Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 2, Episode 7 | Forensic Files

[Music] next on Unsolved Mysteries 13 women were murdered by a brutal serial killer called The Boston
Strangler most people believe Albert D Salo was guilty of these crimes but new evidence suggests that may not be the
case strange lights have been spotted and photographed in the night sky are they a new generation of top secret a
aircraft a teenage girl vanishes Without a Trace could this be her captured on tape in this gas station
video and after 50 years of separation a brother and a sister have been reunited
thanks to you five cases with strange Clues bizarre twists and with secrets you would never expect I'm Dennis finina and
this is Unsolved Mysteries [Music] [Music] in the early 1960s Boston was gripped
with fear a killer was on the loose 10 women were found murdered they ranged in age from 19 to 75 and they had different
ethnic backgrounds they lived in different [Music] neighborhoods the only thing these women
had in common was that they were both strangled to death in their own Apartments the police were frustrated
the public was terrified they named the killer The Boston Strangler there are stories of women
rushing out to dog pounds to buy every available stray mut for protection locksmiths reported a run on their
businesses uh people were obviously quite clearly frightened by whatever was out there 10 months after the last
murder few people noticed when a man named Albert Dal Salvo was arrested on unrelated sexual assault
charges davvo was married and had two children he also had an extensive history of sexual offenses one of his
many nicknames was the measuring man good morning wow your neighbors War right you really are
beautiful my name is Jack Johnson I'm from the Cambridge modeling agency over CVO pretended to be recruiting fashion
models he would smooth talk his way into women's homes measure them for clothing
and then fondle them here's a contract I was talking to you about and the scam eventually caught up with him he was
arrested and sent to prison for one year after diso's release police began receiving complaints about the Green Man
a maintenance worker who talked his way into women's apartments and then assaulted them good morning how are you
fine how are you good the uh superintendent told me to take a look at your plumbing in she would let him in he
would make an overture toour her if the Overture were repelled he would leave but a surprising number of
times it wasn't according to him and he ended up making love with the woman right down later his assaults became
much more aggressive event Sur these were the charges that he was arrested for oh come in Mr dvo the Salvo was
arrested and sent to a mental hospital Dr Ames Roby was the medical director there I see here that you've been
charged with a series of molestations a molestation may be too strong a word well how do you mean well
I mean all the women I was with they had a very good time well the first thing that was didn't so obvious about Albert
was his incredible need to be somebody important how many women would you say you introduced yourself to with your
measuring and repair work schemes 600 600 he would brag about almost anything he gave the feeling
although he didn't say so at that time that he sort of wanted to be as well known as in quotes The Boston
Strangler 3 months later George Nasser another inmate at Bridgewater had an odd conversation about the Boston Strangler
with his lawyer flee Bailey if a man was a Strangler the guy who killed all those
women would it be possible for him to publish his story and make some money with it he asked me whether or not it
would be possible for someone who had done the stranglings to write a book and my off-hand answer was sure but you
might go to the electric chair as a con sequence later on I was asked to get down and see this fellow Albert Dal
Salvo by my client Albert specifically what do you want me to do for you I got a wife I got a a 2-year-old son a
seven-year-old daughter and um I know I'm going to be locked up for for the rest of my life I just hope it's in a
house it was a little incredulous because everybody develops a profile you're looking for a monster somebody
you know whose jowls are dripping and just didn't seem to fit there are obvious problems uh about confessing to
a crime in print when there hasn't been a trial he wanted to be able to tell his
story he said I would like to find out why I am like this maybe people could give me tests or something before we
even consider that I need to know what that story is well as judge probably told you I'm the one they looking
for the one that did all the stranglings okay I had no of knowing whether or not
he was telling the truth fantasizing because he was crazy or had read a lot of things in the newspapers and wanted
to be famous let's move on to Sophie Clark two days later Bailey returned to Bridgewater with a tape recorder and a
list of questions with diso's permission Bailey had struck a deal with the Boston
police they would provide Bailey with details only the Strangler would know as a way of testing the Salvo in return
Bailey was guaranteed the tapes would never be heard in court get you know like a stalk and a something to wrap
around the neck and I knocked a pack of cigarettes on the floor pack of cigarettes on the
floor I left him there when I left oh this guy has got to be it his description of the crime scenes it was
just so accurate that uh that impressed me you very much we have to proceed cautiously but when Dr am Roby heard the
tape he was not impressed he believ there was another explanation for Dal sala's knowledge of the crime scenes
Albert indicated to us that he had gone to the various sites that the newspapers
had named after the police tapes and the like were off the doors in the apartments just to sort of be there
there and see what it was like fascinated you know I I I just want to be there walk around get a feeling for
it Dr Robi says that delvo had a photographic memory he may have visited the victim's apartments or perhaps he
was just repeating what someone else had described to him Roby began to believe that Dal salvo's friend George Nasser
was somehow involved I first began to wonder about something going on when no other inmates would come near them and
they would immediately stop talking if the guards or staff came anywhere near where they could hear but they would
have extensive conversations about what of course we didn't know a career criminal George
Nasser had been in prison for killing a gas station attendant shortly after the Strangler killed his last victim at our
request Nasser agreed to discuss his role in the case and his relationship with Albert de Salvo for the first time
with Albert Del Salvo I was simply an associate I've done the same thing with many many
prisoners uh uh people come to me and ask me for advice I give it to them if they say if if it's worthy of me
assisting them I assist them for my reasons because I feel it's it's a Worthy to do the Massachusetts Attorney
General ordered that news of the salvis confession be kept Under Wraps within the police department there was a split
over whether Dal Salva was in fact the killer I really couldn't break it down percentage wise uh probably a little
more than 50% believed D Sala was the Strangler and a little less than 50% believed he was not the
Strangler then someone leaked a story of the confession to the local newspapers I don't want you to be frightened in
response to the story two women came forward one was a survivor of a possible Strangler attack the other was a
neighbor of one of the victims they were brought to Bridgewater to see if they recognized any of the inates did you see
somebody which one the gentleman all the way in the back right next to the C next
to the car yes next to Door surprisingly the one familiar face did not belong to
Albert D Salo but to George Nasser next George Nasser responds to the charge that he is the Boston
Strangler by the spring of 1965 investigators were totally convinced that Albert the Salvo was the Boston
Strangler and then they were stunned when a w was brought to a state mental hospital and identified a different
inmate as the Strangler that man is a convicted killer named George Nasser George Nasser would fit the
profile of the Boston Strangler we found nothing that would rule him out not even
one iota I do not kill women I've never conceived of it I wouldn't conceive of it I have a great respect in
regard for women beginning with my mother who brought me up that way George nassa was eliminated as the Strangler I
don't think he had the profile of a strangle George nassa used a gun all right Albert I want you to
imagine a calendar Albert davo was the state's Prime Suspect even though there was no physical evidence that that
linked him to any of the killings the salvo's attorney F Lee Bailey suggested that the Salvo undergo hypnosis and we
had him hypnotized and age regressed right through one of the homicides and the things that developed in the
presence of a very bright medical hypnotist were of great interest I didn't want to hurt I had
a I had a h of to helper this Recreation is based upon F Lee Bailey account of the hypnosis session when you were
strangling that woman who were you really trying to hurt Albert my mother yeah the session seemed
to reveal that the sael had had problems with every significant woman in his life
we found an involvement of his wife who he married in Germany his daughter who had a physical disability that troubled
him greatly his mother for whom he had a LoveHate relationship and it was just a
beginning I love her no Albert no you don't the answers were almost implied in the question which at least from my
training is something you don't do Albert I love her tell me how you really feel about her I love
Albert Dr Ames Roby observed the session and came to a completely different conclusion I was not at all convinced
that anything had been uncovered and was a little surprised later when Mr Bailey
announced that uh what had occurred under hypnosis was definitive evidence Albert even with the crimes he was
charged with he was considered gentle polite his ual proclivities his General attitude uh he was not angry and hostile
once you were inside the apartment what did you see the Massachusetts Attorney General's office conducted its own
interrogations the transcripts of those interviews were never released but author Susan Kelly obtained a copy while
researching her book called deadly shate when you read the transcript of those interrogations
and you come to a point where Albert gives an incorrect answer to a question he is guided to give the correct answer
and Albert who was a smart guy caught on very quickly I remember I took the chairs out and I remember laying them
down in the back where did you get the chairs from the dining room yeah from the dining room this man
was not the Boston Strangler he didn't kill anyone they had the right guy Beyond question no one has
ever come up with anything meaningful to contradict that the question was how could we try him as the Strangler and
closed the file in the public mind fle Bailey struck a deal with the state Albert to Sala went on trial but not as
The Boston Strangler instead he was tried for sexual assault and other crimes in connection with the Greenman
case in return the state agreed not to press for the death penalty this session of that's all we
wanted nobody ever wanted Albert on the street including Albert until asked not to be executed so that he could be
studied seemed to me a reasonable objective after less than 4 hours of deliberation the jury reached its
verdict on all counts of breaking and entering and on all counts of unnatural acts the jury finds the defendant guilty
davvo had wanted to be sent to a mental hospital but his Insanity defense failed
davvo was found guilty on eight criminal counts he was sentenced to life in prison to be in prisoned for the balance
of his natural life it was a much more severe sentence than he would have received normally on the sex charges of
which he'd been convicted but he was being sent to prison as The Boston Strangler it was that simple I think the
most difficult part of all of this was that whether they had it solved or not they had quieted the Public's concern so
uh theoretically everyone was happy in prison dvo was reunited with his old friend George Nasser once again
questions were raised regarding nasser's possible involvement with the stranglings because Al wasn't tried this
case had become mythical it became part of like a a public fantasy of what really happened
it became a continuing mystery when it should have been resolved and I was part of the
mystery outside of prison Albert had become a legend but inside he fear his Fame had made him a Marked
Man after more than 6 years behind bars dvo asked to be transferred to a cell in
the prison inm here he would be isolated from the other inmates on the evening of November 25th
1973 delelo telephoned his former psychiatrist Dr Ames Roby hello Dr Roby yes Salvo he wanted
to talk to me to tell me the quote real story be a good idea for you to come down here tomorrow there's some things I
need to talk to you about oh can't we just talk here on the phone no no no listen I got a reporter coming down here
at 2:00 tomorrow I think it'd be a good idea for you to come as well he didn't say what the real story was and I could
only hope that this is what I would hear but I never heard when everybody assembled who was in this infirmary in
my office as it was possible before D Salvo could talk to Dr Roby And the reporter he was found in his cell
murdered stabbed repeatedly in the chest some believe that D Salvo was involved in a drug deal gone bad others including
George Nasser say Dal Salvo was killed in a dispute over cuts of meat that he was allegedly selling on the prison
Black Market somebody didn't want that interview happening and I think they have said before dead men tell no
Tales three inmates were eventually charged with Albert D salvo's murder but no one was ever convicted
was Albert Del Salva The Boston Strangler Albert D Salva was the Boston Strangler we learned that at Great and
tragic expense to the community and then wasted him away we could have learned a
lot from Albert we didn't I think Albert became the Boston Strangler because he wanted so much to be the Boston
Strangler it was the most important thing in his life for somebody who felt all his life that he was a nobody
all of a sudden he could become world renowned shortly after his murder authorities came across a collection of
poems that D Salvo had written while in prison one of them provided an intriguing footnote to the legend of the
Boston Strangler here's the story of the Strangler yet Untold the man who claims
he mered 13 women young and old today he sits in a prison cell deep inside only a
secret he can tell people everywhere are still in doubt is the Strangler in prison or
Roman [Music] about next this gas station video shows a young girl who looks just like a
missing teenager named Wendy Von huin could it be [Music] her the girl in this surveillance
footage from a gas station is thought to be a missing 16-year-old girl named Wendy Von huin it is a crucial clue in
the baffling case of Wendy and her boyfriend Jesse Hull Wendy Von hubin and Jessie H longed
for life beyond their small town they left Illinois and ran away together it would turn out that this was a very bad
and a very dangerous decision Wendy and her her family had recently moved to a small farming town
in Illinois called Woodstock Wendy did not adjust well to the move she had trouble in her new school and she was
Restless she wanted to be old but she didn't want to grow up she wanted to play she was 16 going on 42 and at times
only eight Wendy fell in love with 19-year-old Jesse Hull Jesse was already on his own
he wanted to be who he wanted to be but he couldn't quite figure out who that was he left the house and struck out on
his own he thought he could make it all by himself and take care of himself by yeah Bye Mom just days after Wendy
turned 16 she told her parents that she was spending the night with her friend but Wendy had other
plans the following day when she didn't show up on the time when she was supposed to we waited several hours we
had no calls the phone number that she gave us let us know where it wasn't to anyone that we knew or she knew so we
knew there was a problem we called and follow a missing person's report man I'm so glad to be out of this Wendy and
Jesse left Illinois with two other teenagers but just a few days after arriving in Florida the young couple's
romantic plans for a new life fell apart they uh started getting on each other's
nerves they pulled into a truck stop and Jesse and Wendy got out of the car and this other teenager and his girlfriend
figured well this the perfect time to get rid of them they got back in the car and that was the last that they saw of
Jesse and Wendy at that time Wendy and Jesse were nearly 1,500 mil from home with hardly any money and no
Transportation but they were able to disappear and the police lost their Trail a month later Wendy's father was
at work when he received a phone call from a homeless shelter in Bradington hello is this William Von
hubin yes who's this this is John O'Brien and I'm a worker at the tobler shelter here and he said he worked with
a group that dealt with runaway kids and it turned out that he had Wendy and Jesse there with them here hold on Wendy
it's your dad come on [Music] him daddy she was crying said she wanted to come home wend she didn't like living
on a street I sent her down $200 at his bus fair to come home I was relieved to say
the least I mean at least I knew that it was in the process of her returning Jesse
mom a few days later Jesse called his parents from a truck stop he also said that he and Wendy were on their way home
I know I know and when I continued to press him to give me more information and he suddenly said I've got to go or
I'll miss my ride don't worry be happy I love you I'm fine and was gone and that's the last we heard from
him Wendy and Jesse picked up the money that her parents wired to them but they never made it
home 48 hours later 80 Mi north of Dade City Florida a train engineer spotted a body in the bushes near the railroad
tracks 19-year-old Jesse how was dead all of our plans for him for our family for our
future were suddenly changed and there was nothing we could say or do or fix to make a turn around
and go back the way it was going to be it was just done Jesse had been killed by blunt
trauma to the head there was still money in his pocket and a halfs smoked cigarette on the
ground he was struck from behind had no idea of of what was happening there was no struggle at the scene that paired
with the fact that there was a clear path showing that his body was dragged through the Tall Grass clearly indicates
to me that this is a homicide the crime lab was able to locate a drop of blood on the cuff of
his jacket that uh was not Jess's there are indicators that this could be Wendy's
blood land and air searches for Wendy turned up nothing she had disappeared Without a Trace everything's left to
your imagination at this point you don't have no idea what's going on completely
out of control they were always together so she had to be there she was there she
was close by she knew what happened no more than 2 months passed then the phone rang at the home of Wendy's
parents hello and they said it was a collect call will you accept the charges and then I asked her to identify
herself Mom it's me it's me and a crying voice she said it's me Wendy and then she hung up
[Music] Laura went next door to call the police at 8:00 the vanban phone rang again
hello hi Dad Wendy is that you the girl said she was calling from Kaki Illinois the town where Wendy and her family had
lived until 18 months earlier so where in ki she said she didn't know she says where are you calling from she said
Philip 66 station I said is there a number on the phone she said no there's no number everything was yes or no or
single word answers listen I got to go bye the conversation was so short William could not be sure if the girl on
the phone was actually Wendy you hope against hope but then again you want proof is this it and I
couldn't you know uh identify her voice I went down to K key and uh based on the
caller to the vine euben saying that there wasn't a phone number on a pay phone I checked all the payones at the
Philips 66 stations one pay phone on Indiana Street did not have the phone number posted in the normal space uh I
assumed then that maybe this was the phone that the call was made from and obtained a surveillance tape from that
gas station this is that surveillance tape it shows a teenage girl matching Wendy's
description police estimate the video was recorded within minutes of the call to Leon
hubans when I saw the video I cried and I said that's it that's her she's put on
weight but that's her that's her body language she she does her hair that way she puts her hands in her Pockets like
that that's her attitude that's the way she walks I was positive that that was my
kid but then another complication police appear of phone records and when they later traced the call they discovered it
was made from a different gas station just 2 m away at that station there was a flyer
posted with the V yubin's home phone number hopefully it was Oney that made the phone call but if it wasn't it was
somebody that saw the phone number on that flyer and possibly was making a very very cruel joke to him I'll go
anywhere it takes to get her heling back I don't care where she's at I'll go there and I'll get her and I'll bring
her home all she has to do is just say I'm here and come get me I don't care where she is I'll
come update sadly a man known as the railroad killer has confessed to murdering Wendy
Van hubin and Jesse H the Killer Angel rendes claims they decided to catch a ride with him on a
freight train and then look for work picking oranges when the train stopped at a switching
station Jesse got off and that's when rendis hit him in the head and killed him 8 hours later rendis ordered Wendy
off the train he strangled her wrapped her in a blanket and covered the body with
leaves when he confessed rendes was already on death row in Texas for killing a Houston doctor he received
immunity in exchange for for leading police to Wendy's body authorities believe rendes was
responsible for at least 15 murders he was executed in Texas in June of [Music] 2006 next strange lights are seen in the
night sky could they be UFOs or a secret aircraft developed by our military this video was shot by a camera crew
hired by Aviation Week Magazine eyewitnesses say it shows a Pencil Thin aircraft trailing balls of golden
light in this footage a conventional airplane seen here is being filmed when a mysterious object suddenly appears
the object travels at a high rate of speed and Exhibits pinpoint maneuverability in this haunting image
several eyewitnesses observe an unusual light source possibly an aircraft hovering over the Nevada
desert and here an unknown wedge-shaped object which makes no noise flies over Roswell New Mexico the footage was shot
by a man named Steven Douglas of amaril Texas people have been siding and witnessing aircraft that can do
fantastic amazing things I mean highp speeed stop on a dime turn like a ballet dancer Douglas believes that the
mysterious lights are in fact experimental military jets he thinks they're being kept under WS just as the
legendary stealth fighter was for nearly a decade recently there has been speculation about a new spy plane said
to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 6 Douglas obtained what he believes is evidence that the plane may actually
exist it was probably about 11:00 a.m. and the house began to Rattle uh let me call you back this
house just really shook so I went outside and there was this aircra flying by over the house incredibly fast I've
seen a lot of aircraft crisscross disguise around here but this thing I couldn't believe how fast it was moving
and behind it it left a contrail that would was unique what they call a Donuts on a rope
contrail Steven Douglas took this photograph of the contrail some Aviation researchers believe that it might have
been made by experimental technology allegedly used in the spy plane the Air Force said they could not identify the
source of the contrail in the photograph Douglas had another unusual sighting a year later he was videotaping
military airplanes that were participating in mock War Games shortly after a group of B1 bombers took off an
unidentified aircraft entered the area but Douglas only had 10 seconds left on his camera battery my battery just
that is this aircraft made no sound at all it was just super quiet it looked like like a flying triangle and
immediately I know it must have been tr3a Black Manta the Black Manta is another of the
top secret aircraft supposedly developed by the military it is thought to be a reconnaissance plane that operates in
tandem with the stealth fighter but in a statement issued to Unsolved Mysteries the Air Force said of the
Manta quote it has no basis in reality when the Air Force analyzed Douglas's footage they believe the aircraft might
be a Navy e6b Prowler however the Navy could not identify the plane citing the poor quality of the
videotape a computer enhancement appears to show a triangular shape WB Edge Douglas claims the object was virtually
silent and moved slower than any conventional military aircraft these aircraft are doing things
which a lot of physicists have generally said are not possible you know Maneuvers
their the way they fly how fast they are and the real mystery is is how they made
the leap there are some that speculate that maybe this technology was gleaned from alien technology that somehow
either we have recovered or has been here for a while the Pentagon has never confirmed
the existence or recovery of alien spacecraft however since this story aired the Air Force has publicly
admitted that there is a plane called the Manta first a stealth now the Manta what
other top secret aircraft might invade our [Music] skies next the story of a man's 50-year
search for his sister and their touching [Music] reunion atuma Iowa [Music] 1941 three brothers and a sister have
been left in the care of their aunt she fears for the children's well-being and has contacted the Child
Welfare Department Walter Donald Richard Delores I need to take you to your new home
now Walter you're a big boy now you going out to that car hurry up how this probably about 5 and 1/2 years old I I
didn't know anything about adoption I thought we would just go to this home and later on we was going to go back to
Mama's thing so you just hush up and sit still Donald strat's mother could do nothing
to prevent the state from taking her children she was pregnant with her fifth child and unable to work a few months
earlier Donald's father had been institutionalized after a nervous breakdown two of the brothers were sent
to Iowa State youth facilities Donald and his sister Dolores were taken to a Lutheran children's home little rest
Dolores here's your bottle let me [Music] try even though I wasn't the oldest boy
I was the babysitter and I played with my sister and I always like to help her cuz she was my
sister but within days Donald knew that he and his sister would not be going back to their mother he started looking
for a way to escape and then one day when the nurse was busy they got their chance
[Music] this was our chance to go home and I sneaked her out the door and down the
steps and out to this whole b a forward that's told now you sit right there cuz we're going home see
Mama I didn't know anything about cars really but I knew if you push that button down on the floor that car go
I was trying to get this car down there on that main road I didn't know which way I was going when I got there but I
knew that that road I came in on it and I need to leave by it you know what do you think you're doing you
get out of that car right now don't you know you could kill somebody I she reached in and grabbed me up by the
collar and went thrashing on me you know and I knew she was whooping me but I didn't feel no pain and I was fighting
her cuz I was wanting to go home Donald there's some cookies for you in the kitchen if you'd like them 2
weeks later Dolores was adopted come on baby we're going to get you a new home these people come to took
Doris away I didn't know what you know what the deal was but I thought well they you know they're going to bring her
back here cuz uh me and her was family and and that's all I had the separation didn't last
long dolores's adoptive parents sent for Donald when they realized that she was more than they can
handle dor wouldn't adjust to these folks or bond with these folks at first and uh just cried and wanted her brother
because you know we'd been together and uh these people were strangers to her she just cried and wouldn't eat or
whatever and that's the reason they could and got me so I could be a quiting fact actor you might
[Music] say with Donald there Dolores began to adjust Donald's help was no longer
needed Donnie you want to go downtown with me I remember looking up and uh this woman
was feeding my little sister and uh I thought well everything's all right you know yeah I i' like to go downtown you
know of course I didn't realize this automobile was never going to bring me back and uh we got in the car and we
drove off and I I haven't seen my sister since I think you the Lord uh you know almost every day she she's still my
sister no matter you know what time is done I'd like to hug her neck and tell her
Mister yeah update the night we air this story a woman named panopy Sue Lewis of ball
Iver Missouri was watching she identified herself as Donald's long lost sister Dolores she
lived only 50 m away 3 Days Later Donald penelopy and their families gathered for a long
overdue reunion how has been so many years I love her I always have loved her and
uh sometimes when I get along just think about it I just sit down and cry and I don't mind crying this time
cuz I'm already [Music] there but I got another surprise for you yeah soon after seeing Donald Penelope's
natural mother Velma arrived they had not seen each other in over 50 years oh oh I never thought I'd see this
day for Penelope the Gathering was also the chance to meet all the family members she never knew she had
[Music] and I felt so helpless um I felt like I didn't belong and and now I'm at peace
[Music] [Music] now [Music]

Brief Summary

The episode examines the Boston Strangler case, Wendy Von Hubin's disappearance, mysterious lights, and a heartfelt family reunion.

Key points

Mystery of Wendy Von Huin. A gas station video raises questions about a missing teenager, Wendy Von Huin.
The Boston Strangler Unveiled. Albert D. Salvo, a man with a troubled past, becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders.
Wendy's Mysterious Disappearance. Wendy Van Hubin goes missing, leaving her family in despair.
The Shocking Confession. A man known as the railroad killer confesses to murdering Wendy and Jesse.
A Long-Lost Reunion. Donald reunites with his sister Dolores after 50 years apart.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This is the real story.

Albert's last words before his murder.

17:54WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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