Original subtitles

[music playing]

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on "Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK: This woman believes she

is under siege by the devil.

She sought the help of Project HOPE, a group,

including medical professionals, who

arranged this exorcism for her.

Can this controversial, ritual really help?

1998 was a bad year for Las Vegas millionaire Ted Binion.

He was forced out of the Casino he owned.

He heard allegations that his girlfriend was unfaithful.

Then there was his drug overdose.

Was it an accident or murder?

A Caribbean cruise, soft breezes, warm sun,

a little shipboard romance, but what if one of your group

vanished without a trace?

That's precisely what happened to 23-year-old Amy Bradley,

and her family fears foul play.

[gasps]

Can nightmares come true?

When Tom Wright dreamt that his mother was attacked

while transporting a prisoner, he

wished he'd said something to her, but in an odd way

his dream may have saved her life.

Join me for another intriguing addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

Remember the movie "The Exorcist?"

If you saw it you will probably never forget

the scenes of a little girl who was possessed by the devil,

and the ordeal of her exorcism.

That was fiction, but, in fact, exorcisms

are performed even today.

And, as you will see, they are nearly

as frightening and disturbing as the movie, perhaps even more.

Oh my God.

I'm heartily sorry.

Be still.

Be still devil.

Listen to the prayer.

(GROWLING) No, I hate your prayers.

ROBERT STACK: This is not a reenactment.

[screaming incoherantly]

Be gone.

ROBERT STACK: The people conducting it

say it is an actual exorcism.

It defies conventional psychiatric approaches.

[screaming incoherantly]

[praying in latin]

A 29-year-old woman, whom we are calling Kathie,

is convinced that she is possessed by demons.

Kathie has undergone years of traditional medical

and psychiatric treatment.

She says nothing helped, so she turned to a seven member group,

based in Hartford, Connecticut, called

HOPE, the Hartford Office of Paranormal Exploration.

KATHIE: By the time I got to the point

of contacting the HOPE Foundation

I was willing to do anything.

I had been through the wringer.

I had been in hospitals.

I had been-- had people pray over me.

I had-- I had had pretty much done everything.

ROBERT STACK: The HOPE Foundation

claims to have organized and overseen

nearly 100 exorcisms since its founding, just a year ago.

Clients are first interviewed to determine

whether exorcisms would be beneficial as treatment.

So would you begin by telling us when all of this started?

Probably in my teens, and--

ROBERT STACK: Dr. Joseph Klimek is an internist

and the director of the Department of Medicine

at Hartford Hospital.

He co-founded HOPE, and knows a very existence

might seem controversial.

You can't explain everything with science.

Everything is not black and white.

Everything is not in a scientific textbook.

And in my 26 years of medicine, I've

seen things and experienced things for which

there is no explanation.

ROBERT STACK: The HOPE team also includes,

among others, a social worker, a psychic,

and a registered nurse.

We want to help the clients that are already

beset by demonic entities.

That's-- we want them to know that we're here,

and that we can help them.

ROBERT STACK: Once again, this is not a re-enactment.

Have there been tragedies in the family?

She's going out.

[growling incoherently]

Kathie, we're right here.

We're holding onto you.

JOSEPH KLIMEK: I do believe that some of the people that we have

been working with are possessed by an evil demonic spirit that

harasses them, devalues them, physically abuses

them, spiritually abuses them.

And we can get rid of it, and we have done

that in a number of our cases.

ROBERT STACK: Most in the psychiatric community

turn a critical eye to the HOPE group.

Dr. Wayne Sandler is a psychiatrist

and an associate professor of psychiatry at UCLA.

He believes that the HOPE organization

perpetuates a myth, when it says that patients

are possessed by the devil.

These people believe that exorcism is the treatment.

I see these disorders in a very different way.

The psychiatric community doesn't believe in possession,

and clearly believes that there is some psychotic process going

on, where there are delusional believing

that there are possessed by some other personality.

And clearly there are other forms of treatment

to try to help these people.

[growling incoherently]

Push it out.

Just push it away.

That's a good girl.

That's good.

ROBERT STACK: Is it mental illness?

Or can a person indeed become possessed,

as the members of HOPE believe?

They say the process begins with an infestation,

the point at which demons invade a person's life.

You're gonna get better.

ROBERT STACK: A woman we shall call Jane believes

two evil entities, a male and a female,

took over when she used a crystal pendulum.

Jane was learning the techniques of hypnotherapy.

I want you to watch the pendulum move back and forth.

Breath is going in and out.

I picked the pendulum up one evening to practice it,

and the pendulum began to move on its own.

I realized at that point that something was around me

and was trying to communicate with me.

ROBERT STACK: Jane says that her demons began to poison

her every thought and action.

JANE: The actual first symptoms was in hearing voices,

and the voices began to accompany

the movement of the pendulum.

It began to dictate to me how to live my life

in a very unpleasant way.

I was told what I could eat, when I could eat,

with whom I could eat.

I was told how to wear my hair.

I was told with whom I could converse.

It became very clear to me that something demonic

was occurring in my life.

JENNIFER BANEVER: All of these activities, pendulums, ouija

boards, tarot cards, channeling, are all doors that people open.

And what people don't understand,

and this is very important, is that it's not your intent,

but it's your activity that will open the door,

and let these demonic entities into your life.

ROBERT STACK: The HOPE group says

that after the infestation phase,

the symptoms of possession become more extreme.

Kathie claims that many demons began

to take over when she was a straight-A student

in high school.

But when she went away to college,

she felt they became uncontrollable.

I just remember my freshman year looking in the mirror

one day, and just thinking I don't recognize who I'm looking

at or what I'm looking at.

And it was a darkness that I saw through my eyes

that I had never seen before.

[gasps]

Strange things were happening.

I ran outside with only a towel on, which was completely out

of character for me.

Basically, that's when the paramedics were called,

the police were called, and then I was taken to the hospital,

because they thought I was suffering

from psychiatric disorders.

WAYNE SANDLER: People would like to believe that it's not them

and it's the devil and it's possession,

but it really is more a psychotic process.

Some of these problems could be consistent

with a psychotic disorder that may be a biochemical imbalance,

it could be genetically linked, or can

be triggered by certain life traumas,

and you would need to evaluate that.

ROBERT STACK: Kathie claims that over the years,

she has been diagnosed as suffering

from depression, anxiety, and schizoaffective disorder.

She tried traditional medical and psychiatric treatments,

but she believes they didn't work.

KATHIE: I began to hear voices in my head,

and I thought, well, maybe this is

part of a psychiatric disorder.

When a little farther down the line

the voices started coming through me in a very evil way,

that's when I knew this is not something in my mind.

This is something that is beyond my understanding.

And that's when I began to seek spiritual help.

ROBERT STACK: The HOPE group advised Kathie to undergo

a series of exorcisms.

What you are about to witness is her second exorcism.

Bishop Robert McKenna is in charge of the procedure.

He is an ordained priest in an order of Catholicism

that is not part of the Roman Catholic Church.

He claims to have performed 200 other exorcisms.

Before the exorcists performs the exorcism,

he has to prepare himself.

[praying in latin]

The Bishop will fast for three days.

In fact, in the old literature it's called the black fast.

He also says a number of prayers to prepare

himself for the battle that he's about to engage.

[inaudible]

[screaming]

Tell me your name.

[coughing]

In the name of God, answer my question.

JOSEPH KLIMEK: During the exorcism,

he uses a number of sacramentals.

Sacramentals are objects in the Catholic church

that have been made holy, and holy water is one of them.

Holy water is sprinkled on the person,

it's also sprinkled in the environment,

and anything evil hates it.

Be still devil. [gasps]

Listen to the prayer.

[screams]

Be still.

Keep your foul mouthed shut, and listen to the prayers.

[groaning]

ROBERT STACK: Kathie was fully aware of the changes coming

over her during the exorcism.

KATHIE: I can feel this strength come through me, that is not

my own strength, from whatever supernatural force is fighting,

whoever is trying to help me.

You didn't know we were going to be this strong this time,

did you?

You didn't know. (GROWLING) You didn't know.

We're still here!

We're still here!

It was the first time ever seen anything like that.

The growling, the tongue lashing out,

just a sense of pure hatred.

[screaming incoherently]

I've dealt with people who are drug induced, drunk, mentally

ill, and never, during the screaming and fighting

that they put up, had I had the feeling of pure hatred

that she was releasing during this exorcism.

KATHIE: This is our domain!

[praying in latin]

No.

Say the Apostles' Creed with me devil.

Say the Apostles' Creed with me.

KATHIE: No.

I believe in God. KATHIE: No.

Yes Say it. KATHIE: No.

Yes!

KATHIE: No.

The name of God, repeat it after me.

KATHIE: No! - I believe in God.

KATHIE: No [inaudible].

The Father Almighty.

KATHIE: The Father Almighty.

The creator of heaven on Earth.

KATHIE: The creator of heaven on Earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord.

Say it! [screaming]

Say it. In the name of God.

KATHIE: (GROWLING) No, I don't want to forgive me.

Because you won't repent, that's

why he won't forgive you.

Repent for your sins devil.

Say you-- say with me the Act of Contrition.

Oh my God, I am heartily sorry.

KATHIE: Oh my God.

For having offended thee.

KATHIE: I can't

Come on out of there.

Come on, babe.

They put up a good struggle, but I know they're going.

KATHIE: There were some that left.

I could feel them.

I could feel them leave.

ROBERT STACK: An hour later, the dramatic episode for Kathie

has ended.

The HOPE Foundation and the priest

have recommended that she participate in at least

one more exorcism until she feels

her demons are completely gone.

JENNIFER BANEVER: It's very, very difficult

to name the exact time when a person has

been cured of a demonic entity.

It is a process that takes months.

It does not happen overnight.

We often-- we all say to our clients,

when you get out of the chair after an exorcism,

do not expect to be cured.

KATHIE: There's definitely some improvement.

Something the Bishop said to me.

He said, as hard as it is, he said,

this is in God's timing, not ours.

ROBERT STACK: Kathie may feel better at first,

but according to Dr. Sandler, the effect can be short

lived and ultimately harmful.

WAYNE SANDLER: I have professional opinion of this

is that these people are suffering

from some form of mental illness,

and do need traditional treatment.

Personally, you know, it's very difficult

from a scientific standpoint and professional standpoint

to accept this as a means of a cure.

ROBERT STACK: Since we taped Kathie's exorcism,

she reports that she is continuing to improve,

and has a job for the first time in 12 years.

She has not undergone another exorcism.

And while most medical experts do not recommend exorcism

as a treatment for any kind of illness or disorder,

Kathie and the people at the HOPE Foundation

believe that, in certain cases, exorcism

can be a useful treatment.

Next, a Las Vegas dancer finds the dead body

of her millionaire boyfriend, a day

after he reportedly instructed his attorney

to write her out of his will.

Las Vegas, Nevada.

Each year millions of people spend more than $57 billion

in a frenzy of gambling fever.

The stakes are high.

Temptation can sometimes turn sinister.

SANDY MURPHY: I need somebody to help me.

Ted Binion.

ROBERT STACK: September 17, 1998, 26-year-old

Sandy Murphy called 911.

Well, he's just not breathing.

I don't know.

ROBERT STACK: But it was too late.

Her boyfriend, Ted Binion, was dead.

A heroin addict, apparently overdosed on drugs.

At first glance, it had all the marks of accident or suicide.

Then disquieting rumors began to circulate.

A little after 3:00.

ROBERT STACK: A discrepancy between the time Binion

died and the time Sandy Murphy called 911.

Binion may have died as much as nine hours earlier.

That made everyone start to wonder,

was Ted Binion's death an accidental overdose, suicide,

or was it foul play.

It is a mystery as intriguing as the glitter city itself.

It involves a millionaire gambler, a sexy young showgirl,

a treasure trove buried in the desert,

and a question of murder.

Ted Binion was a multimillionaire, an icon

of the Las Vegas strip, and a prominent member of the family

that own one of gambling's most famous

casinos, a Casino that bore their own name, Binion's

Horseshoe.

JOHN SMITH: In its heyday, Binion's Horseshoe

was unlike any other Casino in Las Vegas.

It was literally the place you went when you wanted to place

that sky's the limit wager.

Ted was a part owner of Binion's Horseshoe

at a time when it was the most successful Casino in Las Vegas.

He liked the atmosphere.

He really had a passion for that job.

He liked what he did.

ROBERT STACK: But times changed in Las Vegas.

Casinos turned corporate, and Ted Binion's wild ways

started getting him in trouble with the Nevada

State Gaming Commission.

JEFF GERMAN: Number one he had the heroin problem.

He also liked to hang out at adult nightclubs.

He used to pal around with wise guys.

And you just don't do that in Las Vegas, these days,

and expect to keep your license.

ROBERT STACK: In March of 1998, a Gaming Commission

revoked his license, and Binion was forced to sell his share

of the Horseshoe to his sister.

He was shut out of the place he loved most,

in the world where he belonged.

Nevertheless, few people believed Ted Binion

saw suicide as an option.

Everybody I have spoken to has indicated Ted loved life,

and despite his problems, despite his heroin addiction,

and wanted to continue living and had

all kinds of other goals that he wanted to pursue in life.

ROBERT STACK: Many believe an accidental overdose

was also questionable.

Toxicology reports reveal heroin and the prescription drug

Xanax.

According to some, it was an improbable

combination for Ted Binion.

JEFF GERMAN: Ted only took Xanax to get himself off of heroin.

He would not have taken both at the same time.

And then we find out, through the coroner,

that there was a large amount of heroin

in the contents of his stomach.

That's curious again, because Ted was known

to smoke heroin, not ingest it.

ROBERT STACK: And what about murder?

At the time of his death, Ted Binion

was living with his girlfriend, Sandy

Murphy, a woman half his age.

Their May-December romance had been

going on for about three years.

They had reportedly met while she was dancing

topless at a Vegas strip club.

She was then known as Sandy the Irish Venus Murphy.

JEFF GERMAN: They really had a stormy relationship.

It was kind of a love-hate relationship, over the years.

They were always fighting off and on,

and yet there were times when he would say he loved her.

And then there were times when he couldn't stand her,

and wanted her out of the house.

ROBERT STACK: The day Ted Binion died everything seemed normal.

About 9:00 AM, however, Sandy Murphy reportedly

called their housekeeper.

Listen, I don't think we're going

to need you to come in today.

Oh, I know.

Um, but Ted, he's just not feeling real well

and things are crazy, so we're not

going to need you to come in.

Is Ted there?

ROBERT STACK: Later, about noon, Barbara Brown,

Ted's friend and real estate agent

tried to reach him by phone.

She says Sandy told her he was very ill, even vomiting.

BARBARA BROWN: I was really surprised with this.

I said, well, do you want me to come over and help you?

And she said, oh god, no, don't come over here.

He doesn't want anyone to see him.

He's lost so much weight lately.

And I said, well, that's strange.

I talk to him every night, and we have an appointment tomorrow

at 1:00.

I'll come over.

I can be there in under 20 minutes.

She clearly did not want me over there,

and the call really distressed me.

Are you sure?

ROBERT STACK: Barbara Brown says she called back twice

more that afternoon, at 2:00 and again at 3:40,

but there was no answer.

BARBARA BROWN: And then I got the call

from a friend of mine, who said, Barbara,

have you heard the news?

Ted is dead.

And I was just--

I had to pull off the road.

ROBERT STACK: Allegations soon surfaced

that, shortly before Ted Binion died,

he had certain suspicions.

JEFF GERMAN: First thing that we learned

was that he called a private investigator in Las Vegas--

someone who had done work for him previously--

and asked the investigator to follow Sandy around town.

The Implication was that he thought

she was cheating on him.

ROBERT STACK: The man Ted Binion reportedly

suspected was one of his business

associates, Rick Tabish.

According to a Las Vegas newspaper,

Sandy Murphy had allegedly been seen with Tabish

at a Beverly Hills Hotel, the weekend before Ted Binion died.

Also, the day before Ted died, he

telephoned his lawyer, Jim Brown,

who was handling his estate, and he instructed Brown

to cut Sandy out of his will.

RICK TABISH: I want every last one.

ROBERT STACK: Less than 36 hours after Ted Binion was reported

dead, Sheriff's deputies in Pahrump,

Nevada, 60 miles west of Las Vegas,

made an unusual discovery in the middle of the night.

Rick Tabish loading a truck on Binion's property.

POLICE: Come over to the front of the vehicle.

What are you guys doing out here?

Uh, nothing.

We're just, uh, moving a little dirt.

Moving a little dirt?

Yeah.

ROBERT STACK: But it wasn't a little dirt.

It was a lot of silver.

Just a load of dirt, huh?

ROBERT STACK: Several tons of silver and coins, ingots,

even solid silver bricks.

Silver valued at roughly $4 million.

JEFF GERMAN: This was silver that Ted himself had buried,

and hired some friends to build an underground vault

and put it in there.

ROBERT STACK: Only a few people knew

the exact location of the silver vault. One of them

was Rick Tabish.

I put the vault in for Ted Binion.

He was my friend.

He told me if anything ever happened to him,

I was to take this, turn it into cash,

and put it in a trust fund for his daughter, Bonnie.

Really?

Why don't we put the cuffs on these three guys,

and get them out of here?

ROBERT STACK: Nye County Sheriff's

deputies didn't buy his story.

JOHN SMITH: I think that Rick Tabish is either

one of the bigger victims of circumstance of this decade,

or he's got some explaining to do.

And people who know him, and people

who don't care for him now, wonder about his motivations,

for sure.

Sandy, are you OK?

ROBERT STACK: As the investigation continued,

more questions.

News reports suggested when Barbara

Brown first called Ted Binion at noon he was already dead.

JEFF GERMAN: There's reason to believe that Ted may have died

in the morning, sometime after 5:30 AM and noon,

and it may be narrowed further.

The coroner is working on that.

The reality is that if a person dies at one time

and his death is reported at another time,

and there's a many hour gap there,

that's an issue that a grand jury might look at sometime.

ROBERT STACK: News leaks and public speculation

convinced the Binion family to hire private investigator, Tom

Dillard.

Dillard claims Sandy Murphy took a phone call from Rick Tabish,

eight minutes before she called 911

to report Ted Binion's death.

I can't comment on aspects of an ongoing investigation.

But based upon my experience, and based upon the interviews

I've conducted, I personally believe that Ted

Binion's death was a homicide.

ROBERT STACK: Ted Binion was buried with all the pomp

and circumstance appropriate to a Las Vegas high roller.

Even the mourners were typically Vegas,

judges and politicians side by side

with hookers and loan sharks.

In the end though, the final question,

how did Ted Binion die?

In March, the Clark County coroner

ruled that Ted Binion's death was not an accidental overdose

or suicide.

He declared that fatal doses of heroin and prescription drugs

were administered by someone other than Binion,

and they reclassified the case as a homicide.

Coming up, a Caribbean dream cruise turns into a nightmare

when a young woman vanishes.

[cruise ship horn honking]

Pleasure cruises.

On the surface they look like a perfectly safe way

to take a vacation.

But appearances are not always what they seem,

According to the New York Times, beneath the carefree party

atmosphere lies a little known secret, sexual assaults.

Other allegations include thefts and drug smuggling.

Some claim crime occurs more regularly than cruise

lines would care to admit.

During a cruise in March 1998, a 23-year-old woman from Virginia

vanished at sea.

Was she a victim of foul play?

You decide.

Amy Bradley was an All-American girl.

She attended college on a basketball scholarship.

She was pretty, outgoing, and made friends wherever she went.

But when her parents won a trip to the Caribbean,

aboard the cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas,

they had to convince Amy to join them.

Come on. Come on.

ROBERT STACK: She was afraid of the ocean.

You're gonna be fine.

She was reluctant about going up to the rail,

and it was kind of like, uh--

that kind of a feeling.

I don't want to.

IVA BRADLEY: But her dad and her brother both said, come on here

and we'll hold on to you.

RON BRADLEY: Congratulations.

Oh my God, it is so far down.

Bravo, Amy.

ROBERT STACK: But despite her fears,

Amy soon began to enjoy the ship's party atmosphere.

On the night of March 24th, her third at sea,

Amy and her brother Brad partied late at the ship's nightclub.

At 3:40 AM, Brad returned to the family's cabin.

Not long after, Amy joined him.

Sweetie, could you turn that light off for me, please?

Sure. RON BRADLEY: Thanks.

BRAD BRADLEY: She said she hadn't been feeling too well,

because of the motion of the boat

since we left Aruba that evening.

So she said she was going to just stay out

there and get some fresh air.

ROBERT STACK: When Amy's dad, Ron Bradley, woke up,

Brad had gone to bed and Amy was asleep on the balcony.

RON BRADLEY: I could see Amy's legs from her hips down.

She looks like she's resting comfortably.

And dozed back off to sleep.

The balcony door was closed, because if it

hadn't been closed, I would have got up and closed it.

ROBERT STACK: Then, just 30 minutes later,

their dream vacation turned into a nightmare.

RON BRADLEY: About 6 o'clock, something awoke me again.

Got up, looked in on the balcony and the balcony door

was open about 14, 16 inches, and Amy wasn't on the deck.

And I was-- I had a little funny feeling at that time,

because it was unlike her to be up that early in the morning.

Amy!

Amy!

Amy!

Excuse me.

We need some help.

I'd like to have a page for my daughter is missing.

May I ask how old she is?

ROBERT STACK: According to Amy's family,

the ship's crew was at first reluctant to page Amy.

It was too early in the morning.

To make matters worse, the ship had just

docked in the port of Curacao.

Unless it's a medical emergency, we do not page.

I got very, very panicked and frightened.

And I asked them to, please, don't put the gangplank down.

You need to lock the ship up.

You need to back the ship off of the dock.

Don't let anybody off of this boat.

Somebody's got my daughter.

ANNOUNCER: Amy Bradley, please contact the purser desk.

ROBERT STACK: The Bradleys claim, at 10 minutes to 8:00,

the first page for Amy was broadcast throughout the ship.

ANNOUNCER: Amy Bradley, please contact--

ROBERT STACK: By that time, most of the passengers

had disembarked in Curacao.

IVA BRADLEY: I became more and more frantic,

because I knew that if she was in a position

to hear the announcement, she would come immediately to us.

And then I had thoughts that maybe

somebody had her in a room, she heard it

and couldn't get to us.

ROBERT STACK: The nightmare got worse.

Eventually, the captain ordered a room to room

search of the 940 foot ship.

Ship officials claim they combed through all 10

decks, 999 rooms.

No trace of Amy was found.

A three day ocean search by the Royal Dutch Marines

turned up nothing.

Officials concluded that Amy may have accidentally fallen

overboard, or even jumped.

BRAD BRADLEY: I don't think that she could have fallen over.

She didn't go near the railing, especially by herself.

Maybe when I was out there she would kind of, you know,

lean up and look over it.

She would never put her hands on the rail or, you know,

rest on it.

She was just happy to stand towards the back.

ROBERT STACK: This is one of the last photos taken of Amy.

What could have happened to her?

The Bradleys began to piece together

Amy's last hours on-board ship.

They believe she left the balcony sometime

between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.

They know she changed her clothes.

They know she took her cigarettes.

What they don't know was where she was going.

And then, intriguing new information.

A young woman, who met Amy on the cruise,

is convinced she saw Amy, in the early morning hours,

with a bass player from the ship's band.

CRYSTAL ROBERTS: I saw Amy and the band member

walk over and up to the next deck, up above us,

and about 10 minutes later, he came walking around by himself.

ROBERT STACK: Others claimed they

had previously seen the bass player flirting with Amy.

BRAD BRADLEY: She said that, when they were dancing

at the disco, he tried to, you know, dance a little too close,

and she had to tell him to back off a little bit.

ROBERT STACK: That morning, only the Bradley

family and the ship's security knew Amy was missing.

But according to Amy's brother, so did the bass player.

Hey, Brad.

Sorry to hear about your sister.

You know, I feel badly I know you--

BRAD BRADLEY: That's a really odd

thing to say that early in the stages of this thing, you know.

Nobody knew, except for us and my family, and security,

that something may be wrong.

ROBERT STACK: But authorities could

find no evidence the musician was involved

with Amy's disappearance.

Could Amy have left the ship without telling her family?

Her parents don't think so.

They believe she was forced to leave.

STEVE REEVES: There is rumor and legend surrounding slavery

in the southern Caribbean.

It's not uncommon knowledge, in the maritime community,

that young white women are considered to be very

desirable to foreign procurers.

Amy would have been a trophy.

Amy would have been someone that, I believe,

could have been picked out and fingered

to move off of that ship.

She could have been held and hidden.

She could have been possibly drugged, taken from that ship.

RON BRADLEY: I have strong belief that she is alive,

and she's trying to get back to us.

And I just pray that one day we'll get a phone call,

and we'll get some information from someone

that will lead us to her.

ROBERT STACK: For the Bradleys, the cruise had come to an end.

They left the ship, hoping someday they would find Amy.

IVA BRADLEY: How in the world can anybody ever give

up looking for their child?

Never in my lifetime.

Not until I put my hands on her, and we get her home.

Officials of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

insist that Amy either left the ship

voluntarily, or was the victim of an unfortunate accident.

Her parents disagree, and are offering

a $250,000 reward for information

about their daughter's whereabouts.

They're hoping that someone watching tonight

was on board the Rhapsody of the Seas

and may have seen something.

Next, a devoted son dreams that his mother's in a life or death

struggle with a prison inmate.

Was it just a nightmare, or a premonition?

[woman screaming incoherently]

THOMAS WRIGHT: I could see my mother's squad car.

There was a struggle.

I saw the person take my mother's gun.

It was a woman.

I remember the gun moving back and forth,

and looked like my mother really wasn't winning the struggle.

She needed help.

[gasps]

And that was the most disturbing thing about the whole dream

was the fact that I didn't know who was shot and why.

The only thing I could think of, at that point,

was that there was a possibility that my mother might

have been taken away from me.

ROBERT STACK: On September 16th, 1995,

Thomas Wright had a nightmare about his mother,

a deputy Sheriff.

It was so troubling that he sat in bed and prayed for her.

Thomas's mother, Doris Smith, had raised

three children single handedly.

She was a grandmother of seven.

The bond she shared with her eldest child, Thomas,

had always been an extraordinarily strong one.

THOMAS WRIGHT: A lot of different things

just really brought us close to where we're just

best friends, really, and we can feel

each other's hurts anytime.

And I didn't know, until later, why I had the dream.

Can nightmares come true?

Tom Wright certainly hoped not.

Can a prayer be answered?

Amazingly, he would find out the very next day.

[door buzzes]

Doris had been in law enforcement in Missouri

for three years.

She enjoyed breaking up her routine by transporting inmates

from one jail to another.

On this Sunday, she would be taking a prisoner

to a facility four hours away.

The inmate was serving a one year sentence

for writing bad checks.

They were traveling Highway 54, near Laddonia, Missouri.

Events would unfold just as they had in Thomas's nightmare.

THOMAS WRIGHT: As the car was driving on the highway,

I could see my mother talking to the woman who was in the back.

It was almost as if I was sitting in the front seat,

but I really wasn't there.

I could see everything that was going on.

ROBERT STACK: Remarkably, even the details from Thomas's dream

were accurate.

At 6:00 PM, the squad car stopped.

No!

What are you doing!

ROBERT STACK: And then, chaos.

Get in the back!

What are you doing!

Ow!

Gosh!

What are you--

[screams]

ROBERT STACK: The convict managed to slip her thin hands

out of the handcuffs. - No!

ROBERT STACK: Doris had to fight for her gun, and her life.

No!

THOMAS WRIGHT: And I could see my mother's expression,

and it was almost as if the life had just gone from her face.

She needed help.

ROBERT STACK: Straitjacketed by her seat belt,

Doris was losing.

That's when reality diverged from Thomas's dream.

[screaming]

Out of nowhere, two men wearing shorts and white t-shirts

suddenly appear.

They managed to distract Doris's attacker.

She relinquished her hold on the gun.

Get off of me!

ROBERT STACK: Was it just coincidence

that the good Samaritans happened by?

Or was some mysterious force at work?

THOMAS WRIGHT: If I wouldn't have prayed,

what would have been the outcome of the events?

Would those two men--

would they have been there to help her?

I really think they're really responsible for saving

my mother's life.

ROBERT STACK: By the time Doris regained her composure,

the good Samaritans had driven off.

She never had a chance to express her gratitude

for their heroism.

DORIS SMITH: I was absolutely convinced

that I would die that day.

I looked for the men that were there.

I wanted to talk to them, wanted to get their names,

wanted to thank them for what they had done for me.

I want them to know, because of their courage

and their willingness to help another person,

I'm still here today.

ROBERT STACK: Thomas and his mother

want to thank the people who came to Doris's rescue,

but there are a few clues.

A bystander took this photo of the men's vehicle,

a dark blue Chevy CK pickup truck

with tinted windows and an extended cab.

It was towing a blue and white boat.

The two men were driving near Laddonia

in Northeast Missouri when they jumped out

of their truck to help Doris.

It was Monday, September 17, 1985, on Highway 19,

about 50 miles from Mark Twain Lake.

Join me next time for another fascinating hour

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]