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this program is about unsolved mysteries
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whenever possible the actual family
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members and police officials have
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participated in recreating the events
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what you are about to see is not a news
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broadcast tonight on unsolved mystery
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the Los Angeles 22 year old Matthew
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Chase made a midnight trip to the
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automated teller machine that viewed not
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been seen since the hidden bank camera
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showed Matthew next to a mysterious
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figure
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on Valentine's Day in 1986 a useful
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housewife was murdered her husband was a
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sesame steadfast he maintains his
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innocence his alibi is airtight
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Deloris Valadez has no parents no past
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she wants to find the mother she never
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knew had an answer a question that is
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auditor entirely where is
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[Music]
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[Applause]
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[Music]
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we'll also tell you the touching stone
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refugee family emigrating to America
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during World War Two they fled their
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home in Hungary and were forced to live
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in a boxcar barely surviving in war-torn
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Europe 43 years later we are trying to
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find a mysterious American soldier who
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one memorable Christmas changed their
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lives forever
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join them you may be able to help solve
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a mystery
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during the Christmas season 43 years ago
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a Hungarian family who'd escaped from
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the ravages of the Second World War
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met an American GI named Philip this
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refugee family was living a hand to
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mouth existence in an abandoned train at
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rural Austria the kindly soldier offered
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them friendship when they had few
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friends food when there was often hunger
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and faith on despair seemed
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insurmountable with Philips help the
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families survive their ordeal they now
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live in America and they want to reunite
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with their benefactors so they can thank
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him for a Christmas but change their
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lives
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[Music]
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May 1945 the citrus Third Reich crumble
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refugees from Eastern Europe choked the
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highways of rural roads some escaping
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the Nazis others the vengeful Russian
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armed Carl dente and his family fled
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from Budapest in Hungary one step away
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from the guns of the Red Army deadish an
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army just a few mile behind us so I have
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only one thing my mind just to get the
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family beat me out from there you know
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it's a very strange feeling one when you
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leave a country when you was born but
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thousand thousand family was leaving
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just leave everything behind just
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running the way after their perilous
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journey the dentes and other refugees
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found temporary sanctuary in Austria and
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a town occupied by the Americans as a
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fall turned to an extremely cold winter
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the family was forced to live inside a
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boxcar
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despite their hardship Karl and his wife
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Tory Zia managed to survive and provide
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a shelter for their five-year-old
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daughter Brigitte on the winter coming
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we have taught them to get food
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we have no clothing we have no other
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place to go
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one thing I was very happy my family
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never was complain my wife never
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[Music]
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a few days before Christmas an American
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soldier named Philip came to meet
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Vegeta's parents he had met their
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daughter at her American run school
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somehow managing to surmount the
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language barrier Philip asked if
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brigitte a' would come as as guests to a
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christmas party given for the refugee
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children by the american occupation
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force I want to take Brigitte
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to a Christmas party Christmas hohoho
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right yes yes yes
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[Music]
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receipt when Carl was able to scavenge
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some material Theresia made a party
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outfit for their daughter she never
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experienced any christmas party before
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and after leaving already so long in a
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little freight car no no candy no sugar
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no hardly anything you know hardly any
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food so it's was a big gift for us to
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knowing how happy she will be and she
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was happy over 40 years of passes that
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night but to Brigitte ah it seems like
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only yesterday he looked very very
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handsome like a prince charming and I
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remember that shiny us button on his
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lapel Philip made me feel very very
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special I started making me feel safe
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and happy he made me feel like a big
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girl
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[Music]
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well I got like a princess
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it's like someone opened a magic door
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[Music]
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there was lights and music and a very
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happy atmosphere it was like the lights
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went on
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[Music]
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Oh even the food was very very fancy I
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had not seen anything like it
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probably ever
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[Music]
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I felt like I was in a dream I never
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wanted the dream to him
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got a big change in our life
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happiness you know give us way Clara
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confidence of the human race only coming
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back from the Christmas party we have
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just like a little celebration we just
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start opening her Pleasant we are very
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happy you know to see all the daughters
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so happy we met somebody very nice who
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did a nice business for all of us of the
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divorced or tell it was the first
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Christmas we have a little happy time
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somebody because of feeling it's a
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memory you never forget it
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that evening Philip and identities
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discovered that though they didn't share
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a language they shared a friendship he
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have a difficult time to communicate but
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he was so friendly you know we have a
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lot of laughing a lot of good time he
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was happy that night do you never
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expected him to coming back we thought
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so Christmas party over and you know we
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have a beautiful memory at the end of it
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[Music]
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but Philip did come back he became a
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real-life Santa Claus giving the
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children candies and the parrots food
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and other necessities that help the
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family endure the many hardships of life
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without a whole but one day the
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friendship came to an end I came to tell
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you I'm leaving soon yes tonight
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actually have this to remember me by
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thank you one afternoon Philip show up
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and told us his troop is transferred to
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French
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he's very sorry have to leave he gave us
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his photograph give us his address I was
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wondering can I ever see him again
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it's just like we live part of the
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family
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[Music]
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it took eleven years of struggle and
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hardship for the dentes to finally make
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their way to America though Theresa
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passed away a few years ago Carl and
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Brigitte are currently live in Michigan
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unfortunately during the families fight
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across Europe they lost most of their
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possessions including Philips address
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all they have to remember him by is this
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picture based on the appearance of
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Philips uniform military experts believe
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he was a private Philip also told Carl
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and Rasheeda that he was from Maine
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these may be important clues as to
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Philips whereabouts in an hour of our
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broadcast
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this is Pauline Dottie of Augusta Maine
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called our 800 number to say that the
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man named Philip in our story is her
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cousin Philip Pelletier he's a retired
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postal worker
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lives in Hammond Indiana he immediately
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called Carl and Birgitte identity and
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helped to arrange a real on Wednesday
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December 28th 1988
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Carl and Brigitte --is 30 years search
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for Philip came to an emotional end
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really pretty hard to tell you just how
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I feel after so many years trying to
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recollect everything that we went
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through together you know it's very hard
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it's very exciting it's almost
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unbelievable something like a Christmas
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miracle because when he left I was
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thinking about it I ever see him again
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and here we go after 43 years be back
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together again
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that's just like a dream came too hard
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to believe it
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sometimes I had a feeling I gonna wake
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up the minute did I saw him I could see
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the warmth and happy look on his face
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smiling like we really never had lost
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touch in a way
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Carl Brigitte and Philip spent the
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afternoon looking through photographs
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that brought back memories of that
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special time they spent together mikanos
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david thoughts
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we're gonna try to visit each other as
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much as possible we're gonna renew the
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friendship what we had before you know
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it's a friendship forever next the story
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of a young man want to get some cash at
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midnight from an automated teller
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machine disappear every day thousands of
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people do business with their banks
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using an automated teller machine it's
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become a normal part of our life however
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anyone standing alone in front of a bank
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at midnight withdrawing cash in the
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automated teller would naturally feel
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apprehensive it is hard not to nervously
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look over your shoulder as you wait for
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the computer to take care of your
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financial business at midnight on June
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8th of this year a young man in Los
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Angeles visited one of these machines
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what happened to him suggest our fears
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might be more real than imaginative
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Los Angeles June 1888 11:45 p.m.
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returning home from dinner with his
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roommate Teresa doll 22 year old Matthew
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Chase remembered that he needed to
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deposit his Patriot letter car and asked
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if he could pick up some cat food on the
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way home Matthew Chase had known Teresa
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and her brother Steve since childhood
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they all moved to Los Angeles from
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Medford Oregon
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that night when Matt left their house he
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took only his bank card with him he left
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his wallet at home
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it should have taken man approximately
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10-15 minutes to run the errand the bank
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was about two blocks from our home and
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normally he walked and that particular
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evening he'd taken my car so at the most
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15 minutes would be sufficient
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we know that Matt did arrive at the
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automated teller that night but he never
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returned home fired months later his
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friends and family are still searching
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for him the next morning when Matt still
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hadn't come home his roommates called
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the police hello my name is Matthew
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Chase they then called the bank by using
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that social security number convinced
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him that it was Matt calling they wanted
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to find out if he had used his bank card
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the night before
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there have been transactions great the
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bike city had several time and you tell
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me what time they were made what day and
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Steve and Teresa are called the police
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again a light came on indicating this is
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not going to be a normal run-of-the-mill
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case it's gonna be something that
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requires some in-depth investigation and
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it may may not turn out to be a good
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case as we call them
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when we reviewed the bank records it
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indicates that he made it successful
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deposit of a paycheck received cash back
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and then returned to the same branch
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approximately 30 minutes later and
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attempted to withdraw two hundred and
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eighty dollars which he knows is over
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the amount of cash he can receive per
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day the theory there would be that
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either he was being forced to attempt to
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withdraw these amounts or he was
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signaling to the bank to the computer
00:15:45
for help that night two more attempts
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are made to withdraw cash the first was
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for $200 it was refused because of
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insufficient funds then a minute later
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$100 was requested again as Matt's
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paycheck hadn't posted this amount was
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also refused
00:16:08
eleven minutes later the card was used
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at another branch in a different
00:16:12
neighborhood again withdrawals are
00:16:15
unsuccessful this time a hidden camera
00:16:18
took photographs of Matt
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then a strange man appeared standing at
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Matt's shoulder according to these
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surveillance cameras at the branch the
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person standing next to Matt was
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somewhat shorter somewhat stockier and
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overall he shouldn't have been in the
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photograph no one is going to let
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someone stand that close to him while
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they're using an ATM machine where they
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can see the pin number police suspect
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that Matt may have been abducted by the
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man in the photograph while he was
00:16:49
making his first transactions then in an
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attempt to call for help
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they speculate Matt may have
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deliberately entered erroneous amounts
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hoping to attract attention over the
00:17:02
next day and a half there were five more
00:17:04
withdrawal attempts by this time Matt's
00:17:07
paycheck had cleared so $400 was paid
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out from his account
00:17:12
finally the card was confiscated by the
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machine when you put a freeze on the
00:17:17
card sinking that number one getting the
00:17:20
card back would tell us where the bank
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was possibly where these people are and
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where Matt might be and number two that
00:17:29
the police might be able to go get
00:17:32
fingerprints off the card when the card
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was dusted for prints none were found
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police believe that either the card was
00:17:40
wiped clean
00:17:41
or that Matt's abductor used gloves
00:17:47
Matt's mother and father came down from
00:17:49
Oregon to search for their son and the
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car he drove to the bank at first we had
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great hopes I think that we were gonna
00:17:58
stumble on with the car somewhere near
00:18:00
proximity of where they lived
00:18:03
I believe after a couple three nights of
00:18:05
doing this we became very frustrated Los
00:18:10
Angeles Canada live dangerous place at
00:18:12
night we saw a lot of things that were
00:18:14
very frightening I think and that only
00:18:17
made it more real to us that that
00:18:21
something perhaps very serious had
00:18:25
happened to Matt police believe that
00:18:30
Matt may have been injured in a mugging
00:18:31
and was walking the streets with amnesia
00:18:34
Steve and Teresa distributed Matt's
00:18:37
picture at a local rescue mission I
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talked to several other people there and
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a couple of the volunteers that worked
00:18:46
at the midnight mission said when I show
00:18:49
them just his driver's license because
00:18:51
I'd run out of poster said oh yes we
00:18:53
have seen him he's been in here several
00:18:56
times eating he's really and then they
00:18:59
just started describe him to me and they
00:19:00
said he's very tall thin his name and
00:19:03
very lanky and I said yes exactly and
00:19:06
for them to get that from one of those
00:19:10
tiny pictures from a driver's license
00:19:13
it's really miraculous and we thought
00:19:15
well wow they really have seen him and
00:19:18
we thought we were just so close to
00:19:20
finding him at that point on June 27
00:19:24
almost three weeks after Matt's
00:19:26
disappearance a car he had been driving
00:19:28
was finally found by the police
00:19:30
abandoned close to where Matt had
00:19:32
vanished when they found in that car
00:19:35
they ran the license plate via the svf
00:19:38
system and it indicated that it was
00:19:40
associated with the missing person and
00:19:42
that I
00:19:42
one of the vehicle held for latent
00:19:44
fingerprints the criminalist dusted it
00:19:47
for fingerprints looked at it for other
00:19:49
evidence of a crime and the car was
00:19:52
completely void of fingerprints and this
00:19:56
finding the vehicle with no fingerprints
00:19:57
would be very unusual in that you and I
00:20:00
drive in our vehicles in a normal manner
00:20:02
we'll leave prints on certain items
00:20:03
within and this vehicle had absolutely
00:20:06
no prints inside police did find one
00:20:10
clue in the car a blue bandana this
00:20:13
bandana did not belong to either matte
00:20:15
or Teresa and investigators believe it
00:20:17
may have been left by Matt's abductors I
00:20:20
don't know what happened I know that I
00:20:23
hope none of the things that I've
00:20:25
dreamed about and wake up for the night
00:20:28
and think about are the things that
00:20:32
could have happened to Matt I am very
00:20:36
hopeful that he's somewhere and that
00:20:40
he's all right and I really think that
00:20:45
he that I will be with him again
00:20:47
sometime today I sense that he's still
00:20:50
alive and that has kept us going and
00:20:55
we'll never stop looking for him until
00:20:57
we find him and I know we'll find him
00:21:00
he means a lot to me he's my best friend
00:21:07
Matthew chases 22 years of age he is 6
00:21:11
feet 2 inches 150 pounds and has brown
00:21:13
hair and brown eyes he also has a small
00:21:16
tattoo of a dollar sign behind his right
00:21:19
ear on March 29th one chapter of this
00:21:23
mysterious case came to a close when the
00:21:25
Los Angeles coroner's office positively
00:21:27
identified the body of Matthew chase his
00:21:33
remains were discovered in a ravine and
00:21:35
nearby Pasadena September the 17th of
00:21:37
last year
00:21:38
three months after he disappeared
00:21:42
identification was delayed by the
00:21:43
difficulty in tracking down dental
00:21:45
records the cause of death was a gunshot
00:21:48
wound we had estimated that had been
00:21:52
down in this Canyon area since the last
00:21:56
week in June of last year to September
00:22:00
when he was located this case is being
00:22:03
handled as a robbery homicide at this
00:22:07
point the man in the bank photograph is
00:22:10
wanted for questioning and the
00:22:13
disappearance and death of Matthew chase
00:22:18
this is an artist's rendering of the
00:22:20
prime suspect in this case based on
00:22:22
computer enhancements of the bank
00:22:24
photographs Matthew's car was also
00:22:27
stolen and later abandoned the killer
00:22:30
may have been seen driving this car in
00:22:32
early June it was a red two-door 1983
00:22:36
Volkswagen GTI when this car was
00:22:39
recovered a blue bandana was found
00:22:41
inside it is thought the bandana may
00:22:44
have belonged to the killer
00:22:45
I do hope to find his killer and I think
00:22:50
that we need to see this through and we
00:22:52
will see it through and this person must
00:22:55
be brought to justice
00:22:57
[Music]
00:23:07
in a moment the story of a Houston
00:23:10
Houseman murdered on Valentine's Day
00:23:12
three years ago her family believes she
00:23:14
was murdered by her husband he maintains
00:23:17
his innocence
00:23:17
[Music]
00:23:27
[Applause]
00:23:29
at no.6 in the morning of February 14th
00:23:32
1986 Valentine's Day a young affluent
00:23:36
Houston Marylou gironde was found in her
00:23:39
home shot four times she was rushed to
00:23:43
the hospital there she was pronounced
00:23:47
dead she had been murdered Mary Lou's
00:23:53
parents believe that their daughter was
00:23:54
murdered by her husband Steven jiraiya
00:23:57
Steven is adamant that he was not
00:24:00
involved and has a minute-by-minute
00:24:01
alibi for the morning of the crime you
00:24:07
will hear both sides of the story on the
00:24:10
one side the anguish of the loving
00:24:12
parents who've lost a daughter on the
00:24:15
other a grieving husband who has to deal
00:24:16
with a weight of suspicion you'll be
00:24:19
able to analyze the evidence in this
00:24:21
brutal slaying but watch closely the
00:24:24
details of time and place could be
00:24:26
crucial
00:24:29
happy birthday Maria Mary Lou's body was
00:24:33
discovered at 10:06 a.m. at 8:15 a.m.
00:24:37
Steven Jiraiya called Mary Lou's mother
00:24:39
Maria Serato and asked her to go over
00:24:41
and help Mary Lou prepare for a
00:24:43
lunchtime party
00:24:48
super as soon as I hang up with him i
00:24:51
dial mary's number and she didn't answer
00:24:55
the phone and he got me very concerned
00:24:58
because I thought how strange she's
00:25:00
supposed to be already running around
00:25:02
the house doing the last things what
00:25:05
where is she I'm sorry Claire took me
00:25:11
about 20 minutes to get to her house
00:25:16
to my surprise he was no answer in the
00:25:19
backdoor and everything looked in
00:25:22
perfect condition nothing was disturbed
00:25:25
[Music]
00:25:27
the front door was not on and that was a
00:25:32
shock right there for me because Mary
00:25:34
was a very careful person her door was
00:25:38
always locked
00:25:45
I thought something is wrong so I walk
00:25:51
to the back of the house
00:25:53
Malia is searched systematically she
00:25:57
found Mary Lu lying on the floor she
00:26:01
looked like she had fainted or something
00:26:04
and I started to kiss her in her face
00:26:06
and touching her and she looked like she
00:26:09
was dead and he got me completely I was
00:26:13
just like a wild person I thought I was
00:26:17
in a nightmare
00:26:22
10:30 a.m. the paramedics tried to
00:26:26
revive Mary Lou attempting to restart
00:26:28
her heart with an injection
00:26:32
Marylou was already dead unfortunately
00:26:38
this procedure would later make it
00:26:40
impossible to determine an exact time of
00:26:43
death
00:26:48
Marylou had been shot four times with
00:26:50
two different guns the 380 and a 22 it
00:26:55
was no sign of a gun in the house nor
00:26:57
were there any physical signs of a
00:26:59
break-in in the bedroom Mary Lou's
00:27:03
jewelry box was opened could robbery
00:27:06
have been a motive
00:27:07
it was jewelry laying in there like she
00:27:10
had been selected jewelry or something
00:27:12
that she was gonna wear whoever killed
00:27:15
Mary Lou didn't come in the house to
00:27:19
steal anything Mary Lou's husband
00:27:22
disagrees well there was many things
00:27:25
taken her the gross value was about 25
00:27:31
to 30 maybe 40 thousand dollars worth of
00:27:34
jewelry fur coats are from other
00:27:38
valuables there were a lot of valuable
00:27:40
things in the house and nothing was
00:27:43
disturbed this was a well-planned murder
00:27:50
Mary Lou and Steven had been married for
00:27:53
three years Steven was an insurance
00:27:56
agent a Mary Lou worked for him
00:27:58
the couple went on vacation to Hawaii in
00:28:01
Europe and appeared to be happily living
00:28:04
the good life it was extremely exciting
00:28:10
and most fulfilling relationship that I
00:28:14
have ever had with an individual it was
00:28:18
a torment of a marriage the last two and
00:28:22
a half years of her life it was nothing
00:28:25
but crying about one thing in another
00:28:28
they were fighting over money she
00:28:32
brought out the strongest qualities in
00:28:34
me made me more productive than I had
00:28:38
ever been in my entire life allowed we
00:28:43
allowed each other to develop to the
00:28:44
fullest as Mary Lou's husband the police
00:28:49
naturally viewed Steven jiraiya is one
00:28:51
of the possible suspects I requested
00:28:53
permission to inspect his handguns the
00:28:57
ballistics report proved to Stevens guns
00:28:59
were not used in the shoe
00:29:01
we'll get back to you Stephen also gave
00:29:03
the police a detailed account of his
00:29:05
movements on the day of the crime
00:29:08
normally he worked in his office at home
00:29:10
in the early morning this time
00:29:13
he changed his routine hmm I woke up at
00:29:18
about 5:00 that morning I went upstairs
00:29:21
and worked on the computer I had an
00:29:24
extremely busy day there was some things
00:29:25
that I had to finish up
00:29:26
Marylou was still in bed told her that I
00:29:29
would call at 7:00 I know that the
00:29:33
security system is on when I left the
00:29:36
house at about 625 6:30 I went down to
00:29:43
7-eleven and got another cup of coffee I
00:29:46
left there and went to the post office
00:29:50
picked up our mail for the day from
00:29:56
there I went to a donut shop and picked
00:30:01
up Donuts then I went to precision glass
00:30:08
Don Richardson's company and talked with
00:30:12
them for a moment I started to leave
00:30:15
realize that I had forgotten to call
00:30:17
Mary I went back in not the reception
00:30:20
desk and called her at almost 7:30 she
00:30:24
was up she said she was busy busy busy
00:30:27
so I told her goodbye
00:30:32
from 7:30 when he called Mary Lou to
00:30:35
1006 when Mary Lou's body was found
00:30:37
Steven was often in the company of
00:30:40
witnesses who have corroborated his
00:30:42
alibi a private investigator Bill
00:30:46
Elliott hired by Mary whose parents
00:30:48
examined Stephens alibi in detail the
00:30:52
witnesses that we interviewed indicated
00:30:54
to us that it was not his habit or
00:30:57
pattern to leave the house before 9:00
00:30:59
or 10:00 in the morning and this
00:31:01
particular day he claims to have left
00:31:04
the house between 6:00 and 6:30 when
00:31:09
Steven left home his first stop was at
00:31:11
the 7-eleven only two blocks away less
00:31:14
than a five minute drive we interviewed
00:31:18
the people at the convenience store
00:31:20
where he went first and it was their
00:31:23
recollection and very positive
00:31:24
recollection that Steven did not get
00:31:27
there until three minutes until 7
00:31:29
o'clock a variation and in the alibi
00:31:32
that would have given him time to to do
00:31:36
do things as far as getting rid of
00:31:38
evidence and that's that kind of thing
00:31:41
the curious thing is mr. gr I had not
00:31:45
only gone to these places that morning
00:31:48
but the following day he went back and
00:31:50
reminded these people that he had been
00:31:53
there the day before which is something
00:31:54
that I found unusual the evidence
00:31:58
regarding the time of death is clouded
00:32:00
because of the EMS crews moving in to
00:32:03
attempt to resuscitate Marilee Shradha
00:32:06
time of death is questionable
00:32:11
therefore the alibi that he gave may be
00:32:15
good and may not I have nowhere to
00:32:18
turning this two years earlier Steven
00:32:22
that purchased insurance policies on
00:32:23
both their lives each policy had a total
00:32:27
value of four hundred and thirty five
00:32:29
thousand dollars
00:32:31
mr. J I was a big spender liked to spend
00:32:33
a lot of money and liked to live the
00:32:36
high life at a higher level than his
00:32:39
income was capable of supporting in
00:32:42
Harris County I found
00:32:44
a little over 120 thousand dollars of
00:32:48
hard cash judgments that he had against
00:32:51
him ten months after the murder
00:32:54
Stephen filed to collect the four
00:32:55
hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars
00:32:59
outraged Mary Lou's parents went to
00:33:01
court to prevent him from collecting the
00:33:03
money they claimed he had been the cause
00:33:06
of Mary Lou's death and would attempt to
00:33:08
prove it in court we learned paints her
00:33:12
but the insurance money and he was on my
00:33:15
daughter's name
00:33:16
so all that make was suspect and
00:33:19
something was wrong and then he was in
00:33:22
part or responsible for thee then either
00:33:28
Steven jury believes there is another
00:33:31
reason that the Serratos filed the
00:33:33
lawsuit well there's two things that
00:33:37
make the world go around and had sex and
00:33:39
money and it definitely wasn't sex was
00:33:40
it just as a trial was beginning after
00:33:45
the jury had been picked and
00:33:47
out-of-court settlement was reached
00:33:49
between Steven jiraiya and the Serratos
00:33:52
but which side had requested the
00:33:54
settlement Steven or Mary Lou's parents
00:33:57
my attorney came and got me and said
00:34:00
that ciraolo had made an offer to settle
00:34:03
the case you can imagine that we we
00:34:05
didn't they did we didn't have a reason
00:34:08
to why why why do we want it to do that
00:34:11
I was adamant that when my attorney
00:34:16
presented this to me that it would not
00:34:18
be as an admission of guilt and that
00:34:20
rather that the Serratos would realize
00:34:22
that I was not involved or why would
00:34:25
they make the offer and that we would
00:34:27
settle on it if it had been my daughter
00:34:30
and I thought that person was involved
00:34:32
there was no way I would ever take a
00:34:33
settlement and but they did true not to
00:34:39
discuss any aspect of the settlement of
00:34:41
this case the court documents Kent
00:34:43
revealed who asked for the settlement
00:34:45
since Judge Sklar ordered the records
00:34:47
sealed for two years and I assume that
00:34:50
she wished me to prove the judgment at
00:34:51
this time all right
00:34:56
after Mary Luger I was buried the
00:34:59
headstone on her grave was smeared with
00:35:01
mud and vandalized and then stolen
00:35:05
[Music]
00:35:06
the headstone has been replaced it now
00:35:10
reads Marylou Serato it is very
00:35:16
uncomfortable for us to go on leaving
00:35:18
knowing then somebody did something
00:35:20
horrible and it's not being punished no
00:35:27
I did not kill my wife
00:35:29
Marylou was the perfect woman for me we
00:35:33
had a wonderful life together exciting
00:35:36
we traveled we built one hell of a
00:35:38
business and fantastic complement for
00:35:42
each other
00:35:43
the police continue their search for
00:35:45
information about the two weapons that
00:35:47
were used a 380 caliber and a 22 caliber
00:35:50
pistol they feel these guns will lead
00:35:53
them to the killer
00:35:55
next the story of an orphan Vallauris
00:35:58
validators who was told by her
00:36:00
stepmother that she was left on the
00:36:01
doorstep in a suitcase she wants to know
00:36:04
where she really came maybe you can help
00:36:10
[Music]
00:36:19
Vallauris Valadez has no parents no
00:36:22
history no heritage she doesn't even
00:36:26
know how old she is the stepmother who
00:36:28
raised her Maria the only one who could
00:36:31
tell her who she really is lies buried
00:36:33
in an unmarked grave
00:36:37
what Maria did tell Dolores is a
00:36:39
chilling story she said she found
00:36:42
Dolores when she was an infant abandoned
00:36:44
in a suitcase of the front porch her
00:36:47
only companion a black kitten the story
00:36:50
has haunted Dolores all her life it
00:36:54
scared me the fact that I could have
00:36:56
possibly been left at the doorstep and I
00:37:00
never wanted to believe it and I was
00:37:02
determined to find out the truth I feel
00:37:06
like there's relatives of Maria that
00:37:09
know the truth but they're still afraid
00:37:12
of Maria and her grave
00:37:13
[Music]
00:37:15
the Loris feels at the mysterious power
00:37:18
of a stepmother Maria reaches beyond the
00:37:20
grave to keep Dolores's identity buried
00:37:23
with her every day
00:37:25
Dolores wrestles with a simple question
00:37:27
Who am I
00:37:29
[Music]
00:37:31
Who am I every time Dolores Valadez
00:37:34
looks in the mirror she can see her
00:37:36
Spanish heritage but she can't prove it
00:37:38
her lack of a document it passes caused
00:37:41
her many practical problems she's not
00:37:43
been able to get a passport
00:37:45
she's bharden receiving money due her
00:37:47
and her stepfathers will and her
00:37:49
daughter could not qualify for
00:37:50
mexican-american college scholarships
00:37:52
because Dolores has birthright is a
00:37:54
mystery Dolores Valadez is looking for a
00:37:57
past identity perhaps someone in our
00:38:00
audience can help Dolores find the
00:38:02
answer to her question Who am I
00:38:06
[Music]
00:38:10
in 1947 the Year Dolores believes she
00:38:14
was born San Bernardino California was a
00:38:17
bustling city swelling with his new
00:38:19
mexican-american population San
00:38:22
Bernardino as a town where Dolores grew
00:38:24
up in the home of Maria Valadez Maria
00:38:29
was a midwife and a powerful curandera a
00:38:32
healer who worked with potent herbs
00:38:34
appointments she was respected and even
00:38:37
feared in the community
00:38:40
Maria had been told that she could not
00:38:42
have children of her own so she adopted
00:38:44
to a boy named Mingo and a girl named
00:38:47
Vicki for some reason she never adopted
00:38:50
Delores the baby she said was left on
00:38:53
her doorstep in a suitcase as a child
00:39:00
Delores felt isolated below Mingo and
00:39:02
Vicki were told who their natural
00:39:04
parents were Delores as background was
00:39:06
left the mystery a topic to be avoided I
00:39:11
never felt like moving I really wanted
00:39:14
me I never really felt accepted by her I
00:39:18
felt a lot of resentment I felt afraid
00:39:25
of her many times where we always would
00:39:27
tell me various stories about how I
00:39:29
didn't really belong in the family and
00:39:32
so forth and so on she would tell me
00:39:36
that I arrived in the suitcase and mice
00:39:38
left in front of the steps I really
00:39:42
didn't want to believe it but I would
00:39:44
tell her walk tell me the truth why
00:39:47
don't you just tell me the truth where
00:39:48
did I come from and she would just turn
00:39:52
around and ignore me it's a real strange
00:39:57
feeling to think that nobody really
00:39:59
wanted to the only thing that can
00:40:04
remember is my mother said that Delores
00:40:07
came in the suitcase and that's it it
00:40:10
was dropped right there and I thought
00:40:12
they were just kidding you know no it's
00:40:16
just a little girl myself when the laws
00:40:21
was in the fourth grade Maria died
00:40:24
dolorous pitted from orphanages to
00:40:26
foster homes until in 1963 she settled
00:40:30
down and began to turn her life around
00:40:31
she completed high school trained as a
00:40:35
flight attendant and got married in 1970
00:40:40
after the birth of her daughter Erika
00:40:42
Dolores decided she had to know the
00:40:44
truth about her own birth
00:40:46
starting at the San Bernadino Hall of
00:40:48
Records she pursued a paper trail that
00:40:50
she hoped would lead to the identity of
00:40:52
her parents
00:40:55
despite her high hopes there was no
00:40:58
record that Dolores had ever been born
00:41:00
[Music]
00:41:04
with no trace of her birth Delores went
00:41:07
looking for a record of her baptism
00:41:10
finally in a church five miles outside
00:41:13
San Bernardino
00:41:14
she found a baptismal record with her
00:41:16
birth date in the name of Maria Valadez
00:41:20
Delores also found a new clue the
00:41:24
records showed that Delores had two
00:41:26
godparents Oh Dolph Amin Harris and
00:41:29
Rufina grow three years I never knew him
00:41:32
for I sure like to get back in the 40s
00:41:36
people were more inclined to think of
00:41:39
children being out of wedlock as
00:41:41
something to hide so there's a
00:41:43
possibility that Dolores is godparents
00:41:46
are her parents because I've seen that
00:41:49
before in other cases Dolores had one
00:41:55
other clue to her past Maria had told
00:41:58
her that is an infant Dolores had been
00:42:00
hospitalized for diphtheria one of my
00:42:06
searches was going to the County
00:42:08
Hospital in San Bernardino and on the
00:42:11
admissions card they listed a woman
00:42:14
named Esther as my mother Delores had
00:42:18
never heard the name of Esther Vallon is
00:42:20
before the hospital form stated that
00:42:23
Esther was deceased but in fact no death
00:42:25
certificate was found in the San
00:42:27
Bernardino Hall of Records
00:42:30
strangely Dolores admission forms also
00:42:33
stated that Maria was Dolores as aunt
00:42:35
not her stepmother and Dolores s
00:42:39
birthdate was listed as September the
00:42:40
17th which was not the birthday she had
00:42:43
always celebrated clearly the records
00:42:46
may have been falsified but why several
00:42:50
times we have run into cases were in
00:42:52
Mexican families who have had large
00:42:55
numbers of children have given a baby
00:42:58
one of their children away one of the
00:42:59
newborns away to one of the other family
00:43:01
members who've been childless
00:43:04
if this was the case with Dolores none
00:43:08
of the family members would have to talk
00:43:09
about it and they would virtually carry
00:43:11
it with them to the grave
00:43:16
if someone gave Dolores to Maria who did
00:43:20
it and why perhaps the answer lies in
00:43:23
Maria's years as a midwife
00:43:26
dolorous had heard a family rumor that
00:43:28
maria once kept a baby girl she helped
00:43:31
deliver according to the rumor the
00:43:34
baby's mother was a family friend
00:43:37
Dolores decided to question her this
00:43:47
lady lived in the Bella dis is home
00:43:50
around the time that I could have been
00:43:52
born she was nervous and couldn't keep
00:44:04
her composure very well know I'm not
00:44:11
your mother honey as much as I would
00:44:12
love to be your mother you have not
00:44:14
given me any any proof and I look very
00:44:18
much like her daughter's picture I could
00:44:21
be her twin but she keeps denying that
00:44:24
she is my mother
00:44:27
she's mad I mean she wants to know who
00:44:29
are her parents you know she doesn't she
00:44:33
doesn't want anything from them all she
00:44:35
wants is what is my name where's my bird
00:44:38
thing that's all she wants she doesn't
00:44:41
want anything else but that Dolores had
00:44:45
isolated three possible mothers Esther
00:44:48
the woman named in her hospital records
00:44:50
Rufina
00:44:51
her baptismal godmother and the reticent
00:44:54
family friend but none of the leads had
00:44:57
paid off Dolores felt her last hope was
00:45:03
Mingo Maria's adopted son he had been
00:45:07
reluctant to talk so while we were
00:45:09
interviewing Mingo Dolores confronted
00:45:11
him Dolores claimed that when they were
00:45:14
younger
00:45:15
Mingo had told her that he knew the
00:45:17
truth I'm positive that years ago you
00:45:21
told me that you couldn't tell me the
00:45:24
truth No
00:45:27
I don't remember there so you don't know
00:45:31
anything
00:45:32
sometimes I get the feeling that he's
00:45:35
still afraid of Maria
00:45:37
even in her grave and there really isn't
00:45:41
anything to be afraid of people don't
00:45:44
come back from the dead
00:45:53
I have felt very frustrated and very
00:45:58
discouraged but I still had a feeling
00:46:03
me that there are people out there that
00:46:05
know they're just afraid I have prayed a
00:46:10
lot about my parents coming forward or
00:46:14
somebody coming
00:46:15
I don't want to hurt anyone by them
00:46:21
admitting that they're my parents then
00:46:23
if they want to come forward and
00:46:25
acknowledge that I'm their daughter that
00:46:27
would really make me happy I have a very
00:46:32
strong feeling that somebody out there
00:46:35
is looking for me too
00:46:37
[Music]
00:46:44
tonight we have seen four stories
00:46:46
without endings four stories in which
00:46:47
ordinary people have been thrust into
00:46:49
the center of an unsolved mystery
00:46:51
perhaps someone tonight can help them
00:46:53
perhaps they were watching perhaps is
00:46:56
human
00:46:56
[Music]
00:47:23
[Applause]
00:47:26
[Music]
