All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S09E10.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

NARRATOR: Tonight on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: Susan Walsh was
a woman who lived on the edge.

A stripper turned journalist,
whose chosen assignments

plunged her into a hazardous
stew of Russian mobsters

and self-proclaimed vampires.

In the end, however, Susan
Walsh's walk on the wild side

may have led to her death.

His name is Oliver.

He walks and acts
like a human being.

His very existence is a
source of mystery and wonder.

Perhaps Oliver is just
a talented chimpanzee.

But perhaps he is
something more.

Her death has become
America's tragedy.

JonBenet Ramsey, molested
and murdered in her own home.

Five weeks later, police
have yet to confirm a motive

or name a suspect.

In Newport News, Virginia,
a young mother's joy

turns to despair
when her newborn baby

is diagnosed with a
life-threatening blood

disorder.

The only hope is an
emergency transfusion,

courtesy of an anonymous donor.

Join me for another
intriguing addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]

[chimpanzee howling]

This is a Primarily
Primates Wildlife Sanctuary

in San Antonio, Texas, a
retirement home of sorts

for some 500 wild
animals who have

been rescued from circuses,
sideshows, and medical labs.

In April of 1996, a
dozen chimpanzees,

released from a
research facility,

arrived at the preserve.

After years of confinement, most
moved in pained, halting steps,

but one was
remarkably different.

His name is Oliver.

MAN: Hi, Olly!

Wow, you stand up!

Look at you!

WALLACE W. SWETT:
When Oliver came

outside for the first time, he'd
been nine years in a lab cage.

He walked out, and he
walked upright in a way

that no chimp who was trained
to walk upright would ever walk.

His back is straight.

His shoulders back.

And his knees are locked.

It's unique.

ROBERT STACK: Unique would
be an understatement.

In his youth, Oliver had been
an international celebrity,

heralded as proof of
the legendary Bigfoot,

or perhaps the
elusive missing link.

Some speculated that
Oliver was a member

of a new,
as-yet-undiscovered species.

Or even the offspring
of an unspeakable union

between human and chimpanzee.

Since long before I helped
start Primarily Primates,

I had heard about the
ape called Oliver.

I'd collected old
tabloid articles.

And I really wondered,
is this the same Oliver?

I wasn't quite sure
until I saw him.

And, there's no doubt, this
is the upright-walking ape

who had become a living Legend

ROBERT STACK: For a
legend, Oliver's origins

were unremarkable.

He was imported from Africa
as an infant in 1960.

From the outset, animal
trainer, Frank Burger,

knew he had a very
special ape on his hands.

The first thing I noticed
with him, he was bald-headed.

Chimps have hair right with--

His bone structure,
his head was smaller.

He had a narrower face.

ROBERT STACK: But looks
weren't the only thing

that made Oliver different.

His human-like behavior
was equally startling.

One day I sat at a desk,
and he crawled to me.

And, all of a sudden, he
took hold of my pants leg

and he stands straight up.

I almost fainted.

And within 1 and
1/2 years, I've had

animals stand up in front of me,
and never I saw it went down.

I've seen a lot of
chimps, but I've

never seen one just like him.

ROBERT STACK: Over
the next decade,

Oliver's unique characteristics
made him a popular sideshow

attraction in various circuses.

Then, in 1975, a
magazine article

caught the attention
of a Manhattan

attorney named Michael Miller.

Miller vividly recalls his
first encounter with Oliver.

In walks this almost 4-and-1/2
foot or 5-foot creature,

his hair bristling, and
walking absolutely upright.

As they say, as advertised.

I could not believe what I saw.

ROBERT STACK: Miller took
these snapshots that day.

A few hours later he purchased
Oliver from Frank Burger

for the sum of $8,000.

The news hit the wires and
sparked a media onslaught.

MICHAEL MILLER: There were
many, many, many questions

about Oliver.

Enthusiastic to the
point of being wild.

People were offering
me money for the story.

I had no interest in it.

I said, I really want
the story to get out,

but I want to get the story out
to attract serious attention

from the scientific community.

This creature may have
interest and importance.

That turned me on.

ROBERT STACK: That
spring, at the Explorer's

Club annual banquet
in New York City,

Oliver created a sensation.

MICHAEL MILLER: It was
an amazing experience

because it was King Kong.

I mean, that was
truly King Kong.

I would say that there
was a consensus there too.

That this is a very
aberrant chimpanzee.

They were always
grounding it in this

is a chimpanzee who's aberrant.

And I understood that,
because I wasn't offering him

as something else,
but when I would say,

can you explain the aberration?

That would be interesting.

And the answer was
always the same.

No, we can't.

ROBERT STACK: The Explorer's
Club was the start

of a whirlwind career.

In 1976, Oliver was invited
to appear on a television

program in Japan.

For three weeks, he toured
the country, causing

a stir wherever he went.

MICHAEL MILLER: You could
feel the interest, the intent

looking at this creature.

But my favorite evening is
we were on the road going

from city to city, and they
have wonderful traditions

in Japan when you travel,
you go to this country inns.

You get undressed.

You bathe.

And then you put on a
cotton [inaudible] or robe,

and you sit down
and have dinner.

And somebody asked if he
enjoys eating and drinking.

I said, well, I know
he enjoys a beer.

And they gave him a
liter of beer, which

he drank chug-a-lug style.

He didn't come up for air.

And then let out
this enormous burp.

And he's got a very big chest,
so it was a very loud burp.

We all laughed.

And then Oliver sat
back and had a cigar.

And we sat there.

And, after a while, it was like
it was no longer a spectacle.

ROBERT STACK:
Throughout the tour,

Oliver underwent a
series of medical exams.

The results were presented on
a television special entitled

"Mr. Oliver, Man or Ape?"

A blood test
suggested that Oliver

had 48 chromosomes,
a number normally

associated with a chimpanzee.

Curiously though,
two of the 40 cells

contained 47 chromosomes, one
more than a man and one less

than a chimp.

The Japanese doctors,
however, attributed

the discrepancy to human error.

When the Japanese tour
ended, Michael Miller

found he could no
longer support Oliver

and reluctantly donated him to a
wild animal park in California.

He was billed
as a missing link.

They had a window where the
public could walk past him,

and look in, and see
him in his exhibit.

They did take him
out a number of times

onto a stage for the press
to take a look at him

for publicity.

But, otherwise, he was
generally in this enclosure

alone where people could walk
past the window and see him.

ROBERT STACK: When the animal
park went out of business.

Oliver bounced from
trainer to trainer.

He eventually wound
up in a research lab.

There, he languished in a 5-by-7
foot cage for nine long years.

Fortunately, Oliver was never
used in any experiments.

And just last year, he was
rescued by Primarily Primates.

Behavioral primatologist,
Linda Brent,

observed some of Oliver's
early rehabilitation.

LINDA BRENT: I had
the impression,

when I saw Oliver
walking bipedal,

that he had possibly been
trained to walk bipedally.

He could do it
for quite a while.

I don't think he's
anything but a chimpanzee.

And I think a lot of the,
both physical and behavioral,

characteristics can easily
be explained by his past.

ROBERT STACK: However, the
folks at Primarily Primates

refuse to speculate until
all of the evidence is in.

WALLACE W. SWETT: Now I know
that there are other animals

out there we haven't found yet.

Oliver very well could be
very special in that he

could be the only example
around of a whole new species.

ROBERT STACK: Last December,
a very special reunion

took place between Oliver and
his first owner, Frank Burger.

They hadn't seen each
other in 20 years.

Where's Oliver?

Oliver, my god, where you been?

Where you been?

Oh god, Oliver.

ROBERT STACK: Attorney Michael
Miller was also present.

MICHAEL MILLER:
He looks happier.

He looks much more
peaceful than I remember.

It's delightful to see that
he's in such a great environment

and that he's
cared for, finally.

That's very, very satisfying.

Very rewarding.

Yeah, give me a kiss.

ROBERT STACK: Science
hopes that Oliver's

golden years will be rewarding
in other ways as well.

In the near future,
genetic testing

may finally solve the mystery
of who or what Oliver truly is.

At the age of 36,
Oliver could very well

live for another 20 years.

Even if he proves to be just an
ordinary chimpanzee, those who

know him are in full
agreement on one thing,

Oliver is a remarkable
creature who's

warm and gentle personality
has touched countless lives.

[theme music]

Next, when Dustin Johnson
was five years old,

his mother was murdered
by her own brother.

Now Dustin believes his
uncle has killed again.

And later, in New York City, an
exotic dancer turned reporter

vanishes without a trace.

Also, the shocking
murder of JonBenet Ramsey

has outraged the nation and put
investigators on the defensive.

NARRATOR: It was
June 27th, 1982.

But to Dustin Johnson, it
still seems like yesterday.

Zip your coat up.

You gonna have fun with
Daddy this weekend?

NARRATOR: Dustin
was five years old.

His father picked him
up for a custody visit.

Dustin didn't know
it, but he was

saying goodbye to his
mother for the last time.

Give mommy a hug.

Give me a kiss.

I love you.

I love you.

Here's your bag.

I remember getting me
ready to go with my dad,

and she gave me a hug
and a kiss goodbye,

and told me she'd see
me when I come back.

But then I came back,
and Mom wasn't there.

NARRATOR: That weekend,
Patricia Johnson was murdered.

Nine days would pass before
her naked, decomposing body

was found.

Two weeks later, another shock--

Patricia's own brother,
Dennis Keith Smith,

confessed to the crime.

He was sentenced
to life in prison

on a charge of
second degree murder.

Dustin was taken in by
his mother's parents.

When Dennis Smith was
paroled 10 years later,

he moved into the same house.

On a daily basis, in the
hallway and over dinner,

Dustin Johnson had to face the
man who had killed his mother.

The uneasy truce lasted about a
year, until another local woman

mysteriously disappeared.

Dustin soon became convinced
that his uncle, Dennis Keith

Smith, was somehow involved.

Your lunch is made.

Thanks, Honey.

NARRATOR: Dan and
Carolyn Killaby lived

just three miles from Dustin.

The morning of
Saturday, November

11th, 1995 found the Killaby's
patching up an argument.

You know, you're making
something out of nothing.

Well, it's something to me.

I know.

I know it is.

We didn't have to hash
everything out, and yell

and scream at each other.

We didn't do it that way.

Oftentimes we were-- just a
wink and a smile would do it,

you know?

And that would be the end of it.

We don't have
the kids tonight,

so why don't we just get
together and have dinner,

spend some time together?

OK.

All right.

NARRATOR: It promised to
be a romantic evening--

just the two of them.

But before Dan left
work, his brother would

call and invite him to drop by.

I figured I'd still make
it home in plenty of time,

so I went to see
my brother Dave,

and we ended up going down
to a tavern down the street,

and we had a beer, and we
started shooting some pool.

Turned out there was
a Blazer game on.

We started watching that,
we had a couple more beers,

and I decided just to
stay behind at his place,

and chose not to drive home.

NARRATOR: Dan didn't
call home until 1:00 AM.

DAN: Hi, Carolyn.

It's me.

Listen, I'm going to
stay at Dave's tonight.

I had a few beers so, you know,
I'd better just stay here.

I will see you in the morning.

I'm home.

NARRATOR: Sunday morning, Dan
returned to an empty house.

His message was
still on the machine.

Honey?

[knocking]

Carolyn?

NARRATOR: Dan
assumed that Carolyn

was deliberately not
calling home, giving him

a taste of his own medicine.

By Sunday night,
he began to worry.

Hello.

Susan?

Yeah.

This is Dan.

NARRATOR: Dan went through
his wife's phonebook, A to Z,

but no one could account
for Carolyn Killaby.

Carolyn still hadn't shown
up by 6:00 AM Monday morning

when she was due at work.

Dan and his brother cruised the
streets of Vancouver looking

for any sign of Carolyn.

They found her
car in the parking

lot of a popular nightclub.

Well, this is her car.

The morning barmaid
was the gal that

worked there Saturday night.

And she said, yeah,
I saw your wife.

She was in Saturday night.

That's the last time I saw her.

So at that point, you
know, panic set in.

The car was there, and my
wife was nowhere to be found.

NARRATOR: When the story
hit the local paper,

one fact jumped out
at Dustin Johnson.

I found a name by the name
of Dennis in the newspaper,

and I continued to read
that the lady was missing.

And I had this feeling that that
person by the name of Dennis

might be my uncle.

This might be a
weird conversation--

NARRATOR: Dustin found
Dan Killaby's number

in the local phone directory.

Yeah?

I just was reading
through there

and found the name of Dennis.

Do you know what
Dennis' last name is?

He He called me and said
he'd saw the article,

and if this Dennis that was
mentioned in the article

was, in fact, Dennis Keith
Smith, that that was his uncle,

and he wanted to let
me know that he had

murdered his mother in 1982.

Hello?

NARRATOR: Authorities had not
yet released the last name

of the man seen with Carolyn.

Dan called detectives to
check out Dustin's hunch.

But he said that he
thinks that the man, Dennis,

that you're looking for--

his name is Dennis Smith.

And he said that this
guy is a murderer.

Is that true?

There was a long pause
from the detectives,

and I knew right then
it was the person.

At that point in time, I think--

right then and there, I knew
my wife had been killed.

Right there.

NARRATOR: A witness
helped police

reconstruct what was
very likely Carolyn

Killaby's last evening alone.

You could tell it on her
face, she's been crying.

She was alone.

She didn't want to
be with anybody.

She's upset.

If she would have
had one more drink,

she would have been passed out,
probably going to the hospital.

She's really bad off.

- She's trouble.
- Her?

Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR: Dennis Smith
was a club regular.

According to the witness,
Smith had had his eye

on Carolyn all night long.

At around 11:30,
he made his move.

It was just the way
he walked up to her,

as if they were old friends.

But she didn't know
who she was with with.

He spoke to her
for a few seconds.

She lifted her head up--

he had one arm around it-- his
neck-- and had a hold of it.

And walked out with her.

Carolyn disappeared the
night of November 11th.

Less than 72 hours
later, detectives

decided it was time to have
a talk with Dennis Smith.

Who was it you talked to?

It was the bouncer.

You talked to the bouncer?

What did you tell him?

We talked to him
for quite a long time.

What did you tell the
bouncer about this person?

His story changed
a little bit,

but not enough to
make a big difference.

OK, you said the
waitress, or bartender?

Which is it?

It probably isn't both of
them at this point, right?

He would laugh at times
for no real, apparent reason,

which is very
indicative of someone

that is trying to be deceitful.

You were in your
truck for 45 minutes?

Yeah.

What happened?

Come on.

Come on, Dennis.

We're all adults.

What's going on?
What happens?

She attacked me so,
you know, I'm winded,

and I'm pretty tired after that.

And we, you know--

What do you mean,
she attacked you?

No.
No.

That's not what
I'm talking about.

Come on, you know, we--

we had sex.

And then I left, and then
I-- as I got out the truck,

and I go around to--
and then I see this guy,

and he's got, like,
this stick in his hand.

NARRATOR: Smith went on to claim
that the stranger threatened

him, and then took Carolyn away.

It was a stick.
What are you--

NARRATOR: Detectives kids had a
hard time believing the story,

especially when they inspected
Smith's pickup truck.

Oh, man.

That's more than
a cigarette burn.

Yeah, it looks like
he took a torch to it.

NARRATOR: It was not just
the gaping hole in the seat

that aroused suspicions.

The seat cover had been removed,
and every inch of carpeting

had been stripped off the floor.

And at that point,
basically, I knew that Dennis

was hiding something from us.

Maybe any evidence that
Carolyn was in his truck,

or that something bad
happened to her in the truck.

NARRATOR: However, without
proof that Carolyn was dead,

suspicions alone were
not enough to keep

Dennis Smith in custody, let
alone bring him to trial.

By the time authorities
amassed enough evidence

to charge him with murder,
Smith had left town.

Our program flushed
him out of hiding.

Here's Keely Shaye Smith
with the dramatic details.

Bob, Dennis Smith
fled Washington

and kept running
until he reached

the other side of the country.

He ended up in the town of
New Smyrna Beach, Florida,

where he introduced
himself as Dave Sanborn.

But by any name, he still
looked like Dennis Keith Smith.

On the night we profiled
the accused killer, Tracey

Hottleman and John
Cummings got together

to watch the show with their
new friend, Dave Sanborn.

He kind of started
getting nervous.

And I said, oh my gosh, Johnny.

I said, look who
that looks like.

And he was sitting
right next to me,

and they started describing
the color of his tattoos

that were on his arm.

And I said-- I looked
over and I said, you have

those color tattoos, you know?

And he asked me, is
there anything else on?

He didn't want to
watch the show.

And I said, no,
I like this show.

We'll watch it.

And he, you know, got up,
and went in the kitchen,

and he started pacing around.

NARRATOR: When Smith drove off
in their car and disappeared,

John and Tracey
notified authorities.

Police caught up with
Smith two days later,

at this intersection.

He did not give up easily.

He turned and charged the
officers, and a fight ensued.

During the course
of that fight, he

attempted to remove the firearm
from one of the officers.

Was beginning to successfully
remove that firearm when

the second officer
fired a single shot,

striking Mr. Smith in the neck.

NARRATOR: Smith was also shot in
the wrist during the struggle.

After two weeks in
the hospital, he

had recovered enough to
appear in a Florida court.

Coming up, the tragic and
perplexing death of JonBenet

Ramsey.

What do the police
know about her killer?

But first, a dangerous disorder
leaves a newborn infant

at serious risk until an
anonymous good Samaritan

comes to the rescue.

[phone ringing]

NARRATOR: June 22, 1966.

Newport News, Virginia.

Hello?

NARRATOR: An urgent
call for help

in the middle of the night,
but the young man who responds

is not a surgeon or a paramedic.

He is a blood donor--

an unsung hero,
someone to help save

the life of a newborn infant.
- All right.

I'll get there as soon as I can.

Come on in.
Good.

Good.

Come on.

NARRATOR: 24 hours earlier,
Ann Wilson had given birth

to her second daughter, Renee.

Anne's first child
was born breech,

and she prayed
that Renee would be

delivered without complication.

You have yourself a girl.

Look at this.

Oh my gosh.

Hi.

NARRATOR: Labor went very
smoothly, and very quick.

Renee was born at 11:02.

You know, I was excited and
happy to be having any baby.

And, of course, I checked her
fingers, and checked her toes,

and all that to make
sure she was all there.

And I thought she
was most beautiful

baby I had ever
seen him in my life,

because she was so pretty.

And-- nothing abnormal about
her looking, at all, to me.

Did you say hi, daddy?

Say hi, daddy.

We'd had a problem
with the first daughter,

and we thought--

the doctors assured us that
everything was OK with Renee,

and we just thought that
everything was good to go.

And then this problem
came up with her blood.

The doctor's
gonna come in now.

NARRATOR: It was more
than just a problem.

Renee was in serious trouble.

She had a rare blood
disorder, which can be fatal.

Well, we've just completed all
the tests on your little girl,

and I'm afraid the
results confirm

that she's going to need a
complete blood transfusion.

And what that means is she
needs to have all of her blood

replaced by that of a donor--

a live donor-- so we are looking
right now to find that donor,

and make that transfusion.

I'll give her my blood.

I wish it was that simple,
but your blood type isn't right,

and neither is your husband's.

So we need to find a person--

The test-- the first test
that was done told them that

the white corpuscles were eating
up her red blood corpuscles,

and that they were going to have
to give Renee a transfusion.

This would be a
complete transfusion.

They were going to have to drain
all the blood out of her body,

and put blood back
in from a donor.

It was very scary,
not realizing, really,

what was going
on, and not having

anybody to ask any questions.

And in the middle of
the night, as well.

NARRATOR: There were only three
potential donors within driving

distance of the hospital.

For whatever reason-- fate,
luck, or mere happenstance--

the anonymous young stranger
was a donor who responded first.

OK.

Thanks.

Sure.

As far as knowing
who that person was,

or how they would contact them--

I didn't really have any idea.

And I think I was so caught
up in the thought of,

you know, what was
taking place with Renee,

that I didn't really
think about the donor.

NARRATOR: With no time to
spare, the transfusion began.

By Anne Wilson's account, the
procedure lasted until 3:00 AM.

I drifted off into, like,
a twilight sleep, I guess.

And then I must have, you
know, really gone to sleep.

Because the next thing I
remember was the doctor came

in and tapped me on my hand.

Mrs. Wilson?

Good news.

I just checked on Renee, and
she's going to be just fine.

The transfusion was
a complete success.

I'm so happy.

Now, I'm going to
go get some sleep.

You have some
pleasant dreams now.

You, too.

See you in the morning.

NARRATOR: Baby Renee
quickly recovered, and soon

went home with her parents.

She led a perfectly
normal childhood,

and was as happy and healthy
as both of her sisters.

It wasn't until she was a
teenager that Renee learned

about the mysterious stranger
whose singular act of kindness

had saved her life.

I want to find him,
just to shake his hand,

or just to give
him a hug and say,

thank you for saving my life.

I have a lot to look forward
to, and I'm just very

grateful that he didn't say no.

You know, I can't come to the
hospital to give the blood now,

or I'm too tired, or no, I
have to be up in three hours

for work.

Sorry-- you know?

Because I wouldn't be
here he had done that.

Unfortunately,
there are no records

that would help identify
the unknown good Samaritan.

Anne Wilson recalls that
he was in his mid-twenties,

and had dark hair and eyes.

He would now be in
his mid-fifties.

In 1966 the man lived near
the Riverside Hospital

in Newport News, Virginia.

Next, stripping took her inside
the sex industry and close

to the mob.

Curiosity drew her to
the bizarre rituals

of modern day vampires.

But no one knows what made
Susan Walsh disappear.

OK, David, while
you're over here today,

don't watch so much
television, OK?

Read a book, or something.

NARRATOR: July 16th, 1996.

Susan Walsh was in a hurry.

She dropped off her son, David,
with her estranged husband.

Hey, buddy.

NARRATOR: She never said
exactly where she was going.

Thanks, Mark.

You'll be back, right?

Uh-- yeah.

I, uh, gotta make a
couple of phone calls,

and, um, run a few errands, OK?

And-- just a few minutes, OK?

NARRATOR: But it wouldn't be
a matter of minutes at all.

That morning, 36 year old
Susan Walsh walked away

from her home, and her life.

She disappeared into the
streets of Nutley, New Jersey--

a brief commuter train
trip from Manhattan.

What happened to Susan Walsh?

The police believe she
simply chose to disappear,

but the truth is elusive and
may be far more sinister.

Some say Susan Walsh was
murdered by mobsters.

Some say she overdosed on drugs.

Others believe she vanished
into a subterranean culture

of sex and danger that lured
her in, and never let go.

From the time Susan
Walsh was a little girl,

her dream was to be
a poet and writer.

But a broken home and unhappy
childhood made reaching

that goal a constant struggle.

By the time Susan
was in her twenties,

she was instead an
admitted alcoholic,

a drug addict, a stripper.

Still, she kept her dream alive.

Stripping paid her
way through college.

When Susan graduated in
1984, she cleaned up her act.

- Mark?
- Yeah?

OK.

NARRATOR: By 1988, Susan had
been sober for four years.

She had married
and, most important,

she'd become a devoted mother.

We're making cookie faces.

Looks just like me.

Susan loved her son
very much, and she

was always there for her son.

The two things that
meant a lot to her

were her son, and her
career as a journalist.

NARRATOR: Eventually, Susan
and her husband separated.

Though Susan still
dreamed of being a writer,

she had a tough
time getting breaks.

To support her
son, she went back

to stripping, unable to
resist the easy money

and seductive lifestyle.

Susan would say she
was like an addict,

and that the whole sex business
was kind of like an addiction.

And she was trying to
break this addiction.

She will talk endlessly
on an intellectual level

against dancing, and sometimes
with great articulation,

you know?

You feel like this is
very profound stuff.

And then, you know,
she's out there doing it.

Hey, Natalie, lunch
in half an hour, OK?

NARRATOR: Ironically,
stripping helped

provide the critical boost to
Susan's journalistic career.

Eventually she
landed an internship

at New York's freewheeling
Village Voice,

researching the sex industry.

She soon turned up a hot story--

Russian mobsters in New
Jersey were allegedly

forcing young Russian women
to work in strip clubs,

like slaves.
- Hi, Susan.

How are you doing?

That's the call
I've been waiting for.

- The van guy?
- Yeah.

I think it's going to
take me to the head guy.

- The head of the mob?
- Yeah.

When are you supposed
to be out there?

Tonight.
11:00.

Susan was a
fantastic researcher.

She really poured
herself into this.

She spent hour after
hour, day after day.

Then she got into
the situation where

a lot of these clubs in New
Jersey have silent partners.

Some of the people were alleged
to be in organized crime.

The managers of
these clubs began

to side with the Russian women
against the Russian manager.

So it was, like,
the two mobs meet.

And Susan then, of
course, loved this thing.

And she got right
in the middle of it.

NARRATOR: Susan earned praise
for the Russian mob article,

but she also got threats.

Susan felt she may
have made enemies.

Her next big project may also
have put her in jeopardy.

Susan Walsh for
the Village Voice.

Do you know a Jericho?

NARRATOR: In the early
'90s, bizarre vampire

clubs began springing up in
New York's Greenwich Village.

The clubs boasted
a dicey clientele.

Many claimed to be
real blood drinkers.

This is the first time
I've been in, actually,

to one of the clubs.

And what I was really
hoping was to find somebody

that I could actually just
maybe go down to the village,

you know?

NARRATOR: Susan was so
taken by the vampire world,

she even started dating
a man who claimed

to be one of the undead.

Village Voice.

NARRATOR: Susan wrote a detailed
article, but in this case

her journalistic
judgment seemed skewed.

She sort of, like,
took it in whole cloth.

And she believed a
lot of the things

that these guys were telling
her-- that, you know,

about how there were secret
murders, and so on and so forth

in the vampire world.

Are there a lot of
regulars at the clubs

She would come and say to
me, I met these two guys,

and they got this van,
and it was very scary,

and I don't know whether
I should go in their van.

And so I said, you
know, hey, look--

don't go in the van.

Because they might not
be vampires, you know?

NARRATOR: To Susan's
disappointment,

the Village Voice never ran
her article on vampires.

But in June of 1996, the
month before she disappeared,

Susan's career was
again on an uptick.

She had done the primary
research for a book

by James Ridgeway and
Sylvia Plachy, "Red Light,

Inside The Sex Industry."

However, the night of
the publisher's party,

James Ridgeway noticed that
Susan's wrists were bandaged.

- Susan?
- Yeah?

There's something
I want to ask you.

Yeah?

What is this?

OK, this is
nothing, all right?

This is me in the
shower, just, you know--

I wanted to see what
it felt like, OK?

You wanted to see
what it felt like?

Yeah.
It's cool, OK?

It's totally cool.
You were in the van, right?

MAN: Yeah, that's right.

NARRATOR: Ridgeway
was also concerned

that Susan was
taking tranquilizers,

and had started drinking again.

Right.

I'm gonna see you there.

And I just said,
aw, Susan, you know,

for an alcoholic
to do this it's,

like, really bad, you know?

And I said, you
gotta to go to AA.

Please go to AA.

Please go to the doctor.

You still dance.

So why do you still dance?

NARRATOR: By now, Susan was
back to dancing full time.

In a documentary being
made by an old friend,

Susan talked about what a
toll stripping had taken.

It's draining me, and I've
been in it 4 and 1/2 years--

four years too long, I'd say.

And I'm stuck in this conundrum,
because I feel so drained.

And I'm damaged right now.

I will admit that.

Very damaged from this business.

I'm hurting very bad.

I was with her two days
before she disappeared,

and she said she had bronchitis,
emphysema, and an ulcer.

She said she'd been in the
hospital twice that week.

She talked about her mood
swings, and being depressed.

And about just
holding on to live.

You'll be back, right?

Oh-- yeah.

Just a few minutes, OK?

NARRATOR: 48 hours after
Jill last saw Susan,

the mystery began.

Did Susan collapse somewhere
because of her depression

and poor health?

If so, police say her body
would have been found,

or she would have
surfaced in a hospital.

Her continued absence forces
her friends and family to paint

scenarios that are much darker.

I think Susan was probably
pretty hooked on drugs.

And I think she went
out, and probably called

somebody to come and get her.

And then she went, and she
may very well have OD'd.

And she may very well have
OD'd in the presence of someone

who knew her, and was frightened
to do anything about it.

NARRATOR: The police have a
completely different theory.

I believe that
Susan Walsh is alive.

For someone, no reason
to me at this time,

she opted to leave her
family and home, which

she has a perfect right to do.

NARRATOR: Detective Rhein has
talked to a number of people

who believe they've actually
seen Susan, including

her old friend, Melissa Hines.

Susan!

Susan!

Susan!

I definitely think it was her.

I'm positive that I'd seen Susan
a month after she disappeared.

A license plate number
that Melissa Hines provided

to us, we did track down.

We spoke to the owner and
operator of that vehicle.

He had been with a woman fitting
the description of Susan.

He did view photographs,
and felt he was

pretty sure that had been her.

But, again, we had no positive
identification of Susan Walsh

at that time.

NARRATOR: Melissa believes
that if Susan is alive,

she may be deliberately
hiding out.

Susan definitely felt
that she was in danger.

She was scared for
her life, and I

think she was also
scared her son's

life could be in danger, too.

Susan actually told me
that she wasn't going

to make it in the next year.

She felt that she was
going to be killed.

I believe there's a chance
that the mob was after her.

People in organized
crime were concerned

that Susan had information
that would send them to jail.

According to Susan,
that was the case.

Someone was definitely
following Susan.

I thought at first that it
was just her imagination,

but I'd seen it
with my own eyes.

I would see cars follow her--

both of us.
People follow her.

My car-- she was in my car.

So it was definitely--
somebody was stalking her.

NARRATOR: Who could have
been following Susan Walsh?

Was she the target of a mob hit?

Did she cross paths
with the wrong person

in the vampire clubs?

Or was she the victim
of her own paranoia,

brought on by drug use?

Susan Walsh is 36 years old.

She is 5'6, weighs 110
pounds, and has blue

eyes and bleached blonde hair.

Next, she was poised and
accomplished beyond her years.

She is mourned by
the entire country.

Who killed JonBenet Ramsey?

The following story originally
aired on January 31st, 1997.

It does not include the
most recent developments

in the case.

In death she has become
America's sweetheart,

but the haunting
images of a poised,

sophisticated woman child
cloaked the reality--

she could have been
anyone's daughter.

Anyone's neighbor.

Offstage, JonBenet Ramsey
was probably like most

other six year old girls--

sensitive, fragile,
and vulnerable.

Now she is gone,
sexually assaulted

and strangled in the
basement of her own home

on Christmas night, 1996.

It's been five weeks,
and the entire country

is demanding to know who
committed this horrible crime.

The initial shock has given way
to a kind of national anxiety,

and given rise to
other questions.

Why is it taking so long?

What do the police know?

Why haven't they found a
suspect, or cleared the family?

The questions may seem
unfair to investigators,

but they are understandable.

After all, there is
a killer at large.

This elegant home
in Boulder, Colorado

is where JonBenet
Ramsey lived and died.

Boulder itself is a place where
murder almost never happens.

JonBenet was the
city's only homicide

victim during all of 1996.

Her father, John, is a
millionaire businessman.

Her mother, Patricia, is a
former Miss West Virginia

who guided JonBenet's
well-documented career

as a child beauty queen.

Today the details of the case,
like the fairy tale family

history, are
agonizingly familiar.

The ransom note
found the morning

after Christmas, demanding
the peculiar sum of $118,000.

The discovery a full eight
hours later of JonBenet's body

in the basement.

John Ramsey's panic stricken
decision to carry his daughter

upstairs, thus disturbing
the crime scene

and destroying crucial evidence.

The stunning revelation
that the ransom note,

and an apparent practice note,
were written on a notepad paper

from the Ramsey home.

And finally,
widespread speculation

that someone in the
family was involved,

coupled with
widespread criticism

of the police investigation.

They have said that they're
playing it exactly by the book.

They may be withholding
evidence that they

can use to identify the killer.

I think they would say
this is proper procedure.

It appeared to me that at the
beginning of the investigation,

the police did not seem to
be doing as thorough a job

as they would, which
would be try to get

every piece of information.

And in this particular
case, it may have something

to do with the
prominence of the family,

or that they were,
you know, unused

to a murder investigation,
or something like that,

in Boulder.

We have never contended that
anyone is or is not a suspect.

We have not ruled anybody in,
nor have we ruled anybody out.

We are continuing
the investigation.

NARRATOR: Despite the lack of
a known suspect or suspects,

the Boulder police chief
has assured local residents

that they have nothing to fear.

There is not a crazed
child killer on the loose.

Stranger child
homicide is rare,

so I would be likely to place
my investigative resources more

on people who had
access to the child,

rather than people
on the outside.

All the things that I've
learned about the family

would point away from
the immediate family.

Obviously you can't
rule out anyone in this,

and I'm sure the police
have not ruled out anyone.

NARRATOR: In the eyes of many,
the fact that the crime scene

was essentially closed,
limited to the home itself,

makes John and Patsy
Ramsey natural suspects.

In addition, much has
been made of the Ramseys'

apparent reluctance to
cooperate with the police,

and the fact that
they both hired

individual attorneys within
days of their daughter's death.

For their part, the Ramseys
have repeatedly denied

any knowledge of the murder.

Friends and neighbors have been
quick to come to their defense,

insisting that the
family is above reproach,

and beyond suspicion.

But if not one of the
Ramseys, then who?

That is the $64,000 question.

If it were as simple
as a family member,

I would have expected an
arrest very early in this case.

I would have thought that
they would have come up

with some lab evidence
that would have

tied someone to the murder.

Either that hasn't happened,
or they don't have a suspect,

or they have a
suspect, but they're

trying to make sure that
they have dotted every I

and crossed every
t, and they've got

this person dead cold before
they actually make an arrest.

NARRATOR: On our next "Unsolved
Mysteries," when rock and roll

star Kurt Cobain was
found dead in his home,

all the experts
said it was suicide.

But this private
investigator is convinced

that the truth about Cobain's
death has yet to be revealed.

Join me next time for
another fascinating hour

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

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