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[Music]
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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you were about to see is not a news
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broadcast 30-year old Army Staff
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Sergeant Billy Ray Hargrove wanted to
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spend his life in the military but in
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February of 1992 Hargrove was found dead
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hung by the neck in his own backyard
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incredibly just six weeks later our
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grows best friend sergeant Mike
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Carmichael was also found dead hung from
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a barracks locker what happened to Billy
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Ray Hargrove and Mike Carmichael
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Congress is currently looking into these
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deaths several other cases American
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servicemen have died under questionable
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circumstances in each case the
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military's rules suicide or accidents
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for some family members and friends
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crying murder perhaps not without reason
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join us this intriguing investigation
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and more unsolved mysteries
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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in the early 1980s the resort mecca of
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Miami Florida found itself in the midst
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of an urban crisis first the city was
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Dell used by more than 120,000 refugees
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from Cuba
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among them were 30,000 hard core
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criminals simultaneously racial tensions
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were polarizing the populace and in the
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summer of 1986 days of rioting convulsed
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the city in response Miami doubled the
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size of its police force between 1980
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and 1983 it was an unprecedented
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expansion but the accelerated pace
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exacted a price according to some a
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handful of questionable applicants
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slipped through the screening process
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and soon Miami had yet another problem
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corrupt officers at the heart of his
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Police Department it began almost
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quietly the early abuses were minor
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shakedowns and the targets small-time
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drug do number of the early ripoffs were
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simple car stops where the police
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officers would see small amounts of
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drugs and money and would proceed to
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take those drugs and money
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believing that the people who they were
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stopping weren't going to report those
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incidents to the police department they
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felt that they were invincible as long
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as they stood together as long as no one
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talked it was their word against common
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thugs on the street these police
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officers succumb to greed and they would
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go out and say they were not harming
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law-abiding citizen and that's how they
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rationalized and justified a lot of
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their crimes they committed one of the
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most notorious of the rogue officers was
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Armando Garcia
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in high school he was associated with a
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group of drug use
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Heisey had been able to hide when he
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joined the police force Garcia was not
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content with nickel-and-dime shakedowns
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he grew bold enough to confiscate
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literally boatloads of drugs and bogus
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police operations that were totally off
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the record raids which eventually
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escalated into violence in July of 1985
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Garcia learned that some 400 kilos of
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pure cocaine would soon arrive in Miami
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he had allegedly intercepted a similar
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shipment two weeks before and it seemed
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as easy as taking candy from a baby but
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this time Garcia's plans wet some
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[Music]
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six of the dopers jumped in the water to
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escape the police officer thinking
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there's an official raid three of them
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drowned the officers left with 400 kilos
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of cocaine
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Metro Dade Police Department began the
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investigation immediately after the
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three bodies were found and they thought
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it was a routine homicide I need you to
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tell me exactly what it was you saw sure
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I saw police cars come into the yard how
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many there were three of them
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what department the city of Miami Police
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Department detectives were stunned when
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Harbor security guard said the three men
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had drowned while fleeing a police
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racing official police logs had no
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record of such a raid further
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investigation blew the lid off Armando
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Garcia's secret life ultimately he and
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34 other Miami police officers were
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arrested on corruption charges not the
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names of the Romanian we have no choice
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I can Amin analyst they must eliminate
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our problem while in prison Garcia and
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several other officers allegedly hatched
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a secret plot to kill the number of the
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witnesses scheduled to testify against
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them in Tennessee community in January
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of 1986 after four months in jail Garcia
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and several associates made bail
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according to investigators they lost no
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time putting their murder plans into
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action I guess one of the prosecution's
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top witnesses they supplied $50,000 to
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one hit man for that hit but it did not
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take place he took their money and did
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not commit the hit and they attempted
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even themselves they hid in the bushes
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waiting for one of the government
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witnesses but never could find him in
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the end none of the witnesses were
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harmed but in spite of their testimony
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the corruption case against Garcia and
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his co-defendants ended in a mistrial
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by then however evidence of the
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assassination plots had come to light
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the former offices were indicted on a
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second set of charges including
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conspiracy to commit murder
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several of the officers after the
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indictment decided that they would
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cooperate the other officers realized
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then that the case had reached a point
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where it was almost assure conviction if
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they went to court at that point they
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made a decision to take flight Armando
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Garcia disappeared in May of 1987 he is
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five feet eight inches tall weighs 185
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pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes
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Garcia was born in Cuba then police now
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fear he may have slipped away to South
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America he is married is known to have
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two young daughters ages three and four
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authorities are also seeking Garcia's
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father toribio Doug Alberto Garcia he is
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55 years old balding and has brown eyes
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he stares five feet six inches tall and
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weighs 170 pounds
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a third suspect audit in this case is
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Victor Zapata another former officer the
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PATA
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is 5 feet 9 inches tall weighs 175
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pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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next two friends turn out to be brother
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and sister perhaps you can help find the
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rest of the family
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[Music]
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it was just three days before Christmas
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in 1964 a young woman from Flint
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Michigan named faith Marie Brown stola
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for a late-night joyriding to friends
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miraculously the drivers survived the
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crash but both passengers killed
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instantly
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faith Browne was dead at the age of 26
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in addition to her parents and four
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brothers faith left behind seven
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children under the age of 10 the
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untimely death of faith Marie Brown
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added one final tragic twist to the
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already complicated lives of her four
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sons and three daughters two divorces
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and now the fatal car crash has
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scattered the children of five different
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families it seemed they would be
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separated forever until a young woman
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named April Curtis had been adopted as a
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child set out to find her biological
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parents in 1992 April was diagnosed with
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rheumatoid arthritis a hereditary
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disease concerned about her own
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children's health
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April began her search one with more
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than his share of surprises it all
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started in the records office of
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Shiawassee County Michigan I told them
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that I knew my name was Michelle Brown
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at birth and that my birthday was
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September 18th 1961 and I was adopted
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and unlike any information available on
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my adoption whom there's another child
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named Brown I kind of glanced over and I
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seen the name Michael Brown right
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underneath mine and so I knew I had a
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brother take a look at that April was
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not permitted to examine the records
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strict regulations govern the release of
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adoption files an April petitioned a
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County Judge for access to the
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information three days later she
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received this letter
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it contained the astonishing revelation
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that April had four brothers and two
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sisters however the key details that
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would allow her to find them had been
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omitted April kircheis was trapped in a
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bureaucratic catch-22 I was a little bit
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upset that there wasn't more information
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released on on the other brothers and
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sisters we were we're all over the legal
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age and it's you know we're all mature
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adults now and we should be able to
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handle it and I was a little bit upset
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that they wouldn't give us any more than
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they did but yet thankful that they at
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least give me that much I never even
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knew you were adopted yeah Mike Galloway
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the husband of April's best friend Dan
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had also been adopted he was especially
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curious about April's investigation I
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mean I knew that my birth name was brown
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but they weren't willing to divulge any
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other names your birth name is brown
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yeah that's funny my adoptive parents
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told me my birth name was brown oh
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you're kidding could I see the letter
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sure when I showed Mike the letter he
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looked at it in the paragraph courts
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that I had a brother born in a Wausau in
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1960 he kind of looked over the top of
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letter and said I was born in Owosso in
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1960 in my last name was brown we
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thought it would be funny if we were
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brother and sister but we really didn't
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think that was a possibility bonds a
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common name and when I was brought up
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it's just like Smith or Jones or you
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know any other common name like that so
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I'm the type of person that likes to see
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things in writing or in in my face
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before I actually settle down to believe
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that it's true
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the next morning April met Mike and Deb
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at their house
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Mike's adoptive parents had often told
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me that he had a sister named Michel try
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to find Michelle wait a minute did you
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say your sister's name was Michele yeah
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Michel my real name is Michele Brown we
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knew it had to be that we were processed
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another point we jumped up and we hugged
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each other and in Deb and said we can I
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can't believe I've known you for eight
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years and now I find out you're my
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brother this is this is too wild I'm
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kind of glad today for when I didn't
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meet first and then start dating you
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know and end up getting married or
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something because in that would've been
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kind of shocking to have kids with your
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own sister I suppose
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[Music]
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Michael apron matched information from
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the county files with recollections
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primarily from Mike's adoptive parents
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soon a picture began to emerge of their
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birth mother faith Marie Brown come on
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talk about this now
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not in here but she was just 16 years
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old
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faith had dropped out of high school to
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be married by the time she was 20 she
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already had four children including twin
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boys faith would lose them all when her
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young marriage ended in divorce what are
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you talking about there come with me
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that'd be try to fight me faith I will
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take you to court at the heart of the
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conflict was her husband's belief that
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another man had fathered the twins
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seasoned them either why are you doing
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this because I want to do what's best
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for the kids
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mic and apron would later learn that
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their father was yet another man 25
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years older than their mother from from
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what we know our mother had a very hard
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time at anything she ever done she had
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kids one right after the other and like
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she wasn't responsible for him she
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wouldn't give him up for adoption or
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they would eventually be taken away I
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don't think she could really handle the
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responsibilities of having them kids in
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1962 Michigan Social Services took
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custody of April and Michael three
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months later their father and faith had
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another daughter Shannon after faith
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died
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Shannon was put up for adoption and the
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record sealed in kotee file we believe
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that a gentleman by the name of mr.
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Dennis is our father and as far as we
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know or have been able to find out he is
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still alive we'd like to be able to get
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in touch with him more or less to say hi
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and see what kind of person he's like
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but if he doesn't want even if he
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doesn't want a relationship with us we
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would still at least like a chance to
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say hello it's pretty frustrating
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because we have a lot of little pieces
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of information and it's like a puzzle
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that's missing half the pieces
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I think it was fate that brought April
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and I together I hope it's fate that
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brings April and I and our other
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brothers and sisters together living in
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a small town like we do we've wondered
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if some of the people we've met may be
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related to us and we never knew it we've
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had people say do you have a sister that
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lives in st. John because you sure
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remind me of somebody
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well before I didn't say no not that I
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know of them now I can't say that and I
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may have together April and Mike tried
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to locate their five lost siblings
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William Wanda Shannon and twins Keith
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and Kenneth but none of their leads paid
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off until the night of our broadcast
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that evening four of faith' brows
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missing children were watching all five
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contacted our phone center within 24
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hours April and Michael quickly made
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plans to host a remarkable family
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reunion they would soon be face to face
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with two sisters and three brothers who
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until recently they didn't even know
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existed the first to arrive were William
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Shannon and Wanda
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by what you up to
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when I started hugging didn't want to
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stop it was like seeing old friends or
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something it was overwhelming joyous
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happy a whole bunch of emotions all
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wrapped up one when I hiked April it was
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something I don't know what it was it
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was just something I haven't felt
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something inside and I noticed she keeps
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looking at me and I keep looking at her
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and you know it's just strange to look
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something like somebody
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when Kenneth and Keith showed up the
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reunion was complete for Mike Galloway
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it was a moment he thought might never
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arrive when you're adopted I'll and you
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know that there's other brothers and
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sisters out they don't really feel like
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you're a whole person and with finding
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all the rest of them and so it kind of
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makes you feel like you're a whole
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person like your whole life is now back
00:18:21
in order the party exceeded everyone's
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wildest expectations with a total of 33
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family members President it was one of
00:18:33
unsolved mysteries largest unions ever
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just knowing that there's family out
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there it means a lot because it's a part
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of mom and now with all the brothers and
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sisters being together she'll live on
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with us forever now and today I think
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she's gonna rest in peace
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[Music]
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this is a National Cemetery in Little
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Rock Arkansas the final resting place
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for hundreds of soldiers sailors and
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pilots veterans of every major conflict
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in the history of this country also
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buried here are two men who are at the
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center of one of the most intriguing
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mysteries we have ever encountered
00:19:26
recently we came across this article in
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the Philadelphia Inquirer
00:19:30
which investigative reporter David zoo
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Kino outlined the cases of 40 US
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servicemen who died under questionable
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circumstances every case has been ruled
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either a suicide or a self-inflicted
00:19:42
accident by the military yet in each
00:19:45
instance there seems to be evidence that
00:19:47
defies the official ruling in May of
00:19:52
1993 the families of 14 soldiers said to
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have taken their own lives testify
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before the House Armed Services
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Committee each family claimed their son
00:20:02
did not commit suicide tonight we'll be
00:20:05
looking at two of the most baffling
00:20:06
cases the cases of Sergeant Billy Ray
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Hargrove and Sergeant Mike Carmichael
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the Army has refused to participate in
00:20:14
our broadcast and stands by the judgment
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that the two soldiers killed themselves
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both families say the Army is dead wrong
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Mike didn't have nothing to die for no
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more than Billy had to die for neither
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one of them committed suicide they
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didn't do it
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billy-ray Hargrove and Mike Carmichael
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had similar lives and suffered similar
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deaths both had planned careers in the
00:20:43
military since childhood
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both had joined the Army in their teens
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and become the best of friends as they
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climbed the ranks both had married
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Korean women while stationed in the Far
00:20:53
East
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tragically Billy Ray Hargrove and Mike
00:20:58
Carmichael died within six weeks of each
00:21:00
other and according to the army they
00:21:03
committed suicide in a similar manner
00:21:08
during Operation Desert Storm
00:21:11
Billy Ray Heart Groban is often were
00:21:13
sent from their base in Germany to Saudi
00:21:15
Arabia
00:21:15
however the conflict ended before the
00:21:18
platoon saw active duty Billy finish
00:21:22
Desert Storm and went back to Germany he
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was disappointed because his men did not
00:21:30
get a merit award a medal that he felt
00:21:33
like they deserved and he said about
00:21:37
trying to get the medal farm and every
00:21:40
direction he went in he couldn't
00:21:42
accomplish the wondering when you'd
00:21:45
recommend us for the Desert Storm
00:21:46
decoration Billy Ray I appreciate
00:21:49
everything you and the men did during
00:21:51
the campaign but since the unit did not
00:21:55
go into combat I'm refusing the
00:21:58
application sir I understand your point
00:22:01
but the men were just I've decided to
00:22:03
refuse the application Billy Ray could
00:22:07
not accept the Army's decision and made
00:22:09
a questionable decision of his own he
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forged a superior signature on the
00:22:14
appropriate documents a short time later
00:22:17
his men received their medals a few
00:22:22
months passed in June of 1991
00:22:25
Billy Ray arrived in Korea for another
00:22:27
tour of duty
00:22:28
at the airport he met his wife Kim
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unexpected trouble
00:22:33
sergeant Hargrove yes sir
00:22:36
I'm here to place you under arrest for
00:22:37
treason Willis remove the Desert Storm
00:22:40
commendation sir what's this about to
00:22:43
get into custody Jennifer just come with
00:22:45
me I'll call you
00:22:48
Billy Ray called me January the 28th and
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told me Dad to think I'm going to get
00:22:53
out of the military I've had all of it I
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can stand and he said I'll probably be
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home by June Billy Ray's court-martial
00:23:05
was not his only problem in particular
00:23:07
his marriage to Kim had begun to fall
00:23:09
apart
00:23:10
Billy Ray began making plans to divorce
00:23:12
sir I had visited did their house and
00:23:17
they were fighting a lot and there was a
00:23:20
lot of jealousy she was constantly
00:23:22
accusing him of having a girlfriend and
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having a child somewhere that she didn't
00:23:27
know anything about and it wasn't true
00:23:30
at all well I don't think they're gonna
00:23:32
kick me out I may lose some rain but I'm
00:23:35
gonna Rio I think it's the right call
00:23:36
man I'm and telling you that yeah
00:23:37
another eight months past according to
00:23:41
Billy Ray's family the controversy
00:23:43
surrounding the forged documents began
00:23:45
to subside and Billy Ray told his best
00:23:47
friend Mike Carmichael that he had rien
00:23:49
listed
00:23:51
[Music]
00:23:55
February 20th 1992 a day of Billy Ray
00:23:59
hard gross death
00:24:00
Billy Ray had missed a summons to report
00:24:03
to duty and at 9:20 a.m.
00:24:05
one of his fellow sergeants showed up at
00:24:07
his doorstep hey Billy where you been
00:24:10
I just haven't breakfast how did you not
00:24:12
hear the siren I know is we had a drill
00:24:15
yeah the captain's going ballistic but
00:24:17
he is telling my mom Oy okay good deal
00:24:21
cela inexplicably Billy Ray never
00:24:24
reported for duty
00:24:25
instead he took his dog for a walk
00:24:30
[Music]
00:24:34
20 minutes later Tim heard the dog
00:24:37
barking
00:24:44
[Music]
00:24:48
him found billy-ray hanging by the neck
00:24:51
from a nearby trail an alleged suicide
00:24:56
note was found in billy ray's pants
00:24:58
pocket it read in part my life is really
00:25:02
screwed up now and I just don't know how
00:25:04
to fix it I've been thinking a lot about
00:25:07
taking my life for a long time now
00:25:10
goodbye signed William R Hartman however
00:25:14
Billy Ray's mother questions whether he
00:25:17
wrote the note I looked at the writing
00:25:20
and I did not believe it was his writing
00:25:23
it did not look to me like his writing
00:25:25
[Music]
00:25:27
the army acknowledges a possibility that
00:25:30
the suicide note might not have been in
00:25:32
Billy Ray's handwriting even so they
00:25:35
ruled that he had killed himself
00:25:37
speculating that he had been driven to
00:25:39
suicide by his upcoming court martial
00:25:41
and divorce he was not the type person
00:25:45
to commit suicide no matter what
00:25:50
especially putting a rope around his
00:25:52
neck I just could not believe it and I
00:25:55
still don't believe it something
00:25:57
happened to him but he did not commit
00:25:59
suicide
00:26:02
the autopsy report yielded another piece
00:26:05
of mysterious evidence that seemed to
00:26:07
bolster soon on Ally's claim
00:26:09
Billy Ray had unexplained abrasions and
00:26:12
lacerations on his face and hands that
00:26:15
would indicate to me that someone had
00:26:19
been in a scrape or a fight but the
00:26:22
military in their report didn't question
00:26:26
anyone or ask where the scratches come
00:26:31
from they just ignored them
00:26:35
billy-ray Hargrove was laid to rest on
00:26:38
March 4th 1992 one of the mourners at
00:26:42
his funeral was his old friend
00:26:44
Mike Carlin when I finally did meet Mike
00:26:48
it was finished you know when he's
00:26:51
brought bill his party back home and he
00:26:54
told me Siddharth said we'll give them
00:26:57
haled we're gonna make them pay sob
00:27:01
pay for what they'd done after the
00:27:06
service
00:27:07
Mike returned to the heart grows house
00:27:09
with Billy Ray's family he looked at me
00:27:13
and he promised and he told me though if
00:27:15
it was the last thing he ever did he was
00:27:18
gonna find out what happened to Billy
00:27:19
Russ don't do anything until you hear
00:27:21
from me okay bye
00:27:24
Mike Carmichael's uncle Oscar served in
00:27:27
the Marines for 20 years he is now
00:27:29
suffering from emphysema and told us
00:27:31
that Mike believed there was a larger
00:27:33
conspiracy involved and there had been
00:27:36
three other Army personnel there in
00:27:40
Korea that had supposedly committed
00:27:43
suicide and my nephew told his birth
00:27:48
mother
00:27:49
so don't be surprised if I'm not next on
00:27:54
March 22nd 1992 Mike Carmichael returned
00:27:57
to Korea and immediately began his own
00:27:59
investigation he and his wife son he
00:28:03
visited Billy Ray's Widow Kim collected
00:28:05
Billy Ray's personal papers included was
00:28:09
a letter Billy Ray had written to his
00:28:10
father a few days before the Hank
00:28:12
Harvey Hargrove says he never received
00:28:15
the correspondence he was supposed to
00:28:18
have written me a letter
00:28:21
sometimes in February I don't know when
00:28:25
but he was supposed to read me later I'm
00:28:28
sure if I could find that letter it
00:28:29
would explain everything
00:28:32
Mike continued collecting Billy Ray's
00:28:34
papers and stored them with his own
00:28:36
papers in a metal box Mike instructed
00:28:39
his uncle Oscar that if anything were to
00:28:41
happen to him
00:28:42
Oscar should immediately obtain
00:28:44
possession of the box but Mike never
00:28:46
revealed its content
00:28:51
[Music]
00:28:52
April 3rd 1992 Mike Carmichael's 38th
00:28:56
birthday at 10:00 p.m. he received an
00:28:59
unexpected phone call ordering him back
00:29:02
to the base by the next morning Mike had
00:29:05
still not returned home she got another
00:29:09
hisui on Sunday morning I called the
00:29:12
army base to find out where my husband
00:29:14
was I talked to a security guard I was
00:29:17
told that he did not see my husband so I
00:29:20
asked him to try to knock on the door of
00:29:21
his barracks room he said that there was
00:29:23
no response and the door was locked but
00:29:25
so you're not a peena-pod you no more
00:29:27
tip Tyler an hour later son he found her
00:29:32
husband's body in his barracks office he
00:29:35
was hanging from a locker and had been
00:29:37
dead for several hours the army
00:29:42
investigation was completed within a few
00:29:44
days they concluded that Mike Carmichael
00:29:47
had taken his own life because he was
00:29:49
despondent over financial matters and
00:29:51
Billy Ray's death Mike's wife has
00:29:54
accepted the ruling however his mother
00:29:56
and uncle Oscar have not I think he was
00:30:01
angry and I think he was going to direct
00:30:07
his anger towards finding out the reason
00:30:11
why or who caused his friend or killed
00:30:16
his friend he was happier than I had
00:30:19
seen him in a long time
00:30:21
due the fact in him and Sonny had just
00:30:23
gotten married in July I think it was
00:30:26
just like a couple of overgrown kids
00:30:28
really and he had that he had his
00:30:32
retirement to look forward to there was
00:30:35
no way that mark would take his life and
00:30:39
take the chicken way out
00:30:44
Oscar Carmichael soon joined forces with
00:30:47
a Hargrove family they launched a
00:30:49
letter-writing campaign asking for the
00:30:51
official reports from the military
00:30:54
unsatisfied with the Army's response
00:30:56
they contacted the office of US
00:30:58
congressman Jay Dickey
00:31:00
DJ Greg Stein is congressman Dickies
00:31:03
legislative assistant who was assigned
00:31:05
to the case but even the reports that I
00:31:07
could get were we're lacking in and the
00:31:11
photos of the crime scene other thing is
00:31:12
were withheld or whited out for certain
00:31:15
reasons and after looking at it I don't
00:31:19
think that they took into account all
00:31:21
the different aspects of the case and
00:31:24
they maybe kind of just closed the door
00:31:26
without a thorough investigation I think
00:31:30
the signs are there that there is a
00:31:31
cover-up of some sort and I don't want
00:31:33
to accuse anything or anybody at this
00:31:35
time of that but the reason why there
00:31:38
would be a cover-up I don't know that's
00:31:40
one of the things we want to find out
00:31:42
but I happen to think that if we open
00:31:44
this thing up that we will find an
00:31:46
answer the two families are especially
00:31:55
disturbed by the eerie and suspicious
00:31:57
similarities and the deaths both Billy
00:32:00
Ray and Mike had been summoned to the
00:32:02
army barracks
00:32:03
both men were found hanging just inches
00:32:05
from the ground and both had been tied
00:32:08
with parachute cord which is highly
00:32:10
elastic this is the official crime scene
00:32:14
sketch from the US military
00:32:16
investigation Mike Carmichael's body was
00:32:19
shown hanging from a row of lockers the
00:32:21
cord wrapped around his neck the
00:32:25
question marks that come up about
00:32:26
sergeant Carmichael start with the fact
00:32:29
that he's in a sitting position some
00:32:30
three inches from them from the floor
00:32:32
with the with the his body dangling like
00:32:36
that even the natural instincts of a
00:32:39
person would have your hands falling
00:32:41
down or pushing against it there's not
00:32:43
any way that we write self-preservation
00:32:46
rights or such that we will do something
00:32:48
like that
00:32:50
also noted in the drawing was a metal
00:32:52
box that contained Mike and Billy Ray's
00:32:54
personal papers it was sitting on a desk
00:32:57
across the room from Mike's body
00:32:59
curiously the box of letters would later
00:33:02
disappear and no one knows what happened
00:33:05
to it Mike Carmichael's family learned
00:33:09
of yet another disturbing similarity
00:33:11
between the two cases
00:33:13
just as Billy Ray had abrasions on his
00:33:15
face and hands
00:33:16
sergeant Carmichael had welts on his
00:33:18
face and what appeared to be a gash on
00:33:20
his forehead his uncle Oscar is
00:33:23
convinced that Mike was struck before he
00:33:25
died you take a pipe it'll be about an
00:33:29
inch or five eighteenth's and hit him
00:33:31
over the head with it that's of the kind
00:33:33
of valley that you'd find her crevasse
00:33:37
however way you want to describe it so
00:33:39
that's why I say that my nephew and my
00:33:42
opinion was dead before he was placed in
00:33:45
that position I believe in Billy Ray's
00:33:49
case and in Mike's case too that
00:33:54
something had to be going on that wasn't
00:33:58
right something that they found out
00:34:00
about or knew about or maybe was going
00:34:03
to expose and they were gotten rid of
00:34:08
[Music]
00:34:29
when we return the intriguing
00:34:32
disappearance of Charles Horvath as a
00:34:34
young hitchhiker choose to drop from
00:34:36
sites or did he meet with foul play
00:34:40
[Music]
00:34:47
imagine your 20 year old son is
00:34:49
traveling in a foreign land suddenly his
00:34:52
phone calls and postcard stop weeks pass
00:34:55
with no news and you begin to fear your
00:34:58
child will never come home this is
00:35:00
exactly what happened to Denise Horvath
00:35:02
Allen in 1989 or son Charles disappeared
00:35:06
in Canada halfway around the world from
00:35:08
their home in England ever since denise
00:35:11
has been trying to find out exactly what
00:35:14
happened to her son
00:35:18
in the spring of 1989 Charles Horvath
00:35:21
was in the midst of a hitchhiking trip
00:35:23
across Canada in August he planned to
00:35:25
fly to Hong Kong to celebrate his 21st
00:35:28
birthday with his mother Denise and his
00:35:30
stepfather the birthday festivities
00:35:34
promised to be a high point and would
00:35:36
had always been a close relationship
00:35:38
Denise was just 19 when Charles was born
00:35:41
20 when she divorced his father in some
00:35:44
respects mother and son had grown up
00:35:46
together
00:35:47
but before Denise could make final
00:35:49
arrangements for the trip Charles
00:35:51
disappeared I telephoned the RCMP
00:35:56
repeatedly begging them to look for
00:35:58
Charles because I was so concerned
00:35:59
something was wrong I then asked them
00:36:02
that they could give me the name of
00:36:04
local newspapers to enable me to place
00:36:06
an ad as we'd started planning my troop
00:36:09
to come and search for my child myself
00:36:11
[Music]
00:36:13
Kelowna British Columbia where thousands
00:36:16
of vacationers each year it is a
00:36:18
favorite spot but for Denise Allen
00:36:21
it had the somber distinction of being
00:36:23
the last place on earth her son was
00:36:24
known to have been alive it was from
00:36:28
here that Charles faxed his final letter
00:36:30
on May 11th 1989 and it was here that
00:36:34
Denise searched for clues to her son's
00:36:35
fate during two extended trips between
00:36:38
1990 and 1992 during the first trip
00:36:45
Denise blanketed the town with flyers
00:36:46
she soon heard from a woman named Joanne
00:36:49
zebra with met Charles during his stay
00:36:52
in Kelowna when I first met Charles it
00:36:56
was of this charming good-looking guy
00:36:59
who was obviously new to Canada and I
00:37:06
really liked him I thought well here's a
00:37:08
unique person that's my mom he loved his
00:37:13
family he showed me pictures he he had
00:37:16
he was so proud of it all these
00:37:18
photographs of his mother they were very
00:37:21
close
00:37:21
it was obvious they were close the last
00:37:26
time Charles dropped by the apartment
00:37:27
Joann shared with her mother
00:37:29
he arrived uninvited at the time
00:37:36
Joanne's brother was in town for a
00:37:38
special family reunion and the Zebras
00:37:40
politely refused Charles's request to
00:37:42
come up and visit there was this
00:37:48
momentary silence and what stays in our
00:37:51
mind fresh forever is how he went but
00:37:54
it's Charles and like of course they're
00:37:57
going to let me up and we just couldn't
00:38:03
[Music]
00:38:09
Johanne told Denise that the brief chat
00:38:12
was her last contact with Charles to
00:38:14
jo-ann's best recollection the episode
00:38:17
had taken place in May of 1989 the same
00:38:20
month Denise had last heard from Charles
00:38:26
you keep telling me that you're afraid
00:38:28
for his safety Leeds began streaming in
00:38:31
the knees soon learned that while he was
00:38:34
in Kelowna Charles has stated a
00:38:36
campground located in a rough part of
00:38:38
town in spite of the campgrounds
00:38:44
unsavory reputation Denis knew that she
00:38:47
had no choice but to go there and
00:38:49
investigate I wanted to go over to the
00:38:54
campsite to inquire but I was very
00:38:56
apprehensive of going eventually I
00:39:01
thought the courage and went to ghost to
00:39:02
see them to see if they remembered
00:39:04
Charles
00:39:06
[Music]
00:39:11
excuse me I'm looking for my lost son
00:39:14
which is all of that it disappeared a
00:39:18
year ago in Kelowna I will if you
00:39:20
remember him staying here
00:39:23
[Music]
00:39:25
yeah I remember him the campground
00:39:29
manager said that Charles left abruptly
00:39:31
in May of 1989 abandoning his tent and
00:39:34
all his possessions most had been
00:39:36
disposed of but the few that remained
00:39:39
were close at hand
00:39:40
[Music]
00:39:43
I was just numb I went down to the
00:39:49
police station and I was told that they
00:39:51
were going to inform Interpol to get his
00:39:53
dental records and the file was being
00:39:56
passed on to homicide I was also told
00:39:59
that they believe my son to be dead that
00:40:01
we may never find his body or what
00:40:03
happened to him it's very unfortunate
00:40:06
that a comment like that would be made
00:40:08
and I would have to say that that would
00:40:11
be that members personal opinion and
00:40:12
survey not the view of the police force
00:40:15
I don't know upon what he based that
00:40:17
other than the fact items were left at a
00:40:19
campsite and in my opinion that does not
00:40:21
substantiate that but on March 17th 1992
00:40:27
a case took a sudden ominous turn Denis
00:40:30
came back to her hotel room to find an
00:40:32
unsigned letter scrawled in a rough hand
00:40:37
[Music]
00:40:42
I seen your ad in the paper looking for
00:40:45
your son
00:40:45
I seen him May 26 we were partying and
00:40:49
two people knocked him out but he died
00:40:51
his body's in the lake by the bridge
00:41:03
Lake Okanagan just outside of Kelowna is
00:41:07
one of the deepest lakes in the world
00:41:09
local divers immediately volunteered to
00:41:12
look for the body of Charles Horvath for
00:41:17
five days a search yielded nothing but
00:41:19
the mysterious informant was apparently
00:41:21
watching the divers every move
00:41:23
denis received a second look saying they
00:41:26
were looking on the wrong side of the
00:41:28
bridge stopping every 10 15 feet
00:41:32
equipped with a submersible camera the
00:41:34
divers began to search at the new
00:41:36
location one day later they told police
00:41:39
that they had found a body the failure
00:41:45
in the young officers eyes told me that
00:41:49
he thought it was Charles the total
00:41:52
panic on their faces I am I was
00:41:57
hysterical and the bathroom crying
00:41:59
should I assume it's quite normal every
00:42:01
any parent I just couldn't believe that
00:42:05
he was dead even before authorities had
00:42:11
identified the corpse local papers were
00:42:13
trumpeting the news that the body was
00:42:15
that of Charles Horvath
00:42:18
the coroner came to see me at the motel
00:42:21
I asked him if it was Charles was it no
00:42:28
I asked him if it was a good news or bad
00:42:32
and he said it wasn't Charles
00:42:39
the dead man was later identified as a
00:42:42
64 year old Kelowna resident a probable
00:42:44
suicide
00:42:45
police now believed that the anonymous
00:42:48
notes were hoaxes and the discovery of a
00:42:50
body just a coincidence once again it
00:42:54
seemed that Charles must be alive then a
00:42:56
man named Gino Borden came forward
00:42:59
claiming to have seen Charles just
00:43:01
before he disappeared Gino and his son
00:43:04
had pitched their tent near Charles
00:43:05
while he was at the campground he was a
00:43:13
nice guy he was a good friend he used to
00:43:15
always come over to our camp little camp
00:43:18
gonna have coffee in the morning with my
00:43:24
son he was a friendly guy a real
00:43:36
friendly guy probably too friendly
00:43:39
he seemed I don't know Eve I'm not there
00:43:43
about like he wasn't he he'd talk to
00:43:45
anybody he make friends with anybody
00:43:47
[Applause]
00:43:49
Gino's recollections added details to
00:43:52
the campground managers account Gino had
00:43:55
last seen Charles during a raucous
00:43:57
all-night party at the campground
00:43:59
the next morning Gino had awakened to
00:44:02
find Charles gone and his things left
00:44:04
behind when I first established that
00:44:09
Charles had abandon his belongings at
00:44:11
the campsite it was assumed that
00:44:14
something terrible had happened to him
00:44:16
which caused him to leave his belongings
00:44:17
quick as it was so unlike him to have
00:44:20
left his photographs behind which were
00:44:22
very important to him Gino story seemed
00:44:26
to confirm the theory that Charles had
00:44:28
met with foul play but continued
00:44:31
investigation revealed that Charles was
00:44:33
very much alive long after he left the
00:44:35
campground
00:44:37
hello Charles supposedly called a joy
00:44:42
and zebras apartment in May of 1989 but
00:44:45
police later discovered that Joanne was
00:44:47
mistaken Charles had actually combined
00:44:49
July two full months after he had last
00:44:52
contacted his mother this revelation has
00:44:58
led some to conclude therefore unknown
00:45:00
personal reasons
00:45:01
Charles intentionally severed contact
00:45:03
with his family
00:45:07
during our investigation we contacted
00:45:09
two of Charles relatives back in eastern
00:45:12
Canada they related to us that during
00:45:15
his time there with them he did advise
00:45:17
both relatives that it was his intention
00:45:19
when discussing his family situation to
00:45:22
disappear off the face of the earth and
00:45:24
that his mother would never find him and
00:45:27
they'd he wanted to carry on with his
00:45:28
own life it's totally out of character
00:45:32
for him to have gone out intentionally
00:45:34
to break away from his family because he
00:45:40
wasn't that kind of boy he may have
00:45:44
tried to imply to people who he wanted
00:45:48
to impress that he didn't need his mum
00:45:50
what twenty-year-old it does need the
00:45:51
mum or would admit to leading them it's
00:45:54
not very macho
00:45:55
[Music]
00:46:01
four years have passed without word from
00:46:03
Charles Horvath but police have received
00:46:06
tips from nearly 200 people some claimed
00:46:09
those seen Charles hitchhiking in Canada
00:46:11
as recently as April of 1992 others are
00:46:15
equally certain that Charles Horvath
00:46:17
never made it out of Kelowna alive if
00:46:23
Charles is out there in this world you
00:46:25
know in a goddess somewhere he needs
00:46:27
picking up and bringing home and getting
00:46:30
medical help or whatever kind of help is
00:46:32
required if not if he is dead and he's
00:46:37
been murdered he needs burying I've been
00:46:43
asking for help for so many years
00:46:46
because of my fear that something's
00:46:49
happened to him and it it'll only be
00:46:54
went if he's found dead that I'll be
00:46:57
proven right what a way to be proven
00:47:00
right
00:47:04
Charles Horvath would now be 25 years
00:47:07
old he is 6 feet tall with dark brown
00:47:09
hair dark brown eyes and a tattoo on his
00:47:12
left arm when last seen Charles weighed
00:47:15
165 pounds
00:47:17
[Music]
00:47:27
but our next unsolved mysteries when a
00:47:30
17 year old girl disappeared in 1974 her
00:47:34
family became convinced that she had
00:47:36
been abducted by members of a renegade
00:47:37
motorcycle gang the girl's mother soon
00:47:41
embarked on a dark journey into the
00:47:42
biker subculture nearly 20 years later
00:47:45
she believes her daughter is still alive
00:47:48
still perhaps being held against her
00:47:51
will join me next time for an all-new
00:47:55
show perhaps you may be able to solve a
00:47:59
mystery
00:48:02
[Music]
00:48:22
[Applause]
00:48:26
[Music]
00:48:44
[Music]
