Dad's Double Life | Full Episode | Forensic Files

48 Hours, we take [music] you there. We planned a life together [music] forever. Pat and Elizabeth were high
school sweethearts. We very much [music] wanted to be married. >> They had two children, Chad and Chris.
It's a devoted husband and certainly devoted father. >> Their lives seemed picture perfect until
dad suddenly vanished. >> The last thing I remember is waiting for [music] him to come home at night. Then
they found his suicide note. >> Please tell the boys I will watch over them from heaven. His family was sure he
was dead. >> If he was alive, he would never be able to leave my brother and I behind.
>> Now, after 15 [music] hard years on their own, My first thought was could this possibly be true? A stunning
discovery. She called me and said, >> [music] >> "Elizabeth, sit down." >> Rush Mitchell and Harold Dow
investigate. >> I think Pat may be alive. Dad's double life. >> [music] >> You're leading a perfectly normal life
with a good job and a wonderful family. And things seem to be going along just fine. But then
>> [music] >> comes a problem. It hangs on. You can't solve it. Truth is, after a while, you
can't even face it. >> [music] >> Then one day, suddenly and with no warning, you vanish.
What if someone you thought you knew well, someone you depend on, someone you love, just disappears? That is precisely
what happened to a devoted husband and father who became desperate for a way out.
Leaving those closest to him to wonder what really happened. Rush Mitchell begins to unravel the
mystery of a dad's double life, a life that was once picture perfect. The spirit of the times was um you
[music] know long blonde hair and beach boy music and the future is all yours to
take and everything good is going to happen. In 1964, Elizabeth Shank, a 16-year-old
schoolgirl, began dating a boy who would change her life forever, Patrick Hennessey Welsh. Pat was [music] the
kind of person that would be characterized by anyone as a really [music] good catch. And so
Elizabeth Shank became Elizabeth Welsh. Elizabeth, whose nickname is Peachy, and
Pat had two sons. They are >> Ted the kind of sons and Chris that a mother would pray for, let alone be
proud of. Tell me about those early days of your marriage. How would you describe them? Well
at my characterization would be they were very very happy. >> And by all appearances the Welshes were
happy. >> I would have to characterize him too as a as a devoted husband and certainly a
devoted father. I mean he was close with those boys. >> But after a few years of marriage there
were money problems. >> I was totally blindsided by it. Problems which Pat had kept secret from Peachy.
We had been on a vacation and he was very distraught and it was hard to get him to stand still to tell me
what the problem was. The problem was Pat had stolen $23,000 from Ohio State University. That was out
of the blue. Where he worked as a fundraiser. And out of character as far as I was concerned and as far as
everyone that knew Pat Welsh was concerned. He was the fair-haired boy. In 1980, Welsh was convicted of
embezzlement, sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay restitution. It had been difficult to try to explain to
the boys. They had to to understand that their dad had done something that wasn't right and he was making that
better. For over two years, Pat did try to make things better. >> In a wedding anniversary card that he
gave me, slipped a note which said "Things will be better. We'll be Pat and Tishy again. Just relax and trust me."
And I believed that. >> Until January 21st, 1983. >> We had made um an agreement to uh meet up at my
father's house that evening for dinner. Um Pat owed my father some money and he was going to repay it that night.
>> But during dinner, Pat called from his office to say he wasn't going to make it.
>> And if it was all right um with my father, he would repay him the money the next day.
And that I should go ahead and go home. >> The last thing I remember is waiting for
him to come home at night and watching the snowfall and just waiting for his car. But Pat Welsh never
came back. >> I imagine that he probably ended up in a wreck or he was uh doing something, you know. Ted
Welsh, was only 10 years old. He was going to be right back. >> He didn't appear
on Friday night and Saturday morning and Sunday. Everybody had always told me that
he has to be dead. Chris Welsh, 23, was only seven. >> If he was alive, he would never
be able to leave my brother and I behind. >> Elizabeth, can you tell me what your
reaction was when you got this letter? >> Oh. 15 years ago? I was devastated. Five
days after Pat disappeared >> horrible. Elizabeth received a letter. >> I know you don't believe this now, but
what you needed was freedom from my shadow, from my past and disgrace. The only way to give you that is through
my death. Overwhelmed with debt and humiliated by his past crime >> I wish I could kiss you goodbye. Pat
Welsh told his wife of 14 years >> Please have my body cremated and not buried. >> that he had gone to San Francisco to
commit suicide. >> Please tell the boys I will watch over them from heaven. That I love them very
much. And have the greatest hope for them. It was bad enough that Pat suddenly was
gone, but then to receive this >> And despite an exhaustive search by the FBI, local police, and the Welsh family,
Pat's body was never found. With two young sons and a mortgage, Pat had left Elizabeth with few options. She didn't
sleep. She didn't eat. >> Clare Bailey is Elizabeth's sister. The anxiety that I saw in my sister's eyes,
the fear that I saw in their little boys' eyes, the unnecessary and unjust guilt that my sister carried
with her thinking that there's something that she should have done to keep this from happening is probably one of the
hardest things for me to deal with. >> A wash in Pat's bad debts. >> I found out that he hadn't been paying
bills for a long time. >> And with only $250 in a savings account >> I could not afford the house.
>> Elizabeth had to move her sons into this apartment. I had to give away their dog
because I couldn't afford to keep the dog. >> And 5 years later, Pat was declared
dead. >> If it would just have been me, um I don't know where I would be today. I really don't. But because of Ted and
Chris, I had I had no choice. I mean, there was nowhere to go but on. And that's exactly what
Elizabeth Welsh did. >> She worked her way up really fast. Today, she is president of the Chamber
of Commerce in Licking County, Ohio. >> She had to excel and she had to push herself in that envelope to be
everything that she could be so that life would go on for her and for the boys. >> But 15 years after Elizabeth first read
Pat's suicide note, a shocking revelation arrived in the mail. >> opened the envelope and pulled out the
form and read it. And stood there in the middle of my living room and read it again.
My first thought was could this possibly be true? When we come back I think Pat may be alive.
I was the one who had to provide the explanations for what was happening. >> Five years after Pat Welsh disappeared
without a trace. >> As far as you were concerned, there was no reason for you to think that he was
still alive. >> Elizabeth divorced her husband and had him declared dead. >> Doesn't seem like a lot to have when you
think you're closing the chapter on someone's life, does it? >> She was then able to collect a small
amount of life insurance. I couldn't replace a father in their lives so easily. And
some social security survivor benefits for her sons. But I could try to make a life for them that meant something.
Little did she know those benefits would later provide the first clue to 15 years
of lies and deception. My first thought was could this possibly be true? Elizabeth received a shocking letter in
the mail. Boys survivor benefits partial survivor benefits that they had they had received
um would have to be paid back within 30 days because the number holder was alive.
Actually, the terminology was not deceased. According to the government, Pat Welsh was still alive. I was
thinking wait now wait, Elizabeth. And they were demanding back their $56,000. Basically, I called Social Security and
said, you know, what are you guys trying to do here? >> Shelly Testa was an aide to Elizabeth's
congressman at the time, John Kasich. >> I mean, we did what we could. How could you not?
>> With Shelly's help I called a friend I have at the FBI. >> Elizabeth was starting to grasp a
difficult reality. She called me and said, "Elizabeth, sit down." Someone named Tim Kingsbury
And I said, "Well, Sally, I'm sitting." >> who fit Pat Walsh's description And she
said, "I think this could be your husband." >> was using his social security number.
And you're thinking what? Timothy Kingsbury, who's this? In the winter of 1983, Patrick Welsh left his name and his past
behind and pulled into Galveston, Texas on a bus with just a few dollars in his pocket.
Residents say Galveston is a friendly and forgiving city, just the kind of place you might go if you wanted to
reinvent your life. He was just a tenant at my mom's house here and he worked for my mom at
Shlosky's restaurant. >> Kevin Doherty was just a teenager when a stranger named Tim Kingsbury moved into
his mother's boarding house. >> What did you think of Tim? Nicest guy I remember in my life. Kingsbury told
Doherty and others that he was a student here at the Galveston branch of the University of Texas Medical School.
>> Would it surprise you to know that we checked with the folks at the medical school and they said he was never
enrolled there? Very much so cuz I know his books were all there and he always seemed to be
studying very diligently. It was the first of many deceptions as Tim Kingsbury slowly established himself in
Galveston society. In his early years, he developed a reputation as a local character, writing for a small
newspaper. He wrote about learning to scuba dive, to sail, and running a marathon complete with photos of
himself. Responding to a feature on Galveston's eligible bachelors, the man who had
abandoned his wife and two sons wrote, "Quote, can you imagine my surprise to find out I was not mentioned?"
For a man on the run, Kingsbury didn't act like a man with much to hide. Six months after his arrival, he was
hired as a part-time publicist for the prestigious Galveston Historical Foundation, referred to as GHF.
He was eventually appointed president. This is a recording of his acceptance speech.
>> GAHF is where I learned and grew professionally. It's through GAHF that I fell in love in every sense of the word.
While working at the foundation, he met Anne Anderson, a woman from a prominent Galveston family. He moved into her
waterfront home, where they lived together for 10 years. Kingsbury eventually made his way into
the inner circle of Galveston society, known as BOI, Born on the Island. >> was a standout in helping the community
and helping people. He became close with Anne's brother, Vandy. >> Another beautiful sunrise on Galveston
Island this morning. >> Part owner of the local radio station. >> Vandy Anderson reporting KGBC News.
>> Kingsbury later worked for him as general manager and reporter. >> was Tim Kingsbury's office. Uh, he's
done what I think a radio station manager should do, and that is to get involved in the community. These are
various civic groups that he worked on and just some symbols of their appreciation for what he'd done.
Kingsbury made other close friends, all prominent Galvestonians. The passion that he poured into getting the schools
improved in our community, you know, matched my own, and I had little children. >> Sheila Lidstone works for the local
school district. >> come in with a lot of flash and and I'm going to be in charge. He just gradually
built his way into our hearts. Dr. Brent Meisel says Kingsbury was his best friend.
>> I only know Tim Kingsbury. Don't know Patrick Welch. Gerald Sullivan, a businessman and cattle rancher.
>> put my hand on a Bible and swear that I know of nothing bad about Tim Kingsbury.
But even his friends had some suspicions along the way. >> I wondered when we were having the
school bond election, what would make a young man with no children who's not married get so involved?
>> He never really talked about his family, and I thought obviously something very
onerous had happened in his life that was so horrible that there was no way he could discuss it. And again, I was one
of his closest friends. But they didn't ask, and Kingsbury didn't tell. >> In Texas, there's an old saying, you
don't ask a man how many cattle he has. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you.
For 13 years, he lived in Galveston, a pillar of the community. Then one day, late in the winter of
1996, everything started to unravel. >> We had a citizen who came to us Mike Guarino, Galveston County District
Attorney. >> He had seen certain things at the radio station in the office of Tim Kingsbury
uh that looked funny. A co-worker had come across forgeries. >> Some partially filled out social
security cards, a birth certificate or two. Now, just after you had seized those fraudulent documents, did you have
suspicions about him? Did Certainly. Did you think that maybe he wasn't Tim Kingsbury?
>> Oh, absolutely. At that point, Kingsbury confessed everything to the DA and to
his friends. >> It's devastating to hear that someone that you talked to just about every day
has a whole 'nother life that you didn't know about. It It's It's an incredible feeling. And maybe just as incredible,
no one seemed to hold it against him. >> blame Patrick Welsh. I don't know Patrick Welsh. We know Tim Kingsbury.
>> We're not talking about a rapist, a mugger, a murderer. He wasn't that awful a person. I don't think that I've been
deceived. I have many emotions, but being deceived is not one of them. >> What about Patrick Welsh's wife and
children? I'm only in a position to judge what he's done here, and that's been remarkable.
>> They should have had those 15 years, they'll say. And they're right. I mean, they
they missed out. Kids missed out, family, community. I guess I really don't blame his wife or
for being angry. Gerald Sullivan's wife, Suzanne. >> has suffered. I mean, he's had his own
hell. These 15 years. Well, why are you so willing to forgive? I I I guess that's
the question. You all here in this room are willing to forgive him for the deception.
>> He didn't hurt us. How did he hurt us? I mean, all he ever did here was good.
There's no reason not to forgive him. Would you accept him back here? In a heartbeat. In a heartbeat.
>> No question about it. >> He faked his own death. To his wife and his children for 15
years. They thought he was dead. To do that kind of thing, to to leave every single thing you ever ever had behind,
everybody you knew behind, and get on a bus penniless and just ride to the end of the line is an act either of
incredible cowardice or incredible bravery born out of desperation. Which do you think it was?
I think it was bravery born out of desperation. Kingsbury pleaded guilty to forgery and
got 4 years probation along with a $2,000 fine. But word of his false identity never got
out into the community, never made the newspapers, never made the local news. >> it is out of respect for Tim
that people didn't gossip and didn't talk. People in the courthouse knew, people in the probation office knew.
Lots of people knew. But they saw no need to rub Tim's nose in the dirt. And Patrick Walsh was
allowed to continue his life in Galveston as Tim Kingsbury. But because of the forgery conviction,
he had to use his old Social Security number, triggering a chain of events in Ohio that would ultimately lead to his
arrest. >> you have anything to say before you leave Galveston? And the model citizen
left Galveston in handcuffs. Come out up. It's too simple [music] to say, "Why did you do it?" Patrick Welsh
faces his family I had questions for him. for the first time in 15 years. It really is like someone coming back from
the dead. >> And Elizabeth seeks justice. >> [music] >> I don't have a sense of anger in this,
but I do have a very strong sense of justice. Mr. Welsh, why did you fake your own death?
>> I know that if this were any other person >> Mr. Welsh, is it really good to be back?
than Patrick Welsh. You glad to see maybe getting this thing behind you? charming, articulate, handsome man. Do
you have anything to say to your ex-wife and your two sons who haven't seen you in the last 15 years?
>> that person already would have been behind bars. When Elizabeth Welsh discovered her ex-husband was alive and
well, she had a difficult decision to make. How far was I willing to make another exception for Pat?
>> It's too simple to say, "Why did you do it?" And can I turn to my sons and say,
"You were disposable people?" I wanted to know who I was. It's okay because look at all the good he's done in
Galveston. I had questions for him. This is wrong. >> Where did he go wrong? For the sake of
her children Where could I go right? >> Elizabeth pursued the man who had faked his own death and abandoned them 15
years earlier. I sent him an email to the attention of Tim Kingsbury. I know. Call me. When that didn't work Did you
hear back from him? No. She went to Galveston without Pat knowing. What did you see? A very comfortable
lifestyle, a very visible person with a Ford Explorer and a convertible in the driveway of his waterfront home.
Certainly had a better style of life than he had provided for Ted and Chris. She came
home from from her Galveston trip and said, "You know what?" Elizabeth's sister, Claire.
>> While the boys and I ate macaroni and cheese, Pat's been drinking margaritas.
Did that make you angry? It amazed me. It absolutely amazed me. Elizabeth felt she had no choice but to call the
authorities and have him brought back to Ohio. It really is like someone coming back from the dead and bringing
mystery with them. All right. >> On January 31st, 1998. This is the state of Ohio versus Patrick
Kennesy Walsh. Almost 15 years to the day he left his home and family. >> A motion was filed for a reduction in
bond. Patrick Walsh was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and non-support of his two sons.
>> This is not a situation where people have been harmed or anybody has been killed or
>> His defense attorney, Sam Weiner, is trying to get his $300,000 bond reduced.
>> This man is really no threat to society and certainly no threat to leave the jurisdiction.
>> So he can be released to his girlfriend, Ann Anderson, and wait out his trial
back in Galveston. >> Mr. Beck, when he asked to be released from bond, what he's saying is trust me.
Bob Beck is the Licking County District Attorney. I understand this is not a murder case, but I do take strong
exception to Mr. Weiner's characterization of this case as one without victims. There are, in fact,
real victims in this case who have suffered real harm. The motion for reduction in bond is denied. Clear the
hallway, please. When this whole thing's over, I may never see him again. I will never
know that until it's over. So even though you see him now in shackles and in prison gear,
at least you get to see him. It's great. I have a father for this brief moment. With Pat Walsh sitting in jail, I'm not
angry. I'm not nervous. unable to run from his problems this time. I'm here to see what he has in in terms
of plans for his future. Elizabeth and her sons finally had a chance to confront him face-to-face for the first
time in 15 years. Not our future, but his future as it still affects something that for him became a liability and for
me became the greatest assets, our kids. What do you think he wants? Out. Out of jail? Out of jail.
30 minutes later. Well, that was different. He said right off the top he was sorry.
I didn't believe him. Just like pressing charges, I had to press him to think about the reality of what he's
facing now and that he can't just fantasize about returning to Galveston. What was it like the moment you walked
into that jail and saw him? And it was a lot like looking into a mirror. We mimicked each other almost.
He said, "I love you." I said, "Take care of yourself. I'm going to go hide." I brought up the boys. It was clearly
painful for him. I expressed to him that he really needs to show some sort of admission
to his to his family, to to my mother, to my brother, and and to me that he has indeed
done us wrong. >> When he told you that he loved you, did you believe him? I don't know. I wanted to, but I don't
I don't know if I can trust him. More important than words are the actions. He can say he's sorry, but he has to
show me he's sorry. And he is yet to do that. Pat Welsh pleads no contest to eight felony and four misdemeanor counts
of fraud and non-support. >> You saw me swear an So, he not only needs his family's forgiveness. Mr.
Welsh, do you agree with the facts as has been stated by the prosecutor? Yes, your honor. He's also at the mercy of
the court. Are you entering a plea or changing your plea freely and voluntarily knowing what your rights
are? Yes, your honor. Coming up. You have no conscience. Your acts were cowardly and they were
criminal. Judgement day for Patrick Welsh. >> And for that [music] you will be punished. But first You'd have to lift
up a low rock in a wet place to find anybody as sorry as he is. The tide turns in
Galveston. How did Patrick Welsh, a father who disappeared, manage to outrun his past
for so long? Maybe it's because some of the people who got to know him in his new life,
alias Tim Kingsbury, simply wanted to believe the best about people. Or maybe they just didn't want to know the worst.
However it happened, now after 15 years a dad's double life is finally catching up with him. Here again is Harold Dow in
Galveston where they are changing their tune. While Patrick Welsh sits in an Ohio
jail, back in Galveston the tide of public support has begun to turn against him. I think he's probably one of the
great con men of all times. >> A.R. Schwartz is known to everyone here as Babe. >> Bezzler's con men, forgers, liars,
cheats, and thieves ought to do hard time when they're caught. As majority owner of the local radio
station at AM 1540 Schwartz hired Patrick Welsh, alias Tim Kingsbury, as general manager. In his application he
said he was single. Said he had no children. And he gave his name and he gave a fictitious social security number.
Schwartz, a former state senator, admits he's one of many people in Galveston who
got duped by Welsh. >> He conned me pretty good and I don't like it. I don't like being conned. I
don't like being that stupid. >> And Schwartz says the Galveston County District Attorney, Mike Guarino, was
also conned. >> I have written the District Attorney and I've told him he got conned, too. Even
though Guarino charged Welsh with forgery and knew that this well-known public figure was living a lie, he never
announced that accusation publicly. >> This man goes before the court, goes before the District Attorney. How come
nobody in the community knows about this? >> I don't know. If it'd been some kid that
jerked four hubcaps off a car, it'd have been in the newspaper. Some people thought the District Attorney
should have called a press conference, should have had his picture plastered out there for the entire community to
see. What's your response to that? The District Attorney is not a publicist or the town crier, so to speak. He's the
prosecutor and he's got to prosecute the case. >> Which Guarino says he did, right by the
book. >> We really didn't handle it any differently than we would than we would have handled, you know,
a a forgery case of this nature. >> He admits he knew about Welsh's abandoned family in Ohio. Did you know
he was married with children? >> Yes, we did know because he told us he had walked away from a family. We had no
current information on them or their whereabouts. But, at the court hearing to determine Welsh's sentence,
Guarino never informed the judge about Elizabeth and their two sons. Judge Carmona, the District Judge, got conned.
Never in his lifetime would he have given Patrick Welsh probation had he known that Patrick Welsh abandoned his
wife and children. District Court Judge Frank Carmona confirmed to 48 Hours that
he was not told about Welsh's family. Guarino says he never brought it up because it was not a legal issue
relevant to the forgery case. >> Did you feel it was your responsibility to try to seek out and locate the wife,
the children of Patrick Welsh? No, at the time we did not. We did not think about it. We had notified all the
agencies that we thought were proper, including the Ohio side of the equation. We thought they would seek them out, but
we really didn't think about it. Hindsight is 20/20. Uh I'd probably do it today.
>> He's not admitted publicly that he was conned like the rest of us, but he should.
But Schwartz is far more upset at his partner, Vandy Anderson, co-owner of the radio station and brother of Kingsbury's
girlfriend. >> I put it all on his back because he knew every bit of it. But Vandy was on the
air. >> Vandy was on the air every day. >> Schwartz believes Anderson had an obligation as a news reporter to inform
the public. >> Vandy Anderson should have come out here and said, "Tim Kingsbury has been
convicted of his second felony at the courthouse today." >> You think he should have went on the air
and said that? >> Absolutely. If he goes on the air and gives the news, that's news.
>> Because of that, Schwartz fired Anderson as news broadcaster. According to Babe,
this man known as Tim Kingsbury conned you, conned your sister, conned everybody.
>> Sure. >> Do you feel like you've been conned? No. Not at all. Anderson's sister, Ann,
remains loyal to him as well. She supports him 100%. I think they'll be together the rest of their lives.
>> think he conned your sister? No, I think we all knew that there was a past and we just didn't want to know
what it was. >> Ann Anderson declined our request for an interview. If this guy had conned my
sister, my first inclination would be to beat the hell out of him. What we know him as is a good person.
Uh if he did something years ago that was bad, he's made up for that. I think in his own life. I hope so. And that's
how we know him. But as the story unfolds, others in Galveston aren't so forgiving. The guy belongs in orange
jumpsuit. I guarantee you, 2 years in the general prison population will make a brand new man out of him. Doug
McCloud, chairman of Moody Gardens, a top tourist attraction, worked with Kingsbury in various civic groups.
>> This [music] guy was in fact nicknamed The Amazing Tim. That's understandable
now because he gained this trust. [music] Everyone felt like this guy was most trustworthy person in the world.
>> McCloud believes the people of Galveston are wiser from the whole experience. If
a new person came to town tomorrow and [music] donated a lot of time to community efforts, do you think you'd
still check him out? I think I think I know the answer to that. Just ahead. Elizabeth Welsh wishes to
make a statement. Thank you, Your Honor. The public confrontation. Every Father's
Day for the past 15 years was stolen from the lives of your sons. What will be the punishment for Patrick
Welsh's deception? >> [music] >> Are you telling me you're not [music] angry at this man?
>> I'm not angry with this man. >> Not even a little bit? I don't believe so. >> It's been 7 months since Patrick Welsh
was brought back from the dead. >> He has chosen his course and I have chosen mine. And today I feel that I
have done the right thing for my son. Judgment day for the charges of non-support and insurance fraud. Pat
maintains that he believes he [music] did the right thing when he deserted us. All right. Besides
facing his punishment >> This is State of Ohio versus Patrick Kennessey Welsh. Pat Welsh must also
face his family, including his own father. Elizabeth Welsh comes to court with a
new look and new determination that what she did was right. Today's date is May 21, 1998. We're here today for the
purposes of sentence. I've made it clear from the beginning that I believe a term
in prison is appropriate in this case. Seems to me this is this man's third felony conviction.
For that fact alone, he ought to go to prison. Welsh has pleaded no contest. >> This court finds that the defendant is
guilty as charged. >> And will be sentenced by Judge Gregory Frost. Come in now to the matter of
sentence. But first The court has been informed that Elizabeth Welsh wishes to make a statement and also Christopher, I
believe, wishes to make a statement. Ms. Welsh? Thank you, Your Honor. Pat, you started
on this sad journey by stealing money from Ohio State University, from your father, and from mine. You
took our love, you took our trust, you took our innocence, our home, and any hope we had for a normal life.
Every trip to Colorado, every South Padre Island vacation, every Christmas, every Easter, every 4th of July,
every Father's Day for the past 15 years was stolen from the lives of your sons.
Instead of being a father that they can respect and emulate, you are a 50-year-old kept man. And what was I to
make of your last letters to me? Do you remember what you wrote? "You are my light and my deepest love.
You know how much I treasure life, I treasure you and your future more. You know how much you are a part of me, so I
hope you know that a part of me will live on. Know that there was no one on Earth
that I cherished more." But you did cherish someone more, Pat. And that person was you. I'm sorry for
you, Pat. Christopher, do you wish to make a statement? Yes. Come forward. How can you turn your back
on a family that loves you? How can you in one breath say you love somebody and then
turn your back and run? How for 15 years can you never call your sons and say hello?
How can you look me in the eye right now? I hope you think about this and maybe give me some sort of reply.
Finally, Mr. Welsh, is there anything you wish to say before the court pronounces sentence in this matter? Yes,
Your Honor. You may proceed. Ted and Chris, I love you deeply. I really do. The great sadness of my life is that
because of what I've done, you may never know how much I love you or how much I missed you. Peachy, I'm
I'm You did a wonderful job with the boys. I'm sorry for what I've done. And I'm ready to continue my punishment.
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Welsh. And finally, with Elizabeth, Chris, and Pat's father,
Richard, watching. You have no conscience. Your acts were cowardly, and they were
criminal. His sentence. And for that, you will be punished. You therefore have a total sentence to be served of 4 years
at the Orient Correctional Receiving Center. There is restitution to be made, and you will pay every penny of that. 4
years of prison, and over $92,000 in fines. Is this ever going to be over for you?
It doesn't come to closure, exactly, but this part of it does. The hurtful [music] part of it that involved
deception, betrayal, hardship, is done. It's done. Now, [music] it gets settled. The debts
get paid. Next. >> I know I did bad things. I know I did terrible things. Pat Welsh [music] tells
his side of the story. I need to explain that I never stopped being a loving father.
I know I did bad [music] things. I know I did terrible things. But I tried once and for all to make something
positive of my life in Galveston. >> Patrick Welsh has never spoken publicly about his disappearance. I need to
explain that I never stopped being a loving father. >> Until now. I did this thing to make life
better for my boys without having to live under the shadow of this criminal who was Pat Welsh.
>> We've seen pictures of you with the boys, and you look so happy. You look like the the model dad. What
happens to a guy? How do you go from that to doing what you did? It I mean, it was very uh
very vivid in my mind when it happened. I I had had told Elizabeth that I was going to pay her father back money that
I didn't have. That was January 21st, 1983, the day Pat Welsh disappeared. >> I thought there was some way I could get
that money, and when I couldn't get that money, uh I knew that what was going to ensue
was just just the disintegration of of everything. And I said, "This is it. This is the moment that I
have to just go kill myself." Did you really intend to kill yourself? Absolutely. Absolutely. I I I went to
the edge of the pier. I was a bad person to myself. I thought they would eventually be happy to have been rid of
that bad person. In the end, I couldn't face that. That In the last second, you can't say
you're sorry for killing yourself. The person that I just saw on those tapes was
acting. 48 Hours showed Pat's interview. >> I did a bad thing. >> To Elizabeth and her sons.
>> My interpretation was that he was acting the part of someone who was supposed to
be contrite, who dearly loved his sons and was really trying to do the right thing by them. How did you come up with
the name Tim Kingsbury? Looked in a newspaper for someone who was born about that time. Really? Just looked in the
newspaper, saw this name, said that sounds good. Yeah. Why Texas? Far away. I'd never known anyone from Ohio who'd
ever gone to Texas. Couldn't afford to go to the East Coast or to California. Um
Texas. You say you did this for your family. What did you think was going to happen
to them? How did you think they were going to get by? I knew that my family had the resources
to take care of the boys. I knew that Elizabeth was beautiful and talented, and someone else would come
into her life and and become a new father for the boys. But that's not how things worked out.
>> I'm lucky that I had a lot of books to read and but and I had Chris and my mom and Aunt
Claire and around and he we did we never did find another dad. Did you like being
a husband and father? Oh, sure. Sure, that was um It was absolutely wonderful. Trust,
there's no trust there whatsoever. I mean I cannot trust this man. At all. I I do not trust anything he says. In
those 15 years, how often did you think about the boys? >> Every day. Every day? Every day. Every
day. Why not just pick up the phone and call? Hi, just wanted you to know I'm alive. I'm here. I did this for this
reason, that reason, whatever, but I'm here. It was bothering you so much, why couldn't you do that? I thought about
picking up the phone and calling them. That's That's those are the times when you would say the the price I'm paying
is not knowing and I'm going to pay that price today. >> Let me just make sure I understand this.
You but you thought you were punishing yourself by not picking up the phone and calling them.
>> Exactly. I mean it's It certainly wouldn't have brought them any joy. You know what they told me when
I first met them? I was so happy. Okay. I had a dad. Oh, good. My father is still alive.
So maybe if you picked up the phone it wouldn't have been as bad as you thought. Thanks for telling me that. I
keep thinking that how can he say these things and keep a straight face? Would you like
to have a relationship with Ted and Chris? Absolutely. I want it desperately. I know I don't deserve it.
I know it's on their terms. But when that day comes, I hope it does come. When that day comes, I hope it's
pure and simple that when they see me, they're glad. But since Pat Walsh's sentencing, Ted and Chris say their
father has not contacted them. >> He's obviously erased my brother and I from his lives. What do you owe boys?
What do you think you owe the boys? A game of catch. >> [snorts] >> A game of catch. You can't even say he's
a father. That's There's nothing behind those words. Despite his 4-year sentence, I'll pay my debt. Had Walsh is
likely to be released in a few months, and I'll make a contribution to this world, and plans on returning
to Galveston. As Tim or as Pat? As Pat. I mean, there's there's no charade anymore. It's
It's my name. I got to tell you Elizabeth has been very gracious when it comes to to you.
She's a better person than I am. She really is. I don't know why I would expect anything else.
>> [music] [music] [music] [music]

Ohioans Elizabeth and Patrick Welsh seemed to have it all. The high school sweethearts were married with two wonderful sons. Then Patrick disappeared, leaving behind a note saying that his wife and sons would be better off without him. Fifteen years later, a stunning discovery. Russ Mitchell and Harold Dow investigate in this report from August 2001. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Patrick Welsh faked his death, leaving his family to struggle, until a letter revealed he was alive, leading to his arrest and confrontation.

Key points

The Vanishing Act. Pat Welsh, a devoted husband and father, suddenly vanishes, leaving his family in turmoil.
A Shocking Revelation. After 15 years, Elizabeth receives a letter revealing Pat may still be alive.
The Double Life. Pat Welsh faked his own death, living a new life as Tim Kingsbury in Galveston.
The Denial of Bond Reduction. The motion for bond reduction is denied, highlighting the serious nature of the case.
Elizabeth's Heartfelt Statement. Elizabeth Welsh confronts Patrick with the pain his actions caused their family.
Judgment Day for Patrick Welsh. Patrick Welsh is sentenced to 4 years in prison for his crimes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Please tell the boys I will watch over them from heaven.

Pat's suicide note to his family.

0:28WatchJun 16, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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