Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on "Unsolved Mysteries--"

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 18-year-old Bryan Nisenfeld

set off for college, eager to pursue his dream

of becoming an architect.

Then he suddenly vanished.

His boot was discovered several months later.

What happened to Bryan?

It was the scene of one of the most infamous

unsolved murders in US history.

Now, many believe Lizzie Borden's house is haunted.

Has a ghostly entity returning from the dead

to tell us who committed the crime?

A young man takes off on a cross-country journey

following in the footsteps of beat poet Jack Carroll.

Nine days later, her Jeep is found

destroyed in a remote mountain region

and there is no sign of her anywhere.

On a deserted stretch of highway in eastern Kentucky,

a high-speed police chase suddenly

turns into a violent shootout.

This man is wanted for the attempted murder of a sheriff's

deputy and authorities need your help to bring him to justice.

Four mysteries that have no explanation.

Perhaps there are answers or perhaps

there are only questions.

Join me for this fascinating addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]

Every autumn, the ritual is the same, parents breaking

the ties that bind, sending their sons and daughters off

to college for the first time.

High hopes for their children are

tempered by concern that they can cope on their own.

Hey, man.

What's up?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In the fall of 1996,

18-year-old Bryan Nisenfeld left his New

Jersey home for Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

He looked forward to earning a degree in architecture.

As Bryan had grown up, he rarely ventured

outside the safe confines of his family circle,

yet he wrote in his high school yearbook

that his dream was to make a difference in the world.

Now he was setting off in pursuit of that dream.

During his second semester at Roger Williams University,

Bryan left his afternoon literature class,

then he inexplicably vanished.

Six months later, on a serene Labor Day weekend,

Lori Vales and her daughter, Chelsea,

stroll on Hog Island Beach, just a few miles

from the university.

LORI VALES: I noticed a shoe on the sand

that was at the high tide line.

It looks like someone just walked out of their shoe.

And I just kind of poked the shoe with my stick,

and it seemed hard like something

had been stuck inside the shoe.

I realized there was like a white very shiny white almost

plastic-looking smooth surface and around it

like a fleshy substance.

So I knew right at that point that there

was a foot inside the shoe.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): DNA tests

determined the foot and a shinbone found close by

were those of Bryan Nisenfeld.

Authorities found no other remains, but could only

conclude that Bryan was dead.

When it was announced that the bones were possibly Bryan's, it

gave us some kind of relief knowing

that he didn't just wander off.

But to lose someone that you love so much is very hard.

It's a catastrophic event.

It changes your life forever.

You go on and you're never the same again.

You're a piece of what you used to be.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Bryan Nisenfeld

often sought solitude here, less than a

mile from his campus dormitory.

Intelligent and introspective, he had a passion for poetry.

He was well-liked, yet had few close friends.

From the day he vanished on February 6, 1997,

no one could seem to agree what happened.

Some believe he may have slipped and fell

from his favorite seaside haunt, drowning just offshore.

Others thought he might have been distraught

and deliberately leaped from Mount Hope Bridge

under cover of darkness.

But the most disturbing possibility

was that an unknown assailant killed

Bryan and then dumped his body in the cold Atlantic waters.

What really happened to Bryan Nisenfeld?

Largely based on the fact that we have not uncovered

any evidence whatsoever of foul play,

we're inclined to believe this perhaps

may have been a suicide.

STEVEN NISENFELD: I don't think Bryan would commit suicide,

I don't think he did commit suicide.

There's no evidence of that, there's never

been any evidence of that.

It's all theory.

An accident, I guess it's possible.

But in my heart, my gut, I don't think that was the case.

I believe Bryan was murdered.

To this day, I believe Bryan was murdered.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In a search for answers,

investigators try to reconstruct Bryan's brief term

at Roger Williams University.

From the beginning, his life there was a struggle.

MARIANNE BROWN: Bryan's academic career in high school

came very easily for him.

This was much more of a challenge.

And with it being his first time away from home,

he missed his family that he was so close to.

And I don't think he realized how

much his family meant to him until he actually went away.

So I think Bryan was homesick.

He didn't do very well that fall semester, Bryan.

His grades kind of plummeted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Investigators

believe Bryan's difficult transition to life on his own

might have driven him to commit suicide.

But something more sinister may have led to his disappearance,

something that surfaced from the shadowy corners

of his private life.

Midnight, January 30th, 1997.

Hello, Dad?

Dad, you have to come up and get me.

Just by the inflection of his voice,

I knew that he was in a crisis mood,

I knew that he was scared.

And he said, this kid is threatening me.

He's harassing me on the phone.

He was threatening to get on campus,

threatening to beat him up.

He said that he could get to him anytime he wanted.

And I thought, if this kid can get on the campus,

the security has to know about it.

Hey, Bryan.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Campus security called the student

advisor in Bryan's dormitory.

How are you doing?

Good.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The threatening calls,

Bryan said, were from a student he knew but was no longer

attending the university.

What motivated the caller, however,

Bryan was either unable or unwilling to say.

- You're OK? - Yeah.

I'm OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But Bryan now

seemed more trouble than ever.

Bryan, let's have a minute please.

I'd like to talk to you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After he

left his literature class on February 6th,

he was never seen alive again.

Six days would pass, however, before his absence

was deemed suspicious.

Once notified by the university, Bryan's father

instantly set out on the five-hour drive

from New Jersey.

When I heard that my son, that Bryan was missing for a week,

two things happened in my mind.

One, I go through a state of disbelief and shock.

And the other thing is I've got to find him,

I've got to get involved, I have to see what the hell happened.

Bryan's room.

Nothing's changed.

It's exactly the way we found it.

His gloves are still here.

It's the middle of the winter.

STEVEN NISENFELD: It looked like he stepped out to get a soda

or go to dinner or something.

It looked like I should wait and he's going to show up again.

But it was seven days, it was a week

since he disappeared so I knew he

wasn't coming back to the room.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Bryan's parents

believe the former student who allegedly

menaced Bryan over the phone may have carried out his threat.

Investigators discovered his identity

and learned that he and Bryan had been close friends

during his first semester.

Reporter Jody Erickson wrote a series of articles

about Bryan's disappearance.

JODY ERICSON: Bryan being unsure of himself,

having some freshmen jitters really seemed to gravitate

toward this one student.

I do know just from talking to Bryan's parents

and reading some of Bryan's poetry

that he did seem to be a young man who

was questioning his sexuality.

And while I'm not sure whether it

was an overt homosexual relationship,

I do think that there were undertones of that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Whatever

the nature of their friendship, it

abruptly ended, for reasons known

only to Bryan and his friend.

JODY ERICSON: Certainly, one of the theories that I've explored

is that this former student was going

to expose his relationship with Bryan, that there were

certain things that Bryan didn't want his parents to know,

didn't want his hometown to know,

and that his homosexuality could have been one of them.

MARIANNE BROWN: Was it possible that Bryan was gay?

Well, I guess it's possible.

He would not say what soured their relationship.

He would not tell me anything in relationship

to the relationship with the former student.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Did Bryan take his own life,

unable to face public exposure that he

was gay or did his turbulent friendship lead to his murder?

The former student, in my opinion,

had something to do with Bryan's death.

He may not have been actual person to have done him in,

but I think he had something to do with Bryan's death.

We were able to meet with that individual,

conduct a comprehensive interview of him,

and we are fully satisfied that that person had

absolutely no responsibility in the disappearance

of Bryan Nisenfeld.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): More than four years have passed

since Bryan's disappearance.

For Bryan's parents, four years filled with pain

and unanswered questions.

STEVEN NISENFELD: It's every parent's worst nightmare.

If it happened to us, it could happen

to you, your child, your daughter,

your son, your nephew.

It could happen to you.

I know somebody knows something.

They're just afraid to talk and I don't know why.

But they are afraid to talk, they're afraid to come forward.

Somebody has to know something about Bryan.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): If you ever find yourself in Fall

River, Massachusetts, you might consider

staying in this quaint country inn-- or you might not--

the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.

GIRL (VOICEOVER): (SINGING) Lizzie Borden took an axe

and gave her mother 40 whacks.

When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 21.

Good morning.

Welcome to Lizzie Borden's.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The scene of one

of the most gruesome unsolved mysteries in US history

is now open for business.

Visitors can enjoy an informative chat

about the sadistic murders while eating a breakfast of Johnny

cakes and mutton broth, the same meal Abby and Andrew Borden

ate on their final day.

Guests can then linger in the parlor,

where Andrew's head received 11 unexpected blows from an axe.

And after a long day of sightseeing,

you can drift off to sleep in the same bedroom

where Abby Borden's pummeled body was discovered

lifeless on the floor.

Some of the guests do try to figure out who did it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Not surprisingly, most people

do not sleep easily.

There are numerous reports that the Lizzie Borden

Bed and Breakfast is haunted.

MARTHA MCGINN: I think the apparitions

and all the activity that has been happening in the house is

a possibility that the spirits are trying to communicate

through myself, my staff, or my guests of who really committed

the murders so they can rest in peace,

put the story to sleep for once and for all.

On August 4, 1892, wealthy businessman Andrew Borden

and his wife, Abby, are brutally hacked to death in their home.

Andrew's 32-year-old spinster daughter, Lizzie, was

arrested for the double murder.

Her trial, however, ended in acquittal, and to this day,

nobody knows who committed the savage crime--

nobody, that is, except for the victims themselves

and the murderer, all of whom are long since dead--

or are they?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In 1968, Martha McGinn

moved into the Borden house, which

had been purchased by her grandparents 43 years earlier.

According to Martha, she soon became aware

of an unsettling presence lurking in the shadows

of the aging building.

MARTHA MCGINN: When I was about 16 years old,

I was in my bedroom reading a book and above my room

I could distinctly hear footsteps and the sound

of like marbles being played.

And it almost sounded like little childrens' laughter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Shortly thereafter, Martha

witnessed another strange phenomenon,

this one far more disturbing than the last.

MARTHA MCGINN: I went up the stairway

and the window at the end of the second floor corridor

just began opening and slamming shut.

It was just violently going up and down.

I got the creepy crawlies that time.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Martha became convinced

that a ghost was prowling her home, tormenting

her at every opportunity.

But who and why?

The answer to that question may have

come when Martha made the mistake

of entering the basement alone.

Here, legend holds, is where Lizzie

hid the axe she used to butcher her stepmother and father.

MARTHA MCGINN: A shadow sort of like a silhouette floated maybe

four inches above the floor.

I could tell it was a woman, I could

tell it was Victorian clothes.

I just turned around and ran back up the stairs.

That experience really did frighten me.

That actually did make my hair stand on end.

I didn't really want to tell anyone.

I just didn't think they'd believe it.

And I didn't want them to think I was crazy

or a figment of my imagination because I

really did see this happening.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Martha's

own terrifying experiences were about to be confirmed.

In 1994, she inherited the Borden house

and decided to capitalize on its infamous reputation

by turning it into a very unusual bed and breakfast.

Using crime scene photos, Martha replicated

the home's exact condition on the day of the murders.

STEVEN NISENFELD: When we first opened, I had hired my staff.

Most of them at the time did not believe

in ghosts or apparitions or anything like that.

And then odd things started happening to them.

KERRI RODERICK: I arrived at work to start cleaning

the house and making beds.

I was on my last room, which was the guest room.

And I had made the bed and cleaned, dusted and everything.

And then I turned around and there

was the perfect impression of somebody

laying on the bed, the indent in the pillow in the bed.

I looked at it for a couple of seconds

and then I booked it out of the room.

I had to leave.

It scared me because I had never seen anything

like that before in my life.

Kerri was white as a ghost.

Forgive the pun, but she was really pale.

And I couldn't get her back in, not even get her paycheck.

She would not come in the house.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Over a century

ago when this guestroom, Abby Borden

received 19 hacks to her face.

Some are convinced that Abby is now trying

to communicate with the living.

Andrew Borden was killed in the downstairs parlor,

his half sitting, half lying body slumped

across a Victorian sofa.

Here employees report seeing a strange apparition, perhaps

Andrew vainly trying to seek human form.

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: I was sitting in the parlor on the phone

and this strange feeling came over me, a very eerie feeling.

Hi, Sally.

It's Eleanor.

When I looked up to the kitchen door,

I saw what I thought was all this smoke coming out

of the kitchen, like a foggy smoke.

What the heck is that?

There's smoke coming out of the kitchen.

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: And I thought to myself,

well, that's strange.

There isn't anybody in the kitchen cooking.

Why would all this smoke be coming out?

No.

No one was there.

What the heck is it?

ELEANOR THIMBAULT: The way it traveled very slow, very slow

until it got to the sofa where Mr. Borden was hacked to death

and it just dissipated.

Very slowly, it dissipated.

I'm freaking out.

This is too weird.

I was alone in the house so I know I saw something

that was out of this world.

It wasn't from this world, that's for sure.

What's going on in the house today

in terms of things that people are experiencing and seeing

and hearing certainly has a lot to do with the fact

that a violent, emotional act went on here.

Also because it's an unsolved mystery

means it's definitely here to stay.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Author and ghost writer

Katherine Ramsland believes that Andrew and Abby

Borden are trying to tell us who killed them, so far

unsuccessfully.

Hoping to document the paranormal activity

at the Borden house, Katherine and a house employee

headed to the basement armed with

a voice-activated recorder.

KATHERINE RAMSLAND: We went down there.

It was very dark and I just simply said, is anybody here?

And we could see that the recorder was activated,

though we could hear nothing.

It was absolute silence, and yet it was clear something

was being recorded.

So I decided instead of asking any more questions,

I would just see what we had gotten.

KATHERINE RAMSLAND (ON TAPE): Is there anyone here with us?

[static]

KATHERINE RAMSLAND: We shot up the steps

because we weren't staying down there

with that, whatever it was.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A noise from

the dead or static electricity?

No one knows for sure.

Katherine Ramsland feels the recording

is the first solid evidence that Abby and Andrew

Borden are ready to share the chilling circumstances

of their bloody end.

As for Lizzie, following her acquittal,

she used her inheritance to buy a mansion

in a fashionable district of Fall River.

Her final years were spent in seclusion, ostracized

by the surrounding community.

She died in 1927 at the age of 67.

But those who work and live at 92 2nd Street

believe that Lizzie has returned home.

They claim that Lizzie, Abby, and Andrew still

walk these halls and haunt these rooms,

chained forever to this place by the horrific events

of over a century ago.

And some speculate that maybe, just maybe, one of them

will tell us what really happened on August 4th, 1892.

will tell us what really happened on August 4th, 1892.

Two joggers in Mount Baker National Forest

in Washington state notice a piece of clothing

dangling from a tree branch.

Honey, there's a shirt or something up there.

That's weird.

See anyone around?

No.

Someone crashed down there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The Jeep has plunged

over a steep embankment.

Inside the car are a passport, money, and clothing,

but there is no sign of anyone nor any indication

that someone has been injured.

Mark, what did you find?

There she is.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Police traced the Jeep

to 23-year-old college student Leah Roberts, who left her home

in Raleigh, North Carolina nine days earlier without telling

anybody where she was going.

KARA ROBERTS: I found out that her car had been found.

Here she is on the whole opposite side of the country,

haven't heard from her in nine days,

and her car shows up with no sign of Leah.

So needless to say, I was really, really worried.

The discovery of Leah Roberts' Jeep

has only deepened the mystery surrounding her disappearance.

There are few clues.

Authorities cannot even say for certain if Leah

was in her car when it crashed.

Only one thing is certain, Leah Roberts

embarked on a cross-country journey of self-discovery.

Her friends and family are still waiting for her to come home.

SUZIE SMITH: Leah is just a very awesome person.

Everybody that meets her likes her--

very personable, great smile.

On she was kind of private also, definitely.

Very sweet and nice, but it took a while to get to know her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When Leah Roberts

was in her early twenties, she experienced

a series of tragedies that would forever

influence her outlook on life.

First, her mother died unexpectedly.

Then Leah was in a near-fatal car accident.

And finally, after a long illness,

her father passed away.

HEATH ROBERTS: I think that all of those things

together had the cumulative effect of making Leah even more

introspective and probably more aware

that although she didn't know what she wanted to do,

I think she was unhappy that she wasn't achieving it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Leah found solace in the writings

of Jack Kerouac.

The famous beat generation poet often

wrote about the free-spirited road

trips he took during the 1950s.

Leah was especially enamored by "The Dharma Bums," a story that

encourages the reader to leave behind the materialism

of modern life.

Part of that book takes place at a fire

lookout on Desolation Peak near Mount

Baker in Washington state.

From the last conversation that we had,

we were talking about "Dharma Bums."

When Kerouac talks about being alone on Desolation Peak and--

JEANNINE QUILLER: --and about how Kerouac

was up on Desolation Peak just taking

in all the beauty around him.

So are you inspired to go to Desolation Peak now?

I'd love to go to Desolation Peak.

She was talking about wanting to go up on Desolation Peak

and how she really wanted to go off by herself

and figure a lot of things out and figure out

what kind of person she wanted to be because she

really didn't know anymore.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just three months

before she would graduate from college with a degree

in Spanish, it appears that Leah Roberts secretly

decided to turn her dream into a reality.

Leah packed up most of her cherished belongings

and her cat, B, and took off for Desolation Peak

3,000 miles across the country.

SUZIE SMITH: The way we first heard that she had left

was it had been a period of like four days

where we hadn't seen her and we began to worry.

And we called people--

family, called friends.

No one had heard from her.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Leah's family

and friends filed a missing persons report

and checked bank records for any activity on her account.

Leah had made several cash withdrawals tracing

a route towards the west coast.

It took her only three days to make it to Oregon.

KARA ROBERTS: The day after we filed the missing persons

report, I went over to Leah's house just to kind of check

through things, see if I could find any clue or whatnot, just

something to give me an answer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Amid the clutter on Leah's dresser,

Kara discovered a cryptic note.

LEAH ROBERTS (VOICEOVER): This is

to cover bills while I'm gone.

Remember, everyone is together in thoughts and prayers

and time passes quickly.

Have faith in me, yourself, everyone.

Remember Jack Kerouac.

KARA ROBERTS: Leah's nice said, I'm not suicidal,

I'm the opposite.

Remember Jack Kerouac.

So that kind of right there is an allusion to Kerouac

and that that might be part of her trip.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Five days later, Leah's Jeep

was discovered in Mount Baker National Forest, 100 miles

from Desolation Peak.

But Leah was nowhere to be found.

There were several alarming and contradictory aspects

to the crash scene.

Authorities estimate that the car

was traveling at 40 miles per hour

when it plunged over the embankment.

In all likelihood, the driver would

have been seriously injured.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: Well, with the speed that the vehicle was

traveling and the amount of damage to the vehicle,

you would anticipate some type of injury to the person inside.

If there was no injury to the person inside,

at least some type of evidence to indicate contact

damage that the person had been inside the vehicle.

None of those signs were evident.

Oh, man.

Look at this.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): There was

also no blood inside the Jeep or in the surrounding area.

Investigators were forced to consider

whether the car was unoccupied when it went over the hill.

But that scenario also turned out to be problematic.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: There is nothing to indicate the wheel was tied

and that it was pushed off the road.

We couldn't find any marks on the back indicating anybody

had pushed it to where it was.

If you had somebody driving the vehicle and they jumped out,

you'd have taken your life into your own hands

trying to jump out of the vehicle at that speed.

- I'll run the plates. - All right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Police now

had strong evidence that supported

two opposite conclusions.

Someone had to be driving the Jeep when it crashed

and no one could have driven over the embankment

without leaving behind signs of an injury.

To make matters even more confusing,

blankets had been placed in the vehicle's shattered windows.

It appeared that someone had used the car as a shelter

after the accident.

If you guys see anything, give us a call on the radio.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A search of the surrounding area

was immediately undertaken.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: We brought in dogs, we

brought in search and rescue and did a complete grid

search up and down the road.

But they weren't able to find any indication that anybody

had left that vehicle.

I mean, there's not even any blood.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The Jeep was taken to a police

garage and further examined.

It was full of Leah's personal belongings--

a large amount of cash, an empty cat carrier--

Found a diamond ring.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): --and Leah's mother's

diamond engagement ring.

As long as I've known Leah, she has worn

her mother's engagement ring.

It was her most prized possession.

And when we discovered that the ring had been found in the car,

it was definitely for me kind of a bad sign on.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): What happened to Leah Roberts?

Was she even in her Jeep when it crashed?

If she was, why was there no sign of her being hurt?

And finally, why would she leave behind everything that she

cared most about in this world?

Perhaps Leah did accidentally drive off the road

but survived relatively unscathed.

She then would have been stranded

in one of the most remote wilderness regions

in the country.

Leah may have presented an irresistible target

for a killer.

KEVIN MCFADDEN: You can't rule out foul play when you don't

see somebody for over a year.

But there's no evidence to indicate

that that has happened.

We did process the vehicle for your typical evidence--

hairs and fibers and blood--

and nothing, nothing to indicate that that's happened.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Or maybe the lack

of blood at the crash site indicates

that Leah suffered an internal injury, conceivably

a debilitating head injury.

Could she now be walking the streets with no memory of who

she is or where she came from?

There is a third possibility, did Leah Roberts--

inspired by her favorite author, Jack Kerouac--

leave her former life behind in one final dramatic gesture?

KARA ROBERTS: I can understand Leah's

needing to get away and find some peace within herself.

But considering the loss that our family's experienced,

it's difficult for me to think that she

would leave us open for another loss like this.

It's difficult to imagine her wanting

to distance herself from her family for as long as she has.

But of course, you don't want to imagine the negative things

that could have happened.

You don't ever know what someone's

thinking in their head.

No matter what they tell you, you still don't know, not 100%.

You never know.

That's why none of this makes sense to anybody.

It's so out of character for her in some ways and in some ways,

it's not.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): One week

after Leah Roberts' Jeep was found,

an anonymous tipster called investigators and reported

that his wife had just seen Leah at a gas station

30 miles from Seattle.

Leah appeared confused and disoriented.

But before authorities could obtain

further information from the witness,

he panicked and hung up the phone.

The police are now asking for your help.

Leah Roberts is five feet six, weighs 130 pounds,

and has sandy blond hair.

She has a beauty mark on her right upper lip

and a surgical scar on her right hip.

Rural Kentucky, the kind of homespun

place where most folks are downright neighborly.

On a quiet Sunday evening in October,

Bell County Sheriff's Deputy Scott Elder

was taking a break during a routine patrol

when a pickup truck suddenly sped by with both taillights

out.

Deputy Elder had no idea who was behind the wheel

or that all hell was about to break loose.

[siren]

When I came behind him, he was driving fine.

The only thing that I directed my attention to

were the no taillights.

I caught up with it.

It was a camouflaged truck, Kentucky militia on the back.

I had no idea what that was.

I just didn't know.

That's when I made the traffic stop.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

I'm Deputy Elder with the Bell County Sheriff's Office.

Hey, Deputy Elder.

The reason I stopped is your taillights are out.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At first, Deputy Elder

saw no reason for concern.

But your tail lights are out.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The driver seemed friendly enough

and he agreed to take care of the problem right away.

I'll just go down the road here and get that fixed.

Thank you for telling me about that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But then everything changed.

However, I do need to see your driver's license

and make sure it's valid. - No.

You don't need to see my license.

Yes, sir, I do.

The reason you don't need to see it

is because I'm a member of the Kentucky state militia.

He started getting very agitated,

he started turning real red, he started yelling.

As a matter of fact, I get my powers--

SCOTT ELDER: That's when I caught a glimpse of a pistol

magazine through the window.

Are they any weapons in the vehicle?

Yes, I have weapons in the vehicle.

Sir, for my safety--

sir, for my safety put your--

I don't need to put my hands anywhere.

Put your hands where I can see them.

Don't take that gun out.

SCOTT ELDER: I kept screaming at him, step out of the truck,

step out of the truck.

And that's when he threw it in drive and he took off.

I just couldn't believe this was going on.

It's a Sunday, supposed to be a dead shift.

Not anymore.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Careening along Route 25,

the two vehicles were locked in a dangerous high-speed cat

and mouse game when the prey suddenly became the predator.

SCOTT ELDER: He turned a U-turn and came back at the cruiser.

When he stops, I back my cruiser up.

I swerved and missed him and he whipped it back around

and he was chasing me at that point in time.

And I was on the radio and I was telling dispatch,

I said, he's chasing me.

Get me some backup now.

SCOTT ELDER: And I said, I don't know what he's trying to do.

I said, this guy's crazy.

But he's chasing me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It was a bizarre scene that quickly

shifted from dangerous to deadly, with the deputy

now under siege.

Guys, I need backup now.

[gunfire]

He's shooting at me.

[gunfire]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Then with bullets flying

and his life on the line, Deputy Elder turned the tables again.

Moments later, he was bearing down on the truck

when the driver suddenly slammed on his brakes

and jumped from the vehicle.

Come on. Come on.

You want some of this?

Get your hands up.

Do it now.

Don't you mess with me, boy.

[gunfire]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to police,

a wild shooting spree ensued.

[gunfire]

The enraged gunman unloaded more than 30 rounds

and peeled off down the highway.

Deputy Elder fired back, but the truck

was a moving target and quickly disappeared into the night.

I was shaking.

I didn't know whether to cry or scream, get mad.

I didn't know what to do.

I just didn't know what to think know.

What the hell happened?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Deputy Elder was still in shock

the next morning when at least part of the puzzle

fell into place.

Authorities discovered the gunman's vehicle

abandoned in the backwoods.

They identified the owner as 55-year-old Steven Howard

Anderson.

In the back of Anderson's truck, sheriffs' deputies

claimed they found enough weapons

and ammo to equip a small army.

KARL STANKOVIC: There were six pipe [inaudible]

we found in the cab of the vehicle,

there was a semi-automatic rifle, over 9,000

rounds of ammunition of various calibers found

in the back of the vehicle in a camper,

and there was other survival gear and clothing and some food

as well.

Given the mindset that we believe Steven Anderson has,

when you see that type of weaponry,

it poses a serious threat to property and people.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Further investigation

revealed Steven Anderson apparently did have ties

with the civilian paramilitary group known as the Kentucky

State Militia, an organization not sanctioned

by any government body.

Its stated mission, to protect and defend

the US constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

But according to law enforcement officials,

some members can be fanatical and dangerous.

Even when compared to the group's extreme element,

Steven Anderson was considered a loose cannon.

In fact, a short time before the shootout with Deputy Elder,

Anderson had been booted out of the militia.

CHARLES PUCKETT: Steve was dismissed

for conduct unbecoming.

His agenda would be to do the second revolution now.

In our opinion, it's not time.

The legislative process in Kentucky still works.

When that system ceases to function,

then it's time for a revolution.

Sir, do you have any weapons in the vehicle?

Yes, I have weapons in the vehicle.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Was Steven Anderson poised

to launch his own private war?

Authorities were anxious to find out.

After obtaining a search warrant,

they uncovered another huge cache of weapons and explosives

on Anderson's property.

More pipe bombs, grenades, machine guns, and approximately

12,000 rounds of ammunition.

Agents also found a low-powered ham radio transmitter allegedly

used by Anderson to broadcast hate-filled vendettas

against the establishment.

STEVEN ANDERSON (VOICEOVER): I can see it now.

Joe Patriot's driving down the road--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In fact, just five days

before the shoot out with Deputy Elder,

Anderson acted out an eerily similar scenario

to the actual encounter.

STEVEN ANDERSON (VOICEOVER): Well, Mr. Patriot.

I need to see your national ID now and get

you to step out of the vehicle.

But sir, that violates the Constitution.

I don't care about no Constitution.

I said give me your national ID card.

Well, OK, buddy.

I'll give you my national ID card.

Scan this.

[gunshots]

Have a nice day, officer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): To Deputy Elder,

Anderson's chilling words were shocking and scary.

I had no idea that he had done that.

There's no doubt in my mind now that he had it planned.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

SCOTT ELDER: Any police officer that

came in contact with him, that's what was going to happen.

[gunfire]

There was going to be a shootout no matter what.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Steven Anderson

is still on the run and authorities need

your help to bring him to justice.

KARL STANKOVIC: It's quite possible

that when Steven Anderson abandoned his vehicle,

he may have hid in the woods for a period of time

and either sought out or received

help from people in the area.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Steven Anderson

is wanted by the Kentucky State Police

for the attempted murder of Deputy Scott Elder.

He is also wanted by the ATF, the Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, and Firearms, for violation

of federal explosive laws.

Stories without endings, stories

that defy our imagination, stories where you

may have that one vital clue.

Next time on "Unsolved Mysteries."

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