Original subtitles

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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