Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 11, Episode 6 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

tonight on unsolved mysteries eighteen year old Brian Eisen fouled settle for college eager to pursue his dream of
becoming an architect then he suddenly vanished his boot was discovered several months later what happened to Brian it
was a scene of one of the most infamous unsolved murders in US history now many believe Lizzie Borden's house
is haunted has a ghostly entity but turned from the dead to tell us who committed the crime
a young woman takes off on a cross-country journey following in the footsteps of beat poet Jack Kerouac nine
days later her Jeep is found destroyed in a remote mountain region and there was no sign of her anywhere
on a deserted stretch of highway in Eastern Kentucky a high-speed police chase suddenly turns into a violent
shootout this man is brought in for the attempted murder of a sheriff's deputy and authorities need your help to bring
him to justice for mysteries that have no explanation perhaps our answers perhaps there are
only questions join me for this fascinating edition unsolved mysteries [Applause]
[Applause] [Music] every autumn the ritual is the same Paris breaking the ties at mind sending
their sons and daughters off to college for the first time I hopes for their children are tempered by concern that
they can cope on their own amen in the fall of 1996 18 year old Brian Eisen fell left his New Jersey home for Roger
Williams University in Rhode Island he looked forward to earning a degree in architecture as Brian had grown up he
rarely ventured outside the safe confines of his Family Circle yet he wrote in his high-school yearbook that
his dream was to make a difference in the world now he was setting off in pursuit of that dream during his second
semester at Roger Williams University Brian left his afternoon literature class then he inexplicably vanished
[Music] six months later on a serene Labor Day weekend laurie veils and her daughter
chelsea stroll on Hog Island beach just a few miles from the University I noticed a shoe on the sand that was at
the high tide line and I just kind of poked the the shoe with my stick and it seemed hard like something had been
stuck inside the shoe I realized there was like a white very shiny white almost plastic looking smooth surface and
around it like a fleshy substance so I knew right at that point that there was a foot inside the shoe DNA test
determined the foot and a shin bone found close by were those of Brian Eisen film authorities found no other remains
but could only conclude that Brian was dead when it was announced that the bones were possibly Brian's it gave us
some kind of relief knowing that he didn't just wander off but to lose someone that you love so much is very
hard it's a catastrophic event it changes your life forever you know you go on and you're never the same again
your piece of what you used to be brian isin felt often sought solitude here less than a mile from his campus
dormitory intelligent and introspective he had a passion for poetry he was well-liked yet had few close friends
from the day he vanished On February 6 1997 no one could seem to agree what happened
some believe he may have slipped and fell from his favorite seaside haunt drowning just offshore others thought he
might have been distraught and deliberately leaped from Mount Hope Bridge under cover of darkness but the
most disturbing possibility was that an unknown assailant killed Brian then dumped his body in the cold Atlantic
waters what really happened to Brian Eisen filled largely based on the fact that we have not uncovered any evidence
whatsoever of foul play we're inclined to believe this this perhaps may have been a suicide
I don't think Brian would commit suicide I don't think he did commit suicide there's no evidence of that there's
never been any evidence of that it's all theory and an accident I guess it's possible but in my heart my gut I don't
think that was the case I believe Brian was murdered to this day I believe Brian
was murdered in a search for answers investigators try to reconstruct Brian's brief term at Roger Williams University
from the beginning his life there was a struggle Brian's academic career in high school
came very easily for him this was much more of a challenge and with it being his first time away from home he missed
his family that he was so close to and I don't think he realized how much his family meant to him until he actually
went away so I think Brian was homesick he didn't do very well that forced mr. briney
his grades kind of plummeted investigators believe Brian's difficult transition to life on his own
might have driven him to commit suicide with something more sinister may have led to his disappearance
something that surfaced from the shadowy corners of his private life midnight January 30th 1997 today that you have to
come up and get me just by the inflection of his voice I knew that he was the crisis mode I knew that he was
scared and he said this kid is threatening me harassing me on the phone was threatening to get on campus it's
written in to beat him up he said that he could get to him anytime he wanted and I thought if this kid can get on the
campus then security has to know about it Brian campus security called the student
advisor in Brian's dormitory the threatening calls Brian said were from a student he knew but was no longer
attending the University what motivated the corner however Brian was either unable or unwilling to say okay but
Brian now see more trouble than ever after he left his literature class on February 6th he was never seen alive
again six days would pass however before his absence was deemed suspicious once notified by the University Brian's
father instantly set out on the five-hour drive from New Jersey when I heard that that my son you know that
Brian was missing for a week two things happened in my mind when I go through a state of disbelief and shock and the
other thing is I got to find him I got to get involved I have to see what the hell happened
of course Brian's room nothing's changed it's exactly the way we found it well still heresies it's the middle of
the winter it looked like he stepped out to get a soda or go to dinner or something it looked like I should wait
and he's gonna show up again but it was seven days it was a week since he disappeared so I knew he wasn't coming
back to the room [Music] Brian's Paras believe the former student who allegedly Menace Brian over the
phone may have carried out his threat investigators discovered his identity and learned that he and Brian had been
close friends during his first semester reporter Jody Erickson wrote a series of
articles about Brian's disappearance Brian being unsure of himself having some freshman jitters really seemed to
gravitate toward this one student I dunno just from talking to Brian's parents and reading some of Brian's
poetry that he did seem to be a young man who was questioning his sexuality and while I am not sure whether it was
an overt homosexual relationship I do think that there were undertones of that whatever the nature of their friendship
it abruptly ended for reasons known only to Brian and his friend certainly one of
the theories that I've explored is that this former student was going to expose his relationship with Brian that there
were certain things that Brian didn't want his parents to know didn't want his hometown to know and that his
homosexuality could have been one of them was it possible that Brian was gay well I guess it's possible he would not
say what soured their relationship he would not tell me anything in relationship to the relationship with
the former student that Brian took his own life unable to face public exposure that he was gay or did his turbulent
friendship lead to his murder the former student in my opinion had something to do with Brian's death he may not have
been actual person to have done him in but I think he had something to do with Brian's death we were able to
meet with that individual conduct a comprehensive interview of him and we are fully satisfied that that person had
absolutely no responsibility in in the disappearance of Brian nice and felt more than four years have passed since
Brian's disappearance for Brian's parents for years filled with pain and unanswered questions it's every parent's
worst nightmare if it happened to us it could happen to you your child your daughter your son your
nephew it could happen to you I know somebody knows something they're just afraid to
talk and I don't know why but they are afraid to talk they're afraid to come forward somebody has to know something
about Brian if you ever find yourself in Fall River Massachusetts you might consider staying in this quaint country
inn or you might not the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfasts [Music] [Music] [Applause]
[Music] the scene of one of the most gruesome unsolved mysteries in US history is now
open for business visitors can enjoy an informative chat about the sadistic murders about eating a breakfast of
Johnny cakes and mutton broth the same meal Abbi and andrew borden ate on their final day
guests can then linger in the parlor our Andrews head received 11 unexpected blows from an axe and after a long day
of sightseeing you can drift off to sleep in the same bedroom where Abby Borden's pummelled body was discovered
lifeless on the floor some of the guests do try to figure out you know who did it
not surprisingly most people do not sleep easily there are numerous reports that the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
is haunted I think the apparitions and all the activity that has been happening in the
house is a possibility that the spirits were trying to communicate through myself my staff or my guess of who
really committed the murders so they can rest in peace put the story to sleep but
once and for all on August 4th 1892 wealthy businessman Andrew Borden and his wife Fabio brutally hacked to death
in their home Andrews 32 year old spinster daughter Lizzie was arrested for the double murder her trial however
ended an acquittal and to this day nobody knows who committed the savage crime nobody that is except for the
victims themselves and the murderer all of whom are long since dead are are they
in 1968 Martha McGann moved into the Borden house which had been purchased by her grandparents 43 years earlier
according to Martha she soon became aware of an unsettling presence working in the shadows of the aging building
when I was about 16 years old I was in my bedroom reading a book and above my room I could
distinctly hear footsteps and the sound of like Marvel's being played and it almost sounded like little children's
laughter shortly thereafter Martha witness another strange phenomenon this one far more disturbing
than the last I went up the stairway in the window at the end of the second floor car duck just began opening and
slamming shut it was just violently going up and down I got the creepy crawlies that time Martha became
convinced that a ghost was prowling her home tormenting her at every opportunity
but who and why the answer to that question may have come when Martha made the mistake of
entering the basement alone here legend holds is where Lizzie hid the axe she used to butcher her stepmother and
father a shadow sort of like a silhouette floated many four inches above the floor I could tell it was a
woman I could tell it was Victorian clothes I just turned around and ran back up the
stairs that experience really did frighten me that actually did make my hair stand on
end I didn't really want to tell anyone I you know just didn't think they'd believe it and I didn't want them to
think I was crazy or figment of my amendment my imagination because I really did see this happening
Martha's own terrifying experiences were about to be confirmed in 1994 she inherited the Borden house and decided
to capitalize on his infamous reputation by turning it into a very unusual bed-and-breakfast
using crime-scene photos Martha replicated the homes exact condition on the day of the murders when
we first opened I had hired my staff most of them at the time did not believe in ghosts or apparitions or anything
like that and then odd things started happening to them I arrived at work to stop cleaning the
house and you know making beds I was on my last room which was the guest room [Music]
and I had made the bed clean adjusted and everything and then I turned around and there was the perfect impression of
somebody laying on the bed they indent in the pillow in the bed I looked at it for like a couple of seconds and then I
booked it out of the room I had to leave I I was just this scared me because I'd
never seen anything like that before in my life Carrie was white as a ghost forgive the
pun but she was really pale and I couldn't get her back in not even to get her paycheck she would not come in the
house over a century ago in this guest room Abby Borden received 19 hacks to her face summer convinced that Abby is
now trying to communicate with the living Andrew Borden was killed in the downstairs parlor his half sitting half
lying body slumped across the Victorian sofa here employees report seeing a strange
apparition perhaps Andrew vainly trying to seek human form I was sitting in the Paulo and on the phone and this strange
feeling came over me a very eerie feeling hi Sally it's Eleanor when I looked up to the
kitchen door I saw what I thought was all this smoke coming out of a kitchen like a foggy smoke
there's smoke coming out of the kitchen and I thought to myself well that's strange there isn't anybody in the
kitchen cooking why would all the smoke be coming out no no one was there is it the way it traveled very slow very slow
until it got to the sofa where mr. Borden was hacked to death and it just dissipated very slowly it dissipated I'm
freaking this is too weird I was alone in the house so I know I saw something that was so out of this world it wasn't
from this world that's for sure what's going on in the house today in terms of things that people are
experiencing and seeing and hearing certainly has a lot to do with the fact that a violent emotional act went on
here also because it's an unsolved mysteries means it's definitely here to stay also and ghost hunter Catherine Rams
--lens believes that Andrew and Abby Borden are trying to tell us who killed them so far unsuccessfully hoping to
document the paranormal activity at the Borden house Catherine and the house employee headed to the basement armed
with a voice-activated recorder we went down there and it's very dark and I just
simply said is anybody here and we could see that the recorder was activated that
we could hear nothing it was absolute silence and it was clear something was being recorded
so I decided instead of asking any more questions I would just see what we had gotten we shot up the steps yes we put
sting down there with that whatever it was a noise from the dead or static electricity no one knows for sure
Katherine ramzan feels that recording is a first solid evidence that Abby and Andrew Borden are ready to share the
chilling circumstances of their bloody end as for Lizzie following her acquittal she use her inheritance to buy
a mansion and a fashionable district of Fall River her final years were spent in
seclusion ostracized by the surrounding community she died in 1927 at the age of 67 but
those who work and live at 92 second Street believe it Lizzie has returned home they claim that Lizzie Abby and
Andrew still walked these halls and haunt these rooms chained forever to this place by the horrific events of
over a century ago and some speculate that maybe just maybe one of them will tell us what really happened on August
4th 1892 [Music] two joggers in Mount Baker National Forest in Washington State notice a
piece of clothing dangling from a tree branch honey there's a shirt or something up there that's weird
see anyone around no someone crashed down there a jeep has punched over a steep embankment inside the car are a passport
money and clothing but there is no sign of anyone nor any indication that someone has been injured when you find
there police traced the Jeep to 23 year old college student Leo Roberts who left
her home in Raleigh North Carolina nine days earlier without telling anybody where she was going
I found out that her car had been found here she is the whole opposite side of the country haven't heard from her in
nine days and her car shows up with no sign of Leah so needless to say I was really really worried
[Music] the discovery of Lea Roberts Jeep has only deepened the mystery surrounding
her disappearance there are a few clues authorities cannot even say for certain if Lea was in her car when it crashed
only one thing is certain Lea Roberts embarked on a cross-country journey of self-discovery her friends
and family are still waiting for her to come home Lea is you know just a very awesome
person everybody that meets her likes are very personable great smile but um you know she was kind of private also
definitely like very sweet and nice but it took a while to get to know her when Lea Roberts was in her early 20s she
experienced a series of tragedies that would forever influence her outlook on life first her mother died unexpectedly
then Lea was in a near-fatal car accident and finally after a long illness her father passed away I think
that all of those things together had the cumulative effect of making Lea even more introspective
and probably more aware that although she didn't know what she wanted to do I think she was unhappy that she wasn't
achieving it Lea found solace on the writings of Jack Kerouac the famous Beat Generation poet often wrote about the
free-spirited road trips he took during the 1950's leah was especially enamored by the
Dharma bums a story that encourages the reader to leave behind the materialism of modern life part of that book takes
place at a fire lookout on desolation peak near Mount Baker in Washington State from the last conversation that we
had we were talking about Dharma bombs when Kerouac talks about you know being alone on desolation peak and and about
how the Kerouac was up on desolation peak just taking in all the beauty around him I'd love to go to desolation
peak she was talking about wanting to go up on desolation Peak and how that she really wanted to go off by herself and
figure a lot of things out and figure out what kind of person she wanted to be because she really didn't know anymore
just three months before she would graduate from college with a degree in Spanish
it appears that Lia Roberts secretly decided to turn her dream into a reality Lia packed up most of her cherished
belongings and her cat Bea then took off for desolation Peak 3,000 miles across the country the way we first heard that
she had left was it had been a period of like four days where we hadn't seen her
and we began to worry and we called people family called friends know what I heard from her
Lia's family and friends filed a missing-persons report and check bank records for any activity on her account
Lea had made several cash withdrawals tracing a route towards the west coast it took her only three days to make it
to Oregon the day after we filed the missing-persons report I went over to Leah's house just to kind of check
through things see if I could find any clue or whatnot you know just something to give me an answer amid the clutter on
Leah's dresser Kara discovered a cryptic note this is to cover bills while I'm gone remember everyone is together in
thoughts and prayers and time passes quickly have faith in me yourself everyone last night said I'm not
suicidal I'm the opposite remember jack kerouac say that kind of right there is an allusion to Kerouac and that might be
part of her trip five days later Leah's Jeep was discovered in Mount Baker National Forest
100 miles from desolation peak but leah was nowhere to be found there were several alarming and
contradictory aspects to the crash scene authorities estimate that the car was traveling at 40 miles per hour when it
plunged over the embankment in all likelihood the driver would have been seriously injured well with the speed
that the vehicle was traveling and the amount of damage to the vehicle you would anticipate some type of injury to
the person inside if there was no injury to the person inside at least some type
of evidence to indicate contact damage that the person had been inside the vehicle but none of those signs were
evident look at this there was also no blood inside the Jeepers in the surrounding
area investigators were forced to consider whether the car was unoccupied when I went over the hill but that
scenario also turned out to be problematic there's nothing to indicate the wheel was tied and that was pushed
off the road and we couldn't find any marks on the back they indicate anybody had pushed it to where it was if you had
somebody driving the vehicle and they jumped out you could have taken your life into your own hands trying to jump
out of the vehicle at that speed police now had strong evidence has supported two opposite conclusions someone had to
be driving the Jeep when it crashed and no one could have driven over the embankment without leaving behind signs
of an injury to make matters even more confusing blanka's had been placed in the vehicles shattered windows it
appeared that someone had used the car as a shelter after the accident you guys seen anything give us a call on the
radio a search of the surrounding area was immediately undertaken we brought in dogs who brought in search and rescue
and did a complete grid search up and down the road and they weren't able to find any indication that aimed I had
left that vehicle the Jeep was taken to a police garage and further examined it was full of Lea's personal belongings a
large amount of cash an empty cat carrier on a diamond ring and Lea's mother's diamond engagement
ring as long as I've known Lea she has worn her mother's engagement ring and it was her most prized possession and when
we discovered that the ring had been found in the car it was definitely for me it was kind of a bad sign
what happened to Lia Roberts was she even in her Jeep on it crushed if she was why was there no sign of her being
hurt and finally why would she leave behind everything that she cared most about in this world perhaps Lia did
accidentally drive off the road but survived relatively unscathed she then would have been stranded in one
of the most remote wilderness regions in the country Lia may have presented an irresistible target for a killer you
can't rule out foul play when you don't see somebody for over a year but there's
no evidence to indicate that that has happened we did process the vehicle for you know your typical evidence hairs and
fibers and blood and nothing you know nothing to indicate that that's happened [Music]
or maybe the lack of blood at the crash site indicates that Lee has suffered an internal injury conceivably a
debilitating head injury could she now be walking the streets with no memory of who she is or where she came from there
is a third possibility deadlier roberts inspired by her favorite author Jack Kerouac leave her former life behind and
one final dramatic gesture I can understand Lee is needing to get away and find some peace within herself but
considering the loss that our families experienced it's difficult for me to think that that she would leave us open
for another loss like this it's difficult to imagine her wanting to distance herself from her family for as
long as she has but of course you don't want to imagine the negative things that
could have happened you don't ever know what someone's thinking in their head no
matter what they tell you you still don't know not 100% you never know that's why none of this makes sense to
anybody it's so out of character for her in some ways and then in some ways it's
not one week after lia robbers jeep was found an anonymous tipster called investigators and reported that his wife
had just seen lee at a gas station 30 miles from seattle Lee appeared confused and disoriented but before authorities
could obtain further information from the witness he panicked and hung up the phone the police are now asking for your
help [Music] Lea Roberts is 5 feet 6 weighs 130 pounds and has sandy blond hair she has
a beauty mark on her right upper lip and a surgical scar on her right hip rural Kentucky a kind of homespun place
for most folks are downright neighborly on a quiet Sunday evening in October Bell County sheriff's deputy Scott elder
was taking a break during a routine patrol pickup truck suddenly spent by with both tail lights up deputy elder
had no idea he was behind the wheel or that all hell was about to break loose when I came up behind he was driving
fine the only thing that I've directed my team to was and I'll tell lies I caught up with it it was a camouflage
truck Kentucky militia on the bag I had no idea what that was I just didn't know
that's when I made the traffic stop good evening sir evening I'm deputy elder with the Bell County Sheriff's Office
hey deputy elder reason I stopped is your taillights are on that first deputy elder saw no reason for concern the
drivers seemed friendly enough and he agreed to take care of the problem right away and get that fixed thank you for
telling me about that sir but then everything change however I do need to see your driver's
license to make sure it's balanced no you don't need to see my license sir I do and the reason you don't need to see
this because I'm a member of the Kentucky state militia he started getting very agitated started turning
real red he was started yelling that's when I caught the glimpse of a pistol magazine to the window I kept screaming
at him step out of the truck step out of the truck and that's when he threw it in
drive and he took off I just couldn't believe this was going on you know it's a Sunday supposed to be
dead shift you know not anymore careening along Route 25 the two vehicles were locked in a dangerous
high-speed cat-and-mouse game when the prey suddenly became the predatory he turned a u-turn and came back at the
cruiser when he stops I'm back my crews rub the swerved missed him and he whipped it
back around he was chasing me at that point in time and I was on the radio and I was telling
this budget said he's chasing me and I don't know what he's trying to do I said this guy's crazy but he's chasing me it
was a bizarre scene that quickly shifted from dangerous to deadly with a deputy now under siege then with bullets flying
in his life on the line deputy elder turned the tables again [Music] moments later he was bearing down on the
truck and the driver suddenly slammed on his brakes and jumped from the vehicle according to police a wild shooting
spree ensued the enraged gunman unloaded more than 30 rounds and peeled off down
the highway deputy elder fired back but the truck was a moving target and quickly
disappeared into the night I was shaking I didn't know whether to cry or scream get mad you know I didn't know what to
do I just didn't know what to think you know what the hell happened deputy Elder was still in shock the next
morning when at least part of the puzzle fell into place authorities discovered the gunman's
vehicle abandoned in the backwoods they identified the owner as 55 year old Steven Howard Anderson in the back of
Anderson's truck sheriff's deputies claimed they found enough weapons and ammo to equip a small
army there were six pipe violently found in the cab of the vehicle there was a semi-automatic rifle over
nine thousand rounds of ammunition of various calibers found in the back of the vehicle in a camper and the result
their survival gear and clothing and some food as well given the mindset that we believe Steven Anderson has when you
see that type of weaponry it poses a serious threat to property and people further investigation revealed Steven
Anderson apparently did have ties with the civilian paramilitary group known as a Kentucky state militia an organization
not sanctioned by any government body is stated mission to protect and defend the
US Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic but according to law enforcement
officials some members can be fanatical and dangerous even when compared to the group's
extreme element Stephen Anderson was considered a loose cannon in fact a short time before the shoot up with
deputy elder Anderson had been booted out of the militia stabler dismissal for conduct unbecoming
his agenda would be to do the second revolution now in our opinion it's not time legislative process and Kentucky
still works when that system ceased to function then it's time for a revolution what Steven Anderson poison launched his
own private war authorities were anxious to find out after obtaining a search warrant they uncovered another huge
cache of weapons and explosives on Anderson's property more pipe bombs grenades machine guns and approximately
12,000 rounds of ammunition Aegis also found a low-powered ham radio transmitter allegedly used by Anderson
to broadcast hate-filled vendetta's against the establishment in fact just five days before the shootout with
deputy Anderson acted out an eerily similar scenario to the actual encounter - deputy elder Anderson's chilling words
were shocking and scary I had no idea that he had done that you know there's no doubt in my mind now that he had at
plan good evening sir evening any police officer that come in contact with him that's what was gonna
happen there was gonna be a shootout no matter what Stephen Anderson is still on
the run and authorities need your help to bring him to justice it's quite possible that when Steven Anderson
abandoned his vehicle he may have hid in the woods for a period of time and either sought out or received help from
people in the area Stephen Anderson is wanted by the Kentucky State Police for the attempted murder of deputy Scott
elder he is also wanted by the ATF the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms for violation of federal Xplosive laws
[Music] [Music] [Applause] stories without endings stories a defier imagination stories were you may have
that one vital clue next time on unsolved mysteries [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music]
[Applause] [Music]

Brief Summary

The episode discusses the disappearances of Brian Eisen and Lea Roberts, and the haunted Lizzie Borden murder case.

Key points

The Mysterious Disappearance of Brian Eisen. Eighteen-year-old Brian Eisen vanished from college, leaving behind only questions and a foot.
The Haunting of Lizzie Borden's House. The infamous Borden house is now a bed-and-breakfast, but is it haunted?
Lea Roberts' Journey of Self-Discovery. Lea Roberts embarked on a cross-country journey but vanished without a trace.
Lia's Mysterious Disappearance. Lia Roberts goes missing after leaving a cryptic note, raising concerns among her family.
The Jeep Discovery. Lia's Jeep is found abandoned, but there's no sign of her or any injuries.
Conflicting Evidence. Authorities find contradictory signs at the crash scene, complicating the investigation.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I believe Brian was murdered to this day.

A parent’s conviction about their child's fate.

6:12WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

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