All language subtitles for Unsolved.Mysteries.S07E10.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-BTW_track3_[eng]

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: He fights crime
by performing autopsies,

and his legendary skills
have led some to call him

a modern day Sherlock Holmes.

He is forensic pathologist
Dr. Cyril Wecht.

And tonight, we'll
accompany Dr. Wecht

as he investigates
the mysterious

and controversial death of
a young college student.

You will also meet three
very unusual investigators--

genealogists, who claim
that while researching

their family trees
they were guided

by an unexplained psychic force.

It may seem unbelievable,
but all three

are convinced that the
spirits of their ancestors

reached out to them
from beyond the grave.

Join me.

Perhaps you may be able
to help solve a mystery.

[theme music]

This poor little
girl died as a result

of being overcome by the
flames and carbon monoxide.

And that's what killed her.

There is no evidence
whatsoever to indicate that she

had been cut on her throat.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): He has been

called a real life Quincy and
a modern day Sherlock Holmes.

But by any name,
Dr. Cyril Wecht is

undeniably one of the country's
top forensic pathologists.

In court, it is
Wecht's testimony

that often tips the balance.

To solve a murder and
have that case defined

and to prove that something was
not a murder when somebody is

thought to have
committed a murder,

the intellectual
challenge is fantastic.

The gratification
comes from helping

people in a very real sense.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): In 1993,

Seth Floyd was found hanging
by the neck in his jail cell.

The authorities
called it suicide.

Dr. Wecht proved it was murder.

Louis DiNicola spent five years
in prison for a triple murder.

Dr. Wecht proved the
deaths were accidental,

and DiNicola went
home a free man.

Eight-year-old Tanya
Palmer accidentally

drowned in her own bathtub.

At least, that's what her
mother's boyfriend told police.

Dr. Wecht helped prove
that, in fact, the boyfriend

had murdered Tanya Palmer.

In law enforcement
circles, Cyril Wecht has

become something of a legend.

But one case continues
to haunt him--

the mysterious death of a
20-year-old college student

near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Perhaps tonight, you
can provide the clue

that helps Dr.
Wecht finally solve

this controversial mystery.

It was on a Wednesday evening,
the 21st of October, 1987,

that authorities found the
body of Jack Davis Jr. Davis

was sprawled at the bottom
of a 20 step stairwell

on the campus of Indiana
University of Pennsylvania.

Jack had last been seen
the previous Friday night.

He attended a party with some
of his fraternity brothers,

then made the rounds
at a few local bars.

Jack's body was autopsied
by a local pathologist.

A toxicology report,
a routine check

for unnatural
substances in the body,

was completed at a
lab out of state.

The autopsy and test results
were forwarded to county

coroner, Thomas Streams.

He ruled that Jack's
death was accidental.

The body was not in
disarray from a fight.

There was no signs of
defensive wounds as a struggle.

There were no drag marks.

There was just nothing
remarkable about the body.

The scenario was that
Mr. Davis wandered down

into the stairwell in
an intoxicated state,

perhaps to urinate, collapsed
in an unconscious state,

vomited, inhaled the
vomitus into his lungs,

which therefore then
subsequently caused his death.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The official report

concluded that Jack Davis
died at about 2:00 AM Saturday

morning, several hours
after he disappeared.

His body apparently lay in the
stairwell for nearly five days.

I couldn't believe
or comprehend that he

could have died that way.

And I was told that that
was a common occurrence.

I found that hard to believe.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Jack's mother, father,

and stepmother took him home
to Penn hills, Pennsylvania

and laid him to rest.

Even as Jack's family
grieved, their doubts

about the official
findings began to grow.

But for more than
two years, they

pushed aside their concerns.

Then a local reporter
began to publicly

question the coroner's ruling.

Finally, Jack's family
turned to Dr. Wecht.

Thanks for coming down.

I'm sorry to meet you
under these circumstances.

Before I got into the
medical aspects of the case,

I was just puzzled as a
matter of common sense.

How could a body have been lying
outside on a college campus

in the early fall for five or
more days unseen, unnoticed

by anybody?

The other thing that
puzzled me was, I thought,

"gee, why would a young man in
the early hours of the morning

walk 15 steps down a landing
and then five steps to urinate?"

I remember when I
went to college,

and I remember what the young
men will do if they have

to urinate, especially
if they are inebriated

and it's the wee hours of the
morning and nobody is around.

Not too many people have
that kind of discretion

and personal sensitivity.

So you see, that
did not fit either.

We've managed to get a copy
of the toxicology report,

and we need you to look
at this and tell us--

- You have that with you?
- Yes, I do.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Almost immediately,

Dr. Wecht found glaring
discrepancies in the report.

Although by all accounts Jack
Davis had been drinking heavily

on the night he supposedly
died, absolutely no alcohol

was found in his blood.

There was no doubt that
he had been drinking.

Nobody challenged that.

In order for him to have wound
up with no alcohol in his blood

at the time of his
death, he would

have had to have been alive
for about 30 hours, the fact

then that there was no
alcohol in his blood

indicates to me that he
did not die at that time

when they theorized he
had fallen down the steps.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Dr. Wecht

found other evidence that argued
against a Saturday morning

death.

Jack Davis was
clean shaven Friday

night when he was last seen,
but when Jack's body was found,

there was heavy beard
stubble on his face.

There was one
final discrepancy--

the autopsy slides
of Jack's lungs.

They provided stunning evidence
that the presumed cause

of death, choking on
regurgitated food,

was nothing short of impossible.

If you're going to list
that as a cause of death,

you've got to find food
particles deep down

inside the small
terminal air passageways,

and that wasn't present.

The other thing about the
autopsy that really stood out

for me and made me
quiver with excitement

was the fact that the head
had not been examined.

The pathologist
who did the autopsy

had not opened up
the cranial vault.

The pathologist who performed
the first autopsy went

as far as he felt
he had to go to find

a conclusive cause of death.

And when he opened
Jack Davis's chest

and examined the internal
organs, he noticed--

apparently noticed the
aspiration of stomach contents

in the lungs, and
therefore he felt

that was an independent and
conclusive cause of death,

and did not open the skull.

At that time, we all agreed
as a family and with Dr. Wecht

that the body needed
to be exhumed.

It was the only
way we could find

out the true cause of death.

Look, Joe.

Look at this
[inaudible] hemorrhage.

When I opened up the skull,
I found three fractures.

Three areas of skull fracture
with significant bleeding

overlying the brain.

It's just a blood clot.

It's a pooling of blood.

And that was the cause of death.

Which had never been appreciated
because the head hadn't been

examined in the first autopsy.

And now we know
the cause of death.

It was then and is today,
of course, unequivocal.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Slides and lab work can

only tell part of the story.

With a university official,
Dr. Wecht visited the stairwell

where Jack's body was found.

Some students saw him
first then and reported him?

I realized that that body could
not have accidentally fallen

or been thrown from high up.

Because he would have had
eggshell depressed type

fractures.

Similarly, it did not appear
that he had stumbled down

the steps, because there
was no pattern of abrasions

and bruises, contusions.

And so that did not fit.

I wonder, Mr. Montgomery,
if we could possibly

get into the building and see
from that second floor, or even

the third or fourth floors,
whether one can look out,

and then if one did,
whether you would

be able to look down here.

Right down into the stairwell.

You can see very clearly.

And if you should look down,
you certainly can see directly

there, an average height.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Approximately 200 students

were in rooms overlooking
the stairwell during the

says Jack supposedly lay below.

However, not one person
reported seeing the body.

There was one final problem
with the official scenario--

the weather.

During the two days before
Jack's body was found,

heavy rain fell on the campus.

Jack's clothes were not wet.

We had a real problem in
explaining how Jack could have

been lying there
for all those days

in rainwater with dry clothes.

Well, how can that be?

I would say it is more likely
that Jack Davis died elsewhere,

or was injured elsewhere,
or was dying elsewhere,

and then was placed at
the bottom of those steps.

I base this upon
the known facts.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Dr. Wecht's critical findings

convinced authorities to reopen
the case in October of 1990.

Really nothing new came of it.

And at that point, the
investigation was closed again.

Personally, I still
go along with the fact

that he fell from up above.

And Dr. Wecht's comments
about the eggshelling effect,

I'm not too sure
that he couldn't have

hit the side of the
wall to begin with

and broken the fall somewhat.

And I've seen very strange
things with drunks anyway,

so nothing would be
unbelievable to me.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Some critics

of the official findings believe
Jack's death was no accident.

Reporter Marlene
Brennan theorizes

that Jack may have been
caught up in a feud

between two rival fraternities.

Some students report that
there were up to five fights

that night, and it could be
possible that he was involved

in one of them,
and he was injured,

and someone didn't know
what to do with him,

so they kept him
somewhere, thinking

that he might get better
or whatever, and he didn't.

And then they moved
him into the stairwell.

I believe somebody out
there does know something,

and I'm hoping that perhaps
with continuing inquiries

by the family and
friends, perhaps

through the presentation
of this show

and so on, who knows, that
somebody may step forward.

Had he lived, Jack
Davis would have graduated

with 2,700 other students
in the class of 1989

at Indiana University
of Pennsylvania.

Cyril Wecht is convinced
that among them is at least

one person who knows what
really happened to Jack Davis

Jr. Perhaps the time
has finally come

to set the record straight.

Next, a remarkable tale
of psychic communication

from beyond the grave.

[theme music]

You're about to meet three
very unusual investigators--

genealogists who
spent years digging

through dusty old
books and papers,

trying to piece together
their family histories.

It may sound dry,
but these three

claim that in the
course of their research

they were guided by
mysterious forces.

Perhaps the spirits of their
ancestors, long dead and long

forgotten.

On a rainy afternoon
in 1948, curiosity

got the best of an 8-year-old
boy named Hank Jones.

His basement held
a most tempting

mystery, an old steamer trunk
filled with unknown relics.

I opened the lid, and inside
was just a treasure trove

of material on our family.

Old photographs, old letters,
documents, old wills and deeds.

I never knew any
of my grandparents

except my mother's mother.

And in a sense, by
seeing their pictures,

by reading their diaries,
by looking at their letters,

they came alive to me.

They became the
grandparents I never knew.

And I don't know what it
was, but it lit a spark

inside me at the age of eight.

And ever since that time, I've
been climbing the family tree,

trying to find out as much
as I could about my ancestry.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): On
that chilly day when he first

peered into the
old trunk, Hank had

no idea he had
just set the course

for the rest of his life.

Today, some 46 years
later, Hank Jones

is the author of a
book "Psychic Roots,"

and one of the country's
leading genealogists.

Devoted to piecing together
long lost family trees,

tracing his own family
has proved one of the most

difficult challenges.

Hank is descended from a hardy
band of German immigrants

known as Palatines.

The Palatines were one
of the biggest immigrations

we ever had to the new world.

And this one little
branch of mine

started out for the new world,
but they ended up in Ireland

in 1709 rather than
coming down to New York

with all the rest of them.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Although his own ancestors had

gone to Ireland, Hank
found himself intrigued

by a man named Johann Dietrich
Schneider, who belonged

to a group of 847 other
Palatine families who

had journeyed to New York.

I don't know why, but I
felt this almost obsession

to find out more about them.

So I hired a lady named Carla
Middlestead Kubichek to go

village to village for
me, looking for all

these families in Germany.

But we had to start somewhere,
and I didn't know where

to really tell her to start.

And so just off the
top of my head, I said,

Carla, I don't care.

I have no vested
interest in any of them,

but I've always been
interested in a man named

Dietrich Schneider,
who came in this group

to New York from Germany.

Go look for him first.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): In
a remarkable turn of events,

Hank later learned that
he had picked the one

person out of the
entire migration

who was actually related to him.

I don't know how
to explain that,

but it was just the
beginning of a bunch

of strange coincidences,
strange occurrences that

started happening to
me as I was studying

these Palatine Germans.

I was starting to dream
about them, for instance.

At first, the dreams
were more about visions

of the Palatines' lifestyle.

I used to dream about
them coming to America,

and I could see the ships.

I could see them landing,
things like that.

And then I started dreaming
about particular home villages

of certain immigrants
I was looking

for but I hadn't found yet.

So I decided to write
down some of the places

where the dreams
suggested I look.

And lo and behold, we
found about five to seven

of those families exactly
where the dreams said

they would be located overseas.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Could
the spirits of Hank's ancestors

have somehow reached
through the mists of time

to lead him to
places he would never

have thought to investigate?

Hank became convinced that
was precisely the case.

He sent out letters
to other genealogists

to see if anyone else had
had a similar experience.

I got 200 responses, and
practically every response

started with "I
know what you mean,"

or "yes, yes, you've
struck a familiar chord."

And then they would relate these
unbelievable experiences that

had happened to them when they
were doing their genealogies

over the years.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): One
of the most intriguing responses

came from Dr. David Faux,
a forensic psychologist

in Ontario, Canada.

In studying his
bloodlines, David

became fascinated by his
great-great-grandfather,

Charles Faux.

David learned that Charles
had been a sergeant

in the British army
in the mid-1800s,

during the great
colonial campaigns

in India and Pakistan.

Despite uncovering a wealth
of written information,

David had no idea of what his
great-great-grandfather might

have looked like
until he began to have

a strange recurring vision.

First of all, I pictured him.

I pictured him in
his military uniform,

his red coat, the buttons,
and perhaps medals.

And then the picture
over time started

to include his
wife and his child,

who would be my
great-grandfather.

And I thought, well,
this is very strange,

because the probability
of such a picture existing

is so remote, so
infinitesimal you might

as well say zero probability.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
In 1987, David and a friend

traveled to England in search
of additional information

about David's ancestors.

I wanna go look
at those figurines.

Right, I'll see you
outside in half an hour.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Towards

the end of the trip, they
stopped at the Norwich

Castle, a popular
museum and art gallery

in Charles Faux's hometown.

I just wandered from
room to room in the castle,

aimlessly, I thought.

And just as I was entering
the doorway to one room,

I noticed ahead
of me was a very,

very large portrait
that just stood

out, almost three dimensional.

I was awestruck.

It was like the little
hairs on the nape of my neck

were just standing up.

I had pictured an item somewhat
similar to this or very similar

to this, and there, there it
was, right before my eyes.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Incredibly, David

says the painting was
the same family portrait

in his recurring vision.

The painting was
completed by one Frederick

Sandys in the year 1860.

And my great-grandfather,
being born in 1857,

would have been three in 1860.

The woman in the
picture was very much

younger than the older soldier.

And I knew that
Sergeant Charles Faux's

wife was 13 years his junior.

And the old gentleman
was a sergeant.

There were three stripes
on his right arm.

And most curiously and
interestingly, he had three

ribbons on his left breast.

And I realized that my
own ancestor probably

did win a number of medals
when he was overseas,

but at that point, I
didn't know which ones.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When David returned home,

he immediately began
searching for confirmation

that the man in the portrait
was indeed his ancestor.

David learned that the
medals in the painting

had been awarded for the Sutlej
Campaign, the Punjab Campaign,

and for long service
and good conduct.

Those same three
medals had been awarded

to David's
great-great-grandfather,

Sergeant Charles Faux.

It's almost as if my head
became fuzzy at that time,

because I thought this
is quite incredible.

I had an image,
the image in mind,

that was translated
into something there,

something three dimensional.

And again, to have the
fantasy and reality

emerge in this way I find
most exceedingly curious.

The best thing about it
is that you have a feeling

that your ancestors
care about you,

that they really
want to be found.

It's a sense of reuniting.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carol Montrose of New Albany,

Ohio would certainly agree.

While researching
her family tree,

Carol became
particularly intrigued

with a woman named
Katherine Ruddy

Stegmeier, who she believed
might be her great-great-aunt.

Great But Carol
was unable to find

the date of Katherine's death
or her final resting place.

Gino, hurry.

Look.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): Then,
in the fall of 1988, Carol

and her son were searching
through cemeteries

in Northwestern Ohio when they
came upon a hot air balloon

in flight.

Can we follow it?

Sure.

It's going over that way.

So all of a sudden, there
was a road on my right.

And I turned, and we're
following the balloon

at this point, and it came
down so low that it actually

clipped the top of the trees.

And all of a sudden, I saw
this church with a cemetery

across the street, and the
balloon appeared to be landing

in the back behind the church.

Gino, look.

I think it's gonna land
over by that church.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
But instead of landing,

the balloon took flight again.

Carol now believes that the
spirit of her great-great-aunt

had guided her to follow the
balloon to this remote church

150 miles from her home.

I'll be right back.

I thought that it wouldn't
hurt to check the cemetery,

even though I had never really
considered any of the family

having been buried there.

Almost near the front
row was this Frederick

Stegmeier, a child of Kate.

And I was ecstatic.

I mean, I knew that I was in--

at least in the right area.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Carol ventured

farther into the cemetery.

There on the back row was the
grave she had been looking for.

So amazing, so strange.

I can't say for sure Kate
was trying to help me,

but I sure feel like she was.

I believe it's very
possible that the spirits

of our ancestors,
in some way, are

directing us in our searches.

They want to be found.

They want to be found.

And they may give us
little subtle clues

along the way of how to do it.

They may somehow open some doors
for us as we do our genealogy.

I'm very open to that.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Did mysterious psychic forces

somehow lead Hank, David,
and Carol to their ancestors?

Or is it all just a coincidence?

Whatever the case, if you happen
to be studying your family tree

and you get that odd feeling
to visit one more library,

or open one last book, or even
follow a hot air balloon, take

heed.

Perhaps you are being
guided by the spirit

of one of your ancestors.

When we return, a young
woman has disappeared

and may be hitchhiking around
the country, lost and alone.

OK, take it out.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
August 10th, 1993.

Just east of
Mendocino, California,

in a remote corner of redwood
forest, an incongruous sight.

A shiny red car has been
found stuck in the mud.

The car radio has
been ripped out.

There are minute traces
of blood on the dashboard

in the front seat, along with
shredded identification papers.

A few torn up photographs
are scattered nearby.

The scene appears to bear all
the earmarks of foul play,

but in this case,
nothing is as it appears.

The shredded IDs were traced
to 22-year-old Kristi Krebs,

an aspiring chef who worked
at two different restaurants

in Fort Bragg, California,
seven miles from the spot

where her car was found.

Kristi lived with her parents
and two younger brothers

in Fort Bragg.

And for Kristi's parents,
the entire scenario

had an eerily familiar ring.

Kristi Krebs graduated
from high school in 1989,

and went to work full time
in a local restaurant.

She was cheerful and upbeat
and worked tirelessly,

but she also developed
an unrealistic obsession

about a married man
she worked with.

On April 30th,
1990, Kristi became

unnaturally
euphoric, fantasizing

an imaginary wedding.

She drove aimlessly
for hours and lost

her way on a country road.

The car she was driving became
hopelessly stuck in the mud.

I have to get out of here!

I have to get out of here!

[inaudible] Oh no!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When Kristi's car was found,

it looked like this.

The interior had been
totally destroyed by flames.

The fire was an almost
unheard of freak

occurrence which apparently
triggered in Kristi

a traumatic mental breakdown.

The morning after the
incident, railroad workers

were alarmed by the sight
of a dazed and disoriented

young woman wandering
along the tracks.

One of the workmen
recognized Kristi

and telephoned her
mother and father,

who immediately picked her up.

Initially, we
thought things were OK.

But as we were driving
back into town,

the behavior we were
getting from her

was very bizarre,
chanting and patting her

and doing very weird things.

And I just looked at my wife
and said, we're not going home.

We're going to the hospital.

I remember in the examining
room she was still

acting very, very strange.

And for the first week
to 10 days at least,

she was really incoherent.

[chuckling]

We wondered if she was ever
going to be the same again.

At first, they thought that
she might have been on drugs,

but they were able to test
her and see that there

were no drugs in her system.

Hi, kiddo.

Hi, Kristi.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over the next few months,

Kristi was in and out of the
hospital four different times.

Eventually, she was
diagnosed as having

experienced a psychotic
trauma-related break.

Why are you doing that?

- My car, my keys--
- Your car's OK.

It's all right, Kristi.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Kristi's parents

feared the worst.

But after therapy
and drug treatment,

Kristi made rapid progress.

She was released from
the hospital for good

some six months
after the car fire.

An occupational therapist
had recommended that Kristi

work, but only part time.

And good luck to all of you.

Thanks.

I think it was
suggested she work

20 hours a week to start with.

And she did incredibly well, and
she was very proud of herself,

and she got herself a second
job at a local fast food

restaurant.

Both jobs were calling
her in more and more.

And there were often
days when she would work

five or six hours at each job.

And that would get her anywhere
from a 10 to a 12 hour day.

Plus, in between
the two jobs, she

was often going
to the health club

and exercising and trying
to keep her weight down.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Three years went by.

Kristi's parents became very
concerned about her manic pace,

yet Kristi insisted
she was OK, right up

to the night she disappeared.

- Here you go.
- Great.

Thank you.

The manager of
the pizza parlor

indicated that she was
extremely hyper, was

extremely happy, much,
much happier than she

had been in a long time.

And at one point, the
manager of the pizza parlor

had asked her why
she was so happy,

which was somewhat unusual.

And Kristi apparently responded
that it's not what you think

and went on about her work.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): That night,

August 9th, 1993, Kristi left
work still in high spirits.

She said she was
going straight home,

but she was next
seen in the parking

lot of a nearby
public beach, where

a ranger spoke to her about 15
minutes before closing time.

Is everything OK?

Yeah, I just came from work
to relax here, if that's OK.

Yeah, that's fine.

I just wanted to
make sure you knew

this wasn't an overnight lot.

Yeah.

Is it OK if I stay
here for a while?

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): The ranger

was the last person to see
Kristi before she disappeared.

Thanks.

He said that she
seemed fairly normal.

She then went from
there back, apparently

back through Fort
Bragg, traveling south,

and headed toward the
town of Mendocino.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
At some point,

Kristi turned onto a
small country road,

and then veered
onto a dirt road.

She ended up here, just seven
miles from the spot where

the car fire had occurred, once
again deep in the redwoods,

once again stuck in the mud.

I think that she probably
had flashbacks to 1990.

It was like reliving
that nightmare.

And all of that, I think, just
overloaded all the circuits.

[sobbing]

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Kristi's father

believes that his
daughter suffered

another psychotic break, perhaps
even wandering into a creek

as she tried desperately to
deal with a bizarre repetition

of her earlier trauma.

In my mind, the
last thing she did,

she went through her wallet,
and in total frustration,

whether she's looking at
pictures of family and friends,

she ripped them all up.

She ripped them up and
scattered them around.

Whether she was
destroying her past

and trying to get away from
it, I really don't know.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
next morning, a full scale

search was launched, but
no trace of Kristi Krebs

could be found.

Over the next few
months, however,

several sightings were
reported from Texas

to Salt Lake City, Utah.

One sighting in California
seemed extremely promising.

On June 30th, 1994, an
off duty highway worker

named Mike Case stopped
to pick up a hitchhiker

near Visalia, California.

300 miles south
of the spot where

Kristi's car was abandoned.

It seemed to me that she
didn't have it all there.

At first, I thought possibly
she was on some type of drugs.

But talking with her a
little bit at the beginning,

I knew that possibly she
was in a world of her own.

What happened to
your wrist there?

I did happen to notice
that on her wrist

there were two slash
marks on her wrist.

And I asked her directly,
well, what happened there?

And she said, I had a breakdown.

I had a boyfriend.

He wasn't very nice.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Over the course of 90 minutes,

the girl talked about several
things which would later

ring true to Kristi's parents--

a boyfriend who seemed
fictional, a desire

to visit San Jose,
where she once

had relatives, and especially
her love of the ocean.

In fact, Mike Case
dropped her off

at an intersection near
Hanford, California,

where she could easily
hitchhike to the beach.

A week later, Mike Case read an
article in a truckers magazine

about Kristi Krebs'
disappearance.

He contacted Kristi's
parents, and they

immediately sent photographs.

I went through
several of the pictures,

and my personal feeling,
that was the girl

I picked up on the freeway.

I'm positive that is her.

I'm positive.

And I can say that now.

I can say it's positive.

I believe that Kristi
is out there somewhere,

and that she's alive.

Because Kristi is a survivor.

She has a lot of strength.

She's very friendly.

I believe that she would not be
a loner, that she would hook up

with someone, and
that she would make

sure that she got through this.

And I really believe that
she has that ability.

We want her back home, because
we know that with our help

she can once again
recover from whatever it

is that she is going through.

And we really hope somebody
out there knows where she

is and can help her get home.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
When we return,

the discovery of a
hidden birth certificate

prompts a man to search
for his long lost brother.

[theme music]

Mom and dad's secret papers.

As children, most of us
knew that our parents kept

a treasure trove of mysterious
and forbidden items tucked

away in a special
box, or just out

of reach in a bureau drawer.

For a man named
Walter Thomas, this

was just such a box, the
object of decades of curiosity.

Just a few days after his
father's death in 1993,

Walter finally peeked
inside and stumbled on

a surprising unsolved mystery.

It is a ritual that has been
repeated by sons and daughters

through the ages.

Walter gathered
the family together

and opened his father's
stash of private papers.

There's a driver's
license from 1933.

Amazing.

Certificate of birth
registration for who?

John-- Philip John Thomas?

Who the heck's
Philip John Thomas?

When we came across his birth
certificate, it was the most--

it was unreal.

I couldn't-- I can't think
of a word to put into it.

It was unreal.

I can't believe this.

Daddy never kept
anything from me.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): It
was an extraordinary revelation,

one that took Walter back to
his childhood in the 1940s.

Growing up, he had
never heard so much

as a whisper about a younger
brother named Philip.

All right, is that what you
call cleaning up the leaves,

huh?

Johnny, come here.

Come here.

Give your mama a big kiss.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
Thomas family made their home

in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Dad worked in a textile mill.

Mom looked after Walter,
his younger sister,

and younger twin brothers.

What's the matter?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Grandma was a frequent visitor.

WALTER (VOICEOVER): We didn't
have much, but in those days,

you didn't expect much.

You just did what you
had to do just to get by.

I think he's hungry.

You wanna try your bottle?

WALTER (VOICEOVER): Mom
was the sweetest woman

you ever did meet.

She had a heart of gold.

Her laughter lit up the room.

She was like a queen
to us, you know?

She was perfect.

In every which way,
she was perfect,

until her sickness came in.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): The
sickness had been a dark cloud

over the Thomas family.

Walters says his mother, Adele,
suffered strange mental lapses.

Without warning, she
would wander away

from home, trudging aimlessly
through the neighborhood

and beyond.

On many occasions,
Walter and his father

would spend hours
looking for her.

When's mom gonna
get over this?

WALTER (VOICEOVER): I used
to ask dad that question.

Dad, is mom ever gonna
get better from this?

Is mom ever gonna stop this?

His answer was, sonny--

he said it's in God's hands.

I don't know.

Sometimes, she was
happy to see us,

and sometimes she
didn't even know us.

Mom!

Adele.

It's me, Walter.

You all right?

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
On several occasions,

Adele's condition
deteriorated so much

that Walter Sr. had
no choice but to admit

his wife to a hospital.

The children were
not allowed inside.

And mom used to
come to the window,

and she hollered
down at us, you know?

We love you!

Oh, honey, I love you too.

WALTER: When are
you coming home?

I'll be home soon.

I promise you,
sweetheart, I will!

Blow mom a kiss.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER): With
Adele confined to the hospital

and Walter working
long hours at the mill,

grandma looked
after the children.

Not everyone approved
of the arrangement.

Is your name Walter?

Yes, sir.

Walter, would you ask your
two brothers and sister to come

out here with you, please?

Grandma?

Yes?

Hello, Mrs. Thomas.

This is the Thomas household.

We are from the Department
of Social services,

and we're here to take Walter
Jr, Sarah, Richard, and David

to the agency with us.

Inside, Walter.

This home is unfit for these
children to continue living in.

Unfit?

WALTER (VOICEOVER): My
grandmother told them.

She said, this Thomas
family is a Thomas family.

It's gonna stay a
Thomas family together.

I love these children!

You get off my property!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The social service agents

were apparently convinced.

Get off my property now!

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
They never again

bothered the Thomas family.

In May of 1947, Adele
recovered and spent

several months at home with
her husband and children.

But another bout
of mental illness

set her back to the hospital
with an added complication.

Adele was pregnant with
the couple's fifth child.

Phillip John Thomas was
born in April of 1948.

Given the circumstances,
Walter felt he had no choice.

Reluctantly, he and Adele gave
their child up for adoption.

Now decades later, Walter
resolved to find his brother,

but he quickly discovered
that every official record

was sealed.

His story was picked up
by a local newspaper.

Then a television station sent
a reporter to interview Walter.

REPORTER: Walter Thomas Jr. Was
13 years old when his mother--

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
The broadcast

would lead to a completely
unexpected discovery.

A woman named Phyllis
Monroe, who lived just 35

miles from Walter, telephoned
with the stunning news

that she had known
Phillip as a child.

Three days later,
Walter and Phyllis met.

Phyllis, is that you?

Hi.

You're Phyllis?

You have to be Walter.

You look just like Philip.

Hi, honey.

Oh my god.

I can't describe what it felt
like to meet her at the time,

because so many things in my
mind that I wanted to ask her.

And when she'd
seen me, you know,

she looked at me,
she started to cry.

She started to cry.

Oh my god.

When I see you, she says,
I see Philip, she says.

He looked exactly like Philip
to me, and that's all I needed.

I didn't need no
paperwork, because that

was proof enough to me that
that was Philip's brother.

Phyllis, I found
the teddy bear.

Maybe Philip wants
to play with that.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): As a child,

Phyllis had grown
up in a foster home

under the care of a woman
Mary Thankful Tefft.

One of Phyllis's foster
brothers was none other

than Phillip John Thomas.

She vividly recalls the few
years they spent together.

PHYLLIS (VOICEOVER): When
Philip came to the house

for the first time,
he was just a darling.

Just the cutest little boy.

He had brown eyes
and brown hair.

And to me, he was
like a brother.

ROBERT STACK (VOICEOVER):
Even the best of foster homes

are temporary arrangements.

And it was almost certain
that Phillip and Phyllis

would one day be separated.

Parting came suddenly
in July of 1953.

Philip had been adopted.

PHYLLIS (VOICEOVER):
Philip was part of my life

when he was a little boy there.

And I know that part of
my life went when he went.

Because I was so
attached to him.

ROBERT STACK
(VOICEOVER): Phyllis

was able to share with
Walter a tangible link

to his long lost brother--

this photograph of Philip
at about three years of age.

To find Philip will close
the Thomas family together.

It's something that I
have to do for my father.

My father left me that there.

He told me to find him.

And not in words, but he left
it there for me to go after him.

He knew I would.

I'm willing to bet,
knowing my father,

that he took that
paper out many times,

and touched it, and held
it, and prayed on it,

and hoped that Philip
would have been

forgiven enough so that he could
forgive dad for what he did.

Join me next Friday for
another intriguing edition

of "Unsolved Mysteries."

[theme music]