Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 14 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

this program is about unsolved mysteries whenever possible the actual family members and police officials have
participated in recreating the events what you are about to see is not a news broadcast in New Mexico a frantic
emergency call to the police gives hope to a desperate mother that her daughter kidnapped almost seven years ago is
still alive several years ago a retired couple in Florida offered food and comfort to a poor itinerant stranger
later in the midst of their own hard times the good deed was rewarded by a generous unknown benefactor just before
Christmas in 1982 seven-year-old Chuckie McGivern stricken with a rare often fatal illness run in a coma Chuckie is
visited by a mysterious boy and given the gift of a Christmas miracle join me these stories capture the spirit
of the season on our special holiday edition unsolved mysteries [Music] even at Christmastime it is easy to
doubt the possibility of miracles unless you believe you have experienced one the
McGivern family of Philadelphia Pennsylvania never imagined that they would be chosen to receive such a gift
their remarkable story began during the Christmas season 10 years ago on the day
seven-year-old Chucky McGivern came home early from school with a case of the chickenpox
three days later Chucky's brother frantically called his parents upstairs Chuckie had taken a sudden terrifying
turn for the worse it lost consciousness and slipped into a coma he's cold I'm gonna call a doctor Chucky was
immediately rushed to a nearby hospital his brain dangerously swollen his Paras waited for an hour while doctors
stabilized his condition [Music] the doctor warned me when I went in there what he says when you say um he's
gonna look like he's dead his skin was so hard and cold and pure white and he had all these he had a vault sewn into
his head he had tubes and his kidneys and in his uppers nose the main thing was the vault that was in his head and
this his liver everything was just hooked up to everything and I was shocked I was really shocked
Chucky's diagnosis was grim he had Reye's syndrome a rare disease of the nervous system brain and liver that is
virtually unique to children and often fatal I have to be honest with you your son is very ill but it's gonna be
alright at this point we're not sure what exactly are his chances they're not promising
even if he does recover in severe cases of Reye's syndrome there's a possibility
of brain damage I'm sorry but I think it's best that you know exactly where we stand thank you doctor
despite the Bleak prognosis Nancy and Chuck McGivern refused to give up hope they moved into the hospital to be
closer to their son they were soon joined in the vigil by other family members who brought religious medals for
comfort and healing Nancy's cousin Jerry gave her a particular unique ornament a relic from
the robe of st. John Neumann the patron saint of vocations you remember when I was in that car crash in Italy I should
have been dead but this was in my pocket and I swear it saved my life I think it
might help Chucky to John lumen came to the United States from Bohemia in 1836 he was known as a
simple tireless priest who ultimately become the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia in 1860 bishop lumen died almost
immediately people began praying to him two favors and blessings in 1923 a young
girl was cured of peritonitis when a picture of the bishop was placed on her abdomen before long a number of miracles
have been attributed to Neumann in 1977 John Neumann was canonized and declared the first American male saint grasping
at anything that could offer hope Nancy McGivern pinned the relics to Chucky's pillow bride syndrome as it
built up a pressure on the brain and that's why I wanted to those medals next to his head the medals made me feel
stronger and gave us more hope you go Chucky I'll take good care of you babe the McGovern's had never been especially
religious in fact they had not been to church in years but now they found themselves turning to God praying that
the youngest son would not died [Music] I've never prayed that hard in my life never I mean I was praying so hard on
the blood was sweating down my forehead anything goes your kid despite the prayers of his family and
the efforts of his doctors Chuck his condition continued to deteriorate after a day or two like his lungs collapsed
pneumonia set in and there was two nurses then they didn't know I was there in the room they were behind this this
door there and they had an x-ray set up right in his room and when I came in I heard them say he's not gonna make it
Chucky's pears could only wait and hope little did they know that over the next 48 hours something truly remarkable was
going to occur [Music] I noticed that the st. John Neumann metal was Tom facedown on his pillow so
in order to turn this relic back around I had to unpin it take off the other ones and put turning the Saint John them
Agrella around put it back onto the pin and put the other ones back on again in order for it to be face-up next time I
came back it was face down again like somebody came and kept switching it is I'm putting it up somebody was coming in
and putting it down and that's what it was just like and I thought I was going crazy that evening another intriguing
mystery someone taped a picture of st. John Newman in Chucky's room Nancy asked around but no one knew where it had come
from or who would put it there [Music] the next morning Chucky's father had not encounter in the
hospital waiting room plus I love a clock or something like that and I was watching TV and wholesomeness little boy
walks in he looks at everybody in the room he looks at my wife and he looked stares at me I'm staring at him thinking
you know let me his parents gonna come in next and I'm wonder why like why is he by himself or you know so that he
just looked around he looked at me again and he just walked out [Music] so later that day the nurse comes up
says so you had a little incident we want you to get worried but a little boy came to visit Chucky I came to see
Jackie how did you get in here I I only wanted to see Jackie wait wait come back here
wait wait a second excuse me later that day Chucky received another unexpected visitor father Robert Ron case he had
heard about Chucky's plight and felt compelled to administer what is commonly known as the last rites - something
inside me was saying he needs to be anointed he needs to receive the sacrament of the sick it was an
overwhelming feeling that I just had to go down and do this and I left immediately I went right down that day
right at that moment to go down to anoint him through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help
you with the grace of the Holy Spirit and I do remember when I was anointing Chucky that I could feel that the
something definitely was happening I could feel an overwhelming presence of the Spirit and I could feel that he in
some way was receiving grace and strength from God [Music] [Music] less than an hour later the unimaginable
happened [Music] Charlie Chucky's within hours Chucky would be off of life support and sitting up in
bed to his parents a miracle had come to pass [Music] from being very low where you think well
my son might die too he came through it it was mine I was like great I mean every day we were calling everybody in
the phone that he was getting better and you know but he got better so fast it was unbelievable there you go Chucky
Chucky began telling his parents about a bizarre dream he had what unconscious incredibly he described the same young
boy that his father and his doctor had seen in the hospital presents and you and dad were here too
I remember when I got up I was sort of confused because I didn't understand if that was
all a dream or did that actually happen and all these Asian kids would surround me coming in and out give him the
presence of all sorts but there was one boy particular who is a stay by my bedside
this boy my dream was a my best friend and uh he was like the strength for me and at all the times when I wasn't
feeling like in this dream when I wasn't maybe not feeling so good he was there to make sure everything was all right
and he was I guess he was just like symbolized the best friend I I would have even outside a dream one week after
he had lapsed into a coma and a week before Christmas Chuckie McGivern was released from the hospital the doctor
said they never had anybody so gravely ill recover so fast and three months later we went back and they went through
everything and he came out like he was never sick as what the doctor said like nothing ever happened to him two weeks
after Chuckie left the hospital his parents took him to the shrine of st. John lumen in Philadelphia the real
body of st. John Neumann when they died as Bishop of Philadelphia in 1860 he was
brought to Saint Peter's Church here to be buried for many years [Music] what is the man that was my best friend
in my dream in the hospital are you sure yeah sure the McGivern 's were started when they
realized that the portrait was of Saint John lumen as a boy I was so taken back I then I started
thinking it really hit me it's something happened here the st. John Neumann interceded for him in some way there was
some kind of a connection there it's hard to believe I don't know why even now I don't know because he's he's just
like any other person he's just like any other kid at his Inc but there must be a reason heard I don't
know the reason why I seen son came to my aid I had no idea um I saw mile never never be able to explain but I I know
like Saint Simon will always like be there for me which is always good you know I know always be like near my
side did the McGivern family actually experience a Christmas miracle or were they the recipients of incredible good
luck perhaps it doesn't really matter in the case of this unsolved mystery a rational explanation is hardly necessary
[Music] Sunday February 28 1988 9 p.m. firefighters in Odessa Texas were called to the scene of an untended trash fire
in the parking lot of an abandoned bar within minutes they discovered that in reality they had been called to the
scene of a grisly murder buried in the ashes was a charred body of a man who had been beaten and shot twice in the
back before being set afire the victim was identified as 59 year old Neil Jennings an RV dealer from Dallas who
dabbled in restoring classic cars as the adesso police began to look into the death of neil Jennings a McCobb scenario
began to unfold and they found themselves faced with one of the most bizarre homicide cases had ever
investigated the key was a man named Bill Roberts an enigmatic drifter who worked for Neil Jennings and was
apparently the last person to see him alive On February 26 1988 Neil Jennings and Bill Roberts stopped off at Neil's
brothers house just outside of Dallas Neil this car looks great they'll help me restore it did a pretty good job
eight weeks earlier Leland hired bill to do the finished details on his latest project a 1959
Ford Thunderbird tell me about this new guy you hired only pointing $50 a week plus we're on
the board she her kidding well that keeps them off the street in private Neal let on that he was having financial
problems in fact he could not even pay bill the $50 weekly salary he had promised him that Friday evening Neal
and Bill drove 300 miles across the barren Texas Prairie to the oil town of Odessa at 8:30 p.m. they checked into a
motel at the edge of town that would be the last time anyone ever saw Neal Jennings not so bill Roberts over the
next 48 hours he was all over a Desa engaged in a number of suspicious activities an hour after arriving in
town bill Roberts showed up at the home of a man named Jack wood introduced him to Neal a few months earlier
hey Bill come on in Jack could not help noticing that bill was very nervous and sweating profusely
we just got back in town I dropped him off his lady friends house guess they having some dinner or
something oh here you go thank you well you sure look like you're out of breath I had to walk in this
little bar down the street got any weed in the truck cuz one if you give me a job well sure I can jack
agreed to jump start the pickup bill parked the trucks in Jack's backyard and went to sleep in the cab
the next morning Jack noticed that the truck bed was covered with a tarp he also noticed that Bill was circling the
vehicle in a strange manner his eyes fixed on the cargo bed 10:30 a.m. Saturday bill stopped in a run-down
motel where he attempted to sell Neal's truck for $1,200 that's a nice truck bill
$1,200 when he found no buyer bill asked the residence if he could park the truck
in the back of the motel hidden from view about six hours later at 5:00 p.m. Bill Roberts returned to the motel
that's no wonderful y'all might have a pick and a shovel I can borrow I need to fix the Brooklyn water line for no lady
sorry about that bill I don't think we have a pick or shovel around here wish I could help you though that's okay
look I'll just see y'all a little later then bill then drove the truck to a convenience store less than a mile away
a sitting on the store behind the counter and bill came in and asked me if he could park the truck behind because
he's the truck was overheating I said go ahead 15 minutes later Saul heard two gunshots
in the distance another 45 minutes passed and Bill was back this time flashing a large wad of
cash later bill was seen back at the motel where he again spent the night in Neal's truck Saturday night he came back
in he said he'd done done the job he acted real nervous and he acted especially nervous whenever he went over
there to get something out of it the truck that had a tarp on it the next morning
another odd encounter I did some laundry and I noticed that blood was on his shirt
well I didn't think anything about it because you know it just looked like maybe Kenneth self lapped it off on my
shirt so I told him okay you know yeah you can use the laundry a few minutes later another resident noticed a small
amount of blood on the back bumper of Neal's pickup around noon bill left the motel and
never returned eight hours later the police are on the scene of the trash fire our investigation at the scene
showed there was two pools of blood we found shotgun shell casings and wadding there at the scene there was drag marks
leading from the parking lot over to the concrete slab where Nia was was actually
found on fire there's no doubt in her mind that the fatal shots happen in that parking lot
[Music] sheriff's deputies now believe that bill Roberts shot Neal Jennings on Saturday
night and hid his body in a trash heap for some unknown reason he waited 24 hours and then returned to set Neal's
body on fire [Music] Robert sopran motives a murder Neal Jennings so that he could steal his truck and
sell it the thing that makes this case so strange to us is we know Neal guy here Friday night and he was with Bill
Neal was never seen again after Friday night now Saturday morning we've got bill by himself in the truck
Saturday evening we've got salt hearing the gunshots and Sunday evening is when the body was actually found that due to
the fire the question is where was where was Neal from Friday night until Sunday
you know when did the murder actually take place in the course of their investigation
police learned that bill Roberts was actually bill Blackwell would served time for larceny and theft he was wanted
by the Texas Department of Corrections on a parole violation authorities determined that Bill Blackwell left
Odessa within 24 hours of setting the fire he then drove to Albuquerque New Mexico where he sold Neil's truck in a
flea market he has not been seen since [Music] next the strange Odyssey of the little
girl kidnapped in 1986 Gallup New Mexico 140 miles west of Albuquerque lies within what was for centuries the
territory of a Navajo Indian nation on April 6 1986 this quiet community of 18,000 was rocked by the mysterious
disappearance of a nine-year-old Navajo girl Anthony ka dito but her mother and two
sisters awoke that morning they were surprised to discover that Anthony was not in the house we went looking for
around the house nothing I didn't start panicking until we checked with all the neighbors went to
every house and nobody had no sight seen of her and that's when I panicked penny kya DTOs neighbors found out
through the surrounding foothills looking for Anthony the three days they searched along with the police no one
found a trace of the little girl authorities were almost certain she had been kidnapped
the day's stretched into weeks then months police could offer little to bolster Penny's hopes of ever finding
her daughter alive finally after a year had passed and all seemed lost a dramatic call for help came into the
Gallup police station before the girl could answer the call was abruptly ended by an unidentified man
detectives played a recording of the call for penny ka dito if the voice was indeed her daughter's it would be an
agonizing glimmer of hope [Music] I listen to that tape over and over and over and just by the way she says her
last name in the way she screamed sent chills all over my body because a mother knows and I know else her she knew that
was her daughter's voice on that tape and she just couldn't figure out who the male's voice was in the background and
her aunt's net was that we know aunt Annette had indicated that she was in Albuquerque but the call was so short
that it couldn't even be traced as to what line it was it was coming from the phone call nourished renewed hopes for
Anthony's safe return however four torturous years passed without any further clues
once again authorities began to fear that she would never be found alive in desperation the FBI finally released two
computer enhanced photographs showing what Anthony might look like at the age of fourteen four months later the
last-ditch effort paid off a possible sighting of Antonette was reported in Carson City Nevada 870 miles from Gallup
a waitress at a restaurant in Carson City told the cousin city police about a strange incident that she had witnessed
that particular day she waited on a table at which sat a male and a female rather unkempt and a small girl at the
age of 14 or 15 the little girl would deliberately drop a utensil on the floor the waitress put the utensil back on a
table and a little girl grabbed her and squeezed it hard in the waitress thought nothing of it and went about our
business the threesome left the restaurant and the waitress went and back to the table
and began to bust the table she lifted up the plate belonging to the girl and underneath was a napkin that said please
help me call the police by the time she realized what had happened the couple and the girl were gone one month after
the Carson City sighting detectives reinter viewed Anthony's younger sister Wendy who was five years old and Anthony
disappeared now 10 Wendy made a stunning revelation Wendy we went to Wendy's school with the
intention of just talking to her about what her recollections were of that particular night and then I followed her
[Music] she goes who is that and then we say Uncle Joe so she opened the door and
they grabbed her he started kicking I suppose let me go let me go and then they took her to a van and brownman did
you see what these guys look like no Wendy why didn't you tell anybody about what you saw that I strongly believe
that she was fearful in that people would think that for a five-year-old she's just making stories up you know I
don't believe she's making this up I strongly feel that she's telling us the truth with that Uncle Joe at that time
in 1986 was Penny's brother-in-law he was married to Penny's sister we recently interviewed him and he provided
a alibi and a witness corroborating his alibi and he is not a suspect I believe that the people that took aunt Annette
are not family members but is somebody that is close to the family otherwise Antonette would not have opened that
door had they not stated that it was her Uncle Joe I strongly believe that somebody had to have known who Uncle Joe
was and had to have known what to say to get Antonette to open up that door finally penny ka dito turned to her old
Native American heritage in the search for antonette she and her other daughters visited a respected Navajo
medicine woman skilled in performing traditional tribal ceremonies unsolved mysteries was allowed to film portions
of the Crystal ritual or as it is called in Navajo des Qi it is a centuries-old right with a specific purpose of
contacting the spirit of a missing person according to the medicine woman Anthony ed is still alive and may have a
child she is being held against her will by threats of violence far from any city
somewhere in the southwest detectives were amazed that additional information provided by the medicine woman was
consistent with elements of their own investigation going to the medicine lady gives me a lot of strength and it helps
me to just know that she is alive I want her to be safe wherever she is no matter
who she's with they got to have some compassion not to hurt another human being as small as she is and I pray that
God will help guide her and help guide all of us to keep the strength to go on to find her and bring her home safe when
we return a series of anonymous gifts shows a Florida couple that no good deed goes unrewarded
[Music] around Christmastime even the most hard boil among us seems to soften up the
look for the best in others to give more freely of ourselves it's a time when we
begin to hope for little miracles this is a story of a simple good deed which in a charming and mysterious way
returned itself 500 fold the setting is not the snow and ice and furred trees of
the north but rather the palm trees balmy breezes and blue waters of Florida behind its ritzy facade Florida harbors
a very different subculture of retired couples living on Leaguer fixed incomes Jean and Russell Johnson are just such a
couple Russell a former fire chief in Wayne Michigan was forced to retire after a severe heart attack now Russell
spends most days in his workshop building custom doll houses and repairing Church organs
Gina's a homemaker who raised four children before she and Russell moved to Florida
despite some continuing health problems the Johnsons are managing to make ends meet and their lies were routine and
uneventful until the winter of 1985 well this date started out about the same as any other day down here it was
in November it was unusually warm as I remember it in humid I was working out in the shop it was about 10:30 in the
morning all of a sudden the door the host came open and gene came out in frightened scared
there's man outside one he said he was some some work for something to eat sorry truck yeah ok
they have any work that I could do to get something to week I'm really hungry you know I don't have any work for you
to do you sure won't leave here hungry anything you make sandwich other thank you make a sandwich
well usually we don't have much for lunch you know but we just happened to go in to town got some lunch meat and so
I had lots of stuff to feed him how about a glass of iced tea cold definitely taste real good Jim what's
your brilliant glass of iced tea make it two glasses why every woman with him you
look tired would you like cheerson oh yes the stranger had asked for help from a
couple who had very little themselves Russell had recently undergone open-heart surgery and Gina successfully
battled cancer their financial resources were depleted nevertheless they were willing to share what they had
yeah well come a long way you know away from thanks I'm used to and there are no
jobs out there and you're just talking with them hitchhiking you could tell the man was not a bum there's no luck being
picked up at all he was very articulate in his speech friendly and basically a gentleman he may have been down on his
luck but he was no bum he hit quite a while I think probably he had about three sandwiches to begin with
and then he rested a bit and had some more tea he was just really too tired to talk so we just sat there and kept him
company after a period of time oh I don't know I would say five minutes or so he said
well he says I guess I better be on my way thank you for just lots of luck on your
job just a minute do you have any money first he says I reached in my pocket and I had some
change and gene turned at that time went back in the house hit the hypothetical sugar balls and she
came up with some change and another dollar bill and I imagine the man and probably gave him about five dollars as
we gave it to him we notice his eyes there was just such a sparkle of life came back into them and he just reacted
so differently he was didn't seem to be the man that he was when we first talked
with him thank you and there was only a matter of everything within a half an hour
god bless you boys he said that the strangest feeling came over Jean and honey they're just feeling such goodness
in love through the fact Jean and Russell Johnson walked through their house into the garage then out onto a
side porch they wanted to wave to their visitor one last time he was nowhere to be seen
we walked back through the garage nobody we walked out to the street look both ways walked out to the Main Street in
front of our house nobody the mysterious stranger had vanished as quickly as he appeared yet the special warmth Jean and
Russell Johnson felt lingered they began to remark half in jest that perhaps he had been visited by an angel then about
ten days before Christmas the Johnston's received an anonymous card a check for $500 I can't don't believe this $500 we
don't know any friends that have that kind of money to give away especially anonymously love your
Christian friends never looked at Jean she was crane very opportune time news we didn't have anything sure then the
only remark that I could make at the time was has to be our angel well we've had a bit of a problem perhaps we got
this in the mail and we think it might be a practical joke when if we didn't know you I don't think we even try to
catch is it any good good as gold Russ how would you like it check encounter inequality right now we
couldn't believe it we tried to check to see if there's somebody that we knew that could have sent it we looked at the
postmarks where it was from we checked handwriting's and we'd say to everybody if you sent this thank you
but nobody nobody did the following Christmas another anonymous card arrived it was signed your friend it contained
another $500 check the next three Christmases brought three more checks and three more cards all mailed from the
Orlando area Jeanne and Russell Johnson have never been able to find out who their
benefactor is but they have a pretty good idea and we've often thought back we took five dollars a we didn't have
and gave to somebody that needs it more we don't know if there's any connection but in return from somewhere we've
gotten $500 for five years gosh could it be from our angel we don't know we have no identification but we
would like to say thank you to somebody it was a gift well received did the Johnsons experience a Christmas miracle
perhaps or perhaps they simply experienced the everyday miracle of kindness which is never out of season
from all of us at unsolved mysteries I'd like to extend to you and your family our best wishes for a safe happy holiday
join me next time perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery [Music] you

Brief Summary

Miracles, disappearances, and kindness shape this holiday episode.

Key points

Desperate Plea. A mother prays fervently for her gravely ill son.
A Christmas Miracle. Chucky McGivern's miraculous recovery from a coma after a dire prognosis.
Wendy's Revelation. Wendy, now 10, makes a stunning revelation about her missing brother.
The Mysterious Stranger. A stranger visits the Johnsons, asking for help and leaving a lasting impact.
Anonymous Gifts. The Johnsons receive anonymous checks every Christmas, leading to speculation about their benefactor.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I have to be honest with you, your son is very ill.

Doctor's grim prognosis for Chucky.

3:40WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

40/ 100Low tension

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