Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Tonight on Unsolved Mysteries:

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two seemingly unrelated murder

investigations lay dormant in the files

of neighboring Virginia police departments

until a routine review of DNA evidence

proves the two cases have a common suspect,

and the hunt is now on for a serial killer.

A factory in New Hampshire, an isolated security

guard, and a mysterious fire.

Elements of a baffling night that sees Curtis Pishon

vanish without a trace.

A Texas woman was robbed and murdered in her own driveway.

Leads were few and the case soon grew cold.

Now more than a decade later, detective Roben Talton

is in hot pursuit of Opal Zacharias's ruthless killer.

A 21-year-old Louisiana college student

disappears after a night of partying in Shreveport.

Where the two men with whom she was reportedly last seen?

Could her ex-boyfriend have been involved?

Where is Wendi Elizabeth Long?

Join me for these stories and more.

Perhaps you may be the one to solve a mystery.

[suspenseful music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): December 6.

A worker surveying an out-of-the-way wooded

property in Fairfax County, Virginia,

makes a gruesome discovery.

The partially clothed body of a young woman

lay sprawled in a clearing.

She has been shot, and it appears she

has been sexually assaulted.

Her jeans, purse, and red shoes are piled neatly nearby.

Once the police arrived on the scene,

they began cordoning off the area.

DETECTIVE IN REENACTMENT: This area

is just too far off the beaten path for most people

to come here. DET.

ROBERT MURPHY (VOICEOVER): As they were stretching the crime

scene tape and walking the area, they discovered

a second body nearby.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The young man has been shot once

in the head execution style.

Like the woman, he carries no identification.

The victims will soon be identified

as 22-year-old college sweethearts Rachael

Raver and Warren Fulton.

The baffling murders would remain

unsolved for more than a decade, but recently dramatic

advances in forensic science and an incredible connection

to a previous Unsolved Mystery story produced

a major break in the case.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Warren Fulton

was the captain of the George Washington University

baseball team, and hoped to one day play in the major leagues.

Rachael Raver was a vivacious, well-liked recent graduate

of George Washington who was planning to go to law school.

She and Warren had met at a local hang out

and had been dating for several months.

Bye, guys.

Have a good night.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On December 3,

Rachael and Warren met friends for drinks

at a Washington, DC bar.

At 12:30 am, they called it a night

and were last seen walking to their car.

It's my belief that they probably

encountered someone near their car or on their way to the car.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Investigators theorize

that Rachael and Warren were probably abducted at gunpoint

and forced to drive from Washington into the Virginia

suburbs west of the city.

Just tell us where you want us to go.

Can we just give him the car?

I want to get out of the car.

I do, too, sweetie.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The terrifying ride

would have covered a distance of about 20 miles.

Once at the obscure wooded site, police believe the gunman

apparently wasted no time.

Come on!

Okay.

Can you just leave us here and take the car?

Don't hurt us, please.

DET.

ROBERT MURPHY (VOICEOVER): Warren was as killed soon

as they got into the woods.

Rachael would have seen that.

We think, probably, at that point, she ran.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After mortally wounding Rachael,

the killer then sexually assaulted her.

Police believe the assailant fled in Rachael's car,

but he unknowingly left clues to his identity.

Semen recovered from Rachael's body contains his DNA.

A single hair retrieved the autopsy revealed a killer's

race, African-American.

And his choice of location for the murder scene

told investigators he was probably

familiar with the surroundings.

The area where the bodies was found

was very close to the Dulles toll road,

a major road that runs from interstate highway

to Dulles Airport.

However, the area where the bodies were specifically

is very secluded, and you would not have known about that area

if you weren't familiar with this particular area.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two days

after the bodies were found, the Fulton and Raver families had

their worst fears confirmed.

In time, Rachael's mother, Veronica, would

channel her grief into action.

I didn't feel anger for several months,

and then one day I got up and I got mad,

and my attitude was, "Who the hell does he think he is?"

And that's when I started healing, and looking for him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Along with Rachael's sister Dede,

Veronica became obsessed with seeing that Rachael

and Warren's killer was caught.

The ravers immersed themselves in every detail of the case.

What's in Marshall?

Oh, there's an article here about a suspect

who killed a young girl.

No rape.

The date was roughed up.

He wasn't killed, so--

- It's not the same thing. - Yeah, I know.

I know.

We'll get it.

We'll do it

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Believing

that Rachael's missing car was a key

to solving the case, the Ravers focused

their search on finding it.

And even though she lived in suburban New York City,

Veronica Raver spent her free time

driving the streets and highways around Washington,

looking for that car.

VERONICA RAVER: Going down to DC I would stop, you know,

at those wayside rest areas, and I'd go through every parking

lot, all the way down to DC, on the way

back on the other side of the highway.

I was obsessed.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just hopes

were dwindling, six weeks after the murders there

was a major break in the case from an unlikely source.

VERONICA RAVER: I came home from work.

When I check the mail it's from the motor vehicle for tickets.

And when I opened it up, I thought, whoa.

Oh, God.

Norm.

It's the car.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Rachael Raver's missing

Toyota sedan had been ticketed for illegal parking

on a street in Queens, New York.

The date on the ticket was the day

after the murders and two days before the bodies

were discovered.

DET.

ROBERT MURPHY (VOICEOVER): The car was sitting unattended

on a New York City street, so you

can imagine what happened to it by the time it was recovered.

There wasn't much left of it.

The car was taken to a garage in New York City where it was

processed extensively, and a number of latent fingerprints

were developed, and we weren't able to identify anyone.

So basically, we came away with no clues from the car.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Despite the latest setback,

Veronica Raver refused to give up.

TELEVISION: Arlington, Virginia--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Almost a full year

after the murders, an episode of Unsolved Mysteries,

caught her attention.

On May 10, 1988, the body of an unknown young woman

was found in an Arlington, Virginia, schoolyard.

She had been sexually assaulted and shot

once at point blank range.

TELEVISION: She was sexually assaulted and then murdered.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The victim

was subsequently identified as 24-year-old Gena

Jefferson, a newcomer to the Washington, DC, area.

TELEVISION: One good suspect admitted that he had seen her

the day that she was killed and he was able to describe her,

all the way down to her red shoes.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Unsolved Mysteries

came on about this young woman who had been shot,

and I don't know what attracted me.

I think it was the date.

The date was also Rachael's birthday.

That got my attention.

It's something about it.

I called up my daughter, Dede, and asked

her to check on this, that, you know, something about it.

It bothered me.

DEIDRE RAVER: When I spoke to the detective about it,

he told me that he had looked into the case,

too, because it bothered him a lot.

But the case was so different, and her killer

seemed to know her.

And we assumed that in Rachael's case, that it was a stranger.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The discrepancies between the cases

were significant.

Rachael Raver was white, while Tina

Jefferson was African-American.

Rachael was in the company of her boyfriend.

Tina was alone.

And while investigators believed Tina knew her killer,

it was suspected that the attack on Rachael and Warren

had been random.

Years would pass and both murder investigations would grow cold.

Until one day in the spring of 2000,

a technician at Biotech Two, Virginia's state DNA lab,

was routinely running comparisons

on samples submitted by law enforcement agencies.

She was able to develop the most vital lead either

of these cases had had to that date,

and also prove Veronica Raver's instincts were on the mark.

I received a phone call from the serologist at our lab

and she says I've got good news and I've got bad news.

The good news is we got a hit on your case

in the Virginia data bank.

The bad news is the hit is on another unsolved homicide.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): That other unsolved homicide was

the murder of Tina Jefferson.

It was now scientifically proven;

Rachael Raver and Warren Fulton were

murdered by the same person who killed Tina.

Investigators also now had confirmation

that a serial killer was on the loose.

My husband got a phone call from the detectives,

and they told him that they had a cold DNA hit,

and it matched another case that was

seven months after our daughter, Tina,

and it was the Fulton and the Raver's case.

And shortly afterwards Deidre Raver got in touch with us.

When I met the Jeffersons, it was as if I had known them

for years, and we feel as though we've been grieving

together for the last 12 years.

On Rachael's birthday, their daughter was murdered

and for the last 12 years we've been

grieving on the very same day.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The Ravers and Jeffersons

now had hopes that this new development

would lead to a successful resolution of their cases.

Once we make the DNA link between these murders

and then we can go back and we can closer

examine these murders, we start to see some small similarities.

The red shoes I think are fascinating.

I think it's probably more than coincidental,

though, that they were both wearing red shoes.

In the Arlington County case, they have a composite drawing

of a suspect.

They have a face to go with the DNA

and we never had that before.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Witnesses described him

as a clean-cut bodybuilder type, an African-American,

approximately 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds.

Tina Jefferson was last seen alive in his presence.

The Ravers and the Jeffersons have been revitalized

by the DNA link, and are now more hopeful than ever

that the killer of their loved ones will be caught.

VERONICA RAVER: I won't rest until he's found.

I really won't have any peace until he's found.

He's an evil predator, an evil, perverted predator.

He's dangerous.

I'd like for him to go through the pain and the hurt

that I have gone through for 13 years.

I would like to see him face to face.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Seabrook, New Hampshire,

1:42 AM.

The unexpected disrupts a normally tedious graveyard

shift of security guard Curtis Pishon.

Hello, 911?

I want to report a car fire.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): His car has

inexplicably burst into flames.

[sirens]

You all right?

Yeah.

I'm OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Curtis, a former police

officer, informs the fire department that he has no idea

how his car caught on fire.

The firefighters noticed that under the circumstances,

he seems curiously subdued.

Two hours after the firefighters leave the scene,

the mystery deepens.

Curtis abruptly disappears without a trace.

The The whole disappearance is confusing.

The car fire is confusing, because even without the car

fire, there's no clues here.

This is a worst nightmare for any investigator,

because there's not that tangible lead to go on,

and an entire family that wants answers, and deserves

answers, and hasn't been able to get them.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): What happened to Curtis Pishon?

Every possibility considered by investigators

led to a dead end.

They thought Curtis might have purposely destroyed his car

before engineering his own disappearance,

but they found no other way for him to leave the remote factory

where he worked.

They considered suicide, but where was his body?

They also believed Curtis could have been abducted,

but there was no evidence supporting that conclusion.

For 10 years, Curtis Pishon cherish

his career as a police officer.

Then he was stricken with multiple sclerosis,

a painful muscular disorder that severely limited his mobility.

The disease progressed to the point

where he could no longer accurately fire his gun.

He had no choice but to turn in his badge.

MARK PISHON: I'd never seen Curtis

so devastated in my life.

His personality changed.

He became sort of quieter, and I don't think even up

to the time of his disappearance he

really knew what he was going to do the rest of his life.

Hey, Curtis.

How are you doing?

Hey, How are you?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to his family,

Curtis became depressed and withdrawn.

After taking on a frustrating series of odd jobs,

he found a new sense of satisfaction

as a factory security guard.

The job's physical requirements were less stringent

than those of a police officer, and he was

not required to carry a gun.

The night he vanished began like every other.

At midnight, 2 and 1/2 hours into his shift, all was normal.

How's it going, Curtis?

It's going good. How about you?

Busy?

No, sir.

Quiet as a mouse.

[sirens]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At 1:42 AM,

Seabrook firefighters responded to Curtis's call for help.

He pretty much said that he saw a bunch of smoke

and some flame, and then he went to find a fire extinguisher

and then went to put the fire out.

One fire extinguisher is not going to have much effect,

but we did notice that he did try to put out the fire.

There have been cases where security guards, building

superintendents, and things like that

intentionally set fires and put them

out just to get recognition.

But I don't have any idea or a gut feeling

how the fire started or why the case ended up the way it did.

When the firefighters arrived on scene,

they had a conversation with him,

and they found him to be totally accepting almost.

It was, he was not in the least upset,

or did not appear to be upset.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Curtis's stoic behavior

was all the more curious because his car,

as always, had been cluttered with many of his possessions.

His family said he had the odd habit of using it to store

what he treasured most.

Curtis's reaction to the fire, I find surprising.

I would think that if he had seen his car on fire

with his belongings in it, that he would have been very upset.

I would think he would have been almost in tears And in shame,

and I can't believe he was quiet and timid.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 2 and 1/2 hours

after the fire was extinguished, the factory security

supervisor checked on Curtis.

Are you all right?

Yeah.

You're OK?

Yeah.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): He left Curtis at 3:25 AM.

20 minutes later, 3:45, a factory worker

was the first to notice that Curtis was missing.

An exhaustive search of the factory and the surrounding

area turned up nothing.

Our very first thoughts about what happened to Curt

was that he could have taken his own life,

he could have wandered off, or he could have been abducted.

One thing that we thought of in terms of trying to flesh out

that suicide scenario was the fact that he had purchased

this pistol just, I guess, a few days prior

to his disappearance.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Curtis bought the nine millimeter

gun from his father, Nicholas.

Suicide was a possibility with somebody in Curtis's condition.

With him, as he had lost a job that he wanted all his life,

but his mood when he, on the weekend that he did pick up

the gun and everything, seemed to be more happy, more pleased

at himself.

I'm doing good, Dad.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Suicide

seemed a likely solution.

However, Curtis's gun could not be found.

Police could find no trace of it in his car or in his apartment.

Then, as Curtis's family cleaned out his cluttered residence,

they made a surprising discovery.

I think I found what we were looking for.

Once I discovered the weapon, I

think that we eliminated the likelihood that Curt

had taken his own life.

Now we had narrowed it down to, I believe one of two things.

One, that Curt broke down mentally and had wandered off,

and then the other one was, of course, a much darker scenario,

where Kurt was abducted and probably murdered.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The first possibility,

that Curtis has suffered a mental collapse,

prompted investigators to focus once

again on the mysterious fire.

They believed Curtis might have accidentally started it,

then became so despondent over losing his prized possessions

that he simply walked away.

There is absolutely no way that Curtis would have

or even could have wandered off by himself

under these circumstances.

Curtis was a smoker.

Smokers don't leave cigarettes.

You don't go anywhere without your cigarettes.

It doesn't happen.

So he didn't just walk off.

And he had deteriorated enough that he, probably,

physically couldn't, probably, walk two miles,

let alone want to do it.

There are histories of individuals who we do not

anticipate can travel any extended distance, who

in fact are located several miles away

from their original starting point.

I would tend to doubt it, but it is possible.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The possibility remained the Curtis

call for a taxi or hitched a ride on a truck leaving

the factory, but investigators discovered

that no cabs or company trucks left the plant

during Curtis's shift.

One disturbing possibility remained; that Curtis

was abducted and murdered.

I think Curtis went to work like he always did that night,

and I think that he probably, in carrying out his duties,

saw something that he shouldn't have,

and he probably carried out his true duty of either getting

ready to report it or call it in, and he was attacked,

and he couldn't defend himself.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Investigators exploring

the possibility of foul play found that a door and two

vending machines had been damaged during Curtis's shift,

but who caused the damage remains unknown.

With regard to criminal activity

that Curtis may have encountered,

anything is possible.

One individual that we spoke with took note about 3:30

of two vehicles departing the premises.

My best guess is that somebody abducted him and did him in

and disposed of the body in such a way

that it hasn't shown up yet.

I don't have much hope that Curtis is alive.

I think if he was alive, he would have reached out already,

and he never would have put us through this.

It would be very difficult if he'd been killed in a plane

crash, but not having no idea what happened

to him is even more difficult.

I miss my brother.

I miss Curtis.

I was his best friend, and I miss him.

I miss him very much.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Curtis Pishon is

5 foot 9 and weighs 165 pounds.

He has brown eyes and graying brown hair.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 8:00 AM, Houston, Texas.

64-year-old Opal Zacharias left her home for work.

She had no idea that two men were

lying in wait in her garage.

[suspenseful music playing]

Who are you?

Take it easy, lady.

What do you want?

- We just want your purse. - Be cool.

- No! - Yes.

[sounds of a struggle]

Give us the purse!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The plan

may have been to simply rob her, but there was a struggle.

Get back!

[gunshot]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Sadly, Opal Zacharias

lost her life after being victimized

by two cold blooded assailants.

Stories like this happen in the United States

far more often than we'd like to believe,

but what makes this case unique is that it currently

rests in the expert hands of one of the most

successful cold case investigators in the country.

Her name is Roben Talton, and she is one of this nation's

toughest female cops.

Over the years, the veteran detective

has proven herself time and again in an arena

dominated by men.

June, 2000, a machine shop in Houston, Texas.

Plain clothes Harris County Sheriff's detective Talton

and her partner responded to a tip

that a wanted felon was on the premises.

DETECTIVE ROBEN TALTON: We were told he had escaped three

different times, so he was a known rabbit and we figured

that he would run from us.

The manager there was very cooperative.

He actually agreed to point the guy out.

Detective Talton, Harris County.

You're under arrest.

Let him go.

I got him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Although Detective Talton knew

she'd been injured, she was determined

to conceal her condition until the arrest was made.

DETECTIVE ROBEN TALTON: The detective

that was with me kept after the defendant and he did get him,

and I did not want this crook to know that I was hurt.

We walked him down to where the unit was.

Hey, you OK?

No, man. I'm hurt.

I'm hurt bad.

Can you make it back to the car?

Yeah.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Apparently a burst

of adrenaline masked the severity

of Roben Talton's injury.

She was stunned when doctors told her

she had chipped her left knee cap

and fractured the lower leg in two places.

This arrest would change her life.

You feeling OK?

Yeah, I'm all right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): While Detective Talton recovered

from her broken leg, she was assigned to the newly

created Cold Warrant Unit.

What we'd like to do is get you to working on the computer

and see if you can find some new sources of information

where we can find these guys and may we--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Her new unit

was set up to trace and apprehend

Harris County's wanted felons.

Many of these criminals had been on the lam

for more than a decade.

The dramatic sudden shift in career

might have shattered anyone else in Roben's shoes,

but the thought never crossed her mind.

From the start, she was driven to turn tragedy into triumph.

A desk job was not going to hamper her effectiveness.

Hey, I'm in. I'm in.

OK. Can we start tomorrow?

We can do that.

OK, great.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The veteran investigator

with more than 10 years as a street detective under her belt

would now need to get accustomed to a couple of new partners;

a computer and the internet.

Detective Talton now found herself

armed with faded warrants are often obsolete information.

However, she quickly proved to have a talent for tracking

down long lost fugitives.

DETECTIVE ROBEN TALTON: It's kind of like a game of,

you know, catch me if you can.

Sometimes I start with just a name, an age range,

in an old address, and I put together

past acquaintances, family members,

trying to find somebody that could fit.

It's like putting the pieces together to see

if it's going to make sense.

By the time I get the warrant, it's old enough

that I feel like these guys have settled down

and they think they're safe.

The Cold Warrant Unit is a little bit deceptive.

It's not a band of detectives.

It's one detective, Roben Talton.

And after she does her research, we

have about an 80% rate of arrest,

once she handles those warrants.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Today, Detective Talton's work

with the Cold Warrant Unit has led to the arrests of more

than 400 dangerous fugitives.

However, despite her successes, she

is still challenged by the cases she has yet to crack,

like the 1987 ruthless murder of Opal Zacharias.

[gunshot]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Even as Opal

lay wounded on her driveway, the robbers

were not finished with her.

CHARLES PADON: From what I remember of the gun shot wound,

apparently it entered the thigh and it

came out the back of the hip.

So the shot itself was not a fatal shot.

Go, go, go go, go!

CHARLES PADON: But they had her purse and car keys,

and end up stealing the car and backing over her,

and that's actually what killed her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A witness

reported seeing one of the men flee

the scene by scaling a fence.

Later that day, Opal Zacharias's abandoned car would be found.

However, at that time it yielded no clues that

would lead to Opal's killers.

A year later, tips from an informant

identified the murder suspects.

One of the men was apprehended living outside Houston.

Despite the fact that the man's fingerprints were

on Opal Zacharias's car, authorities could not

physically connect him to the murder

and he was released without charges.

The alleged trigger man was identified as Lance Bedgood

good who was still at large Roben Talton

tackled the case in 2001.

While trying to locate Lance Bedgood,

I came across some post office boxes, three,

in fact, that are still being looked at today.

What we're assuming is that he's using three different post

offices, basically as a mail drop so he can keep in contact.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Detective Talton

discovered the mailboxes are registered

to 3 of Lance Bedgood's relatives

but paid for by a fourth.

Well, I'm glad that the investigation

hasn't been forgotten.

The sad part is that my aunt's life was taken

and she didn't get to see the family grow up and mature.

And that's sad.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Lance Bedgood

stands 5 foot 9 inches tall.

He has tattoos on his arms and legs,

as well as a scar over his left eye.

He is wanted for the murder of Opal Zacharias.

Bedgood should be considered armed and dangerous.

On a sunny spring afternoon in Coushatta, Louisiana, Karol

and Duke Long received a telephone call

from a friend of their 21-year-old daughter, Wendi.

ON PHONE: Good.

Listen, I have Wendi's car.

I just wanted to know how to get it back to you guys.

Where's Wendi?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two days earlier,

on Friday the 13th of April, Wendi

had driven to Shreveport to shop and party with friends.

Her parents expected her home by Sunday afternoon.

Instead, they received news that is

every parent's worst nightmare; Wendi had disappeared.

I thought she was with you.

ON PHONE: No, I haven't seen her since Friday night.

We called the police and told them

that we thought something had happened to Wendi,

and that's where it all started.

Somebody knows where Wendi's at, and we

just want to find her so bad.

Wendi Long's disappearance is a classic missing person case.

Because she is 21, Wendi is considered an adult.

Until any proof of foul play is found,

police cannot officially consider the case

an abduction or a homicide.

What happened to Wendi Elizabeth Long?

Police and Wendi's parents seek your help to solve

this agonizing mystery.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In the spring of 2001,

Wendi Long decided to take a semester off from college

and was planning to continue her studies in the fall.

During this time, Wendi lived with her parents.

The Long's considered her strong willed,

yet very open and friendly.

One of her flaws may have been that she's too trusting.

She thought everybody she met when her friend.

She was one of those people that made friends with everybody.

Bye, Mom.

Bye, Sweetie. You look cute.

Thank you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Shortly after noon on Friday,

Wendi left her parents' home driving

her own car and headed to Shreveport

50 miles from Coushatta.

I will.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On the way, she picked up two friends

from Natchitoches.

Following an afternoon of shopping,

the three pick up another friend, Tommy, who

lived in the Shreveport area.

At approximately 11:00 PM, they arrived at a Shreveport party.

CAROLYN DEAL: There was drinking at the party,

and I'm told that Wendi had had quite

a bit to drink that night.

So that when it came time for them to take Tommy back home,

she didn't want to drive.

In fact, she didn't want to go with them at all.

She decided to stay where she was.

Are you OK to drive?

CAROLYN DEAL: Her two friends that she

came to Shreveport with drove Tommy

back to where he was staying at the time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After leaving Tommy,

Wendi's friends had a run in with the law.

Their statement is that they went to get some food,

and they were stopped by a state trooper.

And one of the friends was arrested for DWI

and taken to the Benton jail.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When questioned by police,

Tommy explained that he was concerned that Wendi

might be stranded at the party.

He chose to drive his own vehicle

to find Wendi and offer her a ride back home to Coushatta.

Tommy says Wendi accepted the offer.

On the way, he stopped for gas and a quart of oil.

CAROLYN DEAL: When he came back out of the gas station

Wendi was talking to two young men in a black Chevy truck.

Hey, Tommy, come here.

This is Mike and Zandt.

Tommy said that it appeared that she knew them,

and Wendi told Tommy at that point not to worry about it,

that she was going to go with them

and they were going to get her home.

Are you sure you know these guys?

Yes, I'm sure I know these guys.

I will get home OK.

Just go home.

All right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to Tommy,

the last time he saw Wendi was when she left with the two men.

This alleged sighting made Tommy the last person to see

Wendi before she disappeared.

Tommy agreed to take a polygraph test, which,

according to police, he passed.

CAROLYN DEAL: Tommy did extremely well

on the polygraph.

The polygraph examiner himself was

very impressed with him and the details that he could remember.

At that point, they decided that it

would be beneficial to hypnotize Tommy to see

what else he could remember.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Under hypnosis, Tommy

was able to provide a more detailed description

of the black Chevy pickup truck and the appearance of the two

men who took Wendi away.

His recollection enabled a police artist

to produce these sketches of the men,

but no one has come forward to identify them.

In further investigating Wendi's disappearance,

police discovered a puzzling incident.

On the day after Wendi vanished, her ex-boyfriend in Shreveport

claims to have received a message from her

on his answering machine.

Hey, Mark, this is Wendi.

[inaudible message] connection.

Hear me?

Hello?

He said that it sounded like she was on a cell phone

and he didn't hear everything that she said.

He did clearly hear the words, "This is Wendi."

He said the rest of it was very staticky,

and here erased the message.

At that time, he didn't even know that Wendi was missing.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Wendi Long's missing

person's case is filled with many more questions

than answers.

A key question involves another of Wendi's ex-boyfriends.

Just tell me who you were with last Friday night.

CAROLYN DEAL: There are quite a few reports

that indicate that there was some physical violence

between them. - No!

[slap]

CAROLYN DEAL: The thing that concerns me

about Wendi's ex-boyfriend is the fact

that another girlfriend of has came

his missing years prior to this, and that she was never found.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But Wendi's ex-boyfriend

apparently has an alibi.

The boyfriend cannot be placed in Shreveport any

time that Friday or Saturday.

I consider him to be suspect only because of

the prior things that happened.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): For Wendi Long's parents,

the nightmare that began with a single phone call continues.

We've had people call and said that they've been praying

for us and praying for Wendi.

I'm just trusting God to answer our prayers

and to lead us to wherever Wendi might be.

I do you still believe in miracles,

and I believe it could still be a miracle

that Wendi could be alive.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Update.

Eight months after Wendi's disappearance,

Tommy, whose real name is Robert Stewart,

was arrested for check fraud.

Police began to re-question him about inconsistencies

in the story he told him about the last time he

saw Wendi Long.

According to investigators, Stewart eventually broke down,

confessed to the murder and pinpointed

the location of Wendi's body.

[suspenseful music playing]

Now a special bulletin.

We ask you to pay close attention

to this story about a young woman who is missing.

Perhaps you may be able to help authorities

determine what happened the day Rachel Cooke disappeared.

On the morning of January 10, 2002,

19-year-old Rachael Cooke went jogging in her Georgetown,

Texas, neighborhood.

She left her house at approximately 9:30 AM,

wearing a green sports bra, gray shorts, a gray shirt tied

around her waist, white running shoes,

and a bright yellow armband Walkman.

Witnesses spotted her at various points along a route

that morning.

At 11:00 AM near the end of her run,

she was approximately 200 yards from her home

in the North Lake subdivision of Georgetown,

and that was the last known sighting of Rachel.

She is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds.

Her hair is blond with dark auburn streaks in it.

She has hazel eyes.

Rachel also has multiple piercings

in both ears, two heart shaped cherry tattoos

on her left shoulder, and a black star

tattoo on her left foot.

[music playing]

Hundreds of cases like those you've seen

have been solved with the help of our viewers.

Join me next time.

Perhaps you will solve a mystery.

[suspenseful music playing]