Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 12 | Forensic Files

[Music] next on Unsolved Mysteries a young man is talking to his fiance when she is
abducted he tracks her down but is it too late is there a fortune in silver and gold buried beneath the Alamo one
treasure hunter is determined to find out she seemed like family a financial adviser who even baked for her clients
but could she be trusted with their hard-earned money and it seemed like a romance that
would last could her lover have been her [Music] killer whether it's murder Larsen or
foul play sometimes these cases are solved thanks to you I'm Dennis finina and this is Unsolved Mysteries
[Applause] [Music] [Music] he Clinton Missouri a quiet farming town in the heart of America normally this peaceful
region feels insulated from Big City crime but that sense of security was shattered after a popular young
woman was abducted and possibly murdered and Angela Hammond was an outgoing 20-year-old known to everyone
as Angie her fiance Rob Schaefer was a star athlete in high school when he gave Angie a diamond
engagement ring he promised to always take care of her I'll give you a call later okay
great on a warm spring evening Angie dropped Rob at his house and said that she would call him in a few
hours that was about 10:00 I was going to meet her back up town as soon as my mom got home I was watching
my little brother at the time and she called later on that night as promised Angie later called Rob
from a pay phone in the center of town about seven blocks from his house while we were talking on the phone she
mentioned to me about a truck circling around the block keep circling around the block an older model green Ford
pickup truck do you recognize a truck no he's probably not from around here maybe he's just lost I guess so anyway
Angie was unconcerned until the truck parked by the phone booth uh Rob he's pulling up next to the
phones what's the driver look like he's kind of dirty looking he's got a mustache beard and glasses and he's
wearing overalls and he's coming to the phones the truck is a light model green pickup truck with the one of those
decals that covered the whole back window it looks like a leg scene with a fish jumping out of water what's he
doing now Angie he used the phone next to her got back in his truck and looked at
something with a flashlight and he was looking for something I had her turn around and ask
him if he needed to use phone maybe the other phone was broke and he said no he just going to try again in a minute no
maybe I should come down there oh Rob no I'm sure it's okay we just talked about
other things we weren't too worried about it and that's when I heard her scream on the
phone I ran out of the house just dropped the phone I didn't hang the phone back up when I heard a scream the
only thing went through my mind is getting up there and finding out what the hell's going on I saw a pickup truck
going past me and then somebody yelled out the window Robie that's how I knew it was them
[Applause] as Rob chased the pickup through downtown he didn't realize that when he
threw his car into reverse the transmission had been severely damaged I chased him about 2
miles the transmission failed it uh it started dying as I was making my turn to the right
[Music] all us all was break CL and dust well I blamed himself for it because he always told her he'd be there
to take care of her and he tried he did everything that could be done you know nobody blames him but I think he thinks
that people blame him the beginning is the hardest because you know you were close
enough to get him but she just didn't get the job done and you still wake up at night wondering
where she's at wondering what happened wondering if anybody's still looking you just wonder all the
time Angie's kidnapping sent shock waves through the town the police and citizens
searched far and wide by both air and land but found nothing the best hope for cracking the case rested on locating the
pickup truck we had from the Missouri State Highway Patrol that did a computer search on all registered vehicles to
their help we had like 1,600 possibilities that we had to look after checking wherever these trucks are at on
as far as color and if they had any mural in the back window uh with no success the police based their
investigation on Rob Schaefer's testimony but when no Witnesses could back up his story Rob himself became a
suspect I think you know it was natural that people wondered you know did the boyfriend do it type thing but my
feeling I've known the kid all his life and I never doubted for a minute that he
had anything to do with it within a week Rob was cleared shortly after police connected
Angie's abduction to two other unsolved cases within a 100 miles of Clinton the first had occurred 3 months earlier near
Max Creek Missouri listen I'm getting ready to close up but there's a man that's been hanging around outside for a
while now and I'm 42-year-old Trudy Darby was working alone in a convenience store she called her son to report a
suspicious man loitering outside Trudy's son hurried to the store but found it deserted 2 Days Later Trudy Derby was
found on a riverbank 10 mi from the store she had been fatally shot twice in the
head about a month later 30-year-old Cheryl an Kenny was reported missing a neveda Missouri roughly 70 mi from where
the body of Trudy Darby had been found Cheryl an Kenny had also vanished from a convenience store where she
worked she has not been seen since then less than one month after that Angie Hammond was abducted
if Angela is found it might provide that link if they are related and maybe that
be a connection uh to Trudy Derby how she was murdered authorities now suspected that
a serial killer was on the loose in West Central Missouri if anybody out there sees
anything you know if they could put their themselves in our place and know how we feel you know how heart-wrenching
it is that she was taken even if the guy that took her sees this if he would just
call and let him know what he did with her before she disappeared Angie described her abductor as a filthy
bearded man who wore glasses and overalls he was driving a late 1960s or early 1970s two-tone green Ford pickup
truck the back window was completely covered by a decal of a fish jumping out of water which may look like
this a reward is being offered for leads in this case if you have any information
please log on to our website at unsolved.com next the search for a treasure of silver
and gold that may be buried beneath the legendary Alamo Remember the Alamo the famous battlecry was
immortalized in history but for some the full story of the Alim has yet to be told Legend has it that in the shadow of
the alamo's Old Mission a treasure remains buried a secret which dates back to 1836 the year of the f famous
battle that January a group of rugged frontiersmen made their way across southern Texas by some accounts they
were loaded down with a fortune in silver and gold the legendary Sans SAA treasure
said to be worth millions of dollars the men led by Colonel Jim Buie were headed for the Alamo the treasure
was intended to finance the Texas Revolution for independence from Mexico two months later buoy and 188 other men
including Davey Crockett made a courageous stand against 6,000 well-trained Mexican troops at the
alamoo not one of the Defenders lived to tell the tale however the legend of the
treasure did survive professional Fortune Hunter and historical researcher Frank busher first
heard about the treasure at the Alamo during a trip to Mexico he was introduced to Maria Gomez a
respected museum curator who also had a reputation as a psychic did you know that there is a
treasure buried at the Alamo I never heard of any treasure surrounding the Battle of the Alamo it is just a valiant
battle that was lost then she went on to describe it as gold coins uh artifacts silver artifacts
religious artifacts Frank was told that some of the treasure had been removed by
Mexican soldiers but that most of it still remained hidden at the AL she's going to draw you a
map this is Maria's map she predicted that the treasure would be found here at the bottom of an old well even though
Maria said that she had never been to the Alamo she had indicated the spot where a well was duck just before the
siege the well was in the the plaza which was surrounded by 12T tall stone walls it was Within These Walls that the
Texans held out for a full 13 days The Defenders put down one Advance after another but in the end 189 men could not
hold off 6,000 Mexican soldiers Frank believed that in a final desperate act Jim Buie ordered the
treasure to be hidden at the bottom of the well hand it down to me this really is the
First Bank of Texas the first catch of precious metals that would have bought them the arms and uniforms they
needed the only way they preserve it is to all stick together and fight the battle out to whatever outcome it had
the reason why it's remained there is because everybody died Frank believes that the treasur is
located beneath the road in front of the chapel but to many native Texans his theory doesn't hold
up the people of the Almo I don't think they were guarding a treasure when your life is on the line like it was in the
battle with General santiana I don't think you're thinking about silver or gold Bon I think you're thinking about your
life and I don't think you would be polluting your water well because you don't know how long your siege is going
to be despite the controversy Frank was determined to prove his point he obtained permission to survey the area
with ground pedit trting radar okay we got a void so we've got a nice little area
there about 3 to 4 M down looks to be maybe a covered over syst that's all strictly conjectured but uh this is a a
very good looking Target to their trained eyes the radar display showed several irregularities
beneath the surface the largest which Frank believes to be the sight of the well is in the exact location where
Maria Gomez predicted the treasure would be found it kind of brought all my research to fruition at that point
because I knew with the map her story and then plugging it into Texas history that I was on a hot Trail and any
disension that I had within my own mind about whether I should follow this any further was gone the anomalies could be
caused by many things I think it could be debris equipment left by the Texans it could be something several years
later that was deposited there and I think that probably that could be part of what they're picking up out
there Frank spent three and A2 years acquiring the necessary permits and financing to excavate the site the
archaeology department at St Mary's University agreed to oversee the project here for Project Director Thomas gjn
anything that turns up during the excavation will have historical value whether it's treasure as in gold
and silver and that sort of thing or whether it is materials that were thrown into the well during the battle
materials that were thrown into the well during the cleanup after the battle doesn't make any difference to us while
we're looking at it in a historicals perspective whatever it is it's a time capsule the plans call for Excavating a
15x 15 ft area directly above above the well a work crew needed to First remove 3 ft of Flagstone and roaded to reach
the top of the Fillin well I'm interested in what he finds and if it's a treasure that'll be very
exciting if it's a cannon ball a part of a cannon that'll be interesting to know
about it'll be another part of History what we do know about that ground is it hasn't been Disturbed since the battle
and we have a time capsule down there no matter what it is and it is a treasure no matter what it
is 4T beneath the surface of the courtyard the team began to find artifacts fragments of Native American
pottery the bones of butchered animals and primitive cooking utensils each Relic had to be carefully Unearthed and
properly cataloged while we haven't been able to move as quickly as we ever originally
intended to the reason is very good reason because we found something no one expected to find here and that's intact
18th century materials these items are a valuable treasure in themselves rare artifacts
that help piece together a history of the Alamo from the 1750s up to the final battle nearly a century later here we
have grape shot we think this is from the actual battle we also have this that looks like it is the uh headpiece to a
Mexican soldier's hat would signify his unit and that sort of thing and this may well be part of a
saber from the battle as the archaeologist inch closer and closer to the irregularities picked
up by radar the discoveries they had already made gave them hope but optimism soon turned to disappointment they found
no sign of the treasure yet some remain convinced that the gold and silver still exist
somewhere beneath the Alamo and for them the search will continue next a woman agrees to see an
ex-boyfriend one last time and is found [Music] murdered in a quiet neighborhood in
Tampa Florida Erica Richardson is excited and a bit nervous about her first first date with John FIA thank you
Erica is shy and hasn't dated much FIA has a reputation as a ladies man but that night she and FIA hit it
off when I first saw them together they look nice and I thought that you know they would make a nice
couple John FIA swept Erica off her feet and the two became Inseparable although
some family and friends thought the relationship was moving too fast Erica was convinced that John was her Mr Right
she was wrong okay honey I am off to the mall and I will be back in about a couple of hours okay
yeah to the mall the trouble started not long after FIA moved in with Erica but why not she's a good friend of mine I
could see that he was wearing a mask I discovered him to be a jealous mean controlling
person he was just too possessive he wanted Eric all to himself don't be so paranoid and jealous I am not Not only
was he possessive he wanted to isolate her not only from her family but from friends
too over the next several months the relationship continued to unravel okay Pharmacy what took you so long to
get to the phone girl John you cannot continue to call me here at work like this we FIA had wild mood swings and
frequently called Erica at work accusing her of being unfaithful I have to go okay thank you FIA moved out of the
house but his erratic Behavior continued who was that he began showing up at Erica's work unannounced harassing and
threatening her what are you doing here trying to get smart with me Erica was really afraid of John because of the
threats what he said he would do to her Erica filed a restraining order still FIA showed up at her house at all
hours finally with the help of her father She Found the courage to call the police and have him
arrested despite the threat of jail time FIA continue to stalk Erica so I'm just going to go home
tonight one Saturday a few weeks Before Christmas Erica met her mother at a local mall to do some
shopping hey babe come here don't worry M I can handle it okay I miss you you miss me and I just
want to talk that's all Erica's mother didn't hear much of the conversation but she wasn't surprised when her daughter
agreed to meet with FIA that afternoon I don't know well John was the type person
that he could sweet talk a lady and he made promises that you know things were going to get better he was going to do
better and of course she took him at his word Sunday came and went and imagene heard nothing from
Erica I didn't hardly sleep that night thinking about it Monday morning I called Erica's house and I didn't get an
answer so I called her job she had not shown up at the pharmacy and she hadn't called in concerned
imagine went to Erica's house John's pickup truck was in the driveway I went to the
door and that's when I looked in the window and nothing seemed to have been Disturbed I started to my car and
something told me to go back Erica and I looked through another window and that's when I saw a knife and
blood and I knew then something had happened to my daughter minutes later police confirmed
imagine's worst fears Erica had been stabbed to death Erica was my daughter my friend
she was successful she was bright she was caring loving she was just a daughter that any mother would love to
have when I lost Erica I lost part of me there were some articles that were strown about the home which were
indicative of a struggle uh there were no items of value that appeared to us at that point in time missing from the home
uh indicating to us that someone maybe she knew might have been in the home we found of course Erica
Richardson's blood but we also found the blood of a second party mixed in with her
blood detectives suspected the blood of the second party belonged to FIA but they couldn't prove it without a sample
of his DNA fia's fingerprints were all over the crime scene but that wasn't considered evident since he had lived in
the same house there was one solid lead an eyewitness reported seeing FIA driving Erica's 1992 Honda a short time
after she was killed we issued the warrant for his arrest based on those facts the vehicle
was ultimately located on December 23rd in Lafayette Louisiana where he has a lot of family and
friends detectives questioned fia's family but they insisted that they hadn't seen him in several weeks weeks
today John FIA is still on the Run he is wanted for Grand Theft Auto and unlawful
flight to avoid prosecution and he remains the number one suspect in the murder of Erica
Richardson update John FIA has been found but not in a manner anyone expected FBI and state authorities
matched the D from the Erica Richardson crime scene to that of an unidentified body in a Louisiana morg the corpse
known as John do a 98-71 had been pulled from a local River 4 months after Erica was murdered
however another 10 years would pass before DNA technology allowed the match to finally be made the dead man was John
FIA authorities are convinced that FIA killed Erica Richardson and they have now closed that case however FIA himself
was murdered and his case remains open if you have any information about the death of John FIA please log on to
our website at unsolved.com [Music] next she seems like a cute little old lady but she's really a Hunning
[Music] crook you know most of us consider ourselves pretty decent judges of character we think we'd know a crook if
we saw one but Connors come in all shapes sizes and [Music] ages Beverly Hills California
morning everybody come on on Katie for 2 years this grandmotherly con artist ran
what appeared to be a successful investment business got but she was hiding illegal activities behind a mask
of southern hospitality and homemade fruitcake this devious Criminal made off with $3 million of her Investor's
money you couldn't help but like her and when you looked at the woman she was so
smooth and trusting and very soft cell that you thought of as Almost Family she never lost her touch in the kitchen I
mean I'm not a big fruit cake lover but they were delicious to be honest with you as you see this carpeting is so
beautiful isn't it Gert puit claimed that her investment opportunities came from special connections with carpet
factories and textile mills in the South and we have pre-old a large order to Hotel change what impressed me the most
was that although the return seemed almost too good to be true gertude seemed like such a loving sincere person
that it was a legitimate investment and that she could do no harm to her investors well of
course you should give it some thought I think it would be nice if you would talk
to Cecil about a little more ger took good care of her clients she often hired limousines to bring them
to her Posh office one investor was a woman will call Mna hi hi I'm m p selected a really magnificent outlay for
just selling carpets I mean this was two stories high well my first impression of Gert
was that she was standing there sizing me up Mrs Pon how nice to meet you and then because she was so cordial she was
Southern and warm that I forgot all about the fact that I was being sized up and just entered into her world of how
bright she was and how able she was I have a wonderful business opportunity for you have you I originally invested
about 20,000 but as I watched the operation from the balance sheets that were coming
out monthly and and watched the fact that people were getting their interest I invested more and this is my secretary
Jennifer well gerud really was the office handling the customers handling the money and Harold was in his office
but what he was doing I never knew gertrud's 40-year-old son Harold was her partner in the business but he
had very little contact with the clients he was described as a bad-tempered unfriendly man much different than his
Sweet Southern mother even though I was gertude and Harold's Banker for 2 and 1/2 years I
never really met Harold for almost the first year and a half he was the kind of a person who you would not have trusted
or bought a car from you might say mner had already invested $100,000 before she became suspicious
that something was wrong that check you gave me it bounced I just came from the bank they said insufficient funds I
don't believe that well I do I just came from the bank I know what to have yet sick as I was inside was still playing
it like a friend which I thought she was Merna just could not believe that this charming woman could be conning her
but instead of pressing the issue she ended up taking home a fruit cake and accepting a lunch date thank you a we
put you to some trouble so how about lunch next week but Mna wasn't the only investor to
receive a bad check the office was flooded with dozens of angry recalls Gertrude and Harold were conveniently
unavailable finally an employee named Cecil trell secretly contacted the Pro's accountant Cecil had discovered that the
financial statements Gert was showing investors were completely different than the accountants
records well Steve that can only mean that statements are fraudulent it was at that particular period of time I knew
that there were serious problems and I just didn't know where they had been stashing money okay I'll get back to
here bye so at night sometimes between the wee bitty hours of 1 and 3 I made midnight
raids I found every cancelled check every statement that had been paid everything that I could remove out of
that office and by the end of the time I had about four cardboard boxes full of stuff because Cecil's friends and family
also invested money with the prits he confronted Harold with his evidence Harold I've got enough evidence to prove
that this whole company's a phony he told me all of the people had done nothing but made Investments and there
was a risk to be made and I looked at him and I said to him I said Harold they made an investment on a pack of lies
that you have presented to them and that's called fraud Cecil reported Harold and gertrud
to the police but by then both had disappeared taking their Investor's money with them
eventually the FBI Tracked Down Harold and brought him to trial none of the Investor's money was ever recovered and
sweet motherly Gertrude was nowhere to be found it was really amazing that Gertrude would leave Harold behind to
take the rap everybody thought that Harold was a little bit of a hard character but Gertrude still was the
sweet loving mama and when she failed to show up and became a fugitive every body
was surprised I've read every one of the letters that came into based on the testimony of 10 victims Harold was
convicted on 20 counts of male fraud he was sentenced to 8 years in prison and was released after serving 51 months but
his mother remained a wanted [Music] fugitive update ger Brit was captured in Bakersfield California just minutes
after the story air the FBI received several calls from viewers who recognized puit 5 days later
she was arrested at a residence where she was working as a live-in housekeeper under the assum named Martha gray Gert
puit pleaded guilty to seven counts of male fraud she was ordered to pay restitution to her investors and
sentenced to 8 years in prison gerud puit has since passed away [Music] coming up three different women
disappear after a dinner date with the same [Music] man on a previous broadcast We examined
the case of Annie Lori Haron wife of Robert Haron senior one of the wealthiest men in
Mississippi one afternoon a kidnapper abducted Annie L from her home in Jackson and left behind a bizarre Ransom
John you need to take a look at this it demanded that her husband Robert paid money to 12 people all had been sued by
a company that he controlled neighbors said that they saw a suspicious white van with Florida
license plates driving by the Heron home just before the kidnapping Robert Heron
held a press conference and made a personal plea to the kidnappers for his wife's safe return my children I
appeal to whomever has my wife that they may say that she may be safely returned
to us thank you 8 Days Later Robert received a letter postmark Atlanta Georgia he
recognized the handwriting as his wife's Bob if you don't do what these people want you to do they are going to seal me
up in the cellar of this house with only a few jugs of water please save me Robert sent out checks totaling
nearly $1 million to the people named on the kidnapping list he never again heard from the
kidnapper or from his wife update Newton Alfred win was arrested by the FBI in Florida on charges related to
the Abduction of Annie Lorie Haron wi was a lawyer who had business dealings with Robert heren and was one of the 12
people named in the ransom note less than one month before the kidnapping W had purchased the van which matched the
description of the vehicle seen in the Heron neighborhood a Florida woman also told police that 16 days after Annie
Lori was kidnapped wi paid her $500 to fly to Atlanta and mail a letter she identified the letter as the same
one Robert Harren received from his wife Newton Alfred win was convicted of conspiracy to kidnap extortion by mail
and perjury he was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months in prison and has since been
released Annie Lori has never been found Robert Haron has since died however his
family continues to hope that the case will someday be solved if you have any information about the kidnapping of
Annie Lori Heron or what might have happened to her please log on to our website at UNS south.com
in Las Vegas Nevada real estate agent Cynthia Jabor plans to have dinner with her boyfriend she intends to end their
six-year relationship that evening Cynthia disappears 5 years later in San Diego
California Carol Anne Riley has a dinner date with her boyfriend like Cynthia Jabor Carol also
intends to end the relationship that evening Carol disappears in Las Vegas Cynthia's dinner
date was with this man Robert weeks Carol vanished after having dinner with this man Robert
Smith Smith and weeks are one and the same person Cynthia Jabor was last seen at
10:30 p.m. in the lobby of this Los Vegas condo where Robert weeks lived it was the night Cynthia planned to tell
weeks that their romance was over the relationship between Bob weeks and Cynthia had been an on and off Affair
for the last 6 years and she always said she would never marry him my husband always said he has Shifty eyes and he
did his eyes were very cool and calculating and Cynthia always said I can handle Bob don't worry I can handle
Bob hello you res of when Susan didn't hear from Cynthia for 2 days she became worried and called her apartment no one
answered with the help of a locksmith and a security guard she forced her way into Cynthia's apartment
let me go first the whole experience was a very very strange and Eerie feeling for me Cynthia Cynthia are you here on
the one hand I knew I had to do it and on the other hand I was very afraid that Cynthia may be
murdered what went through my mind was that she was either with Bob weeks in Northern California and on a whim maybe
she had left and not told anybody or he he had done something to [Music] her 5 years later in San Diego the same
thing happened on the day that she disappeared Carol Anne Riley spoke to a friend about her dinner date with Robert
Smith and said that she planned to end the relationship that evening she had just decided he was not the kind of
person she was interested in being acquainted with and to have to tell him that she didn't want that that she in
fact was leaving town that she in fact was getting married to someone else she was just afraid would be an awkward
difficult thing to explain to him when they couldn't reach Carol by phone her family and friends hired a
private investigator 2 days later he searched her apartment as I walked through Carol's
apartment I felt some uncertainty all along the family had been asking if I felt that Carol was
dead and it was unpleasant for me to have to tell them that I did in fact feel that Carol was
dead there were other similarities in the two cases 6 days after Cynthia vanished her
car was found in a Las Vegas hotel parking lot a few days after Carol disappeared
her car was found in the parking lot of a San Diego hotel more evidence was found in Robert weeks's Personal Diary
Cynthia had been dating a man named AR and weeks wrote quote Cynthia aren dead for sure Cynthia art dead damn
you but Cynthia and Carol weren't weeks's only victims earlier his wife Patricia had disappeared just a few
weeks after she filed for divorce like the others her abandoned car was also discovered in a parking lot when I found
out who Robert Smith really was was and that other people in his past had disappeared my first reaction was the
son of a gun has done it again I was just like horrified that he's gotten away with it one more
time when weeks was questioned by police in San Diego he claimed that the women had canceled the dates and that he had
no idea what happened to them because no bodies were found the police could not charge him with murder weeks immediately
disappeared and a warrant was issued Ed for unlawful flight for other crimes in Nevada
update the day after this story aired Robert weeks was captured in Arizona his girlfriend turned him in after she saw
our broadcast viewers also called a television station in Tucson saying that they recognized weeks as a local
businessman named Charles Stenberg he was running a company called snuff it with made
ashr his business partner was interviewed shortly after the arrest he said I haven't told anybody this yet but
I watched that program and I said what he said yeah he said I watched it but I didn't figure any of my friends would be
watching weeks was brought back to Nevada on a prior embezzlement charge shortly thereafter he was indicted on
two counts of murder he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole and later died in prison his victim's
bodies were never found police supect that he hid them in one of the many abandoned Minds in Nevada
[Music] [Music] [Music]

Brief Summary

Three cases: Angela Hammond's abduction, Alamo treasure hunt, and Erica Richardson's murder reveal ongoing mysteries and unresolved tragedies.

Key points

Angie's Abduction. A young woman is abducted while on the phone with her fiancé, leading to a frantic chase.
The Search for Treasure at the Alamo. A treasure rumored to be buried beneath the Alamo sparks intrigue and investigation.
Erica's Tragic Murder. After a tumultuous relationship, Erica is found murdered, leading to a manhunt for her ex.
FIA's Mysterious Disappearance. FIA, the prime suspect in Erica's murder, is found dead months later, complicating the case.
Gertrude's Deception. A grandmotherly con artist swindled investors out of millions while appearing trustworthy.
The Disappearance of Cynthia Jabor. Cynthia vanishes after planning to end her relationship with Robert Weeks.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I’ll give you a call later, okay?

Angie before her abduction

2:18WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

70/ 100High tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.