All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S07E02.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BTW_track3_[eng]

MALE (VOICEOVER): 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): In
1884, one of the wealthiest men

in New Mexico built his wife the
finest house money could buy,

a glorious Victorian mansion.

But after the couple's
youngest daughter died,

the lady of the house turned
into a virtual recluse.

And a lot of folks say that her
spirit has haunted the mansion

for nearly a century.

Tonight, we'll take
you along as a team

of real life Ghostbusters tries
to flush the elusive ghost out

of hiding.

In March of 1988, the head of
a multimillion dollar drug ring

named John Roubas
was assassinated just

outside San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Or was he?

Authorities now suspect someone
else was murdered in his place,

and that Roubas is
very much alive.

Legend has it that
nearly 150 years ago,

wealthy citizens
in old Los Angeles

buried their riches
for safekeeping

during the Mexican-American War.

Is there still a fortune
in gold and jewels

hidden in the shadows of
LA's downtown skyline?

Also, a heartwarming update.

Thanks to your calls,
a family has been

reunited after 45 years apart.

Joine me.

Perhaps you may be able
to solve a mystery.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
This is the La Posada

Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Nestled within its
Adobe walls is a

100-year-old Victorian mansion.

Recently, that
mansion has become

the focus of an unusual,
high tech investigation.

No crime has been committed.

No one has been hurt.

No one has disappeared.

It's important to
look at thresholds

as soon as you walk in as well.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Believe it or not,

this team of investigators
is looking for a ghost.

So far, the
information we have

regarding the La Posada Hotel--

it appears to have all the
characteristics of what

is referred to as a classic
haunt, because of the history,

because of a variety of
different types of witnesses

who had this experience.

It certainly appears
to look that way,

that it is a classic haunt.

We're trying to approach
it very unbiased

without any expectations.

So at this point,
we're not sure exactly

what we're going to find, or
what we're going to encounter.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
If Christopher Chacone

and his team of real
life Ghostbusters

do encounter a spirit
at the La Posada Hotel,

she probably answers to
the name Julius Stob.

Folks around here say
Julia has been haunting

the place for nearly a century.

Julia came to Santa
Fe from Germany

around 1870 to marry Abraham
Stobb, one of the wealthiest

men in New Mexico.

Abraham promised Judy he
would someday build her

the finest house
money could buy.

Mazel tov.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Seven children and 14 years

later, the Stobbs
moved into Santa

Fe's first Victorian mansion.

Look at the beautiful
parlor that papa

has made mama with her
favorite flower in mind.

See the rose stained glass?

When Julia moved
into this house,

she became the queen
of Santa Fe society.

All major affairs
were held here.

They entertained dignitaries
from the government,

President Rutherford
Hayes, General

Sherman, Governor Wallace.

Big parties were held here.

And one would think she
was a very happy woman.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In the new house,

Julia and Abraham were blessed
with an eighth child, a girl.

But, tragically, the baby
would live only a short time.

Abraham.

I'm so sorry.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to Betsy Sollitt,

Julia's joy turned
to sorrow overnight.

She was so distraught
over the child's death.

And it's said that she didn't
eat or sleep for two weeks.

And when she finally slept
and she awoke, and looked

in the mirror, all of
the beautiful black hair

on her head had turned
completely white.

All of the grief
went into her hair.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
According to legend,

Julia Stobb withdrew
from society,

and was rarely seen
outside her mansion.

When Julia died
at the age of 52,

she seemed far older
than her years.

In 1936, the Stobb mansion
was acquired by the La Posada.

Eventually, the modern
hotel was built around it.

The front door of the mansion
is reached through the lobby.

And the Stobb home is
as elegant as ever.

The rooms upstairs,
including Julia's bedroom,

can be booked by hotel guests.

And, Julia, over the
years has had a way

of making her presence known.

I think there
is something here.

There's no doubt to me.

Too many people,
including guests

who know nothing about
the history of the place,

say there is something.

Whether it's a ghost, or whether
it's some sort of energy,

I don't know.

Built back in 1882, and
it's the first formal brick

building built in Santa Fe.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Chuck Barone

was a hardened skeptic until
1991, when he and a desk clerk

took several guests on an
impromptu tour of the hotel.

Even though Julia's
room was not occupied,

hotel policy required the
clerk to knock anyway.

[knocking]

WOMAN: I'm in here.

I thought you said
nobody was in there.

Let me double check
at the front desk.

He went downstairs.

I stayed up with the guests.

And nobody came
out the front door.

It been several minutes.

And by then, anything
I was thinking about

may have passed,
because I figured

there was a guest in the room.

[knocking]

Security.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Curiously, the clerk

had returned, confirming that
Julia's room was not booked.

Hello?

And so he knocked
on the door again.

Nothing happened.

And we went in.

And the room was empty.

Nobody here.

The windows were
locked from the inside.

Nobody had come out the door.

And I really have no
explanation for it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Around a year later,

Chuck's son John Barone, who
also worked as a security

guard, had his own
weird encounter

when he checked the men's
washroom at closing time.

Security?

Locking up for the evening.

It's time to go.

I looked in the mirror.

And there was a face,
like a reflection.

I felt a cold chill
come through me.

And something told me,
it's time to leave.

I left.

I didn't turn off the lights.

I didn't turn off
the hall lights.

I didn't check the
female's restroom.

And I proceeded
out the back door.

And I didn't come back.

I feel that it is real.

There is no doubt in my mind,
because I saw someone standing

there looking down at us.

And before then, I
was not a believer.

But once I saw her
there, I believe

that she is present here.

Could you turn the TV off?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
This past June,

Ross Wisenhoffer and
Holly were in Santa Fe

to attend a friend's wedding.

Even though they stayed in
the room across the hall

from Julia's, Ross and Holly had
never heard any of the stories.

We shut the TV off.

At that time, I was up.

And I was trying to
go back to sleep.

And my eyes were closed.

And at that time, I felt
something staring at me.

I saw the white apparition.

I put my head down.

And I'm like, my
gosh, this isn't

happening to me right now.

And then I looked up
again for the second time.

And at that point, it started
to become more defined.

I put my head back down.

And when I looked
up the third time,

it definitely was
Julia standing there.

Ross, what is it?

Ross, what's going on?

What is it?

What are you doing?

And at that point, I
jumped up out of bed,

flicked the lights on.

And I said, we're out of here.

Within five minutes, we
were down at the front desk.

I've never seen him like that.

I've never seen him
scared, especially enough

to have goosebumps.

He was definitely
a skeptic before.

And then once he saw this
happen, he was a believer.

So I was quite surprised.

So this was your room?

Yes, it was.

All right.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Just
two weeks later, Ross and Holly

were back at the La Posada to
talk to Christopher Chacone

from the Office of Scientific
Investigation and Research.

When had the image, was
it just getting thicker?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At the hotel,

Chacone's team of
Ghostbusters included

a physician, a psychologist,
and an electrical engineer.

It was getting more defined.

Where would I be in
relationship to where you saw?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Their goal--

to determine whether the
hauntings here can be explained

in scientific, rational terms.

Closer.

Closer?

Yeah.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Of the 800 investigations

of poltergeist phenomena that
I've been on, 70% of them

appear to be have rational
explanations for them.

We have found,
definitively, answers.

However, there's
another 30% which,

apparently, we cannot find
a rational explanation for.

They define the known laws of
nature and physics, at least

as we know them today.

It might remind you.

Could you take a look
at that, and just

tell me what comes to mind,
and what you can see in there?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
An important part

of each investigation is
a psychological evaluation

of the subjects.

She's breaking bad
news, or bringing

bad news, to the family.

Pull your arm back toward
him as hard as you can.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Next, the subjects

undergo a physical
examination to eliminate

any possible somatic
causes for the sighting.

One of the cases
that come to mind

is one situation where a woman
had a brain tumor pressing

against a certain part
of her brain, which

would cause these seizures.

And it would create the
illusion, at least to her,

that some type of entity
was coming and having

physical contact with her.

When we get to the aspect of
the case where we're looking

into the environment , we begin
to take samples of the water,

samples of the air.

We take elements that the
individual would actually

have physical contact with,
pieces of carpet with the wall,

paint on the wall.

We're looking for
toxic elements, which

could somehow affect them.

For example, certain
types of phosphate gases,

when mixed with air, can
produce flashes of light.

And some might see this
as poltergeist phenomena

when, in fact, it's obviously
rationally explainable.

After examining the environment,
if we don't find anything which

is obvious, we will
then proceed to set

up equipment in the environment
to do a long term surveillance.

We would have specially
designed radioactivity

monitoring equipment.

We look for electrostatic
discharge of any type.

We would look at
the magnetic fields,

both electromagnetic fields
and geomagnetic fields.

We would analyze the
spectrum of light,

from infrared to ultraviolet,
and everything in between.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The environment--

in this case, the upstairs
rooms of the Stobb mansion--

is sealed off for a
period of 12 to 72 hours.

Go ahead and stand by.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
State of the art

monitoring equipment, worth more
than half a million dollars,

is setup in an adjacent area.

The team then returns to
the environment, armed

with special thermal
cameras which

measure temperature variations.

Finally, the room is
plunged into total darkness.

The team uses the most
advanced night vision equipment

to examine the environment.

We have floors
that are lopsided.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): At
the end of every investigation,

the team sits down together
for a case wrap up.

Some people can perceive.

There are no air vents.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): We were

able to analyze the environment
in every possible way.

And we did not
encounter anything which

was unusual or extraordinary.

No vision and hearing trouble.

OK, psychologically, I think
in terms of behavioral profile,

I see--

The examinations
performed on Russ and Holly

prove that they are, in fact,
very credible witnesses.

Functioning individuals.

I see no evidence
of any suspicions.

Based on the results of the
investigations we've conducted

here, we haven't found any
facts to disprove the fact

that the La Posada is haunted.

There certainly, then,
is that possibility

that there is unusual paranormal
phenomena taking place here.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Christopher Chacone

and his team do plan to
return to the hotel at least

once more to search for
definitive signs of a haunting.

In the meantime, if you should
find yourself in Santa Fe,

if you should check into one of
the rooms in the original Stobb

mansion, it might not be a bad
idea to leave a single red rose

on the windowsill.

After all, rumor
has it that it was

Julius Stobb's favorite flower.

When we return, the puzzling
death of John Roubas.

Did a cunning drug lord
stage his own murder

to evade capture?

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
March 7th, 1988--

San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Flames consumed a
late model car that

had apparently been abandoned
in a remote corner of the city.

The next morning,
local authorities

found the remains
of a body charred

beyond recognition in
the back seat of the car.

The only evidence
that might eventually

lead to an ID of a victim
was a fragment of jaw bone

and four loose teeth
recovered from the ashes.

One week later,
anonymous informant

told police that the
dead man was John Roubas.

It was a name
authorities knew well.

John Scott Roubas was a
ringleader of a multimillion

dollar drug network.

Headquartered in Puerto
Rico, the Roubas operation

had a virtual
monopoly on cocaine

and marijuana distribution in
the Midwestern United States.

We were able to obtain
dental records from John

Roubas' dentist in Florida.

And we shipped those dental
records to a pathologist

in Puerto Rico, who had
found in the burnt automobile

four loose teeth and
a piece of a jaw bone.

That pathologist identified
those loose teeth

as being those of John Roubas.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): For years,

Roubas had alluded
law enforcement

in several countries.

Now, fire had
apparently accomplished

what the law could not.

John Roubas was out of business.

Or was he?

It began with a
few whispered rumors.

But in the months that followed
the grisly discovery in Puerto

Rico, authorities began to
suspect that the fiery death

of John Roubas was, in
fact, a cunning hoax, a ruse

to avoid prosecution.

Tonight, in an
exclusive interview

a former member of the
drug lord's inner circle

claims that John
Roubas is very much

alive, and as busy as ever.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The sprawling

empire of John Roubas operated
with military precision.

A fleet of small
airplanes ferried

tons of cocaine and marijuana
from secret plantations

deep in the jungles of
Colombia, Panama, and Jamaica.

The flights converged at
the island of Puerto Rico.

The drugs were
repackaged, and then

shipped into the United States
through Milwaukee and Chicago.

Between 1981 and
'85, Roubas slipped

an estimated $30 million
worth of drugs into the US.

The Roubas operation was
a model of efficiency.

At prearranged times,
illicit cargoes

arriving from South
America were dropped just

off the coast of Puerto Rico.

Small boats were
already in place

waiting to retrieve the drugs.

In most cases,
Roubas had hands

on with the drug trafficking.

Where a lot of the higher
echelon drug traffickers

normally would stay
in the background,

Roubas came to the foreground
and actively got involved

in the distribution process.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The drugs

were brought from the beach
to a hidden processing plant

in the Puerto Rican highlands.

There, the large
bundles were broken down

into one pound packages
that could readily

be smuggled into the US.

John is one of the craftiest
guys I've ever met in my life.

And his ability to smuggle
drugs into the United States

unmolested--

you know, he had several
years, maybe five, six, seven,

eight years of
successful smuggling

with no type of
wiretapping or anything.

Don't get funny with my stuff.

You know, he ran a
real stiff organization.

Hey, Pablo!

Come here.

Roubas was very ruthless.

That's typical of
the drug business.

You have to gain your
respect through fear.

And Roubas was very good at it.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In one notorious incident,

Roubas supposedly
became suspicious

that one of his
pilots was running

his own smuggling operation
using a company plane.

I see that it takes
you twice the time

using twice as much
fuel, I get nervous.

Yeah, but we have a problem--

Sit down!

We have problems.

John, you've got
the wrong man here.

Yeah, that's right.

I got the wrong man.

Mr. Roubas.

[speaking spanish]

What do you
think it would take

for me to pull the trigger?

What do you think it would take?

What do you think it would take?

Go on, get out of here!

Get out!

Get out!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Roubas
ruled with such an iron hand

that it took investigators years
to penetrate the organization,

locate the hidden processing
plant, and close in on Roubas

himself.

By December of 1987,
authorities in the United States

had enough evidence to charge
37 members of the ring.

Every one of them was arrested,
everyone but John Roubas.

He seemed to have
vanished into thin air.

Three months later,
the charred remains

were identified as Roubas
based solely on the four

teeth found at the scene.

In the United States,
the outstanding charges

against Roubas were dropped.

In Puerto Rico, police
uncovered a vendetta

that had apparently
led to the murder

of the fugitive drug lord.

Donald Kurtzer, a former
associate of Roubas,

was convicted of
masterminding the hit.

Allegedly, Roubas was
killed in retaliation

for raping both
Kurtzer's girlfriend

and the 14-year-old daughter
of Kurtzer's housekeeper.

According to Puerto
Rican authorities,

the night of his death,
Roubas arrived at the airport

in San Juan.

He was met there by
two women, one of whom

was ultimately
convicted in the case.

Although he rarely
drank, Roubas was

said to be heavily intoxicated.

We were so worried about you.

Worried?

Honey, I missed you.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Explaining that they had

an unexpected errand,
the women drove

their passenger to a deserted
area on the outskirts of town.

Hey, where are we?

[gunshots]

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Officially,

John Roubas ceased to exist--

officially.

[phone ringing]

Hey, what's up?

JOHN: It's John.

John?

Where have you been?

But A few months later,
his former associate Richard

received a call from a dead man.

What do you mean?

JOHN: I mean it's
not a good time

to go down there right now.

All right, I think I know
what you're talking about.

JOHN: They closed
down the old house.

A lot of people
have been picked up.

I have no doubt about
it being John Roubas.

You know, we had acquaintance
over an extensive period

of time.

So I mean, you know, I'd
know his voice anywhere.

We also began to receive
information through some

various other of the
co-defendants that had been

charged in the
case that, perhaps,

Roubas was alive, that
they had seen him,

that they had talked to him.

And what was reported to us
was that one of the defendants

wives had received a
telephone call from a person

that she identified
as John Roubas.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Authorities

have another reason to
believe Roubas is still alive.

He was simply too smart
to let himself be trapped.

John Roubas in the
business he was involved in,

illegal narcotics, was a
very suspicious individual,

and took a lot of precaution
to protect himself.

He never traveled alone.

And when he did travel,
he always traveled armed.

So the facts that
were put together just

did not fit well with what
we knew of John Roubas.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Two people

have served time in
Puerto Rican prisons

for the murder of John Roubas.

But was Roubas truly the victim?

Or was someone else
assassinated in his place?

Roubas was fully capable
of staging his own death,

and may well have
had his own teeth

extracted in order to accomplish
a false identification

of a body.

And I believe that there is
substantial reason to believe

that John Roubas is alive.

It wasn't he could have.

He did pull it off.

I know John pretty well.

I mean, and John is a
very mystique type of guy.

One thing that he
would never do was

corner himself in a situation
where he couldn't get out.

He always had an exit that
most people didn't know about.

Bottom line is that
John Roubas still rides.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

surprising discoveries
in a treasure

hunt in downtown Los Angeles.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Spanish doubloons,

royal jewels, chests of gold--

in our experience, there's
nothing like an old legend

of buried treasure
to lure otherwise

sensible folks into the
wilderness to risk their lives.

While these tales may be
rich in history and folklore,

we've learned that
they don't usually

amount to much when
it comes to actually

finding anything of value.

That is, until we heard about
the buried treasures of Elysian

Park, 575 acres of hills
and secluded canyons

situated just two miles from the
heart of downtown Los Angeles.

In June of 1994,
"Unsolved Mysteries"

brought in a team of historical
researchers and high tech

surveyors to follow
up age old rumors

of buried gold and jewels that
would now be worth millions.

Incredibly, the
sensitive instruments

revealed that the legendary
treasures of Elysian Park

may, in fact, be real.

It seems hard to believe that
150 years ago Los Angeles was

just a dusty pueblo,
a quiet outpost

in the northernmost
territory of Mexico.

But that way of life came
to a sudden end in 1846.

War had erupted between
Mexico and the United States.

According to stories
handed down over the years,

well-to-do Angelenos panicked
as American forces drew near.

Some dug elaborate
escape tunnels.

Others buried their family
fortunes for safekeeping.

This was the best thing
that they could do to protect

their valuables at the time.

And it was a customary way,
because there were no banks.

If you wanted to protect
something, bury it, hide it.

Elysian park was the
most logical place

for people living in the Los
Angeles area at that time

to bury treasure.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Through the years,

stories circulated that some
families never came back,

and that their treasures
were still waiting to be

discovered in Elysian Park.

In 1984, two sisters hired Roy
Roche to explore in the park.

The women recall
their father searching

for one of the fabled treasures
when they were children.

Soon, they located a spot
that seemed familiar.

It might have been there.

I realized that this was
an excellent place to bury

treasure, because it was a
place where you could dig

a good-sized tunnel without
being observed, because there

was trees and hills.

Well, the first
thing that attracted

my attention was on the
side of a sandstone bluff

were three indentations.

The holes seemed to be rather
symmetrical and rather smooth,

and looked like it
probably could be man made.

However, it was quite
possible that they

could be natural also.

So keeping that in mind,
I'm now looking around

for some other
signs and symbols.

About 75 feet away at the same
level on the side of the hill,

I discovered some
initials carved

in the side of another rock.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Halfway between the two signs,

Roy spotted exactly what
he had been looking for--

evidence of an old tunnel.

I think I found something.

It was not military.

It was not a miner's tunnel.

It was not for building.

It was not an old toilet pit.

It all came together.

It was perfect.

Obviously, it was
a treasure shaft.

There was no other reason
for this hole being there.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
It seems simple,

removed dirt, claim treasure.

The sisters said they had
permits from park officials.

But Roy suggested that
the crew dig at night

to avoid attracting rivals.

We got down about 25 feet.

And I got a fairly
good signal right

in the center of the hole.

We all got excited, because
metal detectors don't

lie in a situation like that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The instrument had, indeed,

detected buried artifacts.

But they were not exactly what
Roy Roche was looking for.

We uncovered two very
old flashlight batteries,

the oldest flashlight
batteries I'd ever seen.

Even though I got no more
readings with my metal detector

after we uncovered the
two flashlight batteries,

we kept digging.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
30 feet into the tunnel,

another artifact--

the frayed end of a very
old, crudely made rope.

This was bad news, because
after finding the two

old flashlight batteries
and a piece of rope,

it was quite obvious
that somebody

else had already beat us to
the treasure years before.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
For Roy Roche,

it was a treasure
hunter's worst nightmare.

He was certain he had found the
right spot, but far too late.

Well, whatever was in
there was big and heavy.

Somebody has beat us to it.

It was a combination
of gratification

and disappointment.

The gratification was that we
had correctly found a treasure

tunnel and had excavated it.

But the disappointment was that
after all the time, and money,

and work, and effort
that we put into it,

we had nothing to
show for our efforts

except a couple of old
flashlight batteries

and a piece of rope.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Although he came up

empty handed, Roy Roche
believes there are still

buried treasures in Elysian
Park with a total value

approaching $1 million.

To test that theory,
"Unsolved Mysteries"

called upon experts from the
National Underwater and Marine

Agency, or NUMA, a nonprofit
group that conducts

both ocean and ground surveys.

Their surface
investigation was fully

approved by city officials.

All right, guys, let's go.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The sensing device emits

radar waves as it has
dragged across the field.

A cross section of
what lies underground

shows up on this monitor.

An anomaly such as a cannon,
or perhaps a treasure chest,

would appear on the screen
as a discernible shape

among the colors.

Now, if there is a
foreign object in there,

like maybe a box or a cannon,
something that doesn't

belong there, we can see it.

We have an image of it.

And we don't know
what it's made of yet.

So we'll come back over and
do an electromagnetic survey

to see if that can-type
object is a log,

or really has some metal to it.

Or that box could have
some gold or silver in it,

or if it's just a wooden box.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
After the survey was completed,

computers translated
the information

into these cross sections.

Here is the first anomaly.

Though open to
interpretation, these marks

could suggest the presence
of a vertical tunnel running

to a depth of roughly 30 feet.

The second anomaly
was detected less

than 10 feet below the surface.

The survey findings
indicate that this anomaly

is not only a solid object,
but is also metallic.

If there is
treasure here, I would

prefer to see it stay here.

I'd like to keep
that mystery alive.

I think it adds to the
mystique of this park.

I think it's something that
people would probably continue

to talk about in
the future, and help

to keep the mystique
of the treasure that

might be in Elysian Park alive.

Representatives of NUMA
believe the anomalies

may be important relics
from the city's history,

links to its Mexican past.

However, it is unlikely we
will ever know for sure.

Obtaining a permit to
excavate in Los Angeles

is even more difficult than
finding a buried treasure.

And digging without a permit
is strictly against the law.

Violators are subject to arrest,
and could end up in jail,

rather than on easy street.

Next, a man searches
for the American soldier

who helped save his family
during the final days

of the Second World War.

[music playing]

Recently, we received
a rather unusual

letter from one of our viewers.

She called her attention to
the moving story of a man

she knows in Germany who
is looking for someone here

in the United States.

Needless to say, we were both
intrigued and anxious to help.

So this past summer
we traveled to Europe,

and came back with
a poignant mystery

of kindness and compassion.

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

Siegfried and Marguerite
Laier of Germany

have been searching for
an unsung American hero,

a young soldier who forged
an unlikely friendship

with Siegfried when he
was just a small boy

nearly half a century ago.

1945, the final days of
the Second World War--

for Germany civilian
population, it was a time

of uncertainty and despair.

Among the innocent
victims was young

Siegfried Laier, whose
neighborhood of Ludwigshaven

was leveled by Allied bombers.

Siegfried's mother immediately
fled with her three youngest

children.

The Lyres walk 125
miles to take refuge

with relatives in a village.

They quickly discovered that
the hardships, especially

for children, were universal.

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER):
It was very bad.

I was four when the war ended.

There was very little
food to be had.

We had to go with [inaudible]
vouchers and buy food.

But there wasn't much around.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In March of 1945,

American troops rolled
into Morlanbach.

The German citizens had feared
the worst, a conquering army

bent on revenge.

But instead, they encountered
a benevolent corps

of occupiers who provided them
with food and medical supplies.

One of the GIs was a
young man named Alexander.

You want something?

Come here, it's chocolate.

Come here.

It's all right.

Hey, can you say chocolate?

Chocolate.

Very good.

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER):
He was sympathetic to me,

and friendly.

Yes, will you take this home?

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER):
If it hadn't been for him,

perhaps I would
not be alive today.

He was a guardian angel for me.

[knocking]

I am Alexander, American.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The guardian angel

took it upon himself
to track Sigfried down.

Soup.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Alexander

took a genuine interest
in the Laier family.

And before long, the food
shortages were a dim memory.

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): He
brought us food from the army,

the same food eaten by them.

We also ate.

He used to come by
every day, if only

to pick me up and take
me to kindergarten,

or to pick me up there later.

Each time, he would
bring a little food.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The bond

between the German child
and the American GI

grew stronger with
each passing day.

Alexander would often invite
Siegfried to tag along

on routine patrols around town.

You want to drive?

- Want to drive?
- Right.

- Right.
- Jeep.

Jeep.

OK.

Jeep.

Jeep.

Grab the wheel.

Watch the road.

Watch the road.

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER): Then I
was allowed to drive with him.

That was the most
wonderful thing.

Ziggy, you're driving!

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER):
When I was sitting in the car

and the other children saw
me, they were, perhaps,

a bit jealous, because I
was not allowed to drive,

and they couldn't.

I was fairly proud.

I don't know if
you can understand

what I'm trying to say
to you, but I have to go.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Inevitably,

the time came to say goodbye.

We may not see each
other for a long time,

for a very long time.

INTERPRETER
(VOICEOVER): I was sad.

Perhaps I would
never see him again.

As I think about it
today, I was really sad.

Be a good boy.

Be a good boy, Ziggy!

INTERPRETER (VOICEOVER):
I have always

thought about how he helped
us, and that I should,

in turn, help other people.

He was not obliged
to us in any way.

But he did it as a human
being, out of human love.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Today, Sigfried has only one

precious memento of
Alexander, this photograph

taken in the spring of 1945.

At the time, Alexander was
approximately 20 years old.

He would now be around 70.

Sigfried Laier or does not
know Alexander's last name.

He does know that Alexander
was part of an army unit

that marched into Marlaboch
Germany on March 27, 1945.

While there, the
soldiers were housed

at the Grunebaum Guesthouse.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On a previous broadcast,

we brought you the poignant
story of the Krone family

of Illinois.

Just before Christmas
in 1948, Hilda Krone

and seven of her children had
been evicted from their home.

The only available shelter
was the Henry County Jail.

Eventually, the
children were all

separated, either
put up for adoption

or placed in foster care.

18 years later, two of the
children, Marie and Raymond,

managed to find each other.

Together, they set out to track
down the rest of the family.

For 18 years,
Maria and Raymond

suffered through a series of
near misses and false leads.

Finally, in 1993, they did
locate one sister, Karen.

Then their story aired
on "Unsolved Mysteries."

Incredibly, within a few hours,
two more sisters and three

brothers had been found.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On July 9th, 1994,

we were at Raymond's
house in Houston, Texas

as the Krone family gathered
for their first reunion

in more than 45 years.

Marie's dream had
finally come true.

I've been looking forward
to this for a long time,

because I didn't know if
I would ever get to really

meet them in person or not.

I feel that the
love is still there.

It never went away.

It's always been there.

And I always
wondered about them.

And now, I'll finally
get to find out

what has been going on with
their life and everything,

and get reacquainted.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): For
the oldest sister, Betty Jane,

the reunion was
particularly emotional.

I knew that was
Marie right away.

Just by looking at her,
I knew that was Marie.

And that's when the
first one I embraced.

I was very happy
to see them all.

And they all started
coming to me.

And I started going to them,
hugging them, and everything.

So I was very happy.

I feel so good.

I really do.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): For
Raymond, the end of the search

meant a new beginning.

We got a lot of
catching up to do.

Yeah, we do.

I always knew their
names and everything.

But I just didn't know how to go
about finding them or anything.

We hunted.

And we just got
turned down everyplace

we'd turn to try to find
them till this come along.

And it worked.

[music playing]

Join me next time.

Perhaps you may be able
to help solve a mystery.

[music playing]