Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 6 - Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] 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 tonight on a special two-hour edition unsolved mysteries a strange and
mysterious saga of the Circleville letters for 18 years residents of a small town in Ohio and in deluge with
anonymous death threats slanderous accusations and even a lethal booby trap many believe this vicious campaign has
led to the death of one man the unjust imprisonment of another from England the spellbinding case is not only in the
grand tradition of Agatha Christie it's about Agatha herself in 1926 as her marriage was unraveling the best-selling
mystery writer of all time vanished without a trace leaving the authorities to figure out who's done it and why in
December of 1991 21 year-old Tommy Burkett was found shot to death in his bedroom just minutes after arriving at
the scene investigators told Tommy's parents that their son had committed suicide but now Tommy's mother and
father believe they have unearthed the chilling scenario of murder which may implicate the local police legend has it
that beneath the remote chilly waters of Lake Michigan lies a sunken fortune five
chest stuffed with golden bullion worth millions tonight we'll join a dangerous underwater quest to find a Poverty
Island treasure also tonight we'll take you to the phone center a very special milestone the solving of our 200th
mystery and a very special update the reunion of a gr and the buddy who saved his life in
Vietnam join me for two hours of intriguing cases a celebration of 200 songs unsolved mysteries
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] in December of 1993 unsolved mysteries received this postcard it is not exactly
in the vein of our usual viewer mail the card read forgets Circleville Ohio do nothing to hurt Sheriff Radcliffe if you
come to Ohio you el sickos will pay the Circleville writer it's not often that we become part of a story were
investigating but in this case it didn't come as a total surprise for the past 18
years residents in and around Circleville Ohio have received literally thousands of bizarre letters and
postcards they represent an insidious campaign of character assassination which some believe is left one man dead
and another unfairly imprisoned Circleville Ohio 30 miles south of Columbus is a place that rarely attracts
outside attention in fact the town's main claim to fame is his annual pumpkin show for years Circleville was a stable
workaday community then in 1976 the letters started one of the very first letters if not the first letter was
received by Mary Gillespie a school bus driver telling her that the letter writer was aware that she was having an
affair with the superintendent of schools and that it had better stop in addition to allegations of an affair the
letter carried an ominous threat I know where you live I've been observing your house and know you have children this is
no joke please take it serious the envelope is postmarked Columbus Ohio there was no return address
outside no signature inside no way to tell whether it came from a man or a woman within eight days Barry Gillespie
had received another letter similar in tone Mary Mary apparently kept the letters to herself until her husband Ron
received one as well all right I already got two of these okay and I didn't say anything because it's not true no that's
not why didn't you say something because I thought they would just go away and this letter addressed to Ron
Gillespie told him that if he didn't do something to stop this affair that his life was undoubtedly in danger
the alleged affair was a rumor tailor-made to set any small town on his ear the superintendent of schools and a
school bus driver soon the anonymous writer was threatening to go public Gillespie you have had two weeks and
done nothing make your admit the truth and inform the school board if not I will broadcast it on CBS posters signs
and billboards until the truth comes out Mary and Ron evidently confided in three
family members Ron's sister her husband Paul fresh our and Paul's sister what was that movie it was in black and white
where they wrote letters they thought they knew the suspects were so they wrote letters to them I know who you are
Mary had some ideas about who was sending the letters and she had a plan we know who you are
we thought we'd you know scre the guy we did four or five litters only you know nothing there was no violence and
everything just that we knew who he was and what he was doing and we sending the
letters for a while the plan worked the threatening letters stopped then on August 19th 1977 Ron Gillespie got a
phone call who is this no you listen to me we're sick of this okay no more letters no more phone calls
we're sick of the whole thing just end it all right no one knows what the caller actually said but the call
apparently confirmed wrong suspicions about the identity of the letter writer he told the children he was going out he
was going to confront the letter writer he took his weapon he did not seem to be
drunk I said goodbye to his children and went out in the heat of the moment Ron Gillespie ran to the family's red
and white pickup even though the letter writer had often referred to the fact that he or she was watching that truck
perhaps Ron didn't remember perhaps he was too angry to cared [Music] within a short distance of an
intersection that he knew very well he lost control of the vehicle hit a tree and was killed
[Music] somewhere in between leaving the house and hitting that tree his gun had fired
one shot and there was never any explanation for when or how at whom that gun could have been fired Pickaway
County Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe would have time to be interviewed for this story
supposedly investigated and eliminated at least one suspect he then ruled Ron Gillespie's death an accident but
several Circleville residents soon received anonymous letters saying that sheriff Radcliffe was perpetrating a
cover-up first of all the sheriff agree with me there was foul play and then when I contact him again he'd changed
his attitude completely then he was telling me that it wasn't foul play that it was the suspect had passed a
polygraph test Gillespie had point one six percent alcohol which it would in Ohio be one
and a half times the legal limit most people I've talked to you said that he was not a heavy drinker and were
surprised by that that kind of finding was Ron Gillespie's death an accident was he really drunk that night and why
had one bullet been fired from his handgun six years after the death of Ron Gillespie the Circleville Ohio ladder
rider was still waging his or her vicious campaign the initial targets Ron's wife Mary in the Superintendent of
Schools eventually acknowledged a relationship but both claimed that had begun after the letters rather than
before Mary was still driving a school bus to support her family in 1983 the letter writer began to put up signs
along her bus route finally Mary's daughter was targeted Mary Gillespie had had enough she ripped
the sign down much to her surprise behind the sign was this box and some some string and it also another post
that was attached to the fence post she took it into the bus and she opened up this rather unusual sized box as she
opened it up there was a small pistol on closer examination Mary realized that it
was a crude booby trap designed to fire the gun at her an amateurish attempt had
been made to rub the serial number off the handgun when lab tests were able to raise it again the case took an
incredible turn the gun belonged to Mary Gillespie's brother-in-law Paul fresh our who had just split up with Ron's
sister I admitted the gun was mine but I hadn't seen it for a long time I'd had no reason to check up on her anything
and I don't know when it come up missing I really don't know what happened to it
and I told him and that's you know it's the truth mm-hmm that's how it was on February 25th 1983 sheriff Radcliffe
called Paul fresh hour in for questioning and asked him to take a handwriting test under the impression he
was helping to protect another family member Paul agreed the sheriff told him only that the missing gun was somehow
linked to the Circleville letters I want you to copy as closely as you can on a tab what you see he would give me an
actual letter and asked me maybe do the envelope part just as near as I could in
the envelope and then on some he would take the actual letter out and have me to do him as near as I could on the
letters from what you know from right there in front of me and I did him because I knew I wasn't responsible for
the letters and I knew that evidence confirming and then he dictated letters and he
asked me to you know recopy in my mind the same way when this dictation is I had recopy from the actual letters and
envelopes everyone is talking he made sure that I did him you know in the reference of Hydra copied him because
that was very important to him and I did the best I could and turn everything into it that is not the
proper way to test to see if someone has a certain writing style because if they're copying from a letter they're
going to try to emulate the style so and the experts said that the testing was was improper so they didn't really say
that these letters were written by Paul fresh hour they said that they could have been after the handwriting test a
still unsuspecting Paul fresh hour took sheriff Radcliffe to his garage sometimes I used to keep it up here and
then on top of the frigerator Paul showed the sheriff or he had kept his gun afterwards the two men returned to
the courthouse he called in the prosecutor and told the prosecutor that was my writing on the booby-trap and
then the prosecutor as the one that actually told me that that there was a booby-trap found and I was under arrest
for attempted murder and placed on a fifty thousand dollar cash bond on October 24th 1983 Paul fresh shower
went on trial for the attempted murder of his sister-in-law Mary Gillespie he said even though Paul wasn't charged
with writing the threatening letters they became a crucial part of the evidence against him what you were about
to hear is verbatim testimony from court transcripts and did you explain to the handwriting analyst how you went about
obtaining the samples yes I did and did he indicate which part of these he would
actually use in his analysis the ones we dictated were the ones that would be used for comparison not the ones he
copied it is my opinion that the handwriting on the envelopes documents and postcards were printed by the same
person it being a known handwriting or hand printing app all fresh our have you at any time
suspected a defendant of being the one responsible for writing these letters and putting these signs up not at first
well when was your first indication that you had where someone indicated that it
could possibly be him it was August of 1982 and his wife came to see me and indicated it might be a possibility this
is the weekly time record for Paul fresh hour for the week ending to 1283 and what days was Paul fresh hour working in
that week mr. fresh our work Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday of that week did he
work Monday no he did not and the Monday in question was the very day that Mary Gillespie had found the
sign and booby-trap even though Paul fresh hour had an alibi for almost the entire day he never took the stand in
his own defense it was a decision which Paul would come to regret we the jury find the defendant Paul L fresh hour
guilty of attempted murder we further find and specified that the defendant did add firearm under his control
I couldn't believe why I was just in shock and I know they they put in some good evidence in
there was evidence withheld but still yet I mean you know I can't blame the jury because the jury didn't hear all
the evidence but I was just I just couldn't leave it I was really in shock you know and I was probably in shock for
a year after his in prison unbelievable Paul fresh shower was given the maximum sentence for attempted murder seven to
25 years everyone is soon Paul had written the Circleville letters and everyone assumed that with Paul behind
bars the letters would stop everyone was wrong they were being received all over
a large area of Central Ohio so a lot of people couldn't understand how Paul fresh R could be mailing all these
letters from prison following repeated complaints from Sheriff Radcliffe Paul was placed in solitary confinement still
the letters continued all of them were postmarked Columbus even though Paul was imprisoned in Lima Ohio 200 miles away
he grew into a single man cell and that's it you know it's nothing in there with you no pencils no papers no nothing
restrictions you wouldn't believe pat-down self searches visit monitoring mail in
going out calling Mel always examined and tested and maybe some days I'd get my mail maybe some days I wouldn't we
have of course reviewed your file in preference to your visit with us today and although we find some nice things
about you in the file there are also some things that concern us a great deal after seven years in prison
Paul fresh hour became eligible for parole in the weeks preceding his hearing the volume of anonymous letters
increased dramatically despite the Columbus postmarks the letters worked against Paul and he was
denied parole even though he was universally regarded as a model prisoner a few days later the letter writers
sadistically wrote a letter to Paul himself now when you're going to believe you
aren't going to get out of there I told you two years ago when we set them up they stay set up don't you listen at all
no one wants you out no one the joke is on you ha ha full-scale investigations were conducted
twice possibly three times during which Paul fresh hour was put into isolation and the warden of the prison he was in
during one of these investigations then wrote a letter to Paul's wife saying that as far as he was concerned it was
impossible for Paul to be writing these letters and sending them from prison [Music]
when Martin yet reviewed the sheriff's investigative file the uncovered evidence never mentioned at the trial
which he believes might have kept Paul fresh our out of prison altogether Mary Gillespie told the sheriff that one of
the other bus drivers told her that she had been driving that same Road about 20
minutes before Mary Gillespie found that booby-trap at exactly that site and when
she went by that very same intersection there was a yellow El Camino parked there a large man with sandy hair was
standing there when he saw her come he turned around and acted like he was going to the bathroom or something but
seemed also to be avoiding any kind of identification the description of the individual does
not fit all fresh hour at all and Paul had a very solid alibi for this time of day there was no attempt at all to
follow up on that lead and if they had as I say they would have found that another possible suspect in this case
had a brother who had a yellow El Camino in May of 1994 Paul fresh shower was finally granted parole after serving 10
years to this day he staunchly maintains his innocence and he is sure that the real criminal is still at large I
probably like to see some really look at this case and own the letters reopen the
latter part of it and can find out who wrote the letters I'd also like to see someone look into this - my former
brother-in-law Stef look I haven't you know that's that's not my family anymore and you know that's my past I'm not even
gonna look back at it I've got a new family and a new future but I still would like to see someone look at that
accident real close and the letters and that's that's what I'd really ask so many questions remain in this most
bizarre case who did write the Circleville letters at whom that Ron Gillespie fire his gun
[Music] did that person kill Ron who was responsible for the booby trap found by Mary Gillespie and finally who
stole Paul fresh ours pistol when we return Agatha Christie the world's most renowned mystery behind becomes a focal
point of her own tantalizing unsolved mystery in 1823 the poet Lord Byron wrote truth is always strange stranger
than fiction just over a century later the great mystery writer Agatha Christie authors such famous novels as Murder on
the Orient Express and 10 Little Indians would prove that Byron was right you see when Agatha was 36 years old she
became the subject of her own real life unsolved mystery demonstrating the truth
is not only stranger than fiction often is directly related on the morning of December 4th 1926
Agatha Christie's car was found abandoned about an hour's drive from her home on the outskirts of London Agatha
had apparently vanished into thin air but some suspected the worst that her husband Archie had done her in the press
was fascinated so was the public Agatha was a famous woman she was known to be a mistress of
mysteries this was a real-life mystery [Music] the story was taken up with great Glee
by newspapers around England what had become of Agatha Christie how could one of the most well known women in the
country have disappeared off the face of the earth she was born Agatha Millar in
1890 her father was a wealthy American her mother a proper British lady Agatha was raised in the moneyed upper-middle
class of English society in 1914 Agatha broken existing engagement to marry Colonel Archibald Christie a
dashing pilot in the Royal Flying Corps Archie had pursued Agatha aggressively even though many thought they were
opposites in every way everybody tells me it's a bad idea it's the war they get married on Christmas Day and he
immediately goes off to the war a very very traditional and romantic tale [Music]
while Archie was fighting in the skies over France Agatha worked as a nurse and in her
spare time launched her writing career creating the famous Belgian detective hf2
travel tag ah--this first book published four years after the war was called the
mysterious affair at styles that first book was a sensation she didn't expect anything like that and nobody expected
it from a rather plump lass and ordinary looking girl it was 8 when she hit the jackpot straightaway the next three or
four books did a little better each time and then with her fifth book the murder
of Roger Ackroyd she really hits the big time in 1926 Agatha Archie and the young daughter
Rosalind move into a mansion which they named Stiles after Agatha's first novel Archie had been successful in his own
right a retired war hero turned investment banker on the surface the Christie's looked like the picture-perfect family
but she was a real stockbroker he was a British proper upper-crust boring man who looked good he was
extremely conventional go for the weekend care to join me I don't believe I can as well
Agatha looked conventional but inside she wasn't inside she wanted more later in 1926 when Agatha's mother Clara
died the strain civility of Agatha and Archie's marriage correct Agatha was absolutely distraught from the death of
her mother I think she panned really never left the mother side and this is possibly one of
the reasons why the marriage wasn't a great success that she still remained very much a family girl and when the
mother died it really unhinged her a bit pegye that took Rosalind and her nanny to ash field rambling and partying home
where I gotta have grown up ostensibly the move was tempered to sort through her late mother's possessions but had
dragged on for weeks Archie stayed away Agatha's grief for her mother was too deep to fathom at 36
I think most women would know and others but with agony she wasn't just sorrow it
was something approaching melancholia it was an almost pathological condition I think
and so she lived at ashfield in this terrible sense of disorientation physical stress with no one to confide
in looking forward to the point when Archie would come down and celebrate with her their daughter's birthday
I thought please do sit down the birthday celebration did not play out his peg Arthur hurt her
Agatha I want you to give me a divorce a divorce that's what I want no Archie absolutely not never that's what I want
Agatha I will not be moved it seemed that Archie had become involved with a woman named Nancy neele
well this was absolutely the devastation for her she had been betrayed she never
thought that a man could do this to her I think she would have even lived without she having a mistress but the
fact that he wanted to divorce her destroyed her in a last-ditch effort to save her marriage
Agatha took Rosalind and moved back home I think you should stay at Stiles this weekend Watchi
we could spend some time alone together [Music] excuse me on December 3rd 1926 Archie took off alone bound for a
weekend house party by some accounts Archie and Agatha argued bitterly before he left
Agatha must have suspected the plan to rendezvous with Archie gone Agatha was left to stew
in her own misery either at 9:30 at night or around 11 o'clock at night according to different reports she left
the house in something of a state the maids were alarmed by the way she went out we know that she took with her at a
small traveling case and that she wore her fur coat Agatha left behind at least two notes
one was addressed to her secretary asking that she cancel Agatha's weekend appointments another of unknown content
storge different tenant right everybody got comes look the next Mort Agatha's abandoned car was found just an
hour's drive from Styles again the exact time seems to be in doubt it had gone off the side of the road it was not
turned over there had been no big accident a local man found the car on his way to
work sir the license was in her case that's how we know it's mrs. Christie coats turn the car sir
all night to be out without a coat very cold indeed sir I'm sis no luggage sir one small bag
three dresses two pairs of shoes and this very nice Thank You constable Archie Christine had been tracked down
at his house party he made an unfortunate appearance the very moment the authorities are beginning to suspect
foul play superintendent Chris take all these people oh just the curious they got to
be here today to start them now sir they know that just do it already Colonel Christie have you any idea where
your wife might be no sir none I'm two clue pardon me for asking but where were you last night I was away but friends
you yes superintendent I was excuse me sorry to both you've just one question whatever I know is just one
question what's the kernel asking for it to the press had already gotten wind of the
superintendent went to stein is the question Agatha secretary and other staff members no one was able to shed
any light on Agatha's strange disappearance yes sir I have vigorous attempts to find a body there
is a small pool nearby called silent pool which Agatha in fact used in one of her previous stories and this is dragged
I think least twice they enrolled the public and I think even parts of the Army in kind of beating the bushes quite
literally Dorothea sayers and her husband engaged in this very activity so there were days of searching meanwhile
press is trying to investigate every angle on the case they very rapidly get on to the Nancy neele angle that is to
say they start putting two and two together Colonel Christie wasn't at home and plot they start to evolve is in fact
a murder plot possibly a suicide plot she's been driven to suicide by the cruelty of her husband and his
infidelity Oh even more interesting she is refusing to divorce him and so he decides to make away with her
and the fact that so many of the elements in the situation mirror Agatha Christie's own published fiction makes
the whole thing so much more fascinating fascinating indeed all the more so when
witnesses came forward to say they had seen Agatha Christie the first workman named Ernest cross was
trekking to his job on the morning of Agatha's disappearance you were why mom what are you doing here cross said I
Gotha seem distraught she wore only a thin dress despite the chilly weather I can't I cannot really will you oh please
shorten it very good very good I'll just get in [Music] according to ernest cross method rove
off in the opposite direction from Newlands corner the village where her car would later be found the plot
thickened in fact if the Christie was dead she certainly had a strange habit of popping up all over the country since
man can you tell me where I am yes ma'am you're in Guildford in Surrey is that the Train yes - railroad porters
and spoke with Agatha our south station and guilty assumed she had boarded a train thank you 11 days later the final
chapter of Agatha's adventure would be acted out the scene an elegant health spa and Harrogate 200 miles from her
home an alert musician in the dance band notified authorities at paga the christie using an assumed name was a
guest at the spa the superintendent wasted no time bringing Archie Christie up to Harrogate
why wait right here in the foyer says she'll have to pass through you well movie soother how long do i wait until
she passes by sir [Music] I get from our dear brother you come to take me home brother
Archie it's so good to see you for reasons known only to herself Agatha at first identified Archie as her
brother and using the cloud her husband and Sachin everywhere for you please thought you were dead is this
your wife colonel yes it is this is Christy hello I have the please we must talk come with me here what I would like
to know is what happened when Archie she went upstairs that night and they sat in
that room all night talking I mean didn't did they give each other hell or what that's what I think nobody of
course will know and did he say well I have no intention of ever coming back to you I think he must have because that
was the emam that was the tragic moment that not a gopher and Archie made their getaway from this problem
amid nearly hysterical press both refused to comment about Agatha's mysterious disappearance so reporters
all over England began to furiously backed up by idath his doctors and encouraged by her family the press
at last concluded that Agatha Christie had been suffering from amnesia I believe that Christie had a definitive
and terrible fight with her husband it drove her over the edge she had been depressed now she becomes
on some level psychotic she is not herself she takes on another identity she wanders on she gets on the train she
takes another name she and she goes into this hotel and she lives another life dear brother you come to take me home
that's very very very rare but it's it's known it's documented in the annals of psychology and we know that Agatha
Christie was an unusual woman well I think and from my elderly age I think she plotted and planned it from the
start it was she went to the only thing she knew she went use the media that she
knew which was revenge mystery possibility of murder she checked into this hotel under the name I
think I think she's just madly family subjecting using the name of the girlfriend Neal table for one for Teresa
new I think she took end us tonight in effect - please shadow doubt she poor Archie had a hell of a life
he couldn't go anywhere because they suspected him of murdering her and I think she took marvellous delight and
readings in the papers again I think in their sort of revenge and twisted up sort of way she was thinking that he was
very funny Agatha and Archie Christie quickly went their separate ways Agatha married eminent archaeologist max
Mullen in nineteen thirty two years after Archie had Wed Nancy neele by all accounts both couples
had long happy marriages Agatha Christie went on to write more than 100 novels becoming the best-selling mystery writer
of all time in her later years Agatha also wrote her autobiography but it would not be published until after her
death in 1975 Agatha's curious fans had waited 50 years to have restrained disappearance explained once and for all
but she wrote not one word about it Agatha Christie mistress of mystery to the end had taken her secret to the
grave next a very special celebration the soul of our two hundred [Music] for the past seven years the phone
center has been an integral part of our operation providing the crucial link with you our viewers recently activity
at the phone center took on added excitement as we counted down to a very special milestone the solving of our
200th mystery since our first broadcast in 1987 seems like this had become a familiar and welcomed sight thanks to
your alert tips more than 100 fugitives have been captured all across the country
and even in such faraway places at Panama and Central America and the island of American Samoa in the South
Pacific no less important or the heartfelt release of separated family members long-lost friends to date your calls
have helped to solve 63% of our lost love cases the success rate beyond our wildest dreams as we approach the magic
number of 200 each call to the phone center was met with rising anticipation and the final songs reflected the
diversity of our show a mother and daughter separated by adoption in 1937 a man wanted for murder a suspected con
artist two sisters would not seen each other in more than 20 years [Music] and now there are two hundred all made
possible by you our viewers since today is Veterans Day it seems only appropriate that we celebrate our 200th
song with the uplifting story of a friendship forged by the difficulties of war in 1964 nineteen year-old Mitchell
Sugimoto of Honolulu Hawaii made it through a rigorous training course to join the prestigious 173rd Airborne
Division's of the United States Army the next year Mitchell and his unit were transferred to Vietnam at the front
within the ranks of his own army Mitchell ran into a strange bias he looked just like the enemy move on jet
hey you got a problem yeah I don't serve zipper heads come on why don't you just do the job and serve
the soldier I just relax but one soldier James Pierson stood up for Mitchell all
right Mitchell and James have become best friends when they were posted in Okinawa enroute to Vietnam in January
2nd 1966 their unit ran into heavy fire when Mixel Sugimoto caught a bullet in the fine
James Pearson came to the rescue there was one sniper they was keying in on us James
took a position right in front of me just like he was trying to block off the shots in the Jews actually saved my life
what I say to him I said James and I never had a chance to thank you personally I want to thank you now I
really appreciate everything that he did for me what James did from Mitchell was
against regulations he and another soldier temporarily left the firing line in order to carry Mitchell to safety a
few weeks later Mitchell was sent home to Hawaii he never saw James Pearson again I never had the opportunity
properly thanked the man who saved his life after our broadcast all that would change in a most remarkable way a viewer
in San Bernardino California retired lieutenant colonel truman plants took it upon himself to track down James Pierson
one week later Lieutenant Colonel plants found him in Chicago and before long James his
fiancee and his two grown daughters are on their way to Hawaii to visit Mitchell
Sugimoto and his family as Michels relatives gathered to welcome James the two old comrades caught their
first glimpse of one another nearly 30 years [Music] yeah [Music] it's great to see great decision still
of the thing joy evidence and just wait to see that I had to compose myself you know it was just
completely over where thank you and unbelievable Michels wife Connie greeted James and traditional Hawaiian fashion
after all this was the man who saved her husband's life the bottom line I wasn't
going to leave him out there long under those conditions I couldn't I did it well regulations permitted it rules I'm
not I just couldn't have did it it took a lot from from a real special person to
do something like that and my wife she you know when she heard that story she she made it a point to
try to locate him with no success until you found you guys that's my next objective James spent a
full week in Hawaii with Mitch the arrow the two of them never stopped talking about the past in the future next timing
the time they would see each other again [Music] they haven't come up with their words
yet come over that word I'll write you and let you know there is no word for this feeling you know but for right now
they have gone with their words [Music] stay tuned in the next hour for these intriguing mysteries when police
conclude that a young college student has committed suicide his parents launched their own investigation and
reached their own disturbing conclusion in Massachusetts authorities need your help to track down a man who killed his
wife's sister and journey into the murky depths of Lake Michigan in search of a legendary treasure worth millions when
he died at the age of 21 Tommy Burkett was a junior at Marymount University in Arlington Virginia just down the road
from Washington DC Tommy's parents lived some 20 miles from the campus his mother
Beth George was an instructor I left the lights on Tommy on Sunday December 1st 1991 Tommy was at home
after the Thanksgiving holiday Tommy his parents had been up for much of that afternoon when they returned to the
house at about 6:00 10 p.m. I confronted an unimaginable horror tommy was upright
on the sofa in his bedroom he had been shot once through the month a revolver wrested in his head virtually from the
moment police arrived on the scene that night they have insisted that Tommy Burkett committed suicide case closed
but Tommy's parents Beth George and Tom Burkett have amassed compelling evidence
that their son was in fact murdered they are pieced together a chilling scenario
that they claim implicates officials from both the Fairfax County Virginia Police Department and the United States
Drug Enforcement Agency Tarman best suspicions began within minutes of discovering their son's body
I went over close to him and I knelt down beside him and I touched his hands and they were they were stone-cold but I
just kept saying over and over that everything would be all right and that we would find them and that we loved him
thank God looks not right in the emotion of the moment Tom picked up the revolver
he was surprised to find his cylinder unlatched surprised because a gun could not have been fired in that condition
paramedics arrived at 6:20 p.m. no there's nothing more we could do it's been several hours I'm sorry
after Fire and Rescue left the uniformed officer entered the house immediately and he was in a hurry in which I thought
was strange because my son was dead don't blame yourself I responded I don't blame myself and he said well I've seen
hundreds of these suicides and there was nothing you could have done the lead detective arrived and went up
to Tommy's room according to Beth and Tom he soon emerged with an old bank deposit slip I
have something to show you on one side was a note which said simply I want to be cremated this is Tommy's handwriting
Fire & Rescue Squad said Tommy's been dead for hours no that's not true it just happened probably happened while
you were coming down the street I was dumbfounded at that comment because it didn't take a medical person to
recognize that Tommy had been dead from several hours he was cold he was stiff blood had dried any layman would have
said several hours major art Mabry is a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Police the gun was processed an autopsy
was conducted photographs were taken a a thorough and acceptable crime scene was
conducted to the police the facts spoke for themselves Tommy's death was an open-and-shut case of suicide but the
facts told a different story - Beth George she was certain her son had been murdered a suicide staged it was not
just the unlatched gun and the suspicious note Tommy's glasses wallet and driver's
license were missing two days after Tommy's death his parents went to his dorm room to collect his belongings by
the way a student found this how did you get this oh I'm sorry according to Tom and Beth school
administrators refused to provide any information about the student who had turned in Tommy's driver's license
it was another unanswered question to add to a growing list Tommy's Paras decided to canvass the
neighborhood they were stunned by what people had seen the afternoon of their son's death several neighbors reported
seeing a car chase Tommy's car being chased by a larger darker car one neighbor in particular had a very clear
recollection he said he saw the cars coming and he thought this is serious it's life or death
another neighbor reported that one of the cars involved in the chase at one point drove through someone's lawn
Tommy's car was apparently run off the road and he was assaulted he got away from his attackers at that point and
made it back to our house to other neighbors reported seeing a peculiar incident at around 5:15 p.m. a time when
paramedics said tommy was already dead one of the witnesses was willing to appear on camera what I remember about
that night is the another neighbor of mine was coming over to my house and she observed a car going around the
cul-de-sac it was Tommy's car and it was going around the cul-de-sac with no lights on and he was not driving in his
normal manner and as soon as she arrived at my house she immediately related the
story to me you know we comment about it for awhile we stood on the porch and chatted for a minute and whoever was
sitting in the car did not get out of the car until after we went inside we thought it was very
strange that no one had contacted us from a law enforcement agency to find out if we did indeed know anything or
not at the insistence of the Rockettes we did go and talk to all all the neighbors but no information was
developed from those discussions that would change the information that led us to believe that it is a suicide Tom come
here a few weeks after Tommy's death Beth noticed a spray of small reddish marks on the stairway it looks like
scattered faint bloodstains but what would it be doing on the stairs earlier Bethan noticed other spots near a
doorway downstairs Beth and Tom informed the authorities but no official investigation followed
Tom and Beth and made a bitter decision Tommy's body was exhumed for a second autopsy the new findings added to their
growing belief that Tommy had been murdered the second autopsy revealed that Tommy had unexplained abrasions
bruising around his right ear and he had a broken jaw Tom and Beth hired Paul Kish a blood-stained expert from the
laboratory of forensic science and Corning New York he determined that the spots were in fact blood we could not
determine whether it was Tommy's it's not consistent was being created from individual committing suicide in a room
setting Anna a sofa some other violent altercation took place where blood was shed with a lot of energy being exerted
towards it but like a gunshot this spent bullet was found in Tommy's room it bolstered best suspicions that the
suicide had been staged and our laboratory professor McDonald did a analysis of the of the leadcore
which was pulled from the wall and was unable to identify any kind of tissue which you would expect to see if it
passed through the skull and we also he also had a negative test for blood the Tommies parents a terrifying picture
of his last hours had begun to emerge I'm calling about some information concerning my son Tommy
Beth resolved to find out if her son had telephoned for help on the day he died do you have any records of him making
any 911 calls that day he did call twice What did he say she said well on the computer screen it
shows his name and the login number and the time that he called and that he made
two consecutive calls but the message has been deleted how can I find out what he said I really need to know what my
son said and she said well let me check with a supervisor also do you have any records of any complaints he may have
made against any persons she said yes he had filed a complaint at the end of October and at the end of August what
was the nature of the complaints she said well I'll have to check with my supervisor so she left was gone several
minutes and came back and said I don't know why his name is on the computer but he didn't call 911 with with who they
spoke with I do know that there's no information to indicate that Tommy had called 911 death I know Tommy made the
calls because the police department personnel told me I I know this to be a fact I'm angry every day of my life I
wake up angry every morning that this Police Department did not respond to the 911 calls it's my understanding that the
information that the Burkett's came up with about the 911 call was well after the 30 days and the tape that would have
been on the machine that particular night had already been routinely erased if Tommy did indeed call nine-one-one
for the official phone records innocently erased or deliberately purged more importantly if Tommy had called why
were his pleas for help ignored by the authorities Tommy's Paris began a close Jiri examine
a strange series of events that preceded their son's death it began with a phone
call from Tommy around November 12th less than three weeks before he died took my paycheck took everything calm
down Tommy look get in touch with payroll and tell them to stop payment on the check
it's not the Paycheck I'm worried about it Tommy it was normally very poised very calm and he was just frantic it's
okay hon what do you think was in there something I didn't want anyone to know about I think they found out what I'm
doing and I took it to mean that since he was not positive they had found something out he was not going to
divulge exactly what he was worried about Beth says it a few days after the mailbox
break-in she had a troubling encounter with a student on the Marymount campus how are
you I'm doing okay good have you guys seen Tommy today no when you find him tell him it's three guys we're gonna
beat him up we were later told that the same young man who made the threat the next night on the 15th of November
assaulted Tommy and a location off campus according to Beth several sources told
her that Tommy confronted his tormentor a few hours later to me why don't you leave me alone
we were later told by a student at the university that the young man who had Tommy's driver's license after he was
dead was the same student who had beaten Tommy up there may have been some indication that Tommy was involved in
investigating drug activity on the Marymount campus and that may have been one of the reasons why we still don't
know to this day what really happened to Tommy Burkett a number of sources mostly
anonymous have come to us and helped us piece together a story and in most instances their accounts corroborate
each other and what we've learned about our son was that he was a paid DEA informant that there were a group of
students on the campus who were dealing drugs they felt Tommy knew too much and that they conspired with others to kill
him Beth and Tom now believed that their neighbors are knowingly witnessed Tommy
being chased by the killers they also believed Tommy abandoned his car and made his way home in time to place the
911 then the killer's bursted according to Beth and Tom an informant said tommy was beaten to death with a baseball bat
phone books were used to minimize bruising absorb the blood spatters the story fit in with everything we had
noticed and could not account for during the previous months for example we had noticed our phone books were missing the
week after Tommy died also we had told the police we were concerned because there had been a ball bat in Tommy's
bedroom and the gripping tape had been stripped off the bat and that had not been done by any of us we understand the
students had assistance in staging the shooting in the room from persons more knowledgeable about law enforcement and
crime than they were Tom and Bev have names of the students they suspect were involved in Tommy's death there's not
enough evidence to say their names publicly at this point but I believe with some of the evidence they've
collected over the past two years that they may have the right people it is been determined and the and it's going
to be maintained that is a suicide until substantial credible information is brought to us at that point we will
examine all the information just as we have for the past years but again credible information it's what we're
seeking there's this sense of rage that nobody's doing anything no matter how much information is dumped in
the laps of law-enforcement people they don't do anything the response is the same everything's all right everything
was done wonderfully everything's fine and they think if they say it enough it'll be true it won't be and we're not
gonna stop saying it's not [Music] when we returned a treasure hunt that is not for the faint-hearted but something
400 million dollars in gold is worth the risk it is only a speck of rocky land just east of Wisconsin surrounded by the
chilly waters of Lake Michigan it is cold poverty Island an apt name especially when treacherous storms sweep
in across the lake without warning furious winds and lightning Swift currents has spawned a graveyard of
sunken ships and over the years intriguing tales of lost treasure one legend in particular professors a just
offshore of poverty Island there are five chests stuck the gold bullion and coins which would today be worth more
than 400 million dollars it might sound far-fetched but the promise of millions and gold is enough for Richard Bennett a
professional diver and author of deep quest Bennett has spent more than 20 years and $100,000 of his own money
searching for his sunken fortune any story that lasts or survives a hundred years has to have some validity to it if
they survived a hundred years they'd probably have an eighty eighty-five percent chance of being true
but how could 400 million dollars in gold end up on the bottom of Lake Michigan it all dates back to 1863 the
tide of the Civil War was turning in favor of the Union the beleaguered South strapped for capital
put on a desperate call for relief to England and France according to the legend the Emperor of France Napoleon
Bonaparte the third answered the plea and arranged a clandestine shipment of gold to the Confederacy
with a southern ports blockade the gold was quietly packet of five chests and shipped across the North Atlantic to
Canada the secret shipment was then spirited hundreds of miles down the st. Lawrence River and clear across the
Great Lakes to Escanaba Michigan there the gold was hustled aboard a 60-foot schooner for transport to Chicago some
say the ship was attacked by French mercenaries and some others that it was shipwrecked in a storm in either event
the chests of gold were never recovered the legend is is very consistent in several ways and I think that's one of
the most intriguing things about this legend is that it's it's consistent in that the loss is always at Poverty
Island there's always five chests and it's always the same scenario historian Chuck Feltner disagrees spent years in
the Great Lakes searching for shipwrecks he believes that the legend of the treasure makes for a good story teller
maintains it is just that a good story records of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes in the year 1863 were extremely good
we've not been able to find any evidence that any of these vessels that were recorded to have been lost were sunk in
the vicinity of poverty Island or that they were French vessels as the legend would have it to be this is not the kind
of activity that people would normally document with enrollments in this kind of thing this was more of a secret
activity and they would not want to be broadcasting it despite the lack of a paper trail the legend of the secret
shipment has grown fed by rumors and speculation in 1929 a group of sailors were sent to slag to five chests with
her anchor up it came just seconds away a fortune in gold when suddenly the chains broke the treasure plummeted back
to its watery grave [Music] a few years later a group of investors in Chicago allegedly raised $50,000 to
try their luck at poverty island a young boy named Carly Jason whose father was a
local lighthouse keeper was said to have watched the salvage operation for three
consecutive summers one day he was sitting on the rocks watching this operation and there was a lot of
rejoicing revelry obviously a real congratu Tory party that was going on on the ship
[Music] according to the boy in the third year a sudden storm arose forcing him to return
home that night the salvage ship allegedly sank all hands on board the heartless
tides of Lake Michigan at once again reclaimed the poverty Island trailer today some 60 years later richard
Bennett feels certain that he will succeed where others have failed Bennett has devised an ingenious underwater sled
to calm the murky depths of Lake Michigan the only way to really find this treasure is to have human beings on
the sled visually looking at the bottom it's cold it's deep the area is very treacherous rocks as largest sofas or
moved around on the bottom but I'm a dreamer and I'm a gambler as long as I have those things working for me I'll
probably continue to do it Richard better never find the poverty Island treasure only time will tell but a word
of warning to any would-be treasure hunters the waters surrounding Poverty Island can be extremely treacherous even
for the most experienced divers next authorities need your help to capture a man convicted of kidnapping and
murdering his own sister-in-law April 25th 1979 an intoxicated 29 year old man tentatively made his way to a
Catholic Church in Everett Massachusetts father Jimmy I need to tell you can I come inside yes certainly lad come in
you have to help me fondly actually you have to help me get this weight off my shoulders the man's name was Timothy
berry and he was about to make a stunning confession I'm the one that kidnapped Nancy incredibly Tim berry had
confessed to kidnapping his own sister-in-law in that dramatic moment he also became a murder suspect 23 year-old
Nancy Brown had vanished 16 months earlier from the house she shared with her mother and sister Nancy was still
missing it seemed too bizarre and horrendous to contemplate could Tim berry have killed Nancy Brown Nancy who
idolized him like a brother the seeds of this tragedy were planted when Tim berry
married Nancy's sister Andrea Brown Andrew was the oldest of four daughters and when their father died Tim became
the unofficial head of the family it was the brother that my sister's never had and the whole family just
loved him Tim's upbringing was very similar to my own his parents brought him a very Christian
he believed in the same things I did very family-oriented we all just became as one they remained as one for seven
happy basically contented years then came Thursday October 6th 1977 it was Nancy's regular day off she got an early
start doing laundry the only other person in the house was a younger sister 16 year old Laura home sick from school
early that morning Maura heard Nancy slammed the door to the back porch and turned on the radio in the kitchen that
was the last anyone saw or heard of Nancy Brown little while after supper my mother called wondering if I had seen my
sister which usually wouldn't have been abnormal for me to have seen her during the course of the day and I and I hadn't
and I hadn't spoken to her and they told me that nobody had seen her all day Mary
have you seen Nancy today Tim and Andrea Landry is sister Alison rushed over to the house and started calling Nancy's
friends she hasn't seen with Andrea and Alison or eight months pregnant they tried to keep themselves and their
mother calm and the neighbors did you talk to her friends yes I wouldn't worry about it ma there's lots of places she
could be she probably went shopping yeah I agree with Alison in retrospect Tim's behaviors seemed out of kilter
when Nancy disappeared tim was there with everybody very concerned wondering what happened
but he seemed to be more nervous than what the rest of us were check the basement check her room and I'll get her
address book and see if there's anybody we haven't the group split up to search the house again in the basement Ida
brown found the one clue that had been left behind Nancy's glasses the fact that Nancy's
glasses were found on the floor of the cellar was particularly disturbing because the car was gone Nancy was blind
as a bat she had to have the glasses at all times especially for driving the very next day when she did not appear
our report for work we conducted an investigation as to her the place that she was employed and also the place she
was last seen we also were looking for her car and on the second day I believe we located the car and a shopping mall
perhaps a mile from a home interestingly Tim Barry had been the one who suggested
to police they checked that particular shopping mode and seized car was unlocked the keys lying under the seat
there were no apparent signs of foul play he went to look at the car they found out that the car she an alarm in
at the cow alarm was not set which is unusual for Nancy she always set the alarm and there were few particles of
sand inside the car but that's all that we had at the time an abandoned car and a pair of glasses but Clues were sparse
yet the ominous possibility loom that something terrible had happened to Nancy Brown we all tried to settle into a
normal life trying to make things as natural as we could we were always hungry for any news we always tried to
think of possibilities night already mmm that's great how are you feeling good medicine had her baby
just days after Nancy disappeared Andrea and Tim's second child was due any time the sister still hadn't given
up hope that Nancy would return I wish Nancy were here you too me too but Tim evidently had she's gone
there's nothing we can do about Tim seemed to be a little bit more withdrawn a little bit more moody than
he normally would have been he wasn't acting himself according to Andrea Tim had begun to drink heavily unbeknownst
to her the police had asked him to take a polygraph exam he had refused the police
began to check in at embarrass background and soon found an alarming skeleton in his closet while stationed
in Germany with the US Army Tim had been charged with the murder of another soldier a military court found him
innocent but the record did note his so-called clairvoyance how he had led authorities to the location of the
murder weapon and the body police now began to believe it was more than coincidence that Tim had no try to look
for Nancy's car still there was no hard evidence against Tim berry until April 25th 1979 I'm the one the kidnapped
Nancy that was the night nearly a year and a half after Nancy disappeared when Tim Barry made his dramatic appearance
at the church I knew that Nancy on the days off we'd do laundry at her mom's house so I I'm I
broke into the house about 5:00 5:00 a.m. waited further down under the stairs I
could hear him walking around up there and she walked down the stairs and I came apart i blindfolded a so she
couldn't see who it was and then I put it in a car and I made a lie down in the front seat Tim told the priest he had
worn a fake mustache so no one in the neighborhood would recognize him he said he drove Nancy to a beach in
Ipswich Massachusetts 20 miles north of Everett [Music] Tim berry forced Nancy brown to walk
through the dunes into a heavily wooded area he carried a hunting knife and a military and trenching shovel Tim told
the priest of one Nancy stood up to him he decided to end it I hid in the back of my head with a shovel no I swear I
bear down through the shoulder way tonight I know it took a lot of courage to tell me his story Timmy but don't you
think they'd be wise if he told it one more time to the authorities do you think you can do that when he first
confessed to us he was cool calm it seemed like he had a burden on him he wanted to get it off his chest and he
told us from the beginning you know I just said to him Timmy you you know all these years it's been over 16 months the
investigations are going on why didn't you confessed before why no he said cuz nobody had ever asked him
the question did you murder her and if that had he said he would have confessed later that night Tim Barry led the
authorities into the woods behind the beach at Ipswich one of the police officers present was Patrick della aya :
a friend of Tim Barry's from childhood terrain itself was difficult walking the sang was very sandy it was tough on your
feet to walk and Timmy kept looking up by the Stars and I questioned Timmy what why are we looking at the Stars and he
said that's how I find my way to where we're going yeah in the Army I was training the special services yeah I bet
they taught you all about this stuff huh Pat I could live in the woods and you'd
never find me it took more than an hour but Barry finally brought the group to the spot
where he had killed Nancy in a shallow grave police found the body of Nancy Braun she had died exactly as Tim Barry
had said when he was asked why did he do it Tim never would tell us why he just said this is the story this is how don't
ask me why and even though he asked we never got an answer I never had a motive I just went to pieces I couldn't believe
that that something like that had happened I didn't want to believe my sister was dead and I couldn't believe
that he had had anything to do with it it just at that point it didn't seem like that was his nature and I I think
the whole family went into total shock was just something that was too horrible to have to accept On February 11th 1980
t'aime Barry was convicted of second-degree murder and kidnapping he received a life sentence plus five to 10
years for eight years Tim Barry made a good show of contrition according to Andrea Tim remained a
loving and dedicated father even behind bars Barry also came to be regarded as a
model prisoner and was regularly assigned to work details on the outside on Election Day 1988 Tim Barry was part
of a crew repainting the Department of Corrections offices in downtown Boston that particular day the building was
very busy their voting polls on the first floor of the state office building here people coming and going all day
long elevator traffic the inmate worked for approximately ten inmates were working with an officer supervised work
for Timothy Barry part of that war crew was assigned to a specific area painting
off so be glad to hear that I need to go to the camp remember where it is right yeah
that's our understanding that he requested of the officer that he'd go to the men's room used the facilities and
approximately 9:30 that morning about 15 minutes later the officer realized that
Tim berry had not returned to his work area upon a check and we soon realized that the subject had left taking an
elevator down to the first floor and mingled into the traffic the floor traffic of the people voting in the
pollsters and blended into the crowd just took off and fled the area we initiated a ground search and that
search revealed absolutely nothing as if Timothy Barrie just disappeared into the
Sun gone nearly a year and a half later Tim berry walked out of the woods in Vermont his
children then 12 and 17 were visiting Tim's sister for Memorial Day I had to work so I didn't get to go to the family
vacation home I don't think anybody expected what happened as a matter of fact I'm certain of that I'm never gonna
see you guys again where are you going I just I just have to be by myself I I need to be alone
obey your mom say hello to everybody for me dad come back Tim berry had stayed for only ten
minutes it was the last time anyone in the family saw or heard from him I can't say that I'm frightened but I have to
admit to once in a while looking over my shoulder wondering if maybe he isn't someplace watching I know he would never
do anything to hurt the children to put the children in a position where they could be hurt in any way but I have to
admit to wondering Timmy Barry is an extremely intelligent individual convicted of murder sentenced
to life imprisonment in this state and he is to be considered extremely dangerous I want to see Tim caught and
brought back to incarceration I mean he did commit a murder and he does always debt to society update Timothy berry is
once again behind bars as a direct result of unsolved mysteries berry was arrested this past Monday in Akron Ohio
berry had been working there as a truck driver using the name John prenda at a hearing in federal court on Tuesday
morning berry waived extradition was remanded to the custody of the US Marshals for transport back to
Massachusetts for every mystery there is someone somewhere who knows the truth perhaps
it's you join me again next week on unsolved mysteries [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Brief Summary

This episode covers the Circleville letters, Agatha Christie's disappearance, Tommy Burkett's murder, and a treasure hunt in Lake Michigan.

Key points

The Circleville Letters Mystery. For 18 years, residents of Circleville, Ohio received threatening letters, leading to death and imprisonment.
Agatha Christie: A Real-Life Mystery. Agatha Christie vanished in 1926, sparking a nationwide search and speculation about her fate.
Agatha's Marriage Crisis. Agatha confronts Archie about their failing marriage and his infidelity, leading to her emotional turmoil.
Agatha's Mysterious Disappearance. After a bitter argument with Archie, Agatha vanishes, sparking a nationwide search.
Reunion of Heroes. Years later, Mitchell Sugimoto reunites with James Pierson, the soldier who saved his life.
Tommy's Mysterious Death. Tommy's death raises suspicions of foul play as evidence suggests it may not be a suicide.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I know where you live. I've been observing your house.

Threatening letter to Mary Gillespie

4:42WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.