Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 8, Episode 21 | Forensic Files

DENNIS FARINA: Next on "Unsolved Mysteries," a cold-blooded murderer leads to a high-speed chase
and a dramatic shootout with the police. The killer is still on the run. After 20 years of marriage, John Burns
falls in love with another woman, and then he kills her. A woman who gave up her children and checked
into a mental hospital may not know that she's an heir to a $1 million estate. And many believe that this young woman
has performed miracles while confined to her bed in a coma. Murder, missing, persons, wanted fugitives, and the paranormal--
I'm Dennis Farina and this is "Unsolved Mysteries." [theme music playing] I just got my check cashed.
I've got $200 in my wallet. Just-- just reach in the back. DENNIS FARINA: James Rouse, Jr. was a teacher, a husband,
and a father of two young children, and he was abducted at gunpoint by two fugitives, William
Jordan and Anthony Prevatte. Both men were wanted in North Carolina for a series of robberies.
Turn around that way. You've got my money. DENNIS FARINA: The ride ended on a remote back road
at the edge of a forest. The kidnappers forced James Rouse to march barefoot into the woods.
When they reached the shore of the deserted lake, they stopped. [gunshot] James Rouse died instantly, shot at point-blank range
with a sawn-off shotgun. The next day, Wadesboro, North Carolina, 240 miles from Suwanee--
That's it over there-- 421. DENNIS FARINA: Police got a tip that Jordan Prevatte had returned and were hiding at the home of a friend.
OFFICER 1: Do you recognize that car? OFFICER 2: Nah, it doesn't look familiar to me.
Prevatte and Jordan had a reputation of being predominantly into property theft, housebreaking,
and those type of things. We didn't really suspect that they were involved in anything
serious other than that. DENNIS FARINA: When deputies approached the house, Jordan and Prevatte were already one step ahead of them.
[squealing tires] [sirens] Sheriff's office 107 in pursuit of suspects travelling east on Highway 117.
[gunshot] Suspects are firing upon us. Requesting backup. [gunshot] TOMMY ALLEN: Everything was happening so fast,
but it seemed extreme that these guys were using this much excessive force to get away from us
just because we wanted to talk to them about some house break-ins. OFFICER 2: Get a shot!
Get a shot at them! [gunshot] Suspects have brought out what looks like to be a weapon.
[inaudible] [gunshot] I'm going to pull alongside of them. [sirens] [crashing] Freeze!
Get your hands up! Let's go! Get 'em up! Get 'em up! Let me see your hands! Come on!
Come on! Give me your hands. Come on. Turn around. Turn around. Anthony Prevatte and William Jordan
were booked on charges of breaking and entering, larceny, and assaulting officers with a firearm.
But what the Sheriff didn't know is that the two men they had just arrested were also cold-blooded killers.
48 hours later, the body of James Rouse was discovered near the lake in Georgia.
Jordan and Prevatte had stolen his car then wrecked it during their attempted getaway in North Carolina.
A shotgun shell found near the murder scene sealed the case against Jordan and Prevatte.
Ballistics revealed that Rouse had been killed in the blast from the same shotgun the pair had dumped during the chase.
Inside the wrecked car police found trophies of the murder in Georgia. Photos-- Jordan and Prevatte leaning against Rouse's car,
posing with that same shotgun that killed him. TOMMY ALLEN: They were both eventually extradited
back to Georgia, tried, both found guilty of first-degree murder, both given the death sentence.
DENNIS FARINA: But neither Jordan nor Prevatte stayed on death row. The Georgia Supreme Court reduced their sentences to life
in prison. It wasn't long before Prevatte was paroled. Soon after, he murdered his girlfriend
and was returned to prison. Once again, he was sentenced to death, and this time the sentence stood.
Jordan, you and Green take the truck on back to the house, gas it up, make yourself useful.
Yes, sir. DENNIS FARINA: After 10 years in prison, Jordan was assigned to a minimum security
work farm for good behavior. But his image as a model prisoner proved to be misleading.
One day, Jordan just kept driving. A month later, police caught the inmate who escaped with him,
but Jordan remains at large. He possibly works in West Virginia as a heavy equipment operator.
He also possibly has a family in West Virginia. He uses the name William Bill Jordan
or William Junior Jordan. DENNIS FARINA: Decades have passed since Jordan and Prevatte murdered James Rouse, Jr.
But the Rouse family still feels the pain. [gunshot] The hardest part has been not only the way
it happened, but certainly the fact that he has not been with us and been able to enjoy his own family.
We have lived through years of anger for what Jordan did to my brother-in-law, Jim,
and what it has done to the children as well as to his wife. DENNIS FARINA: This is how William
Jordan looked at the time he murdered James Rouse. And this is a computer-age photo of Jordan.
He is 6' 2" tall, has brown graying hair, and probably wears glasses. Jordan has several distinctive tattoos, including
a spider on his right arm and a cross with the name Sybil on his left. If you have any information that could help put William
Jordan back in prison, please log on to our website at unsolved.com Next, no one guessed that they're quiet,
unassuming neighbor of 20 years was filled with murderous rage. South Lyon, Michigan--
John Burns was a married man when he fell in love with Eleanor Farber. When she found out that he was married,
Eleanor ended the relationship. No one guessed that John Burns would soon turn violent.
John Burns drifted into town in 1947. He had little more than his name and the clothes on his back.
But Burns never revealed much about his past to his friends or his neighbors. Well, I was neighbors with him for probably several years.
I never spoke 200 words with the man all the time I live by him. He certainly was very careful about what he would tell you
and then he would talk about. So, yes, if he had something to hide, I'm certainly sure
he did it very well. I really don't know where John Burns was from, nor do I know when he was born.
As a matter of fact, I can't be positive that John Burns was born in the United States.
DENNIS FARINA: One year after Burns arrived, a woman named Ann McMurry fell in love with him,
and soon they were married. BILL ESKRIDGE: I don't know why John married Anna. John looked about 20 years younger than Anna.
Perhaps he legitimately loved her at the time. Perhaps John married this woman to help cover his identity,
help cover his trail. What time do you have to be at work? DENNIS FARINA: After 20 years of marriage,
Burns met and fell in love with Eleanor Farber. Eleanor had no idea that John had a wife in South
Lyon only 15 miles away. The affair between John and Eleanor was common knowledge throughout the area.
It was no big secret. Most anybody that knew John knew that John and Eleanor were having an affair.
Come on, Pokey. Come on. [laughter] Well, at first, John Burns treated her fairly well.
He was good to the kids-- brought them a pony. He bought her things, made her feel good.
She dreamed of having a farm and raising animals. She liked chickens. What do you call these two?
Well, that one over there is Betsy and then Lulu. MELODY TAYLOR: It was nice to see her happy again.
She felt like her dreams were going to come true. Oh, what a nice day! He told her he was going to marry her.
They made plans to get married. They made plans to buy a chicken ranch. John Burns and Eleanor Farber went to a local doctor
in Southland for blood tests in anticipation of getting a marriage license and getting married.
DENNIS FARINA: Several months into the affair, Burns stopped by his house with Eleanor in the car.
It was the first time that Eleanor ever saw Anna. ELEANOR FARBER: Who's that lady?
JOHN BURNS: That's my aunt. ELEANOR FARBER: Your aunt? JOHN BURNS: Uh-huh. MELODY TAYLOR: She had no reason really to doubt him.
And of course, looking at her, she looked old enough to be his aunt. He told Eleanor that she was a hard-to-get-along woman,
and that was his reason for not taking Eleanor in to introduce them. He spent most of his time with her.
Who would have thought that he had a wife? She decided one day to go to his house
and take some things that she was actually borrowing from him. And I think she was curious about this woman in the house.
I'm Eleanor. Are you John's aunt? MELODY TAYLOR: She interrupted her and told her who she was.
I'm his fiance. [laughter] I'm his wife. [sobbing] ELEANOR FARBER: Oh, no! DENNIS FARINA: That day, Eleanor swore that she would
never see John Burns again. Eleanor, I know you're in there! MELODY TAYLOR: John would come to the door
and bang on the door, pleading with her to explain. And Eleanor wouldn't. She wound not see him.
Eleanor! Over the course of five months, John Burns unleashed his anger on Eleanor Farber.
He wrote threatening letters and pushed them under her door at night. He tried to run Eleanor off the road,
and he told her that he planned to blow up her house. Eleanor! Eleanor! I don't remember what day of the week
it was because I'm not exactly sure. I don't remember the exact time of the day,
but it was in the middle of the day. And John came in, and he wasn't too familiar with shotguns.
Got a dog in the neighborhood that's been giving me some trouble. GUN SELLER: He said he had a German Shepherd
that was bothering him. And he wanted something to shoot him with. What do you want to do, just dust him off,
or do you want to kill him? JOHN BURNS: Kill him. GUN SELLER: I sell shells like that every day of the week
to somebody. DENNIS FARINA: On the day of the murder, Burns saw a car that he did not recognize
in Eleanor's driveway. The car actually belonged to Eleanor's cousin. But Burns just assumed that it was owned by another lover.
[arguing] Eleanor, listen, you've been holding out on me. I know you've got another man.
Eleanor! MELODY TAYLOR: I was sitting at the table, and he was right outside the window,
probably not more than 10 feet away. Put that away! MELODY TAYLOR: And when I seen him loading the gun
and talking, I could see the anger in his face. He was talking fast. I knew. That's why I ran for our gun.
[gunshots] And by that time, it was too late. If he couldn't have her, he didn't want
anyone else to have her either. It wasn't too long after that we heard that John
had done his girlfriend in. And of course, boy, everybody was shocked. It was just absolutely-- you couldn't believe it.
DENNIS FARINA: After the murder, Burns disappeared from sight, but not from South Lyon.
The police couldn't find them. But Burns was seen in town on three separate occasions.
Police would later learn that for 10 days Burns had been hiding in a barn that was less than 100
yards from the murder scene. When police finally searched the hay loft in the barn,
they found the remote area where John Burns had been hiding. They discovered dozens of empty food cans and a confession
to the murder scrawled on wooden slats. But Burns had already vanished. Ever since Eleanor Farber was killed,
Detective Bill Eskridge has been relentless in his pursuit of John Burns. He has sifted through dozens of documents
from every state in the union. Despite all this, Detective Eskridge has come up empty-handed.
He has found no record of John Burns who matches the description of the man who killed Eleanor Farber.
This is a photograph of Burns with Eleanor Farber. There is only one other picture police have
been able to find of Burns. In my opinion, John Burns definitely was trying to hide a past.
I believe that he was on the run from authorities in another state, possibly even another country,
for a very serious crime. In an effort to find additional pictures of John Burns,
I went to the Southland High School where he had been employed and looked through all of the yearbooks.
For eight years in a row, every day the photographs were to be taken, John Burns called in sick.
He never let himself be photographed. I think it's very conceivable that John Burns is still alive
and maybe even watching this TV show. He was a survivalist. He was incredibly crafty.
And I think John Burns is out there somewhere. DENNIS FARINA: Update-- John Burns eluded authorities for 17 years.
Shortly after this story aired, Burns was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of Eleanor Farber.
The jury found him guilty. But Burns died of a heart attack before he could be sentenced.
Next, a deputy sheriff is shot down in his own home. Police are looking for the caller who said that he
could identify the gunman. Burbank, California-- Charlie Anderson was a 14-year veteran
of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A highly skilled driver, Charlie taught hundreds of deputies
how to handle their vehicles in dangerous situations. Charlie was probably one of the most talented drivers
that I've ever met. It was a natural talent for him. Charlie was able to get along with everybody.
He was serious on the job, but he had a good sense of humor when he was around the rest of the staff.
DENNIS FARINA: Charlie was also a dedicated father, never too busy to spend evenings and weekends with his two sons.
To those who knew him, Charlie didn't seem to have an enemy in the world, until he was shot and killed in his own home.
Beth, Charlie's wife, told police that on the night of the murder the couple and their two sons
got home around midnight. Oh, honey, he's out like a light. Well, I'll go ahead and bring him upstairs,
and then I'll come back for you and the baby. OK, thanks. They arrived home. And because Mrs. Anderson was suffering from a back injury,
her husband offered to go inside the house with their oldest boy first. He asked her to wait in the car, and she did so.
Charlie Anderson went in the house with the oldest son and, we believe, took him upstairs.
A few moments later, Mrs. Anderson heard what sounded like backfires from where she was parked in the driveway.
She was still seated in the car. [gunshots] Because the sound was unusual, she walked to the house
and called in to see if there was anything wrong. Honey, are you up here? Charlie, can you hear me?
ROGER MASON: She ran downstairs, picked up her younger son, and ran to a next-door neighbor's house.
DENNIS FARINA: Police at the scene found the Anderson's older son unharmed. Their first impression was that Charlie had surprised a burglar
and had been shot. But there were other signs that the burglary had been staged.
ROGER MASON: While they had selected certain items and placed them together to be taken from the house,
they had overlooked other items that were much more valuable that were in plain sight.
This led to a second theory that this might have been someone that perhaps knew Deputy Andersen that
confronted him and shot him. DENNIS FARINA: Charlie's sister believes that's exactly what happened.
She was at the crime scene that night, called there by a neighbor. But what really surprised me was the look on his face.
He had a wide-eyed look, as if he'd been shocked or betrayed. It's something that lingers with me today.
In the end, the evidence collected at the crime scene was ambiguous at best. The only fingerprints were from members of the family.
Police were left with a murder victim and virtually no leads until a mysterious phone call s day later.
The following is a re-enactment of that conversation taken from the police transcript of the call.
Irvine Police Department, may I help you? MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): Uh, yes, may I speak to the officer in charge, please?
Uh, sure, regarding what type of incident? MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): This is some information
that might lead to the killer that, uh, shot the deputy sheriff. OK, wait a minute, hang on just a second.
At that time, the investigator handling the case was in the station. And he was called to the dispatch area
so he could speak with the person that had called in. MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): I know who did the shooting.
OK, the watch commander's on his way down here to answer the phone, OK? MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): I can't wait too long.
OK, here's the detective handling the case right now. Hang on just a second. Hi there.
What can I do for you? MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): Is this being recorded? Yes, it is.
MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): I-- I can't speak to you if this is recorded. OK, why don't I give you the number of my office
where it is not recorded? I'm not going to lie to you, OK? MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): I don't like recordings.
The man on the line I was very, very nervous. He was very concerned about his voice being taped,
about him being-- the call being traced or in any way the police identifying who he was.
MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): I'm not playing around. DENNIS FARINA: That could not be connected
to an unrecorded line, so the detective asked the witness hang up and call back.
Well, as I said, you're going to have to give me about two minutes to get back to my office.
MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): All right. OK. DENNIS FARINA: The man agreed, but the phone call never came.
Charlie Anderson was laid to rest with the full honors reserved for officers killed in the line of duty.
Lack of evidence has dragged the investigation to a standstill, and police are still searching for the unidentified caller.
ROGER MASON: We feel is very, very important to locate this caller because he was concerned enough
to call us right at the beginning of the investigation. He has never been identified.
And we're very, very interested in speaking to him to find out what he does know about this case.
MALE SPEAKER (ON PHONE): --information that might lead to the killer that, uh, shot the deputy sheriff.
Burbank Police believe the mysterious phone call is their best hope to close the case.
A $25,000 reward is being offered, and police have guaranteed that the identity of anyone coming forward will be held
in the strictest confidence. If you have any information that can help solve the murder of Deputy Charlie Anderson,
please log on to our website at unsolved.com. Next, after an extraordinary visit to her sister,
a young woman walks away and disappears. And now she's an heir to a $1 million fortune.
Our next story profiles a woman named Lorene Roberts. Her family hasn't seen or heard from her in more than 30 years.
Lorene has no way of knowing that she is one of the heirs to a $1 million estate.
Lorene Roberts grew up in Dripping Springs, Texas. She was on a high school basketball team
and was a member of the pep club. But at the age of 16, Lorene suddenly dropped out of high school.
Her family believes that this was the beginning of a slow descent into mental illness.
Lorene was very quiet. She would just be to herself with her own thoughts and her own world.
It's as if she wasn't there with you most of the time. Hey, little lady, can we get some coffee over here?
Yeah, you, the pretty one, come take our order. DENNIS FARINA: In 1949, Lorene dropped out of high school.
She moved to Austin and found work as a waitress. She also found [inaudible]. Coffee, pie, and how about I take you for a whirl?
I don't know what you mean. Let me show you. DENNIS FARINA: Just 10 days after they met,
Lorene and the young servicemen were married. Lorene and her husband had three children in seven years.
In 1956, her husband was discharged from the service, and they moved to his hometown in New Jersey.
It wasn't long before Lorene's life began to unravel. Lorene told me that she wasn't happy there.
His family didn't accept her and that his mother bought her and the children a train ticket and put them on a train
and sent them back to Austin. DENNIS FARINA: Lorene's husband filed for divorce.
With no money and no means of support, Lorene and her three young children returned to Texas and an uncertain future.
I'm tired. When are we gonna go home? Michael, sweetheart, would you put this on for me?
That other one's dirty. Come here. Put this on for mommy. Lorene tried. She worked, and she tried to handle her situations.
And she loved her children very much. But that was just something she couldn't handle,
and she seen she couldn't handle it. And she tried to get help from her husband, but no help.
She decided the best thing to do was to just give them up and let them be adopted out where
they would be taken care of. Now, don't fuss. I will get-- we'll get you some food.
Now, don't fuss. I want you to sit there quietly. DENNIS FARINA: After the children were adopted,
Lorene's emotional state became even more fragile. RUBY BOHLS: She came to me, and she admitted that she was sick
and said she needed help, said she needed a doctor. And my dad said, Ruby, take her to the psychiatrist.
And I did, and he gave her admittance to the state hospital. So I took her out there, and she cried
and everything when she hugged my neck and loved me and everything. And it was so hard to have to leave her there.
DENNIS FARINA: Between 1957 and 1961, Lorene was admitted to the state mental hospital
five different times. And then one day, Lorene showed up at her sister Ruby's house unannounced.
Well, then, sit down here and tell me what's been going on. - I'm getting married. - Married?
Uh-huh. That's great! Who to? A college professor. A college professor-- well, that's great!
I came to show you my ring. Well, that's mighty pretty, honey. Where'd you meet a college professor?
It's pretty, isn't it? Lorene? Hmm? Where'd you meet a college professor? The college.
At that time, I was just hoping the best for her. So I didn't question too much or anything.
I just hoped for the best, you know. And that's the last time I saw Lorene, and I haven't heard from her or anything since,
Well, I gotta get going. Well, can I take you somewhere? Oh, no, no. I came in a cab, and I'm going to leave in a cab.
Take care now. OK, you too. Bye-bye. DENNIS FARINA: Two weeks later, Ruby received the bill
for Lorene's engagement ring. Lorene had bought the ring herself and then failed to make the payments.
We have searched everything looking for Lorene. All the public records have been searched.
No one has any records of Lorene been alive for the last 25 years. Her mother died in 1988, and her will provided
for the distribution of her estate, which was valued at about $1 million, to her children.
And Lorene was one of the children. And so since no one knew where she was, the court appointed me to represent her
and to try to locate her. I don't think it's going to be easy to find Lorene. But I also don't think she's disappeared
off the face of the earth. I think she's out there somewhere. There's a big void in our life without her
and not knowing whether she's alive or dead. And we want that filled. I would share her children that have
found us and her grandchildren. That would be the first thing I'd want her to know about.
She would be so happy. Update-- after we broadcast this story, operators at our telecenter were surprised when Lorene called
in to solve her own mystery. Lorene's family was overjoyed to learn that she was still alive and well.
Her sister Ruby immediately flew to Little Rock, Arkansas where Lorene had been working as a housekeeper.
A few days later, Ruby brought Lorene back to Austin, Texas for a reunion with the rest of her family.
It was unbelievable. I could hardly believe it because, I guess, for so long we had searched and searched for her,
and we couldn't find a lead. I cried. I laughed. I did everything. Yes, it's nice to be back.
They're real nice. They've always been. They're original people, [inaudible], that are very darling people.
DENNIS FARINA: After the reunion, Lorene received her share of the inheritance. She has since returned to her home in Arkansas.
This is the wonderful person we looked for for 30 years. We're going to be happy and just do all the things we can
to be together and love each other, which, I think, will be real good for Lorene and all of us.
DENNIS FARINA: Coming up, the story of a young girl in coma, who some believe holds the miraculous power to heal.
For Sharon Stephens of La Puente California, childhood was a never-ending cycle of loneliness and abuse.
Her mother died when she was just three months old, and Sharon suffered severe beatings at the hands
of her alcoholic father. Sharon was finally taken away from her father and later sent to live with foster parents, Bill
and Cynthia Zelinski. At the Zelinskis' home, Sharon experienced love and kindness
for the very first time. They really knew how to parent, and they went all out to make me happy.
I felt very special for one of the first times in my whole life. So I started to change in the right way.
They taught me respect. They taught me how to respect other people and myself, and they brought my self-esteem up, because I had a very
low self-esteem about myself. DENNIS FARINA: But only one year after she arrived,
Sharon's happy life with Bill and Cynthia came to an end. A court decided that she should be returned to her father.
Sharon never saw Bill and Cynthia again. But she has not forgotten how their love
and understanding inspired her. I know that if it hadn't been for them, I probably would have been a child abuser,
a drug addict, a prostitute. I feel I would have turned out very bad if it hadn't been for them.
We think a lot of you. SHARON STEVENS: I would like to be reunited with the Zelinskis
to tell them how much I appreciate what they've done for me in the past. And it's a dream, a hope, a fantasy, whatever you want
to call it, but I've got to find these people, and I've got to say thank you. DENNIS FARINA: Update-- just minutes after her story aired,
Sharon's search came to an end. Bill and Cynthia Zelinski were watching the broadcast
and called our phone center. After more than 30 years of being apart, Sharon arrived at Bill and Cynthia's house.
Hi. Sharon. Oh, Sharon. Oh, it's good to see you. DENNIS FARINA: Bill and Cynthia were taken by surprise
when they saw this story. Oh, nice to see you. When you see a part of your life history
unfolding on national television, your mind goes blank. You don't hear anything else that's going on.
But your mind goes back to 30 years ago and all of the memories that it brings back.
[laughter] I was very optimistic that someone out there-- their friends, relatives, neighbors, someone--
if not theirselves, would see it. And I was very surprised that they themselves called in.
And I just got goosebumps when I found out, and I still get goosebumps. OK, everybody smile and give me a pretty--
DENNIS FARINA: For Sharon, the reunion with Bill and Cynthia was a long-awaited chance to say thank you
for the inspiration and the courage they gave her as a young girl. Making a difference in sombody's life is nice.
You feel like there was a reason for what happened. At the time you don't know it.
But now you realized there was a reason for what happened. SHARON STEVENS: It's the only dream that I've ever
had is to find the Zelinskis. And it feels great, and it's like a dream come true.
Accounts of miraculous healings have been around for as long as faith itself. But some have questions about these reports.
Today, many still wonder what to make of them. The story of Audrey Santo is a case in point.
Worcester, Massachusetts-- As you can see, this as Audrey's room. And the person sitting down on her left is her grandmother.
And the person standing on your right is one of the nurses. DENNIS FARINA: This is not a reenactment.
Audrey has been in a coma-like state called akinetic mutism for years. Every week, people line up at this window
to get a glimpse of her not out of morbid curiosity, but because they believe that Audrey is a miracle worker.
Audrey's astonishing story began when she was playing near the family swimming pool.
She was just three years old when tragedy struck. [scream] Audrey was under water for several minutes
before she was rescued by her brother. On the way to the emergency room, she went into cardiac arrest.
[sirens] Audrey's diagnosis after the near-drowning was that she had massive brain damage from the drowning
and a very poor prognosis. They didn't think she was going to live very long. We just started praying.
That's all, just prayed. Because when things are totally out of your control, what else can you do?
It's God's control, and you've got to give Him the ball and let him run with it.
DENNIS FARINA: Audrey survived, but she has remained bedridden. She is aware of her surroundings but is unable to move or talk.
She's not fully conscious by any stretch of the imagination, and yet she's not unconscious.
DENNIS FARINA: A year after Audrey's accident, her mother took her site of the famous miracle
site of Medjugorje, hoping for a cure. The trip nearly killed Audrey. But her family says that from that time
on, a gradual progression of unexplained phenomena took place. One of the most remarkable occurred in their home
when Audrey was just nine years old. Hey, Mom. DENNIS FARINA: They said that a picture of the Virgin Mary
appeared to be crying not tears, but drops of oil. We're all looking at this image.
And I said, please, if this is for Audrey, let us know this. Because all of a sudden, it occurred just to the kids and I
that maybe this weeping was for Audrey's healing. There are many meanings of oil,
for example, healing and so on. And I conclude quickly, then, that God is saying this is a holy place and this little girl is mine.
DENNIS FARINA: It started with one picture. Then as days went by, the Santo family
reported that almost every religious icon in Audrey's room began to cry tears of oil.
Another image started weeping, and then another image started weeping. We started thinking, well, is there
a rhyme or reason to this? DENNIS FARINA: Or could this be just a hoax? One person who thought it was a sham was a newly hired nurse.
When I started piecing everything together, at first I kept saying, I've got to get out of here.
These guys are nuts. I really tried to call their bluff on this. But as I stayed there, I just--
I believed it. I couldn't find any reason why these things are happening, and I have checked.
I checked the statues. I checked the cups. I mean, I'm looking for wires and anything that
would set off an oil reaction. And there was absolutely nothing-- nothing there that I can explain why it's happening.
DENNIS FARINA: News spread quickly within the Catholic community. Believers began to request samples of the oil.
When some of them anointed sick loved ones with it, the mysterious events reportedly took on a new dimension.
Caitlin McQuay was thought to have cerebral palsy. She no longer has braces on her legs
and can now go rollerskating. Victor Finucci says that he recovered from crippling neck pain.
A motorcycle accident had left Joey Paralisi with severely injured legs. He can now walk without crutches.
Pilgrims came to the Santo home to ask Audrey to pray for them and to receive samples of the oil.
At first, they came by the dozens, then by the hundreds, until the numbers reached the thousands.
Joanne and Stanley Pirog were given a sample of oil by a friend when their 17-year-old son Jim lapsed
into a coma after a car crash. They told us that Jim's condition was very, very grave.
And it would be a miracle if he survived the night. DENNIS FARINA: Jim was still comatose
seven days later when they placed the oil on his forehead. According to Jim's family, it didn't
take long for him to respond. The hospital monitors reportedly showed Jim's sudden improvement.
I can still remember the feeling of awe because I didn't expect that particular effect.
And it was just a few hours later that he did come out of his coma. And the nurses used to call him "Miracle Kid."
DENNIS FARINA: It took Jim a year to improve enough from his injuries to return to high school and to graduate.
But one of the most surprising aspects of this story is Audrey herself. After 11 years of being bedridden,
she has few of the expected ill effects. The girl has never had a bedsore. And for someone who doesn't move around
and have a trach and stuff. She really has not had any kind of pneumonia or a cold or anything in three years, which is really,
in itself, a remarkable thing. DENNIS FARINA: Update-- after surviving for two decades
in her comatose state Audrey Santo passed away in April of 2007. She was 23 years old.
A chapel has been set up in Audrey's former bedroom, and pilgrims still come from across the country
seeking cures. Not all of our cases are solved. If you have any information about any of the other stories
we've profiled, please log on to our website at unsolved.com. [theme music playing]

This, Episode inlcudes: Picture Taking Fugitive, John Burns, Deputy Death, Honky Tonk Woman, Update: Sharon's Search and Coma Healer.

Brief Summary

This episode covers murder cases, a violent love story, a missing heir, and miraculous claims of healing.

Key points

Cold-Blooded Killers. James Rouse was abducted and murdered by fugitives, leading to a dramatic police chase.
A Shocking Revelation. Eleanor Farber discovers her fiancé John Burns is still married.
Mysterious Phone Call. A caller claims to have information about the murder of Deputy Charlie Anderson.
Lorene's Reunion. After 30 years, Lorene calls in to solve her own mystery, reuniting with her family.
Sharon's Search Ends. Sharon finds her foster parents after 30 years apart, fulfilling her dream to thank them.
Audrey Santo's Miraculous Story. Audrey, in a coma, becomes a beacon of hope for many seeking miraculous healings.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

The hardest part has been not only the way it happened.

Rouse family reflects on the murder of James Rouse.

6:52WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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