Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 3, Episode 20 | Forensic Files

[MUSIC PLAYING] DENNIS FARINA: Next on Unsolved Mysteries In Phoenix, a cocktail waitress marries
a wealthy cattle rancher. After his death, someone enters her house, and-- [GUNSHOTS]
A tape recording may be the key to her killer's identity. Jill Jensen. Had a problem-- a $500 a day cocaine habit
that was destroying her life. Why would she go to a tiny mountain village in Eastern Europe for a cure?
In Louisiana, intruders brutally murder a young couple while they sleep. Some say they are the victims of a satanic cult.
And, after a cold beer at a country western bar, Mary Ann Perez disappeared without a trace.
[PHONE RINGING] 15 years later, a mysterious caller claims that not only is she still alive,
but she's being held against her will. Our team is standing by, and maybe someone watching can help
bring in one of these bad guys. And you know what? It could be you. I'm Dennis Farina.
Join us. [THEME MUSIC PLAYING] She was a waitress, he was a wealthy cattle man from one of the most prominent families in Phoenix.
Theirs was a fairy tale romance and marriage, until he died, and someone wanted her dead too.
Jeanne Gunter was born in Arkansas, and got married right out of high school. She eventually divorced, and wound up in Phoenix,
working as a cocktail waitress. But she had much higher ambitions than that. Jeannie got her real estate license,
and was immediately successful. [CAMERA SNAPPING] Then she met Edward Tovrea, a charming, wealthy divorcee.
EDWARD TOVREA: I think you're going to do well, because of your people skills, I bet you're good at.
SANDRA ELDER: Ed had all the qualities that Jeanne was looking for. EDWARD TOVREA: I'd like to propose a toast.
SANDRA ELDER: It's just that simple. [GLASSES CLINKING] You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the prince,
and she considered Ed a prince. DENNIS FARINA: The Tovrea family made millions in the cattle business, and were among the founding fathers
of Phoenix. But Ed Tovrea made his own name as a pilot in World War II. Less than a year after they met, Jeanne and Ed were married,
and Jeanne was warmly accepted into the Phoenix upper crust. DANNY MEDINA: She seemed to fall right into it,
as if though she'd had that money forever. She was welcomed, and very, very well-loved.
I don't know one person that disliked Jeanne. She was just one of those very special people
with very special qualities. She treated people like she wanted to be treated. They entertained a lot, very casual entertaining,
had friends in. They had a very good marriage, they both liked to do the same things.
EDWARD TOVREA: 10 years after getting married, Ed's health began to decline. Jeanne was by his side constantly.
I just want to make sure you're taken care of, you get the house, and you're comfortable, OK?
SANDRA ELDER: Jeanne was not a greedy person. It wasn't like, well, I have married you,
everything you have is mine. This was not Jeanne. DENNIS FARINA: When Ed eventually died,
he left Jeanne an estate worth millions, including the house, and a valuable art collection.
After a period of mourning, Jeanne re-entered the Phoenix social world. DANNY MEDINA: I think it was her way to get over everything,
and meet people. [CAMERA SNAPPING] Became quite the socialite, and chaired many of the balls.
And her circle of friends all went. For Jeanne, it became a way of doing things for herself.
Well, I'm going to finish these last few invitations and call it a night. DENNIS FARINA: On the last evening of her life,
Jeanne prepared invitations for a high society party she planned to host. At 7:00 PM, she spoke with her sister.
By 1:00 AM, the next morning, she was dead-- shot in the head five times. [CAMERAS SNAPPING]
At the murder scene, police found several fingerprints, but no other physical evidence.
Jeanne's purse, identification, and credit cards were all missing. Those credit cards have never been found,
and they've never been used to this day. [CAMERA SNAPPING] DET. ERNIE HAMRICK: The fingerprints that we have have been compared
to every name has been mentioned to us, that's been through our computer system,
and we have not identified who those prints belonged to. My opinion, and the opinion of two detectives
all felt that she was the victim of a hit. She was killed intentionally for somebody.
DENNIS FARINA: Police were sure the killer was someone familiar with Jeanne's neighborhood, because he
entered her home so easily. DET. ERNIE HAMRICK: I would say the suspect at least had
some knowledge of the house. Entry into the house was made through a window, but it was done in a manner not to set the alarm system off.
There's white carpeting throughout the house, and there was no indications in any room except her bedroom
that anybody had been in there. It appears that he knew the direct path from the point of entry to her bedroom and where she was.
She was shot while she lay in bed asleep. There was no obvious signs of a struggle.
[GUNSHOTS] DENNIS FARINA: Police believe that the killer scattered Jeanne's costume jewelry to make
it look like a burglary. Thousands of dollars' worth of real jewelry was left untouched in the next room.
Also, it seemed that he wanted someone to know that he had been there. [ALARM RINGING]
DET. ERNIE HAMRICK: The alarm was set off when the sliding door was opened by the suspect.
It's only a theory, but one of the reasons we considered is that this person, if he was paid to kill her,
wanted to let the person who paid him know that the job was done. DENNIS FARINA: Why was Jeanne Tovrea killed?
Police had no idea, until they listened to the tapes from her answering machine.
That's when they heard the voice of a mysterious man who called himself Gordon Phillips.
GORDON PHILLIPS (ON TAPE): And I have some information for you. DENNIS FARINA: Phillips claimed to be a magazine writer.
He met with Jeanne, saying that he wished to interview her-- How may I help? DENNIS FARINA: About her late husband's POW experiences.
Tell me something about Ed himself, your husband, the man. What was he Like Mr. Phillips, you say you work for Time Life.
Yes. Well, then of course you would have some identification you could show me. Well, actually I'm a freelance writer,
I'm not really on staff. I can provide you with some references. You know, I'm going to have to cut you short.
SANDRA ELDER: Jeanne had him checked out, and Time Magazine had never heard of him.
And Jeanne once again told him that she was the wrong person to talk to. And she couldn't seem to make him understand this.
[PHONE RINGING] SANDRA ELDER: Gordon Phillips would not give up. If Jeanne didn't answer his calls,
he left messages on her machine. Hello? DENNIS FARINA: And she was sure that he was following her.
Mr. Phillips, I told you, I do not want to meet with you. SANDRA ELDER: For a while there, it
was every time she went somewhere, she'd think she saw this guy. She would see him in a crowd, and she was
extremely nervous about this. [GUNSHOTS] [ALARM RINGING] It's inconceivable to me that Jeanne was murdered.
She was my sister, she was my best friend, and she didn't deserve to die. [GUNSHOTS]
DENNIS FARINA: Update. After a seven year investigation, the man who called himself Gordon Phillips
has been identified as Jeanne Tovrea's killer. His real name is James Cornell Harrod,
and his fingerprints matched those found at the crime scene. Harrod was found guilty of first degree murder.
Because it was a contract killing, he was sentenced to death. However, the person who hired him to murder Jeanne
is still a mystery. If you can help bring this case to its final conclusion, please contact us at unsolved.com.
Next, a young woman strung out on cocaine searches for a miracle. What brought her to this tiny town in Eastern Europe?
Former model Jill Jensen is so strung out on cocaine that she has gouged open sores all over her body.
Rita Klaus, a mother of three, attempts to overcome the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis.
These two women really have nothing in common but a small village called Medjugorje.
Millions of pilgrims, many of them Americans have come to this church in Medjugorje
to meet six young people who call themselves visionaries. They claim to have spoken to the Virgin Mary
on this hill outside of the village in 1981. Decades after the vision, hundreds of people
claim they have been healed here. Joe Romano swears that he was cured of abdominal cancer.
Kevin Gebo had a failing immune system, but now his symptoms have disappeared Char Vance's leg
was shattered beyond repair. Now it's healed. It's hard for many of us to believe
that an injury or illness can be cured by a visit to a religious site. But for many who have watched a loved one suffer,
sometimes their only hope is a miracle. And that's why they travel to Medjugorje.
As a pretty teenager, Jill Jensen wasn't in an accident, she didn't have a life-threatening disease.
She had a different problem. She was addicted to cocaine. JILL JENSEN: I don't think that many days ever went
by without me using cocaine. I'd carry it in my purse, I'd conceal it in my jackets,
I'd hide it in my car. I would never go anywhere without it. DENNIS FARINA: By the time Jill was 26, she had a $500 a day
habit. She tried one drug rehab center after another, but nothing helped. JILL JENSEN: It got to the point where I began to hallucinate.
I would start to see bugs all over me, or what I believed to be bugs. I would feel things all over me, and think that I
had to get them off of me. No matter what I did, I just had to get these bugs off me.
So I would rip my skin open, and rip out my hair. And for years, I had these sores all over me.
[MOANING] DEE OLSEN: She was scrawny, she was anorexic, she had circles under her eyes.
She looked far beyond her years. You know, at one time, Jill was beautiful, and all heads would turn when they saw her,
and she did modeling for a while. But all that left her. [SINGING] DENNIS FARINA: Jill's Aunt Dee Dee had made
a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. A year later, she convinced Jill to go back with her.
Jill agreed, even though she dreaded a 14 hour plane ride without access to cocaine.
JILL JENSEN: I didn't know how I was going to handle the withdrawals. I'd been through them before.
Horrible headaches, sleeplessness sometimes. Terrible nightmares when I am able to sleep.
Cold sweats, hot flashes, horrible things. I didn't know how I was going to make it,
but I was willing to try. Something came over me that gave me the willingness to try.
DENNIS FARINA: When Jill arrived at Medjugorje, she met with an American priest in a makeshift confessional.
I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do here. You say, "Forgive me father, for I have sinned.
My last confession was--" DENNIS FARINA: Although raised a Catholic, Jill had never been interested in religion.
My last confession was when I was eight years old. DENNIS FARINA: For nearly an hour,
lines backed up while Jill made her confession. JILL JENSEN: I couldn't go anywhere without the drugs,
I couldn't do anything without the drugs. Right around then, that's when the bugs started.
And I'll do anything to get them off. JILL JENSEN (VOICEOVER): It was evident to him
that I was all torn up, and I had told him how I had arrived at having all these sores, these open wounds.
And when I was through with my confession, he blessed my sores with holy water. Amen.
JILL JENSEN (VOICEOVER): By that evening, all my sores were completely closing and healing.
It was amazing. I didn't feel it happening, but every time I looked down, I would notice that they were less and less open,
the sores. And for years, they'd never ever gone away. DENNIS FARINA: Within a few days Jill's sores had almost
disappeared, and she hadn't experienced a single symptom of withdrawal. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had been freed.
That I really was going to be able to have a life, that it was given back to me, it was a gift.
DENNIS FARINA: Years after her trip to Medjugorje, Jill is still drug free, and she speaks in school
drug prevention programs. Rita Klaus also believes in the healing power of Medjugorje.
She told us she experienced it without ever leaving her own home. Rita had been a nun until the onset of multiple sclerosis,
or MS, a degenerative, incurable disease. When her symptoms worsened, Rita left the convent
and moved to Pennsylvania, where she taught school. She soon met Ron, another teacher, and three years later,
they were married. Then Rita's symptoms disappeared. She came to believe that she had been misdiagnosed.
Within five years, Ron and Rita had three daughters. But after the birth of their youngest,
Heidi, Rita began to experience symptoms of MS once again. She tried to ignore them, but one day,
the muscles in her right arm weakened uncontrollably. [GASPING] [CRYING] Baby, oh, my baby.
RITA KLAUS: Thankfully, Heidi was all right. Outside of being shaken up, she was all right.
But I was not all right. I was so shaken inside, and so afraid. Just terribly afraid.
DENNIS FARINA: In time, Rita was restricted to a wheelchair, and on good days, crutches.
- OK. - OK. Often RITA KLAUS: I would look at the books about Medjugorje, and I would think, I would love to be there.
And then I would look at myself, and say, but physically, there's no way I could go.
Financially, there's no way I could go. And so I didn't go. DENNIS FARINA: Then, one night while she was saying
her prayers, she heard a voice. [ECHOING SPEECH] And she began to pray. Dear Mary.
RITA KLAUS: As soon as I finished the prayer, I felt this feeling through my body like electricity,
but it was especially intense on the right side of my body, where I had deformities in the right leg.
Healed. RITA KLAUS: I thought, this isn't happening to me, and I fell asleep. I'm so late for school.
You know if-- DENNIS FARINA: Curiously, the next morning, Rita had no memory of the voice, or saying a prayer.
As usual, she headed off to her class at the local college. RITA KLAUS: Midway through the class, I felt this rush of heat
through my body. And by the end of class, I could feel, I could feel there were wrinkles inside my shoes.
I could move my toes. I had not been able to move my toes for years. Ron. Girls.
DENNIS FARINA: It had been four years since Rita had walked on her own without help.
RITA KLAUS: As I stood there looking at the steps, I had a flashback. And in that flashback, I heard the voice
from the night before, the prayer that was given me to say. And I knew I was completely healed.
[LAUGHING] I ran all the way up the steps, and I remember I was screaming at the top of the steps.
And then I ran down the steps, out the front door. I was screaming at the sky, "Oh, thank you, God.
Thank you, blessed mother." Look, I can walk. RON KLAUS: You're really thinking that you're not seeing
what you're actually seeing. You want to be happy, but you're almost afraid to be happy,
because every doctor that you've ever seen has said it would never happen. See how that feels.
OK. - All right? - Yeah. DENNIS FARINA: Rita's symptoms have not returned for over 20 years.
She's even able to ice skate again. She believes it's a miracle. DR. RICHARD CASDORPH: This certainly
could be called a miraculous event, if you want to use that term, because we just don't see 20 years of disability clear instantly.
DENNIS FARINA: Can cures like Rita's and Jill Jensen's be attributed to the virgin of Medjugorje?
The Catholic Church has not recognized them as miracles, but it's hard to argue with them when they say they were
healed by a miracle of faith. Next, in high school, she was voted the most popular
and the prettiest. A cheerleader and a homecoming queen. Why would someone want her killed?
Sulphur, Louisiana. In junior high and high school, Pam Littleton was voted the most popular, the friendliest,
and the prettiest girl. She was a cheerleader, and she was the homecoming queen.
After college, Pam married Eric Ellender, a bright, up-and-coming business man. They bought a house near Pam's parents,
and Eric went to work for Pam's father. A year later, Pam gave birth to a baby girl,
and the family circle was now complete. Nearly every day, Pam would walk over to her parents' home
with the baby for a visit. HUEY LITTLETON: Pamela, I guess, would be, she was a type of daughter that every father would dream of.
She had dreamed of being a housewife and a mother. That was her ambition in life and she was--
[PHONE RINGING] Totally happy. - Probably more like 11:30. - OK. Don't worry-- DENNIS FARINA: It was 8:45 PM on February 11th,
the Monday before Mardi Gras. Pam's husband Eric called her at her mother's to say that he was home from work.
[KID LAUGHING] All right, thank you. Bye. DENNIS FARINA: Pam left for home 30 minutes later.
The next afternoon, Huey Littleton got a call from his mother-in-law. HUEY LITTLETON: She says, Huey, I just left Pam and Eric's,
and something's wrong. They're in their bed. I have the baby, and I'm back at your house.
Call the sheriff. [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] The sheriff's unit met us at the gate going into the yard,
and asked that we not go near the house. We learned that Pam and Eric were dead.
Both of them had been brutally shot with a shotgun. [GUNSHOT] And the fatal wounds were to their head.
DENNIS FARINA: The only blessing was that Pam and Eric's daughter was left unharmed.
But Pam's parents were consumed by grief. HUEY LITTLETON: Totally immobilized me.
I couldn't cry. All I could do was say, why, and who? DENNIS FARINA: Eric's car had been stolen
the night of the murders. 18-year-old Chris Prudhomme him and three of his friends
were seen driving it in Baton Rouge. Prudhomme was arrested. Chris, where was the shotgun?
It was in a case. DENNIS FARINA: And became the focus of the investigation. INVESTIGATOR: So, what did you do after you got the gun,
and saw that it was loaded. I went and shot them. INVESTIGATOR: Who did you shoot first?
Shot the guy. HUEY LITTLETON: He confessed under oath that he had killed Pam and Eric.
He had no remorse for doing so. In fact, was glad that he did so. DENNIS FARINA: 17 days after the murders,
Prudhomme was found hanging by the neck in the jail shower room. In this suicide note, found in his cell,
Prudhomme took sole responsibilities for the murders. He said, quote, "I enjoyed very much in the taking of these two
individuals lives." As far as the sheriff's department was concerned, the case was closed.
But to Huey Littleton, there were too many questions left unanswered. Huey is a licensed private detective,
and he began his own investigation. Huey came to believe that Chris Prudhomme was
a member of a satanic cult called The Skaters, an acronym for Satan's Kids Against The Establishment.
MAN: Is he going to talk? Because I'm not going down for this. WOMAN: I'm not either.
MAN 2: Look, he's not going to talk if he knows better. DENNIS FARINA: The girlfriend of one of the Skaters
told Dewey about a meeting that took place the morning after Pam and Eric were killed.
We gotta come up with something, man. We know he wasn't alone, but what about the cops, OK?
DENNIS FARINA: The witness said the SKATERS were trying to make up an alibi for whoever was with Prudhomme when
the murders happened. By himself, right? DENNIS FARINA: She also said that Prudhomme and one
accomplice had broken into the Ellender's home planning only to burglarize it. Check this out.
DENNIS FARINA: But she said they were high on LSD, and ended up murdering Pam and Eric
using one of Eric's shotguns. WOMAN: I was at a bar that night, and I was drinking.
DENNIS FARINA: Huey felt that many of the crucial facts were still unknown. He continued to interview more witnesses--
well over a hundred of them. And they mentioned something about a party. A party that was--
DENNIS FARINA: He was horrified when a girl named Nickie Alderson told him that just minutes after the murders,
the Skaters were having a party in Pam and Eric's house. NICKIE ALDERSON: When we got out to this house,
I saw some people, and when we walked up to them, I realized I knew some of them.
DENNIS FARINA: Nicky said one of the first people she saw at the party was Chris Prudhomme.
Hey Chris, man, what's going on? Hey, what's up? Not much. Who's place is this? I don't know. I don't know right now.
All right. NICKIE ALDERSON: They were all just standing around, drinking and talking, and making different remarks about God,
and things like that. You can kind of feel from the vibes of people that something-- it was kind of weird, because everybody
was in there, you know, like I said, in their own little world. I just got here, let me see what I can get.
You didn't get a lot. NICKIE ALDERSON: Some were doing some drugs on the table. They had enough drugs on there where
I could see from a distance of what they were snorting. Thanks. That's what I want.
DENNIS FARINA: Nickie claims she did not know there were two dead bodies in the house
until she was watching television the next day. NICKIE ALDERSON: I was watching the news, and I saw this house.
I was like, oh my God, I was at that house. Then I knew, you know, that was the guys that was there,
that was the people I had seen. And just come to the realization that I was there.
WAYNE MCELVEEN: We were asked by Mr. Littleton to re-look at the case, and we did.
And everything that he let us know about, we checked into, and found out it didn't have factual information enough
to bring to the district attorney's office. Also, everything that we reviewed, the district attorney reviewed, and so
has the attorney general of the state Louisiana reviewed. And the facts speak for itself.
DENNIS FARINA: The sheriff's department says they saw no evidence that there was a party at the house.
However, Huey found one other person who confirmed Nikki's story. This witness added sickening details,
claiming that the dead bodies of Pam and Eric were molested sexually by more than one person.
Those claims were backed up by this man, Chip Richard. Although he was not at Pam and Eric's house,
he saw videotapes of what took place that night. What I saw in the video was the people
killing the Ellenders, having sexual contact with them, you know, just basically everything that really goes on,
you know. This is about as low as humanity can crawl. DENNIS FARINA: Next, more witnesses
come forward with strange and disturbing testimony. The investigation into the murders of Pam
and Eric Ellender continues. Pam and Eric Ellender had been brutally murdered. When Pam's father investigated, he uncovered allegations
of a satanic cult, and events more sinister than he would ever have imagined. The confessed killer, Chris Prudhomme,
was dead, apparently a suicide. Now attention focused on 18-year-old Robert Adkins.
He was one of the three men arrested with Prudhomme in Baton Rouge. Adkins was charged only in connection
with the theft of the vehicle. But according to a friend, there was much more. SHAWN MOODY: Bobby took me in the backyard,
he told me that he wanted to tell me what had happened, because he needed to get it off of his chest.
What happened was, me-- DENNIS FARINA: While on bail, Adkins allegedly told Shawn Moody that he was at the house
when Chris Prudhomme killed the Ellenders. Well, we get in, we just headed straight for the living room.
SHAWN MOODY: He told me they were looking around for valuables, him and Chris, and they had found a shotgun.
And when they entered the master bedroom, the wife woke up. Chris shot the wife first.
[GUNSHOT] And then the husband had woken, and Chris shot him. [GUNSHOT] DENNIS FARINA: According to Chip Richard,
Adkins said that Prudhomme didn't murder anyone, but had volunteered to take the fall out of loyalty
to the satanic cult. CHIP RICHARD: He had told me that, you know, Chris was taking the rap for him, because Chris was becoming
the leader in the cult. Basically everybody was with him worshipped him, and would do anything for him.
And in return, he had to do for them the same that they would do for him. Kim came to me about one or two days after the murders.
DENNIS FARINA: Huey interviewed more witnesses-- She told me-- DENNIS FARINA: Looking for someone who could
identify the actual shooter. She was there? DENNIS FARINA: Finally he found Pearl Fruge.
Pearl said her cousin Kim Manuel claimed to have witnessed the murders firsthand.
Huey wanted Kim's story tape recorded, and asked Pearl to help. Do you think we can get her to talk about it on tape?
Chris, one other girl, and another guy were in the house. DENNIS FARINA: The next day, Pearl recorded a conversation
with Kim's permission. I guess they couldn't find anything. DENNIS FARINA: Kim described the murders in detail,
but never admitted on tape to actually being in the house herself. Chris bumped something and Eric woke up.
I guess he went to grab for the gun, and Chris shot him. Then Pam woke up, and the other guy shot her.
Chris was going to kill the baby too, but the girl told him no. She took the baby, and brought it into Pam and Eric's room,
and laid it down with them. And then she went outside. I've been getting threats about this, Pearl.
What am I supposed to do? DENNIS FARINA: Pearl played the tape before a grand jury.
MAN: And now, the actual tape. PEARL (ON TAPE): Kim, what really happened that night?
KIM (ON TAPE): You know he's been calling me and threatening me. I'm really scared.
HUEY LITTLETON: This, to us, was a pinnacle point in the investigation. After hearing a lot of testimony--
I mean, from many witnesses-- the grand jury returned an indictment of two counts of second degree murder against Kim Manuel.
KIM (ON TAPE): And we could see the baby's room, and I guess they couldn't find anything--
DENNIS FARINA: Some believe the indictment was a legal maneuver to pressure Kim Manuel into identifying
other possible suspects. If so, the plan failed. Kim Manuel's court-appointed public defender, John Laverne,
called a press conference. He claimed that Pearl Fruge was lying, and the tape had been scripted and rehearsed.
JOHN LAVERNE: She and Kim then concocted this story that they wanted to hear. And then she produced the tape recorder
openly, and showed it to Kim. And they sat there with a scripted conversation, and recorded it, and brought it back,
and gave it to these people, that being what they wanted to hear. KIM (ON TAPE): They went into the baby's room.
DENNIS FARINA: Pearl Fruge stands by her story. PEARL (ON TAPE): I guess they couldn't find anything.
PEARL FRUGE: We never made up the tape, I never lied. What I told them was the truth.
And Kim knows it's the truth. I can't change what she told me, and I'm not going to make up another story just
to make her look good. DENNIS FARINA: One year later, the charges against Kim Manuel
were dropped. Huey Littleton was bitterly disappointed, and by now, he had lost all credibility
with the authorities. WAYNE MCELVEEN: We felt sorry for him at first, but we've got to deal with facts.
I mean, you go before a judge and a jury, he won't be able to bring all these accusations.
He'll have to deal with facts. And I think any grand jury, any district attorney, any attorney
general will agree with that. I'm at peace with what I'm doing, because we are doing the right thing.
We just want to see those that participated in the murders of Eric and Pam, and the cover up,
and the destruction of evidence, brought to justice. Justice under the law. DENNIS FARINA: Robert Adkins and two other men
were indicted in connection with the murders of Pam and Eric Ellender. Adkins plead guilty to manslaughter.
He was sentenced to 21 years, but the sentence was reduced to five and a half years,
because he had already served time on the stolen car charge. The other two men served short terms
as accessories after the fact. So now the attorney general's office in Louisiana
considers this case closed. But Huey Littleton will not rest until he knows exactly what happened on the night of the murders.
If you have any information, please log on to our website at unsolved.com. Next, a mysterious phone call reopens the case of a woman
missing for 15 years. Chalmette, Louisiana. Make sure to feed everybody for me. Yep.
And would you put everything in the fridge when you're done? DENNIS FARINA: Mary Anne Perez goes out with a girlfriend,
and leaves her teenage daughter, Donna, to babysit the younger children. - All right.
I love you. I'm gonna call and check up on you. - OK. - Lock the door. SHANNON PEREZ MILLER: She told Donna
that she would be calling to check on us about 10, 11 o'clock. And Donna said she got a phone call from mama first,
Mama said that she was OK, she would be home shortly. [PHONE RINGING] And then, Donna said she got a phone call from a woman
by the name of Dorothy. Hello. DOROTHY (ON PHONE): Hi, my name's Dorothy, and I'm a friend of your mama's.
I'm calling to let you know she's having car trouble, so she'll be a little late getting home tonight.
WAYNE THOMAS: When I heard about the call, and heard the name Dorothy, I couldn't
imagine who in the world that could have been. I knew there was something wrong somewhere,
the car being practically new, and no reason for car trouble. [CAMERA SNAPPING] DENNIS FARINA: Mary Anne never called, and never came home.
Her family soon discovered that she had gone to meet her friend at a country western bar on the outskirts of New Orleans.
A cold beer. DENNIS FARINA: The next morning, police found Mary Anne's car parked in front of the club,
but found no evidence of car trouble. [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] Nothing in the back.
DENNIS FARINA: Three days later, Mary Anne purse was found in Lake Pontchartrain, 10 miles away.
It had been weighted down by a brick. But there was no trace of Mary Ann Perez. Nine years passed.
Then finally, New Orleans Police got their first solid lead. A man named David Courtney and his wife
had confessed to a multi-state killing spree. One of their victims seemed to have a lot
in common with Mary Ann Perez. Um, I um, I was going to this bar for a drink, and I saw this woman, and--
BOB LAMBERT: When I went up to Kansas to interview David Courtney, he told me about the female
he abducted in New Orleans. He stated that he was driving down a highway and pulled in a parking lot of a country western bar.
DAVID COURTNEY: Oh. - Oh. DAVID COURTNEY: Hey, you OK? Yeah, I'm OK, thank you. Um.
You're not driving that car, are you? MARY ANN: I gotta. I gotta get home to my kids.
Well, look, why don't you let my wife and I take you home. She's right up the road here, and I'm
picking her up from work. BOB LAMBERT: Did you pick your wife up? DAVID COURTNEY: Yeah, and then we took
her straight to our trailer. BOB LAMBERT: He stated that this female fell asleep
on a chair in the trailer, and there were some sexual advancements by David Courtney's wife, which
woke this female up, and she became disturbed, and irate, and upset about what was going on.
And they agreed to give her a ride home at that time. DENNIS FARINA: David Courtney stated that his wife drove
and he sat in the backseat with their intended victim. We're just, we're taking you back.
It's all over. DENNIS FARINA: Courtney said he had already killed once, and that he and his wife were afraid
that this woman would go to the police if they let her live. Recognize this place.
This is-- this is not the way to-- this is not-- [CHOKING] DENNIS FARINA: According to David Courtney,
they dumped their victim near the Louisiana-Mississippi State line, and made no attempt to hide the body.
Detective Lambert tried to verify that their victim was actually Mary Ann Perez.
I'm gonna show you a photograph now. I want you to take a look at it, and see whether or not
you can identify this person. DAVID COURTNEY: Um, could be, yeah, it kind of looks like her.
I can't be 100% sure, but yeah, I think so, maybe. BOB LAMBERT: I'm gonna show you a small photograph.
I want you to look at it, and see if you recognize anything in that photograph. DAVID COURTNEY: Oh yeah, that's her car.
It's green. Definitely. Uh huh. DENNIS FARINA: Detective Lambert next questioned Courtney's wife--
BOB LAMBERT: How you doing? DENNIS FARINA: Specifically about Mary Ann's purse. BOB LAMBERT: New Orleans Police Department.
I asked her if the female they abducted had a purse. And she said yes, that she threw it over the side of a bridge
that they were crossing at the time. DONNA: Get her out, quick. I've got it. DENNIS FARINA: An extensive search was conducted,
but no body was recovered, even though all of Courtney's other victims had been found where
he said they would be found. The Courtneys were never charged with Mary Ann's murder.
Her family kept their hopes alive. [PHONE RINGING] Then, 15 years after Mary Anne disappeared, the family got--
Hello? DENNIS FARINA: A phone call from a woman who claimed to be Mary Ann's best friend.
SHAWN PEREZ: And she said, well, it's about Mary Ann. And I said, what about miss Mary Ann?
And she said well, miss Mary Ann's still alive. WOMAN ON PHONE: I'm calling for Mary Ann,
because they won't let her. Mary Ann can't remember-- look, do you have Donna's number?
DENNIS FARINA: The caller insisted she would not be able to call again. She said, like Mary Ann, she was quote, "Not allowed."
WOMAN ON PHONE: I'm telling you, Mary Ann is still alive. I don't understand why you don't want to help her.
[HANGING UP] WAYNE THOMAS: That caused me to think more positive that she was alive.
And of course, there was statements made that this was possibly a prank call, I don't know.
But I do know that if she is alive, I'd like to see her. And I'd like to find her.
DENNIS FARINA: Mary Ann's family clings to the hope that David Courtney, who admits he was drunk at the time, did not succeed in strangling
Mary Ann to death. DAVID COURTNEY: It's OK. SHANNON PEREZ MILLER: Maybe he might
have strangled her unconscious, thinking that she was dead, and threw her out. Maybe she got up several hours later.
Maybe there's a possibility that she is somewhere out there. WAYNE THOMAS: Maybe she had amnesia or something like that,
or maybe some of the brain cells were destroyed, and she can't remember who she is or what she was.
I don't know what happened to her. The fact is, she's gone, and has been gone for 15 years.
Whether she's dead or alive, I don't know. DENNIS FARINA: Update. There are new developments in this case.
Here's one of our staff with the details. STAFF: While David Courtney sat in prison for the murder of one
of his other victims, sadly, the hopes of Mary Ann's family were vanquished, when remains found in Alabama
turned out to be Mary Ann's, according to a DNA sample provided by her daughter.
Courtney's wife Donna died shortly after being paroled. Courtney, now 74, remains behind bars.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

Brief Summary

Jeanne Tovrea's murder, Jill Jensen's healing, Pam and Eric Ellender's killings, and Mary Ann Perez's disappearance are featured in this episode.

Key points

Jeanne Tovrea's Mysterious Murder. After her husband’s death, Jeanne is murdered in her home. A mysterious tape may hold the key.
Jill Jensen's Miraculous Healing. Struggling with a severe cocaine addiction, Jill finds unexpected healing during a pilgrimage.
Rita Klaus's Unexpected Recovery. After years of disability, Rita experiences a miraculous healing that allows her to walk again.
Murder Investigation Unfolds. Witnesses reveal shocking details about the night of the murders.
A Disturbing Confession. A witness claims to have seen the murders on video, revealing horrific acts.
A Mysterious Phone Call. A call claims Mary Ann is still alive, raising hope for her family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It could be you.

Dennis Farina invites viewers to help solve a mystery.

1:10WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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