Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Tonight on "Unsolved Mysteries."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A Florida woman

meets the man of her dreams.

Soon, they chart a life together,

sailing around the world.

But suddenly she vanishes.

Could her boyfriend have had anything

to do with her disappearance?

A decaying marriage, a shocking case of arson.

A wife is dead, and her husband is on the run.

A California teenager's vacation to Carson City, Nevada

sparks a seemingly innocent summer romance.

Does that relationship lead to her unexplained death

just days later?

What happened to Natasha?

A young woman working two jobs struggles

to support her daughter.

Then, when she ends a relationship

with a possessive man, she ends up dead.

Now police need your help to find her alleged

killer, Michael Alfonso.

Join me.

Perhaps you hold the key.

Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery.

[theme music]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In April 1998,

51-year-old Colleen Wood moved from Dayton, Ohio

to Boca Raton, Florida.

Living in the Sunshine State was the culmination

of a lifelong dream.

The charming former high school homecoming

queen went to work at lighthouse Point Marina as office manager.

Then, in December 2000, following a whirlwind romance

with a former professional race driver and Wall Street

wizard named John Paul, Colleen suddenly

vanished without a trace.

To those who know her, it is unimaginable that she

would not call or write.

In the months following Colleen Wood's disappearance,

the mystery only deepened, and police were baffled.

There was no body, no suicide note,

and no evidence of foul play.

In fact, legally, there is no crime and no suspect.

While Colleen is listed as a missing person

by Fort Lauderdale police, her family and friends

fear the worst.

Detectives would like to talk to one person

who might be able to shed some light

on Colleen's fate, John Paul.

But months after Colleen was last seen,

he too mysteriously disappeared.

Well, here she is, my island girl.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Sometime in early 2000, Colleen

Wood, a divorced mother of two grown kids, decided

to give Cupid another chance.

Wow, when you said you had a sailboat,

I never imagined she'd be this big.

Yeah, she's big enough to sail the Atlantic and the Pacific.

My mother met John Paul through a personal ad,

looking for a sailing companion.

And she was impressed with his credentials.

He said he had an MBA from Harvard.

And in the racing circle, he was really famous.

Would you like to see the cabin?

Sure.

And he was also reputed to be wealthy,

due to his success in the ownership

of a mutual fund company.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Within a few months

of their first date, Colleen and John had become inseparable.

One evening, following an intimate dinner,

Colleen shared some of her hopes and dreams.

Here's to dreams.

Here's to our dreams.

What is it that you'd like to do

that you've never done before?

Hm.

Well, I've always thought it would be pretty

fun to sail around the world.

Well, why don't we do that?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Colleen

was surprised and thrilled when John suggested

they make the voyage together, aboard his 55

foot schooner, Island Girl.

It was a wild adventure torn from the pages

of a steamy romance novel.

Within a few weeks, Colleen had sold her condominium

and entrusted John with investing

the net proceeds, $43,000.

A short time later, she moved in with him aboard Island Girl,

then quit her job.

Yeah would you get some teak oil?

JOHN: Sure. - Thanks.

I was very, very shocked when Colleen

told me that she was leaving.

I personally was very concerned about her

selling all of her assets to take this trip.

Colleen, are you sure about this?

I mean, selling your car, your condo, and everything?

It seems a little risky, putting all your eggs in one basket.

I know, but you know what?

This is something I've always wanted to do.

Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger.

It might be the only chance I have.

Are you gonna take a break?

Yeah, in a minute.

I gotta call like before I forget about it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On December, 3rd, 2000,

Colleen placed a call to her son in Ohio.

MIKE (ON PHONE): Hello? - Hey, Mike.

It's mom.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): She told him

Island Girl was setting sail in a few weeks

and she would be in touch soon.

I keep hoping if I--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to Maureen Canada,

she spoke to Colleen about 10 days later,

on December 13th or 14th, to invite her

to the office Christmas party.

I called her cell phone number,

and she happened to be in Key West at a bar with John Paul.

She sounded fine.

She sounded like she was having a good time.

Great, so you can make the party?

COLLEEN (ON PHONE): I wouldn't miss it for the world.

All right, I'll see you Tuesday.

Bye.

Tuesday, the party came and went, and she didn't show up.

But I just assumed that something happened where there

was possibly rough seas and they couldn't

make it back on the boat.

She didn't call us for Christmas, Christmas Eve.

And after new year, everyone was really worried.

Friends and family were asking, "haven't you heard?"

Because we knew she would have called.

I tried to call her on her cell phone,

and the account had been closed.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Michael immediately contacted

the police in Florida, but there was no evidence of any crime.

Days turn to weeks, then months.

Still there was no sign of Colleen Wood.

We spent the best part of January and February

calling back and forth with the Coast Guard and the FCC,

just trying to in some way identify and locate this boat.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Back in Ohio,

Colleen's son searched the internet

in hopes of finding an address or phone number for John Paul.

What he discovered gave him grave concerns.

I ran across an article that said that he had served time

in prison and that he went to a federal penitentiary

for approximately 15 years, serving

time for an attempted murder.

I'm still thinking they're on a boat,

but I'm thinking she's on a boat with a killer

or a possible killer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It turned out Colleen's boyfriend

was a mastermind behind a drug smuggling ring

in the early '80s and tried to kill his partner-in-crime

for allegedly ratting him out.

John Paul was paroled in 1999 and met

Colleen less than a year later.

His plan to sail around the world

was in direct violation of his parole.

Family and friends were certain Colleen knew

nothing about John Paul's past.

However, his prison record wasn't the only thing

that had some people troubled.

John would later give three different accounts

of his relationship with Colleen, which

he says ended on the rocks.

[shouting]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): John allegedly told

version one to his daughter.

According to Michael, she said Colleen had become irate over

an incident involving one of her father's old girlfriends

and ended the relationship.

I've had it, John!

I have had it!

When I heard that she'd broken up in December,

I was panicked, completely panicked.

[phone ringing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Michael

pleaded with John Paul's daughter

to have her father call him.

Three days later, he did.

Then a second version of the story emerged.

He told me that they had an argument.

He said he didn't remember what it was about,

but after the argument, she left the boat.

And then she came back with her football player boyfriend.

She gathered all of her belongings,

and she left the boat.

And he hasn't seen her since.

I filed a missing persons report immediately with the Fort

Lauderdale Police Department.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In April 2001, some four months

after Colleen was last heard from,

detectives Mark Shotwell and Al Stone

were assigned to the case.

Their investigation quickly led to some suspicious activity

on Colleen's credit cards.

In a two month.

Between mid-December to mid-February in excess of 80

transactions, cash advancements, totaling over $40,000

had occurred on Colleen Wood's cards.

We were able to come up with good, solid physical evidence

that not only did Colleen Wood not

make any of the transactions, they

were not made with her consent.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): If Colleen wasn't withdrawing cash

from the ATMS, then who was?

The police are still investigating,

and would only say it was a woman, perhaps more than one.

Also raising suspicion were two ads that

appeared in a local newspaper.

Both of these ads were placed in the name of Colleen

Wood using her credit cards.

Both of the ads were ordered by a male.

The first ad that ran in early December

was in the help wanted section, looking

for a first mate on a boat.

The second ad that ran mid-December

was in the romance male-seeking-female section.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Had the ads

been placed by John Paul?

Detectives weren't sure.

They did know the second ad began running on December 16th,

2000, about the same time Maureen Canada

had spoken to Colleen by phone.

According to Maureen, Colleen told her then

that she was partying with John in Key West

and everything was fine.

Detectives Shotwell and Stone are

anxious to hear about the events of December 2000

from John Paul himself.

They finally tracked him down in May 2001.

It was then, according to detectives,

that John offered his third version of the breakup

with Colleen.

I'd like to ask you a few questions about Colleen Wood.

Sure, how can I help you?

Have you heard from her lately?

Well, no.

I can't help you there.

John Paul said that in mid-December he and Colleen had

a large fight over money, that Colleen

Wood owed him money and had made no effort to repay it.

Then she left.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But the alleged inconsistent

stories weren't all the detectives

claimed had them troubled.

My partner and I both noticed that he was becoming

increasingly more nervous.

I found it unusual that he seemed

to have so little concern over a woman

that he lived with, that he loved.

I haven't seen her since, you know?

Just a very unusual interview, very little

compassion shown on his part.

Well, if you can think of anything else

that may help us out, we'd appreciate it

if you'd give us a call. - Of course.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Despite the allegations

of suspicious behavior and the inconsistent stories regarding

John and his breakup with Colleen,

there is no solid evidence to indicate he had anything

to do with her disappearance.

In fact, John Paul may have no knowledge

whatsoever about the mystery surrounding Colleen Wood.

He has not been named a suspect in the case.

We have no body, no physical evidence to show us

what happened to Colleen, but I can tell you it's not good.

I don't believe Colleen Wood is with us anymore.

I know she's gone.

It's scary to know that something like this

can happen to someone who's so close to you.

You think "it happens to everybody else."

But you know what?

I'm everybody else."

We need to find out what happened.

We need to know.

If indeed he's responsible for the death of my mother,

I really want to see justice served.

John Paul has apparently left town, violating

the terms of his parole.

Detectives would like to find him

to question him again about the disappearance of Colleen Wood.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to her family,

Jean Weaver's troubled marriage is nearing its end.

Let's be done with this joke of a relationship

that we're saying is a marriage, that we're saying is a family.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): They say

that after 17 years together, she tells her husband Gordon

she is seeking a divorce.

This is done.

This is done.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Jean's family says they are concerned.

They claim they have always considered

Gordon strange, a reclusive loner who never

attended any family functions.

They are uncertain how he will react.

I'm gonna try her again.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two days

after Jean's decision, her sister Kathy becomes worried.

Jean, almost compulsively punctual,

is 45 minutes late for a family gathering.

Kathy and her husband Tom are driving

to her home to discover why.

We get to the house, and I'm panicking by then.

I heard this beeping noise.

I didn't know what it was.

I was thinking, "I don't understand this."

And then it hit me.

That was the fire alarm.

It was smoke obscuring the windows.

And I screamed at Tom.

Tom,the house is full of smoke!

Dial 911!

Jean, Jean, Jean!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As firefighters raced

to the scene, Kathy and Tom try to determine

if Jean is in the house.

Jean!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But the thick smoke

is too stifling to penetrate.

Three minutes later, the firefighters arrive.

In the basement, they discover that the fire's intensity has

caused water pipes to burst.

I've got somebody.

You've got a body?

I've got a body.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): They also discovered Jean Weaver.

A valiant effort is made to save her life.

And then the police chief comes over and said she's gone.

And I just ran, and I ran, and I screamed, and I screamed.

I just can't begin to say how special Jean was.

Investigators in White Bear Lake,

Minnesota determined that the fire causing the death of Jean

Weaver was deliberately set.

Burn patterns were consistent with a case of arson.

An autopsy revealed that Jean had sustained a head injury

but died from smoke inhalation.

The police believe Jean had been murdered.

They and Jean's family turned a suspicious eye

on her husband, Gordon Weaver.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Gordon Weaver

had every advantage in life, yet seemed destined to struggle.

He was a son of wealthy parents, but was

plagued by financial problems.

He had a high IQ, but experienced

deep bouts of depression.

As the golf and tennis club he owned was failing,

he witnessed Jean build a successful career

in the human resources industry.

Her family wondered if his disintegrating

relationship with Jean had led him to a desperate act.

We wanted so much to find out that it

was just a horrible accident, that he

had nothing to do with it.

But the more time passed, you know,

I started to think that Gordie had actually killed Jean.

It was unbelievable, but I believed it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Jean's family claims

that almost from the beginning her marriage to Gordon

was troubled.

They say the joy Jean rarely experienced as a wife

she found as a mother.

As the years passed, her love for her son

grew, but her devotion to Gordon withered.

Yeah, Gordon, would you just-- could you just look

at me while we talk about this?

What Jean would say about Gordie

is that he would withdraw into himself.

For many years, I just felt sorry for him

because he seemed unhappy and just

couldn't have a normal relationship with Jean.

And she wasn't happy at all, but she

thought it was the best for their son

to remain together as a family.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A family crisis forced Jean

to re-evaluate her marriage.

Her third sister, Patti, was diagnosed

with terminal brain cancer.

Patti died, and that is what precipitated

Jean into thinking life is too short to stay married.

I'm asking Gordon for a divorce.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to Jean's sisters,

Gordon reacted to her divorce plans

by asking her an ominous question.

He said, "have you told anyone this?"

And Jeannie goes, "no."

Well, we laughed, because we said,

you know, as if you wouldn't tell your sisters that you

were going to get a divorce.

You know, and now I think why didn't-- why

didn't that hit me?

Why didn't I say, "Jean, make sure you

tell him that everyone knows you're going to get a divorce."

But I can't explain why that didn't occur to me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just three days

after Jean's alleged conversation with her sisters,

she was found dead.

That morning, her son was at a soccer game.

And Gordon said he divided his time working at his office

and running errands.

Gordon returned home immediately after police

contacted him by phone.

We were not able to give him a whole lot of information

at that time, and he was asked to voluntarily

come to the police department to speak

to one of our investigators, which was myself.

Was my wife in the house?

Is she all right?

Mr. Weaver, I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Was she hurt?

I'm afraid your wife passed away.

I'm sorry.

Some of his mannerisms or behavior

was not what one would expect having come home

and finding his house, you know, surrounded by evidence tape

and then being told that his wife was killed in the fire.

Then we began to suspect that he was possibly involved

in the death of Jean Weaver.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Detective Braun

secured Gordon's permission to have

forensics experts examine the clothes

he was wearing that day.

On them they found traces of two flammable liquids

that they also found on Jean's body.

Investigators also learned that Jean's life insurance policies

totaling more than $350,000 were due to lapse

just two days after she was killed.

The sole beneficiary was Gordon.

Jean's sister, Kathy Rysgaard, believes

she knows what happened.

-

KATHY RYSGAARD (VOICEOVER): I believe

Gordon went to confront Jean.

And I believe he pushed her or shoved her.

Ouch!

She had a wound to the head, and he panicked.

And he set my sister on fire.

My sister was alive when he set her on fire.

[alarm beeping]

Because of the fire some water pipes burst in the basement.

The water pipes appeared to contain the fire to the laundry

room area and also helped to preserve her body to the point

that the medical examiner could do a complete autopsy

and locate the head injury and some other physical evidence.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 12 days after Jean's death,

Gordon Weaver was arrested for her murder.

He was soon released on bail.

The FBI says a $300,000 cash bond

was provided by his parents.

Four months later, while awaiting

his indictment hearing, he borrowed his parents' car.

They said he was going to Chicago for a vacation alone.

Two days later, the car was found abandoned in Summit,

Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Bloodstains found inside appear to indicate

that Gordon Weaver had been the victim of a violent carjacking.

Forensics experts determined the blood was human,

but were unable to determine if it was Gordon's.

The timing of things is just all too coincidental for him

to disappear or be carjacked.

It's a week before that he is going

to be indicted by a Ramsey County grand jury

for first degree murder.

It doesn't make any kind of sense at all.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Did Gordon stage his disappearance,

or did he indeed meet with foul play,

as his parents say they firmly believe?

Two days after his car was found,

an unexpected phone call apparently solved the mystery.

It was received by a business associate of Gordon's.

This individual identified the person as Gordon Weaver.

Gordon Weaver asked if they found his car.

This coworker spoke with him for just a very brief time,

and then Gordon Weaver hung up.

We do not believe in any way, shape, or form

that Gordon Weaver is dead.

His family has indicated that that is what they believe,

but the phone call makes it all crystal clear

that Gordon Weaver did not die in that vehicle on that night.

Gordon Weaver's still on the run.

Why Why should he be off somewhere and Jean,

the most beautiful person that you

could imagine, is gone forever?

If I knew then what I knew now, I would never have

left Jean alone for a second.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A summer afternoon

in Carson City, Nevada, Sandra Jennings

receives an urgent call from her brother, Clarence.

He's trying to locate his 16-year-old daughter, Natasha,

who's visiting them from California.

Natasha?

I had called home.

My sister answered the phone.

I asked her if Tasha was home.

She set the phone down, she peeked out the back door.

She didn't see her, so she went upstairs.

Oh my God!

Natasha!

That's when I heard her scream.

Clarence, I found Natasha.

She's on the floor.

She's not breathing!

I told her, well, hang up right now.

Call 911.

I'm on my way.

I'll call.

Tragically, Natasha Jennings was already dead

when the paramedics arrived.

Ultimately, three theories on the cause of her death

would emerge, involving accusations of drug abuse,

sexual assault, and murder.

Along the way, the reputations of Natasha and her family

will be subjected to salacious rumor and innuendo.

And to this day, how Natasha Jennings died

remains a mystery.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Natasha Jennings

lived with her mother in Southern California.

When she was very young, her parents divorced, a situation

that affected Natasha deeply.

In fact, Natasha had hoped her visit

to Carson City would spark a stronger

relationship with her father.

I told her no at first.

I said, no, you're not going.

But then I didn't want to put her in the middle

of our disagreements.

What I feel towards her father is my own business.

And it doesn't involve her.

That is her father.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Among her circle of friends,

Natasha was the sensitive one.

As soon as she met someone, they were her friend.

She always had something good to say.

She was outgoing, the most caring person I've ever met.

She just kept everyone that she knew close to her heart.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Sadly, Ingrid Cotar would now only

have those cherished memories of her best friend to hold on to.

Natasha's last day began uneventfully.

She had lunch with her aunt at 1:00.

Later that afternoon, Clarence Jennings placed

several calls to his daughter.

CLARENCE (ON PHONE): This is dad.

Still couldn't find you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): He had become

increasingly worried when he was unable to reach her.

When police arrived at the scene,

they found Natasha as her aunt had found her, slumped

across the bedroom floor.

Her hair was damp, as if she had just bathed.

An electric fan inexplicably lay on top of her.

Anytime you have a young individual that's

deceased for no specific apparent cause or reason,

it's suspicious.

It's treated as a homicide until such time

as we Can shift gears and say that it's something else.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Although there were

no outward signs of trauma to Natasha's body,

investigators quickly developed their first theory.

Attention was directed at a young Carson

City man Natasha had become close

to, whom we will call Chris.

Allegations had already been raised that Chris had sexually

assaulted her just days before.

The investigation revealed that Natasha

and Chris had joined a group of friends at an impromptu party.

The get-together dragged late into the night.

Goodnight.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Those who

had been drinking were invited to wait

until morning to drive home.

No one saw what Natasha and Chris

did the rest of the night.

- Morning. - Good morning.

Take care.

OK

OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): According to Ingrid Cotar,

her friend in California, a confused and traumatized

Natasha called the following morning to tell her something

had happened after the party.

Tasha, what's up?

Natasha told me she had blacked out.

She was drinking, and she had blacked out.

And that Chris had raped her.

Do you know where Natasha lives?

I don't remember.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Chris was interrogated.

However, detectives concluded that whatever

may have happened between him and Natasha,

his actions had not been criminal.

-

The autopsy report was conclusive that she

was not sexually assaulted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As soon as Natasha's mother

learned of her death, she rushed to Carson City.

And I spoke with everybody that she was around.

I went to places that she had been.

I handed out flyers.

I mean, thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Tammy Stelton's first

brought a new and unexpected theory to light.

I was at the shopping center, passing out flyers,

when a woman approached me.

What is it?

what do you know?

And she was very scared.

Yes, but please help me.

Anything that you know.

She was very skittish and watching over her shoulder.

And she says, "I know what happened to your daughter."

Thank you.

She wrote her telephone number down.

She goes, "here." She goes, "call me."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The woman

claimed that Natasha's father Clarence

was a drug informant for local law enforcement authorities.

She said drug dealers had found out and killed

Natasha in retaliation.

My ex-wife had asked me is there any possibility that they

might have had something to do with it,

in retaliation for my being an informant

for the police department.

And my jaw dropped.

I've never, never been an informant

for the police department.

Led Led by Natasha's mother, a group

of relatives confronted one of the Carson City detectives

assigned to Natasha's case.

And we asked him if, you know, if he

was aware that Clarence or Natasha's father

was an informant.

You know, and he didn't deny it at all.

He said, yes, he was aware of it.

I can say based upon our records

and the records of the Nevada division of investigations,

which would be more typified, the state narcotics,

Clarence Jennings was not nor was he ever a documented

informant for either agency.

How long have you known Natasha Jennings?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But soon yet

another theory, the third, would redirect the course

of the investigation.

Authorities still believed a drug connection could have

played a vital role in Natasha's death,

but with a stunning new twist.

Did you ever see Natasha use any kind of drugs?

No, Tasha would never use drugs.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Investigators

were now speculating that Natasha

had brought about her own death by overdosing on drugs.

They focused on two pieces of evidence--

a scrap of plastic recovered on a landing outside Natasha's

bedroom contained traces of methamphetamine commonly

known as speed and cocaine.

And an examination of Natasha's body

revealed a minute amount of the drugs in her nostrils.

The cocaine and methamphetamine

can lead to increased body temperature, hyperthermia.

I think she probably took a bath to cool down.

And she was then in the process of drying her hair when she

collapsed, most likely a spasm.

They said she was on a five day

drug and drinking sex party.

And I was like, uh-uh.

No.

I just-- I know my daughter.

She wouldn't have use.

The The official investigation report

states that the medical examiner found

no drug residue in Natasha's system during autopsy.

If you snort cocaine on Monday and you're deceased on Friday,

and we do a toxicology, we may find remnants of the drug

perhaps in your nose or maybe an injection point

or something like that.

But the actual toxicology of your blood

and urine and whatnot may-- may produce a zero amount.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Today, the investigation

has hit a dead end.

For Tammy Stelton, all the theories

and endless speculation have only produced

frustration and more questions.

All I wanted was answers, for somebody to talk to me

and explain to me what's been going on with her.

But nobody will.

Nobody has.

The unfortunate part is, I don't

have an answer for the mother.

This girl was 16 years old.

She had her entire life ahead of her,

and we don't have any answers.

We don't have the bottom line.

I didn't want her to go.

And I was kind of mad at myself because I had felt it

and I didn't take heed of those emotions.

I had actually sent her a note telling her

that I want her to come home.

She didn't make it back.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Officially,

the investigation into the 1997 death of Natasha Jennings

is still open.

In a motel room in Elgin, Illinois,

Michael Alfonso has reached a breaking point,

desperately willing to go to any lengths to save a relationship.

His girlfriend, single mother Josefina Gonzalez,

has agreed to meet with him to listen to his final plea,

but Michael refuses to accept her decision.

No, no, no!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): After Alfonso stabs her,

he tries to escape with Josefina's 2-year-old child.

Although severely wounded, Josefina fights back.

She saves her son by punching Michael Alfonso's

own knife into his back.

He drops the child and, bleeding, flees into the night.

Josefina Gonzalez and her son recovered from the 1994 attack.

Michael Alfonso was arrested when he sought

treatment for his wounds.

Alfonso would be convicted of aggravated battery

and serve four years in prison.

Tragically, Josefina Gonzalez would not

be the last of Alfonso's relationships

to allegedly end in violence.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In June 2001,

Gena Velasquez, separated from her husband,

was working two jobs to support her young daughter.

Unfortunately for Gena, Michael Alfonso also

worked at one of those companies,

and he had Gena in his sights.

You scared me.

I snuck away before anybody saw me.

Oh.

I got like five minutes now.

I came in here just to ask you out to dinner.

Tonight?

Yeah, tonight.

OK, well, I get off around 8:00.

So if you wanna come back around 8:00.

OK.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Gena's relationship

with Michael Alfonso continued to grow

as her own marital relationship deteriorated.

She didn't talk about any relationship with him,

but she always said "I'm alive right now.

I gotta do what I can right now."

And she always wanted a good future

for her and for her daughter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Gena's second job

was at a local fast food restaurant.

She had shared with a coworker the difficulty she was having

with her estranged husband.

Hello.

RENEE ANDERSON (VOICEOVER): Gena was having marriage problems.

I said, "you just gotta communicate with each other

and everything will be OK."

And then about a few days later, Gena starts getting

these phone calls at work.

Gena, for you.

Hello?

Yeah, we're busy right now.

I can't talk right now.

RENEE ANDERSON (VOICEOVER): And this man starts calling,

like, every other day there.

Then I asked her.

I says, "who is this man calling you at work?"

And she would not answer me.

This guy doesn't hurt you, does he?

No.

RENEE ANDERSON (VOICEOVER): She would not tell me.

Yeah, we're just friends. Everything's fine.

She said, "I know what I'm doing.

I know what I'm doing." I says, "OK, then.

Fine.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): But Renee

Anderson's concern for her young friend would prove prophetic.

When Gena Velasquez made a decision

to reconcile with her husband, she would see

Michael Alfonso's darker side.

My husband and I are getting back together.

- With who? - Me and my husband.

- What does that - Mean?

That means you're leaving me?

No, you're not gonna leave me.

Michael Alfonso was an aggressive, violent man.

When he doesn't get his way, he gets angry.

Many of his friends tell us that they're scared of him,

that they don't know which way he's gonna turn

because he's so unpredictable.

Gena, I'm talking to you.

What are you doing here?

Did you hear me? Gena, you're gonna listen to me!

- You're hurting me! - OK, that's nothing.

You're not going anywhere.

You don't break up with me, or I hurt you and your family!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Gena was

so frightened by Alfonso's threats

that she notified authorities.

Hi, this is Gena Velasquez.

This guy I was seeing is threatening me.

DAVE ZDAN (VOICEOVER): She did not

want to pursue any criminal charges at the time

because she was deathly afraid of retaliation

by Michael Alfonso.

No, you can't talk to him!

Then I know he's gonna do something!

A pretty clear pattern of Michael Alfonso's behavior

has emerged here.

It seems as though when he begins

to date a woman and the relationship goes sour,

he gets angry at the woman and does not want them to leave.

And what he does is, he reacts with violence.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The day after Gena's altercation

with Michael Alfonso, Alfonso reportedly

confronted her at the restaurant where she worked.

You don't let me talk to you.

I told you it's over between us!

According to what one customer told me,

some man comes up to her and they start arguing.

And it was a very heated argument,

from what the customer told me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Gena's husband,

who also worked at the same restaurant,

was taking a rest break in his car

on the other side of the building

and had no idea his wife was in danger.

Don't run away from me.

I told you, don't turn your back on me.

You're not leaving me.

You'll regret this!

[gunshots]

One of the witnesses was in an automobile,

waiting in the drive-through line for food.

Michael walked directly at her vehicle

and walked between her car and the drive-through.

And she looked at his face, and noticed that he

had a smirk on his face.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Another witness

reported the hooded assailant ran toward a dark-colored car.

There was a person that noticed

a black Firebird type of a vehicle drive

away at a high rate of speed.

We know from records that Michael Alfonso owns a 1994

black-colored Pontiac Firebird.

Oh baby.

Oh God.

Look at her.

I'm holding Gena, and I said to her, "hold on, Gena.

Hold on.

Everything's going to be OK."

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Surrounded by her friends

and coworkers, 28-year-old Gena Velasquez struggled for life.

Gena would not win that fight.

She was pronounced dead shortly after being

taken to a hospital.

When an all points bulletin went out for the capture of Michael

Alfonso, police learned they were

in search of a career criminal.

Before Alfonso served a four year prison term for the attack

on Josefina Gonzalez, he had served time for a 1989 rape.

Even then, investigators knew Alfonso

was a threat to society, but were disappointed

by the leniency of the court.

We asked for a lengthier prison sentence.

The judge disagreed with us, and didn't feel that Alfonso posed

a threat to the community.

Of course, history has proved differently.

He is a tremendous threat to any woman

who he becomes involved with.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Authorities

were also suspicious of Alfonso's involvement

in the unsolved 1992 disappearance of a young woman

he was dating.

Sumanear Yang reportedly informed Alfonso

she intended to break up with him and return to her husband,

and was never seen alive again.

Any woman that he gets involved in a relationship with

is in grave danger.

Unless they accede to all his demands

and remain his loyal servant, they are in danger

of being raped or killed.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two months

after her disappearance, the body of Sumanear Yang

was discovered in a remote area.

She had been shot in the head.

But despite the suspicions of law enforcement,

Michael Alfonso was currently wanted only for the murder

of Gena Velasquez.

And for the friends and family of Gena,

the grieving has just begun.

No, I can't.

I can't accept that she's dead.

I'm hoping that one day she'll come back to me

and tell me that is a joke, that they're lying.

This guy doesn't deserve to be helped,

or he doesn't deserve anything.

I mean, he doesn't even deserve to live because he's taking

other human being's life.

So if anyone is helping him, he doesn't deserve no help.

He deserves to be behind bars.

Every mystery has the potential to be solved.

It may take months.

It may take years.

Or it may occur during our next edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]