A mystery unravels after a lone man is found lost at sea | Forensic Files

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listeners the northwest providence channel is a body of water that sits between the two banks that make up most
of the Bahama archipelago to the west of the channel is the Gulf Stream an ocean current that
flows through the Straits of Florida and up along the east coast of the United States on Monday November 13 1961 a
21,000 ton oil tanker called the gulf lion entered the northwest providence Channel after departing the Florida city
of Fort Lauderdale headed for San Juan Puerto Rico at noon that day one of the crew
members assumed the role of the tanker's lookout at the stern about 30 minutes into his 4-Hour shift
he noticed something bobbing in the choppy water about 4 miles away it was a white wooden dinghy with
its sails furled inside the small boat was a lone man [Music] 40-year-old doctor Arthur dupal had long
wanted to take his family on a special vacation a successful contact lens optometrist who resided in Green Bay
Wisconsin Arthur had previously served in the US Navy on his way to serve in my Mar
during World War II he had sailed across the Pacific Ocean and developed a deep love of the Sea and the
Tropics the climate was Far warmer than in his home state of Wisconsin and the expansive Pacific was far greater than
any body of water he'd seen before after completing his military service Arthur met a woman 2 years his
Junior named Jean brush the two had a whirlwind romance and Mar married shortly after
meeting the couple soon had three children a son named Brian and two daughters Terry Joe and
Renee over the following years Arthur often dreamt of showing his family the Tropic Waters that he'd loved so
much by late 1961 that dream finally became a reality Arthur and Jean had saved their
money and planned to escape Wisconsin's cold winter for a sailing Adventure it would start with a weekl
long cruise in the Bahamas and if that went well the family would take a yearlong sabatical
together in early November 1961 the dupal family Road tripped down to Florida and began looking for the right
boat to Charter at the city's bahamar Marina Arthur dupal inspected a number of boats docked at the marina before
discovering the blue a two mastered sailboat known as a catch that had originally been built as a
racing yacht it was 60 ft long and 15 ft across at its widest point it also had a wooden
dingy and black rubber life raft inside the boat's main cabin was 13 ft long with three port holes on either
side and a skylight the cabin contained a dining area with comfortable seating a small
bathroom and a kitchenette in front of the cabin was a main bedroom with a queen-sized
bed another small sleeping area sat at the cabin's rear these would be the family's
quarters finally there was a forward cabin tucked in front of the main bedroom designed to house the boat's
crew Blue Bell was the perfect size for the duper old family Arthur found out it was owned by
a man named Harold Peg and skippered by a 44-year-old former Air Force pilot called Julian
Harvey Harold agreed to allow the duper alts to chart a blue bell for $100 per day while the duper alts would help out
here and there with some minor running and steering of the sailboat Captain Julian Harvey would take the helm as
their Skipper Captain Harvey had recently married just 3 months earlier and his wife Mary who was 34 would be the
family's cook by the afternoon of Wednesday November 8th the group was ready to set
sail over the next few days the duper alts and their crew spent their time cruising across the sea they observed
Pelicans soaring through the sky watched porpuses swim alongside their boat and even spotted a giant sea turtle floating
nearby the children got a thrill when they saw a shark fin surface at one point the family also visited a number
of the Bahamas Islands most of which were tiny and uninhabited all strong swimmers the
family went snorkeling and spear fishing sometimes Arthur went out in the dinghy with 14-year-old Brian and
11-year-old Terry Joe and they would explore the coral reefs meanwhile Jean duper stayed on the
beach with their youngest child 7-year-old Renee collecting shells and digging in the
sand Brian had brought a 22 caliber rifle along with the intention of possibly hunting sharks but didn't end
up using it meanwhile Captain Harvey focused on the running of the ship picking up
supplies and assisting in filing paperwork that allowed the family to move freely through the
Bahamas he wife Mary didn't find the voyage as carefree as the duper alts did in a letter she sent home to her
mother she complained about never having a moment to herself writing I think I'll
devise some kind of disappearing act why oh why can't people leave me alone but aside from this minor
complaints Mary seemed up a beat telling her mother that duper alts were lovely people and their children were well
behaved a few days into the trip Captain Harvey anchored the Blue Bell in the harbor of Sandy Point a small fishing
town in the great [ __ ] Bahamas over the course of a weekend the duper Al explored the village and
chatted to locals with Arthur dupal telling the village commissioner this has been a once in a
lifetime vacation we are going to come back and use Sandy Point as a winter Resort
on Sunday November 12th Captain Harvey and his wife Mary headed to the commissioner's office to file the
family's leaving papers as they would be beginning their Journey back to Florida
that night it was a 200 mile Journey which Captain Harvey and Arthur dupal planned
to cover in two days by sailing almost constantly they chattered into joked with the commissioner and his wife Mary
told them that the duper alts had already decided to Charter the Blue Bell again before Christmas so they would all
be back very soon at 12:35 p.m. the following day of Monday November 13 a crew member on
board the oil tanker golf lion spotted a small white dinghy bobbing in the choppy
Waters of the northwest providence channel the figure of a man was visible inside the
dinghy as the that dingy was behind the tanker they had to turn around to head towards
it as the golf lion Drew closer its crew members saw the man stand and start to wave his arms as though trying to get
their attention he appeared to have something in his arms like a tarpulin or life
jacket that he used to gesture with they could also make out a black rubber life raft tied alongside the
dinghy with something inside though they couldn't see what the object was finally after about 30 minutes the
tanker reached the dinghy the man inside looked to be in his 40s and was tall with bare feet and
some bleached hair stammering slightly he called out my name is Julian Harvey I am Master of
the blue bow I have a dead baby on this dinghy it wasn't until the gulf lion had
reached the dinghy that its crew members could finally see the object inside at the life
raft it was the body of 7-year-old Renee dupal the side of the little girl's body
left the golf Lion's crew members feeling sick Renee appeared stiff and blue and was clearly
deceased they lowered a basket to retrieve her body after an a was safely aboard the oil
tanker Captain Harvey clambered up a rope ladder to the gulf Lion's deck where crew members gathered around
him they provided him with food and treated him for mild shock Harvey appeared dazed as he was
approached by the golf Lion's Captain who asked him what had happened Harvey explained that just
before midnight the previous night the Blue Bell had been sailing smoothly when it was suddenly caught up in a sharp
gust of wind known as a Squall this resulted in the catcher's main Mast snapping
into a 50ft portion of the Mast plunged down driving a huge hole into the blue Bell's deck and
hole as the main Mast fell it pulled the other Mast down too which fell into the
cockpit over the engine room most of the blue Bell's passengers were ga in the cockpit at the time and
were now trapped by the masts cables and rigging Captain Harvey ran below deck to
fetch some cable Cutters he could use to free the other passengers from the debris when he returned with them he saw
a fire raging the second M's fall had ruptured fuel lines in the engine room resulting
in enormous Flames the fire enveloped the cockpit and spread across the the deck which had
recently been painted with highly flammable neoprene simultaneously the catch had
started to sink Harvey returned below deck once again to grab a fire extinguisher then
tried to D the Flames but they were too strong cut off from the other passengers
by The Blaze Harvey decided to launch the dingy and attempt to reach them by water
instead he us used the cable Cutters to cut through a guard rail and release a life raft then pushed the 10t long
dinghy into the water as he paddled towards the Blue Bell Stern the catch began to sink
faster slipping below the Rough Waters Captain Harvey navigated through the dark sea as best as he could calling
out to his wife Mary and the dupal family but no one called back to him the only passenger he was able to find
was 7-year-old Renee dubal who floated by him wearing a life preserver when he pulled her into the
life raft she was already dead the gulf Lions Captain radioed the US Coast Guard to alert them of the
tragedy and an air and SE search was launched to look for any possible survivors two rescue planes and two
Coast Guard Cutters were dispatched and messages were sent to ships in the area yet no survivors were
found meanwhile the gulf lion detour to nasur the largest city in the Bahamas situated about 60 Mi south of their
current location to drop off Harvey miraculously the blue Bell's Captain was uninjured and unharmed but
he had still suffered a severe trauma the golf Lion's crew rallied together to raise $180 to give to Harvey
he used the collection to fly home to the United States boarding a flight to Miami on Tuesday November
14 upon Landing in Miami Captain Harvey phoned the Coast Guard to check in with them they asked Harvey to attend an
informal hearing in 2 days time so he could describe the events surrounding the Blue Bell sinking in more
detail Harvey readily agreed and presented at the Coast Guard's Miami headquarters at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday
November 16 also in attendance was Harold Peg the owner of the Bluebell Peg's attorney and
investigating officer Lieutenant Ernest Murdoch before the hearing got underway Harvey asked Lieutenant Murdoch whether
there was any update in the search for the blue Bell's passengers he was informed that not only
had the two search planes and two Coast guard Cutters failed to find any who'd been on board the Blue Bell but they
hadn't even recovered any debris from the catch Captain Harvey began recounting what happened by explaining that the
Blue Bell had departed Sandy Point shortly after dark on the evening of Sunday November
12th the weather had been Pleasant and calm prompting all of the passengers to stay up in the
cockpit the adults chattered while the dupal children napped Captain Harvey was steering the boat
however there were a few small rain squalls in the area and the Blue Bell suddenly encountered one of these
shortly before midnight Harvey explained how this had broken the masts and severely damaged
the boat some suffered injuries caused by the Mast falling Harvey's wife Mary and
Arthur dupal both had their legs cut by splinters of wood the accident caused 11 y- old Terry
Joe duper to start screaming and Harvey had tried to calm her down he stammered as he spoke and his
jaw trembled it was clear he was struggling at times to find the right words to describe the
tragedy sometimes he shifted in his seat and ran his hands through his hair everyone present could see how much
stress he was under Harvey continued on describing the fire and how the catch started to
sink Harvey said that as he decided to launch the dingy the passengers cut off from him by the fire saw what he was
doing and chose to jump overboard into the water all three duper Al children had
been wearing life preservers at the time there were also life Rings nearby that the adults had access
to they seemingly hoped to survive by escaping the flames and Landing safely where Harvey could reach
them as Harvey steered the dinging into the sea he could hear the others yelling
out faintly but by the time he reached the stern they had elpt from none were visible in the
water the Pitch Black Knight made Harvey's Rescue Mission even harder as he struggled to see his surroundings
with rain wind and waves pting his face Harvey shouted to the others until his voice was horse no replies
came the Blue Bell sank quietly into the sea extinguishing the Flames when Harvey finally came across
the body of Renee dupal he tried to resuscitate her but she was already deceased Harvey tied her to the Life
Draft so her remains would be safe the strenuous actions of launching the dingy by himself rowing at solo and
searching for survivors had left him exhausted as the sun rose the next morning he ate
the emergency rations in the dinghy the sun helped warm up the freezing Captain Harvey though waves
continued to drench him repeatedly by early afternoon he spotted the golf lion oil tanker and was able to
signal for rescue Lieutenant Murdoch asked Captain Harvey why he hadn't tried to use the
blue Bel radio to call for help Harvey said he knew it wouldn't work as the main Mast had taken out the
antenna when it fell despite having flares in the emergency kit in the dingy it hadn't
even occurred to him to use them plus he explained they were buried deep in the kit making them hard to
reach finally Lieutenant Murdoch concluded his questioning of Captain Julian Harvey and turned his attention
to the Blue Bell Zone Harold Peg Lieutenant Murdoch told Harvey he could stay to listen to his employer's
testimony and would be allowed to ask questions if he disagreed with anything Harold Peg
said a few moments later the door to the hearing room burst open Coast Guard Captain Robert Barber
who was handling the investigation alongside Lieutenant Murdoch rushed in he had urgent
news another Survivor had been [Music] found on the morning of Thursday November 16 Second Officer Nicolas spad
darkus stared out at the water as his ship passed through the northwest providence
channel the captain Theo was a Greek freighter that was on its way to Houston Texas and Nicolas was acting as
Watcher standing high up on the bridge he spotted a few other ships in the distance the Sun was shining brightly
making Nicola's job easier thousands of White Caps dotted the surface of the water but while most
ebbed and flowed with the waves one did not the tiny white object caught Nicola's eye he stared at the object
squinting to get a better look Nicolas suspected it was a piece of debris and then he spotted the outline
of a person inside initially Nicolas wondered if he was seeing a fisherman on a dinghy before
realizing they were out way too far for that Nicolas called over the ship's Captain by now the object was about a
mile away from the starboard bow of the freighter the ship slowly Drew closer and as it did so Nicolas and the captain
realized that they were looking at a tiny rectangular-shaped life raft it was 2 and 1/2 ft by 5 ft and made of
canvas covered cork with rope webbing in the middle the person inside was a female
child she was sitting up but reclining slightly in a stiff uncomfortable pose her legs hanging over the life raft into
the water her hair was bleached Blonde by the Sun and she wore a white blouse and
pink petal pushes the girl waved weakly at the ship's crew who were staring at her in
shock the captain ordered his crew to stop the engines because the ship's lifeboats
were large he worried that lowering one down to the girl would knock her off the
raft and into the water so a makeshift raft was created from empty oil drums the captain suddenly noticed
something alarming the fins of several sharks were circling the girl's raft and she was
still sitting with her legs dangling in the water he called for his crew to hurry up
and the oil drums were lowered over the side a crew member followed and picked up the little
girl as soon as she was in his arms she fell limp before being hoisted up to the
ship's deck it was clear she had been alone at sea for some time her face was gaunt and
sunburnt her lips were was swollen and her eyes dazed and unfocused she was severely dehydrated
and obviously in shock crew members carried the girl to a spare cabin and placed her on a bunk
before bringing her water orange juice and damp tails the captain asked the girl her
name explaining he would alert the Coast Guard so they could notify her family wordlessly the girl shook her
head and pointed down with her thumb the captain interpreted this as the girl saying her family had been lost
in the same accident as her he tried to reassure her stating you can't be sure they are lost maybe some
other ship saved them the girl shook her head again and pointed at the water then she said in a horar voice
bluebo before telling the captain her name Terry Joe dupal the captain notified the Coast
Guard of 11-year-old Terry Joe's rescue a helicopter was sent to collect the girl and as she was lifted into a
basket she weakly waved goodbye to the captain Theo's crew Terry Joe was transferred to a
hospital in Miami where she was treated for shock and exposure exhausted from her 84h hour
long or deal Terry Joe slept for Days by Sunday November 19 after several days treatment and rest she began to
appear well again her room was kept under close guard and her aunt and uncle flew from
Green Bay Wisconsin to be with her on Monday November 20 Terry Joe shared her story with the Coast Guard
from her hospital bed everything had been going well on her family vacation up until the night
of Sunday November 12th that evening Mary Harvey made everyone chicken catch a Tori and salad
which they ate together at around 9:00 p.m. Terry Joe had gone down to the small cabin she shared with her little
sister Renee and went to sleep everyone else had stayed up Terry Joe slept deeply until she was
suddenly woken by the sound of her brother Brian screaming help help Daddy help at the same time Terry Joe heard
the sound of footsteps running and stomping then all fell silent except for a few Creeks that were normal for the
boat at night Terry Joe lay still in bed shaking and terrified she waited between 5 and 10
minutes then got up and slowly crept out to the main cabin lying on the floor of the main
cabin were the bodies of her mother and brother both in a pool of blood Terry Joe knew they were
dead in shock she somehow kept moving and walked up the stairs towards the deck she could see more puddles of Blood
on the starboard side of the cockpit as well as what looked like a knife all of a sudden Captain Julian
Harvey appeared and ran towards her Terry Joe Ed to ask what's happening when Harvey grabbed her and roughly
shoved her back down the stairs saying get back down there scared and her heart racing Terry
Joe did as she was told returning to her bunk and huddling in a corner soon she heard the sloshing sound
of water followed a few minutes later by water that wed of oil starting to flood
her cabin then Captain Harvey re appeared in the doorway she couldn't see his face due to
the Shadows of the dark room he was holding something in his hands which might have been her
brother's rifle but Terry Joe struggled to see Harvey stood staring at her for a
long time Terry Joe sat Frozen with fear finally Harvey turned around and left some pounding noises followed and
water continued to seep into the cabin reaching Terry Joe's mattress Terry Joe knew she had to get
out the water was up to her waist as she stood and made her way back up the stairs
again when she reached the cockpit she saw that the boat's dingy and black rubber life raft had been launched over
the side is the ship sinking she cried out yes Harvey answered he was standing behind her near the
front of the boat then he handed her the line to the dinghy and told her to hold it Terry Joe
took the line and Harvey continued rushing forwards to get something as he did so the line slipped
from Terry Joe's fingers when he returned mere seconds later he shouted the ding's
gone he then leapt overboard towards the dinghy with which was floating away from
the blue bow left all alone Terry Joe somehow remembered the white cork Life float
which was kept attached to the top of the main cabin she retrieved the float by untying
the knot that held it in place as the deck beneath her feet slid underwater then Terry Joe pushed the
Life float in front of her while half swimming and half crawling across the main sail launching the float in the
water [Music] water the float was so small that Terry Joe couldn't lie down on it she tried to
stay hunched down low aware that Captain Harvey was out there somewhere in the dark she had no food water or warm
clothing and nothing that would allow her to signal for help Terry Joe drifted through the water
all night cold and unable to see the the wind was haing and waves periodically washed over
her when the sun rose the following morning it helped warm her up but it soon burnt her skin and made her
dehydration worse the cork float she sat on wasn't intended to be kept in the water for
long periods of time and its material beneath her began to disintegrate this led to parrot fish
biting Terry Joe's exposed legs and feet Monday November 13th slowly passed with
no help arriving Terry Joe saw a ship in the distance but it was too far away to see
her the following day was cloudy and cooler a few airplanes flew by including a small red one that was quite close to
her it was one of two Rescue Planes searching for the blue Bell's passengers the red plane flew in a grid
pad above Terry Joe and circled her she waved at it frantically but again went unnoticed at one point that afternoon a
pot of pilot whales surfaced about 30 yards from Terry Joe's float and swam alongside her for a time she found
comfort in their presence her sleep that night was plagued by strange hallucinations and
dreams at one point she saw her father sitting and drinking a glass of red wine he called out to her come on Terry Joe
we're leaving now by her third day at Sea Terry Joe was well and truly suffering from heat
exhaustion and dehydration all of her muscles achd and her lips were rough and swollen as more of the cork float had
broken and disintegrated through the middle she was restricted to sitting on the edges
this meant she had to remain upright at all times Terry Joe began to hallucinate
more frequently and it became oblivious to the waves and sea around her Terry Joe eventually found a way to
remain on the float safely and more comfortably she rested her shoulders on one Edge her arms on either side and her
thighs on the other edge with her legs in the Water by the fourth day Terry Joe was in
a near com State her blood pressure had dipped and her temperature soared to 105° F or 40.5 de
C Terry Joe was barely conscious but at around midm morning she suddenly opened her eyes to see the Greek freighter
Captain Theo looming before her Terry Joe found the strength to force herself upright and wave at the
ship then paddle towards it she was finally rescued Terry Joe's version of events
differed notably from Julian Harvey's after Coast Guard Captain Robert Barber heard her described what
had happened the night that the Blue Bell sank he asked the 11-year-old whether she had ever seen a fire at any
time on the boat Terry Joe said she hadn't nor did she see or smell smoke the Coast Guard investigators were now
certain that Julian Harvey had been lying the Blue Bell hadn't gone down due to an accident in fact Terry Joe's
descriptions of her mother and brother's bodies along with the blood she'd seen near the cockpit made investigators
certain that the boat had been deliberately sunk to cover murder when Captain Harvey received a
word of Terry Joe's survival during the Coast Guard hearing he appeared shocked and
unsettled after initially expressing his amazement and stating isn't that wonderful he then abruptly stood and
walked to a nearby window after staring outside at the ground below for about a minute he
turned and headed towards the door his employer and the blue Bell's owner Harold Peg were still giving his
testimony upon seeing that Harvey appeared to be leaving Coast Guard Lieutenant Ernest Murdoch asked him
don't you want to remain for the rest of the testimony you have that privilege Harvey smiled and shook his
head then left liutenant Murdoch and his partner Captain Barber were suspicious about
Harvey's abrupt departure right after he'd found out Terry Joe survived they paused the proceedings to
quickly call the Miami Police Department and request that Terry Joe duper Al's hospital room be kept under Constant
[Music] Guard before his career as a skipper Julian Harvey had been an Air Force
pilot serving in World War II and the Korean War his service saw him receive a number of
medals but his first love had always been sailing as a teenager growing up in New
York he had built sailboats and took them out on the Long Island Sound after he retired from his military
career in 1958 he moved to Florida to pursue a full-time career as a master of a
yacht people in Fort Lauderdale regarded him as a handsome and a dashing war hero
in July 1961 Julian Harvey married aspiring writer Mary Jordan who was 10 years his
Junior Mary wasn't Harvey's first wife he had been married five times before and was known to be unfaithful to his
spouses some of his marriages ended with Harvey telling his wives he no longer loved them but more than one ended in
tragedy in 1949 when Harvey was 32 he was driving along a rainy Highway with his second wife Joan boan and her mother
Myrtle when his car skidded into a bridge railing then sunk into a by you Joan and Myrtle both drowned trapped
in the car Harvey walked away unharmed he attributed this to the fact he'd seen the accident coming at the
last second prompting him to open his door and jump out before the Collision he made no attempt to save his
wife or mother-in-law bypassers who came across the accident saw him standing on the
bridge calmly watching others diving into the water order a highway patrol officer and the
police diver who responded to the incident were suspicious especially when the car was found with all four doors
closed and the driver's side window wound down but there was no hard evidence indicating a crime and Harvey was
permitted to move on with his life he received a payout from a life insurance policy he'd taken out on Joan
and within weeks of her death he was living with another woman in 1954 Harvey and his fifth wife
purchased a 68t yacht called the tatross within a year of buying it Harvey and several friends took it out
one day and rammed it into a submerged Battleship the tatross sank but all on board survived with Harvey suing the US
government due to the submerged wreck causing the accident Coast Guardian investigator
Robert Barber who was assigned to this case 6 years before the Blue Bell sank believed Harvey had deliberately run
into the rack it was a well-known navigational Hazard that was clearly marked with a boy and its exact location
was clearly visible furthermore a passenger who'd been on the yacht said Harvey had
circled the wreck twice before the Collision ultimately the court found differently and awarded Harvey a 14
$1,258 payout using the proceeds of this settlement Harvey bought another boat an
81 ft yacht called Valiant in 1958 the Valiant was spotted on fire in the marina where it was
kept a passer by was able to D the flames and the boat was saved a few months later Harvey sailed
the Valiant to Cuba when he was 10 Mi off the North coast of Cuba the yacht caught
fire Harvey and his sole crewman were able to escape as the Valiant burnt and sank a passing boat picked up Harvey and
he was able to collect a $40,000 insurance payout for losing his second boat some were suspicious due to the
earlier fire on the Valiant and a friend of Harvey's later told author Richard Logan that Harvey had told him he'd
burned and thank the yacht because he needed the money in the fall of 1960 Julian Harvey
met a flight attendant and aspiring writer named Mary Jordan while he was skippering a yacht that had been charted
for a party Mary and Harvey hit it off and were married in Mexico in July 1961 the pair soon began arguing
frequently often about money Mary's father was unwell so she promised to send her family $25 per
month to help pay for his hospital care Harvey was unhappy about this two months after their wedding he
took out a $20,000 life insurance policy on his new wife the policy included a double
indemnity clause that meant if she died in an accident and her body wasn't recovered he would receive
$440,000 one month before the dupal family arrived in Florida the blue Bell's owner Harold Peg hired Julian
Harvey as a skipper Harvey would receive $300 per month as well as free accommodation on
the catch in exchange for taking tourists out on charted Cruisers the duper alts had been the
first clients that Harvey had taken out after Terry Joe was rescued her description of what had happened on
Sunday November 12th Ed to a violent attack caused by a person not a weather event and a number of people had noticed
holes and inconsistencies in Harvey's story from the start While most of the crew from the
golf lion who rescued Harvey empathized with him others were suspicious of him some found his demeanor odd noting that
he was joking and laughing despite his ordeal and the presence of 7-year-old Renee super Al's
Body they heard Harvey tell their captain that he didn't know what happened to his
wife then later he amended his story when talking to the crew saying he had seen Mary jump
overboard Harvey had also initially told the gulf Lion's crew that Arthur and deene dupal had been killed instantly
when they were struck by the falling Mast yet at the hearing several days later he said only that some passengers
had been injured the Coast Guard investigators noted some contradictions too they found Harvey story of a fire
unlikely there was a lighthouse stationed just a few miles from where the Blue Bell sank yet the lookout there
hadn't seen any flames and Harvey's description of how the broken Mast plunged directly down into the boat's
deck wasn't consistent with what they'd seen in similar circumstances if a mast was broken by heavy wind it
tended to fall sideways and overboard then there was the fact that Harvey hadn't used the flares in the
ding's emergency kit to signal for help supposedly because he either forgot about them or couldn't be bothered
rumaging through the back following extensive interviews and investigations the Coast Guard officers
in charge of the Bluebell case put together a theory they suspected that Julian Harvey
had intended to kill his wife Mary while out at Sea and dispose of her body overboard with the aim of collecting the
life insurance payout Harold Peg had noticed scratches on Harvey's arm after he was
rescued Harvey said they were from scrambling through the rigging after the yacht's Mast broke but Harold was
adamant that the scratches were clearly made by fingernails and Mary had had long
nails investigators thought Harvey had probably stabbed Mary in their shared cabin and she fought back his plan was
likely to later throw her body overboard when everyone else was asleep and discover her missing the following
morning the Coast Guard investigators believed that Harvey hadn't intended for the dupal family to die or the Blue Bell
to sink but perhaps Arthur duper Al had come across Harvey while he was either murdering Mary or disposing of her
body to cover up his crime Harvey killed Arthur and then Jean dupal who might have also been a
witness the noise woke Brian dupal who cried out for his father Harvey killed him
too Terry Joe had spotted the bodies of her mother and brother lying dead on the
floor but hadn't seen anyone else because she had been sleeping downstairs Terry Joe was initially left to drown as
Harvey scrambled to sink the catch so that the mass murder would instead look like a terrible
accident when she went upstairs and interrupted Harvey it appeared he had considered killing her
too he subsequently appeared in her doorway apparently carrying her brother's rifle ultimately he hadn't shot her as
he decided she would drown anyway with the catch sinking an autopsy indicated Renee dupal
had drowned but couldn't determine if this had been done intentionally by another person or was the result of the
Blue Bell sinking investigators suspected her mother Jean might have tried to Shield
her during the attack and in the process of Jean's murder Rene was struck or hit
her head falling unconscious she subsequently Dr when the Blue Bell went under and Harvey
retrieved her floating body to bolster his story investigators believed that Harvey
hadn't used the emergency kit flares to signal for help because he didn't want to be found too close to the site where
the Blue Bell sank if the wreckage was recovered evidence on board might have disproved his claims about what
happened the Blue Bell was never found and to nor were the bodies of the four other
victims Captain Harvey's demeanor throughout the Coast Guard hearing had been interesting he was obviously nervous and
stammered often he became even more uncomfortable after it was announced that Terry Joe dupal had been found
alive abruptly leaving the hearing without explanation just before noon on Friday
November 17 the day after Harvey left the hearing a cleaner at Miami's Sandman Motel knocked on the door of room
17 a man named John Monroe had booked the room for one night the previous day it was just before checkout time and
she needed to make up the room when there was no response from inside the cleaner unlocked the door and
let herself in she was met by a blast of cool air from the air conditioner which had been
left on the breeze was pleasant due to the stifling Miami Heat outside but the cleaner also noticed a
slightly strange smell she thought little of it and set about doing her job the room had two twin beds and the
cleaner began to strip the sheets from one when she pulled back the covers she noticed one of the sheets had a small
patch of blood on it she then went to the bathroom to gather the taws the door was closed and when she
tried to open it the handle moved but the door wouldn't open the cleaner could tell there was
something pushed up against its other side it felt like something large and soft she noticed that the strange odor
she'd smelt was also stronger in this part of the room suddenly realizing that what she
could smell was blood she began to scream the hotel manager was summoned by the commotion and he too tried to open
the bathroom door when he couldn't push it open he called the police a patrol officer arrived at the
scene at 12:14 p.m. and was able to force the door partially open by using his shoulder sticking his head in the open
space he saw the body of a man lying on the floor covered in blood the officer had previously worked
at the Miami Harbor and recognized the man as blue bell captain Julian Harvey investigators were able to piece
together Harvey's movements after leaving Coast Guard headquarters the day prior he had retrieved a suitcase from
his car which was parked nearby then caught a cab to the Sandman Motel at 11:00 a.m. he checked in using
the false name of John Monroe and said he was from Tampa after going to his room he hadn't
been seen again on a desk inside Harvey's motel room investigators found a letter he had
written to a friend he mentioned nothing about the Blue Bell or what had happened to it but
wrote I'm a nervous wreck and just can't continue I'm going out now I guess I either don't like life or don't know
what to do with it after sealing the envelope he wrote on it cremate and bury at Sea before
scribbling over the word cremate hary had unpacked his suitcase hung up his clothes and left his
suitcase on the luggage rack he pinned a $10 note to his pillow as a tip for the
cleaner the blood on the bed suggested he'd first tried to suicide there before getting up and moving to the
bathroom he'd taken two photographs with him one of his wife Mary and the other of his son from a previous
relationship these photos were found propped up on the toilet tank and were visible from the spot on the floor where
Harvey died he had used a razor blade to make multiple Cuts in numerous places all
over his body until he eventually bled out investigators were struck by the brutality of the scene Harvey had been
left mutilated by his many injuries friends suspected he had been left devastated into guilt ridden by the
mass casualties on the Blue Bell including the loss of his wife but this Theory fell apart several
days later when Terry Joe dupal was finally well enough to tell her story because Harvey had taken his own
life before investigators had a chance to arrest him no one would ever answer for what happened to the Blue Bell and
its passengers in a court of [Music] law on Wednesday April 25 1962 the Coast Guard issued a detailed statement
following a 5mon long investigation they concluded that Captain Julian Harvey murdered his wife
and three members of the Dupo family before scuttling the blue bow the miraculous survival of Terry Joe
dupal was deemed to have been aided by several factors including mild weather and the fact that a slick of oil from
the sunken catch had enveloped the water around her life float deterring Predators such as
sharks Terry Joe was also an outdoorsy child at home in Wisconsin she had played survival themed games by herself
in the woods that had in some small way prepared her for the plight she later faced Terry Joe's ordeal led to the
Coast Guard mandating that life rafts be bright orange instead of white to make them easier to spot amongst the oceans
White Caps after her recovery in hospital Terry Joe returned home to Green Bay Wisconsin she was raised by her aunt and
uncle alongside her three cousins people from all over the world who had been touched by her story sent
her letters and Gifts the crew of the captain Theo the frighter that rescued her even bought
Terry Joe a life siiz to doll after learning she'd lost one similar in the tragedy when she was 12 years old she
changed her name to Terry spelled t e r e she wanted to escape the name that was
inextricably tied with an Infamous crime and move Beyond being seen as a victim changing her name allowed her to reclaim
her identity and take some control back those around Terry never brought up the tragedy of what had happened to her
family so she learned to avoid the subject as well almost two decades went by before
Terry spoke about it she married and had children without ever having opened up about her
trauma eventually she told her doctor what had happened which gradually led to her being able to discuss it more
openly sharing her story made her feel lighter and eventually she co-wrote a book about the tragedy with survival
expert Richard Logan titled alone orphaned on the ocean the book is a detailed account of the
crime the subsequent events and Terry's life after in an interview about the book's
publication with CBS News Terry revealed that ever since what happened on the Blue Bell she has felt
intuitively drawn to the water and even pursued a career in Water Resources quote Julian Harvey abandoned me
thinking the ocean would swallow me but instead it created a bond between me and
water in our book I describe what it was like to be dependent on the water for the 4 days I waited to be
rescued I write about the ocean life around me and the power of that experience I went on to protect the
water that had protected me as a little girl water is life and it is soothing for me to be on the beach I find I can
think clearly relax and feel closer to my lost family reflecting on the message she
wanted to share with readers Terry stated I always believe believed I was saved for a reason but it took me 50
years to gain the strength to be able to give other people hope with my story if just one person goes on to heal
from a life tragedy my journey will have been worth it I am a survivor trying to reach other
survivors it took me so long but I want people to understand that there is no timeline with healing it is never too
late [Music] e

Case 297: Bluebelle *** Content warnings: Mass murder, suicide ***

When the crew of an oil tanker discover a man lost at sea on November 13 1961, he tells them a harrowing tale. His name is Captain Julian Harvey, and he’s the sole survivor of a yachting disaster: his wife Mary and the Duperraults, a family of five who had chartered the yacht, were all lost when their boat, the Bluebelle, caught on fire and sank. But several days later, another survivor, 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault, is found… and she has a very different story to tell.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-297-bluebelle

Brief Summary

The Blue Bell sank in 1961, leading to murder suspicions against Captain Julian Harvey, with only Terry Joe Dupal surviving.

Key points

Tragic Vacation Turns to Horror. The Dupals' dream vacation takes a dark turn when their boat capsizes.
Miraculous Rescue of Terry Joe Dupal. After 84 hours at sea, 11-year-old Terry Joe is rescued from a life raft.
Terry Joe's Terrifying Discovery. Terry Joe finds her mother and brother dead in a pool of blood.
The Sinking of the Blue Bell. Captain Harvey reveals the boat is sinking, leading to a frantic escape.
Julian Harvey's Mysterious Past. Harvey's history reveals a pattern of suspicious incidents and tragedies.
The Coast Guard Investigation. Investigators suspect Julian Harvey of murder after Terry Joe's survival.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I think I'll devise some kind of disappearing act.

Mary Harvey's letter to her mother during the trip.

7:13WatchSep 21, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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