Original subtitles

[music playing]

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: At the close of the Second World War,

a young woman entrusted her daughter to a sailor,

returning home from service overseas.

Now 49 years later, the Smoker Car baby has grown up

and needs your help to find the mother

who reluctantly gave her away.

East Chicago, Indiana, 1981, it was

politics as usual at a fundraiser for a leading

candidate for mayor.

Then a local mover and shaker named Jay Given was gunned down

in the lobby of the Elks Club, and the prime suspect

turned out to be a deputy police chief.

In 1992, Larry Costine was gunned

down at his ranch in Florida.

That same night, his girlfriend, Melissa Jo

Sermons mysteriously vanished.

Jo's family fears that she, too, may have met with foul play.

But police believe she may have been involved in Larry's death.

Join me.

For every mystery, there is someone who knows the truth.

Perhaps it's you.

[theme music]

East Chicago, Indiana, is a classic, industrial,

blue-collar community.

Like its famous namesake in Illinois,

everyday life in East Chicago was for years controlled

by the local political machine.

For two decades, one of the city's power brokers

was an attorney named Jay Given.

Given was a master fundraiser, a clever, behind-the-scenes

operator who traded on favors to create

strong political alliances.

JEFFREY GIVEN: My father was very powerful.

He understood how to win elections.

He was intimately familiar with the politicians,

the people in power.

He knew all the skeletons in their closet,

and that makes you very powerful in a town like this.

ROBERT STACK: But by the 1970s, the political machines

in the Midwest were beginning to come apart.

In 1970, Given had helped elect Bob

Pastrick, the city controller, as mayor of East Chicago.

But within two years, they were on the outs and no longer

allies.

JEFFREY GIVEN: On a number of issues,

my father and Mr. Pastrick split.

Obviously, my father's attentions

were starting to turn towards electing

somebody else other than Bob Pastrick as mayor.

ROBERT STACK: On May 15, 1981, the local Elks Club

was the scene of a Las-Vegas-style fundraiser

for County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann.

Spann, the city's foremost black politician,

was considering a run for mayor.

I'm gonna go right there.

OK.

Well, Jay Given.

- How are you this evening? - I'm glad you could come.

I'm fine.

Well, I'm delighted to be here.

ROBERT STACK: Jay Given's appearance at the fundraiser

was regarded by many as an attempt

to solidify East Chicago's white and black power

blocks against the growing political strength

of Hispanic Americans, who were backing

Bob Pastrick for re-election.

John, it's a pleasure to meet.

ROBERT STACK: Given worked the room for two hours.

Shortly after 11:00 PM, he said his goodbyes

and headed out of the club.

He never made it through the front door.

[gunshot]

Jay Given was shot once in the back of the head

at point-blank range.

He died in the entryway of the Elks Club,

within earshot of 400 people.

Incredibly, no one ever admitted to witnessing the shooting.

And 12 years later, police have yet to charge a suspect.

But on the night of the murder, detectives thought the case

might be wrapped up quickly, especially after they found

a shell casing in the foyer of the club

and a spent .45-caliber bullet in the street.

I was astonished at the remarkable condition

that this evidence was in.

The projectile came through the frontal part of his forehead,

went through the glass doors, hit the building

across the street, brick building,

and bounce back into the street.

It was in perfect condition, with the exception

of the nose of the projectile.

ROBERT STACK: Inspector DiCharia marked the evidence

and locked it in his desk drawer,

rather than check it into the vault.

Which is not uncommon, I've done it with other evidence.

My partner has done it with other evidence.

I just wanted the other teams to look at what

we had as far as evidence.

And I said, this is unbelievable.

ROBERT STACK: Four days later, Inspector DiCharia

was shocked when he opened his drawer

and discovered that someone had tampered with the evidence

in an apparent attempt to prevent

investigators from matching the bullet to a gun.

DICHARIA: On the shell casing, a hole

was punched through the primer.

The projectile, someone had taken a sharp instrument

and tried to cut the lines and grooves

where you couldn't identify it.

ROBERT STACK: The only people with access

to the evidence drawer worked in the police department.

The tampering had all the earmarks of an inside job.

DiCharia sent the altered bullet and shell casing to the FBI

for analysis.

Despite the damage, they identified the murder weapon

as a rare handgun called a Detonics.

The casing was eventually linked to one of only 58 Detonics

with a specially modified ejecting mechanism.

Incredibly, one of those guns was traced back to the East

Chicago Police Department.

The weapon was once owned by Deputy

Chief John Cardona, who was a prime suspect in the case.

Cardona had been a member of a Latino political club

that was at odds with Jay Given.

And several eyewitnesses placed him at the Elks Club

on the night of the shooting.

JOSEPH VAN BOKKELEN: Mr. Cardona was very active

in the Spanish organization.

They were not welcome at this event.

I think he gave two or three different reasons

why he was there, based on different conversations.

He at some point in time acknowledged that he

was there to watch Jay Given.

- Draw a king. - You're killing me.

A jack

You're killing me.

You're killing me.

ROBERT STACK: According to investigators,

a witness claims that Cardona seemed

to be following Given at one point during the evening.

JOSEPH VAN BOKKELEN: Given had made it clear

that if his people came in power in the city,

there were going to be some changes.

And Cardona was one of those changes.

As a matter of fact, the comment that was used, if he got in,

Cardona would be walking a beat.

ROBERT STACK: None of the witnesses

saw Cardona when Given made his way towards the exit.

However, one party goer says that shortly

before the shooting, he saw Given engage in a discussion

with a man in the lobby.

Investigators believe the man could have been John Cardona.

AUGUSTO FLORES, JR.: He described the man that

was talking with Mr. given as approximately 6' 1",

with black, wavy hair and a bluish-gray suit.

That could have been consistent with what

Mr. Cardona was wearing at the time and his size.

He went into the washroom.

And as he was in the washroom, he heard a gunshot.

When he came out of the washroom,

immediately he saw Mr. Given, lying face down on the floor.

And the other person was gone.

ROBERT STACK: Cardona said that he was in the bar

when Given was gunned down.

However, according to investigators,

several people said they did not remember

seeing him there at the time.

AUGUSTO FLORES, JR.: Witnesses who

were seated at the bar who know him could not place him there.

The only person that puts John in the bar

at the time of the shooting is John himself.

INVESTIGATOR: Did you tell the investigators the truth

about this case? ACTOR AS CARDONA: Yes.

ROBERT STACK: Over the next few weeks,

everyone in the police department

was asked to take a polygraph exam,

including Deputy Chief Cardona.

Cardona failed the test, and later he

refused to take a second exam.

Investigators believed that three key pieces of evidence

pointed to John Cardona.

He apparently fit the description of the man

seen talking with Given.

He owned a Detonics handgun, even though he said it had

been stolen six months earlier.

And Cardona did have access to the drawer

where the evidence had been kept.

But when viewed in a different light, what appears

to be overwhelming circumstantial evidence

actually makes John Cardona an unlikely suspect.

Why would a man as prominent as a deputy police chief

make a very visible appearance at a fundraiser

attended by 400 people?

Why would he then shadow the movements

of a known political rival for at least part of the evening,

as alleged by one witness?

And why would he murder that rival within earshot

of every guest at the party?

Perhaps it was these very questions that kept prosecutors

from pressing charges.

In fact, the case was never even brought before the grand jury.

I think the concern that the local prosecutor had was

that he could not afford to lose this case.

He wanted basically a case that was a locked type case.

And he didn't think this case was tight enough.

I would like to see an indictment.

I'd like to see a trial.

And if John Cardona didn't do it, then fine.

Let's put it to a jury.

And if he didn't do it in the eyes of the jury

beyond a reasonable doubt, there you have it.

Let's go after, you know, whoever did do it.

It's very frustrating to not have some closure on this.

ROBERT STACK: Who murdered Jay Given?

At this point, police believe there

are witnesses who may be able to help answer that question.

Just prior to the shooting, five people were descending

the stairway of the Elks Club.

Three of them, all men, were approaching the foot

of the steps at the precise moment

that Jay Given was gunned down.

The three men have never been identified.

The police hope that one of them saw the killer

and will now come forward with information.

When we return, a Florida rancher is murdered,

and his girlfriend mysteriously vanishes.

[theme music]

Larry Costine was a Southern cowboy.

Just before the turn of the century,

his great-great-grandfather had homesteaded

a stretch of harsh land in Central Florida

near the city of Lakeland.

Larry took his ranching heritage seriously.

He had spent his entire 31 years working with horses and cattle.

EARLOW COSTINE: Larry was riding a horse from the time

he was two years old.

He loved to work.

He loved to rodeo.

He was stout, husky, strong as a mule.

He wasn't the type of person to get into trouble.

He stayed away from trouble.

Of course, if it came along, he'd

no doubt take care of himself.

ROBERT STACK: Larry's uncle, Earlow,

was the barn manager for the Cattlemen's

Livestock Auction Market.

- Hi, Earlow. - Hi, Larry.

- Jo, how you doing? - Just fine.

How are you?

Hey, how many do you have?

ROBERT STACK: One of Earlow's employees

was Melissa Jo Sermons, whom everyone called Jo.

Jo, I'm gonna run these up to the office.

I'll be back later.

OK, I'll see you later.

Hey, you ain't said nothing to him about us, have you?

- Earlow? - Yeah.

No, I haven't said anything. Did you tell him something?

No, I didn't say anything.

ROBERT STACK: Unbeknownst even to Earlow, Jo and Larry

were romantically involved.

They kept their relationship a secret,

because Larry had just split up with his wife,

and Jo with her boyfriend.

You do?

OK, well, that's good.

ROBERT STACK: The boyfriend often worked

at the auction market, too.

By all accounts, he wasn't taking the breakup well.

EARLOW COSTINE: Different occasions, I've caught him.

He would be following her or watching her.

He was just very upset at the fact

that she had left his house.

And he was having to live by himself again.

He followed her continuously.

Jo and my other daughter went to the store.

He would follow them.

Midnight, you'd see him.

We even caught him sneaking down under the kitchen window,

listening to their conversation one night.

When we asked him what he was doing,

he said, oh, I thought I heard something out here.

And I was just looking.

But he was eavesdropping.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Sassoo's Arena

in Lacoochee, Florida.

ROBERT STACK: On Saturday, May 2, 1992,

Larry and Jo were in Dade City, Florida, for the weekly rodeo.

--red snorting steer out of chute number 1 right now.

ROBERT STACK: The events got underway around 10:00 PM.

Larry and Jo never missed the rodeo.

Larry was one of the local stars,

and his favorite event was team roping.

That night, Jo stuck by Larry's side, right up to the minute he

and his partner were called into the box.

[cheering]

Come on.

Come on.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are looking at a brand-new

winning time, with the two winners

taking home the purse tonight.

I told you that you would win.

I told you.

ROBERT STACK: Larry and his partner split a $350 purse.

The rodeo finished late that night.

Around 2:00 AM, Larry and Jo went

out to breakfast with a friend.

They dropped him off at 4:00 AM.

It is believed Jo and Larry arrived back at his trailer

around 4:15 Sunday morning.

No one knows exactly what happened after that.

When Jo didn't come home that night,

her mother called Earlow Costine.

For the first time, he learned of Jo and Larry's relationship.

Earlow called Larry's trailer, but Larry didn't answer.

The next morning, when Jo didn't show up for work,

Earlow drove to Larry's trailer.

He found Larry's truck in the driveway

and heard a radio on inside the trailer.

Earlow's frantic knocks at the door went unanswered.

EARLOW COSTINE: As soon as I got to the trailer

and seen the situation, I immediately called back

to my wife and told her to call the sheriff's department

and get them out there.

And I just-- a feeling came to me, that I knew in my mind

that something bad was wrong.

Thanks a lot for coming out.

I really appreciate this.

I'm Earlow Costine.

Bob Clayton, how you doing?

Bob, a pleasure, uh, I'm worried to death

about my nephew, Larry.

Have you tried to go inside the house yet?

No.

No, I haven't.

I-- I'm afraid to, to be honest about it.

Does anybody have a key to it?

I've got the key.

Sheriff's office, is anybody home?

Mr. Costine, is anybody home?

That's exactly what I got.

[gasping]

EARLOW COSTINE: When the deputy put the key in

and opened the door--

Just wait out here for me.

--the smell was unreal.

And I knew then that Larry was dead.

But I felt like both of them would be there

when we opened the door, being as both of them

was missing at the time.

And as soon as they told Earlow there was only one body,

he called us and told us at that time

that my daughter was missing.

And they did not know where she was at.

ROBERT STACK: Larry Costine had been found

nude on his bedroom floor, shot through the head

four times with a handgun.

His bed had not been slept in.

There was no sign of a struggle or robbery.

And one of Larry's guns was missing.

The Polk County Sheriff's Department launched

an all-out investigation.

At first, suspicion focused on Jo's ex-boyfriend.

Take some photographs for me.

BOB ORE: We interviewed him.

He was able to give us an alibi for his particular time

and location when the actual murder occurred.

I don't feel that the ex-boyfriend at this time

has any involvement.

I have no evidence to indicate that.

Let's move down to that end.

ROBERT STACK: Soon, Jo herself became a suspect.

But Earlow Costine is convinced that Jo Sermons

did not murder his nephew.

I feel like somebody watched Larry, knew

Larry was at a roping, knew Jo was with Larry,

followed Larry home, or knew when he was coming home,

and was waiting for him.

Let's get a beer.

No, you don't need no beer.

EARLOW COSTINE: Personally, I feel

like it was somebody real jealous of his actions

that particular night, being with Jo,

spending the night with Jo.

[gunfire]

I said now.

Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?

Didn't I tell you?

I think Jo was probably taken at gunpoint

and at a later time murdered.

I think Jo's dead.

If we want to look at Jo's ex-boyfriend as a suspect

in this case, I think that he would

have probably committed the offense

in a different situation.

I don't think that it would have happened in the residence.

I don't think he would have allowed Jo and Larry to spend

time in the residence alone, and also the fact that, of course,

there is no struggle.

ROBERT STACK: The authorities believe

Jo Sermons may be the only person who could have

gotten close enough to Larry Costine

to kill him without a struggle.

Is it possible that something happened

in the trailer that night, something

that provoked Jo to violence?

I think Larry could have made her mad.

He can make anybody mad in a split second.

He'll push, push, and push until he does make you mad.

They might have gotten into an argument,

and that led into one thing or another.

ACTOR AS LARRY: Come on, Jo.

You can spend the night.

Come on.

DONNA COSTINE: I mean, she could have been joking,

but it just led into something violent.

ACTOR AS LARRY: Put the gun down, Jo.

Put it down. Hey, OK.

Go ahead and shoot me. Go ahead.

[gunfire]

DONNA COSTINE: In my heart, I strongly believe that she is

alive and that she is hiding.

Based on everything that I have learned, at this time

I feel that Jo was in some way involved in the murder,

either actually committing the murder, or possibly a witness

to it.

But she has some type of involvement

and/or knowledge about it.

I think her ex-boyfriend's kidnapped her.

I would like to think she's still alive,

but I really don't believe that they could hold her this long.

I believe she's dead.

I've come to terms with God.

I just want him to help me settle this case, to find

out who did it and let them pay the penalty

that they should pay.

ROBERT STACK: Ever since that night Larry Costine

was murdered, there have been sightings

of Melissa Jo Sermons at truck stops

in Florida, Texas, and Kansas.

The authorities believe the sightings are reliable.

Earlow Costine does not.

I feel like by now, that she'd have

made a move to come back or see her mother and her sisters.

I can't believe that anybody's ever really seen her.

They've seen people that they thought maybe was her.

The authorities continue to investigate

this case on the assumption that Jo Sermons is still alive.

Jo holds a license to operate a tractor-trailer.

Two witnesses claim they saw her behind the wheel of a big rig,

hauling livestock.

Nearly 50 years ago, a young mother,

barely able to support herself, reluctantly gave up her baby.

Perhaps you can help reunite them, next.

[theme music]

August 14, 1945, the end of the Second World War,

all across the country, people spontaneously

took to the streets in joyous celebration.

There would be no more fighting.

The troops were coming home.

Life would return to normal.

In November of that year, Seaman First Class Donald Caffrey

boarded a train in Seattle, heading home

to his wife in Omaha, Nebraska, after almost two years at sea.

In the smoker car, Donald ran into a young woman

named Dorothy Johnson.

Hey, beautiful.

ROBERT STACK: Separated from her husband, and just 17,

Dorothy was traveling to Utica, New

York, with her 11-month-old daughter, Eyvonne.

Do you mind holding her a while?

No, no, not at all.

ROBERT STACK: Donald was delighted to hold Eyvonne.

And before long, he became her unofficial babysitter.

That evening, as the train proceeded east,

Dorothy sat with Donald and slowly revealed

the details of her life.

When we get to Utica, I'm going to have

to put her in a foster home.

ROBERT STACK: Dorothy was in dire financial straits

and had no way of supporting her baby.

Because I can't take care of her.

I-- I'm sorry.

DONALD CAFFREY: I talked quite a bit to her.

That's OK.

I'm going to get a job.

And as we started getting closer to Omaha,

why, I asked her if she would like to have me take the baby

home with me till she got settled

and could send for the baby.

Or maybe I could bring it to her.

And she agreed on that.

I thought I'd better get something on paper

to prove that I wasn't kidnapping the child.

So I thought of this idea of writing up this agreement.

ROBERT STACK: The agreement stated

that Dorothy had willingly entrusted Eyvonne to Donald's

care and that if she did not call

for the child within 60 days, Donald and his wife

could begin adoption proceedings.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: I feel at that time,

she was at her last rope.

She didn't know what to do with this child.

I think that she picked him because she

could see that he cared.

And he has compassion for people,

and he has a very good heart.

And I feel like she knew that.

She knew when she said, will you take this child,

that she could trust him.

ROBERT STACK: At 2:00 PM on November 16,

the train pulled into Omaha.

Donald's wife, Barbara, and his parents

were there to give him a hero's welcome.

Donald.

Barbara.

MAN: Now boarding the Omaha to Utica Express.

DONALD CAFFREY: I got off the train and hugged and kissed.

And then I told her the good news.

Who's this?

Well, she needed a home.

A woman on the train asked me to keep her.

DONALD CAFFREY: That kind of shocked her,

set her back on her heels.

I tried to explain the whole thing to my wife,

and she didn't really believe it at first.

She thought it was probably some of my scouting around.

ROBERT STACK: Barbara soon got over her initial shock.

Within days, both of the Caffreys

were completely in love with Eyvonne.

However, when county officials caught

wind of the unusual arrangement, Donald and Barbara

became fearful that Eyvonne would be taken from them.

They decided to file for legal custody

before the agreed-upon 60 days.

A few days later, Donald received

a wire from Dorothy Johnson.

Thank you very much.

ACTRESS AS DOROTHY: "Arrived home Tuesday,

and I want Eyvonne very much.

How is she, anyway?

Dorothy Johnson."

ROBERT STACK: Donald was in a quandary.

The very next day, he and Barbara were due in court

for the custody hearing.

Donald decided to proceed, believing it was

in Eyvonne's best interests.

What is the word from the child's natural mother,

uh, Dorothy Johnson?

She has not appeared.

ROBERT STACK: The judge said that before making a decision,

he would need to speak personally

with Dorothy Johnson.

The child is how old?

ROBERT STACK: A new court date was scheduled.

Eyvonne was placed in temporary foster care

and became an overnight celebrity.

Newspapers throughout the country seized upon the story.

They dubbed Eyvonne the Smoker Car Baby.

Dorothy Johnson was summoned to Omaha to explain her actions.

Otherwise, she might be charged with parental neglect.

Dorothy never appeared in court, but a witness

did show up to challenge the Caffrey's custody suit.

Your honor, Dorothy is afraid to come to Omaha herself,

as she faces charges of neglect.

She fears going to jail.

I'm Dorothy Johnson's sister.

I've come from New York in hopes of adopting the baby myself.

I feel I can provide a good and decent home for the child.

And I'm sure in time, the baby would respond

to me as her own mother.

Request denied.

I had never seen anybody.

Nobody ever showed up on my doorstep or called me

or asked me for the baby back or a thing.

So we just went ahead and decided to adopt her.

In light of your ongoing commitment to the child--

ROBERT STACK: In June of 1947, after a two-year struggle,

a juvenile court judge awarded the Caffreys sole custody.

--custody of the child to Donald and Barbara Caffrey.

ROBERT STACK: By now, Eyvonne had been renamed Sandra Lee.

The Smoker Car Baby ceased to be headline material.

When Sandra was nine, her parents separated.

She spent most of her time with her grandmother.

When Sandra was 18, her adopted mother finally told

her the truth about her past.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: When I found out that I was adopted,

I was really surprised.

I came back home.

And I said, Grandmother, was I adopted?

And my grandmother said, yes, with tears in her eyes

because I really don't think she ever really wanted me to know.

ROBERT STACK: A few months later, Sandra received

an unusual letter in the mail.

For the first time, she saw the face of her natural mother.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: When the picture came in this envelope,

there was no address, no note.

It could have been my mother that sent the article.

And maybe she was afraid to come out.

Maybe she just wanted to be in the background,

but let me be able to see.

It's a mystery.

It's a mystery.

ROBERT STACK: The letter was postmarked Omaha, Nebraska.

Only later did Sandra discover that an anonymous woman had

phoned her grandmother and asked if she

could send Sandra clippings about the Smoker Car Baby.

Today, armed with little more than faded clippings

and a single photograph of Dorothy Johnson,

Sandra is more determined than ever

to reunite with the mother who reluctantly gave

her away nearly 50 years ago.

I think she got scared.

I think she wanted me.

But I don't think she had any help, maybe from her family,

to help her try to get back to me.

There's a void in my life.

I know in her life there's that void, too,

and there's lots of hurt.

On the night of our broadcast, Sandra Lee Nelson's long search

came to a bittersweet end.

A viewer called our phone center with the sad news

that Dorothy Johnson had passed away in 1968.

However, Sandra was overjoyed to learn that she had an Uncle

Mickey and two aunts, Jan and Alice,

who had always wondered about Sandra

and were anxious to meet her.

A month later, on December 28, 1993, Sandra and her husband,

Chet, arrived in Syracuse, New York,

to receive a most remarkable Christmas gift--

a house full of relatives, waiting to meet

Sandra for the very first time.

I didn't think I'd ever find anyone.

It just gave me chills.

It just made me feel real warm, like, oh,

gee, what a nice family.

This is Dorothy and Herald.

Oh, Dorothy and Wayne.

That's Wayne.

ROBERT STACK: Sandra and her new family

began to compare notes on Dorothy Johnson's life.

Although Sandra was unable to learn the identity of her birth

father, she did discover that in the early 1950s,

Dorothy had married a man named Wayne Rogers.

Sandra now would like to find Wayne Rogers,

in the hope that she can fill in the remaining gaps in her past.

Now this is the only picture I have of me.

I'm getting little bits and pieces

from friends and relatives, telling

me a little bit about her.

You know, these little things mean a great deal to me.

I have found a family, a wonderful family that I

never thought I'd ever have.

This is the best holiday.

One more hug.

OK.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: The best time in my life.

ROBERT STACK: When we return, authorities need your help

in the case of a vicious, unknown assailant

who targets young girls.

The neighborhood park-- in a perfect world,

a refuge from the realities of urban life,

filled with the sounds of children at play.

But on May 26, 1992, a park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,

became the backdrop for a parent's worst nightmare.

Mom, I forgot my shoes.

ROBERT STACK: Across the street from the park,

a 3-year-old girl named Mandy lived with her aunt.

Mandy had spent most of the afternoon

in the playground, which was almost like her own backyard.

At 6:00 PM, she returned to retrieve her shoes.

(SINGING) I've been working on the railroad,

all the live-long day.

I've been working on the railroad,

just to pass the time away.

Come on.

Go, go, go, go.

Come on.

You can do it.

OK, guys, face off.

I got worried, and I went out to go and find her.

And when I did get out to the park,

there was a guy out there, playing

ball hockey with his kids.

Have you seen Mandy anywhere?

I've been looking all over for her.

Uh, well, I saw her over by the swing set.

AUDREY: He said he had just seen Mandy about five minutes

earlier, getting her shoes, but he didn't

see which way Mandy went.

Mandy!

ROBERT STACK: Audrey combed the neighborhood

for two solid hours.

Finally, she called the police.

They launched their own search, but also came up empty handed.

Mandy!

ROBERT STACK: 19 hours later, a group of horseback riders

came across Mandy in a remote field, 9 miles from her home.

Oh, my God, Daryl, just a minute, just a minute, Laurie.

ROBERT STACK: She had a one-inch welt

on her neck from being choked and had

been sexually assaulted.

She was partially clothed, and both of her shoes were missing.

But amazingly, Mandy was still alive.

It was quite obvious to everyone involved that she

had been left for dead.

She was injured to such an extent

that the perpetrator definitely wanted her to be dead.

I wouldn't have believed that she

could have made it out there, the way they found her.

But then when I thought about it after, she was a miracle.

It was a miracle that she lived through that.

ROBERT STACK: Apparently, the assailant

had driven into the field and thrown Mandy from the car

without stopping.

But he had left nothing in the way of evidence.

Mandy initially wasn't able to tell

us an awful lot because she was only 3 and 1/2 years old.

However, as time progresses, she is giving

us more and more information.

She is actually a very bright young girl.

In my opinion, if she sees the person or persons responsible,

she will be able to identify them.

I think we have something over here.

ROBERT STACK: Within 5 miles of the spot where Mandy was found,

the police chanced upon tattered pieces of her skirt

and one of her sneakers.

The police believed the items were discarded by the assailant

shortly after he dumped Mandy by the side of the room.

The shoe was minus the laces.

We're still missing at this time her left shoe.

The person responsible may be saving these items as a bit

of a trophy, a keepsake.

And we're hopeful as well that perhaps somebody may have seen

the shoe or perhaps the part of that jean skirt

in the person's vehicle.

ROBERT STACK: The investigation soon stalled.

Four months later on September 4,

a local newspaper reported that the police

had uncovered no further clues.

Essentially, the case was at a dead end.

Home base.

No fair, you cheated.

ROBERT STACK: Two days later, a six-year-old girl

and her five-year-old friend were playing

outside their apartment building,

just 4 miles from where Mandy lived.

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 99, 100.

[screaming]

Mom!

ROBERT STACK: Minutes later, an 11-year-old boy

looked out his window and saw a man getting into a blue van

with a little girl.

The abducted girl was six-year-old Corrine Gustavson,

who was nicknamed Punky.

The police immediately set up a command post

and, aided by dozens of volunteers,

launched a widespread search.

Punky's parents, Karen and Raymond,

could do little more than sit at home and wait.

We were just feeling sick and worried.

You know, what could have happen to her?

And what could he be doing to her,

and if we would ever find her?

ROBERT STACK: Three days passed.

Then on September 8, at a truck yard in the southeast

section of Edmonton, a driver noticed

what he thought was a rag doll.

Punky Gustavson had been murdered.

Punky had been raped and smothered.

Her death brought Mandy's assault

back into the public eye.

However, unlike Mandy's case, clues

had been left at the scene.

We were able to obtain footprints and tire prints.

The tire prints indicated that the suspect drove

a mid-sized, North-American, front wheel drive vehicle

with Goodyear Invicta GLs on the back with approximately 20%

wear and bald tires on the front.

The footprints indicated that he wore a miter type baseball

cleat, size 5 and 1/2 to 7.

This was a patented trade design, manufactured in Canada.

We were able to determine that Corinne was, in fact, killed

at another location and dumped in the truck yard,

much the same as what happened to Mandy,

being dumped in the field.

The distance the victims were transported after abduction,

what was done to the victims by the offender, all facts

of the case lead me to believe that both crimes were committed

by the same individual.

ROBERT STACK: Ron McKay is Canada's

foremost criminal profiler.

He has developed a detailed personality

portrait of the assailant.

In my opinion, this offender is in his late teens

to early 20s.

He probably doesn't have a girlfriend,

somewhat of a loner.

He's a fantasy-motivated individual.

And his fantasy is only satisfied temporarily.

So therefore after he regains some confidence,

and if the fantasy continues untreated,

then the probability of him re-offending

in a similar fashion is a very real probability.

ROBERT STACK: Since Punky's death,

the Edmonton Police have launched their largest media

campaign ever.

Someone out there knows this guy,

be it their next-door neighbor, their schoolmate,

their fellow employee, or the little paper

boy that lived down the block.

Our bad guy doesn't have to look like any kind of a monster.

He could just look like your boy next door.

I'm going to bring you on stage here for just a minute.

OK, how old are you?

Six.

Oh, bummer, you've got to be seven to do

this trick, yeah, seven, seven.

How old are you?

Seven.

ROBERT STACK: This home video was taken to two months

before Corrine died.

The police have not ruled out the possibility

that the same man who murdered Corrine

may have also attacked Mandy.

I know it would give our family a sense of relief,

knowing that he's behind bars.

And somebody else isn't going to have to go through what

we're going through.

And some poor, little kid isn't going to have to suffer

like Corrine must have.

As long as he's out on the streets,

every little kid is in jeopardy.

[music playing]

Join me next time for another intriguing addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]