All language subtitles for beyond.the.unknown.s03e13.lonnie.zamora.incident.watseka.wonder.and.headless.chicken.web.h264-txb_track3_eng

WILDMAN: The peculiar tale
of a miraculous amputate...

It is walking around
just going about life...

without a head.

WILDMAN: ...a menacing mobsters
hidden treasure...

He put all the money
he could get his hands on

in a steel box, $5 million.

WILDMAN: ...and a Victorian home

with a haunting tale
of possession.

This was their daughter
inside of another girl's body.

WILDMAN/:
But first, a police chase
with another worldly suspect.

It was a tale so wild
it makes us wonder

if we're really not alone
in the universe.

WILDMAN: Amazing mysteries,
bizarre phenomena

and chilling secrets.

I'm Don Wildman.

Join me on a journey
beyond the unknown.

♪♪

Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico.

50 miles east of one of the
world's largest collections

of radio telescopes
lies the town of Socorro.

This small desert community
sits above a pool of magma,

a remnant of the area's
ancient volcanoes.

But on the village's outskirts
stands a contemporary work

inspired by a more recent
seismic event.

JESUS JR.: It's 15 feet wide,
42 feet tall,

painted in vivid colors.

It's got the date
1964 written on it.

WILDMAN: This roadside mural
depicts a police officer

and his vehicle
under a blanket of stars.

But this painting
is actually a tribute

to an otherworldly occurrence.

It was a tale so wild,
it makes us wonder

if we're really
not alone in the universe.

♪♪

WILDMAN: April 24, 1964 --
Socorro, New Mexico.

State Police
Sergeant Sam Chavez

is almost at the end
of his shift

when he receives a strange call,

his colleague,
Sergeant Lonnie Zamora,

is requesting backup
for a possible car accident

outside of town.

JESUS JR.: Lonnie Zamora was
a very serious officer.

If He called you for backup,
he meant it.

It wasn't a joke.

WILDMAN: Eager to help his
fellow officer,

Chavez drives to the scene.

But when he arrives,
he doesn't find a car crash.

All he found was Lonnie Zamora
standing there

looking very upset.

WILDMAN: And it seems Zamora has
a stunning tale to tell.

He was cylindrical.
It was -- it was was white.

Zamora says he was patrolling
traffic just outside of town

when he noticed
something unusual.

JESUS JR.: Lonnie was in hot
pursuit of somebody speeding

when he noticed in the sky

a fiery orange streak
heading southwest.

WILDMAN: Concerned the flare
had come from an explosion,

he abandoned the car chase
and followed its trajectory.

The streak marked down
to an isolated ravine

and the officer parked his car
to get a better look.

But when he arrived
at the scene,

Zamora says what he saw

was unlike anything
he had ever witnessed.

He said it was an oval-shaped
craft of some sort.

It was silvery white and had
four legs holding it up.

WILDMAN: And even more shocking,

standing by the craft
were two strange figures.

JESUS JR.:
He thought they're smaller
than the average person.

They're wearing white outfits.

WILDMAN: But before he could
approach them,

the craft disappeared
into thin air.

♪♪

The ship shot straight up,
leaving the same orange

fiery streak
that he noticed before.

WILDMAN: In its wake,
the figures

seemed to have vanished.

Zamora finishes his story,

leaving Chavez wondering if his
colleague is telling the truth.

But when the men
survey the site,

Chavez soon realizes

that Zamora's out of this
world tale might be for real.

JESUS JR.: They'd never seen
anything like it before.

It truly was out of this world.

They found the burned bush,
scorched earth,

And four V-shaped indentations
in the ground.

The imprints don't resemble
those of any known aircraft.

Back at
the Socorro Sheriff's office,

Zamora repeats
his extraordinary story.

When the press
catches wind of it,

it takes on a life of its own.

It seems that Zamora
is not the only one

to have observed
an unusual craft that night.

News reports spur two
other witnesses to come forward

with similar accounts.

They described seeing
an egg-shaped vehicle

just like what Lonnie described.

WILDMAN:
The FBI descends on Socorro
County to interview Zamora

and inspect the scene.

As their investigation unfolds,

speculation over what happened
in the New Mexico desert

that night runs wild.

Some suggest that the answer

lies in the location
of the sighting

Along the edge of
a military base

called the White Sands
Missile Range.

White Sands Missile Range
was one of the world's

largest military facilities.

WILDMAN: For several months,

America's fledgling
space program

had been working
at the remote site

to build a craft
that could land on the moon.

At the time, they were doing
a lunar module testing.

WILDMAN: It is thought the
military used a small helicopter

to carry the lunar surveyor
around for testing.

Together, the helicopter and the
module may have resembled

an egg shaped craft,
leading some to assume

Zamora merely stumbled
on a NASA field trial.

Two small individuals could have
been engineers

analyzing the module
in cutting edge uniforms.

WILDMAN: The theory sounds like
a reasonable explanation

for what Zamora saw,
but there is just one problem.

♪♪

Air Force investigators
independently conclude

there were no lunar surveyors
in operation

at the time of the sighting,

and in its official report,

the military classifies
the cause of the police officer

sighting as an unknown.

♪♪

What Lonnie Zamora witnessed
on the outskirts of town

remains a mystery to this day,

and this vibrant mural
in Socorro, New Mexico

pays tribute to one of the most

perplexing UFO reports
of all time.

♪♪

On the northeast border
of Illinois,

straddling the Iroquois River
is the tiny city of Watseka.

♪♪

And on its rural outskirts
is an architectural gem

and the area's most
unusual attraction,

TAYLOR:
It's a brick Italianate style,
home to about four stories.

It's got the big
arching windows.

It really captures the time
period of Watseka in the '60s.

WILDMAN: This is the Roff Home.

While it may appear
like a peaceful getaway,

this Victorian abode hides
a chilling tale of spirits,

possession and the afterlife.

There was a supernatural event
that occurred in this house

that really changed
an entire town

because of one little girl.

WILDMAN: So watch phenomenon,
did this house witness

and how did it call
into question

the very nature of life
and death itself?

♪♪

July 1877 --
Watseka, Illinois.

The members of the Vennum family
are worried.

Their 13 year
old daughter, Lurancy,

is suffering from a bizarre
and inexplicable sickness.

TAYLOR: Lurancy would go into
trances and seizures.

she would contort, twist
and convulse the body,

and it just terrified
and paralyze the family.

WILDMAN:
Lurancy's doctors conduct
a series of examinations,

but none of them can explain
her frightening condition.

The young girl seems destined
for the insane asylum.

But in January 1878,
Hope arrives in the form

of Dr. E.W. Stevens

who agrees to make a final
assessment of the ailing child.

This was one last chance,
someone who could see Lurancy

and perhaps figure out
what was going on.

♪♪

WILDMAN:
Dr. Stevens begins by asking
a series of simple questions,

but he soon realizes
Lurancy isn't at all herself.

TAYLOR: She was very confused.

She said that she was in a place
she didn't recognize.

She didn't recognize
the Vennums.

She began acting very strangely.

WILDMAN: Intrigued, Dr. Stevens
continues his questioning.

He asks her what her name
is expecting her to say,

Lurancy Vennum.

WILDMAN: Instead, she answers...

My name is Mary Roff.

Dr. Stevens and the Vennums
are stunned.

TAYLOR:
Mary Roff was a young woman
who had lived in Watseka.

She had gone through
the same kind of seizures

and she had been put away
in the insane asylum.

And she later died there.

WILDMAN: Lurancy was only
one year old at the time

and would have no way of knowing
the girl's tragic tale.

TAYLOR: It seemed that Lurancy
was possessed

by the spirit of Mary Roff.

WILDMAN: The desperate girl
is so distraught

by her now unfamiliar
surroundings

that she begs the Vennums
to take her

to live with a Roffs

who she believes
to be her real parents.

TAYLOR: In the days
that followed,

Lurancy or Mary spent
so much time crying and weeping,

the Vennums didn't know
who she was anymore.

WILDMAN: Finally,
the Vennums contact the Roffs

and beg them to take Lurancy
into their home

in hopes of snapping her out
of her bizarre state.

TAYLOR: The Roffs were just
as confused as the Vennums were,

but because their daughter Mary

had gone through
the same kind of thing

and had died,
they had great sympathy.

♪♪

WILDMAN: But on her arrival
at the Roff's home,

Lurancy does something
astonishing.

♪♪

TAYLOR: She saw Mary's piano
and she sat down

and began to play songs

that Mary had loved
when she was alive.

♪♪

This had to be very unnerving
for the Roffs.

WILDMAN: But what made it
even stranger is that

Lurancy didn't know
how to play the piano.

WILDMAN: Has Lurancy
really been possessed

by the spirit of Mary Roff,

or is there another explanation
for her astonishing behavior?

WILDMAN: It's 1878 --
Watseka, Illinois.

13-year-old Lurancy Vennum
seems to be possessed

by the spirit of Mary Roff,

a teenage girl who died
over a decade earlier.

In the hopes of helping Lurancy
recover her senses,

the royal family has taken her
into their home.

So what's the truth
behind this bizarre possession?

TAYLOR: Over the course
of the next four months,

Lurancy recognized
the Roff's family members,

cousins, neighbors,
people that only Mary knew.

They really, truly come
to believe that this really

was their daughter
inside of another girl's body.

WILDMAN: But then one morning,

the girl tearfully approaches
the Roffs with some news,

Mary explained that she was
going to have to leave them

and returned to heaven.

And it was time for Lurancy
to return to her own body

and her own family.

♪♪

WILDMAN: The Roffs bid farewell
to what they perceive

as the spirit
of their deceased daughter

and returned Lurancy
back to her real family.

TAYLOR: Suddenly,
Mary was simply gone,

Lurancy was herself again.

The whole thing just seemed
to be a very vague dream.

WILDMAN: The Vennum's
are relieved

to have their daughter back.

But was Lurancy really
possessed

by the spirit of Mary Roff?

TAYLOR: Some people claim
the whole thing was a hoax,

some sort of trick
by the families to get rich.

WILDMAN: Such doubters point
to the huge success of a book

written by Lurancy's physician,
Dr. Stevens,

and titled the "Watseka Wonder."

But the skeptics are confounded
by one final

and stunning twist to the tale.

When Lurancy went back home,
the seizures,

the trances,
all of it was gone,

and she believed
as did the two families,

that she'd been healed
by the spirit of Mary Roff.

Throughout the entire rest
of her life,

she never again suffered
from any seizures or trances.

WILDMAN: The mystery of this
miraculous healing

is still unsolved

TAYLOR:
For many people, this case
became a very convincing event

that we really do live on
after we die,

and that, in some cases,
we can come back.

WILDMAN:
Today, the alleged possession
of Lurancy Vennum by Mary Roff

remains one of the most
enduring supernatural mysteries

in America.

And the Roff Family home
stands as a haunting reminder

of this quaint town's connection
with the other side.

The incredible tale
of an avian amputee.

This chicken
doesn't have a head.

It defied all the odds,

and literally achieved
the impossible.

WILDMAN: So, how could
a headless rooster defy biology,

and peck its way
to stardom?

September 10th, 1945 --
Fruita Colorado

Farmer Lloyd Olsen
is preparing a hearty feast

for his large family.

BUCK: Lloyd also doesn't have
a lot of money.

And he raised chickens
to put on his dinner table.

WILDMAN: Taking several live
chickens out to the woodshed,

he lays each of their heads
on the chopping block.

BUCK: And Lloyd began cutting
their heads off one by one.

And what normally happens when
you cut a chicken's head off is

it flutters around
for a little bit --

an adrenaline response,

because the brain hasn't
completely shut down yet.

WILDMAN: Olsen continues
to slaughter the chickens,

and as always,
they flap their wings

momentarily
before expiring.

BUCK: And Lloyd gets to the end,
and he looks around,

and there's a chicken
walking around.

WILDMAN: The farmer wanders over
to collect the wayward bird,

assuming there must be one more
still to slaughter.

BUCK: But when he takes
a closer look,

realizes this chicken's head
has been cut off.

It's gone.

But he doesn't appear
to be in any pain.

He's just walking around
like nobody's business.

WILDMAN: Amazed that
the creature has survived,

Olsen spares the death-defying
animal from the night's feast,

and leaves it
in its coop.

The next day,
he returns,

expecting to find
the headless rooster dead.

But the chicken
is still alive.

And Olsen realizes that

they have a biological marvel
on their hands.

It is walking around like it
has not a care in the world,

actually pecking
at the ground,

just going about life
without a head.

WILDMAN: Astonished that
such a phenomenon could occur,

Olsen gently tends
to the unusual bird.

They feed him using
an eye drop dispenser

through his open esophagus

And they give him milk,
and water,

and an occasional
grain of corn.

He was well cared for,
and not in any pain.

WILDMAN:
The curious creature,

once destined for
the dinner plate,

soon becomes a member
of the Olsen family.

And it's even given
a pet name -- Miracle Mike.

Word of the
astounding animal

quickly spreads through
the farming community.

BUCK: Pretty soon,
they've got neighbors

knocking on their door.

And they would bring
a six pack of beer

in exchange for taking a look
at this chicken.

WILDMAN: When the local journal
publishes a story

about the unusual creature,
it sparks a media frenzy.

And soon, Miracle Mike
is earning a lot more

than just a few bottles
of ale.

BUCK: And this is when a
promoter talks the Olsens into

putting Mike
on the sideshow circuit,

so that they can share Mike
with the rest of the country.

WILDMAN:
The show hits the road,

making its way
across the country.

And at each stop,
adoring fans marvel

at how the animal
could possibly still be alive.

BUCK: The sideshows,
they were charging people

¢25 a pop
to see Mike again.

At the height
of Mike's popularity,

he was making about
$4,500 a month.

And so, for a farmer
like Lloyd Olsen,

that was a lot of money
back in '45.

WILDMAN:
For 18 months, Miracle Mike
mania overtakes the nation.

But the life of a shooting star
can be short.

And one night at a hotel room
in Phoenix,

fate finally catches up
with the celebrated bird.

Mike begins to choke.

And this wasn't
an uncommon thing.

Mucous would often get clogged
in his throat.

But a quick shot of water
down his esophagus

with the eye dispenser
cleared it up very quickly.

But they can't find
the eye dispenser.

So, while they're scrambling
around frantically,

trying to come up with it,

Miracle Mike
sadly passes away.

WILDMAN: Although Mike is gone,
the mystery remains

How could this chicken
survive for a year and a half

without its head?

In search of answers,

Olsen donates the rooster's
remains to science.

BUCK: And they discover
some amazing things, actually.

Normally, in a beheading,
the major arteries in the neck

are completely severed,
and the chicken bleeds out.

Well, in Mike's case, the artery
was only partially severed,

and a clot had formed,

which prevented him
from bleeding to death.

WILDMAN:
The researchers also discover
that, despite missing his head,

most of Mike's brain stem
was left intact.

The brainstem controls
most of the motor functions,

breathing and heart rate,
and the chicken's reflexes.

So, Mike was able to live
his life relatively easy

due to these two
circumstances.

WILDMAN: There has never been
another reported case

of a headless chicken
like Miracle Mike.

And this rare bird's story

is one that the town of Fruita
will never forget.

Mike is Fruita's
unofficial mascot.

We've actually created
a festival in his honor,

to celebrate
his lust for life.

We do things such as
a wing-eating contest,

a Peep-eating contest
of "Chicken Song" dance-off.

And it's just
a family-oriented event

centered around
a chicken's beheading.

WILDMAN: Today, these quirky
events are an enduring reminder

of one rooster determined
to keep pecking away at life.

Mysterious orbs terrify
the Wolverine State.

This is a tale about
hunting in the woods,

and a search
for answers.

WILDMAN: So, what's the truth
behind the Paulding lights?

1966 -- Paulding, Michigan.

One quiet summer night,

a group of teenagers are
hanging out in an area of town

known as "Dog Valley,"
when they see something strange.

PORGES: They saw a white light
floating in the darkness.

They had no idea
what this was.

This was terrifying.

WILDMAN: The scared teens
summoned the local sheriff.

When he arrives,
the lawman watches in amazement

as the light
moves around,

brightens,
and even changes color.

The light began to shift colors,
from white to red,

even to green.

This was in
the middle of nowhere.

The sheriff was
incredibly confused.

WILDMAN: Then,
as suddenly as it appeared,

the luminous specter
abruptly vanishes.

As word of the bizarre
sighting spreads,

locals gather to witness
the strange light in the woods.

It appears in the same spot
night after night,

almost without fail.

But what
the ominous orb is,

and where it comes from
remains unexplained.

They had no idea how to get to
the bottom of this mystery.

WILDMAN:
Bemused residents give the orb
a name -- the Paulding Light.

And with authorities unable
to explain where it comes from,

speculation runs rampant.

Some think it's an elaborate
prank, but that seems unlikely.

PORGES: This light was appearing
just about every night,

even when it was
below freezing.

That would be some incredibly
dedicated pranksters in action.

WILDMAN: Others suggest
it could be caused

by faulty
electric cables.

PORGES: Some people pointed to
nearby power lines, and thought,

"Well, maybe this light
is a strange

electrical light
phenomenon,

like a man-made
Northern Lights."

WILDMAN:
But the power company reports
no unusual activity in the area.

Without a scientific
explanation,

some suspect it has
a supernatural source.

PORGES:
One legend was that this light
was a Native American spirit

that would taunt the people
who had taken their land.

Another legend was that
it was a ghost

of a man
who was hit by a train.

WILDMAN:
So, what phenomenon is behind
the mysterious Paulding Light?

WILDMAN:
Since the 1960s,

strange lights have been seen
shimmering in the woods

around Paulding,
Michigan.

The source of these bizarre
illuminations is a mystery.

So, what's the truth
behind the Paulding Light?

The Paulding Light remains
unexplained for almost 50 years.

Then, in 2009, a group of grad
students from Michigan Tech

decides to solve the mystery
once and for all.

Led by an electrical engineering
student named Jeremey Bos,

they had to Dog Valley
to investigate.

Jeremy Bos thought that
the mystery of these lights

could be solved
by studying the light itself.

WILDMAN: To examine the light,
Bos and his crew

set up a spectrograph.

This device detects
and analyzes waves of light.

PORGES: Different lights
and light sources,

well, they all have
a unique signature to them,

sort of like
a fingerprint.

This can't really be seen
by the naked eye,

but can be analyzed
with high-tech equipment.

WILDMAN: After nightfall,
as it has for decades,

the strange, glowing orb
appears in the darkness.

Using the spectrograph,
Bos and his colleagues

capture every bit
of information they can.

The students compare the data
to common sources of light,

and they find a match.

PORGES: The Paulding Lights
are almost identical

in their optical
signature...

to car headlights.

WILDMAN:
Bos looks at a map.

Dog Valley lines up perfectly
with a stretch of US Highway 45.

To test their findings,

Bos instructs members
of his crew

to park on the highway
facing Dog Valley,

and flick their high beams
in a particular pattern.

The Paulding Light soon flickers
in the exact same sequence.

PORGES: Bos and his colleagues
were elated.

They had done it.

It wasn't a ghost.
It wasn't an alien.

It was cars.

Boss concludes that the
Paulding Lights' eerie movements

are an optical illusion created
by the distant headlights.

PORGES: When these cars
pass each other,

their headlights
would merge together,

and create these
strange color patterns

that were consistent
with eyewitness accounts

of the Paulding Lights.

WILDMAN:
A check of city records shows
that the highway was rerouted

in the early 1960s --

right before the sightings
were first reported.

Today, this haunting tale
serves as a reminder

that even
the darkest of mysteries

are always waiting
to be illuminated.

An infamous gangster

takes the secret
of untold riches to his grave.

This is the story
of a mob murder,

a deathbed confession,

and a buried treasure.

WILDMAN: It's October 23, 1935,
in Newark, New Jersey.

Police have been called to
the scene of a horrific crime

at a restaurant known as
the "Palace Chophouse."

There, they find four men
sprawled on the floor

in a pool of blood,

the victims of
an apparent shooting.

Only one is still alive.

The cops recognize
him immediately.

It's the FBI's
public enemy number one,

an infamous mobster
named Dutch Schultz.

SYDOR: Dutch Schultz was
an old-school gangster.

He rose up to become
the most powerful gangster

in the Bronx
during the Prohibition era,

actually being known as
"the beer baron of the Bronx."

WILDMAN: The police rush Schultz
to the hospital.

There, they ask him to reveal
who was behind the attack.

But the mobster,
badly injured and delirious,

can barely form
a coherent sentence.

Nevertheless, detectives
transcribe his every word,

hoping his ramblings
might yield a useful clue.

SYDOR:
All they got was a long word
salad, with very little meaning,

and no word
as to who shot him.

WILDMAN: But in his confusion,
the gangster offers up

an unexpected
tidbit of information.

In the days
before the shooting,

Schultz was apparently worried
that the cops were on his tail.

So, to protect the spoils
of his criminal enterprise,

he buried more than
$5 million in cash.

Where, he doesn't say --
at least, not exactly.

SYDOR:
In his rambling, Dutch Schultz
referred to the Devil.

They thought that was a clue to
where the treasure was buried.

WILDMAN: And with that,
Dutch Schultz dies.

Over the next few weeks,

police identify and catch
the gunman behind the killings,

a low-level criminal
named Charles Workman.

It seems he was hired
by Schultz's own associates,

who saw the hot-headed mobster
as a liability.

SYDOR: Dutch Schultz,
at that time

was a guy who seemed
to be losing his grip.

They realized it was time
for him to go.

WILDMAN:
But the question remains,

what happened to the gangsters
buried million?

SYDOR: The hunt for
Dutch Schultz's killer was over,

but the search for his treasure
had just begun.

WILDMAN: For decades,
treasure seekers have searched

for a mysterious stash
of hidden loot --

a chest filled with
$5 million

said to have been buried by
notorious mobster Dutch Schultz.

So, will anyone find
this illicit cash?

As the years go by,

countless treasure hunters
pore over every detail

about Schultz's life,
in hopes of unearthing a clue

to the location
of the treasure.

And one leading
theory emerges.

According to some
former associates,

before Schultz was killed,
he traveled to upstate New York,

near the town
of Phoenicia.

SYDOR: Apparently,
in the dead of night,

Dutch Schultz drove about
two hours north.

He put all the money
he could get his hands on,

put it in a steel box,
and then buried this steel box

full of an estimated
$5 million.

WILDMAN: To many, the location
makes perfect sense.

During prohibition,
it was widely known

that Dutch Schultz had operated
an illegal distillery

in the very region.

SYDOR: Schultz had become
familiar with upstate New York.

That seemed to be a logical
place to hide his cash.

WILDMAN:
And that's not the only detail
that leads people to Phoenicia.

In the woods
just outside of town,

there's a huge boulder known as
the "Devil's Tombstone."

Treasure hunters suspect
it might be the Devil

Schultz mentioned
on his deathbed.

So, is this treasure
buried near Phoenicia?

So far, no one has uncovered
the missing millions.

To this day,
people gather every year

by Phoenician,
New York,

to exchange clues, or theories,
or make one last look

for the treasure
of Dutch Schultz.

The city of Polson, Montana,
is located next to

the largest freshwater lake
in the western United States,

Flathead Lake.

This picturesque body of water
spans 200 square miles.

These shimmering shores
may look serene,

but few realize they once
held a dark secret

that terrorized this quiet
lakeside community.

This is a story of a monster,
a fisherman, and a huge catch.

It's 1889 in Polson, Montana.

Captain James Kerr is navigating
a steamship across Flathead Lake

when he spots what he thinks
is a large log.

But as he approaches,
he notices something unusual.

It's not a log,
but rather a bizarre creature.

DUNWELL: He saw something
with humps

almost undulating
over the surface of the lake.

Long tendrils that come down
from the snout.

WILDMAN: What it actually is
is a mystery.

Captain Kerr hadn't encountered
anything like this.

But then,
something terrifying happens.

The Leviathan turns,
and charges the captain's boat.

Kerr grabs his rifle,
and fires at the beast.

He misses,

but the blast is enough
to scare the creature away.

Back on shore, Kerr recounts
his tale to all who will listen.

But few believe the story.

Some say all he saw was the
sun's reflection on the water,

or maybe ripples from
a large school of perch.

Some of the people
were skeptical.

WILDMAN: But days later,
another person reports that he,

too, saw the massive beast.

And a local ferry captain
claims he spied it, as well.

With each new sighting,
fear grows that perhaps

there is some truth
to these fish tales.

DUNWELL: Locals were becoming
increasingly anxious

about being on the lake alone,
swimming in the lake alone.

WILDMAN: Panicked residents even
give the creature a nickname.

Most people call it
the Flathead Lake Monster.

WILDMAN: For more than 60 years,
sightings of the beast continue,

leaving residents
baffled and terrified.

This lake has been here
for centuries.

Who knows
what's down there?

WILDMAN: So, what is
the Flathead Lake Monster?

WILDMAN:
It's the 1950s.

A strange beast
has been spotted

swimming in Montana's
Flathead Lake.

This unidentified creature

is said to have large humps
on its back, a slender body,

and measures more
than 8 feet long.

So, what is this
mysterious monster?

One day in 1955,
a Polson resident

named C. Leslie Griffith
is fishing on Flathead Lake.

DUNWELL:
Leslie Griffith is a local
fisherman, very professional,

very talented,
and patient.

WILDMAN: Suddenly, he feels
a sharp tug on his line.

As he tries to
reel in his catch,

he is amazed
by the creature's strength.

It becomes clear
that this is no ordinary fish.

He knew he had
the Flathead Lake Monster.

WILDMAN: Griffith is determined
to reel in the monster.

Griffith fought for
nearly five hours,

where he'd real again,
and the monster would just

reel out the line --
back and forth, back and forth.

WILDMAN: Finally,
the fishermen prevails.

Griffith wrestles it out
of the water, and into his boat.

And that's when the mystery
of the Flathead Lake Monster

is finally solved.

It's no monster at all...

but a huge sturgeon.

He was beside himself
with astonishment.

WILDMAN: Sturgeons can live
for up to 150 years,

and grow to more than
10 feet in length.

Typically, they spend most
of their lives in the ocean,

but migrate into freshwater
lakes and rivers to spawn.

This sturgeon,
and perhaps others like it,

must have lived in
the Flathead Lake for decades.

And when Griffith
brings his catch ashore,

it puts his fellow locals
at ease.

DUNWELL:
They theorized that it had lived
for years, unseen, uncaught,

until Griffith was the one
who caught it.

WILDMAN:
Today, the very sturgeon
caught by C. Leslie Griffith

is on display
near Flathead Lake itself,

at the Paulson Flathead
Historical Museum

in Paulson, Montana.

It's a testament
to the man who solved

a 60-year-old monster mystery
with his fishing rod.

A desperate mission,
an ancient creature,

and an unimaginable power
all come together

in one of humanity's
greatest mysteries.

To some, this recalls the
real-life quest for immortality.

WILDMAN: For millennia,
humanity has sought

to unlock the key
to eternal life.

4,000 years ago,

a Mesopotamian king
named Gilgamesh

searched for an elixir
that would make him immortal.

In 1513, Spanish explorer
Ponce de Leon

scoured the swamps of what
would later become Florida

in search of
the Fountain of Youth.

And in the 17th century,

renowned physicist
Sir Isaac Newton

spent years
trying to brew a potion

that he hoped
would prevent death.

People have always been
obsessed with living forever.

WILDMAN:
Then, in the 20th century,

a new technology emerged
that seemed to offer the promise

that had eluded humanity
for so long --

cryonics.

According to this theory,
a person's body could be frozen

at the exact moment
of their death.

They could remain in the state
until future scientists

learned how to
bring them back to life.

The idea of being frozen
and then being able to thaw out

is really fascinating.

WILDMAN: But cryonics has
a seemingly insurmountable flaw.

The freezing process itself
causes irreparable damage

to the body
at a cellular level.

It's an obstacle
that few think

even the most advanced
technology could overcome.

PICKERING: All of your cells
burst open

in the freezing
and thawing process.

We can't be frozen
for any length of time,

and then
come back to life.

WILDMAN: But a surprising
solution to this problem

is about to be discovered
in the unlikeliest of places.

WILDMAN: For thousands of years,
alchemists and explorers alike

have sought to solve
the greatest riddle

of the natural world --
the secret of eternal life.

But little do they know
the solution could lie

in the unlikeliest
of places.

2018 -- Russian.

American biologist
Dr. Tullis Onstott

and a team of scientists

are exploring
the frozen tundra of Siberia.

PICKERING: Dr. Tullis Onstott
is a geobiologist.

He travels all over the world
to seek life in harsh climate.

WILDMAN: As part of their study,
his team extracts samples

of frozen soil
from deep in the earth.

These were deposits that were
at least 40,000 years old.

WILDMAN: In one sample,
Onstott notices

what appear to be
several dead worms.

Examining them
under a microscope,

he identifies
the specimens

as parasitic roundworms
called "nematodes."

PICKERING: Nematodes are
one of the most abundant

organisms
on the planet.

They're able to live
in almost every habitat.

WILDMAN: As Onstott observes
the ancient creatures,

something amazing happens.

He saw these microscopic worms
wiggling around.

This was probably beyond
anything he ever expected.

WILDMAN: So, just how did these
worms remain frozen

for tens of thousands
of years,

and then thaw out
as if no time had passed at all?

PICKERING: All nematodes
have an outer covering

that's referred
to as a "cuticle."

This cuticle protects them,

and is impermeable
to certain things.

WILDMAN: It seems that
this impermeable layer

prevented the worms' cells
from being damaged.

PICKERING: This is likely
what allowed them

to be frozen
for 40,000 years.

WILDMAN:
So, is it possible that,

if a similar covering
could be engineered

to protect humans during
a cryonic freezing process,

they, too, could be brought back
to life after being frozen?

It seems we could be one step
closer to living forever.

But that moment
is lifetimes away.

Whether we'll be able to do this
in humans is yet to be seen.

WILDMAN: The notion of
eternal life continues to puzzle

and fascinate scientists
all over the world.

It remains the most coveted
secret of all time.