Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 5, Episode 4 - 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 it began as a weekend of fun
and Sun at a seaside Mexican resort but after a heated argument with his girlfriend
Mario Amato found himself arrested for disorderly conduct and tossed into jail less than 90 minutes later mario is dead
under the most suspicious of circumstances September 1978 KATUSA Oklahoma chief JB Hemi jumps into
the middle of a robbery attempt on a shootout erupts moments later Hamby died as he recites
the Lord's Prayer perhaps you can help catch his killer a decade ago the Texas oil boom made at Baker a millionaire but
in 1988 Baker's burned-out car was found in a remote rice field and police said the body inside
some believed it was suicide but others are convinced it was murder join me tonight you may be able to help solve a
mystery [Music] Yelp Lahoma automobile license plates are distributed through privately owned
franchises called tag agencies these businesses keep little cash on hand nevertheless they become tantalizing
targets for thieves who traffic in stolen cars just after 8:00 a.m. on September 1st 1978 two men pulled up in
front of the tag agency in Catoosa Oklahoma a suburb of Tulsa missile robbery get out of the ground
don't look at me the only police officer KATUSA was chief jb Hamby a 24-year veteran in law enforcement
he's devotion to duty was well known JV was on call all errors no sleep come in shower change clothes right back out for
those people that was on the wrong side of the law he could become probably their worst nightmare he was relentless
[Music] 40 rounds ricocheted through the small store in a matter of seconds one robber
was killed the other was hit twice but somehow managed to escape miraculously neither of the women in the tag agency
had been hurt chief Hamby was not so lucky he staggered from the agency bleeding
profusely and Jamie attempted to reload his gun and at that point he probably sense that
he was you know very injured and from there went right on into the laundry to get him help he needed help it's all
right call the ambulance baby it's okay it's all right the ambulance is coming repeat after me JB stay with me our
Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name [Music] JB Hamby died before he had finished
reciting the Lord's Prayer one of the robbers is dead at the scene shot through the head by his own
ricocheting bullet the second robber was apprehended two hours later being treated for gunshot wounds at a nearby
hospital his 25 year old David Gordon Smith the son of a prominent couple Stillwater Oklahoma but first Smith
thought he is being arrested only for armed robbery instead David Gordon Smith was booked on
charges of first-degree murder On June 15 1979 Smith began serving a life sentence in the Oklahoma prison system
ballistics tests had proved that the bullet which killed chief Hanley had been fired from Smith's gun
it was so conclusive I mean beyond a shadow of a doubt they had every bullet accounted for they know if they know
who's gonna come from they knew where that person was at because the line is trajectory they had everybody placed in
that office and he had what game David Gordon Smith was a classic good boy gone bad the son of a respected university
professor this had been his first and only brush with the law and he set out to become a model prisoner Smith was a
good prisoner he was well-liked by the staff that had to deal with him he was also well liked by the other inmates and
as he served his time as his years grew and his behavior was excellent he was according to Oklahoma law classified to
trustee status and his job at the time was to monitor equipment at our lake Smith was assigned to live and work all
alone at a small water pumping station he was checked every hour by a prison guard on three separate occasions Smith
was granted unsupervised furloughs for doctor's appointments and on June 26 1982 with a permission of prison
authorities he got married I don't think there's any way by any stretch of the imagination that he
deserved any sort of lenient treatment I think it's unheard of you know I think he should have got the death penalty I
think you should have gotten maximum you know hard time I could live with that David Gordon Smith you're serving a life
sentence for murder in 1980 for a full 10 years ahead of schedule David Gordon Smith was granted a parole hearing what
have you done while in prison to make yourself fit for society once again I've got a job since I've been in prison with
a clean Conduct record I've married and should I be paroled my wife would be a support for me I've been going to church
and I have a strong faith in God I begin to think how he would attempt to sell somebody that you know he was Joel's
clean citizen you know you know I think he seen that there was such an outcry from the public and Friends and law
enforcement that he was fighting an uphill battle I have recorded for nay votes in the parole recommendation of
David Gordon Smith Smith's failed in his parole attempt however he retained trustee status and continued his job at
the lake for more than a year Smith remained a model prisoner but then on October 28th
1985 a prison guard stopped for his regular 1:00 a.m. check of Smith's sleeping quarters
[Music] the model prisoner David Gordon Smith had made a clean getaway he probably walked from the room at the
lake out to the nearest highway a mile or so away where Jobeth his wife picked him up
they went into McAlister which is a mile or so from the prison and Mayo two letters we know that
authorities learned that one week before the escape Smith's wife had closed out her bank account
sold her furniture and borrowed a thousand dollars from friends she told a travel agent she was going to Mexico she
never mentioned her husband then four months later in February of 1986 David Gordon Smith was sighted with a female
companion in Arkansas just 90 miles from the prison where he had been incarcerated the authorities were
notified but by the time they arrived Smith had vanished I believe it that David Gordon Smith is still dangerous
today he will do whatever is necessary to try to escape again if confronted by either law enforcement or by a private
citizen that's why I would I would recommend that no private citizen try to apprehend him because I believe that he
probably is armed I want to see David Gordon Smith serve his time I just think it's one of the most unjust things that
could ever happen JB lived his job as a police officer 24 hours a day a very intense person that
took his job extremely serious fermion it stood up for so many things for so many people on the right side of the law
that loss can never be filled and I just don't think it's fair when we first aired this story last
October we received more than 75 leads but none of them panned out however one thing we have learned on unsolved
mysteries over the years is never to give up the story aired again in March and this time in a small South Dakota
town the right viewer was watching he called the local authorities and they immediately contacted the FBI one day
following the airing of the David Gordon Smith case on unsolved mysteries an anonymous tip was received giving us his
location he was working as a service manager in an automobile dealership in Spearfish South Dakota agents of the FBI
local authorities in South Dakota went to his place of employment he was arrested without incident and he
readily admitted his identity and questioned when David Gordon Smith is brought back
to Oklahoma he'll go immediately into our our system may be classified as a maximum-security inmate and because of
his escape he will be in our maximum security prison for a long time there's a tremendous amount of relief it was
equivalent to a long term gigantic debt being paid off a thousands of American tourists the
breathtaking sunsets of Mexico have always been an invitation for romance fantasy and adventure in June of 1992
Joe Amato and his younger brother Mario left Los Angeles with their girlfriends they were headed to Rosarita Beach
Mexico popular seaside resort 35 miles south of San Diego but their weekend in the Sun would soon disintegrate into a
nightmare the next day Mario Mota was arrested after a fight with his girlfriend 90 minutes later he
was dead the local authorities claimed that Mario had committed suicide I say it was
murder plain murder and I knew that from the beginning because I know my brother
very well I mean they stole his life away from him and we're gonna get to the bottom of this Mario was not the first
American tourist to die in a foreign jail this family is not the first to be haunted by the vague details of an
official investigation in such cases facts are few and clues are hard to come by
however Mario's brother is determined to learn exactly what happened to him during his brief captivity as a result
of Joe Amato s efforts this potentially explosive case has sparked the interest of high-level government officials
including an American congressman and the President of Mexico the Amato brothers arrived in Rosarita
Beach just after 1:00 a.m. on June 6 1992 they were staying at a condo owned by a relative of Mario's girlfriend but
we will call Paul Joe and his girlfriend Debbie eagerly accepted an invitation to
come along the two couples immediately broke out the tequila as well what are we here for to party let's have a good
time everybody sat around and we started having our drinks and I guess it was later on about 3:30 4 o'clock and I was
getting kind of tired and told Debbie it's time to go to bed about 7 o'clock we woke up and the river still up and
they were bickering I felt very disturbed because I know Mario liked this girl very much and he
wouldn't have wanted to leave if it wasn't something serious that he felt that he just didn't want to stay by late
the next morning Mario and Paula had apparently patched up their differences that was the last time I saw him alive
but I can still remember like expression on his face he he seemed very happy like
nothing was wrong that afternoon Joe and Debbie took a romantic drive along the coast of Baja
California they assumed that Mario and Paula getting along fine hey kid have some clothes please yes I'm a closer
thank you step aside lucky muchacho no with the Yemen said my name is Mario motto I
coincidentally American Idol and restyle speak Spanish off well somebody is for me because some problems again mari was
arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct and taken to the police station barrio was placed in a
holding cell but never formally charged with a crime at around 6:30 p.m. Joe and Debbie returned to the beach
house they were surprised to find it vacant and the key under the mat missing a maid from the condominium complex
explained that there had been problems there are a few hours earlier police came
Debbie crawled through a window to get inside almost immediately four police officers showed up asking for Paula by
name she's not here do you know what she might be is there something wrong no no we just like to
ask you a couple of questions did you try the bar down the street no see no we did not
the continue and that's when Debbie really started getting suspicious right about that time
she followed him down to the bar she got in and put her clothes on and got ready
and went right down to the bar and they were looking for frantically a little later Mario's girlfriend does come just
waltzing in the house and like nothing was wrong and we asked her where's Mario and she said she didn't know also got a
real cute two hours after Paula returned a group of detectives arrived Joe still had no
idea that his brother had been arrested I am looking for the brother of we sent him a daughter you don't know we sent a
mother my brother's name Mario Vicente Amado yes that's him I'm Sergeant Enoch or have some bad news
brother is dead [Music] it happened to my brother that's better if you come with us we should talk about
it in my office the first thing that went through my mind is they made a mistake and maybe they didn't make a
mistake but I was hoping they had made a mistake and I was just in disbelief that
this could be happening it's like a nightmare please sit down I need you to identify some pictures here now is this
your brother the first thing I see is Mara laying on the concrete his eyes closed no shirt just his pants and the
jail door and then at that time is as well how could this happen I asked him why is he wearing a sweater that's how
he killed himself what if he tied her around his neck and then he tethered around the crossbar and hung where was
this crossbar about three feet off the ground three feet was very drunk and very heavy yourself in three feet so
acid wasn't anybody in the in the jail but it stopped him from doing this he says oh no they're all sleeping he says
four guys sleeping at 5:30 in the afternoon I I was just couldn't believe that right away I knew there was
something wrong and it's as well how did he how did he kill himself over this sweater and I'm going no no no no you
don't you can't kill yourself with a sweater from we're all from the from the the cell door and I go no no right away
I mean everything was it right Mario Amato died three months short of his 30th birthday Joe Armada was forced to
return to the United States without his brother the Mexican authorities refused to release the body until after they had
completed their autopsy and they would not tell Joe when that would happen within a week a Mexican
autopsy was completed it listed the cause of death as a loss of oxygen to the brain the result of Mario hanging
himself joe amato believed that was preposterous and contacted his congressman the Mexican autopsy
confirmed the report of the jailers in Tijuana that Mario Amato had hung himself with his own sweater when you
take the notion of a report from a local foreign authority that a prisoner killed
himself it always makes sense to view that kind of report with some suspicion this is the oldest excuse for a jail
murder that's ever given as it's a prisoner hung himself as soon as his brother's body was returned to the
United States Joe Amato hired an independent pathologist to conduct a second autopsy the autopsy concluded
that internal injuries to Mario's liver were strong evidence that he had been punched in the upper abdomen the report
stated that in light of such injuries quote the victim would not likely have been able to hang himself
Mario Amato was undoubtedly and most likely hung at that time with with an instrument not his sweater but some
other instrument to use as the pretext for the obvious you abuse and finally the murder that took place
ultimately the Los Angeles County Coroner reviewed both the American and Mexican autopsy reports he determined
that mario mato had probably been murdered there is one other disturbing element in this case the fact that
Mexican authorities violated international agreements by not contacting the US consulate as quickly
as possible following Mario's death you start to see a picture of a cover-up starting to take place the people
involved in this incident did not want authorities coming quickly to the to the scene of the crime and they wanted a
period of time to elapse they hope that Joe Amato would forget about it - his brother was dead he'd go back to the
United States and and drop the whole issue they usually do it very speedy way when there is no relative or friend when
a foreign person dies but when the family's there their friends are there I mean they just do it by a ladder days
after you know eventually congressman Berman contacted the President of Mexico Carlos Salinas de Gortari
the president promised to reopen the investigation and in January of 1993 the body of Mario Amato was exhumed for yet
another autopsy the truth is gonna come out of the full investigation that we are making with the American government
that we asked them to cooperate in the reason their witnesses and the evidence were here in the States
the truth will come out I'd like to see the the the people that that that committed the crime suffered for it
because we're suffering and somebody's got to suffer also you know they're just not gonna go it's not gonna go away you
know it's just something that's that's going to be there and I'm gonna ruin their lives just like they've ruined
mine and our family you know somebody's got to pay yeah [Music] when we return the mysterious final days
of a Texas oil millionaire [Music] November 8 1985 in a remote rice field 20 miles outside Houston Texas flames
ravage and expensive Jaguar sedan inside sheriff's deputies found a charred human body so disfigured that
even the gender was not apparent so completely burned that his weight was reduced to 32 pounds the car was
registered to a millionaire oil well promoter from Houston Edward Gerald Baker eventually forensic tests
indicated with near certainty that the body was indeed at Baker's Edie Baker personified Texas in the
1980s powerful bold and rich a one-time shoe salesman an insurance agent he built a multi-million dollar or
investment business seemingly overnight then in 1985 bakers world came to a fiery end however even now the exact
circumstances of his death are disputed some believe he took his own life others
as certainly was murdered incredibly a few people even think ed Baker may still be alive
Edie Baker seemed an unlikely person to be at the center of such a deadly puzzle
his company Vanguard group's international was one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States
I watched him build that company from the ground up and I think that he he always knew he had the potential to have
a very successful business and I think he tried his best to manage that business honestly and with a great deal
of integrity head Baker started promoting oil exploration in 1980 his timing was perfect $3,500 is year
upfront investment here also Sam Houston was booming after his first oil wells came in Baker had no trouble selling his
clever tax shelters to wealthy investors okay but here's the kicker here's the kicker Frank I'm gonna guarantee eight
to ten wells per package the income from those wells is going to pay off that promissory note people tended to trust
him he was acknowledged as you know pretty brilliant strategist when it came to developing these little you know tax
shelter programs at that time now the laws have changed since then but at that time it was brilliant Lynette Baker
founded Vanguard his wife Mary was one of only three employees and cardboard boxes served as their file cabinets four
years later Vanguard sales has skyrocketed to 19 million dollars the flood of wealth prompted drastic
changes in that Baker's life in March of 1984 he divorced Mary his wife of 10 years soon after he began to indulge a
taste for high-stakes gambling Baker also underwent two facelifts took disco lessons and purchased a flashy new
Jaguar in September of 1984 bakery married only to file for divorce five months later just four days after the
dissolution was final he married sandy Hoff one of his employees at Vanguard all the wild
bakers financial empire was disintegrating there's nothing to worry about at this point I promise you there
is nothing to worry about the wells will come in at the time Lord Busey was that Baker's personal
attorney in 85 when the oil industry heard a lot of people in Houston people stopped investing in deals that Ed was
selling and as it turns out he was borrowing from a lot of his investors to sustain his lifestyle always I believe
assuming that he was gonna be able to repay the people that he borrowed from from the next group of folks sooner or
later there was not a next group of folks he was looking at some serious charges from a lot of his investors he
was looking at turns out serious tax problems it may have been very true that he was about to go to jail by October of
1985 Baker's investors were clamoring for money but Vanguard was on the edge of bankruptcy Baker allegedly arranged a
desperately needed cash bail out from a highly suspect source not on the phone okay then he brought in his private
investigator I got the impression from Andy talking big money such as Millions let me get back with you okay and he
thought maybe we'd have to do a little background on these individuals that he was preparing to have some financial
dealings with him in Florida because he'd heard that they or yes he had heard that they had some sort of mafia
connections I took the back roads ed Baker's seemed unable to reverse his downward spiral on November 6th at
around 7:30 p.m. he showed up at his ex-wife Mary's house in a state of emotional disarray I was really kind of
shocked because he was real pale and he was afraid he was being followed and this was very unusual you know for him
to behave this way and was just it didn't fit what I normally knew now tell me what this is all about I really
didn't want to get you involved with this Mary he told me that he had received death threats at work within
the past two weeks and that that day he had received two telephone calls that his unlisted home number telling him
this is your day to die who was it I don't know he was taking it seriously that he was really threatened at that
point why don't you call the police do that Mary the police won't do anything until something happens well don't go
home rent a hotel room stay with me can't do that Mary I have to be home tonight to take a call from Sandi she'd
be worried if I wasn't there and he got in his car and drove away and that was the last time I saw him
according to Sandi her husband had sent her to Austin out of range of the threats
sandy says she spoke to Baker around 1:00 a.m. he was holed up in their bedroom and told her he had received yet
another life-threatening call hello who is this who is this two days later on November 8th sheriff's
were notified of the burned-out Jaguar in the passenger seat where the charred remains later identified as Edie baker's
from the evidence on the scene it appeared that the subject in the car had been shot
there was a burnt 32 caliber revolver in the right front floorboard which would have been at the passenger's feet when
we opened and examined the 32 pistol the cartridge underneath the firing pin had
an indentation in it like it had been fired the other five shells looked like they
had been exploded by heat somebody obviously was trying to earn the car it appeared at the time there was rather
crude effort and we found three gallon cans gasoline and said that vehicle and around that vehicle more than enough to
sufficiently burn it up as they were leaving the scene investigators made another troubling discovery about 1,500
feet from the car was a second body a young man in his early twenties had been handcuffed and beaten to death
apparently just hours earlier we thought to start with it might have been a person who killed mr. Baker and somebody
killed him and shut him up her final determination we found out it wasn't connected we found out the boy that we
found second body we found was killed in a dope deal and just was dumped in that
area it happened to be a dumping area that same day the case took another surprising twist a letter from Baker
arrived at the office of his attorney Ward busi but said dear Ward if you were reading this letter it means that I am
dead I've had some threats on my life you've been a good friend of me please take care of Sandy and the kids and do
what you can for him and enclosed is another letter that I would like you to take out to Sandy and give to her for me
in the weeks that followed a fate of Ed Baker became the subject of intense speculation his wife sandy who today
lives in Europe was convinced that he was the victim of a mafia hit an eyewitness told police that he saw a
blue Chevy pickup truck with chrome rails and mag wheels speeding away from the field where Baker's car was found
the truck and whoever was in it have never been located although Baker told a number of friends
about the threats to his life law enforcement investigators believe he committed suicide they learned that in
the days prior to his death Baker called his life insurance agents he specifically asked if his policies would
pay in the event of his suicide one valued at $500,000 would not I believe it's a possibility that mr. Baker shot
his self committed suicide and they had an accomplice that set the car on fire to make it look like a homicide so that
all of the insurance policy would pay off we'll have a lot of people we find in a car commit suicide with pistols and
the pistol is always at their feet and the pistol we recovered would have been at mr. Baker's feet on a passenger side
of the vehicle sandy Baker refused to accept the idea that her husband had taken his own life
she hired an independent private investigator I think somebody was paid to kill that Baker if you're relating
professional like a mafia or a syndication type thing I don't think so I don't know why they would burn the car
this seems to be just somebody was paid to kill that Baker and that's exactly what they did
I had Baker to document suicide Baker's attorney Ward busi disagrees the letter I got said if you're reading this I am
dead how did he know he was gonna die that night unless he planned on going out and killing himself I think he had
decided that he was about to probably go to jail and decided to get sandy out of
town so that she wouldn't be implicated said goodbye to everybody that he loved went out to this field that he knew
about said his car on fire and shot himself from what I know about fire I spent over 20 years in the business I
don't believe an individual can pour gasoline on themselves ignite it and be able to stay calm and still enough to
reach down and put a gun to their head and pull the trigger homicide is a possibility but also I feel the
possibility the ED could arrange something like this with a different body in that
Edie was a very intelligent man a man they took him as he told me himself 66 million dollars last year that he was in
business and a man capable of doing that is capable faking his own death Bob Gale
and others believe that despite conclusive evidence to the contrary ed Baker faked his own suicide
[Music] they are convinced that Baker fled to an unknown location perhaps a Caribbean to
live in luxury on funds embezzled from his investors today the fate of Ed Baker's become something of a myth in
parts of Texas it seems unlike you that Baker is still alive at one of his insurance carriers
refused to pay death benefits without conclusive proof that he is dead but if it was that Baker in the front seat of
the Jaguar and he commits suicide or was he murdered and if so my home in 1957 13 year-old
sue Scribner learned of a secret that our mother Calista had been caring for more than 15 years when I asked her why
she had been crying she told me about having a boy and a girl twin that had been adopted it's time I told you told
me what I was really surprised because I was 13 and and it's a shock to find out
that you have a brother and sister that you didn't know about in 1942 Calista scribbler had given birth to
twins a boy and a girl the infants were born with congenital heart defects and Calista felt she would be unable to
provide them with the care they needed [Music] three weeks after they were born the
twins were adopted Kalista never saw them again the twins been adopted it just stayed
with her forever she never got over it for ten frustrating years sue Scribner searched for the twins finally in 1990
sue wrote a poignant open letter to the brother and sister she had never met and
so elusive twins are still searched yet should my effort send an emptiness I have not felt so completely for I've
already found you once years ago chasm din that deep indelible well that's safe place our mother's heart ten days after
we featured this story sue Scribner received an anonymous call from one of our viewers who told her that the twins
were living in Orlando Florida sue immediately contacted her brother and sister whose names are Bruce and Barbara
but twins had no idea that they had been adopted and were shocked to learn about
a sight of their family they never knew existed [Music] on March 15 1992 sue Scribner met her
brother and sister for the first time in her the joyous reunion brought together six
of the scribbler children and their families the very first time I met I think all of our knees were shaking it
is emotional but I think we've all cried enough tears and we didn't need a lot today so I think that my newfound family
is wonderful I think they're absolutely adorable it's like we've known each other all of our lives even though we
haven't been around each other for five hours I can't wait to get to know them family very excited about it mm-hmm
you have all these questions in your mind Jim what did I miss out on all these years what what they really like
is kids I think everybody's gonna get to know each other and both sides that for a country bumpkin like we are
it's like a blessed doesn't really matter now what kind of life any of us have because it's it's what's left that
counts we know where all of the children are now [Music] tonight the FBI has requested our
cooperation in a matter of extreme importance they hope there's someone watching has vital information about a
man suspected of taking part in the bombing of the World Trade Center he is a newest addition to the FBI's 10 most
wanted list please watch closely by now we are all familiar with a graphic images and horrifying details On
February 26 1993 the explosion beneath New York's Trade Center complex killed six people and injured more than a
thousand thus far four men have been arrested and indicted in connection with a bombing and a fifth has been charged
with obstruction of justice but another suspect thought to be a major participant has so far eluded capture he
is 25 year-old Romsey Ahmed Yosef we use an Iraq passport to enter the US and September of 1992 seeking political
asylum authorities believe Yosef may have been the roommate of the first suspect
arrested Mohamed Salah may Romsey Ahmed Yosef was added to the top 10 list because he's been charged by a New York
grand jury with participating in the bombing of the World Trade Center in February 26 of this year he's six feet
tall hundred and eighty pounds brown hair brown eyes sometimes no one to wear a beard wherever he is located he should
be considered armed and extremely dangerous it's really critical to bring him to justice for his participation in
this crime for two reasons one terrible nature of the crime what it represents to American society the first major
terrorist offensive here in this country in many many years and secondly because he is a key part of
this conspiracy and we would like to bring all the co-conspirators to justice [Music]
thank you for joining us and please join us next time for another edition of unsolved mysteries
[Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]

Brief Summary

Mario Amato's suspicious jail death, JB Hamby's tragic shooting, and Ed Baker's mysterious demise are explored in this episode.

Key points

The Escape of David Gordon Smith. David Gordon Smith's escape from prison raises concerns about his future actions.
The Mysterious Death of Mario Amato. Mario Amato's death in a Mexican jail raises questions of murder versus suicide.
The Investigation into Mario Amato's Death. Joe Amato's relentless pursuit of the truth behind his brother's suspicious death.
Baker's Rise and Fall. From a successful businessman to a life of turmoil and threats.
The Death Threats. Baker confides in his ex-wife about receiving death threats.
The Letter. A chilling letter from Baker hints at his impending doom.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

They stole his life away from him.

Joe Amato speaks about his brother's death.

13:36WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

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