All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S05E23.480p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-PLAYREADY_track3_[und]

ANNOUNCER: 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):
December 12, 1985.

A chartered plane
went down in flames

outside Gander,
Newfoundland, Canada,

killing 248 American soldiers.

Officially, the crash was
ruled an accident caused by ice

on the wings, but eyewitnesses
tell of intense fires that

could bot be extinguished and
a mysterious cache of weapons

recovered from the wreckage.

For the young GIs had fallen
victim to a terrorist bomb.

As a child, Peggie
Lloyd was haunted

by the elusive vision of a
brother she barely remembered.

Finally, the discovery
of an old snapshot

launched Peggie on a
determined quest for answers.

Perhaps you can
help end her search

for her long lost brother.

The terrible tragedy
in Waco, Texas

has focused the
nation's attention

on a scattering of religious
cults across the United States.

In one cult, unrelated to
the Branch Davidian sect,

Nelson DeCloud was seen as a
dynamic, charismatic messenger

of God by his followers.

However, According to one
member who fled the cult,

DeCloud used his
position to demand

sexual favors from some of
the women in his congregation.

Also tonight, a moving
and joyous update.

Thanks to our
broadcast, two childhood

friends separated for more than
30 years have been reunited.

Joined me for these fascinating
stories in tonight's Unsolved

Mysteries.

[theme music]

These men were members of
the elite the 101st Airborne

unit of the United States Army.

On December 12, 1985, they were
among 248 young soldiers cut

down in their prime,
all killed instantly

when their transport
plane crashed

in Gander, Newfoundland.

It was the worst
single air disaster

in US military history.

Officially, the crash
was written off to ice

on the plane's wings, but many
of the young men's families,

as well as several
key investigators,

believe that the true
cause of the Gander tragedy

remains an unsolved mystery.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On December 11, 1985,

the 101st Airborne left Cairo,
Egypt on a chartered Arrow

Air DC8 much like this one.

They were going home to
Fort Campbell, Kentucky

after a six month peacekeeping
mission in the Sinai.

Following one stop
in Germany, they

landed for refueling
at the Gander,

Newfoundland Airport in Canada.

An hour later, just after
takeoff, tragedy struck.

The DC8 crashed less
than three miles

from the Gander control tower,
killing everyone on board.

The wreckage was scattered
over an area 3,500

feet long and 130 feet wide.

Almost immediately,
a man purporting

to represent the terrorist
organization Islamic Jihad

telephoned the US
consulate in Algeria

to claim responsibility.

Nevertheless, US army
officials who arrived in Gander

within hours quickly
discounted the possibility

of terrorist involvement.

Later, a Canadian
board of inquiry

stated that ice on the plane's
wings had brought it down.

However, four of the
board's nine members

publicly descended,
insisting that ice

did not cause the crash.

There was certainly
some kind of an explosion.

And a small explosion
that disabled the control

system that led to
the sequence of events

that led to this disaster.

But what caused that explosion,
whether it was sabotage

or whether it was the accidental
detonation of some kind

of military equipment that was
carried against regulations,

we really don't have a better
idea than we had in 1988.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The dissenters

were particularly disturbed
by the pulverized state

of the wreckage.

Usually in a takeoff crash,
large sections of the plane

remain intact, and many
passengers survive.

A normal kind of takeoff
accident can be quite serious

and can involve a fire,
but basically the aircraft

isn't completely destroyed.

You usually don't
have a huge explosion

because when the
tanks are full, it

doesn't give the fuel a
chance to mix with oxygen

like you need for an explosion.

You get an explosion
when the aircraft crashes

with partial tanks,
and takeoff accidents

are usually survivable.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The US government

claimed there was no
evidence that an on board

explosion had caused the crash.

They steadfastly denied that
either explosives or ammunition

had been carried as cargo.

Eyewitness reports
from the Cairo airport,

however, cast doubt on
the government's position.

The 101st Airborne
waited for eight hours

while they were transferred
to a larger plane.

In the process, the
duffel bags of 41 soldiers

were left behind on
the tarmac to make room

for several large wooden boxes.

Many believe the boxes
contained some type

of classified weapons.

At the Gander crash site, one of
the rescue workers, Harvey Day,

says he saw five wooden boxes.

Sir, that's as
far as you can go.

HARVEY: I decided to walk down
to see what was in this area.

When I got about
10 feet from it,

this military guy
walked up towards me.

He said, you'd better go back.

He said, you're not
allowed down there.

But I stopped and looked,
and I saw what people are

beginning to say didn't exist.

I saw five large wooden boxes.

They were black, a bit
burnt from the fire.

And I saw arms, rifles, and
I saw things like missiles

and little metal boxes.

They looked like
ammunition boxes.

And it was all
piled up very neatly

into this cordoned off area.

Sir, I can't answer that.

This is military business.

You do not need to know
any of that at all.

You can just go on back.
- No, no, no.

I just want to see what--

Sir, you don't
have to see anything.

This is official
military business.

If you don't leave,
I'll have you removed

by force from the premises.
Now just go on.

All right, all right.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In addition,

Day recalls one unusual hot
spot resulting from the crash.

HARVEY (VOICEOVER): And
there was two firefighters,

and they had a continuous
stream of water onto this pile.

And I thought it very peculiar.

And I walked over to
one chap, and I asked--

What's going on, eh?

It keeps flaring up.

We're gonna have to keep
pouring water on it.

It's that bad?

HARVEY (VOICEOVER): The
minute he took the water away,

it just flared back up again.

We've got to do this, he said.

Until it burns out or it cools
down to the point where were

can remove what's there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Within weeks,

Harvey Day and several
other rescue workers

began to complain
of health problems.

To some, the symptoms
sounded suspiciously

like radiation poisoning.

I think we had
over 30 who described

some type of malady or sickness
as a result of the crash.

And they ranged
from liver problems

to what people thought
were heart attacks and just

general illnesses.

And this is what
was checked out.

And it got to be rather scary.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): According

to one unnamed source, the
United States government

allegedly sealed its crash
investigation records

for a period of 70 years.

However, several
government agencies,

including the Department
of Defense and the National

Transportation
Safety Board, deny

that any such records exist.

We know that the files
on the Gander incident

would not be sealed for 70
years if it were simply ice.

We know that there had to
be something very, very

politically embarrassing
that could have been very

harmful to the Reagan
administration, that

had to be covered up.

As one family
member put it, she

wants to know if her family
member died protecting

this country, or if he died
because our government was

protecting itself.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the early 1980s,

the United States government
had begun illegally selling arms

to Iran in a covert
and byzantine operation

now known as Iran-Contra.

The operation, ostensibly aimed
at freeing American hostages

in the Middle East, was
apparently in jeopardy

at the time of the Gander crash.

National Security Council.

I assumed that the president--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Just a few days

before the crash, Colonel
Oliver North warned in at least

two separate memos that
the United States risked,

quote, "a renewed
wave of terrorism.

A US reversal now could
ignite Iranian fire.

The hostages would be
our minimum losses."

Whatever happened
in Gander I believe,

would have either caused
political embarrassment,

or an international
incident, or both.

And whatever the reason was
for the cover up in 1985 still

exists today.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
US government

investigators did appear
to be behaving strangely.

First off, the crash site was
bulldozed within three months--

a highly unusual practice.

The US Army says
it was done simply

to discourage souvenir hunters.

Secondly, the
remains of the plane

were quickly disposed
of, buried in a dump.

Again, highly unusual procedure.

As a rule, downed airplanes
are virtually reassembled

in order to study the crash.

One of the young men who
lost his life at Gander

was 23-year-old
Sergeant James Douglas

Phillips, the only
son of Dr. Douglas

Phillips, a pathologist.

Disillusioned by the official
reports, Dr. Phillips

and his wife Azona formed an
organization called Families

for Truth about Gander.

They requested several
scrapped sections from the DC8,

and were surprised when
the government sent them.

An expert hired to
analyze the scraps,

claimed the outward
puckered edges

showed that a blast had indeed
occurred inside the plane.

I think the airplane exploded
in midair and then went down

and it hit the ground
with a gigantic fireball

ensuing upon hitting,
when the fuel ignited.

But there's no doubt
in my mind that there

was a fire or an explosion while
the plane was still in flight.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Dr. Phillips turned

up one final chilling fact.

Autopsies revealed that
many of the dead soldiers

had a significant amount
of carbon monoxide

in their bodies.

The toxicology report showed
that the victims had indeed

breathed in carbon
monoxide prior to the plane

hitting the ground
and exploding.

This had to be from a
detonation, a fire or explosion

on board the craft.

I guess the thing
that bothers me the most

is there are people out
there living ordinarily--

ordinary day life, going about
their business and their jobs,

and they know what happened.

And they will tell us,
and they won't help us.

In 1990, a
congressional hearing

on again the Gander disaster
was convened in Washington DC.

While the committee did
criticize the government's

lackluster post-crash
investigation,

it stopped short of recommending
a full scale re-investigation.

The families of the
dead men are left

to wonder why and how
their sons, husbands,

and brothers really died.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Next, a woman

discovers that her long
lost father was a circus

clown with a broken heart.

During the Second World
War, more than 16 million

American men and
women were called

upon to serve the country.

Inevitably, many families
would not survive the stress

of wartime separation.

28-year-old Lee Curly Lloyd was
one of those whose marriage was

a casualty of the war effort.

While Curly was in the service,
his son and two daughters

lived in Oroville, California,
with a woman who ran

a boarding house for children.

[knocking on door]

Huh, someone's at the door.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): At the time,

Peggie Lloyd was
three years old,

her sister four, and their
little brother Arthur two.

One day in 1944, Curly's wife
arrived at the boarding house.

She was accompanied by
the man she would marry

when her divorce was final.

I've come here.

I want to take my children.

Just the girls,
though, not Arthur.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Peggie and her sister

went to live with their
mother and the man who

was to become their stepfather.

It's all right.

OK, let's go.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Peggie's brother

Arthur was left behind.

Peggie Lloyd grew up being told
that her father had deserted

the family, and questions
about her brother

were ignored or brushed aside.

She began to wonder
if Arthur had

ever even existed until a
quiet summer day in 1948.

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER): I
climbed up into the attic

and crawled along, kind
of looking at things.

In the back was
a bunch of boxes.

So I was playing in this
particular group of boxes,

and I found this picture.

When I looked at the picture, I
just I knew that it was Arthur.

I couldn't say that
that was a memory.

It was a feeling.

It was like, he looked like me.

He was the right age.

It just felt--

I knew that it was Arthur.

Peggie, what are you doing?

Where have you been?

Look, it's Arthur.

My brother.

Then that proves it.

He's my brother.

She the picture from
me, and it went away.

And I never saw
the picture again,

and I still never got an answer.

But of course in my
mind I just knew.

And so I guess that I just
grew up believing that wherever

my father was, Arthur was.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Peggie's life

at home grew increasingly
difficult. At the age of nine,

she was sent to the first
in a series of foster homes

and boarding schools.

She married in 1958,
at age 17, and raised

four daughters of her own.

Over the years, Peggie remained
in contact with her mother

but never learned anything more
about her brother or father.

He's been working on
it for a whole year.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Finally in 1983, Peggie

presented her mother with a
picture-filled genealogical

chart as a way of once again
bringing up the subject

of Arthur and Curly.

The first one
starts with 1879.

Oh my.

And look way up here.

Oh, look at me.

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER):
I was an adult now,

and she didn't have to be
so afraid of what I did.

And perhaps she would
give you that information

and feel like enough time had
passed that she could do that.

I'd forgotten that one.

But you know, Mom, there
is still something missing.

I still don't have
any information

about my own father.

Peggie, don't start
with me again, please.

We just want to know
where he was born, Mom.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In the end,

Peggie's mother
relented and reluctantly

revealed Curly's birth place.

Please, Mom?

Lindsey, Oklahoma.

Thanks.

Thanks.

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER):
The next day,

I called there on the phone,
and I put an ad in their local

weekly newspaper,
asking if anybody knew

his whereabouts or Arthur's.

And it was from there that
things began to happen.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The family

secrets of nearly 40 years were
unlocked with stunning speed.

Just nine days after
placing the ad,

Peggie received a letter from
an aunt, Velma Lloyd, who

was married to Curly's brother.

Velma had included
her phone number,

and Peggie immediately called
her newly discovered relative.

Hello?

May I speak with
Velma Lloyd, please?

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER): While I was
talking to her on the phone,

I was, like, flipping through
the rest of the letters.

And there I saw this one
that had one of those return

address stamps on it
that said Curly-n-Cue,

Clown Alley, Spokane.

When I first saw the
letter from my dad,

it was like I felt
like my heart stopped.

It was a mixture.

It was like I was really
excited and really emotional.

Then I started crying.

Then I was really frightened.

I didn't know anything
about my father.

I thought, well, what if what
he says in the letter is I

don't want anything
to do with you?

But of course I just overcame
that, and I opened the letter,

and the letter said "my
beloved daughter, how thrilled

I am to hear from you."

It was like-- it's
indescribable.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Peggie was surprised to learn

that for many years, both
before and after the war,

her father was a clown
with Ringling Brothers

and other smaller circuses.

In 1955, Curly had even
performed within five miles

of Peggie's home in
Southern California,

but they would not see
each other until Peggie's

43rd birthday in 1984.

This home video
was shot at Peggie

and Curly's long awaited
reunion in Spokane, Washington.

It was the first birthday
Peggie had spent with her father

since she was three years old.

Suddenly, I had a
grandfather, and aunts,

and uncles, and
cousins, and just

this whole world of family.

And they just all acted like
I'd been there my whole life,

like they'd always
been my family.

It's just a wonderful thing.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The celebration was

perfect in every way but one.

Peggie's brother Arthur
was not with the family.

But finally, Peggie
was able to learn

what had happened to Arthur
since she last saw him in 1944.

For four years, Arthur had
traveled with the circus,

watching his father
perform in towns and cities

across America.

Curly had no idea where his
ex-wife and his two daughters

were living.

Hey, Arthur.

How you doing?

Hey, prissy monkey.

You were real good
in the show today.

Hi, prissy monkey.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At first, Curly

believed that circus life would
be rewarding for his young son.

Curly himself had joined
the circus when he was nine,

and saw nothing wrong
with their itinerant life.

His friends advised
him otherwise.

Come here.

The circus people
told him that Arthur

needed to be in school.

Arthur needed a home, stability,
real parents, and a family

that he could grow
up with in one place,

and that the circus life
wasn't a good home for him.

Curly, have you thought
this out carefully?

Yes, I have.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
After much soul searching,

Curly reached a
painful decision.

He sought out a Catholic
priest in Logan, Utah,

where the circus was
performing in the fall of 1948.

All right, the Church
can find him a home.

I appreciate it.

Curly, Take care
of yourself, OK?

Thank you, Father.

Say goodbye to your son.

Arthur.

Hey, come here.

Hey, I want you to take
care of yourself, OK?

All right?

And this man here, he's
going to take care of you.

Be good and remember
everything Daddy told you, OK?

All right.

OK, you run along now.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Arthur was six years old when

Curly gave him up for adoption.

15 years later, Curly
would receive two letters

from his son, but
neither contained

Arthur's adopted last name
or his return address.

The letters had been mailed
from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I tried Colorado Springs.

I didn't find anything there.

I seemed to be at a loss.

And when my dad
became really ill,

it was like I have
to find Arthur.

I have to find him
before he dies.

Hi.

Ah, look at you.

You're just a mess, just a mess.

How you doing, huh?

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER): Curly,
and I had seven really

wonderful years of friendship.

We became really
good friends, and we

talked about Arthur a lot.

He really felt
really sad about it.

I mean, he felt really
guilty about it.

I've only got one regret.

We haven't found Arthur.

I want you to find him.

I will find him.

Tell I'm--

I'm sorry.

It's OK.

PEGGIE (VOICEOVER): It was
like he said to me, Peggie,

I don't know about Arthur.

I'm so sorry about Arthur.

But I know that you'll find him.

Somehow I believe that
I know that we will.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Lee Curly Lloyd

died in 1991 at the age of 77.

He was comforted at
least in some measure

by Peggie's promise to
continue searching for Arthur.

This is one of only
two known photographs

of Arthur Franklin Lloyd.

When the picture was taken,
Arthur was two years old

and had blonde hair.

He has blue eyes and would
today be 50 years old.

I have to find Arthur.

I have to find him to
say you have a family.

You have someone, not just
myself, but all of Curly's

family, who love you, and want
you, and want to know you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

a young woman accuses a
spiritual leader of rape.

Authorities need your
help to find him.

[dialing]

Answer the phone.

TIM (ON PHONE): Hello?

Tim?

This is Julie.

What are you doing?
It's late.

JULIE (ON PHONE): I know.

Can you please come get me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Shortly before midnight

on September 17, 1982, a young
woman named Julie Cooper made

an impassioned phone call,
a cry for help to Tim Santi,

a virtual stranger
whom she had met

only once when he repaired
the satellite dish on the farm

where she lived.

JULIE (ON PHONE): When
can you come pick me up?

TIM (VOICEOVER): Julie had
told me bits and pieces

of what had gone
on, but I'm still

not aware of the whole story.

And I'm thinking, well,
you know it's no big deal.

Nobody's going to catch us.

We tentatively set the time
for 1:15 in the morning.

I drove up to the corner.

Before you get to the road
down to her house at 1:13,

I waited for two minutes
and drove down there.

She was crouched
down in the grass

with a trash bag
full of clothes.

Go, go, go!

TIM (VOICEOVER): She was very,
very, nervous and very afraid.

You are the wearers of white.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Julie Cooper told Tim Santi

that for 16 years she had been
trapped in a religious cult

called the DeCloud Family.

The family, nearly 30
men, women, and children,

lived together in a commune far
removed from the outside world.

In some ways, the DeCloud family
resembled the Branch Davidian

sect, the religious cult led
by David Koresh in Waco, Texas.

That group lived in a
fortified compound, where

a two month stand off
with federal agents

recently ended in tragedy.

David Koresh's
group was just one

of an estimated 2,000 religious
cults which have sprung

up throughout the country.

Many are headed by
self-proclaimed messiahs, who

rule with absolute authority.

When Julie Cooper finally
escaped from the DeCloud

Family, she began
to make accusations

which paint a horrifying picture
of life within the commune.

The most chilling allegations
focus on the leader

of the cult, Nelson DeCloud.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nelson DeCloud

is an ex-police officer
from Raytown, Missouri,

a suburb of Kansas City.

His family, as he
calls his followers,

had actually been founded by
his father, Forrest DeCloud,

around 1968.

Before Forrest died in 1988,
Nelson ascended to the role

of spiritual leader.

Soon, he moved his
followers to an isolated

farm in Liberty, Missouri.

Nearly all family
members were encouraged

to change their last
names to DeCloud,

literally "of the clouds."

Quiet, please.

Praise the Lord, and welcome
him into the temple DeCloud.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Today's lesson is
from Revelations 13.

Open your Bibles, please.

Nelson thought that
he was God's son.

Not really that he
was Jesus Christ,

but that he was
one of God's sons,

and that he couldn't
do any wrong.

And I said unto him, sir--

JULIE (ON PHONE): Nelson
had a very booming voice.

And his eyes were
like a white blue,

which just would scare you.

And made them white in
the blood of the lamb.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Julie Cooper

was just six when her family
joined the cult in the mid-70s.

Julie claims she eventually
learned that DeCloud expected

perverse, almost repulsive forms
of devotion from his followers.

Hallelujah.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When she was 10,

Julie says DeCloud
forced her to watch

him have sex with a female
member of the family.

Amen.

I want you to stay out
here for a little while.

JULIE (VOICEOVER): He asked
me to have sex with him, and I

didn't want to, and I didn't.

What I want you to do, Julie,
is what God wants you to do.

You understand me?
- Yes.

All right.

JULIE (VOICEOVER): I
guess he was so far into a

he couldn't do any
wrong kind of deal

that it didn't matter to him.

Now, you listen to me.

Do you know how old Mary
was when she had Jesus?

14 years old.

14 years old.

Now, you think about that.

There's nothing wrong with that.

JULIE (VOICEOVER): He put me
out in this, like, wooded area.

I didn't haven't food.

I didn't have any jacket
or anything like hat.

When are you coming back?

I'll know when to come back.

God will tell me
when to come back.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Julie,

she stood in the field alone
and shivering for eight hours

before Nelson took her
back to the compound.

Disobedience!

There is a sinner amongst
us, and I am deeply troubled.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Julie says that another member

of the family was public
dehumidify after she confronted

DeCloud and his cruelty.

She has chosen
to disobey my word.

She has chosen to
disobey God's word.

JULIE (VOICEOVER): He was
going to make an example of her

in front of me, in
front of others.

And that was enough to scare me.

He knew that I was
already scared.

No!

I felt like it was
my fault, because here

she tried to stand up for
me, and I wasn't giving in.

And maybe if I had
given in earlier,

he wouldn't have done that.

He found me, and he says,
well, are you ready now?

Of course, you know, after
all that had happened,

I just said "yes."

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Julie Cooper

claims she became
a virtual prisoner

in the compound, forced to
serve as one of DeCloud's

unwilling sex partners.

When she was 15,
Julie says she made

her first attempt to escape.

After everything
that had happened

to me, everything that was
going on, I decided to run away.

I just couldn't take anymore.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Julie's absence

did not go unnoticed.

Nelson DeCloud immediately
organized search parties

to comb the area.

Julie.

Julie, you stop
right where you are!

You hear me, girl?

You stay right there.

Stop right there.

No!

Come here.

No, let me go, please!

Let me go!

JULIE (VOICEOVER):
Nelson and another guy

came, picked me up, handcuffed
me, and took me back.

I was so scared of him, of
what would happen to me.

Offer your shoes!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Julie,

she was ordered to disrobe.

And later, she was
severely beaten.

Offer your shirt.

Nelson switched me, and burned
my clothes, burned my shoes.

And it was like
a symbolic thing.

After that, he always
kept me with him.

I always had his sleep with
him in his bus, in his area.

He wouldn't let me out
of anybody's sight.

I always had to be watched.

So that's one thing that
really kept me on edge,

and kept me from ever trying
to run away, because I was

afraid someone would see me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Seven more years passed.

Julie Cooper remained,
feeling stripped

of her freedom and
dignity, waiting

for one more chance to escape.

Then, in the fall of 1992,
the opportunity arose.

At Nelson's request,
Julie contacted

a satellite dish repairman.

Numerous calls
followed until finally

Tim Santi made his appearance
at the DeCloud commune.

TIM (VOICEOVER): As I
pull into the driveway,

I see several cars.

And I see a lot of
kids running around.

And the first
impression that I get

is that this has to
be some type of party.

Right, OK.

Sister Julie, could I
interrupt you just a second?

This is Tim.

He's the man from the
satellite company.

TIM (VOICEOVER): When
I got into the office,

I guess I sort of more
or less recognized Julie,

because I had built up a rapport
with her on the telephone

in the weeks preceding
to me coming up there

and doing the service call.

Julie was very meek, in as
much as she wasn't as outgoing

as she was on the phone.

She seemed stifled or held back
because of some other reason

than anything obvious.

Oh, Brother Nelson.

This is our brother in
God, Nelson DeCloud.

Nelson, I'd like
for you to meet Tim.

When Tim was
introduced to Nelson,

he didn't show him any respect.

He didn't think of him
as anybody or anything.

And that made me feel good.

It made me feel like I
could trust in someone.

I could actually
talk to this person

and he could understand me.

Over the next couple
of weeks afterward,

I had asked her out for a date.

And she seemed like
she was willing,

but that there was something
that was holding her back.

Well, he had asked me out,
and of course I told him

that I couldn't go, and
I couldn't go for a year,

wouldn't be able to
get out for a year.

And that was just a
way of putting him

off and seeing if
he was willing to go

on with trying to wear me down.

In the course of our
conversations on the phone,

we had--

she had come up with a plan
that she would need to sneak

out at night undetected.

JULIE (VOICEOVER): I
called Tim up and I said,

I want to go tonight.

We made a time at
1:15 in the morning,

and sure enough, when
1:15 hit, he was there.

Go, go, go!

After I left, I was afraid
they would take me back,

they would beat me, do
something to my mom.

I'm still afraid that
he is torturing my mom

in some way for what I've done.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At dawn, Nelson DeCloud

went looking for Julie.

Allegedly masquerading
as police officers,

Nelson and another family member
drove to Tim Santi's address.

Hey, hey, where's Julie?

What?

Where is Julie?

Who's Julie?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Fortunately for Julie,

the address belonged
to Tim's brother, Ted.

Tim and Julie were just a
few yards away, sound asleep

in the house next door.

Who are you guys?

We're the-- we're the police.

Looking for Tim.

You got a warrant
or something?

You got a warrant, pal?

Where is Tim?
Where is Tim?

You guys aren't cops.

Hey, get out of here!

You both get the
hell out of my house!

The next day,
Ted came up to me

and said, what the
hell's going on here?

Two strange people had come
into his home looking for me,

like I was a criminal
or something.

They won't let me leave.

And that's when Julie had
told us the whole thing

of what was going on.

Why did you want to run away?

TIM (VOICEOVER): She had
also alluded to the fear

that any man that was
physically able from that group

would probably come
and try to get her.

They beat me
and they raped me.

And I can't stay there anymore.

How long has
this been going on?

TIM (VOICEOVER):
That's when we decided

to put restraining orders
against anyone who was

physically able to abduct her.

Do you want to go back?

I never want to go back.

Ever.

When you first get
out, you feel kind of,

you don't know what you are
to do, how to stop things.

And that was just the first step
for me, just to keep them away.

Because I knew they
had brought people

back before that had gone
away and beat them and stuff.

And I was afraid something
like that would happen to me.

Last Thursday, I called my
friend Tim to come pick me up.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Detective Duane Wiersma

of the Clay County Sheriff's
Department had long

been suspicious about the cult.

Because I wanted to leave.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When he brought Julie Cooper

in for questioning,
she provided a

detailed and harrowing account
of her entire childhood.

I was abused.

I believed Julie
from the beginning.

What type of abuse?

We had a hard time trying
just to focus on the charges

of the rape at the time, because
there were so many other things

that he could have
been charged with.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Before an arrest warrant could

be issued, Nelson
DeCloud ordered the women

and children to load
their possessions

on to four converted buses.

Nelson then took them
away from the commune.

The other man
departed a week later.

The DeCloud Family has
not been seen since.

It's not an
everyday occurrence

where you come up
on a religious group

led by such a powerful
individual as Nelson DeCloud.

We believe they're
still together,

because Nelson feeds
off the power of being

in control of the group.

He doesn't have the group,
then he has no power.

I want Nelson to get caught
because it's not fair to anyone

else that's up there.

My mom and dad, they need to
know that he isn't the messiah.

He can't do things
on his own and think

that he can't get away with it.

He's not above that.

He's a criminal.

What he was doing was wrong.

After our broadcast, several
viewers from San Angelo,

Texas, a small town 500 miles
from DeCloud's old headquarters

in Missouri, called
to say they had seen

DeCloud's wife in the area.

The cult had apparently
settled in this farmhouse.

Once state and local agents
converged on the scene,

DeCloud kicked out the
screen of the upstairs window

in an attempt to escape.

The deputies approached
him and he tried to wrestle

with a few of them briefly.

There were so many law
enforcement officers, though,

that that didn't last very long.

They put the handcuffs on
him and escorted him out

of the building.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nelson DeCloud

was booked at the
local county jail,

and later extradited
to Liberty, Missouri

to stand trial on four
criminal counts, including

forcible rape and sodomy.

Since the arrest
of Nelson DeCloud,

other former
members of the group

have come forward,
wanting to testify

about the things
they witnessed when

they were members of the group.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Nelson DeCloud

is currently out on bail, thanks
to $25,000 raised by followers.

A trial is scheduled
for November 16, 1993.

If convicted on all charges,
Nelson DeCloud could spend

the rest of his life in prison.

I feel confident
now that I can

have a normal life,
after seeing him caught

and knowing that it can be done.

For Julie Cooper, her long
ordeal is almost, but not quite

over.

She still has to testify at
DeCloud's upcoming trial.

However, this courageous
young woman has already found

a happy ending to her story.

Last summer, Julie became
engaged to Tim Santi,

the man who helped her escape.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Next, a dramatic reunion.

A woman finds her long lost
best friend, who helped her

overcome the trauma of polio.

Recently, we featured
the moving story

of Judi Davis, who was stricken
with polio as a young girl.

Judi was searching for her best
childhood friend, Becky Terry.

The two girls had been
wrenched apart back in 1958,

when Becky's family moved away.

Judi and Becky had met on
their first day of junior high.

To the other students, Judi,
with her braces and crutches,

was an unnerving sight,
and she was often

the object of curious stares.

But one girl was different.

One girl offered Judi
the precious gift

of unconditional friendship.

Hi, I'm Becky.

Can I help?
- Thanks.

What homeroom are you in?

The letter said 102.

That's the same one I'm in.

Becky's friendship
to me meant that I

was able to be accepted by the
other students in the school.

And it made me feel like I
was more like everyone else,

and that there was no
difference between us.

And at the age of
12, that meant a lot.

And it still means a lot.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): During
our special live broadcast

last winter, Judi
waited anxiously

at her home in Tucson,
Arizona, hoping

that Becky would be found.

To everyone's joy, they
were reunited by phone

when the program was
still on the air.

Oh, I'm so glad I found you!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Three months later,

Becky and her husband flew from
their home in West Virginia

to meet Judi in Tucson.

If he hadn't stopped,
I'd have jumped out anyway.

I seen her sitting in that yard
and I couldn't wait to see her.

You look so good.

So do you.

Oh gosh!

Finding Becky and telling
her what she meant to me

was really important.

And I didn't want life
to end without being

able to tell her that.

She hasn't changed that much.

Maybe we're a little fatter, you
know, but we love each other.

We'll stay good friends.

Yeah.

And that's the one thing I
always loved about Becky.

She accepted me for the way I
was, and I still feel that way.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Happily,

Judi and Becky's reunion had
an unexpected postscript.

As girls in junior
high school, they

shared a very special friend.

His name was David Major.

David had first been
Becky's boyfriend,

then later on Judi's.

During our live broadcast,
David contacted our telecenter

and left his phone number.

On the day of their
reunion, Judi and Becky

just had to call him back.

I'll bet you'll never
guess who this is.

DAVID (ON PHONE): Uh, no.

Judi Davis.

DAVID (ON PHONE): Judi?
Oh my gosh.

[inaudible]?

Yeah!

DAVID (ON PHONE): How are you?

I'm just fine.

Becky and I are sitting
here, having our reunion.

DAVID (ON PHONE): Is that right?

Yeah.

Oh, that's wonderful.

Yeah, it's great
to hear your voice.

DAVID (ON PHONE): Oh, geez.

You wouldn't believe me now.

Oh really?

DAVID (ON PHONE): Oh really.

You've changed a little?

DAVID (ON PHONE): Oh yeah.

I'm not skinny anymore.

Oh, you're not?
DAVID (ON PHONE): No.

Well, that's all right, honey.

Neither am I!

DAVID (ON PHONE): I
can't believe this.

It's the two girls who
taught me how to kiss!

I'll be darned.

Yeah.

DAVID (ON PHONE):
Oh, that's great.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Now the circle

was at last complete.

So the two girls who taught
David Major how to kiss

took their husbands out
to celebrate the renewal

of a very special friendship.

I'd like to propose
a toast to old friends.

- And new ones.
- And new ones.

Yeah, and new ones.

Thank you for
joining us, and please

join us next time for another
edition of Unsolved Mysteries.

[theme music]