00:00:04
DENNIS FARINA: Next,
on Unsolved Mysteries,
00:00:08
a con game goes bad, leaving one
person dead and three injured.
00:00:12
[tires screeching]
00:00:14
A bank executive is the target
of a bizarre kidnapping.
00:00:17
Just get back in the car.
00:00:18
DENNIS FARINA: His abductor
demands $3 million.
00:00:23
Strychnine kills a
successful Texas woman.
00:00:27
Police believe the murderer
is someone she knew.
00:00:31
And after years
of investigation,
00:00:34
several unexpected tips
lead to a conviction
00:00:37
in the murder of Martha Moxley.
00:00:42
These are stories you
won't want to miss.
00:00:45
I'm Dennis Farina, and
this is Unsolved Mysteries.
00:00:49
[music playing]
00:01:24
Arlington, Texas.
00:01:28
[church bells ringing]
00:01:30
The friends and family of
43-year-old Patsy Bolton Wright
00:01:34
mourn her tragic and
unexpected death.
00:01:39
Why?
00:01:40
She was so alive.
00:01:41
She was so healthy.
00:01:42
There was nothing
wrong with her.
00:01:43
When it happened,
you're just in awe,
00:01:46
because you would never, ever
expect that to happen to her.
00:01:50
There's not a day that
goes by that we can even
00:01:53
believe that this has happened.
00:01:54
We can all still see
Patsy coming into the room
00:01:56
and smiling.
00:01:57
And we can hear her laugh.
00:01:58
And it just doesn't
seem real at all.
00:02:03
DENNIS FARINA: After
Patsy's memorial service,
00:02:05
a routine autopsy is performed.
00:02:10
The lab technician checks
for 56,000 foreign substances
00:02:15
in her blood.
00:02:17
Suddenly, the machine
goes off the chart.
00:02:21
[music playing]
00:02:25
Within seconds, the
substance is identified,
00:02:29
[machine beeping] strychnine.
00:02:35
Because of its
horrible side effects,
00:02:37
strychnine poisoning
is a cruel way to die.
00:02:40
It's also a very
rare way to die.
00:02:43
These facts make Patsy Wright's
death even more suspicious.
00:02:49
[insects chirping]
00:02:51
The morning of Patsy's
death, a frantic phone call
00:02:54
woke up Steve and Sally Horning.
00:02:57
MAN ON PHONE: Hello?
00:02:58
I need to talk to Sally.
00:03:00
MAN ON PHONE: Nancy,
what's the matter?
00:03:02
I can't breathe!
00:03:03
DENNIS FARINA: The call was
Sally's sister, Patsy Wright.
00:03:06
Hello, Patsy.
00:03:07
I took some cold medicine.
00:03:09
Something is really wrong!
00:03:10
What's the matter?
00:03:11
What is it?
00:03:12
[patsy gasping]
00:03:13
Patsy?
00:03:14
Patsy?
00:03:18
We got to the house and
went up to the front door.
00:03:21
And of course, the door was
locked and we couldn't get in.
00:03:24
Patsy!
00:03:25
Steve, try around the back.
00:03:26
[pounding on door]
00:03:26
Patsy!
00:03:27
Open up, it's Sally.
00:03:29
I went around to the side.
00:03:31
The window was open, I suppose
for getting fresh air in there.
00:03:35
Open it up, jump through
the window, came through
00:03:38
and I saw Patsy on the bed.
00:03:41
Steve!
00:03:42
She's in the bedroom!
00:03:44
SALLY: When we got in,
she was in the bedroom.
00:03:47
She just looked like
she had kind of fainted.
00:03:49
So I thought that's
what had happened.
00:03:51
So we tried to get her
up, and that didn't work.
00:03:54
Operator, we need an
ambulance at 3017 [inaudible]
00:03:57
at Arlington immediately.
00:03:58
My sister's not breathing.
00:03:59
I worked on both her heart and
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
00:04:04
During that, a lot of
green fluid came up.
00:04:07
I would continually spit
that out onto the bed,
00:04:10
or there was a towel
there, as I remember.
00:04:12
Some time after that,
the medics came.
00:04:16
When's the last time
y'all talked to her?
00:04:17
About 3:00 o'clock
this morning,
00:04:19
and she just stopped
talking to us.
00:04:20
We think the phone dropped.
00:04:22
And we rushed over here
as quick as we could.
00:04:23
And she was like this.
- This the way y'all found her?
00:04:24
Yes.
00:04:29
SALLY: I rode to the hospital
in the ambulance with her.
00:04:32
They said that they were
not able to save her,
00:04:35
and there just wasn't
anything they could do.
00:04:41
DENNIS FARINA: At first,
no one suspected foul play.
00:04:44
But in her phone call,
Patsy had mentioned
00:04:47
taking cold medicine, which
was later found to contain
00:04:50
huge amounts of strychnine.
00:04:55
Authorities ruled out
product tampering or suicide.
00:05:00
Patsy had everything
to live for.
00:05:04
She had two children.
00:05:06
She and her sister owned two
wax museums worth millions.
00:05:12
Also, Patsy had just bought
three quarter horses,
00:05:15
and planned to
train them herself.
00:05:20
Texas police believe
Patsy had been murdered.
00:05:23
Two clues suggest that
her killer was probably
00:05:26
someone she knew very well.
00:05:30
First, the burglar alarm had not
been set on the night she died.
00:05:35
And second, only
those close to Patsy
00:05:39
knew that she took
nighttime cold medicine
00:05:42
before going to bed.
00:05:44
I can pretty much say that
this case involves someone that
00:05:48
knew Patsy, knew her habits.
00:05:51
And then I have to put together
motive and opportunity.
00:05:55
DENNIS FARINA: Money
was a possible motive.
00:05:58
Patsy's wealth came
from two wax museums
00:06:00
she owned with her
sister, Sally Horning.
00:06:05
When Patsy died, the
museum's were inherited
00:06:08
by Sally and Steve Horning.
00:06:11
We, as family members,
were being asked
00:06:13
questions that you
never even think
00:06:16
you're ever going to be asking.
00:06:18
Strychnine in
Patsy's cold medicine?
00:06:21
No.
00:06:23
DENNIS FARINA: Authorities
felt that if Steve had poisoned
00:06:25
Patsy, he would not have used
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
00:06:29
to try to save her,
taking potentially deadly
00:06:32
liquid into his own mouth.
00:06:35
Steve and Sally Horning,
with other family members,
00:06:38
all passed polygraph tests.
00:06:42
Police also gave Patsy's
former boyfriend,
00:06:45
Leo Fikes, a polygraph.
00:06:47
He was one of the ones
that would've been close
00:06:49
enough to her to
have known about her
00:06:52
taking the liquid cold
medicine on occasion.
00:06:55
He was very much
in love with Patsy,
00:06:57
but she did not want
to get remarried.
00:07:00
Do you know for sure who
caused Patsy to be poisoned?
00:07:04
No.
00:07:05
In realizing that
I was a suspect,
00:07:08
I think the most
difficult part of it,
00:07:10
for me, was Patsy
had rejected me.
00:07:13
And we had not been
real close for seven
00:07:16
or eight months prior to that.
00:07:20
DENNIS FARINA: Leo Fikes
passed his lie detector test.
00:07:25
Patsy's ex-husband, Robert Cox,
was also questioned by police.
00:07:30
Patsy had obtained a
restraining order against Cox
00:07:33
during their separation.
00:07:37
I had some people
give me statements
00:07:39
that Patsy had some fears
of her ex-husband, Bob Cox.
00:07:45
I understand there
are times that Patsy
00:07:47
believed that Bob
Cox had driven by
00:07:50
or parked close to her house.
00:07:54
We knew that Patsy was
going to be testifying
00:07:56
against her second
husband in an upcoming
00:07:59
civil suit about a arson fire.
00:08:02
We knew that he had called
her on a number of occasions
00:08:05
and ask her to change
this or that story.
00:08:08
And she had told him that she
was going to tell the truth.
00:08:12
He was offered
a polygraph test.
00:08:16
And he refused to take
the polygraph test.
00:08:19
DENNIS FARINA: Robert
Cox says that he
00:08:21
is innocent, as does Leo Fikes.
00:08:24
But it appeared that someone
had been with Patsy the night
00:08:27
she died.
00:08:31
Investigators found two dinner
plates next to Patsy's bed.
00:08:35
It seems unlikely that
Patsy would have spent
00:08:37
an intimate evening with
either her ex-husband
00:08:40
or her ex-boyfriend.
00:08:42
Could there have been
an unknown visitor
00:08:45
that night who was familiar
with Patsy's personal habits?
00:08:51
Then, [phone ringing]
a day after Patsy died,
00:08:53
her daughter, Leslie,
received a strange phone call.
00:08:57
Hello?
00:08:58
I said hello.
00:08:59
And this person
asked for my mother.
00:09:01
And I said, well, she's
not here right now,
00:09:03
can I take a message?
00:09:04
And this person persisted
in wanting to talk with her.
00:09:08
She passed away yesterday.
00:09:10
She said something
to the effect that,
00:09:13
well, good, I wanted her dead.
00:09:16
I don't know if it
was a prank phone
00:09:18
call, if it meant something.
00:09:19
Maybe somebody
wanted to find out
00:09:20
if she had died by
taking the cold medicine
00:09:23
with the poison in it.
00:09:25
You know, it could
be totally unrelated.
00:09:27
It could be related.
00:09:28
I don't know.
00:09:31
[music playing]
00:09:32
It's frightening, because we
do know somebody knew her very
00:09:36
well and knew her habits,
and was close enough to her
00:09:38
to know how to get in and
to use that cold medicine.
00:09:42
And we were afraid that we do
know the person pretty well.
00:09:46
We obviously
have to know them,
00:09:47
just because we were such a
big part of my mother's life
00:09:51
that we knew most people
that she did know.
00:09:53
And it's hard, just
because you don't really
00:09:56
know who to trust anymore.
00:10:02
DENNIS FARINA: The
strychnine that
00:10:03
killed Patsy was it
pure powder form,
00:10:06
the most concentrated type
of the poison available.
00:10:09
Very few outlets
sell strychnine,
00:10:12
and all sales are controlled
by the federal government.
00:10:18
Authorities hope
that someone will
00:10:20
remember a suspicious
sale around the time
00:10:23
of Patsy's death.
00:10:26
If you have any information
that can help solve this case,
00:10:29
please log onto our
website at unsolved.com.
00:10:34
[music playing]
- Give me your arm!
00:10:36
DENNIS FARINA: Next,
he doesn't look
00:10:37
like your typical kidnapper.
00:10:39
Have you got the note?
00:10:40
DENNIS FARINA: And he isn't.
00:10:42
I don't know what
you're talking about.
00:10:44
[music playing]
00:10:51
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI
calls it one of the most
00:10:53
bizarre kidnappings ever.
00:10:55
The suspect was an
overweight, middle-aged man
00:10:58
with thick glasses
and a floppy rain hat,
00:11:01
hardly the profile of
a dangerous criminal.
00:11:05
But dangerous he was.
00:11:10
Minneapolis, Minnesota,
John Grundhofer,
00:11:18
a wealthy businessman,
was on his way to work.
00:11:22
John was the Chairman and
President of First bank System.
00:11:26
In the past year, he had
saved the bank millions
00:11:29
by cutting nearly 2,000 jobs.
00:11:32
[music playing]
00:11:37
As John arrived at
work, he had no idea
00:11:40
that he was being watched.
00:11:47
John, you're going
to have to go with me.
00:11:51
Just get back in the car.
00:11:52
Oh, there must
be some mistake.
00:11:53
I have no business with you.
00:11:55
I think you do.
00:11:57
This is Carl, and you
are going with me.
00:11:59
What do you want?
00:12:00
DENNIS FARINA:
John kept his cool.
00:12:01
Just do what you're
told, and be quiet.
00:12:06
[grunting]
00:12:08
DENNIS FARINA:
The commotion drew
00:12:09
the attention of a witness.
00:12:13
And I looked over and saw
two men rolling on the ground.
00:12:15
It was at that point I thought
there was a mugging going on.
00:12:19
So I started to run
over there to help
00:12:21
whoever was being mugged.
00:12:23
And I got about halfway
there when the gentleman
00:12:25
had both gotten up
and started to act
00:12:27
like they knew each other.
00:12:29
And so I had slowed to a walk.
00:12:31
Do you need some help?
00:12:32
You better get out of here.
00:12:33
At first, it seemed
so unreal that I almost
00:12:36
laughed at the gentleman.
00:12:37
And then I realized it was
real, and I was in danger.
00:12:40
And at that point,
I was terrified
00:12:42
that I was going to be shot.
00:12:43
And I then ran to the elevator.
00:12:47
Just back up and get
us out of this garage.
00:12:51
DENNIS FARINA: The gunman
ordered John into the car.
00:12:53
It had been just
three minutes since he
00:12:56
entered the parking lot.
00:12:58
[music playing]
00:13:01
JOHN: Now where do
you want me to drive?
00:13:03
GUNMAN: Just head east.
00:13:04
Just head towards Wisconsin.
00:13:07
And give me your arm.
00:13:09
Well, what do
you want with it?
00:13:11
Give me your left
arm and shut up!
00:13:15
See, to avoid any
further difficulties,
00:13:17
I'm going to attach
this dynamite to you.
00:13:19
That way if you give
me any other problems,
00:13:21
all I've got to do
is push a button.
00:13:25
I think his intention was
to frighten Mr. Grundhofer
00:13:30
sufficiently enough that
he would be very compliant
00:13:33
and do what he was told to do.
00:13:37
DENNIS FARINA:
Someone in the garage
00:13:38
found what the FBI thinks was
the kidnapper's cheat sheet.
00:13:44
It was a list of
demands for his victim.
00:13:47
I believe that the
kidnapper is not
00:13:50
really a professional criminal.
00:13:53
It would seem to
me that, if you're
00:13:55
going to commit that
kind of a crime,
00:13:57
you could basically do it
off the top of your head,
00:14:00
if you will.
00:14:03
DENNIS FARINA:
About a half an hour
00:14:04
later, the kidnapper
entered Wisconsin
00:14:07
35 miles from Minneapolis.
00:14:12
Who takes charge
when you're not around?
00:14:15
It would probably be
some vice president.
00:14:18
Would Scott Taylor take over?
00:14:22
You know Scott Taylor?
00:14:23
Never mind.
00:14:27
DENNIS FARINA: The kidnapper
ordered John to pull
00:14:28
into a secluded rest area.
00:14:32
When they arrived
at the wayside,
00:14:34
the kidnapper handed
Mr. Grundhofer a note.
00:14:37
Mr. Grundhofer then made a
phone call to his secretary, who
00:14:40
transcribed the ransom demands.
00:14:43
I am a hostage of a
group called Parents
00:14:45
Against Drugs who claim--
00:14:48
DENNIS FARINA: The demand was
for $3 million, $100, $500,
00:14:51
and even $1,000 bills.
00:14:54
Once again, the kidnapper
showed he was an amateur.
00:14:57
$1 million in $100s,
$1 million in $500s,
00:15:01
and $1 million in $1,000s.
00:15:03
A professional criminal would
never ask for $1,000 bill.
00:15:06
You don't exactly
take a $1,000 bill
00:15:08
and go to a convenience
store, buy a cup of coffee,
00:15:11
and ask for change.
00:15:13
[music playing]
00:15:15
DENNIS FARINA: Officials
at First Bank System
00:15:17
began preparing the
$3 million ransom.
00:15:23
About the same time, the
kidnapper discovered that he
00:15:26
had lost his cheat sheet.
00:15:30
Have you got the note?
00:15:33
What note?
00:15:34
The note from
the parking garage.
00:15:37
DENNIS FARINA: The kidnapper
became really upset.
00:15:39
I used a note before.
00:15:40
I'd written a few things down.
00:15:43
Are you sure you didn't take it?
00:15:44
DENNIS FARINA: He
forced John down a hill
00:15:46
in a remote wooded area.
00:15:48
Slow up.
00:15:52
I got to rest a minute.
00:15:53
DENNIS FARINA: The kidnapper
was so out of shape,
00:15:55
he had trouble following.
00:16:00
Finally, the two men reached
the spot where a sleeping bag
00:16:03
had been left in a plastic bag.
00:16:07
The gunman moved quickly.
00:16:10
He took off the bomb.
00:16:11
He tied John's hands
with a nylon rope,
00:16:14
and forced him into the sleeping
bag, and taped his mouth shut.
00:16:22
It took John only 20
minutes to free himself.
00:16:26
And when he saw that no one
was watching, he went for help.
00:16:30
He called his office
from a nearby farmhouse.
00:16:33
The kidnapping made headlines
throughout the Midwest.
00:16:38
10 Days later, the
FBI set up a hot line
00:16:41
and published this
composite drawing.
00:16:45
The response was immediate.
00:16:48
Two different callers
identified the kidnapper
00:16:50
as a man named John Henderson.
00:16:56
Henderson was a maintenance
worker who lived 25
00:16:59
miles outside of Minneapolis.
00:17:01
Are you John Henderson?
00:17:02
DENNIS FARINA: He had never
worked at First Bank System,
00:17:04
and had no apparent
connection to John Grundhofer.
00:17:07
I was stunned when
they start questioning me
00:17:10
about a kidnapping case
that had just happened.
00:17:13
Ever get over to
Minneapolis, John?
00:17:15
They wanted to search.
00:17:17
And I told them to go ahead.
00:17:19
I had nothing to hide.
00:17:21
And they searched my car in
my garage, and the house.
00:17:30
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI
found no physical evidence
00:17:32
that connected
Henderson to the crime.
00:17:34
But they asked him to
appear in a lineup.
00:17:38
GRUNHOFER: Can I hear number
three say it again, please?
00:17:40
POLICEMAN: Three, step forward
and say the line again.
00:17:48
This is Carl, and
you are coming with me.
00:17:50
POLICEMAN: Do you
see the man who
00:17:52
kidnapped you in the lineup?
00:17:55
GRUNHOFER: It's number three.
00:17:58
Even though he identified
me, I know I didn't do it.
00:18:02
GRUNHOFER: It's number three.
00:18:04
DENNIS FARINA: Despite John's
positive identification,
00:18:06
Jeff Rasmusson, the
eyewitness in the garage,
00:18:09
did not pick Henderson
out of the lineup.
00:18:11
JEFF: What's wrong?
00:18:12
GUNMAN: This
doesn't concern you.
00:18:15
DENNIS FARINA: The FBI
continued to look for evidence.
00:18:18
Now we need to get a
sample of your handwriting.
00:18:20
So, uh, grab a piece
of paper and a pencil.
00:18:23
DENNIS FARINA: A handwriting
sample did not match the note.
00:18:27
There was a grand
jury investigation,
00:18:29
but no charges were ever filed.
00:18:32
John Henderson is
no longer considered
00:18:34
a suspect by the police.
00:18:37
So far, the FBI
hasn't found anything.
00:18:40
And they won't find anything,
because I didn't do it.
00:18:46
John.
00:18:47
DENNIS FARINA: Who was John
Grundhofer's kidnapper?
00:18:49
Have you got the note?
00:18:51
DENNIS FARINA: We
may never know.
00:18:52
What note?
00:18:53
The note from
the parking garage.
00:18:56
DENNIS FARINA: The
$3 million ransom
00:18:57
would have been the largest
in Minnesota history.
00:19:02
It was never paid.
00:19:07
Coming up, it looks like an
accident, [tires screeching]
00:19:11
but it isn't.
00:19:13
It's a deadly insurance scam.
00:19:16
[music playing]
00:19:28
Previously, we
brought you the story
00:19:30
of the tragic murder of
15-year-old Martha Moxley
00:19:34
of Greenwich, Connecticut.
00:19:36
The night before
Halloween in 1975,
00:19:39
Martha did not come home from
an evening out with friends.
00:19:45
The next day, her body
was found in the Moxley's
00:19:48
yard, hidden under a tree.
00:19:50
She had been brutally
beaten and stabbed to death.
00:19:56
Nearby, investigators
found the murder
00:19:58
weapon, a broken golf club.
00:20:01
Here are the clubs you
requested from that set.
00:20:04
It's the only set
like that we have.
00:20:06
DENNIS FARINA: The club
belonged to the Skakel family,
00:20:08
who lived across the street
from the Moxley's house.
00:20:11
Rushton Skakel is a
brother of Ethel Kennedy,
00:20:15
Robert Kennedy's widow.
00:20:18
15-year-old Michael Skakel told
police he had been with Martha
00:20:23
the night of her murder.
00:20:24
His brother, 17-year-old Thomas
Skakel, was with her too.
00:20:29
Thomas, in fact, was
the last person thought
00:20:31
to have seen Martha alive.
00:20:33
It's frustrating to
know that for 20 years
00:20:36
they've known that
they lied, and they
00:20:38
know something that's going on.
00:20:40
And I'm not saying
that they did it.
00:20:42
But they know something
that could help us.
00:20:46
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:20:48
When Michael Skakel was 18, he
was sent to a school in Maine
00:20:52
for troubled teens,
the Elan School.
00:20:55
After the showing
of Unsolved Mysteries,
00:20:59
several of the young people
who had attended Elan,
00:21:03
and were there with
Michael Skakel,
00:21:06
called to say that they
had known Michael there,
00:21:10
and that they had heard Michael
confess to killing Martha.
00:21:15
DENNIS FARINA: The tips were
turned over to the police
00:21:17
and also to former
Los Angeles detective,
00:21:20
Mark Furman, who was reading
a book about Martha's murder.
00:21:25
The tips from
Unsolved Mysteries
00:21:26
were so important,
because it gave me
00:21:28
one of the witnesses
that actually heard
00:21:30
Michael confess to the murder.
00:21:32
Very pivotal, because now you
had somebody that's stating who
00:21:36
the suspect is, no guessing.
00:21:38
It's just Michael.
00:21:41
DENNIS FARINA: For
more than 20 years,
00:21:43
Dorthy Moxley waited for a break
in her daughter's murder case.
00:21:47
An investigative
grand jury was called,
00:21:49
and found that there was enough
evidence to indict Michael.
00:21:53
And he is going to be
tried in adult court
00:21:57
for Martha's murder.
00:21:59
DENNIS FARINA: A jury
convicted Michael Skakel
00:22:01
of murdering Martha Moxley.
00:22:03
He received a sentence
of 20 years to life.
00:22:07
There are new
developments in this case.
00:22:09
Here's one of our
staff with details.
00:22:12
STAFF MEMBER: As a result
of the Skakel family appeal,
00:22:15
the verdict was overturned and
Michael Skakel will be retried.
00:22:19
After posting bail, he
was released from prison.
00:22:27
DENNIS FARINA: Los
Angeles, California.
00:22:29
It's a frightening scene.
00:22:30
Emergency workers try
to free the occupants
00:22:32
of a car, which had been
rear ended by a big rig.
00:22:38
[music playing]
00:22:40
In this case, on Interstate
5 near downtown Los Angeles,
00:22:44
the driver of the car and
the passengers are rescued.
00:22:48
A third passenger is
pronounced dead at the scene.
00:22:54
What makes this
tragedy even worse
00:22:56
is that it may not have
been an accident at all.
00:23:00
Authorities believe it was
part of a carefully planned
00:23:03
insurance scam that backfired.
00:23:09
It's called swoop and squat,
and here's how it works.
00:23:13
A typical operation
involves two or three cars.
00:23:16
They cruise the highway
together searching for a victim.
00:23:21
Trucks are a favorite target
among swoop and squat rings.
00:23:24
Because one, they
know that trucks
00:23:25
will have a lot of
insurance, and two,
00:23:28
that there'll be
a lot of damage,
00:23:30
which is compensable by
the insurance companies.
00:23:33
DENNIS FARINA: The action
happens very quickly.
00:23:37
First, the squat car, usually
filled with passengers,
00:23:40
gets directly in front
of the targeted truck.
00:23:46
Then a second car pulls
alongside the truck
00:23:49
boxing it in.
00:23:50
The driver of the
squat car may try
00:23:53
to distract the truck driver.
00:23:57
[horns honking]
00:23:59
Finally, the swoop car
appears and makes its move,
00:24:02
forcing the other drivers
to jam on their brakes.
00:24:06
[tires screeching]
00:24:13
Immediately afterwards, the
people who are in the squat car
00:24:16
will then claim injury.
00:24:18
Injuries are almost always
soft tissue injuries,
00:24:20
because they're so
difficult to disprove.
00:24:23
They'll exchange
insurance information.
00:24:25
And then a couple days later,
the attorney makes the claim.
00:24:29
We've had one situation
where two attorneys made over
00:24:31
$9 million from a two
year period of time
00:24:34
from simply buying
stage accidents.
00:24:38
DENNIS FARINA: The ringleaders
of the swoop and squat
00:24:40
are often attorneys far removed
from the accident scene.
00:24:44
Each accident can bring in up
to $20,000 in false claims.
00:24:49
A large part of it
goes to the attorney.
00:24:55
Those who risk the most than
the con are paid the least.
00:24:59
The people who are in this
swoop and squat accidents
00:25:02
as passengers or drivers may be
paid as little as $250 to $300
00:25:07
to risk their lives
in that accident.
00:25:10
DENNIS FARINA:
Usually a middle man,
00:25:12
called a capper, looks for
people who are willing to do
00:25:14
almost anything for money.
00:25:17
[non-english speech]
00:25:20
Cappers may get
approximately $1,500.
00:25:23
All the money is made by the
professionals, who are corrupt,
00:25:27
the attorneys who are
financing these staged accident
00:25:30
activities.
00:25:32
DENNIS FARINA: The
crash on Interstate 5
00:25:34
had all the signs of a
classic swoop and squat.
00:25:37
But in this case, informants
were willing to talk.
00:25:41
They led police to a man
who organized the operation.
00:25:45
Filemon Santiago.
00:25:47
Santiago was a Mexican
national who lived
00:25:50
in West Hollywood, California.
00:25:52
A search of his
apartment turned up
00:25:54
documents connecting
him to Beverly
00:25:56
Hills attorney, Gary Miller.
00:26:00
Investigators
obtained search warrants
00:26:02
for the office of Gary Miller.
00:26:04
Evidence was seized.
00:26:05
And ultimately, the grand
jury in Los Angeles County
00:26:09
indicted Gary
Miller and 29 others
00:26:12
for numerous charges of
insurance fraud and murder.
00:26:17
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:26:19
Gary Miller was tried
and sentenced to six
00:26:21
years for fraud and conspiracy.
00:26:25
He received a concurrent
sentence for manslaughter.
00:26:29
Filemon Santiago was
arrested in Houston, Texas.
00:26:33
He was convicted of
vehicular manslaughter
00:26:36
with gross negligence.
00:26:42
Next, a wife searches
for her missing husband.
00:26:45
She's convinced he
doesn't remember who he is
00:26:49
or where he is.
00:26:52
[music playing]
00:27:00
Clintonville, Wisconsin.
00:27:03
[music playing]
00:27:05
Christine Reinhard's
husband, Craig, is missing.
00:27:08
Her search becomes an
all-consuming quest.
00:27:11
Hi.
00:27:12
My name is Christine,
and I'm out here
00:27:15
searching for my
husband, who's been
00:27:16
missing for quite some time.
00:27:19
My name is Craig Williamson.
00:27:20
DENNIS FARINA:
Christine's search
00:27:21
began in Colorado Springs,
Colorado at the motel
00:27:25
where her husband was last seen.
00:27:28
OK, Ms. Reinhard.
00:27:29
This is where your husband
stayed in room 112.
00:27:33
Over there on the
chair was his luggage.
00:27:36
It was unpacked and open.
00:27:37
The bed was made.
00:27:38
It looked like it
was not slept in.
00:27:41
It looked like someone
just left and walked out.
00:27:47
It is now my pleasure,
as an ordained minister,
00:27:50
by the power vested in me
by the state of Nevada--
00:27:53
DENNIS FARINA:
Craig was almost 46,
00:27:54
and Christine 41, when
they married at Lake Tahoe.
00:27:59
And Craig, you
may kiss your wife.
00:28:01
DENNIS FARINA: They had known
each other for only a month,
00:28:03
but it was definitely love.
00:28:05
Christine still speaks of their
marriage in the present tense.
00:28:09
I think the thing about
Craig that is most endearing
00:28:13
is his caring and nurturing
attitude toward me.
00:28:17
He's just wonderfully
supportive and very loving.
00:28:24
DENNIS FARINA:
Craig and Christine
00:28:25
bought a farm in Wisconsin
and began to raise
00:28:27
exotic fish called tilapia.
00:28:31
CHRISTINE: Do you have
them on oxygen today, dear?
00:28:33
Yup.
00:28:34
CHRISTINE: Any reason?
00:28:35
[inaudible].
00:28:38
DENNIS FARINA: Craig
rigged an old school
00:28:39
bus to transport the fish
that he was planning to sell.
00:28:43
He loaded up and set
off for Colorado.
00:28:46
Christine was concerned because
Craig had suffered a concussion
00:28:50
just four weeks earlier.
00:28:52
If I tried to rub his head,
he said, honey, don't do that.
00:28:56
It hurts.
00:28:57
And so I know he
was still suffering
00:28:58
from it because he
would still-- I'd say,
00:29:01
do you have a headache?
00:29:02
And he'd say, yes, you know.
00:29:04
But he wouldn't admit it.
00:29:05
But I'd catch him taking
aspirin all the time.
00:29:10
DENNIS FARINA: In
Colorado Springs,
00:29:11
Craig rented a car
to use for business.
00:29:14
At 9:00 PM, the night before
he was to return home,
00:29:18
he and Christine spoke
for the last time.
00:29:24
Craig was 1,000 miles away from
Wisconsin when he disappeared
00:29:27
in Colorado Springs.
00:29:30
The next day, his
credit cards were
00:29:32
discovered in El Paso, Texas.
00:29:35
Craig's rental car was
found in Juarez, Mexico
00:29:38
just across the border.
00:29:41
There were no
signs of foul play.
00:29:47
Detective Robert
Johnson headed up
00:29:48
the investigation in Colorado.
00:29:51
This is the area
where we found
00:29:53
the bus still parked when we
come out the day of the search.
00:29:56
And what I wanted to show
you is some of the things
00:29:58
that we found, that
the bus were still part
00:30:00
kind of along this line here.
00:30:02
I truly believe that Craig
walked up to his rental car,
00:30:07
and that someone came up behind
him, and hit him on the head.
00:30:11
And this is completely
in keeping in character
00:30:16
with Craig, is that he'd get
up and wouldn't go in and say,
00:30:20
I'm hurt.
00:30:21
Help me.
00:30:22
He'd think, I have to
get on with things.
00:30:25
I have to be doing something.
00:30:27
I'm supposed to go somewhere.
00:30:29
I have to get back.
00:30:30
And he would wander toward the
bright lights of the parking
00:30:35
lot and then the interchange.
00:30:37
And he wandered off from there.
00:30:39
REPORTER: Over the past week,
Williamson's wife, Christine--
00:30:41
DENNIS FARINA:
Television stations
00:30:43
in Wisconsin and Colorado
covered Christine's story.
00:30:47
When I saw him on
TV, I recognized him.
00:30:51
And I said, that man was
on the train that I was on.
00:30:56
DENNIS FARINA: Two weeks
after Craig disappeared,
00:30:58
Judy Inman was
traveling from Montana
00:31:01
through Washington state.
00:31:02
She said she saw Craig
looking dazed and disheveled.
00:31:10
When he first got on the
train, these two drunks,
00:31:12
they just kept harassing him.
00:31:13
[inaudible].
00:31:16
He kept talking about this
fish that he had to go pick up.
00:31:21
He was talking about
this big building
00:31:23
that had these big, huge tanks
in it where they kept the fish.
00:31:27
DRUNKS: And they swam off.
00:31:28
[laughing]
00:31:29
That man definitely had
something wrong with him.
00:31:32
And I knew that he definitely
had some type of a head injury,
00:31:36
because I've taken care
of patients like that.
00:31:40
CRAIG: I got to get
back to the fish.
00:31:44
I knew that that was Craig.
00:31:47
I knew it!
00:31:48
And I packed up everything
that I would need, packed up
00:31:52
a suitcase for Craig in the
outside chance I would find
00:31:56
him, and went to look for him.
00:32:01
DENNIS FARINA:
Christine followed
00:32:02
Judy Inman's train route
from Whitefish, Montana
00:32:05
to Portland, Oregon.
00:32:07
She photographed every
train station along the way.
00:32:12
JUDY: That's not it.
00:32:13
DENNIS FARINA:
Christine then met Judy
00:32:15
and showed her all the photos.
00:32:16
CHRISTINE: There's really
nothing much around there.
00:32:18
It's pretty empty.
00:32:19
Then there's this one.
JUDY: That's it there.
00:32:20
CHRISTINE: You think
this is the one?
00:32:21
This is the one
where he got off.
00:32:23
DENNIS FARINA: The station
was Wishram, Washington.
00:32:26
Christine believes
Craig might have
00:32:28
mistaken Wishram for Washougal,
a town where he had once lived.
00:32:34
Craig's son plastered the
area with this poster,
00:32:38
but no new clues surfaced.
00:32:44
I will never give up.
00:32:46
I will just constantly
look for him.
00:32:50
I know he's alive.
00:32:52
And I know someday
I'll find him.
00:32:54
The trouble is, I
don't know when.
00:32:58
DENNIS FARINA: Update.
00:32:59
After seeing himself
on our broadcast,
00:33:01
Craig called Christine
from Key West Florida.
00:33:05
He was now going
by the name of Ron.
00:33:08
He said that he had lost
his memory when he was
00:33:10
beaten and robbed by two men.
00:33:13
And the phone rang.
00:33:14
And he said, hello, Christine.
00:33:16
This is Craig.
00:33:17
And it didn't really
sound like him.
00:33:20
He sounded like a
shell of himself.
00:33:23
From what phrases he used,
and things like that,
00:33:25
I knew it was Craig.
00:33:27
But his voice was
really, oh, very weak.
00:33:31
And I was just shaking.
00:33:33
I was in total shock.
00:33:36
DENNIS FARINA: Craig said
that all he could remember
00:33:39
was that he had been attacked
by an unknown assailant
00:33:41
in Colorado Springs.
00:33:44
What followed were two
years of painful headaches,
00:33:47
blackouts, and amnesia.
00:33:50
When I saw this whole
thing on Unsolved Mysteries,
00:33:52
I realized that I
was Craig Williamson.
00:33:55
But I didn't know who
Craig Williamson was.
00:33:57
I didn't have a clue who he was.
00:33:59
I knew that he had
a family someplace.
00:34:01
Um, I knew that he was married.
00:34:05
I didn't know that
he had a fish farm.
00:34:06
I didn't know a lot.
00:34:10
DENNIS FARINA: He and Christine
met in Colorado Springs
00:34:13
hoping that it might
help jog his memory.
00:34:16
Does that look at
all familiar to you?
00:34:17
It doesn't.
00:34:18
It doesn't.
00:34:19
It looks familiar from the
Unsolved Mysteries segment,
00:34:22
but it doesn't--
there's nothing here.
00:34:24
I feel nothing, no attachment
it, so no, it doesn't.
00:34:28
DENNIS FARINA: In the end,
Craig remembered nothing.
00:34:31
And the reunion Christine
had long dreamed of ended
00:34:35
in a bittersweet parting.
00:34:38
We've decided it's best for
us to go our separate ways
00:34:41
and still be friends.
00:34:42
And we still love each other.
00:34:44
But were not the same
people that married.
00:34:46
You take good care
of yourself, OK?
00:34:48
I will too.
00:34:50
Take care of yourself too.
00:34:52
Everything I've done has
been worth it, the search,
00:34:55
all the effort that I've put in
trying to find Craig was worth
00:34:57
it.
00:34:58
I would do it all over again.
00:34:59
And I can't imagine
doing it any other way.
00:35:03
[music playing]
00:35:08
DENNIS FARINA: Next,
a man considered brain
00:35:10
dead makes a complete recovery.
00:35:13
Was it medical science,
or divine intervention?
00:35:18
[music playing]
00:35:25
The power of prayer.
00:35:27
For centuries,
people have believed
00:35:28
that, through
spiritual devotion,
00:35:31
anything is possible,
even miracles.
00:35:34
[phones ringing]
00:35:35
Could they be right?
00:35:38
Sacketts Harbor.
00:35:42
It was summertime.
00:35:43
Linda Gordon, a
divorced mother of four,
00:35:45
was longing to meet
a man she could love,
00:35:48
a man she could marry.
00:35:51
I was sitting
outside my front porch,
00:35:53
and I was reading my Bible.
00:35:55
And I glanced up and
I saw a man jogging.
00:36:00
I had written in
my prayer journal
00:36:02
that I felt I was
ready for a husband,
00:36:04
and that if God
wanted me to have
00:36:06
one to send him to my door.
00:36:08
And then I called all my
friends and family and said,
00:36:10
I'm praying for a husband.
00:36:11
And they laughed and
said that the only guy
00:36:13
I was going to marry
that came to my door
00:36:15
would be the pizza guy.
00:36:17
DENNIS FARINA: This guy was
not delivering anything.
00:36:20
He was searching for
love, just like Linda.
00:36:23
Come forward and
introduce myself.
00:36:24
I'm-- I'm David Shoeblack.
00:36:26
I'm Linda.
00:36:28
Nice to meet you.
00:36:29
Yeah, nice to meet you.
00:36:30
DENNIS FARINA:
David Shoeblack was
00:36:31
a major in the army on temporary
assignment at nearby Fort Drum.
00:36:35
I've seen you
sitting here before.
00:36:37
I just felt a warm glow, and
then goosebumps on top of that.
00:36:41
And a voice spoke to
my heart, and said,
00:36:44
this is the man you've
been praying for.
00:36:47
DENNIS FARINA: It was
a match made in heaven.
00:36:50
David and Linda were married
just hours before David
00:36:53
was shipped out to Louisiana.
00:36:57
After that, Linda would
join him in Arizona.
00:37:02
Early one morning, David
set off for his usual run.
00:37:07
When the sidewalk
ended, David ran
00:37:09
along the shoulder of the road.
00:37:11
He was headed east directly
into a blinding sun.
00:37:15
[music playing]
00:37:18
[tires screeching]
00:37:20
[crash]
00:37:24
David was hit full force by a
car traveling 52 miles an hour.
00:37:31
He was thrown 60
feet through the air,
00:37:33
and landed head first
on the pavement.
00:37:39
Traffic accident!
00:37:41
DENNIS FARINA: Within hours,
he was airlifted to Tucson.
00:37:44
David had several
massive skull fractures.
00:37:47
Both of his legs and his
left arm were broken.
00:37:50
Mr. Shoeblack's intracranial
pressures continue to increase.
00:37:54
Shortly after his admission
to the intensive care unit,
00:37:57
the normal functions
of his brain just
00:37:58
obviously were stopping.
00:38:01
Major Shoeblack's
intracranial pressure
00:38:04
was really three to four
times what we normally
00:38:07
would consider survivable
intracranial pressure
00:38:09
in an individual.
00:38:12
DENNIS FARINA: That
pressure was causing David's
00:38:13
brain to swell uncontrollably.
00:38:17
Dr. Smith told Linda there was
little hope for his recovery.
00:38:22
I felt like I was being
sucked down a drain.
00:38:25
And I wasn't going to
allow that to happen.
00:38:27
And I wasn't going to lose hope.
00:38:28
And I wasn't going to
accept the negativity
00:38:31
that the doctor was
saying, even though it
00:38:33
was true medical science.
00:38:37
Mrs. Shoeblack, David
is clinically brain dead.
00:38:44
I have to get
spiritually radical,
00:38:46
because things were
getting very intense.
00:38:50
I know these are
difficult decisions.
00:38:52
I knew in my heart
that David wasn't dead.
00:38:55
DENNIS FARINA: Linda turned
to the Bible for inspiration.
00:38:59
She was immediately drawn
to the story of Lazarus.
00:39:02
According to the Bible, Jesus
brought Lazarus back to life
00:39:06
after he had been
dead four days.
00:39:09
Linda prayed that God would
do the same for David.
00:39:12
And Jesus said, he who
believeth in me though he
00:39:15
were dead shall still live.
00:39:18
And whoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die.
00:39:22
I did all I knew how
to do spiritually.
00:39:25
Medical science
couldn't save David.
00:39:27
They said he was dead.
00:39:29
Money couldn't save David.
00:39:31
Only God could save David.
00:39:35
[music playing]
00:39:36
We had a meeting with the
family last night regarding
00:39:38
the options they face.
00:39:38
DENNIS FARINA: A
few hours later,
00:39:40
Dr. Smith went in to check
on David's vital signs.
00:39:44
I was amazed when
I examined him,
00:39:45
that instead of maybe one
or two primitive reflexes,
00:39:48
he actually opened his eyes
and started to look around.
00:39:51
[machines beeping]
00:39:55
David, David, can you hear me?
00:39:58
It was not something
that we expected to see.
00:40:00
[inaudible] gave me
chills up and down
00:40:02
my spine when I saw this.
00:40:04
DENNIS FARINA: When Linda
returned to the hospital,
00:40:06
David's father was
waiting with amazing news.
00:40:09
Linda, now don't
get your hopes up,
00:40:12
but there was a flicker of
response when the doctors
00:40:15
checked David this morning.
00:40:16
That wasn't a flicker.
00:40:18
That was the flame of God.
00:40:19
Linda, we'd like
you talk to David.
00:40:21
We need to see if he'll
respond to commands.
00:40:23
DENNIS FARINA:
Linda was convinced
00:40:25
that David's vital signs were
the miracle she had prayed for.
00:40:29
[music playing]
00:40:31
Sweetheart, it's me.
00:40:33
Can you move your
left hand, David?
00:40:36
[machines beeping]
00:40:38
[music playing]
00:40:39
Good.
00:40:40
[linda gasping]
00:40:42
I knew that David
wasn't going to die.
00:40:45
Because when I met David, God
spoke to my heart and said,
00:40:48
this is the man I'm giving you.
00:40:50
And you will have a long
life together serving me.
00:40:53
So I knew that he
wasn't going to die.
00:40:57
To me, it was just a
waking up from a sleep.
00:41:01
That's all it was.
00:41:03
It was just coming back into
contact, literally, with life.
00:41:07
But I remember nothing else.
00:41:09
It was just like I
woke up from a nap.
00:41:13
DENNIS FARINA: Just months
after he was given up for dead,
00:41:16
David Shoeblack was
discharged from the hospital.
00:41:20
He has since made a
complete recovery.
00:41:26
I think he was jogging.
00:41:26
They said he was
hit from behind.
00:41:28
DENNIS FARINA: Was Dave
Shoeblack's remarkable return
00:41:30
from near death just luck?
00:41:32
LINDA: Though he were
dead, he shall still live
00:41:34
DENNIS FARINA: Or was
it divine intervention
00:41:37
and the power of prayer?
00:41:40
DAVID: I'm truly amazed every
day at what happened to me.
00:41:44
DOCTOR: David, can you hear me?
00:41:46
There's no way that a
person cannot be amazed.
00:41:49
Linda proves what moving
a mountain calls for.
00:41:52
[chuckles]
00:41:53
Determination and faith
will do all things.
00:41:57
[music playing]
00:41:59
I have never seen someone
survive the pressure this high.
00:42:04
The fact that he returned to
normal function after that
00:42:06
is remarkable.
00:42:08
Is it a miracle?
00:42:09
It very may well have been.
00:42:10
[music playing]
