1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,680 This program is about unsolved mysteries. 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:06,280 Whenever possible, the actual family members and police 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:09,280 officials have participated in recreating the events. 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,120 What you are about to see is not a news broadcast. 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:18,960 Just two months ago, a kind-hearted truck driver 6 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,720 in Virginia treated a young homeless man to a hot meal. 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,000 Incredibly, this chance encounter has now 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,360 become a key piece of evidence of the crime. 9 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,960 In the strange case of 28-year-old John Cheek. 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,560 Cheek, a Memphis businessman, mysteriously 11 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,520 dropped from sight in December of 1993, 12 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,040 just days before finalizing a deal that would 13 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:40,760 have made him a millionaire. 14 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,560 Now his family needs your help to find him. 15 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,320 Earl and Donna Chalkpacks scrimped and saved for years 16 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,760 to build a log cabin home of their own. 17 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,720 But when they handed over their life savings 18 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,560 to a smooth-talking contractor named Mark Mitchell, 19 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,000 the Chalkpacks never guessed that they'd become the latest 20 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:01,160 victims of a lucrative million-dollar scam. 21 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,040 In 1917, three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal, 22 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,000 claimed they were visited several times 23 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,640 by a vision of the Virgin Mary. 24 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,480 During the controversy that followed, 25 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,560 they revealed that the Virgin would make one final appearance 26 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,960 and perform a great miracle. 27 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,560 Many of the 70,000 religious pilgrims who came for the occasion 28 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,000 were not disappointed. 29 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:23,560 Tonight, we'll take you to Portugal 30 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,720 to investigate the fabled miracles of Fatima. 31 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,680 Join me for these intriguing new stories and more. 32 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,320 Another edition of Unsolved Mysteries. 33 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,800 The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City 34 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,600 is visited each year by millions of Catholic pilgrims. 35 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,440 According to legend, it was on this very spot 36 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,880 that the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, 37 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,920 appeared to a Christian convert in 1531. 38 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,960 Catholic authorities have judged the vision to be a miracle, 39 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:41,960 worthy of belief. 40 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:43,960 The Virgin Mary, the Virgin Mary, 41 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:46,960 was the first Virgin to be visited in the city of Mexico. 42 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,760 The Virgin Mary was the first Virgin to be visited in the city 43 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:54,000 and the vision to be a miracle, worthy of belief. 44 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,000 Millions also make the pilgrimage to the Basilica at Lourdes, 45 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,240 France, where Catholic traditions, as the Virgin Mary, 46 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:03,840 appeared in 1858. 47 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,120 And then there is Fatima, Portugal. 48 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,040 It was here in 1917 that many believed the Virgin Mary made 49 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,760 her most dramatic appearance, seen by 3,000 children, 10-year-old 50 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,400 Lucia Santos and her two younger cousins, Jacinta 51 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,840 and Franscisco Marto. 52 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,800 Their extraordinary account began in the quiet solitude 53 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:29,320 of rural Portugal, where the following scenes were filmed. 54 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,640 May 13, 1917, a Sunday in the small farming community 55 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:35,080 of Fatima. 56 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,760 Lucia Santos and her cousins had taken their sheep 57 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,000 to an area known as a Cova da Hiria, land owned 58 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,840 by Lucia's family. 59 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:47,640 As a flock grazed, the children began to play. 60 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:52,640 They were building a little wall around a tree 61 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,640 when there was a flash of light. 62 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,640 And Lucia thought the flash was a sign of rain. 63 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,640 She thought that it was lightning. 64 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:05,640 So she said, let's go home so we don't get caught by the rain. 65 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,640 The children glimpsed a second flash of lightning, 66 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,640 which heralded something far greater than a rainstorm. 67 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,640 Oh, my God. 68 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,640 You were not afraid. 69 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,640 I didn't do anything wrong. 70 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,640 According to Lucia, the glowing figure said she had come 71 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:25,640 from heaven and that she would not harm them. 72 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,640 What can I do if you want me? 73 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:32,640 I came here six months ago, I didn't care about this, 74 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:37,640 but I will tell you who I am and what I want. 75 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,640 And I will go to heaven too? 76 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,640 The lady told Lucia that she and her two cousins 77 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:47,640 would be called to heaven. 78 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:49,640 She then asked the children to be her messengers 79 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,640 and warned them that in doing so, 80 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:53,640 they would endure great hardships. 81 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,640 Sacrace de Deus será vosco forte. 82 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,640 The astonishing visitation was over, 83 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,640 but Lucia Santucia and her cousins had become the key figures 84 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,640 in an episode that is now regarded as one of the great miracles 85 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:11,640 of Catholicism. 86 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,640 Six times, Lucia would claim the Virgin Mary appeared to them. 87 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,640 On the sixth occasion, tens of thousands were on hand 88 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,640 for a final dazzling spectacle. 89 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,640 Not everyone, however, was inspired by the rumors of a miracle. 90 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,640 Lucia's mother was in fact furious at her daughter's involvement. 91 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,640 Her mother punished her every now and again. 92 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,640 João Marto, Lucia's cousin, was then a young boy. 93 00:05:47,640 --> 00:05:49,640 It wasn't that her mother was bad, 94 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,640 but she wanted to have her daughter to say that this was a lie, 95 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:54,640 but Lucia kept saying, 96 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,640 how can I say it was a lie if I actually saw her? 97 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,640 For Lucia Santucia, the suffering predicted by the lady had begun. 98 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,640 But even in the face of her family's hostility, 99 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:11,640 Lucia returned with her cousins to the Cova da Iria on June 13. 100 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,640 They were joined by some 50 villagers 101 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,640 drawn by rumors of the impending visitation. 102 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,640 Once again, the three children said the lady from heaven 103 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:27,640 appeared to them. 104 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,640 As in the first visitation, only Lucia spoke to the vision. 105 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:36,640 All those some claimed that an unusual cloud of light was visible. 106 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,640 No one else saw the lady from heaven. 107 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,640 When news of the second episode reached Lucia's mother, 108 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:00,640 she was still outraged to find her daughter 109 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,640 involved in what she regarded as a hoax. 110 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,640 In an act of startling disobedience for the time and place, 111 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,640 10-year-old Lucia Santucia refused to discuss the lady from heaven 112 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,640 with Fatima's parish priest, Father Emmanuel Fajera. 113 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:33,640 Father Fajera found himself in a politically delicate position. 114 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,640 The government saw the Catholic Church as a bitter rival 115 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,640 for the public's loyalty. 116 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,640 Fajera feared any endorsement of Lucia's claims 117 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:44,640 would be taken as an attempt to boost the church's influence 118 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,640 and would bring the wrath of the politicians upon him. 119 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,640 The church, for example, could be taken over by the government 120 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,640 in the sense that the government would seize all of the church property in Portugal. 121 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:09,640 There was the possibility of the government physically removing bishops, 122 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,640 imprisoning them or sending them out of the country. 123 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:14,640 That was done with some bishops, not all. 124 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,640 So there are many things that the government could do. 125 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,640 You're making a mistake, you're making a mistake. 126 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,640 You're making a mistake and you're making a mistake to bring false promises to men. 127 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,640 Well, obviously, for a 10-year-old child being, 128 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:31,640 word of a priest was an important thing to hear, 129 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,640 and Lucia left the church with a very big problem. 130 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,640 She had to admit that maybe the demon had got into her that 131 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,640 this was an illusion created by the devil, 132 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,640 that perhaps her mother was right, 133 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,640 that she hadn't really seen anything at all. 134 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,640 In her memoirs, which she began writing when she was 28, 135 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:54,640 Lucia Santous described her tortured internal debate. 136 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:00,640 As I heard people say that the devil always brings conflict and disorder, 137 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,640 I began to think that truly, ever since I had started seeing these things, 138 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,640 our home was no longer the same, 139 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,640 for joy and peace had fled. 140 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:13,640 What anguish I felt. 141 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:20,640 July 13, 1917, the appointed day for the third appearance. 142 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:23,640 By now, word of the miraculous visions had spread. 143 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:26,640 Pilgrims clogged the road leading to the cova, 144 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:31,640 and many beseeched Lucia to intervene with the Lady from Heaven on their behalf. 145 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,640 At 12 noon, the Lady once again appeared, 146 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,640 and once again only to the three children. 147 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:43,640 We wanted to know who she was. 148 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,640 Please, make the miracle so that all people believe that your God is here. 149 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:56,640 The Lady reminded Lucia to return at noon on the 13th day of each month. 150 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,640 She also promised that on her sixth appearance 151 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:03,640 she would perform a miracle for all to see and believe. 152 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:09,640 The Lady from Heaven then invoked a terrifying vision of hell, 153 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:12,640 which Lucia would later describe in her memoirs. 154 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,640 Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, 155 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,640 amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, 156 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,640 which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. 157 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,640 Lucia claimed the specter of hell was a Lady's warning 158 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:32,640 that God was offended by recent events in Europe. 159 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:36,640 World War I was then in his third relentless year. 160 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:39,640 The Lady predicted that the war would soon end, 161 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,640 only to be replaced by a more serious threat, Russia. 162 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,640 Lucia knew nothing of that nation or its revolution, 163 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,640 but she claimed the Lady deemed Russia an offense to God. 164 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,640 Many believe these words anticipated the rise of an atheistic government, 165 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:58,640 the communists. 166 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:02,640 According to Lucia, the Lady promised another destructive war 167 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:04,640 if Russia was not restored to faith. 168 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,640 Lucia said the Lady from Heaven made one other pronouncement, 169 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,640 but was adamant that Lucia keep it a secret. 170 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,640 One month later, Lucia's will would be severely tested. 171 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,640 August 13th, the day of the fourth appearance, 172 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,640 a local government administrator, Arturo Santosh, 173 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,640 offered to personally escort Lucia, Jacinta, 174 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,640 and Francisco to the Coda. 175 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,640 The abduction was a stunning turn of events. 176 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,640 Lucia and her cousins were whisked away to an uncertain fate 177 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:13,640 that a government prison some nine miles from Fatima. 178 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:17,640 The administrator was convinced the children were perpetrating a hoax 179 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,640 at the behest of the church, and he was certain he could coax 180 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,640 a Lady's secret if there was such a thing from young Lucia. 181 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,640 Well, as you refuse to tell me what you know, 182 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,640 the only alternative I have is to take them to a frying pan. 183 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,640 The oil is ready, and I too. 184 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:56,640 Go on, Lucia. 185 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,640 Don't be afraid, Lucia. I'll see you again in Heaven. 186 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:04,640 I'll be back. 187 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,640 So, you still refuse to tell me? 188 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,640 Your cousins are dead. 189 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:22,640 Do you want to tell the same thing as them? 190 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,640 I promised our Lady I wouldn't tell. 191 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:35,640 All the while, the children's families and angry villagers 192 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:37,640 clamored at the walls. 193 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:39,640 Lucia! 194 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,640 Lucia, please, don't tell me what you're doing. 195 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,640 Finally, the administrator had no choice but to admit his failure. 196 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,640 He allowed the children to return home. 197 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:53,640 According to Lucia Santus, the Lady from Heaven 198 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,640 appeared a fourth time and a fifth, as scheduled. 199 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,640 As the date for the sixth appearance approached, 200 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,640 the sightment built to a fever pitch. 201 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,640 October 13, 1917. 202 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,640 The day of the long-awaited miracle dawned wet and miserable. 203 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,640 Thousands descended on Fatima, 204 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,640 and an ill-humored crowd milled impatiently outside of Lucia's home. 205 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,640 There were even mutterings of reprisals against Lucia 206 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,640 if no miracle took place. 207 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,640 These photographs show some of the estimated 208 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:27,640 70,000 onlookers who gathered that day. 209 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,640 The city had come from hundreds of miles away. 210 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,640 Soon after Lucia arrived at the Kovadairia, 211 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,640 the torrential downpour had come to an end. 212 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,640 The huge crowd included both the curious and the faithful. 213 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,640 Shepherds and servants mingled with the nobility. 214 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,640 Also in attendance were sceptical reporters 215 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,640 from the major newspapers. 216 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,640 The local priest, fearing a public fiasco 217 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,640 that would embarrass the church, 218 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,640 was among the most vocal of the doubters. 219 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:21,640 The unruly crowd grew silent as Lucia began to speak. 220 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:25,640 Although to the onlookers, she appeared to be talking at a thin air. 221 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,640 According to many eyewitness accounts, 222 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:56,640 the sun began to undulate, 223 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,640 ribbons of multicolored light shooting across the heavens. 224 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,640 Then suddenly, the sun seemed to fall. 225 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:11,640 Later, many eyewitnesses would say that they feared being scorched. 226 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:18,640 The crowd watched dumbstruck as the sun abruptly reversed course 227 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,640 and returned to its rightful place in the sky. 228 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,640 The miracle of the sun at Fatima 229 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,640 is certainly the most spectacular physical manifestation, 230 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:32,640 physical miracle that has been associated with our Lady. 231 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:37,640 She had to manifest her presence in a grand manner 232 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,640 in a very convincing and spectacular manner 233 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,640 because it was important that people all over the world 234 00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:46,640 should believe what she had said. 235 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,640 The awesome celestial display supposedly lasted for 12 minutes. 236 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:55,640 Accounts from within a 600-square-mile area around Fatima 237 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,640 substantiated many of the first-hand descriptions. 238 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,640 But incredibly, some eyewitnesses at the COVA 239 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,640 claimed they saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. 240 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,640 Still, history has favored the more spectacular accounts. 241 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,640 Avelino de Almeida, the editor of a government-controlled newspaper, 242 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,640 came to Fatima a confirmed skeptic and left a believer. 243 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,640 At the hour foretold, the rain ceased to fall. 244 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,640 The dense mass of clouds parted and the sun began to whirl around 245 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:28,640 in a wild and violent dance 246 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:34,640 with such lovely glowing colors passing successively over the sun's surface. 247 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,640 In years to come, the events of October 13 248 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,640 would be the subject of considerable debate. 249 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,640 Some dismissed the spectacle as a textbook case of mass hysteria, 250 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,640 but many found the eyewitness accounts to be credible 251 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,640 and words spread across Europe and around the world. 252 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,640 Today, a basilica stands for Lucia and her cousins 253 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:01,640 claimed to have seen the Lady from Heaven. 254 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,640 In 1930, the Catholic Church recognized the events at Fatima 255 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,640 as a miracle worthy of belief. 256 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:14,640 Jacinta and Francesco Marto did not live to witness this official confirmation. 257 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:19,640 Both died during a worldwide influenza epidemic within three years of the visions. 258 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,640 Many believe it was a fulfillment of the Virgin's promise 259 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,640 that they would soon be called to Heaven. 260 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,640 Over the decades, Fatima's call to the faithful has grown ever more powerful. 261 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:48,640 The tide of pilgrims has swelled from the thousands who joined Lucia in 1917 262 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,640 to several million in recent years. 263 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,640 Even those who remain skeptical of miracles 264 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,640 puzzle over the mystifying events at Fatima 265 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:03,640 and the ten-year-old girl who many believe was chosen to be called to Heaven. 266 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,640 While there were some who admired me and considered me a saint, 267 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:12,640 there were always others who called me a hypocrite and a sorceress. 268 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:14,640 They are all mistaken. 269 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,640 I am not a saint and I am not a liar. 270 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,640 Only God knows what I am. 271 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:27,640 Many believe that the Lady from Heaven predicted some of the most important events of the 20th century. 272 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,640 The end of World War I, the onset of World War II, 273 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,640 the rise and fall of communism in Europe, 274 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:37,640 even the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II, 275 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,640 which took place on May 13, 1919, 276 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,640 and the fall of the United States of America, 277 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,640 the rise and fall of the United States of America, 278 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,640 was Pope John Paul II, which took place on May 13, 1981, 279 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,640 64 years to the day after the appearance of the First Vision. 280 00:19:56,640 --> 00:19:59,640 To the skeptical is all simply coincidence. 281 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:05,640 To the faithful, it is proof that a miracle did occur at Fatima. 282 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,640 When we return, a family's dream of building a home 283 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:14,640 is snuffed out by a smooth-talking con artist. 284 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:22,640 Come on, kids, let's get up here and look at the view, all right? 285 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,640 Come on, property, Alex. 286 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,640 It is hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for a home 287 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,640 than this meadow in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 288 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:32,640 200 miles northwest of Denver. 289 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,640 Don't you think we ought to build a log house right here 290 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:36,640 and a big picture window? 291 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:39,640 It was here, on six acres of land, 292 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,640 that Earl and Donna Chotlacks planned to build their dream home. 293 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:45,640 For several years, 294 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,640 they had scrimped and saved until they finally had enough 295 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:51,640 to begin construction on a modern-day log cabin, 296 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,640 similar to this one, for themselves and their two children. 297 00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,640 But in 1991, the Chotlacks' hopes came crashing down, 298 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:03,640 shattered not by accident or act of God, 299 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:05,640 but by the deeds of this man, 300 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,640 a sophisticated con artist who called himself Mark Mitchell. 301 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:12,640 Look, Earl, here's an ad about a log home 302 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:14,640 company that needs funds. 303 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,640 In April of that year, Earl and Donna 304 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:19,640 answered an innocent-looking newspaper ad 305 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,640 and talked to the owner of Colorado log homes, Mark Mitchell. 306 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,640 Well, you know, Earl, we're kind of a young business, 307 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,640 but we do have a couple of clients up there in Breckenridge. 308 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,640 It seemed like a great opportunity for us 309 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,640 because the company supposedly was growing, 310 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,640 which is one of the reasons that we really started 311 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:39,640 going with this company. 312 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,640 Instead of a more established company somewhere else. 313 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:43,640 Also, that... 314 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:45,640 Mitchell's plan was simple. 315 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:49,640 The Chotlacks would invest $25,000 in his growing business. 316 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,640 In return, Mitchell would give them a large discount 317 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,640 on the construction of their log cabin. 318 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:00,640 Plus, the $25,000 investment would be returned with interest. 319 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:02,640 $25,000 off the price of your home. 320 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:03,640 This. 321 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,640 What about you? 322 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:06,640 Isn't that great? 323 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:08,640 One home, they were done. 324 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,640 In early May, an architect and a salesman from Mitchell's office 325 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:16,640 came up to inspect the Chotlacks property. 326 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,640 They looked at different views from our property 327 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,640 and kept using the word stunning. 328 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,640 They could build us a stunning home. 329 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,640 If you're ready to go with us, Earl, 330 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,640 I have a contract with me right here. 331 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,640 Well, you know, we've got the money down at the bank. 332 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,640 After the Chotlacks attorney's visit, 333 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:37,640 Earl and Donna would hand over a $25,000 deposit 334 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,640 to Mitchell's salesman. 335 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:44,640 We had been saving money and living very frugally 336 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,640 from the moment we got married. 337 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:53,640 So when we gave them the $25,000, that was our whole dream. 338 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,640 All right, now, this is my copy. 339 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:56,640 That's your home. 340 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:57,640 That's mine. 341 00:22:57,640 --> 00:22:58,640 OK. 342 00:22:58,640 --> 00:22:59,640 Come on. 343 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:00,640 A box of books. 344 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:01,640 That's your home. 345 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:02,640 That's mine. 346 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:03,640 OK. 347 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:04,640 Come on. 348 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:05,640 I'll buy you lunch. 349 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:06,640 All right. 350 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:07,640 Congratulations. 351 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:08,640 OK, thanks. 352 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,640 It seems like we've been waiting for such a long time. 353 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:13,640 And it was all coming true. 354 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,640 I mean, they said it was real, and we believed them. 355 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,640 The log yard at Mitchell's Denver headquarters 356 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,640 gave every appearance of legitimacy. 357 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,640 Workers processed hundreds of logs, 358 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:37,640 and the shells of cabins were carefully preassembled. 359 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,640 Supposedly, each shell would later 360 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:41,640 be taken apart, trucked to a building site, 361 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,640 and reassembled on a concrete foundation, 362 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,640 laid by one of Mitchell's crew. 363 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,640 But after eight weeks, there was absolutely no progress 364 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:55,640 at Earl and Donna's property. 365 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,640 The critical job of measuring and pouring the foundation 366 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,640 was yet to begin. 367 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:02,640 The shot vaks made the four-hour drive 368 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,640 to Mitchell's log yard in Denver 369 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,640 to see for themselves what was wrong. 370 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:08,640 There you go. 371 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:09,640 Into your new home. 372 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:10,640 All right. 373 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:11,640 Temporarily. 374 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:12,640 Take a look at the logs. 375 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,640 However, Mark Mitchell was able to lay their anxieties to rest. 376 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:17,640 Oh, that's nice. 377 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:18,640 Very nice, huh? 378 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,640 Feel it. 379 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:20,640 Feel it. 380 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,640 They had started our shell, and it 381 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,640 seemed to have all the basic things that were in our plans, 382 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:28,640 all measured it. 383 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:33,640 And the kids, you know, we took pictures of ourselves inside of it. 384 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:37,640 And it just seemed real exciting, you know? 385 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:39,640 It seemed like it was really happening again. 386 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,640 And so, of course, then we were back up. 387 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:43,640 That's great. 388 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:44,640 Yeah, this is nice. 389 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:45,640 Look at up here. 390 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:49,640 But weeks more passed without any construction at the property. 391 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,640 It took a siege of phone calls for Earl and Donna 392 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:54,640 to convince Mitchell to dispatch a work crew. 393 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:02,640 They sent an excavator up, and we pounded in the nails 394 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,640 and measured where the corners of the house were 395 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:09,640 and stood in the spot where the living room was going to be 396 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:10,640 and imagined our view. 397 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:11,640 This is the foundation. 398 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,640 So where you'll be, the first floor will be up here, 399 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:14,640 but the windows will be here. 400 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,640 We were starting to think, well, it's not going to be done by Christmas, 401 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:19,640 but it might be done by March. 402 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:26,640 We still really didn't believe that it wasn't going to happen. 403 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,640 Well, Earl and Donna, I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. 404 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,640 Please come in and have a seat. 405 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:36,640 On October 1st, the bitter reality finally hit Earl and Donna. 406 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,640 They had applied to their local bank for a construction loan 407 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,640 and were stunned to discover that the request had been denied. 408 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,640 Well, I'm afraid the news isn't good. 409 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,640 Now, it has nothing to do with you two. 410 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,640 The problem is with the builder. 411 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:52,640 It appears this man is in some serious trouble. 412 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,640 He has been taking deposit money just as he did yours 413 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,640 and then has not started construction on the homes. 414 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,640 As a matter of fact, Mark Mitchell is not even his real name. 415 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,640 It's Wade Mitchell Parker. 416 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,640 I'm awfully sorry. 417 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,640 I wish there was something more that I could do. 418 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:13,640 At that point, I felt nauseous. 419 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:21,640 I mean, I just suddenly just was sick feeling as though we were going to lose all of our money. 420 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:29,640 We were going to lose all the money that we had given to Mark Mitchell. 421 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:35,640 On October 5th, 1991, Donna and Earl once again drove to Colorado log homes 422 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:40,640 where they had a 10 a.m. appointment with a man they now knew was Wade Mitchell Parker. 423 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,640 He showed up more than two hours late. 424 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:44,640 I don't know what to tell you. 425 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,640 Yeah, we've been waiting for almost two and a half hours. 426 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:48,640 I'm sorry, it's my secretary. 427 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,640 You could have called us before we left home. 428 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:51,640 I tried. 429 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:52,640 I'm sorry, I just got tired. 430 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:53,640 We're 200 miles to get down here. 431 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:54,640 I know, and I'm sorry. 432 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:56,640 Let's go inside and we'll talk about what I got. 433 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,640 Well, you know, nothing's been happening with our log show. 434 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:00,640 Yeah, we got a little hang up. 435 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:01,640 What's going on around here? 436 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,640 Well, just, Earl, just a little hang up. 437 00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:05,640 If we go and sit down and cool off a little, 438 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,640 make a couple phone calls, we'll get your money out here to you. 439 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:09,640 We'll get it all done. 440 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:10,640 Do you have our money? 441 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:11,640 No, no, I don't have it. 442 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:12,640 You don't have our money? 443 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:13,640 No, I don't. 444 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:14,640 I know, but let's go and sit down. 445 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,640 Wade Parker agreed to refund Earl and Donna's deposit, 446 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:19,640 claiming to be short of cash. 447 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:25,640 He gave them a promissory note, essentially, a $25,000 IOU. 448 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:27,640 We're going to sign it. 449 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,640 Ellen, you want to witness this, please? 450 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,640 We're still trying to be nice about it, 451 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,640 but I think deep down inside, we really 452 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:39,640 bugged him that probably we weren't ever going to see our money. 453 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:40,640 30 days, folks. 454 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:41,640 We'll get this all wrapped up. 455 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:42,640 That'll be the end of it. 456 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,640 We finished up the meeting and we left, 457 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,640 and that's the last time we ever saw him. 458 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,640 I spoke to him maybe three or four times after that 459 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,640 on the telephone, but we never saw him again. 460 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,640 Within the month, Wade Mitchell Parker declared bankruptcy 461 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,640 and disappeared. 462 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,640 The Chut Vax never received a dime, 463 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,640 and they soon discovered that they were not the only people 464 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:11,640 taken in by the combat. 465 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,640 In November of 1991, the Chut Vax joined more than 30 466 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:18,640 of Parker's other victims at a meeting organized 467 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:20,640 by Colorado authorities. 468 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:24,640 As a group, their total loss exceeded $1 million. 469 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,640 We should have gotten together long time ago, Jerry. 470 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:29,640 Yeah, he's really slick, isn't he? 471 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:32,640 In the end, I got my plans, and I guess 472 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:35,640 that was probably worth about $1,000, 473 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,640 and I lost $1,000. 474 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,640 I expected to have a log home from Mark. 475 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,640 I'd expected to have my $20,000 back, 476 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:45,640 and I expected all of this to happen 477 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,640 within a very expedient amount of time, 478 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:49,640 and it didn't happen. 479 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,640 So I lost almost $25,000, and I don't have a log home. 480 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,640 What did he tell you about the land in Bennett's? 481 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,640 When we finally came to terms with the fact 482 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:02,640 that we lost the money, we felt stupid. 483 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,640 We felt like we were going to lose the money. 484 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:07,640 We felt stupid. 485 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,640 We just felt like we had done a stupid thing. 486 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,640 When we realized that lots of big time people, 487 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,640 not just the naive young couple with two small children, 488 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:22,640 a lot of big time people lost a lot of money too, 489 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,640 we didn't feel quite so stupid. 490 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,640 A number of people have asked us whether we think 491 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,640 that Wade Mitchell Parker was just a bad businessman, 492 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,640 or whether we think he was a con person from the very beginning. 493 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,640 $35,000 on the price of your home. 494 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,640 Some of the transactions he made are just plain crooked. 495 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,640 There's no other explanation for what he did. 496 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:46,640 Also, we haven't been able to find the money, 497 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:48,640 and we think it's got to be out there somewhere. 498 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,640 The fact that we haven't been able to find it, 499 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:53,640 and that Parker fled during the bankruptcy proceedings, 500 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:57,640 is a real indication to us that this was a con from the beginning. 501 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:01,640 Some of Parker's wealthier victims 502 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:03,640 have been able to absorb their losses 503 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,640 or write them off as business expenses. 504 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,640 But for Earl and Donna Chotpacks and many others like them, 505 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,640 the dream of owning a home has been snuffed out, 506 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,640 perhaps forever. 507 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,640 I don't think that you ever want to give up on a dream, 508 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,640 and I think that in a way, 509 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:24,640 we were realizing that we might have a dream. 510 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,640 We might never ever get another opportunity 511 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:32,640 to give someone money to build us a home. 512 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:34,640 Update. 513 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:36,640 On August 11th, 1994, 514 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,640 Wade Mitchell Parker was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia, 515 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:42,640 some 1,300 miles from Colorado. 516 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:44,640 There Parker was using two new aliases, 517 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:47,640 Ronald Anderson and Larry Wheeler. 518 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,640 But information developed from our program 519 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:51,640 that was not only the case, 520 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,640 but information developed from our program 521 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,640 helped reveal his true identity. 522 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,640 On September 26, 1994, 523 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:04,640 Wade Mitchell Parker was arraigned in Colorado 524 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,640 on fraud and theft charges. 525 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,640 Our cameras are not allowed inside the courtroom. 526 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,640 However, Earl and Donna Chotpacks 527 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,640 made sure they were on hand to see justice done. 528 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:18,640 If he'd been an honest man, 529 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,640 he'd be living in our home right now 530 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:23,640 and raising our children. 531 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:28,640 I think that anybody who has been ripped off this way 532 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,640 could take heart from this, 533 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:33,640 knowing that with enough perseverance, 534 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:35,640 they may get their guy. 535 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:40,640 So it certainly gave me a lot of heart 536 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:43,640 when I was beginning to lose hope. 537 00:31:48,640 --> 00:31:53,640 Next, a family is reunited. 538 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:55,640 Thanks to you, our viewers. 539 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:58,640 Bill O'Neill of Santa Monica, California 540 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,640 was always told he was just a baby when his father died. 541 00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:03,640 But throughout his childhood, 542 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:05,640 Bill was plagued by the nagging family 543 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,640 that had been around him for a long time. 544 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:11,640 The family was always in the same boat. 545 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:13,640 And he was always in the same boat. 546 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,640 And he was always in the same boat. 547 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:17,640 But throughout his childhood, 548 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:19,640 Bill was plagued by the nagging suspicion 549 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:23,640 that he was somehow different from his older brothers and sisters. 550 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,640 I was the only one with hazel eyes. 551 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,640 And everybody else had these bright blue eyes. 552 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:32,640 My skin was more like an olive skin, 553 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:34,640 where they were fairer skinned. 554 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,640 Not that anything was ever said to me 555 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,640 or anything like that that was different than anybody else, 556 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,640 like my mom didn't treat me any different. 557 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:48,640 Just a feeling inside, like something was lost. 558 00:32:48,640 --> 00:32:51,640 Years later, Bill's suspicions were confirmed 559 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,640 when he discovered that his father, Hugh Paul O'Neill, 560 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,640 had in fact died two years before Bill was born. 561 00:32:57,640 --> 00:33:02,640 When Bill confronted his mother, she told him everything. 562 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,640 Bill learned that in November of 1958, 563 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,640 Paul O'Neill was a patient at Chicago's VA hospital. 564 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,640 There, Bill's mother met a friend of Paul's 565 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,640 Jim Burke, a divorced father of four. 566 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:16,640 So this must be the beautiful lady you've been keeping from me. 567 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,640 Sadly, within a month, Paul O'Neill would die. 568 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:20,640 My wife? 569 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:22,640 Nice meeting you. 570 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,640 Nice meeting you. 571 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,640 Before long, Jim Burke became a familiar presence 572 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,640 in the O'Neill household. 573 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,640 Two years later, Bill was born. 574 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,640 His mother was pregnant again 575 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:36,640 when the relationship with Jim Burke ended. 576 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:39,640 Bill was stunned when his mother also told him 577 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:42,640 that his younger sister, who he thought was dead, 578 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,640 had actually been put up for adoption. 579 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,640 In 1990, Bill O'Neill was reunited 580 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:51,640 with his sister Karen Althaus. 581 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,640 Together, they set their sights on one final goal, 582 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,640 finding their natural father, Jim Burke. 583 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,640 Yep. 584 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:01,640 On the night of our broadcast, 585 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:04,640 a woman named Eileen Essler of New Lenox, Illinois 586 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:07,640 called our phone center and identified herself 587 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:11,640 as one of Jim Burke's four children from his previous marriage. 588 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,640 Bill and Karen were saddened to hear 589 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:15,640 that their father had passed away in 1988, 590 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:19,640 but they were overjoyed that Eileen and another half-sister, 591 00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:23,640 Sheila Ann Haskins, were anxious to meet them. 592 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:28,640 A week later, Bill O'Neill, Karen Althaus, and their families 593 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:31,640 gathered at Karen's house to await the arrival 594 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:33,640 of Eileen and Sheila Ann. 595 00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:35,640 Hello there. 596 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,640 Hi. 597 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:39,640 Hi. 598 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,640 I didn't know I was gonna die. 599 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,640 I didn't know I was gonna do this. 600 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,640 I felt a connection, a definite connection. 601 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:51,640 Like, when I reached out to hug them, 602 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:53,640 I don't know. 603 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:56,640 I didn't, I honestly, to be honest, I just... 604 00:34:56,640 --> 00:35:03,640 I didn't feel like I was gonna be as emotionally tied 605 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,640 as I felt, did I? 606 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:11,640 For Sheila Ann and Eileen, the bond was just as strong. 607 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:17,640 As soon as I saw Bill, as soon as I saw his face, 608 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:20,640 there was absolutely no doubt in my mind 609 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,640 that he was a brother, no doubt. 610 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:27,640 I felt wonderful. I mean, I, like, Sheila, I wanted to touch him. 611 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:31,640 I just wanted to touch him to have a baby brother 612 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,640 and baby sister. I know they're not. 613 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:35,640 There's so much of a toe in the way. 614 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:37,640 OK. 615 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:39,640 This is our father. 616 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,640 Later that afternoon, Bill and Karen sat down 617 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,640 with their new sisters to learn about their father, Jim Burke. 618 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:46,640 And how was it related to her? 619 00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:48,640 This is what I've wondered all my life. 620 00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:51,640 Who are my parents? Do I have more family? 621 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:54,640 Did I have brothers and sisters, things like that? 622 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:57,640 And it's exciting to finally see them, 623 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:00,640 to touch them, to get to know them. 624 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,640 The reunion was especially poignant for Bill O'Neill. 625 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:06,640 His lifelong feelings of isolation 626 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:09,640 were replaced with a new sense of belonging. 627 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:16,640 I just, I figured, hey, we'll get together with him and make nice. 628 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:18,640 He'll be like me and Mabers. 629 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,640 Yeah, you know, get some pictures, 630 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:22,640 get some more information about our dad, 631 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,640 but it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all. 632 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:28,640 It was more, um... 633 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,640 It was just an inside warm feeling 634 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:34,640 that everything was now completed. 635 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,640 That's true. 636 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,640 Oh, great to hear. 637 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:43,640 For Bill, Karen, Eileen and Sheila Ann, 638 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:46,640 this was just the first of many gatherings to come. 639 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:49,640 Bill and Karen have since met one of their half-brothers. 640 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:51,640 And next March, they hope to meet another 641 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:53,640 at a family wedding in Illinois. 642 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:55,640 Also in attendance will be a grandmother, 643 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,640 an aunt and 12 cousins. 644 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,640 John Cheek seemed destined for success. 645 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,640 At 26, fresh out of business school, 646 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,640 he had been hired as a chief financial officer 647 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,640 of one of the larger real estate companies in Tennessee. 648 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:21,640 By the age of 28, 649 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,640 John had purchased this home in a comfortable part of East Memphis. 650 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,640 At work, he was engineering the deal of a lifetime. 651 00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,640 For months, John had helped lay the groundwork 652 00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:36,640 to take his company public. 653 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,640 He had logged countless 18-hour days 654 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,640 and flown thousands of miles to talk with investors 655 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:44,640 around the country and overseas. 656 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,640 By December of 1993, 657 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,640 the complex plan was on the verge of completion. 658 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:52,640 Millions of dollars were at stake. 659 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,640 If the deal was successful, 660 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:56,640 the company would be thrust into national prominence 661 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:58,640 literally overnight. 662 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,640 John was very proud of his accomplishment 663 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:04,640 of getting this job, 664 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:07,640 and he worked very hard non-stop, 665 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,640 almost to see that his duties were fulfilled 666 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:15,640 and that every eye was dotted and every T was crossed. 667 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,640 In their wildest dreams, 668 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:20,640 John Cheek's family and friends never imagined 669 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,640 he would end up the focus of an anguished search, 670 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,640 his face peering out from thousands of flyers 671 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:29,640 plastered around their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. 672 00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:33,640 But on December 2, 1993, 673 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:35,640 John Cheek did not show up for work. 674 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:39,640 At company headquarters, surprise quickly turned to concern. 675 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,640 I thought possibly that maybe he was just tired 676 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:46,640 and he might be somewhere resting. 677 00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:49,640 That's what I was, we were all hoping that's what had happened, 678 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:51,640 but it was out of character, 679 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:55,640 and then as the day went on and then that night, 680 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:57,640 when no one had heard from John, 681 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:01,640 we began to know that something terribly was wrong. 682 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,640 Early the next morning, John's car was discovered. 683 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,640 It had been abandoned on Interstate 55, 684 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,640 where the highway crosses over the Mississippi River, 685 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:13,640 about 12 miles from John's home. 686 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,640 There was no signs of foul play on the car, the car was checked. 687 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,640 Everything appeared to be intact. 688 00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,640 The Cheek family examined the car also, 689 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:26,640 and it appeared to be just the way John would have left it. 690 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:31,640 Police theorize that John Cheek had taken his own life 691 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,640 by leaping into the swift waters of the Mississippi. 692 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:37,640 However, extensive searches of the river and its banks 693 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:39,640 failed to locate his body. 694 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:42,640 To those who knew John, 695 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:45,640 suicide seemed out of the question from the start. 696 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:47,640 We didn't believe that, 697 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:52,640 that he could be normal right up until 11 p.m. one night, 698 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:54,640 and then all of a sudden, 699 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:58,640 we'd jump off the bridge the next day, so... 700 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:03,640 we were just left with the same position we are right now, 701 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,640 that it was just some big mystery that happened to him, 702 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:08,640 and we didn't know what. 703 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:11,640 Two months passed with no leads, 704 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,640 no word from John, 705 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:15,640 no reason to believe he was even alive, 706 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,640 until February 14, 1994. 707 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:24,640 On that day, a trucker named Ron Jackson 708 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:27,640 rolled into West Memphis, Arkansas. 709 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:31,640 Over the years, Jackson has seen hundreds of missing person flyers 710 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,640 at truck stops all across the country, 711 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:37,640 but now he was stunned to find himself staring into the face 712 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:39,640 of someone he recognized, 713 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:42,640 a young man he had befriended just the day before. 714 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:46,640 You never really expected to jump right out of there and say, 715 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:48,640 hey, I know this person, hey, 716 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:50,640 I had breakfast with this person the other morning, 717 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:53,640 so that was added to my surprise of seeing this poster, 718 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,640 and this identity was so strong, 719 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:57,640 and it just kind of grabbed the hold of me and shook me 720 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,640 like this was the individual period. 721 00:41:00,640 --> 00:41:04,640 It was in Ruffine, Virginia, some 700 miles east, 722 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:08,640 that Ron found a young drifter sleeping inside a truck stop. 723 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:10,640 Do you have breakfast yet? 724 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:11,640 No. 725 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:12,640 I have no money. 726 00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:13,640 No problem, let's go. 727 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:15,640 I'm buying you breakfast. 728 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:17,640 My first impression of this man when I saw him 729 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,640 is that he was not homeless people. 730 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:21,640 He was not street people. 731 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:24,640 In the conversation, there was no street lingo. 732 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,640 He was clean, and the white shirt was so white, 733 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:30,640 it looked like he had just come out of the laundry. 734 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:32,640 OK, help yourself. 735 00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:34,640 The young man didn't volunteer his name. 736 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:37,640 He spoke only of an Arkansas homeless shelter 737 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:39,640 that had recently taken care of him. 738 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,640 Sir, for a while, I mean, a whole rock. 739 00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:43,640 I didn't press him. 740 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:47,640 He just was rambling on in the cafeteria line. 741 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:49,640 This is all a meeting. 742 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:53,640 I would have to say that he was definitely not 100% 743 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:57,640 in all mental capabilities. 744 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:58,640 Have a good breakfast. 745 00:41:58,640 --> 00:41:59,640 Yeah. 746 00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:01,640 Where are you headed? 747 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:03,640 Richmond. 748 00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,640 Ron and the drifter were headed in opposite directions. 749 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:08,640 Good luck. 750 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,640 Outside the cafeteria, they parted ways. 751 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:17,640 Well, there were several things about the encounter that 752 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:21,640 made us feel optimistic that it was a positive identification 753 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:22,640 for John. 754 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,640 And the first was the white shirt and tie, 755 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:29,640 because that would be typical for him to be wearing that, 756 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,640 because that's what he wore every day. 757 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:35,640 He also mentioned the fact that he used very correct English 758 00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:38,640 and sounded like he was a well-educated person, which 759 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:40,640 was obviously correct. 760 00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:41,640 Morning yet? 761 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:42,640 Oh, yes, it's morning. 762 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:45,640 For John's parents, the clincher was Jackson's description 763 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:47,640 of the man's shoes. 764 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,640 Their son had had just such a pair of slip-on moccasins, 765 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,640 a pair that was now missing. 766 00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:56,640 When we knew that John had a pair of shoes like this, 767 00:42:56,640 --> 00:43:01,640 we had not mentioned that to anyone up until this point in time. 768 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:05,640 He was a very emotional bit of information, 769 00:43:05,640 --> 00:43:08,640 and immediately my thought was we've got to find him quick 770 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:10,640 and get him home. 771 00:43:10,640 --> 00:43:14,640 He's wandering around and not knowing who he is. 772 00:43:14,640 --> 00:43:17,640 No one can be sure why John Cheek disappeared, 773 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:20,640 but his father believes John suffered a sudden episode 774 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:25,640 of stress induced amnesia, known as the fugue state. 775 00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:29,640 It's sort of a self-preservation mechanism. 776 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:31,640 If something in their past has become so stressful 777 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:33,640 that they can't stand it any longer, 778 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:35,640 then that's how they deal with it. 779 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:38,640 They just block it all out, and you're no longer John Cheek, 780 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:40,640 and you're no longer a financial officer, 781 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:44,640 and you're no longer putting together a big deal. 782 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:48,640 Since Ron Jackson's sighting in February of 1994, 783 00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:52,640 there has been no further word of John Cheek. 784 00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:56,640 John has brown hair, blue eyes, and stands six feet tall. 785 00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:59,640 Before disappearing, he weighed 150 pounds. 786 00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:03,640 John Cheek is 28 years old. 787 00:44:03,640 --> 00:44:07,640 There's a hole in my heart, and I'm hoping that all of this publicity 788 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:11,640 will find someone that can fill that void, 789 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:14,640 and a mother never gives up. 790 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:25,640 Join me next time. 791 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,640 Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery.