Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 12, Episode 12 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

tonight on unsolved mysteries the Florida woman meets a man of her dreams soon they shot a light together sailing
around the world but suddenly she vanishes could her boyfriend I've had anything to do with her disappearance a
decaying marriage a shocking case of arson a wife is dead and her husband is on the run a California teenagers
vacation to Carson City Nevada sparks a seemingly innocent summer romance does that relationship lead to
her unexplained death just days later what happened to Natasha a young woman working two jobs struggles
to support her daughter then when she ends a relationship with a possessive man she ends up dead now police need
your help to find her alleged killer Michael Alfonso join me perhaps you hold the key perhaps you may be able to help
solve a mystery [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] in April 1998 51 year-old Colleen wood
moved from Dayton Ohio to Boca Raton Florida living in the Sunshine State was a culmination of a lifelong dream the
charming former high school homecoming queen went to work at Lighthouse Point Marina as office manager then in
December 2000 following a hole in romance with a former professional race driver and Wall Street wizard named John
Paul Colleen suddenly vanished without a trace to those who know her it is unimaginable
that she would not call or write and the months following Colleen woods disappearance a mystery only deepened
and police are baffled there is no body no suicide note and no evidence of foul play
in fact legally there is no crime and no suspect while Colleen is listed as a missing person by Fort Lauderdale Police
her family and friends fear the worst detectives would like to talk to one person who might be able to shed some
light on Colleen's fate John Paul but months after Colleen was last seen he too mysteriously disappeared
well here she is sometime in early 2000 Colleen would a divorced mother of two grown kids decided to give Cupid another
chance Wow when you said you had a sailboat I never imagined she'd be this big in the
Pacific my mother met Sean Paul through a personal ad looking for a sailing companion and she was impressed with his
credentials he said he was a he had an MBA from Harvard and in the racing circle he was early famous Gavin and he
was also reputed to be wealthy due to his success in the ownership of a mutual fund company
within a few months of their first date Colleen and John had become inseparable one evening following an intimate dinner
Colleen shared some of her hopes and dreams here's to dreams here's to our dreams what is it that you'd like to do
that you've never done before well I've always thought it'd be pretty fun to sail around the world why don't
we do that Colleen was surprised and thrilled when John suggested they make the voyage together aboard his 55 foot
schooner island good it was a wild adventure torn from the pages of a steamy romance novel within a few weeks
Colleen her soldier condominium and entrusted John with investing the net proceeds $43,000 a short time later she
moved in with him aboard Island then quit her job yeah would you get some tea Coyle I was very very shocked when
Colleen told me that she was leaving I personally was very concerned about her selling all of her assets to take this
trip Colleen are you sure about this I mean selling your car and your condo and everything seems a little risky putting
all your eggs in one basket I know but you know what this is something I've always wanted to do let's face it I'm
not getting any younger might be the only chance I have yeah in a minute I got a call Mike before I
forget about it on December 3rd 2000 Colleen placed a call to her son in Ohio hey she told him Island girl was setting
Sodor a few weeks and she would be in touch soon according to Maureen Canada she spoke to Colleen about 10 days later
on December 13th or 14th to invite her to the office Christmas party I called her cellphone number
and she happened to be in Key West at a bar with John Paul she sounded fine she sounded like she was having a good time
Tuesday the party came and went and she didn't show up but I just assumed that something happened where the there was
possibly rough seas and they couldn't make it back on the boat she didn't cause for Christmas Christmas Eve and
after New Year we everyone was really worried friends family asking - haven't you heard we know she would have called
I tried to call her on her cell phone and the have been closed Michael immediately
contacted the police in Florida but there was no evidence of any crime days turned to weeks than months still there
was no sign of Colleen wood we spent the best part of January and February calling back and forth with the Coast
Guard and FCC just trying to in some way identify and locate this boat back in Ohio
Colleen's son searched the internet in hopes of finding an address or phone number for John Paul what he discovered
gave him grave concerns I ran across an article that said that he had served time in prison that he went to a federal
penitentiary for approximately 15 years serving time for an attempted murder I'm
still thinking they're on a boat but I'm thinking she's on a boat with a killer or a possible killer it turned out
Connie's boyfriend was a mastermind behind a drug smuggling ring in the early 80s and tried to kill his partner
in crime for allegedly ratting him out John Paul was paroled in 1999 and met Colleen less than a year later his plan
to sail around the world was in direct violation of his parole family and friends were certain Kali knew nothing
about John Paul's past however his prison record wasn't the only thing that had some people troubled John would
later give three different accounts of his relationship with Colleen which he says ended on the rocks
John allegedly told version 1 to his daughter according to Michael she said Colleen to become irate over an incident
involving one of her father's old girlfriends and ended the relationship when I heard that she had broken up in
December I was panicked completely panicked Michel pleaded with John Paul's daughter to have her father call him
three days later he did and a second version of the story emerged he told me that they had an argument he said I
didn't remember what it is about but after the argument she left the boat and then she came back with her football
player boyfriend she gathered all of her belongings and she left the boat and he hasn't seen her since I filed a
missing-persons report immediately with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in
April 2001 some four months after Colleen was last heard from detectives mark shot well and al stone or assigned
to the case their investigation quickly led to some suspicious activity on Colleen's credit cards in a two-month
period between mid-december to mid-february in excess of 80 transactions cash advancements totaling
over $40,000 had occurred on Colleen woods cards we were able to come up with good solid physical evidence that not
only did Colleen would not make any of the transactions they were not made with her consent
if Colleen wasn't withdrawing cash from the ATMs than who was the police are still investigating and would only say
it was a woman perhaps more than one also raising suspicion or two ads that appeared in a local newspaper
both of these ads were placed in the name of Colleen wood using her credit cards both of the ads were ordered by a
male the first ad that ran in early December was in the Help Wanted section looking for a first mate on the boat the
second ad that ran mid-december was in the romance mail seeking female section had the heirs been placed by John tall
detectives were sure they did know the second I had began running on December 16 2008 the same time Maureen Canada had
spoken to Colleen by phone according to Maureen Colleen told her then that she was partying with John and
Key West and everything was fine detective Shotwell and stone righteous to hear about the events of December
2000 from John Paul himself they finally tracked him down in May 2001 it was then
according to detectives that John offered his third version of the break-up with collie like to ask you a
few questions about Colleen would John Paul said that in mid-december he and Colleen had a large fight over money
that Colleen would owed him money and it made no effort to repay it but the alleged inconsistent stories or
at all the detectives claimed had them troubled My partner and I both noticed that he was becoming increasingly more
nervous I found it unusual that he seemed to have so little concern over a woman that he lived with that he loved I
haven't seen her since you know just a very unusual interview very little compassion showed on his part or if you
can think of anything else that may help us out would appreciate it if you'd give
us a despite the allegations of suspicious behavior and the inconsistent stories
regarding John and his breakup with Colleen there is no solid evidence to indicate he had anything to do with her
disappearance in fact John Paul may have no knowledge whatsoever about the mystery surrounding
Colleen wood he has not been named a suspect in the case we have no body no physical
evidence to show us what happened to calling but I can tell you it's not good I don't believe Colleen wood is with us
anymore I know she's gone it's scary to know that something like this can happen
to someone who's so close to you you think it happens to everybody else but you know what I'm everybody else we need
to find out what happened we need to know if indeed he's responsible for the death of my mother I really want to see
justice served john-paul is apparently left town violating the terms of his parole
detectives would like to find him to question him again about the disappearance of Colleen wood
go do it according to her family Jean Weaver's troubled marriage is nearing itself let's be done with this
joke of a relationship that we're saying is a marriage that we're saying is a family they say that after 17 years
together she tells her husband Gordon she is seeking the divorce this is done Gees family says they are concerned they
claim they have always considered Gordon strange a reclusive loner who never attended any family functions they are
uncertain how he will react two days after G's decision her sister Kathy becomes worried Jean almost
compulsively punctual is 45 minutes late for a family gathering Kathy and her husband Tom are driving to her home to
discover why we get to the house and I mean I'm panicking by then I heard this beeping noise I didn't know what it was
I was thinking hey I don't understand this and then it hit me that was the fire alarm it was smoke obscuring the
windows and I screamed at time [Music] as firefighters raced to the scene Cathy and Tom try to determine if gene is in
the house but the thick smoke is too stifling to penetrate three minutes later that firefighters arrived in the
basement they discover that the fire's intensity has caused water pipes to burst
[Music] they also discovered gene Weaver a valiant effort is made to save her life
and then please chief comes over and said she's gone I just ran and I ran and I screamed and
I screamed [Music] I just can't begin to say how special gene was investigators in White Bear
Lake Minnesota determined that the fire causing a death of gene Weaver was deliberately set burn patterns were
consistent with a case of arson an autopsy revealed that gene had sustained a head injury but died from smoke
inhalation the police believed gene had been murdered they Angie's family turned a suspicious
eye on her husband Gordon Weaver Gordon Weaver had every advantage in life yet seemed destined to struggle he
was a son of wealthy parents but was plagued by financial problems he had a high IQ but experienced deep bouts of
depression as a golf and tennis club ian was failing he witnessed gene build a successful career in the human resources
industry her family wondered if his disintegrating relationship with gene had led him to a desperate Act we wanted
so much to find out that it was just a horrible accident that he had nothing to do with it
but the more time passed you know I started to think that Cordy had actually killed Jean it was unbelievable
but I believed it geez family claims almost from the beginning her marriage to Gordon was troubled
they say the joy gene rarely experienced as a wife she found as a mother as a years past her love for her son grew but
her devotion da garden withered what Jean would say about Courtney is that he would withdraw into himself for many
years I just felt sorry for him because he seemed unhappy and just couldn't have
a normal relationship with jeans and she wasn't happy at all but she thought it was the best for
their son to remain together as a family a family crisis forced Jean to reevaluate her marriage her third sister
Patty was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer patty died and and that is what precipitated Jean into thinking life is
too short to stay married I am asking Gordon for a divorce according to Jean sisters Gordon reacted to her divorce
plans by asking her an ominous question he said have you told anyone this and jeanne eagels no what we left
because we said you know as if you wouldn't tell your sisters that you were going to get a divorce but you know and
now I think why didn't why didn't that hit me why didn't I say Jean make sure you tell him that everyone knows you're
gonna get a divorce but I can't explain why that didn't occur to me just three days after jeans
alleged conversation with her sisters she was found dead that morning her son was at a soccer game and Gordon said he
divided his time working at his office and running errands Gordon returned home immediately after police contacted him
by phone we were not able to give him a whole lot information at that time and he was asked to volunteer I come to the
police department to speak to one of our investigators which was myself mr. Weaver and my Frandsen path which we
heard I'm afraid your wife passed away I'm sorry some of his mannerisms or behavior was
not what one would expect having come home and finding his house you know surrounded by evidence tape and then
being told that his wife was you know killed in the fire and we began to suspect that he was possibly involved
and the death of Jean Weaver detective Brown secured Gordon's permission to have forensics experts examine the
clothes he was wearing that day on them they found traces of two flammable liquids that they also found on jeans
body investigators also learned that jeans life insurance policies totaling more than three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars were due to lapse just two days after she was killed the sole beneficiary was Gordon jeans sister
Kathy rise guard believes she knows what happened I believe Gordon went to confront Jean
and I believe he pushed her or shoved her she had a wound to the head and he panicked and he stepped my sister on
fire my sister was alive when he set her on fire because of the fire some water pipes burst in the basement
the water pipes appeared to contain the fire to the laundry room area and also help preserved her body to the point
that the medical examiner could do a complete autopsy and locate the head injury and some other physical evidence
12 days after jeans death gordon weaver was arrested for her murder he was soon released on bail
the FBI says a three hundred thousand dollar cash bond was provided by his parents four months later while awaiting
his indictment hearing he borrowed his parents car [Music] they said he was going to Chicago for a
vacation alone two days later the car was found abandoned in Summit Illinois a suburb of Chicago bloodstains found
inside a pair to indicate that Gordon Weaver had been the victim of a violent carjacking forensics experts determined
the blood was human but were unable to determine if it was Gordon's the timing of things is just all too coincidental
for him to disappear or be carjacked that's a week before that he is going to be indicted by a Ramsey County grand
jury for first-degree murder it doesn't make any kind of sense at all did Gordon
staged his disappearance or did he indeed meet with foul play as his parents say they firmly believe two days
after his car was found an unexpected phone call apparently solved the mystery it was received by a business associate
of Gordon's this individual identified the person as Gordon Weaver Gordon Weaver asked if they found his
car this co-worker spoke with him for just a very brief time and then Gordon Weaver hung up we do not believe in any
way shape or form the Gordon Weaver is dead his family has indicated that that is that is what they believe but the
phone call makes it all crystal clear that Gordon Weaver did not die in that vehicle on that night Gordon Weaver
still on the run why should he be off somewhere and Jean the most beautiful person that you could imagine is gone
forever if I knew then what I knew now I would never have left Jeanne alone for a
second [Music] [Music] a summer afternoon in Carson City Nevada Sandra Jennings receives an urgent call
from her brother Clarence he's trying to locate a 16 year old daughter Natasha who's visiting them from California miss
kasha I had called home my sister answered the font I asked her if Tasha for songs she set the phone
down she she peeked out the back door she didn't see her so she went upstairs that's why your screen
Clarence I found it Tasha she's on the floor she's not breathing I told her well hang up right now call 911 I'm on
my way [Music] tragically Natasha Jennings was already dead when the paramedics arrived
ultimately three theories in the cause of her death would emerge involving accusations of drug abuse sexual assault
and murder along the way the reputations of Natasha and her family will be subjected to salacious rumor and
innuendo and of this day how Natasha Jennings died remains a mystery Natasha Jenni's lived with her mother in
Southern California when she was very young her parents divorced a situation that affected Natasha deeply in fact
Natasha had hoped her visit to Carson City would spark a stronger relationship with her father I told her no at first I
said no you're not going but then I I didn't want to put her in the middle of our disagreements but what I feel
towards her father is my own business and doesn't involve her that is her father among her circle of friends
Natasha was a sensitive one as soon as she met someone they were her friend she always had something good to say she
was outgoing most caring person I've ever met she just kept everyone that she knew close to her heart
sadly Ingrid Kotar would now only have those cherished memories of her best friend to hold on to
Natasha's last day began uneventful II she had lunch with her aunt at 1:00 later that afternoon
Clarence Jennings placed several calls to his daughter he had become increasingly worried when he was unable
to reach her [Music] when police arrived at the scene they found natasha has her added founder
slumped across the bedroom floor her hair was damp as if she had just bathed an electric fan inexplicably lay on top
of her anytime you have a young individual that's deceased for no specific apparent
cause or reason it's suspicious it's treated as a homicide until such time as we can shift gears and and say that it's
something else although there were no outward signs of trauma to Natasha's body investigators quickly developed
their first theory attention was directed at a young Carson City man Natasha had become close to whom we will
call Chris allegations had already been raised that Chris had sexually assaulted
her just days before the investigation revealed that Natasha and Chris had joined a group of friends at an
impromptu party the get-together dragged late into the night those who had been drinking were invited to wait until
morning to drive home no one saw what Natasha and Chris did the rest of the night according to Ingrid Qatar her
friend in California a confused and traumatized Natasha called the following morning to tell her something had
happened after the party Natasha told me she had blacked out from she was drinking and she had blacked out and
that Chris had a raped her do you know where Natasha lives Chris was interrogated however
detectives concluded that whatever may have happened between him and Natasha his actions had not been criminal the
autopsy report was conclusive that that she was not sexually assaulted as soon as the Tasha's mother learned of her
death she rushed to Carson City and I spoke with everybody that she was around I went to places that she had been I
[Music] handed out flyers I'm in thousands upon thousands upon thousands Tammy stilton's
efforts brought a new and unexpected theory to light I was at the shopping center passing out flyers when a woman
approached me and she was very scared anything she was very skittish in watching over her shoulder and and she
says um I know what happened to your daughter she wrote her telephone I'm down suppose
here suppose call me the woman claimed that Natasha's father Clarence was a drug informant for local
law enforcement authorities she said drug dealers had found out and killed Natasha in retaliation my ex-wife had
asked me is there any possibility that they might have had something to do with it in retaliation for my being an
informant for the police department and my jaw dropped I've never never been an informant for the police department led
by Natasha's mother a group of relatives confronted one of the Carson City detectives assigned to Natasha's case
and we asked him if you know if he was a word that Clarence was or Natasha's father was a informant you know and he
didn't deny what at all he said yes he was aware of it I can say based upon our records and the records of the Nevada
Division of Investigations which would be more typify two state narcotics Clarence Jennings was not nor was he
ever a documented informant for either agency how long have you known etosha Jennings but soon yet another theory the
third would redirect the course of the investigation authorities still believe the drug connection could have played a
vital role in Natasha's death but with a stunning new twist did you ever see Natasha use any kind of
drugs no Tosh would never use drugs investigators were now speculating that Natasha had brought about her own death
by overdosing on drugs they focused on two pieces of evidence a scrap of plastic recovered on a landing outside
Natasha's bedroom contained traces of methamphetamine commonly known as speed and cocaine
and an examination of Natasha's body had revealed a minut amount of the drugs in
her nostrils the cocaine and methamphetamine can lead to increased body temperature hyperthermia I think
she probably took a bath to cool down and she was in the process of drying her hair when she collapsed most likely a
spasm they said she was on a five-day drug and drinking sex party and I was I know I just I know my daughter she
wouldn't used the official investigation report states that the medical examiner found no drug
residue and Natasha's system during autopsy if you snort cocaine on Monday and you're deceased on Friday and we do
a toxicology we may find remnants of the drug perhaps in your nose or maybe an injection point or something like that
but the actual toxicology of your blood in urine and whatnot may may produce a zero amount today the investigation has
hit a dead end for Tammy Stilton all the theories and endless speculation have only produced frustration and more
questions all I wanted was answers for somebody to talk to me explain to me what's been going on with her but nobody
will nobody has the unfortunate part is I don't have an answer for the mother this girl was 16 years old she had her
entire life ahead of her and we don't have any answers we don't have the bottom line
I didn't want her to go and I was kind of mad at myself because I had felt it 10 then didn't take heed to those
emotions I had actually sent her a note telling her that I want her to come home she
didn't make it back officially the investigation into the 1997 death of Natasha Jennings is still
open at a hotel room in Elgin Illinois Michael Alphonso has reached a breaking point desperately willing to go to any
lengths to save a relationship his girlfriend single mother Josefina Gonzales has
agreed to meet with him to listen to his final plea but Michael refuses to accept
her decision after Alfonso stabs her he tries to escape the Josefina's two-year-old child although severely
wounded Josefina fights back she saves her son by punching Michael Alfonso's own knife into his back he drops a child
and bleeding flees into the night [Music] Josefina Gonzales and her son recovered
from the 1994 attack Michael Alfonzo was arrested when he sought treatment for his wounds
Alfonzo would be convicted of aggravated battery and served four years in prison
tragically Josefina Gonzales would not be the last of Alfonso's relationships to allegedly end in violence in June
2001 Hannah Velasquez separated from her husband was working two jobs to support
her young daughter unfortunately for Hannah Michael Alfonso also worked at one of those companies and he had henna
in his sights saw me oh you got like five minutes now I came in here just to ask you out to
dinner tonight yeah tonight okay I get off around 8:00 so if you would I come around Hannah's
relationship with Michael Alfonzo continued to grow as her own marital relationship deteriorated she didn't
talk about any relationship with him but she always said I'm alive right now I got to do what I can right now and she
was a one in a good future for for her and for her her daughter hennas second job was at a local fast food restaurant
she had shared with a co-worker the difficulty she was having with her estranged husband Hannah was having
marriage problems I said you just got to communicate with each other and everything will be okay and then about a
few days later an all starts getting these phone calls at work and this man starts calling like every other day
there then I asked her I says who is this man calling you at work and she would not answer me now she would not
tell me sure yeah we're just friends everything's fine she signed to what I'm doing I know what I'm doing this okay
ma'am fine but Renee Anderson's concerned for her young friend would prove prophetic when Hannah Velasquez
made a decision to reconcile with her husband she would see Michael Alfonso's darker side Michael Alfonso was an
aggressive violent man when he doesn't get his way he gets angry many of his friends tell us that they're scared of
him that they don't know which way he's going to turn because he's so unpredictable
[Music] did you hear me listen to me okay nothing you're not going anywhere you don't break up with me
or I hurt you and your family [Music] and I was so frightened by Alfonso's threats that she notified authorities
Velasquez this guy was seen as threatening me she did not want to pursue any criminal charges at the time
because she was deathly afraid of retaliation by Michael Alfonso something a pretty clear pattern of Michael
Alfonso's behavior has emerged here it seems as though when he begins to date a woman and the relationship goes sour he
gets angry at the woman and does not want them to leave and what he does is he reacts with violence the day after
Hannah's altercation with Michael Alfonso Alfonso reportedly confronted her at the restaurant where she worked
42 what one customer told me some man comes up to her and they start arguing there was a very heated argument from
what the customer told me hennas husband who also worked at the same restaurant was taking a rest break in his car on
the other side of the building and had no idea his wife was in danger one of the witnesses was in an
automobile waiting in the drive-thru line for food Michael walked directly at her vehicle and walked between her car
and the drive-thru and she looked at his face and noticed that he had a smirk on
his face another witness reported the hooded assailant ran toward a dark-colored car
there was a person that noticed a black Firebird type of a vehicle drive away at
a high rate of speed we know from records that Michael Alfonso owns a 1994 black colored
Pontiac Firebird I'm holding hello and I said to her hold on and I'll hold on everything's going to be okay surrounded
by her friends and co-workers Toddie eight year old Hannah Velasquez struggled for life Hannah would not win
that fight she was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a hospital when an all-points bulletin went out for
the capture of Michael Alphonso police learned there were in search of a career criminal
before Alfonso served a four year prison term for the attack on Josefina Gonzales
he had served time for a 1989 rape even then investigators knew Alfonso was a threat to society but were disappointed
by the leniency of the court we asked for length year prison sentence the judge disagreed with us and didn't feel
that Alfonso posed a threat to the community of course history's proved differently
he is a tremendous threat to any woman who he becomes involved with authorities were also suspicious of Alfonso's
involvement in the unsolved 1992 disappearance of a young woman he was dating Suman Ouyang reportedly informed Alfonzo
she intended to break up with him and return to her husband and was never seen alive again any woman that he gets
involved in a relationship with is in grave danger unless they exceed to all his demands and remained his loyal
servant they are in danger of being raped or killed two months after her disappearance the body of suma near yang
was discovered in a remote area she had been shot in the head but despite the suspicions of law enforcement
Michael Alfonzo was currently awarded only for the murder of Hannah Velasquez and for the friends and family of henna
the grieving has just begun this guy doesn't deserve to be helped or he doesn't deserve anything I mean he
doesn't even deserve to live because he's all he's taking you know other human beings life so if if anyone is is
helping him he doesn't deserve no help he deserves to be behind bars [Music] [Music]
[Music] [Music] every mystery has a potential to be solved it may take months may take years
or it may occur during our next edition unsolved mysteries [Music] [Music] [Applause]
[Music] [Applause] [Music]

Brief Summary

This episode investigates the disappearances and deaths of women linked to violent relationships and unresolved mysteries.

Key points

The Mysterious Disappearance of Colleen Wood. Colleen Wood vanished without a trace, leaving her family and police baffled.
Jean Weaver's Tragic Death. Jean Weaver's death in a fire raises suspicions about her husband Gordon.
The Unsolved Death of Natasha Jennings. Natasha Jennings was found dead under mysterious circumstances, leaving many questions.
The Mysterious Death of Natasha Jennings. Natasha Jennings' death raises questions and theories about its cause and circumstances.
The Violent History of Michael Alfonzo. Michael Alfonzo's violent past comes to light as he becomes a suspect in multiple cases.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I know she’s gone. It’s scary to know that something like this can happen.

A family member reflects on the disappearance of Colleen Wood.

12:21WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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