Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 6, Episode 7 | Forensic Files

DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next on "Unsolved Mysteries--" a violent gang member terrorizes the quiet streets of Milwaukee,
leaving three innocent people dead. Marie Hilley seemed to be the perfect suburban wife
and mother until she poisoned her entire family. For over 100 years, mysterious lights
have appeared and disappeared near Marfa, Texas. What could they be? And a pregnant woman vanishes without a trace.
Police think her husband knows more than he's letting on. There is just nothing like a good mystery,
and they're even better when they are true. I'm Dennis Farina. Join me, won't you?
[music playing] The south side of Milwaukee was home to a gang of drug dealers known as the Lopez family.
They owned seven houses in a two block radius and used this location as headquarters
for their drug empire. When a rival gang called the Latin Kings tried to move in on their territory,
the Lopez family took action. [gunshots] Anyone who got in their way had to face this man, Arthur,
the Lopez family's hitman. Carlos Hernandez got in their way. He was once a member of the Latin Kings.
But according to his family, Carlos had recently left the gang and turned his life around.
GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ: He'd just seen drive-bys, and he started to see how very rarely do
they hit their intended target. They'll hit innocent bystanders-- kids playing on their bikes in front of their houses.
He felt best that he would get out of the gang and turn it around, and really try
to help the neighborhood come back to what it was once before. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Carlos organized the youth
basketball league and worked for a city organization that helps kids stay out of gangs.
A major part of his job was to try and mediate problems between the gangs in that particular area.
So what do you think, Bob? DET. DAVE KLABUNDE: The Lopez family had come to Mr. Hernandez with a problem with the Latin Kings
over territory. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Police believe that Carlos tried to end the gang turf war
but was unsuccessful. The Lopez family hitman, Arthur, was told to quote, take care of Carlos.
DET. DAVE KLABUNDE: There was a predetermined code that they were going to broadcast on the radio
when Mr. Hernandez was spotted. The code was, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
And that code was put out when Mr. Hernandez left from his business to his vehicle.
Tengo. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Lopez put on a mask, hopped on a bike, and pedaled toward his unsuspecting target.
[gunshots] Carlos was hit by multiple bullets and died instantly. GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ: It was a nightmare.
I mean, we miss him. The hardest part is family gatherings-- seeing my sister and my mother cry.
Arthur Lopez was the prime suspect in the killing of Carlos Hernandez. But police had little evidence against him.
And then he made what seemed like a little mistake. It would be the beginning of the end for the Lopez family.
He got himself arrested for driving without a license. Why are you harassing my son?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Arthur's father, Arturo, was second in command of the Lopez gang.
Arturo showed up at the station, and he wasn't too happy. DET. DAVE KLABUNDE: Arturo Lopez Sr. Demanded the release
of his son-- I [inaudible]. --and threatened to kill all the police officers who were involved in Arthur Lopez Jr's arrest.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Arturo was arrested and convicted of threatening a police officer.
Arturo was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Arthur could not be held on the traffic charge
and was released. This gave the police the chance that they were looking for. DET.
DAVE KLABUNDE: While Arturo Lopez Sr. was in prison, he made daily phone calls to his son and other members
of the Lopez family, directing the continued narcotics distribution activities of the Lopez gang.
He's going to give you a paquete. I want you to drop it at Chino's pad. DET. DAVE KLABUNDE: All of these phone calls
that were made by Arturo Lopez Sr. were recorded by the prison phone system. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): As authorities continued
to build their case against the Lopez gang, there was another outburst of violence.
According to witnesses, Arthur, again, played a key role. Maximiliano Castillo, a known member of the Latin Kings,
and his girlfriend, Vanessa Revis, we're returning home after a quick trip to the grocery store.
Police believe that the driver was Arthur and that his passenger was another Lopez
gang member named Luis Acevedo. Que paso, homes? Que paso, bro! I got a message from a friend who [inaudible].
[gunshots] [screams] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Vanessa, a completely innocent bystander, had just
celebrated her 15th birthday. DAVID ROBLES: Vanessa Revis was hit once in the side.
She basically bled to death. Mr. Castillo was struck a number of times-- that least three times-- by the bullets fired by Mr Acevedo.
And he also died from his injuries. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Authorities used Arturo's taped
phone calls from jail and eyewitness testimony to obtain arrest warrants for Arthur
and the rest of the Lopez family. A task force moved then to put the Lopez gang out of business for good.
[knocking at door] - Police! We have a warrant. Go under the bed! Go under the bed!
Get your hands up! Throw them over. Get your hands up! - Don't shoot! Don't shoot! - Don't move them.
Get them up! DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In the raid, police seized large stashes of guns, drugs, and cash.
Eight people were arrested, finally ending the family's crime wave. Only one Lopez family member managed to escape
the citywide dragnet-- Arthur. GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ: He's got to pay. He's done so much hurt to many people-- families.
And he's a coward. He's hiding. We need-- we need-- we need to get him. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Arthur Lopez
is 5 feet 9 inches, weighs 170 pounds, and is known by the name Red Ryder. Update-- Arthur Lopez has finally
been captured and convicted, and sent to prison. Next-- they only come out at night-- eerie balls
of light that have mystified a small Texas town for over a century. The place-- central Texas, just outside the town
of Marfa-- the year-- 1883. One evening, during a round up, a rancher named Robert Ellison notices a strange glow off
in the distance. A ghostly light shimmers in the darkness. It appears to be a few miles away,
and it hovers just a few feet above the ground. JULIA PLUMBLEY: And they thought there
were probably a camp fire-- Indians or other travelers. But they just kept seeing them.
The next night they were there, and the next night, and the next week, and year.
And I'm sure they began to wonder, what on earth were those lights? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In 1916,
Hallie Stillwell is 18 years old when she witnesses the same thing. HALLIE STILLWELL: We had decided to come to Marfa
to tend to a little business. And all of a sudden, we saw lights over on the Chinati mountains.
It couldn't be any kind of car lights. And we first thought, probably it was a camp fire of Indians,
or Mexicans, or ranchers. But it didn't act like a campfire at all. So we said, well, it couldn't be anything but a ghost.
And from then on, we mentioned them as ghost lights. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In 1943,
the mysterious lights are seen from Marfa's Army Air Base. FRITZ KAHL: When we saw the Marfa lights the first time,
there was no vehicular traffic at night. Fuel was rationed. Lights were a phenomena in themselves in those days,
because there were no lights. When the moon is out, it's beautiful. When the moon is not out, it's so dark, it's awesome.
We saw something that was totally foreign to anything in and around the airbase.
When we inquired in the village of Marfa about these strange things, they'd go, yeah.
Sure, we've got little lights. So what else? Over the years. The reasons for the mysterious lights
have ranged from ball lightning, to wandering spirits, to jack rabbits with glow worms attached to their tails.
Only one thing is for certain, Marfa's ghost lights are real. No one in Marfa is really afraid of the mysterious lights.
In fact, the town has set up a special area where you can actually view them. KIRBY WARNOCK: When I was a child, of course,
you have a lot of childlike curiosity. And my first thing was I want to find out what those are.
I mean, this is my Loch Ness Monster. I'm going to catch it and find out what it is.
And so I just-- from that moment on decided I was going to try to solve the mystery.
It looks like we need to head southeast toward the Chinatis. We're going to-- KIRBY WARNOCK: A few years ago, my brother and I got the idea
that the reason no one had ever gotten close to the lights was because they were using motor vehicles,
like airplanes, or jeeps, or cars. So we thought if we took out on foot across the desert,
we could sneak up on them. So we got our gear together and a camera, and just took out walking across the desert,
and tried for about four hours to walk up close to them. And we never could get real close to them.
It was almost like a mirage. They just kept moving further and further away from you.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): We asked three scientists from a local observatory and university
to conduct a formal investigation. Our team of scientists noted that a radio tower
was one possible source of the lights-- so was traffic on a mountain highway. They installed marker lights that
helped determine where the highway was visible in order to rule out headlights. If the scientists saw lights that
weren't from cars or from the tower, they just might be the legendary ghost lights.
The investigators used special night vision equipment. [static from a walkie talkie]
VOICE FROM WALKIE TALKIE: We have two cars leaving-- DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In this shot,
the camera captures two headlights moving slowly from the left to right past the radio beacon light.
Then, an unknown light appears. Dr, look up there on the hill-- to the right of marker three.
I see it. It's off to the right. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The camera pans past the radio beacon.
MAN: Unit three, can you verify if you have any traffic lights off to the west or northwest?
VOICE FROM WALKIE TALKIE: I do not see any lights. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): It continues
past the right marker light. In the middle of an empty plain, a ghostly glow can be seen.
A video camera also records the light. Can you see it? DR. AVINASH RANGRA: We know the light's there.
We notice something of natural origin. It is not man made. Now the next question is how do you explain them?
There is something in addition to car lights. People are seeing real activity in the atmosphere.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): One scientist thought the lights might be refracted star light; another-- glowing gases
produced by small earthquakes. But they aren't sure. All they can say for certain is that the lights
are a natural phenomenon that science has yet to explain. FRITZ KAHL: It's a phenomena that's not explained,
and all I know is they're there. Let's don't find out what they are. Let's just leave them a mystery.
I'm not going to try to solve it. I'm going to-- [laughs] --I'm going to be content with ghosts
and let the ghost take care of them. [laughs] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next-- we take you inside the mind of a diabolical serial killer
who poisoned her entire family. It may not surprise you to know that most killers
and mass murderers are men. There are, however, a few diabolical women who cleverly conceal their true nature behind a veil
of tenderness and more. Anniston, Alabama-- Frank and Marie Hilley were married in 1950, and they built a life that was the envy
of their friends and neighbors. By 1971, the Hilleys had two children-- 18-year-old Mike
and 11-year-old Carol. By all appearances, Marie was the perfect wife and mother.
But in this case, appearances deceive. MICHAEL HILLEY: I first started getting sick when I was 18.
I had a lot of stomach problems, and I started having those problems about two or three
months after an insurance policy was taken out on me for $25,000. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Mike's doctors
were unable to diagnose or cure his ongoing stomach ailments. But once Mike left for college, the symptoms disappeared.
It wasn't long before his father also developed a mysterious stomach problem. Once again, doctors were unable to find a cause or a cure.
Around the same time he got sick, Frank was considering getting a divorce. MICHAEL HILLEY: My father called me one day
and had something he wanted to talk to me about. He had come home from work early one day
and had found my mother in bed with one of her employers. I think my father was going to divorce her.
I think that was one circumstance that she just wouldn't allow to happen. I love you too, pop.
She placed a high value on prominence and reputation. And to go through a divorce would have destroyed them.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Within two weeks of confiding in Mike, Frank Hilley's mysterious disorder
suddenly worsened. Frank was admitted to the local hospital. Marie was constantly by his side,
feeding and caring of him, and tending to his every need. You've got to eat, Frank.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But after 10 days in the hospital, Frank Hilley died.
The official cause of death was hepatitis. Nobody suspected the truth. Marie was not your typical grieving widow.
She used Frank's life insurance money to refurbish her house and buy a new car, and expensive clothes and jewelry.
Even when the money ran out, she kept right on spending. LT. GARY CARROLL: We became aware that Marie
was having financial problems. There were some deals with automobiles that she had made that fell through and weren't
paid for-- just a lot of little things that began to add up. MICHAEL HILLEY: My mother's finances
were in terrible shape. She owed more than she had. She couldn't pay her bills. I began to receive phone calls from creditors
wanting the money. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Four years after her father's death,
18-year-old Carol Hilley suddenly became sick. Nobody knew that Marie had insured
Carol's life for $25,000. MICHAEL HILLEY: During the time that everyone was getting sick,
I think someone, a relative in the family, suspected that something was going on--
and like me later on-- something is, but what? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Carol was in and out of the hospital
for six months and finally became paralyzed from the waist down. Still, doctors could not diagnose her illness.
In desperation, Carol agreed to let Marie inject her with what she said was a new medicine that she got
from a friend who was a nurse. OK, sweetie. This is going to sting a little bit.
MICHAEL HILLEY: I remember my aunt telling me that my mother had Carol in seclusion,
would not let anybody see her, would not let anyone talk to her. And if something didn't happen, Carol was going to die.
How can I help you detective? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While at the hospital with Carol,
Marie was arrested for passing bad checks. This probably saved Carol's life. MICHAEL HILLEY: One of Carol's friends
at that time told me that she had visited Carol that day, and Carol had mentioned something about injections
that my mother had given her. Now just look straight ahead for me, would you? Mm-hm, that's good.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Mike demanded that the hospital staff re-examine Carol.
Doctors discovered white lines across Carol's fingernails-- the unmistakable sign of arsenic poisoning.
MICHAEL HILLEY: The world as I knew it at that point-- it just fell apart. Everything that I had been taught to rely on
was totally in question. Everything that my mother had taught me-- right from wrong--
I had to go back and re-examine. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Carol Hilley eventually recovered.
But Mike was forced to consider that his mother had probably murdered his father.
At Mike's request, and surprisingly with Marie's permission, Frank Hilley's body was
exhumed for a second autopsy. The revised cause of death-- arsenic poisoning. But Marie quietly slipped out of town
three weeks before the results were released. An arrest warrant was issued charging Marie
with the murder of her husband. But by then, Marie Hilley was long gone. 700 miles away in Fort Lauderdale,
Marie resurfaced with a new identity-- Robbie Hannon. John? Could I have a light?
Oh, sure. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John Homan, who is from New Hampshire, was pleased to meet Robbie Hannon.
So-- Robbie, right? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Robbie, a.k.a. Marie Hilley, told John that she was a widow
and that she would soon inherit a large estate. She also told him that she had brain cancer.
The Robbie Hannon character was skillfully and deliberately created. She was attractive.
She was available. She was going to be rich. And she might die sometime in the future.
The possibilities were endless. Not much to tell. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Six months later,
Robbie and John were married. She found work as a secretary and was welcomed into John's social circles.
About a year later, Robbie informed John that her brain cancer had worsened. She flew alone to Texas for special medical tests.
John Homan never saw Robbie again. LT. GARY CARROLL: He got a call sometime later
from Robbie Hannon's twin sister, Terry Martin. Robbie had died, and the body had been donated to science.
And all the arrangements had been made, so there was nothing for him to do. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Several weeks
later, Robbie's sister, Terry Martin, came to New Hampshire with an emotional farewell letter Robbie had written
to John just before she died. Terry? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Terry Martin was really Marie Hilley.
She had lost 20 pounds, dyed her hair blonde, and boldly returned to New Hampshire
as her own twin sister. You must be John. I'm Tammy Martin, Robbie's sister. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John Homan
accepted Terry at face value. She moved in with him, and they lived together for two months.
However, some of John's neighbors became suspicious. When they tried to verify Terry's story,
nothing checked out. Ultimately, Marie Hilley was trapped by a strange coincidence.
Her description just happened to match that of a totally different female fugitive.
Marie Hilley, a.k.a. Robbie Hannon, a.k.a. Terry Martin, was taken into custody for questioning.
LT. GARY CARROLL: After she was picked up, they had no idea that she was actually Marie Hilley
and that she was wanted in Alabama for murder and attempting to poison her daughter.
Once she was picked up, then they've learned who in fact she really was. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Marie was convicted
of murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to life plus 20 years. Five years into her term, sheet escaped
while on a three day pass, and died a week later from exposure. MICHAEL HILLEY: My mother had a lot of charisma and charm,
and she knew how to use that. She had the ability to make you believe what she was saying, even if you knew
that it was an outright lie. She had the ability to make you believe that you were the most
important thing in her life. And that could have been the furthest thing from the truth.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): What drove a wife and a mother to poison her own family members?
Like Marie Hilley, the answer will forever remain a mystery. Next-- a woman who is eight months pregnant
receives a mysterious phone call, and then she disappears. Chatsworth California-- after a passionate two
year courtship, Alfredo Newball and Cecilia Amaya got married. Cecilia's son from a previous marriage, Rene Perez,
was their ring bearer at their wedding. The couple started their new life together,
and almost immediately, Cecilia became pregnant. One September afternoon, with her due date only two weeks
away, Cecilia sat down to write thank you notes for the gifts from her baby shower.
That day, as Alfredo left for work, he says that he hesitated at the door for a moment.
ALFREDO NEWBALL: Her being pregnant, she looked so beautiful. And I went back and I kissed her again.
I left her sitting at the-- inside the apartment writing the thank you notes. And that was the last time that I saw my wife.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Alfredo worked as a nurse's assistant in a hospital and retirement home.
2 1/2 hours into his shift, he phoned Cecilia. ALFREDO NEWBALL: I just had some kind of very weird feeling
that something was wrong. She never answered the phone. [phone ringing] And I don't know.
For some reason, I thought that she could be visiting with some friends or being at my mom's.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Alfredo called several times throughout the evening. Concerned, he left work early.
As he approached the apartment, he noticed that Cecelia's car was parked on the street
instead of in the building's secured lot. Cecilia? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Inside, there were no signs
of a struggle or a break in. But there were also no signs of Cecilia and Rene either.
In the jeep, Alfredo says that he found a store-bought generic goodbye card. It was signed simply, Cecilia.
Cecilia's wedding and engagement rings had been left on the passenger seat. To Alfredo, the message was clear.
His wife had left him. ALFREDO NEWBALL: The relationship was always good. We never had any problems, fights.
Why would she do something like this-- to leave me a note like that and to leave the wedding rings?
I-- it was very confusing to me. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Alfredo phoned the one person
that he thought might know where she was-- her closest friend at work, Kevin Annabel.
[phone ringing] It was this phone call that first cast suspicion on Alfredo. Hello?
ALFREDO NEWBALL (ON PHONE): Kevin? This is Al. - Al. What time is it? I don't know.
It's about midnight. Is Cece there? What? She's got to be there. Put her on. I came home.
She's not here. He was unusually calm, like, if it were me, I would have been screaming at the person
I thought where my wife was. But he was-- I was more nervous and excited than he was.
I felt like she needed to be away for a few days or something. I don't know. It was very strange.
But like, I believed that she was coming back soon. DET. ALEX VALADEZ: It appeared that nothing was taken
by Cecilia or her son Rene. All his toys were left there, clothing was left there--
not so much as a toothbrush. Hello? Is this Alfredo Newball? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The day after Cecilia disappeared,
the police called Alfredo. POLICEMAN (OVER PHONE): Tell me Mr. Newball, when was the last time you saw your wife, Cecelia?
Ah, yesterday afternoon. I was getting ready to go to work. Then I gave her a kiss, and that was it.
DET. ALEX VALADEZ: Mr. Newball didn't appear to be that concerned. And here he has an 8 1/2 month pregnant wife,
a 6-year-old stepson. Mr. Newball just didn't appear to be the grieving husband/soon
to be father. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Three days later, suspicion increased when Alfredo received a letter postmarked
in nearby Van Nuys California. Inside the envelope was a card identical to the one
Alfredo had found in Cecelia's car. There was also a typewritten note. CECELIA REENACTMENT (VOICEOVER): Alfredo,
I have gone to Honduras with a man I met nine months ago by the name of Arturo. He a doctor.
I don't know if this baby is yours or his. I love you with all my heart, but you
will not amount to anything, and I want only the best for my baby. Alfredo, you can't give us that.
Adios, Cecilia and Rene. ALFREDO NEWBALL: My first impression after opening the letter was that she had left.
But then after reviewing the letter several times, some parts, it don't sound like Cecelia.
It doesn't strike me as Cecelia at all. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Kevin Annabel also found
the letter out of character. KEVIN ANNABEL: I would say she was almost obsessed with Al.
And when you're that in love with a person, you don't just meet a doctor and say,
well, I think I'm going to Honduras. Let me just write my husband a note. That doesn't happen. DET.
ALEX VALADEZ: I took a look at the letter, spoke to friends and family of Cecilia later on,
and I'm convinced that that letter is not from Cecelia. Whoever typed this letter knew more about Alfredo's side
of the family rather than knowing very much about Cecilia's side of the family. My best guess is that Cecilia's disappearance
is not by her will. I believe there's a third party involved in this. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Six months before she disappeared,
Cecilia received an odd phone call. What? CAMMY GIACOMI: She had gotten a call that a woman had a videotape of Al kissing another woman
at a baby shower, and that the woman wanted Cecelia to see the tape. And Cecelia had agreed to see the tape.
OK. Yes, I know where is that. 8 o'clock? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The woman said that she would phone
again to arrange a meeting. But that call never came, and the matter was apparently forgotten.
[phone ringing] Then, just a few weeks before Cecelia disappeared, a second mysterious call-- this one from a woman who
claimed to work with Alfredo. CAMMY GIACOMI: A woman had called and said that she was giving Al-- they were going
to give Al a baby shower at work, and that she had some baby furniture. And she wanted Cecilia to pick out a piece of that furniture,
but to keep it a secret, because the shower was going to be a surprise. On the 20th?
Yeah, that's fine. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Later, police learned that the call had not been made
by Alfredo's coworker, and that a baby shower had not been planned. But by then, it was too late.
She disappeared on Tuesday, the day she was supposed to get together with this lady
to pick out a piece of furniture for the baby shower. It appears that someone is trying to lure her
away from safety, away from her family, away from her friends, trying to get her alone.
I just want to know what happened to them. And that's why I really need the public's help finding
something about this case. DET. ALEX VALADEZ: It's my opinion that Mr. Newball is not telling
me everything that he knows. As far as Celia's disappearance, he may not have been there when she disappeared,
but it's my opinion that he knows something now. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Cecilia Newball is 5 feet tall
and weighs just over 90 pounds. She was born in El Salvador and speaks with a pronounced Latin accent.
Her son, Rene Perez, would now be in his 20s and may look like this age-progressed photograph.
If you have any information about Cecilia or Rene, please log onto our website at unsolved.com.
Next-- the search for three Good Samaritans who befriended a runaway girl on a bus trip to Texas.
Washington, D.C-- 15-Year-old Michele Donahoe has decided to run away from home.
She tries to make herself appear older and more confident, but on the inside, she is completely terrified.
Nonetheless, Michele has the presence of mind to use a fake name when speaking to the ticket agent.
Thanks Four months earlier, Michele Donahoe's family had moved from San Antonio, Texas to Fairfax, Virginia.
Michele was very upset, and she never forgave her parents for taking her away from her friends
and her school. And now Michele was going back to Texas, the place that she called home.
MICHELE DONAHOE: I was scared at that point just because I'd never really been anywhere by myself before,
and this was an environment that I wasn't really familiar with. I had never been among all these strangers before.
And, you know, people would look at you. And first I thought, well, maybe they're
just wondering why I'm young and I'm on this bus by myself. But then you kind of get the idea
that people are-- especially men, you know-- are mainly looking to see that you're alone,
and, you know, try and bother you. That's when it really started to be scary, because I
couldn't protect myself. And I didn't-- you know-- I-- nobody knew-- like I said,
nobody knew where I was. So if something were to happen to me, nobody-- nobody would know it.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): At a stop in North Carolina, three men boarded the bus together.
MICHELE DONAHOE: I remember thinking, you know, as far as men goes, I was staying away from as many
as I could. And especially one of them looked pretty-- pretty scary. He had really-- a lot of scars on his body.
So I was sitting next to him, and I thought, that's great. But they came and they sat around.
And they were talking among themselves. Take [inaudible] couple, man. - How can you sleep now, man? - I'm tired.
Well, wake up. I'm tired. Tired? You ain't done nothing. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While the three men slept on and off,
Michele's nerves kept her wide awake. But as the trip progressed, Michele observed that the men were not as
scary as they first appeared. Tiny Feet does not snore, thank you very much. Oh, right.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Eventually, Michelle relaxed around them. Why do they call you Tiny Feet?
[laughter] - Are you kidding? MICHELE DONAHOE: The one really big guy, his name was Tiny Feet, because his feet were huge.
[laughs] - Thank you. [laughter] - No, Miss, we're truckers. [laughter] And Tiny Feet is his handle.
You see, me, I'm a deacon in my church back in North Carolina. They call me Doc, because I've got a Bible verse
for everything that ails you. [laughter] That's right. My name is Sunshine-- Sunshine!
--named after my favorite song, actually. MICHELE DONAHOE: It just made me feel like, you know,
he was more a family man. And I didn't really have to worry. And the rest of them talked about their families,
and Doc kept talking about his church, you know, and the people in his church and what they were like.
And I just-- I felt at ease with them then. I didn't feel like I had anything to fear from them.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): By the time the bus pulled into Atlanta, Doc, Sunshine and Tiny Feet
had practically adopted Michele. When they sat down for breakfast, Tiny Feet noticed another girl who appeared to be in trouble.
I want you to come take a ride with me. Leave me alone! [laughter] Wait. Hey. Hey!
Excuse me. Look, is he bothering you? Yes. Listen, we're about to sit down and have breakfast.
Why don't you come join us for breakfast, OK? And we'll just-- just talk, OK? All right.
MICHELE DONAHOE: She came over, and we bought her breakfast. And she told us her story.
And she was a runaway also. And you know, I just-- I guess at that point I kind of just sat back and watched,
and saw how they helped people. And it wasn't just me, it was other people. They were just like Good Samaritans
on the road kind of thing. You guys? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michelle felt so comfortable
with her new friends, she finally confessed her real name, her age, and that she was a runaway.
They're probably very worried about you. That's right! If it was my kids, I'd be going crazy!
Yeah. It could get real dangerous out here. Yeah, they didn't react badly to it.
They were actually really comforting about it. And they knew that I was scared. And that's the first time I was actually able to tell somebody,
I'm really scared doing this. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The next morning, the bus arrived in Mississippi where the men were supposed
to pick up their tracks. [chatter] Listen, I want you to take my card. It has both my home number and my church number on it.
OK. And please, if you ever need a place to stay, you call me. All right. My wife and I have plenty of rooms.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Sunshine could not leave without making a request. Listen, Michele, All I ask that you call your mom
and let her know you're OK. - I will. - All right. Will you do that for me? You promise?
Good luck! MICHELE DONAHOE: I was sad to see them go. So I think they were worried about me.
And I started to worry about me too when they got off the bus, because all of a sudden,
I felt scared and alone. You know, I-- I didn't have people to protect me anymore.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Later that afternoon, Michele kept her promise to Sunshine, at least in a way.
MICHELE DONAHOE: I got out there, and I lost my nerve. And I didn't have the nerve to talk to my parents,
because by this time, I realized that they'd probably be really upset. So I called a friend of mine, and I
asked her to call my parents and let them know I was OK. I got back on the bus, and there was a girl
there, probably my same age. She was young. And she was sitting by herself with a paper
bag full of things. Hi. You want some donuts? I have some extras. Yeah. Thanks. MICHELE DONAHOE: I guess I switched somewhere
during that trip to instead of just thinking about myself and how terrible my life was--
[laughs] you know-- into thinking about other people. You know, listening to stories of people
on the road and other runaways, I wasn't a typical runaway. And when I listened to their stories,
and then think about my reasons, or they'd ask me, you know, why did you run away?
I didn't want to say, because it sounded so stupid by the end, you know, that oh, well, my parents gave me a curfew
and made me catch the bus in the morning, you know. It just sounded so ridiculous compared
to their really tragic stories. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Michele finally made it to a friend's home in Texas, where her father picked her up.
She was relieved to go back home. Over the years, Michele never forgot the three men who'd made
such a difference in her life. Her one wish was to say, thank you. Update-- a man named Jesse Garrett was watching "Unsolved
Mysteries" when he not only recognized Michele, but also recognized himself as the man called Doc.
Jessie phoned Sunshine, whose real name is Bill Polite, and they contacted us. The men, both preachers, have lost touch
with Rufus, Tiny Feet Wheeler. Jesse and Bill spoke with Michele, and they were thrilled to find out that they had such
a positive effect on her life. They hope to meet with her sometime in the near future.
[music playing]

This, Episode includes: Lone Lopez, Ghost Lights, Marie Hilley, Missing Newborn and Sunshine Guys.

Brief Summary

Gang violence, mysterious lights, a poisoning case, and a pregnant woman's disappearance are featured in this episode.

Key points

The Mysterious Lights of Marfa. For over a century, strange lights have appeared in Marfa, Texas, leaving residents puzzled.
Marie Hilley's Deception. Marie Hilley appeared to be the perfect mother but concealed a dark secret.
The Unraveling of a Family. Michael Hilley discovers the truth about his mother's actions after a series of illnesses.
Cecilia's Mysterious Disappearance. Cecilia Newball vanishes just weeks before giving birth, leaving behind troubling clues.
The Suspicious Letter. Alfredo receives a letter suggesting Cecilia left him for another man, raising doubts.
Michele's Journey to Texas. Michele Donahoe runs away, feeling scared and alone, but finds unexpected kindness.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It was a nightmare.

Gustavo Hernandez reflects on the loss of Carlos.

3:59WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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