Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 20 | Forensic Files

[Music] next on Unsolved Mysteries a three-year-old girl is found wandering alone her mother is dead and her father
is missing is he another victim or could he be the killer some say there's a Bigfoot type creature in Florida's
Everglades photographs Footprints and hair samples suggest that they may be right two men vanish under the same
bizarre circumstances one was writing a novel about the other's disappearance coincidence or is there a secret
connection and a man confesses to kidnapping and murdering his own [Music] sister-in-law these are stories with
intriguing secrets and surprising Revelations so stick around I'm d as finina and for the next hour this is
Unsolved [Music] [Music] Mysteries [Music] Tacoma Washington on a December morning Mike
reamer his girlfriend Diana and their daughter Crystal set out on a day trip to the local
mountains they drive to a Scenic area to look for a Christmas tree Mike is a Trapper so he also plans
to check his animal traps are you lost later that day 3-year-old crystal is found alone at a
department store near [Music] Tacoma Crystal's parents had vanished Without a Trace when asked where they
were Crystal only said mommy is in the trees before long police would understand exactly what she meant and it
was not a pleasant Revelation I can't Shoppers we have a little lost girl up to our service desk
she's about 3 years old her parents after being checked at a local hospital crystal is sent to a temporary foster
home 3 days later she is recognized from a news broadcast and taken in by Diana's
mother and as soon as she saw me she put her arms out and said Grandma and they put her down and she ran to me and and
I've had her ever since the same weekend the couple disappeared Mike's best friend Steve 2 scoured the
countryside on the ground and from the air we searched from the spot where Mike would normally start his trap lines and
we followed the whole trap line and we searched for probably 2 3 hours without without
nothing 2 months after the couple disappeared a man walked walking his dog in a forest near lb
Washington discovered the body of Diana [Music] Robertson Crystal was correct when she
said that her mother was in the trees Diana was lying in a forest Mike reamer's truck was next to her Diana had
been stabbed 17 times and a tube sock was tied around her neck there was no sign of rer
in the trucks cab was an envelope that read I love you Diana I feel that it was Mike's
handwriting I have cards that he had given to her on different holidays and things that he signed exactly the same
way I know that Lis Conrad says that handwriting is Michael reamer's however the FBI laboratory is
not able to tell us conclusively that that is so why did someone put that there was it Michael reamer as a final
goodbye Diana I'm sorry or was it someone who put it there to throw off the authorities and make them think
that police believe that this killing was possibly connected to a double murder that had occurred 4 months
earlier in an area where reer was known to set his animal traps a man named Steven Harkins was found dead in his
sleeping bag shot in the forehead His companion Ruth Cooper was found 2 months later she had also been shot to
death and like Diana a tube sock had been tied around her neck at a later date I asked to observe
the sock which was used around the neck of Ruth Cooper and when he dumped it out
on a desk in the evidence lab the hair stood up on the back of my neck and I shivered a
little the tub sock on Diana had been tied with exactly the same type of knot as in the
earlier murder police considered two theories one was that an unknown serial killer had murdered both couples and
then hidden reamer's body the second theory was that Mike reamer himself was the serial
killer reamer had a history of domestic violence according to friends and family
rer frequently beat Diana he beat her up he took everything out on her he blamed her for things that
he did if he was seen somebody else he would turn it around like Diana was seing somebody else and justify it you
know in his own mind a few weeks before her murder Diana got a restraining order against reer but
as Christmas approached they got back together I don't know why Diana let Mike come
back in maybe because she had Crystal I don't know maybe he was a sense of security for her the only thing
I can tell you is that she loved him often the victim allows the assaulting party back in it's it's really very
common police had enough circumstantial evidence to issue a warrant for reamer's
arrest but there was one problem we we can't prove he's alive and we can't prove he's dead if we could show that he
was dead then it would be my belief that there's an unidentified third party who's going around killing people out
there however if we can prove that he's alive he immediately becomes a suspect and uh that changes the situation
dramatically Diana had told me that Mike had threatened a killer and that he could get away with it and I had told
her to be careful and that he couldn't get away with something like that he was just saying things to
scare whether Mike reamer is alive or buried somewhere in the Washington Woods Police need to find him he is 6 ft tall
and weighs 180 lbs he has blue eyes and at the time of his disappearance had thinning brown hair and a beard reamer
also has a small scar on his upper lip he is a skilled Outdoorsman and may be living off the land he has also worked
as a roofer and is an accomplished guitar [Music] player update there are new developments
in this case here's one of our staff with details the skull of Mike reamer was discovered recently by a hiker about 1
mile from where Diana Robertson's body had been found 25 years earlier no other traces of reamer have
been found and his cause of death could not be determined next a man kidnaps and murders his own
sister-in-law and then makes a daring escape from prison Everett Massachusetts I Know Who You
Are one late spring evening a 29-year-old man makes his way to a Catholic Church
there something I need to tell you can I come inside the man's name is Timothy Barry
and he's about to make a stunning confession I'm the one that kidnapped Nancy Tim admits the kidnapping his
sister-in-law and at that very moment he becomes a murder suspect 23-year-old Nancy Brown had vanished 16
months earlier from the house that she shared with her mother and her sister timbery was married to Nancy's
sister who we'll call Sarah the oldest of four daughters when their father died Tim had become The Unofficial head of
the family Tim's upbringing was very similar to my own his parents brought him up very Christian he believed in the
same things I did very family oriented for 7 years they were a happy family and then came the day that Nancy
disappeared it was her regular day off and she got an early start doing laundry the only other person in the house was
one of her other sisters 16-year-old Moira who was homesick from school early that morning Moira heard
Nancy slam the door to the back porch and turn on the radio in the kitchen and that was the last anyone saw or heard of
nacy brown a little while after supper my mother called wondering if I had seen my sister and I hadn't and I hadn't
spoken to her and they told me that um nobody had seen her all day Mary have you uh seen
Nancy today Tim and Sarah with Sarah's sister Allison rushed over to the house and started calling nany's friends she
hasn't seen it today oh my God in retrospect Tim's Behavior seemed suspicious was just not like her Tim was
there with everybody very concerned wondering what happened but he seemed to be more nervous than what the rest of us
were look get our address book and see if this the group split up to search the house in the basement they found ny's
glasses the fact that ny's glasses were found on the floor of the cellar was particularly disturbing because the car
was gone Nancy was blind as a bat she had to have the glasses at all times especially for
driving the very next day when she did not appear or report for work we conducted an investigation and on the
second day we located the car on a shopping mall perhaps a mile from a home well there's no Oran mission nany's car
was unlocked the keys were under the seat and there were no signs of Foul Play The Car Alarm was not set which was
unusual for Nancy she always set the alarm and there were a few particles of sand inside the car but that's all that
we had at the time but perhaps the most significant clue to the police is that it was Tim
who suggested that they check that particular mall for ny's car Sarah says that as the investigation continued Tim
began to drink heavily what she didn't know was that the police had asked him to take a
polygraph exam and he refused detectives also found out that when Tim Barry was in the Army he had
been accused of murder while he was found not guilty the record noted that it was Tim Barry himself who led
authorities to the murder weapon and the body police now believe that it was more
than a coincidence that Tim knew where to look for nany's car but they did not have enough evidence to press
charges for almost a year and a half the case remained unsolved and then Tim walked into the church and
confessed I'm the one that kidnapped Nancy I knew that Nancy on the day off would do laundry at her mom's house so I
uh I'm I broke into the house about 5:00 a.m. and waited for her down under the stairs and I uh came up behind
her I grabbed her and I blindfolded her so she couldn't see who it was and then I put it in a car I know
who you are get back down get down Tim Barry told the priest that he wore a fake mustache so no one in the
neighborhood would recognize him he said he drove Nancy to a beach 20 M north of
Ed he forced Nancy into a wooded area he was carrying a hunting knife and a military shovel C no I'm not then why
would you be doing something like this Tim said that when nany stood up to him he killed
her and no one will ever him know I hit her on the back of the head with a shovel and then I I slid her throat
[Music] I know it took a lot of courage to tell me his story Timmy but don't you think it'd be wise
if you told it one more time to the authorities when he first confessed to us you know I just said to him Timmy you
know all these years it's been over 16 months the investigations been going on why didn't you confess before why now he
said cuz nobody had ever asked him the question did you murder her and if that had he said he would have
confessed later that night Tim Barry LED police into the woods where he had taken
nancyy 30 m over there the terrain itself was difficult walking it was very Sandy it was tough on your feet to walk
and Timmy kept looking up at the stars and I questioned Timmy what what why I was looking at the stars and he said
that's how I find my way to where we're going it took more than an hour but Tim finally found the spot where he had
killed Nancy she's over there in a shallow grave police found the body of nacy brown she had died exactly as
Tim Barry had said Tim when he was asked why did he do it Tim never would tell us
why he just said this is the story this is how don't ask me why and we even though we asked we never got an answer
never had a motive it didn't seem like that was his nature and I I think the whole family
went into total shock was just something that was too horrible to have to accept Tim Barry was convicted of second
degree murder and kidnapping he received a life sentence plus 5 to 10 years after serving only 8 years Tim was
considered a model prisoner he was frequently assigned to work details outside the prison I'm sick of the color
gray it was election day and Tim was part of a prison crew repainting government offices in downtown Boston
that particular day the building was very busy their voting poles on the first floor of the State Office Building
here people coming and going all day long elevated traffic remember where it is right yeah okay hold on it's our
understanding that he requested that he go to the men's room at approximately 9:30 that
morning about 15 minutes later the officer realized that Timber had not returned to his worka area upon a check
and we soon realized that the subject had left taking an elevator down to the first floor and mingled into the floor
traffic of the people voting and the pollsters and blended into the crowd just took off and fled the
area we initiated a ground search and that search revealed absolutely nothing as if Timothy Barry just disappeared
into the sun gone about a year and a half later Tim Barry walked out of the woods in Vermont
his two teenage children were visiting Tim's sister for Memorial Day Dad what hey that's dad I had to work so I didn't
get to go to the family vacation home oh S I don't think anybody expected what happened as a matter of fact I'm certain
of that Dad come back Tim stayed for only 10 minutes it was the last last time anyone in the family saw or heard
from Timothy Barry I can't say that I'm frightened but I have to admit to once in a while
looking over my shoulder wondering if maybe he isn't some place watching I know he would never do
anything to hurt the children or put the children in a position where they could
be hurt in any way but I have to admit to wondering update Timothy Barry is once again
behind bars as a direct result of our broadcast Barry was arrested in akan Ohio he was working as a truck driver
using the Alias John keville Barry waved extradition and was returned to Massachusetts to serve out the remainder
of his sentence next many people believe that that a strange creature is living in the
Florida everes and they have the evidence to prove [Music] it the Florida Everglades this hot humanid swamp land
is home to some unusual creatures and unusual people too for 8 months David sheeri sat all alone in the
middle of the swamp looking for a legendary creature Florida's own version of Bigfoot called the skunk
[Music] ape David's interest in the creature began when he was just 10 years old he
and his older brother were exploring the swamps near o chappi 75 Mi west of Miami was huge my brother noticed
something in distance is that and he said to me he said what's that what what is that over there let me see let me see
all right all right and I couldn't see it because the grass was too high so he had to pick me up where I could get a
better look and when I looked out across the Prairie I could see a huge figure probably 8 ft tall maybe 300 lb it was
walking on two legs like a man would walk oh man look like a giant skunky B I knew it had to be the skunk
ape a creature that walks like a gorilla and smells like a skunk seems well a little unbelievable at best but David
chiley and his brother aren't the only ones who claim that they've seen it folks you sure picked a beautiful day
for your trip through the Everglades John Vickers is an Everglades tour guide who is familiar with the animals in the
area we're driving the bus down to Turner River Road and I'm pointing out Wildlife there if you look over to your
right you'll see a couple of the alligators taking their afternoon nap and all of a sudden about 200 yd in
front of our bus a creature hay standing up right on his hind legs crossed the road one of the passengers Taps me on
the shoulder what was that well I'm not sure there's nothing to worry about I think it's probably the
old man that lives out in the Everglades I don't think he bought there five of the people on the bus claim that
they saw what John saw I don't know whether it was a the real concave or whether it was a hoax but it's something
real 2 Days Later real estate agent Jan Brock was on her way to work and I was driving probably about 7:30 7:45 in the
morning and I noticed something getting ready to cross the road my first thought
was that it had to be a bear and this particular time I looked and I was like something was not right the animal just
kind of scurried off across the road and that's when I realized it couldn't have been a
bear wasn't sure what I saw and uh didn't really want people to think I was a little nuts so I didn't say anything
about it fire chief Vince door left for work just a little later than Jen I seen
something go across the road it wasn't dressed in regular shirt and pants like a man it was more brown or you know
looked more like a bear color but I knew it wasn't a bear because it was walking
upright so I speed it up got up to that area I got out I yelled out hey and it stopped and turned and at that time I
snapped one photograph this is the actual picture that Vince took of the creature I saw
the picture that Vince had taken and it was the same thing I saw Jan seeing it so that made me feel like I wasn't
seeing things when you hear people talking about what they saw and then you actually see it yourself obviously
you're going to believe that there's something out there a year after those sightings David
chiley was on his viewing station just like he had been for the previous 8 months I was sitting in my tree stand
and I dozed off and I heard something splashing in the water and it sounded like a person walking towards me when I
looked up there it was coming right at me at about 100 yard away I took 27 photographs over a period
of about 3 or 4 minutes as it cross the marsh I couldn't believe what I saw I it
was almost Ghostly and it wasn't until the next day when I took the camera to the
developer that I realized that I had actually captured a skunk ape on film David asked Dade County archaeologist
Bob Kar to study his pictures these photographs were very compelling the statue the size the motion of this
creature did not appear to be a human being and the suggestion of the gate is very primat likee I think there are
enough details to make one realize that this would have to be a very very clever
hoax to be perpetrated David also sought the help of Everglades tracker TL rigs on two
occasions I found footprints in the soft Earth all the tracks that I saw at that
particular time only the ball of the foot and the toes showed there were none that showed that a heel had been left
down rigs made plaster castings of the footprints looking at just the front end of the foot which is all we can do I
would say that it would have to weigh at least 300 lb Riggs came up with an idea for
Gathering more evidence he snapped a number of branches at a height of 4 to 5 ft too high a reach for most animals if
a skunkape came in contact with the jagged Twigs Riggs might just collect a hair
sample by setting a great number of those along Trails I've been able to harvest several legitimate looking hairs
that are unlike anything I've ever seen was the hair from some unknown creature or was it from a man in an ape
suit in my mind the evidence we've looked at from oapi indicates there's definitely a phenomena that's real what
we don't know is what that phenomena is we are closer to the answer probably than we've ever been but the answer will
only come when the hair is analyzed and DNA is extracted and then we will know the molecular and genetic footprint and
who and what this creature might be we sent two hair samples to a lab at Trinity University in San Antonio Texas
DNA testing was inconclusive however analysis with an electron microscope confirmed that the
hairs were not synthetic fibers like those used on an ape costume they were also not the hairs
from a bear gorilla chimpanzee skunk dog cat or a human update several years later these
photographs arrived at the Sarasota Florida sheriff's department they came with a letter from a woman who did not
want to be identified she claimed that the creature took apples from her back porch on three different occasions she
noticed the f smell and thought that it might be an orangutang that had escaped from captivity are these photographs of
an orang tank or are they the best evidence y that the skunk ape is real we'll leave that answer up to
you next the bizarre case of a missing writer whose novel seemed to predict his own
disappearance [Music] the Tiny Village of silver plume Colorado population 200 lies in the
heart of the Rocky Mountains on an early autumn day Tom young closes up his Bookshop on Main
Street and along with his dog Gus disappears 9 months later a new resident of silver plume Keith Reinhard
opens an antique shop at exactly the same location One Summer Afternoon Keith closes up his shop for the day and he
disappears Keith Reinhardt and Tom young had both run at the same store they both
left town promising to return and even more Curious Keith was writing a book about Tom's disappearance when he too
suddenly vanished was it just the cool Co incidence Keith Reinhardt moved to Silver plume from Chicago with three
goals to get in shape by mountain climbing to overcome his fear of heights and to begin writing a
novel Keith opened an antique shop for summer tours if it was successful he and his wife would move to Silver Plum
permanently Keith Reinhardt and I grew up across the street from each other we' known each other about 40 years and I
would say that our relationship was similar to that of Brothers Keith was uh apprehensive and
excited he was here to finish out the last of his 40s in the way that he dreamed him he felt that very soon he
would be starting to get old he felt he was still young but he didn't have much time for Being Young
left you got enough stuff man didn't want to be sitting in a rocking chair 10 years 20 years from now saying I should
have done this I should have done that 9 months earlier Keith's antique shop had been a bookstore Tom young the
man who mysteriously disappeared with his dog had run the store for about a year Tom had told people that he was
taking a vacation to Europe 3 weeks went by before anyone became suspicious about his
absence I think somebody Keith Reinhardt became obsessed with Tom Young's disappear dumped him down one of these M
shafts up here you think so yeah he began talking to everyone in silver plume who had known Tom do it every day
yeah but he's nice guy I mean Keith decided to base his novel on Tom Young when he began to write he created
a character named guy gypson a composite of himself and Tom sometimes it seemed hard for Keith to
tell the difference my father he was very very into it he was talking about The Disappearance of tomm young all the
time writers like to live the story they're writing about um get a feel of it so it's easier for them to write
about it maybe my father it's always possible wanted to feel what it's like to disappear so he could write about
it hey Vic come on down here I found something 10 months after Tom young disappeared two Hunters found the
remains of Tom and his dog in the mountains near Silver plume oh each had died from a bullet wound to the head I
believe and they found his remains also found at the scene was a revolver we found out that Tom had purchased a gun
uh approximately 4 days before he was last known to be in silver plume the Tom young case is closed and
it has been ruled of suicide both by the Corner's office and by the cler county sheriff's
department one week after Tom's body was found Keith walked through silver plume
telling everyone that he saw that he was going to climb to the top of nearby Pendleton Mountain most did not take him
seriously because they knew that he had a fear of heights and did not like climbing alone at 400 p.m. Keith stopped
by Ted Parker's Cafe What's happen all right the day Keith disappeared he was in the cafe and told me that he was
going to make it to the top of the mountain now I'm going to go all the way to the top I'm going to do it if I don't
come back call on the rescue and he said that in uh in justest I felt I have this
picture of him pointing to the mountain and saying goodbye that was the last time I saw
him Keith was last seen walking toward Pendleton Mountain at 4:30 in the afternoon far too late in a day to begin
a difficult 6-hour hike that night Keith Reinhardt did not return the next day helicopters were
called to search the mountain on the ground more than 12 25 men and a dozen trained dogs comb the
difficult terrain for 7 Days the Reinhardt search was like looking for the proverbial needle in a hay stack
this Hy stack is 3,000 vertical feet of 60° slope this was about as difficult to
search terrain as we cover we were at a real disadvantage because Keith went into the mountains wearing no more than
blue jeans and a flannel shirt and Tennis Shoes he had no backpack he had no equipment or typical subject of a
search will leave lots of clues for us to trace um Keith didn't leave many Clues he didn't have many with him to
leave behind in 30 years of operation the Colorado Alpine rescue teams had found
every single person they searched for however they discovered no trace of Keith [Applause]
Reinhardt Keith's friends found a newspaper next to his computer the headline was Tom Young's body found
still in the computer were these words part of Keith's unfinished novel guy gypsum changed into some
hiking boots and dawned a heavy flannel shirt he understood Tom now and his motivation guy closed the door then
walked off towards the Lush shadowless Colorado Forest above could these words imply Keith
ranard concluded that Tom young had killed himself and then Keith Reinhardt decided to do
the same I don't think Keith would have considered suicide as a solution to anything um he was a very optimistic upy
person his advice to me was always positive mental attitude so I do not think he would have committed
suicide some have concluded that Keith Reinhardt and Tom young were murdered Tom's gun which was found next
to his body was too corroded for police to compare B istics so no match could be
found between the gun and the bullet that killed them this led to suspicion that the
bullet came from a different weapon in addition those who suspect that Tom and Keith were killed note that
both men rented the same space to run their shops perhaps they both came across information someone did not want
them to know I think there's Foul Play involved I do I definitely think something
something's going on he stumbled upon something a final theory is that Keith planned his own
disappearance at that time of the day he would have gone for a walk up the mountain and then turn around and come
back down the mountain what I find to be odd is that he did not take either one of his cameras with him and he was in
the habit of usually carrying a camera he was possibly at a midlife crisis he was at that particular Moment
In Time somewhat frustrated that he couldn't make it off his antique shop in silver PLO and he told so darn many
people that he was going for a hike and why somebody would go around town trying
to make this point with so many people that he was going for a hike to the south of town to the north of town
wherever I'm going for a hike up the mountain why he made that point I'm not I'm not sure that doesn't set
right this is one week after Tomy Young's remains were found he knows now as everybody in silver plume knew that
Tom young laid out a bit of a false trail and I just have to wonder in the back of my mind if Keith did the same I
don't think that Keith would be the type of person to walk away from his whole entire life and leave it behind him he
loved the people in his life he loved keeping in touch with them and I don't think he could have left them all behind
[Music] him Keith Reinhardt is 6' 2 in tall weighs 210 lb and has blue eyes if you have any information about
his disappearance please log on to our website at unsolved.com next a man searches for the American GI
who helped save his family during the final days of World War II for decades Sig freed and margarite liar
of Morland Bach Germany have been searching for an American Soldier when sigf freed was just the boy
he formed a friendship with the young GI March 1945 the final days of World War II for
Germany's civilians it was a time of uncertainty and despair one of the innocent victims was young sigree liar
whose neighborhood was destroyed by Allied bombers Sig Freed's mother fled with her
three youngest children they walked 125 miles to be with relatives in the village of
[Music] Morland very bad I was four when the war ended SE has very little food to be had PUK
Marg when American troops rolled into morbach the German citizens were afraid that the Conquering Army was out for
Revenge but instead they found friendly soldiers Who provided them with food and
medical supplies one of those GIS was a young man named Alexander hey you want something
chocolate if sympathetic to me and friendly will you take this home if it hadn't been for him perhaps I would not
be alive today he was a guardian angel for me I am um I'm Alexander's Guardian Angel made the
effort to track him down at home soup is this sou super yeah oh super Alexander took a genuine interest
in the family and soon food shortages were a thing of the past I wasn't quite sure where zrey lived but
I he brought us food from the Army the same food eaten by them we also ate he used to come by every day if only
to pick me up and take me to kindergarten or to pick me up there later each time he would bring a little
food here you go red over the next 3 months Alexander practically became a member of the liar
family would say to me I don't know I don't believe that he knew German and I certainly didn't know any English you
don't necessarily need bird for communication you can do things with signs and it went all
right you want to drive Alexander would often invite Sig freed to tag along on routine patol
je here grab the wheel there you go watch the watch the when I was allowed to drive with him
that was the most wonderful thing ah Ziggy you're driving when I was sitting in the car
and the other children saw me sa were perhaps a bit jealous because I was allowed to drive and they couldn't I was
very proud I don't know if you're going to understand what I'm trying to say to you but I have to go before long the
time to say goodbye we may not see each other for a long time I perhaps I could never see him again as
I think about it to say I was really sad I have always thought about how he helped us and that I should in turn help
other [Music] people he was not obliged to us in any way but he did it as a human
being out of human Love Today Sig freed has only one momento of Alexander this photograph
taken in the spring of 1945 at the time Alexander was about 20 years old Sig freed has never learned
Alexander's last name however Sig freed does recall that Alexander's unit marched into Morland Bach Germany on
March 27th 1945 if you can help us find this generous warm-hearted soldier named
Alexander please visit our website at unsolved.com [Music] [Music] [Music]

Brief Summary

The episode covers a couple's disappearance, a murder confession, skunk ape sightings, and two writers who vanished in Colorado.

Key points

A Lost Girl's Revelation. A three-year-old girl is found alone, revealing her mother is dead in the trees.
Tim's Shocking Confession. Timothy Barry confesses to kidnapping and murdering his sister-in-law, Nancy.
The Murder Weapon. Tim Barry leads police to Nancy's shallow grave, revealing the brutal details of her death.
Tim's Escape. Tim Barry escapes prison during a busy election day, blending into the crowd.
A Strange Creature in Florida. Witnesses claim to have seen a mysterious creature in the Florida Everglades.
The Mystery of Keith Reinhardt. Keith Reinhardt disappears after hiking, leaving behind questions and theories about his fate.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Mommy is in the trees.

A chilling statement from a lost girl about her mother.

2:21WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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