All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S04E06.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

NARRATOR: This program is
about unsolved mysteries.

Whenever possible, the
actual family members

and police officials
have participated

in recreating the events.

What you are about to see
is not a news broadcast.

When Annette Schappacher
was a lonely teenager,

she fell in love with
a man twice her age.

It was a storybook romance which
ended in a flash of violence.

Now the man of Annette's
dreams is wanted for murder.

In 1964, 18-year-old Delia
Fazzani of London, England

found herself trapped
in a nightmare.

As a pregnant, unwed teenager
abandoned by her boyfriend,

she had no one to turn to.

Delia's domineering
father banished her

to a convent outside London
and later forced Delia to give

her baby girl up for adoption.

As a seven-year-old, Jeff Fisher
became one of the thousands

of young boys whose
lives have been enriched

by Big Brothers of America.

Today Jeff is searching for the
man who gave him companionship

and understanding.

And three weeks ago, we
profiled a young man suffering

from a baffling case of amnesia.

Our broadcast led to a dramatic
reunion with his mother,

but at the same time, placed
him under a cloud of suspicion.

Join me for this fascinating
edition of Unsolved Mysteries.

[mysterious music playing]

For most of us, life turns
on a series of small triumphs

and small tragedies.

The story you are
about to see deals

with a young British girl.

A girl who was forced to give
up her baby against her will.

The child is adopted
by American parents

and is now 27 years old.

Perhaps tonight she'll be
able to understand the agony

her birth mother went through.

On a chilly spring
evening in 1964,

Delia Fazzani sat in her
favorite London pub waiting

for her boyfriend.

Even though Delia was only 18,
her life was at a crossroads.

She was three months
pregnant and felt

that her boyfriend was the
only person she could turn to.

Hello, love.

You look great.

You been waiting long?

Not long, 10 minutes.

There's something important
I need to talk about.

It's quite late.

Yeah, well I need to talk
to you, it's important.

I can't even bring
myself to say it.

I'm pregnant.

You're

Kidding me.

You're sure?

It's been three months.

Have you had any
tests or something?

I don't need any tests, I know.

I haven't told anyone.

It's not mine.

What do you mean?

Don't have it.

It's definitely not mine.

It's yours, what do you think?

I need your help.

I don't want anything
to do with it.

If you say it's mine, I'll
just say all my friends

told me they've been with you.

You won't have a
leg to stand on.

And that's it?

Yes.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE:
I was devastated.

I mean, I wanted to marry
him, I mean I loved him.

But he just didn't want
the responsibility of it.

That was just the way
they did things then,

they just left the
responsibility with the girl.

After that, the first fear,
obviously, was to tell

my dad that I was pregnant.

I mean, I thought, well I'm
either going to tell him

and he's going to
kill me on the spot,

or I don't know what's
going to happen.

NARRATOR: Delia's father,
an Italian immigrant,

ran a highly successful
restaurant in London.

He was a strict
Roman Catholic who

ruled his business and his
family with an iron hand.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: He
was the sort of man that

was always on a short fuse.

Everybody was frightened
of him and I was absolutely

petrified to tell him.

NARRATOR: For seven
agonizing months,

Delia hid her pregnancy with
corsets and loose clothes.

Finally when she could
hide it no longer,

she begged a friend to break
the news to her parents.

You shouldn't talk to
her when you're so angry.

I can't believe
she's done this.

Wait till you calm down.

Slut!

You are so common.

You disgust me!

Who was it?

I'm not going to tell you.

You can do what you'd like,
but I'm not going to tell you.

You've done the
worst thing possible.

Now you'll tell
no one and you'll

have nothing to say about this.

I'll take care of this problem.

Can't we keep the baby?

We could raise it like it was
our own son or daughter, just

like it was one of our own.

I'd rather jump off a bridge
than take care of this baby.

I don't even want to smell it.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE:
Nothing really after that

day was discussed with me.

But obviously, my dad
was disgusted with my mom

as regards to what
to do with me.

And then I think it was only a
matter of about maybe a week,

couple of weeks, and
he just came home

and announced that I was going
to this place, wherever it was.

We will tell our
friends that you're

going north to the
country for a few months

to spend some time
with you friend Iris.

Say goodbye to your mother.

I didn't want this.

I know, mother.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: I
wanted to keep my baby.

You know, even though he
was sending me off to this,

wherever, I thought, well
maybe once I have the baby,

he's going to feel different.

NARRATOR: Delia's
father banished her

to the Loreto Convent,
30 miles north of London.

The convent served as a
home for unwed mothers,

and facilitated
adoption as well.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: When
we drove up to the convent,

I just felt the--

I couldn't believe
that they'd just--

he'd just put me there.

We've been expecting
you, to Delia,

we're glad to have you with us.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: You know,
you cringe at taking your dog

to the pound because you
don't want to leave him there,

and yet, he just easily, he
just took me there and left me.

And that was my father.

In my eyes, it was
like a prison, really.

You were there
for a certain time

and you couldn't go home until
that time had been completed.

NARRATOR: All expectant
mothers were assigned chores.

Those closest to term were
given the most strenuous

work, because nuns
believed it helped

the girls deliver on time.

After you've raked
them into pile, girls,

put them in the
barrel over there.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: I suppose
they see it as if they're doing

their job and you're there
for a certain purpose, that

is to have your baby
and then goodbye,

and then the next one comes in.

NARRATOR: On November 2nd, 1964,
Delia gave birth to a daughter

and named her Michelle.

Delia was allowed to see the
baby only four times a day,

and then for only half an hour.

DELIA FAZZANI
GOLDIE: They didn't

like you to see your baby
other than the feeding

times and the changing times,
because the more you saw

the baby, the more you held it,
you were more likely to bond

to the baby.

So when it came for adoption,
you could just hand over,

so they thought, as though
nothing had happened.

But you do make that bond.

Even though you've only
seen them for certain times,

you've still given birth to her.

So the bond is
there automatically.

NARRATOR: When Michelle
was four weeks old,

Delia's parents
visited the convent.

It was a moment Delia
had been waiting for.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: I was just
hoping that my father was going

to say, well OK, you
know, you come back home

and and you bring your
baby up, and that's fine.

That's what I wanted.

I know my dad was
yearning to take a peek,

but didn't want anyone
to see him doing it.

And I thought, well
at least he's looking.

I watched, thinking that the
next move was going to be

he was going to pick her up.

I knew as soon as he walked away
from the pram that that was it.

There's no way that I'm
going to change his mind.

Have a seat, Delia.

It's been six weeks
since Michelle was born.

Yes, sister.

We found a couple for her.

I can't tell you
anything about them

except that they have your
coloring and they're American.

He's in the Air Force, a pilot
stationed at North Hampton.

You'll need to sign
some papers for Michelle

to be taken out of the country.

That won't be problem, will it?

No, sister.

This is our waiting
room, you can sit here.

NARRATOR: Two weeks later,
at the Westminster Offices

of the Catholic
Children's Society,

Delia was allowed a final
visit with Michelle.

You'll have a nice, long
time to say your goodbyes.

Such a beautiful baby.

You've been very brave, Delia.

NARRATOR: When Delia
was alone, she slipped

a note into Michelle's blanket.

The note begged the
adoptive parents

to tell Michelle that
Delia had loved her

and had given her
up unwillingly.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: You've
only got 30 minutes or whatever

is to say goodbye,
so what you try to do

is try to look at her face,
to burn the impression

into your mind,
because you, there

and then, you get
the feeling that I'm

going to forget the face.

And that is the
last thing you want.

So you feel the shawl, and
maybe because it's wool,

but you're feeling her body
because that was the last time

that you're going to see her.

I'm sorry, Delia, it's time.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: She
came over, and she took her,

and she took her out
of the room and and

locked the door behind her.

And that was it.

That was the last
time I saw her.

I can't explain, one
minute I had a baby,

next minute it was gone.

NARRATOR: Delia and
her parents never

spoke of the adoption again.

Delia eventually married twice,
but had no other children.

In 1977, her father died and she
began to search for Michelle.

But Delia's mother,
Rosalinda, honored

her late husband's wish that
the details of the adoption

be kept secret.

Then in 1991, Rosalinda
was hospitalized

with a terminal illness.

A family friend, Sonya
Filkins, urged Rosalinda

to tell Delia everything
she knew about Michelle

and the adoption.

Why don't you tell Delia
what we talked about, Rosa?

The people who got Michelle,
the name of the people you want

is Walters.

Walters?

I'll never forget their name.

Please, try to find her.

I'll find her, mum.

Let me see her picture.

My darling Michelle.

Put her on there.

When people me, they ask me who
that is, I will tell them it's

my granddaughter, Michelle.

Oh, Delia.

NARRATOR: Two weeks
later, Rosalinda Fazzani

died, having at last given
Delia the precious gift

of Michelle's adoptive name.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE:
I can honestly

say that not one day has
passed, not one solitary today,

where I haven't
thought about her

or thought what
she might be doing.

She's there all the time.

You just can't rest, you
can't leave it alone.

I've got to find her.

NARRATOR: Two
photographs were all

that Delia had to
remember Michelle,

and she never stopped
trying to locate her.

Finally after 15 years
of frustrated research,

Delia's efforts
began to pay off.

Last July, Delia learned
that her daughter

had been renamed Laura.

An adoptions official agreed
to send a letter to Laura

that Delia had written.

In the brief note, Delia
said that she would soon

appear on Unsolved Mysteries,
and asked her daughter

to view the broadcast.

In New York Mills, New York
on the evening our program was

aired, Delia's daughter,
Laura Franklin,

experienced firsthand
the heartbreaking events

leading up to her adoption.

DELIA (ON TV): That was just
the way they did things then--

There she is!

DELIA (ON TV): --left the
responsibility to the girl.

LAURA FRANKLAND: When I
found out my birth mother was

searching for me, I
thought it was pretty

touching to know
that she had looked

that far to try to find me.

NARRATOR (ON TV): If you
have any information,

please call our toll-free
number, 1-800-376--

NARRATOR: After the broadcast,
Laura contacted our telecenter

and asked to be put in
touch with her birth mother.

Against nearly impossible
odds, Delia had at last

found her daughter a
continent away, amidst

a population of millions.

On September 19th, 1992,
Laura, her husband, their two

children, and Laura's
closest friends

assembled at Syracuse
International Airport.

The separation of birth
mother and daughter

that had lasted more than
a quarter of a century

was about to end.

LAURA FRANKLAND: There
was a lot of anticipation,

a lot of what's she going
to think when she sees me,

and what is she going
through right now.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE:
She was everything

and more that I'd expected,
absolutely everything.

She's a beautiful girl.

Proud of her.

NARRATOR: Before Laura's
adoptive mother died in 1989,

she had shared all she
knew of Laura's background.

Delia and Laura could
now fill in the remaining

gaps, and nearly 30
years of family history.

LAURA FRANKLAND: Finding
my birth mother now,

I don't think has really changed
my life as much as it has

probably enhanced it, because
now I can find out some

about my past and my
history and things

that I never thought that I
would ever find out about.

DELIA FAZZANI GOLDIE: I
can't replace her mother,

but I'd like to think that
I could be pretty close.

NARRATOR: The September
reunion is only a beginning.

At Christmas, Laura
and her family

plan to travel to England, where
they will spend time with Delia

and the many relatives
looking forward to meeting

them for the first time.

Next, a baffling
case of amnesia is

solved, thanks to our viewers.

NURSE: Do you have
any pain anywhere?

Can you wiggle your toes for me?

NARRATOR: On January 28,
1991, a young man was

rushed to a hospital in Nevada.

He had been found dehydrated
and disoriented in the desert

outside Las Vegas.

He carried no
identification, and was

suffering from complete
and total amnesia.

The hospital staff
named him Tyler.

All efforts to jog
Tyler's memory failed.

Authorities found no
one reported missing

who matched his description.

His fingerprints were not found
on file with the FBI, the CIA,

or the Department of Defense.

For more than
eight months, Tyler

remained a man without a past
and possibly without a future.

TYLER: I'm really kind of at
a difficult point in my life

right now.

I can't do anything really, I'm
almost like an illegal alien

here.

I have no identification
of any form now.

I can't go to work
because I am not

eligible for a social
security number.

I can't drive a car because I
don't have a social security

number or date of birth.

And I'm starting to
feel more frustrated

as the days go by,
because I really feel

this needs to come to an end.

I do need to find out who I am.

NARRATOR: A county
psychiatrist diagnosed Tyler

as a genuine victim of amnesia.

Last month, this case took on
added urgency, when the state

funding, which provided
his job and apartment,

was abruptly cut off.

Then on the night
of our broadcast,

Tyler's search for
his identity came

to a poignant but
unsettling conclusion.

Within minutes, Tyler was
reunited with his mother

by phone.

But as more details
emerged, some

began to believe
that Tyler may not

have lost his memory at all.

That evening, Tyler gathered
with friends to watch the show.

Before his segment even aired
in Las Vegas, a man from Boise,

Idaho called our telecenter and
identified Tyler as his son.

Unsolved Mysteries
immediately contacted Tyler.

Yes, sir.

PRODUCER (ON PHONE):
Sorry it took so long,

but everything that I
was looking into cross

referenced, and we have
located your family for.

You have?

PRODUCER (ON PHONE): Yes.

I have located your
dad, and your mother,

and your wife, who
you've been separated

from since February of 1990.

And they've informed me that
you also have two children.

And your wife live in Iowa,
your mother lives in Iowa,

and your dad lives in Idaho.

OK?

So I want to--

NARRATOR: Tyler learned that his
real name is Arthur Paul Beal,

but he goes by Paul.

He is 23 years old before he
was stricken with amnesia,

he lived in Boise, Idaho.

A few minutes later,
a nervous Paul Beal

called the mother and stepfather
he could not remember.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE): Hello?

May I speak with Mrs. Beale?

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE):
This is Mrs. Beale.

This is your son.

LYNN BEAL (ON
PHONE): How Are you?

You sound great.

I've waited so long
to hear you talk.

I miss you.

I'm scared.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE):
I bet you are.

I don't remember you.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE): Huh?

I don't remember you.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE):
I'll help you Paul.

NARRATOR: The emotional phone
call lasted nearly 20 minutes.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE):
You be strong, OK?

And I'll talk to you real soon.
- OK.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE): OK, honey.

Bye.

LYNN BEAL (ON PHONE): Bye.

NARRATOR: A short time later,
the case of Paul Beal a.k.a.

Tyler Doe, took a stunning
and unexpected twist.

What's your date of birth?

I don't know.

You don't know your
date of birth is?

No sir, I don't,
I have amnesia.

NARRATOR: North Las Vegas
police arrived and placed Paul

under arrest for grand larceny.

He was wanted by Boise
police in connection

with a stolen shipment
of frozen food.

How long have you had amnesia?

Going on nine months.

How do you remember
that, you've got amnesia?

Hi, I've come to get my son.

NARRATOR: The next
night, Paul's mother,

Lynn Beal, arrived from
Iowa to post bail for him.

Their reunion was both
emotional and awkward.

Paul Beal still did not
recognize his own mother.

I don't remember you.

You will, it'll
just take time.

LYNN BEAL: It's
strange being with Paul

and his not remembering anything
about me, not knowing who I am.

I just want to push
everything into his head,

make him remember everything.

I want to make sure I can
do things to help him.

I'm scared, I don't
want to do something

to push it back farther, I want
to reinforce happy thoughts,

good memories.

I just want him to know I
love him, we all love him.

And I'm relieved that
he's safe, he's alive.

NARRATOR: The
reunion was tempered

not only by Paul's amnesia,
but by the criminal charge

against him.

In Boise, Paul was a salesman
for a food supply company.

On January 5th, 1991,
he left for Las Vegas

to sell a shipment
of frozen food.

He never returned to Boise.

On January 25, Paul surfaced
with the empty truck in Boulder

City, Nevada, where he
was questioned, but not

arrested, by local police.

At that particular
time, my impression of Mr.

Beal was that he was very
intelligent, very well versed,

very, possibly,
well-educated, very clean cut,

and extremely talkative.

It just wasn't Paul, that
isn't something he would do.

He's done silly, stupid
things like anybody else

has made mistakes, but
nothing to the degree

that this was, where he was
actually breaking the law.

I told him when he
left, I says, Boise is

going to get a warrant for you.

You know, they're
going to do it.

It's going to be
grand larceny felony.

So it's just a matter of
time, you better get up there.

Go back up there.

He said, yeah I'm
going back now.

I'm going right back up there
and take care of the situation,

it'll be fine.

NARRATOR: Three days
after he was detained,

Paul Beal, who came
to be known as Tyler,

was found wandering
in the desert.

Detective Baughman raises
the obvious and disturbing

question.

Is Paul Beal faking?

Amnesia is easy.

I don't know.

Who are you?
I don't know.

Where you from?

I don't know.

Do you know anything?

I don't know.

That's easy.

And with a guy like
him, he's convincing.

Is this the four of you?

Uh huh, from Thanksgiving.

LYNN BEAL: This still
isn't my son in the fact

that this isn't how
he would react to me.

We were very close.

I could tell by his eyes when
I first saw him tonight that he

really didn't recognize me.

He wanted to, I could see it
in his face, he wanted to.

If he was faking
it, there was no way

he could have faked that.

Am not and have not,
throughout this entire ordeal,

faked anything.

This is probably the
most horrifying nightmare

that anybody could
go through, losing

an identity, losing every ounce
and fiber of a person's life.

Having it pulled away and
then nine months later,

have it given back to you
or have it presented to you,

but you still don't have it.

I'd give anything in the
world to remember right now.

NARRATOR: When we return, a
nightmare of love gone wrong,

and murder.

When Annette Schappacher
was 16, her family

moved from Cincinnati, Ohio
to Manatee County, Florida.

Annette was on the shy
side and had trouble

adjusting to a new high school.

Annette discovered that
it was very hard to fit

in with the click of friends
and she missed that terribly,

because she was so much a
part of high school in Ohio.

So she ended up dropping
out of high school

and got a job as a
check out girl at one

of our local grocery stores.

Hey Annette, can you
come here a minute?

NARRATOR: Here Annette
finally made a friend,

the butcher Jim Burnside,
28 years her senior.

Somebody as pretty as you
and you don't have a boyfriend?

Thank you, no.

Well listen, I was
wanting to ask you,

there's a little restaurant
down where I keep my boat,

and I was wondering if you might
join me for dinner tomorrow

night.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: At that
time, she was only 17

and this man was almost
as old as her dad.

Meet you about 8
o'clock tomorrow night?

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: We really
hoped that she would meet

somebody more her age, but
she was so much in love

with him that they finally
agreed to meet him.

But I didn't like him from
the first time I met him.

I just, there was just
something about him

that I really don't know
how to put into words.

I just did not feel
comfortable with him at all.

But Annette was really
very much in love with him.

NARRATOR: In 1981, Annette
Schappacher and Jim Burnside

were married.

The bride was just
18, the groom 46.

It was a beginning of six
years of torment for Annette.

The sobering fact is that
here in the United States,

wife beating accounts for
more significant injuries

than rape, auto accidents,
and muggings combined.

Annette Burnside, like
millions of women,

endured the private
terror of a home

which was a living hell of
physical and emotional abuse.

Like so many others,
Annette became trapped

in a desperate charade,
maintaining the facade

of a happy marriage to
cover up an escalating

cycle of violence.

Within a month of his
marriage to Annette,

Jim Burnside began to
drink, and to reveal

a frightening side of himself
that his young wife had never

seen.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: She
became afraid of him

almost immediately, because
he was jealous of her,

and when he was drinking, he was
violent and made remarks to her

all the time, that she
would never, ever leave him.

Well, he started telling
her right from the beginning

that he would kill her if
she ever tried to leave him.

Hello?

Annette, where are you?

NARRATOR: Just before her
first wedding anniversary,

Annette took refuge in a
shelter for battered women.

I can't.

You need to come back now,
or I'll get even with you.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER:
He told her over

and over again, if he couldn't
find her, she would suffer.

--kill your family.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: She would
absolutely suffer because he

would kill her family.

And Annette felt like she
didn't have any choice.

All right.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER:
I told her don't

stay with him because of us.

If Jim, if he does anything
to us, then I don't know,

I just suppose that it's
God's will that things

happen the way they do.

But don't live with him the
way you have to live with him.

I would rather that--

I would rather be dead than to
have you live a life like this.

Good thing you're here.

I have something for you.

NARRATOR: Against
her parents' wishes,

Annette went back to Jim.

She acted out her
happy homecoming

with a sinking heart.

Over the next few years, Annette
and Jim had two daughters.

For a while, it seemed
that things were improving.

Annette wanted to take a job as
a receptionist at a local car

dealership, and Jim said yes.

Jim had lost his
job and he agreed

to let Annette work, which
amazed everybody because he'd

been so possessive
and so jealous of her,

we just never dreamt that
he would let her get a job.

And Annette was absolutely
thrilled with this job.

She was so happy
and she did so well,

they all really liked Annette.

NARRATOR: One of
Annette's coworkers

was a salesman who
we will call Dave.

Annette actually
asked my advice

and said, what would you
think about an automobile?

I want to buy a car.

It kinda told me that she
just wanted a little bit

more freedom, because she always
dropped her off and picked her

up, and so she really had very
little freedom other than work.

She took the car home and not
more than gosh, I don't know,

three days a week,
he tried to wreck it.

Mommy, what's the matter?

Nothing's the matter.

We're just going to get
you back to bed, OK?

Now let's see
you try and leave.

Can't you get it
through your head

that you're not leaving me?

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: He said,
if you ever try to leave me,

I'll kill you.

I will kill this whole family.

And Stacey was only five
years old at the time

and she looked up
in him and she said,

daddy, you wouldn't kill me.

And he looked her
right in the face

and said, yes, I would kill you.

And it just upset
Annette so bad.

She would tell me the
way she was be treated.

And all mothers, you know, if
your kid's happy, you're happy,

and if they're sad, you're sad.

And it was just tearing me up to
see what she was going through.

NARRATOR: The next
day with Jim at work,

Annette called the police to
escort her and her daughters

to safety.

Mommy, what
happened to the car?

Just had a little
accident last night, baby.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: She
said that she made

up her mind, that this is it.

She's not going to stay
with him another day.

If he kills her, then he's
going to have to kill her,

because she cannot
live this way anymore.

NARRATOR: By the
time Jim came home,

Annette would be on a plane
to Ohio taking her daughters

to stay with relatives.

Five days later, she
would secretly return

to Florida and to her job.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: He had
no idea where she was,

but in the meantime, Jim was
calling us with these threats,

and telling us that this divorce
was never going to be final.

It would never
see its final day.

NARRATOR: Eventually,
Jim discovered

that Annette was back in town.

He began to spy on
her and was often

spotted near the dealership.

We could not get any help
from anybody, even the Sheriff's

department when we went there.

It was like, Jim
has to do something.

We just cannot arrest the man,
he's got to do something before

we can do anything with him.

Unless you have somebody
guarding you 24 hours a day,

the chances of somebody
getting you to, it's stalking,

and they're going to get you.

And that's what he
did, he stalked her.

NARRATOR: February 17th, 1988.

Three days before Annette
was scheduled to appear

in court for a divorce hearing.

At noon, Annette met her
coworker, Dave, for lunch.

Hi, Dave.

How's it going?

Good.

Well, it's up to you--

DAVE: She was smiling and happy,
and all of a sudden, her smile

turned to the most
horrible fear.

When I got out of
the automobile,

because I knew that if
I didn't do something,

this could be the
end for Annette,

he looked at me like he was just
about to enjoy a large steak.

I watched the fire
come out of the gun

and it was like slow motion.

You could feel each one go
in just like a hot poker.

NARRATOR: By the time Dave
regained consciousness,

Annette was dead.

Jim had stabbed her 15 times
with a 10-inch butcher knife.

An autopsy would
reveal that Annette

probably died before most of
the wounds were inflicted.

Amazingly, Jim
Burnside had escaped

on foot in broad daylight.

After the murder, he
purchased a bicycle

and army camouflage fatigues
at a sporting goods store.

He then withdrew $500 from
an automated teller machine

and disappeared.

Annette Burnside
was laid to rest

in a Manatee County cemetery.

2 and 1/2 years later, a
stranger appeared at her grave.

When a groundskeeper
approached him,

the man quickly turned and
walked away without a word.

The grounds keeper
later identified

the visitor as Jim Burnside.

DAVE: What I'd like to see is
James Burnside off the streets.

Not because of what he has done
to me, mostly what he has done

to his own children, his wife.

This is why he has to be taken
off the streets, because he's

going to do it again.

The world will never get
over Annette's death.

There's a person that
had so much to give.

JEAN SCHAPPACHER: She
knew in her heart,

she was not going to make it.

I knew in my heart she
was not going to make it.

And I just hope and pray
that somebody spots him.

We never will feel safe until
we know Jim has been caught.

It's bad enough knowing
that Annette had to die.

But to know that he is still
out there, it's horrible.

We just want him caught.

We want to be able to close it
out and go on with our life.

NARRATOR: Update.

The night this story
aired, two viewers

contacted our telecenter to
report that Jim Burnside was

living in Shelby County, Alabama
under the assumed name Al

Wilson.

MARY COLLUM: When I
saw his actual picture,

I just looked at my husband
and I just start pointing,

and I'm going, you know, tell
me my eyes aren't deceiving me,

you know.

That is Al.

And he goes, yes, that's Al.

The first I thought
is that, well, you

know, let's call
up the authorities

and get this guy of the street.

NARRATOR: Burnside was
employed as a carpenter

at the 280 flea market, just
outside of Chelsea, Alabama.

SHERIFF JAMES JONES: We had
received a call from the FBI

office in Birmingham stating
that they felt pretty sure

that James Burnside would
be at this flea market

on highway 280 located
in Shelby County.

NARRATOR: The morning
after our broadcast,

FBI agents and
Sheriff's deputies

checked out the flea market.

You got a fellow around
here by the name of Al Wilson?

Yeah, he's right
there on the roof.

SHERIFF JAMES JONES:
Apparently Burnside saw them

and went towards his truck.

FBI, halt!

NARRATOR: The fugitive
drew a 357 Magnum

and pointed it at the officers.

Put the gun down!

NARRATOR: Burnside was
struck by two bullets.

He was placed under arrest and
taken to a Birmingham hospital.

SHERIFF JAMES JONES: From what
we've been able to determine,

and again talking
to his coworkers,

that he had made a
statement on Thursday

morning that he had anticipate
having problems that day.

So apparently, he had viewed
the Unsolved Mysteries

himself Wednesday night.

NARRATOR: Next, a young
man's pointed search

for the big brother
who changed his life.

In 1969, when Jeff Fisher
was five years old,

his father left home,
forcing Jeff's mother

to raise her young son
and daughter alone.

What's the matter?

I don't want to go
in there with you.

Why not?

There's only guys in
there, and you're not a guy.

Well honey, that
shouldn't make

any difference I'm not a guy.

I want to go in
there with my dad.

Honey, I know you like to
be in there with daddy, OK.

But Daddy's going to be
gone for a little while.

LINDA FISHER-HOWARD: It
was very hard on Jeff

after his dad left, because
he had been very close to him

and suddenly he was gone.

And Jeff went through the
feelings that a lot of children

have, that maybe this was my
fault, maybe I said something,

maybe I did something
that made my dad leave.

Jeff was a very sensitive, shy
little boy, so things like that

bothered him a lot.

I would always ask
my mom, you know,

where's daddy, where's daddy?

And she'd say, oh, you
know, he's gone away

and I don't know when
he's going to be back.

And it was just the fact that
he just wasn't there anymore.

And I just felt a
real loss, because I

had been so close to him, and
he just wasn't there anymore.

NARRATOR: Two years after his
father let, Jeff Fisher met

a man who profoundly
changed his life,

a man he's not seen or heard
from in more than 20 years.

Jeff is one of the thousands
of boys whose lives have been

enriched by Big
Brothers of America,

an organization that
provides young boys with

strong adult male role models.

In 1971, Big Brothers of America
opened a chapter in Jeff's

hometown of Elkhart, Indiana.

Jeff was a first little brother.

So what kind of
sports do you like?

NARRATOR: His big
brother was John

Novotny, a local
salesman and father

of a two-year-old daughter.

JEFF FISHER: He was
a big guy, he was

over 6 feet, jet black hair.

Just a really solidly built guy,
a very commanding type of guy.

But really easy
to get along with.

You ever put a tent up before?

No.

Well you're about to learn.

NARRATOR: Over the
next 10 months,

Jeff and John spent
many weekends together.

OK, now we want to unfold it.

JEFF FISHER: John gave me
the companionship that I

really needed at that time.

He would take me
out and do things

that mom wasn't able to
either afford to take us to do

or just didn't have
the time, because she

was working so much.

Just the fact that this was
an older guy that I could

hang around with and not
have him tell me to go away

and come back later
and stuff, a guy

that wanted to spend
some time with me

made me feel really good.

That looks pretty good.

Think it's ready to light?

Yeah.

OK, I'll give it a spin.

There we go.

LINDA FISHER-HOWARD: After
Jeff and John started

seeing each other, I
noticed that Jeff had a lot

more confidence in himself.

And he was very proud of the
fact that he had a Big Brother,

and and he would
tell the other kids,

well John and I are going to
go do this, or my Big Brother

and I are going to go do this.

He was very proud of the fact
that he had a man in his life

that was just his, they
just belonged to Jeff.

NARRATOR: A year and
a half after they met,

John's company transferred
him to another state.

Jeff and John were no longer
able to spend time together,

but they did stay in touch.

In September of 1972, Jeff
underwent open heart surgery

to correct a congenital defect.

It was a terrifying experience,
but a phone call from John,

who himself suffered
heart problems,

helped to ease Jeff's fears.

Yeah?

It's real neat.

I've got this bed that moves
up and down and sideways.

I think it helped
Jeff to see to that John

was this big, strong guy
and he had a bad heart.

And so if John can be
big and strong, then

maybe this heart condition
isn't the end of the world.

And I think that was
a big help to Jeff.

NARRATOR: Jeff never heard
from John again, but feels

that John's support
and understanding were

a key to his complete recovery.

Jeff went on to graduate
from high school.

He now works in the
construction field

and has a family of his own.

JOHN NOVOTNY: Why don't
you toss it out there

and tell me his story about it.

JEFF FISHER: He just
introduced me to a world

that I had never
seen before, that was

really beautiful and
really just so different

from what I was used to.

And if I finally see him again,
I just want to thank him.

I just want to say, God John,
thank you, cause you just--

I still think about you.

He made a lasting impression.

It's been 20 years and
he's still a really

vivid part of my memory.

NARRATOR: Thanks to
our viewers, Jeff

Fisher's search
for his Big Brother

ended the night
of our broadcast.

Nine days later,
Jeff and his mother

traveled to John Novotny's
home in Tacoma, Washington

for an emotional reunion.

There they are!

There they are!

Yeah, you look just
like your picture, man.

How you doing?

Great, great.

JOHN NOVOTNY: It's unbelievable.

I was absolutely stunned.

I had absolutely no idea
that Jeff was looking for me.

And then as the show
aired, people from Elkhart

and from Michigan started
calling me on the phone,

telling me that I
was on television.

And that Jeff Fisher
was looking for me,

and we must have got
35 calls that night,

and at least that
many the next night.

You know, I've been wanting
to say thanks to this guy

for 18 years, and whatever it
took to come out and say that,

I was willing to do.

This is when we were down
in Lexington, Kentucky

for a John Mellencamp show.

JOHN NOVOTNY: When I first
started being a Big Brother,

the question was,
would I really have

enough time to do it right?

And then 20 years later
to find out that I really

did make a difference,
I mean, it brings

the whole thing to reality.

NARRATOR: On our next
Unsolved Mysteries.

In the spirit of Halloween,
we will explore the St.

James Hotel in New Mexico.

100 years ago, the St.
James was a way station

for such legendary
guests as Bat Masterson,

Wyatt Earp, and Jesse James.

Today the old hotel is
known less for its guests

than for its ghosts.

In 1975, John
Hardin was brutally

murdered in his own backyard.

16 years later, the current
residents of Hardin's old house

are convinced it is haunted
by his spirit seeking justice,

and incredibly, the haunting has
spurred authorities to reopen

the murder investigation.

Join me for this
intriguing Halloween

edition of Unsolved Mysteries.

[mysterious music playing]