All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S09E08.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: Meet
three incredible animals

whose courage meant
the difference

between life and death.

What fantastic psychic
powers transformed

these ordinary house pets
into extraordinary heroes?

And from the realm
of the unexplained,

a young boy describes, in
vividly accurate detail,

the death of a
Civil War soldier.

A mother is stunned by her
two-year-old daughter's

chilling account of a freak
accident and a watery grave.

Are these remarkable
stories proof

that reincarnation is real?

From the current case file, a
beautiful young business woman,

an intimate rendezvous,
a shocking plunge

from a hotel balcony.

The police must decide--

was it an accident or murder?

Glendeen Butterfield and
her niece Kelli Ann Ayres

were as close as any
mother and daughter.

But some 20 years
ago, circumstances

forced them apart.

Our viewers could help bring
them back together again.

It is a twisted
and deadly scheme--

booby-trapped packages cleverly
disguised as promotional gifts

and delivered through the
mail, courtesy of a madman.

Join me for these
intriguing cases.

Perhaps you may be able
to solve one of tonight's

unsolved mysteries.

[theme music]

[music playing]

Children-- we think
of them as innocents,

raw clay to be
molded, blank slates

eager for life's lessons--

lessons taught by family,
friends, and teachers.

But some people believe children
can also be strongly influenced

by more other worldly forces.

Experiences glean not
just from other people,

but from other lifetimes.

Reincarnation is a theme
that runs through all

the cultures of the world.

There is no proof, unless you
believe the accounts of those

who have no reason to lie--

those who possess specific
knowledge and insights they

are far too young to have.

Consider first the case of
five-year-old Chase Bowman.

[music playing]

It was a 4th of July, 1988.

Chase's mother says
he became inexplicably

terrified by the fireworks.

Not only terrified,
he was hysterical.

He was crying and screaming.

And I had to take him home, and
I thought that that was very

unusual because he
had never responded

to fireworks that way before.

ROBERT STACK: Over
the next few months,

Chase's fear of explosive noises
intensified, becoming a phobia.

All right, Chase, I
wanna try something.

Close your eyes and relax.

ROBERT STACK: For help, Carol
Bowman turned to a friend

who was a hypnotherapist.

And breathe out slowly.

Now, I want you to think of
a sound that frightens you.

ROBERT STACK: The
hypnotherapist had barely

begun when Chase suddenly
seemed transported

to another place and time--

a battlefield during
the American Civil War.

[explosions]

CHASE BOWMAN: There's
lots of smoke.

There's a war going on.

I'm a black soldier.

I'm behind a rock with a big
gun and a sword at the end.

[explosions]

Well, I was shocked.

He started curling up in my
lap as if he were afraid,

and I could feel
him trembling as he

described what it was like
with gunfire all around him.

And what it was like to be
crouching behind a rock--

I could feel him
crouching in my lap.

[screaming]

ROBERT STACK: In his mind's eye,
Chase's past life unreeled--

a kaleidoscopic rush of images.

In the heat of battle he
was struck by a bullet,

his wrist shattered.

The comrades dragged him
to a crude field hospital.

The wound was bandaged.

Then he was sent back to
the front to man a cannon.

[explosions]

[horse whinnying]

CAROL BOWMAN: Chase
said he saw himself

walking back into battle.

[gun firing]

And he was killed
behind the cannon.

He died very suddenly.

[explosions]

I was amazed because
it sounded so true

and so real and so plausible.

But I could feel that it
was true, I just knew it.

There's a war going on.

And I'm walking down
[inaudible] valley.

At that point in Chase's
life, when he was five,

I knew what he watched
on television because we

carefully regulated .

It he watched "Sesame Street"
and "Mr. Rogers," period.

And I never had read books
to him about the Civil War.

As far as I could
tell, there was no way

he could have known that.

ROBERT STACK: Chase later
drew these rough sketches

of the field hospital
and the cannon.

Civil War buffs have found the
details amazingly accurate.

In my opinion, it's
rather remarkable

that the child having not
had any sort of background

or experience in viewing
scenes from the Civil War,

his placement of the
horse and the wagon

and the artillery
piece is pretty

consistent with the mode
of transportation of cannon

during the Civil War.

It was a wow experience.

You know I knew that something
extraordinary had happened.

And what made it even
more extraordinary

was that immediately after this
regression, within a few days

a severe eczema--

a chronic eczema that he
had on his right wrist,

where he said he had
been hit by a bullet--

completely cleared up.
- Come on!

[explosions]

And not only that,
as the months went by,

I saw that Chase's
phobia of loud noises

completely disappeared, too.

ROBERT STACK: Carol Bowman
as a professional writer.

She was so intrigued by
her son's experience,

she started researching a
book on children's past lives.

As it turned out,
material was abundant.

At the time, Lia
was a little over two.

She's about two and
a half years old.

And we were driving near
our home, it was wintertime,

she's about two and a half.

She was in the backseat in her
car seat, where she always was.

And we were driving down a
hill. and the sun was shining,

and all of a sudden I
hear this little voice

in the backseat pipes
up and she goes, Mommy!

This is just like where I died.

What?

TIIU LUTTER: I was
a little shocked.

You know, I'm thinking
what is she talking about?

I was a little horrified that
she's even thinking about death

at that age, you know.

And it shook me enough
that I pulled off the road.

Sweetie, what
did you just say?

I was driving in the car
and fell off the bridge

and I was in the water.

Where was Mommy?

You weren't with me that time.

There was a feeling
that came over

me of this was really important,
that this is big news,

like the basement is on fire.

You know, kind of
something that you really

want to pay attention
to, and that it was

a different moment from any
conversation that we had had

previously.

Well, who drove the car?

I was big.

I could reach the pedals.

I was driving.

But I didn't have
a seat belt on.

TIIU LUTTER: She said
that, basically, she

fell off the bridge and
she fell into the water.

And she said, I
fell out of the car.

I could feel the
rocks on my head

and I could look up and
see the bubbles going up.

And she's said, I could see
the light on the shiny bridge.

And that's where I died.

I don't think she could
have possibly made it up.

If it had been
another child, I might

have been much more skeptical.

But I was home
full-time with her

at that point and very
controlling about what she saw

and what she read.

She didn't watch
any television, she

didn't really go to any
movies, she wasn't exposed--

She could not have possibly
had a frame of reference

for this experience.

What stands out for me is the
fact that small children who've

not been contaminated with
adult ideas or concepts

are telling us that something
of us does survive death.

My son Blake taught me
a very spiritual lesson,

that we have lived before
and will probably live again.

And I've got no doubt that
this is what happened.

BLAKE: Mommy!

Blake, what's the matter?

Are you OK?

My ear hurts, it really hurts.

Oh, let me see.

ROBERT STACK:
Colleen Hawkins' son

Blake was only three years old
when he startled his mother

with a horrifying story.

What truck Who hit
you with a truck?

A man.

A man hit you with a truck?

Is someone outside?

Were you outside?

No, not now, before.

A man hit me with a big truck.

He drove over me.

And I died.

COLLEEN HAWKINS: Blake.

But I thought that I
would trick him, in a way,

to see if he had
his facts right.

And so I said, oh, this
happened on TV, right?

And he said, no, it
happened in the street.

He was getting irritated
with me at this point

because he knew his facts
and he felt I should

know what happened, also.

We don't give kids nearly
as much credit for being--

ROBERT STACK: Some
experts believe

there is a perfectly
rational explanation

for all of these episodes.

--some very creative
kids out there.

And all kids fantasize
to a certain degree,

and so, the chances that
they'll come up with something

startling and unusual in that
kind of a rich fantasy live

is very high.

I got hit by a truck.

BARRY L. BEYERSTEIN: And
when you look at it that way,

these cases fall apart.

That there are lots of prosaic
explanations for how they could

possibly know this information
without it necessarily

coming from a past life.

ROBERT STACK: However, the
parents of the children

involved are convinced
those experiences are not

only real, but also beneficial.

WOMAN: I believe that
remembering past lives can

be very healing for the child.

It can help them
leave the past behind

and move on into
present reality.

And I think it
can be marvelously

healing for the adults, too.

It can give them new insights
into who their child is

as a soul and will give
them a completely different

perspective on life and death.

ROBERT STACK: A
well-known physician once

said, all the honest truth
telling there is in the world

is done by children.

Carol Bowman has now collected
dozens of case histories

of children's past lives.

Examples she believes
are well beyond the scope

of any child's imagination.

So, if you're not listening to
the stories your kids tell you,

perhaps you should be.

Coming up, a romantic
interlude takes

a stunning twist when a young
woman falls to her death

from a hotel balcony.

But first, dramatic
rescues by extraordinary

four-legged heroes.

Some experts believe
they were inspired

by a mysterious psychic forces.

[music playing]

[music playing]

When we think of heroes, some
names come readily to mind--

Paul Revere,
Florence Nightingale,

Martin Luther King--

people whose courage
served to inspire us all.

But few of us are familiar
with such extraordinary figures

as Boo, Oscar, and Ringo.

Each is a household pet, each is
responsible for saving a life.

Just how they did it and what
is truly an unsolved mystery.

[bird chirping]

[music playing]

We begin along the Yuba
River, 80 miles north

of Sacramento, California.

It was a perfect setting
for Lillian McDermott

to exercise her
Newfoundland, Boo.

Though already 110 pounds,
Boo was just 14 months old,

still a puppy.

LILLIAN MCDERMOTT:
It was the summer,

and the Yuba was very inviting.

And so I thought it was a great
opportunity for a Newfoundland

to play in the water and
be in Newfoundland heaven

chasing sticks and having fun.

ROBERT STACK: Unbeknownst to
Lilly, a dangerous situation

was developing a
half mile upstream.

An amateur prospector
named Link Hill had just

finished dredging
the river for gold

and gone back out
to fetch a gas can.

Minutes later, when
Link came into view,

Boo suddenly lost
interest in the game.

LILLIAN MCDERMOTT: I leaned
down to see what it was

he was looking at and I saw
what I thought was a log

rolling in the white water.

It's all right,
Boo, it's all right.

It was not all right,
he wouldn't stop.

I looked again and here an arm
came up out of the white water,

holding a small gas can.

ROBERT STACK: Lillian
was at a loss,

but Boo seemed to know exactly
what needed to be done.

LILLIAN MCDERMOTT:
And he looked at me,

steady, courageous, strong--

all those pretty words that said
to me, you need to let me go.

So I did.

Go, Boo.

LILLIAN MCDERMOTT: The
minute I said the words,

he shot into the water.

ROBERT STACK: Boo swam
straight into a strong current,

driven by unknown forces to
reach the helpless stranger

more than 75 feet away.

[water rushing]

Boo grabbed onto
Link's arm, then

mustering all of
his strength, he

hauled the man back to shore.

That a boy!

C'mon!
Bring him.

[coughing]

Good dog.

ROBERT STACK: As it
turned out, Link Hill

was a fortunate man, indeed.

Hill is a deaf-mute,
unable to speak or hear.

If not for Boo's heroic actions,
he would surely have drowned.

[heavy breathing]

[coughing]

How can we explain Boo's
selfless act of courage?

Instinct, devotion, or a true
desire to save another life?

Incredibly, some experts believe
Boo's response may have been

triggered by psychic abilities.

What that animal felt
was that man's fear.

And he realized
that was not log.

You know, 'cause he
could feel the emotion

coming from that man.

And the emotion of
that man calling

out in his mind for help.

[dog whining]
[dog barking]

That's all that dog needed.

He's a Newfoundland--

ROBERT STACK: Animal
behaviorist Suzanne

Hetts has a different opinion.

--bred since their development
for a number of tasks,

one of which is to
perform water rescues.

We don't have to make
assumptions that he knew

that the person was in danger.

It's something that's innate,
or some people use the term

instinctive, that
animals do because

of their genetic heritage.

ROBERT STACK: But
can genetics explain

the case of Oscar, a 3-year-old
Chesapeake Bay Retriever?

Ever since he was
seven weeks old,

Oscar has been a constant
companion, truly a best friend,

to his owner Chris Eschenberg.

I was very conscious about
socializing him properly.

And he was exposed
to a huge breadth

of people, from very young
children to very old people.

He learned early on
that people were good

and he just loves
to be around people.

And in fact, that's
one of the things

that's most surprising about
what actually happened.

ROBERT STACK: It happened on
a hot July evening in 1995

as Chris returned home.

The house was quiet, odd
because Oscar usually

kicked off up noisy welcome.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

[leaves rustling]

[gun cocking]

CHRIS: Take it
easy, take it easy.

What do you want?

OK, OK, it's OK, it's OK.
Just take it easy, please.

Please.

Go, go, go, go.

CHRIS ESCHENBERG: At that point,
I started to think about Oscar.

I was worried that I
was gonna open the door,

Oscar was going to try to greet
this guy like all of my friends

to walk into the house,
and this guy was just

going to react by shooting him.

But Oscar was
nowhere to be seen.

He had plans of his own.

[dog growling]

[dog snarling]

[dog barking]
MAN: Help!

Help!

Finally, this guy was
able to get his arm free.

And in that action of freeing
the arm, he hit me here.

And I was a little
disoriented for a moment.

And by the time I regained
my composure, he was gone.

I could hear him
getting out of the gate.

Oscar, you all right?

[dog whines]

Come here, pal.

NARRATOR: Oscar was
drenched in blood.

Fortunately, it was not the
blood of the courageous canine,

but that of the would-be robber.

You're fine, pal!

This has merely
reaffirmed to me

the fact that I have
a very dynamic, live,

interesting,
intelligent creature

that I'm sharing my life with.

And who, in this respect,
probably saved my life

or may very well have done that.

First off, it's
almost sure that Oscar

was aware of the intruder
before Chris got home.

He heard him, he smelled him.

And whether it was
territorial behavior

or protective behavior,
or a combination of both,

it's impossible to say.

But he definitely
took the initiative,

took the offense because of all
these cues that were telling

him, "this is not normal.

Something isn't right."

NARRATOR: Boo and Oscar
personify the notion

of man's best friend.

However, dogs aren't
the only animals

capable of protecting their
owners from impending danger.

Ray and Carol Steiner,
of Bowling Green, Ohio,

owe their lives to their
three-year-old red tabby cat,

Ringo.

During the summer of 1995,
the Steiners were home-bound.

Ray was recovering from surgery
and Carol was incapacitated

by a foot ailment.

But inexplicably, both
had been suffering

from memory loss, high blood
pressure, and chronic fatigue.

CAROL STEINER:
What I was noticing

the most was terrible
headaches, dizziness,

I was sleeping all the time.

NARRATOR: One morning
in August, Carol

noticed that Ringo
was acting strangely.

CAROL STEINER: Ringo had come in
already from his early morning

prowling.

And we were all settled
down and all of a sudden,

he wanted out again.

[cat meows]

I open the door,
he won't go out.

So I said, "OK kitty"
and closed the door.

NARRATOR: No sooner did
Carol get settled down,

and Ringo was at it again.

So Carol opened the door again.

CAROL STEINER: Go on out.

And he turns up at me and
gives a really high meow.

And it was obvious
I was to come out.

So I walked out with him.

NARRATOR: Ringo led Carol
around to the side of the house.

CAROL STEINER: All of
a sudden, he started

digging in our landscaping.

What is it, kitty?

And then he opened up his
mouth and curled his lips

up as if something
had a terrible smell.

[cat meows]

Oh!

NARRATOR: That smell
was lethal methane gas.

Carol immediately
called the gas company.

Within minutes, the
service technician arrived.

I smell gas.

RAY STEINER: He put
a tool in the ground

and a siren went off.

Wow.

This is way above normal.

This is very, very unusual.

He told us, we're
at explosive levels.

I've got to turn your
gas off right now

or you're going to blow.

NARRATOR: Incredibly,
the Steiners

had a large split
in their gas pipe

at the very spot where
Ringo had been digging.

As a result, potentially
deadly amounts of gas

had been seeping into
the house for months.

Not only might a random spark
had set off an explosion,

but the Steiners were in
danger of being asphyxiated.

We looked at each other,
then we looked at the cat.

And I said, my gosh, Ray.

Ringo saved our lives.

CAROL STEINER: No one
thought about the cat

until everything settled.

And my gosh, here's the hero,
just lying there being a cat.

NARRATOR: What
mysterious forces compel

these animals to take
action when there

is no one else to step forward?

Is it instinct, or perhaps some
unexplained psychic ability?

We may never know.

But to their owners,
it hardly matters.

They are just
thankful to be living

under the same roof with a
courageous, albeit four-legged,

hero.

That's a good boy.

NARRATOR: When we return, a
vicious booby trap disguised

as a mail order cookbook
claims a life of a teacher

in Brooklyn, New York.

And later, police in
Los Angeles search

for clues in the mysterious
death of a young businesswoman.

It was May 7, 1982, the
Friday before Mother's Day.

Joan Kipp, a high
school guidance

counselor in Brooklyn, New
York, had just gotten off work.

Joan and her husband had
plans to leave the city

and spend the weekend
with their family.

Hi, honey.

Are we all set?

Hi, baby.

Yeah, we're ready to fly.

I'll I have to do is
get a couple more things

and we're out of here.

Wonderful.

A postman left you a package.

I wonder who it's from.

I don't know.

NARRATOR: The package seemed
innocent in every way.

It contained a cookbook from
a major mail order house.

Joan assumed it with
a Mother's Day gift.

Oh, it is a cookbook!

Oh, how terrific.

[gunshots]

Oh!

Honey, what happened?

NARRATOR: Joan Kipp had
been struck in the chest

by two .22 caliber bullets.

She was rushed to
a nearby hospital,

but died that evening.

No one knows who killed
Joan Kipp, or why.

Her murder was
unbelievably bizarre--

shot to death by a
booby trapped cookbook.

Unfortunately,
more than a decade

would pass before
police realized it

was not an isolated incident.

In October of 1993, a retired
New York City sanitation

worker and his wife--

two people with absolutely
no connection to Joan Kipp--

were on vacation
in Pennsylvania.

[indistinct chatter]

NARRATOR: When their
children came to visit,

they brought the couple's mail.
- Thank you, Lisa.

Looks like some sort of
charitable organization.

Well--

I thought we weren't
going to send checks

to charity organizations.

I have my favorites and
I always send a check.

Come on.

NARRATOR: The package contained
what appeared to be a gift,

a commemorative medallion.

[gunshots]
- Oh!

What happened?

Oh, oh Lisa!

NARRATOR: In this
instance, three people were

shot but no one was killed.

Get Lisa out of here.

Get Lisa out of here.

Bring them into the house.
Quick.

NARRATOR: Since then, there
have been three more attacks,

bringing the total to five.

The victims shared only
two things in common.

Each lived in the
New York City area,

and each had apparently been
targeted by the same assassin.

He is a creature
of deadly habit.

His deliveries are disguised
to look legitimate.

Each package contains
a lethal homemade

weapon that fires three bullets
in different directions.

The New York City press
has seized upon the details

and given the criminal
a somewhat misleading

nickname, the Zip Gun Bomber.

GREGORY RHATIGAN:
Zip guns was a weapon

of choice for the
gangs in New York

in the late 50s, early 60s.

They're not bombs, they
don't consist of any dynamite

or anything of that nature.

What they basically are,
are crudely-made guns.

The devices are constructed
in a way to be attractive.

This type of criminal certainly
goes to a lot of effort.

He definitely is
putting it together

in a way that guarantees
that the receiver

is going to open that package.

Yeah, because
I'm going to start

getting ready in a few minutes.

NARRATOR: June 27, 1995.

Stephanie Gaffney
of Queens, New York

was eight months pregnant,
eagerly looking forward

to the birth of her daughter.

I got my senior pictures.

Girl, I know they look awful.

STEPHANIE GAFFNEY:
I was talking on the

and I was sorting
through the mail.

I came across the package.

And I looked in the
package and it was

from a health insurance plan.

It looked legitimate.

I opened up the box and
inside of it was a book,

and the book also
looked legitimate.

I mean, it looked like there
were real pages and everything.

[gunshots]

My baby.
My baby.

I thought it was real.

NARRATOR: Stephanie
had been struck

by shrapnel from three bullets.

Her unborn child
had not been hit,

but was in severe distress.

Within hours, doctors
induced labor and Stephanie

gave birth to a
healthy baby girl.

Stephanie is convinced
the only reason she

and her child survived
was because Stephanie

was holding the book at a
slight angle when she opened it.

There's no doubt about
it that I'm very lucky.

I know for a fact that if
it happened any other way,

I would not be sitting here.

My daughter would not be here.

So I thank God
every day for that.

NARRATOR: The attack
on Stephanie Gaffney

was as mystifying as
those which preceded it.

The authorities have
no concrete theories.

And at this point,
they don't even

know if the victims
were selected at random

or targeted for some
specific, unknown reason.

STEPHANIE GAFFNEY: I
believe that it is random.

I believe that, you know, it
was just one of those things

that just happened.

It could have been someone else.

It just happened to be me.

NARRATOR: In June
of 1996, it just

happened to be a
retired real estate

agent in Brooklyn, New York.

He narrowly escaped
injury when he opened

a parcel from a local charity.

GREGORY RHATIGAN: The
public should never

open up a package
when they don't know

who sent the package to them.

People should remember that
one of the easiest things to do

is to call the return
address on a package.

Number one, to see if it's
a legitimate return address.

And number two, to ask--

if someone does answer the
phone-- what did you send me?

NARRATOR: Next, a young
woman falls to her death

from a hotel balcony.

Did a passionate rendezvous
go tragically wrong?

NARRATOR: November 21, 1996.

Los Angeles County
Sheriff's deputies

use a dummy fashioned
out of fire hose

to perform a macabre experiment.

Nine days earlier, a woman had
fallen from this hotel balcony,

plummeting to her
death 10 stories below.

Was it an accident?

Did she commit suicide?

Or was she murdered?

The victim was Sandra Orellana.

She turned 27 years old on
November 12th, the same day

she arrived in California on a
business trip with this man--

her boss, 33-year-old
Robert Salazar.

The two worked for Skillmaster,
a national employment agency

based in Houston, Texas.

Sandra was a workers
compensation claim specialist,

engaged to be married.

Robert Salazar was the
general manager of operations.

He has a wife and two children.

MICHAEL SYDOW: Sandra
had worked at Skillmaster

for about a year and a half.

She'd been promoted very rapidly
to the manager of the safety

and health division.

NARRATOR: Attorney
Michael Sydow represents

Sandra Orellano's family.

MICHAEL SYDOW: Her work
was highly enough regarded

that Salazar ostensibly
took her to Los Angeles

to interview for a high
level position with a company

that Skillmaster had just
acquired in California.

NARRATOR: On the morning
of November 12th,

Sandra and Salazar checked
into adjacent rooms

on the eighth floor
of the Sheraton

Hotel in the City of Industry,
just outside Los Angeles.

At 6:30 the next morning,
another hotel guest

spotted Sandra's body
sprawled on the ground below.

Police immediately
questioned Robert Salazar.

He reportedly told them that he
had escorted Sandra to her room

around midnight.

He stayed for only a moment.

When he left, Sandra
was alive and well.

LT. RAYMOND PEAVY: When Mr.
Salazar first told that story,

it was a believable story.

It was only after we--

the homicide detectives--
began looking inside the room

and determined that his
underwear was in the room,

that we did not believe him.

NARRATOR: The police
questioned Salazar again.

They say he proceeded to
tell a very different story.

LT. RAYMOND PEAVY: He
said that he had, in fact,

gone into the room with Sandra.

And that they had
engaged in sex.

And that, at one point,
they were on the balcony.

Sandra had positioned herself
on the railing of the balcony

in such a way that she
threw one of her legs

over the top of the balcony
and lost her balance

and had fallen.

NARRATOR: Sandra's
family is outraged

by Salazar's allegation.

MICHAEL SYDOW: The family
believes that Sandra would

never have engaged in any
consensual relationship

with Robert Salazar.

First, she was very
devoted to her fiance.

Secondly, she didn't believe in
romantic relationships at work.

We talked to the
folks that work

with Sandra and Mr. Salazar.

And they were very, very shocked
that Sandra and Salazar would

have anything to
do with each other

in a sexual or romantic way.

NARRATOR: Salazar
contends he and Sandra

had not been romantically
involved until that evening.

Several witnesses
confirmed with the couple

was seen in the
hotel bar, drinking,

holding hands, and kissing.

After that, Salazar
told police they went up

to Sandra's eighth floor room.

A short time later, Sandra
fell off the balcony.

Salazar told no one about
the alleged accident--

simply went back to his room.

The next morning, he
waited in the hotel lobby

as though expecting Sandra.

He even left a message
on her room's voicemail,

asking where she was.

Lieutenant Peavy used
the dummy to test

Salazar's account of
how and where Sandra

Orellana went over the railing.

LT. RAYMOND PEAVY: The dummy
landed a number of feet

from where Sandra
actually landed--

close to 15 feet at one
dropping and another time,

I believe it was 12 feet.

So it was never even close
to where she actually landed.

And we tried it several times.

And we actually ended
up trying to make

it land where she landed.

And we had to basically throw
the dummy in that direction

to make it land there.

NARRATOR: Another perplexing
point, the balcony railing

is 44 inches tall.

Sandra Orellana was 5 feet 2--

only 18 inches taller
than the railing.

LT. RAYMOND PEAVY:
I don't believe

that it's possible
that she could

have fallen off the balcony.

I think that
something else caused

her to fall off the
balcony that Mr.

Salazar has not yet revealed.

We want to get to the
truth so that we can

explain away all the questions.

Whether we ever will or
not remains to be seen.

NARRATOR: When we return, a
poignant tale of lost love.

Perhaps you can help
reunite Glendeen

Butterfield and her niece.

NARRATOR: Raising a child
means a never-ending series

of hard choices.

It's difficult
enough for a parent.

It can sometimes be
even tougher when

you've been entrusted with a
child that is not your own.

Glendeen Butterfield
knows that all too well.

For more than two
decades, she's been

haunted by a decision she made
about her brother's daughter.

Bob!

NARRATOR: It was
the fall of 1969.

Glendeen first glimpse
of her niece, Kelli Ann,

was the result of a
hard-fought battle.

She's so beautiful.

NARRATOR: Glendeen's brother,
Bob Ayers, was in the army

and was being
shipped to Germany.

He and Kelli Ann's
mother had separated,

and neither could
care for Kelli Ann.

The army planned to put
the baby in an orphanage,

but Aunt Glendeen
wouldn't hear of it.

She went up the
chain of command,

straight to the Office
of the President.

About two days later, the
base commander at Fort Campbell,

Kentucky called me
and said that anybody

who would go to that length to
keep a kid out of an orphanage,

that the army would
give my brother grant

and leave to bring her to me.

NARRATOR: Once Bob Ayers
gave Kelli Ann to Glendeen,

he abandoned all
interest in the child.

Glendeen was on her own.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: I didn't
hear from him for a long time--

I mean a real long time.

And it was probably--
maybe-- three years.

We'll say three years.

And he just kind of like
disappeared, you know?

NARRATOR: Kelli Ann
spent those years

happily growing up with
Glendeen and her two daughters

in central California.

SONJA REMALEY: We just thought
of her as a little sister,

because we got her-- she was
a baby, she was real tiny,

so she was no different
than my sister, Vicky.

Except for more fun.

She liked her horse,
she liked riding horses.

She liked-- she
just did everything

that anybody's normal kid--

I mean, no different
than them, except they

were a little older.

You know?

I mean, she just--

happy, go lucky.

NARRATOR: In 1974,
Bob Ayers suddenly

showed up out of the blue.

He moved into
Glendeen's apartment

but still displayed little
interest in being a father.

That apparently
changed when a woman

nicknamed Kitty
set up housekeeping

in the same building.

Less than a week later, Bob
made two astonishing decisions.

First, he moved in with Kitty.

Second, without saying
a word to Glendeen,

he took Kelli Ann with him.

You like these new
toys Daddy got you?

Yeah.

You like staying in
the apartment, don't you?

Huh?

What we love having you here.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: They moved
her out after Bob only knowing

this woman for a day or two.

And I just went into
hysterics over it.

I mean, you know,
this is my kid.

Kelli!

Please, Bob!

Is Kelli in there?

NARRATOR: With the
help of the police,

Glendeen got Kelli Ann back.

But the battle over the
child was just beginning.

Within a few months, Glendeen
says Kelli Ann changed.

She had become an unhappy,
bewildered little girl.

You're much too
sad for Christmas.

I just don't understand.

Kitty wants me to call
her mommy and Uncle Bob

wants me to call him Daddy.

NARRATOR: The situation
became worse when

Bob sued Glendeen for custody.

I've heard arguments
from both sides,

and I've just had
a nice long chat

with Kelli Ann in my chamber.

She is a very bright,
intelligent child.

She really wants to
stay with Glendeen.

She's very happy where she is.

So, I find for the respondent.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: I don't
think I've ever been so happy.

JUDGE: --allow
visitation rights.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: The
judge said that Kitty and Bob

could have visitation rights.

JUDGE: --six months we
will review the situation.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD:
They would see her

when they weren't supposed to.

They would talk to
her, tell her things.

It just kept her in a
world of little confusion.

You know?

I mean, you think of a
little girl-- five years old,

or 4 and 1/2, five years old--
in that state of confusion.

NARRATOR: To minimize
the conflict,

Glendeen moved to a
small town in Nevada.

Bob's visits with Kelli Ann were
now limited to twice a year.

But for Glendeen, even
though it was too much.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: The
first time they took her

and brought her back, she got--

she was so depressed and just
withdrawn, and it was horrible.

She doesn't even know what
it's like to have a father!

No, but she knows what
it's like to have a mother,

and have sisters, and
have a whole life.

Yeah, but you are not the mom!

Yeah. but this
is what she knows.

And I am her real father.

You know that!

You are not taking her!

Yes, I am!

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: It
got to the point that I was

so concerned about her mental
well-being-- you know, for when

she got older and everything--

that I decided I
needed to keep her away

from my brother, Bob and Kitty.

You want to start a war?

You just started one.

Let's go, Kitty.

NARRATOR: Much as she
wanted to keep Kelli Ann,

Glendeen felt it was impossible.

She could think of only
one alternative, Kelli

Ann's birth mother, Marion.

Marion was in the Air Force.

She had remarried
and had two sons.

Glendeen believed she could
provide the stable environment

Kelli Ann needed.

JUDGE: So because of
that, you want to give

up custody to this lady?

No, it's not that I want to.

But I think it would
be best for Kelli Ann.

NARRATOR: The judge
agreed to the plan.

Soon after, Glendeen
kissed Kelli Ann goodbye

and left her with
her new family.

I'm going to miss you so much.

I love you.

I don't want you to go.

I don't want to go.

I don't want to be without out.

But listen, I'll be calling
you really soon, OK?

OK.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: I couldn't
believe I lost my child.

I mean, this was my child.

And I couldn't believe
that I lost her--

that I didn't have her anymore.

Well your sisters
and I sure miss you.

The last time Glendeen
spoke to Kelli Ann

was at Christmastime in 1976.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD:
She told me she missed me

and she loved me.

And I told her I loved her.

And you know, it was,
like, kind of not

a real long conversation.

But just, you know, I felt
wonderful when I talked to her.

ON THE PHONE: Can
you give Coco a kiss?

I'll sure do that.

NARRATOR: The next time
Glendeen called, however,

the line was disconnected.

Since that moment, all of her
efforts to track Kelli Ann

have failed.

By 1983, Glendeen
and her brother,

Bob, had patched up
their differences.

From then, until Bob died
in a farm accident in 1994,

their sole focus was
finding Kelli Ann.

GLENDEEN BUTTERFIELD: There
hasn't been one day went

by since I gave her
up that I haven't

thought about her a dozen
times and wondered, is she OK?

Does she need anything?

Is she happy?

Did I do the right thing?

Did I do the wrong thing?

I just wish I knew.

NARRATOR: On our next
Unsolved Mysteries, when

a popular exotic dancer
is found murdered,

police are left with
only one solid clue--

the voice of an anonymous
caller who reported the crime.

Join me next time for another
edition of Unsolved Mysteries.