All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S06E10.480p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD 2.0.x264-AJP69_track3_[eng]

[music playing]

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: At the close
of the Second World War,

a young woman entrusted
her daughter to a sailor,

returning home from
service overseas.

Now 49 years later, the
Smoker Car baby has grown up

and needs your help
to find the mother

who reluctantly gave her away.

East Chicago,
Indiana, 1981, it was

politics as usual at a
fundraiser for a leading

candidate for mayor.

Then a local mover and shaker
named Jay Given was gunned down

in the lobby of the Elks
Club, and the prime suspect

turned out to be a
deputy police chief.

In 1992, Larry
Costine was gunned

down at his ranch in Florida.

That same night, his
girlfriend, Melissa Jo

Sermons mysteriously vanished.

Jo's family fears that she, too,
may have met with foul play.

But police believe she may have
been involved in Larry's death.

Join me.

For every mystery, there is
someone who knows the truth.

Perhaps it's you.

[theme music]

East Chicago, Indiana,
is a classic, industrial,

blue-collar community.

Like its famous
namesake in Illinois,

everyday life in East Chicago
was for years controlled

by the local political machine.

For two decades, one of
the city's power brokers

was an attorney named Jay Given.

Given was a master fundraiser,
a clever, behind-the-scenes

operator who traded
on favors to create

strong political alliances.

JEFFREY GIVEN: My father
was very powerful.

He understood how
to win elections.

He was intimately familiar
with the politicians,

the people in power.

He knew all the skeletons
in their closet,

and that makes you very
powerful in a town like this.

ROBERT STACK: But by the
1970s, the political machines

in the Midwest were
beginning to come apart.

In 1970, Given had
helped elect Bob

Pastrick, the city controller,
as mayor of East Chicago.

But within two years, they
were on the outs and no longer

allies.

JEFFREY GIVEN: On
a number of issues,

my father and Mr.
Pastrick split.

Obviously, my
father's attentions

were starting to
turn towards electing

somebody else other than
Bob Pastrick as mayor.

ROBERT STACK: On May 15,
1981, the local Elks Club

was the scene of a
Las-Vegas-style fundraiser

for County Commissioner
N. Atterson Spann.

Spann, the city's
foremost black politician,

was considering a run for mayor.

I'm gonna go right there.

OK.

Well, Jay Given.

- How are you this evening?
- I'm glad you could come.

I'm fine.

Well, I'm
delighted to be here.

ROBERT STACK: Jay Given's
appearance at the fundraiser

was regarded by
many as an attempt

to solidify East Chicago's
white and black power

blocks against the
growing political strength

of Hispanic Americans,
who were backing

Bob Pastrick for re-election.

John, it's a pleasure to meet.

ROBERT STACK: Given worked
the room for two hours.

Shortly after 11:00 PM,
he said his goodbyes

and headed out of the club.

He never made it
through the front door.

[gunshot]

Jay Given was shot once
in the back of the head

at point-blank range.

He died in the entryway
of the Elks Club,

within earshot of 400 people.

Incredibly, no one ever admitted
to witnessing the shooting.

And 12 years later, police
have yet to charge a suspect.

But on the night of the murder,
detectives thought the case

might be wrapped up quickly,
especially after they found

a shell casing in
the foyer of the club

and a spent .45-caliber
bullet in the street.

I was astonished at
the remarkable condition

that this evidence was in.

The projectile came through the
frontal part of his forehead,

went through the glass
doors, hit the building

across the street,
brick building,

and bounce back into the street.

It was in perfect condition,
with the exception

of the nose of the projectile.

ROBERT STACK: Inspector
DiCharia marked the evidence

and locked it in
his desk drawer,

rather than check
it into the vault.

Which is not uncommon, I've
done it with other evidence.

My partner has done it
with other evidence.

I just wanted the other
teams to look at what

we had as far as evidence.

And I said, this
is unbelievable.

ROBERT STACK: Four days
later, Inspector DiCharia

was shocked when he
opened his drawer

and discovered that someone
had tampered with the evidence

in an apparent
attempt to prevent

investigators from matching
the bullet to a gun.

DICHARIA: On the
shell casing, a hole

was punched through the primer.

The projectile, someone had
taken a sharp instrument

and tried to cut the
lines and grooves

where you couldn't identify it.

ROBERT STACK: The only
people with access

to the evidence drawer worked
in the police department.

The tampering had all the
earmarks of an inside job.

DiCharia sent the altered bullet
and shell casing to the FBI

for analysis.

Despite the damage, they
identified the murder weapon

as a rare handgun
called a Detonics.

The casing was eventually linked
to one of only 58 Detonics

with a specially modified
ejecting mechanism.

Incredibly, one of those guns
was traced back to the East

Chicago Police Department.

The weapon was once
owned by Deputy

Chief John Cardona, who was
a prime suspect in the case.

Cardona had been a member
of a Latino political club

that was at odds with Jay Given.

And several eyewitnesses
placed him at the Elks Club

on the night of the shooting.

JOSEPH VAN BOKKELEN: Mr.
Cardona was very active

in the Spanish organization.

They were not welcome
at this event.

I think he gave two or
three different reasons

why he was there, based on
different conversations.

He at some point in time
acknowledged that he

was there to watch Jay Given.

- Draw a king.
- You're killing me.

A jack

You're killing me.

You're killing me.

ROBERT STACK: According
to investigators,

a witness claims
that Cardona seemed

to be following Given at one
point during the evening.

JOSEPH VAN BOKKELEN:
Given had made it clear

that if his people came
in power in the city,

there were going
to be some changes.

And Cardona was one
of those changes.

As a matter of fact, the comment
that was used, if he got in,

Cardona would be walking a beat.

ROBERT STACK: None
of the witnesses

saw Cardona when Given made
his way towards the exit.

However, one party
goer says that shortly

before the shooting, he saw
Given engage in a discussion

with a man in the lobby.

Investigators believe the man
could have been John Cardona.

AUGUSTO FLORES, JR.: He
described the man that

was talking with Mr. given
as approximately 6' 1",

with black, wavy hair
and a bluish-gray suit.

That could have been
consistent with what

Mr. Cardona was wearing
at the time and his size.

He went into the washroom.

And as he was in the
washroom, he heard a gunshot.

When he came out
of the washroom,

immediately he saw Mr. Given,
lying face down on the floor.

And the other person was gone.

ROBERT STACK: Cardona said
that he was in the bar

when Given was gunned down.

However, according
to investigators,

several people said
they did not remember

seeing him there at the time.

AUGUSTO FLORES,
JR.: Witnesses who

were seated at the bar who know
him could not place him there.

The only person that
puts John in the bar

at the time of the
shooting is John himself.

INVESTIGATOR: Did you tell
the investigators the truth

about this case?
ACTOR AS CARDONA: Yes.

ROBERT STACK: Over
the next few weeks,

everyone in the
police department

was asked to take
a polygraph exam,

including Deputy Chief Cardona.

Cardona failed the
test, and later he

refused to take a second exam.

Investigators believed that
three key pieces of evidence

pointed to John Cardona.

He apparently fit the
description of the man

seen talking with Given.

He owned a Detonics handgun,
even though he said it had

been stolen six months earlier.

And Cardona did have
access to the drawer

where the evidence
had been kept.

But when viewed in a
different light, what appears

to be overwhelming
circumstantial evidence

actually makes John Cardona
an unlikely suspect.

Why would a man as prominent
as a deputy police chief

make a very visible
appearance at a fundraiser

attended by 400 people?

Why would he then
shadow the movements

of a known political rival for
at least part of the evening,

as alleged by one witness?

And why would he murder
that rival within earshot

of every guest at the party?

Perhaps it was these very
questions that kept prosecutors

from pressing charges.

In fact, the case was never even
brought before the grand jury.

I think the concern that
the local prosecutor had was

that he could not afford
to lose this case.

He wanted basically a case
that was a locked type case.

And he didn't think this
case was tight enough.

I would like to
see an indictment.

I'd like to see a trial.

And if John Cardona
didn't do it, then fine.

Let's put it to a jury.

And if he didn't do it
in the eyes of the jury

beyond a reasonable
doubt, there you have it.

Let's go after, you
know, whoever did do it.

It's very frustrating to not
have some closure on this.

ROBERT STACK: Who
murdered Jay Given?

At this point,
police believe there

are witnesses who may be able
to help answer that question.

Just prior to the shooting,
five people were descending

the stairway of the Elks Club.

Three of them, all men,
were approaching the foot

of the steps at
the precise moment

that Jay Given was gunned down.

The three men have
never been identified.

The police hope that one
of them saw the killer

and will now come
forward with information.

When we return, a Florida
rancher is murdered,

and his girlfriend
mysteriously vanishes.

[theme music]

Larry Costine was
a Southern cowboy.

Just before the
turn of the century,

his great-great-grandfather
had homesteaded

a stretch of harsh
land in Central Florida

near the city of Lakeland.

Larry took his ranching
heritage seriously.

He had spent his entire 31 years
working with horses and cattle.

EARLOW COSTINE: Larry was
riding a horse from the time

he was two years old.

He loved to work.

He loved to rodeo.

He was stout, husky,
strong as a mule.

He wasn't the type of
person to get into trouble.

He stayed away from trouble.

Of course, if it
came along, he'd

no doubt take care of himself.

ROBERT STACK: Larry's
uncle, Earlow,

was the barn manager
for the Cattlemen's

Livestock Auction Market.

- Hi, Earlow.
- Hi, Larry.

- Jo, how you doing?
- Just fine.

How are you?

Hey, how many do you have?

ROBERT STACK: One of
Earlow's employees

was Melissa Jo Sermons,
whom everyone called Jo.

Jo, I'm gonna run
these up to the office.

I'll be back later.

OK, I'll see you later.

Hey, you ain't said nothing
to him about us, have you?

- Earlow?
- Yeah.

No, I haven't said anything.
Did you tell him something?

No, I didn't say anything.

ROBERT STACK: Unbeknownst
even to Earlow, Jo and Larry

were romantically involved.

They kept their
relationship a secret,

because Larry had just
split up with his wife,

and Jo with her boyfriend.

You do?

OK, well, that's good.

ROBERT STACK: The
boyfriend often worked

at the auction market, too.

By all accounts, he wasn't
taking the breakup well.

EARLOW COSTINE: Different
occasions, I've caught him.

He would be following
her or watching her.

He was just very
upset at the fact

that she had left his house.

And he was having to
live by himself again.

He followed her continuously.

Jo and my other daughter
went to the store.

He would follow them.

Midnight, you'd see him.

We even caught him sneaking
down under the kitchen window,

listening to their
conversation one night.

When we asked him
what he was doing,

he said, oh, I thought I
heard something out here.

And I was just looking.

But he was eavesdropping.

Welcome, ladies and
gentlemen, to Sassoo's Arena

in Lacoochee, Florida.

ROBERT STACK: On
Saturday, May 2, 1992,

Larry and Jo were in Dade City,
Florida, for the weekly rodeo.

--red snorting steer out
of chute number 1 right now.

ROBERT STACK: The events got
underway around 10:00 PM.

Larry and Jo never
missed the rodeo.

Larry was one of
the local stars,

and his favorite
event was team roping.

That night, Jo stuck by Larry's
side, right up to the minute he

and his partner were
called into the box.

[cheering]

Come on.

Come on.

Ladies and gentlemen, we
are looking at a brand-new

winning time, with
the two winners

taking home the purse tonight.

I told you that you would win.

I told you.

ROBERT STACK: Larry and his
partner split a $350 purse.

The rodeo finished
late that night.

Around 2:00 AM,
Larry and Jo went

out to breakfast with a friend.

They dropped him off at 4:00 AM.

It is believed Jo and Larry
arrived back at his trailer

around 4:15 Sunday morning.

No one knows exactly
what happened after that.

When Jo didn't come
home that night,

her mother called
Earlow Costine.

For the first time, he learned
of Jo and Larry's relationship.

Earlow called Larry's trailer,
but Larry didn't answer.

The next morning, when Jo
didn't show up for work,

Earlow drove to Larry's trailer.

He found Larry's
truck in the driveway

and heard a radio on
inside the trailer.

Earlow's frantic knocks at
the door went unanswered.

EARLOW COSTINE: As soon
as I got to the trailer

and seen the situation,
I immediately called back

to my wife and told her to
call the sheriff's department

and get them out there.

And I just-- a feeling came
to me, that I knew in my mind

that something bad was wrong.

Thanks a lot for coming out.

I really appreciate this.

I'm Earlow Costine.

Bob Clayton, how you doing?

Bob, a pleasure, uh,
I'm worried to death

about my nephew, Larry.

Have you tried to go
inside the house yet?

No.

No, I haven't.

I-- I'm afraid to, to
be honest about it.

Does anybody have a key to it?

I've got the key.

Sheriff's office,
is anybody home?

Mr. Costine, is anybody home?

That's exactly what I got.

[gasping]

EARLOW COSTINE: When the
deputy put the key in

and opened the door--

Just wait out here for me.

--the smell was unreal.

And I knew then
that Larry was dead.

But I felt like both
of them would be there

when we opened the door,
being as both of them

was missing at the time.

And as soon as they told
Earlow there was only one body,

he called us and
told us at that time

that my daughter was missing.

And they did not know
where she was at.

ROBERT STACK: Larry
Costine had been found

nude on his bedroom floor,
shot through the head

four times with a handgun.

His bed had not been slept in.

There was no sign of
a struggle or robbery.

And one of Larry's
guns was missing.

The Polk County Sheriff's
Department launched

an all-out investigation.

At first, suspicion focused
on Jo's ex-boyfriend.

Take some photographs for me.

BOB ORE: We interviewed him.

He was able to give us an
alibi for his particular time

and location when the
actual murder occurred.

I don't feel that the
ex-boyfriend at this time

has any involvement.

I have no evidence
to indicate that.

Let's move down to that end.

ROBERT STACK: Soon, Jo
herself became a suspect.

But Earlow Costine is
convinced that Jo Sermons

did not murder his nephew.

I feel like somebody
watched Larry, knew

Larry was at a roping,
knew Jo was with Larry,

followed Larry home, or knew
when he was coming home,

and was waiting for him.

Let's get a beer.

No, you don't need no beer.

EARLOW COSTINE:
Personally, I feel

like it was somebody real
jealous of his actions

that particular
night, being with Jo,

spending the night with Jo.

[gunfire]

I said now.

Didn't I tell you to
stay away from him?

Didn't I tell you?

I think Jo was probably
taken at gunpoint

and at a later time murdered.

I think Jo's dead.

If we want to look at Jo's
ex-boyfriend as a suspect

in this case, I
think that he would

have probably
committed the offense

in a different situation.

I don't think that it would
have happened in the residence.

I don't think he would have
allowed Jo and Larry to spend

time in the residence alone, and
also the fact that, of course,

there is no struggle.

ROBERT STACK: The
authorities believe

Jo Sermons may be the
only person who could have

gotten close enough
to Larry Costine

to kill him without a struggle.

Is it possible that
something happened

in the trailer that
night, something

that provoked Jo to violence?

I think Larry could
have made her mad.

He can make anybody
mad in a split second.

He'll push, push, and push
until he does make you mad.

They might have gotten
into an argument,

and that led into
one thing or another.

ACTOR AS LARRY: Come on, Jo.

You can spend the night.

Come on.

DONNA COSTINE: I mean, she
could have been joking,

but it just led into
something violent.

ACTOR AS LARRY: Put
the gun down, Jo.

Put it down.
Hey, OK.

Go ahead and shoot me.
Go ahead.

[gunfire]

DONNA COSTINE: In my heart, I
strongly believe that she is

alive and that she is hiding.

Based on everything that
I have learned, at this time

I feel that Jo was in some
way involved in the murder,

either actually committing the
murder, or possibly a witness

to it.

But she has some
type of involvement

and/or knowledge about it.

I think her ex-boyfriend's
kidnapped her.

I would like to think
she's still alive,

but I really don't believe that
they could hold her this long.

I believe she's dead.

I've come to terms with God.

I just want him to help me
settle this case, to find

out who did it and let
them pay the penalty

that they should pay.

ROBERT STACK: Ever since
that night Larry Costine

was murdered, there
have been sightings

of Melissa Jo Sermons
at truck stops

in Florida, Texas, and Kansas.

The authorities believe
the sightings are reliable.

Earlow Costine does not.

I feel like by
now, that she'd have

made a move to come back or
see her mother and her sisters.

I can't believe that anybody's
ever really seen her.

They've seen people that
they thought maybe was her.

The authorities
continue to investigate

this case on the assumption
that Jo Sermons is still alive.

Jo holds a license to
operate a tractor-trailer.

Two witnesses claim they saw her
behind the wheel of a big rig,

hauling livestock.

Nearly 50 years
ago, a young mother,

barely able to support herself,
reluctantly gave up her baby.

Perhaps you can help
reunite them, next.

[theme music]

August 14, 1945, the end
of the Second World War,

all across the country,
people spontaneously

took to the streets
in joyous celebration.

There would be no more fighting.

The troops were coming home.

Life would return to normal.

In November of that year, Seaman
First Class Donald Caffrey

boarded a train in
Seattle, heading home

to his wife in Omaha, Nebraska,
after almost two years at sea.

In the smoker car, Donald
ran into a young woman

named Dorothy Johnson.

Hey, beautiful.

ROBERT STACK: Separated from
her husband, and just 17,

Dorothy was traveling
to Utica, New

York, with her 11-month-old
daughter, Eyvonne.

Do you mind
holding her a while?

No, no, not at all.

ROBERT STACK: Donald was
delighted to hold Eyvonne.

And before long, he became
her unofficial babysitter.

That evening, as the
train proceeded east,

Dorothy sat with Donald
and slowly revealed

the details of her life.

When we get to Utica,
I'm going to have

to put her in a foster home.

ROBERT STACK: Dorothy was
in dire financial straits

and had no way of
supporting her baby.

Because I can't
take care of her.

I-- I'm sorry.

DONALD CAFFREY: I talked
quite a bit to her.

That's OK.

I'm going to get a job.

And as we started
getting closer to Omaha,

why, I asked her if she would
like to have me take the baby

home with me till
she got settled

and could send for the baby.

Or maybe I could
bring it to her.

And she agreed on that.

I thought I'd better
get something on paper

to prove that I wasn't
kidnapping the child.

So I thought of this idea of
writing up this agreement.

ROBERT STACK: The
agreement stated

that Dorothy had willingly
entrusted Eyvonne to Donald's

care and that if
she did not call

for the child within 60
days, Donald and his wife

could begin adoption
proceedings.

SANDRA LEE NELSON:
I feel at that time,

she was at her last rope.

She didn't know what
to do with this child.

I think that she
picked him because she

could see that he cared.

And he has compassion
for people,

and he has a very good heart.

And I feel like she knew that.

She knew when she said,
will you take this child,

that she could trust him.

ROBERT STACK: At 2:00
PM on November 16,

the train pulled into Omaha.

Donald's wife, Barbara,
and his parents

were there to give
him a hero's welcome.

Donald.

Barbara.

MAN: Now boarding the
Omaha to Utica Express.

DONALD CAFFREY: I got off the
train and hugged and kissed.

And then I told
her the good news.

Who's this?

Well, she needed a home.

A woman on the train
asked me to keep her.

DONALD CAFFREY: That
kind of shocked her,

set her back on her heels.

I tried to explain the
whole thing to my wife,

and she didn't really
believe it at first.

She thought it was probably
some of my scouting around.

ROBERT STACK: Barbara soon
got over her initial shock.

Within days, both
of the Caffreys

were completely in
love with Eyvonne.

However, when county
officials caught

wind of the unusual
arrangement, Donald and Barbara

became fearful that Eyvonne
would be taken from them.

They decided to file
for legal custody

before the agreed-upon 60 days.

A few days later,
Donald received

a wire from Dorothy Johnson.

Thank you very much.

ACTRESS AS DOROTHY:
"Arrived home Tuesday,

and I want Eyvonne very much.

How is she, anyway?

Dorothy Johnson."

ROBERT STACK: Donald
was in a quandary.

The very next day, he and
Barbara were due in court

for the custody hearing.

Donald decided to
proceed, believing it was

in Eyvonne's best interests.

What is the word from
the child's natural mother,

uh, Dorothy Johnson?

She has not appeared.

ROBERT STACK: The judge said
that before making a decision,

he would need to
speak personally

with Dorothy Johnson.

The child is how old?

ROBERT STACK: A new
court date was scheduled.

Eyvonne was placed in
temporary foster care

and became an
overnight celebrity.

Newspapers throughout the
country seized upon the story.

They dubbed Eyvonne
the Smoker Car Baby.

Dorothy Johnson was summoned to
Omaha to explain her actions.

Otherwise, she might be
charged with parental neglect.

Dorothy never appeared
in court, but a witness

did show up to challenge
the Caffrey's custody suit.

Your honor, Dorothy is afraid
to come to Omaha herself,

as she faces charges of neglect.

She fears going to jail.

I'm Dorothy Johnson's sister.

I've come from New York in hopes
of adopting the baby myself.

I feel I can provide a good
and decent home for the child.

And I'm sure in time,
the baby would respond

to me as her own mother.

Request denied.

I had never seen anybody.

Nobody ever showed up on
my doorstep or called me

or asked me for the
baby back or a thing.

So we just went ahead
and decided to adopt her.

In light of your ongoing
commitment to the child--

ROBERT STACK: In June of 1947,
after a two-year struggle,

a juvenile court judge awarded
the Caffreys sole custody.

--custody of the child to
Donald and Barbara Caffrey.

ROBERT STACK: By now, Eyvonne
had been renamed Sandra Lee.

The Smoker Car Baby ceased
to be headline material.

When Sandra was nine,
her parents separated.

She spent most of her
time with her grandmother.

When Sandra was 18, her
adopted mother finally told

her the truth about her past.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: When I
found out that I was adopted,

I was really surprised.

I came back home.

And I said, Grandmother,
was I adopted?

And my grandmother said,
yes, with tears in her eyes

because I really don't think she
ever really wanted me to know.

ROBERT STACK: A few months
later, Sandra received

an unusual letter in the mail.

For the first time, she saw
the face of her natural mother.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: When the
picture came in this envelope,

there was no address, no note.

It could have been my mother
that sent the article.

And maybe she was
afraid to come out.

Maybe she just wanted
to be in the background,

but let me be able to see.

It's a mystery.

It's a mystery.

ROBERT STACK: The letter was
postmarked Omaha, Nebraska.

Only later did Sandra discover
that an anonymous woman had

phoned her grandmother
and asked if she

could send Sandra clippings
about the Smoker Car Baby.

Today, armed with little
more than faded clippings

and a single photograph
of Dorothy Johnson,

Sandra is more
determined than ever

to reunite with the mother
who reluctantly gave

her away nearly 50 years ago.

I think she got scared.

I think she wanted me.

But I don't think she had any
help, maybe from her family,

to help her try
to get back to me.

There's a void in my life.

I know in her life
there's that void, too,

and there's lots of hurt.

On the night of our broadcast,
Sandra Lee Nelson's long search

came to a bittersweet end.

A viewer called our phone
center with the sad news

that Dorothy Johnson
had passed away in 1968.

However, Sandra was overjoyed
to learn that she had an Uncle

Mickey and two
aunts, Jan and Alice,

who had always
wondered about Sandra

and were anxious to meet her.

A month later, on December 28,
1993, Sandra and her husband,

Chet, arrived in
Syracuse, New York,

to receive a most
remarkable Christmas gift--

a house full of
relatives, waiting to meet

Sandra for the very first time.

I didn't think I'd
ever find anyone.

It just gave me chills.

It just made me feel
real warm, like, oh,

gee, what a nice family.

This is Dorothy and Herald.

Oh, Dorothy and Wayne.

That's Wayne.

ROBERT STACK: Sandra
and her new family

began to compare notes on
Dorothy Johnson's life.

Although Sandra was unable to
learn the identity of her birth

father, she did discover
that in the early 1950s,

Dorothy had married a
man named Wayne Rogers.

Sandra now would like
to find Wayne Rogers,

in the hope that she can fill in
the remaining gaps in her past.

Now this is the only
picture I have of me.

I'm getting little
bits and pieces

from friends and
relatives, telling

me a little bit about her.

You know, these little things
mean a great deal to me.

I have found a family, a
wonderful family that I

never thought I'd ever have.

This is the best holiday.

One more hug.

OK.

SANDRA LEE NELSON: The
best time in my life.

ROBERT STACK: When we return,
authorities need your help

in the case of a vicious,
unknown assailant

who targets young girls.

The neighborhood park--
in a perfect world,

a refuge from the
realities of urban life,

filled with the sounds
of children at play.

But on May 26, 1992, a park
in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,

became the backdrop for a
parent's worst nightmare.

Mom, I forgot my shoes.

ROBERT STACK: Across the
street from the park,

a 3-year-old girl named
Mandy lived with her aunt.

Mandy had spent most
of the afternoon

in the playground, which was
almost like her own backyard.

At 6:00 PM, she returned
to retrieve her shoes.

(SINGING) I've been
working on the railroad,

all the live-long day.

I've been working
on the railroad,

just to pass the time away.

Come on.

Go, go, go, go.

Come on.

You can do it.

OK, guys, face off.

I got worried, and I went
out to go and find her.

And when I did get
out to the park,

there was a guy
out there, playing

ball hockey with his kids.

Have you seen Mandy anywhere?

I've been looking
all over for her.

Uh, well, I saw her
over by the swing set.

AUDREY: He said he had just
seen Mandy about five minutes

earlier, getting her
shoes, but he didn't

see which way Mandy went.

Mandy!

ROBERT STACK: Audrey
combed the neighborhood

for two solid hours.

Finally, she called the police.

They launched their own search,
but also came up empty handed.

Mandy!

ROBERT STACK: 19 hours later,
a group of horseback riders

came across Mandy in a remote
field, 9 miles from her home.

Oh, my God, Daryl, just a
minute, just a minute, Laurie.

ROBERT STACK: She
had a one-inch welt

on her neck from
being choked and had

been sexually assaulted.

She was partially clothed, and
both of her shoes were missing.

But amazingly, Mandy
was still alive.

It was quite obvious to
everyone involved that she

had been left for dead.

She was injured
to such an extent

that the perpetrator definitely
wanted her to be dead.

I wouldn't have
believed that she

could have made it out there,
the way they found her.

But then when I thought about
it after, she was a miracle.

It was a miracle that
she lived through that.

ROBERT STACK:
Apparently, the assailant

had driven into the field
and thrown Mandy from the car

without stopping.

But he had left nothing
in the way of evidence.

Mandy initially
wasn't able to tell

us an awful lot because she
was only 3 and 1/2 years old.

However, as time
progresses, she is giving

us more and more information.

She is actually a very
bright young girl.

In my opinion, if she sees the
person or persons responsible,

she will be able
to identify them.

I think we have
something over here.

ROBERT STACK: Within 5 miles of
the spot where Mandy was found,

the police chanced upon
tattered pieces of her skirt

and one of her sneakers.

The police believed the items
were discarded by the assailant

shortly after he dumped Mandy
by the side of the room.

The shoe was minus the laces.

We're still missing at
this time her left shoe.

The person responsible may be
saving these items as a bit

of a trophy, a keepsake.

And we're hopeful as well that
perhaps somebody may have seen

the shoe or perhaps the
part of that jean skirt

in the person's vehicle.

ROBERT STACK: The
investigation soon stalled.

Four months later
on September 4,

a local newspaper
reported that the police

had uncovered no further clues.

Essentially, the case
was at a dead end.

Home base.

No fair, you cheated.

ROBERT STACK: Two days
later, a six-year-old girl

and her five-year-old
friend were playing

outside their
apartment building,

just 4 miles from
where Mandy lived.

10, 20, 30, 40,
50, 60, 99, 100.

[screaming]

Mom!

ROBERT STACK: Minutes
later, an 11-year-old boy

looked out his window and saw
a man getting into a blue van

with a little girl.

The abducted girl was
six-year-old Corrine Gustavson,

who was nicknamed Punky.

The police immediately
set up a command post

and, aided by dozens
of volunteers,

launched a widespread search.

Punky's parents,
Karen and Raymond,

could do little more than
sit at home and wait.

We were just feeling
sick and worried.

You know, what could
have happen to her?

And what could he
be doing to her,

and if we would ever find her?

ROBERT STACK: Three days passed.

Then on September 8, at a
truck yard in the southeast

section of Edmonton,
a driver noticed

what he thought was a rag doll.

Punky Gustavson
had been murdered.

Punky had been
raped and smothered.

Her death brought
Mandy's assault

back into the public eye.

However, unlike
Mandy's case, clues

had been left at the scene.

We were able to obtain
footprints and tire prints.

The tire prints indicated
that the suspect drove

a mid-sized, North-American,
front wheel drive vehicle

with Goodyear Invicta GLs on
the back with approximately 20%

wear and bald
tires on the front.

The footprints indicated that
he wore a miter type baseball

cleat, size 5 and 1/2 to 7.

This was a patented trade
design, manufactured in Canada.

We were able to determine that
Corinne was, in fact, killed

at another location and
dumped in the truck yard,

much the same as what
happened to Mandy,

being dumped in the field.

The distance the victims were
transported after abduction,

what was done to the victims
by the offender, all facts

of the case lead me to believe
that both crimes were committed

by the same individual.

ROBERT STACK: Ron
McKay is Canada's

foremost criminal profiler.

He has developed a
detailed personality

portrait of the assailant.

In my opinion, this
offender is in his late teens

to early 20s.

He probably doesn't
have a girlfriend,

somewhat of a loner.

He's a fantasy-motivated
individual.

And his fantasy is only
satisfied temporarily.

So therefore after he
regains some confidence,

and if the fantasy
continues untreated,

then the probability
of him re-offending

in a similar fashion is
a very real probability.

ROBERT STACK: Since
Punky's death,

the Edmonton Police have
launched their largest media

campaign ever.

Someone out there
knows this guy,

be it their next-door
neighbor, their schoolmate,

their fellow employee,
or the little paper

boy that lived down the block.

Our bad guy doesn't have to
look like any kind of a monster.

He could just look like
your boy next door.

I'm going to bring you on
stage here for just a minute.

OK, how old are you?

Six.

Oh, bummer, you've
got to be seven to do

this trick, yeah, seven, seven.

How old are you?

Seven.

ROBERT STACK: This home
video was taken to two months

before Corrine died.

The police have not
ruled out the possibility

that the same man
who murdered Corrine

may have also attacked Mandy.

I know it would give our
family a sense of relief,

knowing that he's behind bars.

And somebody else isn't going
to have to go through what

we're going through.

And some poor, little kid
isn't going to have to suffer

like Corrine must have.

As long as he's
out on the streets,

every little kid is in jeopardy.

[music playing]

Join me next time for
another intriguing addition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]