Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 8, Episode 6 | Forensic Files

DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Next, on "Unsolved Mysteries," when a teenager dies of carbon monoxide poisoning,
police call it suicide. But his parents say he was murdered. Robert Fisher seemed to be a devoted husband and father.
Could he have killed his own family? Agatha Christie, the bestselling crime writer of all time,
became her own real-life mystery when she vanished without a trace. And at the height of World War II,
a few American and Nazi soldiers put down their guns to share Christmas dinner. Where are they now?
There is just nothing like a good mystery, and they're even better when they're true.
I'm Dennis Farina. Join me, won't you? [theme music] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Madison, Wisconsin.
It's perfect for what you're looking for. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): 19-year-old Chad
Maurer worked in a bike shop. A popular student and well-rounded athlete, Chad hoped to save up enough money to move to Colorado
for college and snowboarding. One afternoon, Chad returned home to grab a quick lunch
before returning to work. You know, it's packed over there, so I gotta get going.
See ya. - OK. See you, Chad. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Everything seemed normal that day, including
Chad's request for gas money. Dad, can I borrow some money for gas? JOHN: Be right out.
OK, thanks. DOLLY MAURER (VOICEOVER): There was nothing about him that was different.
I mean, he wasn't on edge. Chad, do you want me to get jacket to take with you? No, that's all right, thanks. Bye bye.
DOLLY MAURER (VOICEOVER): You know, he was just so excited about the job, and he had a big smile on his face
as usual. Almost forgot the money, Chad. OK, buckle up. Have a good day, OK? - Thanks, Dad.
Catch you later. Bye. JOHN MAURER (VOICEOVER): I was standing right outside saying goodbye to him and have a good one,
you know. I didn't notice anything different either about anything in the car. You know, it was kind of cool out that day and stuff,
and I just don't think he had any intention of going anywhere, or else he would've had a jacket with him.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But Chad didn't go to work. He ended up 150 miles away on the south side
of Chicago, one of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. That's where a maintenance worker
found Chad's abandoned car in the garage of a housing complex. Oh, my god! DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Inside the car,
Chad lay dead, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Chicago police contacted that the Maurers
with the tragic news that their son had committed suicide. My system went into shock.
My brain went into shock. Chad had too much going for him. Chad had all his friends, and Chad loved life.
Chad was not depressed. Chad was not down. He had all these goals. For parents, the death of a child under any circumstance
is traumatic and nearly impossible to believe. But as John and Dolly learned more about how their son Chad
died, they found themselves drawn even deeper into a horrifying mystery. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The Chicago police
had said there was no evidence of foul play, yet the knuckles on both of Chad's hands
had been skinned to the bone, and there were bruises on his face. Yes. Would you like to see it?
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The Maurers asked to see Chad's old clothes and found
them stained with blood. What I'll show you is the crime scene photographs that were--
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): John and Dolly began to fear that their son had been murdered.
They went to review the police photos of their son's body with Det. David Bongiovani.
JOHN MAURER: What the heck is that next to him there? DET. DAVID BONGIOVANI: The jacket?
Chad didn't take a jacket with him, and he didn't own a jacket like that. And you're positive of that?
Yes, I'm positive. DET. DAVID BONGIOVANI: The parents noted the jacket on the front seat was not
a jacket they knew Chad to own. But it would be interesting to know the size of the jacket,
if it's consistent with Chad's size. Or it may give us an idea of the basic build of somebody that may have been in the car with him.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The jacket was another clue pointing to the involvement
of an unknown person in Chad's death. The autopsy report also suggested that Chad
had not taken his own life. The level of carbon monoxide in his body was 74%, much higher than usually found in a suicide.
While the findings proved that Chad had died of carbon monoxide poisoning, the extremely high levels
suggested that he had been put in the car while unconscious rather than getting into the car under his own power.
DET. DAVID BONGIOVANI: It's my understanding that levels where they're conscious at the time they
succumb to carbon monoxide is about 50% to 60%. Levels that get up to about 74% to 80%
are more consistent with a person being unconscious or sleeping at the time they succumb
to carbon monoxide. And that's because they have-- people naturally have a tendency to breathe deeper and more
methodically when they're sleeping than possibly when they're awake. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The cause
of Chad's death was changed from suicide to undetermined. Authorities began a full-blown investigation.
Do you have an opinion as to what happened? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The bike shop owner
was quoted in a local newspaper saying that he thought that Chad had been afraid.
Something or someone spooked him. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Soon after the article appeared,
the shop was vandalized. [gunshots] No other stores in the area were hit. It appeared that someone was sending a message.
Chad's story was aired on a local "Crime Stoppers" program in Madison. After the broadcast, a caller left a disturbing tip
alleging that Chad was involved in a drug deal with people who lived in his apartment complex.
These same people had previously lived on the south side of Chicago. SGT. JOHN W. RIDGES: We know through our intelligence
sources that there is a pipeline of narcotics trafficking from Chicago to Madison.
Now, there's nothing in Chad's background that would really suggest that he's involved with narcotics.
But because of this conduit, there's a possibility that he might have been tricked to be involved in narcotics
and narcotics trafficking. DET. DAVID BONGIOVANI: Is it possible that somebody else offered him money?
Chad was looking for money. He wanted to move to Colorado. Is it possible that somebody offered him $500
to make the trip and then, when they got to Chicago, reneged on that and an altercation occurred?
Chad obviously being the loser of that altercation. Most all of our homicides in Chicago
have a common denominator of drugs in it somewhere. Whether they're selling it, whether they're fighting
over the territory, whether they're using it, drugs seem to come up in a great majority of our cases.
So this is also a reason that we're inclined to lean toward this drug angle a little bit more,
because we see it so often here. We feel that there are people probably in the Madison area
that probably know more than they're coming forward with, and I think probably that's what we're
trying to reach out to now. Because we're not going to know what happened inside that garage unless we
know the circumstances surrounding how he got there. All we know in Chad's case is Chad is dead
and he ended up in Chicago. That's all we know in this case. And we know he was beaten up.
But why was he beaten up? How did he end up in Chicago? There are so many questions.
And every day, we wake up and we think a different thing that could have happened to Chad.
I know it won't bring Chad back. But we cannot rest, and we cannot put Chad to rest until we really have the answers to this case.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): If you have any information about the death of Chad Maurer, please log on to our website
at Unsolved.com. Coming up, his job was fighting fires, but police believe that he set a fire to cover
up a cold-blooded murder. Scottsdale, Arizona. A powerful explosion rocks a quiet residential neighborhood.
WOMAN (ON CALL): It's-- it's a big fire. 911 DISPATCHER (ON CALL): What? WOMAN (ON CALL): It's a really big fire.
It just, like, blew up. 911 DISPATCHER (ON CALL): OK, what's on fire? WOMAN (ON CALL): The whole house.
911 DISPATCHER (ON CALL): The whole house? WOMAN (ON CALL): The whole house is burning up.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The force of the blast has ripped through the roof of the house,
causing it to burst into flames. Most of the home is destroyed before firefighters
can contain the blaze. The home is owned by Robert and Mary Fisher, who live here
with their two children, 13-year-old Brittney and 10-year-old Bobby, Jr. When rescuers are finally able to get inside the house,
they find the remains of Mary and the two children still in their beds. They appear to have died in their sleep.
Robert is nowhere to be found. Autopsies of the victims produced a stunning revelation.
All three had been stabbed to death. Could Robert, a seemingly dedicated family man,
have killed his own wife and his own children? DET. JOHN KIRKHAM: Robert was a very private person.
Outwardly, he's perceived as a good father, good husband, a churchgoing man. During the investigation, we found
that Robert Fisher had a number of faces, a number of masks that he wore. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Most people took
Robert Fisher at face value. My brother loved his kids and his wife. A year ago, there is no way I would
have imagined any of this. There was-- I trusted my brother with my life. There's no way I would have thought
he would be capable of this. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Robert and Mary had met in high school, and they'd
been married for 16 years. ROBERT: Do you? MAN: Yeah, I want you to come back, too.
ROBERT: Yes, sir. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Robert had served as a firefighter until a back injury ended
his career. Investigators learned that there had been tension between Robert and Mary following the injury.
One day, Robert came to Mary with upsetting news. Let me talk. Remember the massage therapist that I was
going to because of my back? Sure. Honey, I ended up having an affair with her. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Mary was shattered.
MARY: I can't believe you! We can take care of this if you-- I want you out! Just leave!
Just leave! DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Fisher headed north to the forests, where he usually went to hunt.
When he returned a few days later, he and Mary decided to go to counseling at their church.
We need to address the personal issues. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Robert had apparently suffered
deep emotional scars after the divorce of his own parents, and he was determined that his children would not experience
the same emotional pain. COUNSELOR: So let's talk and go back and-- Robert had told my dad many times
that divorce was not an option. He would not be divorced like his parents were. He did state that several times, Robert did.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But Mary may not have shared those feelings. We spoke with a very close friend of Mary's and learned
that she had confided in her that she was thinking about divorcing Robert. MARY: You've done this again!
I just can't believe it! After all the work we've done! DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Neighbors told investigators
that on the night of the murders, the Fishers had a loud argument. I'm calling the lawyer tomorrow.
I don't think that he planned this on this particular day, this is what I'm going to do.
I think that it precipitated over a long period of time and there was that one thing that triggered it,
and that could have been the argument. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Could Robert Fisher
have murdered his wife and children rather than put them through the heartache of divorce?
The crime scene investigation uncovered intriguing clues-- a disconnected natural gas line, an out of place candlestick
holder, and the residue of some form of highly flammable liquid. Detectives began to piece together
a chilling scenario of what happened on the night of the murders. DET. JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): There was some type
of a lacerated trauma to all three victims' necks, which could not have occurred during the fire.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Investigators theorize that several hours before the explosion, Robert Fisher
slashed the throats of each of his children and then his wife. In addition to having her throat cut,
evidence showed that Mary was also shot. [gunshot] DET. JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): Fire from a gas explosion
usually isn't as intense as the fire at the Fisher residence, so there was some type of other flammable material used.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Investigators believe that after spreading gasoline around the house,
Fisher disconnected the line leading to the gas furnace. DET. JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): As a source of ignition,
we believe that a candle with a candleholder was used as a timing device in order to allow Robert
time to leave the residence. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Hours later, once the gas had built up, the candle then triggered
the explosion that ignited the fire. [sirens] DET. JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): Robert committed the arson in order
to cover up the murders, believing that the bodies would be burned beyond recognition and would have covered up
any sign of what had happened. But it didn't cover it up quite as well as expected.
Cut. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): A full-scale manhunt for Fisher turned up few leads.
And then 10 days later, Mary's SUV, which disappeared on the night of the murders,
was spotted by a hiker. It had been abandoned near Fisher's favorite hunting area.
DET. JOHN KIRKHAM: It was clean. There was no dust on it. It was underneath pine trees, and there was very little pine
tree needles on top of the vehicle or in the vehicle, which indicated to us that it had probably been dumped there
within 24 hours of discovery. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Investigators hurried to the remote area, but the landscape was
riddled with hundreds of caves, and days of searching produced nothing. Two theories emerged.
One, that a despondent Robert Fisher took refuge in one of the caves, where he eventually committed suicide.
[gunshot] The other theory suggests that a cunning Fisher left the SUV behind to divert the attention of investigators
and then vanished. JEAN: Where would he be, and how could he have gotten to where he would be?
He didn't take any money with him, and he would be in so much physical pain from his back.
I don't know-- if he did this, I don't know how he could be alive, knowing how much
my brother loved his family. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): However, Det. John Kirkham believes that Fisher is still alive.
DET. JOHN KIRKHAM (VOICEOVER): The vehicle itself was about a quarter of a mile off of an improved Forest
Service road. It's a fairly active area with a lot of traffic on that road, and there are various places that one could use a phone,
catch a ride, that sort of thing. He has now probably started a new life under an assumed identity.
If Robert wanted to kill himself, he would have done it when he killed Mary, Brittney,
and Bobby is my belief. So I do believe Robert is alive, yes. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Robert Fisher
has been indicted for the murders of his wife and children. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds.
He has surgical scars on his lower back and a gold crown on his upper left canine tooth.
Fisher is on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, and there is a reward of up to $100,000 for information
leading to his arrest. Next, famous crime writer Agatha Christie becomes a focus of her own intriguing unsolved mystery.
Agatha Christie is the bestselling writer of all time. Over 2 billion of her mystery novels have been sold.
However, at the age of 36, Agatha herself suddenly disappeared and became the central character
in a real-life crime investigation that mystified her family and the police. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Newlands Corner, England.
On a chilly December morning, Agatha Christie's car was found abandoned about an hour's drive from her home.
It appeared that she vanished into thin air. Some suspected the worst-- that her husband, Archie, had done her in.
The press was fascinated. So was the public. Agatha was a famous woman. She was known to be a mistress of mysteries.
This was a real-life mystery. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): This story caused a sensation.
How could one of the best known women in England simply disappear? She was born Agatha Miller in 1890
and raised in the wealthy upper middle class of English society. When Agatha was 24, she married Col.
Archibald Christie, a handsome pilot in the Royal Flying Corps. Everybody tells them it's a bad idea.
It's the war. They get married on Christmas Day, and he immediately goes off to the war.
A very, very traditional and romantic tale. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): While Archie was fighting in France,
Agatha launched her writing career, creating the famous Belgian detective H. Hercule Poirot.
GWEN ROBYNS: That first book was a sensation. She didn't expect anything like that,
and nobody expected it from a rather plump, placid, ordinary-looking girl. It was strange, but she hit the jackpot straight away.
GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER): The next three or four books did a little better each time.
And then with her fifth book, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," she really hits the big time.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In 1926, 12 years into their marriage, Agatha, Archie, and their young daughter,
Rosalind, moved into a mansion. They called it Styles, after Agatha's first novel.
Archie was now a successful investment banker. On the surface, everything looked perfect.
Hadn't given it a thought. Archie was a real stockbroker. He was a British, proper, upper crust,
boring man who looked good. He was extremely conventional. I'm playing golf at the weekend.
Care to join me? I don't believe I can. ARCHIE: As you will. GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER): Agatha looked conventional.
But inside, she wasn't. Inside, she wanted more. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): But more would have to wait.
Soon after Agatha moved into her mansion, her mother, Clara, died. Agatha fell apart.
Agatha was absolutely distraught from the death of her mother. I think she had really never left the mother's side,
and this is possibly one of the reasons why the marriage wasn't a great success.
But she still remained very much a family girl. And when the mother died, it really unhinged her bit.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): She took Rosalind to the home where Agatha had grown up to sort
through her mother's things. Though the move was temporary, it dragged on and on.
And Archie stayed away. GILLIAN GILL: At 36, I think most women would mourn their mothers.
But with Agatha Christie, it wasn't just sorrow. It was something approaching melancholia.
It was an almost pathological condition, I think. And so she lived at Ashfield in this terrible sense
of disorientation, physical stress, with no one to confide in, looking forward to the point
when Archie would come down and celebrate with her their daughter's birthday. Agatha, please do sit down.
Yes, Archie. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When Archie did finally come to visit, he brought bad news.
Agatha, I want you to give me a divorce. A divorce? That's what I want. No, Archie.
Absolutely not, never. That's what I want, Agatha. I will not be moved. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Archie had become involved
with a woman named Nancy Neele. Well, this was absolutely devastation for her. She had been betrayed.
She never thought that a man could do this to her. I think she would have even lived with Archie having
a mistress, but the fact that he wanted to divorce her destroyed her. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): In a last ditch effort
to save her marriage, Agatha took Rosalind and moved back home. I think you should stay at Styles this weekend, Archie.
We could spend some time alone together. If you'll excuse me. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Archie took off alone,
saying that he was going to a weekend house party, most likely a rendezvous with his mistress.
And Agatha was left alone again. GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER): Either at 9:30 at night
or around 11:00 o'clock at night, according to different reports, she left the house
in something of a state. The maids were alarmed by the way she went out. We know that she took with her a small traveling case
and that she wore her fur coat. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Agatha left a note to her secretary asking that all her weekend
appointments be canceled. Another note of unknown content was addressed to Archie.
Superintendent. Morning. Show me what you got, Constable. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The next morning,
Agatha's abandoned car was found just an hour's drive from Styles. GILLIAN GILL (VOICEOVER): It had gone off the side of the road.
It was not turned over. There had been no big accident. Her coat's still in the car, sir.
Cold night to be out without a coat. Very cold indeed, sir. What's this? Her luggage, sir. One small bag.
Three dresses, two pairs of shoes, and this, sir. Very nice. Thank you, Constable.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Archie Christie had been tracked down at his house party.
He had the unfortunate timing to meet with authorities just as they were beginning to suspect foul play.
Next, Archie Christie has some explaining to do. Mystery writer Agatha Christie had disappeared.
Her car was found abandoned, but there were no clues to her whereabouts. By the time her husband, Archie, arrived on the scene,
he was a prime suspect. Superintendent. Col. Christie. Who are all these people?
Oh, just the curious, sir. Well, have they got to be here? Too late to stop them now, sir.
They know the gist of it already. Col. Christie, have you any idea where your wife might be?
No, sir, none. I haven't a clue. Pardon me for asking, but, uh, where were you last night?
I was away at friends. You were? Yes, Superintendent, I was. GILLIAN GILL: The police launched vigorous attempts
to find a body. There is a small pool nearby called Silent Pool, which Agatha had, in fact, used
in one of her previous stories. And this is dragged, I think at least twice. They enrolled the public and I think even
parts of the army in kind of beating the bushes, quite literally. Meanwhile, the press is trying to investigate
every angle on the case. They very rapidly get onto the Nancy Neele angle, and the plot they start to involve
is, in fact, a murder plot, possibly a suicide plot. She's been driven to suicide by the cruelty of her husband
and his infidelity. Or, even more interesting, she is refusing to divorce him, and so he decides to make away with her.
And the fact that so many of the elements in the situation mirror Agatha Christie's own published fiction
makes the whole thing so much more fascinating. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Gradually, eyewitnesses
came forward to describe encounters that they had had with Agatha before she disappeared.
The first was Ernest Cross, who was walking to work on the morning of Agatha's disappearance.
You all right, ma'am? What are you doing here? I'm walking to work, ma'am. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Cross said that Agatha seemed upset.
She wore only a thin dress, despite the cold weather. Can I help you then? Will you?
Oh, please. Certainly. AGATHA: Oh, very good, very good. I'll just get in. All right then.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Ernest Cross said Agatha drove off in the opposite direction
from Newlands Corner, the village where her car would later be found. Two railroad porters spoke with Agatha outside the station
and thought that she had boarded a train. Thank you. Nearly two weeks after Agatha Christie had been reported
missing, she was seen at a very elegant spa 200 miles from her home. Agatha was registered under the last name
of Neele, the same name as Archie's mistress. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The chief inspector wasted no time
bringing Archie up to the spa. She'll have to pass through here. Agatha. Archie?
Dear brother, you've come to take me home. Brother? Archie, it's so good to see you.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): For reasons known only to herself, Agatha at first identified Archie as her brother, not
her husband. They thought you were dead. Is this your wife, Colonel? Yes, it is.
Mrs. Christie. Hello. Agatha, please, we must talk. Come with me. What I would like to know is what
happened when Archie and she went upstairs that night and they sat in that room all night talking.
I mean, did they give each other hell or what? And did he say, well, I have no intention
of ever coming back to you? I think he must have, because that was the end. That was the tragic moment, that night.
Was there another man involved? DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): No one knows what was said in that room.
After the conversation, Agatha and Archie quickly left. They would never make a comment about Agatha's
mysterious disappearance. The press concluded that Agatha had suffered from amnesia.
But experts today still don't agree on what happened. I believe that Christie had a definitive and terrible fight
with her husband. It drove her over the edge. She had been depressed. Now, she becomes, on some level, psychotic.
She is not herself. She takes on another identity. She wanders off. She gets on the train.
She takes another name. She goes into this hotel, and she lives another life. That's very, very, very rare, but it's known.
It's documented in the annals of psychology. And we know that Agatha Christie was an unusual woman.
I think she plotted and planned it from the start. It was-- she went to the only thing she knew.
She would use the media that she knew, which was revenge, mystery, a possibility of murder.
She checked into this hotel under the name-- I think it's just madly funny-- she checked in using the name of the girlfriend, Neele.
Table for one for Teresa Neele. I think she took endless delight in the fact that the police shadowed Archie.
Poor Archie had a hell of a life. He couldn't go anywhere, because they suspected him of murdering her.
And I think she took marvelous delight in reading this in the papers. Again, I think in a sort of revenge and twisted-up
sort of way, she was thinking. But it was very funny. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): After then, Archie and Agatha
soon went their separate ways. Agatha married archeologist Max Mallowan in 1930,
two years after Archie had wed Nancy Neele. By all accounts, both couples had long, happy marriages.
Next, the story of enemy soldiers who became friends on one remarkable Christmas Eve.
The Ardennes Forest in Belgium. It was here near the end of World War II that Germany launched its last great offense.
Known as the Battle of the Bulge, it resulted in more American casualties than any other battle in the war.
Very close to the fighting stood a small, isolated cabin. There, Fritz Vincken, a 12-year-old German boy,
lived with his mother, Elisabeth. Fritz's father, Hubert, worked as a civilian baker
for the German army 20 miles away. On their own, Fritz and his mother struggled to put food on the table.
[speaking german] My father thought, like everybody else, that the war would be over by Christmas.
But it was not to be, and our stay in this shack was longer than we anticipated.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Christmas Eve arrived filled with sadness and uncertainty.
Hubert had still not returned, and his family was resigned to spending the holiday without him.
Fritz's mother tried to make the evening as festive as possible. She scraped together a Christmas meal of a few potatoes
and a scrawny rooster. [knocking] Papa? FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): She opened the door,
and there were these soldiers. Um, good evening, ma'am. Do you speak English? Nein.
Uh, we're Americans. FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): They tried to talk to us, but my mother didn't speak English.
Our friend's been shot. Can we come inside for a while, please? FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): My mother
just looked, and she looked at the guy sitting in the snow. [speaking german] Thank you.
FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): Until finally my mother after-- it seems to be like an eternity to me--
she asked them to come in. [speaking german] DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Fritz's mother
knew the harboring of the enemy was punishable by death. But on this night, she was willing to take that risk.
Ask her if speaks French. [speaking french] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): He said that they lost their unit
and were wandering through the Ardennes for the past two days and two nights. She's going to change his bandage.
[speaking german] My mother was all motherhood. She worried for them, and she worried for the wounded man,
and she did everything she could. They were very nice, like big boys from the neighborhood,
you know. [knocking] We thought automatically this must be more Americans. And I went to the door and opened the door,
and there were four German soldiers. [speaking german] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): I was petrified with fear.
SOLDIER: [speaking german] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): He said, we have lost our unit,
and we would like to warm up a little bit. [speaking german] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): So my mother said,
you'll not only be allowed to warm up, but you'll get a nice dinner if you accept out guests.
[speaking german] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): And my mother said, this is Christmas night, and there will
be no shooting around here. Put your arms in the wooden shed and then we'll come out and have a nice, nice Christmas.
Meanwhile, my mother had turned to the Americans, who by then had noticed that some Germans were coming
and had turned to their guns also. [speaking french] FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): My mother said to me, get
more potatoes and more water. We have more mouths to feed. Your comrade, he's wounded?
Yeah. Yeah, he caught a round in the thigh earlier. One of the German soldiers went over
to the American that was wounded and asked the Americans in English what was wrong with him.
So what do you think? He's lucky. He's lost a lot of blood, but the cold has prevented the wound from getting infected.
FRITZ VINCKEN: He had some first aid kit, and he applied a dressing to the wound.
And the whole evening, he would every now and then go and look after him. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): That night, hostilities ceased
in at least one corner of the forest as American and German soldiers sat down together
to honor the Christmas season. FRITZ VINCKEN (VOICEOVER): My mother said grace. [speaking german]
FRITZ VINCKEN: It wasn't a regular prayer. It was something spontaneous. And she said let's all thank the Lord for being together
tonight, peaceful in this terrible war, and let's promise to be friendly to each other forever,
if possible. Let's also pray for an end of this terrible war so that we can go home very soon.
And by that time-- by that time, they were all crying. But from then on, there was a feeling of friendship
that permeated the whole-- it was wonderful. I'll never forget it. [speaking german]
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): The next morning, the German soldiers help construct a makeshift stretcher
for the injured GI and then gave the Americans directions back to their lines. Continue till you come to the railroad tracks.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): That same day, Fritz and his mother left with the Germans and were soon
reunited with Fritz's father. The war continued for another five months. In the early 1960s, Fritz immigrated
to the United States. He became an American citizen and settled in Hawaii. Like his father before him, Fritz became a baker.
But that special night in 1944 remains the defining moment of Fritz's life. He always held out hope that he would
find the American GIs who helped him learn the true meaning of Christmas. It showed me what my mother could do,
and it showed me what one single human being can do to avert bloodshed and to bring peace.
And it also showed me at a very early age that we're all alike. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): Update.
After our broadcast, a man named Eldridge Ward called us here at "Unsolved Mysteries."
Ward was a volunteer chaplain at a nursing home in Maryland. He recognized the story as one often told by a resident
named Ralph Blank. DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): When Fritz learned that one of the soldiers was still
alive but in fragile health, he hurried to meet him. It's Ralph. Fritz. Wow, it was 50 years ago, boy.
It's Ralph, it's Ralph. Oh, my god. - How are you, Fritz? Well, I'm glad to see you.
I just had to look at his eyes, and I knew this is him. And he recognized me apparently, even though we
changed so much in that time. But it was a great experience. RALPH BLANK: I never thought I'd ever see Fritz
again when I left Germany. You were a little boy. I was 12. Today is a special day for me.
FRITZ VINCKEN: I can only tell you it was the fulfillment of a life-long dream. It's something I had given up all hope to experience.
DENNIS FARINA (VOICEOVER): More than a half a century later, they compared memories of that Christmas Day.
You had a gun, and she had a rifle. I had a pistol, you remember? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I gave it to your mother. That's right. Or she took it from you. [laughter] She's still got my pistol.
[theme music]

This, Episode includes: Chad, Family Man Fugitive, Agatha Christie (Pts. 1 & 2) and Fritz and the Soldiers.

Brief Summary

Chad Maurer's suspicious death, Robert Fisher's family murders, and Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance are featured in this episode.

Key points

The Mysterious Death of Chad Maurer. Chad Maurer, a popular teenager, is found dead in his car, initially ruled a suicide. His parents believe he was murdered, leading to a chilling investigation.
Robert Fisher: Family Man or Murderer?. Robert Fisher's family is found dead in a fire, and evidence suggests he may have committed the murders. The investigation reveals a complex web of deceit and betrayal.
Agatha Christie: The Disappearing Act. Agatha Christie, the bestselling crime writer, mysteriously vanishes, sparking a sensational investigation. Her disappearance captivates the public and raises questions about her life.
Agatha's Divorce Request. Agatha Christie is confronted with her husband's desire for a divorce, leading to emotional turmoil.
Agatha's Mysterious Disappearance. Agatha Christie vanishes, leaving behind her abandoned car and raising suspicions about foul play.
Christmas Truce in the Ardennes. In a remarkable act of humanity, American and German soldiers share a Christmas meal during WWII.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Chad had too much going for him.

Chad's parents reflect on their son's life before his tragic death.

3:22WatchMar 9, 2017

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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