Original subtitles

NARRATOR: 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.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: For nearly 20 years,

Nancy Myer has proved an invaluable tool

for law enforcement.

But Nancy is no ordinary investigator.

She apparently employs psychic abilities to divine clues that

might otherwise go unnoticed.

Tonight, you'll see Nancy in action

as she searches for answers in the tragic murder

of a young girl in Florida.

In 1980, 15-year-old Michele Donahoe ran away from home.

En route to Texas, Michele was befriended

by three good Samaritans who guided her

through her dangerous journey.

Michele needs your help to find her protectors so she

can finally say thank you.

And one of the great mysteries of the sea--

in 1872, a schooner christened the Mary

Celeste weighed anchor in New York Harbor

and set sail for Europe.

Four weeks later, she was found drifting in the Atlantic

Ocean near Portugal.

The Mary Celeste was in virtually perfect condition,

yet the captain, his family, and the crew

had inexplicably vanished.

For more than a century, the mysterious fate

of the ghost ship has tantalized storytellers and historians

alike.

Join me for this intriguing legend

and much more on "Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]

What if your mind worked like a television set?

What if you could change channels at will, tune

into programs no one else could see?

And what if you could never turn the set off?

You're about to meet a remarkable woman named

Nancy Myer who apparently has the extraordinary mind

of a psychic.

She didn't ask for it.

She doesn't always like it.

Yet she has learned to put it to good use.

When you are working with individuals yourself

in the field, I am sure, because many cops have said this to me,

I'm not psychic.

No, I don't want to be weird like you.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy Myer of Greensburg, Pennsylvania

has been working with police departments

around the country for nearly two decades.

Her track record would be the envy of any detective.

In some 300 criminal investigations,

Nancy says she has turned up crucial new information

more than 80% of the time.

It's like the ultimate challenge

because most of my cases are murders.

Only two people knew what happened,

the victim and the killer.

The only way to find out is telepathy.

When you find someone like her and, of course,

after you get her where she wants to become involved,

then you have yourself a tool, a fantastic tool.

It's not gonna solve your crimes in a lot of cases.

But it's gonna give you that extra bit of information where

your investigators have the opportunity of going

out and continuing the case.

This is the neighborhood where it all occurred.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy's first major case came in 1977

when a desperate detective in Wilmington, Delaware

asked her to help him track down an unknown serial rapist.

The interesting thing, though, is--

LEROY LANDON: I didn't really have any faith

at all in psychics or whatever.

We had never used one.

I had never considered using one.

But the women were hesitant about

by making identifications, looking at pictures,

and stuff like that.

And we was just kind of stuck, really.

Most people in the department were

very skeptical of the psychic.

As a matter of fact, to the point of it

was a joke that there goes poor Leroy Landon, my partner,

off with his sidekick.

And he must be getting old.

Do you remember what he looked like?

Yes.

ROBERT STACK: The detectives had given Nancy no specific details

about the rapes.

At the home of the first victim, both men

were stunned when Nancy was able to improve upon the victim's

own sketch of the rapist.

--something with the eyes that's different about this.

Do you mind changing the eye-- eyebrows a little bit?

Sure.

NANCY MYER: The shape was a little bit off to me.

And she thought about it.

And she said, I think you're right.

And then she made the change.

You know, you're right.

It does look more like him.

NANCY MYER: And she said to the detectives,

that's more accurate.

She said, I knew there was something wrong with it.

That's more accurate.

Thanks again, Mrs. Williams.

We appreciate everything you've done for us.

We'll be in touch.

NANCY MYER: When we were leaving,

she reached out and grabbed my hand

and forearm with her hands.

All this stuff came pouring into my head.

And all of a sudden, I was getting much clearer pictures.

It's like trying to watch a car and get

the license number when it's traveling

at an excessive speed.

It's very hard to do that.

And you have to sort of let all the information

flow through, and then try to slow it down and rerun it.

And then I could see one image of him sleeping.

So I could really study his features.

Interspersed was this uniform.

And I could see a number, but it was faded.

And I could see an emblem, but it was faded.

And it looked like a work suit.

And it had these kind of clodhoppery black shoes

and the white socks.

ROBERT STACK: After the meeting, Nancy

suddenly went into a trance-like state

and literally took off down the street.

The same thing would happen after she met each rape victim.

First we would start off riding,

then we would get out of the car and physically walk.

And when she would go into her little--

I guess you could call it bloodhound-type,

tongue hanging out scouting or patrolling

or whatever you want to call it, we would be doing,

like, a canvas, but on foot.

And you would have to watch her because she definitely didn't

pay attention to what she was doing because she

would walk right out in the street or across the street

or whatever.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy always seemed

to end up at the same street corner in a residential area

near downtown Wilmington.

[music playing]

He's around here somewhere.

Which way? Left?

Right? Up the street?

Down the street?

NANCY MYER: I just kept looking up the street and saying,

this is the street he's coming back to.

I just followed him.

This way.

Down here on the left? The right?

Which one?

NANCY MYER: So then, you know, well, which house?

Give me the house number.

We don't want a little bit.

We want more.

Well, I gave you the street.

What do you want?

The house number would be real nice.

And I just refused to go up the street.

And they really pestered me.

But they both knew me well enough

to know that I wasn't budging.

I sort of was afraid he might walk out the door of a house,

and there I'd be nose to nose with him.

And I didn't want that to happen.

ROBERT STACK: The clues kept adding up,

but nothing concrete emerged.

Finally, Nancy accompanied one victim to the actual spot

where the rape had happened.

Nancy instinctively focused on the telephone.

[music playing]

Did he use the phone when he was here?

ROBERT STACK: Amazingly, Nancy's hunch

jogged the victim's memory.

The rapist had used the phone and, more importantly,

the Yellow Pages.

We took the phone book, naturally,

and sent it down to the FBI in Washington laboratory.

And we did get a couple fingerprints.

ROBERT STACK: Without a suspect, the fingerprints were useless.

As the investigation progressed, Nancy

found herself drawn back to the same street corner time

after time.

Got to go down that street now.

ROBERT STACK: Now she knew she had to go farther.

We got guns.

OK.

ROBERT STACK: Half a block down Shallcross Avenue,

Nancy stopped dead in her tracks.

[music playing]

This is it.

This is the house.

He definitely comes and goes from here.

By that time, I wasn't so skeptic anymore, personally.

Of course, my partner, he still thinks I'm nuts at that point

for fooling with her.

But that's beside the point.

So I had a little faith in her.

So whatever she more or less said,

I would definitely try to do something about

and make something out of it because I

was, I guess, a convert then.

I was a believer in her.

Sorry about these files.

I probably should be a little bit sharper.

ROBERT STACK: The detectives immediately questioned

the owner of the building.

This guy come in, uh, about a week ago.

Yeah, he and his girlfriend.

They take over, uh, a week this Monday.

There you go. - Take a look?

Sure.

LEROY LANDON: He gave me the name

of the applicants for the apartment

that was being refurbished. - Derrick Stephens.

I know that name.

Why do I know that name?

LEROY LANDON: The man's name I recognized myself

from another case previous.

Can't be the same guy.

No way, 'cause he'd still be in jail.

So anyway, I called the jail.

And I find out that he's on this work furlough release

program or something and that he's out every day

looking for a job.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle

fell into place.

Incredibly, the man's prison uniform

mirrored Nancy's vision--

a navy blue shirt, a serial number

patch on the breast pocket, black shoes, and white socks.

But it was the prisoner's fingerprints

that sealed his fate.

They matched the prints lifted from the yellow pages.

Number three.

ROBERT STACK: In the end, the suspect was identified

by six of the victims.

That's him.

I'm positive.

ROBERT STACK: He was eventually convicted and sentenced

to a total of 150 years in prison.

NANCY MYER: When I was called and told what had happened,

it was like I had to keep asking them.

And finally, one of the detectives

said, you don't really believe you did it, did you?

I said, no, I don't.

It was just incredible because that one,

I was able to produce more result each time I worked.

When you come to a dead end and you have no place to go,

if you have someone who can open a door say,

hey, I think I can help you, and just

through her psychic powers, she's able to put

us out into another lead.

Then through good investigation techniques,

we can go and continue and solve the crime.

And that's what we've done.

Being a psychic involves being able to pick

up a great deal of information from a variety of things.

ROBERT STACK: What are we to make of the apparent powers

of Nancy Myer?

Does she have the uncanny ability to see and sense things

that the rest of us can't?

Last summer, we asked Nancy to travel to Brooksville, Florida,

where the sheriff's department was

investigating a particularly tragic murder case.

12-year-old Jennifer Odom was a bright,

vivacious seventh grader.

On the afternoon of February 19, 1993,

she got off the school bus at a stop

just 200 yards from her home.

Then, Jennifer vanished.

[music playing]

The community mobilized.

For nearly a week, hundreds of friends and neighbors

combed the woods.

Finally, six days after Jennifer disappeared,

her body was found.

She had been brutally murdered.

16 months later, Nancy Myer would be brought in

to work with local detectives.

NANCY MYER: Put these kind of over there

because these are the ones I'll be working with.

ROBERT STACK: The crime scene photographs in the Jennifer

Odom case are classified, so Nancy

was not allowed to view them.

Now I'm getting two individuals.

ROBERT STACK: What you are watching is real.

Even with the photographs turned face down on the table,

Nancy was able to visualize not one, but two killers in detail.

--6 foot 1.

He is of medium build.

He looks to me to be quite--

I want to say almost wiry looking in the arms.

His arms are not, like, powerful in the sense of muscle

building, but powerful in the sense of someone

who works and lifts or has lifted heavy things.

Where did the friend say she was?

Over there?

ROBERT STACK: The next day, Nancy

visited the scene of the abduction,

Jennifer's school bus stop.

Nancy she began to tell the sheriff's detectives what

she was sensing had happened.

--car is right now is where they stopped.

And then the one guy came walking back,

hailed her, started asking her directions.

ROBERT STACK: The detectives listened

to everything Nancy said, but at the time made no comment.

--the situation.

She starts to move.

It's like being in a movie in my head.

And I stand beside the victim.

And I try to describe everything that I'm seeing as it unfolds.

And the minute she turned around--

And a lot of times, that's really helpful to the police

officers because sometimes they have odd pieces of evidence

at the scene they don't understand the significance of.

And when I describe the sequence of events,

it sometimes makes sense out of odd little pieces

that they couldn't make any sense out of.

ROBERT STACK: The spot where Jennifer's body was discovered

is marked by flowers and a cross.

This is where you found her?

I don't think this is where she died.

I'm sure you took this whole place apart.

Did you find some small, metal jewelry

of hers up in this area?

Like a medallion or something, back in that direction.

We did find some of her jewelry.

OK.

There's a feeling of something there.

She was extremely accurate on some things

that kind of led us to look in other areas

that we hadn't thought of.

And so we basically obtained a lot of information

from what she had to offer.

I was impressed with Nancy.

Some things she said were so darn accurate, it's scary.

And then some things she said were a little bit off the wall.

But I was impressed, and I would definitely recommend her again.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy went on to suggest that there was evidence

in the area yet to be found.

There should be more stuff back in there.

And there should be, um, what would have looked

like the strap off of, uh, some kind

of a carry case or something.

And it would have been black with lettering

and, like, bluish colors.

It would have looked fairly new.

It was used to restrain her.

The hardest part of this is dealing with the devastation

that people wreak on each other.

I find it particularly difficult working on the cases

with the children that have been killed.

They threw something of hers.

My heart just goes out to the families.

It's frustrating to me when everything

doesn't just fall into place.

--this side.

I walked over the other side.

I don't pick up any feeling on the other side,

but I'm gonna walk back up there as a cross-check.

But it just feels like there's--

[music playing]

Near the memorial to Jennifer Odom,

Nancy Myers spoke of the possible existence

of a carrying case with lettering on it.

The sheriff's department has since

revealed that Jennifer Odom had her cousin's clarinet with her

when she was abducted.

The letters LO were on the carrying case.

The name Odom was carved into the clarinet itself.

Neither the clarinet, the case, nor Jennifer's

white zip-up pup-club sweatshirt with the word "Hooters"

in orange on the left sleeve has ever been found.

[music playing]

Next, the century-old mystery of the Mary Celeste.

What happened to the captain and crew

of the legendary ghost ship?

[music playing]

It was a glorious time, a golden age of sailing ships.

100 years ago, graceful brigs and clippers

rode the winds, linking Europe, America, and the exotic East.

But not every ship reached her destination safely.

On a crisp November morning in 1872,

a brigantine name the Mary Celeste

sailed from New York Harbor and into legend,

enshrined as the most infamous ghost ship of them all.

[music playing]

Four weeks after embarking for Europe,

the Mary Celeste would be found drifting several hundred miles

off the coast of Portugal, abandoned

but curiously still on course.

The veil of mystery stretches back to the evening

before the Mary Celeste departed, when her captain, one

Benjamin Briggs, his wife, and a guest

shared a quiet farewell dinner.

Mrs. Briggs, you must be looking

forward to the weather in the Mediterranean

this time of year.

Oh, I am.

Sarah and I feel that--

ROBERT STACK: Benjamin Briggs of Marion, Massachusetts

had already captained ships for a decade

when he took the helm of the Mary Celeste.

CONRAD BYERS: He came from a family of seafarers.

He was considered quite a religious man.

Captain Briggs was a noted good captain.

He could be stern and so on.

But he was always noted as being fair.

Are you bringing the children?

Sophie will be coming with us, and Arthur

will remain here in school.

ROBERT STACK: Benjamin's wife, Sarah,

was herself a veteran of several voyages,

and would be along for the fateful trip.

Much speculation has centered on the Briggs' guest that evening,

Captain David Morehouse.

His ship, the Dei Gratia, would sail for Europe eight days

after the Mary Celeste.

Morehouse would be swept up in the bizarre events that

were about to unfold, but some have asked

whether by chance or by design.

Well, here's to a smooth crossing and calm seas.

God willing.

ROBERT STACK: The next morning, November 5,

1872, the Mary Celeste weighed anchor and set sail for Europe.

[music playing]

Stowed securely below deck were more than 1,000

barrels of pure alcohol, highly prized

in the Italian wine trade.

It was a valuable but dangerous cargo.

Alcohol fumes were notoriously volatile, even explosive.

[music playing]

From New York, Captain Briggs set a course almost due east.

The Mary Celeste would sail more than 5,000 miles,

past the Azores, through the Strait of Gibraltar,

and into the Mediterranean, finally

docking at Genoa, Italy.

[music playing]

10 days out of port, the Mary Celeste was

buffeted by a howling storm.

[knocking]

Come in?

SAILOR: Excuse me, Captain, ma'am.

I've taken in the topsails, but she's still breezing up.

ROBERT STACK: Winter winds whipped the Mary

Celeste for better than a week.

SAILOR: I'd like to take in more sail.

Let's have a look.

ROBERT STACK: According to the captain's logbook

the Mary Celeste stayed on course.

On the 10th day, the weather cleared.

In his log, Captain Briggs placed the Mary Celeste

a mere six miles off the Azores.

The date of the entry was November 25, 1872,

the last entry ever made by Captain Briggs.

[music playing]

10 days passed.

Mr. Wright?

Captain?

ROBERT STACK: On board the Dei Gratia,

Captain Morehouse was about to make a discovery that would

plunge him into controversy.

OLIVER DEVEAU: Something strange off the starboard bow, Captain.

DAVID MOREHOUSE: Looks like she's floundering.

Couple of sails have blown away.

OLIVER DEVEAU: Can you tell yet who she is?

It's the Mary Celeste.

Hello!

Captain Briggs!

ROBERT STACK: The Dei Gratia's first mate, Oliver Deveau,

led a boarding party to the Mary Celeste.

CONRAD BYERS: They came near and tried to signal it,

received no return signal.

Came closer to it, saw no one on deck.

They thought maybe at first that it might have been

what they called a fever ship.

And they thought that maybe people were aboard down below,

dead of some sort of fever.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: A haunting silence shrouded the Mary Celeste.

If a killer fever had swept through the ship,

it had left no victims behind.

You check below.

I'll go aft.

I don't like this at all.

Hello?

Anybody below?

ROBERT STACK: Deveau was concerned to find the ship's

compass shattered, and he was mystified

by a long rope that snaked across the deck

and off the stern of the ship.

[music playing]

In the cabins, personal possessions, money,

and gold jewelry lay undisturbed,

as though everyone had been on board

one moment, gone the next.

The captain's navigation instruments and the ship's

papers were missing.

But Oliver Deveau claimed he found no evidence

of foul play, no reason for the Mary Celeste

to have been abandoned.

[music playing]

Only one fact was certain--

the Mary Celeste and her precious cargo of alcohol

could be worth a fortune in salvage rights

to whoever brought her to port.

Morehouse seized the opportunity.

With First Mate Deveau now at the helm of the Mary Celeste,

the two ships set a course for Gibraltar.

There, a British vice admiralty court would review

Morehouse's salvage claim.

[music playing]

His arrival in Gibraltar provoked an immediate uproar.

Rumors that Captain Morehouse was

guilty of fraud and conspiracy swept the city

even as a court convened.

And you were the first to board the Mary Celeste.

Is that correct?

That's right, myself and my second mate, Mr. Wright.

And when you boarded her, what was the condition of the ship?

OLIVER DEVEAU: She was in relatively good condition.

ROBERT STACK: The government's chief investigator

was a flamboyant Irishman named Solly flood.

CONRAD BYERS: He was very suspicious.

He had a certain bent for the dramatic, I think.

He kind of immediately saw foul play involved.

And all during the proceedings, he

tried to indicate that there had been some sort

of conspiracy involved here.

And Captain Morehouse and Captain Briggs of the Mary

Celeste were friends?

They were colleagues.

In fact, they had dinner together the night

before the Mary Celeste left for Italy.

The night before the Mary Celeste set off?

Do you think it's possible that the two of 'em

might have been in collusion?

Sir, Captain Morehouse is an honorable man.

Yes, of course.

ROBERT STACK: Lack of evidence eventually force

Flood to drop his allegations.

But he quickly dreamed up a more sensational scenario--

mutiny and murder.

[music playing]

And how many are empty?

Well, I found five or six right here.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste was impounded.

Inspectors under Flood's personal supervision

combed the ship.

So what do you think, Mr. Tolby?

ROBERT STACK: They discovered that nine of the alcohol

barrels were empty.

Flood rejected all but his own explanation.

No, I think it more likely that the crew of the Mary

Celeste opened up these casks.

Maybe we should investigate--

ROBERT STACK: It was in Captain Briggs's cabin

that Solly Flood found what he believed

was proof positive of mutiny.

Mr. Steadman, are you familiar with this sword?

Aye, sir.

And, uh, what kind of a sword is it?

I take it to be Italian, about the turn of the century.

And what would a sword like this--

ROBERT STACK: Flood had concocted a wild theory--

the crew of the Mary Celeste had broken into the alcohol,

and in a drunken fury slaughtered

Captain Briggs and his family.

Then, they fled in a lifeboat.

And could a sword like this inflict a wound?

You can inflict a wound with almost anything, sir.

Well, I suggest a wound was inflicted.

Look at the stain on the sword.

Begging your pardon, sir, but I think

you'll find that to be rust.

Well, I'll have a medical expert--

no, a team of medical experts--

examine this.

And then we'll see whether it's rust or not.

Thank you, Mr. Steadman.

ROBERT STACK: The test would later reveal

that the stains were not blood.

The mutiny theory collapsed.

FRANCIS BOWKER: Flood just absolutely refused

to admit that there hadn't been a murder.

But he never did get any satisfaction

from the government.

And they just repudiated everything that he said.

The Mary Celeste is released from custody.

A salvage settlement is awarded to David Morehouse

in the amount of 1,700 pounds.

The court can find no reasonable explanation for the abandonment

of the Mary Celeste.

She is hereby returned to her owners.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste guarded her secret well.

Today, many believe the answer lies

with the ship's explosive cargo and the nine empty barrels.

CONRAD BYERS: That many barrels of alcohol

leaking into the hold would have created a lot of fumes.

ROBERT STACK: Conrad Byers believes that on November 25,

the last day Briggs and his crew were known to be onboard,

the weather had finally cleared enough to allow

the hatches to be opened.

Oh, my god.

Mr. Richardson, come here!

Terrible odor in there.

We'll have to vent the hatches.

I'll alert the captain.

CONRAD BYERS: I think immediately,

he sounded the alarm, knowing the dangers

of this cargo and his chances of spontaneously combusting.

The fumes are quite overwhelming.

What's to be done? - You should have told me.

CONRAD BYERS: I think he planned to get everyone in the lifeboat

and trail behind the main ship with the idea

the cargo would either vent itself and cool off or explode.

You, man the peak.

ROBERT STACK: Byers believes the sails were lowered to prevent

the Mary Celeste from picking up speed

once all hands had abandoned ship.

A single rope was all that would tie the lifeboat

to the Mary Celeste.

[music playing]

Sarah, wait right here till they got the boat in.

Mr. Richardson. - Sir.

Here, take the equipment.

As soon as we're away, get an exact position.

Aye.

CONRAD BYERS: What destroyed their plan, really,

was that they didn't have time to get all

of the sail off of the vessel.

They piled into the boat and started trailing behind.

And suddenly, a gust of wind came up

and started moving them.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste lurched forward.

The lifeline snapped.

Heavens, man!

The line!

Grab the line!

Get the oars in!

Man your oars!

Get your oars in!

We're losing ground!

Pull!

[indistinct yelling]

CONRAD BYERS: The vessel just sailed on without them

and left them there.

BENJAMIN BRIGGS: We must get to that line!

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste would drift another 380 miles

until Captain Morehouse came upon the eerie spectacle

of the silent, abandoned ship.

No trace of Captain Briggs, his family, or the crew

was ever found.

[music playing]

Some years later, a British newspaper caused a sensation

with its account of a skeleton found bleaching

on a remote Pacific island.

Inside a bottle lying near the remains was a message.

It claimed that all those aboard the Mary Celeste

had been kidnapped to serve on another vessel,

only to be shipwrecked off the coast of South America.

The author of the note claimed to have been the last survivor.

In the end, the story proved to be a hoax,

and the secret of the Mary Celeste remains to this day

a tantalizing unsolved mystery.

When we return, surprising discoveries

add an exciting twist to a heartwarming update.

[music playing]

Recently, we took you on a journey

into the magical world of the traveling carnival.

We profiled Brenda Abbey and experienced

firsthand her efforts to unravel a personal unsolved mystery.

Brenda was adopted as an infant.

She knew little about her birth parents, Elizabeth Hanson

and Walter Perry, except that they

were employed by the Settler and Wilson Carnival

during the 1940s.

BRENDA ABBEY: Every time I hear over the news that there's

a carnival, I will go.

And I go up to every booth, every concession.

I go up to every person that's employed by that carnival,

and I look at them, just to see if I can find

somebody that looks like me.

How long have you been with the carnival?

With the carnival?

18, almost 19 years.

ROBERT STACK: During a search that's spanned 30 years,

Brenda talked with countless old-timers.

BRENDA ABBEY: Are they with the carnival?

Nope.

BRENDA ABBEY: No.

ROBERT STACK: Each had a story to tell,

and some even offered suggestions.

But not one claimed to know Elizabeth

Hanson or Walter Perry.

Inevitably, as each carnival was packing up and hitting

the road, Brenda Abbey was left behind, no closer

to finding her birth parents.

It seemed she might finally be out of options, until the night

of our broadcast. [music playing]

The response was far greater than even Brenda had hoped for.

Not only did her birth mother call our phone center,

but so did a sister and brother, then another sister.

Additional calls were logged in from friends

of still more siblings.

Brenda Abbey was saddened to learn that her birth

father had died in 1959.

But she was thrilled to discover a total

of 11 brothers and sisters.

One of them, Martha Oak, of St. Clair Shores, Michigan,

hosted a reunion in August of 1994.

Although Brenda's birth mother was unable to attend,

Brenda finally met four of her long-lost brothers and sisters

face to face.

[music playing]

As hostess for the celebration, Martha was

the first to welcome Brenda.

Hi, Brenda.

Hi.

ROBERT STACK: A brother, Thomas Chillog,

flew in from Louisiana, 1,000 miles away.

[music playing]

Another sister, Susan Donner, came

in from Port Clinton, Ohio.

[music playing]

Brenda's brother Frank Smith grew up

in Greenwood, Mississippi.

Like Brenda, he never imagined he had so many siblings.

I did my own search and kept running into dead ends

and finally gave up.

And when I found out about this, it was incredible.

It's amazing.

It's unbelievable.

Totally unbelievable.

It's funny to actually walk up to people and touch their skin

and know that they're related.

ROBERT STACK: The get-together in Michigan

promises to be just the first of many.

[music playing]

Plans are already underway for the next reunion.

BRENDA ABBEY: These are my flesh and blood.

And it's something nobody can take away from me.

That's right.

And it's such a great feeling.

It was worth the search.

It was worth the 30 years that it took me to do this.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Next, the uplifting search

for three good Samaritans who befriended a runaway

on a bus trip to Texas.

[music playing]

In 1980, a girl named Michele ran away from home.

She was just 15, trying desperately

to make herself appear older and more confident,

even though on the inside, she was scared to death.

Michele knew she was playing a dangerous game.

Even with the ticket seller, she was careful to cook up

a secret identity.

Hi.

My name's Melissa Haley.

Um, I'd like to buy a one-way ticket

to San Antonio, Texas, please.

ROBERT STACK: Four months earlier,

Michele's family had moved from San Antonio,

Texas to Fairfax, Virginia.

Michele felt her parents had callously uprooted her

from friends, family, and school.

Thanks.

ROBERT STACK: Now Michele was going back to Texas, the place

she thought of as home.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I was scared at that point

just because I'd never really been anywhere by myself before.

And this was an environment that I wasn't real familiar with.

I had never been among all these strangers before.

And people would look at you.

And first I thought, well, maybe they're

just wondering why I'm young and I'm on this bus by myself.

But then you kind of get the idea

that people are, especially men, are

mainly looking to see that you're alone

and try and bother you.

That's when it really started to be scary because I

couldn't protect myself.

And I didn't-- like I said, nobody knew where I was.

So if something would have happened to me,

nobody would know it.

ROBERT STACK: At a stop in North Carolina,

three men boarded the bus together.

Michele could never have guessed the profound role these men

would play in her young life.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I remember thinking as far as men goes,

I was staying away from as many as I could.

And especially one of them looked pretty scary.

He had really a lot of scars on his body.

So I was sitting next to him, and I thought, that's great.

But they came and they sat around,

and they were talking among themselves.

Wake me in a couple, man.

How can you sleep now, man?

I'm tired. I'm tired.

Tired.

You ain't done nothing.

ROBERT STACK: The three men dozed off and on.

Michele stayed nerve-racked and sleepless.

[music playing]

Sunshine, wake up.

Sunshine, time to get up.

Are we there already, Doc?

No, man.

I just need somebody to talk to.

Somebody to bore.

Oh, I hope I wasn't snoring too loud, fellas.

DOC: No, man, but Tiny Feet was calling the hogs.

Whoa, whoa.

Tiny Feet does not snore, thank you very much.

Oh, right.

ROBERT STACK: The jovial trio completely disarmed Michele.

She forgot for a moment that she was scared.

Why do they call you Tiny Feet?

Are you kidding?

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: The one really big

guy, his name was Tiny Feet because his feet were huge.

No, miss, we're truckers.

And Tiny Feet is his handle.

You see, me, I'm a deacon in my church back in North Carolina.

They call me Doc because I've got a Bible verse

for everything that ails you.

That's right.

My name is Sunshine.

Named after my favorite song, actually.

Want to hear it?

No.

No, really.

I can sing.

I can sing.

Yeah, the problem is, he doesn't know when to shut up.

And your name is?

- Uh, Lisa. - Lisa.

I was gonna say that. - Pretty name.

Aren't you kind of young to be traveling by yourself?

No.

I'm-- I'm 18.

I'm, uh, going to Texas to visit some friends.

Oh, Texas.

I did this right outside of Dallas.

My truck jackknifed.

I went straight through the windshield.

Hey, man, I remember that.

Yeah it was scary.

Remember you and I didn't think he was gonna make it.

I almost didn't make it.

My family is what pulled me through.

That's right.

Want to see a picture of my family?

- Sure. - Hey, hey.

Be nice.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: It just made

me feel like he was more of a family man,

and I didn't really have to worry.

And the rest of them talked about their families.

And Doc kept talking about his church and the people

in his church and what they were like.

And I just felt at ease with them then.

I didn't feel like I had anything to fear from them.

ROBERT STACK: By the time the bus

pulled into Atlanta, Doc, Sunshine,

and Tiny Feet had practically adopted Michele.

When they sat down for breakfast,

Tiny Feet noticed a young girl in trouble.

Just leave me alone.

Sweetie, I want you to come take a ride--

Leave me alone!

Man, wait.

Hey, hey.

Excuse me.

Look, is he bothering you? - Yes.

Listen, we're about to sit down and have breakfast.

Why don't you sit-- why don't you

come join us for breakfast, OK?

And we'll just talk, OK?

All right.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: She came over,

and we bought her breakfast.

And she told us her story.

And she was a runaway also.

And I guess at that point, I kind of sat back and watched

and saw how they helped people.

And it wasn't just me.

It was other people.

They were just good Samaritans on the road kind of thing.

You guys?

Um, I haven't completely been honest with you.

My name isn't Lisa.

It's Michele.

Michele?

And I'm not 18.

I'm-- I'm 15.

Hmm.

And the reason I'm on this bus is--

it's because I've run away from home.

What made you leave home?

It got really bad.

For example?

My parents, they moved me away from all my friends.

And now I have a curfew.

That is not that bad.

Felt like it.

Have you at least called them since you left?

No.

I didn't leave a note, and they--

they don't know where I'm at.

They're probably very worried about you.

That's right.

If it was my kids, I'd be going crazy.

It can get real dangerous out here, real dangerous.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: They pretty much

knew that all along, I think, that I was younger

than I was supposed to be and that I

was running away from home.

And they didn't react badly to it.

They were actually really comforting about it.

And they knew that I was scared.

And that was the first time I was

actually able to tell somebody, I'm really scared doing this.

ROBERT STACK: Next morning, the bus

rolled into Mississippi, where the men were to take

delivery of three trucks.

The time had come to say goodbye.

Listen, I want you to take my card.

It has both my home number and my church number on it.

OK.

And please, if you ever need a place to stay, call me.

All right.

My wife and I have plenty of rooms.

You've got to promise to write when

you get where you're going, OK? - I will.

All right. Bye.

Well, young lady, this is it.

Remember what I told you.

Watch who you talk to.

OK.

OK?

Take care of yourself.

Gonna miss you, kiddo.

High five, stay alive.

Be safe, OK?

ROBERT STACK: It turned out that Sunshine couldn't

leave without one last request.

Listen, Michele, all I ask is that you call your mom

and let her know you're OK.

- I will. - All right?

Will you do that for me? You promise?

Good luck.

[music playing]

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I was sad to see them go.

So I think they were worried about me.

And I started to worry about me, too,

when they got off the bus because all of a sudden,

I felt scared and alone.

I didn't have people to protect me anymore.

ROBERT STACK: At another stop later that afternoon,

Michele decided to keep her promise

to Sunshine, at least in a way.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I got out there, and I lost my nerve.

And I didn't have the nerve to talk to my parents

because by this time, I realized that they'd

probably be really upset.

So I called a friend of mine.

And I asked her to call my parents

and let them know I was OK.

Hi, it's Michele.

No, no, no. I'm fine.

I'm fine.

After I made the phone call to let my parents know that I

was OK, I got back on the bus.

And there was a girl there, probably my same age.

She was young.

And she was sitting by herself with a paper

bag full of things.

Hi.

Hi.

Where you headed?

Going to see my boyfriend.

I'm gonna go visit some friends in Texas.

Oh, that's great.

You want some donuts?

I have some extras.

Yeah.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I guess I switched somewhere

during that trip to instead of just thinking about myself

and how terrible my life was, to thinking about other people.

Want to talk about it?

It's a long story.

We have time.

I had to get away from my old man.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: You know, listening to stories

of people on the road and other runaways,

I wasn't a typical runaway.

And when I listened to their stories

and then think about my reasons, or they'd ask me,

why did you run away, I didn't want to say because it sounded

so stupid by then that, oh, well,

my parents gave me a curfew and made me

catch the bus in the morning.

It just sounded so ridiculous compared

to their really tragic stories.

ROBERT STACK: Michele finally made it to a friend's house

in Texas, where her father picked her up.

Michele was relieved to go back home.

[music playing]

Join me next time.

Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery.

[music playing]