strange as
the last few days of his life.
00:08:00
His pants were
removed in a way
00:08:03
not like someone would
take their own pants off,
00:08:06
but in a way that
someone else would
00:08:08
remove your pants from you.
00:08:11
His socks were
turned inside out.
00:08:12
His shoes were off, and
his shirt was ripped open.
00:08:16
NARRATOR: $4,000 in American,
Canadian, and German currency
00:08:20
was scattered
around Blair's body.
00:08:23
A small pack held another $2,000
worth of gold and jewelry.
00:08:29
And strangely, the
key to Blair's Toyota
00:08:33
was laying about 10
feet from his body.
00:08:37
We start looking at the angle
of maybe a drug deal gone bad
00:08:41
that didn't pan out.
00:08:42
Robbery was immediately
first thought of.
00:08:44
You can throw it away because
all the money is still there.
00:08:47
We tried to find anything in his
background that would have lead
00:08:50
us to believe that he
frequented with prostitutes
00:08:53
or that he had had any
homosexual experiences,
00:08:58
anything to explain how he was
found the way he was found.
00:09:03
We found nothing.
00:09:04
NARRATOR: The autopsy
stated that Blair sustained
00:09:07
many cuts and abrasions.
00:09:09
This would indicate
that he was trying
00:09:11
to defend himself from attack.
00:09:14
Blair was ultimately
killed by a violent blow
00:09:17
that ruptured his stomach.
00:09:20
Kate, somebody is
trying to kill me.
00:09:22
NARRATOR: Although
Blair believed
00:09:23
that his life was in
danger, authorities
00:09:26
have another theory.
00:09:28
They think that the
threat was imaginary,
00:09:30
and Blair's journey was an
escape from his own delusions.
00:09:35
Either way, Blair Adams wound
up dead, just as he had feared.
00:09:41
I want Blair back.
00:09:43
I want him well and healthy.
00:09:44
I want him to knock on the
front door and come in,
00:09:49
but obviously that's
not going to happen.
00:09:53
I don't know.
00:09:55
You know, Blair is
dead, and it would
00:09:59
be nice to have some
understanding of why he died.
00:10:05
NARRATOR: If you have any
information about the murder
00:10:07
of Blair Adams, please log on
to our website at unsolved. com.
00:10:17
Next, thanks to a
viewer's tip, police close
00:10:20
in on a notorious bank robber.
00:10:23
And later, a
legendary treasure is
00:10:26
stolen by a ruthless dictator.
00:10:28
[music playing]
00:10:37
It's not surprising that the
suspect in our next story
00:10:40
vowed never to be taken alive.
00:10:43
In the last 35 years, he's
only been out of prison
00:10:46
for 18 months.
00:10:48
When he wasn't doing hard time,
he was robbing banks, at least
00:10:52
12 of them, maybe more.
00:10:54
His name is Thomas Dixon.
00:11:05
This is a robbery.
00:11:06
You all put your hands
where I can see them.
00:11:08
This is a hold up.
00:11:10
Just stay cool, and
nobody's gonna get hurt.
00:11:12
Move it along.
Move it.
00:11:14
DODGE FREDERICK: Dixon is what
we call a takeover robber.
00:11:17
They control everything inside
the bank, which means when he
00:11:21
came into a bank,
usually he or his partner
00:11:24
would hold somebody at bay with
a weapon, make announcements.
00:11:27
Just keep moving.
00:11:28
Hustle, move it.
00:11:30
Don't mess with me.
00:11:31
[gunshot]
00:11:32
Don't mess with me.
00:11:34
The money, just get the money.
00:11:38
NARRATOR: After a string
of seven robberies,
00:11:40
Thomas Dixon went underground.
00:11:48
He hid out with his
girlfriend in a remote cabin
00:11:51
in North Carolina.
00:11:54
Federal agents moved in.
00:12:01
We were able to gather
enough information about Dixon
00:12:03
to know that he had
certain patterns
00:12:05
that might play in our favor in
trying to make an apprehension.
00:12:10
We knew that he was a jogger.
00:12:11
Dixon has always been
in excellent shape.
00:12:14
NARRATOR: The FBI wasn't
taking any chances.
00:12:17
Freeze.
00:12:18
Dixon, you're under arrest.
00:12:20
On the ground.
00:12:21
On the ground.
00:12:22
Hands behind your back.
00:12:23
What are you guys doing?
00:12:24
Hands up.
00:12:25
Hands where I can see them.
00:12:26
Hands up.
00:12:28
When the SWAT team went in to
make the search of the cabin,
00:12:31
in addition to his
female companion,
00:12:33
there were several
long-barreled guns,
00:12:35
seven handguns of
various size and caliber,
00:12:38
25 sticks of
dynamite, and we were
00:12:41
actually shocked at
the amount of weaponry
00:12:43
he had inside the apartment.
00:12:45
What is this?
00:12:48
He's got a weapon.
00:12:52
NARRATOR: Thomas Dixon
spent 10 years behind bars.
00:12:55
When he was finally paroled,
he picked up right where
00:12:58
he left off-- robbing banks.
00:13:00
But now Dixon worked alone.
00:13:04
Good morning.
00:13:06
I'll be right with you.
00:13:07
That's all right.
00:13:08
This is a hold up.
00:13:10
I got a police scanner, so
don't do anything funny.
00:13:14
Just be cool, and put
the money in the bag.
00:13:18
He doesn't come
in as a flashy guy.
00:13:21
He comes in prepared.
00:13:23
He's methodical.
00:13:25
He thinks about things
before he does them.
00:13:35
NARRATOR: In one summer, Dixon
pulled off five robberies
00:13:38
in a seven-week period.
00:13:42
Have you FBI ever
heard of Thomas Dixon?
00:13:45
MAN (ON PHONE): No, should we?
00:13:46
The man is one
bad-ass bank robber.
00:13:49
Tomorrow, he's going to rob
a bank in North Carolina.
00:13:53
NARRATOR: Dixon
began to warn the FBI
00:13:55
about his next bank
jobs, but he wasn't
00:13:58
always telling the truth.
00:14:04
In one call, Dixon said that
he was going to rob a bank
00:14:07
in Matthews, North Carolina.
00:14:11
Who's that in the back?
00:14:12
That's the manager.
00:14:13
NARRATOR: But he's no dummy.
00:14:15
Dixon turned up in
Columbia, South Carolina.
00:14:20
Y'all have a nice day.
00:14:22
You can turn on that
alarm now if you like.
00:14:24
Excuse me.
00:14:30
NARRATOR: Effingham,
South Carolina.
00:14:33
DISPATCH: Dispatch
to unit 4, dispatch
00:14:34
to unit 4, eight
miles south, Route 15,
00:14:38
investigate an
abandoned vehicle.
00:14:42
NARRATOR: About a month
after the Columbia job,
00:14:44
a deputy in Florence
County, South Carolina,
00:14:47
recovered the getaway car.
00:14:50
Polaroids left at
the getaway car
00:14:52
showed a huge
arsenal of weapons.
00:14:55
A rambling message filled seven
pages of a small notebook.
00:15:00
It was signed, Tom Dixon.
00:15:03
MAN: "I know the feds
are closing in on me,
00:15:05
but they need an informant.
00:15:07
So I need to really
watch who I trust.
00:15:11
I will not go back to
prison under no conditions
00:15:14
ever for any length of time."
00:15:19
NARRATOR: FBI agents believed
that Dixon was becoming
00:15:22
more and more unstable.
00:15:26
They also believed that Dixon
deliberately left the photos,
00:15:30
the getaway car, and the
message in the notebook for them
00:15:33
to find.
00:15:36
MAN: "Now I need a
really good score
00:15:38
so I can go underground
for a few months,
00:15:41
get myself back together.
00:15:44
I got myself a bulletproof
vest, so maybe it'll
00:15:49
save my ass long enough to drop
a couple of them before I die.
00:15:56
PS, you keep looking,
and I'll keep working.
00:16:00
We'll meet up someday.
00:16:01
And we'll see if it's
you, or is it me?"
00:16:06
I don't think there's
any question that Dixon
00:16:09
had become a walking time bomb.
00:16:11
Dixon was alerting us to the
fact that he is heavily armed,
00:16:15
and he has every
intention of using
00:16:17
those arms in a confrontation
with law enforcement.
00:16:20
NARRATOR: Several weeks
later, Dixon struck again,
00:16:23
this time in Pennsylvania.
00:16:25
He eventually made his way
to Clarksville, Tennessee.
00:16:30
There, Dixon took a
room in this motel.
00:16:34
Pam Poteete, a
resident housekeeper,
00:16:36
first became suspicious of
Dixon when she cleaned his room.
00:16:41
It was the way he acted.
00:16:42
He was weird.
00:16:43
He wouldn't ever
sit down, didn't
00:16:45
want you to make the beds,
you know, stuff like that.
00:16:47
It was like he was on guard,
you know, with his luggage.
00:16:50
And he's, you know,
ready, watching you.
00:16:55
NARRATOR: Update-- when we
aired Thomas Dixon's story,
00:16:59
Pam Poteete recognized
them and contacted
00:17:02
both "Unsolved Mysteries" and
the authorities in Tennessee.
00:17:06
By sunrise, FBI agents
staked out Dixon's family.
00:17:12
We knew he was
armed and dangerous,
00:17:14
and he had vowed not
to be taken alive.
00:17:16
With that information,
obviously you
00:17:18
want to approach the subject
with extreme caution.
00:17:21
But once we get him subdued,
he was very cooperative.
00:17:25
All he said is the way that you
guys arrested me was the way
00:17:28
you needed to arrest me.
00:17:29
And it was a lot better
that way then, quote,
00:17:31
"to throw bullets
at each other."
00:17:34
Well, you got me good.
00:17:36
NARRATOR: Thomas Dixon pled
guilty in federal court
00:17:39
to seven armed bank
robberies in four states.
00:17:42
He will be eligible for release
in 2020 when he's 73 years old.
00:17:51
Next, a hit-and-run boating
accident leaves a young woman
00:17:55
fighting for her life.
00:17:58
[music playing]
00:18:07
Lewisville Lake, Texas,
20 miles north of Dallas.
00:18:12
Stephanie Booker
and two friends,
00:18:14
Sabra Scott and Kim Colvin,
spent the day swimming
00:18:18
and sailing on the lake.
00:18:20
It was a typical
outing until nightfall.
00:18:29
After a break for
dinner, the three friends
00:18:31
decided to take one last
cruise beyond the breakwater.
00:18:36
Wow, look at how nice that is.
00:18:38
That's so pretty.
00:18:39
That's great.
00:18:40
Guys, we've got to get back.
00:18:43
NARRATOR: Near
midnight, the friends
00:18:45
headed back into the boat slip.
00:18:47
Kim, it's really dark.
00:18:49
Can you help me up front?
00:18:51
NARRATOR: They slow
down as they enter
00:18:53
the no-wake zone, where
boaters are required
00:18:55
to stay under 5 miles an hour.
00:19:00
Then 100 yards away, a speedboat
raced out of the darkness.
00:19:10
Stay back.
00:19:24
NARRATOR: For a moment,
only silence and
00:19:29
What did you just do?
00:19:30
Do you know what you just did?
00:19:32
You just hit my
boat, oh, my God.
00:19:35
KIM COLVIN: I could
feel someone tugging
00:19:37
on the back of my shirt,
and it was Stephanie.
00:19:40
And I could see that she
was in serious condition.
00:19:44
I tried to speak, and
no words would come out.
00:19:47
It was as if my
mouth felt sewn shut.
00:19:51
And so I had to brace
myself with my hands
00:19:56
to push my body up.
00:19:58
And then I felt this terrible
weight hanging off my face,
00:20:03
as if dough was
hanging off of my face.
00:20:05
And I reached up and realized
that my face was in my hand.
00:20:13
NARRATOR: The
speedboat's propeller
00:20:15
had slashed across
Stephanie's face,
00:20:18
literally slicing
it from the bone.
00:20:21
Her lips were
detached from her face.
00:20:24
I couldn't see
any gums or teeth.
00:20:26
There was skin hanging
down from her eye.
00:20:29
So I was seeing
her exposed face,
00:20:32
and I could tell she was
having a hard time breathing.
00:20:35
Oh, I'm gonna kill you.
00:20:36
We need some help.
00:20:38
NARRATOR: On the other
boat, a young woman
00:20:40
appeared at the driver's
side and stared.
00:20:44
Neither said a word.
00:20:45
Guys, guys, we need your help.
00:20:48
KIM COLVIN: He stood there
as if contemplating the pros
00:20:51
and the cons, and
I'm sure he thought
00:20:52
he already killed someone.
00:20:54
I remember one
of the individuals
00:20:55
making the other person
kind of, like, be silent.
00:20:58
Don't say anything.
00:21:00
So it was total silence with me
yelling and screaming at them.
00:21:03
They made no motions
to say one word
00:21:05
or make any actions
to come to help us.
00:21:08
Come help us.
00:21:09
Please, help.
00:21:10
We need help.
00:21:13
NARRATOR: The
driver did nothing.
00:21:15
He simply gunned his
engine and took off.
00:21:18
[panicking]
00:21:23
Kim turned her attention
back to Stephanie.
00:21:27
Sabra got the boat started
and headed for shore.
00:21:33
I'm thinking to myself that
Stephanie's going to quit
00:21:35
breathing at any minute now.
00:21:38
I can't give her mouth
to mouth because I'm
00:21:40
afraid if I put any
pressure it will
00:21:41
cave in any facial
structure that she has.
00:21:44
And also I didn't think there
was an airway big enough
00:21:46
to get any air in her.
00:21:49
Looking at Kim, not being
able to breathe very well,
00:21:52
I felt a very conscious
decision to either live or die.
00:21:56
And so at that moment,
instead of freaking out,
00:21:58
looking at Kim's face, I
decided to just remain calm.
00:22:01
And it was as if a
power overcame me
00:22:04
and gave me this
incredible strength
00:22:08
to take control of my life.
00:22:12
NARRATOR: Stephanie
was rushed to surgery,
00:22:14
and police started
looking for the driver
00:22:16
of the other boat or anyone
who might have seen them.
00:22:20
Right after that, we have
two witnesses that were there.
00:22:23
They heard the screaming.
00:22:24
They heard the noise
coming from the accident.
00:22:26
And then about 15 or
20 seconds after that,
00:22:29
they saw a boat fitting
this description just
00:22:31
come hauling butt.
00:22:34
NARRATOR: Five minutes
later, another eyewitness
00:22:37
saw two people load the same
boat onto a trailer towed
00:22:41
by a white four-by-four
pickup truck,
00:22:43
and then it took
off into the night.
00:22:49
The community was outraged.
00:22:52
Local businesses
raised reward money.
00:22:56
Stephanie suffered through
her own private ordeal.
00:23:01
It took 12 reconstructive
surgeries to rebuild
00:23:04
her internal facial structure.
00:23:07
I walk by a mirror after I've
had one of my many surgeries
00:23:11
and look at myself
and just wonder,
00:23:13
why did someone do this?
00:23:15
Why did they not come forward?
00:23:17
Why don't they care?
00:23:19
Please, help.
00:23:20
We need help.
00:23:21
She's hurt.
00:23:23
NARRATOR: At least one
person did seem to care.
00:23:26
Police have heard from the same
anonymous caller three times.
00:23:30
He stated emphatically that
he knew who it was, that he was
00:23:34
going to talk to the
person and try to get
00:23:35
them to turn themself in.
00:23:37
From just the tone of his voice
and the way he was talking,
00:23:40
we think that he
does know who it is.
00:23:42
And we would like for
him to please contact us.
00:23:52
It frightens me that these
people are still out there.
00:23:55
They've proven that they
place absolutely no value
00:23:57
whatsoever on human life.
00:24:00
That was shown the
night of our accident
00:24:01
when they chose to
leave us there to die.
00:24:04
My feelings towards the
people in the other boat
00:24:06
was I felt very sorry for them.
00:24:08
It had to be devastating to
cause an accident like this.
00:24:12
However, they do need
to do the right thing
00:24:14
and come forward so
that I can move on
00:24:17
and try to get back as
close to normal as possible.
00:24:21
NARRATOR: The suspects were
driving a "Miami Vice" style
00:24:24
speedboat with the single-engine
Mercury Cruiser outdrive,
00:24:27
similar to these.
00:24:30
It's 25 to 30 feet
long and painted
00:24:32
white with teal-green markings.
00:24:35
The fiberglass
shell was probably
00:24:37
damaged on the starboard side,
about 5 feet from the stern.
00:24:42
The driver of the speedboat was
a stocky, clean-shaven, white
00:24:46
male with white
hair, his companion,
00:24:49
an athletic-looking woman
with very long, dark hair.
00:24:53
They drove a white,
four-by-four pickup.
00:24:57
If you had any information
regarding this case,
00:25:00
please contact us
at unsolved.com.
00:25:07
Next, a man discovers a
fortune in hidden treasure,
00:25:11
but it's stolen a few months
later by Ferdinand Marcos.
00:25:15
[music playing]
00:25:24
From 1965 to 1986, Ferdinand
Marcos ruled the Philippines.
00:25:30
First, he was elected, and
then he was a dictator.
00:25:34
By the time he was deposed,
his personal wealth
00:25:37
was estimated at $10 billion.
00:25:39
Much of it was stolen
from his own people.
00:25:45
Few dared to challenge Marcos.
00:25:47
But in 1971, a man
named Roger Roxas
00:25:51
defied Marcos and went public
with a daring accusation.
00:25:55
He accused the
dictator's soldiers
00:25:58
of stealing a rare, solid-gold
Buddha, worth millions.
00:26:08
Roger Roxas and his family lived
200 miles north of Manila on
00:26:12
the Philippine island of Luzon.
00:26:15
On weekends, Roger spent
his time treasure hunting.
00:26:20
One of Roger's fellow treasure
hunters was Albert Fuchigami.
00:26:25
Albert had been
shown a treasure map
00:26:27
by his father, who was an
officer in the Japanese Army
00:26:30
during World War II.
00:26:33
The map pinpointed the
location of a secret tunnel
00:26:37
system where the
Japanese had left
00:26:39
behind a fortune in gold bars.
00:26:42
[non-english speech]
00:26:44
INTERPRETER: We were
friends for a long time
00:26:46
before he told me that he
knew of a hidden treasure.
00:26:50
He revealed to me what he
knew about the tunnels.
00:26:56
NARRATOR: Roger and Albert
hired a crew to excavate.
00:26:59
In a few weeks, the crew broke
through into some tunnels.
00:27:09
The tunnel system was elaborate,
complete with railroad tracks.
00:27:15
An explosion blocked
all access to
00:27:17
the main underground passageway,
so they dug a narrow tunnel
00:27:21
around the rocks.
00:27:23
[music playing]
00:27:37
INTERPRETER: To my
surprise, I found
00:27:39
several Japanese skeletons.
00:27:42
There must have
been more than 10.
00:27:47
NARRATOR: It looked like
Japanese soldiers had been
00:27:49
trapped underground and
that their own retreating
00:27:52
army set off the explosions
to hide the tunnel.
00:28:10
The explorers were stunned.
00:28:13
Sitting in the cavity was
a large statue of a Buddha.
00:28:17
It was made of solid gold.
00:28:21
The Golden Buddha weighed
hundreds of pounds.
00:28:24
And while the crew
attempted to move it,
00:28:26
Roger and Albert went
further into the tunnel
00:28:30
and made another
incredible discovery.
00:28:42
Just as the map had
predicted, there were boxes
00:28:46
and boxes of solid, gold bars.
00:28:50
Roxas and Fuchigami decided
to dynamite the tunnel
00:28:54
to hide the treasure.
00:28:56
They planned to sell
the Buddha to buy trucks
00:28:58
and equipment so they
could come back and get
00:29:00
the gold out of the tunnel.
00:29:06
Roger took the Buddha home.
00:29:08
A potential buyer confirmed
the Buddha was solid gold.
00:29:13
Roger noticed that the buyer
paid particular attention
00:29:17
to the Buddha's neck.
00:29:20
[non-english speech]
00:29:22
INTERPRETER: My brother and I
had a suspicion that there was
00:29:25
an opening inside the Buddha.
00:29:29
We got a piece of wood, and we
hit the Buddha several times
00:29:33
with this piece of wood.
00:29:42
NARRATOR: Roger says there
were handfuls of diamonds
00:29:45
inside a secret compartment.
00:29:48
He hid them in a closet.
00:29:51
That night, Roger's brother
took these pictures.
00:29:55
Roger thought that
they might protect him.
00:29:57
He was wrong.
00:29:59
News of his
discovery had already
00:30:01
spread all the way to the
president's palace in Manila.
00:30:07
Although the Philippines
was a democracy,
00:30:09
Ferdinand Marcos, along with his
wife, Imelda, ruled like a king
00:30:13
with an iron hand
and brute force.
00:30:16
[music playing]
00:30:23
Two months after Roger
brought the Buddha home,
00:30:25
Marcos's elite palace
guard invaded the house.
00:30:35
Out of nowhere, the
potential buyer appeared.
00:30:39
Roger had been double-crossed.
00:30:52
INTERPRETER: They
took everything, even
00:30:54
the piggy banks of my children.
00:30:57
Whatever my wife
inherited, all her jewelry,
00:31:00
all her diamonds in the
closet, they took all of it.
00:31:05
If we had fought back, they
would just have killed us.
00:31:13
NARRATOR: The next day,
Roger and his brothers
00:31:15
reported the incident
to the local police.
00:31:20
Then they went to visit Judge
Pio Marcos, a family friend.
00:31:26
INTERPRETER: I told him,
Judge, why did you let
00:31:28
them confiscate my treasure?
00:31:29
We're friends.
00:31:34
He said, Roger, there is
nothing that I can do.
00:31:37
I said, why?
00:31:38
He said, because the
prince asked for it.
00:31:42
I said, who's the prince?
00:31:44
And he said, the prince,
President Marcos.
00:32:15
NARRATOR: Roger and his family
fled to an isolated jungle
00:32:18
village to hide from Marcos.
00:32:21
While Roger remained secluded,
Filipino reporters had already
00:32:25
gotten a hold of the story.
00:32:27
Marcos allowed the press
to view the Buddha,
00:32:30
but his political opponents felt
that he had substituted a fake.
00:32:35
They wanted to embarrass Marcos.
00:32:37
So they tracked
down Roger, and they
00:32:39
convinced him to return to
Manila to identify the Buddha.
00:33:07
Marcos was outraged.
00:33:09
Once again, Roger
went into hiding.
00:33:13
But two weeks later,
he was tracked
00:33:15
down by the palace guard.
00:33:17
[non-english speech]
00:33:21
INTERPRETER: Three
men approached me
00:33:22
and pointed their guns at me.
00:33:24
They knew me.
00:33:25
They told me, Roger,
come with us in the car.
00:33:28
We will bring you to Manila.
00:33:30
I could not escape.
00:33:32
I knew they were soldiers.
00:33:33
They had guns.
00:33:36
I need to speak to the boss.
00:33:39
INTERPRETER: I
called the palace,
00:33:40
and they were speaking English.
00:33:42
I knew that it was
Marcos that they
00:33:44
were talking to because they
addressed him as Mr. President.
00:33:48
Marcos must have asked
them, are you sure it is
00:33:51
Roger Roxas that you captured?
00:33:53
And they said, yes, we're sure.
00:33:59
NARRATOR: The soldiers
locked Roger in a hotel.
00:34:02
They tortured him
until he signed
00:34:04
a paper stating that he was paid
off to lie about the Buddha.
00:34:13
[screaming in pain]
00:34:15
The soldiers also
wanted Roger to tell
00:34:17
them where the gold was hidden.
00:34:20
He was tortured daily
for several weeks.
00:34:24
The torture permanently
damaged the nerves
00:34:27
around Roger's left eye.
00:34:28
[non-english speech]
00:34:32
INTERPRETER: I made a
promise to Mr. Fuchigami.
00:34:34
I told him, even if
they try to kill me,
00:34:37
I will not tell them
where the tunnel is.
00:34:40
NARRATOR: Eventually, Roger
was allowed to see his family.
00:34:45
INTERPRETER: My wife was crying.
00:34:47
She was surprised.
00:34:49
She said, what is
happening to you?
00:34:51
You know they might kill you.
00:34:54
And I said, just pray.
00:34:57
And then the soldiers
took me again.
00:35:00
NARRATOR: Roger was taken
back to the same hotel
00:35:03
where he had been tortured.
00:35:06
INTERPRETER: I knew they
were going to kill me.
00:35:08
But, you know, I'm a locksmith.
00:35:10
I know how to open locks.
00:35:12
So I went to the restroom.
00:35:14
There was a small window
with a small lock.
00:35:20
NARRATOR: Roger Roxas
went into hiding
00:35:22
and never saw the
Golden Buddha again.
00:35:28
At least two witnesses claim
to have seen the Buddha in one
00:35:31
of Marcos's summer palaces.
00:35:33
Ferdinand Marcos died
in 1989, but rumors
00:35:37
persist that his family
still has the Golden Buddha.
00:35:43
INTERPRETER: Of course,
it's very painful.
00:35:45
I worked very hard for it.
00:35:47
I spent so much time,
about seven months
00:35:50
that we really labored hard.
00:35:52
And then in one hour,
they take it all away.
00:35:56
It's very, very painful.
00:36:01
NARRATOR: Update-- Roger
Roxas filed a civil suit
00:36:05
to recover the Buddha.
00:36:07
On the day he was
set to testify,
00:36:09
Roxas collapsed and died.
00:36:13
Some reports blame
a heart attack,
00:36:15
but others allege foul play.
00:36:18
The Roxas family has
continued legal action
00:36:21
against the Marcos estate.
00:36:23
The case has been
tied up in the court
00:36:26
system for more than a decade.
00:36:34
Next, a 14-year-old boy
survived many brutal years
00:36:38
in a concentration camp
during World War II,
00:36:41
and now he would like to
say thank you to the man
00:36:45
who gave him the will to live.
00:36:47
[music playing]
00:36:53
Our next story is
about one boy's
00:36:55
will to survive the horrors
of a Nazi concentration camp.
00:37:01
It's the story of
his chance meeting
00:37:03
with an American
GI, a meeting that
00:37:06
would help save the boy's life.
00:37:15
Lodz, Poland, the
German invasion
00:37:21
brought Poland to its knees in
just three devastating weeks.
00:37:26
[speaking german]
00:37:27
Hitler directed his
most vicious attack
00:37:30
against the Jews of Poland.
00:37:33
A young Polish boy,
8-year-old Steve Ross,
00:37:37
was separated from his family.
00:37:39
For five years, he would
be a prisoner in 10
00:37:42
different concentration camps.
00:37:45
The last one was
Dachau in Germany.
00:37:49
It was extremely difficult
to survive because there
00:37:53
was not enough food.
00:37:55
We got a little soup for lunch
and a little soup for supper.
00:38:00
And we got one slice of bread
that was divided up from 1
00:38:05
pound of bread for 20 people.
00:38:09
At the best time, we fell
apart by working 12 hours,
00:38:16
12 to 14 hours a day.
00:38:18
Cleanliness, we never
were able to wash up.
00:38:22
I didn't see any hot
water for five years.
00:38:24
There wasn't such a
thing as hot water.
00:38:27
There was nothing in there to
sleep on, except the boards.
00:38:31
You slept on the
boards, no blankets.
00:38:33
You covered yourself
with what you had.
00:38:35
And with lack of food, you
couldn't survive much longer.
00:38:39
So people kept dying constantly.
00:38:43
As long as you survive
today, from one
00:38:45
day to the next, that's all
you were worrying about.
00:38:47
Do I have another day to live?
00:38:50
We all prayed to
God all the time.
00:38:59
NARRATOR: In April of 1945,
Allied troops finally liberated
00:39:03
the concentration camps.
00:39:05
An American GI took this
picture of the cheering inmates
00:39:09
at Dachau.
00:39:10
One of them was Steve
Ross, who was then 14.
00:39:14
Steve's older brother had
also ended up at Dachau.
00:39:17
The two boys found out
later that their mother,
00:39:21
father, and six
brothers and sisters
00:39:24
all died in other camps.
00:39:29
Two days after
we were liberated,
00:39:32
we were released from the
camp, and we were asked
00:39:34
to go towards hospitalisations.
00:39:39
We walked by a unit
that was tanks,
00:39:42
and there was a soldier
sitting on the tank.
00:39:45
Hey, kid.
00:39:50
STEVE ROSS: He
jumped off the tank,
00:39:52
and he gave me the can
that he was eating from.
00:39:55
I closed it up, and I
gave it to my brother.
00:39:58
And I fell down on my knees.
00:40:01
And I held onto his legs
and I kissed his boots
00:40:05
for giving me the food.
00:40:07
Hey, listen.
00:40:08
Everything is
gonna be all right.
00:40:10
STEVE ROSS: He was a good man.
00:40:12
He put his hand
around on me, and he
00:40:15
wasn't scared he was gonna
get my lice or my diseases
00:40:18
or my sicknesses.
00:40:20
Hey, throw me some
rations, will you?
00:40:22
He knew how to put
his arm around me
00:40:25
at that time in my
life when nobody
00:40:29
had ever done that before.
00:40:33
Take this.
00:40:35
You keep that.
00:40:35
Keep it.
00:40:37
Hold it with you, OK?
00:40:38
OK.
00:40:39
STEVE ROSS: That soldier
gave me a handkerchief.
00:40:42
I did not know till
later on that this was
00:40:45
a flag, the flag of freedom.
00:40:49
NARRATOR: Steve carried that
flag with him when he came
00:40:53
to the United States in 1948.
00:40:56
Steve married, had a
son and a daughter.
00:40:59
His brother, the only other
surviving family member,
00:41:03
lived close by.
00:41:05
Steve became a
licensed psychologist,
00:41:08
counseling disadvantaged
teenagers in Boston.
00:41:11
He wanted to help
other children the way
00:41:14
the unknown GI helped him.
00:41:18
STEVE ROSS: If I could
ever find this soldier,
00:41:21
I would say to him that
he is part of my life.
00:41:28
I want him to know that
what he has done for me,
00:41:31
that I am emulate it, and that
I love people because of him.
00:41:39
NARRATOR: Steve thinks
the American soldier
00:41:41
belonged to the 191st
Army Tank Battalion.
00:41:44
It was part of the
20th Armored Division.
00:41:47
He was traveling from
Dachau towards Munich
00:41:50
around the 1st of May in 1945.
00:41:53
If you think you know
who that soldier was,
00:41:56
or if you have any information
on any of our other stories,
00:42:00
please contact us
at unsolved.com.
00:42:07
[theme music]
