Unsolved Mysteries with Robert Stack - Season 7, Episode 8 - 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 Frank and Teresa Wilson were married for 34 happy years then in 1960 Frank's death separated them forever or
so a scene until Teresa's 80th birthday approached many in the Wilson family believe that Frank spirit chose that
occasion to make a special visit from beyond the grave to his neighbors in Ohio liebgott seemed perfectly ordinary the
proverbial dice guy next door then an FBI raid revealed that gut was running a million dollar drug operation perhaps
you can help find it when he was 19 years old Kirk Morton was declared missing in
action in Vietnam today his name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC but incredibly
Curt's family believes that Kurt is not only still alive but that he has returned to the United States with a new
identity while the army maintains that Kurt is dead his family has accumulated just
enough evidence to sustain their hopes that they'll yet find their son jointly this intriguing edition unsolved
mysteries [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] most of us have a certain image of big-time criminals
there were three-piece suits slicked back their hair drive fancy cars and wear fancy jewelry that's the image we
see in the movies and on television in real life a criminal can be anyone even your next-door neighbor Neill God
certainly seemed normal enough he and his wife Terry had moved to the small town of North Benton Ohio in 1986 Neal
opened an auto repair shop and business appeared to be thriving when a baby girl
came along in 1989 the happy family picture was complete two God's on the surface appeared to be a very legitimate
couple he was a mechanic who had a place called Lake Park motto she had a cleaning business where she cleaned
houses they had a two-year-old daughter Heather got through it was a very attractive blond-headed little girl and
everything appeared to be normal unless you lived in the community and had heard some of the rumors or unless
you were an FBI agent and you knew you had access to what we knew what the FBI knew was that Neal got was making an
awful lot of phone calls to a drug dealer in Akron the FBI listened in for a month gathering information and biding
their time finally on December 15th 1990 got put in a substantial order for the next day eight ounces of cocaine
[Music] when Neil got made the by the FBI was waiting hands on the truck with the FBI
do you have any weapons on you anywhere whoa okay go ahead and turn around the agents did not take Neal got into
custody they had decided on a risky strategy we wanted to cocaine but we were not going to arrest Neal got
because we wanted to continue our investigation until we got everybody in his network knew your gut the good
neighbor did not disappoint he went straight home and called his buyers to tell them the bad news there would be no
cocaine now the FBI had the names of God's cohorts but the authorities had already begun to suspect that God was
more than a small-time cocaine middleman we became suspicious of other areas of Neal God's activities for instance he
had rented a barn in home Worth Ohio and in this barn which was supposedly empty
are being used for occasional auto repairs we we looked at electric bills in the neighborhood of 1,800 to $1,900 a
month whereas in that type of building the electric bill shouldn't be over $50 and that was her clue that they were
probably growing marijuana hydroponically in that property the FBI moved again this time they
carried a federal search warrant for Neil and Terry God's house and for their bard
his indoor growing operation was everything we expected and much more it was a very sophisticated operation with
expensive strobe lights which are heating lamps expensive timers irrigation piping and tubing to all
these various plants grow packs everything a successful marijuana operation for an indoor growth needed
Neal got had inside with that kind of secrecy in normal cases you can harvest at a minimum of four times a year your
minimum harvest would be in the neighborhood of 75 to $100,000 in addition to the marijuana ages also
found a trove of weapons when they searched the house including high-powered rifles handguns and
explosives Terry got was at the barn but she denied any knowledge of drug dealing
this time however Neel got was arrested after he was arrested mister God's bail was set at 25 thousand cash and a
$200,000 bond which was signed by his parents and he immediately of course made bail and was back out on the street
in the meantime the FBI had nailed God's entire distribution network as well as several other drug dealers in all 22
people were indicted on March 7th 1991 including Neil and Terry got most of the defendants were in court for the
arraignment the God's never showed [Music] well the FBI went to the guts house it
was empty in the backyard they found a dead dog chained to a tree the only sign of life was a neighbor who wandered over
to see what was going on Fran Smith FBI Oh have you seen Neal or Terry got no I'm watching their dog
you're watching their dog yeah for how long I don't know about a week we started
interviewing people and we interviewed a lady who had rented a u-haul trailer for
the goths had put it in her name and we were also able to decide and from talking to people that on the evening of
March 6 the gods had loaded all their personal belongings into this u-haul trailer and had left Neal God ended up
in Florida at least that's where he dropped the u-haul truck we believe the Goths are still in the
United States kneel God is a powerboat enthusiast the kind of cigarette type boats that were on Miami Vice he enjoys
that kind of activity so we feel wherever he is he's probably engaging in that he's a truck driver and he's also
an accomplished mechanic but what Neal God does best is he grows dope marijuana specifically so we definitely feel he's
engaged in that activity Neal got is 44 years old six feet tall and weighs 180 pounds
he has prematurely gray hair which he may have dyed brown and blue eyes got sometimes uses the alias John Hughes and
should be considered armed and dangerous [Music] [Music] [Music] when we return the poet ghost story of a
love that transcended the grave it has long been said that love conquers all [Music]
consider the romance of Frank and Teresa Wilson joined in marriage 1926 separated
by Frank's death 1960 incredibly Teresa and her family believed that Frank has expressed as continuing love and
devotion from beyond the grave I can't believe it's been 34 years 34 years married in 34 years he's gone I have a
feeling that he's here all the time around me I really do the 1930s and 40s were busy years for Teresa and Frank as
they raised seven children three girls and four boys money was scarce but the Wilsons were content with a simple joys
of marriage and family a red-letter day was April 3rd 1950 Frank's 50th birthday
Teresa proudly presented him with the money she had carefully saved to buy their first TV set Frank the last time I
saw Frank we got up at our usual time 6 o'clock and went to the door I don't like I always did to kiss him goodbye
surprise [Laughter] goodbye sweetheart that was his last words when he said goodbye sweetheart
Frank Fay Wilson beloved husband and father of seven died of a heart attack on his way to work he was 59 years old
Theresa's family which eventually grew to include more than two dozen grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren
helped to fill the painful void left by Frank's death in 1982 is Theresa approach her 80th birthday her children
plan a special celebration they never imagined just how special it would turn out to be more than a year in advance
Theresa's daughter Margaret luck began working on a unique and intimate gift I wanted to put together a memory book
with letters from all the relatives and the children and grandchildren and people all across the States just
writing her a letter and telling her how they felt about her and remembering things that they had done in the past
and it took a long time and it was a lot of work but it was worth it according to
Margaret one letter was delivered in the most extraordinary fashion in the midst
of a sleepless night I sensed that there was someone in the door and I looked over and there was a man standing there
and it just came to me that it was my father he was white and it was just it glowed it actually glowed I don't know
how else to describe it [Music] I'm here because I want you to take time letter letter you mean a letter for
mom's book Margaret says she grabbed her journal and hurriedly began to scribble
dear dress as you celebrate your 80th birthday I want you to know I'll be at your side as you blow out the candles on
your cake happy birthday sweetheart when he was done I looked up at him again and he smiled and he was gone he
just vanished and I I just it was so stunned and I laid down and it took a long time and I finally fell asleep and
I woke up the next morning and I thought what a dream what a dream I had Margaret
says she began to believe it wasn't a dream when she read the love letter the next day if I were really here I would
shower you with sapphires as blue as the ocean to match your eyes my father was always like that I mean when my mother's
regular birthdays came around he was so sometimes they didn't have enough money to buy her gift but he always had
something special for her and I really think this was the most special thing he had in all her years
September 19th 1982 at last the night of the party had arrived it turned out we had quite a few people
at the party and my mother kind of got wind of it before the party so when when she walked in there I think she kind of
suspected what was going on but she was still so gracious and she just acted like she was just as surprised and
pleased as punch well when they when they took me there it was a hall and I knew it was going to be a party and it
was my birthday so I figured that's it Teresa had guessed correctly about the party but she had absolutely no idea
what was in store for her as she opened the book of letters she opened the first
page and inside was the invitation which she oh that's nice and then she opened it up and there was a picture of her and
my dad that my nephew had drawn and then there was the letter do your dress I just couldn't couldn't control myself
I just started to cry initially Teresa thought Margaret had written the letter as a way of including Frank and the
celebration but then she began to wonder when I said dear dress everybody else called me Teresa but he called me tres
happy birthday sweetheart Frank I think I'll treat these flicker I couldn't get past the first page have us
in tears then everybody started coming up and congratulating me and giving me presents and after that it was real nice
evening how did you know what he called me what do you mean sweetheart I didn't I just wrote what he said I
couldn't believe that eyes I don't know it's just a dream but then when she told
me that she never knew about him calling me sweetheart and she said that's what he signed it told me to sign it and then
I I believed it but I wish he'd come to me like this more than a decade has passed for Teresa
the letter remains a tangible link to her one true love well I read his letter and I can just hear her saying just like
he was right there I love you more as each day brings us closer together stay a while though I'll wait forever I love
that part of it he doesn't want me to leave yet and I guess my kids don't want me to leave either but it mean give me a
good feeling to know that when I go I'll have I'm old they shouldn't feel bad because I'll have somebody waiting for
me [Music] in September of 1994 our cameras were on hand as Teresa Wilson celebrated her
92nd birthday gathered around her were family members from four generations and perhaps just perhaps the spirit of the
man she will always love her sweetheart Frank Wilson next a woman claims to have
seen her brother more than 25 years after the government declared him missing in action in Vietnam the images
are a start today as they were in the 1960s and 70s it seems hard to believe but it's been more than 20 years since
American forces were fighting and dying in the distant jungles of Southeast Asia
along with the 58,000 who lost their lives the Vietnam veterans memorial also carries the names of hundreds of GIS who
were officially unaccounted for a few families hold onto the fate glimmer of hope that the men will one day return
home tonight you will meet the family of Robert C Borton jr. known as Curt the Mortons believe Curt's name should never
have been inscribed on the wall in the first place but he is not missing in action nor was he killed they are
convinced that Curt is not only still alive but that he has come back to the United States with a new identity I know
my brother Curt's alive I've seen him on three separate occasions in Washington DC and I have not one doubt in my mind
that that was my brother and he's very much alive to this day what is understandable at the Borton family
might not want to accept the harsh reality the Curtis died they have collected just enough evidence to give
credence to their theory when Curt enlisted in the Marines he was 19 years old eight months later just 19 days after
arriving in Vietnam he found himself on night patrol near the city of Da Nang it
was not long after that that Robert Borton received the visit that every father dreads yes
mr. Robert Horton yes captain Victor's this is Lieutenant Jeffries casual day office United States Marine Corps it's
just about Curtin yes sir I'm afraid we do have some bad news about your son he has been reported missing in action I
don't know what's missing you really hit me hard they said he's missing an axis I'd hoped I'd find him right away
listen who's all-time hoping someone would come up where they'd found him but never did never happened
two years passed with not a single word about Kurt's fate still the Burton's prayed for American and in September of
1968 they believed one was delivered Robert come here a minute we subscribe to the Leatherneck magazine
and Marine magazine so nice just going through it and all of a sudden I see this picture and it just it just jumped
at me like there's our son I wasn't expecting to see a picture of him but it was it was him and I seemed was said
right then there's my boy hey no doubt about his page it is his picture of him the photograph had been taken in the
country province in 1967 a full year after Kurt had been reported missing the Balkans are convinced that this soldier
is their son we took it down to the marine castle the office and then we got a letter back saying that it couldn't be
him because just imagine that and something else in other words they claimed it was not her son
[Music] a few years later the Bortas came across what they believe is additional evidence
this is a frame from a 16 millimeter film shot in a Viet Cong prison camp in 1968 the borders have identified this
prisoner as Kurt [Music] I seen that there and then as soon as I seen it I said there's my boy again
right there I'm like him there's our son again no doubt I mean you know your children when you see them major Dave
Greco a spokesperson for the Marine Corps says the Borden's are mistaken each of the servicemembers in that
photograph have been positively identified we spoken to each one of them and none of them is Robert Borden
if it had ended with the two photographs Kurt's family might have dropped the entire matter but the Borton say there
is more much more [Music] in the summer of 1976 Robert says he was approached by two strangers who claimed
to be agents with the Department of Defense your Kurt boardies father yeah you got information about him I know we
have new information we can give you but we do have a letter we need you to sign
for us what's this about basically it changes his status from missing an action to kill
what do you mean killing an oppa is my son's own personal safety has declare him dead I said no I won't do that
they told me I'd get large some money and I said I'm not concerned about the money my boy and I told not they got in
the car and left and they said do not tell nobody nobody nobody but and so I didn't tell her about it
we don't work that way we do things in a very professional manner we would not approach someone solicit them to change
their son status in a public parking lot of a shopping mall and would have been done in uniform in the family's home and
will not have been solicited to have that done I feel like I should talk to a lawyer before I sign this Robert claims
that the two men pursued him aggressively over a period of weeks always confronting him in a public place
Robert is functionally illiterate and eventually he signed the document without knowing what it said and so I
agreed to clear him dead for his own safety they kept him saying that he once fought for his own safety right well
they never told me that he was alive anything like that but when they told me for his own safety and then I knew he
was alive in in the end robert Borton received a check for forty three thousand dollars
ten years went by before robert told his family anything about the episode when Dianne read the letter that her father
had signed she discovered that it was not a waiver but was typed up as a request by mr. Borden the description
killed in action had been xed out and replaced with killed in captivity it was one more confusing discovery that made
the Bortas wonder what had really happened occurred that confusion would grow as a family travel time and time
again to Washington DC to investigate Curt's case on several occasions of bortles were allowed to examine Curt's
official files during the early morning hours of an unrecorded March or April 1966 Dianne claims that the entries
regarding Curt's death kept changing some of these reports are unsubstantiated they had him killed in
March or April of 66 in 1967 they have a story of him being with an engineering crew and being killed they had him
killed on paper several times and it just amazes me that the audacity of them thinking that we would swallow each one
of these stories and not say anything about it I think a lot of what the families read they have to understand
that what they're reading is not often government position but it may be the report of a witness these people Vietnam
villagers are remembering things that happen to them 25 years ago during a traumatic time in their own lives
so there are often errors in years that are often errors in months many times they only understand things
from the cycles of planning and harvesting their crops the Mortons continued to dig for evidence that Curt
was still alive in the process the family believes that someone was becoming increasing
curious about them every time I go and check out his file there's something new well this time I went and did you hear
that I don't have call waiting Dyanne and other family members became convinced that their phones were tapped
I started having several phone conversations with Diana and she was giving me a lot of the information that
she had one of Diane's cousins is certain that the entire family was being watched he is asked that his identity
not be revealed about that timeframe that I started noticing that I was being followed to work we lived in a house
that was inside of a trailer park and I had started noticing that pretty much every morning there would be a car pull
out of the office parking lot and they would follow me into work and then I'd find them behind me again on my way home
after about a month and a half maybe two months of being followed I approached the two gentleman in the car
yeah guys I'm not going to the company this morning I'm going to the gym forced it's right across the street from the
company I'll be there for two hours I'll be back here take a shower then I'm going back to work okay what are you
talking about you guys have been following me for a while I figured I'd let you know where I was just after that
for about a month and a half two months I wasn't followed anymore I said then we
started noticing them again as part of his job in a security company Diane's cousin often ran routine credit
checks at Diane's request he entered Kurt's social security number in the system and made an unsettling discovery
I entered it into the computer and it came back invalid entry at that time I went and got my employer and I told him
I'm trying to run this credit application and I think I'm doing something wrong and he said whoever
filled out that credit application is trying to feed you a line that numbers never been issued of that same day I had
left work was headed home and I was approached by someone they very pleasantly called me by my name what you
did today was really stirred what are you talking about you know what I'm talking about
would be you and your family's best interest not to do it again don't know what you're talking yes II do leave it
alone Diane's cousin believes that he was threatened because he had stumbled upon
evidence that Kirk might still be alive it would seem to fit together that maybe
he had been used for covert operations and in order to keep him from talking about these covert operations he was
given a new identity and instructions not to contact anyone from his past in 1990 a full 24 years after Kurt
Borton supposedly died in Vietnam his sister Diane moved to a suburb of Washington DC soon after Diane had a
chance encounter that finally convinced her that all of the scenarios about her brother might in fact be true I went
down to gas up the van and a car pulled in behind me was a red car and whoever it was you know I
they must pump their gas pass cuz I see him run across and pay for theirs and I walked across pay for mine and when I
came back across the person was standing there outside his car it looks like it's
going to snow doesn't I was stunned it was my brother yeah I could I didn't even have time to react
because as soon as he said that he got in and took off there was a real pretty girl in front
see she had long blond hair it didn't look like it was gonna snow was October it was clear skies and
that's the only thing you said to me the next April Diane claims she saw Kurt again we were headed down 395 and a red
car pulled up beside us I looked over it was my brother it was the same red card soon at the gas
station the blonde girl was in the car with her might you could see her and he he looked at me and grinned and then he
took and shot in front of us and like slowed down a little bit and I wrote down the license number and he sped up
and zipped over in the other Lane and zipped off the exit yeah which was that was a Quantico Marine station and we
were going too fast we couldn't follow him Diane traced the license plate number to a man who lived in Virginia
but he claimed to know nothing about Kurt a few months later in July of 1991 Diana says Kurt made another mysterious
appearance by this time Diane says that at least one war buddy of Kurt's had confirmed that Kurt was alive however
that vet said Kurt had come home a disturbed and dangerous man I spent many many hours down at the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial I had my two daughters with me and there's a little hill some woods and
on the other side as the restrooms we went over to the restroom when in use the restroom well we came out of the
restroom my brother was leaning against the wall and my oldest daughter she recognized him
[Music] I had been told from other sources that he was potentially dangerous I had my
two children with me and I just couldn't take that chance that he could possibly
read dangerous and harm each other I know now that was a mistake and if I had it all to do over again I would have
turned around I would have faced over to talk to him I would throw my arms around
him and hugged him but I was afraid in 1992 another disturbing event hello yes who's this I can't mention any names no
names the caller asked a question which could only be answered by two people then your
son had a blonde haired babysitter what was her name Frieda Smith Frieda Smith yeah Jeff my son is he there so I knew
right then it's him but he must be in the background and then they made a statement they'd be saying me so he's
saying myself I can't tell you anything more but he'll be seeing you soon don't tell anyone what wait hello hello I've
heard another word from him I figured if I we get in touch with I've heard the one I hope I didn't jeopardize his life
or anything but tell anybody in August of 1993 the bortles were notified that a new set of documents
concerning mi A's and POWs had been Declassified by the government when they met with officials at Marine
headquarters the bortles were shocked by what they learned we have discovered some remains that we believe belonged
hurt what did you find we found eleven teeth in a gravesite where did you find them one report told
of four u.s. soldiers who were killed by the Vietcong in 1966 Vietnamese eyewitnesses said that the bodies were
buried and then later moved to another gravesite although the actual dates are in dispute the government believed that
the discovery of Kurtz teeth and another set of dog tags at the gravesite provided reasonable certainty the Kurt
was killed in Vietnam however the teeth found in the grave were compared with x-rays provided by
the military not by Curt's family I asked him I says where's the rest of his body all he had his teeth they says well
there was grave robbers and they came and they robbed the grave and took the body and I'm thinking well this is kind
of dumb what do they just leave the teeth we know that there is remains trade in Vietnam where remains are
buried and dug up and moved to another place dug up again and sold to remains traders so they miss many of the smaller
pieces so often we find only teeth forensic experts tell us that these teeth were from a deceased person and
the Det the teeth do match Robert Borden look like it's not a government today the Borton family believes that Kurt is
part of a secret government operation Diane in particular feels that her brother has attempted to contact the
family in order to let them know that he is alive without endangering himself by
exposing his new identity I talked to a man who claims to be a secret attorney he said that they were allowed to come
back as long as they didn't contact their families or let anybody know they're back
the official status that was taken on these men was that there were no more live POWs in Southeast Asia and they
couldn't bring back live POWs when they have already taken the stand that all the POWs are home I did there's no such
program to bring servicemen back after Vietnam and give them new identities Robert Borden would not be a candidate
for any type of secret mission I was a very young man he was in the Marine Corps just over six months he did not
have any special skills he did not have a security clearance or any linguistic skills that would have been needed for
some type of a covert operation but they're lying to us and there's lots of family other families out there like us
that are suffering because of it and that's what's hard for me to handle is knowing what I've went through and
knowing there's other families out there going through the same thing than not knowing
what happened to Kurt Borton did he die in the jungles of Vietnam as the government says but did he somehow
managed to survive despite the official record the Borton family remains convinced that Kurt is very much alive
and that one day he will come home [Music] recently we told you the story of soon
van Nguyen who immigrated to America from Vietnam with his family in 1993 soon had come not only to start a new
life but to complete a chapter from his own in 1968 at the height of the Vietnam
War soon was among hundreds of South Vietnamese officers dispatched to a US Air Force Base in Louisiana for jet
pilot training within weeks soon had fallen in love with an American woman named Gwendolyn Lofton but inevitably
the war intervened soon was sent back to Vietnam to fight for his country a few months after his
return he received a letter from America Gwendolen was pregnant domain people coming back from a tense mission good
boy and hearing the good news I was so happy at that loan of the year five years later soon was despatched to
Louisiana once again he met his daughter Kimberly for the first time the young Yaya could be done and I looked at her
and knew right away that this was my child [Music] Tsun was able to spend an entire month
with Kimberly before he had to return to Vietnam and the war after the war ended soon was
incarcerated for nearly ten years in a reeducation camp another ten years passed before he finally made it to
America but soon never stopped thinking of the little girl he had left behind so
long ago and on our broadcast he asked if someone in our audience could help reunite them that night the switch
ported our phone center lit up with calls from Kimberly's friends and family Kimberly who lives in Pineville
Louisiana was thrilled to learn the soon was looking for her over the years Kimberly has searched for soon but it
always run into dead ends now she was anxious to be with her father again a few days later soon and his American
sponsor traveled to Louisiana for an emotional reunion with Kimberly it was her first time together in more than 20
years soon was overcome with emotion still he wanted to convey his feelings in English when Vietnam I never I know
never T they can not I can meet her but now is my dream to be true I'm very very
happy and then we hugged and then we said hello and then it was just you can't describe the feeling it was just like
nice doesn't do the feeling justice but it was just incredible fantastic great later that day soon celebrated
with 20 members of Kimberly's family including her mother to see them together is just a dream come true a
fairytale that had had some bad detours but it came to a happy ending oh this is
a big day too happy day and I think I cannot forget it I knew that wherever he was that he loved me and I was always
certain in my heart that one day we would be back together [Music] for soon and Kimberly the end of their
long search marked the beginning of a new life for both of them on our next turn saw mysteries for more
than 60 years a mysterious light has appeared above a stretch of railroad tracks in Arkansas some say there is a
scientific explanation others believe the light is nothing less than the ghost of a murdered railroad Foreman perhaps
still searching for his killer and the final appeal of Stuart Hayden DNA tests were the primary evidence that convicted
him of a murder he swears he did not commit but how accurate were the tests eaten may spend the rest of his life
behind bars waiting to find out join me next Friday for another intriguing edition unsolved mysteries
[Music] [Applause] [Music]

Brief Summary

This episode features drug dealer Neal Gott, a love letter from beyond the grave, and the Morton family's belief that their missing son is alive.

Key points

Neal Gott: The Good Neighbor with a Dark Secret. Neal Gott appeared to be an ordinary mechanic but was revealed to be involved in a drug operation.
The Ghostly Love of Frank and Teresa Wilson. Teresa Wilson believes her late husband Frank visited her on her 80th birthday, expressing his love from beyond the grave.
Curt Morton: Missing in Action or Alive?. The Morton family believes their son Curt, declared missing in Vietnam, is alive and has returned with a new identity.
Diane's Encounter with Kurt. Diane has a shocking encounter with her brother, who she thought was dead.
Discovery of Kurt's Teeth. The Borton family learns about remains believed to belong to Kurt.
Emotional Reunion. Soon reunites with his daughter Kimberly after 20 years apart.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I can’t believe it’s been 34 years.

Teresa Wilson expresses disbelief at the time since Frank's passing.

10:04WatchMay 23, 2019

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

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