All language subtitles for Episode 01 The Curse of Dismal Creek

You always hear folklore.

You hear horror stories
and ghost stories.

But a lot of the ones
told are true.

I'm not worried about a ghost,
but I worry about people.

Perhaps that day,
maybe he was out hunting.

Like maybe he was
just looking for people

that he thought
he could kill.

We were way out
in the middle of nowhere.

There was no help.

What are you gonna do?

Just run for your life.

The appalachian trail
follows a path

from Georgia to Maine,

2,000 miles along america's
oldest mountain chain.

To hikers,
it's known as simply the a.T.

The appalachian trail
is completely isolated.

The enjoyment of the trail

is getting out where
there is nothing but nature.

But one of the drawbacks

to the Serenity
of the surroundings

is you become very complacent,

very comfortable,

and you kind of don't
see the dangers that lurk.

On a peaceful day
in may of 1981,

two hikers were walking
on this trail.

Bobby mountford
and Susan Ramsey

were social workers,
and part of their hike

was to raise money
for a facility

for troubled kids up in Maine.

In 1981, Bobby was hiking

the entire trail
from south to north,

and I believe that
Susan had joined him

for several weeks
to come up through Virginia.

Okay.

Okay, I think we're here.

Well, that's a relief.

Where is here,
exactly?

Dismal...

Right,
it's dismal creek.

Yeah. And we're,
right on time.

Excellent.
Okay, so, from here,

it's another three miles
to wapiti shelter.

We're just gonna
camp there overnight.

And then from there,
it is 17 miles into town.

Okay.
Man.

There was also
a gentleman there.

He's a very
sheepish-looking guy.

Bobby.

If you know
where to go looking,

there's arrowheads all over
these here parts.

Indian arrowheads.

I could show you how
to spot 'em if you like.

Sure, if you're
going our way.

He doesn't look at you.

He -- when he talks to you,
he kind of looks down.

Bobby: We could always use
the extra company.

You from around these parts?

I sure am
pleased to meet you.

Okay. Bobby.

Susan: Hi, Susan.

They talked for a few minutes.
They had a conversation.

Then they left together,
walking down the trail.

Follow you.
Yeah, sure.

By day's end,

all three would become

etched into appalachian trail
lore forever.

I live out here.

The lingering memory
of what happened persists there

really to this day.

Almost 27 years later,

33-year-old Sean farmer
is on his way

to visit the same section
of the appalachian trail.

Dismal creek is in the
southwestern part of our county.

It's a gloomy name, but, I mean,
it's just a beautiful place

to go and relax
and enjoy yourself.

Well, I'm originally
from bluefield, Virginia.

It's right on the border
of Virginia and West Virginia.

It's in
the appalachian mountains.

Yeah, I'd say the biggest
part of my life

when I was a kid
was fishing or,

you know, camping,
stuff like that.

That day,
I was planning to go meet

my friend Scott Johnson.

I grew up with Scott.

Um, he and I'd fished
our whole lives together.

He was a great
fishing buddy.

Hey, man.
Give me 20 bucks on pump two.

You bet.

And one of these.

You set to hike the a.T.?

No.

Just doing some fishing.
Up above dismal falls.

Dismal?

Them two hikers,

they seen some funny
things up that way.

Strange marks on the rocks
along the creek.

Scared them boys
into coming back down here

and hiking the highway
till they reached town.

Need a receipt?

Nah, man.
I'm good.

Well, you be careful
out there.

Watch out for them cougars
and what have you.

Where we were on --

up there on dismal creek
was really isolated,

and it was about as far back
as you could be.

Scott and I had camped
at dismal creek four,

five times before,

and fished several times
in the past.

That's kind of like
our backyard, almost.

That day, when I pulled up
to the campsite,

his truck was there,
his tent was already set up.

Scott wasn't there.

You must be Sean.

That's right.

Scott said he'd be
meeting you here.

I'm Ricky Williams.

Ricky Williams,
like the football player.

You don't look
much like him.

No.
I don't guess I do.

Thing is, me and Scott

were doing some fishing
down along the dismal.

He said I --
I could join you for supper.

Yeah, that's cool, man.
You can do that.

That's good.

We'll need some wood
for a fire.

You do that.
I'll finish this.

I didn't think
much of it at first.

He was kind of a weird guy,
you know.

There is a code on the --
on the appalachian trail,

you know,
to help each other out

and befriend each other
and just be there,

and if someone's in need,

maybe share something you have,

and maybe they'll share
something they have with you.

Dude.

Scott.

You made it, man.
Yeah, man.

Hey, check this out.

Nice. Nice.
Ooh!

Babies are biting.
Yes.

Hey, well,
let's get a fire started.

Let's do it.
All right, man.

Eventually,
Scott came up from the river.

Several hours passed,

and, you know,
we cleaned the fish,

then we cooked out
and made some burgers,

and it was getting dark.

Williams: Guess you boys know
these woods pretty good?

Bet you know about the trail
that is going through here,

the appalachian trail.

Yeah, I guess you must have

heard tell about
the a.T. Killer.

That happened down in,
Carolina, right?

The a.T. Killer, in '81?

No, sir.

That was right here
in Virginia,

not too far from this spot,
mind you.

Just a few yards
on down the trail.

In 1981, after
social workers Susan and Bobby

met a stranger
along dismal creek,

they made camp
at wapiti shelter.

So you two boyfriend
and girlfriend like?

Well, we --

we're really good friends.

Yeah.
We work together

at a place for people who
don't have anywhere to go.

Susan felt
that he was harmless,

that he basically
was a person

who was mentally or --

or even physically
challenged in some way

and unable to maneuver
the trail,

and so she felt like she needed
to take him, assist him.

Being a social worker
is a great thing,

but in this case,
it might've been the downfall.

Hey, do you have
a place to call home?

Indians were in these woods

10,000 years 'fore US,
you know?

We're just interlopers.

Do you know what
them Indians did

when the first settlers
come up here?

Oldest grave in these parts
is Mary Porter's, 1742.

The Indians got her.

They killed her.

Listen, I gotta
get out of here.

Now is the time.

Now is the hour.

Ours is the magic.

Ours is the power.

Ours is the power.

Now.

Now.

Now. Now. Now. Now.

On may 19, 1981,

Bob mountford and Susan Ramsey
were on

the appalachian trail in

the dismal creek area
of giles county.

Now. Now. Now.

Now. Now. Now.

Now. Now.

Ricky: Took a week
'fore they found 'em.

All tied up in their bedrolls,

buried in shallow graves.

Sean and Scott
had come to dismal creek

to fish in may 2008.

It was something
they'd done a lot before.

Sean found a man there,
Ricky Williams.

They invite Ricky
to have supper with them.

They tried to take care
of him a little bit.

That's one hell
of a story.

Happened right around here,

not one mile away.

You ought to hear
the rest of it.

Now it was up to the sheriff

to find the fellow
who'd done all this.

People were terrified.

They -- they thought
that there was a,

you know,
a killer on the loose.

No one knew
what had happened.

No one knew
who had done it.

The entire appalachian trail
in Virginia

was shut down
by the authorities.

There was a --
a large,

police presence
all along the trail.

People were trying
to find hikers

and make sure
people were safe.

In 1981,
I was a deputy sheriff.

I investigated robberies,
rapes, murders,

thefts, bad checks.

Whatever was reported,
we handled.

This case
will forever be with me.

Hey.

We found a book.

There was a blood smudge
on the book

with a fingerprint in it.

Okay, we got a thumbprint here.

You think that's blood?

We'll find out.

The fingerprint
found in the book

matched a pearisburg, Virginia,
resident with no prior history

of violence --
27-year-old Randall Lee Smith.

Randall Lee Smith?

Who's Randall Lee Smith?

Randall Smith had
grown up on the outskirts

of the town of pearisburg.

Smith lived with his mother

after his mother
and father divorced

and his father left.

He had an aunt and uncle
that lived next door,

and the uncle would
take him camping, um,

along the same area

of national forest
and appalachian trail

that would later figure
so much in his life

and those of his victims.

Ms. Smith, we're here about --
I know why you're here.

And you ain't coming in,
not without a warrant.

Randall Smith lived
a -- almost a secluded life,

and he had acquired
the nickname "l.R."

For "lyin' Randall."

He was an outcast all his life.

He basically
just stayed at home

with his mother
or collected arrowheads

out in the national forest.

We went and --
and searched the house.

We found several pictures

of naked women taped together.

Lawson, over here.

We found some
cutoff shorts.

It looked like there
was something red

all over these shorts.

Well, through
our investigation,

we determined the blood
in the shorts were --

were Susan's.

Narrator:
Several weeks later,

investigators arrested
Randall Lee Smith

in south Carolina
and returned him to Virginia.

Randall Smith had
a lot of mystery

that stayed with him,

why he did such
a horrible thing.

I'm told that when
the investigators asked him

about it in 1981,

he just said he didn't
want to talk about it.

In 1982,
Smith pled guilty

to the murders of Susan Ramsey
and Robert mountford Jr.

And was sentenced
to 30 years in prison.

Hikers for years have
recorded how they were feeling haunted,

feeling eerie,

not feeling comfortable
in that area.

Whether it's superstition
or just respect or --

or just a -- a knowledge
of the history,

hikers have been reluctant

to stay in wapiti shelter
since then.

And locals never forgot
the name Randall Lee Smith.

My fears really came about
once I knew the sentence he got.

I knew that he would walk out
at some point in time

and be back in society.

I never had a doubt

that he was capable
of doing it again.

Ricky: Yeah.

They found the guy.

Locked him in a cage.

Well, good.

That'll keep the woods safe
for the rest of US.

Listen, guys.
I -- I gotta get out of here.

Dude.
Where did you find this guy?

Man, he just showed up
when I was fishing.

He stands on the bank
and tells me

there ain't no fish
no more in dismal creek.

I said,
"maybe for you, buddy.

I got 'em jumping
in the cooler."

Next thing I know,
he's up here talking to you.

He told me you invited him
here for supper.

That guy?
Yeah.

Man, I just told him
we were making camp up here.

Man.

Fire's dying.

Narrator:
After meeting a stranger

near the site of
a 1981 double murder,

campers Scott and Sean
think they're alone.

Now is the time.

Now is the hour.

Ours is the magic.

Ours is the power.

Ours is the power.

Now. Now.

Now.

Now. Now. Now.

Now.

I didn't know
what really happened.

Like, I just knew
my head was ringing

and like I was drooling

and I couldn't see
from my left eye.

And then I saw fire
come from his hand.

And that's when
he shot Scott in the neck.

And at that point,
I knew I'd been shot.

Scott was kind of, like,
turned and then ran.

And then the guy shot him
a couple more times in the back.

This all happened so fast.

I was just like, "well,
I'm either gonna run

or I gotta get him."

Then when I ran at him,

he turned and shot
at me one more time.

He didn't say anything
when he was shooting US.

He just sort of had
this blank look on his face.

Maybe he was just
looking for people

that he thought he could kill

and maybe felt like
we were two candidates.

Scott was shot in the neck.

He had to put his finger

over the hole
to keep it from bleeding.

He was able to have
enough wits about him,

"I need to get out of here."

At the same time,

Sean is desperate
to make his escape.

I knew my keys
were in the Jeep.

It was backed into the campsite,

so I just knew I had to jump
in there and punch it.

Now is the time.

Now is the hour.

Ours is the magic.

Ours is the power.

Ours is the power.

I saw him
point the gun at me

and I just put my arm
straight towards it.

And then there were
no more bullets.

Somehow, Sean makes
it out of the campground,

but he still doesn't
know the whole story.

In 1996, Randall
Smith is paroled from prison.

He returns to the edge
of pearisburg, Virginia,

and he moves in
with his mother

in the same house
where he grew up.

Four years after he gets home,
his mother dies of cancer.

I sure am pleased to meet you.

The convicted killer
of Susan Ramsey

and Bobby mountford
kept mostly to himself.

I really don't think
that the community

where his mother's house

was located
were very comfortable

when he came back there.

I wouldn't have been
if I lived there.

In may of 2008,

five days before the shooting
of Sean and Scott,

a family friend reported
Randall Lee Smith missing.

We went to,
the Smith house

to do a welfare check.

Got a lot of mail.

Oof! This place
could use a paint job.

Just keep an eye out
for anything funny.

All right.

Do me a favor.
Check in with the neighbors.

Maybe they saw
something we can use.

Right.
With his prior history,

we had to see if
anybody had seen him

or heard from him or,
you know,

maybe seen
something suspicious.

I'm gonna get
some fliers made up.

So Randall left town?

That's what we're
hoping to find out.

That boy never could
keep a story straight.

Did you check the house?
Yep.

Shut down.

Well, if he ain't there,
I bet he's gone for good,

lest he's gone up
to the mountain.

Well, if you don't
mind putting those up

where folks'd see it,

letting US know
if he turns up.

All right.

What kind of trouble
you into this time?

I didn't know if Scott
was gonna live or die.

I was just thinking about,
"get out of there and survive."

Scott!

Sean and Scott
are miraculously still alive

after suffering
multiple gunshot wounds.

Come on, man.

Hey, you all right?

Now, their only hope of rescue

is to make their way down miles
of treacherous mountain roads.

Gangloff:
I've driven that mountain.

There are cliffs
along the way.

There's any number of places
they could get into trouble.

Here, man.

Call the cops.

Has it got signal?

Man, we just drive till
we find somebody, all right?

All right.
Somebody to help US.

Scott.

Are you with me, man?
Are you okay?

Scott.
Please just tell me

we're not gonna die.

Please tell me
we're not gonna die.

Dude, where are
your keys at?

My truck.

Man, help me.
Help me look behind US, man.

Tell me if you see him.

Sean and Scott
are shot multiple times.

It's amazing that they're
staying conscious,

much less they've got
to negotiate a twisting,

winding road
down the mountain.

Hey!

Stay with me, man.

The whole way
down the mountain,

it's getting darker and darker.

I'm behind the wheel,
but, I mean,

my head is ringing so bad.

Like, I can't...
Even words or anything --

any sound hurts even worse.

I can't see out of my left eye.
I can hear.

Like, Scott's talking.
He's worried to death about me.

Man, help me.
Help me look behind US, man.

Tell me if you see him.

I saw how much blood Scott
had on himself.

I was worried about him as much

as he was worried
about me, for sure.

I didn't know if he'd make it.

They know there are
houses down at the bottom,

but they have a long way
to go to get there.

It's a narrow road,

there are very tight turns,

and there are really
tall drop-offs along it.

Did he say anything?

Who?

Him, Ricky.

No, man.

He didn't seem mad
or nothing, man.

30 miles away,

giles county deputies
are investigating

the disappearance
of Randall Lee Smith.

Woman: Hello?

Hello, yes, this is,
giles county sheriff's office.

Am I speaking with
Ms. Sanchez?

Yes.

Hello, Ms. Sanchez.

This is a follow-up
call about your neighbor.

Could you tell me
when it was you saw him last?

They have no way of
knowing of the murderous attack

that just happened
up on dismal creek.

I can't do this.

Look. We're almost there.

No, we got a long way
to go still, man.

I can't even see out
the windshield anymore.

Come on.

I still got one good hand.

I'll steer.

Go on.

Let's go.

Come on.

Ms. Miller lives
about as far in a remote area

as you can get.

She's just about
the last house on that road.

Melissa Miller
isn't expecting visitors,

not after nightfall.

We've been shot!

Ma'am, please!

Help.

Ma'am, please.

For her to open that door
and see two individuals

have been shot,
that is probably something that,

she'll never forget.

At the point when
we stopped at the house,

and that was our savior,
you know, they were,

like, there to help US,

and we were
so grateful for that.

Man: All units,
all units to dismal creek road.

Code 30, two victims
reporting gunshot wounds.

Medevac requested.

Repeat, dismal creek road.

They're on their way,
but it might be a minute.

Y'all just sit tight.
We'll get you taken care of.

Take care of him.

He's lost a lot more blood.

Who did this to y'all?

Some old dude.

We met him
up at the creek.

Up at dismal creek?

Yeah.

Said his name was,
Ricky, Williams.

Hey!
Come on.

Hey, Scott!
Come on.

Still with US, brother?

Yeah. Yeah.
Said he's named Ricky.

Hold on just a minute.

Sean and Scott end up
at the house of Melissa Miller.

I can only imagine that
they're waiting

for more shots from behind them.

They're waiting for Ricky
to catch up to them.

For all they know, Ricky is
standing right on the porch.

Medic: All right,
we're gonna take care of you.

Let me just see the wound.

Okay, okay, okay.

Sir, stay with me.
There you go.

There you go.

Hey.

This is the flyer
the sheriff was handing out.

Randall Lee Smith.

That's him.

That's the guy.

Sean and Scott are able
to identify Ricky from that poster.

I'm Ricky Williams.

Of course, the name on the
poster is not Ricky Williams.

It's Randall Lee Smith.

So we have a case here

where a man
goes into the woods

and murders two hikers.

And then, 27 years later,
having served his time in prison

and returned to the exact
same community,

goes to almost the same spot

and assaults two more people
along the edge of the trail.

This time,
both victims survive.

Sean and Scott are airlifted
to a trauma center just in time.

Thank god
these boys aren't dead,

'cause he could've
killed 'em very easily.

Even when he was
at our campsite for hours,

it never crossed my mind
that he was a killer

until the first bullet rang out.

Unfortunately, the bad stuff,

the evil guys, they --
they come back, you know?

Man: The shooter
is Randall Smith.

Vehicle, a 2000 Ford ranger.
Be advised.

Vehicle just 1049ed
on sugar run.

After the call went out

that our guys
were on the lookout

for the stolen truck,

a Virginia state trooper
saw the truck on sugar run road.

He got behind the vehicle.

The truck overturned
in a sharp curve

not far from where,
the trooper spotted him.

Trooper is with the vehicle.

Suspect is hurt,
needs ems.

Units be advised that suspect
is being held at gunpoint.

Lawson:
I never got to talk to him.

The autopsy
on him showed that,

from his injuries
from the wreck

he had developed
a blood clot

and that that clot had
broke loose and went --

went to his --
his heart and killed him,

so he died.

He died in jail.

He died in a cell by himself

and finally,
justice got served.

He never did admit
why he did what he,

you know, did at the crime
scene there in dismal.

No interviews,
no statements taken

from Randall Smith
on this issue

with him shooting Scott
and Sean.

There was no reasoning,
no outcome from the courts

on the crimes
that he had committed.

I always felt like that
this man was a walking time bomb,

and, you know, it happened.

He -- he went off again.

I mean, killing people
didn't matter to him.

He done killed two
and watched 'em die.

So life didn't mean
a whole lot to him.

Given that the two
crimes happened in such a similar,

almost identical area,
maybe we should be

looking at the location
as the main factor here.

It was some attachment
that Smith felt

to this particular spot
in the woods

that made him act
the way he did.

Ours is the magic.

Ours is the power.

Crimes don't happen
in random places.

They happen in places
for a reason.

And often, it's the place where
the criminal feels comfortable.

One of the bullets went in
right here by my temple,

and it's lodged in my sinus
on this side of my face.

The other bullet
went in right here,

right dead center in my chest,

and it's actually lodged over
on my ribs over here.

Scott didn't really have
any long-term effects either.

The bullets missed his spine,

so he didn't have
any problem with that,

and then missed his jugular
by a very little amount.

I believe if he had
a bigger gun,

the circumstances
would be quite different.

Definitely realized,
you know,

tomorrow could be
the last day, you know.

That's definitely
something that I,

you know, Cherish more now.

When I look back on this,
I mean, kind of feel like

maybe I was used to take
a bad person off the earth.

And if I had to go through a
little pain to make that happen,

you know, I'm --
I'm on board with that.