All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S07E07.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BTW_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: This program is
about unsolved mysteries.

Whenever possible, the
actual family members

and police officials
have participated

in recreating the events.

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

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: For
nearly 20 years,

Nancy Myer has proved
an invaluable tool

for law enforcement.

But Nancy is no
ordinary investigator.

She apparently employs psychic
abilities to divine clues that

might otherwise go unnoticed.

Tonight, you'll
see Nancy in action

as she searches for answers
in the tragic murder

of a young girl in Florida.

In 1980, 15-year-old Michele
Donahoe ran away from home.

En route to Texas,
Michele was befriended

by three good Samaritans
who guided her

through her dangerous journey.

Michele needs your help to
find her protectors so she

can finally say thank you.

And one of the great
mysteries of the sea--

in 1872, a schooner
christened the Mary

Celeste weighed anchor
in New York Harbor

and set sail for Europe.

Four weeks later, she was
found drifting in the Atlantic

Ocean near Portugal.

The Mary Celeste was in
virtually perfect condition,

yet the captain, his
family, and the crew

had inexplicably vanished.

For more than a century,
the mysterious fate

of the ghost ship has tantalized
storytellers and historians

alike.

Join me for this
intriguing legend

and much more on
"Unsolved Mysteries."

[music playing]

What if your mind worked
like a television set?

What if you could change
channels at will, tune

into programs no
one else could see?

And what if you could
never turn the set off?

You're about to meet a
remarkable woman named

Nancy Myer who apparently
has the extraordinary mind

of a psychic.

She didn't ask for it.

She doesn't always like it.

Yet she has learned
to put it to good use.

When you are working
with individuals yourself

in the field, I am sure, because
many cops have said this to me,

I'm not psychic.

No, I don't want to
be weird like you.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy Myer
of Greensburg, Pennsylvania

has been working with
police departments

around the country for
nearly two decades.

Her track record would be
the envy of any detective.

In some 300 criminal
investigations,

Nancy says she has turned
up crucial new information

more than 80% of the time.

It's like the
ultimate challenge

because most of my
cases are murders.

Only two people
knew what happened,

the victim and the killer.

The only way to find
out is telepathy.

When you find someone
like her and, of course,

after you get her where she
wants to become involved,

then you have yourself a
tool, a fantastic tool.

It's not gonna solve your
crimes in a lot of cases.

But it's gonna give you that
extra bit of information where

your investigators have
the opportunity of going

out and continuing the case.

This is the neighborhood
where it all occurred.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy's first
major case came in 1977

when a desperate detective
in Wilmington, Delaware

asked her to help him track
down an unknown serial rapist.

The interesting
thing, though, is--

LEROY LANDON: I didn't
really have any faith

at all in psychics or whatever.

We had never used one.

I had never
considered using one.

But the women were
hesitant about

by making identifications,
looking at pictures,

and stuff like that.

And we was just kind
of stuck, really.

Most people in
the department were

very skeptical of the psychic.

As a matter of fact,
to the point of it

was a joke that there goes
poor Leroy Landon, my partner,

off with his sidekick.

And he must be getting old.

Do you remember
what he looked like?

Yes.

ROBERT STACK: The detectives had
given Nancy no specific details

about the rapes.

At the home of the
first victim, both men

were stunned when Nancy was able
to improve upon the victim's

own sketch of the rapist.

--something with the eyes
that's different about this.

Do you mind changing the
eye-- eyebrows a little bit?

Sure.

NANCY MYER: The shape was
a little bit off to me.

And she thought about it.

And she said, I
think you're right.

And then she made the change.

You know, you're right.

It does look more like him.

NANCY MYER: And she
said to the detectives,

that's more accurate.

She said, I knew there was
something wrong with it.

That's more accurate.

Thanks again, Mrs. Williams.

We appreciate everything
you've done for us.

We'll be in touch.

NANCY MYER: When
we were leaving,

she reached out
and grabbed my hand

and forearm with her hands.

All this stuff came
pouring into my head.

And all of a sudden, I was
getting much clearer pictures.

It's like trying to
watch a car and get

the license number
when it's traveling

at an excessive speed.

It's very hard to do that.

And you have to sort of
let all the information

flow through, and then try
to slow it down and rerun it.

And then I could see one
image of him sleeping.

So I could really
study his features.

Interspersed was this uniform.

And I could see a
number, but it was faded.

And I could see an
emblem, but it was faded.

And it looked like a work suit.

And it had these kind of
clodhoppery black shoes

and the white socks.

ROBERT STACK: After
the meeting, Nancy

suddenly went into
a trance-like state

and literally took
off down the street.

The same thing would happen
after she met each rape victim.

First we would
start off riding,

then we would get out of
the car and physically walk.

And when she would
go into her little--

I guess you could call
it bloodhound-type,

tongue hanging out
scouting or patrolling

or whatever you want to
call it, we would be doing,

like, a canvas, but on foot.

And you would have to watch her
because she definitely didn't

pay attention to what
she was doing because she

would walk right out in the
street or across the street

or whatever.

ROBERT STACK:
Nancy always seemed

to end up at the same street
corner in a residential area

near downtown Wilmington.

[music playing]

He's around here somewhere.

Which way?
Left?

Right?
Up the street?

Down the street?

NANCY MYER: I just kept looking
up the street and saying,

this is the street
he's coming back to.

I just followed him.

This way.

Down here on the left?
The right?

Which one?

NANCY MYER: So then, you
know, well, which house?

Give me the house number.

We don't want a little bit.

We want more.

Well, I gave you the street.

What do you want?

The house number
would be real nice.

And I just refused
to go up the street.

And they really pestered me.

But they both knew
me well enough

to know that I wasn't budging.

I sort of was afraid he might
walk out the door of a house,

and there I'd be nose
to nose with him.

And I didn't want
that to happen.

ROBERT STACK: The
clues kept adding up,

but nothing concrete emerged.

Finally, Nancy accompanied
one victim to the actual spot

where the rape had happened.

Nancy instinctively
focused on the telephone.

[music playing]

Did he use the phone
when he was here?

ROBERT STACK:
Amazingly, Nancy's hunch

jogged the victim's memory.

The rapist had used the
phone and, more importantly,

the Yellow Pages.

We took the phone
book, naturally,

and sent it down to the FBI
in Washington laboratory.

And we did get a
couple fingerprints.

ROBERT STACK: Without a suspect,
the fingerprints were useless.

As the investigation
progressed, Nancy

found herself drawn back to
the same street corner time

after time.

Got to go down
that street now.

ROBERT STACK: Now she knew
she had to go farther.

We got guns.

OK.

ROBERT STACK: Half a block
down Shallcross Avenue,

Nancy stopped dead
in her tracks.

[music playing]

This is it.

This is the house.

He definitely comes
and goes from here.

By that time, I wasn't so
skeptic anymore, personally.

Of course, my partner, he still
thinks I'm nuts at that point

for fooling with her.

But that's beside the point.

So I had a little faith in her.

So whatever she
more or less said,

I would definitely try
to do something about

and make something
out of it because I

was, I guess, a convert then.

I was a believer in her.

Sorry about these files.

I probably should be
a little bit sharper.

ROBERT STACK: The detectives
immediately questioned

the owner of the building.

This guy come in,
uh, about a week ago.

Yeah, he and his girlfriend.

They take over, uh,
a week this Monday.

There you go.
- Take a look?

Sure.

LEROY LANDON: He
gave me the name

of the applicants
for the apartment

that was being refurbished.
- Derrick Stephens.

I know that name.

Why do I know that name?

LEROY LANDON: The man's
name I recognized myself

from another case previous.

Can't be the same guy.

No way, 'cause he'd
still be in jail.

So anyway, I called the jail.

And I find out that he's on
this work furlough release

program or something and
that he's out every day

looking for a job.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Suddenly,
the pieces of the puzzle

fell into place.

Incredibly, the
man's prison uniform

mirrored Nancy's vision--

a navy blue shirt,
a serial number

patch on the breast pocket,
black shoes, and white socks.

But it was the
prisoner's fingerprints

that sealed his fate.

They matched the prints
lifted from the yellow pages.

Number three.

ROBERT STACK: In the end,
the suspect was identified

by six of the victims.

That's him.

I'm positive.

ROBERT STACK: He was eventually
convicted and sentenced

to a total of 150
years in prison.

NANCY MYER: When I was called
and told what had happened,

it was like I had
to keep asking them.

And finally, one
of the detectives

said, you don't really
believe you did it, did you?

I said, no, I don't.

It was just incredible
because that one,

I was able to produce more
result each time I worked.

When you come to a dead end
and you have no place to go,

if you have someone who
can open a door say,

hey, I think I can
help you, and just

through her psychic
powers, she's able to put

us out into another lead.

Then through good
investigation techniques,

we can go and continue
and solve the crime.

And that's what we've done.

Being a psychic involves
being able to pick

up a great deal of information
from a variety of things.

ROBERT STACK: What are we to
make of the apparent powers

of Nancy Myer?

Does she have the uncanny
ability to see and sense things

that the rest of us can't?

Last summer, we asked Nancy to
travel to Brooksville, Florida,

where the sheriff's
department was

investigating a particularly
tragic murder case.

12-year-old Jennifer
Odom was a bright,

vivacious seventh grader.

On the afternoon of
February 19, 1993,

she got off the
school bus at a stop

just 200 yards from her home.

Then, Jennifer vanished.

[music playing]

The community mobilized.

For nearly a week, hundreds
of friends and neighbors

combed the woods.

Finally, six days after
Jennifer disappeared,

her body was found.

She had been brutally murdered.

16 months later, Nancy
Myer would be brought in

to work with local detectives.

NANCY MYER: Put these
kind of over there

because these are the
ones I'll be working with.

ROBERT STACK: The crime scene
photographs in the Jennifer

Odom case are
classified, so Nancy

was not allowed to view them.

Now I'm getting
two individuals.

ROBERT STACK: What you
are watching is real.

Even with the photographs
turned face down on the table,

Nancy was able to visualize not
one, but two killers in detail.

--6 foot 1.

He is of medium build.

He looks to me to be quite--

I want to say almost
wiry looking in the arms.

His arms are not, like,
powerful in the sense of muscle

building, but powerful
in the sense of someone

who works and lifts or
has lifted heavy things.

Where did the
friend say she was?

Over there?

ROBERT STACK: The
next day, Nancy

visited the scene
of the abduction,

Jennifer's school bus stop.

Nancy she began to tell the
sheriff's detectives what

she was sensing had happened.

--car is right now
is where they stopped.

And then the one guy
came walking back,

hailed her, started
asking her directions.

ROBERT STACK: The
detectives listened

to everything Nancy said, but
at the time made no comment.

--the situation.

She starts to move.

It's like being in
a movie in my head.

And I stand beside the victim.

And I try to describe everything
that I'm seeing as it unfolds.

And the minute she
turned around--

And a lot of times, that's
really helpful to the police

officers because sometimes they
have odd pieces of evidence

at the scene they don't
understand the significance of.

And when I describe
the sequence of events,

it sometimes makes sense
out of odd little pieces

that they couldn't
make any sense out of.

ROBERT STACK: The spot where
Jennifer's body was discovered

is marked by
flowers and a cross.

This is where you found her?

I don't think this
is where she died.

I'm sure you took this
whole place apart.

Did you find some
small, metal jewelry

of hers up in this area?

Like a medallion or something,
back in that direction.

We did find some
of her jewelry.

OK.

There's a feeling
of something there.

She was extremely
accurate on some things

that kind of led us
to look in other areas

that we hadn't thought of.

And so we basically obtained
a lot of information

from what she had to offer.

I was impressed with Nancy.

Some things she said were so
darn accurate, it's scary.

And then some things she said
were a little bit off the wall.

But I was impressed, and I would
definitely recommend her again.

ROBERT STACK: Nancy went on to
suggest that there was evidence

in the area yet to be found.

There should be more
stuff back in there.

And there should be, um,
what would have looked

like the strap off
of, uh, some kind

of a carry case or something.

And it would have been
black with lettering

and, like, bluish colors.

It would have looked fairly new.

It was used to restrain her.

The hardest part of this is
dealing with the devastation

that people wreak on each other.

I find it particularly
difficult working on the cases

with the children
that have been killed.

They threw something of hers.

My heart just goes
out to the families.

It's frustrating to
me when everything

doesn't just fall into place.

--this side.

I walked over the other side.

I don't pick up any
feeling on the other side,

but I'm gonna walk back
up there as a cross-check.

But it just feels like there's--

[music playing]

Near the memorial
to Jennifer Odom,

Nancy Myers spoke of
the possible existence

of a carrying case
with lettering on it.

The sheriff's
department has since

revealed that Jennifer Odom had
her cousin's clarinet with her

when she was abducted.

The letters LO were
on the carrying case.

The name Odom was carved
into the clarinet itself.

Neither the clarinet,
the case, nor Jennifer's

white zip-up pup-club sweatshirt
with the word "Hooters"

in orange on the left
sleeve has ever been found.

[music playing]

Next, the century-old
mystery of the Mary Celeste.

What happened to
the captain and crew

of the legendary ghost ship?

[music playing]

It was a glorious time, a
golden age of sailing ships.

100 years ago, graceful
brigs and clippers

rode the winds, linking Europe,
America, and the exotic East.

But not every ship reached
her destination safely.

On a crisp November
morning in 1872,

a brigantine name
the Mary Celeste

sailed from New York
Harbor and into legend,

enshrined as the most infamous
ghost ship of them all.

[music playing]

Four weeks after
embarking for Europe,

the Mary Celeste would be found
drifting several hundred miles

off the coast of
Portugal, abandoned

but curiously still on course.

The veil of mystery
stretches back to the evening

before the Mary Celeste
departed, when her captain, one

Benjamin Briggs, his
wife, and a guest

shared a quiet farewell dinner.

Mrs. Briggs, you
must be looking

forward to the weather
in the Mediterranean

this time of year.

Oh, I am.

Sarah and I feel that--

ROBERT STACK: Benjamin Briggs
of Marion, Massachusetts

had already captained
ships for a decade

when he took the helm
of the Mary Celeste.

CONRAD BYERS: He came from
a family of seafarers.

He was considered
quite a religious man.

Captain Briggs was a
noted good captain.

He could be stern and so on.

But he was always
noted as being fair.

Are you bringing the children?

Sophie will be coming
with us, and Arthur

will remain here in school.

ROBERT STACK:
Benjamin's wife, Sarah,

was herself a veteran
of several voyages,

and would be along
for the fateful trip.

Much speculation has centered on
the Briggs' guest that evening,

Captain David Morehouse.

His ship, the Dei Gratia, would
sail for Europe eight days

after the Mary Celeste.

Morehouse would be swept up
in the bizarre events that

were about to unfold,
but some have asked

whether by chance or by design.

Well, here's to a smooth
crossing and calm seas.

God willing.

ROBERT STACK: The next
morning, November 5,

1872, the Mary Celeste weighed
anchor and set sail for Europe.

[music playing]

Stowed securely below
deck were more than 1,000

barrels of pure
alcohol, highly prized

in the Italian wine trade.

It was a valuable
but dangerous cargo.

Alcohol fumes were notoriously
volatile, even explosive.

[music playing]

From New York, Captain Briggs
set a course almost due east.

The Mary Celeste would
sail more than 5,000 miles,

past the Azores, through
the Strait of Gibraltar,

and into the
Mediterranean, finally

docking at Genoa, Italy.

[music playing]

10 days out of port,
the Mary Celeste was

buffeted by a howling storm.

[knocking]

Come in?

SAILOR: Excuse me,
Captain, ma'am.

I've taken in the topsails,
but she's still breezing up.

ROBERT STACK: Winter
winds whipped the Mary

Celeste for better than a week.

SAILOR: I'd like to
take in more sail.

Let's have a look.

ROBERT STACK: According
to the captain's logbook

the Mary Celeste
stayed on course.

On the 10th day,
the weather cleared.

In his log, Captain Briggs
placed the Mary Celeste

a mere six miles off the Azores.

The date of the entry
was November 25, 1872,

the last entry ever
made by Captain Briggs.

[music playing]

10 days passed.

Mr. Wright?

Captain?

ROBERT STACK: On
board the Dei Gratia,

Captain Morehouse was about
to make a discovery that would

plunge him into controversy.

OLIVER DEVEAU: Something strange
off the starboard bow, Captain.

DAVID MOREHOUSE: Looks
like she's floundering.

Couple of sails have blown away.

OLIVER DEVEAU: Can you
tell yet who she is?

It's the Mary Celeste.

Hello!

Captain Briggs!

ROBERT STACK: The Dei Gratia's
first mate, Oliver Deveau,

led a boarding party
to the Mary Celeste.

CONRAD BYERS: They came
near and tried to signal it,

received no return signal.

Came closer to it,
saw no one on deck.

They thought maybe at first
that it might have been

what they called a fever ship.

And they thought that maybe
people were aboard down below,

dead of some sort of fever.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: A haunting silence
shrouded the Mary Celeste.

If a killer fever had
swept through the ship,

it had left no victims behind.

You check below.

I'll go aft.

I don't like this at all.

Hello?

Anybody below?

ROBERT STACK: Deveau was
concerned to find the ship's

compass shattered,
and he was mystified

by a long rope that
snaked across the deck

and off the stern of the ship.

[music playing]

In the cabins, personal
possessions, money,

and gold jewelry
lay undisturbed,

as though everyone
had been on board

one moment, gone the next.

The captain's navigation
instruments and the ship's

papers were missing.

But Oliver Deveau claimed
he found no evidence

of foul play, no reason
for the Mary Celeste

to have been abandoned.

[music playing]

Only one fact was certain--

the Mary Celeste and her
precious cargo of alcohol

could be worth a fortune
in salvage rights

to whoever brought her to port.

Morehouse seized
the opportunity.

With First Mate Deveau now at
the helm of the Mary Celeste,

the two ships set a
course for Gibraltar.

There, a British vice
admiralty court would review

Morehouse's salvage claim.

[music playing]

His arrival in Gibraltar
provoked an immediate uproar.

Rumors that Captain
Morehouse was

guilty of fraud and
conspiracy swept the city

even as a court convened.

And you were the first
to board the Mary Celeste.

Is that correct?

That's right, myself and
my second mate, Mr. Wright.

And when you boarded her, what
was the condition of the ship?

OLIVER DEVEAU: She was in
relatively good condition.

ROBERT STACK: The government's
chief investigator

was a flamboyant Irishman
named Solly flood.

CONRAD BYERS: He
was very suspicious.

He had a certain bent for
the dramatic, I think.

He kind of immediately
saw foul play involved.

And all during the
proceedings, he

tried to indicate that
there had been some sort

of conspiracy involved here.

And Captain Morehouse and
Captain Briggs of the Mary

Celeste were friends?

They were colleagues.

In fact, they had dinner
together the night

before the Mary
Celeste left for Italy.

The night before the
Mary Celeste set off?

Do you think it's possible
that the two of 'em

might have been in collusion?

Sir, Captain Morehouse
is an honorable man.

Yes, of course.

ROBERT STACK: Lack of
evidence eventually force

Flood to drop his allegations.

But he quickly dreamed up a
more sensational scenario--

mutiny and murder.

[music playing]

And how many are empty?

Well, I found five
or six right here.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary
Celeste was impounded.

Inspectors under Flood's
personal supervision

combed the ship.

So what do you
think, Mr. Tolby?

ROBERT STACK: They discovered
that nine of the alcohol

barrels were empty.

Flood rejected all but
his own explanation.

No, I think it more likely
that the crew of the Mary

Celeste opened up these casks.

Maybe we should investigate--

ROBERT STACK: It was in
Captain Briggs's cabin

that Solly Flood
found what he believed

was proof positive of mutiny.

Mr. Steadman, are you
familiar with this sword?

Aye, sir.

And, uh, what kind
of a sword is it?

I take it to be Italian,
about the turn of the century.

And what would a
sword like this--

ROBERT STACK: Flood had
concocted a wild theory--

the crew of the Mary Celeste
had broken into the alcohol,

and in a drunken
fury slaughtered

Captain Briggs and his family.

Then, they fled in a lifeboat.

And could a sword like
this inflict a wound?

You can inflict a wound
with almost anything, sir.

Well, I suggest a
wound was inflicted.

Look at the stain on the sword.

Begging your pardon,
sir, but I think

you'll find that to be rust.

Well, I'll have
a medical expert--

no, a team of medical experts--

examine this.

And then we'll see
whether it's rust or not.

Thank you, Mr. Steadman.

ROBERT STACK: The test
would later reveal

that the stains were not blood.

The mutiny theory collapsed.

FRANCIS BOWKER: Flood
just absolutely refused

to admit that there
hadn't been a murder.

But he never did
get any satisfaction

from the government.

And they just repudiated
everything that he said.

The Mary Celeste is
released from custody.

A salvage settlement is
awarded to David Morehouse

in the amount of 1,700 pounds.

The court can find no reasonable
explanation for the abandonment

of the Mary Celeste.

She is hereby returned
to her owners.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste
guarded her secret well.

Today, many believe
the answer lies

with the ship's explosive cargo
and the nine empty barrels.

CONRAD BYERS: That
many barrels of alcohol

leaking into the hold would
have created a lot of fumes.

ROBERT STACK: Conrad Byers
believes that on November 25,

the last day Briggs and his
crew were known to be onboard,

the weather had finally
cleared enough to allow

the hatches to be opened.

Oh, my god.

Mr. Richardson, come here!

Terrible odor in there.

We'll have to vent the hatches.

I'll alert the captain.

CONRAD BYERS: I
think immediately,

he sounded the alarm,
knowing the dangers

of this cargo and his chances
of spontaneously combusting.

The fumes are
quite overwhelming.

What's to be done?
- You should have told me.

CONRAD BYERS: I think he planned
to get everyone in the lifeboat

and trail behind the
main ship with the idea

the cargo would either vent
itself and cool off or explode.

You, man the peak.

ROBERT STACK: Byers believes the
sails were lowered to prevent

the Mary Celeste
from picking up speed

once all hands had
abandoned ship.

A single rope was all that
would tie the lifeboat

to the Mary Celeste.

[music playing]

Sarah, wait right here
till they got the boat in.

Mr. Richardson.
- Sir.

Here, take the equipment.

As soon as we're away,
get an exact position.

Aye.

CONRAD BYERS: What destroyed
their plan, really,

was that they didn't
have time to get all

of the sail off of the vessel.

They piled into the boat
and started trailing behind.

And suddenly, a
gust of wind came up

and started moving them.

ROBERT STACK: The Mary
Celeste lurched forward.

The lifeline snapped.

Heavens, man!

The line!

Grab the line!

Get the oars in!

Man your oars!

Get your oars in!

We're losing ground!

Pull!

[indistinct yelling]

CONRAD BYERS: The vessel
just sailed on without them

and left them there.

BENJAMIN BRIGGS: We
must get to that line!

ROBERT STACK: The Mary Celeste
would drift another 380 miles

until Captain Morehouse came
upon the eerie spectacle

of the silent, abandoned ship.

No trace of Captain Briggs,
his family, or the crew

was ever found.

[music playing]

Some years later, a British
newspaper caused a sensation

with its account of a
skeleton found bleaching

on a remote Pacific island.

Inside a bottle lying near
the remains was a message.

It claimed that all those
aboard the Mary Celeste

had been kidnapped to
serve on another vessel,

only to be shipwrecked off
the coast of South America.

The author of the note claimed
to have been the last survivor.

In the end, the story
proved to be a hoax,

and the secret of the Mary
Celeste remains to this day

a tantalizing unsolved mystery.

When we return,
surprising discoveries

add an exciting twist to
a heartwarming update.

[music playing]

Recently, we took
you on a journey

into the magical world of
the traveling carnival.

We profiled Brenda
Abbey and experienced

firsthand her efforts to unravel
a personal unsolved mystery.

Brenda was adopted as an infant.

She knew little about her
birth parents, Elizabeth Hanson

and Walter Perry,
except that they

were employed by the
Settler and Wilson Carnival

during the 1940s.

BRENDA ABBEY: Every time I
hear over the news that there's

a carnival, I will go.

And I go up to every
booth, every concession.

I go up to every person that's
employed by that carnival,

and I look at them, just
to see if I can find

somebody that looks like me.

How long have you been
with the carnival?

With the carnival?

18, almost 19 years.

ROBERT STACK: During a search
that's spanned 30 years,

Brenda talked with
countless old-timers.

BRENDA ABBEY: Are they
with the carnival?

Nope.

BRENDA ABBEY: No.

ROBERT STACK: Each
had a story to tell,

and some even
offered suggestions.

But not one claimed
to know Elizabeth

Hanson or Walter Perry.

Inevitably, as each carnival
was packing up and hitting

the road, Brenda Abbey
was left behind, no closer

to finding her birth parents.

It seemed she might finally be
out of options, until the night

of our broadcast.
[music playing]

The response was far greater
than even Brenda had hoped for.

Not only did her birth
mother call our phone center,

but so did a sister and
brother, then another sister.

Additional calls were
logged in from friends

of still more siblings.

Brenda Abbey was saddened
to learn that her birth

father had died in 1959.

But she was thrilled
to discover a total

of 11 brothers and sisters.

One of them, Martha Oak, of
St. Clair Shores, Michigan,

hosted a reunion
in August of 1994.

Although Brenda's birth
mother was unable to attend,

Brenda finally met four of her
long-lost brothers and sisters

face to face.

[music playing]

As hostess for the
celebration, Martha was

the first to welcome Brenda.

Hi, Brenda.

Hi.

ROBERT STACK: A
brother, Thomas Chillog,

flew in from Louisiana,
1,000 miles away.

[music playing]

Another sister,
Susan Donner, came

in from Port Clinton, Ohio.

[music playing]

Brenda's brother
Frank Smith grew up

in Greenwood, Mississippi.

Like Brenda, he never imagined
he had so many siblings.

I did my own search and
kept running into dead ends

and finally gave up.

And when I found out about
this, it was incredible.

It's amazing.

It's unbelievable.

Totally unbelievable.

It's funny to actually walk up
to people and touch their skin

and know that they're related.

ROBERT STACK: The
get-together in Michigan

promises to be just
the first of many.

[music playing]

Plans are already underway
for the next reunion.

BRENDA ABBEY: These
are my flesh and blood.

And it's something nobody
can take away from me.

That's right.

And it's such a great feeling.

It was worth the search.

It was worth the 30 years
that it took me to do this.

[music playing]

ROBERT STACK: Next,
the uplifting search

for three good Samaritans
who befriended a runaway

on a bus trip to Texas.

[music playing]

In 1980, a girl named
Michele ran away from home.

She was just 15,
trying desperately

to make herself appear
older and more confident,

even though on the inside,
she was scared to death.

Michele knew she was
playing a dangerous game.

Even with the ticket seller,
she was careful to cook up

a secret identity.

Hi.

My name's Melissa Haley.

Um, I'd like to buy
a one-way ticket

to San Antonio, Texas, please.

ROBERT STACK: Four
months earlier,

Michele's family had
moved from San Antonio,

Texas to Fairfax, Virginia.

Michele felt her parents
had callously uprooted her

from friends,
family, and school.

Thanks.

ROBERT STACK: Now Michele was
going back to Texas, the place

she thought of as home.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I
was scared at that point

just because I'd never really
been anywhere by myself before.

And this was an environment that
I wasn't real familiar with.

I had never been among all
these strangers before.

And people would look at you.

And first I thought,
well, maybe they're

just wondering why I'm young
and I'm on this bus by myself.

But then you kind
of get the idea

that people are,
especially men, are

mainly looking to
see that you're alone

and try and bother you.

That's when it really
started to be scary because I

couldn't protect myself.

And I didn't-- like I said,
nobody knew where I was.

So if something would
have happened to me,

nobody would know it.

ROBERT STACK: At a
stop in North Carolina,

three men boarded
the bus together.

Michele could never have guessed
the profound role these men

would play in her young life.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I remember
thinking as far as men goes,

I was staying away from
as many as I could.

And especially one of
them looked pretty scary.

He had really a lot
of scars on his body.

So I was sitting next to him,
and I thought, that's great.

But they came and
they sat around,

and they were talking
among themselves.

Wake me in a couple, man.

How can you sleep now, man?

I'm tired.
I'm tired.

Tired.

You ain't done nothing.

ROBERT STACK: The three
men dozed off and on.

Michele stayed
nerve-racked and sleepless.

[music playing]

Sunshine, wake up.

Sunshine, time to get up.

Are we there already, Doc?

No, man.

I just need somebody to talk to.

Somebody to bore.

Oh, I hope I wasn't
snoring too loud, fellas.

DOC: No, man, but Tiny
Feet was calling the hogs.

Whoa, whoa.

Tiny Feet does not snore,
thank you very much.

Oh, right.

ROBERT STACK: The jovial trio
completely disarmed Michele.

She forgot for a moment
that she was scared.

Why do they call
you Tiny Feet?

Are you kidding?

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST:
The one really big

guy, his name was Tiny Feet
because his feet were huge.

No, miss, we're truckers.

And Tiny Feet is his handle.

You see, me, I'm a deacon in my
church back in North Carolina.

They call me Doc because
I've got a Bible verse

for everything that ails you.

That's right.

My name is Sunshine.

Named after my favorite
song, actually.

Want to hear it?

No.

No, really.

I can sing.

I can sing.

Yeah, the problem is, he
doesn't know when to shut up.

And your name is?

- Uh, Lisa.
- Lisa.

I was gonna say that.
- Pretty name.

Aren't you kind of young
to be traveling by yourself?

No.

I'm-- I'm 18.

I'm, uh, going to Texas
to visit some friends.

Oh, Texas.

I did this right
outside of Dallas.

My truck jackknifed.

I went straight
through the windshield.

Hey, man, I remember that.

Yeah it was scary.

Remember you and I didn't
think he was gonna make it.

I almost didn't make it.

My family is what
pulled me through.

That's right.

Want to see a
picture of my family?

- Sure.
- Hey, hey.

Be nice.

MICHELE DONAHOE
WEST: It just made

me feel like he was
more of a family man,

and I didn't really
have to worry.

And the rest of them talked
about their families.

And Doc kept talking about
his church and the people

in his church and
what they were like.

And I just felt at
ease with them then.

I didn't feel like I had
anything to fear from them.

ROBERT STACK: By
the time the bus

pulled into Atlanta,
Doc, Sunshine,

and Tiny Feet had
practically adopted Michele.

When they sat down
for breakfast,

Tiny Feet noticed a
young girl in trouble.

Just leave me alone.

Sweetie, I want you
to come take a ride--

Leave me alone!

Man, wait.

Hey, hey.

Excuse me.

Look, is he bothering you?
- Yes.

Listen, we're about to
sit down and have breakfast.

Why don't you
sit-- why don't you

come join us for breakfast, OK?

And we'll just talk, OK?

All right.

MICHELE DONAHOE
WEST: She came over,

and we bought her breakfast.

And she told us her story.

And she was a runaway also.

And I guess at that point, I
kind of sat back and watched

and saw how they helped people.

And it wasn't just me.

It was other people.

They were just good Samaritans
on the road kind of thing.

You guys?

Um, I haven't completely
been honest with you.

My name isn't Lisa.

It's Michele.

Michele?

And I'm not 18.

I'm-- I'm 15.

Hmm.

And the reason
I'm on this bus is--

it's because I've
run away from home.

What made you leave home?

It got really bad.

For example?

My parents, they moved me
away from all my friends.

And now I have a curfew.

That is not that bad.

Felt like it.

Have you at least called
them since you left?

No.

I didn't leave a
note, and they--

they don't know where I'm at.

They're probably
very worried about you.

That's right.

If it was my kids,
I'd be going crazy.

It can get real dangerous
out here, real dangerous.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST:
They pretty much

knew that all along, I
think, that I was younger

than I was supposed
to be and that I

was running away from home.

And they didn't
react badly to it.

They were actually really
comforting about it.

And they knew that I was scared.

And that was the
first time I was

actually able to tell somebody,
I'm really scared doing this.

ROBERT STACK: Next
morning, the bus

rolled into Mississippi,
where the men were to take

delivery of three trucks.

The time had come
to say goodbye.

Listen, I want
you to take my card.

It has both my home number
and my church number on it.

OK.

And please, if you ever
need a place to stay, call me.

All right.

My wife and I have
plenty of rooms.

You've got to
promise to write when

you get where you're going, OK?
- I will.

All right.
Bye.

Well, young lady, this is it.

Remember what I told you.

Watch who you talk to.

OK.

OK?

Take care of yourself.

Gonna miss you, kiddo.

High five, stay alive.

Be safe, OK?

ROBERT STACK: It turned
out that Sunshine couldn't

leave without one last request.

Listen, Michele, all I ask
is that you call your mom

and let her know you're OK.

- I will.
- All right?

Will you do that for me?
You promise?

Good luck.

[music playing]

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I
was sad to see them go.

So I think they were
worried about me.

And I started to
worry about me, too,

when they got off the bus
because all of a sudden,

I felt scared and alone.

I didn't have people
to protect me anymore.

ROBERT STACK: At another
stop later that afternoon,

Michele decided to
keep her promise

to Sunshine, at least in a way.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I got
out there, and I lost my nerve.

And I didn't have the
nerve to talk to my parents

because by this time,
I realized that they'd

probably be really upset.

So I called a friend of mine.

And I asked her
to call my parents

and let them know I was OK.

Hi, it's Michele.

No, no, no.
I'm fine.

I'm fine.

After I made the phone call
to let my parents know that I

was OK, I got back on the bus.

And there was a girl there,
probably my same age.

She was young.

And she was sitting by
herself with a paper

bag full of things.

Hi.

Hi.

Where you headed?

Going to see my boyfriend.

I'm gonna go visit
some friends in Texas.

Oh, that's great.

You want some donuts?

I have some extras.

Yeah.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: I
guess I switched somewhere

during that trip to instead
of just thinking about myself

and how terrible my life was,
to thinking about other people.

Want to talk about it?

It's a long story.

We have time.

I had to get away
from my old man.

MICHELE DONAHOE WEST: You
know, listening to stories

of people on the road
and other runaways,

I wasn't a typical runaway.

And when I listened
to their stories

and then think about my
reasons, or they'd ask me,

why did you run away, I didn't
want to say because it sounded

so stupid by then
that, oh, well,

my parents gave me
a curfew and made me

catch the bus in the morning.

It just sounded so
ridiculous compared

to their really tragic stories.

ROBERT STACK: Michele finally
made it to a friend's house

in Texas, where her
father picked her up.

Michele was relieved
to go back home.

[music playing]

Join me next time.

Perhaps you may be able
to help solve a mystery.

[music playing]