All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S05E04.480p.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.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): It began

as a weekend of fun and sun
at a seaside Mexican resort.

But after a heated argument
with his girlfriend,

Mario Amado found himself
arrested for disorderly conduct

and tossed into jail.

Less than 90 minutes later,
Mario was dead, under the most

suspicious of circumstances.

September 1978.

Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Chief JB Hamby jumps into the
middle of a robbery attempt,

and a shootout erupts.

Moments later, Hamby dies as
he recites the Lord's Prayer.

Perhaps you can help
catch his killer.

A decade ago the Texas oil boom
made Ed Baker a millionaire,

but in 1988 Baker's
burned out car was found

in a remote rice
field, and police said

the body inside was Ed Baker's.

Some believe it
was suicide, others

are convinced it was murder.

Join me tonight.

You may be able to
help solve a mystery.

[theme music]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
Oklahoma, automobile license

plates are distributed
through privately owned

franchises called tag agencies.

These businesses keep
little cash on hand.

Nevertheless, they have become
tantalizing targets for thieves

who traffic in stolen cars.

Just after 8:00 AM
on September 1, 1978,

two men pulled up in
front of a tag agency

in Catoosa, Oklahoma,
a suburb of Tulsa.

This is a robbery.

Get down on the ground, lady.

Don't look at me.

Come on!

We're being robbed.

Call the police.

Come on!

Move!

Keep your head down!

Don't look at me, lady.

Do not look at me, lady.

Please don't hurt us.
Please.

Shut up.

Don't look at me!

Chief, there's a
robbery in progress

at the Catoosa tag agency.

At least one employee inside.

Out.
- 10-4.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
only police officer in Catoosa

was chief JB Hamby, a 24-year
veteran in law enforcement

whose devotion to
duty was well known.

JB was on call all hours.
No sleep.

Come in, shower, change
clothes, right back out.

For those people that was on
the wrong side of the law,

he could become, probably,
their worst nightmare.

He was relentless.

Freeze!

Get out of here!

[gunfire]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): 20 rounds

ricocheted through the small
store in a matter of seconds.

One robber was killed.

The other was hit twice, but
somehow managed to escape.

Miraculously, neither of
the women in the tag agency

had been hurt.

Chief Hamby was not so lucky.

He staggered from the
agency, bleeding profusely.

DAVID HAMBY (VOICEOVER): And
JB attempted to reload his gun,

and at that point he probably
sensed that he was, you know,

grave injured, and from there,
right right on into the laundry

to get him help.
He needed help.

JB?

JB?

It's all right.

Call the ambulance.

JB, it's OK.

It's all right.

The ambulance is coming.

Repeat after me, JB.

Stay with me.

Our father--
- Our father.

- Who art in Heaven.
- Who art in Heaven.

Hallowed be thy name.

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): JB Hamby

died before he had finished
reciting the Lord's Prayer.

One of the robbers
was dead at the scene,

shot through the head by
his own ricocheting bullet.

The second robber
was apprehended

two hours later while being
treated for gunshot wounds

at a nearby hospital.

He was 25-year-old
David Gordon Smith,

the son of a prominent couple
from Stillwater, Oklahoma.

At first Smith thought
he was being arrested

only for armed robbery.

Instead, David Gordon
Smith was booked on charges

of first degree murder.

On June 15, 1979, Smith
began serving a life sentence

in the Oklahoma prison system.

Ballistics tests proved that the
bullet which killed Chief Hamby

had been fired from Smith's gun.

Open 43!

It was so conclusive.

I mean, beyond a
shadow of a doubt.

They had ever bullet
accounted for.

They knew whose gun
it had come from.

They knew where that
person was at, because

of the line of trajectory.

They had everybody
placed in that office,

and who had what gun.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
David Gordon Smith

was a classic good boy gone
bad, the son of a respected

university professor.

This had been his first and
only brush with the law,

and he set out to
become a model prisoner.

Smith was a good prisoner.

He was well-liked by the staff
that had to deal with him.

He was also well-liked
by the other inmates.

And as he served his time,
and as his years grew,

and his behavior
was excellent, he

was, according to Oklahoma law,
classified to a trustee status.

And his job at the time was to
monitor equipment at our lake.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Smith was

assigned to live and work
all alone at a small water

pumping station.

He was checked every
hour by a prison guard.

On three separate
occasions, Smith

was granted unsupervised
furloughs for doctor's

appointments, and
on June 26, 1982,

with the permission of prison
authorities, he got married.

DAVID HAMBY (VOICEOVER):
I don't think

there's any way, by any stretch
of the imagination, that he

deserved any sort of
lenient treatment.

I think it's unheard of.

You know, I think he should
have got the death penalty.

I think he should
have gotten maximum.

You know, hard time.

I could have lived with that.

David Gordon Smith, you're
serving a life sentence

for murder of a police officer.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1984, a full 10 years

ahead of schedule,
David Gordon Smith

was granted a parole hearing.

What have you done while
in prison to make yourself

fit for society once again?

I've got a job since
I've been in prison,

with a clean conduct record.

I've married, and
should I be paroled,

my wife would be
a support for me.

I've been going to church, and
I have a strong faith in God.

DAVID HAMBY (VOICEOVER): I began
to find how he would attempt

to sell somebody that, you
know, he was Joe clean citizen,

you know?

I think he'd seen that there was
such an outcry from the public,

and friends, and
law enforcement,

that he was fighting
an uphill battle.

I have recorded four nay votes
in the parole recommendation

of David Gordon Smith.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Smith
failed in his parole attempt.

However, he retained
trustee status

and continued his
job at the lake.

Next inmate, please.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For more than a year,

Smith remained a model prisoner.

But then on October 28,
1985, a prison guard

stopped for his
regular 1:00 AM check

of Smith's sleeping quarters.

The model prisoner,
David Gordon Smith,

had made a clean getaway.

He probably walked
from the room at the lake

out to the nearest
highway, a mile or so away,

where Jo Beth, his
wife, picked him up.

They went into McAlester,
which is a mile or so

from the prison, and
mailed two letters.

We know that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Authorities learned

that one week before
the escape, Smith's wife

had closed out her bank
account, sold her furniture,

and borrowed $1,000
from friends.

She told a travel agent
she was going to Mexico.

She never mentioned her husband.

Then, four months later,
in February of 1986,

David Gordon Smith was sighted
with a female companion

in Arkansas, just 90
miles from the prison

where he had been incarcerated.

The authorities were
notified, but by the time

they arrived, Smith
then vanished.

I believe that David Gordon
Smith is still dangerous today.

He will do whatever is
necessary to try to escape again

if confronted by
either law enforcement,

or by a private citizen.

That's why I would recommend
that no private citizen try

to apprehend him,
because I believe

that he probably is armed.

DAVID HAMBY (VOICEOVER):
I want to see David

Gordon Smith serve his time.

I just think it's one of
the most unjust things

that could ever happen.

JB lived his job as a police
officer 24 hours a day.

A very intense person, that
took his job extremely serious.

For a man that stood up for so
many things for so many people

on the right side of the law,
that loss can never be filled.

And I just don't
think it's fair.

When we first heard
this story last October,

we received more than 75 leads,
but none of them panned out.

However, one thing
we have learned

on "Unsolved Mysteries" over
the years is never to give up.

The story aired again
in March, and this time,

in a small South Dakota town,
the right viewer was watching.

He called the local
authorities, and they

immediately contacted the FBI.

One day following the airing
of the David Gordon Smith

case on "Unsolved
Mysteries," an anonymous tip

was received, giving
us his location.

He was working as
a service manager

at an automobile dealership
in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Agents of the FBI, local
authorities in South Dakota

went to his place of employment.

He was arrested
without incident,

and he readily admitted his
identity upon questioning.

When David Gordon Smith
is brought back to Oklahoma,

he'll go immediately
into our system

and be classified as a
maximum security inmate.

And because of his escape, he
will be in our maximum security

prison for a long time.

There's a tremendous
amount of relief.

It was equivalent
to a long term,

gigantic dad being paid off.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): For
thousands of American tourists,

the breathtaking
sunsets of Mexico

have always been an
invitation for romance,

fantasy, and adventure.

In June of 1992 Joe Amado
and his younger brother

Mario left Los Angeles
with their girlfriends.

They were headed
to Rosarito Beach,

Mexico, a popular seaside resort
35 miles south of San Diego.

But their weekend in
the sun would soon

disintegrate into a nightmare.

The next day, Mario Amado
was arrested after a fight

with his girlfriend.

[speaking spanish]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): 90
minutes later, he was dead.

The local authorities claim that
Mario had committed suicide.

I say it was murder.

Plain murder.

And I knew that
from the beginning,

because I know my
brother very well.

I mean, they stole his
life away from him.

And we're going to get
to the bottom of this.

Mario Amado is not the
first American tourist

to die in a foreign jail.

And his family is
not the first to be

haunted by the vague details
of an official investigation.

In such cases, facts are few
and clues are hard to come by.

However, Mario's
brother is determined

to learn exactly
what happened to him

during his brief captivity.

As a result of Joe
Amado's efforts,

this potentially
explosive case that

sparked the interest of high
level government officials,

including an
American congressman,

and the president of Mexico.

The Amado brothers
arrived in Rosarito Beach

just after 1:00 AM
on June 6, 1992.

They were staying
at a condo owned

by a relative of
Mario's girlfriend, who

we will call Paula.

Joe and his girlfriend,
Debbie, eagerly accepted

an invitation to come along.

The two couples immediately
broke out the tequila.

I says, well, what
are we here for?

To party.

Let's have a good time.

Everybody sat around, and we
started having our drinks.

You know?

And I guess it was
later on, about 3:30,

4:00 that I was
getting kind of tired,

and told Debbie it's
time to go to bed.

WOMAN: Stop it!

JOE (VOICEOVER):
About 7:00 we woke up,

and they were still up,
and they were bickering.

I want to leave now.

I want to go home.

She's driving me crazy.
- Aw, Mario.

Go to bed.

Go to sleep, huh?

I felt very disturbed, because
I know Mario liked this girl

very much, and he wouldn't have
wanted to leave if it wasn't

something serious,
that he felt that he

just didn't want to stay.

Wanna hit the bar,
have a couple drinks?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By late the next morning,

Mario and Paula had apparently
patched up their differences.

JOE (VOICEOVER): That was the
last time I saw him alive.

Hey, Mario, leave the
key underneath the mat.

But I can still remember
that expression on his face.

He seemed very happy,
like nothing was wrong.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That afternoon,

Joe and Debbie took a
romantic drive along the coast

of Baja, California.

They assumed that Mario and
Paula were getting along fine.

I want you and your
brother out of here!

I never want to see you again!

I can't believe it!

I am sick of you!

This is your idea of
a fun time, out here?

What are you talking about?

You-- I can't be--

Hey, could I have
some clothes, please?

- You want your clothes?
- Yes, I want my clothes.

Here's your clothes.
Now get out!

Thank you!

[speaking spanish]

My name is Mario Amado.

[speaking spanish]

No, no, no.

I don't speak-- I don't
speak Spanish, officer.

Well, somebody just called me.

They've been having
some problems in here.

- I'm not--
- Finally.

Look, can you get
him out of here?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Mario was

arrested for public drunkenness
and disorderly conduct,

and taken to the police station.

[speaking spanish]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Mario
was placed in a holding cell,

but never formally
charged with a crime.

Mario?

Mario?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At
around 6:30 PM, Joe and Debbie

returned to the beach house.

They were surprised
to find it vacant,

and the key under
the mat missing.

Listen, there was some
trouble here before.

The police came.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): A maid
from the condominium complex

explained that there
had been problems

there a few hours earlier.

The police came?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Debbie crawled

through a window to get inside.

Almost immediately, four
police officers showed

up, asking for Paula by name.

What's wrong?
What's going on?

He's looking for Paula.

She's not here.

Do you know
where she might be?

- Is there something wrong?
- No, no.

We would just like to ask
her a couple of questions.

Did you try the
bar down the street?

No, senora, we did not.

The [inaudible]?

Yeah, right next door.

Gracias.

And that's when
Debbie really started

getting suspicious,
right about that time.

She followed him
down to the bar.

She got in, put her
clothes on and got ready,

and went right down to the bar.

And they were looking
for her frantically.

A little later,
Mario's girlfriend

does come just
waltzing in the house,

and like nothing was wrong.

And we asked her, where's Mario?

And she said she didn't know.

He's probably in
some gutter somewhere.

Oh, some gutter.
Real cute.

Real cute.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two
hours after Paula returned,

a group of detectives arrived.

Joe still had no idea that
his brother had been arrested.

I am looking for the
brother of [inaudible].

I'm sorry, but we
don't know a [inaudible].

You don't know [inaudible]?

My brother's named
Mario Vicente Amado.

Yes, that's him.

I'm [inaudible], and
I have some bad news.

Your brother is dead.

I'm sorry.

What happened to my brother?

Perhaps it's better
if you come with us.

We should talk about
it in my office.

The first thing that
went through my mind

is they made a mistake.

And maybe they didn't
make a mistake,

but I was hoping they
had made a mistake,

and I was just in disbelief
that this could be happening.

It was like a nightmare.

Please, sit down.

I need you to identify
some pictures here.

Now, is this your brother?

The first thing I see is
Mario laying on the concrete.

His eyes closed, no
shirt-- just his pants--

and the jail door,
and then at that time

I says, well, how
could this happen--

I asked.

Why isn't he
wearing his sweater?

That's how he killed himself.

What?

He tied it around his
neck, and then he tied

it around the crossbar, and--

hung.

Where was this crossbar?

About 3 feet off the ground.

3 feet?

He was very drunk,
and very heavy.

Oh, come on.

How do you hang
yourself from 3 feet?

So I asked him, was
anybody in the jail

to stop him from doing this?

He says, oh, no,
they're all sleeping.

He says-- four guys sleeping
at 5:30 in the afternoon?

I-- I just couldn't
believe that.

Right away, I knew there
was something wrong.

And I says, well, how did he--

how did he kill himself?

Oh, with his sweater.

And I'm going, no, no, no, no.
No.

Uh-uh.

You don't-- you can't kill
yourself with a sweater.

From where?

Oh, from the--
from the cell door.

And I go, no, no.

Right away, I mean,
everything wasn't right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Mario Amado died three months

short of his 30th birthday.

Joe Amado was forced to
return to the United States

without his brother.

The Mexican authorities
refused to release the body

until after they had
completed their autopsy,

and they would not tell
Joe when that would happen.

Within a week, the Mexican
autopsy was completed.

It listed the cause of death as
a loss of oxygen to the brain,

the result of Mario
hanging himself.

Joe Amado believed
that was preposterous,

and contacted his congressman.

The Mexican autopsy confirmed
the report of the jailers

in Tijuana, that
Mario Amado had hung

himself with his own sweater.

When you take the
notion of a report

from a local foreign authority
that a prisoner killed himself,

it always makes sense to
view that kind of report

with some suspicion.

This is the oldest excuse for a
jail murder that's ever given,

is that the prisoner
hung himself.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As
soon as his brother's body

was returned to
the United States,

Joe Amado hired an
independent pathologist

to conduct a second autopsy.

The autopsy concluded that
internal injuries to Mario's

liver were strong
evidence that he had been

punched in the upper abdomen.

The report stated that in
light of such injuries, quote,

the victim would not likely
have been able to hang himself.

Mario Armada was undoubtedly,
and most likely hung at that

time with an instrument--
not his sweater,

but some other instrument--

to use as the pretext
for the obvious abuse,

and finally the murder
that took place.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ultimately, the Los Angeles

County coroner reviewed
both the American

and Mexican autopsy reports.

He determined that Mario Amado
had probably been murdered.

There is one other disturbing
element in this case--

the fact that Mexican
authorities violated

international agreements
by not contacting

the US consulate as
quickly as possible

following Mario's death.

You start to see
a picture of a cover

up starting to take place.

The people involved
in this incident

did not want authorities
coming quickly

to the scene of the crime, and
they wanted a period of time

to elapse.

They hoped that Joe Amado
would forget about it.

His brother was dead.

He'd go back to
the United States

and drop the whole issue.

They usually do it
in a very speedy way

when there is no
relative or friend,

when a foreign person dies.

But when the families is there,
their friends are there--

I mean they just do it
by letter, days after.

You know?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Eventually, Congressman Berman

contacted the
president of Mexico,

Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

The president promised to
reopen the investigation,

and in January of 1993
the body of Mario Amado

was exhumed for yet
another autopsy.

The truth is going to come
out of the full investigation

that we are making with
the American government,

that we asked them to
cooperate, and the reason

there are witnesses, and the
evidence here in the States.

The truth will come out.

I'd like to see
the people that

committed the crime suffer for
it, because we're suffering.

And somebody has
got to suffer, also.

You know?

They're just not going to go--
it's not going to go away,

you know?

It's just something
that's going to be there,

and I'm going to ruin their
lives, just like they've

ruined mine, and our family.

Somebody's gotta pay, you know?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

the mysterious final days
of a Texas oil millionaire.

November 8, 1985.

In a remote rice field 20
miles outside Houston, Texas,

flames ravaged an
expensive Jaguar sedan.

Inside, sheriff's deputies
found a charred human body so

disfigured that even the
gender was not apparent,

so completely burned
that his weight was

reduced to 32 pounds.

The car was registered to a
millionaire oil well promoter

from Houston,
Edward Gerald Baker.

Eventually forensic
tests indicated

with near certainty that the
body was, indeed, Ed Baker's.

Ed Baker personified
Texas in the 1980s--

powerful, bold, and rich.

A one time shoe salesman
and insurance agent,

he built a multimillion
dollar oil investment

business seemingly overnight.

Then, in 1985, Baker's
world came to a fiery end.

However, even now the exact
circumstances of his death

are disputed.

Some believe he
took his own life.

Others are certain
he was murdered.

Incredibly, a few
people even think

Ed Baker may still be alive.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Ed Baker

seemed an unlikely person
to be at the center

of such a deadly puzzle.

His company, Vanguard
Groups International,

was one of the fastest
growing businesses

in the United States.

I watched him build that
company from the ground up,

and I think that he always knew
he had the potential to have

a very successful business.

And I think he tried
his best to manage

that business honestly, and
with a great deal of integrity.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Ed Baker started promoting

oil well exploration in 1980.

His timing was perfect.

34.

$3,500 is your upfront
investment here.

You'll also sign a
promissory note--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Houston was booming.

After his first
oil wells came in,

Baker had no trouble
selling his clever tax

shelters to wealthy investors.

OK, but here's the kicker.

Here's the kicker, Frank.

I'm going to guarantee 8
to 10 wells per package.

The income from those
wells is going to pay

off that promissory note.

People tended to trust him.

He was acknowledged as a--

you know, pretty
brilliant strategist,

when it came to
developing these little,

you know, tax shelter
programs at that time.

Now, the laws have changed
since then, but at that time

it was brilliant.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): When
Ed Baker founded Vanguard,

his wife, Mary, was one
of only three employees,

and cardboard boxes served
as her file cabinets.

Four years later,
Vanguard's sales

had skyrocketed to $19 million.

The flood of wealth
prompted drastic changes

in Ed Baker's life.

In March of 1984, he divorced
Mary, his wife of 10 years.

All right!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Soon after, he

began to indulge a taste
for high stakes gambling.

Baker also underwent two
facelifts, took disco lessons,

and purchased a
flashy new Jaguar.

In September of 1984 Baker
remarried, only to file

for divorce five months later.

Just four days after the
dissolution was final,

he married Sandy Hoff, one
of his employees at Vanguard.

All the while, Baker's financial
empire was disintegrating.

Thank you, John.

John, there is nothing to
worry about at this point.

I promise you, there is
nothing to worry about.

The wells will come in.

Has Vanguard ever let you down?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At the time,

Ward Busey was Baker's
personal attorney.

WARD BUSEY (VOICEOVER): In
'85, when the oil industry hurt

a lot of people in Houston,
people stopped investing

in deals that Ed was selling.

And, as it turns
out, he was borrowing

from a lot of his investors
to sustain his lifestyle,

always, I believe,
assuming that he

was going to be able
to repay the people

that he'd borrowed from from
the next group of folks.

Sooner or later there was
not a next group of folks.

He was looking at some serious
charges from a lot of his.

Investors he was looking
at, it turns out,

serious tax problems.

It may have been very true that
he was about to go to jail.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
By October of 1985,

Baker's investors were
clamoring for money--

but Vanguard was on
the edge of bankruptcy.

Baker allegedly arranged a
desperately needed cash bailout

from a highly suspect source.

Bob, it's Ed.

Uh, we need to talk.

Not on the phone, OK?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Then he brought

in his private investigator.

BOB GALE (VOICEOVER):
I got the impression

from Ed he was talking big
money, such as millions.

Let me get back to you, OK?

And he thought maybe we'd
have to do a little background

on these individuals that
he was preparing to have

some financial dealings
with in Florida,

because he'd heard
that they are--

yes, he had heard that they had
some sort of mafia connections.

What took you so long?

- I took the back roads.
- Are you all right?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Ed
Baker seemed unable to reverse

his downward spiral.

On November 6, at around 7:30
PM he showed up at his ex-wife

Mary's house in a state
of emotional disarray.

Sit down, and I'll
get you a cup of coffee.

MARY (VOICEOVER): I was
really kind of shocked,

because he was real pale.

And he was afraid he
was being followed.

And this was very
unusual, you know,

for him to behave this
way, and was just--

it didn't fit what
I normally knew.

Now, tell me what
this is all about.

I really didn't want to get
you involved with this, Mary.

MARY (VOICEOVER):
He told me that he

had received death
threat letters at work

within the past two weeks.

I've been getting
death threats.

MARY (VOICEOVER):
And that that day he

had received two telephone calls
at his unlisted home number,

telling him, this
is your day to die.

Who was it?

I don't know.

MARY (VOICEOVER): He was
taking it seriously, that--

he was really threatened
at that point.

Why don't you call the police?

I can't do that, Mary.

The police won't do anything
until something happens.

Well, don't go home.

Rent a hotel room, stay with me.

I can't do that, Mary.

I have to be home tonight
to take a call from Sandy.

She'd be worried
if I wasn't there.

And he got in his
car and drove away.

And that was the
last time I saw him.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Sandy,

her husband had
sent her to Austin,

out of range of the threats.

Sandy says she spoke to
Baker around 1:00 AM.

He was holed up
in their bedroom,

and told her he had received yet
another life-threatening call.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

MAN ON PHONE: Baker,
it's time to die.

Who is this?

Who is this?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Two
days later, on November 8,

sheriffs were notified
of the burned out Jaguar.

In the passenger's seat
were the charred remains

later identified as Ed Baker's.

From the evidence
on the scene,

it appeared that the subject
in the car had been shot.

There was a burnt
32 caliber revolver

in the right front
floorboard, which would have

been at the passenger's feet.

When we opened and
examined the 32 pistol,

the cartridge underneath
the firing pin

had an indentation in it,
like it had been fired.

The other five shells
looked like they

had been exploded by heat.

Somebody obviously was
trying to burn the car.

It appeared at the time that
it was a rather crude effort,

and we found three gallon cans,
gasoline inside that vehicle,

and around that vehicle.

More than enough to
sufficiently burn it up.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): As
they were leaving the scene,

investigators made another
troubling discovery.

About 1,500 feet from the
car was a second body.

A young man in his
early 20s had been

handcuffed and beaten to death,
apparently just hours earlier.

We thought to start
with it might have been

the person that
killed Mr. Baker,

and somebody killed
him to shut him up.

Our final determination, we
found out it wasn't connected.

We found out the boy that we
found, the second body we found

was killed in a dope deal, and
just was dumped in that area.

It happened to be
a dumping area.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
That same day, the case

took another surprising twist.

A letter from Baker
arrived at the office

of his attorney, Ward Busey.

WARD BUSEY (VOICEOVER):
It said, dear Ward,

if you are reading this letter,
it means that I am dead.

I've had some
threats on my life.

You've been a good friend to me.

Please take care of
Sandy and the kids,

and do what you can for 'em.

And enclosed is
another letter that I

would like you to take out to
Sandy, and give to her for me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the weeks that followed,

the fate of Ed Baker became the
subject of intense speculation.

His wife, Sandy, who
today lives in Europe,

was convinced that he was
the victim of a mafia hit.

An eyewitness told police that
he saw a blue Chevy pickup

truck with chrome
rails and mag wheels

speeding away from the field
where Baker's car was found.

The truck, and whoever was in
it, have never been located.

Although Baker told a number
of friends about the threats

to his life, law
enforcement investigators

believe he committed suicide.

They learned that in the
days prior to his death,

Baker called his life
insurance agents.

He specifically asked if
his policies would pay

in the event of his suicide.

One, valued at
$500,000, would not.

I believe it's a possibility
that Mr. Baker shot himself,

committed suicide, and he had
an accomplice that set the car

on fire to make it
look like a homicide,

so that all of the insurance
policies would pay off.

We'll have a lot of people
we find in a car who

committed suicide with
pistols, and the pistol

is always at their feet.

And the pistol we
recovered would

have been at Mr. Baker's
feet on the passenger

side of the vehicle.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Sandy Baker

refused to accept the
idea that her husband

had taken his own life.

She hired an independent
private investigator.

I think somebody was
paid to kill Ed Baker.

If you're related to a
professional, like a mafia,

or a syndication type
thing, I don't think so.

I don't know why they
would burn the car.

Just seems to be just somebody
was paid to kill Ed Baker,

and that's exactly
what they did.

Ed Baker did not commit suicide.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Baker's attorney, Ward Busey,

disagrees.

WARD BUSEY
(VOICEOVER): The letter

I got said, if you're
reading this, I am dead.

How did he know he
was going to die

that night, unless he planned on
going out and killing himself?

I think Ed decided that he was
about to probably go to jail,

and decided to get Sandy
out of town so that she

wouldn't be implicated.

Said goodbye to everybody
that he loved, went out

to this field that he knew
about, set his car on fire,

and shot himself.

From what I know about fire,
and I spent over 20 years

in the business, I don't believe
an individual can pour gasoline

on themselves, ignite it, and
be able to stay calm and still

enough to reach down and
put a gun to their head,

and pull the trigger.

Homicide is a possibility--

but also, I feel the
possibility that Ed could

arrange something like
this with a different body

in that vehicle.

Ed was a very
intelligent man, a man

that took in, as he told
me himself, $66 million

the last year that
he was in business.

And a man capable of doing
that is capable of faking

his own death.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Bob Gale

and others believe that
despite conclusive evidence

to the contrary, Ed Baker
faked his own suicide.

They are convinced that Baker
fled to an unknown location,

perhaps the Caribbean, to
live in luxury on funds

embezzled from his investors.

Today the fate of Ed Baker
has become something of a myth

in parts of Texas.

It seems unlikely that
Baker is still alive,

yet one of his
insurance carriers

refused to pay death benefits
without conclusive proof

that he is dead.

But if it was Ed Baker in
the front seat of the Jaguar,

did he commit suicide,
or was he murdered?

And if so, by whom?

What is this?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
1957, 13-year-old Sue Scribner

learned of a secret
that her mother,

Calista, had been carrying
for more than 15 years.

Yeah, honey.

Just a little.

SUE SCRIBNER
THIRODEAUX (VOICEOVER):

When I asked her why
she had been crying,

she told me about
having a boy and a girl

twin that had been adopted.

It's time I told you.

Told me what?

I was really surprised,
because I was 13,

and it's a shock to
find out that you

have a brother and sister
that you didn't know about.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1942, Calista Scribner

had given birth to twins--

a boy and a girl.

The infants were born with
congenital heart defects,

and Calista felt she
would be unable to provide

them with the care they needed.

Three weeks after they were
born, the twins were adopted.

Calista never saw them again.

SUE SCRIBNER
THIRODEAUX (VOICEOVER):

The twins being adopted, it
just stayed with her forever.

She never got over it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For 10 frustrating years,

Sue Scribner searched
for the twins.

Finally, in 1990, Sue wrote
a poignant open letter

to the brother and
sister she had never met.

And so, elusive
twins, I still search.

Yet should my efforts
send in emptiness,

I have not failed so completely,
for I've already found you

once, years ago, chasmed in
that deep, indelible well,

that safe place--

our mother's heart.

10 days after we
featured this story,

Sue Scribner received
an anonymous call

from one of our viewers who
told her that the twins were

living in Orlando, Florida.

Sue immediately contacted
her brother and sister, whose

names are Bruce and Barbara.

The twins had no idea that
they had been adopted,

and were shocked to learn
about a side of their family

they never knew existed.

Hello!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On March 15, 1992,

Sue Scribner met her brother
and sister for the first time

in her life.

Doing good.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The joyous reunion

brought together
six of the Scriber

children and their families.

SUE SCRIBNER
THIRODEAUX (VOICEOVER):

And the very first time I met
'em, I think all of our knees

were shaking.

It is emotional, but I think
we've all cried enough tears,

and we didn't need a lot today.

See, I think that my
newfound family is wonderful.

I think they're
absolutely adorable.

It's like we've known each
other all of our lives,

even though we haven't
been around each other more

than five hours.

You can lose me for
another 50 years now.

I can't wait to
get to know them.

I'm really very
excited about it.

I know-- you have all these
questions in your mind.

Gee, what did I miss
out on all these years?

What were they
really like as kids?

She used to be small.

BRUCE CASHION (VOICEOVER):
I think everybody's

gonna get to know each other.

On both sides of the family.

And for country bumpkins like
we are, it's like a blessing.

It doesn't really matter,
now, what kind of life any of us

have, because it's
what's left that counts.

We know where all of
the children are now.

Tonight the FBI has requested
our cooperation in a matter

of extreme importance.

They hope that someone
watching has vital information

about a man suspected of
taking part in the bombing

of the World Trade Center.

He is a newest addition to
the FBI'S 10 Most Wanted list.

Please, watch closely.

By now we are all familiar
with the graphic images

and horrifying details.

On February 26, 1993, the
explosion beneath New York's

Trade Center complex
killed 6 people,

and injured more than 1,000.

Thus far four men have
been arrested and indicted

in connection with the bombing,
and a fifth has been charged

with obstruction of justice.

But another suspect, thought
to be a major participant,

has so far eluded capture.

He is 25-year-old
Ramzi Ahmed Yousef,

who used an Iraq
passport to enter the US

in September of 1992,
seeking political asylum.

Authorities believe
Yousef may have

been the roommate
of the first suspect

arrested, Mohammed Salameh.

Ramzi Ahmed Yousef was
added to the top 10 list

because he's been charged
by a New York grand jury

with participating
in the bombing

of the World Trade Center
on February 26 of this year.

Now, he's 6 feet tall, 180
pounds, brown hair, brown eyes,

sometimes known to wear a beard.

Wherever he is located,
he should be considered

armed and extremely dangerous.

It's really critical
to bring him

to justice for his participation
in this crime for two reasons.

One, the terrible nature
of the crime, what it

represents to American society.

The first major terrorist
offensive here in this country

in many, many years.

And secondly, because he is a
key part of this conspiracy,

and we would like to bring all
the co-conspirators to justice.

Thank you for
joining us, and please

join us next time
for another edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]