00:00:00
[music playing]
00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next on
"Unsolved Mysteries"--
00:00:08
a five-month-old infant
disappears, and her
00:00:10
parents become suspects.
00:00:13
What really happened
to baby Sabrina?
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A couple scrimps
and saves for years
00:00:18
to build a log cabin home.
00:00:21
And then a smooth-talking con
artist shatters that dream.
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Nancy Myer uses her
psychic powers to help
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police track down killers.
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Her amazing success turns
skeptics into believers.
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And navy veterans claim
they sunk a submarine
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near San Francisco in 1945.
00:00:44
But why don't official
records show it?
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Perhaps it was an
incident of friendly fire.
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Cunning, deceit, and lies.
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Can you figure out
who's telling the truth?
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I'm Dennis Farina, and this
is "Unsolved Mysteries."
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[theme music]
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[theme music]
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When you are working
with individuals yourself
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in the field, I am
sure-- because many
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cops have said this to me--
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DENNIS FARINA: Nancy
Myer is a psychic
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who has been working with police
around the country for decades.
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Nancy says she's
consulted on more than 300
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criminal investigations and
has turned up critical clues
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more than 80% of the time.
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NANCY MYER: It's like
the ultimate challenge,
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because most of my
cases are murders.
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Only two people
knew what happened--
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the victim and the killer.
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The only way to find
out is telepathy.
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When you find someone
like her and, of course,
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you get her where she
wants to become involved,
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then you have yourself a tool.
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It's not going to solve your
crimes in a lot of cases.
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But it's going to give you that
extra bit of information where
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your investigators have
the opportunity of going
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out and continuing the case.
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DENNIS FARINA:
Wilmington, Delaware.
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This is the neighborhood
where it all occurred.
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NANCY: Ah, I see.
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DENNIS FARINA: Nancy's
first major case
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came when a single-minded
detective enlisted her help
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in tracking down a rapist.
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LEROY H. LANDON: I didn't
really have any faith
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at all in psychics or whatever.
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We had never used one.
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I had never
considered using one.
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But the women were
hesitant about making
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identifications, looking at
pictures, and stuff like that.
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And we was just kind
of stuck really.
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Most people in the
department were very skeptical
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of the psychic, as a matter
of fact, to the point of it
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was a joke.
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There goes poor Leroy Landon, my
partner, off with his sidekick,
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and he must be getting old.
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Do you remember
what he looked like?
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Yes.
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DENNIS FARINA: The detectives
gave Nancy no specific details
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about the rapes.
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At the home of the
first victim, she
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was able to improve
upon the woman's
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own sketch of the rapist.
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You know, you're right.
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Appreciate everything
you've done for us.
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We'll be in touch.
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NANCY MYER: When
we were leaving,
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she reached out
and grabbed my hand
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and forearm with her hands.
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All this stuff came
pouring into my head.
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And all of a sudden, I was
getting much clearer pictures.
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It's like trying to
watch a car and get
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the license number
when it's traveling
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at an excessive speed.
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It's very hard to do that.
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And you have to let
all the information
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flow through and then try to
slow it down and rerun it.
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And then I could see one
image of him sleeping.
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So I could really
study his features.
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Interspersed was this uniform.
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And I could see a
number, but it was faded.
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And I could see an
emblem, but it was faded.
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And it looked like a work suit,
and it had these clodhoppery
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black shoes and white socks.
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DENNIS FARINA:
After the meeting,
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Nancy suddenly went
into a trance-like state
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and took off down the street.
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The same thing would happen
after she met each rape victim.
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LEROY H. LANDON: When she would
go into her little [inaudible]
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or whatever you want to
call it, we would be doing,
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like, a canvass but on foot.
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And you would have to watch her,
because she definitely didn't
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pay attention to what she
was doing, because she'd
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walk right out in the street or
across the street or whatever.
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DENNIS FARINA: Nancy
always ended up
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at the same street corner
in a residential area
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near downtown Wilmington.
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He's around here somewhere.
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Which way?
Left?
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Right?
Up the street?
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Down the street?
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NANCY MYER: So then, you
know, well, which house?
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Give me the house number?
You know?
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We don't want a little bit?
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We want more.
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Well, I gave you the street.
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What do you want?
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The house number
would be real nice.
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And I just refuse
to go up the street,
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and they really pestered me.
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But they both knew
me well enough
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to know that I wasn't budging.
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I sort of was afraid he might
walk out the door of a house,
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and there I'd be nose
to nose with him.
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And I didn't want
that to happen.
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DENNIS FARINA: Nancy went with
one victim to the actual spot
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where she said the
rape had occurred.
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She instinctively
focused on the telephone.
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Did he use the phone
when he was here?
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DENNIS FARINA: Nancy's hunch
jogged the victim's memory.
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The rapist had used the
phone and, more importantly,
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the yellow pages.
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LEROY H. LANDON: We
took the phone book,
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and that's when we
sent it down to the FBI
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in Washington's laboratory.
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And we did get a
couple fingerprints.
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DENNIS FARINA: But
without a suspect,
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the fingerprints were useless.
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As the investigation
progressed, Nancy
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found herself drawn back to
the same street corner time
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after time.
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And now she knew that
she had to go further.
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A half a block down
Shallcross Avenue, Nancy
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stopped dead in her tracks.
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This is it.
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This is the house.
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He definitely comes
and goes from here.
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LEROY H. LANDON: By that time,
I wasn't so skeptic anymore.
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Of course, my partner, he still
thinks I'm nuts at that point
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for fooling with her.
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But that's beside the point.
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So I had a little faith in her.
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So whatever she more or
less said I would definitely
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try to do something
about and make
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something out of it, because I
was a, I guess, a convert then.
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I was a believer of her.
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Sorry about these.
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DENNIS FARINA: The detectives
immediately questioned
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the owner of the building.
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LEROY H. LANDON:
He gave me the name
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of the applicants
for the apartment
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that was being refurbished.
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Derek Stevens--
I know that name.
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Why do I know that name?
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LEROY H. LANDON: The
man's name I recognized
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from another case previous.
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Can't be the same guy.
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No way, because
he'd still be in jail.
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So I called the jail.
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And I find out that he's on
this work furlough release
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program or something and
that he's out every day
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looking for a job.
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DENNIS FARINA: The
man's prison uniform
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matched Nancy's vision--
a navy blue work shirt,
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a serial number patch on the
breast pocket, black shoes,
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and white socks.
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And most importantly, his
fingerprints match the prints
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lifted from the yellow pages.
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[music playing]
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In the end, the
suspect was identified
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by six of his victims.
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That's him.
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I'm positive.
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DENNIS FARINA: He was eventually
convicted and sentenced
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to a total of 150
years in prison.
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One of the detectives
said, you don't really
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believe he did it, did you?
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I said, no, I don't.
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And it was just
incredible, because that
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one I was able to produce more
result each time I worked.
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We asked Nancy Myer to visit
Brooksville, Florida, where
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the sheriff's department
was investigating
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a very difficult murder case.
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A little 12-year-old
girl named Jennifer
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Odom had gotten
off her school bus
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just 200 yards from her home.
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And then she vanished.
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For nearly a week, hundreds
of friends and neighbors
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searched the woods.
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Finally, Jennifer's
body was found
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six days after she disappeared.
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She had been viciously murdered.
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16 months later, Nancy
Myer was brought in
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to work with local detectives.
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The crime scene photographs
in the case were classified,
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so Nancy was not
allowed to see them.
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I'm getting two individuals.
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DENNIS FARINA: What you
are watching is real,
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not a re-enactment.
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Even with the photographs
turned face down on the table,
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Nancy was able to visualize not
one but two killers in detail.
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I want to say almost
wiry-looking in the arms.
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His arms are not, like,
powerful in the sense of muscle
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building, but powerful
in the sense of someone
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who works and lifts or
has lifted heavy things.
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Where did the
friend say she was?
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Over there?
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DENNIS FARINA: The
next day, Nancy
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visited the scene
of the abduction--
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Jennifer's bus stop.
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And they pull in right behind.
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Where that blue car is right
now is where they stopped.
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Then one guy who
came walking back
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hailed her, started
asking her directions.
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DENNIS FARINA: The detectives
listened to everything
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Nancy said but made no comment.
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NANCY MYER (VOICEOVER):
It's like being in a movie
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in my head, and I stand
beside the victim.
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And I try to describe everything
that I'm seeing as it unfolds.
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--to holler, but
there just wasn't time.
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NANCY MYER (VOICEOVER): A
lot of times, that's really
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helpful to the police officers.
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Because sometimes, they
have odd pieces of evidence
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at the scene they don't
understand the significance of.
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And when I describe
this sequence of events,
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it sometimes makes sense
out of odd little pieces
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that they couldn't
make any sense out of.
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DENNIS FARINA: The spot where
Jennifer's body was found
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is marked by
flowers and a cross.
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This is where you found her?
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I don't think this
is where she died.
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I'm sure you took this
whole place apart.
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Did you find some
small metal, jewelry
00:10:29
of hers up in this area?
00:10:30
We did find some
of her jewelry.
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OK.
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There's a feeling
of something there.
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CARLOS DOUGLAS:
She was extremely
00:10:37
accurate on some things that
led us to look in other areas
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that we hadn't thought of.
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So we obtained a
lot of information
00:10:45
from what she had to offer.
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I was impressed with Nancy.
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Some things she said were so
darn accurate, it's scary.
00:10:55
There should be more
stuff back in there.
00:10:57
And there should be some kind
of a carry case or something.
00:11:01
And it would've been
black with lettering
00:11:03
in, like, bluish colors.
00:11:05
It would've looked fairly new.
00:11:09
It was used to restrain her.
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They threw something of hers.
00:11:13
DENNIS FARINA: Nancy
talked about a carrying
00:11:15
case with lettering on it.
00:11:17
The sheriff's
department has since
00:11:19
revealed that Jennifer Odom
had her cousin's clarinet case
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with her when she was abducted.
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It had the letters L-O on it.
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Two years later,
the case was found
00:11:30
along with Jennifer's books.
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The FBI lifted
prints from the bag
00:11:35
but have not been able to
match them to a suspect.
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Nancy believes there
are two killers,
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both mechanics and both
muscular, who work as a team.
00:11:47
One of the men may be a
smoker with a bad cough.
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If you have any information
about the murder
00:11:56
of Jennifer Odom, please log on
to our website at unsolved.com.
00:12:05
Next, a man charged
with murder escapes
00:12:08
from jail while
waiting for trial.
00:12:20
On our previous program,
we examined the case
00:12:23
of Joe Shepherd, wanted by
the FBI and Tennessee police
00:12:27
for the murders of 14-year-old
Cathy Clowers and 16-year-old
00:12:32
Roxanne Woodson.
00:12:34
Shepherd had brutally
killed the girls
00:12:37
and then buried their
bodies in shallow graves.
00:12:43
Joe Shepherd was officially
charged with the two murders.
00:12:46
And while awaiting
trial in jail,
00:12:48
he escaped with
two other inmates.
00:12:52
His accomplices were
captured the following week,
00:12:54
but Shepherd remained at large.
00:13:01
Update.
00:13:05
London, Ontario, Canada.
00:13:08
The 10-year search for
Joe Shepherd has ended.
00:13:12
After the "Unsolved Mysteries"
shown October the 5th,
00:13:14
we received a phone call
from a local resident
00:13:17
saying that he believed Shepherd
was, in fact, living in London
00:13:21
under the name Joseph Tripp.
00:13:23
And when we had identified
him, to our satisfaction,
00:13:27
as Shepherd, he was arrested.
00:13:30
DENNIS FARINA: Shepherd
was living in a government
00:13:32
housing project
with his common-law
00:13:34
wife and their two children.
00:13:37
JERRY ESTES: It seems
apparent that Mr. Shepherd was
00:13:40
in London, Canada, just
within a matter of days
00:13:43
after his escape
from Bradley County.
00:13:46
DENNIS FARINA: The DA petitioned
Canada for Shepherd's return
00:13:50
to the United States.
00:13:51
JERRY ESTES: Now, I can tell
you that it is my intention
00:13:54
to seek the death
penalty on Mr. Shepherd
00:13:57
unless it would
prevent his extradition
00:14:00
to the state of Tennessee.
00:14:02
DENNIS FARINA: Joe Shepherd
was brought back to the United
00:14:04
States and convicted of
involuntary manslaughter
00:14:08
in the death of Cathy
Clowers and felony murder
00:14:11
in the death of Roxanne Woodson.
00:14:15
He is serving a life
sentence and won't be
00:14:17
eligible for parole until 2017.
00:14:27
We have profiled any
number of stories
00:14:29
about abducted children.
00:14:31
Typically, they vanish
while playing or walking
00:14:34
in their own neighborhood.
00:14:36
In this next case,
a Florida couple
00:14:38
claims that someone
kidnapped their baby
00:14:40
girl from their own house.
00:14:43
And then they themselves
became the prime suspects
00:14:47
in her disappearance.
00:14:51
Tampa, Florida, a
warm autumn morning.
00:14:55
Marlene Aisenberg says she got
up that day shortly after 6:00
00:14:58
AM and went into her kitchen.
00:15:02
MARLENE AISENBERG: I noticed the
laundry room door to the garage
00:15:06
is opened.
00:15:07
And I'm like, whoa,
what's that doing open?
00:15:11
And I just run to
the first bedroom.
00:15:14
And I look in Sabrina's
crab, and she was gone.
00:15:17
And I was just
like-- you know, I
00:15:19
was hysterical-- Steve,
Sabrina's missing,
00:15:21
Sabrina's gone.
00:15:23
DENNIS FARINA: Steve
and Marlene Aisenberg's
00:15:25
third child,
five-month-old Sabrina,
00:15:27
had vanished from her own crib.
00:15:30
The Aisenberg home was
instantly a crime scene.
00:15:34
This frightened
a lot of people,
00:15:36
terrified a lot
of young parents.
00:15:38
It was chilling for people
who lived in that community.
00:15:41
It was a quiet, safe,
out of the way place.
00:15:45
And then a baby disappears.
00:15:49
DENNIS FARINA: The Aisenbergs
had left their garage
00:15:51
door open overnight.
00:15:52
The interior door may also
have been left unlocked.
00:15:56
But there was no
sign of an intruder.
00:16:00
We got some debris down here.
00:16:01
Let's go ahead and enter that--
00:16:02
DENNIS FARINA: And
then the investigation
00:16:04
took a sudden, unexpected turn.
00:16:07
Marlene and her husband
became prime suspects.
00:16:11
No forced entry,
no ransom note.
00:16:14
We think you had something
to do with the disappearance
00:16:17
of Sabrina.
00:16:19
Why don't you just tell
us where Sabrina is?
00:16:22
MARLENE AISENBERG: To me,
it was the most unbelievable
00:16:24
thing I could have ever heard.
00:16:26
And I was like, I have
no idea where Sabrina is.
00:16:29
I have no idea who took her.
00:16:31
That's why you are here.
Help.
00:16:33
You know?
00:16:34
Find her.
00:16:40
DENNIS FARINA: Deputies
removed several items
00:16:42
from the Aisenberg
home, including
00:16:44
Sabrina's crib and bedding.
00:16:47
They were sent to the
FBI lab for analysis.
00:16:50
As the search for baby
Sabrina continued,
00:16:52
the Aisenbergs taped a public
appeal pleading for her return.
00:16:58
This morning, someone
came into our home
00:17:01
and took our baby--
00:17:03
DENNIS FARINA: The plea
may have inspired sympathy
00:17:05
for Steve and Marlene,
but their demeanor
00:17:08
made people suspicious.
00:17:10
MARTY ROSEN: Some
people felt that they
00:17:11
were guilty of something.
00:17:12
Some people felt that they
were involved in some way
00:17:15
in Sabrina's disappearance.
00:17:18
DENNIS FARINA: The day
after Sabrina vanished,
00:17:20
the media taped the
Aisenbergs smiling
00:17:23
as they left their home.
00:17:25
MARTY ROSEN: A lot of people
in the community saw that clip
00:17:28
and saw Steve smile,
and they saw Marlene
00:17:30
with the quick flash of a smile,
and they jumped to conclusions.
00:17:34
They said, why would
these people be smiling?
00:17:37
There must be
something wrong here.
00:17:39
INTERVIEWER: Are you
withholding any information--
00:17:41
DENNIS FARINA: Steve
and Marlene voluntarily
00:17:42
took polygraph tests.
00:17:45
INTERVIEWER: Did you help take
your daughter from your home
00:17:46
that night?
00:17:47
No.
00:17:49
Do you have any knowledge
of your daughter's
00:17:50
current location?
00:17:51
DENNIS FARINA: In
Marlene's case,
00:17:53
the results were apparently
a matter of debate.
00:17:56
MARLENE AISENBERG: They
told me it was inconclusive.
00:17:57
And they told me
that they expected
00:17:59
it to be that, because I was
hysterical and, you know,
00:18:04
everything.
00:18:05
And my baby's gone.
00:18:07
And you know, they
would expect that.
00:18:09
Are you lying about your
daughter's disappearance?
00:18:12
DENNIS FARINA: The sheriff's
office wouldn't say
00:18:13
whether she passed or failed.
00:18:16
No, I'm not.
00:18:18
I don't give a damn about
the Hillsborough County--
00:18:20
DENNIS FARINA: Shortly
after Sabrina disappeared,
00:18:23
the Aisenbergs
hired an attorney.
00:18:25
To some, it was just
another sign of their guilt.
00:18:29
But the Aisenbergs say that
the police left them no choice.
00:18:33
When the police sit
across from you and say,
00:18:36
we believe you know
where your daughter is,
00:18:38
and we believe you
know who has her,
00:18:40
there's a good reason
to get an attorney.
00:18:43
DENNIS FARINA: Months
passed, and still there
00:18:45
was no sign of baby Sabrina.
00:18:49
MARTY ROSEN: The police held
several press conferences
00:18:51
fairly early on in the
case and told the reporters
00:18:55
that, in fact, they had
evidence and that we should just
00:18:57
hang on, that they were
processing the evidence
00:19:00
and that it would be
forthcoming, when I've not seen
00:19:03
any of that evidence today.
00:19:05
GREG BROWN: Unfortunately,
most of the leads
00:19:07
bring us back to a dead end.
00:19:09
And that comes-- brings
us back to this community.
00:19:11
And we feel that the
answers to this crime
00:19:14
are within this community.
00:19:16
Our policy has
always been that we
00:19:18
don't list people as
a suspect unless we
00:19:20
have enough to charge them.
00:19:22
We have not ruled
the Aisenbergs out.
00:19:24
They have failed to
assist us in some ways,
00:19:28
and it makes it more difficult
to rule them out as having
00:19:32
some involvement in the case.
00:19:35
MARLENE AISENBERG: I
believe that somebody
00:19:36
came into our home
and just took her.
00:19:39
It had to be someone who
wanted a baby so bad,
00:19:42
and they couldn't
have one themselves.
00:19:44
Or they needed money so bad that
they would want to sell her.
00:19:48
STEVE AISENBERG: It could be
that somebody just watched
00:19:50
Marlene and I and saw our
habits of occasionally leaving
00:19:54
the garage open,
knew we had a baby.
00:19:57
Or it could have been
somebody that knew us casually
00:20:01
and then, through
others, knew our habits.
00:20:05
So, you know, anything
is just pure speculation.
00:20:10
DENNIS FARINA: This is a photo
composite of what Sabrina
00:20:12
might look like at age 10.
00:20:17
If you have any information
about baby Sabrina,
00:20:20
please log on to our
website at unsolved.com.
00:20:28
Coming up, what is it that
enables some dogs to actually
00:20:32
predict epileptic seizures?
00:20:45
We're all used to hearing about
the wonders of modern medicine.
00:20:49
And yet, one thing doctors still
cannot do is predict the onset
00:20:53
of an epileptic seizure.
00:20:55
However, you are about to
meet an individual who can.
00:20:59
His name is Harley.
00:21:00
He has an amazing sixth
sense, and he's a dog.
00:21:07
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2:00 AM.
00:21:11
A drunk driver has
just run a red light
00:21:14
and collided with a car
driven by 19-year-old Victoria
00:21:18
Doroshenko.
00:21:21
Victoria is unconscious
and suffering
00:21:23
from multiple head injuries.
00:21:27
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO:
Before the accident,
00:21:28
I had a perfect
life for a teenager.
00:21:30
After the accident,
I lost everything.
00:21:33
I couldn't go back to school.
00:21:34
I lost my job.
00:21:36
I was in and out
of the hospital.
00:21:38
So many times that there
was no way that I could even
00:21:40
function with a normal life.
00:21:41
I felt really lost.
00:21:43
I felt like somebody
had taken away my life.
00:21:47
DENNIS FARINA: Victoria
was plagued by headaches
00:21:49
and periodic blackouts.
00:21:50
She moved to Tacoma,
Washington, hoping
00:21:53
to put the accident behind her.
00:21:57
While hospitalized, she
suffered a violent seizure.
00:22:00
The symptoms were clear.
00:22:02
Victoria had epilepsy.
00:22:05
Let's get her on her side.
00:22:06
Oxygen.
00:22:07
NURSE: Oxygen.
00:22:09
DENNIS FARINA: The car
accident had damaged cells
00:22:11
in Victoria's brain,
disrupting normal activity
00:22:15
and causing seizures.
00:22:17
When my seizures were at their
worst, I was having up to 24
00:22:21
a day big ones.
00:22:22
And in between the
big ones, I was
00:22:25
having about 10 little ones.
00:22:28
The doctors didn't
think that I was
00:22:30
going to live very much longer.
00:22:33
DENNIS FARINA: The severity
of Victoria's seizures
00:22:35
left her completely
incapacitated.
00:22:38
She fell often,
reinjuring her head, which
00:22:41
only induced more seizures.
00:22:44
Victoria was confined
to a wheelchair,
00:22:47
and she required
around-the-clock care.
00:22:50
Because her lungs
filled with fluid
00:22:52
during and after the seizures,
death was a constant threat.
00:22:56
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO: I
couldn't do anything.
00:22:57
I couldn't leave the house.
00:22:59
When I didn't leave
the house, I had
00:23:00
to have enough people
around me that could pick me
00:23:04
up or carry me if
need be or whatever
00:23:07
if I was having a seizure.
00:23:08
I had to be strapped
in to somewhere,
00:23:10
because the seizures
were so violent
00:23:12
that I would throw myself
around and injure myself.
00:23:15
I wasn't awake most of the time.
00:23:17
When I was awake, I
was really depressed.
00:23:19
I didn't want to-- I
didn't really want to live.
00:23:26
DENNIS FARINA:
Victoria finally found
00:23:27
help in a very unlikely place--
a woman's prison near Tacoma.
00:23:34
In a unique program,
inmates train dogs
00:23:36
from the pound as companions
for the handicapped.
00:23:40
The dogs learn to open
and close doors, pull
00:23:42
wheelchairs, and retrieve things
like clothing and hair brushes.
00:23:47
Victoria heard about the
program and went to the prison.
00:23:51
- [inaudible]
- Hi, Vicky.
00:23:52
Oh.
00:23:53
This is Jane.
00:23:54
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO:
I was hoping
00:23:55
for a dog that could help me
in my daily living skills.
00:23:57
And I was real lonely.
00:23:58
I didn't have a life.
00:23:59
I didn't have a social life.
00:24:01
So I thought maybe
that a dog would help.
00:24:04
DENNIS FARINA: When
Victoria arrived,
00:24:06
inmate trainers with
working with two
00:24:07
dogs, both Golden Retrievers.
00:24:10
One had already been
chosen for Victoria.
00:24:14
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO: That day,
when I was out at the program,
00:24:17
I ended up having
a major seizure.
00:24:19
Gary!
00:24:20
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO:
And the dog that they
00:24:22
were originally training for
me just walked away from me
00:24:25
and didn't care.
00:24:27
DENNIS FARINA: The second
dog in the room, whose name
00:24:29
was Harley, disobeyed
his trainer's commands
00:24:32
and went straight to Victoria.
00:24:35
SUE MILLER: When Vicki started
seizuring and Harley went
00:24:37
to her and laid down with
her, everybody in the room
00:24:41
was astounded.
00:24:43
You know, the dog
was doing what we'd
00:24:45
hoped he could learn
to do before we ever
00:24:49
hoped he could learn to do it.
00:24:51
He somehow knew.
00:24:54
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO: When
I woke up from my seizure,
00:24:55
his head was laying on me.
00:24:57
And he was looking
at me, like, all sad.
00:24:59
And he knew something was wrong.
00:25:01
As soon as I
started petting him,
00:25:02
I think he realized
that everything was OK.
00:25:04
He started wagging his tail.
00:25:05
And it was from there on, I
knew that that was my dog.
00:25:08
And I knew it was going to work.
00:25:10
He was my partner from then on.
00:25:15
DENNIS FARINA: Once
Harley became Victoria's
00:25:17
full-time companion,
she was less anxious
00:25:20
and had fewer seizures.
00:25:22
Victoria was able
to resume classes
00:25:24
at a local community college.
00:25:27
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO: I
was walking across campus.
00:25:29
And he all of a sudden
started acting real funny.
00:25:32
He didn't want to cooperate.
00:25:33
He didn't want to-- he
didn't want to listen to me.
00:25:36
[barking]
00:25:37
What is it, boy?
00:25:38
[barking]
00:25:39
What is it, boy?
00:25:40
Calm down.
00:25:41
Excuse me, can I sit down here?
00:25:43
Yes.
00:25:44
Oh, Thank you.
00:25:46
I'm not feeling so well.
00:25:47
DENNIS FARINA: Harley
calmed down once Victoria
00:25:49
was safely inside a classroom.
00:25:52
Five minutes later, she
had a major seizure.
00:25:56
It appeared that Harley
somehow knew Victoria
00:25:59
was going to have a seizure.
00:26:01
His barking and strange
behavior had been a signal
00:26:04
for her to go to a safe place.
00:26:07
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO:
When I realized
00:26:08
Harley could predict my
seizures ahead of time,
00:26:10
I was so thrilled.
00:26:11
I knew that I was saved.
00:26:13
It changed my life completely.
00:26:17
DENNIS FARINA: After
his first prediction,
00:26:18
Harley always
warned Victoria when
00:26:21
a seizure was about to strike.
00:26:22
He usually gave her 15
to 45 minutes' notice.
00:26:27
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO: So after
that, the bond and the trust
00:26:29
and the love and the
dependency grew and grew
00:26:33
and grew until there
was no comparing it.
00:26:36
We were each other.
00:26:38
We became like one, a shadow.
00:26:41
DENNIS FARINA: For the first
time since her accident,
00:26:44
Victoria enjoyed the comfort
and security of a normal life.
00:26:49
REINA BERNER: Modern technology
and physicians doctors-- none
00:26:51
of us can predict when
a seizure will occur
00:26:53
or how many seizures
a person will have.
00:26:56
These dogs can.
00:26:57
They can tell beforehand
when a seizure will occur.
00:27:00
They can warn the person, which
is an incredible phenomena, so
00:27:04
that the person can feel safe.
00:27:06
They can be safe.
00:27:07
They can have the comfort
of having a dog with them
00:27:09
at all times.
00:27:10
'Cause the anxiety of having
a seizure is with someone
00:27:13
all the time.
00:27:15
I can never, never
repay him or show
00:27:19
the devotion I have for him
from what he's done for me.
00:27:25
DENNIS FARINA: Harley looked
after Victoria for three years,
00:27:28
and then he became ill.
00:27:30
The vet could do
nothing to save him.
00:27:32
Victoria lost her
faithful companion.
00:27:36
VICTORIA DOROSHENKO:
There's no words to describe
00:27:38
how I felt about Harley.
00:27:40
He gave me a life, and
that's-- a life is more than
00:27:43
you could ever give anybody.
00:27:46
[birds chirping]
00:27:47
DENNIS FARINA: Can dogs
really predict seizures?
00:27:50
Some scientists believe dogs
detect subtle behavior changes
00:27:55
or that their keen
sense of smell
00:27:56
predicts an oncoming attack.
00:27:59
But for the rest of us, it still
remains an unsolved mystery.
00:28:09
Next, World War II veterans
swear that they sank
00:28:12
a submarine off California.
00:28:15
But why does the Navy deny it?
00:28:28
The 840-mile coastline
of California.
00:28:32
Long stretches of beach and
fabulous rock formations
00:28:36
make this a paradise
for deep sea divers.
00:28:40
And rumor has it that
divers between Santa
00:28:43
Barbara and San Francisco have
sighted something very unusual.
00:28:47
Now, listen, I got real good
visibility, maybe 30, 40 feet.
00:28:50
Really?
00:28:51
And sitting off the
point there at the bottom
00:28:53
around the reef is what I
think a World War II submarine,
00:28:56
a U-boat.
- A submarine?
00:28:57
- Yeah.
- Out here?
00:28:59
Yes.
00:29:00
DENNIS FARINA:
During World War II,
00:29:01
America's east and west
coast were at risk of attack
00:29:04
by enemy subs.
00:29:07
A German U-boat was sighted off
of New England in May of 1945.
00:29:13
Later that same year, a Japanese
submarine fired on an oil rig
00:29:17
near Santa Barbara.
00:29:20
In fact, a few American
sailors do remember
00:29:23
attacking a submarine
in 1945 just
00:29:26
off the coast of
northern California.
00:29:29
At the time, they assumed
that it was the enemy.
00:29:32
But now, they're afraid they
sunk an American sub instead
00:29:36
and made a horrifying
mistake that has been covered
00:29:39
up by military officials.
00:29:42
During 1944 and 1945,
the USS Willard Keith
00:29:48
was in a fleet of
Navy destroyers
00:29:50
patrolling the Pacific coast.
00:29:52
For the most part,
life on board was
00:29:54
all practice and
drill with the K-guns,
00:29:57
better known as depth charges.
00:29:59
[boom]
00:30:03
Then came March 21, 1945.
00:30:07
The Willard Keith
was cruising south
00:30:09
of San Francisco, when a
general quarters alarm sounded.
00:30:13
This one was for real.
00:30:15
An enemy sub was below.
00:30:18
Chet Gardner was a 19-year-old
seaman on the Willard Keith.
00:30:22
His job was to set the depth
of the explosive charges.
00:30:27
CHET GARDNER: Well, I can
see it just plain to day
00:30:29
as I could the day
that it happened.
00:30:31
Starboard K-gun
ready to fight, sir.
00:30:32
CHET GARDNER: It's
something I'll never forget,
00:30:34
because I was pretty
excited about it.
00:30:36
[boom]
00:30:42
[boom]
00:30:45
Boy, the water flew everywhere.
00:30:47
I thought, my gosh,
we've made a mistake.
00:30:50
Looked to me like we
were going to blow
00:30:52
the ship right out of the
water that was so shallow.
00:30:54
But as we watched then, word
came down from the bridge
00:30:58
that they had got a hit.
00:31:00
Something's coming up.
00:31:00
There's [inaudible].
00:31:02
It was a tremendous
explosion, you know, and--
00:31:04
DENNIS FARINA: Eugene
Sheridan, then 24 years old,
00:31:08
manned a K-gun on
the Willard Keith.
00:31:10
All greenish looking,
oil-ish looking stuff coming
00:31:12
through the top of the water.
00:31:14
And it's not seawater.
00:31:16
You're in there all the time.
00:31:17
You can tell the
difference of color of it.
00:31:19
And we made three or four
passes around and back and forth
00:31:22
and crisscrossed
and everything else,
00:31:25
and we never did
pick it up again.
00:31:28
BILL ANDERSON: They couldn't
pick it up on the sonar
00:31:29
anymore.
00:31:31
There was no more sound.
00:31:33
We assumed it was just waiting
on the bottom there someplace.
00:31:37
DENNIS FARINA:
Bill Anderson, who
00:31:39
was stationed on the main
deck, was just 18 years old.
00:31:43
Bill began to wonder
whether the sunken submarine
00:31:46
really did belong to the enemy.
00:31:48
He felt strongly enough that
he questioned a junior officer.
00:31:52
Sir, how do we
know we're not firing
00:31:54
on one of our own submarines?
00:31:56
'Cause we're too close
to shore, Anderson.
00:31:58
But sir--
00:31:59
If it was an
American submarine,
00:32:00
it'd be on the
surface, not below it.
00:32:03
BILL ANDERSON: It was kind of
a sobering thought, you know?
00:32:05
I mean, you had maybe 50, 60 men
dying below you at that time.
00:32:10
Or we thought this was the case.
00:32:12
DENNIS FARINA: Bill
Anderson has never
00:32:14
been able to shake that haunting
image and the nagging suspicion
00:32:18
that the dying men
were his own comrades.
00:32:21
He petitioned the Navy and
received the deck log and war
00:32:24
diary of the Willard
Keith but found
00:32:27
no record of the submarine hit.
00:32:30
BILL ANDERSON: The war
diary we got doesn't mention
00:32:33
any enemy contact,
doesn't mention this depth
00:32:36
charge run whatsoever.
00:32:38
There didn't seem to be any
information in Washington
00:32:42
on a submarine being sunk
off the coast of California.
00:32:48
DENNIS FARINA: So Bill
decided to look for the sub.
00:32:51
He and a partner
pooled the resources
00:32:54
and bought a boat equipped
with radar, underwater sonar,
00:32:57
and diving equipment.
00:32:59
Just make a circle
on that, Wayne.
00:33:02
BILL ANDERSON: We think
the odds are good enough
00:33:04
that we've spent
most of our money
00:33:06
on this project to find it.
00:33:08
It became an obsession
with us to find the sub.
00:33:13
EUGENE SHERIDAN: I say that
we either sunk it right there,
00:33:15
or we crippled it badly,
crawled off someplace else.
00:33:18
Maybe-- maybe got away or
maybe-- who knows, you know?
00:33:23
But I definitely do know
that-- that we dropped
00:33:26
the depth charges on it.
00:33:27
[boom]
00:33:30
The Navy denies that it
happened, but it did happen.
00:33:33
[boom]
00:33:35
Why they say it didn't
happen, I don't know,
00:33:37
unless they're covering
it up, you know,
00:33:39
unless it is one of our subs
and they don't want it known.
00:33:44
[boom]
00:33:46
DENNIS FARINA: It's a big ocean.
00:33:48
Bill Anderson did not find the
sub that he was looking for.
00:33:51
But still, the question remains.
00:33:54
Did the US Navy
cover up an incident
00:33:56
of friendly fire in the
waning days of World War II?
00:34:03
Decades later, crewmen
of the Willard Keith
00:34:06
are still hoping for an answer.
00:34:13
Next, a couple
can finally afford
00:34:15
to build their dream home.
00:34:17
But then a contractor robs them
of their money and their dream.
00:34:31
It's hard to imagine a more
beautiful setting for a home
00:34:34
than this meadow in
Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
00:34:37
Don't you think we ought to
build a log house right here
00:34:40
and big picture window?
00:34:42
DENNIS FARINA: It was
here on 6 acres of land
00:34:44
that Earl and Donna
Chotvacs planned
00:34:46
to build their dream home.
00:34:48
For years, they had saved
their money until they finally
00:34:51
had enough to begin
construction on a modern-day log
00:34:55
cabin similar to this one.
00:34:58
But the Chatvacs' hopes
were soon destroyed thanks
00:35:01
to a sophisticated
con artist who
00:35:04
called himself Mark Mitchell.
00:35:08
Earl and Donna met Mark
Mitchell through a newspaper ad.
00:35:12
Mitchell was the owner
of Colorado log homes,
00:35:15
and he had a foolproof plan.
00:35:17
The Chotvacs would
invest $25,000
00:35:21
in his thriving business.
00:35:22
In return, he would give
them a large discount
00:35:25
on the construction
of their log cabin.
00:35:28
Later, the $25,000
investment would
00:35:31
be returned with interest.
00:35:34
But it didn't quite
turn out that way.
00:35:38
Well, you know, Earl, we're
kind of a young business.
00:35:40
But we do have a
couple of clients
00:35:41
up there in Breckenridge.
I could--
00:35:44
EARL CHOTVACS: He mentioned that
there was banks that he could
00:35:46
get his financing through.
00:35:48
We would be in our house by
Christmas at the very latest
00:35:51
of this year.
00:35:52
And so that's when we
really became interested.
00:35:55
It seemed like
just a great deal.
00:36:00
If you're ready to
go with this, Earl,
00:36:01
I have a contract
with me right here.
00:36:03
Well, you know--
00:36:05
DENNIS FARINA: Earl and Donna
handed over a $25,000 deposit
00:36:08
to Mitchell's salesman.
00:36:10
All right, now,
this is my copy.
00:36:12
That's your home.
00:36:13
That's mine.
Heh.
00:36:15
Come on.
00:36:16
I'll buy you lunch.
- All right.
00:36:17
DONNA CHOTVACS: It
seemed like we'd been
00:36:18
waiting for such a long time.
00:36:20
And it was all coming through.
00:36:22
I mean, they said it was real.
00:36:24
And we believed them.
00:36:28
DENNIS FARINA: The log yard at
Mitchell's Denver headquarters
00:36:30
looked legitimate.
00:36:33
Workers processed hundreds of
logs, and the shells of cabins
00:36:37
were carefully pre-assembled.
00:36:39
Supposedly, each
shell would later
00:36:42
be taken apart, trucked
to a building site,
00:36:44
and reassembled on a
concrete foundation.
00:36:50
But after eight weeks, there was
absolutely no progress at Earl
00:36:54
and Donna's property.
00:36:56
The Chotvacs again made the
four-hour drive to Mitchell's
00:36:59
log yard in Denver.
00:37:01
- There you go.
- Isn't this pretty?
00:37:02
- Into your new home.
- All right.
00:37:03
Temporarily.
00:37:04
Look at the logs.
00:37:05
DENNIS FARINA: In
spite of their doubts,
00:37:07
Mark Mitchell was
able to reassure them.
00:37:11
DONNA CHOTVACS: They
had started our shell,
00:37:13
and it seemed to have
all the basic things
00:37:16
that were in our plans.
00:37:17
And Earl measured it,
and the kids, you know,
00:37:20
we took pictures of
ourselves inside of it.
00:37:24
And just seemed real
exciting, you know?
00:37:26
It seemed like it was
really happening again.
00:37:28
And so, of course,
then we were back up.
00:37:30
DONNA: This looks great.
00:37:31
Yeah, this is nice.
00:37:33
DENNIS FARINA: But more time
passed without any construction
00:37:36
at the property.
00:37:37
It took a siege of phone
calls from Earl and Donna
00:37:40
to convince Mitchell to
dispatch a work crew.
00:37:46
DONNA CHOTVACS: They
sent an excavator up,
00:37:48
and we pounded in the
nails and measured where
00:37:51
the corners of the house
were and stood in the spot
00:37:55
where the living room was going
to be and imagined our view.
00:37:58
This is the foundation.
00:37:59
So where you'll be-- the
first floor will be up here,
00:38:00
but the windows will be here.
00:38:02
We were starting to
think, well, it's not
00:38:03
going to be done by Christmas.
00:38:05
But it might be done by March.
00:38:06
We still really didn't believe
that it wasn't going to happen.
00:38:13
Earl, Donna, I'm sorry
I had to keep you waiting.
00:38:16
Please come in and have a seat.
00:38:18
DENNIS FARINA: Their
optimism didn't last long.
00:38:21
When Earl and Donna
applied to their local bank
00:38:23
for a construction
loan, they were stunned
00:38:26
that the request was denied.
00:38:28
Well, I'm afraid
the news isn't good.
00:38:31
It has nothing to
do with you two.
00:38:33
The problem is with the builder.
00:38:34
It appears this man is
in some serious trouble.
00:38:37
He has been taking
deposit money,
00:38:39
just as he did yours,
and then has not started
00:38:42
construction on the homes.
00:38:45
Matter of fact, Mark Mitchell
is not even his real name.
00:38:48
It's Wade Mitchell Parker.
00:38:52
I'm awfully sorry.
00:38:54
I wish there was something
more that I could do.
00:38:56
DONNA CHOTVACS: At that
point, I felt nauseous.
00:38:59
I just suddenly just was
sick, feeling as though we
00:39:05
were going to lose
all the money that we
00:39:07
had given to Mark Mitchell.
00:39:10
Sit down and
cool off a little,
00:39:12
make a couple of phone calls.
00:39:13
We'll get your money
out here to you.
00:39:15
We'll get it all done.
Let's--
00:39:16
Do you have our money?
00:39:17
- No, no, I don't.
- You don't have our money?
00:39:19
No, I don't.
I know, but let's--
00:39:20
DENNIS FARINA: Earl and
Donna confronted Wade Parker
00:39:23
and demanded a refund
of their deposit.
00:39:25
He gave them a promissory note,
essentially a $25,000 IOU.
00:39:31
And sign it.
00:39:33
Ellen, you want to
witness this, please?
00:39:35
DONNA CHOTVACS: We were still
trying to be nice about it.
00:39:38
But I think deep down
inside, we really
00:39:40
both knew that
probably we weren't
00:39:42
ever going to see our money.
00:39:44
OK.
00:39:45
30 days, folks, we'll
get this all wrapped up,
00:39:47
and that'll be the end of it.
00:39:48
DONNA CHOTVACS: We finished
up the meeting, and we left.
00:39:50
And that's the last
time we ever saw him.
00:39:53
I spoke to him maybe three
or four times after that
00:39:57
on the telephone, but
we never saw him again.
00:40:05
DENNIS FARINA: That same month,
Wade Mitchell Parker declared
00:40:08
bankruptcy and disappeared.
00:40:11
The Chotvacs lost
their entire investment
00:40:13
and soon discovered they
were not the only people
00:40:16
taken in by Parker.
00:40:19
They joined other victims
at a meeting organized
00:40:22
by Colorado authorities.
00:40:24
Together, they'd lost
more than $1 million.
00:40:27
Boy, this guy's--
00:40:28
MAN: We should've
gotten together
00:40:29
a long time ago, [inaudible].
00:40:30
Yeah, he's really
slick, isn't he?
00:40:32
What did he tell you
about the land in Bennett?
00:40:34
DONNA CHOTVACS: When we finally
came to terms with the fact
00:40:38
that we lost the
money, we felt stupid.
00:40:42
When we realized that lots
of big-time people, not just
00:40:47
the naive young couple with
two small children, a lot
00:40:50
of big-time people lost
a lot of money, too,
00:40:54
we didn't feel quite so stupid.
00:40:57
A number of
people have asked us
00:40:58
whether we think that Wade
Michelle Parker was just
00:41:00
a bad businessman or whether
we think he was a con person
00:41:03
from the very beginning.
00:41:04
- --the price of your home--
- Mm-hmm.
00:41:05
--and turn around
and give you--
00:41:06
DENNIS HALL: Some
of the transactions
00:41:07
he made are just plain crooked.
00:41:09
There's no other
explanation for what he did.
00:41:11
Also, we haven't been
able to find the money.
00:41:13
We think it's got to
be out there somewhere.
00:41:16
The fact that we haven't
been able to find it
00:41:18
and that Parker fled during
the bankruptcy proceedings
00:41:20
is a real indication
to us that this
00:41:22
was a con from the beginning.
00:41:27
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:41:30
Parker avoided arrest
for nearly three years.
00:41:33
Then just after this
story was rebroadcast,
00:41:36
he was arrested in
Cobb County, Georgia.
00:41:38
There, Parker was using
two new aliases, Ronald
00:41:42
Anderson and Larry Wheeler.
00:41:44
But his time in
custody was short.
00:41:47
After Parker posted
bail, he failed
00:41:49
to show up for a hearing.
00:41:50
And after years on the run,
since we broadcast this case,
00:41:54
Wade Mitchell Parker,
alias Ronald Anderson,
00:41:58
alias Larry Wheeler, alias Mark
Mitchell, has been captured.
00:42:04
He served his time
and has been released.
00:42:10
[theme music]
00:42:22
[music playing]
00:42:26
[theme music]
