1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,600 This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members 2 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:13,680 and police officials have participated in recreating the events. What you are about 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:20,840 to see is not a news broadcast. 4 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:25,760 In 1986, a bank vault in Hollywood, California was emptied by a cunning group of burglars. 5 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:30,840 The bandits tumbled hundreds of feet underground and escaped for $2 million. The police call 6 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,720 it the crime of the century. 7 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:39,080 In 1982, a 46-year-old appliance repairman was brutally murdered. Three theories have 8 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:44,400 surfaced. Was this seemingly ordinary father of four killed by angry drug runners? Or 9 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:48,840 by vengeful crime bosses against whom his brother was called to testify? Or was it 10 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,240 a crime of passion committed by a jealous husband? 11 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:59,160 In 1982, seven-year-old Crystal Merslock drowned in a swimming pool accident. Crystal was clinically 12 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:04,960 dead, but after 15 minutes, doctors brought her back to life. 13 00:01:04,960 --> 00:01:08,720 Crystal is one of millions of Americans who have undergone what psychologists call a near-death 14 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:13,540 experience, an intriguing mystifying phenomenon in which they describe a peaceful journey 15 00:01:13,540 --> 00:01:18,480 after death in which old friends lead them towards a white light. Proof of life after 16 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,000 life is simply a mass hallucination. 17 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:25,480 8 p.m. Friday, June 6, 1986, an alarm sounded at the first interstate bank in Hollywood, 18 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:38,560 California. A police patrol was dispatched to investigate. When they arrived, they found 19 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,560 no evidence of a break-in. 20 00:02:49,240 --> 00:03:05,560 On Monday morning, bank employees arrived for work. It is business as usual. A few minutes 21 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:12,960 later, when a bank officer opened up the vault, she made a shocking discovery. Incredibly, 22 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:17,280 someone had tunneled 30 yards from under a nearby street, ending up precisely underneath 23 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:23,920 the vault. Using hand tools, they patiently sliced through the 18-inch thick steel reinforced 24 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:31,400 concrete floor. Once inside, they made off with over $2 million in cash, jewelry and 25 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:37,920 rare coins. 26 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,800 Detective Dennis Pagan Cop was assigned to the case. 27 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:51,480 My initial feelings that morning when we first arrived at the scene was one of awe. I realized 28 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:57,800 the fact that these suspects were excellent burglars. They would be extremely difficult 29 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:06,040 to catch. They'd gone to a lot of work and it was awesome. We view this burglary in the 30 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:12,240 city as the crime of the century as far as burglars go. The method of attack and the 31 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:20,600 fact they got $2 million plus their ingenuity. I had never seen a burglary like this in 27 32 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:29,080 years. Underneath the streets of Los Angeles, a subterranean highway of storm drains exists. 33 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:33,680 Detective Pagan Cop discovered that the burglars had used these drains to secretly travel to 34 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:41,680 the bank, or they then could tunnel undetected to the vaults. They dug 95 feet from a drain 35 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:49,120 to the bank. The extraordinary tunnels were approximately 3.5 feet wide by 4.5 feet high, 36 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:57,440 all dug by hand but finished with electric tools, a remarkable feat of precision engineering. 37 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,480 The experts tell us that the type of tunnels they dug were very safe tunnels. The size 38 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,600 of the tunnels, the shapes of the tunnels were extremely expertly done and the contour 39 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:14,880 of the tunnels were done as such to add extra strength and protection to those digging. 40 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:21,120 Police searched underground in a 3 mile radius of the bank, looking for signs of the robbers. 41 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:25,200 When we conclude our investigation at First Interstate Bank, basically we were left with 42 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:31,200 no clues at all. There was no physical evidence left. The suspects left us nothing to work 43 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:38,200 with and we were basically handcuffed. Police had run out of clues. It seems as if the perfect 44 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:45,960 crime had been committed. Fourteen months later the daring bandits struck again. They must 45 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,360 have known that their extraordinary tactics were known to the authorities but that didn't 46 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:58,360 deter them. What is more surprising, the tunneling burglars came within minutes of succeeding. 47 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,960 On Saturday morning August 22, 1987, the alarm system went off at a Bank of America in West 48 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:10,960 Los Angeles. Police were called in to investigate. The assistant bank manager opened the vault. 49 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:21,760 They discovered the vault had been broken into. Apparently the burglars had fled while 50 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:28,840 the robbery was in progress. On the floor, an 18 inch hole was cut through the concrete. 51 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:33,360 When I got the phone call from the officer at the bank and he explained to me a hole 52 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:39,800 in the floor, all I could think of was their back, they've done it again. And how much 53 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:44,840 money did they get this time? Because they were interrupted, the thieves are only able 54 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:51,840 to steal $90,000. They left behind their tools and some work clothes. The robbers also 55 00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:01,440 left an 18 inch core bit, a cutting tool used in construction to bore large holes through 56 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:08,440 cement. This was purchased in the San Francisco Bay Area by a construction company using a 57 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:14,880 fictitious name and address in San Diego and they paid cash. So basically we knew that 58 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:21,880 it was probably a white male that purchased it but no other information. Again, detectives 59 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:30,720 searched miles of storm drains for some clues to the identity of the bandits. Approximately 60 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:35,640 three miles from the bank, they found a four wheel vehicle called a quad runner just inside 61 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:42,640 a storm drain entrance. Detective Pagancock believes the tunnels were dug by just two 62 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:47,160 men. Apparently they used their vehicles to carry their heavy equipment underground. 63 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:52,040 Their core bit and drill alone required a drilled press that weighed an excess of 100 64 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:59,040 pounds. We came to the conclusion that the suspects were very close friends, possibly 65 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:06,840 army buddies, able to work together for long periods of time in very confined areas, picking 66 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:14,400 up three to six weeks probably to dig that one tunnel. Detective Pagancock also believes 67 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,840 the third man was embalmed since clearly the burglars must have been worn by someone 68 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:27,840 outside the bank. Time to move. Tops? I don't know. I'm going to go. In their escape, 69 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,840 footprints indicated that the burglars ran through the tunnel one barefoot, one in stocking 70 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:40,840 feet. They abandoned one of their vehicles and apparently escaped on foot. For all of 71 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:48,680 their labors, $90,000 must have been a disappointing reward. Of all the evidence we recovered, 72 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:55,920 tools, ladders, clothing, we had developed no fingerprints whatsoever. The only fingerprint 73 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:03,280 we developed was on the quadrunner itself. We got one latent print from that vehicle. 74 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:09,920 That print has been run through and compared with all arrestees and it's our opinion that 75 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:16,920 this individual has never been arrested. Police again went underground looking for 76 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:25,440 more evidence. That's hollow, isn't it? Yeah, it's hollow. About a mile and a half from 77 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:32,160 the Bank of America, they found another tunnel completely finished. This 102-foot tunnel ended 78 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:36,720 beneath the Beverly Hills Bank and the mounting boats for the drill were already in place 79 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:43,720 under the vault. If they'd have been able to accomplish both burglars that weekend, 80 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:49,320 it's told to me by the people in the banks, in the banking industry, that they probably 81 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:56,320 would have gotten away with between $10 and $20 million. Police learned that the quadrunner 82 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:00,920 was purchased by a man using the name David Spaulding, his only known address of post 83 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:06,640 office box in Hollywood. One or two people using this name apparently purchased five 84 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:13,640 of these distinctive vehicles. Salespeople created two composites of the same man. He 85 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:19,480 is a male Caucasian around 35 years of age. He's about six feet in height and rugged looking 86 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:26,680 as if used to outdoor labor. Next, the story of two people who then pronounced clinically 87 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:32,120 dead and brought back to life. The experiences profoundly changed their lives. The stories 88 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,120 they tell may suggest what lies ahead after death. 89 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:51,440 Seven years ago on March the 13th, 1982, a seven-year-old girl named Crystal Merslock 90 00:10:53,600 --> 00:11:00,600 was attending a children's birthday party held at a local swimming pool. Though she 91 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:07,100 had just recently learned to swim, Crystal felt comfortable in the water. 92 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:13,600 We went into the pool and we were just playing down at the shallow end for a while and then 93 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:20,880 I don't know why but for some reason I went up to the deep end where a group of boys pushed 94 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:27,840 me in but they didn't know it. And I just started swallowing water, gasping for air, 95 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:34,840 trying to grab up to the top of the water. I couldn't get in the air and so I just fell 96 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:36,680 unconscious. 97 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:43,680 And then I was just in darkness. 98 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,040 Can we get some breast sounds here please? 99 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,480 Hi the breast sounds! 100 00:11:55,480 --> 00:12:00,200 Paramedics rushed Crystal to a local hospital where a team led by Dr. Melvin Morris feverishly 101 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:04,280 worked to save her life. 102 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:09,800 When she came in her pupils were fixed and dilated meaning that she probably had no brain 103 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:16,800 activity. She had none of the normal reflexes that we associate with surviving. She had 104 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:24,840 what's called a Glasgow coma score of three which very few people survive if they have 105 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,120 such a profound coma. 106 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,120 She's not coming around! 107 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,280 I did not think that she would survive. 108 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:39,280 Dr. Morris said that she was so close to death that to prepare yourself for her demise 109 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:46,480 that she could expire at any time. There wasn't much chance given to her for her long life 110 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,600 after that event. 111 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,520 At 3.30pm Crystal Merzloch was clinically dead. 112 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:04,000 Twenty minutes later she was brought back to life. During the period of time she was being 113 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:08,800 revived Crystal shared a common experience with thousands of other Americans. A near 114 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:14,480 death experience or NDE. Almost without exception these people describe a journey to the land 115 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:19,760 of beautiful light. A trip accompanied by an overwhelming sense of well-being. Is this 116 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:26,760 experience an hallucination or evidence of a life after death? 117 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:34,640 As Crystal lay near death she felt herself moving into darkness. Then her eyes opened 118 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:40,520 when she beheld a wondrous sight. 119 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:47,520 I didn't really know where I was. I looked up and I saw this bright light at the end of 120 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:55,080 a tunnel and there were colored bricks on the walls of the tunnel. 121 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:03,760 The light kind of pulled me toward it. It was just the most loving light I've ever seen. 122 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:13,780 And then I saw this lady. She came toward me really soft and really slow. She took my 123 00:14:13,780 --> 00:14:20,780 hand and she said, I'm Elizabeth and I will help you. She just led me into the light and 124 00:14:21,140 --> 00:14:28,140 through the light and into heaven. I just felt that this was the place I wanted to be. 125 00:14:37,220 --> 00:14:41,460 Crystal sensed that she was floating over her body observing the medical team as they 126 00:14:41,460 --> 00:14:43,380 attempted to save her life. 127 00:14:43,380 --> 00:14:50,380 When I was up there I saw the doctors they were working on me. They were sticking up 128 00:14:50,780 --> 00:14:57,780 my arm and at my nose to help me breathe and I didn't like it. That was one of the reasons 129 00:14:57,780 --> 00:15:04,780 I wanted to stay up there. 130 00:15:05,060 --> 00:15:12,060 But when I got thinking about how I wouldn't be able to really hug my mom again or anybody 131 00:15:12,980 --> 00:15:19,980 I really loved then I said no I want to go back and then I was back. 132 00:15:20,940 --> 00:15:26,340 In my body. 133 00:15:26,340 --> 00:15:33,340 I wasn't dead. I was still alive. There was still a part of me like my soul, my spirit, 134 00:15:33,340 --> 00:15:38,340 was still alive. I wasn't dead at all. 135 00:15:38,340 --> 00:15:44,340 For at least 20 minutes Crystal was for all intents and purposes dead. Even after she was 136 00:15:44,420 --> 00:15:50,920 revived the child was in a coma for three days. Fortunately once she returned home Crystal 137 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:55,260 completely regained her health. 138 00:15:55,260 --> 00:15:59,580 Crystal had never met Dr. Morse the man who saved her life but when they were introduced 139 00:15:59,580 --> 00:16:02,620 he seemed familiar. 140 00:16:02,620 --> 00:16:08,060 The last time I had seen her she was profoundly comatose. She could not have been in a deeper 141 00:16:08,060 --> 00:16:11,060 coma and still be alive. 142 00:16:11,060 --> 00:16:16,740 And then I saw her in follow up two weeks later. I said you know I am Dr. Morse you 143 00:16:16,740 --> 00:16:22,300 probably don't remember me but I sure know you Crystal because I spent you know a grueling 144 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:27,500 four hours trying to bring you back to life and then she turned to her mother and said 145 00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:31,860 well no I have seen him before. 146 00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:37,500 She stated that she remembered seeing me from the emergency room. 147 00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:44,020 She said oh yes I have met you I saw you you were putting something in my throat you were 148 00:16:44,020 --> 00:16:47,220 working with my neck and she scowled at him. 149 00:16:47,220 --> 00:16:54,220 I saw his face and I knew him. It was just like I had never seen him before and I knew 150 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:55,540 him. 151 00:16:55,540 --> 00:17:02,140 She also described other elements of her resuscitation. She described us pushing on her chest and 152 00:17:02,140 --> 00:17:09,140 putting various lines in her. She described that she told me first you worked on me in 153 00:17:10,140 --> 00:17:17,140 the emergency room and then you took me to another room you know which was in fact true. 154 00:17:17,380 --> 00:17:22,060 And when you see a seven year old talk like that and say things like that there is no 155 00:17:22,060 --> 00:17:27,700 reason for you not to believe it you know it comes straight from the heart. 156 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:33,100 Dr. Gabbard has studied these near death experiences and believes they may be physical not metaphysical 157 00:17:33,100 --> 00:17:35,540 phenomena. 158 00:17:35,540 --> 00:17:41,340 The near death experience can be understood as deriving from a fundamental psychological 159 00:17:41,340 --> 00:17:48,340 need to deny the reality of death because it's too horrible to face the prospect that 160 00:17:49,180 --> 00:17:51,900 when the body goes that's it. 161 00:17:51,900 --> 00:17:57,060 It's very tempting of course to suppose that these experiences are explainable by some 162 00:17:57,100 --> 00:18:01,420 sort of physiological events or biochemical events going on in the brain at the point 163 00:18:01,420 --> 00:18:06,700 of death or perhaps by psychological principles that this is just wish fulfillment that the 164 00:18:06,700 --> 00:18:12,180 mind is unable to accept final death so it makes up this beautiful fantasy. 165 00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:17,180 But in fact when you carefully look at the reports I think we've all concluded that something 166 00:18:17,180 --> 00:18:19,300 very different is going on. 167 00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:23,700 One reason for this is that the patients are able to tell us things about the resuscitation 168 00:18:23,740 --> 00:18:27,580 attempt that they wouldn't have any way of knowing. 169 00:18:27,580 --> 00:18:32,620 My own subjective feeling after 23 years of working with these patients is that I have 170 00:18:32,620 --> 00:18:39,620 no doubt whatsoever that they had a glimpse of the life hereafter. 171 00:18:42,060 --> 00:18:45,660 Crystal has been to a place where her friends and family have never gone. 172 00:18:45,660 --> 00:18:51,740 She is certain that this experience will stay with her the rest of her life. 173 00:18:51,780 --> 00:18:55,660 I have remembered this for seven years. 174 00:18:55,660 --> 00:18:57,260 I cannot forget it. 175 00:18:57,260 --> 00:18:58,900 It's always there. 176 00:18:58,900 --> 00:19:05,900 It's always been very real to me and it's always very clear to me. 177 00:19:09,500 --> 00:19:13,780 When we return the story of a man who may have passed through death to the other side 178 00:19:13,780 --> 00:19:15,660 today his life has been transformed. 179 00:19:15,660 --> 00:19:19,300 He believes that life after death is a very real possibility. 180 00:19:22,740 --> 00:19:27,740 Many thousands of people have died and lived to tell the tale. 181 00:19:27,740 --> 00:19:30,620 An overwhelming number describe the same phenomenon. 182 00:19:30,620 --> 00:19:34,420 A tunnel of light and a sense of floating over their body. 183 00:19:34,420 --> 00:19:37,940 One of the strangest stories connected with a near-death experience is told by a New York 184 00:19:37,940 --> 00:19:40,220 man named Thomas Sawyer. 185 00:19:40,220 --> 00:19:44,620 Ten years ago his life was transformed by an accident that occurred in his garage. 186 00:19:44,620 --> 00:19:47,120 Today Tom Sawyer is literally a new man. 187 00:19:52,740 --> 00:19:58,740 Tom Sawyer lives in upstate New York and works as a snow plow operator. 188 00:19:58,740 --> 00:20:02,740 For 33 years he lived a normal, uneventful life. 189 00:20:02,740 --> 00:20:07,740 I'd have to describe myself as a pretty much an all-American boy. 190 00:20:07,740 --> 00:20:10,740 You know, with a name like Tom Sawyer you have one of two choices. 191 00:20:10,740 --> 00:20:16,740 You can become a comedian or an outgoing or end up being an introvert. 192 00:20:16,740 --> 00:20:20,740 Tom turned to athletics during high school and that propelled him to popularity. 193 00:20:20,740 --> 00:20:24,740 However, his academic record was lackluster for good reason. 194 00:20:24,740 --> 00:20:30,740 From seventh grade in grammar school, right through age 33, I never read a book cover to cover. 195 00:20:30,740 --> 00:20:34,740 I just disliked reading immensely and I read nothing. 196 00:20:34,740 --> 00:20:40,740 In his late teens Tom raced bicycles and in 1968 qualified for the Olympic team. 197 00:20:40,740 --> 00:20:46,740 In 1967 he married Elaine and they had two sons, Tim and Todd. 198 00:20:47,740 --> 00:20:52,740 Tom was a family man, a blue collar worker who prided himself on his practicality. 199 00:20:52,740 --> 00:20:57,740 Prior to this experience I had thought about such things as religion and so on 200 00:20:57,740 --> 00:21:00,740 and I thought that it was just a bunch of foolishness. 201 00:21:00,740 --> 00:21:03,740 I would describe myself as an agnostic. 202 00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:09,740 What I had figured out was that when you die, you die, the show is over, everything goes black and that's it. 203 00:21:09,740 --> 00:21:12,740 Bring the whole blacks and sorts of the food out. 204 00:21:12,740 --> 00:21:14,740 Hand me the needle nose pliers. 205 00:21:14,740 --> 00:21:17,740 When I had this experience I was repairing my pickup truck. 206 00:21:17,740 --> 00:21:23,740 I had the front wheels off it and was lying on my back and the truck suddenly started to move. 207 00:21:23,740 --> 00:21:24,740 My God! 208 00:21:24,740 --> 00:21:25,740 Shit! 209 00:21:32,740 --> 00:21:37,740 When Todd ran in and made the phone call, I heard it very clearly and vividly. 210 00:21:37,740 --> 00:21:38,740 Hello? 211 00:21:38,740 --> 00:21:39,740 My name is Tom. 212 00:21:39,740 --> 00:21:44,740 There were other things that I was able to hear that were impossible for me to hear with my ears 213 00:21:44,740 --> 00:21:49,740 and others with my normal hearing such as the conversation of the paramedics 214 00:21:49,740 --> 00:21:52,740 getting into the ambulance three and a half miles away. 215 00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:59,740 His wife screams brought the neighbors and they worked desperately to free him. 216 00:21:59,740 --> 00:22:00,740 Left, left, left. 217 00:22:00,740 --> 00:22:03,740 One, two, three. 218 00:22:04,740 --> 00:22:11,740 As I went unconscious, I then experienced a sensation or a feeling of absolutely waking up. 219 00:22:11,740 --> 00:22:15,740 It wasn't anything at all like waking up from a sleep state. 220 00:22:15,740 --> 00:22:22,740 It was like being unconscious or absolutely asleep and then like a click of the fingernail, absolutely awake. 221 00:22:22,740 --> 00:22:28,740 The only problem with this feeling of waking up was that all I saw was darkness. 222 00:22:28,740 --> 00:22:36,740 That darkness gradually took the shape of a tunnel and way off absolutely positively to infinity 223 00:22:36,740 --> 00:22:39,740 appeared this little speck of white light. 224 00:22:39,740 --> 00:22:43,740 This was the most beautiful thing that I'd ever experienced in my life. 225 00:22:43,740 --> 00:22:45,740 It was just extraordinary. 226 00:22:48,740 --> 00:22:54,740 All the pressure of the truck being on me and the horrendous pain, that was gone and I felt very comfortable. 227 00:22:55,740 --> 00:23:01,740 The next thing that I realized was that I was motionless at the end of the tunnel 228 00:23:01,740 --> 00:23:04,740 confronted by the light of God. 229 00:23:04,740 --> 00:23:06,740 I was confronted by heaven. 230 00:23:06,740 --> 00:23:10,740 That light included absolutely everything. 231 00:23:10,740 --> 00:23:12,740 It was the entire universe. 232 00:23:12,740 --> 00:23:14,740 It was absolute total knowledge. 233 00:23:15,740 --> 00:23:19,740 I had the opportunity to ask any question at all 234 00:23:19,740 --> 00:23:24,740 and the absolute unequivocable correct answer would be emanated to me. 235 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:30,740 I then experienced a complete total life review. 236 00:23:30,740 --> 00:23:34,740 It was every day, every event, every minute and second. 237 00:23:34,740 --> 00:23:39,740 In other words, I relived the Olympic trials, my marriage, all of these things at the same time. 238 00:23:39,740 --> 00:23:46,740 I was then given a choice to return to normal life or stay and become part of this light. 239 00:23:46,740 --> 00:23:49,740 I chose to stay and become part of that light. 240 00:23:52,740 --> 00:23:58,740 But I then had a feeling of going exactly reversal through the tunnel and slamming back into my body. 241 00:23:58,740 --> 00:24:05,740 Finally as paramedics arrived, the truck was lifted off and Sawyer was taken to the hospital. 242 00:24:05,740 --> 00:24:07,740 You'll be alright, Tom. 243 00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:09,740 One, two, three. 244 00:24:09,740 --> 00:24:13,740 Well, I'm probably the only one you'll ever meet that's been kicked out of heaven 245 00:24:13,740 --> 00:24:16,740 because since I chose to stay and become part of that light 246 00:24:16,740 --> 00:24:20,740 and I am back here without any explanation of what I'm going to do, 247 00:24:20,740 --> 00:24:25,740 I'm going to be able to get out of this place and I'm going to be able to get out of this place. 248 00:24:25,740 --> 00:24:28,740 I'm not going to stay and become part of that light. 249 00:24:28,740 --> 00:24:31,740 And I am back here without any explanation at all. 250 00:24:31,740 --> 00:24:37,740 One of the logical deductive things that you could assume was that I got kicked out for some reason or another. 251 00:24:40,740 --> 00:24:44,740 Surprisingly Sawyer left the hospital the same day of his accident. 252 00:24:44,740 --> 00:24:48,740 He had no broken bones, though he suffered from some internal bleeding. 253 00:24:48,740 --> 00:24:54,740 According to medical reports, Tom had been deprived of oxygen for 15 minutes. 254 00:24:55,740 --> 00:25:02,740 I was in extreme pain, of course, and I was just sitting in the back seat by myself, moaning and groaning from the pain. 255 00:25:02,740 --> 00:25:07,740 But apparently when I was riding home all of a sudden, I blurted out and said, 256 00:25:07,740 --> 00:25:09,740 Oh, it was so beautiful. 257 00:25:09,740 --> 00:25:13,740 And Elaine turned on and said, What was so beautiful? What are you talking about? 258 00:25:13,740 --> 00:25:15,740 Well, I didn't answer her at all. 259 00:25:15,740 --> 00:25:19,740 And I just continued to moan and groan for the rest of the ride home. 260 00:25:19,740 --> 00:25:24,740 Elaine said to me, Don't you know what's happened? Don't you know what you've had? 261 00:25:24,740 --> 00:25:28,740 That's called a near death experience, where upon my response was, 262 00:25:28,740 --> 00:25:32,740 Well, I don't believe in any of that hocus pocus bologna. 263 00:25:32,740 --> 00:25:37,740 But shortly after I recuperated from the injuries from this accident, 264 00:25:37,740 --> 00:25:43,740 I started saying things that I didn't understand and my wife Elaine didn't understand. 265 00:25:43,740 --> 00:25:51,740 And one particular day I was watching television and I kind of blurted out Max Plank and I said it just like that. 266 00:25:51,740 --> 00:25:53,740 Who? Who's that? 267 00:25:53,740 --> 00:25:56,740 So of course I asked my family if they knew who that was. 268 00:25:56,740 --> 00:25:59,740 And Elaine said, No, I don't know who it is. 269 00:25:59,740 --> 00:26:02,740 And then she asked me, Do you know who it is? 270 00:26:02,740 --> 00:26:07,740 And my answer was, Well, no, but you'll be hearing more about them in the near future. 271 00:26:07,740 --> 00:26:09,740 I don't understand that. 272 00:26:11,740 --> 00:26:14,740 Elaine encouraged him to write down his thoughts. 273 00:26:14,740 --> 00:26:17,740 Tom began to jot down complex equations, 274 00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:22,740 equations that could only have been understood by a master of quantum physics. 275 00:26:22,740 --> 00:26:26,740 Tom also drew symbols like the Greek letter Psi. 276 00:26:26,740 --> 00:26:31,740 Sometimes I would write something down and know that it was correct but have no idea what it was. 277 00:26:31,740 --> 00:26:38,740 In other words, I would write down a mathematical equation while I had geometry in some algebra in high school. 278 00:26:38,740 --> 00:26:42,740 But this had symbols like triangles and things like that in. 279 00:26:44,740 --> 00:26:50,740 In an attempt to find out the meaning of these arcane symbols, Sawyer went to the Rochester library. 280 00:26:53,740 --> 00:26:59,740 He was directed to the physics section and asked for guidance from a man he met at the stacks. 281 00:26:59,740 --> 00:27:06,740 The man suggested a textbook that contained information on quantum physics and biographies of its pioneering founders. 282 00:27:06,740 --> 00:27:12,740 Well, yeah, I think possibly you might find this one interesting. 283 00:27:12,740 --> 00:27:14,740 Thank you. You're welcome. 284 00:27:16,740 --> 00:27:21,740 When I opened it, there were two things that stood out on that page. 285 00:27:21,740 --> 00:27:24,740 There was the symbol Psi in the middle of the paragraph, 286 00:27:24,740 --> 00:27:29,740 and there was a title just underneath a picture of a man, and it said, Max Planck. 287 00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:38,740 The most common things we hear from people who have had near-death experiences are that 288 00:27:38,740 --> 00:27:42,740 they have a much greater sense now of being part of something larger than themselves. 289 00:27:42,740 --> 00:27:47,740 They become interested in what can be called the spiritual aspects of their lives. 290 00:27:47,740 --> 00:27:56,740 They are no longer invested in things like individual fame, fortune, material rewards, competitiveness. 291 00:27:56,740 --> 00:28:01,740 They're much more involved in cooperation and helping others than they were before. 292 00:28:01,740 --> 00:28:08,740 He started being a more loving person. He started caring about myself and a lot of strangers, 293 00:28:08,740 --> 00:28:11,740 a lot of people he helped, anybody that needed help, he would help. 294 00:28:11,740 --> 00:28:18,740 These people have undergone profound and dramatic changes in their personality, in their lifestyle, in their values. 295 00:28:18,740 --> 00:28:24,740 All of them talk about the importance of interpersonal relationships, learning how to love others, 296 00:28:24,740 --> 00:28:31,740 a great sense of the importance of wisdom and understanding, and certainly a renewed appreciation of life. 297 00:28:31,740 --> 00:28:39,740 This is a genuine spiritual experience which profoundly and dramatically changes the way they are from then on out. 298 00:28:41,740 --> 00:28:48,740 One of the real dangers of all the attention the near-death experience is getting in the media 299 00:28:48,740 --> 00:28:59,740 is that it might romanticize death. It might lead people who are contemplating suicide to think that death is a wonderful experience. 300 00:28:59,740 --> 00:29:06,740 I suppose the near-death experience does romanticize death in that regard, but if you listen to what near-death experiences are saying, 301 00:29:06,740 --> 00:29:13,740 they're saying it also romanticizes life. It makes life so much more meaningful, more purposeful, more beautiful than it was before 302 00:29:13,740 --> 00:29:17,740 that suicide just becomes not an option anymore. 303 00:29:17,740 --> 00:29:25,740 People have asked me, if death is so wonderful and so sensational and you want to be part of that light, why don't you kill yourself? 304 00:29:25,740 --> 00:29:31,740 That's very important to me to state to everybody that suicide is an absolute impossibility for me. 305 00:29:31,740 --> 00:29:43,740 It's not only a social and legal no-no. It's a moral and spiritual no-no also to even think of or consider suicide. 306 00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:51,740 I think the way these people respond to the experience and the degree of change that they experience after it 307 00:29:51,740 --> 00:29:57,740 points to a tremendously powerful force. The types of changes they experience afterwards, the unusual abilities they have afterwards 308 00:29:57,740 --> 00:30:04,740 point to something far greater than we're aware of now. Our usual explanations of the way the brain, the way the mind works in terms of physiology 309 00:30:04,740 --> 00:30:09,740 just don't explain what's going on. Something larger at work here than we're aware of yet. 310 00:30:15,740 --> 00:30:21,740 Are these strange journeys only a prelude to a life after death? Or are they hallucinations? 311 00:30:21,740 --> 00:30:28,740 Religions around the world have grappled with the metaphysical aspects of these questions and scientists have tried to explain it in physical terms. 312 00:30:28,740 --> 00:30:34,740 Clearly death and what comes after is the most profound, unsolved mystery of them all. 313 00:30:42,740 --> 00:30:50,740 On a previous broadcast, we examined the story of Dan Willens, a mysterious prospector who spent his life searching for gold in the Canadian wilderness. 314 00:30:50,740 --> 00:30:54,740 We asked our audience to help locate his unknown heirs. 315 00:30:57,740 --> 00:31:09,740 In 1926, Willens was panning at Red Lake in the province of Ontario when he found gold. He and his partner staked their claim and established one of the most profitable small gold mines in Canadian history. 316 00:31:10,740 --> 00:31:17,740 In 1936, Dan Willens set out into the wilderness to do some solitary prospecting. He was never seen again. 317 00:31:17,740 --> 00:31:28,740 Willens left behind in a state of almost $100,000, which today may be worth as much as $3.5 million. It has remained unclaimed for more than 50 years. 318 00:31:29,740 --> 00:31:40,740 Update. Within days of our broadcast, Davey Willens, a New York businessman, called our 800 number, claiming he might be one of the heirs to Dan Willens' fortune. 319 00:31:43,740 --> 00:31:52,740 My grandfather, we have determined, came from the UK to Ontario in 1895. At that time he was 11 years of age. 320 00:31:52,740 --> 00:32:01,740 We believe he traveled with another family member, and we also have been told that there was a cousin some place up in the outback of Ontario. 321 00:32:01,740 --> 00:32:17,740 But there was never any contact with that individual through the years. So when this Unsolved Mysteries program aired and this Dan Willens, a Bushman from Ontario, was disclosed, it certainly was an exciting possible link for our family tree searching. 322 00:32:18,740 --> 00:32:30,740 Davey Willens flew to Toronto to meet Joe Perkins, one of Dan Willens' last surviving friends. He brought along photographs of his grandfather Harold Willens and his great grandfather John Willens to see if there was a family resemblance. 323 00:32:31,740 --> 00:32:50,740 It's uncanny. I couldn't believe it. The similarity of the face, nose, spacing of the eyes, forehead. And I think if you took the beard off the old man, they'd look like twins. 324 00:32:51,740 --> 00:33:03,740 Indeed, there does seem to be a strong resemblance. Our great grandfather John, grandfather Harold and prospector Dan Willens, all blood relatives, is Davey an heir to Dan Willens' fortune? 325 00:33:04,740 --> 00:33:14,740 Certainly money is important to everybody. And if the Ontario government is holding considerable assets that could rightfully be claimed by a Willens, then I'd like to see that happen. 326 00:33:14,740 --> 00:33:23,740 I don't know if it'll be me and my cousins or not, but maybe now we can get some Willens's to come forward and maybe we do have a strong case to be made. 327 00:33:23,740 --> 00:33:28,740 And certainly we are going to take the next steps to pursue that possibility. 328 00:33:28,740 --> 00:33:47,740 In a moment, the story of a 46-year-old repairman who was brutally murdered in a quiet town in rural Ohio. Police have three bizarre theories, but no suspects. 329 00:33:58,740 --> 00:34:09,740 May the 23rd, 1982, in the small town of Hamersville, Ohio, a 15-year-old boy riding his parents' lawnmower back home after a mowing job made a terrible discovery. 330 00:34:12,740 --> 00:34:25,740 It was a man's body, nude and beaten. That night, the man would be identified as 46-year-old Perman Gilbert, an appliance repairman who lived just seven miles from the place his body was found. 331 00:34:26,740 --> 00:34:33,740 The most puzzling thing about Perman Gilbert's murder is that he appeared to those who knew him to lead such a normal, non-controversial life. 332 00:34:33,740 --> 00:34:49,740 Yet some believe that just beneath a comforting small town facade, dark forces swirled. As the citizens of Claremont County, Ohio, discussed Perman Gilbert's murder, phrases like organized crime, drug trafficking, and jealous husband began to surface. 333 00:34:50,740 --> 00:35:01,740 Gilbert was a beloved husband and father of four. He and his family belonged to the Church of Christ and participated in the civic life of the rural Ohio County where they had lived their whole lives. 334 00:35:02,740 --> 00:35:08,740 Perman Gilbert remained close to his siblings, especially his youngest brother, who was always in and out of trouble with the law. 335 00:35:09,740 --> 00:35:24,740 Perman's hobby was flying, but he was employed as an appliance repairman, assigned by a nationally known company as their troubleshover. He worked for the large firm during the week, but on Saturdays, Perman made independent service calls, answering only to himself. 336 00:35:25,740 --> 00:35:38,740 When he left that Saturday morning, it was probably 8.30, and he said he didn't want to go. And it just now it bothers me. That's what I remember about him leaving that morning. 337 00:35:41,740 --> 00:35:49,740 Perman Gilbert's service appointments that Saturday morning took him to Mount Orab, Ohio, and also further south to Georgetown and Aberdeen, Ohio. 338 00:35:50,740 --> 00:35:52,740 Hi, Mr. Gilbert, how are you? 339 00:35:52,740 --> 00:35:53,740 Fine, just call me Perman. 340 00:35:53,740 --> 00:35:57,740 Perman, I keep smelling gas in my kitchen. I think it's my pilot light. 341 00:35:57,740 --> 00:36:08,740 Gilbert's service calls had put him at the southernmost tip of Ohio. When the calls were completed, he crossed the Simon Kenton Bridge into Maysville, Kentucky, and stopped in at a large market and variety store. 342 00:36:10,740 --> 00:36:15,740 Anne Breeze, who works at the Market Checkout Counter, remembers his visit that Saturday. 343 00:36:16,740 --> 00:36:29,740 He was tall, a nice looking man. He was always very neat. Greeted you, you know, very friendly every time you saw him. I never saw the man down, or I thought he had a care in the world. 344 00:36:30,740 --> 00:36:32,740 You gonna have lunch with me today? 345 00:36:32,740 --> 00:36:33,740 No, I can't have it. 346 00:36:34,740 --> 00:36:37,740 I guess I have to eat that brilliant cheese by myself. 347 00:36:37,740 --> 00:36:43,740 He would usually say that to me, and he knew that I wouldn't go to lunch with him. You know, just usual chit chatter. 348 00:36:45,740 --> 00:36:50,740 When Perman left the Market Checkout Counter, he walked into the flower shop next door. 349 00:36:52,740 --> 00:37:03,740 He pushed the buzzer, and I came in the back, and I asked if I could help him. He said he'd like to know if another employee was here, and I said no, she doesn't come in until four. 350 00:37:03,740 --> 00:37:13,740 And if I could help him anyway, and he said no, he wanted to order some flowers, and they knew what he wanted and everything, and he said he would come back later. 351 00:37:13,740 --> 00:37:14,740 She knows what I wanted. 352 00:37:14,740 --> 00:37:15,740 OK. 353 00:37:15,740 --> 00:37:16,740 Thank you. 354 00:37:16,740 --> 00:37:23,740 There was nothing unusual about him. He was just a normal customer. He wasn't nervous or anything when I met him. 355 00:37:24,740 --> 00:37:34,740 No one can account for Perman Gilbert's movements after he left the flower shop. He had told his wife he would be back home around 3 p.m., but he did not arrive. 356 00:37:35,740 --> 00:37:45,740 Then it got to be dark, and he wasn't here. It got to be midnight, and I was scared, and I was afraid to go out even. 357 00:37:47,740 --> 00:37:50,740 I had a small child, and I was afraid to put her in the car and go out looking. 358 00:37:51,740 --> 00:37:58,740 And then I think about three o'clock in the morning, I called one of our friends, and you know, have you seen Perman? 359 00:37:59,740 --> 00:38:02,740 Do you know where he's at? Anything like that. And they didn't. 360 00:38:05,740 --> 00:38:15,740 Joanne Gilbert called the police. They were unable to turn up any leads until late the next afternoon when her husband's body was found. He was completely nude. 361 00:38:16,740 --> 00:38:21,740 He didn't have any clothes on. That bothered me. I would like to know why that was done. 362 00:38:22,740 --> 00:38:33,740 I've heard it's to humiliate the family. I don't know that that's why it was done. Maybe it was done to make it longer to identify him. 363 00:38:35,740 --> 00:38:44,740 Because no cloth fibers were found in the two bullet wounds, Claremont County police believe that Perman had been naked above the waist at the time he was shot. 364 00:38:45,740 --> 00:38:55,740 Perman's billfold carrying the symbol of the masons was missing along with his clothes. So was the masonic belt buckle he always wore. 365 00:38:58,740 --> 00:39:06,740 Although Perman's clothes were never found, his van was located the next day, 22 miles away from the spot where his body had been discovered. 366 00:39:07,740 --> 00:39:18,740 Perman Gilbert's watch was still hanging on the gear shift lever. His tool box was in there. Parts and supplies was in place in the van. 367 00:39:19,740 --> 00:39:33,740 We did do an inspection of the van and recover fingerprints and hair samples. And at this time we've not been able to match the fingerprints and hair samples to anyone. 368 00:39:36,740 --> 00:39:41,740 In the investigation that followed Perman Gilbert's death, three theories evolved. 369 00:39:42,740 --> 00:39:46,740 I think that whatever happened to him had something to do with drugs. 370 00:39:47,740 --> 00:39:53,740 Perman was a licensed pilot. He owned a small plane which he flew out of a makeshift landing strip on his farm. 371 00:39:58,740 --> 00:40:04,740 Perman told me that he had been approached to fly drugs. 372 00:40:05,740 --> 00:40:06,740 How's it going? 373 00:40:07,740 --> 00:40:08,740 Okay. What's happening? 374 00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:12,740 Well, we had a little favor we'd like to do for us if you don't mind. Just a little trip. 375 00:40:13,740 --> 00:40:24,740 And all we had to do was to take the airplane and fly it to a certain airport, go and have a cup of coffee, come back out and there would be money laying on the seat or under the seat. 376 00:40:25,740 --> 00:40:26,740 What you're going to do with it, just forget it. 377 00:40:27,740 --> 00:40:28,740 It's good money? 378 00:40:29,740 --> 00:40:30,740 Yeah, I'd start out. 379 00:40:30,740 --> 00:40:31,740 I'd start out of quality of sororities. 380 00:40:32,740 --> 00:40:38,740 And it would have been to eat some money, but that's against the law and it was against everything that we believed in. 381 00:40:39,740 --> 00:40:50,740 I believe that he knew too much about what was going on as far as who was involved with drugs and who wasn't because he would not go along with their plan that he was beaten and killed because of it. 382 00:40:51,740 --> 00:40:55,740 The second theory revolves around Perman Gilbert's youngest brother, Vernon. 383 00:40:56,740 --> 00:41:00,740 Vernon was 12 years younger than Perman and they were devoted to one another. 384 00:41:01,740 --> 00:41:02,740 Be sure you can't stay the night, then? 385 00:41:03,740 --> 00:41:04,740 No, I want to be getting back. 386 00:41:05,740 --> 00:41:09,740 In February of 1982, when Vernon was called to testify in an organized crime case, Perman stood by him. 387 00:41:10,740 --> 00:41:11,740 From there, take a little while. 388 00:41:12,740 --> 00:41:13,740 It should be about an hour or so, okay? 389 00:41:14,740 --> 00:41:16,740 Okay, I'll be around. See you in an hour. Good luck to you. 390 00:41:17,740 --> 00:41:18,740 Thanks. 391 00:41:18,740 --> 00:41:24,740 The actual hearings were closed to the public and Perman had to kill time while his brother was testifying. 392 00:41:25,740 --> 00:41:28,740 He began to suspect that he was being followed. 393 00:41:31,740 --> 00:41:41,740 Perman Gilbert had told acquaintances that he felt at the day at the federal court building that a man was following him around. 394 00:41:42,740 --> 00:41:48,740 I don't know of any person that might have been following Perman Gilbert and it was not any of our personnel. 395 00:41:50,740 --> 00:41:53,740 Perhaps Perman Gilbert had become a target of organized crime. 396 00:41:54,740 --> 00:41:56,740 Maybe my husband knew too much. 397 00:41:57,740 --> 00:42:03,740 Maybe Perman was killed to lure his brother back to the funeral and because they were after him, really. 398 00:42:05,740 --> 00:42:07,740 But then his brother didn't come to the funeral. 399 00:42:07,740 --> 00:42:13,740 The third theory is that Perman Gilbert may have been involved in a crime of passion. 400 00:42:14,740 --> 00:42:16,740 Hi, Perman. Thanks for coming over right away. 401 00:42:17,740 --> 00:42:18,740 What's your problem? 402 00:42:19,740 --> 00:42:20,740 The washing machine's making this grimey. 403 00:42:21,740 --> 00:42:30,740 The very nature of Perman Gilbert's home appliance repair business placed him into many, many households alone with a family member. 404 00:42:31,740 --> 00:42:37,740 Yes, I thought he was very attractive and I know other women were very attracted to him too. 405 00:42:38,740 --> 00:42:40,740 He was tall, about 6'2". 406 00:42:41,740 --> 00:42:48,740 Well-built, had nice hair, pretty eyes and a nice looking man. 407 00:42:51,740 --> 00:42:58,740 I really didn't know about his death until someone from in his home area came through. 408 00:42:58,740 --> 00:43:07,740 He said there was one or two theories, but one was that they thought a jealous boyfriend or husband had killed him. 409 00:43:08,740 --> 00:43:22,740 I feel that the crime of passion theory doesn't hold up because that's supposed to be something that's very swift and they beat around on him like someone was trying to get information out of him or something. 410 00:43:23,740 --> 00:43:45,740 What we need now is for someone to come forward and help us trace Perman Gilbert from that flower shop, anyone that has seen him around the flower shop or in the parking lot with his cream and brown van at that time or later in the day we'd like to hear from. 411 00:43:45,740 --> 00:43:54,740 And I feel like there are people out there in the community that know what happened to my father and for fear of their own lives or other people they're afraid to speak up. 412 00:43:55,740 --> 00:43:58,740 I wish that they would come forward and fill in those bits and pieces for us. 413 00:43:58,740 --> 00:44:08,740 Next week on Unsolved Mysteries, an examination of the legend of Billy the Kid that suggests history may have to be rewritten. 414 00:44:09,740 --> 00:44:18,740 Most historians in the Hollywood screen versions claim that Billy was dramatically gunned down by his friend Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. 415 00:44:18,740 --> 00:44:21,740 But the people of tiny Hyco-Texas say that's all bunk. 416 00:44:22,740 --> 00:44:38,740 That one of their own citizens, a man named Brushy Bill Roberts, was a real Billy the Kid and that he died in 1950, 69 years after the famous gunfight. 417 00:44:39,740 --> 00:44:43,740 We'll examine the evidence next week on Unsolved Mysteries.