Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 11 | Forensic Files

[MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next on "Unsolved Mysteries"-- Michael Francke was investigating corruption
in the Oregon prison system. Then he was stabbed to death, just outside his office.
Open the damn door. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In Florida, two young men go on a wild rampage that ends in murder.
Legendary lawman Eliot Ness takes on the Outfit in Chicago, and then faces off with a notorious serial killer.
And the disappearance of a young man hitchhiking across Canada launches a desperate search to find him.
Our team continues to track crimes, fugitives, and tales of the paranormal. Perhaps you can help.
I'm Dennis Farina. And this is "Unsolved Mysteries." [THEME MUSIC] [MUSIC PLAYING]
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When deadly prison rioting broke out in New Mexico, killing 33 prisoners,
state official Michael Francke was brought in to completely revamp the troubled prison system.
--fall by the wayside. You develop a calcified resistance to change. E PATRICK FRANCKE: Michael was very much his own man.
Not a follower in any sense of the word. He loved making decisions. He liked tackling difficult problems.
He had a very quick mind. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): He did such a good job that the Governor of Oregon brought him
in to do the same thing there. But apparently, Michael did too good a job. Just after he completed the investigation,
he was found stabbed to death outside his office. JIM HILL: Michael Francke was the best
selection that the governor made in all of his new appointments. And I think we all felt that there
was going to be some very, very good things happening in Corrections. We were all excited about him.
And I really can't tell you just how much of a shock it was when he was murdered.
Before he died, Michael Francke told his family that he was going to blow the lid off of corruption
in the Oregon prison system. He would also implicate several top government officials.
The DA said Francke's murder was a botched robbery. But his family insists that he had uncovered
a conspiracy of silence. MAN (VOICE): All prisoners in cell block A-- BOB MERCHANT: I was told by my superiors
to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business, or I'd be looking for a job. The three main criminal activities
that I observed working in Corrections was the introduction of drugs into the institution,
falsifying of records, and thefts of state property. Basically, anything that was not nailed down
was subject to be stolen. There was a constant flow of drugs being brought into the institutions.
One of the most common ways was staff bringing them in in their own lunch buckets.
Because there was no searches being conducted on staff as they entered or left the facility.
When Mike came in, he's got a good old boy system to contend with. A lot of these guys have been here for 20 or 30 years.
The system has run the way they want it to run for that. So here comes some guy from out of state,
who has all these high-minded ideas about what he's going to do. And it just rubbed a lot of them the wrong way.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael knew he was juggling political dynamite, and that it could blow up in his face at any moment.
KEVIN FRANCKE: He had uncovered, he said, an organized criminal element in the system.
And that he was going to do a thorough housecleaning immediately after the first of the year.
And that-- his quote was, a lot of heads were going to roll. [PHONE RINGING] Hello.
KATIE FRANCKE: I called Michael. Who's this? KATIE FRANCKE: And he said that he was going to go before the legislature and clean house
the following Wednesday. Well, you did that in New Mexico. You cleaned house before.
Yeah, I know, Katie, but, uh-- this is different. KATIE FRANCKE: He was very, very concerned.
And I think he had uncovered something far bigger than he expected. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Days later,
Michael was found murdered on a side porch of his office building. Police began to piece together the last hours of his life.
After the regular Tuesday staff meeting, Michael spoke with one of his employees.
I got a couple reports to finish for the legislature. I'll see you tomorrow. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Later, two other employees
noticed that the light in Michael's car was on, and that the driver's door was wide open.
He can't be in there. Well, his phone's in here. Well, this is kind of weird. He never leaves his car like this with the door open--
You're right. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Two Corrections officials searched the building.
But Michael was nowhere to be found. Dave? MAN (VOICE): Yeah. Anything up there?
No. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The two men left around 9:30 PM. They did not call the police.
Later that same night, a security guard found Michael's body on the side porch of the building that had been searched
just four hours earlier. The glass in the side door was shattered. And Michael's briefcase appeared to be missing.
Bill. I'm on the north side of the dome building. I found a body here. I think it's Francke.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police believed Michael was murdered in a robbery attempt.
And they interrogated known drug dealers and street criminals. I need to know where you were that night.
Now you told me earlier-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One of them claimed that he had witnessed the murder,
and fingered a drug dealer named Frank Gable. According to this witness, Gable was
in the act of breaking into Michael's car when Michael came out of the office building at around 7:00
PM. What's going on? Nothing's going on. Just give me your briefcase. There's nothing in it you're going to get.
I want to know what you're doing in my car. I'm not doing nothing to your car. Just give me the briefcase. - OK, punk.
I'm taking you inside. [STRUGGLING SOUNDS] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Gable stabbed
Francke, mortally wounding him. Some also believe Gable stole his briefcase. Michael staggered up the stairs of a side entrance
to the building. He broke the glass door in a desperate attempt to get back into his office.
[BREAKING GLASS] Frank Gable was tried and convicted of the murder of Michael Francke.
But for many people, the evidence simply did not add up. Bruises, abrasions, and other wounds on his body
indicated a struggle with more than one person. KATIE FRANCKE: I think Frank Gable is a scapegoat.
Because I think it goes much higher up in the Oregon government. He's just being used to take the fall.
From the onset of the Francke investigation, it appeared that the police put the blinders on as far
as what they were most inclined to believe. It seems as though there has been some reluctance
to really, really just scorch the earth to find out what happened. [MUSIC PLAYING]
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael's family and supporters found discrepancies in the official report of his death.
Michael had a state-of-the-art car alarm system. If the killer broke into the car,
why wasn't the alarm set off? And why were there no signs of forced entry? Hey, what's going on?
Nothing's going on. OK, punk. You're going inside. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The police
believed that Michael was stabbed at the car, puncturing his heart and lungs. But why was there no trace of blood evidence
within 100 feet of the car? And finally, if Michael was killed at 7:00 PM, as police estimate, why wasn't his body,
or the broken glass noticed when the building was searched between 8:30 and 9:30 PM?
You heading up there? No. Just over to the offices. Nothing down here either. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Some believe that Michael was
the victim of a premeditated murder, and that it was carried out by several men,
and possibly instigated by high-ranking officials who were afraid that they would be named in his investigation.
An eyewitness at the scene backs up this theory. STEVEN P JACKSON: At 10:15, 10:20 on January 17,
a young man riding in a car looked over at where the scene of the crime was and saw five to six men running toward a Volkswagen van.
If Michael Francke had been abducted, and then brought back to the building where he was killed,
this would fit in with the abduction theory. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): This theory
suggests that on the night of his death, Michael unlocked his own car, deactivating the alarm.
At the same time, a group of men approached. Coming with us. What's-- what's up?
Come on, come on. All right, all right, all right. Just back off. - Just get in the car.
Yeah, not gonna tangle with you. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michael did not keep regular office hours, except for Tuesday staff
meetings. So it appeared the attackers were familiar with his schedule. [MUSIC PLAYING]
STEVEN P JACKSON (VOICEOVER): The abduction theory would have that Michael Francke was later brought back, perhaps
to go into his office, to find whatever paperwork or computer files, or these sort
of things in his office. All right. Let's go up to the office. - What for? Computer tapes.
I don't have any. STEVEN P JACKSON (VOICEOVER): Once there, he gets out of the car.
Perhaps sees his only chance for getting away. He tries to make a break for it, perhaps receives one or more
of his wounds at that time. Goes to the north porch where he is finished off. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Shortly after Michael Francke's death, some people-- some employees, some inmates--
spotted approximately 23 bags of shredded papers coming out of Michael Francke's office,
and some surrounding offices. That's something you have to wonder about, is who authorized
shredding of documents from a murder scene? KATIE FRANCKE: The officials investigating Mike's
murder don't want it solved. Because it goes much higher in the Oregon government.
My family is dedicated to bringing this to a successful conclusion. We're going to find out what the hell happened.
And we're going to see that the people who are involved receive their full punishment.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update. There are new developments in this case. Here's one of our staff with details.
VOICEOVER: There have been several intriguing developments in this case. Frank Gable maintained his innocence
and filed an appeal based on evidence that another man had subsequently confessed to the murder.
Michael Francke's brothers backed his claim of innocence and ultimately, a federal judge ruled in his favor.
After 30 years of incarceration, Frank Gable was released from prison. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next, a young man
in San Diego loses his memory. And we help him get it back. And-- an accused killer goes on the run in Florida
after a murderous rampage. [MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): San Diego, California.
We recently aired the story of a young man who walked into a homeless shelter with no idea who he was,
or where he was from. You're literally nothing. And you feel so empty. It's very lonely and painful to be empty.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Doctors were baffled by his memory loss. I want you to follow to the side.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The only clue to his identity was a Boston library card
with the name Pierre April. Update. After our program aired, a viewer in Canada called to report that the young man had
once worked for his wife, and his name was, in fact, Pierre April. Pierre has learned that he has two sisters,
and that his parents live in [INAUDIBLE],, Canada. The next day, they spoke on the phone for the first time
in more than five months. It was a very emotional moment. And then I even had to tell him that I
couldn't even trust him 100%. That I wanted the package with family pictures in it,
and with my birth certificate in it, and anything else he could think of. And he said, OK.
We'll send that to you. And then he said, do you remember your mom? And I said, no.
And she was listening on the extension. And she burst into tears. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A few days
later, Pierre received a package of family photos from Quebec. And he began to get back in touch with his past.
It is strange to be told who you are and what you did. I am someone again. And for quite a few months I was nobody, and nothing.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Pierre now remembers much of his life. But there is still no reason for his amnesia.
[MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Our next story is about two cousins, Albert Leon
Fletcher and Douglas Porter. The two of them broke into a Florida home on April Fool's Day and stole several weapons,
including a sawed-off shotgun. That was just the beginning of a bloody rampage. The next day--
Lakeland, Florida. Two couples stopped at a local grocery store. Fletcher and Porter pulled up right behind.
Jerks. Oh, yeah, baby. Come on. Oh, yeah. Come on. Come on. We want to play with you. Come on.
I love you. Hey. Hey. What's your problem? DAVID: They start yelling at me. At that time, you know, something come over me.
I was just enraged. And I took off after them. [MUSIC PLAYING] Come on, man! Get him, Doug.
DAVID: They put the barrel right in my eye. The only thing I could think of was to get the gun out of my face.
So I pushed it forward. I thought they were out to really hurt somebody that night.
They were on a mission to kill somebody, mess with somebody all night long, you know.
And they didn't have any remorse whatsoever for what they were doing. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One hour later, they struck again.
16-year-old Jason Hartman worked nights at a pizza parlor. On that night, he couldn't start his car.
Hey, what do you want? Open the door. No. Open the door now. No. Open the damn door.
[MUSIC PLAYING] Open up. Hurry up. Come on, man, can't you start? What's the matter?
Look, you gotta call the police. This guy out there just tried to steal my car. Come on.
Come on, let's get out of here. [MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Two hours later--
a lonely stretch of highway outside town. Get him, let's get him! Come on. [HORN]
[HORN] Pull over, man! Yahoo. [GUNSHOT] Give me your money. Come on. Give me the wallet.
Give me your wallet. [GUNSHOT] Come on, man. Let's go. Come on. What was that all about?
- Just get out of here, man. - What's going on? It just went off. I don't know. Get out of here, all right?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police identified the murdered man as Nelson Medina. He left behind a wife and two young kids.
[POLICE SIRENS] While police were at the scene of Medina's death, another officer spotted Fletcher and Porter across town.
Driver, step out of the vehicle please. I need to see some identification. You too.
What's the problem? Just let me see some ID. I knew at the scene of the murder, based on the expended rifle casing and the wound of Medina,
that I was looking at someone with a rifle and a shotgun. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Fletcher
and Porter were arrested, and scheduled to be tried separately. Douglas Porter was convicted and sentenced
to 40 years in prison. But Albert Leon Fletcher escaped before he could be brought to trial.
What are you looking at? He's running. [GUNSHOT] I worked homicide for nine years.
During that time, I've met two people that I consider to be sociopaths. Give me your money. Come on.
Give me the wallet. SGT. JOSEPH LOUDEN: Leon Fletcher is one. Give me your wallet.
[GUNSHOT] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update. As a direct result of our program, Albert Leon Fletcher was captured in Smyrna, Delaware.
Police were tipped off by a viewer. I received a telephone call from the authorities
in Delaware, advising me that they had a confidential informant. And they knew the whereabouts of Albert Leon Fletcher.
At that time, I sent a bulletin to Delaware. And this was around 3 o'clock that afternoon.
And about 3:30 or 4 o'clock, they had him apprehended. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Authorities arrested
Fletcher without incident. He had been living there under the name Kevin Woodside.
He told police that he was tired of living life on the run. DET. JAMES MEDLEY (VOICEOVER): He was glad it was all over with.
He wanted to come back to Pasco County and to Polk County and face the charges. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Albert Fletcher
is now in a Florida prison serving a life sentence for murder. Douglas Porter-- he served his time and has been released.
When we return, the Untouchables legend Eliot Ness tracks an elusive serial killer.
[MUSIC PLAYING] Chicago, 1929. Prohibition is the law of the land. Speakeasies, bootlegging, and police corruption are rampant.
A young treasury agent is hired to smash the gangland rackets. His name-- Eliot Ness.
[MUSIC PLAYING] 30 years later, his exploits were immortalized in a television series starring Robert Stack.
Federal raid. Stay where you are. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In just 2 and 1/2 years,
Ness and his team of federal agents destroyed the bootlegging empire of Chicago's most
notorious gangster, Al Capone. Because they couldn't be bought off, Ness and his team
were dubbed the Untouchables. Hey, Ness. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After he cleaned up Chicago,
Ness became head of police in Cleveland. There, he spent years hunting a notorious serial killer.
Can you throw any light on the Kingsbury Run murders? No. Not at this time. Can you give us anything?
No, that's enough questions for now. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It would turn out to be
his most frustrating case. Two boys playing in Kingsbury Run come across these. Two bodies, both decapitated.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In September of 1935, the mutilated bodies of two men were found in Kingsbury Run.
All right. Keep me posted. Will do. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A slum district of Cleveland, full of hobos, prostitutes, and street toughs.
The case was at first dismissed as a vicious but routine double homicide. But by the summer of 1936, three more mutilated bodies
were found. The discovery of a sixth victim threw Cleveland into a panic. The coroner's been here.
Nothing's been moved. He's been here about five hours. When number six turned up, it was like a bombshell going off.
The city really exploded. The press and the public now had no doubts that there was a serial killer out there, that this individual
was going to keep killing. And they wanted it stopped. [MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The body count in the Kingsbury Run
area climbed to 12. Only two of the victims were ever positively identified. Edward Andrassy, a small-time hood, and Florence Polillo,
a 41-year-old prostitute. All of the victims had been decapitated. In some cases, while they were still alive.
The tabloids dubbed the killer the Butcher of Kingsbury Run. [MUSIC PLAYING] Mr. Ness, they found the body here late this morning.
The arms and legs had been cut off at the scene of the crime-- the men are still looking.
Been decapitated? Yes, sir. Looks like the same killer. We're having trouble keeping the crowd back.
STEVEN NICKEL: Ness got into the case quite extensively. In fact, he devoted almost full time to it.
But he didn't know quite how to proceed with this case. It wasn't a matter of finding out
where the mobsters were hiding, and go and smash your way into the place. This was a different type of criminal
that Eliot Ness was facing. The bodies were kept for about, oh, I'd say, six months.
We have no idea who they are. But it certainly was a skillful dissection. The murderer--
OSCAR FRALEY: Eliot had made a profile that he figured the killer might be. - Thank you, doctor. - Sure.
OSCAR FRALEY: And he determined from the way these bodies were cut up, it had to be somebody with a certain amount
of medical knowledge. Plus, the fact, had to be a very strong man to carry these bodies all over and dump them where he did.
And so he had this profile. It has to be a big man, strong, an expert with a scalpel.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness was determined to search every building and shack in Kingsbury Run.
But he had no legal grounds for search warrants. The solution was classic Eliot Ness.
Afternoon, ma'am. We're with the Cleveland Fire Department. We're conducting fire safety inspections.
We need to look at your apartment. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): He teamed up detectives with fire officials and ordered
widespread safety inspections. Live alone? STEVEN NICKEL: There was a thought among Ness
and other police officers that they were going to find this laboratory that was going
to have blood-splattered walls, and have arms and legs lying over in a corner, and maybe a cache
of heads in another corner. Ness's men spent almost a full week searching almost every apartment, every dwelling
they could find in that area. And they weren't able to turn up a thing. Thank you very much, ma'am.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness was obsessed. His next move was to investigate every doctor and every hospital
worker in Cleveland. There he is. Let's go. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Even the county coroner
was not above suspicion. Hundreds of people were put under surveillance, questioned, and detained.
--the hospital. How long? I fell asleep, caught a few hours. What are you doing in Cleveland?
I'm a salesman. I sell surgical supplies. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The investigation
still led nowhere. The killer remained at large. What were you doing in Kingsbury Run Wednesday night?
Last Wednesday? [MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Then victims number 11 and number 12
were found. One in a garbage pile 200 yards from Ness's office. STEVEN NICKEL: The killer was now
becoming more daring by where he left the bodies, right, really under Eliot Ness's window.
It was almost like it was a cat and mouse game. And sort of a catch me if you can type thing.
He knew he had to do something desperate. Because the people were clamoring. All the people in town were insane about this insanity
that was going on. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness came down hard on Kingsbury Run's hobo jungles.
His police rounded up more than 60 transients, believing that the killer might be among them.
STEVEN NICKEL: And this was his old, Untouchable style of raid, where you know where the bad guy is.
And you go in and get him. And he really thought that this might work. But it completely backfired for him.
There was a great wave of public opinion that this was the act of a desperate man.
And that his tactics had been brutal, and they didn't really solve anything. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness then ordered
the shantytown burned to the ground. But of all the people they arrested, none of them
turned out to be the killer. Experts say that Eliot Ness did eventually target a prime suspect.
He was a man who, in 1938, voluntarily committed himself to a mental institution.
OSCAR FRALEY: Ness believed that he had caught the killer. Primarily because after this man committed
himself to a mental hospital, the killings stopped. And he said, I am certain this is the man.
The profile-- fits the profile. And if Ness had accused this man, whose family was socially prominent, he could have
been libelous and been sued. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness later received several postcards from a patient
in a mental institution. The postcards taunted him with references to the unsolved murders.
OSCAR FRALEY: The man who was sending him these postcards might have just been another kook.
But he was convinced that he had found the guy. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ness never found enough evidence
to file charges in the case. But years later, he told a reporter that case has been solved.
He eventually ran for Mayor and lost. He left Cleveland and never returned. Next, the intriguing disappearance
of Charles Horvath. Did the young hitchhiker choose to drop from sight? Or did he meet with foul play?
[MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Kelowna, Canada. Charles Horvath answered to no one.
He was hitchhiking his way across British Columbia. And he was planning to fly to Hong Kong in a few months
to celebrate his 21st birthday with his mother, Denise. But before Denise could make final arrangements for
the trip, Charles disappeared. I telephoned the RCMP repeatedly, begging them to look for Charles.
Because I was so concerned something was wrong. I then asked them if they could give me
the name of the local newspapers to enable me to place an ad, as we'd started planning my trip to come and search for my child
myself. [MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Denise flew from England to Kelowna to search for her son.
She put up flyers all over town, and soon heard from a woman named Joanne Zebroff.
When I first met Charles, it was of this charming, good-looking guy who was obviously new to Canada.
And I really liked him. I thought, well, here's a unique person. That's my mom. Oh, she's gorgeous.
Yeah. JOANNE ZEBROFF: He loved his family. He showed me pictures. He was so proud of all these photographs of his mother.
They were very close. It was obvious they were close. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The last time
Charles dropped by the apartment to visit Joanne, he arrived unexpected. JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Hello?
Is it Joanne? JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Yes, it is. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Joanne's brother was in town
for a special family reunion. And the Zebroffs politely refused Charles' request to come up and visit.
JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): Actually, it isn't a very good time right now. He went, but it's Charles.
And like, of course, you're going to let me up. And we just couldn't. JOANNE ZEBROFF (VOICE): We're--
we're having a family dinner. I'm sorry. [HANGS UP] You keep telling me that you're afraid for your safety.
Why? What is it-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Denise learned that while he was in Kelowna, Charles stayed at a campground
in a rough part of the town. Who else was there? Can you remember anybody else? [MUSIC PLAYING]
I wanted to go over to the campsite to inquire. But I was very apprehensive of going.
Eventually, I had the courage and went to see them, to see if they remembered Charles.
I'm looking for my lost son, Charles Horvath. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The campground manager
said that Charles left quickly, leaving his tent and all his possessions. DENISE ALLAN: I was just numb.
I went down to the police station. And I was told that they were going to get his dental records.
And the file was being passed on to homicide. I was also told that they believed my son to be dead.
That we may never find his body or what happened to him. It's very unfortunate that a comment like that
would be made. And I would have to say that that would be that member's personal opinion, and certainly not
the view of the police force. I don't know upon what he based that, other than the fact,
items were left at the campsite. And in my opinion, that does not substantiate that.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But one night, when Denise got back to the hotel, she found a chilling note.
MAN (VOICE): I seen your ad in the paper, looking for your son. I seen him May 26.
We were partying, and two people knocked him out. But he died. His body's in the lake by the bridge.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Local divers volunteered to look for the body of Charles Horvath.
But they found nothing. Then Denise received a second note, saying that they were looking on the wrong side of the bridge.
We're stopping every 10, 15 feet. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One day later, divers found the body.
The fear in the young officer's eyes told me that he thought it was Charles. The total panic on their faces.
I was hysterical, in the bathroom crying. The coroner came to see me at the motel.
I asked him if it was good news or bad. And he said it wasn't Charles. [MUSIC PLAYING]
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The dead man was identified as a 64-year-old Kelowna resident, a probable suicide.
Once again it seemed that Charles might still be alive. Then a man named Gino Bourdin came
forward, claiming to have seen Charles just before he disappeared. GINO BOURDIN: He was a nice guy.
He was a good friend. He used to always come over to our camp, little camp, and have coffee in the morning, and play
Frisbee and catch with my son, and just sit and chat with us. What should I do with him?
You should take him to Hong Kong with you. That's it. Pack him in my suitcase. There we go.
GINO BOURDIN: He was a friendly guy. A real friendly guy. Probably too friendly.
He seemed kind of naive on that there about-- like he wasn't-- he'd talk to anybody.
He'd make friends with anybody. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Gino last saw Charles during an all-night party at the campground.
The next morning, Gino woke up to find Charles gone, and his things left behind.
It was assumed that something terrible had happened to him, which caused him to leave his belongings,
because it was so unlike him to have left his photographs behind, which were very important to him.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Another new twist came when police contacted Charles'
relatives in eastern Canada. They related to us that during his time there with them,
he did advise both relatives that it was his intention, when discussing his family situation, to disappear
off the face of the Earth. And that his mother would never find him. And that he wanted to carry on with his own life.
It is totally out of character for him to have gone out intentionally, to break away from his family.
Because he wasn't that kind of boy. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Many years have passed
without word from Charles. But police have received tips from hundreds of people
claiming to have seen him. If Charles is out there in this world, you know, in a gutter somewhere, he needs
picking up and bringing home, and getting medical help or whatever kind of help is required.
If not, if he is dead, and he's been murdered, he needs burying. I've been asking for help for so many years, because of my fear
that something's happened to him. And it'll only be if he's found dead that I'll be proven right.
What a way to be proven right. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Charles Horvath is six feet tall with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes,
and a tattoo on his left arm. When last seen, he weighed 165 pounds. If you have any information about Charles,
please log onto our website at unsolved.com. Next, a family enjoys an amazing run of good luck.
It all began with a rock carved with mysterious symbols. In the state of Washington, an unusual discovery.
Two boys find a large rock covered with strange symbols. And then an incredible run of good luck
for them and their families. Is this coincidence, or something more? [MUSIC PLAYING]
Yeah, well what does it look like? Oh, it's cool. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Deep in the woods
near the Canadian border, 13-year-old Jamie Parks led his friend Trevor Johnson along the path
of Tumwater Creek, where Jamie had found a very strange Rock. See, didn't I tell you?
Wow. That's neat. It's like a stamp. Maybe the Martians came and did it. It's really neat.
Why don't we go tell my dad? Let's go. I felt just an immediate need to go down and see this rock.
His excitement was contagious, and really piqued my interest. There it is. Come see.
Whoa. See? STEVE JOHNSON: And I turned and there was this beautiful rock with these markings on it.
I'd never seen anything quite like it. I got a very immediate feeling that this rock
had something to say. When I first saw the rock, I had the most eerie feeling. It was a good feeling, a very positive one.
But it just-- you can't say the words that the rock makes you feel like. [MUSIC PLAYING]
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The Johnson family had been struggling financially for years.
Things were just looking really sad. We were in a small apartment. Moneys were not good.
Patty and I were both working. I was working as a prison correctional officer. I wasn't happy with the position.
The pay wasn't sufficient for us to be able to even meet some of our bills. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): They wanted to open a small dress
shop at a new mall. But their plans fell through. But 48 hours after the Johnsons saw
the rock for the first time, their luck began to change. Sure, Dennis. We'll be right down.
Honey, that was Dennis Logan. He'd like to know if we can come down to the Landing Mall
right away. - OK. STEVE JOHNSON: Out of the blue, the ownership of the mall approaches us with, listen, we'd like you to open
up 1,000 square foot shop. OK. This is the space I had in mind for you. STEVE JOHNSON: I was very upfront with him
that we had no money to do that. And it wasn't a blinking of an eye and the gentleman says, well, we'll take
care of getting your inventory. We were both flabbergasted. We just couldn't believe that there are people
out there that want to help. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Steve and Patty's dress shop
opened and was a huge success. In less than a month, Steve was able to buy the mall's movie
theater for a very low price. And a month later, he opened a candy store. His third successful venture in the mall.
The Johnsons are convinced that their good fortune was related to the magical powers of the rock.
STEVE JOHNSON: Looking back at all the wonderful things that have happened, we're spending
more time with our family. Good, quality time. Our income has grown to a point that we're actually
being able to start to pay back people that have helped us over the years. And those type of things bring a lot of pleasure to us.
I don't know if it's superstition or not, or if it's good luck. But it just seems like since that's happened,
things have changed. And things have come about for us. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It would
be easy to dismiss the Johnsons' belief that they owe their run of good luck to the mysterious rock and its cryptic symbols.
Was it coincidence, or magic? Perhaps whoever carved those symbols has the answers.
But more than likely, we'll never know. [THEME MUSIC]

This, Episode includes: Salem Secrets, Pierre's Amnesia, Florida Crime Spree, Ness, Canadian Camper and Rock of Fortune.

Brief Summary

Michael Francke's murder reveals corruption; cousins rampage in Florida; Eliot Ness hunts a serial killer; hitchhiker Charles Horvath disappears.

Key points

Michael Francke's Murder. Michael Francke was found stabbed to death after uncovering corruption in the prison system.
Pierre April's Memory Loss. A young man named Pierre April loses his memory and later reconnects with his family.
The Rampage in Florida. Two cousins embark on a violent spree, leading to multiple murders.
Eliot Ness's Desperate Measures. Ness's tactics to catch the killer backfire, leading to public outcry.
The Chilling Disappearance of Charles Horvath. Denise's search for her son leads to chilling notes and unanswered questions.
The Johnsons' Magical Rock. A mysterious rock brings unexpected good fortune to a struggling family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He would also implicate several top government officials.

Michael Francke's investigation into prison corruption.

2:50WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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