All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S01E08.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

ANNOUNCER: 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.

ROBERT STACK:
Tonight on "Unsolved

Mysteries," San Quentin Prison.

Once you enter, it is
unlikely you will leave.

But convicted
murderer Mark Adams

fashioned an improbable escape.

You may be able
to help catch him.

The story of a young housewife
who vanished from her home

in Gothenburg, Nebraska.

Her husband wants
her back, but he

must answer
allegations that he is

the one responsible
for her disappearance.

Steven Cox was a
small town hero,

handsome, popular, successful.

Steven Cox may also
have been a con man

who bilked over $3 million out
of his unsuspecting neighbors.

The people of Medford,
Oregon want their money back.

[theme music]

A young housewife who
disappeared, a local hero

turned bad, an escaped convict.

Three people whose fate
remains a question mark.

Perhaps tonight we'll
find some answers.

Also a special appeal
from the police

in Philadelphia, who
will ask for your help

in tracking down a murderer.

Join me.

You may be able to
help solve a mystery.

ROBERT STACK: The
town of Gothenburg

is located in the heart
of Nebraska's farm belt.

There is a strong sense of
community among its 3,000

inhabitants, and when a
neighbor is in trouble,

it becomes everybody's business.

On December 11,
1987, a housewife

named Christi Nichol vanished.

Her disappearance turned
into a controversy

that continues to this day.

Christi married Mark
Nichols when she was 19.

Soon after their marriage,
a daughter was born,

and in April of 1986, a son.

Those who knew Christi
well felt her life

centered around her family.

CONNIE STANLEY: Christi
was a very good student

and a nice looking girl,
and people liked her,

but she always had kind
of a negative self-image.

And I think Christi never felt
she did anything until she had

her children, and there was
something she could look at

and say, hey, I did
this pretty well,

nobody can do this any better.

Because she was just so
proud of her children.

She loved them.

I would have never thought
that Christi would run away.

She would have never
left her children,

I would have never
believed that.

ROBERT STACK: Christi's
husband, Mark Nichols,

works at a local gas station.

He was the last person
to see her alive.

There are rumors
in Gothenburg that

say he is responsible
for her disappearance.

MARK NICHOLS: People in
small towns, they talk a lot,

and a lot of these rumors
tend to get pretty vicious.

There's been a
couple rumors that I

chopped her up and put
her in garbage bags

and buried her at the dump.

That's one of the
first ones I heard,

and that one really got to me.

Because I guess
they were actually

up there digging around.

Mike Nichols claims he is
innocent of all wrongdoing.

He wants his wife to come home.

But until Christi
returns to Gothenburg,

he remains under a
cloud of suspicion.

The police investigation
of this case

has raised some
disturbing questions

about the events surrounding
his wife's disappearance.

Since Christie
vanished 11 months ago,

no one, family
members or friends,

have had any contact with her.

For this reason, the
Nebraska State Patrol

has been called in.

Officer Terry Ahrens is
in charge of the case.

TERRY AHRENS: And as the
investigation has proceeded,

it's starting to
look more and more

like a foul play situation.

There's just a lot of things
that aren't ringing true,

that don't appear like your
normal missing person's

situation.

ROBERT STACK: Police
began to uncover

evidence that the Nichols'
marriage was in trouble.

Mark, you just wait out here?

ROBERT STACK: They
learned that Christi

had been seeing another man.

10 days before
her disappearance,

she had gone to a local
hospital for treatment

of an injury she received
during a fight with Mark.

DOCTOR: --all of
the x-rays, and it

doesn't look like
the thumb is broken.

However--

MARK NICHOLS: The only
bad fight I can remember

is when I was trying to
stay home from going out,

and she was getting
so upset at me.

She started to try
to hit and kick me,

and that's when she
burned the side of my neck

with a cigarette
she was holding.

And I tossed her
onto the water bed,

and she landed wrong
and kind of twisted

up her thumb underneath her.

What exactly happened
to your finger tonight?

CAROL SEVEREID SHACKLETON
I saw Christi on the Friday

after Thanksgiving.

She came to the emergency room
complaining of a sore thumb.

She was acting like a
scared rabbit, if you will.

She's never been one
for great eye contact

or been very verbal.

She obviously wasn't telling
me everything, either.

Mark was in the hallway nearby,
and I couldn't, looking back,

really tell if it was
reassuring for her

to have Mark there or not.

ROBERT STACK: Christi
also told her cousin,

Debbie Frederickson, that
she had been abused by Mark.

DEBRA FREDRICKSON: When
I went to see Christi,

she was working at the
bar and she was having

problems with her husband.

She would tell me that her
husband would beat her.

When we left the bar, Christi
showed me a bruise on her side,

and it really scared me.

I told her she needed to
go get help from somebody.

And I asked her how
it had happened,

and she said her and Mark
had got in an argument,

and he had thrown her around.

And she just acted like
it wasn't a big deal,

it was something
that happened a lot.

As far as a violent
argument, which there seem

to be a lot of
rumors going around

that I was always beating up on
her, that's just totally wrong.

Oh, hi--

ROBERT STACK: On
December 9th, two days

before her disappearance,
Christi went to an attorney

to begin divorce proceedings.

What can I do
for you, Christi?

Well, I need some help.

ACTOR AS CLAUDE BERRECKMAN:
What's your problem?

I need someone to
help me get through--

ROBERT STACK: Christi
was frightened

that Mark would find
out, and for this reason

went to an out of town lawyer.

ACTOR AS CLAUDE BERRECKMAN:
Well, just relax.

We do a lot of divorce work.

I've handled
hundreds of divorces,

but she had to rank
up in the top five

of being very distressed
and upset and nervous,

and needed help.

And when she explained
certain abuses

that she had been
subjected to, we

decided to make some telephone
calls, to call the authorities

and to report certain
crimes that had taken place.

I feel that she was very
sincere and honest in what

she was telling me.

I don't know what motive
she would possibly

have had to conjure
up a story about being

abused by her husband if
it didn't in fact happen.

I was convinced, and I am still
convinced that it happened.

ROBERT STACK: What was
Christi's state of mind

when she left the
lawyer's office?

Was she preparing to
run away as Mark claims?

Or was planning on fighting for
the custody of her children,

as her mother believes?

CLAUDE BERRECKMAN: I can say
that the day that Christi was

in my office, on December 9, was
not panic stricken to the point

that she would run
or leave, and in fact

she had planned to come back.

When she left, she had
made an appointment

to come back to my office.

ROBERT STACK: The day after
this meeting, December

10, Christi and
Mark went Christmas

shopping with their children.

This was the last afternoon she
would spend with her family.

MARK NICHOLS: I felt real
uncomfortable the day

before she left, because I felt
a lot of anger coming from her.

ROBERT STACK: That evening
the couple hired a babysitter,

and went to the local
bar where Christi worked.

DIANE JANSSEN: When I babysat
the night that she disappeared,

I was surprised that
those two were going out.

The both of them were
going out, because I knew

they weren't getting along.

MARK NICHOLS: When
we were at the bar,

things seem to be
going really well.

I felt there was a good
attitude about herself

and myself, and a lot of
laughing and carrying on.

ROBERT STACK: Mark and Christi
left the bar around midnight

and drove to an all
night convenience store.

At 12:30 they headed for home.

According to the baby-sitter,
Mark arrived home between 12:30

and 1:00 in the morning.

The babysitter was
doing her homework

in front of the
television and doesn't

remember seeing Christi.

I was about five, six yards
behind her when she reached

the door, and she walked
right by the living room where

the baby-sitter was
at, back towards

the kids' bedroom and went
into the main bathroom.

DIANE JANSSEN: It seems
strange, because Mark

had paid me with
cash, when Christi

usually pays me with a check.

It was unusual for
Mark to pay me.

- Is that enough?
- Yeah, that's fine, thanks.

- How was everything?
- Fine.

I really can't believe that I
didn't see her, because I would

have heard footsteps
and I would have heard

her go into the bathroom,
because I was there between 5

and 10 minutes, so
that I would have been

able to hear Christi somehow.

But I didn't hear
or see Christi.

ROBERT STACK: According to Mark,
Christi went to bed immediately

after the baby-sitter left.

The last time he says he
saw her was at 2:00 AM, when

he went to sleep beside her.

MARK NICHOLS: And the
last thing I remember.

My kids woke me up
the next morning,

and the first thing I noticed
was she wasn't in the bed.

ROBERT STACK: Mark claims
he searched the house,

and noticed Christi
had taken a suitcase

full of belongings with her.

Christi?

ROBERT STACK: But both
family cars were still

sitting in the front yard.

At 9:30 in the
morning, Mark received

a phone call from
Christi's mother

who lived 100 miles away.

Even though he knew
his wife was gone,

Mark told her
mother that Christi

was still in bed, asleep.

I'll have her call you.

MARK NICHOLS: I didn't want
to worry her at the time,

because I didn't
know where she was.

So I told her that she
was still in bed sleeping,

because I didn't think
she felt real good.

At 11:30 AM, Mark
took his children over

to Christi's
grandmother's, and asked

if she could take care of
them, as he was planning

to search for his wife.

Take the kids.

VIOLET WILLIAMS: Well, I didn't
think much about at the time,

but like I say later,
he never asked me at all

or telephoned me to
take care of the kids,

where they always did before.

That was really about
the strangest thing.

He never asked if
Christi was at my house

or if I'd seen Christi.

Just said that
Christi was missing,

and he acted like
he was shook up.

MARK NICHOLS: I spent
approximately two hours

just riding around town,
trying to spot her,

maybe coming out of a store or
I drove some residential streets

where we knew some people.

TERRY AHRENS: When we checked
out Mark's story about driving

around looking for
Christi, we could

find nobody in the
city of Gothenburg that

had seen him driving around.

ROBERT STACK: At
1:37 PM, Mark filed

a missing persons report
with the Gothenbug

police department.

What time did
you see her last?

I saw her last when I
went to bed about 2 AM.

MARK NICHOLS: I was real upset,
because there was no indication

whatsoever that she would just
pack a suitcase and just leave.

ROBERT STACK: During
their investigation,

the state patrol
discovered that Mark

moved out of the house the day
after his wife's disappearance.

A few weeks later, he
boxed up all of her clothes

and sold both of their cars.

Looks like we got a
spot on the plastic--

ROBERT STACK: In March of
1988, three months after she

disappeared,
Christi's suitcase was

discovered in a
roadside rest area

30 miles west of Gothenburg.

Police found it
surprising that earlier,

Mark had precisely detailed
all of its contents.

TERRY AHRENS: It had
appeared to everybody present

that the suitcase
had been placed there

instead of just thrown out.

The items were
neatly laying around.

It was like the
person that put them

there wanted them to be found.

If my wife had
left me, I wouldn't

be able to look
through the closet

and tell you what she had taken.

I probably would be able to tell
you maybe what suitcase she had

taken, but he was listing
items of clothing,

right down the line, and
knew what she had taken.

ROBERT STACK: The area
surrounding Gothenburg

has been searched extensively.

No other trace of Christi
Nichols has ever been found.

Today, the case is stalled.

JAMES M. O'ROURKE It is
difficult, without locating

Christi Nichols or her
body, to determine what,

if any charges would
be appropriate.

We basically are concerned
about the way she disappeared,

the fact that she has not
contacted her children.

She hasn't contacted her family.

She did not take one
of the family vehicles,

and basically the continued,
long absence all point

to perhaps foul play, in
some form, is involved.

I'd've never done
anything to hurt my wife.

I just-- that's just
the person I am.

A lot of people think
I'm a violent person.

I'm not.

I'm not, I'm not
a violent person.

I hope and pray
that she was alive.

I'd say if she isn't,
I'd still want to find

the solution to this case.

I'd like to have her buried
someplace where I know she was.

I want very much for
Christi to come home.

But if for some reason she
doesn't want to come home,

you know, Christi, at
least call somebody.

Let us know where you are,
whether you're all right.

By all accounts Christi
Nichols was trapped

in a marriage gone wrong.

Nobody can say for
certain that this is what

motivated her disappearance.

All that we know is that
Christi Nichols is vanished

without a trace, and
her family and friends

would like to know why.

In a moment, the story
of a remarkable escape

from San Quentin Prison.

Last October, we examined
the mysterious disappearance

of Gail DeLano, a
35-year-old mother

of two who vanished from her
hometown of Wiscasset, Maine.

After her second
divorce, Gail DeLano

sought companionship
by placing personal ads

in a local newspaper.

On June 21, 1986, Gail
drove to a restaurant

in a nearby town of Brunswick.

She had told her
two teenage sons

that she was meeting a
man named John, who'd

responded to one of her ads.

Gail DeLano's family
never saw her again.

Two days later,
police found her car

abandoned in the
restaurant's parking lot.

Later that day, a
restaurant worker

found Gail's keys
in the same spot

where her car had been parked.

Two weeks later,
Gail's purse was found.

Though it seemed untouched,
it contained no money.

For 2 and a half years,
investigators and Gail's family

were baffled.

Update.

Mobile, Alabama.

The two and a half year
search for Gail DeLano

has come to an end.

Tragically, she
took her own life

shortly after she disappeared.

A forensic administrator in
Mobile watched our program,

and recognized Gail's
photo as a woman who died

in a local hotel room in 1986.

JAMES M. O'ROURKE When
I saw the photograph,

I immediately saw the
resemblance between Mrs. DeLano

and an unidentified
body that we had

in our laboratory in Mobile.

ROBERT STACK: After two
weeks of forensic tests,

positive identification
was made.

Police now theorize that
Gail DeLano orchestrated

her own disappearance.

They believe that after she
drove to the restaurant,

she hid her keys
somewhere on the car,

removed all the
money from her purse,

discarded it, and
then flew to Alabama.

That evening she
checked into a hotel

in Mobile, where she registered
under the name Jackie Stafford.

Three days later, police
discovered her body.

She had died of a drug overdose.

On November 11, Gail's family
held a memorial service

for her in Brunswick, Maine.

Gail's family showed remarkable
courage, as for two long years

they searched for the truth.

Her loss saddens us all,
and to her parents and sons

we send our deepest sympathy.

California's San Quentin
Prison it's justly

known as one of the country's
most secure maximum security

prisons.

Few cameras are permitted
behind its walls.

But recently, "Unsolved
Mysteries" was allowed inside

so we might document
one of the few times

the system failed and help
recapture an escaped prisoner.

In the summer of 1986,
an inmate named Mark

Adams mysteriously vanished.

The events leading up to
his escape began on a summer

night in August of 1979.

On that evening, three
high school students

entered the municipal
baseball park

located in a quiet community
of Modesto, California.

Hey, you know who's
over at Mark's house?

- Who?
- Suzie.

No way!

I swear!

ROBERT STACK: They gathered in
the dugout to drink some beers

and chat about school
and their friends.

[interposing voices]

ROBERT STACK: Three figures
appeared out of the darkness.

Over the previous
few weeks, there

had been other robberies by
these ski masked individuals.

Gimme your wallets.

ROBERT STACK: In the
earlier attempts,

nobody had been injured.

Give me your wallets!

Why don't you guys
just leave us alone?

[shocked yelling]

[gunshots]

[gunshots]

ROBERT STACK: One boy,
Mike Ridenour, was dead.

Another, wounded.

An eyewitness description
of an automobile

spotted at the scene led to
the arrest of three robbers.

The trigger man,
16-year-old Mark Adams,

was tried, convicted, and
sentenced to 25 years to life.

Located on San Francisco
Bay, San Quentin

is an impenetrable fortress.

21 armed posts
surround the three

foot thick prison walls, lined
with razor sharp barbed wire.

Today over 3,000 hardened
criminals call the prison home.

Charles Manson is only one
of its infamous residents.

In its 136 year
history, other criminals

such as Sirhan Sirhan, Caryl
Chessman, and outlaw Black Bart

have been locked away in the
prison's massive cellblocks.

A major portion of the San
Quentin's current population

are repeat offenders.

It is the end of the line
for the hardened criminal.

DANIEL B. VASQUEZ:
San Quentin Prison

is different from other
prisons because of its design.

There are armed officers
inside the institution.

They're in gun walks
and manned areas

where there's weapons
inside the institution.

Mark Adams was here because of
the physical plant and security

that San Quentin can provide
inmates like Mark Adams.

[bell rings]

ROBERT STACK: When Adams
entered San Quentin

he was 19 years old.

He would have been eligible
for parole in the year 2007.

He began his sentence
under close scrutiny,

but after six months,
restrictions were relaxed.

His privileges
included a job working

with computers as a clerk in the
prison's academic department.

Mark Adams was essentially
a model prisoner.

He worked very well with
people, he obeyed the rules,

and he would seize
any opportunity he

could to stay out of his cell.

When we had special
projects where

he had to work some overtime,
he was only too happy to assist.

I'm sure that Mark Adams took
advantage of his position.

He probably checked schedules,
he probably checked timing.

He wanted to leave
no margin for error.

ROBERT STACK: On June 10, 1986,
four years to the day after he

was put behind
bars, Adams secured

an authorized pass, allowing
him to leave work early.

See you later.

Where you going?

I'm going to the
dentist's office.

OK, I'll see you tomorrow.

ROBERT STACK: At approximately
2:30 PM, Adams left his job

and walked to the security
checkpoint, showing his pass.

He was observed heading
to the dentist's office.

That was the last time
anyone remembers seeing him.

At 4:15 PM, the inmates
return to the cells

for the afternoon headcount.

DANIEL B. VASQUEZ: The 4:15
count, when there's no hitches,

will take approximately
45 minutes to clear.

Inmate, let me see some skin.

DANIEL B. VASQUEZ: If something
is wrong with the count,

if there's one person
that cannot be accounted

for, most often there's a simple
explanation for that miscount.

You can't find any
error, then you go cell

by cell, bed by bed, with
an officer and a picture

of those people assigned
to those cell blocks

and that particular cell.

GUARD 1: Good.

Have

GUARD 2: 2A11, ID?

2A12, negative.

GUARD 1: No, showing
Adams in here.

ROBERT STACK: At
approximately 4:45,

Adams was confirmed missing.

Immediately San
Quentin locked down.

All access to the prison, inside
and out, was sealed tight.

Every prisoner was
confined to his cell,

and their few
privileges revoked.

[inmates yelling]

ROBERT STACK: An intensive
search by correctional officers

was fruitless.

No trace of Mark or the method
of his escape was found.

Authorities have three
theories as to how he escaped.

The first suggests that
Adams put on civilian clothes

and walked out with
the regular visitors,

passing through three
different armed gates.

In order to
accomplish this, Adams

would have had to show a photo
ID at the first two gates.

GUARD 3: OK, thanks.

ROBERT STACK: A second theory
proposes that Adams simply went

over the 25 foot prison wall.

When an inmate asked to make
that move from a blind spot

over the wall, he has to go
from an area of concealment

to one of visibility.

It can happen in a
matter of seconds,

but in those few moments
that it took to hit the wall

and scale it, the officers
looking in another direction

and the escape is perpetrated.

ROBERT STACK: The chances
that Adams could have made

the climb are extremely slim.

Shortly after his
escape, three inmates

attempted to scale the wall.

All three were
immediately captured,

and one was injured in a
struggle with officers.

We considered also
in our investigation

of the possible ways of
escape, is could he have

gained access to a vehicle.

It's possible that
Mark Adams could

have studied vehicles
which do pass in front

of his area of assignment.

ROBERT STACK: Every day,
approximately 225 service

vehicles enter and
exit the prison.

Each must pass through
a guarded inspection

area for a thorough search.

There is a remote chance
Adams could have found a place

to hide, and then
when the search ended,

he would have been driven
straight to freedom.

MICHAEL MACKENZIE: If
there were a mistake

in the security system,
Adams would have

been the type to look for it.

He would have been
the type to find it,

and he would have made
plans to exploit it.

And as a result, that's
precisely what he did.

It's been two years since
Mark Adams has escaped

from San Quentin Prison.

And in those two
years, we have not

found any concluding or
convincing evidence to tell us

how Mark Adams escaped.

ROBERT STACK: In a moment
you'll meet Eugene Richmond.

He vanished after
defrauding his friends

and neighbors of
$3 and 1/2 million

and came back to face the music.

His alleged accomplice,
Steven Cox, is still at large.

In 1981, Lorraine Rondeau was
68 years old and newly widowed.

Her husband had
left her $100,000.

It was all Lorraine had.

She invested it with a
man named Steven Cox.

In 1976, a drunk driver
left Michelle Whitt

crippled for life.

The insurance company
awarded her $75,000.

Michelle invested her money
with the same man, Steven Cox.

On September 24, 1984,
Steven Cox disappeared.

He has not been seen since.

Is there anyone in this
room has anything to offer

in this case at this time?

If so, please step forward.

ROBERT STACK: At bankruptcy
court in Medford, Oregon,

a packed audience of more
than 200 angry investors

came forward.

And I'm one of the investors
who invested with Steve

Cox in excess of $100,000.

ROBERT STACK: They
told authorities

that they had given Cox in
excess of $3 and 1/2 million,

every penny was gone.

MAN: --can be done so that
we can get our money back.

How did Steven Cox
get $3 and 1/2 million

from the people of Medford?

Well, Cox was a hometown boy.

The people in Medford
knew him and trusted him.

They hoped that if
he's watching tonight,

he will return and deal with
them honorably, face to face.

In high school, Steven
Cox was a popular student

and an all around athlete.

He was captain of the
football team, lettermen

on the basketball team,
and named to Oregon's

all state baseball team.

He went to college in
Oregon, and after he

graduated married his
college sweetheart, Deborah.

They settled in Medford.

I didn't believe it, no.

ROBERT STACK: In 1982, he
started his own company,

SD Cox investments.

--that's what
I'm talking about.

Let me get-- hold
on a second, let me

get it up on the screen here.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
When he first began,

all the indications we have are
that his intentions were good.

He'd had some luck
with commodities,

with other investments, gold
and silver and other things,

and he really wanted to
make money for other people

at the same time he
made money for himself.

ROBERT STACK:
Steven Cox attracted

investors by offering a rate
of return as high as 25%.

Good morning, Michelle.

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine, how are you?

Good to see you both, hi.

ROBERT STACK: There
was only one catch.

In exchange, they received
nothing more than Cox's IOU

in the form of a
promissory note.

Michelle Whitt needed $1,200
a month to pay for her

around the clock nursing care.

Despite the lack of
security, she decided Cox's

high return was worth the risk.

And a 20%, 24% ballpark
that we were talking about

is something we're
definitely going

to be able to get for you.

The $35,000 was invested,
and for 3 and 1/2 years

I got a monthly
payment of $1,250.

He seemed to know
what he was doing.

And I'm sure he did
know what he was doing.

[knock on door]

Hey.

Hey, Eugene, good to see you.

ROBERT STACK: Cox's business
doubled, then tripled.

Eugene Richmond, an old friend,
was brought in as a partner.

It'll work, it'll word.

Good, good.

EUGENE RICHMOND: Well, you
know, I'd known Steve since we

were in grade school together.

He was always somebody
I looked up to.

He was the high school
quarterback of a football team,

and just that typical
guy that everybody

wanted to know and be around.

Basically, whatever Steve
Cox asked me to do, I did.

And I just trusted
him unequivocally.

Eugene Richmond was
the forceful personality

in the partnership.

This is a nice
house you have here.

Oh, thank you.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
Eugene Richmond

was the one that
went out and got

people to invest their money.

I'm sorry I have to bother
you at a time like this--

ROBERT STACK: When Eugene
Richmond made his sales

presentation to
Lorraine Rondeau,

she gave him all the money
that her husband had left her.

EUGENE RICHMOND: I'm confident
that I told every investor

that their money is at risk.

I would have investors
ask me what happens

if SD Cox goes belly up?

And I would sit
right in my chair,

and look them
straight in the face,

and I'd say you're going
to lose your money.

Well Eugene
Richmond is a liar,

then, because he never did.

Never told us that.

Not me.

Never told me that.

If she was not aware
that her money was at risk,

then either I failed
in my job to tell

her that or, like
a lot of people,

they didn't want to hear it.

Eugene Richmond never
told me that my money

was unsafe in any way,
that everything was secure.

That they had money-- if I
wanted all that money right

now, they had money
laid aside that they

could pay off any one of us.

ROBERT STACK: By 1983, SD Cox
investments was flourishing.

The firm bought a restaurant,
a neighborhood bar,

a video arcade,
two jewelry stores,

and an inventory of gems
worth hundreds of thousands

of dollars.

EUGENE RICHMOND: When you
have a situation where

a local businessman looks
successful and other people are

going to the bank with the
checks and making the deposits,

that will get around.

That facade works.

People see the Porsche drive
by and their heads turn.

People see the Mercedes
drive by and they

think that guy's successful.

They don't realize
that maybe that guy is

not making ends
meet and he's two

payments behind on the Porsche.

ROBERT STACK: By 1984, many
of Steven Cox's investments

began to go sour.

EUGENE RICHMOND: In
my opinion, Steve

was not a good businessman.

In Steve's case, he made
some wrong decisions.

Well I'll talk to you
tomorrow about that--

that's a whole separate thing--

EUGENE RICHMOND: You know there
there's some real estate that

wasn't panning out the way
it was supposed to pan out,

and you had to feed it.

He had a restaurant
he was feeding.

And instead of just cutting
it off, he wanted to hang on.

You know, he was competitive.

He didn't want to lose, ever.

$50,000.

$50,000.

You heard me the first time.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY: What
happened is is Steve Cox

had some luck at
the very beginning.

He had some good fortune.

He made some money.

And as he continued to
pay 22% or 25% interest,

he had to get more and more
people involved at the bottom

in order to be able to do that.

It's like a pyramid scheme.

There's nothing to
back up his promises

to pay back this money.

That's a house of cards,
eventually it has to fall.

Well, look, what do we need
to do to turn this thing around?

You know what we need to do.

We need to turn
those numbers around.

The way you're going
to turn those numbers

around is getting more clients.

Lorraine, I see
you've got my flowers.

Yes I did, Eugene,
thank you so much.

ROBERT STACK: As a
last resort, Eugene

went back to Lorraine Rondeau
and asked for her last $5,000.

Do you have some savings
to cover them with?

LORRANE RONDEAU: Well,
I'd been in the hospital,

and Eugene came over to the
house to see how I was doing.

And he said, do you
have money enough?

And I said, I have
some in savings.

So he suggested that
I take the $5,000

and put in so that I would
be getting some interest.

So I wrote him a
check for $5,000.

EUGENE RICHMOND: I couldn't even
tell you right now whether she

invested any money or not.

I do not recall.

At that time I saw
her, I had no idea

that I was going to be going
or Steve was going to be going.

I mean, I didn't even know I
was going to leave with Steve

until the day that I left.

We have a problem.

I've got to leave the area.

EUGENE RICHMOND:
It came to a point

where Steve just said I'm
leaving town, and I'm going,

wait a minute,
you're going to leave

and I'm going to
stay here and face

this entire thing by myself?

What am I going to do?

Everybody's going to
come knocking on my door

and say where's my money.

And I felt like I was
going to get lynched.

Importnat thing is Deborah
and I are leaving town.

Now are you going
with us or not?

EUGENE RICHMOND: My choice was
to stay here or go with him,

and I ended up leaving
with Steve and his family.

I'm going with you, Steve.

OK.
All right.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
Definitely there

was a premeditated
decision on the part

of Steve Cox and Eugene Richmond
to fold up and leave town.

Let's quit beating
around the bush.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY: They
planned to leave for at least

a month before they just
didn't show up one morning.

Thanks for sticking
around, you guys,

I realize it's your weekend.

I'll make it short.

ROBERT STACK: On Friday,
September 21, 1984,

Eugene Richmond
told his employees

that he and Cox would be
out of town on business

through Monday.

--we'll be back on Tuesday.

So unless you've got any
questions, see you Tuesday.

ROBERT STACK: That weekend,
according to Eugene Richmond,

Steven Cox cleaned
out their office safe,

taking over $200,000 in gold,
silver, jewelry, and cash.

Cox also took their
financial records, which

were stored on computer disks.

He and his wife, Deborah,
emptied their house

and packed their belongings
into a rented truck.

Along with Eugene Richmond,
they furtively departed Medford.

Their final destination?

Hawaii.

Steven Cox, Deborah
Cox, and Eugene Richmond

dropped completely
out of sight, and

the people of Medford, Oregon
had lost $3 and 1/2 million.

But the story of the missing
Bedford millions was not over.

The authorities learned
that Stephen Cox

might have disappeared
from Medford

because he feared for his life.

10 months after Steven Cox,
his wife, and Eugene Richmond

vanished, leaving nothing
but a bankrupt company that

owed the people of Medford
$3 and 1/2 million,

the authorities had
a surprise visitor.

Debbie, we appreciate you
coming in for this interview

today.
And we'll try--

ROBERT STACK: In July of 1985,
Steven Cox's wife Deborah

returned to Medford,
and through her attorney

agreed to cooperate
with the authorities.

What was your position
with SD Cox Investments?

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY: She
wasn't actually wanted,

as far as being a fugitive.

We did want to talk
to her, but there were

no criminal charges pending.

Then within a week,
Eugene Richmond also

wanted to surrender
himself, and so arrangements

were made for him
to surrender himself

in the company of his attorney
and to be interviewed,

and then to be processed on
the fugitive warrants that

were outstanding
for him at the time.

But for the most
part, the information

that we did glean
from these interviews

was really not helpful to us.

How much money do
you have to live on

and how much did
you take with you?

Seargant Sweeney, concerning
that matter we're not answering

those questions today.

Do you accept any
responsibility--

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY: Eugene
Richmond wouldn't make

any statements that could
be used to incriminate him,

and he couldn't really say
anything about Steven Cox

without incriminating himself.

As a result of that, we're
still looking for SD Cox.

Steven Cox.

ROBERT STACK: One thing
Richmond did tell the police was

that in 1983, Cox
had become involved

with a mysterious investor.

--on those rocks
was fantastic.

All right, I'm
glad to hear that.

You should be.

I just want to remind
you, Steven, I'm not

a man who likes to lose money.

MICHAEL R. SWEENEY:
There was an investor

that invested hundreds
of thousands of dollars

with SD Cox Investments.

And ask security
for his investment,

he had taken out a life
insurance policy on Steven Cox.

Before Steve and I left town,
and I went to him and said

let's shut this thing
down, bring in a judge,

and just do a Chapter 11,
and just close it down,

Steve said I can't.

And it was because of this
fella, because he owed him

money and Steve just felt like
if he didn't pay this guy back,

he would just hurt
Steve, or his wife,

or his kids, or something.

Especially since
we know of the threat

and we know who
the individual is,

the individual would
have to be a fool

to come back and kill
Steven Cox because he

didn't get his money back.

ROBERT STACK:
Eugene Richmond pled

guilty to charges
of racketeering

and served two years in prison.

Steven Cox who's still at large.

LORRANE RONDEAU: The message
I'd like to send Steve Cox is

that he should come
in, turn himself

in, and face up to the
people that he's really hurt.

Short of Steve Cox
winning the lottery

and coming back and paying
back all of his investors,

I don't foresee them
ever being able to recoup

any of their losses.

Steve Cox is the one
who's in prison right now.

He is the one who's
doing time right now,

and he will continue to
do time until he turns

around and faces the situation.

Until he lives up to
his responsibilities.

Because Steve, every day, has
to wonder if somebody is going

to walk in to
where he's working,

or if he's going to
be at the market,

and somebody going to see him.

It's a small world.

ROBERT STACK: Steven Cox is
six feet two inches tall,

has blond hair and blue eyes
and weighs over 200 pounds.

He is now 38 years old, and
he may be wearing a toupee

as well as a beard or mustache.

Update.

Steven Cox has been arrested
in Lake Mead, Nevada, 25

miles southeast of Las Vegas.

Five days after he
fled from Boise,

Cox checked into the
Lake Mead Lodge Motel.

He registered under
the name John Straus

and listed an Arizona address.

He was not the normal guest.

He stayed in his
room all day long.

He would only leave
at night, very seldom

did he leave in the daytime.

And we noticed that the
license plates were not

the same as he had put down
on his registration card,

and that made us a
little suspicious,

but yet nothing we
could put a finger on.

ROBERT STACK: Two
weeks later, Edna Reed

made a startling discovery.

EDNA REED: One day when
I was out on the grounds,

I saw the guest
come out of his room

and instead of putting
his trash in the bin

in front of his room,
he took it up number 35,

which was several doors away.

And when I went to empty
the trash out of that bin,

I found the crumpled up letter.

And like a curious
female, I read the letter.

When I read the
letter, I saw the part

that said something about
the Unsolved Mysteries show

being a bombshell.

I showed the letter
to my husband Harold,

and between the two
of us we decided

it was time definitely
to call the Rangers

and tell them about the guest.

ROBERT STACK: Lake Mead
Park Rangers immediately

ran a computer
check and discovered

that the car belonged to
someone other than John Straus.

ROBERT MCKEEVER: On the
morning of the 14th,

we began to look for the person
by going to the Lake Mead Lodge

to see if we could identify,
in fact, who he really was.

When we got there
the vehicle was gone

and the person was gone, and had
been gone for 15, 20 minutes.

The next morning, park
rangers spotted Cox's car

and pulled him
over in the parking

lot of the Gold Strike Casino.

ROBERT MCKEEVER: After
we made the traffic stop,

he produced
identification, a driver's

license issued to Robert Davis.

And we checked that
name and date of birth

through the NCIC computer.

We found that it was an
alias used by one Steven Cox,

and that there was a
warrant for Mr. Cox.

At that point, we
placed him under arrest.

ROBERT STACK: During
the search of Cox's car,

park rangers uncovered
a small fortune.

ROBERT MCKEEVER: When we looked
in the passenger compartment

of the vehicle and in the
trunk we found suitcases

and other luggage like bags
filled with jewelry, rings,

necklaces, collector
type baseball cards,

some gold coins, silver coins.

And I was really very
curious to know why he had it

in the vehicle,
and if in fact this

was the stuff that he was wanted
for taking in the first place.

Every parent's worst
nightmare the loss

of a child to a
violent stranger.

Tonight the Philadelphia
Police Department

needs your help in
solving the brutal murder

of a 4-year-old girl.

We have with us Lieutenant
Arthur Durant, investigating

officer on the case.

Lieutenant Durant,
could you tell us

a little something about
Barbara Jean and her family?

Barbara Jean was
4 and 1/2 years old.

She was the only child
of Sharon and John Faye.

She lived with her parents
in the northeast section

of Philadelphia, which
is a relatively crime

free, middle class section.

ROBERT STACK: What are the
circumstances of the murder?

On July 12, 1988,
approximately 3:00 PM

in the afternoon, her
mother was at work.

Barbara Jean was out front
of her house, playing.

Her father went to check on
her, and was unable to find her.

He became frantic, started
searching the area for her.

He checked with the
neighbors, he called police.

The police came and
they searched the area.

Approximately two hours
later, Barbara Jean was found,

stuffed inside a cardboard
box, approximately two blocks

from her home.

She'd been bludgeoned to death.

ROBERT STACK: What
clues do you have

to the identity of the killer?

Four eyewitnesses observed a
man at St. Vincent and Kastor,

carrying a cardboard box.

The man's been described
as approximately

25 to 35 years old, white
male, 5 foot 8, 180 pounds.

Sandy brown hair with a
little bit of blond up front.

At the time he was wearing a
white t-shirt, cut off jeans,

and he was carrying
a cardboard box

that previously
contained a 13 inch

color Hitachi television set.

How can our audience help
solve this tragic crime?

We feel there's somebody out
there tonight that might have

seen this male on
January 12, 1988,

or might know somebody
that's engaged

in this type of
criminal activity, that

might have been in
a Philadelphia area

and fits this description.

For every mystery,
there is someone,

somewhere who knows the truth.

Perhaps that someone
was watching.

Perhaps it's you.

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