All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S09E07.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It
was a blueprint for tragedy.

In Cokeville, Wyoming,
a vengeful ex-cop

armed with a powerful
homemade bomb

commandeered an entire
elementary school.

As the crisis
escalated, it seemed

that only a miracle could
save the lives of more

than 100 innocent children.

By all accounts, Michael Short
is a man with a red-hot temper

and an affection for guns.

When his misdeeds
landed him in prison,

Short masterminded a
daring escape with the help

of his 20-year-old girlfriend.

Yonkers, New York.

Sometimes you need more than
luck to win the lottery.

Just ask Sam
Zelikson who says he

hit the jackpot after an eerie
visit from beyond the grave.

In Washington DC, the
aftermath of a fatal house fire

yields the unmistakable
signs of arson

and launches a
manhunt for the killer

of a young businesswoman.

Join me and perhaps you can
help solve one of tonight's

unsolved mysteries.

[theme music]

17-year-old Melody
Woods was not the kind

of teenager anyone ever
expected to get into trouble.

She enjoyed school,
didn't stay out late,

and had barely
begun to car date.

Then in June of 1994,
Melody fell in love.

ROSALEE WOODS: Melody,
Michael's here!

MELODY: I'm coming!

MICHAEL: Appreciate it.

Sorry.

Hi.

I guess you met
everybody already.

Yeah, we're just getting to
know each other a little bit.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
His name was Michael Short.

Melody had met him
during a summer session

at her high school
in Fort Worth, Texas.

Short was 19 years
old, and he made

a very good first impression.

We won't be out too late.

Bye.

Seems like a real good kid.

Did you see the way he
opened the door for her?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But that first impression

evaporated quickly.

Melody's parents never
guessed that the man

their daughter loved
had a criminal record

and a nasty reputation.

PAT HOWELL: Michael's not afraid
to use a handgun or a weapon.

And statements from some
of his acquaintances

indicated that his
favorite pastime

was dressing up in black and
shooting at cars and trains.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Six months

before he met Melody,
Michael Short and a friend

came up behind a couple
driving down the highway.

They were in the fast lane
moving too slow to suit Short.

If you ain't going to
drive the speed limit,

you got no business being
in the passing lane.

[honking horn]

Just pull over and let him by.

He can go by if he wants to.

He's right on my tail.

He's starting to bug me.

God.

This guy's ticking me off!

[engine revving]

Hey Grandma!

Where'd you learn how to drive?

You're lucky I don't
run right over you.

This guy's a lunatic.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Short
dogged the couple for 10 miles,

getting wilder by the minute.

[shouting]

Oh my god, honey,
he's got a gun.

Honey, he's got a gun!

Drive.

Do something!

Freaking out of his mind.

All right.

I'm going to speed
up, and I'm going

to brake real hard, all right?

Teach you a lesson
you won't soon forget!

Want something of me?

[gunshot]

[screaming]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The driver was struck once

in the shoulder but survived.

Police tracked Short by
his license plate number

and charged him with
attempted murder.

A few months later,
while he was out on bail,

he met Melody Woods.

ROSALEE WOODS: She fell
head-over-heels for Michael, I

mean, from the very first day.

She came home and was
so excited about him.

Telling me about him and just
thought that he was everything

that she had ever wanted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Melody's parents

believe that by the time Melody
learned about Michael's past,

she was already under his spell.

I've missed you.

ROSALEE WOODS: She became
real secretive and always away

from home and didn't spend
a lot of time with us.

And she never wanted
Michael around us very much.

I want you to have this.

It's a beeper.

Duh.

I know what a beeper looks like.

When I call you,
I punch in 911.

Drop whatever you're doing
and give me a call right away.

I don't want to have
to worry about you.

Deal?

Deal.

ROSALEE WOODS: I had a talk with
her, and I told her, I said,

I'm afraid that he's being
a little bit too possessive.

And she was like,
well, you know,

we just really enjoy
being together,

and there's really nothing to
it, and he's not possessive.

And every time I
would try to say

anything about
the situation, she

didn't want to talk about it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In March of 1995,

Michael Short was found
guilty in the highway

shooting incident.

He was sentenced to eight years
in prison on a reduced charge--

aggravated assault
with a deadly weapon.

Melody's parents hoped
that would end the affair.

To their dismay, Melody
refused to give up on Short.

RONNIE WOODS: After
the impact wore off,

she started talking about,
I can get through this.

I'll make it.

It may just be four years.

He may not spend eight there,
so we'll do the best we can.

I can make it through this.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By all accounts,

Short was just as determined to
remain a part of Melody's life.

He had access to a jail
phone from 10 AM to 10 PM.

He used it to barrage Melody and
her parents with collect calls.

Where are you?

ROSALEE WOODS: He called us
day and night, night and day.

He was relentless
with the phone calls.

I mean, they just
never would stop.

She had to be at
a specific phone

at a specific time for him to
call, and if she wasn't there

then he was very angry.

And when he did finally
get a hold of her,

it would always be a screaming
match over the telephones.

Finally, we just
had our phones

blocked from any collect calls.

Because that's the only way
he could call was collect.

And he figured out a way around
that by calling his parents

and getting his parents
to call us on three-way.

[phone ringing]

ROSALEE WOODS: The
phone calls at first

were a blessing for Melody.

I mean, any contact that
she could have with him,

she was thrilled to death.

Mom, let it ring.

ROSALEE WOODS: But
as time went along,

she started to get
a little irritated,

because she couldn't
do anything.

This has got to stop, Melody.

I'm going to have to
change this number again.

It's not my fault
he keeps calling me.

ROSALEE WOODS: She started to
pull away from it a little bit,

but then the calls
would intensify.

And Michael would say,
you just don't understand

how horrible it is for me here.

You're the only thing I've got.

You can't, you can't
forsake me now.

You're my soulmate and just
really would make her feel bad,

so then she would go back to
accepting all the phone calls.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): From jail,

Short controlled Melody's every
move for more than a year.

Even his fellow inmates
called him "The Little Bully."

On June 7, 1996, authorities
learned the full extent

of his power over Melody.

That morning, Melody
and a girlfriend

waited in a borrowed van
outside the prison walls.

Melody, Melody,
maybe we should go.

It's 7:45.

He says gym ends at 7:30.

Christy, just hang on
a few more minutes, OK?

He's going to be here.

[whistle blowing]

All right, rec's over.

Let's go, guys.

You know the drill.

Line it up two at a time
in front of the gate.

[whistle blowing]

GUARD: Stop bouncing the ball!

Let's go!

[whistle blowing]

GUARD: Move it!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Before anyone could react,

Short made a bold
break for freedom.

GUARD: Hey, Short, hold it!

Stop or I'll shoot!

[alarms beeping]

Christy, start it up!

He's coming.

Go!
Go!

Go!

[brakes squealing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Start
to finish, the entire escape

took less than one minute.

At a nearby motel, Short
changed clothes and switched

from the van to Melody's car.

Hey, be careful, OK?

I will, all right.

I'll call you.

I'll ring once and then hang
up, and you'll know it's me, OK?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When he left,

he took Melody with him,
possibly against her will.

ROSALEE WOODS: Based on my
conversation with her friend,

she indicated to me that
Melody had every intention

of coming home that night and
that she would get in touch

with her when she got home.

I personally don't believe
that Melody had any intentions

on leaving with him.

There's a lot of things
she didn't take with her.

It was clothes and girl things
like rollers and hairdryers

and just a bunch of stuff.

I just don't believe she had
any intentions of leaving.

The only thing that
we've received from Melody

since her disappearance was
one postcard from Chattanooga,

Tennessee and the only
thing that postcard said

was, "I'm OK.

I'm sorry, and I
love you very much."

And that was about a week
after her disappearance,

and there's been nothing since.

What concerns me the most
about Melody's disappearance

is that just that.

She's disappeared, and we've
had three unconfirmed sightings

of Michael.

Nobody has ever seen Melody.

And one would have to
wonder has she already

become a liability to him?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In a moment,

when a madman takes an
elementary school hostage,

the residents of a small town
can only pray for a miracle.

But first, was a young
businesswoman murdered

to keep her from
blowing the whistle

on illegal banking activities?

December 11, 1995.

3:30 AM.

Fire units raced to a blaze
in the fashionable Georgetown

district of Washington DC.

A resident had been
awakened by a fire alarm

and phoned 911 to
report seeing flames

in a neighboring townhouse.

[door breaking]

Once inside,
firefighters discovered

that the blaze was restricted
to the upstairs bedroom.

In fact, it was confined
to the bed itself.

Initially, it appeared
that nobody was home.

But as the smoke began to
clear, the firefighters

were stunned to discover
that the bed was

occupied by a woman,
barely breathing,

but incredibly, still alive.

38-year-old Lynn Amos
was a financial analyst

who'd been living in Washington
for just five months.

She was rushed to
Washington Hospital

Center with third degree
burns over 80% of her body.

One of the nurses who saw
her when she first was taken

to the hospital told
us later on that she

asked Lynn when she was brought
in if she knew what happened.

And Lynn shook her head no.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At first, investigators

believed it was an accident.

Lynn's blood alcohol
content was 0.25,

2 and 1/2 times the legal limit
for driving in Washington DC.

That fact coupled with the
discovery of a cigarette butt

seemed to indicate that Lynn
Amos had been smoking in bed.

But Lynn's friends and family
rejected that scenario.

Well, Lynn didn't smoke.

I smoked until recently.

If you're a closet smoker,
you certainly smoke

with your friends who smoke.

There were no dirty
ashtrays in the house,

there were no matches, there
were no cigarette packs.

There was no evidence that
she was smoking in bed.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Within a few days,

the police had to rethink
their initial assumption.

When insurance investigators
came to the house,

they found the
presence of accelerants

on the mattress,
floor, and pillow.

They concluded that the fire
had been deliberately set.

HELEN AMOS: The insurance
investigator's report

showed that there was a
combination of kerosene,

gasoline, and turpentine.

And the doctor has
told me that her burns

were consistent with those from
a fire that was accelerated.

He told me at the hospital.

He couldn't believe that
only she and the bed burned.

He said she looked like
the result of a house

having been burned around her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Lynn
Amos hung on for 10 days barely

conscious and unable to speak.

On December 21, 1995,
she passed away.

A month later,
the cause of death

was officially
listed as homicide.

But who would want
Lynn Amos dead and why?

She seemed an unlikely
target, friendly, outgoing,

with no known enemies.

But Lynn Amos apparently
did have her secrets.

In the weeks before she died,
she abruptly stopped talking

to her friends about her job.

When pressed, she
refused to elaborate.

To those who knew her best,
a motive for Lynn's murder

began to emerge.

Lynn Amos had moved to
Washington in August of 1995

to take a position with a
management consulting firm.

As part of her job, she made
frequent trips to Mexico

to assess the lending practices
of several large Mexican banks.

How are you?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Less
than a month before the fire,

Lynn had lunch with her
close friend Emily Smith

and offered the first
indication that she was

sitting on top of a bombshell.

EMILY SMITH: I realized when we
were having lunch that I didn't

know what she was working on
and that was unusual, because we

talked about work a lot.

We did sort of similar
types of things.

So tell me about work.

Well, I've working
on this project

for the Mexican equivalent
of the Federal Reserve.

What are you doing?

I'm in charge of
examining credit issues.

And I've seen some very
bad lending practices.

EMILY SMITH: I waited,
and it was clear she

wasn't going to say more.

So I said, well, is your
report going to be ugly?

And she said, yes, it's
going to be really ugly.

And that was all she would say.

They have great
Eggs Benedict here.

Well, darn.
You know--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On Sunday, December 10th,

the day before the
fire, Lynn once again

hinted to friends
that she was privy

to some explosive information.

That is not true.

It is true.

So how are things
at the office?

Are you still on that
project with the banks?

Yeah.

I've seem some, uh,
dangerous things in Mexico.

He, at the time,
thought it was

a very strange comment to make.

It wasn't the kind of
dangerous, the way she said it.

In other words,
she didn't mean I'm

feeling a little dangerous and
uncomfortable where I'm living.

I'm living in a
safe neighborhood.

It wasn't that
kind of dangerous.

She definitely meant
to mean that she

had seen literally
some dangerous things

in what she was working on.

I'm purely speculating
here, but it's possible

that she bumped into a
loan having to do with drug

money or a fraudulent loan.

That's the sort of thing you
might bump into when you're

reviewing credit portfolios.

Hey, it's Lynn.

What are you working on?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The last time

anyone spoke to Lynn Amos
was at 10 o'clock that night.

Actually, I was just, uh,
working on the credit checks.

ANNE SAER: We do know
that she called her office

to confirm that she was going to
be late for work the next day.

Maybe 12.

I've got a doctor's appointment.

No, no.

I'm OK.

It's no big deal.

ANNE SAER: So we know
Lynn was at home,

lucid, completely fine, had
a 30 minute conversation

at 10:00 o'clock at night.

At 10:30, she then-- we then
don't know what happened.

When we first
told our attorney

how Lynn was killed
his first statement

was that's a professional hit.

The fire detective
who came to the scene

said that it had all the
indications that this

was a controlled fire.

That somebody was there making
sure that this fire didn't

do more than it needed to do.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Lynn's friends and family

believe that sometime
after midnight the killer

broke into the townhouse.

Because there were no
signs of forced entry,

he may have had a key.

[gasps]

You do what I tell you,
and I won't have to use this.

Let's go.

[gasping and crying]

Drink it!

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The intruder

may have then forced Lynn
to swallow enough alcohol

to render her unconscious.

ANNE SAER: To achieve
the level of alcohol

that she was found
with, it takes

between nine and 14 glass--

drinks in an hour for a
woman her size, which is

almost impossible to consume.

That means you have a new drink
every four to seven minutes.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to the scenario,

the intruder then set
about making Lynn's

death look like an accident.

ANNE SAER: What was done to
Lynn Amos is so horrible.

I really do not have the
words to describe it.

Lynn was just a great friend.

She was really fun.

She loved life, and
people should not be

allowed to get away with that.

It's interesting
to note that Lynn

Amos never completed her
report on the Mexican banks.

Lynn's former employer
declined to appear

on camera for this segment.

In a letter to "Unsolved
Mysteries," he wrote,

we are troubled by
the same questions

being asked by investigators.

We can only hope
that forensic science

will provide some answers.

In a moment, the
remarkable story

of Sam Zelikson who says he hit
the lottery jackpot with help

from an unlikely source--

the spirit of his deceased son.

And later, a small town
faces unspeakable tragedy

when a deranged
ex-cop and his wife

seize control of a
local elementary school.

Meet Sam Zelikson of
Yonkers, New York.

Devoted father, loving
grandfather, an [inaudible]

self-made businessman.

Sam had been through
just about everything

a man could go through until
the morning of January 16, 1991.

[tires squealing]

[crashing]

Call for an
ambulance here, Gary.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): No one who

witnessed the
accident could have

imagined that Sam survived.

But Sam proved them wrong.

For above all else,
Sam Zelikson is

a survivor, the very
definition of resilience.

[blasting]

It was 1941.

Sam was 12 years old when
the German army marched

into his homeland of Latvia.

The Zeliksons, devout
Jews, were sent to a ghetto

and later a concentration camp.

Sam was one of the lucky ones.

He survived the Holocaust.

But tragically, by the
time he was liberated,

Sam had lost his entire family.

After the war, Sam
moved to New York City,

married, and had five children.

Then in 1986, he suffered
another devastating blow.

His only son, Barry,
the pride of the family,

died of cancer a week
short of his 27th birthday.

For Sam and his wife,
Janice, the heartbreak

of losing their only son
was almost too much to bear.

Come.

Let's go.

SAM ZELIKSON: He was wonderful.

He loved family.

He was worried about
the younger sisters.

He was protective.

And he loved us very much,
and we love him very much.

My brother was the good
sheep, the spirit of my family.

My brother was always trying
to make everybody happy.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Although Barry was gone,

his spirit and memory served
to hold the family together.

By 1991, it seemed
the worst was behind.

Then came the day
of Sam's accident.

[tires squealing]

You bet.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): All
things considered, Sam came

through in pretty good shape.

Oh, probably about an hour--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
sprained neck, two broken ribs,

a single cut on his forehead.

After two weeks in the hospital,
Sam was ready to go home.

You look 100% better
than when you came in here.

Yeah, you're right.

I was generally
laying in bed and saying

my prayer very quietly.

But this time, I felt
like an arm touched me.

And I stunned at the moment.

And as I looked, I
saw a shadow of my son

like he was in shroud.

Barry, my boy!

Barry.

SAM ZELIKSON: I
couldn't believe it.

I thought he came back to me.

I thought God give a new life.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Sam just stared,

locked in a profound silent
exchange with the spirit

of his deceased son.

The spell was
abruptly broken when

another patient began to
jabber about the state lottery.

Sam, Sam, look
what day it is today.

It's the $90 million day.

Look Sam, it's what they
call the super lotto.

It's $90 million today, Sam.

When Barry disappeared,
I thought that was a sign,

and I had to play the lotto
because he moved me towards it.

He told me to play
in a certain way.

Sam, I want you
to go upstairs.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That afternoon Sam

came home from the hospital.

His wife and daughters
tried to keep him calm,

but all Sam cared about was
buying his lottery tickets.

Thank you.

First of all, do me a favor.

The first thing you do, I
want you to go up to my room.

The top drawer in my bureau--

there's money in it.

Take it out and
bring it down here.

For what?

I want you to buy
lottery tickets with it.

WOMAN: Lottery tickets?
For what?

Yes, because Barry came to
me in the hospital and he said,

buy tickets to the lottery.

It's the $90 million lottery.

When my dad came
home from the hospital,

he was really insistent
that he play the lotto.

He had this feeling that
my brother was pushing

him to buy a lotto ticket.

And he kept telling
us, let's play lotto.

We have to play lotto.

Barry was there.

This was a sign from heaven.

We need to play lotto.

Hey.

So do you know what numbers
you want to play, Dad?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Zeliksons bought 16

at $1 apiece, 16
different combinations

of six numbers for a
chance to win $90 million.

Sam's overwhelming
confidence slowly spread

to the rest of the family.

16 bucks.

July 15th.

When we went to buy
the lotto tickets,

there was a feeling of buying
it to please my father.

And then there was
this other feeling

that, well, maybe something
might come so you never know.

Anything in life can happen.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Nobody knows

that better than Sam Zelikson.

The evening, he made
sure his entire family

was gathered around for the
drawing of the winning numbers.

ANNOUNCER: --in state history.

Now, for tonight's winning
super lotto numbers.

The first winning number is 46.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 1946,
the year Sam left the refugee

camp after World War II.

Good.

It's on the ticket there.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight's second
winning number is 50.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The year Sam came to America.

ANNOUNCER: The third
winning number is 35.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The number of years Sam

and Janice had been married.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight's fourth
winning number is five.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The number of children

in the Zelikson family.

ANNOUNCER: The fifth winning
number for tonight is 30.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Daughter Denise's age.

ANNOUNCER: And the sixth winning
super lotto number to win

a share in $90 million is 15.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Son Barry's birthday--

July 15, 1959.

[shouting]

When we won, my dad
smiled like an angel.

It was as if he knew that he
really did see my brother.

He was so happy, and I've
never seen him glow like that.

It was just an inner glow.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
odds of Sam's special numbers

winning the lottery
were 13 million to one.

Sam is convinced that the
loving spirit of his son

improved his odds considerably.

My son Barry definitely
was responsible for winning

the lotto.

He definitely give me the gift.

You know, God works
in mysterious way.

He takes away the best
thing in your life,

but He give you back
a little in return.

I felt it was like a gift.

It was a gift from Barry, from
my son, and that's how I felt.

SAM ZELIKSON: Barry wanted
his father, his mother,

and his sisters should have a
happy life and to help other

people that cannot be helped.

Because he was that
kind of person, Barry.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
As it turned out,

the Zeliksons were not the
only winners that night.

Eight other people
also hit the jackpot,

making each ticket worth
slightly more than $10 million.

Sam and his family will
continue to receive

annual payments of roughly
$475,000 until the year 2011.

To honor the memory
of their son Barry,

they have donated a significant
portion of the proceeds

to charity, a tradition
they plan to uphold

with each coming year.

Next, a powerful
homemade bomb demolishes

a crowded school classroom,
yet not a single child

is seriously injured.

An extraordinary piece
of luck or a case

of divine intervention?

They wheeled it
into the school just

after the lunch hour recess.

A homemade bomb packing
the brute force of 25

sticks of dynamite.

No futzing around.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They herded everyone

at the school, 136 students and
17 adults into one small room.

What is all this?

Look.

Shut up and sit down!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
His name was David Young,

and he was no stranger
to Cokeville, Wyoming.

He had served briefly
as a town policeman

before he was fired
for misconduct.

Young's resentment
had mushroomed into

a full blown messianic tirade.

It's a scenario that is
now chillingly familiar.

Innocent lives hanging
by a thread at the whim

of a suicidal madman.

But 10 years ago when David
Young and his wife, Doris,

stormed the elementary
school in Cokeville, Wyoming,

such horrors were still
fresh and incomprehensible.

To the people of Cokeville,
it seemed only a miracle

could save their loved ones.

[rapping]

Hey, listen!

You're all part of
a great revolution,

one that began many years ago.

The government and
its schools have

filled your mind with lies.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): David Young

made it clear that he was
prepared to kill himself

and everyone in the room.

DAVID YOUNG: Read it!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Virtually every child

in Cokeville between the ages
of 5 and 12 was at his mercy.

Among them, Melanie Chadwick,
then eight years old.

MELANIE CHADWICK:
I didn't really

realize what was happening,
because I remember one

of my friend's older
brother [inaudible],,

his older brother, Brian.

He's like, well, we're
being held hostage.

And I remember Kevin
saying, well, what

does hostage mean, you know?

We were really
young, and we didn't

realize what was happening.
[sniffling]

DAVID YOUNG: And
when the time comes,

you will fully understand
the plan I have for you.

Now, so far you've been
pretty good, but if any of you

tries to escape, we're
going to have to shoot you.

David told the kids that he
would shoot them in the legs,

so that they couldn't run away.

He said, we don't
want to hurt you,

but if you try to
run away, we will.

You.

Come here.

You the principal?

Yes, I am.

OK.

You'll be my spokesman.

You tell them I want $2 million
a piece for each of these kids.

And you tell them I'm
attached to this bomb.

If I go down and
this wedge pulls out,

this school blows sky high.

We're about half
an inch from death.

[sirens wailing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
News of the crisis flashed

through Cokeville and beyond.

Police converged on the scene.

Dep, all four of my
children are in there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Distraught parents

confronted the Sheriff,
determined to take

matters into their own hands.

The radio said
that there's a bomb.

What do they want?

Just take a rifle
and put it back.

Listen, I've got
my boys in there.

And if you can't get
them out, I will.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): David Young

was a veritable human
fuse, one tug of his wrist

could destroy the school
room and everyone in it.

OK.
Get out of the way.

Come on!

KLISS SPARKS: At one
time, one of the children

jostled Mr. Young, and
he became quite upset.

I guess he didn't want
to set the bomb off,

and either Mr.
Mitchell or Mr. Moore

suggested that they put
tape in an area about a nine

foot square on the floor.

What they called a magic square
so that the youngsters would

not step inside that
square and would

not jostle Mr. Young's arm.

There was at one point,
we kept thinking, well,

maybe someone can shoot
him from the outside.

And I would say no.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At the time,

Amy Bagaso was 10 years old.

AMY BAGASO: I remember thinking,
oh my gosh, I am going to die.

I'm not going to see my family.

How am I-- this isn't.

I'm not going to
be able to grow up.

I'm not going to be able
to get my driver's license.

I'm not going to be
able to do anything.

May we please open
some doors and windows

and let some air in here?

The fumes are making
the kids sick.

CHRISTINE COOK: There were a
lot of children getting ill from

or throwing up and so
forth from the smell

of the gasoline fumes.

As the time went on and the
fumes got stronger, most of us

felt pretty nauseated.

Our dear Heavenly Father,
we thank thee for thy watch--

We prayed a lot.

I remember just sitting
there with my hands

clenched so tight,
you know, just

praying to Heavenly Father
that, to let something happen,

you know.

Dear Heavenly Father--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Many of those

in the classroom
believe that the praying

heralded a coming miracle.

First, David Young became
agitated and appeared

to lose confidence.

Moments later, he handed control
of the bomb over to his wife

and left the room.

By then the children had been
immobile for nearly two hours.

They were restless, irritable.

Could you please do
something about the noise

and help me get these
kids quiet right now?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Eye
witnesses remember Doris Young

gesturing carelessly even though
one false move would trigger

a catastrophic explosion.

--moving them
around a little bit.

We could get everybody
from that side,

and we could move some
of the kids over here,

and then we could move
some of the kids over--

[exploding and crashing]

[screaming]

[fire alarms ringing]

[screaming]

KEVIN WALKER: I had a fifth
grader, a third grader, and

a first grader in that room.

And when I seen that smoke
coming out of the windows,

I expected to see the school
go in a million pieces.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A few children

stumbled from the smoke
within seconds of the blast.

Others were trapped
in the classroom.

OK.

AMY BAGASO: Teachers were
throwing children out

of the windows, and I could feel
flames still hot on my back,

and didn't yet realize
that I was on fire.

And I saw flames coming
from the corner of my eye

on my right shoulder
and started to burn.

So I dropped and rolled.

As I looked up, I could see
all these little feet just

scurrying out into the hallway.

All these kids were just
stepping over me, and stepping

on me, and jumping over me.

And out of nowhere, I felt
big hands just pick me up,

and I looked up and saw Mr.
Moore and Jack Mitchell,

and they were beating
the fire off of me.

And they picked me up, and
they shoved me to safety.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Ambulances

rushed injured children
to area hospitals.

Some of those who
emerged unharmed

were taken home
by their parents.

No one knew how many
youngsters had survived

or how many might lay
lifeless in the ashes.

Just inside the
classroom, police

found the body of Doris Young.

David Young had also died,
but not from the explosion.

He had killed himself with a
single gunshot to the head.

A grim search for Cokeville's
children commenced.

After an hour, dread turned
to hope then hope to joy.

Not a single child had
perished in the flames.

It seemed that Cokeville had
been blessed with a miracle.

There's many, many things
that point to something

happening and a higher
power to stepping

in and helping in this case.

OK.
Now, get out of the way.

Come on!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At the very least,

an extraordinary run of luck
helped the children survive.

By staying outside the
so-called magic square,

they were away from the
bomb when it exploded.

With the doors and windows
open, much of the bomb's force

blew harmlessly out
of the classroom.

And then there was
the bomb itself.

Remnants sifted from the rubble
told the incredible story.

Now look at this.

It's a fully intact
blasting cap.

This bomb didn't even
completely detonate.

The potential of
this explosive device

could have and
should have destroyed

that whole end of the class,
of the school building

had it have functioned the
way it was supposed to.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Police
learned that Young had built

and exploded several
bombs exactly like the one

he brought the Cokeville.

Yet in the classroom, Young's
bomb had unexpected problems.

A container of blasting powder
had become thoroughly soaked,

rendering it a useless paste.

Detonation wires to other
tubs of powder had been cut.

No reason, no explanation.

There should have been 162
people dead in that room.

We should have been in there
just picking up bodies.

Our dear Heavenly
Father, we thank thee--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The people of Cokeville

came to their own conclusion
about the improbable

turn of events.

The hostages must have been
saved by a modern-day miracle.

I just had this
overwhelming feeling

that Heavenly Father
was there, that he

was watching out over us.

To me, I knew that the
Lord was there with me,

and I knew that he
would make it all right,

and that we'd make
it through it.

OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A few students

were adamant about
seeing what they called

a presence hovering above
the room in the moments

before the bomb ignited.

Some of the youngsters said
that the mysterious presence

actually directed them
to move, advice that may

have helped save their lives.

In my mind, the only
way out of that thing

would have been
divine intervention.

We've always said guardian
angels to help people out,

and I believe in that there
is people that have went

on before us that help us out.

What!

What are you going to do?

Sheriff Deb Wolfley says
that outside the school room

he too felt the touch
of heavenly guidance.

What are you going to do?

DEB WOLFLEY: I remember Very
clearly thinking in my mind,

what am I going to do?

Here's a man in here with a bomb
who wants to blow our kids up.

How am I going to handle that?

Deb, get my boys out of there.

And I know that
without a shadow of doubt

that the God in heaven
that answered my prayers.

A voice said to me,
everything will be OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
One final discovery.

This ghostly image singed into
the north wall of the classroom

led some to conclude
that an angel

had been in school that day
protecting innocent lives.

[explosion]

10 years have come and gone
since a crazed gunman named

David Young nearly wiped
out an entire generation

in Cokeville, Wyoming.

Since then the town has
resumed its quiet ways.

But most folks
there still believe

that only a divine miracle
stood between themselves

and unspeakable tragedy.

Join me next time for
another fascinating edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]