All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S09E12.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: Imagine
our great cities

leveled in a blinding flash.

North America consumed by
flame, the entire planet

enveloped in a massive
cloud of smoke and debris.

The agent of this mass
destruction, a giant asteroid,

perhaps undiscovered
until it is too late.

On Valentine's Day our thoughts
naturally turn to love.

For centuries,
men and women have

been consumed by a never-ending
quest for greater passion.

Can aphrodisiacs make
us better lovers?

Or is it all in the
mind and the heart?

When Robert Dirscherl
died of a gunshot wound,

his family had little
choice but to accept

the police ruling of suicide.

Then the arrival of
a mysterious letter

and the uncanny
testimony of a psychic

brought the case back to life.

Join me, for these
intriguing new cases

and much more on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]

Admit it, unless you're
Mick Jagger or Madonna,

you probably wished for a magic
potion that could transform

you into the consummate lover.

Or turn that aloof stranger
into your adoring sweetheart.

You're not alone.

For the last few thousand years,
from Afghanistan to Zanzibar,

men and women have
searched high and low

for the perfect aphrodisiac.

Wishful thinking?

Or are there recipes for
romance to deliver the goods?

Modern science has
a surprising answer.

CYNTHIA WATSON: One of
the traditions in Europe

was that newlywed couples
would drink a wine

made of honey every night.

And this would be a
way for them to help

increase their energy during the
first month of their marriage.

And that's where the word,
honeymoon came about.

And of course, we know
honey is very, very high

in B vitamins and amino
acids and is a very, very

highly nutritious product.

Plus, it gives the
body energy, which is

required also for healthy sex.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Even
the straight-laced Puritans

in colonial America
had an aphrodisiac.

The dandelion weed,
which we now know

is rich in vitamin A
and other elements that

jump-start the engines of love.

But since time
immemorial, oysters

have enjoyed a reputation
as the food for lovers.

For some, just a peek
at the succulent mollusk

can provoke thoughts of sex.

Lab tests indicate
that the oyster's

fame is honestly earned.

Zinc is a mineral that's
required for the production

of testosterone.

And testosterone is the
most important hormone

for sexual response
in both men and women.

And oysters have more zinc
than almost any other food.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Though
Dr. Watson has spent years

studying aphrodisiacs,
many patients

who come to her southern
California office

are not lovesick,
at least that's

not at the top of their list.

So, Charlie, are you
having trouble sleeping?

Yeah, I'm only getting--

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Charlie

was there because his
18-hour work days had ground

him down beyond exhaustion.

Rested I get up
and walk around,

I can't get back to sleep.

She starts to steer
her questions to,

what are my activities like.

Am I energetic?

Do I exercise?

You know, how's my love life?

That was kind of an odd
switch, because most doctors

don't take you down that path.

And how are these problems
affecting you sexually?

Well, it's taken its toll in
my relationship to the point

where it's nonexistent.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Dr. Watson prescribed

a slower pace, plus a regimen
of herbs and vitamins.

But would they cure
Charlie's exhaustion

and rev up his love life?

The transformation began during
that first visit to the office.

CHARLIE: I saw this
little box of chocolates

and I just started nibbling
away and I'm hungry.

And so I'm just
popping these things,

eating them, chewing away,
oh, great chocolates.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But these were

not merely great chocolates.

Dr. Watson had spiced
them up with a mix

of South American herbs known
for giving the libido a lift.

CHARLIE: I started
to eat these things

and balling up the wrappers and
you know, they're pocket-size,

I'm thinking, oh, this is great.

Little, little snacks for later.

And I got a couple in my pocket.

Hi, excuse me.

Oh, hi.

How many of those chunks
have you eaten already?

Oh, I had a whole bunch.

Why?
- Really?

A whole bunch.

Because those are Dr.
Watson's love potions.

Love potions?
What's that?

Those are aphrodisiacs.

Aphrodisiacs, really?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): - Charlie

took some of the chocolates
to share with his girlfriend.

He came home early, made
dinner, put on sweet music.

Thank you so much.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
- And hoped for the best.

I'm glad you liked that.

But we're not done yet.

I have a little dessert for us.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
- Charlie was

already halfway to paradise.

Probably could have
left Dr. Watson's

love drops on the mantle.

But Charlie wasn't
taking any chances.

Oh, chocolate hearts.

CHARLIE: Not just
ordinary chocolate hearts.

These are aphrodisiacs.

Where did you get them?

About a half an hour
later, I'm sitting there

and she's playing with my hair.

I'm sitting there
going, it's working.

I'm so glad you didn't
have to work late tonight.

CHARLIE: She didn't say that
she felt anything different.

She said, oh, i just
feel, you know, normal.

Well, I can tell you,
she wasn't normal.

She was better than normal.

Cuddly, huggy, you know,
paying attention to me.

And it progressed into a
really nice steamy evening,

which was after all,
we could all use

one of those once in a while.

The mind is the best
aphrodisiac we have,

yet there are really physical
components that happen.

I see it in my practice.

I see men and women who
really want to have great sex,

but something something's
wrong physically, chemically,

something's just not happening.

And definitely when they
take the herbs, which

react in the body, in
that chemical process,

definitely there's a change.

There's an improvement.

When people say you're
taking an aphrodisiac.

You know you're
taking an aphrodisiac,

isn't it all in your mind?

Isn't it a placebo?

And I look at them and I say
it's very possible that it is.

I mean, there's tons
of medical records

that show people have
been given placebo

medicine have cured themselves.

But, hey, who cares as
long as it gets you there?

ROBERT STACK: The
wellspring of passion

will undoubtedly remain one
of life's great mysteries.

As for aphrodisiacs, perhaps
the most potent of all

is the heartfelt
phrase, I love you.

Before flying off in search of
romance, a few down to earth

warnings.

Prior to ingesting any
kind of love potion,

be sure to consult
your physician.

And remember, giving someone
drugs or aphrodisiacs

without their
knowledge and consent

may be a crime
punishable by law.

When in doubt, try a box of
chocolates or a dozen roses.

Coming up, it may be the
greatest danger our planet will

ever face, giant asteroids
and meteor drifting

undetected through space.

When or where one will strike
cannot yet be predicted.

But first, when a marine
helicopter assigned

to transport the president
crashes in Maryland,

a self-taught aviation
investigator launches

his own search for answers.

[music playing]

The following story originally
aired on February 14, 1997.

Since then there have
been dramatic developments

regarding the murder of
Bill Cosby's son, Ennis.

On January 16, 1987,
27-year-old Ennis William Cosby

was shot to death while
changing a flat tire.

Only one witness, a woman, is
known to have caught a glimpse

of the suspected assailant.

According to that woman, the
man who authorities believe

murdered Ennis was
a white male wearing

a light colored knit cap.

He was 25 to 32 years old of
average height and weight.

TIM MCBRIDE: Our
evidence that this time

would indicate a random type
of situation, a random crime.

And again, the most logical
motive at this time is robbery.

Other scenarios may
come as we move along

and follow these leads
that the public give to us.

Right now, it appears
that it's a random crime

and that robbery is the
most logical motive.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Here's what we know.

About 1:30 AM, Ennis Cosby
pulled off the 405 freeway

onto a lonely off ramp
near Mulholland Drive

in Los Angeles.

He called a woman
on a cell phone

and told her he had a flat tire.

She went to the scene.

She was sitting in her
car when the suspect

rapped on her window.

She drove away in a panic.

When she returned minutes
later, Ennis Cosby was dead.

His attacker was
nowhere to be seen.

During the next few
days, police searched

for more plausible
witnesses, sorting

through hundreds of tips.

We have been contacted by
several people who believe they

may have seen something there.

Either seen Mr. Cosby
before the shooting

when he was still
alive or may have seen

something shortly thereafter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A Bel Air security guard

gave police a
description of a man

in a blue hatchback he had
seen in the area minutes

before the murder.

Police hoped that they had
gotten a major break when they

tracked that man who a mini mall
in nearby Torrence, California,

but it quickly came to nothing.

Well, we're always
disappointed if a lead turns

out that it isn't what we
thought it was going to be

or hoped it would be.

On the other hand, it's a
lead that becomes eliminated,

and allows you to go
on and spend your time

in the productive
areas of the leads

that we have not eliminated.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Police are certain someone

knows a suspect.

They're hoping that person
will recognize this composite

and call them with
a critical tip.

There's a mother, there's
a father, there's a sister,

there's a brother, there are
friends who know this suspect.

They know that he
committed this crime.

And we want them
to come forward.

We have a brutal suspect.

Somebody that carries a weapon.

Somebody that is probably
an experienced criminal

and has committed these
types of crimes before.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Seven months have
passed since the night TWAS

flight 800 crashed
into the Atlantic

off the coast of Long Island,
killing more than 200 people.

Despite a likely ruling
of mechanical failure,

rumors about the cause of
the tragedy have run rampant.

Most incredible was a
theory that the plane went

down because of an
accidental missile attack

by our own military.

Outlandish?

Perhaps.

But it's not the first time
such charges have been leveled.

Since 1993, similar
rumors have swirled

around the crash of a United
States Marine Corps helicopter.

But this was no
ordinary helicopter.

It was one of a small fleet
used to transport the President

of the United States.

The President, of
course, was not on board

when the helicopter went down.

But tragically,
four crewmen were.

As with flight 800,
the controversy

surrounding the crash pits the
theory of mechanical failure

against an accusation
of friendly fire,

with one ominous twist.

A secret weapon straight
out of science fiction.

[rotating chopper blades]

It was an overcast
morning in May of 1993.

Shortly before noon,
a Blackhawk helicopter

flew over a wooded area
near Washington, DC.

An archaeologist named Frank
Owens and his assistant

saw the helicopter fly by.

Half an hour later, they
discovered the crash site.

This is the first
time Frank Owens

has agreed to be interviewed
for national television.

FRANK OWENS: We
were driving down

a road when off to
our right, I glanced

and I saw the tail section of
a helicopter in a clearing.

We put it in reverse.

We stopped, we jumped out.

As we walked down
the logging road,

I could tell that this was
a presidential helicopter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The local authorities

responded within minutes.

The wreckage was
strewn across an acre

and a half of dense forest.

All four crewmen were dead.

[rotating chopper blades]

Within an hour, a heavily
armed unit of Marines

secured the area.

Three months later, the
Marine Corps released

what is known as a JAG report.

The official conclusion
was that the crash

had been caused by
mechanical failure

due to faulty maintenance.

Portions of the report
stunned Frank Owens.

In the weeks after
the accident, he

has spent considerable time
at the crash site erecting

a memorial to the crew.

The JAG report indicated
that all debris, all jet fuel

had been taken care of.

Everything had been removed in
a very, very professional way.

I found that not to be true.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Frank says

he has the proof at his home.

43 pounds of wreckage that
he collected at the site.

When Frank decided to
launch an investigation,

he attracted the attention
of several military

and weapons researchers.

Yeah, that's one.

When you look at the crash of
this presidential helicopter,

the Blackhawk, and you
compare it with the TWA 800

crash on Long Island
Sound, here they

have scraped the bottom
of the ocean for months

to recover the most
minute pieces of debris

from the aircraft.

They've tried to essentially
reassemble the airplane

as completely as possible.

And that's what they
do in every aircraft

accident investigation.

And then you look at
the fact that this

is a presidential helicopter.

Makes you wonder what
were they thinking,

what were their motives.

It's highly unusual.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to the JAG report,

the accident was caused by
improperly installed roll pins,

two-inch metal rods that connect
the transmission to the engine.

After speaking
to the individuals

that changed these
roll pins, they felt

that they did it correctly.

I feel that something else
brought this helicopter down.

In talking to officials from
the aircraft manufacturer,

they say that if, in fact,
that roll pin were misplaced,

the aircraft
wouldn't have flown.

And that roll pin
was replaced a month

before the aircraft crashed.

In the interim,
President Clinton

had gotten on this helicopter
and flown from Washington DC

all the way down to
Norfolk, Virginia

and out to the USS
Roosevelt and back to DC.

And it stretches all kinds of
credibility, not to mention

the laws of physics, that this
helicopter would fly that long

and that far if these pins
had been improperly installed

as the Marine Corps says.

FRANK OWENS: They took off
here from Quantico 12:46.

They cross the Potomac.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Frank Owens

believes other clues can be
found by studying the flight

path of the helicopter.

And they continued
in a south direction.

I was here when I observed
the helicopter fly overhead.

This was my location.

As they continued through
this area here, at point 16

they made a dramatic
change in course.

CRAIG J. COLEY:
The thing I found

most significant about the
flight path of the helicopter

was that the pilot was
extremely experienced.

He made an extreme
U-turn, which indicates

that he believed something was
wrong and he was heading back.

And then he passed over
a field large enough

to land a dozen helicopters
in to crash in the trees

just a few hundred yards beyond.

It really kind of
made me wonder if it

was possible that
he could of, vision

could have been impaired.

JAMES L. PATE: I'm not certain
what the cause of that crash

was.

I don't think it's what
the Marine Corps claims.

And there is physical evidence
and circumstantial evidence

that indicates the
helicopter could have been

exposed to microwave radiation.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): If true,

it is a stunning revelation.

During the Reagan
administration,

a number of high tech weapons
were developed as part

of the Star Wars Initiative.

Allegedly, one of the systems
involved microwave energy,

designed to disrupt
electronic equipment

in aircraft and missiles.

CRAIG J. COLEY: A helicopter
like the Blackhawk

would be far more susceptible
to a microwave weapon,

because it would directly
interfere with the flight

control electronics.

So you would immediately
find that the helicopter

may become partially disabled
on its flying ability.

And when you read about the
physical symptoms of exposure

to microwave energy, and there
are a number of studies that

have been done this with fish
and with people and animals,

one of the first things
affected is your vision.

Because the microwave energy
heats the fluid in your eyes

and you can't see.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Does such a weapon exist?

Apparently, the army
has experimented

with high powered
microwave technology.

But most experts say
an actual delivery

system is not yet a reality.

High power microwave weaponry
does not exist, period.

There are no high powered
microwave weapons.

The work that's being done
now and over the last decade

is to assess whether or not
the military electronics

of the United States
and other powers

are vulnerable to high
power microwave effect.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But others disagree.

They believe such weapons do
exist, and may have been tested

this army research lab in
Blossom Point, Maryland,

five miles from the crash site.

FRANK OWENS: Go through
to find all this wreckage.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Frank Owens and his colleagues

believe a high
powered microwave is

the only way to explain
the most baffling

aspect of the entire case.

Unusual burn marks on each
of the victims' bodies.

We asked Dr. Richard
Grossman, a leading

burn specialist, to examine
several of the autopsy photos.

It doesn't have the
appearance of an acid burn.

It doesn't have the
appearance of a flame burn.

But I can tell you that
that tissue is burned.

But I can't tell you what
caused it, because I don't know.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The Marine Corps

had attributed the
marks to chemical burns

from spilled fuel.

I don't think
un-ignited jet fuel

or any kind of aviation
fuel would give

you a contact burn like this.

The kinds of microwave
pulses that are being studied

as possible weapons are not
in anywhere near the domain

necessary to produce biological
effects, burns on humans skin.

Takes a great deal
of energy, and there

isn't much energy in
the microwave pulses

that are being produced.

[rotating chopper blades]

ROBERT STACK: What
caused the crash

of the Blackhawk helicopter?

Was it a mechanical malfunction?

Or is the Marine
Corps concealing

a much different scenario?

The accidental downing of
one of its own helicopters

by a top secret weapon system.

Just recently, Frank
Owens informed us

that he is
indefinitely suspending

his investigation out of respect
for the victims' families.

However, he remains convinced
that the whole truth

has yet to be uncovered.

The Marine Corps stands
by its original report

and considers the matter closed.

Next, a disturbing unassigned
letter and a bizarre

psychic vision
lead to speculation

that the death of a
loving husband and father

was not suicide.

And later, catastrophic danger
lurks in the infinite beauty

of space.

Are we on a collision course
with a giant asteroid?

[music playing]

We were surprised as anybody
when one of our earliest

episodes solves a crime.

Perhaps you'll recall this
next story, first broadcast

during our fourth season.

It recently led to the
identification and indictment

of an alleged killer.

Thanks to DNA, a seven-year-old
fingerprint, and of course,

one of our viewers.

Ethel Kidd was a youthful
61 when she retired

to rural Virginia in 1988.

Ethel looked forward to
a simple country life

just down the road from her
daughter and son-in-law, Joanne

and Thomas Kidd.

Thomas would be the first to
notice something was wrong.

It was a morning
of April 12, 1989.

THOMAS KIDD: My wife called
her mother about 7:30.

And the answering
machine answered.

And she said, that's funny,
mom must have left early.

Either she's on the way here
to have a cup of coffee.

About 9:30 I rode by
and I saw the car there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It was a bad sign.

Ethel hadn't answered her phone.

If she was out, she
would have taken her car.

Inexplicably, a road atlas
lay open in the front yard.

Then another bad sign.

Ethel never left
the door unlocked.

Ethel.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Inside, concern turned to fear.

There was no trace of
Ethel Kidd anywhere.

Ethel, are you here?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Eight days crept by.

Then Ethel's body was
discovered in the woods nearby.

She had been sexually
assaulted, strangled,

then left tied to a tree.

BILL FAULCONER: The killer
is extremely brazen.

It's even as if he may have
been taunting the police,

saying catch me if you can.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A
suspect would indeed be caught.

However, authorities
would need the help of one

very sharp-eyed viewer.

Here's Keely Shaye Smith
with more on the improbable

break in this case.

Bob, from the very
start, investigators

believe their best hope
of identifying the killer

lay with the atlas that Thomas
Kidd had found in Ethel's yard.

They were right,
but it would take

seven years and several
reruns of the story

for their hunch to pay off.

At the Virginia Bureau
of Forensic Science,

technicians were able
to pull fingerprints

from several pieces
of paper that

had been tucked into the atlas.

But without a known suspect,
the prints were useless.

The critical break would come
from what authorities judged

to be the killer's own list of
preparations for the abduction

of Ethel Kidd.

This is the
suspect's check list.

Over the years, millions
of viewers saw it,

but one person actually
thought the handwriting

looked very familiar.

The tipster provided a name.

Edward Wayne Beverly.

Beverly had lived in
Burr Hill, Virginia,

just a few miles
from Ethel Kidd.

Shortly after her murder,
he abruptly left town.

Virginia authorities
finally located Beverly

in a Tennessee
prison, where he was

serving time for armed robbery.

WD SPENCE: We
compared fingerprints

and they matched Mr.
Beverly's prints.

And on the victim's body
there was evidence there

indicating sexual contact.

And we compared Mr. Beverly's
blood through DNA testing,

and that matches up also.

I'm convinced that
we have the right guy

that did this crime based on
the evidence that's available.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Robert
Dirscherl, beloved husband

and father of five.

Born 1923, died 1977.

Dirscherl was killed by a
single gunshot to the chest.

Authorities called it suicide.

For 16 long years,
Dirscherl's wife

and children had no choice but
to accept the official ruling.

All that changed suddenly and
unexpectedly in March of 1993.

Guy Dirscherl, one
of Robert's sons,

received a letter postmarked
March 13th, 16 years to the day

after his father's death.

GUY DIRSCHERL: It's
a small, short letter

in block strange handwriting.

And I read it once.

And I read it the second time.

And I was just totally
flooded with emotion.

I was, it was as if I'd been
kicked right in the chest.

ROBERT STACK: The letter
was short, just 35 words.

But its stark message
would turn the Dirscherls'

world upside down.

I have AIDS.

I am dying.

I must make my
peace with the Lord.

I killed your
daddy 15 years ago.

He found me in his
bedroom, I had no choice.

Please pray for me.

A mean spirited hoax or a
sincere deathbed confession?

Without a signature
or return address,

there was no way to find out.

The Dirscherl family
believes that this letter

is genuine, evidence
that Robert Dirscherl

did not take his own life.

What's more, they say
corroboration came from an even

more extraordinary
source, a psychic vision

from beyond the grave.

This most unusual case began
in the most mundane manner.

Oh, where's the iodine, hon?

Oh, it's in that small
cabinet underneath the mirror.

I got that foot problem again.

Oh.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
March 13, 1977 was a Sunday.

It was 7:30 AM,
an hour and a half

before Robert Dirscherl
and his wife Jinny

would head off to church.

[bang]

I heard a sound, a loud sound.

But I assumed it was the
slamming of the back door,

because the doors and
windows were all open.

And when you went out to
the pool, that did slam.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
A few minutes later, Jinny

went to the bedroom to dress.

Her husband was bleeding
from a wound to the chest.

[scream]

His shotgun lay nearby.

I bent down enough to
know that he was dead.

I was sure he was gone.

I don't think I touched him.

I called the police.

And it seemed like they
arrived immediately.

What time'd you get here?

8:15.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Investigators

found no evidence of a
break-in, no sign of a struggle.

Within 15 minutes they
concluded that Robert Dirscherl

had committed suicide.

I see here the
left shoe is off.

I think what he did is he
sat on the edge of the bed,

put the shotgun up
to his chest, pulled

the trigger with his big toe.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Jinny argued

that her husband had merely
been medicating a foot ailment,

but she argued in vain.

It would take the arrival
of the mysterious letter

more than 16 years later
to push authorities

to take a second look.

Within two weeks, the
case was reopened.

The Dirscherl family had
never seen the original police

report on Robert's death.

They secured a copy and
went over it word by word.

KANDACE WHITEHURST: It was just
so full of untruths, guesswork,

interviews of people that
hadn't seen my father

in more than two years.

Close friends weren't spoken to.

And the luger's loaded.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Investigators

had concluded that
Dirscherl was driven

to suicide by despair over
an unsuccessful surgery

years earlier.

GUY DIRSCHERL: The one
interview that they probably

weigh most heavily is from
a nurse who hadn't seen him

in two years, who gives a report
about his health that is so far

from the truth it's ridiculous.

She portrays him as a
bedridden vegetable.

Where he was happy,
fairly healthy man.

Had a social life,
he still traveled

and still was a
productive salesman.

It was strictly
investigated as a suicide.

I don't think there were any
fingerprints taken of the gun

or anyplace in the house.

And that was the biggest
mistake they made.

Not investigating.

I can see where it would be
difficult for family to accept

a decision like that when
they feel that perhaps

their loved one may
have been a victim

of some other circumstance.

But in law enforcement,
we have to deal with what

the evidence tells us.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The original investigation

was conducted by the
Dunedin Police Department,

which dissolved in 1995.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's
Office later reviewed

the available case files.

MARIANNE PASHA: There seemed
to be no sign of struggle.

No forcible entry,
no broken windows,

disarray of any
description in the bedroom

where this encounter
allegedly occurred.

Which again, was one
of, gives us more belief

that this was a suicide.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Without additional evidence,

the ruling remains suicide.

But for Robert
Dirscherl's family,

the case was
anything but closed.

Indeed, it grew more
and more bizarre.

In February of 1995, Jinny's
sister, Fran, traveled

from Florida to California.

Fran, who is now
deceased, told Jinny

about an unnerving
encounter on the train,

an episode that defies
explanation to this day.

Fran?

Well, yes.

Was your husband a doctor?

The young woman who
was a total stranger,

but she revealed an
uncanny familiarity

with Fran and the Dirscherls.

Well then, your
husband's name was Earl.

Yes, that's right.

Well, they're here with Bob.

Bob?

Yes, your sister's husband.

And he was murdered
about 15 years ago.

Murdered?

Please, don't be frightened.

I'm not a mystic or
anything of that kind.

My father passed away
a number of years ago

and he sends me messages
from the other side.

I think it's best that
I write this down,

so that you can keep
it with you and give

it to your sister, Jinny.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Fran
said that the woman wrote down

her psychic vision on a napkin.

My first reaction
to psychic was [pfft]..

I mean, I didn't
believe in psychics.

I'm sorry.

And yet, the more I heard.

PSYCHIC: On the Amtrak train.

JINNY DIRSCHERL: I had
to say I believe in this.

I see a picture in my
mind regarding the murder

of your sister's husband, Bob.

I see a narrow door opening
with a gun case showing.

And your sister's
husband is going

to another cabinet
near the mirror

to look for foot treatment
for athlete's foot.

He looks up and he sees a
stranger in the adjoining room.

Alarmed, the robber
fights with Bob.

[gunshot]

The things that were written
by the young lady on the Amtrak

train were startling in that
some of this information

wasn't anywhere to be found.

It was just too real.

It was as if this
person was in the room.

She's made no effort
to gain from it.

There's been no approach
to us, which you would

expect if there was a hoax.

And I honestly believe
it was a situation

that took place
that I can't explain

in the reality of this world.

It's kind of spooky.

Bob Dirscherl died at 54,
seemingly well before his time.

Perhaps it was his
choice, made for reasons

known only to himself.

Or perhaps Bob
Dirscherl's life was

taken by a stranger who wrote
from the deathbed asking

for forgiveness.

GUY DIRSCHERL: In my
own mind, my father

is a victim of murder.

And I would like
to be able to tell

my children without a question
that this is what took place.

And I would like the people who
know my father in the community

to know what happened.

There may be
somebody out there

who was talked to by the killer,
revealed something in prison

to an attorney, to a
parent, to a friend.

It's a small world and
stranger things have happened.

That's one of my
hopes, is that somebody

out there can fit the last
piece of the puzzle into place.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
unsigned confession letter

was mailed from Tampa, Florida
and postmarked March 13, 1993.

[music playing]

When we return, 65 million
years ago a giant meteor

slammed into Earth,
creating a new Ice Age

and ending the reign
of the dinosaur.

Will it happen again?

Could humankind survive
a cosmic calamity?

[music playing]

Imagine the Manhattan
skyline flattened,

the sprawl of Los Angeles
pulverized, the entire country

devastated in the blink of eye.

An atomic nightmare?

No, a natural disaster
unparalleled in human history.

A disaster no one can predict.

It will come from outer space.

July 16, 1994, a
frightening preview.

Huge fragments of a giant comet
called Shoemaker-Levy slammed

into the planet Jupiter,
causing the most

massive chain of explosions
ever witnessed by man.

EUGENE SHOEMAKER: Well, out of
this 21 series of fragments,

there were actually
15 that survived

that we saw hit the planet.

And of those, about four
or five were the big ones.

When each of those largest
fragments hit Jupiter,

had had about the
same energy as if you

had taken all of the
nuclear bombs in the world.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Dr.
Gene Shoemaker is co-discoverer

of the Shoemaker-Levy comet.

Put them all in one big pile
and set them off all at once.

That's about 10,000
million tons of energy.

ROBERT STACK: One of the impacts
on Jupiter created a cloud

of debris as large as Earth.

This cataclysmic event
immediately brought

troubling questions to mind.

Could it happen here?

And what if it did?

Could life as we know it survive
in a vast cosmic shooting

gallery?

Fortunately, the odds
are in our favor.

Astronomers estimate that here
on Earth, celestial disasters

on the grand scale
of Shoemaker-Levy

occur only once every
100 million years.

But that's not to say
we're entirely safe.

At this very moment,
there are literally

thousands of
asteroids and comets

streaking through
the solar system.

Is it possible that one
the size of Shoemaker-Levy

could collide with our planet?

Not only is it
possible, it has already

happened more than once.

[rotating chopper blades]

This is Meteor Crater,
three hours north

of Phoenix, Arizona.

It was here, long before
the dawn of civilization,

that an asteroid slammed
into the desert floor.

Scientists estimate
its velocity at more

than 40,000 miles per hour.

EUGENE SHOEMAKER: Meteor
Crater's the first recognized

impact crater on the earth.

It's 4,000 feet across,
about 600 feet deep.

It was formed by
an iron asteroid

about 50 yards in diameter.

And it was formed very
close to 50,000 years ago.

But if you'd been
there, you wouldn't

want to have been too close.

If you had been standing
where Flagstaff is today,

40 miles away, you
would have probably been

knocked over by the shock wave.

Buildings would
have been collapsed.

[rotating chopper blades]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But meteor activity on Earth

isn't just consigned
to ancient history.

Early this century in 1908, a
fireball raced through the sky

over Siberia.

It exploded above the
remote area of Tunguska,

spraying debris with a
force of 1,000 atomic bombs.

VIRGIL SHARPTON: To get a good
idea of the devastating effect

of this impact of that,
a city that I know

very well, Houston, has
surrounding it a highway,

a beltway highway, 610 loop.

Everything inside the
610 loop would have

been flattened and charred.

All the buildings, all
the infrastructure.

Nothing would have been
standing inside that area.

Anyone who lived there
would have been dead.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Incredibly, such devastation

did occur on a worldwide
scale at least once

in the history of our planet.

It was 65 million years
ago, during the reign

of the dinosaur.

A gigantic meteor, some
five miles in diameter,

smashed into Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula,

75 miles east of where the
city of Veracruz now stands.

VIRGIL SHARPTON: The
surface expression

would not lead you
to believe that there

is an impact crater there.

You have a nice flat
Yucatan Peninsula

with really no topographic
signs that a crater 180 to 200

miles across exists below.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Virgil Sharpton has created

this three-dimensional map
depicting the Chicxulub Crater

immediately after impact.

His detailed description
of that catastrophic event

is chilling, and very
possibly prophetic.

VIRGIL SHARPTON: Well,
immediately before the impact,

we think you would see a comet.

Keep in mind that this object
is traveling at about 140,000

per hour.

[explosion]

You don't have a lot of time
between the time it goes

into the atmosphere
and the time that it

actually strikes the Earth.

Much less than a
second obviously.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The impact

at Chicxulub was heard and felt
that every corner of the Earth.

Instantaneously, the
ground surged upward.

Countless tons of
rock and dust formed

a massive curtain
hundreds of miles across

and hundreds of miles high.

VIRGIL SHARPTON: As
this dust started

to make its way
into the atmosphere,

it would block the
sunlight completely.

It would be as dark as night.

As some of this material
started to re-enter

the atmosphere however, things
would begin to light up.

Not by the elimination
of the sun,

but by the elimination
of countless meteorites,

shooting stars streaking
through the upper atmosphere.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Sharpton,

these balls of fire touched
off a raging inferno

that spread across the
entire western hemisphere.

The smoke then rose to join
with the impact debris,

blanketing the Earth with
an impenetrable cloud.

VIRGIL SHARPTON:
Darkness was achieved

almost instantaneously.

And this cloud would basically
expand around the Earth

in a very short period of time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): For
the better part of a year,

there was no sunlight.

What emerged was a
new Ice Age, with its

own catastrophic consequences.

Roughly 75% of Earth's plant
and animal life perished.

The most prominent
victim, the dinosaur.

VIRGIL SHARPTON:
The consensus is

today, that dinosaurs
were doing very

nicely up until this event.

And immediately after
this event, they were gone

and they never came back.

EUGENE SHOEMAKER: There's
a large enough risk

that I think we really
should pay attention to it.

The hazard of impact in terms
of loss of life on the Earth,

you don't take out just
100,000 lives lost.

You could wipe out half or more
of the entire human population.

If an event similar
to the one that

formed Chicxulub
happened tomorrow,

then there would
be no civilization.

There is no doubt about that.

There would be
widespread devastation.

Death like we have
never even imagined.

And there is no
protection for it.

It's just one of those things
that we have to live with.

Fortunately however, events like
Chicxulub are extremely rare.

ROBERT STACK: At present
there are only a handful

of scientists worldwide
actively scanning the skies

for near Earth asteroids.

Just recently, scientists
discovered the Hale-Bopp comet,

which will pass
close enough to earth

next April to be seen
without a telescope.

Despite our extremely
limited warning system,

it is calming to note that there
is no record of anyone ever

being killed by an asteroid.

[music playing]

Join me next time for
another fascinating edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]